Digital Commons Network^™

High-Resolution Genetic Mapping Of Allelic Variants Associated With Cell Wall Chemistry In Populus, Wellington Muchero, Jianjun Guo, Stephen P. Difazio, Jin-Gui Chen, Priya Ranjan, Gancho T. Slavov, Lee E. Gunter, Sara Jawdy, Anthony C. Bryan, Robert Sykes, Angela Ziebell, Jaroslav Klapste, Ilga Porth, Oleksandr Skyba, Faride Unda, Yousry A. El-Kassaby, Carl J. Douglas, Shawn D. Mansfield, Joel Martin, Wendy Schackwitz, Luke M. Evans, Olaf Czarnecki, Gerald A. Tuskan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

QTL cloning for the discovery of genes underlying polygenic traits has historically been cumbersome in long-lived perennial plants like Populus. Linkage disequilibrium-based association mapping has been proposed as a cloning tool, and recent advances in high-throughput genotyping and whole-genome resequencing enable marker saturation to levels sufficient for association mapping with no a priori candidate gene selection. Here, multiyear and multienvironment evaluation of cell wall phenotypes was conducted in an interspecific P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides pseudo-backcross mapping pedigree and two partially overlapping populations of unrelated P. trichocarpa genotypes using pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry, saccharification, and/ or traditional …

Characterization Of Shed Medicinal Leech Mucus Reveals A Diverse Microbiota, Brittany M. Ott, Allen Rickards, Lauren Gehrke, Rita V M Rio

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Microbial transmission through mucosal-mediated mechanisms is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. One example of this occurs with Hirudo verbana, the medicinal leech, where host attraction to shed conspecific mucus facilitates horizontal transmission of a predominant gut symbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium Aeromonas veronii. However, whether this mucus may harbor other bacteria has not been examined. Here, we characterize the microbiota of shed leech mucus through Illumina deep sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. Additionally, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) typing with subsequent Sanger Sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene clone library provided qualitative confirmation of …

Whole-Body Transcriptome Of Selectively Bred, Resistant-, Control-, And Susceptible-Line Rainbow Trout Following Experimental Challenge With Flavobacterium Psychrophilum, David Marancik, Guangtu Gao, Bam Paneru, Hao Ma, Alvaro G. Hernandez, Mohamed Salem, Jianbo Yao, Yniv Palti, Gregory D. Wiens

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Genetic improvement for enhanced disease resistance in fish is an increasingly utilized approach to mitigate endemic infectious disease in aquaculture. In domesticated salmonid populations, large phenotypic variation in disease resistance has been identified but the genetic basis for altered responsiveness remains unclear. We previously reported three generations of selection and phenotypic validation of a bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) resistant line of rainbow trout, designated ARS-Fp-R. This line has higher survival after infection by either standardized laboratory challenge or natural challenge as compared to two reference lines, designated ARS-Fp-C (control) and ARS-Fp-S (susceptible). In this study, we utilized 1.1 g …

Survival Of Unstressed And Acid-, Cold-, And Starvation-Stress-Adapted Listeria Monocytogenes In Ham Extract With Hops Beta Acids And Consumer Acceptability Of Hba On Ready-To-Eat Ham, Li Wang, Cangliang Shen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The efficacy of hops beta acids (HBA) against unstressed and stress-adapted Listeria monocytogenes in ham extract and the consumers’ acceptability of HBA on ready-to-eat (RTE) hams were investigated. Unstressed or acid-, cold-, or starvation-stress-adapted L. monocytogenes was inoculated (1.3–1.5 log CFU/mL) into 10% ham extract, without (control) or with HBA (4.44 or 10.0 µg/mL). Survival/growth of the pathogen during storage (7.2°C, 26 days) was monitored periodically. Sensory evaluation (30 participants, 9-point hedonic scale) was performed with hams dipped into 0.05, 0.11, and 0.23% HBA solution. Ham extracts without HBA supported rapid growth of unstressed and stress-adapted cells with growth rates …

