Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Genotyping And Drug Resistance Patterns Of M. Tuberculosis Strains In Pakistan., Mahnaz Tanveer, Zahra Hasan, Amna R Siddiqui, Asho Ali, Akbar Kanji, Solomon Ghebremicheal, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:The incidence of tuberculosis in Pakistan is 181/100,000 population. However, information about transmission and geographical prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and their evolutionary genetics as well as drug resistance remains limited. Our objective was to determine the clonal composition, evolutionary genetics and drug resistance of M. tuberculosis isolates from different regions of the country.

Methods:

M. tuberculosis strains isolated (2003-2005) from specimens submitted to the laboratory through collection units nationwide were included. Drug susceptibility was performed and strains were spoligotyped.

Results:

Of 926 M. tuberculosis strains studied, 721(78%) were grouped into 59 "shared types", while 205 (22%) were identified …

Neural Substrates Of Sound–Touch Synesthesia After A Thalamic Lesion, Michael S. Beauchamp, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Neural plasticity induced by stroke can mediate positive outcomes, such as recovery of function, but can also result in the formation of abnormal connections with negative consequences for perception and cognition. In three experiments using blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural substrates of acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia, in which certain sounds can produce an intense somatosensory tingling sensation in a patient with a thalamic lesion. Compared with nine normal controls, the first experiment showed that the patient had a threefold greater BOLD response to sounds in the parietal operculum, the location of secondary somatosensory cortex. …

Effects Of Shielding Adenoviral Vectors With Polyethylene Glycol On Vector-Specific And Vaccine-Mediated Immune Responses, Eric A. Weaver, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Many individuals have been previously exposed to human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5). This prior immunity has long been known to hinder its use for gene therapy and as a gene-based vaccine. Given these immunogenicity problems, we have tested whether polyethylene glycol (PEG) can blunt immune effects against Ad5 during systemic and mucosal vaccination. Ad5 vectors were covalently modified with 5-, 20-, and 35-kDa linear PEG polymers and evaluated for their ability to produce immune responses against transgene antigen products and the vector itself. We show that shielding Ad5 with different-sized PEGs generally reduces transduction and primary antibody responses by the …

Imaging Activity Of Neuronal Populations With New Long-Wavelength Voltage-Sensitive Dyes, Joseph P. Wuskell, Leslie M. Loew

UCHC Articles - Research

We have assessed the utility of five new long-wavelength fluorescent voltage-sensitive dyes (VSD) for imaging the activity of populations of neurons in mouse brain slices. Although all the five were capable of detecting activity resulting from activation of the Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell synapse, they differed significantly in their properties, most notably in the signal-to-noise ratio of the changes in dye fluorescence associated with neuronal activity. Two of these dyes, Di-2-ANBDQPQ and Di-1-APEFEQPQ, should prove particularly useful for imaging activity in brain tissue and for combining VSD imaging with the control of neuronal activity via light-activated proteins such as channelrhodopsin-2 …

Reviewing Existing Knowledge Prior To Conducting Animal Studies, Andrew Knight

Experimentation Collection

Highly polarised viewpoints about animal experimentation have often prevented agreement. However, important common ground between advocates and opponents was demonstrated within a discussion forum hosted at www.research-methodology.org.uk in July–August 2008, by the independent charity, SABRE Research UK. Agreement existed that many animal studies have methodological flaws — such as inappropriate sample sizes, lack of randomised treatments, and unblinded outcome assessments — that may introduce bias and limit statistical validity. There was also agreement that systematic reviews of the human utility of animal models yield the highest quality of evidence, as their reliance on methodical and impartial methods to select significant …

Acute Effects Of Whole-Body Vibration On Lower Extremity Muscle Performance In Persons With Multiple Sclerosis, Kurt Jackson, Harold L. Merriman, Paul M. Vanderburgh, C. Jayne Brahler

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a relatively new form of exercise training that may influence muscle performance. This study investigated the acute effects of high (26 Hz) and low (2 Hz) frequency WBV on isometric muscle torque of the quadriceps and hamstrings in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Participants and Method: Fifteen individuals (mean age = 54.6 years, SD = 9.6) with MS and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores ranging from 0-6.5 (mean = 4.2, SD = 2.3) participated in this randomized cross-over study. Following baseline measures of isometric quadricep and hamstring torque, subjects were exposed to …

