Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Identification And Characterization Of Mitochondrial Dna Variants In Alzheimer's Disease, Natasha Singh Hamblet

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder that affects a significant portion of the human population regardless of ethnicity or gender. A mitochondrial hypothesis of AD has been proposed based on a number of studies which establish altered oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ATP synthesis in AD tissue. ATP demand is most prevalent in the brain; damage to OXPHOS could severely impair brain metabolism, thereby leading to a decline in cognitive function. Four out of five complexes in the OXPHOS pathway are partly encoded by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); thus, this may be a crucial site of lesions that alter brain …

In Vitro Expression Of Human Zona Pellucida Protein 3, Chih-Wei Chen

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Human zona pellucida protein 3 (hZP3) is the putative receptor on the zona pellucida of the mature oocyte that recognizes and binds sperm, and therefore plays a critical role in fertilization.

A full length cDNA of hZP3 (1278 bp) was amplified from the human ovary mRNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The hZP3 cDNA was subcloned into PSK and pREP4 expression vectors. The cDNA of hZP3 was further characterized by restriction mapping, PCR, auto-sequencing and Southern blot analysis by using an internal oligonucleotide probe, and found to be identical to the one reported by J. Dean. Using autosequencing, 289 …

A Tef-1-Independent Mechanism For Activation Of The Simian Virus 40 (Sv40) Late Promoter By Mutant Sv40 Large T Antigens., Paul Casaz, Phillip W. Rice, Charles N. Cole, Ulla Hansen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (T antigen) stimulates the activity of the SV40 late promoter and a number of cellular and other viral promoters. We have characterized the ability of T antigens with mutations in the DNA-binding domain and within the N-terminal 85 residues to activate the SV40 late promoter. T antigens lacking both nonspecific and sequence-specific DNA-binding activities were able to induce the late promoter. Mutations within the N-terminal 85 residues of T antigen diminished activation by less than twofold. Activation by wild-type and most of the mutant T antigens required intact binding sites for the cellular …

Regulation Of The Insulin-Like Growth Factor System By Retinoic Acid In Human Osteoblast Cells, Yuehua Zhou

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Retinoic acid (RA) is an important regulator of growth and differentiation in many cell types, including bone. However, its effects on human osteoblast cell growth and differentiation have not been well studied. Therefore, I investigated the effect of RA on proliferation and differentiation of normal human bone cells (HBCs) and human osteosarcoma, SaOS-2 cells. RA decreased baseline as well as serum-stimulated proliferation in normal HBCs. To determine the effect of RA on differentiation, expression of several osteoblastic differentiation markers were studied. RA decreased type I procollagen mRNA levels and l,25(OH)₂D₃-stimulated osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mRNA …

Ornithine Decarboxylase And Polyamines In Perinatal Hypoxia, Satyaseelan Packianathan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Hypoxic and hypoxic/ischemic episodes contribute to various neurological aberrations, learning disabilities, et cetera in surviving infants. Despite major advances in understanding the pathophysiology of hypoxia, the cellular basis for hypoxic-mediated injury remains poorly understood. In addition, the role of developmentally essential enzymes vis á vis their contributions, or lack thereof, to hypoxic-mediated injury has not been adequately investigated. In the series of studies comprising this dissertation, we tested the hypothesis that acute and/or chronic hypoxia affect the activity of omithine decarboxylase (ODC; E.C. 4.1.1.17), the developmentally essential enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, in the fetal and newborn rat brain. Fetal and …

Periodontal Repair In Dogs : Evaluation Of Rhbmp-2 Carriers, Lauralee Nygaard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study evaluated candidate carriers for recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in periodontal reconstructive surgery.

Canine demineralized bone matrix (DBM), bovine inorganic crystallene bone matrix (Bio-Oss), bovine derived microfibrillar collagen matrix (Helistat), poly (D,L-lactide-coglycolide) micropaiticles (PLGA), and polylactic acid granules (Drilac) were used with rhBMP-2 (20 (µg/100 µl implant volume) in routine critical size canine supraalveolar periodontal defects. Contralateral defects in six beagle dogs were randomly assigned to receive: DBM/rhBMP-2, DBM-control, Bio-Oss/rhBMP-2, Helistat/rhBMP-2, PLGA/rhBMP-2, or Drilac/rhBMP-2, all with autologous blood except for Helistat and PLGA. Animals were sacrificed eight weeks post-surgery and block sections of the defects were processed …