Evidential Value That Exercise Improves Bmi -Score In Overweight And Obese Children And Adolescents, George A. Kelley, Kristi S. Kelley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Given the cardiovascular disease (CVD) related importance of understanding the true effects of exercise on adiposity in overweight and obese children and adolescents, this study examined whether there is evidential value to rule out excessive and inappropriate reporting of statistically significant results, a major problem in the published literature, with respect to exercise-induced improvements in BMI -score among overweight and obese children and adolescents. Methods. Using data from a previous meta-analysis of 10 published studies that included 835 overweight and obese children and adolescents, a novel, recently developed approach (-curve) was used to test for evidential value and rule …

Seedling Performance Associated With Live Or Herbicide Treated Tall Fescue, Jonathan J. Halvorson, David P. Belesky, Harry W. Godwin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Tall fescue is an important forage grass which can host systemic fungal endophytes. The association of host grass and endophyte is known to influence herbivore behavior and host plant competition for resources. Establishing legumes into existing tall fescue sods is a desirable means to acquire nitrogen and enhance the nutritive value of forage for livestock production. Competition from existing tall fescue typically must be controlled to ensure interseeding success. We used a soil-on-agar method to determine if soil from intact, living (L), or an herbicide killed (K) tall fescue sward influenced germination and seedling growth of three cultivars of tall …

In Vitro Selection Of A Single-Stranded Dna Molecular Recognition Element Against Clostridium Difficile Toxin B And Sensitive Detection In Human Fecal Matter, Ka L. Hong, Eamonn Maher, Ryan M. Williams, Letha J. Sooter

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Toxin B is one of the major virulence factors of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that is responsible for a significant number of diarrhea cases in acute care settings. Due to the prevalence of C. difficile induced diarrhea, rapid and correct diagnosis is crucial in the disease management. In this study, we have employed a stringent in vitro selection method to identify single-stranded DNA molecular recognition elements (MRE) specific for toxin B. At the end of the 12-round selection, one MRE with high affinity  nM) for toxin B was identified. The selected MRE demonstrated low cross binding activities on negative targets: …

Oral Health In A Sample Of Pregnant Women From Northern Appalachia (2011–2015), Katherine Neiswanger, Daniel W. Mcneil, Betsy Foxman, Manika Govil, Margaret E. Cooper, Robert J. Weyant, John R. Shaffer, Richard J. Crout, Hyagriv N. Simhan, Scott R. Beach, Stella Chapman, Jayme G. Zovko, Linda J. Brown, Stephen J. Strotmeyer, Jennifer L. Maurer, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. Chronic poor oral health has a high prevalence in Appalachia, a large region in the eastern USA. The Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia (COHRA) has been enrolling pregnant women and their babies since 2011 in the COHRA2 study of genetic, microbial, and environmental factors involved in oral health in Northern Appalachia. Methods. The COHRA2 protocol is presented in detail, including inclusion criteria (healthy, adult, pregnant, US Caucasian, English speaking, and nonimmunocompromised women), recruiting (two sites: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, USA), assessments (demographic, medical, dental, psychosocial/behavioral, and oral microbial samples and DNA), timelines (longitudinal from pregnancy to …

Fighting For Environmental Health And Justice: A Case Study Of Exide Technologies In Southeast Los Angeles, California, Idalmis Vaquero

Student Library Research Awards

Independent Study Award recipient for 2015. Paper written for course AFR 350, Professor Filomina Steady.

