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In Vitro Synergistic Antiviral Activity Of Black Tea Theaflavins And Acyclovir On Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 And 2 In A549 Cells, Cody James Berkefeld

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is responsible for one of the most common infections within the population. The primary antiviral used against HSV infections are nucleoside analog drugs such as acyclovir and its deviates. However, in recent years the number of cases of drug resistant HSV has increased, resulting in interest for new novel treatments. Promising antiviral agents are theaflavins found within black tea derived from Camellia sinensis. These theaflavins include theaflavin (TF1), theaflavin-3-monogallate (TF2A), theaflavin-3’-monogallate (TF2B), and theaflavin-3-3’-digallate (TF3). Previous studies have supported that theaflavins from black tea, specifically TF3, inhibit the process of viral absorption. Due to this mode …

Rush To Judgment: The Sti-Treatment Trials And Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa, Eileen Stillwaggon, Larry Sawers

Economics Faculty Publications

Introduction: The extraordinarily high incidence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa led to the search for cofactor infections that could explain the high rates of transmission in the region. Genital inflammation and lesions caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were a probable mechanism, and numerous observational studies indicated several STI cofactors. Nine out of the ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs), however, failed to demonstrate that treating STIs could lower HIV incidence. We evaluate all 10 trials to determine if their design permits the conclusion, widely believed, that STI treatment is ineffective in reducing HIV incidence.

Discussion: Examination of the …

Factors Affecting Child Mortality, Lisa Wheatley

Honors Theses

This study examines the factors that contribute to the rate of child mortality within a country. Through regression analysis, this model attempts to explain the rate of child mortality for a country as a function of factors including the adult female literacy rate, fertility rates, adult female labor force participation, rate of immunization for tuberculosis, access to safe water, income per capita, and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus. This paper surveys a range of low-income countries from different regions including Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, and Latin …

The Incidence Of Chagas Coinfections Amongst Acute Dengue Patients In Machala, Ecuador, Elizabeth A. Mcmahon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Dengue fever is a febrile illness found throughout the tropics that, in severe cases, can be deadly. The most rapidly spreading of any mosquito-borne disease, dengue is re-emerging as an illness of great concern in Latin America and around the globe. The CDC estimates that as many as 400 million cases of dengue occur each year. The pathogenesis of dengue virus is complicated and acts through modulation of the host immune system. Dengue polarizes the immune system balance of T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cells towards a Th1 inflammatory response. Parasitic infections have also been shown …

Moving The Plague: The Movement Of People And The Spread Of Bubonic Plague In Fourteenth Century Through Eighteenth Century Europe, Gillian R. Fowler

Honors Theses

Research regarding the Yersinia Pestis (bubonic plague) in later medieval and early modern Europe has focused mainly on rat fleas and their role in transmitting the bacteria. This research focuses on people and their day to day movements and how that relates to the spread of bubonic plague across the following three areas of Europe, England, France and northern Italy during the time period between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. The changing belief system regarding the cause of these outbreaks emerges within these medieval Europeans which helps to facilitate the growing response to plague outbreaks and the affirmative actions taken …

Phylogeny And Diversity Of Entamoeba In Cockroaches, With An Emphasis On Periplaneta Americana, Mustafa Husain Fakhri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While the parasitic Amoebozoan Entamoeba histolytica has been well-studied for its role in human pathogenesis, the biodiversity of invertebrate-inhabiting Entamoeba has scarcely been investigated. Using molecular methods, I searched for Entamoeba in the guts of cockroaches from four of the six Blattodean families. Entamoeba small-subunit rRNA genes were recovered from all eight species of cockroaches tested, five of which represent newly discovered hosts. Phylogenetic analysis of over 190 sequences revealed a novel and highly diverse clade of cockroach-inhabiting Entamoeba, separate from the clade predominated by vertebrate-inhabitants. These results double the known genetic diversity of Entamoeba and suggest that they may …

