Life Sciences Commons^™

Exercise Is Medicine: The Exercise Habits And Attitudes Towards Exercise Counseling Of Medical Practitioners, Zoë Roberts

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine the exercise habits of practicing physicians, physician assistants (PA), and nurse practitioners (NP) in Illinois to better understand their attitudes towards counseling their patients on exercise, and to analyze the frequency that these health care providers incorporate exercise counseling into their practices. Current data has revealed the exercise habits of physicians and how it has influenced the physicians' exercise counseling behaviors. But PAs and NPs have not been included in research collectively as a medical team on the topic using exercise counseling and prescription for patient care and treatment. The research was …

Downregulation In Ifngr1 Increases Suspectiblity To Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Infection In Crohn's Disease, Zin Mar Htun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and has been associated with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). MAP has been detected in stool, tissue and blood samples from patients with CD. Gamma interferon (γ-IFN) is an inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in killing intracellular pathogens like MAP, and its receptor (IFNGR1) mutations cause immunodeficiency and severe disseminated mycobacterial infections. The role of MAP in association with IFNGR1 mutation in CD patients have not been investigated. METHODS: In this study, we investigated blood samples of 79 human subjects for MAP infection in association with IFNGR1 gene …

Discovery And Characterization Of Novel Antimicrobials Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Carolina Rodrigues Felix

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis disease is currently a global health emergency, causing the most deaths worldwide due a single infectious agent. Eradication of TB is hampered by lack of an effective vaccine and poor treatment options. During infection, host-derived cues such as hypoxia and starvation induce Mycobacterium tuberculosis to halt replication and become dormant, which leads to tolerance to front-line antibiotics used in the TB treatment. This dormant phenotype causes delayed clearance of M. tuberculosis, therefore a long treatment time is required for stable cure without relapse. Poor patient compliance increases the emergence of drug resistant strains, posing yet another challenge for the …

The Behavior Of Humans And Wildlife With Respect To Roads: Insights For Mitigation And Management, Molly Grace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Road ecology is the study of how roads and wildlife interact. Traditionally, road ecologists have primarily focused on one effect of roads: roadkill. Though roadkill can have devastating effects on wildlife populations, roads have sub-lethal impacts that are gaining more and more attention from the scientific community. These sub-lethal impacts include noise, light, and chemical pollution as well as altered habitat structure, which can all influence animal behavior. In this dissertation, I applied a behavioral ecology framework to study specific lethal and sub-lethal road effects with the goal of improving mitigation efforts. In Chapters 1 and 2, I evaluated how …

Using Biomarkers To Assess The Migratory Ecology And Reproduction Of The Florida Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas), Ryan Chabot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migratory connectivity between breeding and foraging areas is a vital component of the ecology of a diverse collection of marine vertebrates. Habitat quality, composition, and resource availability at these locations have direct ramifications for individual fitness. The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a long-lived, highly migratory species of conservation concern. Important green turtle nesting habitat in Florida is protected, but more information is needed to identify foraging habitats and the influence these habitats have on reproduction. Here, I used stable isotope analysis of δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S and satellite telemetry validation to determine the number of putative foraging areas used …

Cross-Continental Insights Into Jaguar (Panthera Onca) Ecology And Conservation, Joe Figel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a widely distributed large carnivore and the focal species of a range-wide connectivity initiative known as the jaguar conservation network (JCN). Comprised of ~83 Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) and ~75 corridors from northern Mexico to Argentina, the JCN functions as a conduit for jaguar movement and gene flow. Key linkages in the network are imperiled by human population growth, large-scale agriculture, highway expansion, and other infrastructural development. Labeled "corridors of concern," these vulnerable linkages are imperative to the maintenance of connectivity and genetic diversity throughout jaguar distribution. I take a multi-faceted approach to analyze conservation …

