Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Regulation Of C-Reactive Protein Gene Expression And Function, Avinash N. Thirumalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) is the prototypic acute phase protein whose serum concentration increases rapidly during inflammation. CRP is also associated with atherosclerosis; it is deposited at lesion sites where it may interact with modified lipoproteins. There are 2 major questions regarding CRP: 1. How is the serum concentration of CRP regulated? 2. What are the functions of CRP in atherosclerosis?

Our first aim was to determine the role of the constitutively expressed transcription factor Oct-1 in regulating CRP gene expression. We found that Oct-1 overexpression inhibited (IL-6+IL-1β)- induced CRP gene expression; maximal inhibition required the binding of Oct-1 to …

Boundary Contour Based Surface Representation., Yong Su

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We receive most information about our surrounding space and objects through the eyes. To reconstruct the 3D space and objects in the visual system from the 2D retinal images, surface representation must be a critical intermediate stage in the visual processing stream. It is hypothesized in the dissertation that the visual system represents textured surface by a border-to-interior strategy: boundary contours would be encoded first and then border-ownership assignments would be resolved. This process would solve the related problems such as figure-ground segregation, surface depth relationship, occlusion, transparency, etc. As a result, the boundary contours of the surfaces would be …

Effects Of Step Training On The Kidneys Following Spinal Cord Injury In Rats., Pradeepa Poudyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia after chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to over-distention, high bladder pressures and vesico-ureteric reflux into the kidney, resulting in repeated infections and pyelonephritis. Given the importance/limited knowledge of SCI effects on the upper urinary tract, this study assessed expression of two proteins in the kidneys of contused (T9) male rats relative to controls that are indicative of tissue stress/damage (TGFβ, CD11b). The impact of two therapeutic rehabilitation strategies, 60 minutes of step training and general exercise, was then assessed on these protein levels relative to non-trained SCI controls, plus the effectiveness of a shorter training duration (30 …

Modulation Of The Ovarian Cancer Humoral Response By Tumor-Derived Exosomes., Carolyn Denise Roberson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer is complicated by its diagnosis during the latter stages of the disease resulting from lack of symptoms or from presence of symptoms that mimic other conditions. Because of the often fatal prognosis by the time of actual detection, efforts are being made to better understand the host immune response to ovarian cancer. In this study, the contributions of the humoral immune response were investigated by focusing on the role of tumor-derived exosomes and their ability to modulate humoral immune responses. First, ovarian cancer patient-derived free circulating antibodies were investigated for immunoreactivity to patient antigen. …

Vitamin D Status Of College Students: Implications For Health Leaders, Eileen M. Cress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin D deficiency is considered to be a pandemic with implications for compromised bone health and other chronic diseases. Few studies have examined vitamin D status in college-aged individuals where prevention of future health consequences is still possible. Serum vitamin D 25(OH)D status and vitamin D intake were examined in 98 college students ages 18-29 years during winter. BMI was classified as < 25and 25 or greater. Race was categorized as Caucasian or other. Overall, 69.5% had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels, <30ng/mL. Only 8 students (8.2%) met the EAR (400 IU) per day for vitamin D intake. t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in serum vitamin D level and dietary intake based on gender, race and BMI. Significant differences were found in serum vitamin D level when compared by gender and race. Females tended to have a higher serum vitamin D level than males. Those representing minorities had lower serum vitamin D levels than Caucasians; One hundred percent of the minority students had suboptimal serum vitamin D levels. Based on these findings, dietitians should increase efforts to target college-aged individuals in educational programming related to factors affecting vitamin D synthesis, vitamin D intake, and health consequences of suboptimal vitamin D status, particularly in winter. Consideration should be given to vitamin D fortification of foods that meet the preferences of today’s consumer.

Functional Implications Of Demyelination And The Molecular Control Of Remyelination In The Adult Mouse., Nicholas John Kuypers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oligodendrocyte (OL) loss contributes to the functional deficits underlying diseases with a demyelinating component (Gajjar et al., 1997; Miller et al., 2002). Remyelination can restore these deficits (Duncan et al., 2009). Chapter 1 is an introduction to de- and re-myelination thus providing the necessary background information for consideration in subsequent chapters. Ethidium bromide (EB) has been extensively used in the rat and cat as a model of spinal cord demyelination. However, this lesion has not been addressed in the adult mouse. Therefore, Chapters 2 and 3 characterize a model of chronic EB-induced spinal cord demyelination in the mouse which can …

Effect Of Acute L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine (Sustamine) And Electrolyte Ingestion On Plasma Electrolytes, Physiologic Measures, And Neuromuscular Fatigue During Endurance Exercise, William Mccormack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two dose levels of L-Alanyl-LGlutamine in a commercially available sports drink to the sports drink only on time to exhaustion, neuromuscular fatigue and physiological measures during prolonged endurance exercise. Twelve endurance-trained males (23.5±3.7 yrs; 175.5±5.4 cm; 70.7±7.6 kg) performed four trials, each consisting of 1 hr treadmill runs at 75% of VO2peak followed by a run to exhaustion at 90% of VO2peak. The trials differed in type of hydration. One trial consisted of no hydration (NHY), another required ingestion of only a sports drink (ET), and two trials required …

