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Other Physiology

Theses/Dissertations

2015

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Physiology

Cardioprotective Role Of The Cholinergic System, Mouhamed Dakroub Dec 2015

Cardioprotective Role Of The Cholinergic System, Mouhamed Dakroub

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The process of aging is an irreversible continuum experienced by all individuals. A large number of physiological transformations occur to the cardiovascular system as one ages. These changes result in increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, many of which are frequently seen in geriatric populations. While the exact mechanisms of age-related cardiac dysfunction have not been established, abnormal cholinergic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathology of other age related diseases; therefore, we have hypothesized that age induced cholinergic dysfunction is detrimental to cardiac function and health. This study seeks to identify whether increased cholinergic signaling, either by transgenic overexpression …

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Cardiovascular Regulation And Effects Of Respiratory Motor Training In Patients With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Bonnie Legg Ditterline Dec 2015

Cardiovascular Regulation And Effects Of Respiratory Motor Training In Patients With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Bonnie Legg Ditterline

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation attempts to discover the mechanisms between cardiovascular and respiratory motor control post spinal cord injury (SCI): in normal, non-injured (NI) persons, cardiovascular regulation is dependent upon respiration, but there is nothing that suggests the mechanism for this relationship post-SCI. Thus we hoped to evaluate various aspects of cardiovascular regulation to further illustrate how this relationship is changed or unchanged by SCI. Chapter I describes the anatomy and physiology of the spine, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system in a NI person, and then describes how the function of these systems is changed by SCI. In addition, we describe therapies …

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Effects Of Supplemental Hydration On Physiology And Behavior Of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus), Griffin D. Capehart Oct 2015

Effects Of Supplemental Hydration On Physiology And Behavior Of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus), Griffin D. Capehart

Master's Theses

Hydration is a critical element for many physiological processes in vertebrates, such as protein production, innate immunity, and behavioral processes such as daily activity and thermoregulation. Few studies have directly assessed the effect of hydration on these animals in nature. While it seems intuitive that drought is stressful to animals, studies examining drought are typically observational and fail to assess how the hydration state of these animals influences their physiology and behavior. We tested for an effect of hydration on several physiological and behavioral parameters in Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) by experimentally manipulating hydration levels in …

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Salivary Vip Concentrations Are Elevated In Humans After Acute Stress, Giovanni Ventre Aug 2015

Salivary Vip Concentrations Are Elevated In Humans After Acute Stress, Giovanni Ventre

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this research was to evaluate two salivary neuropeptides in the context of the stress response. The research was focused first and foremost on evaluating the usefulness of salivary Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and salivary vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) as stress indicators. Secondly, we questioned whether these markers help us in distinguishing between physical and psychological stress. Psychological stress can be experienced in a situation such as that in anticipation of an important exam or mental task. Physical stress can be experienced usually by strenuous exercise. Salivary NPY and salivary VIP are two neuropeptides that are released as a …

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The Ctcf Chromatin Organizer Is Required For Hindlimb Development, Katherine L. Rabicki Jul 2015

The Ctcf Chromatin Organizer Is Required For Hindlimb Development, Katherine L. Rabicki

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mutations in chromatin organizer CTCF were identified in patients with intellectual disability and skeletal defects. Previous studies demonstrated that depletion of CTCF in murine limb mesenchyme results in apoptosis in the forelimb. The role of CTCF in the hindlimb, however, is unknown. My objective was to investigate effects of CTCF deletion on chondrogenesis and skeletal development in the hindlimb. In vitro wild-type micromass cultures demonstrate that chondrocyte gene expression is delayed in the hindlimb when compared to forelimbs. Embryonic CtcfFl/Fl;Prx1Cre mice were investigated, and qRT-PCR and histology were performed on limb buds and long bones. Results show that …

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Reactivity Of The Middle Cerebral Artery To Carbon Dioxide, Nicole Coverdale Jun 2015

