Digital Commons Network^™

Dendritic Cell-Specific Delivery Of Flt3l By Coronavirus Vectors Secures Induction Of Therapeutic Antitumor Immunity, Christian Perez-Shibayama, Cristina Gil-Cruz, Monika Nussbacher, Eva Allgauer, Luisa Cervantes-Barragan, Roland Zust, Burkhard Ludewig

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Cytokine Levels And T Cell Apoptosis Associated With Cerebral Malaria Immunopathology During Plasmodium Berghei Anka Infection In A Mouse Model, Julius Ndirangu Mugweru

All Master’s Theses

During the course of malaria infection, a range of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are produced by the host immune system. Successful recovery from malaria involves striking a balance between these counteracting cytokines. The cytokine imbalance contributes to pathological features but their exact levels have not been elucidated. The present study aimed at investigating the role played by circulating cytokines in pathophysiology of cerebral malaria. Using an experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) model, the profile of five serum cytokines was determined by employing Cytometric Bead Assay. Seventy-two BALB/c mice (7-9 week/old) were intraperitoneally inoculated with approximately 1 x 105 parasitisized red blood …

Aku-Nama : Summer 2013, Volume 6, Issue 1, Aga Khan University Alumni Association

The Aga Khan University Newsletter and Magazine for Alumni (AKU-NAMA)

Highlights

- A Changing Relationship

- Marching Towards Healthcare

- Convocation

- Outreach Medical Camp

- Off The Beaten Path

- Campus Happenings

- Class Notes

Aku-Nama : Winter 2013, Volume 6, Issue 2, Aga Khan University Alumni Association

The Aga Khan University Newsletter and Magazine for Alumni (AKU-NAMA)

Highlights

- Alumni Association Appoints its Asia Chapter Officers

- Learning New Tricks

- The University at 30

- Reunions

- Ventures

- Campus Happenings

- Class Notes

Rna Helicase Signaling Is Critical For Type I Interferon Production And Protection Against Rift Valley Fever Virus During Mucosal Challenge, Megan E. Ermler, Ekaterina Yerukhim, Jill Schriewer, Stefan Schattgen, Zachary Traylor, Adam R. Wespiser, Daniel R. Caffrey, Zhijian J. Chen, Charles H. King, Michael Gale Jr., Marco Colonna, Katherine A. Fitzgerald, R. Mark L. Buller, Amy G. Hise

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Vitamin D Accelerates Clinical Recovery From Tuberculosis: Results Of The Succinct Study [Supplementary Cholecalciferol In Recovery From Tuberculosis]. A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial Of Vitamin D Supplementation In Patients With Pulmonary Tuberculosis'., Nawal Salahuddin, Farheen Ali, Zahra Hasan, Nisar Rao, Masooma Aqeel, Syed Faisal Mahmood

Department of Medicine

BACKGROUND:

Vitamin D enhances host protective immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by suppressing Interferon-gamma (IFN-g) and reducing disease associated inflammation in the host. The objectives of this study were to determine whether vitamin Dsupplementation to patients with tuberculosis (TB) could influence recovery.

METHODS:

Two hundred and fifty nine patients with pulmonary TB were randomized to receive either 600,000 IU of Intramuscular vitamin D3 or placebo for 2 doses. Assessments were performed at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Early secreted and T cell activated 6 kDa (ESAT6) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis sonicate (MTBs) antigen induced whole blood stimulated IFN-g responses were measured …

Mers-Cov - Are We On The Verge Of A Pandemic?, Bushra Jamil, Kiren Habib

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

A Trauma Unit’S Interprofessional Approach To Reducing Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections, Kai L. Bortz Rn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Community And Household Management Strategies For Water Supply And Treatment In Rural And Peri-Urban Areas In The Developing World, Ryan William Schweitzer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eighty percent of the 780 million people worldwide that access water from an unimproved source live in rural areas. In rural areas, water systems are often managed by community based organizations and many of these systems do not provide service at the designed levels. The Sustainability Analysis Tool developed in Chapter 2 can inform decision making, characterize specific needs of rural communities in the management of their water systems, and identify weaknesses in training regimes or support mechanisms. The framework was tested on 61 statistically representative geographically stratified sample communities with rural water systems in the Dominican Republic. The results …

