Digital Commons Network^™

Controlling Biofilm And Persister Cells By Targeting Cell Membranes, Ali Adem Bahar

Dissertations - ALL

The rapid increase in antibiotic resistant infections and the slowing pace of antibiotic development emphasize the need for alternative therapeutic agents to cure infectious diseases especially those caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Bacteria obtain resistance to antibiotics through multiple mechanisms. One of intrinsic mechanisms of drug resistance is persister formation, by which bacterial cells enter a metabolically inactive stage and become highly tolerant to essentially all antibiotics, even at the concentrations that are hundreds of times higher than the lethal dose required to kill normal planktonic cells of the same strain. Persister cells in biofilms are even more difficult to …

Assessing The Need For A New Oral Care Protocol In The Non-Ventilated Patient Population, Talia J. Johnson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Purpose: Nonventilator-associated hospital acquired pneumonia is a nosocomial infection that has not been heavily researched. With hospital-acquired pneumonia accounting for some of the most frequent nosocomial infections in the United States, it is important to determine ways to decrease rates of infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of nonventilator-associated pneumonia in a hospital patient population, to determine charting compliance of nurses, and to determine whether there was a need for a new oral care protocol.

Design: A retrospective electronic record review was performed to determine the rate of nonventilator- associated hospital acquired …

Synthesis Of Medicinally Relevant Thiazolyl Aryl Ketones Under Mild Conditions, Danielle M. Gardner

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Purpose: The growing amount of clinical resistance observed in current antifungal drugs and in anti-HIV pharmaceuticals is a concern in the medical community. The purpose of this study is to develop a mild synthetic process for biomedically relevant thiazolyl aryl ketones that can be used to develop antifungal and anti-HIV drugs. We hypothesized that the proposed synthetic technique would be more efficient, produce fewer unwanted byproducts, and be more tolerant of functional groups than existing methods.

Methods: Prior to each of the ketone reactions, the necessary salt was synthesized by mixing thiazole and 9-bromofluorene neat in a reaction tube heated …

Differences In Disease Reporting: An Analysis Of State Reportable Conditions And Their Relationship To The Nationally Notifiable Conditions List, Brian Labus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The basis of public health surveillance is the reporting of diseases and conditions to the health department by clinicians and laboratories. In the United States, over eighty diseases and conditions of national importance (e.g., tuberculosis, syphilis, and cancer) are included on the list of Nationally Notifiable Conditions (NNC) for submission to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the states. The legal basis for disease reporting is found at the state level, where inconsistent laws may differ in terms of which conditions are reportable and their reporting process. The process by which states require the reporting of NNCs …

Adapting And Piloting An Evidence-~Based Hiv/Aids And Teen Pregnancy Prevention Intervention For Native American Teens, Murlynn Crystal Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Native American youth are at disproportionate risk for HIV infection. Native Americans represent about 1.7% of the U.S. population, yet they rank fifth in HIV/AIDS diagnosis nationwide (U.S. Census, 2012; CDCd 2013). Native Americans with HIV/AIDS are more likely to be younger than non-Native Americans with the disease. There are limited evidence-based HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy prevention interventions that have been developed, adapted, and/or evaluated for Native American teens. The purpose of this study was to adapt an existing evidence-based HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy prevention intervention into a culturally responsive intervention curriculum for Native teens. Methods: There were three …

Health Impact Assessment Of Proposed Rental Housing Policy Within Clark County, Nevada, Usa, Erika Raquel Marquez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Homes serve as a central function of our everyday lives, they are where most Americans spend a significant amount of time and money. The quality of our homes can impact our health. Poor housing can cause and contribute to preventable diseases and injuries, such as the development or exacerbation of asthma, neurological deficits, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. According to the American Housing Survey (2013) approximately 5.8 million homes, of 132 million homes in the United States, are in moderate to severe physical disrepair, with rental housing being at a disproportionate burden. According to 2013 U.S. Census, Clark County, Nevada has …