Experimental Peri-Implant Tissue Breakdown In Rhesus Monkeys, Oliver Hanisch

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The aim of this investigation was to characterize peri-implant tissue breakdown following ligature-induced plaque accumulation around osseointegrated implants in the rhesus monkey. Two hydroxyapatite-coated cylindrical implants were inserted bilaterally in the second premolar and first molar region of both mandible and maxilla in four non-human primates (Macaca mulatto). The implants were left submerged to osseointegrate for one year. Eight weeks after healing abutment connection, a two-month plaque control program was initiated. At the end of this period, clinical and radiographic recordings were carried out, and peri-implant subgingival microbial samples were obtained (baseline). Subsequently, cotton ligatures were placed around …

A Model Of Cytomegalovirus Association With The Development Of Heart Graft Atherosclerosis, Evan Skowronski

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The development of graft atherosclerosis in heart transplant recipients has been associated with the development of post-transplant cytomegalovirus infection. The mechanism of this involvement, however, remains unclear. I undertook a study to determine the role of cytomegalovirus in the development of graft atherosclerosis. First, a rapid method of detecting cytomegalovirus based on capillary polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis was employed to determine the presence of cytomegalovirus in a wide variety of clinical samples. Detection of cytomegalovirus is a lengthy procedure under normal conditions, and timely detection of cytomegalovirus in transplant recipients may allow intervention early enough to block the …

Modulation Of Neutrophil Functions By Neurotransmitters Implicated In Stress, Chok Ping Wan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Stress has long been implicated in immune modulation. People under chronic stress have no change in the circulating basal levels of catecholamines while plasma levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) are significantly increased. Sympathetic nerve fibers with NPY have been found to innervate immune organs. It was hypothesized that NPY might be a mediator in immune modulation in people under chronic stress. Human neutrophils were used as a model to study the effects of NPY alone or together with norepinephrine on the immune system. We now report that NPY modulates oxidative burst (OB) triggered by zymosan in human neutrophils while it …

The Nutritional Knowledge, Food Choices, And Exercise Habits Of Students At Langston University, Preston Solomon

McCabe Thesis Collection

The nutritional knowledge, food choice, and exercise habits of an individual determine his or her overall health and life expectancy. Information on these topics enables nutrition educators to develop strategies to improve knowledge and to tailor educational efforts which affect a large number of persons. Poor health in America today is an ever present reality. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular diseases, renal diseases, and pulmonary diseases are causes of death related in part to lack of nutritional knowledge and poor eating and exercise habits. A few of these diseases are chronic in nature and are the most deadly.

The …

Altered Platelet Activating Factor Metabolism In Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, R A. Memon, S A. Saeed, A Jabbar, A Jafri, A H. Gilani, S Saleem, H Akbani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Diabetes mellitus is associated with several abnormalities of platelet function. Recent studies have shown that the blood level of platelet activating factor (PAF), a potent inducer of platelet aggregation, is elevated in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and remains unchanged in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients. However, the mechanism of this increase in PAF levels has not been determined. In this study we have measured the activity of plasma PAF acetylhydrolase (an enzyme that regulates PAF levels) and lipoprotein levels in control subjects and diabetic patients. The data presented show that plasma PAF acetylhydrolase activity is significantly decreased in …

Transcriptional Activity Of Core Binding Factor-Alpha (Aml1) And Beta Subunits On Murine Leukemia Virus Enhancer Cores., Ari L. Zaiman, Amy F. Lewis, Barbara E. Crute, N. A. Speck, Jack Lenz

Dartmouth Scholarship

Core binding factor (CBF), also known as polyomavirus enhancer-binding protein 2 and SL3 enhancer factor 1, is a mammalian transcription factor that binds to an element termed the core within the enhancers of the murine leukemia virus family of retroviruses. The core elements of the SL3 virus are important genetic determinants of the ability of this virus to induce T-cell lymphomas and the transcriptional activity of the viral long terminal repeat in T lymphocytes. CBF consists of two subunits, a DNA binding subunit, CBF alpha, and a second subunit, CBF beta, that stimulates the DNA binding activity of CBF alpha. …

Heterozygosity Mapping Of Partially Congenic Lines: Mapping Of A Semidominant Neurological Mutation, Wheels ( Whl), On Mouse Chromosome 4, Patrick M. Nolan, Patricia J. Sollars, Barbara A. Bohne, Warren J. Ewens, Gary E. Pickard, Maja Bucan

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

We identified a semidominant, chemically induced, mouse use mutation with a complex array of abnormal behaviors including bidirectional circling and hyperactivity, abnormal circadian rhythmicity and abnormal responses to light. In this report, we genetically and phenotypically characterized the circling/ waltzing component of the abnormal behavior. We mapped the locus controlling this trait by heterozygosity mapping of partially congenic lines carrying the mutagenized chromosome outcrossed to different inbred strains for three generations. Analysis of 68 PCR-based markers in 13 affected individuals indicated that the mutant locus, named Wheels (Whl), resides in the subcentromeric portion of mouse chromosome 4. The …

