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Synthesis Of Fluorogenic Probes For Studying Biomass Degradation And Synthesis Of New Antifungal Aminoglycosides, Qian Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For the first project, a library of fifteen commercially purchased and synthetic fluorogenic probes were employed for the investigation of biomass degradation using extract of white-rot fungi. These discoveries prove that it is possible to employ fungi for selective degradation or release of hemicelluloses from biomass. This work is supported by Sun Grant Western Regional Center/DOT "Bioprospecting for Enzymes to Break Lignin-Hemicellulose Bond" ($300,000,09/01/2011-08/31/2013)

The second project is focused on synthesizing new aminoglycoside analogs and exploring the potential to revive traditional antibacterial kanamycin as new type of antifungal agents. Although aminoglycosides antibiotics are mainly used as antibacterial agents, this project …

Development Of Genetic Goat And Hamster Models Of Atrial Fibrillation And Long Qt Syndrome; And Genetic Hamster Models Of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Dane A. Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and long QT syndrome (LQTS) are potentially lethal heart rhythm disorders that can be caused by mutations in the potassium channel gene KCNQ1. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral infection with the potential to replicate the devastating effects of the SARS outbreak in 2003. All three of these diseases are in need of genetic animal models.

To address these needs, my thesis project focused on the development of genetic goat and hamster models of AF and LQTS, and genetic hamster models of MERS. Because of the goat’s similar organ size/physiology and the hamster’s similar lipid …

Statement And Action Agenda From The Girls In Emergencies Collaborative, Omar Robles, Judith Bruce, Holly G. Atkinson, Dale Buscher, Karen Scriven, Kristin Kim Bart, Shelby French, Judithe Registre, Audrey Anderson

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. These emergencies threaten entire communities and whole countries, often with global implications. Many become virtually permanent.

Messy Archives And Materials That Matter: Making Knowledge With The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Papers, Suzanne Bost

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this essay, I show how recognizing the multiple material actants at work in an archive transforms research, in general, and Anzaldúan studies, in particular. For unraveling this new way of thinking about archival work, I borrow a genre Anzaldúa developed throughout her career: “ autohistoria- teoría . . . a personal essay that theorizes” (“now” 578n). I begin with my own experiences with the particular materials of particular archives and then move outward to develop a theory of knowledge production that is built on the accidents, messes, and intrusions that disrupted my conventional research plan. Perhaps this is what …

Effect Of Sensory Cues On Hand Hygiene Habits Among A Diverse Workforce In Food Service, Robert Pellegrino

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poor hand hygiene is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the foodservice industry. A series of complex motivational interventions must be employed to permanently change the behavior of workers, to increase their compliance and sustain appropriate levels of proper hand hygiene. Unlike the healthcare industry, which uses large, costly multi-modal behavior modification strategies, the foodservice industry must deploy rapid, cost-efficient strategies that are focus on accommodating these goals with the constraints of high employee turnover rates and diverse demographics. This research was twofold, 1) examining differences in emotions and hand hygiene behavior among participants of two cultures when handling …

Characterization And Investigation Of Fungi Inhabiting The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Healthy And Diseased Humans, Mallory J. Suhr

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gastrointestinal microbiome studies have failed to include fungi in total community analyses. As a result, their diversity and function in the gut is poorly understood. Recent work has begun to uncover the role intestinal fungi play in diet, immune system development, interactions with other microorganisms in the gut, and pathogenesis of diseases. Advances in sequencing technologies allow for the ability to profile the fungal gut microbiome (“mycobiome”) in healthy and diseased states. This thesis explores the mycobiome in 1) healthy humans with a vegetarian diet and 2) pediatric small bowel transplant recipients that develop fungal bloodstream infections.

The gut mycobiome …

Use Of N-Acetylcysteine In Children With Fulminant Hepatic Failure Caused By Acute Viral Hepatitis, Ali Faisal Saleem, Qalab Abbas, Anwarul Haque

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objective: To determine the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in children aged > 1 month to 16 years admitted with Fulminant Hepatic Failure (FHF) secondary to Acute Viral Hepatitis (AVH) in a tertiary care center of a developing country.

Study Design: Analytical study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatrics, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2007 to December 2011.

