Digital Commons Network^™

An Identification Of Tgf-B'S Role In Ischemic Cholangiopathy, Courtney Chmielewski

Theses and Dissertations

Organ transplants are a necessary intervention for many diseases that result in end stage organ failure. The donation pool cannot match the demands of the transplant list, so expanding the pool to include donation after cardiac death (DCD) is desired. However, there are increased odds of graft failure and ischemic cholangiopathy leading to inferior outcomes when DCD livers are used. Ischemic cholangiopathy consists of multiple diffuse strictures and fibrosis of the bile ducts leading to a loss of epithelialization and fibrosis. The cellular mechanism is proposed to be epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). TGF-�� is seen as a key initiator of EMT, …

Modeling Gardnerella Host-Pathogen Interaction: Characterization Of Vaginolysin And The Opacity Phenotype, Erin M. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) describes a dysbiotic state of the vaginal mucosa, during which the dominance by beneficial lactobacilli species is lost, the vaginal pH increases, and the flora comprising the vaginal microbiome becomes more diverse. Bacterial taxa associated with this dysbiotic state interact to form a dense polymicrobial biofilm on the surface of the vaginal epithelium. This shift in the vaginal microflora is clinically important, even when symptoms are not noted, as women with BV are at increased risk for acquisition of other sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and are more than two times as likely to experience preterm birth. …

Ceramide Synthase 2 Interacts With Ceramide Synthases 5 And 6 At The Mrna And Protein Levels, Dorothy Yen

Theses and Dissertations

Ceramides and sphingolipids make up major portions of the plasma membrane and therefore are crucial for cell proliferation, survival, and death. With dysregulation comes numerous pathophysiological conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. However, the regulation of the enzymes responsible for catalyzing the formation of ceramides is still not well understood. In this experiment, three isoforms were of focus: CerS2, CerS5, and CerS6. Through mRNA, protein, and immunofluorescence analysis, it can be concluded that these isoforms do indeed interact within the human cell in order to upregulate their activity. It was also found that cells …

Examining The Role Of Racial Discrimination In Obesity Treatment Disparities Among African American Emerging Adult Women, Kristal Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The overarching goal of the proposed work was to examine how racial discrimination contributes to disparities in adiposity and treatment response between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White emerging adult women, and to identify potential protective and risk factors that might moderate this association—all in service of improving lifestyle interventions for this high-risk population. Project aims were achieved across three studies. In Study 1, we extracted data for emerging adults (N=261, BMI=33.8+4.9 kg/m², age=21.9+2.1 years) who recently completed a BWL program adapted specifically for emerging adults and compared treatment outcomes for non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black women. In Study …

Sphingolipids In Cancer Health Disparities And As Prospective Targets For Cancer Therapy, April E. Boyd

Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer both in the United States and worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. However, lung cancer disparities are not shared equally across racial groups, with large differences between African American and Caucasian populations. Advances in research have revealed roles of lipid mediators in cancer biology and disease progression, but sphingolipid alterations in tissues should be explored further. To address this, using mass spectrometry (MS), extensive sphingolipidomic characterization of NSCLC tumors and adjacent uninvolved tissues from African American and Caucasian patients were performed. This study revealed that NSCLC …

Self-Assembled Metal Nanoparticle/Polymer Nanocomposites As Nanoreactors For One-Pot Reactions, Andrew Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Polymer nanoreactors incorporating gold nanoparticle catalysts were self-assembled via Flash Nanoprecipitation. The incorporated gold nanoparticles maintained catalytic activity, which was evaluated using reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride as a model reaction. The diffusion coefficient for 4-nitrophenol was determined by NMR and used to calculate the second Damköhler number, which indicated that the systems were not diffusion limited. Despite similar diffusion coefficients, catalytic performance was strongly affected by the co-precipitant. For example, the apparent reaction rate per surface area using castor oil was over 8-fold greater than polystyrene. Thus, we measured the partition coefficient of 4-nitrophenol between water and castor …

