Digital Commons Network^™

Association Between Latent Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Alzheimer's Disease, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in …

Exogenous Ubiquitin: Role In Myocardial Inflammation And Remodeling Post- Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Stephanie Scofield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sympathetic stimulation occurs in the heart after injuries such as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and myocardial infarction and affects myocardial remodeling. Prolonged sympathetic stimulation can result in myocardial dysfunction through its effects on cardiac myocyte apoptosis and myocardial fibrosis. Ubiquitin (UB) is well known for its role of tagging old or damaged proteins for degradation via the UB-proteosome pathway. The role of exogenous UB however, is not fully understood. Previously, our lab showed that β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation increased levels of extracellular UB in the conditioned media of adult rat ventricular myocytes and that UB inhibits β-AR-stimulated apoptosis. This study investigates the …

Comparison Of Growth And Reproductive Traits Of Young Growing Beef Bulls Developed On Forage With Or Without Concentrate Supplementation, Graham Scott Sell

All Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and reproductive development of young growing beef bulls on a complete forage ration (F) to development of similar young growing beef bulls on a forage ration supplemented with concentrate (CT). Data was collected from the 665 beef bulls, grouped into breed codes (BC) of continental (CN; n = 103) or British (B; n = 562) that participated in the Edisto Forage Bull Test (EFBT) in Blackville, SC from 2006 to 2016 with the exception of 2012. Data from 2012 was lost in a clerical mishap. All Angus, red Angus, and …

Green Salamander Distribution, Abundance, And Physiology In The Southern Blue Ridge, Jillian C. Newman

All Theses

Green salamanders, Aneides aeneus, are a priority species throughout their range and have been negatively affected by habitat loss, climate change, disease, and over-collection. Many historical locations for this species in the Blue Ridge Escarpment have not been visited for ~25 years and thus were in need of a status update. I constructed both small-scale and large scale distribution models for green salamanders. For the small-scale distribution model, I conducted visual encounter surveys across three counties in South Carolina using a headlamp to search rock outcrops and binoculars to search trees. I detected green salamanders at 30 of the …

Persistence Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And Listeria Monocytogenes On The Exterior Of Common Packaging Materials, Duleeka Prasadani Kuruwita Arachchige

All Theses

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE), a major cause of illness, results in 179 million AGE cases every year in the United States. AGE bacteria that have low-infectious dose include E. coli O157:H7 (<10-100 cells) and L. monocytogenes (<1000 cells). Because of their low-infectious dose and high environmental resistance, contaminated surfaces, such as the exterior surface of food packages, could be a source for disease transmission. Our aim was to determine the persistence of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes on three packaging materials - oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET), oriented polypropylene (OPP), and nylon-6. Coupons (25 cm2) from each material were sterilized under ultraviolet light for 5 minutes. Spot and spread inoculation was done on treatment coupons with ca. 7 log CFU of a 3-strain-mixture of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled E. coli O157:H7. All the coupons were incubated at Technical …

The Prairie Naturalist: The Journal Of The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

45 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

48 Avian Diversity, Abundance, and Nest Success among Managed Prairies and Agricultural Plots in Oklahoma and Texas Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, and Wayne E. Meyer

57 Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology in Southwest Nebraska Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, and Joseph J. Fontaine

66 Field Discrimination of Prairie Deer Mice and White-footed Mice using Morphological Characteristics Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, and Robert K. Swihart

NOTES

72 Range Extension of the Virgina Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North Dakota Lisa L. Walsh

76 Prairie Falcon …

The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

The Great Plains Natural Science Society, formerly the North Dakota Natural Science Society, was founded in 1967 and seeks to promote interest in and understanding of natural history in the Great Plains, to encourage the conservation of natural resources, and to provide communication among individuals, institutions, and organizations of like interests. The GPNSS actively promotes the study of natural history of the Great Plains region, including geology, plants, birds, mammals, fish, insects, and other forms of life. Together with local, state, and national conservation organizations, the GPNSS fosters natural resource conservation and preservation of outstanding natural areas. The GPNSS publishes …

Reconstructing Time-To-Event Data From Published Kaplan–Meier Curves, Yinghui Wei, Patrick Royston

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Capacity Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Targeting Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells To Eliminate Follicular Dendritic Cells Bearing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Immune Complexes, Matthew T. Ollerton

Theses and Dissertations

An important obstacle to a functional cure for HIV/AIDS is the persistence of viral reservoirs found throughout the body in various cells and tissues. Reservoirs can be latently infected cells, or in the case of follicular dendritic cells (FDC), non-infected cells that trap infectious virus on their surface through immune complexes (HIV-IC). Although several strategies have been employed to target and eliminate viral reservoirs, they are short-lived and ineffective. In an attempt to provide a long-term approach, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells were designed to eliminate native HIV on FDCs. Although effective at eliminating HIV-infected cells, and halting spreading …

