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The Unconventional Amino Acid Starvation Response Of The Malaria Parasite, Plasmodium Falciparum, Shalon Ledbetter

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The apicomplexan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is the causative agent of the most severe form of malaria, resulting in nearly 1 million deaths each year. The parasite establishes its replicative niche within human erythrocytes, where it degrades massive amounts of host cell hemoglobin, salvaging the released amino acids for its own use. However, human hemoglobin does not contain the amino acid isoleucine, which is one of the most prevalent amino acids in the parasite's proteome. Since P. falciparum cannot synthesize isoleucine, it must acquire this amino acid from human serum. Optimal growth and, ultimately, the survival of P. falciparum depend on …

Bioinformatics For High-Throughput Virus Detection And Discovery, Adam Allred

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Pathogen detection is a challenging problem given that any given specimen may contain one or more of many different microbes. Additionally, a specimen may contain microbes that have yet to be discovered. Traditional diagnostics are ill-equipped to address these challenges because they are focused on the detection of a single agent or panel of agents. I have developed three innovative computational approaches for analyzing high-throughput genomic assays capable of detecting many microbes in a parallel and unbiased fashion. The first is a metagenomic sequence analysis pipeline that was initially applied to 12 pediatric diarrhea specimens in order to give the …

A Cross-National Analysis Of The Human Papillomavirus, Sexually Transmitted Infections, And Sexual Behavior Among Men, Euna Marie August

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a paucity of research on the risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual behavior among general populations of men. Research with male populations predominantly has focused on those subgroups considered to be at high risk of disease transmission, such as gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, and adolescents/young adults. Considerably fewer studies have examined factors among men, in general, and heterosexual men, specifically. Therefore, I conducted analyses with a cross-national sample of adult, sexually active men in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States to investigate sexual behaviors and risk factors associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) …

Systematically Characterizing Adventitious Agent Tests For Biologics, Rebecca Sheets

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Building Pandemic Preparedness Through A Sustainable Enterprise For Influenza Vaccines, Robert Huebner

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Mortality: Precedential Effects Of Striking The Individual Mandate , Mark A. Hall

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Of Icebergs And Glaciers: The Submerged Constitution Of American Healthcare , Theodore W. Ruger

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Achieving High Coverage In Rwanda's National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Programme, Agnes Binagwaho, Claire Wagner, Maurice Gatera, Corine Karema, Cameron T. Nutt, Fidele Ngabo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Problem: Virtually all women who have cervical cancer are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Of the 275000 women who die from cervical cancer every year, 88% live in developing countries. Two vaccines against the HPV have been approved. However, vaccine implementation in low-income countries tends to lag behind implementation in high-income countries by 15 to 20 years.

Approach: In 2011, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health partnered with Merck to offer the Gardasil HPV vaccine to all girls of appropriate age. The Ministry formed a “public–private community partnership” to ensure effective and equitable delivery.

Local setting: Thanks to a strong national …

The San Jose Sugar Hacienda, Volker Schult

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

American Cuerpos, Devan Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses

On election night 2008, a child is conceived by two Barack Obama campaign staffers--Daniel from Seattle, Anza from Honduras. American Cuerpos is a novel about the body and the body politic, about what it means to give birth through the eyes of both mother and father.

The Cmc Challenges In Developing An Oncolytic Immunotherapy, Colin Love

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Conference Program, Engineering Conferences International

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Expectation Of China's Contribution To World Vaccine Development And Supplies: Status, Strategy And International Approach, Li Shi

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Public-Private Partnerships In Advancing Vaccine Technologies And Improving Vaccine Effectiveness And Delivery For Developing Countries, Ray Cummings

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Rational Design Of A Fully Synthetic Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine For Smoking Cessatio, Takashi Kishimoto

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

111 Years Producing Immunobiologicals: New Challenges, Jorge Kalil

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Cloning And Purification Of Sas0397 From Community Associated Staphylococcus Aureus, Amber Wannemacher, H. Kathleen Dannelly

Symposium 2012

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a unique bacterium that can cause painful abscesses that require surgical treatment and can be confined to the skin surface or burrow into the skin causing life-threatening infections. There are two types of MRSA: hospital associated-MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community associated-MRSA (CA-MRSA). Community associated-MRSA is acquired through direct contact with an infected individual or sharing of personal items and is often seen in locations such as athletic facilities, dormitories, and daycare centers. This study involves cloning and purification of SAS0397, a putative exported protein predicted, according to bioinformatics, to be unique to community associated Staphylococcus …

