Digital Commons Network^™

Large-Scale Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Suggests Shared Genetic Architecture For Different Diagnosis Criteria, Felix Day, Tugce Karaderi, Michelle R. Jones, Cindy Meun, Chunyan He, Alex Drong, Peter Kraft, Nan Lin, Hongyan Huang, Linda Broer, Reedik Magi, Richa Saxena, Triin Laisk, Margrit Urbanek, M. Geoffrey Hayes, Gudmar Thorleifsson, Juan Fernandez-Tajes, Anubha Mahajan, Benjamin H. Mullin, Bronwyn G. A. Stuckey, Timothy D. Spector, Scott G. Wilson, Mark O. Goodarzi, Lea Davis, Barbara Obermayer-Pietsch, André G. Uitterlinden, Verneri Anttila, Benjamin M. Neale, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, Bart Fauser

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology. Affected women frequently have metabolic disturbances including insulin resistance and dysregulation of glucose homeostasis. PCOS is diagnosed with two different sets of diagnostic criteria, resulting in a phenotypic spectrum of PCOS cases. The genetic similarities between cases diagnosed based on the two criteria have been largely unknown. Previous studies in Chinese and European subjects have identified 16 loci associated with risk of PCOS. We report a fixed-effect, inverse-weighted-variance meta-analysis from 10,074 PCOS cases and 103,164 controls of European ancestry and characterisation of PCOS related …

Fall/Winter 2018: Learning Meets Career Capabilities, St. Norbert College

St. Norbert College Magazine 2013-2018

Students in St. Norbert’s newest major – integrative studies – design their own educational path as they develop the skills in demand by employers around the country.

High Efficacy Of Praziquantel In Schistosoma Haematobium-Infected Children In Taraba State, Northeast Nigeria: A Follow-Up Study, Robert S. Houmsou, Binga E. Wama, Hemen Uniga, John A., Elizabeth U. Amuta, Santaya L. Kela

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of praziquantel in reducing urinary schistosomiasis prevalence, parasite burden and morbidity rates among a previously reported sample of Schistosoma haematobium-infected children. In addition, predisposing factors for reinfection one year post-treatment were also determined. Methods: This prospective follow-up study was conducted between March 2014 and February 2015 among 675 previously reported children with urinary schistosomiasis in the Murbai and Surbai communities of Ardo Kola, Taraba State, Nigeria. A single dose of 40 mg/kg of praziquantel was administered to each infected child, with a second dose administered one month later if necessary. The number …

Primary Plasma Cell Leukaemia: Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Sarika Singh, Ashutosh Rath, Surekha

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Plasma cell leukaemia (PCL) is one of the most aggressive and rarest forms of plasma cell dyscrasia. However, the diagnostic criteria for this condition have not yet been revised and there is no specific treatment to significantly improve the course of the disease. We report a 69-year-old male who presented to the Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi, India, in 2017 with dyspnoea and chest pain. A peripheral blood smear showed an absolute plasma cell count of 2.16 × 109/L. A bone marrow examination showed 61% atypical plasma cells exhibiting kappa light chain restriction. Biochemical investigations were consistent with a diagnosis …

Optimizing A Method For Dna Recovery While Preserving Latent Prints On Paper, Niti Dalal

Student Theses

Paper evidence is commonly encountered in cases of kidnapping, threatening letters, extortion, and bank robbery, and the optimal workflow between latent print processing and DNA collection is of interest to the forensic community. The overall aim of this project was to achieve optimal amounts of DNA for typing without destroying the fingerprint. The first study compared two collection techniques—tape-lifting by Scotch Removable Poster Tape and dry swabbing with FLOQSwabs— using prints deposited in defined locations. Samples were processed for DNA and developed with 1,2-indanedione. The second aim was to determine if visualizing print locations with fingerprint powder prior to DNA …

Dosage Compensation Of The X Chromosomes In Bovine Germline, Early Embryos, And Somatic Tissues, Jingyue (Ellie) Duan, Wei Shi, Nathaniel K. Jue, Zongliang Jiang, Lynn Kuo, Rachel O’Neill, Eckhard Wolf, Hong Dong, Xinbao Zheng, Xiuchun (Cindy) Tian

