Digital Commons Network^™

Oral Administration Of Alpha-Cyclodextrin Corrects Diabetes Induced Retinopathy And Bone Marrow Pathology By Modulation Of The Gut-Retina Axis., Yvonne Adu-Agyeiwaah

All ETDs from UAB

Diabetic retinopathy represents a common complication of diabetes, exerting a significant financial burden globally across nations, particularly impacting the working-age population and thereby affecting productivity. Extensive investigations have unveiled its multifaceted etiology, implicating a convergence of diverse causative factors. Notably, seminal studies such as the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Eye Study have underscored the pivotal role of cholesterol dysregulation and dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. This dysregulation stems from an imbalance characterized by heightened cholesterol production coupled with deficient cholesterol efflux or removal mechanisms. Liver X receptors (LXRs), ligand-activated nuclear receptors function in transcriptional …

Coyote Play: A Critical Inquiry Of Power At A Nature-Based Preschool, Timothy Mckenzie

All ETDs from UAB

The distribution of power in the educational institution exists as a hierarchy from governing bodies to the masses. This causes children within the institution to align themselves with the institution rather than the institution meeting the needs of the children it serves. The purpose of this study is to examine how children engage with power at a nature-based preschool. The researcher used data from field observations and programmatic resources to analyze the power enacted by children. The researcher found that the children enact power through structures, to define place, care for themselves, and care for others. The implications of this …

Phylogenetic Diversity Of Flagellin Differentiates Commensal Gut Bacteria That Induce Distinct Intestinal Epithelial Cell Responses, Melissa Simone Jennings

All ETDs from UAB

Flagellins belonging to bacteria from the Lachnospiraceae family are immunodom-inant antigens in inflammatory bowel disease. Flagellin, the basic unit of flagella utilized by bacteria for motility, is recognized by the host via toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5). Due to the diversity of flagellated bacteria, we investigated if this diversity results in distinct interac-tions between the bacteria and the host. Phylogenetic analysis on over 200 flagellin se-quences, primarily from Lachnospiraceae bacteria, revealed two divergent clusters we refer to as Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G2). In gnotobiotic mice colonized with G1 or G2 bacte-ria, both groups induce colonic interleukin 10 (IL-10)-producing …

Testicular Phenotypes Of Rdhe Dko Mice, Aja Slay

All ETDs from UAB

The bioactive form of vitamin A, all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), plays a critical role in cell differentiation, metabolism, and cellular proliferation by regulating gene transcription. RA signaling is critical during embryogenesis to ensure proper development and during adulthood for tissue maintenance. Disruption of the RA signaling pathway induced by vitamin A deficiency and genetic defects in vitamin A metabolizing enzymes results in embryonic malformations. Previous studies implicate the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family members as important in RA synthesis. Among the SDR family are retinol dehydrogenase epidermal 2 (RDHE2) and RDHE2-similar (RDHE2S)- collectively RDHE. To gain insight into how RDHE influences the …

Biology Department Publications: 2014, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2014. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2017, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2017. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Neighborhood Disadvantage, Parenting, And Dna Methylation During Childhood, Malcolm Barker-Kamps

All ETDs from UAB

Being raised in a disadvantaged neighborhood increases the risk of adult obesity, chronic inflammation, and epigenetic aging even when adjusting for family socioeconomic status (SES). Because little is understood regarding the timing of these outcomes through development and possible moderating effects of the family environment, this project investigated the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and DNA methylation in children and whether this association varies across child age, parenting behaviors, or neighborhood cohesion. The study included 112 parents (Mage=27.5; SD=1.06) and 160 children, ages 0-14 (Mage =3.89, SD=3.29; 54% female; 90% African American; 10% White), from the Birmingham Youth Violence Study. Neighborhood …

Biology Department Publications: 2005, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2005. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2011, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2011. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2007, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2007. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2022, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2022. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2018, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2018. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2016, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2016. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2015, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2015. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2013, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2013. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2023, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a non-comprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2023. It indexes those publications available through PubMed and Scopus, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Biology Department Publications: 2008, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a noncomprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2008. It indexes those publications available through major databases, and serves as an archival record of the Department’s robust scholarly contributions.