Speciesism: What Is It? What Should We Do About It?, Bianka Takaoka

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Copper In The Oxidative Stress Response Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii To Heat Shock, Michelle Brann, Adele J. Wolfson, Oana E. Marcu

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Beyond Prosthetics: The First Steps Towards Identifying Key Regulators Of Limb Regeneration, Jacquelyn Chou

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Modeling Partial Lipodystrophy Using Human Pluripotent Stem-Cell Derived Cide-C E186x Mutant Adipocytes, Audrey A. Tran

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Is Democracy The Answer: Differential Outcomes In The Treatment Of The Global Hiv Epidemic, Kathleen Zhu

Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

The Thinker 3.1, Amy Thompson

Library Newsletters

The Thinker newsletter for January 2015.

Aftershocks: The Human Impact Of U.S. Deportations To Post-Earthquake Haiti, University Of Chicago Law School - Global Human Rights Clinic, University Of Miami Law School Immigration Clinic, University Of Miami Law School Human Rights Clinic

Global Human Rights Clinic

Haiti still reels from the devastating effects of the January 12, 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 people, rendered one in seven Haitians homeless, and wreaked $9 billion of damage in a country whose 2009 GDP was only $7 billion. At least 85,000 people still live in internally displaced person camps (IDP camps) and many have moved back into shoddy structures that would not survive another earthquake. The cholera epidemic that struck Haiti in the wake of the earthquake has been characterized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “the worst cholera outbreak in recent history,” killing …

2014 Touro College & University System Faculty Publications, Touro College & University System

Faculty Publications Books

This is the 2014 edition of the Faculty Publications Book of the Touro College & University System. It includes all eligible 2014 publication citations of faculty within the Touro College & University System, including New York Medical College (NYMC). It was produced as a joint effort of the Touro College Libraries and the Health Sciences Library at NYMC.

Health Studies Program Newsletter For 2015, Uri Health Studies Program

Public Health Department Publications

The 2015 issue of “Health-e-Newsletter,” a periodical focused on the Health Studies Program events, faculty research and highlights of student achievements.

Novel Mechanisms Of Herbal Therapies For Inhibiting Hmgb1 Secretion Or Action, A. H. Wu, L. He, W. Long, Q. Zhou, S. Zhu, P. Wang, S. Fan, H. Wang

Journal Articles

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an evolutionarily conserved protein and is constitutively expressed in virtually all types of cells. In response to microbial infections, HMGB1 is secreted from activated immune cells to orchestrate rigorous inflammatory responses. Here we review the distinct mechanisms by which several herbal components inhibit HMGB1 action or secretion, such as by modulating inflammasome activation, autophagic degradation, or endocytic uptake. In light of the reciprocal interactions between these cellular processes, it is possible to develop more effective combinational herbal therapies for the clinical management of inflammatory diseases.

Comorbid Profile Rather Than Age Determines Hip Fracture Mortality In A Nonagenarian Population, A. Graver, S. Merwin, L. Collins, N. Kohn, A. Goldman

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: In light of poor outcomes with nonoperative management of hip fractures, orthopedic surgeons are faced with difficult decisions about which patients are too ill or too old for surgical treatment. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: This study sought to investigate if patients over 90 years had different preoperative laboratory, clinical, and injury characteristics than younger patients with the same injury. We compared our cohort with previously published data. We wished to identify if there were pre-injury risk factors associated with 30-day mortality, which could be modified to enhance postoperative outcomes. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 198 operatively managed hip fractures in …

Seasonal Variations Of Complete Blood Count And Inflammatory Biomarkers In The Us Population - Analysis Of Nhanes Data, B. Liu, E. Taioli

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Recent studies reported seasonal differences in gene expression in white blood cells, adipose tissue, and inflammatory biomarkers of the immune system. There is no data on the seasonal variations of these biomarkers in the US general population of both children and adults. Then aim of this study is to explore the seasonal trends in complete blood count (CBC), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a large non-institutionalized US population. METHODS: Seven cross-sectional data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 1999-2012 were aggregated; participants reporting recent use of prescribed steroids, chemotherapy, immunomodulators and antibiotics were excluded. …