Cathepsin B Regulates Vldl Secretion Through Lfabp Cleavage, Simeon Thibeaux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The liver is tasked with managing the concentration of various metabolites in the blood, and of particular importance is the uptake of free fatty-acid (FFA), as elevated concentrations of FFA are toxic to cells. FFAs are transported across the cell membrane by CD36 and distributed by LFABP to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they are esterified to glycerol, yielding more chemically inert triglyceride (TAG), which is essential to the process of VLDL assembly. VLDL secretion distributes energy rich TAG to peripheral tissues, and its dysfunction leads to hepatic steatosis, which may progress into hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study examined the …

Discovery And Characterization Of Antimalarials With Novel Mechanisms Of Action, Bracken Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Malaria kills over 500,000 people each year and over a third of the global population is at risk of infection. Though the human race has been fighting the malaria war for over 4,000 years and we have made great strides in eliminating malaria from many countries, we are treading on the edge of what could be another malaria epidemic primarily due to widespread drug resistance. There are documented cases of resistance for every known antimalarial in use today, including Artemisinins. It is critical that we open a new window of discovery in development of next generation antimalarials that circumvent current …

Using Molecular Genetic And Demographic Tools To Improve Management Of Ex Situ Avian Populations, Gina Ferrie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Small populations, specifically those that are isolated from others, are more prone to extinction than larger inter-connected populations. The risks that these small isolated populations face include loss of genetic diversity due to founder effects and inbreeding due to population bottlenecks, as well as demographic uncertainty due to fluctuating fecundity and mortality rates and impacts of external environmental factors. Ex situ populations, including those managed as conservation breeding programs with species recovery aims, as well as those that do not have reintroduction goals but are managed for long term population sustainability, suffer from the same extinction risks as small and …

Development Of Molecular Diagnostic Tools For Mycobacterium Species, Hillary Bengtson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of diagnostic tools for mycobacteria using hybridization based technologies including binary deoxyribozyme (BiDz) sensors and microarrays. The genus Mycobacterium, is a diverse group of bacteria containing 150+ species including M. tuberculosis (M.tb) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) which exhibit a range of pathogenicity, drug susceptibility and growth characteristics. M. tuberculosis (M.tb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB) and the leading cause of infectious disease related deaths worldwide. The control of TB is limited by the lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools available at the point of care (POC). The studies presented here illustrate …

Biological Individuality: A Relational Reading, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Repeated Sprint Training In Hypoxia And Beta-Alanine Supplementation On Exercise Performance, Ran Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effects of repeated sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) and beta-alanine supplementation on performance in recreationally active men. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: hypoxia + beta-alanine (HB, n = 10), hypoxia + placebo (HP, n = 9), normoxia + beta-alanine (NB, n = 11) and normoxia + placebo (NP, n = 8). All participants completed a total of 8 training sessions (each consisting of 3 sets of 5 × 10-s sprints at a resistance of 7.5% of body mass, with 20-s rest intervals between sprints) …

Reproductive Life History And Signal Evolution In A Multi-Species Assemblage Of Electric Fish, Joseph Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animals that co-occur in sympatry with multiple closely-related species use reproductive mate attraction signals not only to assess the quality of a potential conspecific mate (sexual selection), but also to discriminate conspecifics from heterospecifics (species recognition). However, the extent to which sexual selection and species recognition may interact, or even conflict, is poorly known. Neotropical electric fish offer unrivaled opportunities for understanding this problem. They generate simple, stereotyped mate attraction signals that are easy to record and quantify, and that are well-understood from the neurobiological perspective. Additionally, they live in electrically-crowded environments, where multiple congeners live and reproduce in close …

Biochemical And Histological Differences Between Costal And Articular Cartilages, Michael W. Stacey