Methodology: Medical records of children (> 1 month - 16 years) with FHF admitted with AVH of known etiology who received NAC were reviewed retrospectively. Liver function tests (mean ± SD) at baseline, 24 hours after NAC and …

Parasite Infection Mediates Trait Tradeoffs In Fundulus Heteroclitus, Sarah Dunn

Honors College Theses

To be successful, an animal must eat, grow, and reproduce. With limited resources, there are tradeoffs between these critical life history parameters but the direction of the tradeoffs is largely unknown in a changing environment. To determine whether environmental context affects life-history tradeoffs, I surveyed and quantified investment into reproduction, growth, and a proxy for immunity (parasitism), in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, a common inhabitant of salt marshes in Georgia. Three salt marsh sites along coastal Georgia (Shellman Bluff, Skidaway Island, and Tybee Island) were selected using a proxy for anthropogenic disturbance (impervious surface), which also fell along a …

Determination Of The Dermacentor Variabilis Ferritin Gene Exon And Intron Structure, Dana Sylvestre

Honors College Theses

The American dog tick Dermacentor variabilis is a hard body, 3-host tick that relies on the blood of small and large mammals to satisfy its metabolic demands. The excess iron consumed in its blood diet can cause cellular damage through oxidation. Ticks rely on the ferritin protein to metabolize iron. For this reason, it is important to further characterize the ferritin gene. After extracting DNA from D. variabilis ticks, the suspected ferritin gene was amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and purified. The putative ferritin DNA fragment was inserted into plasmids and isolated in a long PCR length gene cloning. …

Revised Model For Antibiotic Resistance In A Hospital, Ruhang Pei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we modify an existing model for the spread of resistant bacteria in a hospital. The existing model does not account for some of the trends seen in the data found in literature. The new model takes some of these trends into account. For the new model, we examine issues relating to identifiability, sensitivity analysis, parameter estimation, uncertainty analysis, and equilibrium stability.

Mathematical Modeling Of Communicable Imported Diseases Screening In The United Arab Emirates, Lahbib Ben Ahmadi

Theses

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as one of the countries with high numbers of expatriates in the world, is expected to face public health challenges. The reason for this situation is that the majority of those expatriates belong to regions where health issues are usually left behind. This may create the possibility of having imported communicable diseases. However, screening policy should be tested and adapted to protect the population from any imported communicable disease. This study aims at identifying an approach and method to deal with these imported diseases via a set of differential equations. The spread of a communicable …

Immune Reconstitution But Persistent Activation After 48 Weeks Of Antiretroviral Therapy In Youth With Pre-Therapy Cd4 >350 In Atn 061., Bret J. Rudy, Bill G. Kapogiannis, Carol Worrell, Kathleen E. Squires, James Bethel, Su Li, Craig M. Wilson, Allison Agwu, Patricia Emmanuel, Georgine Price, Stephanie Hudey, Maureen M. Goodenow, John W. Sleasman

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Measures of immune outcomes in youth who initiate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) early in HIV infection are limited.

DESIGN: Adolescent Trials Network 061 examined changes over 48 weeks of cART in T-cell subsets and markers of T-cell and macrophage activation in subjects with pre-therapy CD4 > 350 cells/mm. All subjects had optimal viral suppression from weeks 24 through 48.

METHODS: Subjects (n = 48) initiated cART with tenofovir/emtricitabine plus ritonavir-boosted atazanavir. Data were collected at baseline and weeks 12, 24, and 48. Trends were compared to uninfected controls.

RESULTS: Significant increases over 48 weeks were noted in all CD4 populations, …

Super Learner Analysis Of Electronic Adherence Data Improves Viral Prediction And May Provide Strategies For Selective Hiv Rna Monitoring, Maya L. Petersen, Erin Ledell, Joshua Schwab, Varada Sarovar, Robert Gross, Nancy Reynolds, Jessica E. Haberer, Kathy Goggin, Carol E. Golin, Julia Arnsten, Marc Rosen, Robert H. Remien, David Etoori, Ira B. Wilson, Jane M. Simoni, Judith A. Erlen, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Honghu Liu, David Bangsberg

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective—Regular HIV RNA testing for all HIV positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is expensive and has low yield since most tests are undetectable. Selective testing of those at higher risk of failure may improve efficiency. We investigated whether a novel analysis of adherence data could correctly classify virological failure and potentially inform a selective testing strategy.

Design—Multisite prospective cohort consortium.

