Digital Commons Network^™

The Technological Development Of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Laura A. Snyder, John O'Toole, Kurt M. Eichholz, Mick J. Perez-Cruet, Richard Fessler

Neurosurgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery has its roots in the mid-twentieth century with a few surgeons and a few techniques, but it has now developed into a large field of progressive spinal surgery. A wide range of techniques are now called \"minimally invasive,\" and case reports are submitted constantly with new \"minimally invasive\" approaches to spinal pathology. As minimally invasive spine surgery has become more mainstream over the past ten years, in this paper we discuss its history and development. © 2014 Laura A. Snyder et al.

2014-2016 College Catalog, St. Norbert College

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Shedding Gender Stigmas: Work-Life Balance Equity In The 21st Century, Erica M. Southworth

Faculty Creative and Scholarly Works

The gender stigma of work-life balance (WLB) policies as concessions for mothers and female caregivers originated with the push by the Women’s Movement for gender workplace equity in the late 20th century. Unfortunately, this perception continues in the 21st century and retains the additional stigma of employee participation in these policies–—regardless of gender–—as a detrimental career move. Thus, home and work responsibilities for professionals of all genders who desire more occupational flexibility remain unreconciled. Despite this dominant national and international outlook, this article encourages new century organizations and profes- sionals to reject the traditional perception of occupational inequity through gender- …

George Macdonald’S Frightening Female: Menopause And Makemnoit In The Light Princess, Jacqueline H. Harris

North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies

No abstract provided.

Glycosylation Of Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) Influences The Migratory And Invasive Potential Of Cells, Fahad Algaly, Julia Hand, Mary B. Sevigny

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Research Posters

Prostaglandins are bioactive lipids involved in many physiological functions such as maintenance of the cardiovascular, immune, renal, and central nervous systems. They also play a role in certain diseases like arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is the enzyme that catalyzes the initial rate-limiting step in the pathway that converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. COX-2 exists as two glycoforms with the molecular weights of 72 and 74 kDa, the latter resulting from the addition of a high mannose chain to the Asn580 residue ~50% of the time. The over-expression of COX-2 is believed to be linked to cancer progression and …

Shell Shape Convergence Masks Biological Diversity In Gliding Scallops: Description Of Ylistrum N. Gen. (Pectinidae) From The Indo-Pacific Ocean, Alvin Alejandrino, Glené Mynhardt, Louise Puslednik, Joezen Corrales, Jeanne M. Serb

Biology

The scallop genus Amusium Röding, 1798 is one of few genera of Pectinidae that includes taxa capable of long-distance swimming or gliding. Membership of the genus has been defined primarily by shell shape, and it currently includes only three species: the type species A. pleuronectes (Linnaeus, 1758), A. balloti (Bernardi, 1861) and A. japonicum (Gmelin, 1791). In this study, we use molecular data and aspects of shell morphology to resolve the systematics of the genus. Phylogenetic reconstruction of Pectinidae using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence from four genes supports a polyphyletic Amusium. Differences in internal ribbing pattern provide morphological …

Southern Adventist University Graduate Catalog 2014-2015, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Graduate

Southern Adventist University's graduate catalog for the academic year 2014-2015.

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2014-2015, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2014-2015.

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Handbook & Planner 2014-2015, Southern Adventist University

Student Handbooks, Undergraduate

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of The Inhibitory Potential Of Bavachalcone And Corylin Against Udp-Glucuronosyltransferases, Lina Shan, Shuman Yang, Gang Zhang, Dun Zhou, Zhenyu Qiu, Lei Tian, Hongxia Yuan, Yujun Feng, Xianbao Shi

Medicinal Chemistry Publications

Bavachalcone and corylin are two major bioactive compounds isolated from Psoralea corylifolia L., which has been widely used as traditional Chinese medicine for many years. As two antibiotic or anticancer drugs, bavachalcone and corylin are used in combination with other drugs; thus it is necessary to evaluate potential pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions (HDI) of the two bioactive compounds. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A7, UGT1A8, UGT 1A10, and UGT2B4 inhibited by bavachalcone and corylin. 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU) was used as a nonspecific “probe” substrate. Bavachalcone had stronger inhibition on UGT1A1 …