Effect Of Acute L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine (Sustamine) And Electrolyte Ingestion On Cognitive Function, Multiple Object Tracking And Reaction Time Following Prolonged Exercise, Gabriel Pruna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Changes in physiological function occurring during a body water deficit may result in significant decrements in performance, cognitive function and fine motor control during exercise. This may be due to the magnitude of the body water deficit. Rehydration strategies are important to prevent these deleterious effects in performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the changes before and after prolonged exercise of an alanine-glutamine dipeptide (AG) on cognitive function and reaction time. Twelve male endurance-trained runners (age: 23.5 [plus or minus] 3.7 y; height: 175.5 [plus or minus] 5.4 cm; weight: 70.7 [plus or minus] 7.6 kg) participated …

The Cross Education Of Neuromuscular Economy, Kyle Beyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cross education is the phenomenon by which the untrained limb will experience a gain in strength following a unilateral resistance training program. However, little is known as to the underlying adaptation occurring in the untrained limb. Purpose: To examine the effect of dynamic unilateral resistance training on the strength and neuromuscular adaptations of both the trained and untrained legs. Methods: Eight previously untrained males (22.38±2.92 y, 1.73±0.08 m, 75.26±14.53 kg) completed a four-week unilateral resistance training program, while another eight untrained males (24.00±4.57 y, 1.84±0.05 m, 94.21±16.14 kg) served as controls. Isometric leg extension strength, leg press 1 repetition maximum …

Role Of Cardiac Catecholamines In Embryos And Adults Under Stress, Candice Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for the loss of one life every 38 seconds and accounts for 26.6 percent of all infants that die of congenital birth defects. Adrenergic hormones are critically important regulators of cardiovascular physiology in embryos and adults. They are key mediators of stress responses and have profound stimulatory effects on cardiovascular function, and dysregulation of adrenergic function has been associated with many adverse cardiac conditions, including congenital malformations, arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. Despite intensive study, the specific roles these hormones play in the developing heart is not well-understood. Further, there is …

The Effect Of Moderate Altitude On High Intensity Running Performance During A Game With Collegiate Female Soccer Players, Jonathan Bohner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Competition often requires teams that reside at sea level to compete against opponents whose residence is at a moderate altitude. This may pose a potential competitive disadvantage considering that moderate altitude may cause decrements in VO2max, distance covered, and time to exhaustion in endurance athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of altitude on game performance measures. Six NCAA Division I female soccer players (20.33 ± 1.21 y; 168 ± 6.45 cm; 62.5 ± 6.03 kg) were retrospectively examined. Comparisons were made between two competitions that were played at sea level (SL) within two weeks of …

Endocrine And Contralateral Muscle Responses To Short-Term Unilateral Resistance Training, Carleigh Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of short-term lower body unilateral resistance training on hormonal, muscle morphological, and performance measures in young men. METHODS: Seventeen healthy, untrained young men (Age: 22.8 ± 3.7 y; BMI: 26.5 ± 4.9 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of two groups (UT: 22.9 ± 4.6 y, 25.3 ± 4.2 kg/m2; CON: 24.0 ± 4.6 y, 27.7 ± 5.1 kg/m2). Resistance training consisted of 4 weeks of unilateral lower body and bilateral upper body exercises on 3 days per week. Each training session entailed unilateral countermovement jumps (3 × 8), …

The Effects Of High-Intensity Interval Training And 28 Days Of [Beta]-Hydroxy-[Beta]-Methybutyrate Supplementation On Measures Of Aerobic Power And Metabolic Thresholds, Edward Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To examine the effects of 28 days of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate free acid (HMB) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak), ventilatory threshold (VT), respiratory compensation point (RCP) and time to exhaustion (Tmax) in collegeaged men and women. Methods: Healthy men and women (n=34, age and VO2peak= 22.7+3.1yr and 39.3+5.0 mL. kg-1.min-1, respectively) participated in this study. All participants completed a series of tests prior and subsequent to treatment. A maximal oxygen consumption test was performed on a cycle ergometer to assess VO2peak, Tmax, VT, and RCP. The peak power output (Ppeak), power at VT (PVT) and power …

An Examination Of Behavioral And Temporal Consistency Of Pre-Performance Routines In Ncaa Division I Basketball Free Throw Shooting – A Naturalist Observational Investigation, Jacob Blumberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that pre-performance routines positively influence performance of closed and self-paced skills (Boutcher & Crews, 1987; Cohn, 1990; Otto et al., 2011). Boutcher and Crews (1987) suggested that pre-performance routines improve performance by helping reduce anxiety along with helping athletes’ retain mental sharpness and focus. Furthermore, several quantitative studies have examined the influence of both behavioral and temporal consistency of pre-performance routines on the success of a skill, yielding inconsistent results (Boutcher & Crews, 1987; Lobmeyer & Wasserman, 1986; Lonsdale & Tam, 2008; Jackson, 2003). However, research examining this phenomenon from a qualitative and naturalistic observational perspective is …