Digital Commons Network^™

Translating Knowledge Of Autism Spectrum Disorders To Action Through Tool Development And Exploration, Rebecca A. Garcia

All Dissertations

Translational processes are needed to move research development, methods, and techniques into clinical application. The knowledge to action framework organizes this bench to bedside process through three phases including: research, translation, and institutionalization without being specific to one disease or condition. The overall goal of this research is to bridge gaps in the translational process from assay development to disease detection through a mixed methods approach. A literature review identifies gaps associated with intestinal permeability and autism spectrum disorders. Mining social media related to autism and GI symptoms captures self-reported or observed data, identifies patterns and themes within the data, …

Increasing Influenza Vaccination Rates Within The Veteran Population, Bernadette R. Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the best methods to increase vaccination rates in the Veteran population. The Veteran community is comprised of the young and old, both female and male, and individuals with a healthy or unhealthy status. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Healthy People 2020 were sites utilized, retrieving data and statistics to emphasize the need for this annual vaccination. This information iterates the need for complete compliance from every Veteran. PubMed and Cinahl allowed for a literature review of previously studied populations. This review led to a multifaceted, multi-professional approach to increasing vaccination rates among populations examined. …

Development Of A New Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay For The Rapid Detection Of The Oral Pathogenic Bacterium, Selenomonas Noxia, Patrica Cruz-Perez, Arthuro Mehretu, Mark P. Buttner, Katherine M. Howard, Theresa Trice

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background

In recent studies, periodontal health has been linked to being overweight and/or obese. Among common oral bacteria, Selenomonas noxia has been implicated in converting periodontal health to disease, and Selenomonas species have also been found in gastric ulcers. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the specific and rapid detection of S. noxia.

Methods

Two oligonucleotide primer pairs and one probe were designed and tested to determine optimal amplification signal with three strains of S. noxia. The PCR assay was tested against fourteen non-target organisms, including …

Thou Shalt Not Take The Name Of The Lord Thy God In Vain: Use And Abuse Of Religious Exemptions From School Immunization Requirements, Dorit Rubinstein Reiss

UC Law Journal

School immunization requirements are one way that states protect school age children against vaccine-preventable diseases. At present, forty-eight states allow parents to exempt their students from immunization requirements based on religious reasons, philosophical reasons, or either. This Article focuses on the religious exemption and makes three points. First, people lie to get a religious exemption. Second, U.S. jurisprudence makes preventing such abuse very hard. And third, because the religious exemption is so prone to abuse, we should remove it. The first part of the Article discusses the jurisprudence, and why our courts limit state officials’ ability to police abuse of …

Comparison Of Bacterial Inactivation Efficiency And Disinfection Byproduct Formation From Different Disinfection Processes, Binbin Li

All Theses

Formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during Escherichia coli K12 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 inactivation under four disinfection processes, including chlorination, chloramination, photo-Fenton reaction, and TiO2/UV photocatalytic inactivation were examined. Factors of pH (5 or 8) and different disinfectant dosages were also investigated in order to balance the risks of DBP formation and bacterial cell viability in the four treatment processes. Chlorination had the fastest bacterial inactivation whereas chloramination, photo-Fenton, and TiO2/UV requiring longer contact times to achieve the same inactivation efficiency. In spite of the lag phase in the treatment processes, both photo-Fenton and TiO2/UV achieved 100% bacteria reduction after …

Historical Demography And Dispersal Patterns In The Eastern Pipistrelle Bat (Perimyotis Subflavus), Alynn M. Martin

Masters Theses

The recent emergence of threats to North American bat conservation has prompted increased population genetics research on high risk species. The eastern pipistrelle bat is affected by both white-nose syndrome and wind turbine mortality. However, little work has been done regarding the population structure and effective population size of this species. Using the HVI region of the mitochondria and eight microsatellite loci, I analyzed male and female structure across the sample range of P. subflavus and estimated the effective population size of their populations. Pairwise F_ST values indicate that there is one panmictic population based on microsatellite data, while …

Novel Synergistic Protective Efficacy Of Atovaquone And Diclazuril On Fetal-Maternal Toxoplasmosis, Helieh S. Oz

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Over 1 billion people globally are estimated to be infected with Toxoplasma gondii with severe or unknown consequences and no safe and effective therapies are available against congenital or persistent chronic infection. We propose that atovaquone and diclazuril synergistically protect against fetal-maternal toxoplasmosis.

