Digital Commons Network^™

Extracellular Proteases Are Key Mediators Of Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence Via The Global Modulation Of Virulence-Determinant Stability, Stacey L. Kolar, J. Antonio Ibarra, Frances E. Rivera, Joe M. Mootz, Jessica E. Davenport, Stanley M. Stevens Jr., Alexander R. Horswill, Lindsey N. Shaw

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly virulent and successful pathogen that causes a diverse array of diseases. Recently, an increase of severe infections in healthy subjects has been observed, caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). The reason for enhanced CA-MRSA virulence is unclear; however, work suggests that it results from hypersecretion of agr-regulated toxins, including secreted proteases. In this study, we explore the contribution of exo-proteases to CA-MRSA pathogenesis using a mutant lacking all 10 enzymes. We show that they are required for growth in peptide-rich environments, serum, in the presence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and in human blood. …

El Uso De Helmintos Parásitos Como Bioindicadores En La Evaluación De La Calidad Del Agua: Lago De Tecocomulco Vs. Laguna De Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Christian E. Bautista-Hernández, Berenice Alemán-García, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz, Juan Carlos Gaytán-Oyarzún

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Como parte integral de la evaluación de la calidad ambiental del estado de Hidalgo, este estudio tiene énfasis en los helmintos parásitos de los peces y su uso como bioindicadores de la calidad de agua en Lago de Tecocomulco y Laguna de Metztitlán. Como parte del estudio, se obtuvieron los parámetros ecológicos de la infección para cada especie. En Lago Tecocomulco se registraron dos especies de digéneos (larvas), Posthodiplostomum sp. y Diplostomum sp. en el cerebro, los ojos y el mesenterio de dos especies de peces nativos de la zona (Chirostoma jordani y Girardinicthys viviparus); un céstodo (larva), …

Helmintos Parásitos De Algunos Roedores (Mammalia: Rodentia) En San Miguel De Allende, Tepeapulco, Hidalgo, México, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Los helmintos son un componente de la biodiversidad, que proveen información sobre la historia natural de los hospederos, y de las relaciones tróficas. El conocimiento de la diversidad de roedores y sus parásitos en Hidalgo es escaso y puntual. Por la amplia distribución de los roedores, su adaptabilidad a los ambientes modificados y por el riesgo zoonótico que representan, es importante conocer la parasitofauna de estos hospederos. El objetivo del este trabajo fue registrar la helmintofauna de algunos roedores en San Miguel de Allende, Tepeapulco, Hidalgo, México. Entre agosto de 2005 y junio de 2007 se colectaron 19 roedores (12 …

Análisis Morfométrico De Glypthelmins Quieta (Stafford, 1900) Stafford, 1905 (Digenea: Macroderoididae) En La Reserva De La Biosfera Barranca De Metztitlán, Hidalgo, México, Francisco Alemán-Muñoz, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Se evaluó la variación morfológica de 30 ejemplares adultos de la especie Glypthelmins quieta, parásitos de Lithobates spectabilis en localidad de Metznoxtla, en la Reserva de la biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue contribuir al conocimiento de la variación morfológica de G. quieta, y evaluar si los caracteres de presencia ausencia de glándulas perifaringeas y forma de las glándulas mediales son validos para la asignación de ejemplares a una especie. Se generó una base de datos morfológicos realizando tres análisis de componentes principales (ACP). El primer ACP se realizó con la totalidad de …

Análisis De Metales Pesados En Un Céstodo De La Familia Dilepididae, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Claudia Romo-Gómez

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

La concentración de plomo (Pb), cadmio (Cd), zinc (Zn), níquel (Ni), hierro (Fe) y aluminio (Al) fue determinada en un céstodo de la familia Dilepididae, parásito de Peromyscus difficilis colectados en una zona rural del Estado de México; con respecto a trabajos previos se obtuvieron valores altos de concentración para Pb y Zn mientras que para Ni sus valores estuvieron por debajo de los valores reportados y el Cd no fue registrado, en lo que respecta al Fe y Al no existen registros de estos metales en céstodos parásitos de organismos terrestres. Con los datos registrados en el presente trabajo …

