Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Dangerous Polymer: Organic Synthesis Of Poly(Glutamine), Corbain Swain

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Functional Characterization Of Rai1 In Zebrafish, Joshua S. Beach

Theses and Dissertations

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS; OMIM #182290) is a multiple congenital abnormality and intellectual disability (ID) disorder caused by either an interstitial deletion of the 17p11.2 region containing the retinoic acid induced-1 (RAI1) gene or a mutation of the RAI1 gene. Individuals diagnosed with SMS typically present characteristics such as ID, self-injurious behavior, sleep disturbance, ocular and otolaryngological abnormalities, craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities, neurological and behavioral abnormalities, as well as other systemic defects and manifestations. Previous work by Vyas in 2009 showed temporal expression of rai1 in zebrafish embryos as early as 9 hpf. We hypothesize that there is maternal …

Taxonomy And Molecular Epidemiology Of Echinococcus Granulosus Sensu Lato, Thomas Romig, Dennis Ebi, Marion Wassermann

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Echinococcus granulosus, formerly regarded as a single species with a high genotypic and phenotypic diversity, is now recognized as an assemblage of cryptic species, which differ considerably in morphology, development, host specificity (including infectivity/pathogenicity for humans) and other aspects. This diversity is reflected in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and has led to the construction of phylogenetic trees and hypotheses on the origin and geographic dispersal of various taxa. Based on phenotypic characters and gene sequences, E. granulosus (sensu lato) has by now been subdivided into E. granulosus sensu stricto (including the formerly identified genotypic variants G1-3), …

Evolution Of Hematophagous Habit In Triatominae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), Fernando Otálora-Luna, Antonio J. Pérez-Sánchez, Claudia Sandoval, Elis Aldana

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

All members of Triatominae subfamily (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), potential vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agent of the Chagas disease, feed on blood. Through evolution, these bugs have fixed special morphological, physiological, and behavioral aptations (adaptations and exaptations) adequate to feed on blood. Phylogeny suggests that triatomines evolved from predator reduvids which in turn descended from phytophagous hemipterans. Some pleisiomorphic traits developed by the reduvid ancestors of the triatomines facilitated and modeled hematophagy in these insects. Among them, mouthparts, saliva composition, enzymes, and digestive symbionts are the most noticeable. However, the decisive step that allowed the shift from predation to hematophagy …

Examining The Relationship Between Type And Extent Of After-School Care Use And High Bmi In Children Ages 5-17, Morgan E.B. Chojnacki

DNP Projects

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and after-school care use in school age children and adolescents in Kentucky. The specific aims of this study were to examine differences in BMI groups (high versus normal/low) by: a) type and b) extent of after-school care use.

Methods: Parents of children age 5-17 years were administered a 21-item survey which assessed the amount of time their children spent in specific types of after-school care. BMI of the child/adolescent participants were obtained at the time of the survey. High BMI was defined …

Characterization Of Co-Circulating Swine Influenza A Viruses In North America And The Identification Of A Novel H1 Genetic Clade With Antigenic Significance, Tavis K. Anderson, Brian A. Campbell, Martha I. Nelson, Nicola S. Lewis, Alicia Janas Martindale, Mary Lea Killian, Amy L. Vincent

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Multiple genetically and antigenically distinct hemagglutinin genes of the H1 and H3 influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes co-circulate in North American swine. This diversity has evolved by repeated transmission of IAVs from humans to swine and subsequent antigenic drift in swine. To understand the evolutionary dynamics of these diverse HA lineages in North American swine, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis of 1576 H1 and 607 H3 HA gene segments, as well as 834 N1 and 1293 N2 NA gene segments, and 2126 M gene segments. These data revealed yearly co-circulation of H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 viruses, with three HA clades …

Sglt2 Inhibitors For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment, Raymond A. Plodkowski, Megan E. Mcgarvey, Heather M. Huribal, Keith Reisinger-Kindle, Bradley Kramer, Mordecai Solomon, Quang T. Nguyen

College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUN) Publications and Research

SGLT2 inhibitors are plausible second-line drugs that provide powerful additional A1c-lowering effects while inducing weight loss without hypoglycemia.

