Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiovascular Risk Status Of Afro-Origin Populations Across The Spectrum Of Economic Development: Findings From The Modeling The Epidemiologic Transition Study, Lara R. Dugas, Terrence E. Forrester, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Pascal Bovet, Estelle V. Lambert, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, Guichan Cao, Richard S. Cooper, Rasha Khatib, Laura Tonino, Walter Riesen, Wolfgang Korte, Stephanie Kliethermes, Amy Luke

Faculty Publications

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors are increasing in most developing countries. To date, however, very little standardized data has been collected on the primary risk factors across the spectrum of economic development. Data are particularly sparse from Africa. Methods: In the Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS) we examined population-based samples of men and women, ages 25-45 of African ancestry in metropolitan Chicago, Kingston, Jamaica, rural Ghana, Cape Town, South Africa, and the Seychelles. Key measures of cardiovascular disease risk are described. Results: The risk factor profile varied widely in both total summary estimates of cardiovascular risk and in the magnitude …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of An Inactivated Whole Cell Tuberculosis Vaccine Booster In Adults Primed With Bcg: A Randomized, Controlled Trial Of Dar-901, C. Fordham Von Reyn, Timothy Lahey, Robert D. Arbeit, Bernard Landry, Leway Kailani, Lisa Adams, Brenda Haynes, Todd Mackenzie, Wendy Wieland-Alter, Ruth Connor, Sue Tvaroha, David Hokey, Ann Ginsberg, Richard Waddell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Development of a tuberculosis vaccine to boost BCG is a major international health priority. SRL172, an inactivated whole cell booster derived from a non-tuberculous mycobacterium, is the only new vaccine against tuberculosis to have demonstrated efficacy in a Phase 3 trial. In the present study we sought to determine if a three-dose series of DAR-901 manufactured from the SRL172 master cell bank by a new, scalable method was safe and immunogenic.

The Effect Of Bundled Interventions On Prevention Of Hospital Acquired Clostridium Difficile Infection, Kaitlin Kendys

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) rates have steadily increased in hospitalized patients due to the change in epidemiology. Approximately 13 of every 1,000 inpatients are either infected or colonized with C. difficile (CDC, 2013). CDI rates continue to rise due to the hyper-virulent strain of C. difficile and length of therapy needed to treat CDI. The average cost for a single inpatient CDI is more than $35,000, and the estimated annual cost burden for the healthcare system exceeds $3 billion (Walsh, 2012). The purpose of this evidence-based project (EBP) was to reduce hospital-acquired CDI rates over a 3-month period-oftime from November …

The Effect Of Common Household Spices On Streptococcus Mutans, Lauren Lau

SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal

Streptococcus mutans are bacteria found in the mouth that are primarily responsible for dental caries (cavity) formation. Previous research has found that the essential oil of turmeric and polyphenols of cocoa inhibit the biofilm formation and growth of S. mutans (Lee et al. 2011; Percival et al. 2006). This project investigates the replication of turmeric and cocoa data with the use of store-bought spices rather than extraction, and expands existing research to include the effect of other spices on the growth and biofilm formation of S. mutans. We found ginger to inhibit the growth of S. mutans, while cocoa and …

Improving Health Outcomes And Lifestyle Choices In An Underserved Community Through The Implementation Of A Wellness Program, Ekaterini Boutos

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement a wellness program with the purpose of bridging the gap in lifestyle and disease knowledge in a socioeconomically vulnerable mentally ill population. The participants were members of an adult day mental health facility which aided the local underserved population. The wellness program emphasized improving knowledge of chronic health conditions, healthy lifestyle habits and the practice of mindfulness meditation.