Nemátodos Parásitos De Roedores De Huehuetla, Hidalgo, México, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

El estudio de nemátodos parásitos de roedores en el estado de Hidalgo es prácticamente desconocido, solamente se han registrado para la entidad un total de 17 especies. Es por esto que se llevó a cabo una recolecta de roedores silvestres en el municipio de Huehuetla, Hidalgo, con el objetivo de conocer los helmintos que parasitan dichos hospederos. Los hospederos se capturaron con trampas Sherman para su posterior sacrificio y revisión helmintológica. Se registra por primera vez Syphacia sp. en Peromyscus mexicanus (Saussure, 1860) como nuevo hospedero. Se ratifica la identificación de Trichuris fossor Hall, 1916 y Hassalstrongylus aduncus Chandler, 1932; …

Board Of Regents Meeting Materials, October 1, 2013, Eastern Michigan University

Board of Regents Meeting Materials

No abstract provided.

Willingness To Undergo A Repeat Liver Biopsy Among Hiv/Hepatitis C Virus-Coinfected And Hepatitis C Virus-Monoinfected Patients, Valerianna K Amorosa, Omowunmi Aibana, Norah J Shire, Zachariah Dorey-Stein, Thomas Ferrara, Joanne Gilmore, Jay R Kostman, Vincent Lo Re

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) management have recommended that a liver biopsy be repeated at 3-year intervals for HIV/HCV-coinfected patients and 5-year intervals for those with HCV monoinfection to assess fibrosis progression. However, it is unclear if patients are willing to repeat this procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and factors, particularly HIV coinfection, associated with willingness to repeat a liver biopsy.

METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 235 HCV-infected patients (113 with HIV coinfection) between January 2008 and June 2011 who previously underwent liver biopsy. The main outcome was self-reported willingness to repeat the biopsy. The …

Akamai: A Cure For Medical Process Patent's Prometheus Ailment, Joanna Liebes

UC Law Science and Technology Journal

Despite all of the industry and academic focus on the recent Supreme Court case Mayo v. Prometheus, without the Federal Circuit's Akamai v. Limelight Networks decision, many medical process patents may be worthless. This note discusses the problem of subject matter eligibility for medical process patents after Mayo v. Prometheus, as it relates to the likelihood of infringement of those patents. After the Mayo decision, practitioners are attempting to redraft claims to ensure they contain patent eligible subject matter, but in doing so, they may be drafting claims that are impossible to directly infringe. This note proposes that the Akamai …

The Use And Misuse Of Biomedical Data: Is Bigger Really Better?”, Sharona Hoffman, Andy Podgurski

Faculty Publications

Very large biomedical research databases, containing electronic health records (HER) and genomic data from millions of patients, have been heralded recently for their potential to accelerate scientific discovery and produce dramatic improvements in medical treatments. Research enabled by these databases may also lead to profound changes in law, regulation, social policy, and even litigation strategies. Yet, is “big data” necessarily better data?

This paper makes an original contribution to the legal literature by focusing on what can go wrong in the process of biomedical database research and what precautions are necessary to avoid critical mistakes. We address three main reasons …

"Dropping" The Migratory Bird Treaty Act: The Negative Effects Of The Mbta On Property Rights And Human Health, Sabita Maharaj

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

Federal law essentially handcuffs residents from protecting their health and their children’s health and severely restricts what they can do to protect their property from MBTA-protected birds. The usefulness of these laws is no longer justifiable. While it is necessary for human enjoyment and the balance of the ecosystem to protect animals, protection should not come at the expense of human health and property use and enjoyment.

