Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Human Population Characteristics In Modeling Aedes Aegypti Distributions And Assessing Risk Of Mosquito-Borne Infectious Diseases, Julie F. Obenauer, T. Andrew Joyner, Joseph B. Harris

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: The mosquito Aedes aegypti has long been a vector for human illness in the Southeastern United States. In the past, it has been responsible for outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever and, very recently, the Zika virus that has been introduced to the region. Multiple studies have modeled the geographic distribution of Ae. aegypti as a function of climate factors; however, this ignores the importance of humans to the anthropophilic biter. Furthermore, Ae. aegypti thrives in areas where humans have created standing water sites, such as water storage containers and trash. As models are developed to examine the …

Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Mutation In Vibrio Anguillarum Results In Virulence Attenuation And Immunoprotection In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Xiangyu Mou, Edward J. Spinard, Shelby L. Hillman, David R. Nelson

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Background

Vibrio anguillarum is an extracellular bacterial pathogen that is a causative agent of vibriosis in finfish and crustaceans with mortality rates ranging from 30% to 100%. Mutations in central metabolism (glycolysis and the TCA cycle) of intracellular pathogens often result in attenuated virulence due to depletion of required metabolic intermediates; however, it was not known whether mutations in central metabolism would affect virulence in an extracellular pathogen such as V. anguillarum.

Results

Seven central metabolism mutants were created and characterized with regard to growth in minimal and complex media, expression of virulence genes, and virulence in juvenile rainbow …

Whole Genome Sequencing Of Rhodotorula Mucilaginosa Isolated From The Chewing Stick (Distemonanthus Benthamianus): Insights Into Rhodotorula Phylogeny, Mitogenome Dynamics And Carotenoid Biosynthesis, Han Ming Gan, Bolaji N. Thomas, Nicole T. Cavanaugh, Grace H. Morales, Ashley N. Mayers, Michael A. Savka, Andre O. Hudson

Articles

In industry, the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa is commonly used for the production of carotenoids. The production of carotenoids is important because they are used as natural colorants in food and some carotenoids are precursors of retinol (vitamin A). However, the identification and molecular characterization of the carotenoid pathway/s in species belonging to the genus Rhodotorula is scarce due to the lack of genomic information thus potentially impeding effective metabolic engineering of these yeast strains for improved carotenoid production. In this study, we report the isolation, identification, characterization and the whole nuclear genome and mitogenome sequence of the endophyte R. mucilaginosa …

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Using Coral Microatolls (Sp. Siderastrea Siderea) From The Gulf Of Gonâve, Haiti, Gilman Reno Ouellette Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Natural and anthropogenic climate changes present unique and serious risks to society. In order to plan and implement adaptation and mitigation strategies successfully, regional manifestations of broad-scale climate changes must be understood robustly. The Caribbean region contains part of the Western Hemisphere Warm Pool (WHWP), a major sea surface temperature (SST) feature that plays a key role in North Atlantic climate. Climate variability in the Caribbean is captured poorly by climate models, due in part to a lack of continuous, multidecadal instrumental climate records from the region. I explored three research questions in this dissertation: Does non-systematic bias exist in …

Niemann-Pick Type C Disease, Sameh Morkous Md, Faan

Department of Pediatrics

No abstract provided.

The Statesman, V. 61, I. 12, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 61, i. 12;

Small Rna Teg49 Is Derived From A Sara Transcript And Regulates Virulence Genes Independent Of Sara In Staphylococcus Aureus, Adhar Manna, Samin Kim, Liviu Cengher, Anna Corvaglia, Stefano Leo, Patrice Francois, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Expression of virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus is regulated by a wide range of transcriptional regulators, including proteins and small RNAs (sRNAs), at the level of transcription and/or translation. The sarA locus consists of three overlapping transcripts generated from three distinct promoters, all containing the sarA open reading frame (ORF). The 5= untranslated regions (UTRs) of these transcripts contain three separate regions 711, 409, and 146 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the sarA translation start, the functions of which remain unknown. Re- cent transcriptome-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis and subsequent characterization indicated that two sRNAs, teg49 and teg48, are processed and likely produced …

Development Of Artificial Intelligence Approach To Nowcasting And Forecasting Oyster Norovirus Outbreaks Along The U.S. Gulf Coast, Shima Shamkhali Chenar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Oyster norovirus outbreaks pose increasing risks to human health and seafood industry worldwide. This study presents an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approach to identifying the primary cause of oyster norovirus outbreaks, nowcasting and forecasting the growing risk of oyster norovirus outbreaks in coastal waters. AI models were developed using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Genetic Programming (GP) methods and time series of epidemiological and environmental data. Input variable selection techniques, including Random Forests (RF) and Forwards Binary Logistic Regression (FBLR), were used to identify the significant model input variables among six independent environmental predictors including water temperature, solar radiation, gage height, …