The Inflammatory Response Initiated By The Spleen To Ischemic Stroke, Hilary Seifert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The peripheral immune system plays a role in delayed neural injury after stroke. This response originates from the spleen as splenectomy prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats significantly reduces infarct volume in the brain. This research is based on the hypothesis that inhibiting the splenic response will reduce neurodegeneration after stroke. Studies in animals have implicated lymphocytes as the immune cell type that is detrimental following MCAO. Interferon gamma (IFNγ) has been identified as a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is also detrimental following stroke. IFNγ is important because it activates microglia and macrophages in a pro-inflammatory nature that …

Desert In The Springs: Ethnography Of A Food Desert, Margeaux Alana Chavez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

"Food desert" commonly describes food insecure areas with few fresh food outlets. Though used in a number of sources, the definition of "food desert" remains largely undeveloped and research is often deficit oriented, failing to account for community assets that may exist within food deserts but are underutilized or under-supported. Using an assets-based, ethnographic approach, this study combines GIS and survey methodology with participant observation and qualitative interviews to assess the potential positive effect of urban agriculture on food accessibility in Sulphur Springs, a USDA identified urban food desert in Tampa, Florida.

Ethnographic data suggest that within this neighborhood, residents …

Prenatal Stress, Depression, And Herpes Viral Titers, Pao-Chu Hsu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies suggest that some cases of prenatal depression may be associated with reactivation of latent infections of the herpesvirus family. The possible relationships among stress, prenatal depression, and herpes viral reactivation in pregnancy are understudied and the molecular pathways such as the neuroimmune biogenic amine pathway are unidentified. Chronic stress shifts the T helper-1 cell (Th1) cytokine profile to a Th2 profile, which favors virus induced pathogenesis and survival. Pregnancy is also associated with a similar Th2 dominance. In non-pregnant individuals, exposure to psychological or physical stress may be associated with latent herpes viral reactivation and could result in …

Phenotypic And Genotypic Analysis Of In Vitro Selected Miltefosine Resistant Leishmania Donovani, Brian A. Vesely

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis is a devastating neglected parasitic disease caused by infection with Leishmania donovani. It life cycle has two stages with promastigote (insect stage) and amastigote (animal stage) morphologies. Miltefosine is currently the only commercially available oral drug available to treat leishmaniasis and recent evidence suggests clinical resistance has emerged. Due to the importance of this drug and the scarcity of new drugs in the pipeline, work has been done on understanding the mechanism(s) of miltefosine, yet the mechanism of action for resistance is still not known.

In previous studies investigators generated miltefosine resistance on the insect vector stage …

Epigenetic Modifiers To Augment The Immunogenicity Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Jason A. Dubovsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells employ a litany of immunosuppressive and immunevasive strategies to avoid detection and elimination by the various arms of the innate and adaptive immune system. Many hematologic and solid tumors progressively develop a specialized microenvironment which promotes tissue restructuring inflammation while masking the immune signature of the tumor cells themselves. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a malignancy of mature B lymphocytes must constantly balance on the precipice of immune recognition. A mature antigen presenting cell themselves, CLL clonal growth is dependent on the very interactions which, if effective, could potentially lead to their demise. To circumvent this, CLL clones set up …

The Translational Machinery As A Target For Radiosensitization, Thomas John Hayman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current approaches aimed at improving the efficacy of radiation as a cancer treatment modality involve the development and application of molecularly targeted radiosensitizers, a strategy that requires a thorough understanding of the fundamental processes comprising the cellular radioresponse. Recent data indicating that radiation modifies gene expression primarily through translational control rather than transcriptional events suggests that mRNA translation contributes to cell survival after irradiation. The overall goal of this project is to determine whether the regulatory/rate-limiting components of the translational machinery provide targets for tumor cell radiosensitization. The majority of translation in mammalian cells occurs in a cap-dependent manner and …

The Relationship Between High School Coaches' Beliefs About Sports Injury And Prevention Practice Readiness, Siwon Jang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although sports and other forms of physical activities are associated with numerous health benefits, adolescent sports injury has emerged as an important public health problem. As the most immediate caregivers for athletes, coaches are expected to play an important role in preventing and reducing injuries, -considering that sports medical staff, such as athletic trainers are not always available to care for athletes. However, research on coaches' beliefs and practices related to injury prevention has been limited to coaching competency issues, in which injury prevention is considered only one component. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to describe the coaches' …

