Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Of Three Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (1252 G>A, 2534 G>A, And 2569 T>C) Of The Mbl1 Gene In Anatolian Buffaloes, Esma Gamze Aksel, Bi̇lal Akyüz

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

It has been reported that since the MBL gene is involved in the first step of infection and inflammation processes, it may be associated with susceptibility to bacterial and viral diseases in living organisms. In this study, it was aimed to determine the genotypic variation of Anatolian buffaloes in terms of three (1252G>A, 2534 G>A, and 2569 T>C) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the MBL-1 gene. For this purpose, 103 Anatolian buffaloes were genotyped for relevant SNPs by PCR-RFLP process. The allele and genotype frequencies of the examined samples were determined, and the population was examined for …

Radiology Versus Rt-Pcr For Detection Of Proventricular Dilatation Disease In Psittacines, Mohammad Bayat, Abolfazl Ghaniei, Majid Jamshidian Mojaver, Ali Mirshahi, Mohammad Azizzadeh

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a potentially fatal disease of psittacine birds. Avian bornavirus (ABV), the causative agent of PDD, causes inflammation of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems. Clinically, birds affected by PDD present with gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, neurological symptoms, or both. In this study, we evaluated the presence of proventriculus dilation and ABV in 40 birds (cockatiel, n = 12; budgerigar, n = 28), submitted to the veterinary clinic, by radiology and RT-PCR. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs and feather samples were taken from 36 live birds including the cockatiel and budgerigar, as well as samples of proventriculus …

Virological And Pathological Investigation Of Canine Parvovirus-2 (Cpv-2) With The Assessment Of The Genetic Variability Of Field Strains, Zeynep Karapinar, Musa Karaman, İhsan Kisadere, Mustafa Usta, Mehmet Özkan Ti̇murkan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Canine parvovirus-2 (CPV-2), which is common worldwide, is a highly contagious pathogen in domestic dogs and some wild carnivore species. The agent causes a multisystemic infection in affected animals, especially acute hemorrhagic enteritis and fatal myocarditis in puppies. The study aimed to reveal the presence of virus in dogs with clinical symptoms of CPV-2 infection using virological, pathological, and immunohistochemical methods and make molecular characterization based on partial VP-2 gene of strains circulating in the region. As a result of PCR studies, 9 out of 16 rectal swab samples and 17 out of 38 blood samples were positive. A phylogenetic …

Validation Of A Chimeric Proteins-Based Elisa For The Diagnosis Of Brucellosis In Kazakhstan, Aitbay Bulashev, Saule Eskendirova, Bakytkali Ingirbay, Alfiya Syzdykova, Fariza Zhagipar

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to compare the suitability of three chimeric recombinant outer membrane proteins of Brucella (rOmps 19 + 25, 19 + 31, and 25 + 31) for the diagnosis of bovine and sheep brucellosis using an indirect ELISA (i-ELISA). The diagnostic properties of these proteins in an i-ELISA were studied using blood serum samples from cattle and sheep with known positive and negative results for brucellosis based on the rose Bengal plate test (RBT), complement fixation test (CFT), and a commercial ELISA (c-ELISA) kit, as well as using animal sera from fresh foci of infection with unknown reactivity. rOmps19 …

Streptococcus Intermedius: From A Normal Oral Commensal To A Life-Threatening Organism, Anas Mahmoud, Tala Beilani, Nizar Alyassin, Karam Zakharia, Taha Basil, David Poulad

Student Publications

Subdural empyema is a collection of pus in the subdural space between the dura mater and the arachnoid. It carries very high morbidity and mortality as it can spread anywhere in the brain; however, the risk can be mitigated with appropriate surgical and medical intervention. Being protected by the skull, cranial infections are usually preceded by a significant risk factor, either an external invader such as skull fractures secondary to trauma, penetrating injury, prior surgery, or, more commonly, in more than 50% of cases, due to spread of an internal infection such as ear or sinus infections. Anaerobic and aerobic …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of An In Vivo Muscle Electroporation Delivery System For Dna-Hsp65 Tuberculosis Vaccine In Cynomolgus Monkeys, Monique Ribeiro De Lima, Ana C. Leandro, Andreia Lamoglia De Souza, Marcio Mantuano Barradas, Eric Henrique Roma, Ana Teresa Gomes Fernandes, Gabrielle Galdino-Silva, Joyce Katiuccia M. Ramos Carvalho, Renato Sergio Marchevsky, John L. Vandeberg