Pharmacy Faculty Members Named Accp Fellows, Whitney Tarpy

University of Mississippi News

UM professors honored for history of exemplary service and achievement

Marine Natural Products And Their Potential Application In The Future, Van Minh Chau, Van Kiem Phan, Hai Dang Nguyen

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

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Studies On Fucoidan And Its Production From Vietnamese Brown Seaweeds, Minh Ly Bui, Quoc Buu Ngo, Duy Nhut Nguyen, Duc Thinh Pham, Thi Thanh Van Tran

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Sulfated fucans are among the most widely studied of all the sulfated polysaccharides of plant origin that exhibit biological activities in mammalian systems. In this report fucoidans from some Vietnamese Sargassumspecies such as S.polycystum, S.oligocystum, S.mcclurei, S. Swartzii and denticaprum were extracted and fractionated on a DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column. On the basis of chemical and spectral analyses, the fucoidan fractions obtained were found to be the sulfated fucogalactans containing sulfate ester groups and uronic acid, and composed essentially of fucose and galactose, as well as a minor amount of other sugars. The polysaccharide fractions were tested for anticancer activity. The …

2017 November 10 - Board Of Trustees Meeting, Board Of Trustees, East Tennessee State University

Board of Trustees Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Prohibits Government From Enforcing Educational Standards And Makes Parents And Guardians Solely Responsible For Their Children’S Education. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Initiatives

Changes Constitution to prohibit state and local government from requiring parents and guardians to meet educational standards. Gives parents and legal guardians the sole authority and responsibility to educate their children, including the right to determine the venue, curriculum, and methods of education. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Potentially significant costs for state and local governments to resolve complaints and make alternative arrangements for parents who believe existing laws or policies violate their rights under this measure.

Travel Course Immerses Uab Students In Historic And Contemporary Public Health Issues Across The Southeast, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Novel Mosquito Control: A Natural Approach To Reducing And Repelling Mosquito Populations, Vinita Cheepurupalli

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Mosquitoes are a major concern to human health because they serve as vectors to pass agents that cause diseases, such as malaria, the Zika virus, and the West Nile virus, which can have a multitude of harmful side effects, such as seizures, conjunctivitis, and death. The overuse of commercial mosquitocidal agents have caused mosquitoes to develop resistance and cause harm to humans and the environment. To prevent this, natural extracts could be used. The purpose of this experiment was to test various plant extracts for their effectiveness in acting as larvicides, adulticides, and repellents against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. It was …

Towards An Eco-Phylogenetic Framework For Infectious Disease Ecology, Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones, William D. Pearse, Luis E. Escobar, Ana Alba-Casals, Scott Carver, T. Jonathan Davies, Simona Kraberger, Monica Papes, Kurt Vandegrift, Katherine Worsley-Tonks, Meggan E. Craft

Biology Faculty Publications

Identifying patterns and drivers of infectious disease dynamics across multiple scales is a fundamental challenge for modern science. There is growing awareness that it is necessary to incorporate multi-host and/or multi-parasite interactions to understand and predict current and future disease threats better, and new tools are needed to help address this task. Eco-phylogenetics (phylogenetic community ecology) provides one avenue for exploring multi-host multi-parasite systems, yet the incorporation of eco-phylogenetic concepts and methods into studies of host pathogen dynamics has lagged behind. Eco-phylogenetics is a transformative approach that uses evolutionary history to infer present-day dynamics. Here, we present an eco-phylogenetic framework …

Prevalence Of Binary Toxin Positive Clostridium Difficile In Diarrhoeal Humans In The Absence Of Epidemic Ribotype 027, Alan M. Mcgovern, Grace O. Androga, Daniel R. Knight, Mark W. Watson, Briony Elliott, Niki F. Foster, Barbara J. Chang, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Virulence of Clostridium difficile is primarily attributed to the large clostridial toxins A and B while the role of binary toxin (CDT) remains unclear. The prevalence of human strains of C. difficile possessing only CDT genes (A¯B¯CDT ⁺) is generally low (< 5 %), however, this genotype is commonly found in neonatal livestock both in Australia and elsewhere. Zoonotic transmission of C. difficile has been suggested previously. Most human diagnostic tests will not detect A¯B¯CDT ⁺ strains of C. difficile because they focus on detection of toxin A and/or B. We performed a prospective investigation into the prevalence and genetic characteristics of A¯B¯CDT ⁺ C. difficile in symptomatic humans. All glutamate dehydrogenase or …