Investigations Into The Incidence And Control Of Selected Parasites And Pathogens Which Infect Arkansas Horses, Stephanie Ann O'Berg Rainbolt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasite control is an important aspect of health management of horses, particularly the control of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. Recently, treatment recommendations have involved selective use of anthelmintics in horses with fecal egg counts (FEC) greater than a specified threshold. The objectives of this study were; (1) to determine the prevalence of helminths in our area by egg and L3 determinations, (2) to determine if certain horses maintained low FEC, therefore eliminating the need to treat them on a year-round basis and (3) to determine the effectiveness of four common treatments (moxidectin, ivermectin (pioneer and generic), fenbendazole and pyrantel tartrate) via …

Application Of Essential Oil Compounds And Bacteriophage To Control Staphylococcus Aureus, Anisha Ghosh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens, causing various diseases in humans and animals. In addition, S. aureus is a common foodborne pathogen. As methicillin- resistant S. aureus (MRSA) becomes increasingly prevalent, controlling this pathogen in animals and humans with standard antibiotic treatment has become challenging. Combinations of different antimicrobial agents represent one of the most promising approaches for combating multidrug - resistant bacteria both for treatment of clinical disease as well as in food. Two such antimicrobials with potential application in the food industry include essential oils (EO) and host-specific bacteriophage (phage). The objectives of this study …

Nonreplicating, Cyst-Defective Type Ii Toxoplasma Gondii Vaccine Strains Stimulate Protective Immunity Against Acute And Chronic Infection, Barbara Andrea Fox, David J. Bzik

Dartmouth Scholarship

Live attenuated vaccine strains, such as type I nonreplicating uracil auxotroph mutants, are highly effective in eliciting lifelong immunity to virulent acute infection by Toxoplasma gondii. However, it is currently unknown whether vaccine-elicited immunity can provide protection against acute infection and also prevent chronic infection. To address this problem, we developed nonreverting, nonreplicating, live attenuated uracil auxotroph vaccine strains in the type II Δku80 genetic background by targeting the deletion of the orotidine 5′-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) and uridine phosphorylase (UP) genes. Deletion of OMPDC induced a severe uracil auxotrophy with loss of replication, loss of …

The Failings Of Foreign Aid And Our Obligation To Consume, Gaetano Venezia

Senior Honors Theses

In his well-known 1972 article, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," and in subsequent books, Peter Singer argues that we can and should prevent the needless suffering and death of the global poor by giving to foreign aid. This call for charity and assistance is mostly uncontroversial. However, foreign aid's effectiveness is highly contested among the aid literature. As the first part of this paper shows, all aid encounters inefficiencies, with the major problems being diversion of funds and perverse incentives. I look at each of these in turn, concluding that most aid is ineffective and sometimes even harmful—with the possible exception …

Effect Of The Physical Environment On Teacher Satisfaction With Indoor Environmental Quality In Early Learning Schools, Stuart Shell

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While the quantity and quality of teacher-child interactions plays a key role in emotional and cognitive development for children, there is scant evidence regarding the contribution of physical environment to child outcomes. This study seeks to understand better the relative importance of variables within the physical environment for occupants. The research design targets teachers’ satisfaction with the physical environment as the outcome variable, based on the assumption that teachers who are more satisfied with their classroom provide higher-quality interactions with children. Teachers from two early learning schools with a total of 31 classrooms completed a written survey that asked about …

Bioenergetics And Habitat Suitability Models For The Chinese Mystery Snail (Bellamya Chinensis), Danielle M. Haak

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Relatively little is known about the invasive Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis). This research aims to elucidate some of the mystery surrounding this species. First, we place the species in context with other invasive freshwater snails of the USA and Canada, identifying current information gaps, categorizing shared characteristics among families and species, and comparing functional roles and ecological effects of freshwater snails. We conclude that more focus needs to be directed to regulating the aquarium, pet, and food trades if we are serious about preventing future invasions. Next, we develop a bioenergetics model for the species by quantifying …