Enhancement Of Copd Biological Networks Using A Web-Based Collaboration Interface, Stephanie Boue, Brett Fields, Julia Hoeng, Jennifer Park, Manuel C. Peitsch, Walter K. Schlage, Vladimir Bondarenko

College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUN) Publications and Research

The construction and application of biological network models is an approach that offers a holistic way to understand biological processes involved in disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive inflammatory disease of the airways for which therapeutic options currently are limited after diagnosis, even in its earliest stage. COPD network models are important tools to better understand the biological components and processes underlying initial disease development. With the increasing amounts of literature that are now available, crowdsourcing approaches offer new forms of collaboration for researchers to review biological findings, which can be applied to the construction and verification …

Dysregulation Of Micrornas In Blood As Biomarkers For Diagnosing Prostate Cancer, Rhonda W. Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer among men, yet current diagnostic methods are insufficient and more reliable diagnostic markers need to be developed. The answer that can bridge this gap and enable more efficient diagnoses may lie in microRNAs. These small, single stranded RNA molecules impact protein expression at the translational level and regulate important cellular pathways. Dysregulation of these small RNA molecules can have tumorigenic effects on cells and lead to many types of cancers.

Currently the Prostate-Stimulating Antigen (PSA) is used as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. However, many factors can elevate PSA levels such …

Gene Expression Changes Reflect Clinical Response In A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial Of Abatacept In Patients With Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis, Eliza F. Chakravarty, Viktor Martyanov, David Fiorentino, Tammara A. Wood, David J. Haddon, Justin A. Jarrell, Paul Utz, Mark Genovese, Michael Whitfield, Lorinda Chung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. We sought to assess the clinical and molecular effects associated with response to intravenous abatacept in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic.

Hypothyroidism And The Development Of Hypertension, Kaleb Short

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Low thyroid hormone (TH) in adulthood is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including risk of hypertension. The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), exhibits alterations in thyroid function when compared to normotensive controls. Interestingly, inhibiting thyroid gland function before 4 weeks of age prevented hypertension in the SHR, indicating that TH is involved in the etiology of SHR hypertension. However, these studies utilized tail-cuff photoplethysmography (PPG), which is known to have stress-induced artifacts, and did not compare effects in the normotensive parent strain Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. Therefore, it is uncertain whether TH is responsible for an elevation in baseline …

The Prospective Association Between Positive Psychological Well-Being And Diabetes, Julia K. Boehm, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, Mika Kivimaki, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Positive psychological well-being has protective associations with cardiovascular outcomes, but no studies have considered its association with diabetes. This study investigated links between well-being and incident diabetes.

Methods: At study baseline (1991-1994), 7,800 middle-aged British men and women without diabetes indicated their life satisfaction, emotional vitality, and optimism. Diabetes status was determined by self-reported physician diagnosis and oral glucose tolerance test (screen detection) at baseline and through 2002-2004. Incident diabetes was defined by physician-diagnosed and screen-detected cases combined and separately. Logistic regression estimated the odds of developing diabetes controlling for relevant covariates (e.g., demographics, depressive symptoms). Models …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Human Health, Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

Climate change is impacting human health. An obvious effect of a warmer environment is more frequent and severe heat waves. During the European heat wave of 2003, there were an estimated 35,000 more deaths than normal in the first two weeks of August. Many of the deaths resulted from cardiovascular complications among the elderly. As heat waves become more commonplace in the future, so will the number of heat strokes and the onset of other cardiovascular problems. Higher summertime temperatures also increase tropospheric ozone concentrations which in turn affects people with asthma and causes lung and heart damage. Increases in …

Curcumin: A Folklore Remedy From Kitchen On The Way To Clinic As Cancer Drug, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Numerous compounds are widely distributed in nature and many of these possess medicinal/biological/pharmacological activity. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the rhizomes (underground stems) of Curcuma longa Linn (a member of the ginger family, commonly known as turmeric) is a culinary spice and therapeutic used in India for thousands of years to induce color and flavor in food as well as to treat a wide array of diseases. The origin of turmeric as spice and folklore medicine is so old that it is lost in legend. Curcumin has many beneficial pharmacological effects which includes, but are not limited with, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, …

An Intersectional Perspective On Stigma As A Barrier To Effective Hiv Self-Management And Treatment For Hiv-Infected African American Women, Kimberly Adams Tufts

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Among those who are HIV-infected and striving to live well with HIV, African American women have poorer health outcomes and represent a higher portion of those women who die from HIV-related causes. Those health inequalities have been associated with the presence of social determinants of health such as stigma. This analytical review asserts that stigmas precipitated by gender, race, and class in the context of HIV-related stigma constitute substantial barriers to active engagement in HIV self-management, care, and treatment for HIV-infected African American women. The utility of the intersectionality framework for analyzing how these various stigmas interact to create unique …

Novel Interventions For Hiv Self-Management In African American Women: A Systematic Review Of Mhealth Interventions, Kimberly Adams Tufts, Kaprea F. Johnson, Jewel Goodman Shepherd, Juyoung Lee, Muna S. Bait Ajzoon, Lauren B. Mahan, Miyoung Kim