School of Medicine Publications

A Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) is still the only licensed vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis, providing limited protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in adulthood. New advances in the delivery of DNA vaccines by electroporation have been made in the past decade. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the DNA-hsp65 vaccine administered by intramuscular electroporation (EP) in cynomolgus macaques. Animals received three doses of DNA-hsp65 at 30-day intervals. We demonstrated that intramuscular electroporated DNA-hsp65 vaccine immunization of cynomolgus macaques was safe, and there were no vaccine-related effects on hematological, renal, or hepatic profiles, compared to the pre-vaccination parameters. No tuberculin …

Vodka2: A Fast And Accurate Method To Detect Non-Standard Viral Genomes From Large Rna-Seq Data Sets, Emna Achouri, Sébastien A Felt, Matthew Hackbart, Nicole S Rivera-Espinal, Carolina B López

2020-Current year OA Pubs

During viral replication, viruses carrying an RNA genome produce non-standard viral genomes (nsVGs), including copy-back viral genomes (cbVGs) and deletion viral genomes (delVGs), that play a crucial role in regulating viral replication and pathogenesis. Because of their critical roles in determining the outcome of RNA virus infections, the study of nsVGs has flourished in recent years, exposing a need for bioinformatic tools that can accurately identify them within next-generation sequencing data obtained from infected samples. Here, we present our data analysis pipeline, Viral Opensource DVG Key Algorithm 2 (VODKA2), that is optimized to run on a parallel computing environment for …

Cross-Seasonal Effects In A Sea Ice-Associated Sea Duck: Do Winter Conditions Affect Breeding Spectacled Eiders?, Randall J. Friendly

Biological Sciences

Climate change in the Arctic is more rapid than anywhere on the globe and changes in the marine environment can impact the distribution and abundance of Arctic and sub-Arctic species. Understanding how a species responds to climate change can aid conservation planning and recovery. Spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri), sea ducks listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, winter at the Bering Sea and nest along the coastal areas of Alaska and Arctic Russia. Severity of winter conditions in the Bering Sea have been associated with both reduced annual survival and reduced breeding abundance and may have sublethal effects during …

Smart Applications And Resource Management In Internet Of Things, Zeinab Akhavan

Computer Science ETDs

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are currently the principal solutions driving smart cities. These new technologies such as Cyber Physical Systems, 5G and data analytic have emerged to address various cities' infrastructure issues ranging from transportation and energy management to healthcare systems. An IoT setting primarily consists of a wide range of users and devices as a massive network interacting with different layers of the city infrastructure resulting in generating sheer volume of data to enable smart city services. The goal of smart city services is to create value for the entire ecosystem, whether this is health, education, transportation, energy, …

Policy Analysis: Increasing Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (Pdmp) Use To Improve Patient Safety, Kimberly Manning

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state-run electronic databases that collect and monitor the prescriptions of controlled substances. PDMPs help the prescriber understand the patient’s medication history to reduce opioid abuse and misuse, overdose risk, and harmful medication interactions. Considering the national persistent opioid epidemic and its impact on patient safety, it is essential to assess how a large healthcare system encourages PDMP use. PDMP participation is a Virginia Commonwealth licensing requirement, a Center of Disease Control 2022 opioid prescribing guideline, and a healthcare system requirement. The healthcare systems Controlled Substance Policy for Adult Patients (Feghali, 2020) was evaluated using …

Assessing Risk For Complications In Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis In Children: Validation Of 2 Predictive Scores, Adriana Sarmiento Clemente, J Chase Mcneil, Kristina G Hultén, Jesus G Vallejo, Michael E Scheurer, Sheldon L Kaplan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) can be associated with severe complications which can be difficult to predict in the clinical setting. The previously published predictive acute complication score ("A-SCORE") and chronic complication score ("C-SCORE") show promise, however, further external validation is needed.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 418 children with AHO and analyzed the performance of A-SCORE (variables included bone abscess, fever after 48 h of starting antibiotics, suppurative arthritis, disseminated disease, and delayed source control) to predict risk for acute complicated course (treatment failure, prolonged admission, and/or need for ≥2 bone debridements) and C-SCORE (includes disseminated disease, …

Forward Thinking And Adaptability To Sustain And Advance Ipecp In Healthcare Transformation Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hossein Khalili, Jyotsna Pandey, Sylvia Langlois, Vikki Park, Ryan Brown, Alla El-Awaisi, Kathleen Macmillan, Shelley Cohen Konrad, Brittany Daulton, Christopher Green, Giray Kolcu, Charlotte Mccartan, Gina Baugh, Andrea Pfeifle, Lisa Wetzlmair, Inci Kolcu, Anthony P. Breitbach