A Comprehensive Model And Modulation Of Cellular Signaling Involved In Early Mammary Development And Aggressive Cancer Using A Novel Recombinant Protein Of The G3 Domain Of Laminin-5, Kathryn Adrian Elliott

All Dissertations

The mammary gland is a unique and specialized epidermal organ; mammary organogenesis begins in the embryo but is not fully complete until puberty. As such, formation of the mammary gland depends on temporally and spatially regulated developmental steps that require coordination of multiple biological and cell signaling processes; many of which have parallels with cancer development. Research describing the events that occur between birth and puberty is lacking and little is known about human breast development of youth. Since mammary gland development requires a coordinated balance between cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis, it is critical to understand which signaling pathways …

Cxc Chemokines Exhibit Bactericidal Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens, Erum Khan, Matthew A. Crawford, Debra J. Fisher, Lisa M. Leung, Sara Lomonaco, Christine Lascols, Antonio Cannatelli,, Gian Maria Rossolini, Yohei Doi, David R. Goodlett

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The continued rise and spread of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens pose a serious challenge to global health. Countering antimicrobial-resistant pathogens requires a multifaceted effort that includes the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we establish the capacity of the human CXC chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 to kill multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, including New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and colistin-resistant members of the family Enterobacteriaceae that harbor the mobile colistin resistance protein MCR-1 and thus possess phosphoethanolamine-modified lipid A. Colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates affected by genetic mutation of the PmrA/PmrB two-component system, a chromosomally encoded regulator of lipopolysaccharide modification, and containing …

Outbreak Response And Incident Management: Shea Guidance And Resources For Healthcare Epidemiologists In United States Acute-Care Hospitals., David B Banach, B Lynn Johnston, Duha Al-Zubeidi, Allison H Bartlett, Susan Casey Bleasdale, Valerie M Deloney, Kyle B Enfield, Judith A Guzman-Cottrill, Christopher Lowe, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Kyle J Popovich, Payal K Patel, Karen Ravin, Theresa Rowe, Erica S Shenoy, Scott Stienecker Md, Pritish K Tosh, Kavita K Trivedi

Hospital Medicine

This expert guidance document was developed as a resource to provide healthcare epidemiologists working in acute-care hospitals with a high-level overview of incident management for infectious diseases outbreaks and to prepare them to work within an emergency response framework. It addresses how the epidemiologist’s skills and expertise apply to scenarios that require enhanced preparedness and response efforts, eg, when pathogens associated with outbreaks are poorly characterized or when outbreaks require additional interventions including, but not limited to, healthcare personnel education, enhanced infection prevention and control measures, added staffing, supplies, and resources, adjustments to clinical and support activities, and external communications. …

Understanding Biological Mechanisms Underlying Adverse Birth Outcomes In Developing Countries: Protocol For A Prospective Cohort (Amanhi Bio-Banking) Study, Abdullah H. Baqui, Rasheda Khanam, Fyezah Jehan, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Atiya Hussain, Muhammad Ilyas, Aneeta Hotwani, Muhammad Sajid, Shahida Qureshi, Anita K. M. Zaidi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Objectives: The AMANHI study aims to seek for biomarkers as predictors of important pregnancy-related outcomes, and establish a biobank in developing countries for future research as new methods and technologies become available.
Methods: AMANHI is using harmonised protocols to enrol 3000 women in early pregnancies (8-19 weeks of gestation) for population-based follow-up in pregnancy up to 42 days postpartum in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania, with collection taking place between August 2014 and June 2016. Urine pregnancy tests will be used to confirm reported or suspected pregnancies for screening ultrasound by trained sonographers to accurately date the pregnancy. Trained study field …

Societal Costs Of Micronutrient Deficiencies In 6- To 59-Month-Old Children In Pakistan, Simon Wieser, Beatrice Brunner, Christina Tzogiou, Rafael Plessow, Michael B. Zimmermann, Jessica Farebrother, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zaid Ahmad Bhatti, Imran Ahmed, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: In Pakistan, nearly half of children younger than 5 years are stunted, and 1 in 3 is underweight. Micronutrient deficiencies, a less visible form of undernutrition, are also endemic. They may lead to increased morbidity and mortality as well as to impaired cognitive and physical development.
Objective: To estimate the lifetime costs of micronutrient deficiencies in Pakistani children aged between 6 and 59 months.
Methods: We develop a health economic model of the lifetime health and cost consequences of iodine, iron, vitamin A, and zinc deficiencies. We assess medical costs, production losses in terms of future incomes lost, and …

The Development Of A Specific Pathogen Free (Spf) Barrier Colony Of Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus) For Aging Research, Corinna N. Ross, Steven Austad, Kathy Brasky, Celeste J. Brown, Larry J. Forney, Jonathan A. Gelfond, Robert Lanford, Arlan Richardson, Suzette D. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