Dollfustrema Durum N. Sp. And Heterobucephalopsis Perardua N. Sp. (Digenea: Bucephalidae) From The Giant Moray Eel, Gymnothorax Javanicus (Bleeker) (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), And Proposal Of The Heterobucephalopsinae N. Subfam, Matthew J. Nolan, Stephen S. Curran, Terrence L. Miller, Scott C. Cutmore, Cinzia Cantacessi, Thomas H. Cribb

Faculty Publications

Two new species of bucephalid trematode (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) are described from the giant moray eel, Gymnothorax javanicus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), from off Lizard Island, Australia. We used a combined morphological and molecular-based approach targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the D1–D3 region of the large subunit (28S) of rDNA to circumscribe the species. Dollfustrema durum n. sp. is distinguished from seven congeners in having 5–6 rows of enlarged body spines circling the anterior portion of the rhynchus. From the remaining 10 species, D. durum n. sp. differs in body length, and in having a …

Low-Rank Network Decomposition Reveals Structural Characteristics Of Small-World Networks, Victor J. Barranca, D. Zhou, D. Cai

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works

Small-world networks occur naturally throughout biological, technological, and social systems. With their prevalence, it is particularly important to prudently identify small-world networks and further characterize their unique connection structure with respect to network function. In this work we develop a formalism for classifying networks and identifying small-world structure using a decomposition of network connectivity matrices into low-rank and sparse components, corresponding to connections within clusters of highly connected nodes and sparse interconnections between clusters, respectively. We show that the network decomposition is independent of node indexing and define associated bounded measures of connectivity structure, which provide insight into the clustering …

Treatment Of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia And Ventilator-Associated Tracheobronchitis In The Intensive Care Unit: A National Survey Of Clinicians And Pharmacists In Saudi Arabia, Awad Al-Omari, Masood Mohammed, Waleed Alhazzani, Hasan M. Al-Dorzi, Mohammed S. Belal, Ali O. Albshabshe, Maha F. Al-Subaie, Yaseen M. Arabi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess current practices of different healthcare providers for treating extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) infections in tertiary-care centers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in tertiary-care centers of Saudi Arabia between March and June 2014. A questionnaire consisting of 3 parts (respondent characteristics; case scenarios on ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP] and tracheobronchitis [VAT], and antibiotic choices in each scenario) was developed and sent electronically to participants in 34 centers across Saudi Arabia. Results: One-hundred and eighty-three respondents completed the survey. Most of the respondents (54.6%) preferred to use colistin-based combination therapy to treat VAP caused …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of Human Serum Albumin-Free Mmr Vaccine In Us Children Aged 12-15 Months., Maurice A. Mufson, Clemente Diaz, Michael Leonardi, Christopher J. Harrison, Stanley Grogg, Antonio Carbayo, Simon Carlo-Torres, Robert Jeanfreau, Ana Quintero-Del-Rio, Gisele Bautista, Michael Povey, Christopher Da Costa, Ouzama Nicholson, Bruce L. Innis

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: M-M-R(TM)II (MMRII; Merck & Co) is currently the only measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine licensed in the United States. Another licensed vaccine would reinforce MMR supply. This study assessed the immunogenicity of a candidate vaccine (Priorix(TM), GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines [MMR-RIT]) when used as a first dose among eligible children in the United States.

METHODS: In this exploratory Phase-2, multicenter, observer-blind study, 1220 healthy subjects aged 12-15 months were randomized (3:3:3:3) and received 1 dose of 1 of 3 MMR-RIT lots with differing mumps virus titers (MMR-RIT-1 [4.8 log10]; MMR-RIT-2 [4.1 log10]; MMR-RIT-3 [3.7 log10] CCID50) or MMRII co-administered with hepatitis A vaccine …

The Effect Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act On The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap As Reflected In Diabetes Medication Adherence., Jennifer A. Forristal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation involves an evaluation of the effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on diabetic medication adherence for mail order utilizers over 6 years as the Medicare Part D coverage gap begins to close. The study had 3 objectives: 1) to evaluate diabetes medication adherence of health plan members before they reach the coverage gap and then while they are in the coverage gap, 2) to compare diabetes medication adherence between two similar groups with differing benefit structures, one group with a gap in coverage as opposed to a group with no benefit changes within the …

Genomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Of Microbotryum Lychnidis-Dioicae Provide Insights Into The Biology Of A Fascinating Fungal Phytopathogen., Su San Toh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study made use of the Silene latifolia/Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae phytopathogen system as the focal system to establish the first reference genome for Microbotryum violaceum sensu lato. In silico analysis was performed on the genome assembly to identify various characteristics of the genome. Using RNA-Sequencing technologies on the Illumina platform, we collected transcriptomic data for both in vitro and in planta life stages of the fungus, providing the most comprehensive look at the gene expression and regulation of this fungus. Due to a lack of identifiable domains on the predicted genes, gene set enrichment analysis was done in …

Dynamics Of An Sir Model With Nonlinear Incidence And Treatment Rate, Balram Dubey, Preeti Dubey, Uma S. Dubey

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, global dynamics of an SIR model are investigated in which the incidence rate is being considered as Beddington-DeAngelis type and the treatment rate as Holling type II (saturated). Analytical study of the model shows that the model has two equilibrium points (diseasefree equilibrium (DFE) and endemic equilibrium (EE)). The disease-free equilibrium (DFE) is locally asymptotically stable when reproduction number is less than one. Some conditions on the model parameters are obtained to show the existence as well as nonexistence of limit cycle. Some sufficient conditions for global stability of the endemic equilibrium using Lyapunov function are obtained. …

Seir Model Of Seasonal Epidemic Diseases Using Ham, Nirmala P. Ratchagar, S. P. Subramanian

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

SEIR mathematical model of childhood diseases measles, chickenpox, mumps, rubella incorporate seasonal variation in contact rates due to the increased mixing during school terms compared to school holidays. Driven by seasonality these diseases are characterized by annual oscillations with variable contact rate which is a periodic function of time in years. Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) is considered in this paper to obtain a semi analytic approximate solution of non-linear simultaneous differential equations. Mathematica is used to carry out the computations. Results established through graphs show the validity and potential of HAM for amplitude of variation greater than zero. Also, when …

Apolipoprotein B Containing Lipoproteins Contribute To Host Innate Immune Pulmonary Defense Against Staphylococcus Aureus, Brett Manifold-Wheeler

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Circulating lipoproteins are increasingly recognized as innate immune effector molecules. Severe hypolipidemia, which may occur with trauma or critical illness, is clinically associated with bacterial pneumonia. Importantly, pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both hospital- and community-acquired pneumonia cases. Here we report that lipoprotein deficiency impairs early pulmonary innate defense against S. aureus quorum-sensing dependent pathogenesis. Specifically, apoB levels in the lung early post-infection are significantly reduced with lipoprotein deficiency, coinciding with impaired host control of S. aureus agr-signaling and increased agr-dependent morbidity and inflammation. Given that lipoproteins also inhibit LTA- and …

Mechanisms Of Innate Immune Regulation Of Dermonecrosis During Staphylococcus Aureus Skin Infections, Moriah J. Castleman

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

S. aureus is the dominant cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in humans. The importance of S. aureus as the primary cause of skin infections has increased exponentially over the last few decades since the emergence of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. Furthermore, the rise of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has led to hospitals stays, increased financial burden and increased mortality. A significant proportion of MRSA infections have been attributed to community-acquired strains (CA-MRSA), specifically the USA300 isolates, which can cause deadly disease in otherwise healthy individuals. Due to the increase in antibiotic resistance and the lack of …

Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell-Mediated Humoral Autoimmunity, Stephanie M. Dorta-Estremera Ph.D.

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Humoral autoimmunity is characterized by the breakdown of B cell immune tolerance to self-antigens and consequent production of pathogenic autoantibodies. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a potent type I interferon (IFN-I) producer, have been linked to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypic systemic humoral autoimmune disease. However, the cellular events that stimulate the development of humoral autoimmunity as a result of pDC activation have not been characterized. Moreover, the B cell subset(s) responsible for the generation of autoantibodies remains to be clearly identified.