Significance: The significance of this project is the advancement of health status via health education from a wellness perspective. Vulnerable populations who are at higher risk of chronic physical and mental illness can …

Productive And Penicillin-Stressed Chlamydia Pecorum Infection Induces Nuclear Factor Kappa B Activation And Interleukin-6 Secretion In Vitro, Cory A. Leonard, Robert V. Schoborg, Nicole Borel

ETSU Faculty Works

Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) is an inflammatory transcription factor that plays an important role in the host immune response to infection. The potential for chlamydiae to activate NFκB has been an area of interest, however most work has focused on chlamydiae impacting human health. Given that inflammation characteristic of chlamydial infection may be associated with severe disease outcomes or contribute to poor overall fitness in farmed animals, we evaluated the ability of porcine chlamydiae to induce NFκB activation in vitro. C. pecorum infection induced both NFκB nuclear translocation and activation at 2 hours post infection (hpi), an effect strongly …

Back Matter, University Of New Mexico Press

New Mexico Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Physical Principles Governing Colloidal Particle Deposition At Low Reynold’S Number: Applications To Microbial Biofilms, Sophia Wiedmann

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Biofilms formed from the adhesion of microbes to a surface hold great relevance to public health and wastewater management. However, the physical principles underlying the attachment stage of biofilm formation, when individual microbes first come into contact with a substrate, are not well understood. Here I report on a model of colloidal particle attachment to a surface that incorporates the effects of diffusion, advection, gravity, and the hydrodynamic lift and drag forces experienced by polystyrene beads at low Reynold’s number. The simulation predicts attachment rates of 1.04x10^(-8)m/s, 0.73x10^(-8)m/s, and 1.29x10^(-8)m/s for beads of radius 0.25 µm, 0.55 µm, and 0.90 …

A Novel Bioinformatic Approach To Understanding Addiction, Latifa F. Jackson

Journal of Family Strengths

Finding the genetic markers that influence complex, multigenic substance addiction phenotypes has been an area of significant medical study. Understanding complex disease traits like addiction has been hampered by the lack of functional insights into novel variants to the human genome. We hypothesized that gene location plays a role in functional genomic neighborhoods.

To test whether there is a relationship between opiate, dopamine, and GABA disease and population allele frequencies, we used genes obtained from addiction literature curated by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). These addiction and metabolism focused search terms generated opiate, dopamine, and GABA addiction results …

Illness Severity Among Non-English, Non-Spanish Speaking Patients In A Public Emergency Department, Malford T. Pillow M.D., M.Ed., Thomas Ence M.D., Tyler Dirvonas M.D., William F. Peacock M.D., Dick Kuo M.D.

Journal of Family Strengths

Background: Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) have poor health outcomes compared to English proficient patients. Most studies on language proficiency and health disparities focus on Spanish.

Objective: This study examines whether non-Spanish speaking LEP patients experience greater disparities than Spanish speaking LEP patients by comparing disease acuity and language proficiency in an emergency department.

Design: This is a retrospective case-control study from November 2010 to February 2012 comparing differences between non-English non-Spanish (NENS) speaking patients to English speaking patients with differences between Spanish speaking and English speaking patients.

Main outcomes: Primary endpoints include the emergency severity index …

A Serosurvey Of Selected Cystogenic Coccidia In Spanish Equids: First Detection Of Anti-Besnoitia Spp. Specific Antibodies In Europe, Daniel Gutiérrez-Expósito, Ignacio García-Bocanegra, Daniel K. Howe, Antonio Arenas-Montes, Michelle R. Yeargan, Sallyanne L. Ness, Luis M Ortega-Mora, G. Álvarez-García

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Background: Equine besnoitiosis, caused by Besnoitia bennetti, and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), caused by Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi are relevant equine diseases in the Americas that have been scarcely studied in Europe. Thus, a serosurvey of these cystogenic coccidia was carried out in Southern Spain. A cross-sectional study was performed and serum samples from horses (n = 553), donkeys (n = 85) and mules (n = 83) were included. An in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to identify a Besnoitia spp. infection and positive results were confirmed by an a posteriori western blot. For Neospora …

Horizontally Acquired Biosynthesis Genes Boost Coxiella Burnetii's Physiology, Abraham S. Moses, Jess A. Millar, Matteo Bonazzi, Paul A. Beare, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic agent of acute Q fever and chronic endocarditis, has a unique biphasic life cycle, which includes a metabolically active intracellular form that occupies a large lysosome-derived acidic vacuole. C. burnetii is the only bacterium known to thrive within such an hostile intracellular niche, and this ability is fundamental to its pathogenicity; however, very little is known about genes that facilitate Coxiella's intracellular growth. Recent studies indicate that C. burnetii evolved from a tick-associated ancestor and that the metabolic capabilities of C. burnetii are different from that of Coxiella-like bacteria found in ticks. Horizontally acquired genes that …

