Digital Commons Network^™

Resistance Of Human Cytomegalovirus To Cyclopropavir Maps To A Base Pair Deletion In The Open Reading Frame Of Ul97, Brian G. Gentry, Laura E. Vollmer, Ellie D. Hall, Katherine Z. Borysko, Jiri Zemlicka, Jeremy P. Kamil, John C. Drach

Oncology Faculty Publications

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen in the human population, affecting many immunologically immature and immunocompromised patients, and can result in severe complications, such as interstitial pneumonia and mental retardation. Current chemotherapies for the treatment of HCMV infections include ganciclovir (GCV), foscarnet, and cidofovir. However, the high incidences of adverse effects (neutropenia and nephrotoxicity) limit the use of these drugs. Cyclopropavir (CPV), a guanosine nucleoside analog, is 10-fold more active against HCMV than GCV (50% effective concentrations [EC₅₀s] = 0.46 and 4.1 μM, respectively). We hypothesize that the mechanism of action of CPV is similar to that …

Quantification Of Α-Ketoglutarate Cyanohydrin In Swine Plasma By Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Brendan L. Mitchell, Gary A. Rockwood, Brian A. Logue

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Determination of exposure to cyanide can be accomplished by direct cyanide analysis or indirectly by analysis of cyanide detoxification products, such as thiocyanate and 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid. A potentially important marker and detoxification product of cyanide exposure, α-ketoglutarate cyanohydrin (α-KgCN), is produced by the reaction of cyanide and α-ketoglutarate. Therefore, an ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method to determine α-KgCN in plasma was developed. Swine plasma was spiked with α-KgCN and α-KgCN-d₄ (internal standard) and proteins were precipitated with 1% formic acid in acetonitrile. After centrifugation, the supernatant was dried, reconstituted, separated by reversed phase high performance liquid …

An Overview Of Urban Vulnerability To Natural Disasters And Climate Change In Central America & The Caribbean Region, Ebru A. Gencer

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

Central America and the Caribbean is one of the most hazard-prone regions in the world. In addition, the region is heavily affected by poverty, unemployment, critical management of natural resources, and urban conglomeration in capital cities, especially in the Small Island Developing States, increasing vulnerability and risk to natural disasters and climate change. This paper examines characteristics of urban vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change in the Central America and the Caribbean Region. It argues that even though the region is not vast in size, the diversity within creates different characteristics of vulnerability to natural disasters and thus requires …

Relationship Between Community Prevalence Of Obesity And Associated Behavioral Factors And Community Rates Of Influenza-Related Hospitalizations In The United States, Katia M. Charland, David L. Buckeridge, Anne G. Hoen, Jay G. Berry, Anne Elixhauser, Forrest Melton, John S. Brownstein

School of Natural Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Findings from studies examining the association between obesity and acute respiratory infection are inconsistent. Few studies have assessed the relationship between obesity-related behavioral factors, such as diet and exercise, and risk of acute respiratory infection.

Objective: To determine whether community prevalence of obesity, low fruit/vegetable consumption, and physical inactivity are associated with influenza-related hospitalization rates.

Methods: Using data from 274 US counties, from 2002 to 2008, we regressed county influenza-related hospitalization rates on county prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30), low fruit/vegetable consumption (/day), and physical inactivity (/month recreational exercise), while adjusting for community-level confounders such as insurance coverage …

Bacterial Endophytes Enhance Competition By Invasive Plants, Marnie E. Rout, Thomas H. Chrzanowski, Tara K. Westlie, Thomas H. Deluca, Ragan M. Callaway, William E. Holben

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

• Premise of the study: Invasive plants can alter soil microbial communities and profoundly alter ecosystem processes. In the invasive grass Sorghum halepense, these disruptions are consequences of rhizome-associated bacterial endophytes. We describe the effects of N₂-fixing bacterial strains from S. halepense (Rout and Chrzanowski, 2009) on plant growth and show that bacteria interact with the plant to alter soil nutrient cycles, enabling persistence of the invasive.
• Methods: We assessed fluxes in soil nutrients for ~4 yr across a site invaded by S. halepense. We assayed the N₂-fixing bacteria in vitro for phosphate solubilization, …

Benznidazole Treatment Of Chagasic Encephalitis In Pregnant Woman With Aids, Margarita Bisio, Jaime Altcheh, Jorge Lattner, Guillermo Moscatelli, Valeria Fink, Juan M. Burgos, Facundo García Bournissen, Alejandro G. Schijman, Héctor Freilij

Paediatrics Publications

We report a case of chagasic meningoencephalitis reactivation in a pregnant woman co-infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and HIV that was successfully managed with benznidazole and highly active antiretroviral therapy. Early diagnosis enabled rapid specific treatment that improved the health of the patient and her baby.

