Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Genetic Analysis Of The Putative Streptolysin O Regulator From Streptococcus Pyogenes, Robert Tyrone Billingslea

McCabe Thesis Collection

Group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) is one of the most frequent pathogens of humans. It is estimated that between 5-15% of normal individuals harbor the bacterium, usually in the upper respiratory tract, without signs of disease. S. pyogenes can initiate an active infection when defenses are compromised or when the organism is able to penetrate the host's defenses. When the bacteria invade vulnerable tissues, a variety of suppurative infections can occur. Acute S. pyogenes infection may be present as pharyngitis ("strep throat"), scarlet fever (rash), impetigo (infection of the superficial layers of the skin) or cellulitis (infection of the deep …

Orbital Cellulitis Masquerading As Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis: A Case Report, M. R. Shaikh, Syed Muhammad Baqir, N. Zakir

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Neurology In The 21st Century: Contemporary State Of Diagnostics And Therapeutics, Saad Shafqat, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Medicine

Although neurological disease has been recognized since antiquity, neurology as a systematic clinical discipline is less than 130 years old. Neurological practice has traditionally been constrained by the complexity of the human nervous system, which has been slow to yield its secrets. Over the last three decades, however, clinical neurology has been transformed in terms of both diagnostics and therapeutics and now marches in lockstep with the cutting edge of medicine. Efficacious treatments are now available for the majority of neurological diseases, including epilepsy, migraine, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and ischemic stroke. This neurological revolution has been enabled …

Association Study Of The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (Ace) Gene G2350a Dimorphism With Myocardial Infarction, M Perwaiz Iqbal, Saeed Mahmood, Naseema Mehboobali, Mohammad Ishaq, Tasnim Fatima, Saddiqa Parveen, Philippe Frossard

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a strong candidate gene for myocardial infarction (MI). Insertion-deletion dimorphism in intron 16 of this gene has been inconclusively found to be associated with it. Several new polymorphisms in the ACE gene have been identified and among these, a dimorphism in exon 17, ACE G2350A, has a significant effect on plasma ACE concentrations. To assess the value of genotyping the ACE G2350A dimorphism in a genetically homogeneous population, we carried out a case-control study of dimorphism G2350A for a putative association with MI among Pakistani nationals. We investigated a sample population of 370 Pakistanis, …

An Assessment Of High School Coaches Knowledge Of Exercise-Induced Asthma, Shannon L. Wilson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is a common disorder that occurs in individuals who compete in recreational activities. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of EIA for high school athletic coaches. A 22 question demographic instrument was used for background information, and an 18 question multiple-choice assessment was used to assess knowledge of prevention, recognition and management of EIA. A panel of experts reviewed and modified the survey instruments, which were piloted at a local private high school prior to distribution. The survey was distributed to 250 high school coaches in the Hampton Roads area during a fall …

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Carol C. Harter, Jeffrey Koep

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of The O-Glycosylated 21-Residue Muc1 Peptides, A. Rubinstein, L. Kinarsky, S. Sherman

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

The conformational propensities of the 21-residue peptide and its Oglycosylated analogs were studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. This polypeptide motif comprises the tandem repeat of the human mucin (MUC1) protein core that is differently glycosylated in normal and cancer cells. To evaluate the structural effects of O-glycosylation on the polypeptide backbone, conformations of the nonglycosylated peptide and its glycosylated analogs were monitored during the 1 ns MD simulations. Radius gyration for whole peptide and its fragments, as well as root-mean-square-deviation between coordinate sets of the backbone atoms of starting structures and generated structures, were calculated. It was shown that …

The Tumor Suppressor Lkb1 Kinase Directly Activates Amp-Activated Kinase And Regulates Apoptosis In Response To Energy Stress, Reuben J. Shaw, Monica Kosmatka, Nabeel Bardeesy, Rebecca L. Hurley, Lee A. Witters, Ronald A. Depinho, Lewis C. Cantley

Dartmouth Scholarship

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved sensor of cellular energy status found in all eukaryotic cells. AMPK is activated by stimuli that increase the cellular AMP/ATP ratio. Essential to activation of AMPK is its phosphorylation at Thr-172 by an upstream kinase, AMPKK, whose identity in mammalian cells has remained elusive. Here we present biochemical and genetic evidence indicating that the LKB1 serine/threonine kinase, the gene inactivated in the Peutz-Jeghers familial cancer syndrome, is the dominant regulator of AMPK activation in several mammalian cell types. We show that LKB1 directly phosphorylates Thr-172 of AMPKalpha in vitro and activates its …