Public Health, Marion Hotopp

New Mexico Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Role And Mechanism Of Erythrocyte Invasion By Francisella Tularensis, Deanna M. Schmitt, Rebecca Barnes, Taylor Rogerson, Ashley Haught, Leanne K. Mazzella, Matthew Ford, Tricia Gilson, James W.-M. Birch, Anders Sjöstedt, Douglas S. Reed, Jonathan M. Franks, Donna B. Stolz, James Denvir, Jun Fan, Swanthana Rekulapally, Donald A. Primerano, Joseph Horzempa

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Francisella tularensis is an extremely virulent bacterium that can be transmitted naturally by blood sucking arthropods. During mammalian infection, F. tularensis infects numerous types of host cells, including erythrocytes. As erythrocytes do not undergo phagocytosis or endocytosis, it remains unknown how F. tularensisinvades these cells. Furthermore, the consequence of inhabiting the intracellular space of red blood cells (RBCs) has not been determined. Here, we provide evidence indicating that residing within an erythrocyte enhances the ability of F. tularensis to colonize ticks following a blood meal. Erythrocyte residence protected F. tularensis from a low pH environment similar to that of …

A Variant Pfcrt Isoform Can Contribute To Plasmodium Falciparum Resistance To The First-Line Partner Drug Piperaquine, Satish K. Dhingra, Devasha Redhi, Jill M. Combrinck, Tomas Yeo, John Okombo, Philipp P. Henrich, Ann N. Cowell, Purva Gupta, Matthew L. Stegman, Jonathan M. Hoke, Roland A. Cooper, Elizabeth Winzeler, Sachel Mok, Timothy J. Egan, David A. Fidock

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Current efforts to reduce the global burden of malaria are threatened by the rapid spread throughout Asia of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisininbased combination therapies, which includes increasing rates of clinical failure with dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine (PPQ) in Cambodia. Using zinc finger nucleasebased gene editing, we report that addition of the C101F mutation to the chloroquine (CQ) resistance-conferring PfCRT Dd2 isoform common to Asia can confer PPQ resistance to cultured parasites. Resistance was demonstrated as significantly higher PPQ concentrations causing 90% inhibition of parasite growth (IC90) or 50% parasite killing (50% lethal dose [LD50]). This mutation also reversed Dd2-mediated CQ …

Pharmacological Threat To Lungs: A Case Series And Literature Review, Omar Irfan, Jaleed A. Gilani, Abeel Irshad, Babar Irfan, Javaid A. Khan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Drug-induced organ damage stands as a prevalent yet much-neglected issue globally. Keeping in view it's rising frequency, health care providers stand obliged to be well versed with the de-merits of the agents they prescribe. Drug therapies causing damage present with a non-specific clinical presentation, histological findings or radiology, which further elaborates on the necessity of a conscientious diagnosis. Pulmonary architecture ranging from the airways, lung parenchyma, mediastinum, pleura, pulmonary vasculature or the neuromuscular system, all can fall victim to the dreaded outcomes of this menace. In order to establish successful diagnosis, the definite temporal relation between initiation of drug therapy …

What Does Silence = Now? An Analysis Of Past And Present Discourse Surrounding Hiv/Aids, Emily A. Moner

Theses and Dissertations

This essay examines how the HIV/AIDS epidemic was first addressed in the context of politics, media and the general public and subsequently how that compares to the ways in which it’s currently being discussed using popular forms of communication such as Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media.

African Wild Dog, Lycaon Pictus, Coloration Patterns And Social Aggregation, Ayong J. Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Packs of African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, were analyzed for coloration patterns and social aggregation tendencies. Mapped locations determined if the coat patterns followed a geographic distribution that corresponded to Southern or Eastern phenotypic forms. Social aggregation tendencies were observed to determine grouping behavior presumably related to individuals’ roles.

