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Synthesis Of Natural And Unnatural Sulfatide Ligands For Nkt Cell Activation And Olefin Cross-Metathesis Of Α-Methylene-Β-Lactones As A Methodology For The Rapid Assembly Of Β-Lactones, Kaddy Camara

Doctoral Dissertations

Sulfatides are innate glycosphingolipids shown to activate a subpopulation of type II NKT cells. Their activation has been reported to sometimes have antagonistic roles to those of type I NKT cells in some disease models. This has sparked a lot of interest in the synthesis of natural and unnatural sulfatides for an examination of their influence on NKT cell responses. The design, synthesis and evaluation of type II NKT cell activation of several sulfatide ligands are described in this thesis.

A two-step methodology has been developed for the rapid assembly of disubstituted β-lactones. The first step is olefin cross metathesis …

Week Of August 24, 2015, New York Medical College

InTouch

• School of Medicine Class of 2019 Embarks on their Journey to Medicine at the White Coat Ceremony
• NYMC Celebrates Walkway Ribbon Cutting
• NYMC Celebrates Faculty Authorship
• D.P.T. Class of 2015 Achieves 100 Percent First-Time Passing Rate on the National Licensure Exam
• GSBMS Welcomes New Cohort of Ph.D. Candidates

Gallium-67 Scintigraphy In The Era Of Positron Emission Tomography And Computed Tomography : Tertiary Centre Experience, Badriya Al-Suqri, Naima Al-Bulushi

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: Although 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) has largely replaced the use of gallium-67 (67Ga) scintigraphy in the evaluation and follow-up of lymphoma patients, 67Ga scans are still of value, particularly in countries where no PET/CT service is available. The current study presents the experience of a tertiary care centre using 67Ga scintigraphy for the evaluation of lymphomas and infections. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all 67Ga scans performed between 2007 and 2011 at the Royal Hospital in Muscat, Oman. Images and reports of 67Ga scans were compared to clinical and radiological follow-up data including CT …

Health Beliefs Related To Diabetes Mellitus Prevention Among Adolescents In Saudi Arabia, Reem L. Al-Mutairi, Amen A. Bawazir, Anwar E. Jradi, Hoda

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is growing rapidly in the Saudi population. The purpose of this study was to assess the constructs of the health belief model (HBM) as they relate to T2DM lifestyle and prevention behaviours among adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and October 2013 among 426 non-diabetic secondary school students from randomly selected schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An Arabic version of an adapted English language questionnaire was used to assess knowledge and attitudes related to the severity and prevention of T2DM. A preventative behaviour assessment was also conducted to …

Research On The Prospect Analysis And Countermeasures If China Joins The Bwm Convention, Qinghua Gu

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Onset Patterns Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Mixed Method Approach, Meredyth Evans

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) refer to a debilitating illness without a universally accepted or well-understood etiology. Some experts have suggested that there are multiple pathways to the development of ME and CFS, which may also indicate multiple onset patterns. Due to unanswered questions regarding etiology, the onset of ME and CFS is considered a key area of inquiry.

Case criteria for ME and CFS and much of the academic literature suggest that patients typically experience one of two possible onset patterns: sudden or gradual. Many experts consider the mode of ME …

Guide To Ms603 Pan American Health Organization (Paho), Carrie-Ann Chavez

Finding Aids

The ultimate goal of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its sister institution, the United States-Mexico Border Health Association (USMBHA), was to better health education, health, and the environment in the border region. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) U.S.-Mexico Border Field Office records date from 1942 to 2014. The records consist of publications, constitution and by- laws, minutes, slides and other media, and posters. Records are in Spanish and English.

The Influence Of Modality On The Antihypertensive Effects Of Exercise: A Meta-Analysis, Hayley Vanessa Macdonald

Doctoral Dissertations

The general consensus is that aerobic exercise training (AET) and dynamic resistance training (RT) lowers blood pressure (BP) 5-7 and 2-3 mmHg among adults with hypertension. However, there is significant variability in the BP response to exercise, ranging from ~0-9 mmHg. Patient and exercise characteristics may explain these differences; yet, what patient profile and exercise features elicits optimal BP benefit remains unclear. Therefore, we performed two high-quality meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of AET and RT as stand-alone antihypertensive therapy and identify what patient profile and exercise ‘dose’ elicited optimal BP-benefit. Methods: 84 and 64 controlled AET and RT trials …

Elevated Hba1c Levels And The Accumulation Of Differentiated T Cells In Cmv+ Individuals, Jerrald L. Rector, G. Neil Thomas, Victoria E. Burns, Jennifer B. Dowd, Raphael M. Herr, Paul A. Moss, Marc N. Jarczok, Kristina Hoffman, Joachim E. Fischer, Jos A. Bosch