The immunization of DNA-containing amyloids into non-autoimmune mice triggers the activation of pDCs and induction …

Orally Delivered Β-Glucans Aggravate Dextran Sulfate Sodium (Dss)-Induced Intestinal Inflammation, Sigrid E.M. Heinsbroek, David L. Williams, Olaf Welting, Sybren L. Meijer, Siamon Gordon, Wouter J. De Jonge

ETSU Faculty Works

β-Glucans have beneficial health effects due to their immune modulatory properties. Oral administration of β-glucans affects tumour growth, microbial infection, sepsis, and wound healing. We hypothesized that pre-treatment with orally delivered soluble and particulate β-glucans could ameliorate the development of aggravate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced intestinal inflammation. To study this, mice were orally pre-treated with β-glucans for 14 days. We tested curdlan (a particulate β-(1,3)-glucan), glucan phosphate (a soluble β-(1,3)-glucan), and zymosan (a particle made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which contains around 55% β-glucans). Weight loss, colon weight, and feces score did not differ between β-glucan and vehicle treated groups. …

Computational Analysis Of The Sir Mathematical Model For The Dengue Fever, Joseph Phillip Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

Dengue fever is a disease affecting people in more than 100 countries. Here we consider a host and vector model for the transmission of dengue fever. This SIR model consists of three compartments of susceptible, infective and removed for host (human) and two compartments of susceptible and infective for vector (dengue mosquitos). These five compartments yield five coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). After non-dimensionalization, we have a system of three nonlinear ODEs. Reproductive number and two equilibrium points are calculated for various cases. Simulation is carried out for susceptible, infective and removed and the results are presented in graphical …

Validity Of Brighton Criteria In The Diagnosis Of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (Gbs) In Pakistan, Safia Bano, Ahsan Numan, Abubakar Siddique

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) case definitions have been developed in recent past for its quick diagnosis. However, they have not been adopted worldwide especially in developing countries like Pakistan. In this study, we validated the sensitivity of Brighton working group case definitions for GBS at Services Hospital Lahore. Methods: A total of 30 cases of GBS with available clinical history, neurological examination,cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) results, and exclusion of related diagnoses were selected (2014–2015). Sensitivity of the Brighton criteria for GBS for level 3 of diagnostic certainty which requires no clinical laboratory testing, level 2 which employs CSF …

Prevalence Of Tick-Borne Pathogens In Small Mammals And White-Tailed Deer In Southeast Nebraska, Tim M. Hotaling

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The prevalence of tick-borne diseases has been increasing in the United States for the past couple decades. Studies have been conducted throughout the US identifying tick-borne disease pathogens as well as their hosts and prevalence. Research was conducted in Nebraska to determine the presence of some tick-borne disease pathogens, their vectors, and their hosts, with emphasis made on Borrelia spp., Rickettsia rickettsii, and Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

Small rodents in southeast Nebraska were trapped and sampled at eight study sites using live capture traps. Captured rodents were assessed for active parasitism by ticks which were collected and placed in alcohol. …

Independent Monopoly Size In Graphs, Ahmed M. Naji, N. D. Soner

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In a graph G = (V;E), a set D ⊆V (G) is said to be a monopoly set of G if every vertex v ∈V-D has at least d(v)/ 2 neighbors in D. The monopoly size of G, denoted mo(G), is the minimum cardinality of a monopoly set among all monopoly sets in G. The set D ⊆ V (G) is an independent monopoly set in G if it is both a monopoly set and an independent set in G. The number of vertices in a minimum independent monopoly set in a graph G is the independent monopoly size of …

Antibiotic Resistance: Homoeopathic Perspective, Raj Manchanda

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

No abstract provided.