Toward A Robust Computational Screening Strategy For Identifying Glycosaminoglycan Sequences That Display High Specificity For Target Proteins, Nehru Viji Sankaranarayanan, Umesh R. Desai

Medicinal Chemistry Publications

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) interact with many proteins to regulate processes such as hemostasis, cell adhesion, growth and differentiation and viral infection. Yet, majority of these interactions remain poorly understood at a molecular level. A major reason for this state is the phenomenal structural diversity of GAGs, which has precluded analysis of specificity of their interactions. We had earlier presented a computational protocol for predicting “high-specificity” GAG sequences based on combinatorial virtual library screening (CVLS) technology. In this work, we expand the robustness of this technology through rigorous studies of parameters affecting GAG recognition of proteins, especially antithrombin and thrombin. The CVLS …

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin Courses [2014], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of undergraduate courses for 2014-2015.

Barrier Island Morphology And Sediment Characteristics Affect The Recovery Of Dune Building Grasses Following Storm-Induced Overwash, Steven T. Brantley, Spencer Bissett, Donald R. Young, Catherine W. V. Wolner, Laura J. Moore

Biology Publications

Barrier islands are complex and dynamic systems that provide critical ecosystem services to coastal populations. Stability of these systems is threatened by rising sea level and the potential for coastal storms to increase in frequency and intensity. Recovery of dune-building grasses following storms is an important process that promotes topographic heterogeneity and long-term stability of barrier islands, yet factors that drive dune recovery are poorly understood. We examined vegetation recovery in overwash zones on two geomorphically distinct (undisturbed vs. frequently overwashed) barrier islands on the Virginia coast, USA. We hypothesized that vegetation recovery in overwash zones would be driven primarily …

A Simple Contact Mapping Algorithm For Identifying Potential Peptide Mimetics In Protein–Protein Interaction Partners, Alex Krall, Jonathan Brunn, Spandana Kankanala, Michael H. Peters

Computer Science Publications

A simple, static contact mapping algorithm has been developed as a first step at identifying potential peptide biomimetics from protein interaction partner structure files. This rapid and simple mapping algorithm, “OpenContact” provides screened or parsed protein interaction files based on specified criteria for interatomic separation distances and interatomic potential interactions. The algorithm, which uses all-atom Amber03 force field models, was blindly tested on several unrelated cases from the literature where potential peptide mimetics have been experimentally developed to varying degrees of success. In all cases, the screening algorithm efficiently predicted proposed or potential peptide biomimetics, or close variations thereof, and …

Framing Ethnic Variations In Alcohol Outcomes From Biological Pathways To Neighborhood Context, Karen G. Chartier, Denise M. Scott, Tamara L. Wall, Jonathan Covault, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Britain A. Mills, Susan E. Luczak, Raul Caetano, Judith A. Arroyo

Social Work Publications

Background

Health disparities research seeks to eliminate disproportionate negative health outcomes experienced in some racial/ethnic minority groups. This brief review presents findings on factors associated with drinking and alcohol‐related problems in racial/ethnic groups.

Methods

Those discussed are as follows: (i) biological pathways to alcohol problems, (ii) gene × stress interactions, (iii) neighborhood disadvantage, stress, and access to alcohol, and (iv) drinking cultures and contexts.

Results

These factors and their interrelationships are complex, requiring a multilevel perspective.