The Effect Of The Senolytic Abt-263 On Androgen Deprivation-Induced Senescent Prostate Tumor Cells, So Min Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in men. Although standard treatments such as androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) and antiandrogens have increased survival for many patients, most men placed on these therapies will develop castration-resistant disease (CRPC). Previous studies have shown that these treatments have limited cytotoxicity and instead promote cell growth arrest. Our current work demonstrates that prostate tumor cells grown in the absence of androgens by using charcoal-stripped serum undergo senescence-mediated or senescent-like growth arrest, based on the cellular expression of senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal). Our studies further suggest that this senescence is transient and …

Black Women And Body Image: Implications Of The Racialized Beauty Aesthetic, Rachel L. Boutte

Theses and Dissertations

Black women have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity relative to any other demographic group in the United States, however current weight management interventions appear least effective for them. Although several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these outcomes, few studies have collected data to evaluate how well they fit the lived experiences of Black women. In particular, the potential roles of body image and body dissatisfaction in the development and maintenance of overweight and obesity in Black women are not well understood. Extant literature largely reports that Black women are inoculated from body dissatisfaction due to cultural factors, …

Exosomes As Systemic Mediators Of Nanotube Induced Neurotoxicity, Christopher G. Canal

Theses and Dissertations

Extra-pulmonary effects of nanoparticle inhalation have been well documented; however, mechanisms for conveying peripheral bioactivity remain elusive. Recent studies point to indirect molecular mediators shed into the circulation. Protein and lipid alternatives to cytokines or chemokines have been proposed, yet the diversity among responses suggests a broader assemblage of factors. Recently we have proposed proteolytic fragment peptides as an additional source of bioactivity, which interestingly were significantly associated with exosomal proteins after enrichment analysis. Here we tested whether modeled exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) could alter the composition and bioactivity of circulating exosomes. Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed by …

Western Representation On Twitter In Relation To Orientalism And Framing: A Content Analysis Of #Saudi Arabia And #Saudis, Wedyan A. Kattan

Theses and Dissertations

Based on framing theory, Said’s Orientalism, and Hall’s theory of representation, this dissertation explores how the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is represented on the social media platform Twitter. Specifically, the study aims to identify how Saudi Arabia and Saudis are represented in English-language tweets by Western media in the years after several political incidents in the region, such as the Yemen war, and new political leadership in Saudi Arabia that has introduced many economic and social reforms. Thus, the overarching research question in this study is, how have Saudi Arabia and Saudis been presented on Twitter recently? This study sheds …

Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type Ii (Camkii) Regulates Histone Methylation To Promote Zebrafish Hematopoietic Stem Cell Specification, Sanyam Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is an important signaling molecule involved in many developmental processes. This project aims to understand the role of CaMKII in specification of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in zebrafish. HSCs undergo hematopoiesis to specify all cells that constitute blood. The process of hematopoiesis along with the specification of hematopoietic stem cells is conserved in vertebrates. CaMKII is expressed in tissues important for HSC specification, including the somites, notochord, and dorsal aorta. The dorsal aorta is the site of HSC specification in zebrafish. Injection of camk2g1 translational blocking antisense oligonucleotides (MO) or Cas9 guide …

Development Of A Screening Assay For Type Iii Secretion System Inhibitors And High Throughput Screening Campaign Of Inhibitors Of Prp Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Heather A. Pendergrass

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotics inhibit the growth or survival of bacteria by targeting their essential functions.¹ Due to weaknesses in traditional antibiotics and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors are being targeted for therapeutic treatment of bacterial infection.² We have developed an assay to quantify and observe type III secretion system (T3SS) activity. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a virulence factor present in some Gram-negative pathogens including enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively),³ and others.^4–9 The T3SS between EPEC and EHEC are highly conserved and share over 90% sequence identity with …

A Longitudinal Test Of Mexican Teen Mothers’ Cultural Characteristics And Children’S Language Skills Via Mothers’ Language, Arlenis A. Santana