More Than Feeding: Lived Experiences Of Low-Income Women Receiving Lactation Support, Emily Anne Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing breastfeeding duration, especially among low-income women, has become a national public health priority. These mothers and their babies have less equitable access to support, resources, and the health benefits of breastfeeding. This thesis examines breastfeeding from a biocultural perspective with a focus on political economy, embodiment, and human rights. This research explores the lived experiences of new mothers who receive services from a community non-profit lactation support program which is aimed at providing in-home postpartum breastfeeding support to low-income/at-risk mothers. Evaluation of program services and analysis of women's narratives will provide insight into improvement of lactation services for all …

An Analysis Of The Association Between Animal Exposures And The Development Of Type 1 Diabetes In The Teddy Cohort, Callyn Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on exposure to animals and risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) has had conflicting results with some researchers finding that animal exposure reduces the risk of T1D and others finding no association between animal exposure and T1D. Previously conducted studies on the association between animal exposure and T1D are case-control studies that have been limited by recall bias. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between early life animal exposure and the risk of persistent, confirmed islet autoantibodies (IA) and T1D diagnosis among an eligible cohort of genetically high T1D risk participants enrolled in the international …

Assessment Of A Modified Double Agar Layer Method To Detect Bacteriophage For Assessing The Potential Of Wastewater Reuse In Rural Bolivia, Sakira N. Hadley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global concern that impacts many developing countries, forcing people to depend on unclean water sources for domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs. Wastewater is an alternative water source that contains nutrients needed for crop growth. Wastewater reuse for agriculture can cause public health problems because of human exposure to pathogens. Pathogen monitoring is essential to evaluate the compliance of wastewater with established World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wastewater reuse guidelines. Indicator organisms are commonly used to detect pathogens in water and wastewater because they are quick and easy to measure, non-pathogenic, and …

Bcl9 And C9orf5 Are Associated With Negative Symptoms In Schizophrenia: Meta-Analysis Of Two Genome-Wide Association Studies, Chun Xu, Nagesh Aragam, Xia Li, Erika Cynthia Villa, Liang Wang, David Briones, Brenda Bin Su, Michael A. Escamilla, Kesheng Wang

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric condition affecting slightly more than 1% of the population worldwide and it is a multifactorial disorder with a high degree of heritability (80%) based on family and twin studies. Increasing lines of evidence suggest intermediate phenotypes/endophenotypes are more associated with causes of the disease and are less genetically complex than the broader disease spectrum. Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are attractive intermediate phenotypes based on their clinical and treatment response features. Therefore, our objective was to identify genetic variants underlying the negative symptoms of schizophrenia by analyzing two genome-wide association (GWA) data sets consisting …

Bringing Hope To Those Forgotten: Is The Provision Of Transitional And Supportive Housing Effective In Reducing Homelessness? A Quantitative Analysis Of Willbridge Of Santa Barbara, Inc., Melissa Cervantes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

No abstract provided.

My Journey From Physician To Psychologist: Relational Touch In Psychotherapy, Brita S. Reed

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

A physician's armamentarium includes the presence of the tool of touch which is used not only to diagnose and to heal, but also to reassure patients that they are safe and well cared for in the hands of the physician. The use of touch in the practice of psychology, however, is relatively proscribed. In this essay, I examine how we, as psychologists, can best "hold" our clients without the use of touch. In the first part of this essay, I explore some theoretical considerations on relational touch in psychotherapy. I define relational touch as touch that occurs between people and …

Sustainable Production Of Swine: Putting Lipstick On A Pig?, Michelle B. Nowlin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Educating Ana: A Retrospective Diary Study Of Pre-Literate Refugee Students, Renee Black