School of Natural Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dosage compensation of the mammalian X chromosome (X) was proposed by Susumu Ohno as a mechanism wherein the inactivation of one X in females would lead to doubling the expression of the other. This would resolve the dosage imbalance between eutherian females (XX) versus male (XY) and between a single active X versus autosome pairs (A). Expression ratio of X- and A-linked genes has been relatively well studied in humans and mice, despite controversial results over the existence of upregulation of X-linked genes. Here we report the first comprehensive test of Ohno’s hypothesis in bovine preattachment embryos, germline, and somatic …

2008 - San Antonio And Nacimiento Rivers Watershed Management Plan

Miscellaneous Monterey and San Luis Obispo County Documents and Reports

The purpose of the San Antonio and Nacimiento Rivers Watersheds Management Plan is to identify the existing conditions of and stresses in these watersheds as they relate to water quality, and recommend methods for reducing or eliminating those stressors such as alternative land use practices. The plan was created to:

􀂃 The reservoirs and their respective watersheds are the source for water recharging the Salinas Valley groundwater basin.

􀂃 There is a direct correlation between the health of these watersheds and the supply and quality of water for the Salinas Valley.

􀂃 The Salinas Valley’s population and economy are dependent …

Lactate Dehydrogenase And Β-Glucuronidase As Salivary Biochemical Markers Of Periodontitis Among Smokers And Non-Smokers, Syed A. Ali, Ravi L. Telgi, Amit Tantry, Irfan Q., Abdul Aleem

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: This study aimed to establish lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and β-glucuronidase as salivary biomarkers of periodontitis among smokers and non-smokers. Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, between January and June 2017. A total of 200 participants were divided into four groups based on their periodontal and smoking statuses. Unstimulated mixed saliva samples were collected to estimate LDH and β-glucuronidase levels. In addition, total protein was estimated using Lowry’s method. Results: There was a significant increase in enzyme activity in the periodontitis groups compared to the non-periodontitis groups (P <0.001). However, significantly lower enzyme activity was observed among smokers, irrespective of periodontal status (P <0.001). Nevertheless, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated the diagnostic potential of both enzymes to be fair-to-excellent. Conclusion: Although smoking was found to significantly alter enzyme activity, LDH and β-glucuronidase were reliable salivary biomarkers of periodontitis among both smokers and non-smokers.

Sources And Clinical Applications Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: State-Of-The-Art Review, Roberto Berebichez-Fridman, Pablo R. Montero-Olvera

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

First discovered by Friedenstein in 1976, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells found throughout the body that share a fixed set of characteristics. Discovered initially in the bone marrow, this cell source is considered the gold standard for clinical research, although various other sources—including adipose tissue, dental pulp, mobilised peripheral blood and birth-derived tissues—have since been identified. Although similar, MSCs derived from different sources possess distinct characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, including their differentiation potential and proliferation capacity, which influence their applicability. Hence, they may be used for specific clinical applications in the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue …

The Catalytic Mechanism Of Electron-Bifurcating Electron Transfer Flavoproteins (Etfs) Involves An Intermediary Complex With Nad+, Gerrit J. Schut, Nishya Mohamed-Raseek, Monika Tokmina-Lukaszewska, David W. Mulder, Diep M. N. Nguyen, Gina L. Lipscomb, John Patrick Hoben, Angela Patterson, Carolyn E. Lubner, Paul W. King, John W. Peters, Brian Bothner, Anne-Frances Miller, Michael W. W. Adams

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Electron bifurcation plays a key role in anaerobic energy metabolism, but it is a relatively new discovery, and only limited mechanistic information is available on the diverse enzymes that employ it. Herein, we focused on the bifurcating electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. The EtfABCX enzyme complex couples NADH oxidation to the endergonic reduction of ferredoxin and exergonic reduction of menaquinone. We developed a model for the enzyme structure by using nondenaturing MS, cross-linking, and homology modeling in which EtfA, -B, and -C each contained FAD, whereas EtfX contained two [4Fe-4S] clusters. On the basis …

Comparison Of Anti-Inflammatory Activity Between Fermented And Dried Breadfruit Leaves Extract (Artocarpus Altilis), Hesti Riasari, Sani N. Fitriansyah, Oktamuman Putra