Publications and Research

Aims/hypothesis Biological ageing of the immune system, or immunosenescence, predicts poor health and increased mortality. A hallmark of immunosenescence is the accumulation of differentiated cytotoxic T cells (CD27−CD45RA+/−; or dCTLs), partially driven by infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Immune impairments reminiscent of immunosenescence are also observed in hyperglycaemia, and in vitro studies have illustrated mechanisms by which elevated glucose can lead to increased dCTLs. This study explored associations between glucose dysregulation and markers of immunosenescence in CMV+ and CMV− individuals. Methods A cross-sectional sample of participants from an occupational cohort study (n = 1,103, mean age 40 years, 88% male) …

Differential Host Immune Responses After Infection With Wild-Type Or Lab-Attenuated Rabies Viruses In Dogs., Clement W Gnanadurai, Yang Yang, Ying Huang, Zhenguang Li, Christina M Leyson, Tanya L Cooper, Simon R Platt, Stephen B Harvey, D Craig Hooper, Milosz Faber, Zhen F Fu

Department of Medical Genetics Faculty Papers

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The experimental infection of dogs with TriGAS induced high levels of VNA in the serum, whereas wt RABV infection did not. Dogs infected with TriGAS developed antibodies against the virus including its glycoprotein, whereas dogs infected with DRV-NG11 only developed rabies antibodies that are presumably specific for the nucleoprotein, (N) and not the glycoprotein (G). We show that infection with TriGAS induces early activation of B cells in the draining lymph nodes and persistent activation of DCs and B cells in the blood. On the other hand, infection with DRV-NG11 fails to induce the activation of DCs and …

Draft Genome Sequence Of A Community-Associated Methicillin- Resistant Panton-Valentine Leukocidin-Positive Staphylococcus Aureus Sequence Type 30 Isolate From A Pediatric Patient With A Lung Infection In Brazil, Craig M. Stephens, Paul Jang-Yeon Cho, Veronica Afonso De Araujo, Ivete Martins Gomes, Selma Maria De Azevedo Sias, Claudete A. Araújo Cardoso, Lee W. Riley, Fábio Aguiar-Alves

Biology

The sequence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain B6 (sequence type 30 [ST30], spa type t433, staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec element [SCCmec] type IVc, Panton-Valentine leukocidin [PVL] positive), isolated from a pediatric patient with a lung infection in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is described here. The draft genome sequence includes a 2.8-Mb chromosome, accompanied by a 20-kb plasmid containing blaZ and two small cryptic plasmids.

Indigenous Factors Contributing To Successful Attainment Of Doctoral Degrees By Alaska Native Scholars: A Mixed Methods Study, Alberta J. Jones

Faculty and Staff

No abstract provided.

A Bibliometric Study On Growth Of Research In An Indian Medical College, Manoj Mishra, Mahesh C. Sahu, Prasant K Brahma K. Brahma, Rabindra K. Mahapatra

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was to analyze bibliometric data from the number of publication of IMS and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar during 2009 to 2013 to assess research productivity and impact and gathered and synthesized the number of publications of 34 departments for almost all department of the institute (N=207): (1) total number of published articles per department, (2) total number of citations to published articles per department, (3) average number of citations per article, (4) institutional impact indices, (5) institutional percentages of articles with zero citations, (6) annual average number of faculty per department, (7) average number of citations per faculty member. …

Research Productivity Of Government Medical College Jammu: A Bibliometric Analysis, Nadim Akhtar Khan, Humma Ahangar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose The study aims at examining the research productivity of Government Medical College Jammu and provides a Bibliometric profile of biomedical publications of Government Medical Jammu.

Methodology

Necessary Bibliometric indicators have been employed to assess the trends and volume of research published. Documents published by researchers and practitioners of Government Medical College Jammu for the period 1973 to May, 2011 and indexed in Scopus Database have been analysed.

Results The results of the present study reveals that the Government medical college Jammu is accelerating in terms of output. A total of 514 publications were contributed by the college during the …

Outcome Prediction In Mathematical Models Of Immune Response To Infection, Manuel Mai, Kun Wang, Greg Huber, Michael Kirby, Mark D. Shattuck, Corey S. O’Hern

Publications and Research

Clinicians need to predict patient outcomes with high accuracy as early as possible after disease inception. In this manuscript, we show that patient-to-patient variability sets a fundamental limit on outcome prediction accuracy for a general class of mathematical models for the immune response to infection. However, accuracy can be increased at the expense of delayed prognosis. We investigate several systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) that model the host immune response to a pathogen load. Advantages of systems of ODEs for investigating the immune response to infection include the ability to collect data on large numbers of ‘virtual patients’, each …

The Effect Of Standard Dose Multivitamin Supplementation On Disease Progression In Hiv-Infected Adults Initiating Haart: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial In Uganda., David Guwatudde, Molin Wang, Amara E. Ezeamama, Danstan Bagenda, Rachel Kyeyune, Henry Wamani, Yukari C. Manabe, Wafaie W. Fawzi

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Efficacy trials investigating the effect of multivitamin (MV) supplementations among patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) have so far been inconclusive. We conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial to determine the effect of one recommended daily allowance (RDA) of MV supplementation on disease progression in patients initiating HAART.