Nutrition Program Aims To Decrease Chronic Disease In Those Living With Hiv, Alicia Rohan

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Low Arousal Positive Emotional Stimuli Attenuate Aberrant Working Memory Processing In Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Lucas S. Broster, Shonna L. Jenkins, Sarah D. Holmes, Gregory A. Jicha, Yang Jiang

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Emotional enhancement effects on memory have been reported to mitigate the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, relative to their manifestation in persons without pathologic aging, these effects may be reduced in magnitude or even deleterious, especially in tasks that more closely model ecologic memory performance. Based upon a synthesis of such reports, we hypothesized that in persons with AD low arousal positive stimuli would evoke relatively intact emotional enhancement effects, but that high arousal negative stimuli would evoke disordered emotional enhancement effects. To assess this, participants with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) presumed to be due to AD …

Lmp1 Signaling Pathway Activates Irf4 In Latent Ebv Infection And A Positive Circuit Between Pi3k And Src Is Required, Ling Wang, Junping Ren, Guang Li, Jonathan P. Moorman, Zhi Q. Yao, Shunbin Ning

ETSU Faculty Works

Interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRFs) have crucial roles in immune regulation and oncogenesis. We have recently shown that IRF4 is activated through c-Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation in virus-transformed cells. However, the intracellular signaling pathway triggering Src activation of IRF4 remains unknown. In this study, we provide evidence that Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) promotes IRF4 phosphorylation and markedly stimulates IRF4 transcriptional activity, and that Src mediates LMP1 activation of IRF4. As to more precise mechanism, we show that LMP1 physically interacts with c-Src, and the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) subunit P85 mediates their interaction. Depletion of P85 by …

Efficacy Of An Adenoviral Vectored Multivalent Centralized Influenza Vaccine, Amy Lingel, Brianna L. Bullard, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Mice were immunized with Adenovirus expressing the H1-con, H2-con, H3-con and H5-con HA consensus genes in combination (multivalent) and compared to mice immunized with the traditional 2010–2011 FluZone and FluMist seasonal vaccines. Immunized mice were challenged with 10–100 MLD50 of H1N1, H3N1, H3N2 and H5N1 influenza viruses. The traditional vaccines induced robust levels of HA inhibition (HI) titers, but failed to protect against five different heterologous lethal influenza challenges. Conversely, the multivalent consensus vaccine (1 × 1010 virus particles (vp)/mouse) induced protective HI titers of ≥40 against 8 of 10 influenza viruses that represent a wide degree of divergence within …

The Ecology Of Antibiotic Resistance: Sources And Persistence Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci And Antibiotic Resistant Genes In Aquatic Environments, Suzanne M. Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance is a major threat to ecosystems and human health. Infections caused by known and emerging antibiotic resistant pathogens are on the rise globally, with approximately 700,000 deaths per year caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria (1). In the United States, infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria cause more than 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths (2). Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are released into aquatic ecosystems through hospital waste, residential sewer lines and animal agricultural waste streams. Animal agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of antibiotic use in the United States (3). In agricultural ecosystems, …

Modelling Stunting In List: The Effect Of Applying Smoothing To Linear Growth Data, Simon Cousens, Jamie Perin, Parul Christian, Lee Shu-Fune Wu, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Claudio Lanata, Richard L. Guerrant, Aldo A. M. Lima, Kåre Mølbak

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) is a widely used resource for evidence-based decision-making regarding health program scale-up in low- and middle-income countries. LiST estimates the impact of specified changes in intervention coverage on mortality and stunting among children under 5 years of age. We aimed to improve the estimates of the parameters in LiST that determine the rate at which the effects of interventions to prevent stunting attenuate as children get older.
Methods: We identified datasets with serial measurements of children's lengths or heights and used random effects models and restricted cubic splines to model the growth trajectories of …

Water, Sanitation And Hygiene Interventions For Acute Childhood Diarrhea: A Systematic Review To Provide Estimates For The Lives Saved Tool, Nazia Darvesh, Jai K. Das, Tyler Vaivada, Michelle F. Gaffey, Kumanan Rasanathan, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: In the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era, there is growing recognition of the responsibilities of non-health sectors in improving the health of children. Interventions to improve access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene behaviours (WASH) represent key opportunities to improve child health and well-being by preventing the spread of infectious diseases and improving nutritional status.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies evaluating the effects of WASH interventions on childhood diarrhea in children 0–5 years old. Searches were run up to September 2016. We screened the titles and abstracts of retrieved articles, followed by screening of the …