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

Breadfruit leaves (Artocarpus altilis) have been empirically used to treat inflammation. Biosynthesis process such as fermentation can possibly changes the composition of secondary metabolites in breadfruit leaves. The aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory activity between fermented and natural-dried breadfruit leaves extract. Fermented and dried breadfruit leaves were extracted with soxhlet device using methanol solvent. The anti-inflammatory activity of both extracts were evaluated using carrageenan (1% w/v) foot edema model of inflammation in male Wistar rats. The edema was measured with plethysmometer every 1 hour for 6 hours. The results showed that both extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory activity. …

Parent And Household Influences On Calcium Intake Among Early Adolescents, Jinan Banna, Jessica O'Driscoll, Carol J. Boushey, Garry Auld, Beth Olson, Mary Cluskey, Miriam Edlefsen Ballejos, Christine Bruhn, Scottie Misner, Marla Reicks, Siew Sun Wong, Sahar Zaghloul

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Calcium intake during early adolescence falls short of requirements for maximum bone accretion. Parents and the home food environment potentially influence children’s calcium intakes. This study aimed to quantify parental psychosocial factors (PSF) predicting calcium intakes of Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white (NHW) early adolescent children from a parental perspective.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving the administration of a validated calcium-specific food frequency questionnaire to a convenience sample of children aged 10–13 years and the primary individual responsible for food acquisition in the child’s household. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, parental factors potentially associated with children’s calcium …

Physicochemical And Ecotoxicological Assessment Of Biochar For Environmental Application, Maria Guillermina Cantou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Multiple benefits of biochar conversion and utilization, including soil carbon sequestration and environmental remediation, have been proposed by researchers. Biochar may be produced from a wide array of feedstocks and pyrolytic process conditions. This influences the final biochar composition, which includes the presence of potential pollutants that could ultimately result in detrimental environmental impacts. The major purpose of this research was to improve our understanding of potential unintended effects of biochar addition to the environment either as a potential source of toxicity towards organisms or as a material influencing availabilities of other soil contaminants. Biochars were produced from ten different …

Evaluating The Impact Of Local Vegetable Messaging On Elementary School Students’ Vegetable Choice And Nutrition Behaviors, Jesse Chiero

Doctoral Dissertations

Farm to school (FtS) initiatives within a school setting may include purchase of local foods, nutrition education, and school gardening. Previous FtS research has indicated a positive impact on child nutrition behaviors and body weight but less is known about how and what aspects of local foods within school meals impact child nutrition behaviors. The specific aims of this project were to: 1) Determine which benefit(s) of eating local vegetables are most salient to 3^rd-5^th grade students for a local vegetable message campaign intervention and compare if message preferences varied by age, gender and school district, and …

2008 - Managing An Uncertain Future - Climate Change Adaptation Strategies For California's Water

Miscellaneous Documents and Reports

This report recommends a number of adaptation strategies for California and local water managers to improve their capacity to handle change. Many of the strategies will also help adapt California's water resources to accommodate non-climate demands including a growing population, ecosystem restoration and greater flood protection. Several of the recommendations in this report are ready for immediate adoption, while others need additional public deliberation and development. Some can be implemented using existing resources and authority, while the majority will require new resources, sustained financial investment and significant collaborative effort.

In Vitro Inhibition Of Α-Amylase And Α-Glucosidase By Different Parts Of Amla Plant (Phyllanthus Emblica L), Novi I. Fauzi, Maria Ulfah, Syarif Hamdani, Saeful Hidayat

Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Research

Amla plant (Phyllanthus emblica L) has been empirically used to treat diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the most potential part of amla plant that can be used as α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitors. The fruit was subjected to cold extraction method, while the stem underwent soxhlet extraction process. Ethanol was used as solvent for both extracts. In-vitro inhibiton against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzyme was measured by calculating IC50 of water fractions of stem and fruits. Fruit fraction exhibited the highest percentage of inhibitory activity on α-amylase (IC50=5.68% w/v), while the strongest inhibition against α-glucosidase was shown by …

Nonlocal Symmetries For Time-Dependent Order Differential Equations, Andrei Ludu

Publications

A new type of ordinary differential equation is introduced and discussed: time-dependent order ordinary differential equations. These equations are solved via fractional calculus by transforming them into Volterra integral equations of second kind with singular integrable kernel. The solutions of the time-dependent order differential equation represent deformations of the solutions of the classical (integer order) differential equations, mapping them into one-another as limiting cases. This equation can also move, remove or generate singularities without involving variable coefficients. An interesting symmetry of the solution in relation to the Riemann zeta function and Harmonic numbers is observed.