METHODS: Eligible subjects were randomized to receive placebo or MV supplementation including vitamins B-complex, C and E. Participants were followed for up to 18 months. Primary endpoints were: change in CD4 cell count, weight and quality of life (QoL). Secondary endpoints were: i) development of a new or …

Application Of Ichip To Grow “Uncultivable” Microorganisms And Its Impact On Antibiotic Discovery, Rinzhin T. Sherpa, Caretta J. Reese, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose. Antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine, allowing significant progress in healthcare and improvement in life expectancy. Development of antibiotic resistance by pathogenic bacteria is a natural phenomenon; however, the rate of antibiotic resistance emergence is increasing at an alarming rate, due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics in healthcare, agriculture and even everyday products. Traditionally, antibiotic discovery has been conducted by screening extracts of microorganisms for antimicrobial activity. However, this conventional source has been over-used to such an extent that it poses the risk of “running out” of new antibiotics. Aiming to increase access to a greater diversity of microorganisms, …

Microbe Detection Via Hybridizing Magnetic Relaxation Nanosensors (Us), J. Manuel Perez Figueroa, Charalambos Kaittanis, Saleh Naser

UCF Patents

Disclosed herein are methods and materials for facilitating the detection of nucleic acid analytes of interest. Specifically exemplified herein are methods for detecting mycobacterial microorganisms, namely Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis. Also disclosed is new hybridizing magnetic relaxation nanosensor (hMRS) particularly adapted to detect a target nucleic acid analyte of interest.

Recommended Vaccine Coverages Could Cause Monetary Losses For Hiv Clinics, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Steller Sea Lion Survivors: A Retrospective On The Impact Of Alternative Research Methods On An Endangered Species, Courtney Shuert

Marine Biology

Two novel research approaches were developed to facilitate access to wild juvenile Steller sea lions. First, the Transient Juvenile Steller sea lion Project (TJ) facilitated numerous studies of physiology, behavior, and nutrition through temporary captivity (branded TJs, n=45) over the past decade. As a complement, a control group was sampled and released during capture events (FRs, n=35). Second, the Life History Tag (LHX) project was implemented within the TJ project to implant individuals (LHX-1, n=35) with internal transmitters to detect potential causes of mortality. Our goal was to evaluate the potential for long-term impacts of these two research programs on …

Legal Aid Inequities Predict Health Disparities, James Teufel, Shannon Mace

Hamline Law Review

LEGAL AID INEQUITIES PREDICT HEALTH DISPARITIES

Host Immune Signals Regulate Blood-Brain Barrier Function During Central Nervous System Infection And Autoimmunity, Brian Daniels

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A major hallmark of neuroinflammatory diseases is the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This barrier between the hematogenous circulation and the parenchyma of the central nervous system (CNS) is a multicellular interface made up of endothelial cells joined by tight and adherens junctions (TJs and AJs), along with pericytes and the endfeet projections of astroglia. Together, these cells tightly restrict the movement of solutes and cells from the circulation into the CNS in a manner crucial for proper CNS homeostasis. Regulation of BBB function occurs dynamically during neuroinflammatory diseases such as infection and CNS autoimmunity, resulting in both protective …

Β-Lactamase Gene Exchange Within The Enterobacteriaceae, Mitchell William Pesesky

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance represents a grave threat to modern medicine’s control over infectious disease. Pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae have proven particularly problematic as they can cause a wide variety of infections, and they can be, in some cases, resistant to all antibiotics recommended for use against them. A major part of the threat posed by the Enterobacteriaceae is their ability to exchange resistance genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT has allowed some Enterobacteriaceae to quickly accumulate resistance against diverse antibiotics, and then to spread their resistance gene collection to other pathogenic strains. I explore three aspects of how HGT has …

Escherichia Coli Iron Acquisition Paradigms And Host Responses In The Human Urinary Milieu, Robin Reid Shields-Cutler