A specific pathogen free (SPF) barrier colony of breeding marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) was established at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. Rodent and other animal models maintained as SPF barrier colonies have demonstrated improved health and lengthened lifespans enhancing the quality and repeatability of aging research. The marmosets were screened for two viruses and several bacterial pathogens prior to establishing the new SPF colony. Twelve founding animals successfully established a breeding colony with increased reproductive success, improved health parameters, and increased median lifespan when compared to a conventionally housed, open colony. The improved health and longevity of marmosets …

Role Of Incompatibility Group 1 (Inci1) Plasmid-Encoded Factors On Salmonella Enterica Antimicrobial Resistance And Virulence, Pravin Raghunath Kaldhone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foodborne illnesses are a leading cause of infectious diseases in the world. Among enteric organisms Salmonella is a key pathogen. It’s high prevalence in poultry and other food-animal sources make it imperative to study. Salmonella has the ability to modify its genetic content with help of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Incompatibiltiy group 1 (IncI1) plasmids are commonly reported in Salmonella. This study evaluates role on IncI1 plasmids in antimicrobial resistance and virulence in Salmonella. Genetic determinants of resistance and virulence are noted among our IncI1-containing Salmonella isolates. These genetic elements are also transferable and reported to carry respective …

The Legacy Of The Pharmacy Industry: Cleveland, Ohio, Richard Klein

MSL Academic Endeavors eBooks

This book recognizes the many business contributions made by the major Cleveland, Ohio-based drugstore chains over the past two hundred years and how their highly resourceful approaches towards marketing and retailing affected the national pharmacy industry over that same period of time.

Exploring The Relationship Between Silencing The Self And Risky Sexual Behavior In Black Women, Robin Nicole Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV. Understanding how sociocultural factors and beliefs contribute to Black women's risky sexual behavior is critical in understanding this health disparity. This study investigated the mediating influence of silencing the self (i.e., putting the needs and wants of a romantic partner before one's own needs) on the relationship between risky sexual behaviors and self-esteem, gender role beliefs, and gender ratio imbalance beliefs and behaviors (GRIBBs) in Black female college students. Participants included 99 female undergraduate students enrolled at a regional Mid-South University. Results demonstrated that risky sexual behavior was not significantly associated wtih the …

Forty Five Percent Of The Israeli Population Were Infected With The Influenza B Victoria Virus During The Winter Season 2015-16, Sivan Sharabi, Ravit Bassal, Nehemya Friedman, Yaron Drori, Hadar Alter, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, Musa Hindiyeh, Daniel Cohen, Ella Mendelson, Tamy Shohat, Michal Mandelboim

NYMC Faculty Publications

While infection with influenza A viruses has been extensively investigated, infections with influenza B viruses which are commonly categorized into the highly homologous Victoria and Yamagata lineages, are less studied, despite their considerable virulence. Here we used RT-PCR assays, hemagglutination inhibition assays and antibody titers to determine the levels of influenza B infection. We report of high influenza B Victoria virus prevalence in the 2015-16 winter season in Israel, affecting approximately half of the Israeli population. We further show that the Victoria B virus infected individuals of all ages and that it was present in the country throughout the entire …

Discovery, Research, And Development Of New Antibiotics: The Who Priority List Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria And Tuberculosis, Evelina Tacconelli, Elena Carrara, Alessia Savoldi, Stephan Harbarth, Marc Mendelson, Dominique L. Monnet, Celine Pulcini, Gunnar Kahlmeter, Jan Kluytmans, Yehuda Carmeli, Marc Ouellette, Kevin Outterson, Jean Patel, Marco Cavaleri, Edward M. Cox, Chris R. Houchens, M Lindsay Grayson, Paul Hansen, Nalini Singh, Ursula Theuretzbacher, Nicola Magrini, Who Pathogens Priority List Working Group

Faculty Scholarship

Summary

Background The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a substantial threat to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to its large public health and societal implications, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has been long regarded by WHO as a global priority for investment in new drugs. In 2016, WHO was requested by member states to create a priority list of other antibiotic-resistant bacteria to support research and development of effective drugs.