Understanding The Ada And Its Impact On Teaching, Liz Norell

Events

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that students have equitable access to class materials, facilities, and learning. The office of Student Disability Services (SDS) coordinates student requests for formal accommodations. This session is designed to help equip instructors with basic knowledge of the ADA’s requirements, with particular focus on how those requirements impact what teachers should (and should not) do in their classrooms and with students. For example, if a student discloses a disability to you but does not have formal accommodations through SDS, what (if any) responsibilities do you have under the law? Learn how your actions, interactions …

Cardiomyocyte-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicle: A New Mechanism Driving Diabetic Cardiac Fibrosis And Cardiomyopathy, Yu Li, Yunhui Du, Yang Liu, Xiuhuan Chen, Xinxin Li, Yanru Duan, Yanwen Qin, Huirong Liu, Xinliang Ma, Shaoping Nie, Huina Zhang

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Rationale: Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the major diabetic cardiovascular complications in which fibrosis plays a critical pathogenetic role. However, the precise mechanisms by which diabetes triggers cardiac fibrosis in the heart remain elusive. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) play an important role in the cellular communication. Nevertheless, whether and how diabetes may adversely alter sEVs-mediated cardiomyocyte-fibroblast communication, promoting diabetic cardiac fibrosis and contributing to diabetic cardiomyopathy, has not been previously investigated. Methods and results: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced and genetic (db/db) type 2 diabetic models were utilized. Cardiomyocyte sEVs (Myo-sEVs) were isolated by ultracentrifugation. Normal cardiomyocyte-derived Myo-sEVs attenuated diabetic cardiac fibrosis …

Assessing Prevalence Of Blood Parasites And Ranaviruses In Hong Kong Freshwater Turtles, Julia Leung

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Blood parasites and ranaviruses are pathogens that impact freshwater turtles worldwide. Given that native turtle species in Hong Kong are already at a high risk of extinction, their survival becomes even more threatened in the event of a disease outbreak. However, prevalence of these pathogens among the native population in Hong Kong remains unstudied.

In this study, I aim to (1) obtain baseline prevalence data of blood parasites and ranaviruses in Hong Kong freshwater turtles, (2) compare different methods for detecting blood parasites and ranaviruses, (3) evaluate the applicability of using blood parasites as a wildlife forensic tool, assess and …

Effects Of Probiotic Lactobacilli On Candida Albicans: Implications For Early Childhood Caries, Leena Unnikrishnan Menon

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: Probiotic Lactobacillus species are shown to have beneficial effects against early childhood caries (ECC). On the other hand, the wide use of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. in dairy foods is believed to underline the global increase in ECC prevalence. Candida albicans has been frequently detected in children with ECC and has shown cariogenic potential in animal models of dental caries. The objective of this study was to determine the interactions between lactobacilli and C. albicans in growth competition, biofilm formation and acid production. Methods: Growth competition between C. albicans SC5314 and probiotic L. rhamnosus GG or caries-associated L. rhamnosus M72-26 …

Non-Invasive Pet Imaging Probes For Immune Activation And Fibrosis In Cancer And Pulmonary Fibrosis, Yujun Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

Immune activation plays an important role in the development and treatment of tumor and fibrotic diseases. Granzyme B is a serine protease granzymes secreted by cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells, which induces target cell apoptosis. Measuring granzyme B level is a way to quantify immune activation non-invasively. [68Ga]-NOTA-GZP PET imaging was applied in 4T1 breast cancer mouse model and LLC non-small cell lung cancer mouse model after treated with combination of 12 Gy irradiation and dual checkpoint inhibitors. There was a tumor growth and metastasis inhibition in the combination treatment group. The uptake of [68Ga]-NOTA-GZP on day …

Multi-Omics Analysis Of Nf1 Deficiency In Various Cell Types Implicates Roles Outside Of Ras For Cells And Their Microenvironment, Christian Xavier Fay

All ETDs from UAB

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant disease in which many patients develop the hallmark feature, neurofibromas, benign tumors that develop along the peripheral nerves. Currently there is no known cure for NF1, and more than 3000 germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in NF1 have been observed. The neurofibromin gene encodes the 320kDa NF1 protein which has multiple predicted functions. Its most under-stood molecular role is in binding GTP-Ras and stimulating Ras-GTPase to cleave GTP to GDP and inactivate Ras signaling. In fact, the only FDA-approved therapeutic is the MEK inhibitor selumetinib which acts downstream of Ras. NF1 also has Ras …

Clinical Practice And Perspectives On Addressing Biomechanical Maladaptations After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction And A Potential Novel Solution, Kyle Southall