METHODS: Programmed pregnant mice were treated with atovaquone and diclazuril monotherapy, or combined (atovaquone + diclazuril) therapy and infected with tachyzoites (0, 300, 600) and the course of infection was studied.

RESULTS: Infected dams with low dose (300) developed moderate toxoplasmosis complications and treatments were similarly effective with minor differences between monotherapies. In contrast, major differences were …

Association Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Adiposity With Inflammatory Biomarkers In Young Adults, Eunduck Park

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Low grade systemic inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis, and C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF -a), markers of systemic inflammation, are associated with cardiovascular events and adiposity. Cardiorespiratory fitness has shown health benefits by reducing circulating levels of inflammatory markers. However, it remains uncertain whether the negative association between cardiorespiratory fitness and inflammatory biomarkers is due to cardiorespiratory fitness itself or results from lower levels of adiposity. Moreover, the evidence examining the interaction between cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity in inflammation in young adults is lacking.

Purpose: The aims of this study were …

An Inverse Association Between West Nile Virus Serostatus And Avian Malaria Infection Status, Robert Ricklefs, Matthew Medeiros, Tavis Anderson, Jenni Higashiguchi, Uriel Kitron, Edward Walker, Jeffrey Brawn, Bethany Krebs, Marilyn Ruiz, Tony Goldberg, Gabriel Hamer

Biology Department Faculty Works

BackgroundVarious ecological and physiological mechanisms might influence the probability that two or more pathogens may simultaneously or sequentially infect a host individual. Concurrent infections can have important consequences for host condition and fitness, including elevated mortality risks. In addition, interactions between coinfecting pathogens may have important implications for transmission dynamics.MethodsHere, we explore patterns of association between two common avian pathogens (West Nile virus and avian malaria parasites) among a suburban bird community in Chicago, IL, USA that share mosquito vectors. We surveyed 1714 individual birds across 13 species for both pathogens through established molecular protocols.ResultsField investigations of haemosporidian and West …

The Impact Of Alcohol On Hiv Prevention And Treatment For South Africans In Primary Healthcare, Michelle Schneider, Matthew Chersich, Marleen Temmerman, Olivier Degomme, Charles D. Parry

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Antiretroviral treatment (ART) has substantially reduced morbidity and mortality for HIV patients. In South Africa, with the largest ART programme globally, attention is needed not only on the further expansion of ART coverage, but also on factors which undermine its effectiveness, such as alcohol use.

Objective: Given the decentralised approach of nurse-initiated and -sustained ART in the South African primary health sector, it is important to document key aspects of alcohol use to be conveyed to HIV-positive individuals and those at risk for HIV.

Method: This study comprised a narrative review of relevant literature.

Results: Alcohol acts through both …

Social Capital Of Last Resort: The Role Of Religion, Family, And Trust Among People With Low Socio-Economic Status, Jean Reid Norman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study finds evidence that poverty and homelessness undermine primary social relationships for many low-income people, eroding social capital, and that generalized trust may not be a good proxy for social capital, at least among a largely homeless population. This study also finds a surprising number of references to God, religion and spirituality among largely homeless populations when talking about their social networks, which addresses literature suggesting that church affiliation and religion may be unique in the formation of social capital. Twelve focus groups were conducted with a total 46 participants self-identified as low-income to explore social capital. A …

Interleukin-6 Production And Epithelial Cell Signaling By Telomerase Immortalized Gingival Keratinocytes In Porphyromonas Gingivalis Infection., Himabindu Vuddaraju