Methods We used a multicriteria decision analysis method to prioritise antibiotic-resistant bacteria; this method involved the identification of relevant criteria to assess priority against which each antibiotic-resistant bacterium was rated. The final priority …

Discovery Of A Rich Gene Pool Of Bat Sars-Related Coronaviruses Provides New Insights Into The Origin Of Sars Coronavirus, Ben Hu, Lei-Ping Zeng, Xing-Lou Yang

KIP Articles

A large number of SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoV) have been detected in horseshoe bats since 2005 in different areas of China. However, these bat SARSr-CoVs show sequence differences from SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in different genes (S, ORF8, ORF3, etc) and are considered unlikely to represent the direct progenitor of SARS-CoV. Herein, we report the findings of our 5-year surveillance of SARSr-CoVs in a cave inhabited by multiple species of horseshoe bats in Yunnan Province, China. The full-length genomes of 11 newly discovered SARSr-CoV strains, together with our previous findings, reveals that the SARSr-CoVs circulating in this single location are highly diverse …

Lanthorn, Vol. 52, No. 28, November 30, 2017, Grand Valley State University

Volume 52, July 10, 2017 - April 23, 2018

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Fremanezumab For The Preventive Treatment Of Chronic Migraine., Stephen D. Silberstein, David W. Dodick, Marcelo E. Bigal, Paul P. Yeung, Peter J. Goadsby, Tricia Blankenbiller, Melissa Grozinski-Wolff, Ronghua Yang, Yuju Ma, Ernesto Aycardi

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Fremanezumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), is being investigated as a preventive treatment for migraine. We compared two fremanezumab dose regimens with placebo for the prevention of chronic migraine.

METHODS: In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients with chronic migraine (defined as headache of any duration or severity on ≥15 days per month and migraine on ≥8 days per month) in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive fremanezumab quarterly (a single dose of 675 mg at baseline and placebo at weeks 4 and 8), fremanezumab monthly (675 mg at baseline and 225 mg at …

End-Of-Life Care That Goes Beyond The Condition, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

The Autophagy-Related Beclin-1 Protein Requires The Coiled-Coil And Bara Domains To Form A Homodimer With Submicromolar Affinity, Matthew J. Ranaghan, Michael A. Durney, Michael F. Mesleh, Patrick R. Mccarren, Colin W. Garvie, Douglas S. Daniels, Kimberly L. Carey, Adam P. Skepner, Beth Levine, Jose R. Perez

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Beclin-1 (BECN1) is an essential component of macroautophagy. This process is a highly conserved survival mechanism that recycles damaged cellular components or pathogens by encasing them in a bilayer vesicle that fuses with a lysosome to allow degradation of the vesicular contents. Mutations or altered expression profiles of BECN1 have been linked to various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Viruses, including HIV and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), are also known to specifically target BECN1 as a means of evading host defense mechanisms. Autophagy is regulated by the interaction between BECN1 and Bcl-2, a pro-survival protein in the apoptotic pathway that …

Psoas Abscess Masquerading As A Prosthetic Hip Infection: A Case Report, Muhammad Atif, Azeem Tariq Malik, Shahryar Noordin

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Introduction: Psoas abscess is an unusual condition and is defined as a collection of pus in the iliopsoas compartment. Due to the unique anatomy of psoas muscle it forms a conduit for spread of infection from upper part of body to hip joint in neglected cases.
Case Presentation: A 67year old lady presented with left groin pain for three weeks. She underwent an uncemented unipolar hemiarthoplasty eight years back. Currently, she developed fever and was unable to do any active left hip range of motion. Passive motion of the left hip was restricted to 30° flexion, no internal rotation, 5° …

Esprit De (Ambulance) Corps, Kristin Waterfield Duisberg

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Global Health Networks, Jeremy Shiffman

Sigma Institute for Global Healthcare Leadership

Presentation from Institute of Global Healthcare Leadership, Emerging Global Health Leaders Institute

This presentation speaks to the four challenges that global health networks face: Governance, Problem Definition, Positioning, and Coalition-building.

Morphological And Molecular Divergence Of Rhipicephalus Turanicus Tick From Albania And China, Hong-Yu Li, Shan-Shan Zhao, Sándor Hornok, Róbert Farkas, Li-Ping Guo, Chuang-Fu Chen, Ren-Fu Shao, Ji-Zhou Lv, Yuan-Zhi Wang

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Rhipicephalus turanicus is an important tick species potentially carrying tickborne pathogens. Several tick species have obvious subspecies divergence. However few studies aimed to examine the existence of divergence within R. turanicus. Therefore, a detailed morphological and molecular analysis was conducted for comparing R. turanicus from the Mediterranean Basin (represented by Albania) and Central Asia (Northwestern China). Altogether 315 adult ticks of R. turanicus (103 from Albania and 212 from China) were morphologically and molecularly analysed. DNA samples were used for mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cox1 gene sequences analysis. In addition, as potentially genetic markers, three fragments including partial nad1-16S …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - November 26, 2017, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the November 26, 2017 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's Newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

December 7 DSS to Feature Dr. Jonathan Rayner

USA Medical Student Addresses Food Insecurity with On-Campus Food Pantry

USA COM Announces Intramural Grants Awardees

Stanton Road Clinic: Bundling You with Care

Bart Benson Named Director of Operations for Orthopaedics at USA Physicians Group