A Comparison Of Food Inspection Practices Of The U.S. Air Force And Ohio Local Public Health, Danny R. Pizzino, Karen A.N. Rupp

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Objective: As Americans consume more meals outside the home, food safety of restaurants is more critical. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of food service establishment (FSE) inspection frequency on FSE performance. In this study, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) public health system is compared to Ohio local public health departments (Ohio LPHDs). The USAF inspects FSEs more frequently than Ohio LPHDs do. The goal is to determine if this increased frequency leads to higher food safety in the FSEs.

Methods: We reviewed 1482 reports from three USAF bases and 1909 reports from six Ohio LPHDs …

Chikungunya Virus Infection Results In Higher And Persistent Viral Replication In Aged Rhesus Macaques Due To Defects In Anti-Viral Immunity, Ilhem Messaoudi, Jennifer Totonchy, Thomas Totonchy, Craig N. Kreklywich, Kristen Haberthur, Laura Springgay, James D. Brien, Michael S. Diamond, Victor R. Defilippis, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne Alphavirus that causes a clinical disease involving fever, myalgia, nausea and rash. The distinguishing feature of CHIKV infection is the severe debilitating poly-arthralgia that may persist for several months after viral clearance. Since its re-emergence in 2004, CHIKV has spread from the Indian Ocean region to new locations including metropolitan Europe, Japan, and even the United States. The risk of importing CHIKV to new areas of the world is increasing due to high levels of viremia in infected individuals as well as the recent adaptation of the virus to the mosquito species Aedes …

Comparison Of Two Nested Pcr Methods For The Detection Of Human Malaria, C. Anthony, R. Mahmud, Y.L. Lau, S.F. Syedomar, S.S.L.S. Ponnampalavanar

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Battling malaria will be a persistent struggle without the proper means to diagnose the parasitic infection. However, the inherent limitations of microscopy, the conventional method of diagnosing malaria, affect the accuracy of diagnosis. The present study aimed to compare the accuracy of two different set of primers targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssRNA) and the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase linker region (dhfr-ts) in detecting species specific malaria infections by nested PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of nested PCR assay using the two primers were calculated with reference to microscopy as the gold standard. The results show that 18S rRNA primers …

Hyperparasitaemic Human Plasmodium Knowlesi Infection With Atypical Morphology In Peninsular Malaysia, W.C. Lee, P.W. Chin, Y.L. Lau, L.C. Chin, M.Y. Fong, C.J. Yap, R.R. Supramaniam, R. Mahmud

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Plasmodium knowlesi is a potentially life-threatening zoonotic malaria parasite due to its relatively short erythrocytic cycle. Microscopic identification of P. knowlesi is difficult, with "compacted parasite cytoplasm" being one of the important identifying keys. This report is about a case of hyperparasitaemic human P. knowlesi infection (27 parasitaemia) with atypical amoeboid morphology. A peninsular Malaysian was admitted to the hospital with malaria. He suffered anaemia and acute kidney function impairment. Microscopic examination, assisted by nested PCR and sequencing confirmed as P. knowlesi infection. With anti-malarial treatment and several medical interventions, patient survived and recovered. One-month medical follow-up was performed after …

Infection Of Burkholderia Cepacia Induces Homeostatic Responses In The Host For Their Prolonged Survival: The Microarray Perspective, V. Mariappan, K.M. Vellasamy, J. Thimma, Onn Haji Hashim, J. Vadivelu

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Burkholderia cepacia is an opportunistic human pathogen associated with life-threatening pulmonary infections in immunocompromised individuals. Pathogenesis of B. cepacia infection involves adherence, colonisation, invasion, survival and persistence in the host. In addition, B. cepacia are also known to secrete factors, which are associated with virulence in the pathogenesis of the infection. In this study, the host factor that may be the cause of the infection was elucidated in human epithelial cell line, A549, that was exposed to live B. cepacia (mid-log phase) and its secretory proteins (mid-log and early-stationary phases) using the Illumina Human Ref-8 microarray platform. The non-infection A549 …

Knowledge Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases And Sexual Behaviours Among Malaysian Male Youths, H. Awang, L.P. Wong, R. Jani, W.Y. Low