Persistent Oral Dyskinesias Induced By Long-Term Haloperidol Treatment Is Dissociated From Changes In Neostriatal B(Max) And Mrna Content For Dopamine D(2) Receptors, Nuoyu Huang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the presumed associations of dopamine (DA) receptor supersensitivity phenomena in both long-term neuroleptic-treated tardive dyskinetic rats and neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine (n6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, we studied the influence of haloperidol on n6-OHDA-lesioned rats. At 3 days after birth rats received 6-OHDA-HBr (200 $\mu$g, bilateral intracerebroventricularly; desipramine pretreatment, 20 mg/kg, 1h) or vehicle. Two months later haloperidol (1.5/kg/day $\times$ 2 days/week for 4 weeks, then 1.5 mg/kg/day, every day for 10 months) was added to the drinking water. Spontaneous oral activity of intact and n6-OHDA-lesioned rats receiving haloperidol was reached and maintained at significantly higher levels after 15 weeks of haloperidol treatment. …

Moraxella (Branhamella) Catarrhalis: A Molecular Epidemiology Study, Lyndell R. Gill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis is the third-most-frequently isolated microorganism associated with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis in patients during their stay at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center (MHVAMC). In order to develop a practical, epidemiologically-meaningful typing method for M. (B.) catarrhalis, we tested two methods based on analysis of chromosomal DNA for typeability, reproducibility, and ability to differentiate between unrelated strains (discriminatory power, D). M. (B.) catarrhalis isolants from MHVAMC from 7/1/87-6/30/88 were grown overnight in broth and embedded in agarose. DNA was isolated by standard methods. The DNA was subjected to: (1) restriction endonuclease digestion (with either Bgl II …

Indomethacin Reduces Splenic Red Pulp Macrophage Populations In Female New Zealand White Rabbits, Thane S. Thurmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to elucidate the mechanism by which indomethacin (IN) attenuates the stimulatory effect of estradiol (E$\sb2$) on rabbit splenic red pulp macrophages (RPM), thirty-nine female New Zealand White rabbits were divided into 10 groups: ovariectomized (OVX), OVX/IN at 0.1 and 5.0 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day; sham OVX (SOVX), SOVX/IN at 0.1 and 5.0 mg/kg bw/day; OVX/25 mg E2, OVX/25 mg E$\sb2$/IN at 0.1 and 5.0 mg/kg bw/day; intact Control. Quantitative changes in RPM population in response to the treatments were measured using a 0 to 4 histologic grading scale. Estradiol treatment resulted in increased RPM grade when compared …

Protein-Peptide Interactions Analyzed With The Yeast Two-Hybrid System, Meijia Yang, Zining Wu, Stanley Fields

Dartmouth Scholarship

The yeast two-hybrid system was used to screen a library of random peptides fused to a transcriptional activation domain in order to identify peptides capable of binding to the retinoblastoma protein (Rb). Seven peptides were identified, allof which contain the Leu-X-Cys-X-Glu motif found in Rb-binding proteins, although their activity in the yeast assay variedover a 40-fold range. Mutagenesis of the DNA encoding two of these peptides followed by screening in the two-hybrid systemallowed the delineation of residues apart from the invariant Leu, Cys and Glu that affect binding to Rb. Binding affinities of a peptide and one of its variants …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 37 Number 2, Spring 1995, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

6 - MORE THAN A CATHOLIC EDUCATION Why students from other faiths choose Santa Clara and what they find here. By Elise Banducci '87

10 - WALKING WITH THE PEOPLE OF DOLORES MISSION For a young Jesuit, the people of his East Los Angeles parish have much to teach. By Gregory Bonfiglio '82, S.J.

16 - A GOOD SPANKING? Deeply concerned about youth crime and disorder, many people say corporal punishment could be the answer for unruly students. But does it work? By Miriam Schulman

22 - MARKET-DRIVEN NEWS: LET THE CITIZEN BEWARE Increasingly, what's considered news is being defined …

Ua66/14/4 Kentucky Partnership Newsletter, Vol. Ii, No. 8, Kentucky Partnership For Farm Family Health & Safety

University Organizations

Newsletter created by and about the Kentucky Partnership for Farm Family Health & Safety.

Structural Characterization Of A Novel Inhibitor Of Hiv Reverse Transcriptase (Hiv Rt), Greggory Jon Woitte

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections have become a leading cause of death among young people in the United States today. As the number of HIV infections increases, so too does the cost of treatment. Together, these numbers have prompted an increase in the development of pharmaceutical interventions. HIV reverse transcriptase (HIV RT) has become a suitable target for drug therapy because it is the sole enzyme responsible for HIV replication.