Zika Virus-Like Particle (Vlp) Based Vaccine, Héléne Boigard, Alexandra Alimova, George R. Martin, Al Katz, Paul Gottlieb, Jose M. Galarza

Publications and Research

The newly emerged mosquito-borne Zika virus poses a major public challenge due to its ability to cause significant birth defects and neurological disorders. The impact of sexual transmission is unclear but raises further concerns about virus dissemination. No specific treatment or vaccine is currently available, thus the development of a safe and effective vaccine is paramount. Here we describe a novel strategy to assemble Zika virus-like particles (VLPs) by co-expressing the structural (CprME) and non-structural (NS2B/NS3) proteins, and demonstrate their effectiveness as vaccines. VLPs are produced in a suspension culture of mammalian cells and self-assembled into particles closely resembling Zika …

New Outpatient Experience Survey Design: A Quality Improvement Case Study, Nathan Paluso

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this capstone project is to evaluate the implementation process for a new survey methodology introduced by Maine Medical Partners (MMP), by following the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement cycle framework. This new survey has been implemented to collect data on patients’ experiences in the MMP outpatient facilities, and is offered to the patients via iPad at check-out after their appointment. Through observation at MMP practices and MMP staff interviews, strengths and weaknesses of the implementation process have been identified. Evidence-based solutions pertaining to the identified weaknesses have been selected through a literature review and are incorporated in recommendations …

Chinese Correspondence In Dutch East Indies (1865-1949), Tjong Han Siem

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article is an attempt to describe some aspects of the social history of the Chinese minority in the Dutch East Indies using items of postal history as a guide. It is a very personal view, seen through the eyes of a philatelist. Using a postal history collection, aspects of political history can be illustrated and/or documented. This article is certainly not to be read as a solid, documented scientific exercise. It should be read in the spirit of educational entertainment.

Repeaterator: A Tool For Visualizing Dna Repeat Motifs In Actinobacteriophage Genomes, Grant A. Rybnicky

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Horizontal gene transfer plays a large role in microbial genetic diversity. Bacteriophages can mediate diversity within their hosts through transduction, the uptake and dispersal of microbial host DNA between bacterial hosts. However, bacteriophages themselves experience horizontal gene transfer through mobile genetic elements and recombination. Unlike their hosts, bacteriophages cannot easily be mapped onto a phylogenic tree as they do not all possess a common trait like the 16s RNA gene. However, their genomes are typically small enough to be analyzed usingThere are tools to compare bacteriophages such as Gepard and Phamerator that compare nucleotide identity across bacteriophage entire genomes. However, …

Requirement Of Ehd Family Of Endocytic Recycling Regulators For T-Cell Functions, Fany M. Iseka

Theses & Dissertations

T-cells use the endocytic pathway for key cell biological functions, including receptor turn-over and maintenance of the immunological synapse. Some of the established players include the Rab GTPases, SNARE complex proteins, and others which in non-T-cell systems function together with Eps15 Homology Domain-containing (EHD) proteins. To date, the role of the EHD protein family in T-cell function remains unexplored. We generated conditional EHD1/3/4 knockout mice using CD4-Cre and crossed these with mice bearing a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific TCR transgene. We found that CD4⁺ T-cells from these mice exhibited a reduced antigen-driven cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion in vitro. …

Role Of Endothelin Axis In Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment, Suprit Gupta

Theses & Dissertations

Endothelins (ETs) are a family of three 21 amino-acid vasoactive peptides ET-1, ET-2 and ET-3 that mediate their effects via two G-protein couple receptors ET_AR and ET_BR which are expressed on various cell types. Apart from their physiological role in vasoconstriction, there is emerging evidence supporting the role of endothelin axis (ET-axis) in cancer. Due to the expression of ET receptors on various cell-types, ET-axis can exert pleotropic effects and contribute to various aspects of cancer pathobiology. Several studies have provided a fragmented picture of the diverse roles or ET-axis in various tumors. However, the comprehensive …

Tuberculosis Contact Investigation In An Urban Omaha High School, Kyra L. Crepin

Theses & Dissertations

In November 2016, a 15-19 year old high school student was diagnosed with active pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) and reported to the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) in Omaha, Nebraska. A contact investigation led the health department to a local urban high school with a diverse and mobile population. A modified point of dispensing (POD) clinic was determined to be the efficient method to test the 196 faculty and students that were exposed to the index case. Emergency response coordinators (ERC’s) at DCHD adapted the POD dispensing plan with an embedded Incident Command System (ICS) to fit a smaller incident as …