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Summary This study examines the knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among male youths in Malaysia. A self-administered survey was carried out on a sample of 952 never-married males aged 15-24 years. The respondents were asked about their knowledge of STDs, how these diseases get transmitted and their sexual behaviours. The data showed that 92 of the respondents knew of at least one STD (syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, genital warts, yeast infection, trichomoniasis or HIV/AIDS). About 95 of them knew of at least one method of STD transmission. Urban and tertiary-educated male youths showed a substantially higher proportion of awareness …

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay For Rapid Detection Of Staphylococcus Aureus, K.T. Lim, C.S.J. Teh, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

No abstract provided.

Management Of Tuberculosis And Latent Tuberculosis Infection In Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Persons, S.S. Lee, G. Meintjes, A. Kamarulzaman, C.C. Leung

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

The syndemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) /tuberculosis (TB) co-infection has grown as a result of the considerable sociogeographic overlaps between the two epidemics. The situation is particularly worrisome in countries with high or intermediate TB burden against the background of a variable HIV epidemic state. Early diagnosis of TB disease in an HIVinfected person is paramount but suffers from lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools. Enhanced symptom screening is currently advocated, and the wide application of affordable molecular diagnostics is urgently needed. Treatment of TB/HIV co-infection involves the concurrent use of standard antiretrovirals and antimycobacterials during which harmful …

Molecular Characterization Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium Isolated From Human, Food, And Animal Sources In Malaysia, Soo Tein Ngoi, Bjørn-Arne Lindstedt, Haruo Watanabe, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Salmonella Typhimurium is an important nontyphoidal Salmonella serovar associated with foodborne diseases in many parts of the world. This organism is the major causative agent of nontyphoidal salmonellosis in Malaysia. We aimed to investigate the genetic profiles of the strains isolated from clinical, zoonotic, and dietary sources in Malaysia using multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). By focusing on the 5 common variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) loci, we found that PFGE (D = 0.99) was more discriminative than MLVA (D = 0.76). The low MLVA score might be because of a lack of …

Molecular Signatures Of T-Cell Inhibition In Hiv-1 Infection, M. Larsson, E.M. Shankar, K.F. Che, A. Saeldi, R. Ellegard, M. Barathan, V. Velu, A. Kamarulzaman

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Cellular immune responses play a crucial role in the control of viral replication in HIV-infected individuals. However,the virus succeeds in exploiting the immune system to its advantage and therefore, the host ultimately fails to control the virus leading to development of terminal AIDS. The virus adopts numerous evasion mechanisms to hijack the host immune system. We and others recently described the expression of inhibitory molecules on T cells as a contributing factor for suboptimal T-cell responses in HIV infection both in vitro and in vivo. The expression of these molecules that negatively impacts the normal functions of the host immune …

Persistent Immune Activation In Chronic Hiv Infection: Do Any Interventions Work?, R. Rajasuriar, G. Khoury, A. Kamarulzaman, M.A. French, P.U. Cameron, S.R. Lewin

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Antimicrobial Susceptibility Of Salmonella Spp. Isolated From Snakes In Peninsular, Malaysia, M.G. Abatcha, Z. Zakaria, D.G. Kaur, Kwai Lin Thong

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

No abstract provided.

Transcriptional Profiles Of The Response Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus To Pentacyclic Triterpenoids, P.Y. Chung, L.Y. Chung, P. Navaratnam

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen in both hospital and the community that has demonstrated resistance to all currently available antibiotics over the last two decades. Multidrug-resistant isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) exhibiting decreased susceptibilities to glycopeptides has also emerged, representing a crucial challenge for antimicrobial therapy and infection control. The availability of complete whole-genome nucleotide sequence data of various strains of S. aureus presents an opportunity to explore novel compounds and their targets to address the challenges presented by antimicrobial drug resistance in this organism. Study compounds alpha-amyrin 3 beta-hydroxy-urs-12-en-3-ol (AM), betulinic acid 3 beta-hydroxy-20(29)-lupaene-28-oic acid (BA) …