Characterization Of The Ompl1 Gene Of Pathogenic Leptospira Species In China And Cross-Immunogenicity Of The Ompl1 Protein, Haiyan Dong, Ye Hu, Feng Xue, Dexter Sun, David M. Ojcius, Yafei Mao, Jie Yan

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Background: The usefulness of available vaccine and serological tests for leptospirosis is limited by the low cross-reactivity of antigens from numerous serovars of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Identification of genus-specific protein antigens (GP-Ag) of Leptospira would be important for development of universal vaccines and serodiagnostic methods. OmpL1, a transmembrane porin of pathogenic leptospires, was identified as a possible GP-Ag, but its sequence diversity and immune cross-reactivity among different serovars of pathogenic leptospires remains largely unknown.

Results: PCR analysis demonstrated that the ompL1 gene existed in all 15 official Chinese standard strains as well as 163 clinical strains of pathogenic leptospires isolated …

Ecological Niche Of The 2003 West Nile Virus Epidemic In The Northern Great Plains Of The United States, Michael Wimberly, Michael B. Hildreth, Stephen P. Boyte, Erik Lindquist, Lon Kightlinger

Public Health Resources

Background: The incidence of West Nile virus (WNv) has remained high in the northern Great Plains compared to the rest of the United States. However, the reasons for the sustained high risk of WNv transmission in this region have not been determined. To assess the environmental drivers of WNv in the northern Great Plains, we analyzed the county-level spatial pattern of human cases during the 2003 epidemic across a seven-state region.
Methodology/Principal Findings: County-level data on WNv cases were examined using spatial cluster analysis, and were used to fit statistical models with weather, climate, and land use variables as predictors. …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2008, Zelpha B. Johnson, D. Wayne Kellogg

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

How Does A Riverine Setting Affect The Lifestyle Of Shellmound Builders In Brazil?, Sabine Eggers, C. C. Petronilho, K. Brandt, C. Jericó-Daminello, J. Filippini, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The contact of inland and coastal prehistoric groups in Brazil is believed to have been restricted to regions with no geographical barrier, as is the case in the Ribeira de Iguape valley. The inland osteological collection from the riverine shellmound Moraes (5800–4500 BP) represents a unique opportunity to test this assumption for this region. Despite cultural similarities between riverine and coastal shellmounds, important ecological and site distribution differences are expected to impact on lifestyle. The purpose of this study is thus to document and interpret health and lifestyle indicators in Moraes in comparison to coastal shellmound groups. Specifically we test …

Faecal-Centric Approaches To Wildlife Ecology And Conservation; Methods, Data And Ethics, C. T. Darimont, T. E. Reimchen, H. M. Bryan, P. C. Paquet

Ethics and Conservation Biology Collection

Abundant and commonly encountered in the field, wildlife faeces have long attracted scientists. Recent advances in molecular techniques, however, especially when coupled with creative study designs, can now yield a great variety of high quality data. Herein, we review the opportunities and challenges of faecal-centric approaches to address ecological and conservation questions using wolves of coastal British Columbia, Canada, as a case system. We begin by discussing methodological considerations, which should have broad applicability to any wildlife study system. We then summarize the extensive and unique variety of data that has emerged from our ‘facts from faeces’ approach with wolves, …

Borderline Personality Disorder: An Overview Of History, Diagnosis And Treatment In Adolescents, Linah Al-Alem, Hatim A. Omar

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a cluster B personality disorder. It is characterized by erratic behaviors, emotional instability and one of its hallmarks is self injurious behavior, which starts in adolescence. Patients with BPD are difficult to treat, most have a history of child sexual abuse, about a quarter present with sexual abuse from a caretaker. Although personality disorders are diagnosed only in adults, BPD manifests itself in adolescence in the form of uncontrollable anger, self mutilations, dissociation and other such behaviors. Hence, there is a growing number of scientists discussing the possibility of diagnosing BPD in adolescents. Here, we …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa-Candida Albicans Interactions: Localization And Fungal Toxicity Of A Phenazine Derivative, Jane Gibson, Arpanah Sood, Deborah A. Hogan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Phenazines are redox-active small molecules that play significant roles in the interactions between pseudomonads and diverse eukaryotes, including fungi. When Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans were cocultured on solid medium, a red pigmentation developed that was dependent on P. aeruginosa phenazine biosynthetic genes. Through a genetic screen in combination with biochemical experiments, it was found that a P. aeruginosa-produced precursor to pyocyanin, proposed to be 5-methyl-phenazinium-1-carboxylate (5MPCA), was necessary for the formation of the red pigmentation. The 5MPCA-derived pigment was found to accumulate exclusively within fungal cells, where it retained the ability to be reversibly oxidized and reduced, and its …