Immune Responses Of Different Mouse Strains After Challenge With Equivalent Lethal Doses Of Toxoplasma Gondii, Y. H. Lee, L. H. Kasper

Dartmouth Scholarship

Most immunological studies that utilize different strains of inbred mice following T. gondii infection fail to compensate for differences in host susceptibility to the size of the parasite innoculum. To address this concern, susceptible C57BL/6 and resistant CBA/J mice were orally infected with either an equivalent 50 % lethal dose (LD₅₀) of brain cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii (15 cysts in C57BL/6, 400 cysts in CBA/J) or the same dose of parasites in each mouse strain. C57BL/6 mice receiving 400 cysts (LD₅₀ of CBA/J mice) died post infection, whereas CBA/J mice that received 15 …

Motor Neuronopathy Associated With Adenocarcinoma Of Esophagus, Bhojo A Khealani, R. Qureshi, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Medicine

Neurologic paraneoplastic syndromes (NPS) are remote neurologic effects, except metastasis, of systemic cancers. These are a rare group of disorders, commonly associated with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC).1 Various NPS have been described, including motor neuronopathy. The motor neuronopathy has commonly been described with small cell carcinoma of lung, breast cancer and lymphoproliferative disorders.2,3 We report a case of motor neuronopathy in association with large cell adenocarcinoma of esophagus. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of motor neuronopathy associated with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.

Impacts Of Sara And Agr In Staphylococcus Aureus Strain Newman On Fibronectin-Binding Protein A Gene Expression And Fibronectin Adherence Capacity In Vitro And In Experimental Infective Endocarditis, Yan-Qiong Xiong, Arnold S. Bayer, Michael R. Yeaman, Willem Van Wamel, Adhar C. Manna, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigated the impacts of sarA and agr on fnbA expression and fibronectin-binding capacity in Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in experimental endocarditis. Although sarA up-regulated and agr down-regulated both fnbA expression and fibronectin binding in vitro and in vivo, fnbA expression was positively regulated in the absence of both global regulators. Thus, additional regulatory loci contribute to fnbA regulation and fibronectin-binding capacities in S. aureus.

Nmr-Based Structural Studies Of The Glycosylated Muc1 Tandem Repeat Peptide, G. Suryanarayanan, P. A. Keifer, G. Wang, L. Kinarsky, M. A. Hollingsworth, S. Sherman

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

MUC1 is a glycoprotein that plays an important role in cancer pathogenesis. In order to study the effect of glycosylation on the conformational propensities of the tandem repeat domain of MUC1, we have determined the structure of the MUC1 tandem repeat peptide AHGVTSAPDTRPAPGSTAPP, O-glycosylated with the trisaccharide (α-Glc-1,4-β-Glc-1,4-α-GalNAc-) at Thr5. This glycopeptide was synthesized to model a heavily Oglycosylated threonine residue in the tandem repeat domain. The NMR experiments used in this study included TOCSY, NOESY, ROESY, DQF-COSY, HSQC and 1D NMR. The peak volumes determined using the program SPARKY were converted into distance constraints using the program CALIBA. The …

Individualized Predictions Of Disease Progression Following Radiation Therapy For Prostate Cancer., Jeremy Taylor, Menggang Yu, Howard M. Sandler

The University of Michigan Department of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Background: Following treatment for localized prostate cancer, men are monitored with serial PSA measurements. Refining the predictive value of post-treatment PSA determinations may add to clinical management and we have developed a model that predicts for an individual patient future PSA values and estimates the time to future clinical recurrence.

Methods: Data from 934 patients treated for prostate cancer between 1987 and 2000 were used to develop a comprehensive statistical model to fit the clinical recurrence events and pattern of PSA data. A logistic regression model was used for the probability of cure, non-linear hierarchical mixed models were used for …

Individual Prediction In Prostate Cancer Studies Using A Joint Longitudinal-Survival-Cure Model, Menggang Yu, Jeremy Taylor, Howard M. Sandler

The University of Michigan Department of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

For monitoring patients treated for prostate cancer, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is measured periodically after they receive treatment. Increases in PSA are suggestive of recurrence of the cancer and are used in making decisions about possible new treatments. The data from studies of such patients typically consist of longitudinal PSA measurements, censored event times and baseline covariates. Methods for the combined analysis of both longitudinal and survival data have been developed in recent years, with the main emphasis being on modeling and estimation. We analyze data from a prostate cancer study that has been extended by adding a mixture structure …

Prognostic Indicators In Patients With Intracranial Tuberculoma: A Review Of 102 Cases, Mohammad Wasay, M. K. Moolani, J. Zaheer, Bhojo A. Khealani, R. A. Smego, A. R. Sarwari

Department of Medicine

Objective:

To see the characteristics, course and outcome of patients suffering from intracranial tuberculoma.