The Implications Of Federal And State Laws Regarding The Storage, Use, And Donation Of Cord Blood, Rebecca Miller

HIM 1990-2015

Cord blood storage, use, and donation is a rising trend. The cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord can be used to treat various life threatening diseases. It has been shown that the use of these cells can produce results that are just as effective as a bone marrow transfusion. The yield of cells from a sample of cord blood is not always enough to be effective for a transfusion in adults. As such children are the primary demographic for cord blood transfusions. For this reason, prospective parents are taking notice of the trend. Currently, federal and state …

The Relationship Between Patient Education And Adherence To Antibiotic Regimens: Exploring Profiles Of Adherent Groups, Morgan Mcsweeney

HIM 1990-2015

Objective: Currently, there does not exist a cohesive and predictive set of criteria that can be used to identify patients that are at risk of being non-adherent to antibiotic regimens. In this study, we sought to answer the question of whether patients’ knowledge of the scientific background of antibiotic resistance is related to their likelihood to adhere to antibiotic regimens. Additionally, we explored other facets of the profiles of adherent and non-adherent subjects. Methods: All responses were collected via questionnaire. Subjects were split into two groups (adherent and non-adherent) based upon four patient-behavior questions. These two groups of subjects were …

Stable Isotope Evidence For The Geographic Origins And Military Movement Of Napoleonic Soldiers During The March From Moscow In 1812, Serenela Pelier

HIM 1990-2015

In 2001, 3269 unidentified individuals were found in a mass grave on the Northern part of Vilnius, Lithuania. Artifactual context indicates that these individuals were likely soldiers that were a part of Napoleon’s Grand Army. Stable oxygen isotope analysis was performed on bone apatite from 9 femoral bone samples to determine whether or not these individuals were Lithuanian locals and to test ratio variation. If individuals were foreigners, then geographical origins were approximated utilizing percentages of C4 plants from Holder (2013) and δ18O values that were extracted from bone apatite. The carbonate oxygen isotope compositions (δ18Ocarbonate) of bone apatite from …

Adolescent Girls, Human Rights And The Expanding Climate Emergency, Holly G. Atkinson, Judith Bruce

Publications and Research

Many adolescent girls—the poorest girls in the poorest communities—already live in an “emergency.” Humanitarian crises only amplify the call on their coping and caring capacities, while exacerbating their vulnerabilities. The frequency and intensity of emergencies, including natural disasters, conflicts, and infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola, appear to be growing.¹ These emergencies threaten entire communities and whole countries, often with global implications. Many become virtually permanent. The authors urge key actors responding to both the threats and opportunities that climate change poses to understand adolescent girls as exceptionally at risk on the one hand, and as exceptionally resilient and …

Kentucky Mineral Spring Resorts : An Archaeological Reconnaissance Of Medical Trends And Land Use., Sara Marian Deurell

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This project is an archaeological reconnaissance survey of 12 historic mineral spring resorts of Kentucky. The objective of this research is to assess the archaeological potential of these sites, and to provide an archaeological perspective on 19th and early 20th century Kentucky health care in relation to the use of opiates, as well as the evolution of land use in relation to preservation of features and artifacts associated with the resort hotel era. Compared to the number of sites in the state (71), very little archaeological investigation of mineral spring resorts has been conducted. The importance of these sites to …

Identification Of Transcription Factors Gzf3, Rfx1, Orf19.3928 As Being Implicated In Candida-Bacterial Interactions., Joni Watson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is present in the normal flora in a majority of individuals. One key factor in C. albicans virulence is the ability to change its morphology from yeast to an elongated or hyphal form. The regulation of this morphogenesis relies in part upon quorum sensing (QS) molecules. C. albicans often exists as part of a mixed culture alongside other microbes and is influenced by their presence as well as the presence of QS molecules that they produce. In this study, a library of diploid homozygous transcriptional regulator knockout (TRKO) mutants were screened to identify …