Molecular Characterisation Of A Bovine-Like Rotavirus Detected From A Giraffe, Emily Mulherin, Jill Bryan, Marijke Beltman, Luke O'Grady, Eugene Pidgeon, Lucie Garon, Andrew Lloyd, John Bainbridge, Helen O'Shea, Paul Whyte, Séamus Fanning

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Background

Rotavirus (RV), is a member of the Reoviridae family and an important etiological agent of acute viral gastroenteritis in the young. Rotaviruses have a wide host range infecting a broad range of animal species, however little is known about rotavirus infection in exotic animals. In this paper we report the first characterisation of a RV strain from a giraffe calf.

Results

This report describes the identification and detailed molecular characterisation of a rotavirus strain detected from a 14-day-old Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), presenting with acute diarrhea. The RV strain detected from the giraffe was characterized molecularly as G10P[11]. …

Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Novel Responses And Potential Regulatory Genes Involved In Seasonal Dormancy Transitions Of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula L.), David P. Horvath, Wun S. Chao, Jeffrey C. Suttle, Jyothi Thimmapuram, James V. Anderson

Cyber Center Publications

Dormancy of buds is a critical developmental process that allows perennial plants to survive extreme seasonal variations in climate. Dormancy transitions in underground crown buds of the model herbaceous perennial weed leafy spurge were investigated using a 23 K element cDNA microarray. These data represent the first large-scale transcriptome analysis of dormancy in underground buds of an herbaceous perennial species. Crown buds collected monthly from August through December, over a five year period, were used to monitor the changes in the transcriptome during dormancy transitions.

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Intestinal Parasitic Infection Among Children In An Urban Slum Of Karachi., Vikram Mehraj, Juanita Hatcher, Saeed Akhtar, Ghazala Rafique, Mohammad Asim Beg

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:Intestinal parasitic infections are endemic worldwide and have been described as constituting the greatest single worldwide cause of illness and disease. Poverty, illiteracy, poor hygiene, lack of access to potable water and hot and humid tropical climate are the factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections. The study aimed to estimate prevalence and identify factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections among 1 to 5 years old children residing in an urban slum of Karachi Pakistan. Methods And Principal
Findings:A cross sectional survey was conducted from February to June 2006 in Ghosia Colony Gulshan Town Karachi, Pakistan. A simple random …

Blood Pressure Lowering And Vasomodulator Effects Of Piperine, Syed Intasar Husain Taqvi, Abdul Jabbar Shah, Anwar Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

This study was aimed to explore underlying mechanism(s) of cardiovascular effects of piperine. Intravenous administration of piperine caused a dose-dependent (1 to 10 mg/kg) decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in normotensive anesthetized rats, the next higher dose (30 mg/kg) did not cause any further change in MAP. The fall in blood pressure (BP) was followed by small increase in MAP after each dose. In Langendorrf's rabbit heart preparation, piperine caused partial inhibition and verapamil caused complete inhibition of force and rate of ventricular contractions and coronary flow. In rabbit aortic rings, piperine inhibited high K(+) (80 mM) precontractions and …

The Effects Of Lactation And Negative Energy Balance On Kisspeptin-Stimulated Luteinizing Hormone And Growth Hormone In Dairy Cows, Brian K. Whitlock, Joseph A. Daniel, Robyn R. Wilborn, Herris S. Maxwell, Barbara P. Steele, James L. Sartin

Animal Science Publications and Other Works

Kisspeptin, a neuroendocrine regulator of gonadotropin releasing hormone, is hypothesized to integrate nutrition and hormones critical to metabolism and the regulation of reproduction. Since the negative energy balance of early lactation is associated with reduced fertility via suppression of gonadotropin secretion and enhanced growth hormone (GH) responsiveness, this experiment was designed to determine the effects of stage of lactation and negative energy balance on kisspeptin-10 (Kp-10) stimulated luteinizing hormone (LH) and GH concentrations. Five nonlactating [5.1 ± 0.8 (SEM) years; 577 ± 19 kg body weight (BW)] and five lactating [4.1 ± 0.6 years; 608 ± 11 kg BW] multiparous …