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

P. gingivalis is a major periodontal disease causing pathogen. Gingival epithelial cells being the first line of defense, interact and internalize the bacteria evoking a cell signaling response that finally leads to the release of cytokines. IL-6 is a potent pro- inflammatory cytokine, which is one of the responsible factors for bone resorption, a clinical manifestation of periodontitis. The experimental model study hypothesizes that P. gingivalis infection increases the production of IL-6 in telomerase immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGKs) through up-regulation of c-Jun (AP-1 reporter). We observed the IL-6 production post-infection with P. gingivalis WT ATCC33277 and mutants ?0482, ?Ndk and …

Effects Of Lipopolysaccharide Induced Inflammatory Response On Early Embryo Survival In Ewes, Megan Renee Graham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early pregnant ewes, 5 or 6 day post coitus (dpc) were used as a model to study early embryonic loss via gram-negative bacterial infections, such as mastitis. Ewes 5/6 dpc were injected with a gram-negative bacteria cell wall component, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-&agr;), to induce an innate immune system acute phase response (APR). The induction of the APR and its reactant molecules, such as TNF-&agr; and acute phase proteins (APP), haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), were initiated to study their effects on embryonic loss. In addition, ewes were also injected with LPS plus dexamethasone (Dex) …

Effects Of Dietary Immunomodulation On Parasite Load In Commercial Crossbred Lambs, Rebecca Christine Price

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multidrug resistant gastrointestinal nematodes have left sheep producers with little options to control the detrimental effects of parasitism on their flocks. Immunomodulation has been used in many autoimmune diseases in an effort to downregulate the immune system and alleviate pathology. However, upregulation of immune responses by use of dietary immunosaccharides may allow parasite susceptible sheep to clear a Haemonchus contortus infection. To test this hypothesis, Dorset-Texel lambs were fed a ration including CelmanaxRTM at 1g/hd/day for one week prior to receiving an experimental infection of 10,000 L3 stage H. contortus larvae; which continued until the completion of the study. Increases …

Controlling Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms And Persister Cells By Manipulating Cell-Cell Signaling, Shuyuan Ma

Theses - ALL

Bacterial cells often form sessile biofilms that are up to 1,000 times more resistant to antimicrobial agents than free-living cells. Meanwhile, bacteria produce a small subpopulation of slow-growing or non-growing persister cells that exhibit high tolerance to antibiotics. Both biofilms and persister cells play important roles in the recalcitrance of chronic infections. Recent studies have shown that bacterial cell-to-cell communication, named quorum sensing (QS), is involved in the biofilm and persister formation.

In this study, we investigated the effects of quorum sensing signals N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) and N-butyryl homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) on isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and PDO300 persister cells. …

Strategic Implications Of The Evolving Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Henry Plater-Zyberk Mr., Andrew Monaghan Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

View the Executive Summary

The role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in regional politics and the significance of the organization for U.S. interests are widely misunderstood. The organization is emphatically not a military bloc, and yet engages in joint activities which resemble military cooperation to U.S. eyes. It is, in theory, open to new members; but at present is highly unlikely to accept any. Its rhetoric firmly opposes U.S. presence and activity on the territory of member states, and yet individual member states leverage basing agreements with the U.S. to their advantage. The author reviews SCO's history and stated …

The Mucosal Expression Pattern Of Interferon-Ε In Rhesus Macaques, Andrew Demers, Guobin Kang, Fangrui Ma, Wuxun Lu, Zhe Yuan, Yue Li, Mark Lewis, Edmundo N. Kraiselburd, Luis Montaner, Qingsheng Li

Qingsheng Li Publications

Type I IFNs play an important role in innate and adaptive immunity against viral infections. A novel type I IFN, namely IFN-ε, which can protect against vaginal transmission of HSV2 and Chlamydia muridarum bacterial infection, has been described in mice and humans. Nevertheless, the principle cell type and the expression pattern of IFN-ε in tissues remain uncertain. In addition, the expression of IFN-ε in Indian rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) has not been reported. Here, we analyzed IFN-ε expression in multiple mucosal sites of uninfected or SIV-infected Indian rhesus macaques using IHCS. We report for the first time the …