Methods—We evaluated longitudinal data on 1478 adult patients treated with ART and monitored using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) in 16 United States cohorts contributing to the MACH14 consortium. Since the relationship between adherence and virological failure is …

Oseltamivir-Warfarin Interaction In Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Case Report And Review., Jonathan B. Wagner, Susan M. Abdel-Rahman

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

An 8-year-old boy with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with a previous history of thrombosis within the inferior vena cava receiving stable warfarin dosing for anticoagulation was diagnosed with influenza B. He was subsequently placed on oseltamivir therapy according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical practice guidelines. During the hospitalization, his international normalized ratio steadily increased to supratherapeutic levels and returned to baseline after discontinuation of oseltamivir therapy. This case represents a drug-drug interaction that has not been previously reported in children or adolescents. An extensive review of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic literature did not uncover a definitive …

Microbial Diversity: A Journey Through Carl Woese's Tree Of Life, David J. Westenberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Review of: Microbial Diversity; James W. Brown; (2015). American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, DC. 416 pages.

The Efficacy Of School Head Lice Policies: A Review Of The Literature, Sheila Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

Each year millions of people in the United States are infested with head lice. Despite common beliefs that schools are the epicenter of transmission, this has been not been proven to be true. Regardless of this fact many schools continue to enforce no nit/lice policies by excluding children perceived to be infected from school. Consequences of such policies include loss of school days, mistreatment, economic burden, and shame. This paper provides a review of the literature providing best evidence regarding the efficacy of no nit/lice school policies. Method: 4 Sixteen articles were extracted for final review from CINAHL, PubMed, Psychlnfo, …

Adherence Of Patients To Long-Term Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Antihypertensive Regimens In Austria, F Lötsch, L Auer-Hackenberg, M Groger, K Rehman, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate adherence and causes for non-adherence to antihypertensive therapy in Austrian patients. A special focus was placed on social parameters and behavioural theories. METHODS: Patients were invited via advertisements in community pharmacies in Austria to complete an online survey. Inclusion criteria were an age of 18 years or older, a diagnosis of arterial hypertension and a current prescription of antihypertensive medication. Adherence was measured by the four-item Morisky scale. Non-adherence was defined by at least one point in the Morisky scale. Several demographic, social and behavioural parameters were analysed as potential co-variables …

The Role Of Social Relationship In Hiv Healing And Its Implications In Hiv Cure In China, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Jing-Bao Nie, Joseph Tucker, Stuart Rennie, Xiao-Ming Li

Faculty Publications

HIV is both a biomedical disease and a social phenomenon that is constructed in particular cultural contexts. A successful and humane HIV cure requires not only the science of eradicating pathogens, but also the art of healing to restore harmony between mind and body. Healing in the context of HIV cure will be both personal and interpersonal, biological and social, and will involve rebuilding connections between HIV patients and their social environment. Social conceptions of healing have been highlighted in many regions with rich non-biomedical healing traditions, including China. Based on an adapted theoretical model on social relationships and health, …

Wsu Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, April 30-May 1, 2015

Board of Trustees Minutes

Minutes from the Wright State University Board of Trustees Meeting held on April 30-May 1, 2015.

Libman-Sacks Endocarditis “A Wolf In Sheep’S Skin”, Philip Dunn Do, Ryan Rogers Do, James Ross Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Typical Presentation With Atypical Pathogen: A Case Of Primary Hepatic Abscess Secondary To Klebsiella Pneuomniae, Harshal Shah Do, Dhwani Pandya Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Health Department–Hospital Collaboration On Community Health Assessments, F. Douglas Scutchfield Md, Kaylee R. Hicks

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The paper by Carlton and Singh in the March 2015 issue of Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research represents an effort to show that, at least indirectly, hospitals and health departments in some communities apparently are in partnership, at least in the health department’s judgment: That is, the health department listed hospitals as a partner in the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) survey of local health departments. They also delineate the factors that appear to influence the completion of a community health assessment (CHA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and strategic planning in …

Multi-Scale Modeling Of Anopheles Mosquito Distribution In Southern Mali, Julius R. Dewald

Open Access Theses

The advent of developing outdoor malaria vector control methods creates a demand for distribution models of Anopheles mosquitoes at regional (~30 meters) and fine spatial scales (~2 meters). The distributions Anopheline mosquitoes in West Africa have been modeled in the past, yet always at relatively coarse resolutions. In this study, I worked to develop methods to ascertain the distribution of Anopheline mosquitoes at these little studied spatial scales. The species distribution modeler Maxent was used to create a species distribution model at a regional scale for Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis which relied on Landsat derived environmental indices. Models for …

Comparison Of Α-Glucosyl Hesperidin Of Citrus Fruits And Epigallocatechin Gallate Of Green Tea On The Loss Of Rotavirus Infectivity In Cell Culture, Steven M. Lipson, Fatma S. Ozen, Samantha Louis, Laina Karthikeyan