Multiplexed Microfluidic Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Of The 16s Rrna Gene For The Diagnosis Of Neonatal Sepsis In Resource-Limited Environments, Griffin Thomas Sonaty

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bacterial infection, or sepsis, places a disproportionately high burden on newborns in developing countries. This is due in part to a lack of diagnostic tools suitable for sustainable use in resource-limited nurseries. One potential vehicle for a new diagnostic assay is loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a high-yield DNA amplification method. LAMP has been used to detect single genes from bacteria in blood serum samples to aid in sepsis diagnosis. While specific, this approach can only provide detection for one species at a time. LAMP could be adapted to detect a broader set of bacteria, while retaining a degree of specificity …

Type 2 Diabetes Related To Chronic Health Disease, Health Status, And Effect On Quality Of Life, Smanatha M. Hieger

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background In the United States, 29.1 million people, or 9.3% of the population have diabetes mellitus (CDC, 2014). The total cost of diabetes in the United States has been estimated at $245 billion, which included the direct medical costs as well as the reduced productivity (CDC, 2014). Diabetes greatly increases the risk of other chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction (MI), retinopathy, nephropathy and stroke. These chronic conditions may cause serious harm or even death. Objectives The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of chronic health diseases among diabetic adults in the United States, …

Leukocyte Responsiveness To Exercise In Hcmv+ Individuals, Jared Nicholas Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Emerging research suggests that the lymphocyte immune response during exercise is amplified in individuals who are positive for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV+). However, the responses of monocytes and neutrophils in HCMV+ individuals are unknown. HCMV, a type of herpes virus, infects 50% or more of the adult population in the United States. This virus can become a cause for concern in individuals who have a compromised immune system, which has been shown to occur after high-intensity exercise.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the lymphocyte, monocyte, and neutrophil responses to exercise in HCMV+ individuals.

Methods: Participants were …

Missing Pieces: How Neighborhood Health Context Influences Jail Reentry, Andrew Gregg Verheek

Dissertations

This study explores how neighborhood context influences the odds of reoffending by those released from incarceration at a local jail facility. Using data from four sources, I seek to contribute to the understanding of reentry by including two factors missing from current theoretical and empirical work on inmate recidivism. First, using a social disorganization perspective, I include measures of neighborhood health to gain an understanding of how increased substance abuse, mental health, and physical health issues among neighborhood residents impede the development of social capital and informal control that are crucial to the reduction of recidivism. Additionally, I examine jail …

Expression Of Ha1 Fragment Of H1n1 Swine Influenza Viral Protein, Hemagglutinin, On The Surface Of Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Using Pyd5 Shuttle Vector, Ismael Mojica

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Influenza viruses are enveloped viruses with segmented RNA genome surrounded by a helical symmetry shell. Due to genetic reassortment between avian, swine, and human influenza viruses, a global pandemic may emerge, calling for new methods of mass vaccine production. Yeast is an ideal organism to express viral antigens (e.g. hemagglutinin) because of its natural adjuvant activity, making the expressed proteins more immunogenic when administered to the human body [1,2]. In addition to the purpose of vaccination, yeast is economically convenient by expressing proteins in a fast, inexpensive manner [3,4]. In this study, the goal is to express the HA1 fragment …

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies Of Small Molecules Directed Against The T-Box Specifier Loop, Spencer Weintraub

Biological Sciences

High rates of antibiotic use have resulted in the pervasiveness of multi-drug resistant organisms. With rising drug-resistance the development of antibiotics with new targets against these pathogens is imperative. The T-box regulatory mechanism is a process specific to Grampositive bacteria and controls many essential genes including aaRS genes, which are code for the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases required to charge tRNA. The T-box Specifier Loop is a novel target for antibacterial drug discovery as we hypothesize that a small compound bound to the Specifier Loop will inhibit transcription of essential bacterial genes resulting in bacterial cell death or growth arrest. We used …