Technical Variables In High-Throughput Mirna Expression Profiling: Much Work Remains To Be Done, Peter T. Nelson, Wang-Xia Wang, Bernard R. Wilfred, Guiliang Tang

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

MicroRNA (miRNA) gene expression profiling has provided important insights into plant and animal biology. However, there has not been ample published work about pitfalls associated with technical parameters in miRNA gene expression profiling. One source of pertinent information about technical variables in gene expression profiling is the separate and more well-established literature regarding mRNA expression profiling. However, many aspects of miRNA biochemistry are unique. For example, the cellular processing and compartmentation of miRNAs, the differential stability of specific miRNAs, and aspects of global miRNA expression regulation require specific consideration. Additional possible sources of systematic bias in miRNA expression studies include …

Australian Consumer Attitudes To Health Claim - Food Product Compatibility For Functional Foods, P. G. Williams, L. Ridges, M. Batterham, B. Ripper, M. C. Hung

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study with Australian consumers investigated how appealing different health claims combined with particular food carriers were to Australian consumers, and compared the results of a similar study with Dutch consumers. 149 shoppers considered up to 30 different food concepts, rating how ‘attractive’, ‘believable’, and ‘new and different’ they found each concept and their ‘intention to try’. Each variable was significantly related to intention to try (p<0.001) and together explained 56% of the intention score. Claims and carriers independently had a significant effect on ratings of attractiveness and intention to try but, unlike the Dutch study, the carrier was a more important predictor of intention to purchase than the claim. Implications for regulation of health claims for food are discussed.

Neuroendocrine Peptides Neuropeptide-Y (Npy) And Peptide-Yy (Pyy) Suppress Cl- Secretion And K+ Secretion In Guinea Pig Distal Colon Through Action At Y2-Receptors, Susan T. Halm, Jin Zhang, Dan R. Halm

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Electrogenic Cl^– and K⁺ secretion in isolated mucosa from guinea pig distal colon measured as short-circuit current (I_sc) and transepithelial conductance (G_t) were stimulated by epinephrine (epi), prostaglandin-E₂ (PGE₂) and carbachol (CCh). neuropeptide-Y (NPY) and peptide-YY (PYY) inhibited by 60% Cl^– secretion activated by either PGE₂ or PGE₂+CCh with EC₅₀’s of 16nM and 6nM, respectively. Neither peptide markedly inhibited the transient component of the PGE₂+CCh response. Immunoreactivity (IR) for NPY was present in enteric ganglia and in proximity with crypts. Basolateral membranes of …

Behavioural Analysis Of A Nociceptive Event In Fish: Comparisons Between Three Species Demonstrate Specific Responses, Siobhan C. Reilly, John P. Quinn, Andrew R. Cossins, Lynne U. Sneddon

Sentience Collection

Nociception is the sensory mechanism by which potentially harmful stimuli are detected in animals and humans. The behavioural responses to noxious stimulation have been studied in two fish species thus far. However, since species-specific differences are seen in mammals, more species need to be examined to determine whether nociceptive responses are generic in fish. The present study investigated the behavioural and respiratory response to an acute noxious or potentially painful stimulus in common carp (Cyprinus carpio), zebrafish (Danio rerio) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Behavioural parameters such as frequency of swimming, use of cover and any anomalous behaviour were measured …

2008 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Rajshehkar G. Javalgi Dr., Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Rajshekhar Javalgi was the guest speaker.