Diagnostic Clues For Spondylitis In Acute Brucellosis, Nazlim Aktug-Demir, Servet Kolgelier, Serap Ozcimen, Sua Sumer, Lutfi S. Demir, Ahmet C. Inkaya

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic factors for brucellar spondylitis. METHODS: This retrospective study included 227 consecutive brucellosis patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology clinics of Adiyaman State Hospital and Adiyaman 82nd Year State Hospital, Adiyaman, Turkey between January 2010 and December 2012. Acute brucellosis was diagnosed by standard tube agglutination test and/or growth of Brucella spp. in appropriately prepared culture media (Bactec). Brucellar spondylitis was diagnosed and followed-up with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Among the 227 brucellosis patients included, 88 (38.8%) were male, and 139 (61.2%) were female. Brucellar spondylitis was detected in 54 patients (23.7%). …

Ten-Year Review Of Invasive Candida Infections In A Tertiary Care Center In Saudi Arabia, Ali S. Omrani, Eyad A. Makkawy, Kamran Baig, Abdullah A. Baredhwan, Souad A. Almuthree, Noura A. Elkhizzi, Ali M. Albarrak

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To review the epidemiology of invasive Candida infections in a single center in Saudi Arabia over a subsequent 10-year period. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out in a single center in Saudi Arabia over a 10-year period. Records of all patients with invasive Candida infections (ICI) over the period from January 2003 to December 2012 were reviewed. Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of Candida albicans (C. albicans) versus non-albicans Candida species, and fluconazole resistance versus fluconazole susceptible in relation to crude mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: Eight hundred positive sterile site cultures, associated …

Infection Prevention And Control Guidelines For Patients With Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (Mers-Cov) Infection, Tariq A. Madani, Abdulhakeem O. Althaqafi, Basem M. Alraddadi

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Gpu-Accelerated Influenza Simulations For Operational Modeling, Peter Holvenstot

Masters Theses

Simulations of influenza spread are useful for decision-making during public-health emergencies. Policy-makers use models to predict disease spread and estimate the effects of various intervention strategies. Effective modeling of targeted intervention strategies requires accurate modeling of individual-level behavior and transmission. However, this greatly increases the computational costs of these agent-based models. In addition, if the models are used as an outbreak progresses, some operational decisions must occur rapidly in order to contain the spread of the disease.

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are a type of specialized processor used to drive graphical displays. Many recent devices also allow users to write …

Role Of Msaa Gene In Regulation Of The Msaabcr Operon And Biofilm Development In Staphylococcus Aureus, Ahmed Alzuway

Master's Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that causes wide variety of diseases ranging from chronic biofilm associated infection to acute life threatening infection such as bacteremia, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, or endocarditis, despite the progress with antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infections. Furthermore, increased use of prosthetic and indwelling devices in modern medical practices has led to increased infections due to S. aureus. Treating S. aureus infections have become difficult owing to its ability to resist most of the antibiotics; this problem is further exacerbated by ability of MRSA strains to form biofilms. Emergence of community-acquired methicillin resistance …

Are New Jersey Birds Involved In The Enzootic Cycle Of Lyme Disease?, Heather Kopsco

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Birds are well-established in cycles of zoonotic diseases, generally as hosts of an infected arthropod vector such as a mosquito or tick. Since the 1980s, research in both the United States and Europe has focused on their role in the ecology of Lyme disease and its causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, since they are fed upon by larval and nymphal ticks and can transport them and their associated diseases geographically during migrations. Further, research has shown that a number of avian species exhibit reservoir competency for B. burgdorferi which demonstrates that birds are involved in the enzootic cycles of the disease …

Synthesis And Antimicrobial Activity Of Brominated Quaternary Ammonium Compounds, Wendy Pippin

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Potential Roles Of Peroxidases In Caenorhabditis Elegans Innate Immunity, George R. Tiller, George R. Tiller