Theses and Dissertations

The current study includes 204 Mexican teen mothers and their children from a larger study who were interviewed when children were 3 years old (Wave 4; W4), 4 years old (W5), and 5 years old (W6). The current study is guided by the integrative model of developmental competencies (García Coll et al., 1996), which suggests that parents’ adaptive cultural characteristics and exchanges with their children inform children’s developmental competencies. Thus, the current study examined whether teen mothers’ adaptive cultural characteristics (i.e., familism values, language competency pressures, and involvement in Mexican culture and U.S. mainstream culture) at W4 informed mothers’ Spanish …

(In)Equities In The Publishing Industry: The Politics Of Representation, Hallie R. Lepphaille

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project contains an overview and key introductory sections of an intersectional, equity-based literary publishing course textbook. The full-length edited collection, currently under external review for publication, seeks to rectify long-held disparities of the publishing industry in regard to hiring, acquisitions, developmental editing, and considerations in audience, readerships, and marketing. Each chapter examines the ways that racism, ableism, heterosexism, and cisnormativity, operate in the industry, limiting who is represented at an editor’s desk and in the pages of published books. The collection is intended to be utilized in upper-division and graduate-level literary publishing courses. This project is a response to …

Aspen Growth Response In The Presence Of Inter-Annual Climate Fluctuation And Disturbance In The Lake Tahoe Basin, Keath K. Sakihara

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the western US, aspen forests tend to be small and rare, but have great ecological importance. There is much interest and concern over how aspen in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western USA will respond to a changing climate and future disturbances. Impacts from climate change create stress on aspen trees that further compound threats to aspen communities. This analysis assessed the radial growth response of aspen under previously recorded climate conditions to better understand how measurable climate variables affect aspen growth. Along with aspen’s growth response to climate, this analysis also assessed the growth response of aspen …

Corporate Purpose In A Populist Era, Stephen M. Bainbridge

Nebraska Law Review

In the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and similar developments in parts of Europe, commentators widely acknowledged the rise of populist movements on both the right and left of the political spectrum that were deeply suspicious of big business. This development potentially has important implications for the law and practice of corporate purpose.

Left-of-center corporate social responsibility campaigners have long advocated the use of “boycotts, shareholder activism, negative publicity, and so on” to pressure corporate managers to act in ways those campaigners deem socially responsible. Right-of-center populists could use the same tactics to induce corporate directors to make …

Vaccine Hesitancy: Experimentalism As Regulatory Opportunity, Ana Santos Rutschman, Timothy L. Wiemken

All Faculty Scholarship

This symposium on patient innovation has prompted us to explore problems related to departures from official vaccination schedules. At a time in which vaccine confidence has been plummeting across the world, we argue that a more granular understanding—and ultimately a more finely tuned regulatory framework—is needed to reflect the current behavioral heterogeneity among indicated patients who choose to forego or delay administration of recommended vaccines. In particular, we focus on a phenomenon we term “vaccine staggering:” a departure from vaccination schedules in the form of delays in receiving one or more vaccines, which is motivated by the desire to boost …

2019-20 Annual Report, Tennessee. Board Of Paroles

Annual Reports

This document is the annual report for the Tennessee Board of Parole during the fiscal year.

Validation Of The Turkish Version Of The Sunnybrook Facial Grading System, Erdem Mengi̇, Cüneyt Orhan Kara, Fazil Necdet Ardiç, Funda Tümkaya, Fevzi̇ Barlay, Taylan Çi̇l, Hande Şenol

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To adapt the Sunnybrook facial grading system (SFGS) into Turkish and perform validation and reliability studies on the Turkish version. Materials and Methods: The original English version of the SFGS was translated into Turkish by performing a linguistic validity study based on international standards. The evaluators comprised 6 physicians. Evaluations were performed twice independently using the video recordings of 65 facial palsy patients. Synchronously, the House-Brackman facial grading system (HBFGS) was filled out to display concurrent validity. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha was used for the examination of the inter- and intra-rater reliability. As another indication …

