Physiology Commons^™

"Human Babesiosis": An Emerging Transfusion Dilemma, Helieh S. Oz, Karin N. Westlund

Physiology Faculty Publications

Babesiosis, a common disease of animals, can infect humans via vector "tick bite", particularly in endemic areas. The recent reports of fatal cases in Hepatitis C and postliver transplant patients resulting from transfusion of contaminated blood should alert the medical profession regarding this emerging dilemma in endemic as well as nonendemic areas and the need for accurate blood screening for transfusion. Here, we illustrate different stages of the parasite lifecycle, progression of babesiosis in animal model, some aspects of pathologic outcomes, ongoing therapeutic modalities, and a feasible Acridine Orange fluorescent methodology for the diagnostic evaluation of blood samples.

Nutrition, Inflammation, And Infectious Disease, Helieh S. Oz, Sung-Ling Yeh

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pegylated Arginine Deiminase Downregulates Colitis In Murine Models, Helieh S. Oz, Jian Zhong, Willem J. S. De Villiers

Physiology Faculty Publications

Arginine deiminase (ADI), an arginine-metabolizing enzyme involved in cell signaling, is dysregulated in multiple inflammatory diseases and cancers. We hypothesized that pegylated ADI (ADI-PEG) provide protection against colitis.

METHODS: Dextran sodium sulfate colitis was induced in IL-10-deficient and BALB/c (WT) mice. ADI-PEG was administered i.p., and inflammatory mediators and pathology were evaluated.

RESULTS: Acute colitis in mice was manifested by increases in inflammatory biomarkers, such as serum amyloid A (SAA, P < 0.001), IL-12 p40, and disease index (3-Fold). In contrast, ADI-PEG significantly decreased clinical disease index, SAA levels, and inflammatory cytokines in blood as well as in colonic explants. Animals developed moderate (2.2 ± 0.3 WT) to severe (3.6 ± 0.5 IL-10 deficient) colonic pathology; and ADI-PEG treatment significantly improved the severity of colitis (P < 0.05). Marked infiltration of CD68+ macrophages and iNOS expression were detected in colonic submucosa in colitic animals but not detected in ADI-PEG-treated animals.

CONCLUSION: ADI-PEG attenuated inflammatory responses by suppression of macrophage infiltration and iNOS expression in colitic animals. ADI-PEG can serve as a potential therapeutic value in IBD.

Sex Differences In The Cardiac Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Contractile Response, Victoria Mcintosh

Wayne State University Dissertations

Premenopausal females are at a reduced risk for developing cardiovascular disease as compared to males; this sex difference is not present following menopause. &beta-adrenergic receptors are pharmaceutical targets in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and sex differences in &beta-adrenergic responsiveness have been demonstrated. However, limited studies have addressed the mechanism(s) underlying these differences. To investigate these sex differences, studies were performed using isolated perfused hearts from male, intact female and ovariectomized female mice, as well as male and female ventricular myocytes. Female hearts exhibited blunted contractile responses to the &beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (ISO) compared to males but not ovariectomized …

Investigation Of Posttranscriptional Regulation After Global Brain Ischemia And Reperfusion Injury, Jeffrey J. Szymanski

Wayne State University Dissertations

The final cause of death in most patients revived after cardiac arrest is ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in the brain. Survival after brain I/R injury depends on the expression of new stress response proteins such as heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Little is known about why recovering neurons are able to express new stress response proteins while neurons that will die can transcribe RNA but do not translated protein in early reperfusion. Previous studies suggested that the mRNA-binding protein HuR may regulate hsp70 mRNA in reperfused neurons through a novel cytoplasmic structure, the mRNA granule. To determine the roles …

Hcn1 Immunoreactivity Of Α-Motoneurons Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Saif Ahmed

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Peripheral axotomy causes significant alterations in intrinsic motoneuron activity and excitability. Despite successful reinnervation of peripheral targets after injury, the recovery of motor function is incomplete. Following axotomy in the adult cat, there is an increase in the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) of the action potential in specific motoneuron types. AHP duration can be inversely correlated with the amount of Ih or sag current and further shaped through SK (Small conductance calcium-activated potassium) channel currents (Gustafsson and Pinter, 1985; Kuno, Miyata, and Muñoz-Martinez, 1974a). Hyperpolarizing-cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels underlie sag currents and are critical to neuronal function by their unique property …

Comparing Two Different Statins In A Delayed Pharmacological Treatment For Ischemic Stroke, Kailyn M. Hagerty

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Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and the top cause of long term disability. Currently there exists no standardized treatment of care for ischemic stroke patients during the days following stroke other than giving aspirin. A drug combination containing fluoxetine, one of two statins, and ascorbic acid was used to try and improve motor function following strokes in rats. Endothelin induced stroke survival surgery was performed on the right cortex of Long Evans and Sprague Dawley rats. Functional tests were completed pre- and post-surgery and immunohistochemistry was carried out to analyze infarct volume, angiogenesis, and the glial …