Reactivity Of The Middle Cerebral Artery To Carbon Dioxide, Nicole Coverdale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is used for the assessment of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) at the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with the assumption that diameter of the artery does not change. Thus, CBFV is equivalent to cerebral blood flow (CBF). The purpose of this thesis was determine if the MCA dilates during hypercapnia (HC) and/or constricts during hypocapnia (HO) in healthy young and older adults using 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We also determined how these changes in MCA cross-sectional area (CSA) influence estimates of CBF and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) from TCD in young and older adults. Lastly, we …

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The Role Of Shroom3 In Kidney Development, Alexandra Sull Jun 2015

The Role Of Shroom3 In Kidney Development, Alexandra Sull

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 10% of the population in industrialized nations. Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have correlated SHROOM3 with glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria. To elucidate Shroom3’s role in the kidney, I employed a gene trap mouse model (Shroom3Gt/Gt allele) that produces a non-functional Shroom3 protein. Shroom3 is expressed in the podocytes embryonically and in adulthood as well as other cell types. Shroom3 loss results in glomerular cysts and reduced glomerular number. Some Shroom3+/Gt and Shroom3Gt/Gt podocytes showed loss of apical ROCK1, pMLC and actin consistent with the role of Shroom3 in …

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Novel Video Imaging To Examine Cardiac Function In Xenopus Embryos, Judith Sull Jun 2015

Novel Video Imaging To Examine Cardiac Function In Xenopus Embryos, Judith Sull

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) occur in approximately 1% of live births and the etiology has been associated with disturbances in cardiogenesis. However, the majority of research examining CHDs relies on static morphological data, which does not elucidate how defects alter cardiac function. I used Xenopus laevis embryos to examine the association between CHDs and functional alterations using a novel imaging system that can obtain high- resolution images through a non-invasive procedure. A high-speed video camera and software were used to assess cardiac function, permitting functional characterization of late Xenopus cardiogenesis. Verification of the imaging system’s ability to detect changes in …

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The Effect Of Taste On Swallowing Function, Rachel Mulheren May 2015

The Effect Of Taste On Swallowing Function, Rachel Mulheren

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study investigated the effects of taste on swallowing frequency and cortical activation in the swallowing network. The effects of salivary flow and taster status were also examined, along with genetic taster status. The effects of a 3ml bolus compared sour, sour with slow infusion, sweet, water, and water with infusion. Swallowing frequency was significantly higher 0-15 seconds after bolus delivery than 16-30 seconds. Swallowing frequency was higher in the sour conditions, whereas sweet and water did not differ. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings measured changes in blood oxygenation (HbO) in the right and left hemispheres in the premotor, S1 and …

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Effects Of Pre-Release Physical Stressors On Post-Release Success Of Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Taylor Westbrook Guest May 2015

Effects Of Pre-Release Physical Stressors On Post-Release Success Of Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Taylor Westbrook Guest

Master's Theses

Alteration of habitat associated with coastal development and increased demand for food and recreation can result in the depletion of fisheries resources such as the Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), the Gulf of Mexico’s most popular recreational fish. Stock enhancement, or the release of cultured fish to supplement wild populations, is one potential tool for managing important fisheries resources. Although much effort has gone into marine stock enhancement, the effectiveness of stocking is not well established, and techniques for ensuring success have not been developed. Although the basic biology of the Spotted Seatrout is well known, comparatively little is known about …

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Prenatal Exposure To Bisphenol A Disrupts Fetal Liver Maturation In A Sex-Specific Manner, Bianca Debenedictis Apr 2015

Prenatal Exposure To Bisphenol A Disrupts Fetal Liver Maturation In A Sex-Specific Manner, Bianca Debenedictis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Developmental exposure to BPA is associated with liver dysfunction and diseases in adulthood. However, the effects of BPA on liver development are unknown. To address this question, pregnant mice were exposed to BPA via diet from embryonic day 7.5 (E7.5) to E18.5. At E18.5, fetal livers were collected, and analyzed for changes in the expression of key hepatic maturation markers. We found the following significant protein alterations in BPA-exposed female but not male fetal livers: (a) mature hepatocyte markers, albumin and glycogen synthase, were decreased; (b) immature hepatocyte marker, alpha-fetoprotein, was increased; (c) master transcription factor of hepatocyte differentiation, C/EBP-α, …

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