Review Of Report On The “Status Of Nearshore Finfish Stocks In South-Western Western Australia: Australian Herring And Tailor”, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Tick Collection And Isolation Of Dna For The Study Of Multiple Disease-Causing Microorganisms, Angela Gregor

Student Research and Creative Projects 2013-2014

Babesia microti is the causative agent for babesiosis, a blood-based parasitic disease that causes malaria-like symptoms in humans. It is passed through Ixodes scapularis (deer ticks) and is rising in incidence in the upper Midwest. Ticks that carry Borrelia, the causative agent for Lyme disease, may also carry Babesia microti. There are two major goals in this project: determine the prevalence of Babesia microti in ticks in the Winona area and determine whether those ticks that carry Borrelia are more likely to carry Babesia microti. The first part of the project requires development of a PCR assay that works well …

Ahat 411.01: Advanced Practicum In Athletic Training I, Valerie Rich Moody

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Carriers Of Babesia Microti From Local Populations Of Borrelia-Infested Ticks, Terra Fodstad

Student Research and Creative Projects 2013-2014

Babesia microti is the causative agent for babesiosis, a blood-based parasitic disease that causes malaria-like symptoms in humans. It is passed through Ixodes scapularis (deer ticks) and is rising in incidence in the upper Midwest. Ticks that carry Borrelia, the causative agent for Lyme disease, may also carry Babesia microti. There are two major goals in this project: determine the prevalence of Babesia microti in ticks in the Winona area and determine whether those ticks that carry Borrelia are more likely to carry Babesia microti. The first part of the project requires development of a PCR assay that works well …

Isolation And Characterization Of Microbial Pathogens Found In Chickens, Kurt Lawton, John Weber

Student Research and Creative Projects 2013-2014

The bacterial content of retail chicken is a topic of growing concern. Chicken processing plants are under increasingly strict regulations to prevent contamination. Likewise, increasing controversy is being directed towards chicken farmers concerning cleanliness and the use of antibiotics in raising chickens, as it may lead to antibiotic resistance. There is legitimate concern surrounding the many possible pathogens associated with chicken, let alone the recent trend of bacteria with heightened resistance to antibiotics. This project was carried out with the purpose of the identification and characterization of bacteria found in chicken from local supermarkets. As multiple bacterial species were expected …

Potential Health Impacts Of Heavy Metals On Hiv-Infected Population In Usa, Xiaohui Xu, Hui Hu, Amy B. Dailey, Greg Kearney, Evelyn O. Talbott, Robert L. Cook

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: Noninfectious comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases have become increasingly prevalent and occur earlier in life in persons with HIV infection. Despite the emerging body of literature linking environmental exposures to chronic disease outcomes in the general population, the impacts of environmental exposures have received little attention in HIV-infected population. The aim of this study is to investigate whether individuals living with HIV have elevated prevalence of heavy metals compared to non-HIV infected individuals in United States.

Methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010 to compare exposures to heavy metals including cadmium, lead, and total …

Presence Of Virus Neutralizing Antibodies In Cerebral Spinal Fluid Correlates With Non-Lethal Rabies In Dogs., Clement W Gnanadurai, Ming Zhou, Wenqi He, Christina M Leyson, Chien-Tsun Huang, Gregory Salyards, Stephen B Harvey, Zhenhai Chen, Biao He, Yang Yang, D C Hooper, Berhnard Dietzchold, Zhen F Fu

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Rabies is traditionally considered a uniformly fatal disease after onset of clinical manifestations. However, increasing evidence indicates that non-lethal infection as well as recovery from flaccid paralysis and encephalitis occurs in laboratory animals as well as humans.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Non-lethal rabies infection in dogs experimentally infected with wild type dog rabies virus (RABV, wt DRV-Mexico) correlates with the presence of high level of virus neutralizing antibodies (VNA) in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and mild immune cell accumulation in the central nervous system (CNS). By contrast, dogs that succumbed to rabies showed only little or no VNA in the …

Barrier To Autointegration Factor (Baf) Inhibits Vaccinia Virus Intermediate Transcription In The Absence Of The Viral B1 Kinase, Nouhou Ibrahim, April Wicklund, Augusta Jamin, Matthew S. Wiebe

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Barrier to autointegration factor (BAF/BANF1) is a cellular DNA-binding protein found in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Cytoplasmic BAF binds to foreign DNA and can act as a defense against vaccinia DNA replication. To evade BAF, vaccinia expresses the B1 kinase, which phosphorylates BAF and blocks its ability to bind DNA. Interestingly, B1 is also needed for viral intermediate gene expression via an unknown mechanism. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of B1-BAF signaling on vaccinia transcription. Strikingly, the decrease in vaccinia transcription caused by loss of B1 can be rescued by depletion of BAF. The repressive action of BAF is greatest …

The Constitutionality Of California's Cap-And-Trade Program And Recommendations For Design Of Future State Programs, Thomas Alcorn