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The proliferation of the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus across the globe in 2020 produced a shared trauma internationally of unprecedented devastation, disruption, and death. At the same time, the pandemic has been a transformation catalyst accelerating the implementation and adoption of long overdue changes in healthcare education and practice, including telehealth and virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare at a crossroads, either viewing it as a temporary situation that requires short-term solutions, or as a major disruption that presents opportunities for innovation for sustainable development and transformation. As COVID-19 transitions from pandemic to endemic, we have a unique …

Abundance Of Prevotella Copri In Gut Microbiota Is Inversely Related To A Healthy Diet In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Chih-Yiu Tsai, Po-Yu Liu, Meng-Chuan Huang, Chiao-I Chang, Hsin-Yun Chen, Yu-Hsien Chou, Chi-Neu Tsai, Chia-Hung Lin

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

While the gut microbiota is known to be influenced by habitual food intake, this relationship is seldom explored in type 2 diabetes patients. This study aims to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and gut microbial species abundance in 113 type 2 diabetes patients (mean age, 58 years; body mass index, 29.1; glycohemoglobin [HbA1c], 8.1%). We analyzed the gut microbiota using 16S amplicon sequencing, and all patients were catogorized into either the Bacteroides enterotype (57.5%, n = 65) or the Prevotella enterotype (42.5%, n = 48) using the partitioning around medoids clustering algorithm, based on the most representative genera. Patients …

Therapeutic Effects Of Orally Administration Of Viable And Inactivated Probiotic Strains Against Murine Urinary Tract Infection, Vo Thi Hong Van, Zhen-Shu Liu, Yueh Jen Hsieh, Wei-Chen Shiu, Bo-Yuan Chen, Yu-We Ku, Po-Wen Chen

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are highly prevalent bacterial infections that pose significant health risks. Specific probiotic strains have been recommended for UTI control and management of antibiotic resistance. Otherwise, paraprobiotics, defined as inactivated probiotic cells, offer potential advantages by minimizing risks associated with live microorganisms. However, the effectiveness of heat-killed probiotic strains against UTIs remains uncertain. Additionally, lactoferrin (LF), an iron-binding glycoprotein, exhibits immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Recently, we had developed recombinant LF-expression probiotics, which can display considerate antibacterial activities against select food-borne pathogens in vitro. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of heat-killed natural …

Documenting Range Expansion Of Two Invasive Tick (Acari:Ixodidae) Species In Eastern South Dakota, Braden Wojahn

Dissertations and Theses

This project documents the expanded zoogeographic ranges of the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) within eastern South Dakota. Ticks are important when considering a “One Health” approach, as many species are competent vectors of zoonotic pathogens causing human diseases and conditions such as Lyme disease, tularemia, rickettsia, and alpha-gal syndrome. The research involved constitutes two steps. First, tick surveillance was conducted in eastern counties of South Dakota, spanning March 2021 through August 2022. Surveillance took place along edge habitat at recreation areas, state and public parks, wildlife management areas and refuges, and other natural areas …

Community Health Worker Certification Program - Motivational Interview, Advocacy, Communication And Conflict Resolution, Stella Antony

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Rural residents have health disparities more than urban populations. The significant health inequities in the underprivileged population include a higher incidence of chronic diseases, lack of access to healthy foods, health care, health insurance, unhealthy eating habits, poor socioeconomic status, cultural and language barriers, and lack of health literacy. As locals, Community health workers (CHWs) meet these populations and can improve healthy lifestyle changes and advocate for their community.

Local Problem: The population in Fresno and Tulare County in Central Valley, California, is underprivileged, lacks access to proper health care, and has higher rates of health disparities, including chronic …

Developing And Implementing An Infection Prevention Practice Fellowship Program, Sejal Naik

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Developing and Implementing an Infection Prevention Practice Fellowship Program

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic placed huge demands on infection prevention programs (Blanchard et al., 2022), seriously taxing a profession already mired with progressively increasing workload and responsibilities (Bryant et al., 2016).

Local Problem: In a rapidly changing environment, infection preventionists (IPs) contend with pandemic surges, emerging infections, and supply chain disruptions. The NCAL Region of an integrated health system experienced IP turnover, and in the absence of a formal training program, newly hired IPs experienced variable to no opportunities to develop their competencies.