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are some of the most common bacterial infections worldwide and are increasingly complicated by high antibiotic resistance and recurrence rates. Explanations for the marked individual differences in UTI susceptibility remain incomplete. In this thesis we show that urinary colonization by uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is influenced by urine composition and the activity of an important innate immune protein, siderocalin (SCN; also called lipocalin 2 or neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/NGAL). During UTI, host factors limit the availability of iron, an essential nutrient for the invading pathogen. In response, UPEC modify the urinary environment with metal binding siderophores, some …

Characterizing And Modeling Antibiotic Resistance Dynamics In Diverse Microbial Communities, Molly Krisann Gibson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Complex microbial communities colonize every habitat investigated to date, including soil, animals, water, and humans, as well as the structures we live in. It has been hypothesized that there is network of exchange allowing both bacterial organisms and functions to seamlessly move between and within these environments. These microbial communities often serve essential and beneficial functions for the host organism or environment. This is particularly evident in the human gut, where microbial communities consistently provide a set of services to its human host, including protecting against enteric pathogens, liberating nutrients from food, and signaling immune system regulation. However, these communities …

Adaptive Mechanisms Of Niche Remodeling In Streptococcus Pyogenes, Elyse Paluscio

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes is a remarkably successful pathogen, capable of infecting numerous tissue sites within its human host. The ability of S. pyogenes to invade these different niches is, in part, due to the species’ ability to monitor various physical and chemical signals in its environment and alter its transcriptional profile in response to these differential conditions. As a member of the lactic acid bacteria, S. pyogenes has a simple fermentative metabolism and relies exclusively on a combination of homo-lactic and mixed acid fermentation as a means of generating energy in the cell. As a consequence of its …

A Gnotobiotic Mouse Model For Studying The Effect Of Human Gut Community Ecology On A Pathobiont, Bacteroides Fragilis, Vitas Wagner

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATIONA Gnotobiotic Mouse Model for Studying the Effect of Human Gut Community Ecology on a Pathobiont, Bacteroides fragilisbyVitas WagnerDoctor of Philosophy in Biology and Biomedical SciencesEvolution, Ecology, and Population BiologyWashington University in St. Louis, 2015Professor Jeffrey I. Gordon, ChairChildhood undernutrition represents a pressing global health challenge. Epidemiologic studies have shown that undernutrition is not due to food insecurity alone, but rather represents a complex set of interactions between intra- and intergenerational factors. The gut microbiota has been implicated as one such factor. This thesis tested the hypothesis that enteropathogen burden affects the structure and expressed functions of …

Exotic Addiction, Melissa A. Morgan

Duke Law Journal Online

With an annual profit between $10 and $20 billion, animal smuggling has become the third largest illegal trade in the world, behind only drugs and firearms, and the results are devastating to humans and animals alike. Zoonotic diseases are spreading, animal attack incidents are increasing, and several species are rapidly approaching extinction. This raises several questions that have been largely unanswered: What is causing the increase in demand? How serious are the effects? Why isn’t the law effective in preventing this? What can be done to slow this trend? This Comment attempts to answer these questions by investigating the causes …

Effect Of Chemical Pocket Disinfection As An Adjunct To Non-Surgical Maintenance Therapy Of Inflamed Periodontal Pockets, Chad Riggs

Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: Scaling and root planing with adjunctive chemical pocket disinfection (SRP+C) utilizing sodium hypochlorite solution has been used to treat inflamed pockets of periodontal maintenance patients for many years, without evidence of its benefits. The primary objective was to determine if SRP+C is more effective than scaling and root planing alone (SRP) in improving clinical outcomes. The secondary objective was to compare the effect of SRP+C and SRP on pro-inflammatory IL-1β, anti-inflammatory IL-1ra, and anti-inflammatory index (IL-1ra/IL-1β ratio) found in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

Materials and Methods: Pockets (≥ 5 mm and BOP) of 31 maintenance patients were included. Test …

Improving Antibiotic Resistant Infection Transmission Situational Awareness In Enclosed Facilities With A Novel Graphical User Interface For Tactical Biosurveillance, Valeriya V. Kettelhut

Theses & Dissertations

Serious challenges associated with antibiotic resistant infections (ABRIs) force healthcare practitioners (HCP) to seek innovative approaches that will slow the emergence of new ABRIs and prevent their spread. It was realized that traditional approaches to infection prevention based on education, retrospective reports, and biosurveillance often fail to ensure reliable compliance with infection prevention guidelines and real-time problem solving. The objective of this original research was to develop and test the conceptual design of a situational awareness (SA)-oriented information system for coping with healthcare-associated infection transmission.

Constantly changing patterns in spatial distribution of patients, prevalence of infectious cases, clustering of contacts, …