Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Characterization Of The Subcellular Localization Of Bile Acid Coa: N-Acyltransferase, Nathan Allen Styles

All ETDs from UAB

The liver plays a central role in metabolism. It controls protein metabolism through deamination and transamination of amino acids, removal of ammonia through urea synthesis, synthesis of non-essential amino acids and synthesis of the majority of plasma proteins such as albumin. The liver regulates blood glucose levels through glyconeogenesis and glyconeolysis of glycogen, as well as gluconeogenesis from amino acids. It regulates fat metabolism through oxidation of triglycerides and fatty acids, as well as synthesis of cholesterol, lipoproteins, and phospholipids. Furthermore, the liver is the only site of formation of bile acids and their conjugates, physiologically important compounds that solubilize …

Bacillus Anthracis Spore-Host Interactions, Melissa K. Swiecki

All ETDs from UAB

The use of Bacillus anthracis as a bioweapon depends on the dispersal of its spores into the environment, entrance into the body, spore uptake by human host cells, germination of the spores in the host and the pathological consequences of the virulence factors produced by the vegetative cells. Prior to 2001, very little was known about the mechanisms of spore entry into the host, including targeting cell types at airway, digestive and skin surfaces, potential spore receptors on these cells and spore encounters with cellular and humoral elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems. To this end, we have …

Relaxation Rate-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantification Of Myocardial Infarction, Pal Suranyi

All ETDs from UAB

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in western societies. Treatment needs to be tailored for each individual, which requires accurate assessment of the underlying pathology. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a relatively young modality in the field of cardiovascular imaging, and boasts with the lack of harmful radiation, excellent soft tissue contrast, and high spatial-temporal resolution. The very foundation of the concept of MRI was the finding that pathology causes changes in the relaxation rates of tissues. Measurement of relaxation rates is more time consuming than generating simple signal intensity images weighted by the longitudinal or transverse …

Genetic And Epigenetic Regulation Of Dihydropyrimidinase And Beta-Ureidopropionase In Individuals With Altered Uracil Catabolism And Normal Dihydro Pyrimidine Dehydrogenase Enzyme Activity, Holly Reed Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

There remain a number of patients presenting with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) toxicity despite normal dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme activity, suggesting possible deficiencies in the two enzymes downstream of DPD in the uracil catabolic pathway: dihydropyrimidinase (DHP), encoded by the DPYS gene, or β-ureidopropionase (BUP-1), encoded by the UPB1 gene. Unlike DPD, which is expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), DHP and BUP-1 enzyme activity is detected in only the liver and kidney, thus requiring an invasive biopsy for determination of activity. This dissertation, therefore, focuses on the role of the genetic and epigenetic regulation of DPYS and UPB1. The genetic …

The Role Of Cd5 In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalitomyelitis, Robert C. Axtell

All ETDs from UAB

The regulation of activation, differentiation and persistence of effector T-cells are critical for the development of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of Multiple Sclerosis. Until now, the function of CD5 was accepted to be a negative regulator of T-cell activation. This dissertation reports that CD5 has an addi-tional role in T-cell responses, which is to promote cell survival. Observations from EAE experiments revealed that mice deficient in CD5 exhibited decreased disease severity which was associated with the inability of activated T-cells to survive. Moreover, block-ing the engagement of CD5 in mice led to enhanced activation induced cell death …

Cd8+ T-Lymphocytes And The Control Of Cytomegalovirus Infection Of The Newborn Central Nervous System, Glenn Robert Burgner Bantug

All ETDs from UAB

Congenital HCMV infection of the developing brain is the leading viral cause of mental retardation and sensorineural hearing loss. To elucidate the pathogenesis of congenital HCMV CNS infections, we developed a small animal model of CMV infection where newborn Balb/c mice are peripherally inoculated with murine cytomegalovirus. In this model we observed transient deficits in cerebellar/hindbrain development as well as the recruitment of peripheral immune effector cells to the CNS parenchyma. CD8+ T-lymphocytes were the predominant mononuclear cellular infiltrates in the brain and immune-depletion of CD8+ cells resulted in increased viral genome copy numbers in the CNS. CD8+ T-lymphocytes exhibited …

Ribosome Recycling: An Essential Process Of Protein Synthesis, Michael C. Kiel, Hideko Kaji, Akira Kaji

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

A preponderance of textbooks outlines cellular protein synthesis (translation) in three basic steps: initiation, elongation, and termination. However, researchers in the field of translation accept that a vital fourth step exists; this fourth step is called ribosome recycling. Ribosome recycling occurs after the nascent polypeptide has been released during the termination step. Despite the release of the polypeptide, ribosomes remain bound to the mRNA and tRNA. It is only during the fourth step of translation that ribosomes are ultimately released from the mRNA, split into subunits, and are free to bind new mRNA, thus the term "ribosome recycling." This step …

Inhibition Of Antiassociation Activity Of Translation Initiation Factor 3 By Paromomycin, Go Hirokawa, Hideko Kaji, Akira Kaji

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

The effect of paromomycin on the interaction of ribosomal subunits was studied. Paromomycin inhibited the antiassociation activity of initiation factor 3 (IF3). Furthermore, ribosomal subunits were associated to form 70S ribosomes by paromomycin even in the presence of 1 mM Mg(2+). Paromomycin did not inhibit the binding of IF3 to the 30S ribosomal subunits. On the other hand, IF3 bound to the 30S subunits was expelled by paromomycin-induced subunit association (70S formation). These results indicate that the stabilization of 70S ribosomes by paromomycin may in part be responsible for its inhibitory effects on translocation and ribosome recycling.