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

Global climate change has emerged as one of the greatest challenges of our time. While action has stalled on the national stage, states have started to take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Confronted with the risk of severe impacts that could cost it tens of billions of dollars annually by the end of the century, California has taken the lead and developed the first comprehensive cap-and-trade program in the nation and seeks to achieve significant reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its economy. The success of California’s program will determine whether other states and the federal …

Pharmacy Newsletter : September 2013, Pharmacy Department

Department of Pharmacy Archives

Content:

• Pharmacist-Run One Window Immunization
• Pharmacy Take Away Service
• Insulin
• Pencillin Test Dose Dilution
• Pharmacist Interventions

Identification Of Helicobacter Pylori By Different Conventional Staining Techniques And Its Comparison With Polymerase Chain Reaction, Himani B. Pandya, Jagdish S. Patel, Harihar H. Agravat, Sahil B. Patel, Minal C. Thakkar

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) detection by histological staining methods, and to compare with those of Gram staining and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Microbiology, Shree P. M. Patel Paramedical College, Anand, Gujarat, India on 436 patients attending the Deep Surgical Hospital, Anand, Gujarat between February 2008 and October 2011. Biopsies were subjected to histological staining using Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E), Giemsa, and Warthin-Starry stains, as well as with Gram staining. The PCR was performed on 71 biopsy samples. RESULTS: Sensitivity and negative predictive values of all 3 …

Evaluation Of The Acceptability And Feasibility Of A Computer-Tailored Intervention To Increase Hpv Vaccination Among Young Adult Women, Andrea L. Paiva, Jessica M. Lipschitz, Anne C. Fernandez, Colleen A. Redding, James O. Prochaska

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine acceptability and feasibility of a Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-based computer-tailored intervention for increasing HPV vaccination in college-aged women.

Participants: 243 women ages 18-26 were recruited between February and May of 2011.

Methods: Participants completed the intervention and a 14-item evaluation of intervention content and delivery.

Results: Most participants had heard of HPV (91%), but the majority (57%) of participants were in Precontemplation for getting vaccinated. Eighty nine percent of participants rated the CTI positively across all acceptability items, and 91% endorsed intention to get vaccinated after intervention. While average ratings in each demographic subgroup were positive, Hispanic women …

Characterizing The Syphilis Epidemic Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Lima, Peru To Identify New Treatment And Control Strategies, Robert Deiss, Segundo R. Leon, Kelika A. Konda, Brandon Brown, Eddy R. Segura, Jerome T. Galea, Carlos F. Caceres, Jeffrey D. Klausner

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Syphilis is an important sexually transmitted infection (STI) with serious public health consequences. Among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, the prevalence and incidence are extraordinarily high. Current syndromic approaches, however, fail to identify asymptomatic cases, and in settings where large proportions of individuals test positive again after treatment, it is frequently difficult to distinguish treatment failure from re-infection. Thus, new approaches are needed to improve treatment strategies and public health control efforts.

Methods/Design: Study participants will undergo baseline testing for syphilis infection along with a behavioral survey covering demographics, sexual behavior, drug and …

Mining Effective Multi-Segment Sliding Window For Pathogen Incidence Rate Prediction, Lei Duan, Changjie Tang, Xiasong Li, Guozhu Dong, Xianming Wang, Jie Zuo, Min Jiang, Zhongqi Li, Yongqing Zhang

Kno.e.sis Publications

Pathogen incidence rate prediction, which can be considered as time series modeling, is an important task for infectious disease incidence rate prediction and for public health. This paper investigates the application of a genetic computation technique, namely GEP, for pathogen incidence rate prediction. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional sliding windows in GEP-based time series modeling, the paper introduces the problem of mining effective sliding window, for discovering optimal sliding windows for building accurate prediction models. To utilize the periodical characteristic of pathogen incidence rates, a multi-segment sliding window consisting of several segments from different periodical intervals is proposed and …

Pubh 535.50: Health Policy, Craig A. Molgaard, Kathryn A. Fox

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Predicting Unobserved Exposures From Seasonal Epidemic Data, Eric Forgoston, Ira B. Schwartz

Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We consider a stochastic Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) epidemiological model with a contact rate that fluctuates seasonally. Through the use of a nonlinear, stochastic projection, we are able to analytically determine the lower dimensional manifold on which the deterministic and stochastic dynamics correctly interact. Our method produces a low dimensional stochastic model that captures the same timing of disease outbreak and the same amplitude and phase of recurrent behavior seen in the high dimensional model. Given seasonal epidemic data consisting of the number of infectious individuals, our method enables a data-based model prediction of the number of unobserved exposed individuals over very …

Parenting Style And Oral Health Status, Seran Ng, Christina Demopoulos, Connie Mobley, Marcia Ditmyer