All ETDs from UAB

Gait is one of the most daily cyclic events an otherwise healthy human will experience. After an orthopedic injury such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that is commonly reconstructed (ACLR), gait can be largely affected, both acutely after injury, and long-term affecting the long-term knee health of the individual. As those individuals who sustain an ACL injury and subsequent reconstruction are commonly young, typically in their teens to early 30 years of age, the long-term effects of an ACLR procedure can have decades of impact on their respective quality of life. This dissertation used a variety of experimental …

Investigating Molecular Mechanisms Behind Neuronotypic Gba1 Mutations In Lewy Body Dementias, Casey Mahoney-Crane

All ETDs from UAB

Nonmotor deficits are present in nearly all Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, with ~80% of these patients developing dementia. Importantly, expression of the severe GBA1 L444P heterozygous mutation increases the risk for Parkinson’s disease devel-opment by 5.43 times compared to mild mutation carriers. Currently, many PD treat-ments predominately focus motor symptoms, while treatments for nonmotor symptoms, such as visual-spatial difficulties and dementia, focus on symptom management and continue to remain elusive. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these nonmotor symptoms is essential for the development of effective therapeutics leading to slower disease progression. The work presented in this dissertation sought to …

Prenatally-Derived Macrophages Regulate Choroidal Health And Are Depleted In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Seth Daniel Fortmann

All ETDs from UAB

The ocular choroid is the pigmented vascular bed that lies immediately deep to the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). The principal function of the choroid is to supply the photoreceptors with oxygen and nutrients and to remove waste products from the outer retina. In age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the choroid is dysfunctional as evidenced by hallmark histopathological findings including accumulation of extracellular lipid and vasodegeneration of the choriocapillaris. How and why the choroid fails in AMD remains incompletely understood. To this end, much attention has been paid to the RPE and endothelium but less is known about the contributions of other …

The Effects Of Acute Beetroot Juice Intake On Glycemic And Blood Pressure Responses When Controlling For Medication In Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes, Andrew Tyler

All ETDs from UAB

The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases has continued to rise within the United. Physical activity and poor dietary choices are two factors that are known to contribute to the rise in cardiometabolic diseases. Thus, it is critical to identify strategies that may mitigate the negative impact from these behaviors. Several recent studies have shown that consumption of dietary inorganic nitrate (diNO3) may improve vascular health and glucose regulation in animal models and some human studies. However, the improvements in glucose regulation have yet to be corroborated in humans with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Thus, the purpose of this study was to …

O-Glcnacylation And Modulation Of Gabaergic Transmission, Shekinah Phillips

All ETDs from UAB

Changes in the strength of GABAergic transmission is heavily influenced by posttranslational modifications and allosteric modulators like benzodiazepines and neurosteroids. O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) is a post-translational modification that is tightly regulated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA), which add or remove the O-GlcNAc moiety of β–N-acetylglucosamine to serine and threonine residues on proteins, respectively. Published reports from our lab have demonstrated that an acute increase in O-GlcNAcylation induces a long-term depression (LTD) of evoked GABAAR mediated IPSCs (eIPSCs) and reduces the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous IPSC (sIPSC) in hippocampal principal cells, however the mechanism in which this occurs is …

Elementary Cone Photoreceptor Signals In V1 Neurons, Cyril Nyankerh

All ETDs from UAB

Daylight vision is initiated by the activation of cone photoreceptors in the retina in response to light, thereby generating spatial and temporal patterns of photoreceptor signals. Subsequent to this, the signals are combined and processed in downstream neural circuits, ultimately contributing to the formation of receptive fields of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). Recent advances in adaptive optics (AO) have enabled imaging of the retina with near diffraction limited resolution, allowing for the probing of the visual system's processing at the resolution of individual cones. The central theme of this dissertation characterizes quantitively and qualitatively the physiological responses of …

The T Cell Response In A Mouse Model Of Multiple System Atrophy, Nicole Jane Corbin-Stein

All ETDs from UAB

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a fatal and rare demyelinating synucleinopathy, characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) within oligodendrocytes. This condition is marked by neuroinflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration in areas showing GCI pathology, involving antigen presentation by myeloid cells and infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Despite strong evidence of neuroinflammation in post-mortem MSA tissue, the specific mechanisms driving the disease pathogenesis remain elusive. In prior research using the Olig001-SYN mouse model, which involves the modified AAV vector, it was shown that depleting CD4+ T cells can reduce neuroinflammation and demyelination. Notably, this …