Acanthamoeba Genotype T4 Detected In Naturally-Infected Feline Corneas Found To Be In Homology With Those Causing Human Keratitis, I. Ithoi, R. Mahmud, M.H.A. Basher, A. Jali, A.M. Abdulsalam, J. Ibrahim, J.W. Mak

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

A total of 10 out of 65 cornea swab samples from cats with eye symptoms showed Acanthamoeba-like morphology after cultivation. By PCR and DNA sequencing of Acanthamoeba diagnostic fragment 3 (DF3), all 10 isolates from the positive samples were categorized into two homologous groups of AfC1 (PM1, PM2, PM3, PF6, KM7, KF8, KMK9) and AfC2 (PM4, PM5, KFK10) due to the presence of bases A(354) and G(354), respectively. Furthermore, DF3 of AfC1 and AfC2 showed 100 similarity with Genbank reference isolates with the accession numbers DQ087314, EU146073 and U07401, GU808323, which were Acanthamoeba castellanii strains genotype T4 originating from human …

Anti-Inflammatory, Gastroprotective And Anti-Ulcerogenic Effects Of Red Algae Gracilaria Changii (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) Extract, M.H. Shu, D. Appleton, Keivan Zandi, Sazaly Abubakar

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Background: Gracilaria changii (Xia et Abbott) Abbott, Zhang et Xia, a red algae commonly found in the coastal areas of Malaysia is traditionally used for foods and for the treatment of various ailments including inflammation and gastric ailments. The aim of the study was to investigate anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective and anti-ulcerogenic activities of a mass spectrometry standardized methanolic extract of Gracilaria changii. Methods: Methanolic extract of Gracilaria changii (MeOHGCM6 extract) was prepared and standardized using mass spectrometry (MS). Anti-inflammatory activities of MeOHGCM6 extract were examined by treating U937 cells during its differentiation with 10 mu g/ml MeOHGCM6 extract. Tumour necrosis factors-alpha …

Armigeres Subalbatus Incriminated As A Vector Of Zoonotic Brugia Pahangi Filariasis In Suburban Kuala Lumpur, Peninsular Malaysia, A. Muslim, Mun Yik Fong, Rohela Mahmud, Yee Ling Lau, S. Sivanandam

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Background: In 2011, we reported occurrence of natural human infections with Brugia pahangi, a filarial worm of dogs and cats, in a surburb of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. Our preliminary entomological survey at that time suggested the mosquito species Armigeres subalbatus as the vector of the zoonotic infections. In this present report, we provide biological evidence to confirm our preliminary finding. Findings: A total of 1798 adult female Ar. subalbatus mosquitoes was caught in the vicinity of the suburb, and 1599 were dissected for the presence of filarial larvae. Sixty-two mosquitoes were positive, and 27 of these …

That's My Baby: Why The State's Interest In Promoting Public Health Does Not Justify Residual Newborn Blood Spot Research Without Parental Consent, Allison M. Whelan

Minnesota Law Review, Vols. 1-106:1 (1917-2021)

No abstract provided.

Older Workers, Occupational Stress And Safety, Gary A. Adams, Sarah Dearmond, Steve M. Jex, Jennica R. Webster

Management Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Ocean Acidification, Increased Seawater Temperature And A Bacterial Challenge On The Immune Response And Physiology Of The Blue Mussel, Mytilus Edulis., Rob Ellis

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Anthropogenic activities are fundamentally altering the chemistry of the world’s oceans. Many of these modifications could have a significant impact on the health of marine organisms. Yet, despite being proposed as one of the most significant threats that marine ecosystems face, to date very little is known about the impact of anthropogenic climate change, and ocean acidification in particular, on host defence. The aims of this thesis are to investigate the impact of environmental stressors on the invertebrate immune response, providing empirical data on how anthropogenically induced stressors will impact the invertebrate immune system and how this will impact organism …