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

A Study To Evaluate The Acceptability, Feasibility And Impact Of Packaged Interventions (“Diarrhea Pack”) For Prevention And Treatment Of Childhood Diarrhea In Rural Pakistan, Atif Habib, Sajid Soofi, Kamran Sadiq, Tariq Samejo, Musawar Hussain, Mushtaq Mirani, Asmatullah Rehmatullah, Imran Ahmed, Zulfiqar A Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Diarrhea remains one of the leading public health issues in developing countries and is a major contributor in morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age. Interventions such as ORS, Zinc, water purification and improved hygiene and sanitation can significantly reduce the diarrhea burden but their coverage remains low and has not been tested as packaged intervention before. This study attempts to evaluate the package of evidence based interventions in a “Diarrhea Pack” through first level health care providers at domiciliary level in community based settings. This study sought to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and impact of …

Physiological Level Production Of Antigen-Specific Human Immunoglobulin In Cloned Transchromosomic Cattle, A. Sano, H. Matsushita, H. Wu, J. Jiao, P. Kasinathan, E. J. Sullivan, Z. Wang, Y. Kuroiwa

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Therapeutic human polyclonal antibodies (hpAbs) derived from pooled plasma from human donors are Food and Drug Administration approved biologics used in the treatment of a variety of human diseases. Powered by the natural diversity of immune response, hpAbs are effective in treating diseases caused by complex or quickly-evolving antigens such as viruses. We previously showed that transchromosomic (Tc) cattle carrying a human artificial chromosome (HAC) comprising the entire unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy-chain (hIGH) and kappa-chain (hIGK) germline loci (named as κHAC) are capable of producing functional hpAbs when both of the bovine immunoglobulin mu heavy-chains, bIGHM and bIGHML1, are homozygously …

Human Health And The Neolithic Revolution: An Overview Of Impacts Of The Agricultural Transition On Oral Health, Epidemiology, And The Human Body, Katherine J. Latham

Nebraska Anthropologist

The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to dependence on agricultural production is commonly considered one of the most important achievements of human history. This transition, often referred to as the Neolithic Revolution, ushered in a variety of changes in human dietary intake, food processing and procurement methods, settlement patterns, and physical activity. Skeletal analyses of human remains from early agricultural centers throughout the world indicate that this revolution significantly affected overall human health. This paper will address some of the drastic effects of this transition as evidenced by craniofacial changes related to masticatory function, declines in oral health, increased spread …

Survival, Injury, And Antibiotic Resistance Patterns Of Cronobacter Sakazakii And Escherichia Coli Resulting From Exposure To Low-Temperature Ground Water, Alisha L. Dailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bacteria are constantly being exposed to changing conditions in the environment. Exposure to adverse conditions such as pH, temperature, and desiccation may cause stress to the bacteria, potentially resulting in loss of viability and growth. Cronobacter sakazakii and Escherichia coli were exposed to cold temperature (4°C) and room temperature (24°C) nutrient-limiting groundwater. As a function of time (0 to 15 days), samples were removed from the stress and analyzed. Response of stressed cells was evaluated by three approaches: (i) traditional viable cell counts (nonselective and selective media), (ii) substrate utilization patterns (BIOLOG GN microplates), and (iii) antibiotic resistance patterns (modified …

Summer Indiana Bat Ecology In The Southern Appalachians: An Investigation Of Thermoregulation Strategies And Landscape Scale Roost Selection, Kristina Hammond

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the southern Appalachians there are few data on the roost ecology of the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). During 2008-2012, we investigated roosting ecology of the Indiana bat in ~280,000 ha in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest, and Nantahala National Forest in the southern Appalachians Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. We investigated 2 aspects of the Indiana bat's roosting ecology: thermoregulation and the extrinsic factors that influence body temperature, and landscape-scale roost selection. To investigate thermoregulation of bats at roost, we used data gathered in 2012 from 6 female Indiana bats (5 adults …

Bacterial Colonization And Extinction On Marine Aggregates: Stochastic Model Of Species Presence And Abundance, Andrew M. Kramer, M. Maille Lyons, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake

OES Faculty Publications

Organic aggregates provide a favorable habitat for aquatic microbes, are efficiently filtered by shellfish, and may play a major role in the dynamics of aquatic pathogens. Quantifying this role requires understanding how pathogen abundance in the water and aggregate size interact to determine the presence and abundance of pathogen cells on individual aggregates. We build upon current understanding of the dynamics of bacteria and bacterial grazers on aggregates to develop a model for the dynamics of a bacterial pathogen species. The model accounts for the importance of stochasticity and the balance between colonization and extinction. Simulation results suggest that while …