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xvii.Revision Of Neobuthus, With Description Of Seven New Species From Ethiopia, Kenya And Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Ahmed Ibrahim Awale, Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi, Ali Abdi Hurre

Euscorpius

New information about the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected mainly from Somaliland, but also Djibouti and Kenya. Emended diagnoses are proposed for N. berberensis Hirst, 1911 and N. ferrugineus (Kraepelin, 1898) sensu stricto. New species described are: N. amoudensis sp. n. from Ethiopia and Somaliland; N. erigavoensis sp. n., N. factorio sp. n., N. gubanensis sp. n., N. maidensis sp. n., and N. montanus sp. n. from Somaliland; and N. kloppersi sp. n. from Kenya. This doubles the number of species in Neobuthus, unearthing a rich diversification …

The Propagation Of Active-Passive Interfaces In Bacterial Swarms, Alison E. Patteson, Arvind Gopinath, Paulo E. Arratia

Physics - All Scholarship

Propagating interfaces are ubiquitous in nature, underlying instabilities and pattern formation in biology and material science. Physical principles governing interface growth are well understood in passive settings; however, our understanding of interfaces in active systems is still in its infancy. Here, we study the evolution of an active-passive interface using a model active matter system, bacterial swarms. We use ultra-violet light exposure to create compact domains of passive bacteria within Serratia marcescens swarms, thereby creating interfaces separating motile and immotile cells. Post-exposure, the boundary re-shapes and erodes due to self-emergent collective flows. We demonstrate that the active-passive boundary acts as …

Gender Differences In Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Adults With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Victor Okunrintemi, Javier Valero-Elizondo, Benjamin Patrick, Joseph Salami, Martin Tibuakuu, Saba Ahmad, Oluseye Ogunmoroti, Shiwani Mahajan, Safi U. Khan, Martha Gulati, Khurram Nasir, Erin D. Michos

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Background Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) accounts for approximately one third of deaths in women. Although there is an established relationship between positive patient experiences, health‐related quality of life, and improved health outcomes, little is known about gender differences in patient‐reported outcomes among ASCVD patients. We therefore compared gender differences in patient‐centered outcomes among individuals with ASCVD. Methods and Results Data from the 2006 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative US sample, were used for this study. Adults ≥18 years with a diagnosis of ASCVD, ascertained by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD‐9) codes and/or self‐reported data, …

Glenn Walker Brings Expertise To Um's New Biomedical Engineering Program, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

Associate professor of electrical engineering helped create similar program at North Carolina State University

Functional Outcomes In Early (T1/T2) Supraglottic Cancer: A Systematic Review, Benjamin Van Der Woerd, Krupal B. Patel, Anthony C. Nichols, Kevin Fung, John Yoo, Danielle S. Macneil

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

ObjectivesOrgan preserving surgery (OPS) and radiotherapy (RT) are both accepted treatment options for early stage supraglottic cancer (SGC). Radiation has supplanted surgery in most cases, because of the perception that surgery results in poorer functional outcomes. However, evidence suggests that OPS with a neck dissection may be associated with improved survival. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to compare functional outcomes of OPS and RT for early SGC.MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies. Studies were included if they reported functional outcomes on 10 or more patients with …

The Effects Of Psychotropic Medications On Developing Brains, Abass Jafuneh

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Als Mutations Of Fus Suppress Protein Translation And Disrupt The Regulation Of Nonsense-Mediated Decay, Marisa Kamelgarn, Jing Chen, Lisha Kuang, Huan Jin, Edward J. Kasarskis, Haining Zhu

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease characterized by preferential motor neuron death. Approximately 15% of ALS cases are familial, and mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene contribute to a subset of familial ALS cases. FUS is a multifunctional protein participating in many RNA metabolism pathways. ALS-linked mutations cause a liquid–liquid phase separation of FUS protein in vitro, inducing the formation of cytoplasmic granules and inclusions. However, it remains elusive what other proteins are sequestered into the inclusions and how such a process leads to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. In this study, we developed …