Quantitative Analysis Of Glycinergic Neurons Including Ia Inhibitory Interneurons In The Ventral Spinal Cord Using A Bac-Glyt2-Egfp Transgenic Mouse Model, Palak Rajeshkumar Painter

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

We are interested in understanding the development of reciprocal inhibition, an important sensory-motor circuit that prevents co-contraction of antagonist muscles during locomotion. This effect is mediated by a subset of glycinergic neurons termed Ia inhibitory interneurons (IaINs). Transgenic mouse models are useful in helping to identify subsets of neurons in developing animals. In this thesis we first wanted to test the BAC-GlyT2-eGFP mice model by measuring GFP expression overlap in neurons with glycine in late-stage embryos (E17.5) and early postnatal animals (P0/P1). Our results suggest more than 98% of glycinergic neurons at these stages also express GFP in GlyT2-EGFP transgenic …

The Use Of Forelimb Asymmetry Functional Tests To Determine Motor Recovery With Various Drug Treatments Following Endothelin-Induced Stroke, Kelly Rebecca Leach

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Our laboratory has found increased functional recovery post-stroke with Long Evans rats that received a combination of fluoxetine, simvastatin, and vitamin C. The objectives of this study were to test that treatment and other drug combinations on Sprague Dawley rats, to determine whether Forelimb Asymmetry is a reliable behavioral measure for stroke studies, and to determine the most optimal surgical procedure on Sprague Dawley rats. There were more significant increases in functional recovery observed on the Forelimb Asymmetry than on Montoya Staircase behavioral tests, but there were no significant differences between treatment groups and control. The largest number of rats …

Expressing Human Orai3 In Insect Cells For Pharmacological Studies, Orville R. Bennett

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The Orai3 protein forms a Ca2+ channel with a pharmacological profile distinct from its close relative, the store-operated Ca2+ channel Orai1. Though closely related to Orai1, the function of Orai3 in humans is still unclear. This study attempts to contribute to the body of knowledge by undertaking a pharmacological analysis of Orai3 in insect cells. We describe here the creation of a vector capable of expressing the mammalian Orai3 gene on an insect background. We demonstrate the ability to induce gene expression of Orai3 in these insect cells, and then assess the effectiveness of this system by characterizing the pharmacological …

Template-Based Structure Prediction And Classification Of Transcription Factors In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Tao Lu, Yuedong Yang, Bo Yao, Song Liu, Yaoqi Zhou, Chi Zhang

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plants. However, there is no systematic study of their structures and functions of most TFs in plants. Here, we performed template-based structure prediction for all TFs in Arabidopsis thaliana, with their full-length sequences as well as C-terminal and N-terminal regions. A total of 2,918 model structures were obtained with a high confidence score. We find that TF families employ only a smaller number of templates for DNA-binding domains (DBD) but a diverse number of templates for transcription regulatory domains (TRD). Although TF families are classified according to DBD, their sizes have a significant …

Evolution Of Starvation Resistance In Drosophila Melanogaster: Measurement Of Direct And Correlated Responses To Artificial Selection, Tiffany E. Schwasinger-Schmidt, Stephen D. Kachman, Lawrence G. Harshman

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

Laboratory selection for resistance to starvation has been conducted under relatively controlled conditions to investigate direct and correlated responses to artificial selection. With regard to starvation resistance, there are three physiological routes by which the trait can evolve: resource accumulation, energy conservation and starvation tolerance. A majority of energetic compounds and macromolecules including triglycerides, trehalose and other sugars, and soluble protein increased in abundance as a result of selection. Movement was additionally investigated with selected males moving less than control males and selected females exhibiting a similar response to selection. Results obtained from this study supported two of the possible …

A Proposal To Test The Effects Of Factor Ecat1 On Pluripotency, From Reprogramming To Differentiation Of Human Somatic Cells, Vritti R. Goel

CMC Senior Theses

The field of stem cell research has been growing more because of the interest in using stem cells to cure diseases and heal injuries. Human embryonic stem cells, because of the controversy surrounding them—and subsequently the difficulties in acquiring samples of the existing aging cell lines—can only be used in limited capacities. While the development of induced pluripotent stem cells in the last decade has allowed the field to progress closer to medical treatments, the low efficiency of reprogramming a somatic cell to a pluripotent state, and the vast molecular and genomic differences between human embryonic stem cells and human …

The Effect Of Cadmium Exposure On Repeat Swimming Performance And Recovery In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) And Lake Whitefish (Coregonus Clupeaformis), Jessie L. Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Swim performance provides a measure of the integrated metabolic costs of sub-lethal exposure to stressors, including Cd. While the impacts to sustained swimming performance in Cd exposed fish have already been characterised, effects to repeat swimming ability have not. This thesis identifies the effects of sub-lethal waterborne Cd exposure on ionoregulatory function, repeat swimming ability, anaerobic metabolism and stress response in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis).