Conclusions

The use of interdisciplinary teams and an epigenetic focus are suggested to move the research forward. The application of multilevel research to policy, …

Test Of Ideational Praxis (Tip): Preliminary Findings And Interrater And Test–Retest Reliability With Preschoolers, Shelly J. Lane, Carol K. Ivey, Teresa A. May-Benson

Occupational Therapy Publications

Praxis is the ability of the brain to develop an idea for action and plan, organize, and execute unfamiliar motor actions. It enables purposeful interaction with people and things in the environment. Ideation is central to praxis but has been little researched. This study investigated the reliability of the Test of Ideational Praxis (TIP) and examined ideational praxis in typical preschoolers. TIP performance for 78 preschoolers ages 3, 4, and 5 yr was videotaped and scored by two trained raters. The TIP has strong interrater reliability, supporting earlier findings. Further, we documented test–retest stability over 2 wk. As a group, …

Chronic Behavioral And Cognitive Deficits In A Rat Survival Model Of Paraoxon Toxicity, Laxmikant Sudhir Deshpande, Kristin Phillips, Beverly Huang, Robert J. Delorenzo

Neurology Publications

Organophosphate (OP) compounds, including paraoxon (POX), are similar to nerve agents such as sarin. There is a growing concern that OP agents could be weaponized to cause mass civilian causalities. We have developed a rodent survival model of POX toxicity that is being used to evaluate chronic morbidity and to screen for medical countermeasures against severe OP exposure. It is well known that the survivors of nerve gas and chronic OP exposure exhibit neurobehavioral deficits such as mood changes, depression, and memory impairments. In this study we investigated whether animals surviving severe POX exposure exhibited long-term neurological impairments. POX exposure …

Council For Community Engagement Grants Impact Report 2007-2012, Jennifer Jettner, Valerie Holton

Division of Community Engagement Resources

As Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) takes its place among the nation‟s top 50 public research universities, our guiding principles have been an abiding focus on student success at all levels, unparalleled innovation through research, and a university-wide commitment to human health, and engagement and empowerment in our communities. To that end, VCU has named community engagement as a key focus area in its strategic plan with the aim of developing collaborative university-community partnerships that yield creative and relevant solutions for community-identified needs. These mutually-beneficial partnerships not only support the public good, but they also support our mission to advance knowledge …

Morphine Enhances Hiv-1sf162-Mediated Neuron Death And Delays Recovery Of Injured Neurites, Ruturaj R. Masvekar, Nazira El-Hage, Kurt F. Hauser, Pamela E. Knapp

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

HIV-1 enters the CNS soon after initial systemic infection; within the CNS parenchyma infected and/or activated perivascular macrophages, microglia and astrocytes release viral and cellular toxins that drive secondary toxicity in neurons and other cell types. Our previous work has largely modeled HIV-neuropathology using the individual viral proteins Tat or gp120, with murine striatal neurons as targets. To model disease processes more closely, the current study uses supernatant from HIV-1-infected cells. Supernatant from HIV-1SF162-infected differentiated-U937 cells (HIV+sup) was collected and p24 level was measured by ELISA to assess the infection. Injection drug abuse is a significant risk factor for HIV-infection, …

Post-Acute Brain Injury Urinary Signature: A New Resource For Molecular Diagnostics, Andrew K. Ottens, Jillian E. Stafflinger, Hailey E. Griffin, Richard D. Kunz, David X. Cifu, Janet P. Niemeier

Anatomy and Neurobiology Publications

Heterogeneity within brain injury presents a challenge to the development of informative molecular diagnostics. Recent studies show progress particularly in cerebrospinal fluid with biomarker assays targeting one or a few structural proteins. Protein-based assays in peripheral fluids, however, have been more challenging to develop in part due to restricted and intermittent barrier access. Further, a greater number of molecular variables may be required to inform on patient status given the multifactorial nature of brain injury. Presented is an alternative approach profiling peripheral fluid for a class of small metabolic by-products rendered by ongoing brain pathobiology. Urine specimens were collected for …

Multiple Epidural Steroid Injections And Body Mass Index Linked With Occurrence Of Epidural Lipomatosis: A Case Series., Rafael Jaimes, Angelo G. Rocco

Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Epidural lipomatosis (EL) is an increase of adipose tissue, normally occurring in the epidural space, sufficient to distort the thecal sac and compress neural elements. There is a lack of knowledge of risk factors, impact on patient's symptoms, and its possible association with epidural steroid injections.