Methods: A literature review on infection prevention …

Role Of The Anti-Viral Immune Response In Neural Cell Modulation And Neurological Sequelae Of Childhood Viral Infections, Yashika Kamte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) often result in neurological sequelae and are considered a risk factor for the development of neurological disease. Moreover, the outcomes of a viral infection are largely dependent on the age of the host, with younger hosts developing more profound neuropathology. Perhaps the developing brain coupled with an immature immune system contributes to worse outcomes in the very young. Children suffering from brain infections are more prone to develop enduring neurological impairments even after recovery from the infection. Although majority of the brain growth occurs in utero, neurodevelopment continues throughout the juvenile …

The Effect Of Db1976 On The Fibrotic Response In Three-Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus Aculeatus), Saif Quraishi

Honors Scholar Theses

The study of fibrosis in stickleback has been a growing field in which there have been a few studies conducted. This study examines two experiments involving the inhibition of fibrosis in stickleback. The first experiment used fish from the Kenai River Flats (KRF) in Alaska. The second experiment used fish from Roselle Lake in British Columbia, Canada. To determine the impact the drug had on fibrosis, sticklebacks from the KRF population were treated with DB1976 as well as alum, a pro‐inflammatory vaccine adjuvant that causes fibrosis (Kool et. al 2012). When each DB1976 + alum treatment group was compared with …

Does Probiotic Supplementation Help Decrease Symptoms In Adults Previously Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder?, Alexa Hammock, Hayley Loiselle

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To assess the effect of probiotic supplementation on clinical symptoms of major depressive disorder in adults. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: Searches were performed on PubMed using the terms “adults with depression and probiotics”. The limits on PubMed were set to include randomized control trials, studies on adults, studies done within the last 10 years, studies done on patients that did not have depression, studies that did not use the Beck Depression Inventory, and studies that focused on other conditions. Results: Three studies were found that met search criteria: Reninghaus et al., Schaub et al., and Chahwan et al. …

Targeting Metabolic Switches And Dna Damage Repair For The Treatment Of Human Diseases, Rasangi Chathurika Kankanam Pathirage

Theses & Dissertations

Tuberculosis and Cancer treatments share common challenges due to prolonged therapy, the necessity of combination therapy and severe side effects. Characterization of novel drug targets and identification of new drugs modulating such targets within the context of multidrug treatments will contribute to overcoming current therapeutic challenges.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the challenging diseases to treat due to the persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in the dormant phase. Current TB drugs are more effective toward actively dividing bacteria and less effective toward dormant bacteria. The metabolic transition between actively dividing bacteria and dormant bacteria is driven by pivotal metabolic enzymes …

Dna Methylation-Based Epigenetic Biomarkers In Cell-Type Deconvolution And Tumor Tissue Of Origin Identification, Ze Zhang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression and is essential to establishing and preserving cellular identity. Genome-wide DNA methylation arrays provide a standardized and cost-effective approach to measuring DNA methylation. When combined with a cell-type reference library, DNA methylation measures allow the assessment of underlying cell-type proportions in heterogeneous mixtures. This approach, known as DNA methylation deconvolution or methylation cytometry, offers a standardized and cost-effective method for evaluating cell-type proportions. While this approach has succeeded in discerning cell types in various human tissues like blood, brain, tumors, skin, breast, and buccal swabs, the existing methods have major …

Investigating And Targeting Iron Metabolism In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Zachary Scott

Theses & Dissertations

Antimicrobial resistance is an incredibly pressing issue in modern medicine. Because of that many researchers are pursuing just as many avenues for treatment of these pathogens. However, due to the nature of bacteria many of these methods are stop gaps and the bacteria can develop typically within years of their deployment. Therefore, more robust methods of treating infections of antimicrobial resistant bacteria that are difficult or impossible to develop resistance to are required. To produce this effect the treatment would need to target and alter or inhibit functions or structures essential to the bacteria that could not be altered, additionally …

Towards A Mode Of Action For The Anti-Schistosomal Aryl Hydantoins, Thomas Schulze

Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a significant human disease caused by the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Praziquantel remains the only clinically used treatment, yet it is rapidly metabolized and only effective against the adult stage worm infection. Ro 13-3978 (AR02) is a potent antischistosomal compound with activity against multiple S. mansoni life stages; however, it manifests anti-androgenic activity. Additionally, the mechanism of action for worm clearance remains unknown. The structure of Ro 13-3979 was used to generate optimized derivatives, including AR102, that show increased potency towards worms, reduced off-target anti-androgen effects, and extended half-life thereby increasing the feasibility for a single-dose curative treatment. …

Understanding The Effect Of Chikungunya Virus Infection On Bone Homeostasis, Enakshi Roy