Viral Vectors In The Research Laboratory: Just How Safe Are They?, Dawn P. Wooley, Kimberly Kay Morris, Robert Mcrae, John C. Trefry

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Two Gene Clusters And A Transcriptional Regulator Required For Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Glycine Betaine Catabolism, Matthew J. Wargo, Benjamin S. Szwergold, Deborah A. Hogan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Glycine betaine (GB), which occurs freely in the environment and is an intermediate in the catabolism of choline and carnitine, can serve as a sole source of carbon or nitrogen in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Twelve mutants defective in growth on GB as the sole carbon source were identified through a genetic screen of a nonredundant PA14 transposon mutant library. Further growth experiments showed that strains with mutations in two genes, gbcA (PA5410) and gbcB (PA5411), were capable of growth on dimethylglycine (DMG), a catabolic product of GB, but not on GB itself. Subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments with 1,2-(13)C-labeled choline …

Dynamics Of Apomyoglobin In The Α-To-Β Transition And Of Partially Unfolded Aggregated Protein, E. Fabiani, A. M. Stadler, D. Madern, M. M. Koza, M. Tehei, M. Hirai, G. Zaccai

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Changes of molecular dynamics in the α-to-β transition associated with amyloid fibril formation were explored on apo-myoglobin (ApoMb) as a model system. Circular dichroism, neutron and X-ray scattering experiments were performed as a function of temperature on the protein, at different solvent conditions. A significant change in molecular dynamics was observed at the α-to-β transition at about 55 ˚C, indicating a more resilient high temperature β structure phase. A similar effect at approximately the same temperature was observed in holo-myoglobin, associated with partial unfolding and protein aggregation. A study in a wide temperature range between 20 K and 360 K …

Global Analysis Of Gene Expression Changes During Retinoic Acid-Induced Growth Arrest And Differentiation Of Melanoma: Comparison To Differentially Expressed Genes In Melanocytes Vs Melanoma, Mary H. Estler, Goran Boskovic, James Denvir, Sarah Miles, Donald A. Primerano, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

BACKGROUND: The incidence of malignant melanoma has significantly increased over the last decade. Some of these malignancies are susceptible to the growth inhibitory and pro-differentiating effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA). The molecular changes responsible for the biological activity of RA in melanoma are not well understood.

RESULTS: In an analysis of sequential global gene expression changes during a 4-48 h RA treatment of B16 mouse melanoma cells, we found that RA increased the expression of 757 genes and decreased the expression of 737 genes. We also compared the gene expression profile (no RA treatment) between non-malignant melan-a mouse melanocytes and …

Development And Annotation Of Perennial Triticeae Ests And Ssr Markers., B.S. Bushman, S R Larson, I W Mott, P F Cliften, R R Wang, N J Chatterton, A G Hernandez, S Ali, R W Kim, Jyothi Thimmapuram, G Gong, L Liu, M A Mikel

Cyber Center Publications

Triticeae contains hundreds of species of both annual and perennial types. Although substantial genomic tools are available for annual Triticeae cereals such as wheat and barley, the perennial Triticeae lack sufficient genomic resources for genetic mapping or diversity research. To increase the amount of sequence information available in the perennial Triticeae, three expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries were developed and annotated for Pseudoroegneria spicata, a mixture of both Elymus wawawaiensis and E. lanceolatus, and a Leymus cinereus x L. triticoides interspecific hybrid. The ESTs were combined into unigene sets of 8 780 unigenes for P. spicata, 11 281 unigenes for …

Explaining The Race Difference In Prostate Cancer Stage At Diagnosis, Beth A. Jones, Wen-Liang Liu, Andre B. Araujo, Stanislav V. Kasl, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Hosanna Soler-Vila, Mary G.M. Curnen, Robert Dubrow

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in males in the United States, accounting for an estimated 186,320 new cases in 2008. There are striking racial or ethnic differences in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States, with Black males 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed and 2.4 times more likely to die with prostate cancer than Whites. The stage at diagnosis is a key prognostic factor for prostate cancer survival, with African-Americans generally diagnosed at a more advanced stage. To identify factors that explain the race-stage disparity in prostate cancer, we conducted a population-based …

Multidimensional Self-Efficacy And Affect In Wheelchair Basketball Players, Jeffrey J. Martin

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

In the current study, variables grounded in social cognitive theory with athletes with disabilities were examined. Performance, training, resiliency, and thought control self-efficacy, and positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect were examined with wheelchair basketball athletes (N = 79). Consistent with social cognitive theory, weak to strong significant relationships among the four types of self-efficacy (rs = .22–.78) and among self-efficacy and affect (rs = -.40–.29) were found. Basketball players who were efficacious in their ability to overcome training barriers were also confident in their basketball skills and efficacious in their ability to overcome ruminating distressing thoughts …