Partnerships For Health - Jeff Health And The Rwanda Village Concept Project – A Model Of Interdisciplinary Health Professions Student Global Education, James D. Plumb, Ellen Plumb, Breanne Ward, Ashlyn Sakona, Morgan Greenfield, Elisabeth Collins

JCIPE 2012

A partnership between the Rwanda Village Concept Project (RVCP), a medical student program in Butare, and Jeff HEALTH (Helping East Africans Link to Health), a multidisciplinary student organization at ThomasJeffersonUniversity, has been working in two Rwandan villages for the past five years. Initially, The Rwanda Health and Healing Project consisted of two programs, a Genocide Survivors Village Transformation and creation of a GenocideMemorial Park. These programs lead to a comprehensive community health assessment, which: 1) documented the needs through key informant interviews and focus groups; 2) identified health resources currently available; and 3) reviewed needs in context of the social …

Partnerships For Health - Jeff Health And The Rwanda Village Concept Project – A Model Of Interdisciplinary Health Professions Student Global Education, Ellen Plumb, Md, James D. Plumb Md, Mph, Francis Barchi, Mbe, Phd, Breanne Ward, Ashlyn Sakona, Morgan Greenfield, Elisabeth Collins, Cameron Bass, Md, Kaitlan Elston, Md, Rwanda Squad

JCIPE 2012

Seminar (23 PowerPoint Slides)

A partnership between the Rwanda Village Concept Project (RVCP), a medical student program in Butare, and Jeff HEALTH (Helping East Africans Link to Health), a multidisciplinary student organization at ThomasJeffersonUniversity, has been working in two Rwandan villages for the past five years. Initially, The Rwanda Health and Healing Project consisted of two programs, a Genocide Survivors Village Transformation and creation of a GenocideMemorial Park. These programs lead to a comprehensive community health assessment, which: 1) documented the needs through key informant interviews and focus groups; 2) identified health resources currently available; and 3) reviewed needs in …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Hazards, Environmental And Health Risks As The Latent Products Of Late Modernity, Bryan R. Clarey

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

CAFOs raise tens of thousands of animals in confined cages and feedlots, feed them high calorie diets, and ship them to slaughter in record time. These factory farms (as they are sometimes called) devastate neighboring environments with the releases of toxic methane gas and animal waste. Progress in modernized agricultural production has enabled us to feed the growing population but unintended consequences for human health and neighboring communities are happening. This study examines environmental and human health impacts of CAFOs on Central Mississippi residents. Through analyses of existing studies and data and telephone surveys, the objectives will be met. Risk …

The Closure Of New Orleans' Charity Hospital After Hurricane Katrina: A Case Of Disaster Capitalism, Kenneth Brad Ott

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Amidst the worst disaster to impact a major U.S. city in one hundred years, New Orleans’ main trauma and safety net medical center, the Reverend Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital, was permanently closed. Charity’s administrative operator, Louisiana State University (LSU), ordered an end to its attempted reopening by its workers and U.S. military personnel in the weeks following the August 29, 2005 storm. Drawing upon rigorous review of literature and an exhaustive analysis of primary and secondary data, this case study found that Charity Hospital was closed as a result of disaster capitalism. LSU, backed by Louisiana state officials, …

Synthesis Of S-Ribosyl-L-Homocysteine And Analogs Modified At The Homocysteine-C3 Position, Ruoyi Liu

Master's Theses

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial cell-to-cell communication that conveys population density information in order to coordinate gene expression to produce synchronized behaviors. QS regulates the expression of virulence genes in many species of bacteria; hence, the manipulation of QS pathways may lead to treatment options against many bacterial diseases. The LuxS enzyme converts S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine (SRH) into homocysteine (HCys) and 4(S),5-dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione (DPD), which is the precursor of autoinducer-2 (AI-2). Thus, inhibitors of LuxS could prevent QS by halting the conversion of SRH to AI-2 rendering the cell “uncommunicative”. This work shows the successful chemical synthesis …

Characterization Of Host-Pathogen Interactions In Two Model Pathogens: Francisella Tularensis And Simian Virus Sv40, Lisa K. Smith

Chemistry and Biochemistry

We sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction. The bacterium Francisella tularensis and simian virus SV40 represent two ideal model systems. Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium known to dampen the host immune response to infection. The Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI) encodes a cluster of 19 genes essential for full virulence and the observed change in immune response. We investigated the role of two FPI encoded proteins, PdpC and PdpD, on immune response. While both proteins affect a change, the effect of PdpD is more pronounced, and appears to play a role in modulation of host immune …

Effect Of Age And Vaccination On Extent And Spread Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection In C57bl/6 Mice, Taylor Eddens, Sarah Beaudoin, Amanda Steinberger, Christopher Scott Little, Dawn Shell, Benjamin Wizel, Brian J. Balin Phd, Kerin L. Fresa-Dillon

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular respiratory pathogen for humans. Infection by C. pneumoniae may be linked etiologically to extra-respiratory diseases of aging, especially atherosclerosis. We have previously shown that age promotes C. pneumoniae respiratory infection and extra-respiratory spread in BALB/c mice.