Dental Medicine Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Occupational Exposure To Hepatitis C Virus: Early T-Cell Responses In The Absence Of Seroconversion In A Longitudinal Cohort Study., Theo Heller, Jens Martin Werner, Fareed Rahman, Eishiro Mizukoshi, Yuji Sobao, Ann Marie Gordon, Arlene Sheets, Averell H. Sherker, Ellen Kessler, Kathleen S. Bean, Steven K. Herrine, M'Lou Stevens, James Schmitt, Barbara Rehermann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: T-cell responses have been described in seronegative patients who test negative for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA despite frequent HCV exposure. However, the cross-sectional design of those studies did not clarify whether T cells were indeed induced by low-level HCV exposure without seroconversion or whether they resulted from regular acute infection with subsequent antibody loss.

METHODS: Over a 10-year period, our longitudinal study recruited 72 healthcare workers with documented HCV exposure. We studied viremia and antibody and T-cell responses longitudinally for 6 months.

RESULTS: All healthcare workers remained negative for HCV RNA and antibodies. However, 48% developed proliferative T-cell …

Androgen Activity And Markers Of Inflammation Among Men In Nhanes Iii, Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Objectives
Inflammation contributes to chronic diseases. Lower serum testosterone among men is associated with less inflammation, yet immune defense is thought to trade-off against reproduction with androgens adversely affecting immune function. Anti-androgens are effective at castrate levels of serum testosterone, suggesting serum testosterone may not capture all androgen activity. The association of two androgen biomarkers with key markers of inflammation was examined.

Methods
The adjusted association of serum testosterone and androstanediol glucuronide with Creactive protein, white blood cell, granulocyte and lymphocyte count, fibrinogen and hemoglobin, as a control outcome because testosterone administration raises hemoglobin, were examined in a nationally representative …

Molecular Characterization Of Tick Salivary Gland Glutaminyl Cyclase, Steven W. Adamson, Rebecca E. Browning, Chien-Chung Chao, Robert C. Bateman Jr., Wei-Mei Ching, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) catalyzes the cyclization of N-terminal glutamine residues into pyroglutamate. This post-translational modification extends the half-life of peptides and, in some cases, is essential in binding to their cognate receptor. Due to its potential role in the post-translational modification of tick neuropeptides, we report the molecular, biochemical and physiological characterization of salivary gland QC during the prolonged blood feeding of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the gulf-coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). QC sequences from I. scapularis and A. maculatum showed a high degree of amino acid identity to each other and other arthropods and …

Female Elk Contacts Are Neither Frequency Nor Density Dependent, P. C. Cross, T. G. Creech, Michael Ryan Ebinger, Kezia R. Manlove, K. Irvine, J. Henningsen, J. Rogerson, B. M. Scurlock, S. Creel

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Identifying drivers of contact rates among individuals is critical to understanding disease dynamics and implementing targeted control measures. We studied the interaction patterns of 149 female elk (Cervus canadensis) distributed across five different regions of western Wyoming over three years, defining a contact as an approach within one body length (∼2 m). Using hierarchical models that account for correlations within individuals, pairs, and groups, we found that pairwise contact rates within a group declined by a factor of three as group sizes increased 33-fold. Per capita contact rates, however, increased with group size according to a power function, such that …

Role Of Vimf In Gingipain Maturation In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Arun S. Muthiah

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Gingipain activity in Porphyromonas gingivalis, the major etiological agent in adult periodontitis, is post-translationally regulated by unique Vim proteins including VimF, a putative glycosyltransferase. To ascertain the VimF mediated phenotype we first inactivated the vimF gene in P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 (FLL476), a less virulent fimbriated strain. We observed that the vimF-defective mutant (FLL476) showed a phenotype similar to that of the vimF-defective mutant (FLL95) in the P. gingivalis W83 background. While hemagglutination was not detected and autoaggregationn was reduced, biofilm formation was increased in FLL476. Also, invasive capacity decreased for this mutant. Furthermore, fimbrial structures were missing in FLL476, …

Aseptically Processed And Chemically Sterilized Btb Allografts For Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Prospective Randomized Study., Peter A Indelicato, Michael G Ciccotti, Joel Boyd, Laurence D Higgins, Benjamin S Shaffer, C Thomas Vangsness

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes of bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) allografts processed via a novel sterilization system with the traditional aseptically processed BTB allografts for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

METHODS: A total of 67 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction at 6 independent investigation sites were randomized into one of two intervention groups, BioCleanse-sterilized or aseptic BTB allografts. Inclusion criteria included an acute, isolated, unilateral ACL tear, and exclusion criteria included prior ACL injury, multi-ligament reconstruction, and signs of degenerative joint disease. Post-op examiners and patients were blinded to graft type. Patients were evaluated at 6, 12, and 24 months. Clinical …

Conference Learnings, Denise M. Geroulo

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.