Repeat swim trials included an initial swim to 85% of the U_crit of control fish and a recovery period …

Chemotherapy: The Physiological Cost Of A Cure, Megan Ellis

A with Honors Projects

This project focuses on the common long term side effects of cancer treatments, apart from cure. In addition to physiological function changes, it focuses on the chemical composition of chemotherapy drugs.

The Effects Of Phosphatidylserine On Reaction Time And Cognitive Function Following An Exercise Stress, Adam John Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an endogenously occurring phospholipid that has been shown to have cognition and mood enhancing properties in humans, possibly through its role as an enzyme co-factor in cellular signal transduction. Specifically, PS has been identified as activator of classical isoforms of protein kinase C, an enzyme known to be involved in the growth and differentiation of neural cells, and is therefore thought to play a role in the protection of neurons. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of supplementation with PS and caffeine on measures of cognition, reaction time and mood prior to and …

Phosphatidic Acid Increases Lean Body Tissue And Strength In Resistance Trained Men, David Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phosphatidic Acid (PA) is a natural phospholipid compound derived from lecithin which is commonly found in egg yolk, grains, fish, soybeans, peanuts and yeast. It has been suggested that PA is involved in several intracellular processes associated with muscle hypertrophy. Specifically, PA has been reported to activate protein synthesis through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and thereby may enhance the anabolic effects of resistance training. To our knowledge, no one has examined the effect of PA supplementation in humans while undergoing a progressive resistance training program. To examine the effect of PA supplementation on lean soft tissue …

Effect Of Low Maternal Aldosterone On Offspring Cardiovascular Development, Travis Dean Mckee

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Maternal conditions are well known to affect fetal cardiovascular development. This study was designed to investigate in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the effects of maternal aldosterone suppression on the development of hypertension in the offspring. A sham procedure or a right adrenalectomy combined with cryodestruction of the zona glomerulosa of the left adrenal gland was performed on SHR females. The rats were mated and male offspring were implanted at 11-13 weeks of age with a PA-C40 remote monitoring device placed into the femoral artery to record cardiovascular parameters for 4 weeks. Systolic (mmHg), diastolic (mmHg), and mean blood pressure (mmHg), …

The Effect Of Exercise On Endothelin And Endothelin Receptor Levels In Shr And Wky Male And Female Rats, Lacey Stiller

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The role of exercise as a means to modulate renal function in hypertension is unclear. However, prior studies in the laboratory of Dr. Penny Knoblich indicate that exercised female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats excrete significantly more sodium in response to a rise in blood pressure relative to exercised male and sedentary female SHR and WKY rats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise on endothelin and endothelin receptor levels in the urine and kidneys of male and female SHR and WKY rats, to elucidate potential mechanisms to explain an increase …

An Extracellular Domain Of The Accessory Beta1 Subunit Is Required For Modulating Bk Channel Voltage Sensor And Gate, Aleksandra Gruslova, Iurii Semenov, Bin Wang

Bioelectrics Publications

A family of tissue-specific auxiliary beta subunits modulates large conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel gating properties to suit their diverse functions. Paradoxically, beta subunits both promote BK channel activation through a stabilization of voltage sensor activation and reduce BK channel openings through an increased energetic barrier of the closed-to-open transition. The molecular determinants underlying beta subunit function, including the dual gating effects, remain unknown. In this study, we report the first identification of a beta1 functional domain consisting of Y74, S104, Y105, and I106 residues located in the extracellular loop of beta1. These amino acids reside within two …

In Vitro Measurements Of Tracheal Constriction Using Mice, Iurii Semenov, Jeremiah T. Herlihy, Robert Brenner

Bioelectrics Publications

Transgenic and knockout mice have been powerful tools for the investigation of the physiology and pathophysiology of airways(1,2). In vitro tensometry of isolated tracheal preparations has proven to be a useful assay of airway smooth muscle (ASM) contractile response in genetically modified mice. These in vitro tracheal preparations are relatively simple, provide a robust response, and retain both functional cholinergic nerve endings and muscle responses, even after long incubations. Tracheal tensometry also provides a functional assay to study a variety of second messenger signaling pathways that affect contraction of smooth muscle. Contraction in trachea is primarily mediated by parasympathetic, cholinergic …