Real-Life Comparison Of The Viewing Angle And The Image Quality Of Two Commonly Usedviewing Systems For Vitreoretinal Surgery, Kemal Bayrakçeken, Ahmet Murad Hondur, Hati̇ce Tuba Atalay, Yavuz Kemal Aribaş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To compare the clinical use, image quality and viewing angle of a commonly used contact wide angle viewing (WAV) system (Advanced Visual Instruments (AVI) Panoramic Imaging Systems, NY, USA) with a commonly used noncontact WAV system (Leica RUV800, Leica Microsystems, Switzerland). Materials and methods: Images of 42 consecutively operated eyes were obtained with both systems at the same surgical stages and were compared for image quality using the Imatest Master 4.5.13 (Imatest LLC, Boulder, USA) software. The viewing angles of the images were calculated using the optic disc sizes measured from the OCT and infrared fundus images. The 68-degree …

Subclinical Cardiac Structural And Electrical Abnormalities In Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Ekrem Aksu, Ejder Berk, Abdullah Sökmen, Güli̇zar Sökmen, Enes Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: In the literature, there is a paucity of data about the effects of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) on myocardial function and electrophysiological properties of atrium and ventricles. In this study, we investigated cardiac functions and noninvasive predictors of arrhythmias in patients with FMS. Materials and methods: The study included 43 female patients diagnosed with FMS and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The presence of fragmented QRS (fQRS) morphology, P dispersion, QT dispersion, inter- and intraatrial electromechanical delay was evaluated in the groups with 12-lead ECG and standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Results: Among electrocardiographic parameters, P dispersion, QT dispersion, …

Risk Indices That Predict In-Hospital Mortality Of Elderly Patients, Di̇lek Dülger, Özgür Albuz

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Mortality in the elderly population tends to be higher than in all other age groups; the risk factors that predict mortality among those in this age cohort are not fully understood. This large-scale clinical study aimed to identify effective risk factors that predict mortality in the elderly population with a particular focus on age and hospitalization status. Material and methods: We retrospectively analyzed outcomes from patients with clinical follow-up between July 2015 and January 2020 at 29 Mayıs State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Patient records with missing or ambiguous data were excluded. Age, sex, length of hospital stay, comorbidities, consultation …

Immunomagnetic Separation And Listeria Monocytogenes Detection With Surface- Enhanced Raman Scattering, Hande Yeğenoğlu Akçinar, Belma Aslim, Hi̇lal Torul, Burcu Güven, Adem Zengi̇n, Zeki̇ye Suludere, İsmai̇l Hakki Boyaci, Uğur Tamer

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: We aimed to develop a rapid method to enumerate Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) utilizing magnetic nanoparticle based preconcentration and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy measurements. Materials and methods: Biological activities of magnetic Au-nanoparticles have been observed to have the high biocompatibility, and a sample immunosensor model has been designed to use avidin attached Au-nanoparticles for L. monocytogenes detection. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) bacteria cultures were chosen for control studies. Antimicrobial activity studies have been done to identify bio-compatibility and bio-characterization of the Au-nanoparticles in our previous study and capturing efficiencies to bacterial surfaces have been also …

Ocular Toxicity Of Intravitreal Golimumab In A Rabbit Model, Ceren Durmaz Engi̇n, Serap Ci̇laker Miçili, Osman Yilmaz, Hüsnü Alper Bağriyanik, Beki̇r Uğur Ergür, Fatoş Önen, Ali̇ Osman Saatci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To investigate the effect of intravitreal golimumab on rabbit retina histopathology. Materials and methods: Sixteen albino New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups. The right eye of each rabbit in groups I, II, and III received a single intravitreal injection of 5 mg/0.05 mL (6 eyes), 10 mg/0.1 mL (6 eyes), or 20 mg/0.2 mL (4 eyes) golimumab, while left eyes served as controls with the same volume of a balanced salt solution injection. All animals were examined using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy before and after intravitreal injection and at days 1 and 7. Animals were euthanized …

