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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

The Manipulation Of Host Transcription By The Ankh Effector Of Legionella., Juanita E. Von Dwingelo Dec 2019

The Manipulation Of Host Transcription By The Ankh Effector Of Legionella., Juanita E. Von Dwingelo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legionella pneumophila is a Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium that can be found dispersed throughout freshwater environments, where it primarily parasitizes amoebae and other protozoan species. Humans are an accidental host for L. pneumophila, and infection occurs upon inhalation of aerosolized water droplets that contain the bacteria. L. pneumophila is the causative agent of Legionnaires’ Disease, which is the result of intracellular proliferation within alveolar macrophages. Pathogenesis of L. pneumophila is dependent on the Dot/Icm type 4 secretion system (T4SS) apparatus, which is comprised of 27 proteins and is responsible for translocating over 330 effector proteins into the host cell. Many …


The Effects Of Nicotine And Cigarette Smoking On Cardiac Electrophysiology., Affan B. Irfan Dec 2019

The Effects Of Nicotine And Cigarette Smoking On Cardiac Electrophysiology., Affan B. Irfan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable disease and premature death worldwide. The adverse effects of cigarette smoking, including proarrhythmia, are related to the mixture of chemicals, including nicotine (which sustains tobacco addiction). However, it remains unclear which individual tobacco smoke constituents and biological pathways mediate this increased risk. The purpose of this research was to explore the chronic effects of cigarette smoking, as well as compare the acute effects of nicotine and cigarette smoking, and the possible role of β-adrenoreceptors, on human cardiac electrophysiology. Chapter 1 is a comprehensive literature review of (a) the ex vivo and in …


Defects In Fetal Mouth Movement And Pharyngeal Patterning Underlie Cleft Palate Caused By Retinoid Deficiency., Regina Friedl May 2019

Defects In Fetal Mouth Movement And Pharyngeal Patterning Underlie Cleft Palate Caused By Retinoid Deficiency., Regina Friedl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cleft palate is a common birth defect. Etiologic mechanisms of palate cleft include defects in palate morphogenesis, mandibular growth, or spontaneous fetal mouth movement. Cleft palate linked to deficient fetal mouth movement has been demonstrated directly only in a single experimental model of loss of neurotransmission. Here, using retinoid deficient mouse embryos, we demonstrate directly for the first time that deficient fetal mouth movement and cleft palate occurs as a result of mis-patterned development of pharyngeal peripheral nerves and cartilages. Retinoid deficient embryos were generated by inactivation of retinol dehydrogenase 10 (Rdh10), which is critical for production of …


Novel Mechanisms And Biomarkers In Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury., Christine E. Dolin May 2019

Novel Mechanisms And Biomarkers In Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury., Christine E. Dolin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Ethanol (EtOH) consumption is known to affect multiple organs; this is unsurprising, as the concentration of EtOH in the blood at relevant doses reaches the millimolar range. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to elucidate mechanisms of alcohol-induced organ injury, specifically the effects of alcohol on the hepatic extracellular matrix (ECM) proteome, the alcoholic hepatitis (AH) plasma peptidome, and the effects of alcohol on the renal cortex proteome and transcriptome. Methods. Mice were pair-fed ethanol-containing liquid diet chronically, and then some mice were administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Liver sections from these mice were processed in a series of increasingly …