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus, has been shown to block a variety of cell adhesion related events including metastasis. In addition, fucoidan has also …

The Kinetic Characterization Of Mutant L289p Of Recombinant Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptase, Tryn Thomas Stimart

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, type 1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of the Acquired immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Currently, AIDS is the leading cause of death amongst young people in the United States. The large increase of HIV-1 infections over the past decade has spawned considerable research in fighting the spread of this disease. One area of intense HIV-1 research has focused on the enzyme Reverse Transcriptase (RT) which is an essential enzyme involved in the replication and life cycle of HIV-1. HIV-1 RT is composed of p66 and p51 subunits and is only active as a heterodimer in vivo. …

Effect Of Nutrition Intervention On The Outcomes Of Pregnancy: A Rural Urban Comparison, Ranjita Misra

Health Services Research Dissertations

The present study examines the effect of nutritional intervention on two outcomes of pregnancy: birth weight of the baby and gestational age. The study further examines the difference in nutritional intervention in rural and urban areas. The research method used is ex-post facto design. Data for the study is extracted from the health records and tracking sheets of women participating in the Nutrition Intervention Project in Virginia Department of Health. Path analysis and effects analysis are used to analyze the causal and direct effect of the independent variables and each of the outcome variables. A model has been developed grounded …

A Kinetic Investigation Of The Mechanism Of Muscle Contraction With A Series Of Nucleotides, Wei Jiang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Muscle contraction is thought to be accomplished by sliding of myosin filaments along actin filaments. Although actomyosin naturally uses ATP as an energy source, it can also use other nucleoside triphosphates (NTP) as substrates. In this work, the dependence of rate and equilibrium constants of the various steps in the muscle contraction mechanism upon nucleotide structure was investigated to unravel the dependence of the mechanical properties of the muscle upon changes in different biochemical steps of the mechanism.

The experiments measuring the dissociation of actomyosin by NTP (or mant-NTP) shows that both the rate constant of actomyosin-S1 dissociation and second …

Dynamic Diseases In Neurology And Psychiatry, John Milton, Deborah Black

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Thirty-two (32) periodic diseases of the nervous system are identified in which symptoms and/or signs recur. In 10/32, the recurrence of a symptom complex is one of the defining features of the illness, whereas in 22/32 oscillatory signs occur in the setting of an ongoing nervous system disorder. We discuss the possibility that these disorders may be dynamic diseases.

Dynamical Disease: Identification, Temporal Aspects And Treatment Strategies For Human Illness, Jacques Bélair, Leon Glass, Uwe An Der Heiden, John Milton

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Dynamical diseases are characterized by sudden changes in the qualitative dynamics of physiological processes, leading to abnormal dynamics and disease. Thus, there is a natural matching between the mathematical field of nonlinear dynamics and medicine. This paper summarizes advances in the study of dynamical disease with emphasis on a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada in February 1994. We describe the international effort currently underway to identify dynamical diseases and to study these diseases from a perspective of nonlinear dynamics. Linear and nonlinear time series analysis combined with analysis of bifurcations in dynamics are being used …

Microwave Oven--Not Only For Cooking, S Pervez

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Glenn Petersen's Review Of Vincent Lebot, Mark Merlin, And Lamont Lindstrom's Kava: The Pacific Drug, Glenn Petersen

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Restoration Of Circadian Behavior By Anterior Hypothalamic Heterografts, Patricia J. Sollars, Daniel P. Kimble, Gary E. Pickard

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus (AH) is a circadian oscillator and an important component of the mammalian circadian system. To determine whether the SCN is the dominant circadian pacemaker responsible for generating a species-typical characteristic of circadian rhythms [i.e., period length (T)], neural transplantation was conducted using fetal AH donors of different species and SCN-lesioned (SCNx) hosts. The circadian behavior of each of the three donor species is clearly distinguishable by its species-typical T. The extent of SCN pacemaker autonomy was assessed by noting whether the period of the restored circadian rhythm following heterograft transplantation was characteristic …

Strain-Dependent Variation In Carbon Source Regulation Of Nucleus-Encoded Mitochondrial Proteins Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae., Timothy A. Brown, Bernard L. Trumpower

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins are regulated by carbon source with significant heterogeneity among four Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. This strain-dependent variation is seen both in respiratory capacity of the cells and in the expression of beta-galactosidase reporter fusions to the promoters of CYB2, CYC1, CYC3, MnSOD, and RPO41.

Ua12/12 Wku Wellnews, Vol. 2, No. 2, Wku Wellness Center

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by the Wellness Center regarding services, health and fitness.