Methods:

Retrospective review of 102 patients diagnosed as intracranial tuberculoma at a tertiary care center over 10 years.

Results:

A total of 102 cases were seen with an age range of 1 to 75 years (mean, 30 years). Predisposing factors included Diabetes mellitus (8 patients) and pregnancy or puerperium (7 patients). Five pediatric patients had tuberculoma despite documented BCG vaccination. Fever (59%), headache (57%), meningeal irritation (36%) were the commonest presenting features; one-third of patients were drowsy or comatosed at presentation. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis was performed …

Review Of Field Experiences: Integration Of Family Planning And Pmtct Services, Naomi Rutenberg, Carolyn Baek

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council and its research partners have been addressing several key questions about prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services and how well they function in field settings. The World Health Organization asked the Population Council to provide a review of field experiences regarding the integration of family planning and PMTCT services. This report provides conclusions and recommendations as input into a WHO/UNFPA-sponsored consultative meeting on "The linkages between reproductive health and HIV/AIDS: Family planning and prevention of mother-to-child transmission."

A Survey Into The Prevalence Of Parasitic Helminths In Boiler Breeders, Anita Sarathi

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of helminth infections in spent broiler breeders. Intestinal tracts from 10 birds from each of five farms were obtained and examined for parasite identification and quantification. Heterakis gallinarum infections were the most common, followed in order of decreasing incidence by Capillaria obsignata, Ascaridia galli and Raillietina cesticillus. Peak worm burdens for individual birds were 121 (A. galli), 535 (H. gallinarum), 2I5 (C. obsignata) and 125 ( R. cesticillus). Significant farm-to-farm variation in worm burdens was observed.

Once Upon A Virus: Aids Legends And Vernacular Risk Perception, Diane E. Goldstein

All USU Press Publications

Once Upon a Virus explores how contemporary, or "urban," legends are indicators of culturally complex attitudes toward health and illness. Tracing the rich tradition of AIDS legends in relation to current scholarship on belief, Diane Goldstein shows how such stories not only articulate widespread perceptions of risk, health care, and health policy, they also influence official and scientific approaches to the disease and its management. Notions that appear in narratives of who gets AIDS, how and why, are indicators of broad issues involving health beliefs, concerns, and needs.

Maximizing Resources To Meet Client Needs: Evaluation Of A Comprehensive Hiv/Aids Care And Support Model In India, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance

HIV and AIDS

To examine the benefits and feasibility of service delivery, the Horizons program and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance undertook a multifaceted operations research study of YRG CARE, a nongovernmental organization which offers services to PLHA in southern India. Data from this study suggest that comprehensive care and support services have had a positive impact on perceived quality of life, serostatus disclosure, number of illness episodes, and household expenditures for those patients who participated in the study. The results of this component of the study support the value of scaling-up the YRG CARE service model to other NGOs in India to expand …

Expanding The Care Continuum For Hiv/Aids: Bringing Carers Into Focus, Jessica Ogden, Simel Esim, Caren Grown

HIV and AIDS

This review by the International Center for Research on Women explores the specific issues that cluster around the provision of care in the context of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. With the support of the Population Council’s Horizons program, this review applies the care economy lens to two key sectors, health and social protection, and finds that while important strides are being made, much more needs to be known and done to enable individuals, families, and households to survive in a world shaken by AIDS. The report documents the challenges faced by family care providers, who are primarily women and unlinked …

Expanding Care And Support In South India: Scaling Up Yrg Care's Patient-Centered Approach, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance

HIV and AIDS

This study examines the experiences of YRG CARE, a Chennai-based NGO, which provides an integrated continuum of prevention, care, and support services for PLHA in South India. In this Horizons report, the authors examine the process of scaling up YRG CARE’s patient-centered approach and how this led to the enhanced provision of care and support services at four selected sites. Networking and collaboration among providers at all sites were essential parts of the strategy. At the end of project workshop, scale-up participants and YRG CARE affirmed their intention to continue collaboration in order to build on the successes of the …

Succession Planning In Uganda: Early Outreach For Aids-Affected Children And Their Families, Horizons Program, Makerere University Department Of Sociology, Plan Uganda