METHODS:

History, physical examination, patient chart, and MRI were analyzed from 856 outpatients referred for epidural steroid injections. Seventy patients with signs of EL on MRI comprised the study group. Thirty-four randomly selected patients comprised the control group. The severity of EL was determined by the MRI assessment. The impact of EL was …

Live Cell Interferometry Quantifies Dynamics Of Biomass Partitioning During Cytokinesis, Thomas A. Zangle, Michael A. Teitell, Jason Reed

Physics Publications

The equal partitioning of cell mass between daughters is the usual and expected outcome of cytokinesis for self-renewing cells. However, most studies of partitioning during cell division have focused on daughter cell shape symmetry or segregation of chromosomes. Here, we use live cell interferometry (LCI) to quantify the partitioning of daughter cell mass during and following cytokinesis. We use adherent and non-adherent mouse fibroblast and mouse and human lymphocyte cell lines as models and show that, on average, mass asymmetries present at the time of cleavage furrow formation persist through cytokinesis. The addition of multiple cytoskeleton-disrupting agents leads to increased …

Memo Has A Novel Role In S1p Signaling And Crucial For Vascular Development, Shunya Kondo, Alessia Bottos, Jeremy Allegood, Regis Masson, Francisca G. Maurer, Christel Genoud, Patrick Kaeser, Andrea Huwiler, Masato Murakami, Sarah Spiegel, Nancy E. Hynes

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

Memo is a conserved protein that was identified as an essential mediator of tumor cell motility induced by receptor tyrosine kinase activation. Here we show that Memo null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are impaired in PDGF-induced migration and this is due to a defect in sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling. S1P is a bioactive phospholipid produced in response to multiple stimuli, which regulates many cellular processes. S1P is secreted to the extracellular milieu where it exerts its function by binding a family of G-protein coupled receptors (S1PRs), causing their activation in an autocrine or paracrine manner. The process, termed cell-autonomous S1PR signaling, …

Otitis Media In Sperm-Associated Antigen 6 (Spag6)-Deficient Mice, Xiaofei Li, Lei Xu, Jianfeng Li, Boqin Li, Xiaohui Bai, Jerome F. Strauss Iii, Zhibing Zhang, Haibo Wang

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

Mammalian SPAG6 protein is localized to the axoneme central apparatus, and it is required for normal flagella and cilia motility. Recent studies demonstrated that the protein also regulates ciliogenesis and cilia polarity in the epithelial cells of brain ventricles and trachea. Motile cilia are also present in the epithelial cells of the middle ear and Eustachian tubes, where the ciliary system participates in the movement of serous fluid and mucus in the middle ear. Cilia defects are associated with otitis media (OM), presumably due to an inability to efficiently transport fluid, mucus and particles including microorganisms. We investigated the potential …

Contrasting Influences Of Drosophila White/Mini-White On Ethanol Sensitivity In Two Different Behavioral Assays, Robin F. Chan, Carol Atkinson Lewellyn, Jacqueline M. Deloyht, Kristyn Sennett, Scarlett Coffman, Matthew Hewitt, Jill C. Bettinger, John M. Warrick, Mike Grotewiel

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

Background

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used extensively to investigate genetic mechanisms of ethanol-related behaviors. Many past studies in flies, including studies from our laboratory, have manipulated gene expression using transposons carrying the genetic-phenotypic marker mini-white, a derivative of the endogenous gene white. Whether the mini-white transgenic marker or the endogenous white gene influence behavioral responses to acute ethanol exposure in flies has not been systematically investigated.