An Evidence Based Approach To Sepsis: Educational Program, Dolores Perez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evidence-based guidelines for recognizing and treating sepsis have been available for decades, yet healthcare providers do not adhere to the recommendations. Sepsis can progress rapidly if not recognized early. Literature reports reveal that sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units (ICUs), and it is one of the most expensive conditions to treat. A hospital in the Las Vegas, Nevada area had previously introduced sepsis management prescriptions in 2011 with no formal education of sepsis guidelines to nurses. The original hospital’s sepsis management prescription sets followed guidelines dated 2008. The purpose of this project was to …

Development Of Oral Vaccines Against Lyme Disease, Rita Raquel Dos Anjos De Carvalho E Melo

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Lyme Disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and Europe. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent damage to the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. In some cases, patients that receive the recommended antibiotic therapy develop a debilitating health condition associated with substantial health care costs. Despite current preventive measures, the incidence and the geographic distribution of Lyme Disease continues to increase. Recent estimates from CDC suggest that the true number of cases of Lyme Disease in the US is approximately 300,000 per year. Yet, there is currently no vaccine …

Development And Evaluation Of Amphotericin B Loaded Iron Oxide Nanoparticles For Targeted Drug Delivery To Systemic Fungal Infections, Pavan Balabathula

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A targeted nanotheronostic drug delivery system to diagnose and treat life threatening invasive fungal infections (IFIs) such as cryptococcal meningitis was designed, developed, characterized, and evaluated. To address the development processes, first, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) (34-40 nm) coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA), loaded and targeted with amphotericin B (AMB) (AMB-IONP) was formulated by applying a layer by layer approach. Several designs (A, B, C, D, & E) of AMB-IONP were developed and their physicochemical properties such as drug loading with HPLC method, particle size, poly dispersity index (PDI), and ζ-potential using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, morphology with …

Genetic Control Of Survival And Weight Loss During Pneumonic Burkholderia Pseudomallei (Bp) Infection, Felicia D. Emery

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is a saprophytic, gram-negative aerobe and the causative agent of the disease melioidosis. Melioidosis is an infectious disease that occurs in humans and animals and is prevalent in Southeast Asia, northern Australia and other tropical areas. Transmission occurs through direct contact with the organism via ingestion, inhalation, or through open wounds and skin abrasions. Clinical presentation is extremely variable and can range from acute septicemia with bacterial dissemination to distant sites, to an isolated pulmonary infection. Treatment of melioidosis can be problematic because it is often difficult to diagnose and Bp is resistant to a diverse group …

In This Issuesystematic Revieworiginal Articlescase Report

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Nanoparticle Conversion To Biofilms: In Vitro Demonstration Using Serum-Derived Mineralo-Organic Nanoparticles, Tsui-Yin Wong, Hsin-Hsin Peng, Cheng-Yeu Wu, Jan Martel, David M. Ojcius, Fu-Yung Hsu, John Ding-E. Young

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Aims: Mineralo-organic nanoparticles (NPs) detected in biological fluids have been described as precursors of physiological and pathological calcifications in the body. Our main objective was to examine the early stages of mineral NP formation in body fluids. Materials & methods: A nanomaterial approach based on atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy and spectroscopy was used. Results: The mineral particles, which contain the serum proteins albumin and fetuin-A, initially precipitate in the form of round amorphous NPs that gradually grow in size, aggregate and coalesce to form crystalline mineral films similar to the structures observed in calcified human arteries. …

Functional Characterization Of Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans Qsebc : A Bacterial Adrengeric Receptor And Global Regulator Of Virulence., Whitney Weigel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order for a pathogen to successfully colonize the host, it must be able to acquire essential nutrients and regulate gene expression to respond to environmental fluctuations. One mechanism bacteria have evolved in order to detect these fluctuations and respond is the two component signal transduction systems (TCS). Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a dental commensal associated with localized aggressive periodontitis, contains a TCS designated QseBC that was previously shown to regulate expression of several iron acquisition genes, biofilm formation and virulence, but the activating signal was unknown []. QseBC is a conserved TCS in the Enterobacteriaceae and Pasteurellaceae, but the activating signal …