HIV and AIDS

This publication reports on an intervention study that evaluated the effectiveness of a succession planning (SP) program in Uganda. Unlike most other programs for AIDS-affected children, succession planning reaches children and their families while their HIV-positive parents are still living and in a position to plan for their children’s long-term well-being. Research carried out by the Department of Sociology at Makerere University (Kampala) and the Population Council Horizons program suggests that succession planning is a promising approach: despite AIDS-related stigma and cultural resistance to acknowledging illness and death, qualitative research indicates that the approach met with a high degree of …

Combining Community Approaches And Government Policy To Prevent Hiv Infection In The Dominican Republic, Deanna Kerrigan, Luis Moreno, Santo Rosario, Bayardo Gomez, Hector Jerez, Ellen Weiss, Johannes Van Dam, Eva Roca, Clare Barrington, Michael D. Sweat

HIV and AIDS

A recent Horizons study conducted jointly with two Dominican NGOs assessed the impact of two environmental-structural models in reducing HIV-related risk among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic and compared their cost-effectiveness. In the two cities studied, there were improvements from pre- to post-intervention in the key outcome variables, however the type and level of these changes varied by intervention approach. Based on our findings, program planners and policymakers involved in the study in the Dominican Republic agree that the integrated solidarity and policy model in conjunction with ongoing peer education and community mobilization activities is an appropriate, cost-effective, …

Aids And Adolescents, Rhonda Gay Hartman

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Mad Cow Disease: An Approach To Its Containment, Michael B. Abramson

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Facts About Footrot - A Special Booklet For Neighbours Of Properties Which Have Been Quarantine For Footrot, Or Farmers Wanting To Know More About Footrot, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

Footrot is a contagious disease of sheep and goats caused by a mix of different bacteria, with the essential one being Dichelobacter nodosus. The bacterial infection can cause varying degrees of damage to the horn of the foot, leading to lameness, and significant loss of body weight and wool production.

There are two main forms of footrot - virulent and benign. Both are caused by D. nodosus. Footrot is diagnosed using two methods; inspecting sheep's feet, and testing skin scrapings in the laboratory

Involving Young People In The Care And Support Of People Living With Hiv/Aids In Zambia, Eka Esu-Williams, Katie D. Schenk, Joseph Motsepe, Scott Geibel, Anderson Zulu

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council, in collaboration with CARE International and Family Health Trust, conducted a study in Zambia to determine which care and support needs of people living with HIV and AIDS and their families could be met by trained youth, and to establish whether youth engaged in formalized care and support activities would increase their adoption of protective behaviors or reduce the stigma faced by members of AIDS-affected households. Discussions with caregivers and clients demonstrated that trained youth are able to meet a range of the needs of clients and orphans and vulnerable children, and that their efforts may be …

A Rapid Situation Analysis Of The Access To Care Project In Northern Thailand, Ratana Panpanich

HIV and AIDS

A rapid situation analysis (RSA) study, supported by the Horizons program, was undertaken to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Thai government’s Access to Care (ATC) project in northern Thailand. The ultimate aim of the study was to make recommendations for action that will improve the quality of the antiretroviral (ARV) therapy that clients receive and to enhance their adherence to HAART. The RSA has shown high levels of support for the ATC project from health providers, HAART clients, their relatives, and even those who had dropped out of the program. However, the RSA has also shown that there …

Transitions To Adulthood In The Context Of Aids In South Africa: The Impact Of Exposure To Life Skills Education On Adolescent Knowledge, Skills, And Behavior, The Transitions To Adulthood Study Team

HIV and AIDS

This study is a collaborative research project of the University of Natal-Durban, the Horizons program, and Tulane University. One objective of the study was to contribute to understanding the effectiveness of life skills education in changing behavior in South Africa. The findings indicate substantial short-to-medium-term effects of exposure to life skills education on certain areas of sexual and reproductive health-related knowledge, confidence to use condoms, and condom use behavior. Further research is needed to assess whether the observed effects are transitory or long-term in nature, whether the observed behavioral changes have an impact on HIV infection rates among youth, and …

Cerebral Palsy: Physical Therapy And Medical Treatment Issues, Jill Pedretti

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

A discussion of the various terms associated with CP as well as the different classifications will precede a review of several randomized controlled trials, case studies, cohort studies and other related articles regarding treatment methods. Specifically, the use of Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (1TB), Botulinum toxin injections (Botox), Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, Threshold Electrical Stimulation (TES), and Pediatric Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy will be examined.