Theses & Dissertations

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that causes Chikungunya fever (CHIKF), characterized by high fever, headache, rash, and joint pain. With global travel on the rise, infections caused by CHIKV have emerged in new regions, expanding their geographic range and infecting susceptible hosts. Currently, no approved prophylactic or therapeutic measures exist to prevent or treat these infections, with prevention strategies primarily focused on vector control. However, these measures have proven inadequate due to the emergence of mutations that enhance viral transmission or vector range. Therefore, urgent attention is needed to develop therapies to treat the infection. Although CHIKV has …

Role Of The Ganglioside Gd2 And Its Biosynthetic Enzyme Gd3 Synthase In Prostate Cancer Tumorigenesis, Aaqib Bhat

Theses & Dissertations

Despite significant advancements in managing localized prostate cancer (PC), which have notably increased survival rates, advanced PC continues to be a leading cause of cancer- related fatalities. The discovery of new pathways that can be targeted to inhibit tumor growth in PC could pave the way for innovative treatment strategies. The disialylganglioside GD2 is an FDA-approved target for antibody therapies in neuroblastoma and has not been extensively studied in the context of PC. The work done in this thesis reveals that GD2 is present on a minor subset of PC cells in certain patients and is more prevalent in metastatic …

Association Of Covid-19 Coinfection With Increased Mortality Among Patients With Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Bloodstream Infection In The Veterans Health Administration System, Leila S. Hojat, Brigid M. Wilson, Federico Perez, Maria F. Mojica, Mendel E. Singer, Robert A. Bonomo

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infection (PA-BSI) and COVID-19 are independently associated with high mortality. We sought to demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 coinfection on patients with PA-BSI. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Veterans Health Administration. Patients: Hospitalized patients with PA-BSI in pre-COVID-19 (January 2009 to December 2019) and COVID-19 (January 2020 to June 2022) periods. Patients in the COVID-19 period were further stratified by the presence or absence of concomitant COVID-19 infection. Methods: We characterized trends in resistance, treatment, and mortality over the study period. Multivariable logistic regression and modified Poisson analyses were used to determine the association between COVID-19 …

Plants As Vectors For Environmental Prion Transmission, Christina M Carlson, Samuel Thomas, Matthew W Keating, Paulina Soto, Nicole M Gibbs, Haeyoon Chang, Jamie K Wiepz, Annabel G Austin, Jay R Schneider, Rodrigo Morales, Christopher J Johnson, Joel A Pedersen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases and exhibit remarkable durability, which engenders a wide array of potential exposure scenarios. In chronic wasting disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer and in scrapie of sheep and goats, prions are transmitted via environmental routes and the ability of plants to accumulate and subsequently transmit prions has been hypothesized, but not previously demonstrated. Here, we establish the ability of several crop and other plant species to take up prions via their roots and translocate them to above-ground tissues from various growth media including soils. We demonstrate that plants can accumulate prions in above-ground tissues …

Retreat Village Design In Letchworth State Park Region: An Architecture Development In A Highly Valued State Park Meets The Triple Bottom Line Of Sustainability, Jing Hua

Theses

Letchworth State Park, located in Livingston and Wyoming counties, New York, renowned as the “Grand Canyon of the East”, is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern United States. However, there are no well-developed leisure centers around or in the park. The lack of good accommodations, in contrast to the availability of restaurants with local character, leisure activities, and other supporting facilities in the area, fails to fully achieve the development potential of the natural scenery of the region. This thesis demonstrates that a retreat complex village that brings people closer to the natural landscape of Letchworth …

Early Cellular And Molecular Signatures Correlate With Severity Of West Nile Virus Infection, Ho-Joon Lee, Yujiao Zhao, Ira Fleming, Sameet Mehta, Xiaomei Wang, Brent Vander Wyk, Shannon E Ronca, Heather Kang, Chih-Hung Chou, Benoit Fatou, Kinga K Smolen, Ofer Levy, Clary B Clish, Ramnik J Xavier, Hanno Steen, David A Hafler, J Christopher Love, Alex K Shalek, Leying Guan, Kristy O Murray, Steven H Kleinstein, Ruth R Montgomery

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Infection with West Nile virus (WNV) drives a wide range of responses, from asymptomatic to flu-like symptoms/fever or severe cases of encephalitis and death. To identify cellular and molecular signatures distinguishing WNV severity, we employed systems profiling of peripheral blood from asymptomatic and severely ill individuals infected with WNV. We interrogated immune responses longitudinally from acute infection through convalescence employing single-cell protein and transcriptional profiling complemented with matched serum proteomics and metabolomics as well as multi-omics analysis. At the acute time point, we detected both elevation of pro-inflammatory markers in innate immune cell types and reduction of regulatory T cell …