Stimulation Of Brain Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Attenuates Inflammation And Acute Lung Injury In Sepsis, N. Mulchandani, W.L. Yang, M. M. Khan, F. Zhang, P. Marambaud, J. Nicastro, G.F. Coppa, P. Wang

Journal Articles

Sepsis and septic shock are enormous public health problems with astronomical financial repercussions on health systems worldwide. The central nervous system (CNS) is closely intertwined in the septic process but the underlying mechanism is still obscure. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a ubiquitous energy sensor enzyme and plays a key role in regulation of energy homeostasis and cell survival. In this study, we hypothesized that activation of AMPK in the brain would attenuate inflammatory responses in sepsis, particularly in the lungs. Adult C57BL/6 male mice were treated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboneucleotide (AICAR, 20 ng), an AMPK activator, or vehicle (normal saline) …

An Interesting Cause Of Mechanical Small Bowel Obstruction, S. A. Sathyanarayana, G. B. Deutsch, B. Friedman

Journal Articles

Foreign body ingestion is a known cause of abdominal pain in pediatric population occurring between 6 months and 3 years of age (Wyllie Curr Opin Pediatr 18:563, 2006, Uyemura Am Fam Physician 72:287, 2005, Banerjee Indian J Pediatr 72:173, 2005). Most of the ingested foreign bodies pass spontaneously with 10-20 % requiring endoscopic retrieval, and < 1 % of cases require a surgical intervention (Wyllie Curr Opin Pediatr 18:563, 2006, Uyemura Am Fam Physician 72:287, 2005, Shivakumar Indian J Pediatr 71:689, 2004). Presence of intestinal obstruction necessitates surgical intervention to extract the ingested foreign body. Initial abdominal plain radiograph should be obtained when foreign body ingestion is suspected, which differentiates a radiopaque from radiolucent foreign bodies. A computed tomography with 3D reconstruction (3D-CT) is recommended with radiolucent foreign bodies (Uyemura Am Fam Physician 72:287, 2005, Kazam Am J Emerg Med 23:897, 2005). After 24 h of expectant management, failure of spontaneous passage requires further intervention. Timely intervention to relieve the obstruction is pivotal to prevent undue complications. We present an interesting case of a boy who ingested a radiolucent foreign body diagnosed on 3D-CT, successfully treated with surgical extraction.

The Brighter (And Evolutionarily Older) Face Of The Metabolic Syndrome: Evidence From Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Cd-1 Mice, W. Brima, D. J. Eden, S. F. Mehdi, M. Bravo, M. M. Wiese, J. Stein, V. Almonte, D. Zhao, J. Roth, F. Nagajyothi, +5 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease, results in chronic infection that leads to cardiomyopathy with increased mortality and morbidity in endemic regions. In a companion study, our group found that a high-fat diet (HFD) protected mice from T. cruzi-induced myocardial damage and significantly reduced post-infection mortality during acute T. cruzi infection. METHODS: In the present study metabolic syndrome was induced prior to T. cruzi infection by feeding a high fat diet. Also, mice were treated with anti-diabetic drug metformin. RESULTS: In the present study, the lethality of T. cruzi (Brazil strain) infection in CD-1 …

Calhm1 Deletion In Mice Affects Glossopharyngeal Taste Responses, Food Intake, Body Weight, And Life Span, G. Hellekant, J. Schmolling, P. Marambaud, T. A. Rose-Hellekant

Journal Articles

Stimulation of Type II taste receptor cells (TRCs) with T1R taste receptors causes sweet or umami taste, whereas T2Rs elicit bitter taste. Type II TRCs contain the calcium channel, calcium homeostasis modulator protein 1 (CALHM1), which releases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) transmitter to taste fibers. We have previously demonstrated with chorda tympani nerve recordings and two-bottle preference (TBP) tests that mice with genetically deleted Calhm1 (knockout [KO]) have severely impaired perception of sweet, bitter, and umami compounds, whereas their sour and salty tasting ability is unaltered. Here, we present data from KO mice of effects on glossopharyngeal (NG) nerve responses, TBP, …