The Biomechanics Of Tongue Projection In The Frog _Rana Pipiens_: Dynamics And Temperature Effects, Paula Sandusky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ectotherms such as frogs must either function within environments with temperatures amenable to their physiological needs, or find means to reduce the impact of temperature on their activities. Recent studies on reptile and amphibian feeding have shown convergent use of elastic recoil to drive feeding movements, thereby decoupling temperature's effects on muscle from movement and allowing the animals to feed over broader temperature ranges. Rana pipiens specimens (n=5) were exposed to three ambient temperatures (10°, 15°, and 25° C) at which feeding behavior was imaged at 6000 Hz. The image sequences yielded detailed kinematic and dynamic information for jaw, tongue, …

An Exploratory Study Of Reception Of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors And Work Related Outcomes: It Is Good For Your Co-Workers, Xinxuan Che

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The predictors of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) - performance that supports the social and psychological environment in which task performance takes place - have been studied extensively in previous research. Surprisingly, only a few studies have looked into OCB's effects on individuals who might benefit from it. The purpose of the current study was to explore effects of individual-level OCB on its recipients. Reception of OCB (ROCB) is described and proposed to be related to targets' performance, job stress and job strains. In addition, narcissism and proactive personality were explored as predictors of reception of OCB also as moderators of …

Aberrant Sialylation Alters Cardiac Electrical Signaling, Andrew Ednie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the heart, electrical signaling is responsible for its rhythmicity and is necessary to initiate muscle contraction. The net electrical activity in a cardiac myocyte during a contraction cycle is observed as the action potential (AP), which describes a change in membrane potential as a function of time. In ventricular cardiac myocytes, voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) and voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) play antagonistic roles in shaping the AP with the former initiating membrane depolarization and the latter repolarizing it. Functional changes in the primary cardiac Nav isoform, Nav 1.5, or any one of the many Kv isoforms expressed in the …

Effects Of 17Α-Ethinylestradiol (Ee2) On Reproductive Endocrine Status In Mummichog (Fundulus Heteroclitus) Under Differing Salinity And Temperature Conditions, Esteban Gillio Meina

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Waterborne exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE₂), a synthetic estrogen, has previously been shown to decrease reproductive endocrine status in the estuarine killifish or mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus; northern subspecies). To evaluate if variations in salinity or temperature holding conditions modify the effects of EE₂ on gonad size, plasma reproductive steroid levels, and gonadal steroidogenesis, mummichog were exposed in vivo for 14 days to 0, 50 and 250 ng/L EE₂ in 0, 16 and 32 ppt salinity at 18°C and to 0 and 250 ng/L EE₂ at 10, 18 and 26°C at 16 ppt salinity. …

Nutrient Transport By Shrimp Hepatopancreas, Tamla A. Simmons

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purified brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were isolated to characterize primary cellular transport mechanisms for white shrimp. The ultimate goal is to determine the effective components of a shrimp’s diet, thereby enhancing growth, as well as nutrient content. Juvenile shrimp are dependent on plant material as a food source. Potassium is a key component of plants, thus it may play a role in nutrient transport. In addition, divalent metals have been shown to act as co-transporters in several other organisms, thus they may serve as a transport mechanism for shrimp.

Fresh, live, white or brown shrimp were obtained, and from …

Metabolic Support Of Anaerobiosis In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Andrew Mccracken

Dissertations and Theses

Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus display a remarkable tolerance to anoxia during development, most notably during embryonic diapause. Little is known about the metabolic or enzymatic changes that accompany this state of anoxia tolerance. This study examined the metabolic changes associated with exposure to anoxia by measuring the activity of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and by profiling the concentration of 31 metabolites ranging from amino acids to citric cycle intermediates at 4 different developmental stages, diapause 2 (DII), 4 days post diapause (dpd), 12 and 22 dpd. Embryos of A. limnaeus showed stage specific changes in concentrations …

The Effects Of Hypoxia And Temperature On Developing Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Skye N. Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

Little is known about the physiology or biochemistry of hypoxia (reduced levels of oxygen) tolerance during development in vertebrate embryos. In most species, relatively brief bouts of severe hypoxia are lethal or teratogenic. An exception to such hypoxia intolerance is the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus, in which populations persist in hypoxic environments. This species inhabits seasonal ponds in Venezuela, surviving through the dry season in the form of diapausing embryos. Embedded in the pond sediment, embryos of A. limnaeus are routinely exposed to hypoxia and anoxia (lack of oxygen) as part of their normal development. Here, we exposed embryos to …

Physiological & Cellular Mechanisms Of Ammonia Tolerance In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Sanya Sidhu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ammonia may increase in the blood and tissues of fishes following feeding or exposure to high concentrations of environmental ammonia arising from the degradation of organic matter in aquatic environments, sewage effluent, and run-off from landfills. Ammonia may be detoxified using the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS), which catalyzes the conversion of ammonia to glutamine. It has been suggested, however that build-ups of glutamine within the astrocytes of the brain can cause brain swelling by increasing intracellular osmolarity and water uptake by the cells. Using in vivo and in vitro approaches, the goal of this thesis was to determine if: (i) …