Methods

We manipulated mini-white and white expression via (i) transposons marked with mini-white, (ii) RNAi against mini-white and white and (iii) a null allele of white. We assessed ethanol sensitivity and …

Reassessing The Impact Of Smoking On Preeclampsia/Eclampsia: Are There Age And Racial Differences?, Jen Jen Chang, Jerome F. Strauss, Jonathan P. Deshazo, Fidelma B. Rigby, David P. Chelmow, George A. Macones

Obstetrics and Gynecology Publications

Objective

To investigate the association between cigarette use during pregnancy and pregnancy-induced hypertension/preeclampsia/eclampsia (PIH) by maternal race/ethnicity and age.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was based on the U.S. 2010 natality data. Our study sample included U.S. women who delivered singleton pregnancies between 20 and 44 weeks of gestation without major fetal anomalies in 2010 (n = 3,113,164). Multivariate logistic regression models were fit to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

Results

We observed that the association between maternal smoking and PIH varied by maternal race/ethnicity and age. Compared with non-smokers, reduced odds of …

Sperm-Associated Antigen 6 (Spag6) Deficiency And Defects In Ciliogenesis And Cilia Function: Polarity, Density, And Beat, Maria E. Teves, Patrick R. Sears, Wei Li, Zhengang Zhang, Waixing Tang, Lauren Van Reesema, Richard M. Costanzo, C. William Davis, Michael R. Knowles, Jerome F. Strauss Iii, Zhibing Zhang

Obstetrics and Gynecology Publications

SPAG6, an axoneme central apparatus protein, is essential for function of ependymal cell cilia and sperm flagella. A significant number of Spag6-deficient mice die with hydrocephalus, and surviving males are sterile because of sperm motility defects. In further exploring the ciliary dysfunction in Spag6-null mice, we discovered that cilia beat frequency was significantly reduced in tracheal epithelial cells, and that the beat was not synchronized. There was also a significant reduction in cilia density in both brain ependymal and trachea epithelial cells, and cilia arrays were disorganized. The orientation of basal feet, which determines the direction of axoneme …

A Framework For Organizing Cancer-Related Variations From Existing Databases, Publications And Ngs Data Using A High-Performance Integrated Virtual Environment (Hive), Tsung-Jung Wu, Amirhossein Shamsaddini, Yang Pan, Krista Smith, Daniel J. Chrichton, Vahan Simonyan, Raja Mazumder

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Years of sequence feature curation by UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, PIR-PSD, NCBI-CDD, RefSeq and other database biocurators has led to a rich repository of information on functional sites of genes and proteins. This information along with variation-related annotation can be used to scan human short sequence reads from next-generation sequencing (NGS) pipelines for presence of non-synonymous single-nucleotide variations (nsSNVs) that affect functional sites. This and similar workflows are becoming more important because thousands of NGS data sets are being made available through projects such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and researchers want to evaluate their biomarkers in genomic data. BioMuta, an integrated …

High-Performance Integrated Virtual Environment (Hive) Tools And Applications For Big Data Analysis, Vahan Simonyan, Raja Mazumder

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The High-performance Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE) is a high-throughput cloud-based infrastructure developed for the storage and analysis of genomic and associated biological data. HIVE consists of a web-accessible interface for authorized users to deposit, retrieve, share, annotate, compute and visualize Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) data in a scalable and highly efficient fashion. The platform contains a distributed storage library and a distributed computational powerhouse linked seamlessly. Resources available through the interface include algorithms, tools and applications developed exclusively for the HIVE platform, as well as commonly used external tools adapted to operate within the parallel architecture of the system. HIVE is …

The 180 Degree Turn: Finding The Human Side Of Mandated Counseling, Rachel A. Jordan, Denise Lampo, Steven T. Parshall, Renee T. Devuyst

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

This article discusses how cultural changes in the United States led to an emergence of a number of mandated treatments intended to address the specific concerns of substance abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. A brief history of interventions for each of the respective fields is described and a trend toward more humanistic treatment methods is noted. The similarities between the Person-Centered Approach and current trends in these fields are explained.