Vitamin D Receptor And Epigenetics In Hiv Infection And Drug Abuse, N. Chandel, A. Malhotra, P. C. Singhal

Journal Articles

Illicit drug abuse is highly prevalent and serves as a powerful co-factor for HIV exacerbation. Epigenetic alterations in drug abuse and HIV infection determine expression of several critical genes such as vitamin D receptor (VDR), which participates in proliferation, differentiation, cell death under both physiological and pathological conditions. On that account, active vitamin D, the ligand of VDR, is used as an adjuvant therapy to control infection, slow down progression of chronic kidney diseases, and cancer chemotherapy. Interestingly, vitamin D may not be able to augment VDR expression optimally in several instances where epigenetic contributes to down regulation of VDR; …

Epigenetic Modulation Of Human Podocyte Vitamin D Receptor In Hiv Milieu, N. Chandel, K. S. Ayasolla, X. Lan, M. Sultana-Syed, A. Chawla, R. Lederman, V. Vethantham, M. A. Saleem, A. Malhotra, P. C. Singhal, +1 Additional Author

Journal Articles

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) has been reported to induce podocyte injury through down regulation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and activation of renin angiotensin system; however, the involved mechanism is not clear. Since HIV has been reported to modulate gene expression via epigenetic phenomena, we asked whether epigenetic factors contribute to down regulation of VDR. Kidney cells in HIV transgenic mice and HIV-infected podocytes (HIV/HPs) displayed enhanced expression of SNAIL, a repressor of VDR. To elucidate the mechanism, we studied the effect of HIV on expression of molecules involved in SNAIL repressor complex formation and demonstrated that HIV enhances expression …

Fungal Infections In Renal Transplant Patients, A. Khan, E. El-Charabaty, S. El-Sayegh

Journal Articles

Organ transplantation has always been considered to be the standard therapeutic interventions in patients with end-stage organ failure. In 2008, more than 29,000 organ transplants were performed in US. Survival rates among transplant recipients have greatly improved due to better understanding of transplant biology and more effective immunosuppressive agents. After transplant, the extent of the immune response is influenced by the amount of interleukin 2 (IL-2) being produced by the T-helper cells. Transplant immunosuppressive therapy primarily targets T cell-mediated graft rejection. Calcineurin inhibitor, which includes cyclosporine, pimecrolimus and tacrolimus, impairs calcineurin-induced up-regulation of IL-2 expression, resulting in increased susceptibility to …

Obtaining Research Biopsies During Pediatric Colonoscopy: Safety And Adverse Events, J. Mait-Kaufman, S. Kahn, G. Tomer

Journal Articles

AIM: To investigate the safety profile of acquiring additional intestinal biopsies for research purposes in children undergoing a medically indicated colonoscopy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 122 pediatric patients who underwent colonoscopy over a 9 mo time period was completed. 38/122 participants consented to a research study in which 4 additional biopsies were obtained, in addition to routine biopsies. The outcomes after colonoscopy were measured in the research participants, and compared to 84 control participants who did not consent for the study. Groups were compared with regard to number of biopsies obtained, underlying diagnosis, and both serious and minor adverse …

Oral Feeding Assessment Predicts Length Of Hospital Stay In Late Preterm Infants, C. Lau, K. Bhat, D. Potak, R. J. Schanler

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: When compared with term infants, late preterm (LP) infants have greater morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stay, and greater rate of hospital readmission. Oral feeding difficulty is one of the prominent reasons for delayed discharge in LP infants. OBJECTIVE: To identify the maturity levels of LP infants' oral feeding skills (OFS) at the time of their first oral feeding and to determine the relationship between OFS maturity levels and length of hospital stay. METHODS: OFS was assessed in 48 LP infants born between 340/7 and 356/7 weeks gestational age at the time of their first oral feeding within 24 …