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) in response to pathogen detection is a rapid, nonspecific response that is evolutionarily conserved from nematodes to humans. ROS serve as direct and indirect effectors of innate and adaptive immunity. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a ROS burst is observed during infection and is mediated by the dual oxidase BLI-3, which produces H₂O₂. RNAi (RNA interference) to reduce the amount of BLI-3 results in a significant increase in susceptibility to pathogens, suggesting BLI-3 has a role in the immune response. However, H₂O₂ by itself is not a …

The Role Of The C5a Receptor In Host Defense Against Listeria Monocytogenes, Daniel Calame

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a major cause of mortality resulting from food poisoning in the United States. While the complement component C5 is known to be protective in listeriosis, it is unknown how its cleavage fragment C5a participates. Here we show in a model of systemic Lm infection that the C5a receptor is essential for host defense. C5aR-/- mice have reduced survival and increased bacterial burden in the liver and spleen in comparison to WT mice. Surprisingly, C5aR-/- mice also have a dramatic reduction in splenocyte numbers resulting from elevated cell death as indicated by TUNEL staining and caspase 3 …

The Avian Thrombocyte Is A Specialized Immune Cell, Farzana Ferdous

All Dissertations

Thrombocytes are the most abundant circulating cells next to red blood cells in avian blood. Avian thrombocytes are homologous in function to mammalian platelets. Avian thrombocytes and the mammalian platelet are widely recognized contributors to inflammatory responses upon stimulation with various microbial stimulants. However, some observed responses of the avian thrombocyte depart from a standardized model ascribed to innate cells. To help unravel the role of thrombocytes in innate immunity, and possibly adaptive immunity, first we examined the surface features of chicken thrombocytes. Chicken thrombocytes constitutively express transcripts for different Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that are crucial for the innate immune …

A Qualitative Study Of The Perceived Health Care Needs Of Undocumented Latino Day Laborers Living In Las Vegas, Nevada, Siboney Zelaya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Undocumented (unauthorized, illegal) immigrants seek employment on the street corners near home improvement stores offering their services and selling their labor to the employers who arrive in their cars or trucks to pick them up for a few hours of hard work. The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States continues to increase. By percentage of overall population, Nevada has one of the largest shares of undocumented immigrants in the United States, and the bulk of that percentage is Latino.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research study is to gain knowledge about undocumented Latino day laborers' perceived health …

A Preliminary Study Evaluating Potential Probiotic Use In Endodontics, Khaled Seifelnasr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The main goal of endodontics is the prevention of apical periodontitis. This condition is the result of persistent pathogenic microorganisms such as Enterococcus faecalis (E. f) and Candida albicans (C. a) remaining in the root canal systems of teeth, and the ability of those organisms to directly cause acute and chronic inflammation in the periapical tissues. The concept of the use of probiotics has not yet been evaluated in addressing endodontic disease, but probiotics have proven successful in treating periodontal disease. Taking these findings into account, this preliminary work was performed to evaluate the possible effectiveness of a probiotic …

Clinical, Lifestyle, Socioeconomic Determinants And Rate Of Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis In Stroke Free Pakistanis., Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Farzin Majeed, Omrana Pasha, Hasan Rehman, Muhammad Islam, Iqbal Azam Syed, Muhammad Saleem Ilyas, Munawar Hussain, Kamran Masood, Bilal Ahmed, Sumaira Nazir, Zafar Sajjad, Scott E. Kasner

Department of Medicine

Background: Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease (ICAD) is the most frequent etiology of stroke with high prevalence among Asians. Despite this, early determinants of ICAD have not been described from this region.

Methods: The study is an analytical prospective cross-sectional study of 200 adults from Radiology Departments of two diagnostic centers in Karachi. Eligible participants confirmed the absence of stroke symptoms via the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke Free Status (QVSFS) and underwent an interview covering medical, socio demographic, lifestyle and anthropometric evaluation using locally validated and standardized definitions. Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) were centrally reviewed to detect ICAD using the criterion used …