Statistical Shape Analysis Of Hand And Wrist In Paediatric Population On Radiographs, Ural Koç, İlker Ercan, Senem Özdemi̇r, Semi̇h Bolu, Ayşegül Yabaci, Onur Taydaş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The goal of this study was to compare differences in hand and wrist shapes and to evaluate these according to growth and allometry in children on radiographs related to bone age.Materials and methods: The study included 263 males and 189 females. A total of 452 left hand and wrist radiographs were retrospectively collected. Standard anatomical landmarks marked on radiographs.Results: There were seen to be significant differences in comparisons of hand and wrist shapes according to sex (P = 0.009). The most suitable model in the growth models was seen as the Gompertz growth model for both females and males …

A Single Center Cohort Of 40 Severe Covid-19 Patients Who Were Treated Withconvalescent Plasma, Ali̇i̇hsan Gemi̇ci̇, Hülya Bi̇lgen, Cem Erdoğan, Abdullah Kansu, Oktay Olmuşçeli̇k, Hüseyi̇n Saffet Beköz, Rumeysa Çakmak, Ali̇ Mert, Ömür Gökmen Sevi̇ndi̇k

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: A SARS-Cov2 infection which was first arised from Wuhan in December 2019 and named as COVID-19. Still there lacks either a specific treatment or a vaccine to treat COVID-19. Convalescent plasma (CP) was previously used successfully to treat SARS-CoV-1 and MERS infections. Health authority in Turkey has published a guideline to integrate this promising option in the treatment process of patients who are prone to high risk of developing severe COVID 19. Materials and Methods: Forty consecutive patients who had received CP at our center were included in the study. Demographics, COVID-19 specific parameters, biomarkers to detect the severity …

Covid-19-Related Anxiety In People Living With Hiv: An Online Cross-Sectional Study, Özlem Kuman Tunçel, Hüsnü Pullukçu, Hüseyi̇n Aytaç Erdem, Behi̇ce Kurtaran, Seli̇n Ece Taşbakan, Meltem Taşbakan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has had an enormous emotional impact on some vulnerable groups, such as people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLHIV). This study was planned with the aim of assessing the anxiety levels of PLHIV and the sources of their anxiety. Materials and methods: A web-based questionnaire was sent to PLHIV using the virtual snowball sampling method. The questionnaire included questions about sociodemographic status, information about HIV infection, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Additionally, some opinions of the participants about COVID-19 were asked. Results: A total of 307 respondents, with …

Effects Of Immunization Program On Morbidity And Mortality Rates Ofvaccine-Preventable Diseases In Turkey, Tufan Nayi̇r, Ersi̇n Nazlican, Musa Şahi̇n, Fati̇h Kara, Emi̇ne Alp Meşe

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: This study aims to serve as a unique consolidated source in Turkey's vaccination history and as an example for other countries by objectively revealing the change in mortality and morbidity rates in Turkey following the beginning of vaccination without asserting any claim on the benefits or risks of vaccines. This unbiased research will also help health professionals identify the challenges more easily when they face with the people who hesitate to vaccinate their children. Materials and methods: Descriptive research design is adopted in this study. The coverages of vaccinations, mortality, and morbidity rates were identified through a retrospective analysis …

Iron Homeostasis Is Altered In Response To Hypoxia And Hypothermic Preconditioning Inbrain Glial Cells, Lati̇fe Arzu Aral, Mehmet Ali̇ Ergün, Ayşe Başak Engi̇n, Alp Özgün Börcek, Hayrunni̇sa Bolay Belen

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Altered iron metabolism is one of the pathophysiological mechanisms occurring during hypoxic injuries in the central nervous system. Proper homeostasis of cellular iron is regulated by iron import, storage, and export proteins that prevent excess iron overload or iron starvation in cells. Therapeutic hypothermia is an approved treatment for hypoxic ischemia in newborns, but the underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown. We studied the effects of hypoxia, preceded with preconditioning, on the iron homeostasis of glial cells, known as a major actor in the inflammatory process during perinatal brain injury. Materials and methods: Primary microglia and astrocytes in culture …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.