Six-Year Experience Of Influenza Vaccination As A Condition Of Employment For A Large Regional Health Care System, John R. Brill, Mark Hermanoff, Angela Tonozzi, Mary Jo Capodice, Jennifer Farrar, Zarina Dawoodbhai

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Influenza remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States. Health care workers (HCW) can be both victims and vectors of influenza. Influenza vaccination of HCW is protective for both caregivers and patients, but voluntary programs generally fail to achieve rates recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite a complex, multifaceted influenza program initiated in 1996 that included significant education and promotion as well as free on-site vaccination, annual Aurora Health Care caregiver immunization rates remained in the mid-70s until adoption of a “condition of employment” strategy in 2011.

Purpose: Discuss the annual …

Antibiotic Stewardship: The Role Of Clinical Nurses And Nurse Educators, Sharon Sumner, Sandra Forsyth, Katreena Collette Merrill, Caroline Taylor, Todd Vento, John Veillette, Brandon Webb

Faculty Publications

Within 10 years of the breakthrough development of Penicillin, antibiotic resistance was reported. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention (CDC, 2017), each year 2 million cases of antibiotic resistant bacteria occur resulting in approximately 23,000 deaths in the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) also reports that approximately 25,000 people die from antibiotic resistant organisms annually in the European Union (WHO, 2014). To combat these alarming trends, antibiotic stewardship (AS) programs have been strongly recommended by the WHO, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the …

"Toll-Free" Pathways For Production Of Type I Interferons, Ling Wang, Shunbin Ning

ETSU Faculty Works

Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are recognized by different cellular pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs), which are expressed on cell membrane or in the cytoplasm of cells of the innate immune system. Nucleic acids derived from pathogens or from certain cellular conditions represent a large category of PAMPs/DAMPs that trigger production of type I interferons (IFN-I) in addition to pro-inflammatory cytokines, by specifically binding to intracellular Toll-like receptors or cytosolic receptors. These cytosolic receptors, which are not related to TLRs and we call them "Toll-free" receptors, include the RNA-sensing RIG-I like receptors (RLRs), the DNA-sensing HIN200 family, …

Emergence Of The L Phenotype In Group B Streptococci In The South Of Ireland, Katherine Hayes, Lesley Cotter, L. Barry, Fiona O'Halloran

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Group B Streptococcal isolates (n = 235) from the South of Ireland were characterised by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility and determination of the phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms of resistance. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was observed in 21·3% and 20·4% of the total population, respectively. The c-MLSB phenotype was the most common phenotype detected (62%), with ermB being the predominant genetic determinant, present in 84% of resistant isolates. The rare L phenotype was observed in 2·9% (n = 7) of isolates, four of which harboured the lsaC gene responsible for clindamycin resistance. Serotypes Ia, III and II were the most common …

Mode And Rate Of Evolution Of Haemosporidian Mitochondrial Genomes: Timing The Radiation Of Avian Parasites, M. Andreína Pacheco, Nubia E. Matta, Gediminas Valkiūnas, Patricia G. Parker, Beatriz Mello, Craig E. Stanley Jr., Miguel Lentino, Maria Alexandra Garcia-Amado, Michael Cranfield, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Haemosporidians are a diverse group of vector-borne parasitic protozoa that includes the agents of human malaria; however, most of the described species are found in birds and reptiles. Although our understanding of these parasites’ diversity has expanded by analyses of their mitochondrial genes, there is limited information on these genes’ evolutionary rates. Here, 114 mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) were studied from species belonging to four genera: Leucocytozoon, Haemoproteus, Hepatocystis, and Plasmodium. Contrary to previous assertions, the mtDNA is phylogenetically informative. The inferred phylogeny showed that, like the genus Plasmodium, the Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus genera are not monophyletic groups. Although …

Fmt Placed By Colonoscopy: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nadia Huq, Veena Kumaravel, Aboud Affi, Maharaj Singh

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Fecal transplants are successful in the treatment of recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), but there is no consensus on the best method of instillation. Studies have shown greater success with lower gastrointestinal tract placement, but technical aspects of placement are not validated.

Purpose: This review aims to identify common traits and procedural techniques of successful fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) therapy via colonoscopy.

Methods: An electronic search was conducted using OVID Medline and PubMed for articles published from January 2010 to January 2016. The primary outcome of interest was cure by FMT placed via colonoscopy.

Results: Of the …