Bioelectrics Publications

Biologically, costal cartilage is an understudied tissue type and much is yet to be learned regarding underlying mechanisms related to form and function, and how these relate to disease states, specifically chest wall deformity. Chest wall deformities have a component of inheritance, implying underlying genetic causes; however the complexity of inheritance suggests multiple genetic components. At our Centre investigations were performed on gene expression of key select genes from costal cartilage removed at surgery of patients with chest wall deformity to show high expression of decorin, a key player in collagen fiber formation and growth. Also, the degree of tissue …

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis And A Role For Autoimmunity, G Hoyne, H Elliott, S Mutsaers, C Prele

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is the most common of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. It is typically associated with extensive and progressive fibrosis, is fatal and has limited treatment options. Characteristically IPF patients display large lymphocyte aggregates composed of CD3+ T cells and CD20+ B cells within the lung tissue that are located near sites of active fibrosis. In addition, IPF patients can have autoantibodies to a range of host antigens, suggesting a breakdown in immunological tolerance. In this review we examine the role of T and B cells in IPF pathogenesis and discuss how loss of self- tolerance to lung …

The Relationship Between Repeated Kicking Performance And Maximal Aerobic Capacity In Elite Junior Australian Football, J Joseph, C Woods, C Joyce

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Australian football (AF) is a physically demanding game, requiring players to engage in a range of anaerobic activities interspersed with prolonged aerobic exercise. Coupled, players have to perform a range of technical skills, the most fundamental of which being to effectively kick (dispose) the ball. The aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which aerobic capacity influenced kicking performance in AF. Twenty four elite U18 players competing in the same U18 competition performed the Australian Football Kicking test (AFK) three times with the yo-yo IR2 completed twice (between each AFK), with no rest between all three AFKs. …

The Association Between Secondary Mathematics And First Year University Performance In Health Sciences, C Joyce, G Hine, R Anderton

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the rate of participation in secondary school mathematics courses within Australia, particularly in advanced or higher level mathematics. The aim of this study was to investigate how grade point average (GPA) differed between five health science degrees at an Australian university. The association between Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking (ATAR), the level of mathematics completed at secondary school and GPA was also investigated. Results showed that students studying Biomedical Sciences and Physiotherapy had significantly higher GPA and ATAR than students studying Exercise and Sports Science, Physical Education, and Nursing. A higher …

Excisional Treatment In Women With Cervical Adenocarcinoma In Situ (Ais): A Prospective Randomised Controlled Noninferiority Trial To Compare Ais Persistence/Recurrence After Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure With Cold Knife Cone Biopsy: Protocol For A Pilot Study, Paul A. Cohen, Alison Brand, Peter Sykes, David C.H. Wrede, Orla Mcnally, Lois Eva, Archana Rao, Michael Campion, Martin Stockler, Aime Powell, Jim Codde, Max Bulsara, Lyndal Anderson, Yee Leung, Louise Farrell, Pennie Stoyles

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: Adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) of the uterine cervix is the precursor to invasive endocervical adenocarcinoma. An excisional biopsy such as a cold knife cone biopsy (CKC) should be performed to exclude invasive adenocarcinoma. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is an alternative modality to CKC but is controversial in AIS. There is a perception that there is a greater likelihood of incomplete excision of AIS with LEEP because the depth of excised tissue tends to be smaller and the tissue margins may show thermal artefact which can interfere with pathology assessment. In the USA, guidelines recommend that any treatment modality …

Optimizing Patient Risk Stratification For Colonoscopy Screening And Surveillance Of Colorectal Cancer: The Role For Linked Data, David B. Preen, Iris Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Hooi C. Ee, Cameron Platell, Dayna R. Cenin, Lakkhina Troeung, Max Bulsara, Peter O'Leary

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract available for this article.