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the quality of interventions using mobile health (mHealth) technology being developed for and trialed with HIV-infected African American (AA) women. We aimed to assess rigor and to ascertain if these interventions have been expanded to include the broad domain of self-management. After an extensive search using the PRISMA approach and reviewing 450 records (411 published studies and 39 ongoing trials atclinicaltrials.gov), we found little completed research that tested mHealth HIV self-management interventions for AA women. Atclinicaltrials.gov, we found several mHealth HIV intervention studies designed for women in general, forecasting a promising …

Effects Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Its Signaling Pathway On Sensory Neuronal Activation During Colitis, Fiza Hashmi

Theses and Dissertations

Visceral hypersensitivity is the heightened response to sensory stimuli. Visceral sensations are transmitted through primary afferent neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and the sensitization of the neural pathway leads to modification in spinal ascending and descending neurons. The aim of this investigation is to determine the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its signaling pathway on sensory neuronal activation during colitis. In order to evaluate this, levels of calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide marker for nociceptive transmission, and phosphorylated cAMP-response element binding protein (pCREB), a molecular switch in neuronal plasticity, were studied in response to BDNF …

Vitamin C: A Potential Regulator Of Inflammatory Response, Bassem M. Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Neutrophils (PMNs) and Macrophages are the first responders recruited consecutively to the site of injury/inflammation. PMNs’ response/fate as well as macrophage reprogramming ultimately determine the course of resolution of inflammation. Physiologic wound healing has a significant inflammatory component. An exaggerated inflammation however is self-defeating leading to delayed healing. Parenteral vitamin C (VitC) attenuated inflammation in murine sepsis models and in patients with sepsis. However information about the mechanisms by which VitC regulates these events is limited.

Methods: Humanized mice lacking VitC synthesis capability (Gulo^-/-) were used. VitC sufficient and deficient mice were challenged with sterile inflammation, or …

Dual Pi3k/Mtor Inhibition With Bez235 Augments The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Doxorubicin In Cancer Without Influencing Cardiac Function, David E. Durrant

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer continues to be a leading cause death in the United States despite improved treatments. Cancerous lesions form after acquiring oncogenic driver mutations or losing tumor suppressor function in normal cells. Traditional therapies have included use of genotoxic substances that take advantage of the increased growth rate and loss of tumor suppressor function to cause cell death. One such drug is the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (DOX). DOX interchelates into DNA and disrupts transcriptional machinery while also poisoning topoisomerase II. This results in single and double stranded DNA breaks, which if severe enough leads to either necrotic or apoptotic cell death. …

Identification Of Candidate Genes For Craniosynostosis, Karen Rymer

Theses and Dissertations

Craniosynostosis is a disorder characterized by the premature fusing of cranial sutures in an infant. Premature closure of these sutures can lead to detrimental consequences on the development of a child. The two broad categories of craniosynostosis are classified as syndromic and nonsyndromic. Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis involves only the fusion of one or more sutures, whereas syndromic craniosynostosis involves other abnormalities throughout the body of the affected individual. Two of the families analyzed in this study were of the syndromic nature, and known FGFR mutations were discovered. However, phenotypical features documented in association with these mutations differed from our individuals. Two …

Slavery, Agriculture, And Malaria In The Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

In Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula, Benjamin Reilly illuminates a previously unstudied phenomenon: the large-scale employment of people of African ancestry as slaves in agricultural oases within the Arabian Peninsula. The key to understanding this unusual system, Reilly argues, is the prevalence of malaria within Arabian Peninsula oases and drainage basins, which rendered agricultural lands in Arabia extremely unhealthy for people without genetic or acquired resistance to malarial fevers. In this way, Arabian slave agriculture had unexpected similarities to slavery as practiced in the Caribbean and Brazil.

This book synthesizes for the first time a body of …

Altered Intraerythrocytic Development Phenotypes Of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum Confer A Fitness Advantage, Amanda Hott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) has emerged in southeast Asia threatening the most widely used treatment against antimalarial-resistant Plasmodium falciparum worldwide. Artemisinin resistance has been associated with a reduced rate of parasite clearance following treatment with an ACT and is attributed to increased survival of ring-stage parasites. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in kelch gene (K13) has been associated with delayed in vivo clearance half-life of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum and is the only known molecular marker of resistance. The absence of reliable in vitro phenotypes for artemisinin resistance has limited our understanding of the resistance mechanism(s) and fitness costs, therefore …

Prolonged Fatigue In Ukraine And The United States: Prevalence And Risk Factors, Fred Friedberg, Nathan L. Tintle, Jake Clark, Evelyn Bromet

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Background: Prolonged, severe, unalleviated fatigue may be disabling whether it occurs on its own or in conjunction with medical or psychiatric conditions. This paper compares the prevalence and correlates of prolonged fatigue in general population samples in Ukraine versus the US. Methods: Population surveys were conducted in 2002 in both Ukraine (Ukraine World Mental Health [WMH] Survey) and the US (National Comorbidity Survey-Replication; NCS-R). Both surveys administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), which contained modules assessing: neurasthenia (prolonged fatigue); mood, anxiety, and alcohol/drug use disorders; chronic medical conditions; and demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine …

Functional Conservation Of An Ancestral Pellino Protein In Helminth Species, Christopher Cluxton, Brian Caffrey, Gemma Kinsella, Paul Moynagh, Mario Fares, Padraic Fallon

Articles

The immune system of H. sapiens has innate signaling pathways that arose in ancestral species. This is exemplified by the discovery of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway using free-living model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. The TLR pathway is ubiquitous and controls sensitivity to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in eukaryotes. There is, however, a marked absence of this pathway from the plathyhelminthes, with the exception of the Pellino protein family, which is present in a number of species from this phylum. Helminth Pellino proteins are conserved having high similarity, both at the sequence and predicted structural protein level, with that …

Autism Awareness: Debunking Misconceptions, Nicole Summers

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Six-Week Functional Training Program On Fitness And Body Composition Of Fire Science Majors, Kristen Anne Lebrun

Online Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The leading cause of on duty death of firefighters is sudden cardiac events. Current research has shown the effects of fire physical training programs on firefighters, but has not researched fire specific physical training programs for the fire science major population. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a six-week functional program on fitness and body composition of fire science majors. Methods: Fire science college students (N = 16) volunteered to take part in a six-week fire specific fitness program. The subjects that fully completed the study (N = 12) were randomly assigned to …

The Effect Of Antibiotics On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Production, Courtney Paige Turpin

Online Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become an increasing burden worldwide. A highly resistant species is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a nosocomial pathogen that produces a biofilm that enhances its resistance. This project examined the possibility of using bacteriocin, an internal protective toxin produced by some species of bacteria, as a potential treatment for resistant bacteria. In this study, standard broad spectrum antibiotics were used to treat P. aeruginosa to prevent biofilm formation. The biofilm was then analyzed to determine if the biofilm is inhibited or facilitated by each treatment. Optimal concentrations of antibiotics were determined to be effective at a concentration of 0.07mg/mL for …

Gentamicin Differentially Alters Cellular Metabolism Of Cochlear Hair Cells As Revealed By Nad(P)H Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging, Lyandysha V. Zholudeva, Kristina G. Ward, Michael G. Nichols, Heather Jensen Smith

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

Aminoglycoside antibiotics are implicated as culprits of hearing loss in more than 120,000 individuals annually. Research has shown that the sensory cells, but not supporting cells, of the cochlea are readily damaged and/or lost after use of such antibiotics. High-frequency outer hair cells (OHCs) show a greater sensitivity to antibiotics than high- and low-frequency inner hair cells (IHCs). We hypothesize that variations in mitochondrial metabolism account for differences in susceptibility. Fluorescence lifetime microscopy was used to quantify changes in NAD(P)H in sensory and supporting cells from explanted murine cochleae exposed to mitochondrial uncouplers, inhibitors, and an ototoxic antibiotic, gentamicin (GM). …

The N-Glycosylation Of Immunoglobulin G As A Novel Biomarker Of Parkinson’S Disease, Alyce Christine Russell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For neurodegenerative diseases, interventions during the early stages of the disease, before significant neurodegeneration has occurred, are associated with an increased probability of slowing or halting the disease process. In order to intervene early, it is essential that an accurate diagnosis is obtained and that disease progression can be monitored. This is particularly relevant for Parkinson’s disease (PD; International Classification of Diseases version 10) because significant neurodegeneration has already occurred by the time the clinical motor symptoms are present. Therefore, the development of translatable, high-throughput biomarkers for large scale population screening is a crucial area of research. Of promise are …

Liver Perilipin 5 Expression Worsens Hepatosteatosis But Not Insulin Resistance In High Fat-Fed Mice, Michelle B. Trevino, David Mazur-Hart, Yui Machida, Timothy King, Joseph Nadler, Elena V. Galkina, Arjun Poddar, Sucharita Dutta, Yumi Imai

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Perilipin 5 (PLIN5) is a lipid droplet (LD) protein highly expressed in oxidative tissues, including the fasted liver. However, its expression also increases in nonalcoholic fatty liver. To determine whether PLIN5 regulates metabolic phenotypes of hepatosteatosis under nutritional excess, liver targeted overexpression of PLIN5 was achieved using adenoviral vector (Ad-PLIN5) in male C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet. Mice treated with adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) (Ad-GFP) served as control. Ad-PLIN5 livers increased LD in the liver section, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry revealed increases in lipid classes associated with LD, including triacylglycerol, cholesterol ester, and phospholipid classes, …