West Nile Virus And Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo Regalis) In The Northern Great Plains, Shubham Datta, Jonathan A. Jenks, David Knudsen, Kent Jensen, Will M. Inselman, Christopher C. Swanson, Troy W. Grovenburg

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Emerging infectious diseases (EID) present significant threats to the conservation of global biodiversity (Daszak et al. 2000). Evaluating impacts (spatial, temporal and demographic) of EIDs on sensitive and declining wildlife populations is challenging because quantitative information is usually dependent on estimates rather than counts (Wobeser 2007) and mortality rates are seldom quantified with conventional monitoring (Naugle et al. 2005).

The Uptake And Incorporation Of Exogenous Fatty Acids Confer Phenotypic Advantages To Acinetobacter Baumannii, Saba A. Munir

Honors Theses

AIM: Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium found on a variety of surfaces that include skin, hair, and soil. Some gram-negative bacteria like A. baumannii have the ability to acquire and incorporate fatty acids into their phospholipid membranes. Known as ‘Iraqibacter,’ A. baumannii has emerged as a significant cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and abroad. This study was designed to determine whether structural alterations occur in A. baumannii upon exposure to a wide range of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as well as the significance of this phenomenon in terms of survival and resistance to stress. Thin …

The Paleoepidemiology Of Malaria In The Ancient Near East, Nicole Elizabeth Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The end of the Late Bronze Age in the Near East (1300 - 1200 BCE) saw the widespread collapse of several large cultural centers, the reasons for which are a subject of continued debate. Evidence from events leading up to this cultural collapse suggest epidemic disease may have factored into the eventual downfall of these early civilizations. Recent DNA analysis from Egyptian mummies who lived during the period leading up to the Late Bronze Age collapse identified malaria in several elite individuals, suggesting the widespread prevalence of this infectious disease in Egypt. However, the exact prevalence, antiquity, and dynamics of …

Local Ecological Knowledge And Chronic Disease In The Fort Mcdermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, Mark S. Beil

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between chronic disease and traditional knowledge is little understood within indigenous populations of North America. I hypothesize that individuals with higher levels of local ecological knowledge (LEK) will observe lower frequencies of chronic disease and better health outcomes. Health data will be compared to LEK within a subsample (n=31) of individuals residing within the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Reservation in Nevada and Oregon. Individual level health data on diabetes mellitus (type 2), pre-diabetes, BMI, chronic heart disease, and hypertension is measured directly by the investigator or self-reported. LEK level data is taken from expert interviews, subject interviews, surveys, and …

Phenotypic And Functional Genomics Analyses Of Salmonella For Food Safety Applications, Turki Dawoud

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-typhoidal Salmonella species have been major foodborne zoonotic pathogens causing serious problems in public health and food industry for several decades. Numerous Salmonella species have frequently been associated with different food commodities mainly poultry meat, eggs, and their products. This dissertation begins with a literature reviews discussing many aspects of Salmonella generally; and subsequently focused on two serotypes, Salmonella Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium as they are at the top of all other serovars responsible for most illness cases and outbreaks. In addition, some Salmonella strains have exhibited their ability to tolerate and survive many food processing treatments. We can divide …

Manipulation Of The Microbiome And Its Impact On Functional Recovery Following Ischemic Stroke, Michal Jandzinski

Honors Scholar Theses

Each year, nearly 800,000 individuals residing in the United States will have a stroke. Of these, about 130,000 cases will prove fatal while many of the survivors will be forced to live with disability for the remainder of their lives. Out of all strokes over 87% are ischemic strokes. The widespread incidence of this debilitating condition costs the United States an estimated $36.5 billion dollars every single year. Despite this, clinicians are armed with very little to combat the disease. Recent research developments have brought about the rise in awareness about the importance of the microbiome, the various gut flora …