Assessment Of R18, Cog1410, And App96-110 In Excitotoxicity And Traumatic Brain Injury, Li Shan Chiu, Ryan S. Anderton, Jane L. Cross, Vince W. Clark, Adam B. Edwards, Neville W. Knuckey, Bruno P. Meloni

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Cationic arginine-rich and poly-arginine peptides (referred to as CARPs) have potent neuroprotective properties in in vitro excitotoxicity and in vivo models of stroke. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) shares many pathophysiological processes as stroke, including excitotoxicity. Therefore, we evaluated our lead peptide, poly-arginine R18, with the COG1410 and APP96-110 peptides, which have neuroprotective actions following TBI. In an in vitro cortical neuronal glutamic acid excitotoxicity injury model, R18 was highly neuroprotective and reduced neuronal calcium influx, while COG1410 and APP96-110 displayed modest neuroprotection and were less effective at reducing calcium influx. In an impact-acceleration closed-head injury model (Marmarou model), R18, COG1410, …

Study Protocol For A Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating The Effect Of Prenatal Omega-3 Lcpufa Supplementation To Reduce The Incidence Of Preterm Birth: The Orip Trial, Shao J. Zhou, Karen Best, Robert Gibson, Andrew Mcphee, Lisa Yelland, Julie Quinlivan, Maria Makrides

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: Preterm birth accounts for more than 85% of all perinatal complications and deaths. Seventy-five per cent of early preterm births (EPTBs) occur spontaneously and without identifiable risk factors. The need for a broadly applicable, effective strategy for primary prevention is paramount. Secondary outcomes from the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to Optimise Mother Infant Outcome trial showed that maternal supplementation until delivery with omega-3 (ω-3) long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), predominantly as DHA, resulted in a 50% reduction in the incidence of EPTB and an increase in the incidence of post-term induction or post-term prelabour caesarean section due to extended …

P120 Catenin Regulates Inflammation In Macrophage, Xiaoqing Guan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Objective: p120 catenin (p120ctn) has been reported to play a critical role in maintenance of the stability of adherens junctions. It also has potential anti-inflammatory effects in epithelial and endothelial cells. This research was designed to evaluate the effects of p120ctn on inflammatory responses in human macrophages upon LPS stimulation, as well as the possible mechanism by which p120ctn regulates LPS-induced proinflammatory response in macrophages. Methods: THP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages by PMA. The isoforms of p120ctn were identified via RT-PCR and Western blot. The expression of p120ctn was examined by Western blot in THP-1 derived macrophages …

Identifying The Function Of The Calpain Small Subunit In The Mechanics Of Cell Migration, Bingqing Hao

Wayne State University Dissertations

Cell migration plays a vital role in many physiological events including: morphogenesis, wound healing, and immune response. Dysfunctional cell migration results in multiple disease states including chronic inflammation, vascular disease, and tumor metastasis, to name a few. Progress in understanding the mechanism of cell migration had been slow until the turn of the century when rapid technological advances in microscopy and omics burst to the forefront. These advances led to the realization that physical factors (dimensions, fluid shear stress, hydrostatic pressure, compression stress, environmental stiffness, and topography) have profound effects on cell migration. This study of cell mechanics has expanded …

Clinicopathology And Molecular Determinants Underlying Benign Breast And Breast Cancer Lesions, Andreana Holowatyj Holowatyj

Wayne State University Dissertations

Despite converging incidence rates for breast cancers by race, disparities in mortality persist where black women suffer from poorer prognosis compared to white counterparts. To understand the clinical, demographic, and molecular characteristics underlying these disparities, we examined differences among patients with breast cancer to understand the role of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, age, and race/ethnicity among women diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, and disparities in surgical therapy among female patients with early stage young-onset breast cancer. Benign breast disease, another known risk factor for breast cancer, includes a histological spectrum of lesions, could contribute to …

Understanding The Mechanism Of Oxidative Stress Generation By Oxidized Dopamine Metabolites: Implications In Parkinson's Disease, Nihar Mehta

Wayne State University Dissertations

Oxidation of dopamine to toxic metabolites is considered to be one of the prime factors involved in the death of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Some dopamine oxidation products have the capability to redox cycle in the presence of molecular oxygen, further contributing to oxidative stress. Therefore, our aim here was to study the redox cycling of dopamine oxidized metabolites and elucidate the underlying mechanism by which they cause oxidative stress.