Publications and Research

A number of secondary plant metabolites (e.g., flavonoids) possess antiviral/antimicrobial activity. Most flavonoids, however, are difficult to study, as they are immiscible in water-based systems. The relatively new semisynthetic α-glucosyl hesperitin (GH), and the natural plant product epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) are unique among most flavonoids, as these flavonoids are highly soluble. The antiviral activity of these plant metabolites were investigated using the rotavirus as a model enteric virus system. Direct loss of virus structural integrity in cell-free suspension and titration of amplified RTV in host cell cultures was measured by a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (qEIA). After 30 min. 100 …

Field Evaluation Of A Push-Pull System To Reduce Malaria Transmission, David J. Menger, Philemon Omusula, Maarten Holdinga, Tobias Homan, Ana S. Carreira, Patrice Vandendaele, Jean Luc Derycke, Collins K. Mweresa, Wolfgang Richard Mukabana, Joop J.A. Van Loon, Willem Takken

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Malaria continues to place a disease burden on millions of people throughout the tropics, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Although efforts to control mosquito populations and reduce human-vector contact, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, have led to significant decreases in malaria incidence, further progress is now threatened by the widespread development of physiological and behavioural insecticide-resistance as well as changes in the composition of vector populations. A mosquito-directed push-pull system based on the simultaneous use of attractive and repellent volatiles offers a complementary tool to existing vector-control methods. In this study, the combination of a trap baited …

April 29, 2015, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Whole Genome Comparison Of A Large Collection Of Mycobacteriophages Reveals A Continuum Of Phage Genetic Diversity, Welkin H. Pope, Charles A. Bowman, Daniel A. Russell, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, David J. Asai, Steven G. Cresawn, William R. Jacobs Jr, Roger W. Hendrix, Jeffrey G. Lawrence, Graham F. Hatfull, Dr. Kathleen Cornely

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The bacteriophage population is large, dynamic, ancient, and genetically diverse. Limited genomic information shows that phage genomes are mosaic, and the genetic architecture of phage populations remains ill-defined. To understand the population structure of phages infecting a single host strain, we isolated, sequenced, and compared 627 phages of Mycobacterium smegmatis. Their genetic diversity is considerable, and there are 28 distinct genomic types (clusters) with related nucleotide sequences. However, amino acid sequence comparisons show pervasive genomic mosaicism, and quantification of inter-cluster and intra-cluster relatedness reveals a continuum of genetic diversity, albeit with uneven representation of different phages. Furthermore, rarefaction analysis shows …

Access To Healthcare: Understanding Disparities Among Lgbt & Black Communities, Taylor Jones

Honors Theses

This paper aims to explain and improve the disparities that intersect the Black and LGBT communities of Berrien County as it relates to access to healthcare, specifically those at risk for HIV. This paper identifies the various resources used to highlight these including the Kalamazoo Community AIDS Resource Education Services (CARES). There are many factors that put these populations at risk. The LGBT and Black communities are at risk due to factors such as STIs, multiple sex partners, unprotected sex, use of drugs during sex, low socioeconomic status, inadequate data on race, ethnicity, and language lowers the likelihood of effective …

Mode Of Presentations And Management Of Presumed Tuberculous Uveitis At A Referral Center, Faiz Al- Shakarchi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of tuberculous uveitis is often presumptive, because of the difficulty in obtaining microbiological evidence. The diagnosis has to rely on characteristic ocular findings, and possibly a therapeutic treatment trial. OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the mode of presentations and management of presumed tuberculous uveitis at a referral eye center in Iraq. METHOD AND SUBJECTS: This prospective case series study included patients with presumed ocular tuberculosis presented consecutively at uveitis clinic/ Ibn Al-Haetham teaching eye hospital, from January 2007-January 2013. Ocular tuberculosis was presumed when findings were consistent with possible intraocular tuberculosis, intractable to steroid therapy, and no clinical …

Must Us Medical Professionals Treat Ebola Patients?, Robert Nowell

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

In this paper I examine the duty of US healthcare providers (HCPs) to treat patients in the context of the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak. In particular, I consider how EVD and subsequent treatment is different from other infectious diseases like influenza or SARS, and how this impacts duty of care for US HCPs. I conclude that, given proper protective measures and support, HCPs at present face a strong moral obligation to care for patients with EVD. This duty is dependent upon individual position and context, and it may change if, for example, the situation turns into a pandemic.