Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Modulation Of Interleukin-17 By Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha During The Immune Response To Borrelia Burgdorferi, Velinka Medic

Theses and Dissertations

Arthritis is one of the main complications of late-stage Lyme borreliosis. Cytokines play an important role in the persistent inflammation that is elicited by the causative agent of disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is induced by B. burgdorferi and that has been implicated in development of arthritis. However, in a mouse model of Lyme arthritis, treatment with anti-TNF-alpha; antibodies increased the severity of disease. By contrast, injection of recombinant TNF-alpha; ameliorated arthritis in this model. These findings suggested that other factors might be involved during the development of Lyme arthritis. One possible …

Life After Adhesion: L-Selectin Throughout The T Cell Lifespan, Abner Garcia Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Lymphocytes require antigenic encounter to activate and proliferate, eventually clearing the source of antigenic challenge. The peripheral lymph nodes (PLN) are the primary sites of antigenic encounter and thus the ability of lymphocytes to migrate to this tissue is a requirement for mounting effective immune responses. The process of lymphocyte migration to the PLN is known as the "adhesion cascade". Specifically, lymphocytes are captured from the blood through the adhesion molecule, L-selectin, followed by CC chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7)-mediated integrin activation, which ultimately results in cell transmigration into the PLN. Because the PLN is the site where antigenic encounter is …

Adhesion Molecule Regulation Of Regulatory T Cell Migration, Jessica Jean Loppnow

Theses and Dissertations

Regulatory T (Treg) cells mediate tumor immune evasion by suppressing anti-tumor effector T cell responses in peripheral lymphoid tissues and within the tumor. While elevated Treg cell numbers have been shown to correlate with increased tumor growth, mechanisms that regulate their distribution within secondary lymphoid tissue and tumor tissue are not well understood. L-selectin, an adhesion molecule constitutively expressed on all classes of leukocytes, functions early in the adhesion cascade and regulates the migration of lymphocytes to lymph nodes through high endothelial venules. In addition, L-selectin can mediate migration of lymphocytes to sites of inflammation by binding to ligands present …

Statistical Investigation Of The Immune Response In Non-Human Primate Models, Annika Laser

Theses and Dissertations

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was first detected more than 30 years ago. Since then, intensive research has been done to develop a broadly protective vaccine, though without success. Our goal is to unveil some features of the protective immunity in non-human primate lentiviral infections in order to emulate HIV-infection. Two primate species have been studied, rhesus macaques (Rh) (Macaca mulatta) and African

green monkeys (Ag) (Chlorocebus spp.). Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection is non-pathogenic to Ag while Rh develop an AIDS-like illness. In this study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 8 Ag and 27 Rh were stimulated with …

Identification Of Immunomodulatory Cells Induced By 670 Nm Light Therapy In An Animal Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Erin Christine Koester

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, demyelinating disease characterized by neurodegeneration and inflammation of the central nervous system. It affects approximately 250,000 people in the United States alone, with women being affected two times more than men. Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the primary animal model of MS, sharing clinical signs and histopathology with MS. The current paradigm supports MS/EAE induction by myelin reactive CD4+ T cells that cross the blood brain barrier to induce an inflammatory response that leads to the destruction of the myelin sheath and eventual loss of axons. Recent data suggest that axonal loss and disease progression …

Targeted Sirna Delivery Methods For Rnai-Based Therapies, Di Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

RNAi has great potential in future therapeutics as it has the ability to regulating many disease-related genes. However, many barriers prevent practical applications. To overcome the barriers, the specific targeting, efficient delivery system, the validated gene and the potent siRNA sequence are all vital important. The studies throughout this thesis have been focued on examining the validation of three RNAi therapies for two different disease models: allergic contact dermatitis and melanoma. For allergic contact dermatitis, I developed and tested a novel topical delivery system for siRNAs targeting TNFα (siTNFα) and MyD88 siRNA (siMyD88). While siRNAs applied without the transdermal enhancer …

Is Noninhaled Intranasal Carbon Dioxide Gas A Safe And Effective Treatment For Improvement Of Nasal Symptoms Of Allergic Rhinitis?, Andrew R. Couchara

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not noninhaled intranasal carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is a safe and effective treatment for improvement of nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials published in 2008, 2011, and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials published after 2007 were obtained using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Number of sneezes and severity of nasal symptoms (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea) were recorded by subjects using an ordinal scale to obtain a Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS). Scores recorded before and after treatment were compared to …

The Effect Of Exogenous Leptin On Dendritic Cell Migration And Interactions With T Cells, Amanda L. Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and shows no indication of receding. It is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is initiated by morphological changes in large accumulations of adipose tissue. Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone secreted by adipose tissue, presenting a possible link between obesity and inflammation. In this study, we assessed the effect of leptin on bone marrow-derived (BM) dendritic cells (DC) (BM-DC) function, antigen presenting cells vital for the activation of naí¯ve T cells. Previous data produced in our laboratory established that the addition of leptin to …