Redox reactions involve transfer of one or more electrons between two compounds

resulting in either oxidation or reduction. In redox cycling, a compound undergoes

alternate oxidation and reduction, transferring …

Horizontal And Vertical Integration Of Bio-Molecular Data, Tin Chi Nguyen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Modern biomedical research lies at the crossroads of data gathering, interpretation, and hypothesis testing. Due to noise, study bias, or too small changes in biological signals between disease and healthy, individual studies often fail to identify the true phenomenon. Data integration is the key to obtaining the power needed to pinpoint the biological mechanisms of disease states. Given this, we tried to make important contributions in both horizontal and vertical integration of high-throughput data; the former is meta-analysis of independent studies, while the latter is the integration of multi-omics data.

For horizontal meta-analysis, we developed two frameworks: DANUBE and the …

Analysis Of The Secondary Neurodegenerative Consequences Of Primary Oligodendrocyte Stress Through The Use Of The Novel Obiden Mouse Model, Daniel Zdzislaw Radecki

Wayne State University Dissertations

The work of this project was to develop, test and characterize a potential novel mouse model of the neurodegenerative disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Historically, MS has been identified as a primary autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). However, treatments based on this view have met with limited success, and in most cases, fail to prevent progression of MS from mild to moderate and severe forms. Original observations regarding axonal and neuronal pathology in the white and gray matter of the CNS were rediscovered in the 1990s. These observations indicated that even in the absence of the immune system, …

Functional Analysis Of Sin3 Isoforms In Drosophila, Nirmalya Saha

Wayne State University Dissertations

he multisubunit SIN3 complex is a global transcriptional regulator. In Drosophila, a single Sin3A gene encodes different isoforms of SIN3, of which SIN3 187 and SIN3 220 are the major isoforms. Previous studies have demonstrated functional non-redundancy of SIN3 isoforms. The role of SIN3 isoforms in regulating distinct biological processes, however, is not well characterized. In addition, how the components of the SIN3 complex modulate the gene regulatory activity of the complex is not well understood. In this study, I identified the biological processes regulated by the SIN3 isoforms. Additionally, I explored how Caf1-55 impacts the gene regulatory activity of …

Remote Preconditioning: Evaluating The Efficacy Of Cardioprotection In Type-2 Diabetes And Exploring The Mechanistic Role Of Exosomes, Joseph Michael Wider

Wayne State University Dissertations

Remote preconditioning is a promising and robust treatment for myocardial

ischemia/reperfusion injury that evokes cardioprotection through endogenous neural

and/or humoral signaling. A recent study has reported that protective signaling is

mediated by exosomes through the circulation; however this concept is supported by

limited and inconsistent evidence. Despite overwhelming success in preclinical studies,

the efficacy of remote preconditioning in human studies is inconclusive. Importantly, the

majority of remote preconditioning studies use healthy animal models despite growing

evidence that comorbidities, such as type-2 diabetes, may negatively influence

outcomes. Nonetheless, the efficacy of remote preconditioning in the setting of type-2

diabetes has not …

Transferrin Receptor Targeted Delivery Of Sirna For Gene Therapy, Yuran Xie

Wayne State University Dissertations

Gene therapy is thought to be a solution for various difficult to treat diseases such as cancer. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) as a promising anti-sense molecule can specifically silence disease related gene have been exploit in different diseases. However, lack of safe and efficient siRNA delivery systems limits the application of siRNA therapy in clinic. Transferrin receptor (TfR) is an essential transmembrane receptor involved in iron uptake. TfR universally express in most cells/ tissues but upregulated in certain cells, for example, many cancer cells and activated T cells (ATCs). To overcome the biological barriers and increase siRNA delivery efficiency, in …