Tumor Cell-Released Autophagosomes (Traps) Promote Immunosuppression Through Induction Of M2-Like Macrophages With Increased Expression Of Pd-L1., Zhi-Fa Wen, Hongxiang Liu, Rong Gao, Meng Zhou, Jie Ma, Yue Zhang, Jinjin Zhao, Yongqiang Chen, Tianyu Zhang, Fang Huang, Ning Pan, Jinping Zhang, Bernard A Fox, Hong-Ming Hu, Li-Xin Wang

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) facilitate tumor progression via establishment of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). However, it is poorly understood how tumor cells could functionally modulate TAMs. Our previous work indicated that tumor cell-released autophagosomes (TRAPs), a type of LC3-II

METHODS: TRAPs isolated from multiple murine tumor cell lines and pleural effusions or ascites of cancer patients were incubated with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and monocytes, respectively. Cellular phenotypes were examined by flow cytometry, ELISA and quantitative PCR. TRAPs treated BMDMs were tested for the ability to suppress T-cell proliferation in vitro, and for promotion of tumor growth in vivo. …

Interference And Control Of The Nosocomial Transmission Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Sen Pei, Flaviano Morone, Fredrik Liljeros, Hernan Makse, Jeffrey L. Shaman

Publications and Research

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a continued threat to human health in both community and healthcare settings. In hospitals, control efforts would benefit from accurate estimation of asymptomatic colonization and infection importation rates from the community. However, developing such estimates remains challenging due to limited observation of colonization and complicated transmission dynamics within hospitals and the community. Here, we develop an inference framework that can estimate these key quantities by combining statistical filtering techniques, an agent-based model, and real-world patient-to-patient contact networks, and use this framework to infer nosocomial transmission and infection importation over an outbreak spanning 6 years in …

Effects Of Urbanization On The Foraging Ecology And Microbiota Of The Generalist Seabird Larus Argentatus, Matthew Fuirst, Richard R. Veit, Megan Hahn, Nolwenn Dheilly, Lesley H. Thorne

Publications and Research

Larus gull species have proven adaptable to urbanization and due to their generalist feeding behaviors, they provide useful opportunities to study how urban environments impact foraging behavior and host-associated microbiota. We evaluated how urbanization influenced the foraging behavior and microbiome characteristics of breeding herring gulls (Larus argentatus) at three different colonies on the east coast of the United States. Study colonies represented high, medium and low degrees of urbanization, respectively. At all colonies, gulls frequently foraged at landfills and in other urban environments, but both the use of urban environments and gull foraging metrics differed with the degree of urbanization. …

Finding A Key Mechanism In Assembly Of Asv, A 100-Year-Old Virus Often Used To Study Hiv-1, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Mg 2+ Binding To Ssdna Oligomers: A Self-Consistent Field Theory Study At Varying Ionic Strengths And Grafting Densities, Merina Jahan, Mark J. Uline

Faculty Publications

The performance of aptamer-based biosensors is crucially impacted by their interactions with physiological metal ions, which can alter their structures and chemical properties. Therefore, elucidating the nature of these interactions carries the utmost importance in the robust design of highly efficient biosensors. We investigated Mg ²⁺ binding to varying sequences of polymers to capture the effects of ionic strength and grafting density on ion binding and molecular reorganization of the polymer layer. The polymers are modeled as ssDNA aptamers using a self-consistent field theory, which accounts for non-covalent ion binding by integrating experimentally-derived binding constants. Our model captures the typical …

Gender Differences In Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Adults With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Joseph Salami

All Publications

Background

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ( ASCVD ) accounts for approximately one third of deaths in women. Although there is an established relationship between positive patient experiences, health-related quality of life, and improved health outcomes, little is known about gender differences in patient-reported outcomes among ASCVD patients. We therefore compared gender differences in patient-centered outcomes among individuals with ASCVD.

Methods and Results

Data from the 2006 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative US sample, were used for this study. Adults ≥18 years with a diagnosis of ASCVD , ascertained by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision ( ICD-9) …