FINDINGS: Aged C57BL/6 mice had a greater propensity to develop chronic and/or progressive respiratory infections following experimental intranasal infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae when compared to young counterparts. A heptavalent CTL epitope minigene (CpnCTL7) vaccine conferred equal protection in the lungs of both aged and young mice. This vaccine was partially effective in protecting against C. …

Mapping Populations At Risk: Improving Spatial Demographic Data For Infectious Disease Modeling And Metric Derivation, Andrew J. Tatem, Susana Adamo, Nita Bharti, Clara R. Burgert, Marcia Castro, Audrey Dorelien, Gunter Fink, Catherine Linard, Mendelsohn John, Livia Montana, Mark R. Montgomery, Andrew Nelson, Abdisalan M. Noor, Deepa Pindolia, Greg Yetman, Deborah Balk

Publications and Research

The use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in disease surveys and reporting is becoming increasingly routine, enabling a better understanding of spatial epidemiology and the improvement of surveillance and control strategies. In turn, the greater availability of spatially referenced epidemiological data is driving the rapid expansion of disease mapping and spatial modeling methods, which are becoming increasingly detailed and sophisticated, with rigorous handling of uncertainties. This expansion has, however, not been matched by advancements in the development of spatial datasets of human population distribution that accompany disease maps or spatial models. Where risks are heterogeneous …

A Framework Convention On Global Health: Health For All, Justice For All, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Health inequalities represent perhaps the most consequential global health challenge and yet they persist despite increased funding and innovative programs. The United Nations is revising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that will shape the world for many years to come. What would a transformative post-MDG framework for global health justice look like? A global coalition of civil society and academics—the Joint Action and Learning Initiative on National and Global Responsibilities for Health (JALI)—has formed an international campaign to advocate for a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH). Recently endorsed by the UN Secretary-General, the FCGH would reimagine global governance for …

The Science Of Public Health Practice: Using Pbrns For Delivery System Research In Public Health Settings, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

PBRN research tests strategies for improving the delivery of services that promote health and prevent disease and injury on a population-wide basis.

From The Womb To The Tomb: The Role Of Transfers In Shaping The Evolved Human Life History, Michael Gurven, Jonathan Stieglitz, Paul L. Hooper, Cristina Gomes, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

Humans are the longest living and slowest growing of all primates. Although most primates are social, humans are highly cooperative and social in ways that likely co-evolved with the slow human life history. In this paper we highlight the role of resource transfers and non-material assistance within and across generations in shaping low human mortality rates. The use of complex cooperative strategies to minimize risk is a necessary precursor for selecting further reductions in mortality rate in late adulthood. In conjunction with changes in the age-profile of production, the impacts of resource transfers and other forms of cooperation on reducing …

Remote Sensing-Based Time Series Models For Malaria Early Warning In The Highlands Of Ethiopia, A. Midekisa, G. Senay, G. M. Henebry, P. Semuniguse, M. C. Wimberly

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Background

Malaria is one of the leading public health problems in most of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Almost all demographic groups are at risk of malaria because of seasonal and unstable transmission of the disease. Therefore, there is a need to develop malaria early-warning systems to enhance public health decision making for control and prevention of malaria epidemics. Data from orbiting earth-observing sensors can monitor environmental risk factors that trigger malaria epidemics. Remotely sensed environmental indicators were used to examine the influences of climatic and environmental variability on temporal patterns of malaria cases in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. …

Safety Of Saccharomyces Boulardii (Florastor) In Solid Organ Transplant Patients, Nicole Marie Dores

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Probiotics have been promoted for use in many gastrointestinal ailments. Most studies find probiotics safe for human use, reporting no severe adverse effects. However, probiotics are live microorganisms and thus have the potential to cause infection. Transplant recipients are considered at high risk for infectious complications from probiotics due to the immunosuppressive medications used to prevent organ rejection. Nonetheless, clinicians are currently utilizing probiotics in the transplant population, due to their benefit in gastrointestinal disorders, particularly recurrent Clostridium difficile. Limited knowledge and paucity of prospective trials in this patient population demands the need for completion of studies to identify the …