Characterization Of Myxozoan Parasites Associated With Catfish Aquaculture In Mississippi With Notes On The Development Of H. Ictaluri In Susceptible And Non-Susceptible Catfish Hosts, Thomas Graham Rosser

Theses and Dissertations

Myxozoans are cnidarian parasites of primarily freshwater and marine fish, with some being important pathogens of aquacultured fish species worldwide. Their life cycles have waterborne actinospores released from aquatic annelid definitive hosts and myxospore stages in fish intermediate hosts. In the southeastern United States, catfish aquaculture is burdened by annual losses to a myriad of infectious diseases. Henneguya ictaluri, the causative agent of proliferative gill disease in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and female channel catfish x male blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus hybrids, is the most commonly diagnosed parasitic disease of catfish in Mississippi. Other myxozoans infect these ictalurid fish, but …

Effect Of Sub-Lethal Chlorine Stress On The Homologous Stress Adaptation, Antibiotic Resistance, And Biofilm Forming Ability Of Salmonella Enterica, Tomilola O. Obe

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of exposure to sub-lethal chlorine stress on Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhimurium and Heidelberg was examined in this study. Both serotypes demonstrated an acquired tolerance to chlorine with the adapted cells growing in concentrations above the MIC. Chlorine induced a morphological change to the rugose variant in Salmonella. The biofilm formation of the adapted and control cells was tested on food-contact surfaces at room temperature and 37°C. The chlorineapted rugose formed stronger biofilms (P < 0.05) when compared to smooth (adapted and control) on both surfaces tested and at both temperatures. The possibility of crossaptation to antibiotics and low pH was evaluated. Adapted rugose showed reduced susceptibility against some of the antibiotics tested. Chlorine does not aid in the survival of Salmonella enterica at low pH. Chlorine stress can select for tolerant Salmonella cells that attach strongly to food-contact surfaces and after some time may become less susceptible to antimicrobials.

The Role Of Universal Stress Proteins In Edwardsiella Ictaluri Virulence, Ali Akgul

Theses and Dissertations

Edwardsiella ictaluri is an intracellular Gram-negative pathogen, causing enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC). Universal stress proteins (USP) are important in bacterial virulence, but the role of USPs in E. ictaluri virulence is not explored yet. Our aim was to analyze gene expression of 13 usp (usp01-usp13) and 7 USP-interacting genes (groEL, groES, dnaK, dnaJ, clpB, grpE, and ppGpp) under low pH, H2O2, catfish serum, and in vivo stress conditions, construct USP mutants, and determine mutants’ role in E. ictaluri virulence. We found that usp05, usp07 and usp13 genes were highly expressed under all stress conditions, while groEL, groES, dnaK, grpE, …

Off-Host Biology And Ecology Of Immature Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma Maculatum Koch) In Mississippi, Jose Santos Portugal

Theses and Dissertations

Little is understood about off-host behavior and ecology of immature Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Gulf Coast tick). A more complete understanding of this tick is essential to protect human and animal health. My research focused on seasonality and distribution of immatures in Mississippi, potential suitability of some insect and human hosts to larvae, and aspects of nymphal questing behavior. A single larva was collected (third off-host collection reported) when sampling A. maculatum habitat using a novel device. Collection of this larva in November expands the stage’s known seasonality and confirmed a prediction concerning seasonality of larval A. maculatum. Low frequency of …

Development And Application Of Polyclonal Antibody Based Proximity Ligation Assays In Detecting Antigenic Variants Of Influenza A Viruses, Brigitte Elizabeth Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a zoonotic pathogen which consists of a large genetically and antigenically diverse viral population. Swine IAVs not only cause disease outbreaks among swine, but can also be transmitted to humans, causing sporadic infections and even pandemic outbreaks apart from human seasonal IAV. Antigenic variant identification is fundamental for an effective vaccination program. Red blood cell based immunological tests have been used to identify antigenic variants among circulating IAV strains. Because these assays require viral isolation, they are time consuming and labor intensive. Thus only limited numbers of virus isolates are subjected to antigenic characterization in …