Exploration Of Computational Methods For Classification Of Movement Intention During Human Voluntary Movement From Single Trial Eeg, Ou Bai, Peter Lin, Sherry Vorbach, Jiang Li, Steve Furlani, Mark Hallett

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To explore effective combinations of computational methods for the prediction of movement intention preceding the production of self-paced right and left hand movements from single trial scalp electroencephalogram (EEG).

Methods: Twelve naïve subjects performed self-paced movements consisting of three key strokes with either hand. EEG was recorded from 128 channels. The exploration was performed offline on single trial EEG data. We proposed that a successful computational procedure for classification would consist of spatial filtering, temporal filtering, feature selection, and pattern classification. A systematic investigation was performed with combinations of spatial filtering using principal component analysis (PCA), independent component analysis …

A Proteome-Wide Protein Interaction Map For Campylobacter Jejuni, Jodi R. Parrish, Jingkai Yu, Guozhen Liu, Julie A. Hines, Jason E. Chan, Bernie A. Mangiola, Huamei Zhang, Svetlana Pacifico, Farshad Fotouhi, Victor J. Dirita, Trey Ideker, Phillip Andrews, Russell L. Finley Jr

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Data from large-scale protein interaction screens for humans and model eukaryotes have been invaluable for developing systems-level models of biological processes. Despite this value, only a limited amount of interaction data is available for prokaryotes. Here we report the systematic identification of protein interactions for the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni, a food-borne pathogen and a major cause of gastroenteritis worldwide.

Results

Using high-throughput yeast two-hybrid screens we detected and reproduced 11,687 interactions. The resulting interaction map includes 80% of the predicted C. jejuni NCTC11168 proteins and places a large number of poorly characterized proteins into networks that provide initial …

A Comparision Of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Dependence In C57bl/6j Mice And Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Knock Out Mice, Brittany Leigh Alice Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The idea that humans and laboratory animals can become physically dependent on marijuana or its primary psychoactive constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is gaining acceptance. However, there are no currently approved pharmacotherapies to treat cannabinoid withdrawal. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate whether elevating endogenous anandamide levels using mice lacking fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the enzyme responsible for anandamide metabolism, would ameliorate THC dependence. Mice were treated subchronically with a low or high THC dosing regimen and challenged with the CB1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, to precipitate withdrawal. Following subchronic THC treatment, rimonabant precipitated a significant increase in paw flutters …

Adenoviral Mediated Gene Transfer Into The Dog Brain In Vivo, Marianela Candolfi, Kurt Kroeger, Elizabeth Pluhar, Chunyan Liu, Carlos Barcia, Josee Bergeron, Mariana Puntel, James Curtin, Elizabeth Mcniel, Andrew Freese, John Ohlfest, Peter Moore, William Kuoy, Pedro Lowenstein, Maria Castro

Articles

OBJECTIVE: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a devastating brain tumor for which there is no cure. Adenoviral-mediated transfer of conditional cytotoxic (herpes simplex virus [HSV] 1-derived thymidine kinase [TK]) and immunostimulatory (Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand [Flt3L]) transgenes elicited immune-mediated long-term survival in a syngeneic intracranial GBM model in rodents. However, the lack of a large GBM animal model makes it difficult to predict the outcome of therapies in humans. Dogs develop spontaneous GBM that closely resemble the human disease; therefore, they constitute an excellent large animal model. We assayed the transduction efficiency of adenoviral vectors (Ads) encoding beta-galactosidase (betaGal), TK, …

Association Of Putative Enteroaggregative Escherichia Coli Virulence Genes And Biofilm Production In Isolates From Travelers To Developing Countries, Jamal A Mohamed, David B Huang, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Herbert L Dupont, James P Nataro, Jaime Belkind-Gerson, Pablo C Okhuysen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging enteric pathogen that causes acute and chronic diarrhea among children, human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, and travelers to developing regions of the world. The pathogenesis of EAEC strains involves the production of biofilm. In this study, we determined the association between presence of putative EAEC virulence genes and biofilm formation in 57 EAEC isolates (as defined by HEp-2 adherence) from travelers with diarrhea and in 18 EAEC isolates from travelers without diarrhea. Twelve nondiarrheagenic E. coli isolates from healthy travelers were used as controls. Biofilm formation was measured by using a microtiter plate assay …

Multiphoton Response Of Retinal Rod Photoreceptors, Vasilios Alexiades, Harihar Khanal

Publications

Phototransduction is the process by which light is converted into an electrical response in retinal photoreceptors. Rod photoreceptors contain a stack of (about 1000) disc membranes packed with photopigment rhodopsin molecules, which absorb the photons. We present computational experiments which show the profound effect on the response of the distances (how many discs apart) photons happen to be absorbed at. This photon-distribution effect alone can account for much of the observed variability in response.

Comparison Of The Antibacterial Effects Of Two Local Anesthetics: Lidocaine And Articaine, Kadi̇r Kaya, Seyyal Rota, Bora Doğan, Gi̇zem Kökten, Berri̇n Günaydin, Gülendam Bozdayi

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: The antibacterial effect of lidocaine has been studied widely, but the effect of articaine has not yet been evaluated. We aimed to investigate whether commercially available articaine possesses bactericidal or bacteriostatic effect in comparison with lidocaine in a prospective laboratory setting. Materials and Methods: The antibacterial effects of articaine and lidocaine were studied on Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli ATCC35218, and Proteus mirabilis ATCC7002 strains and a patient isolate of Serratia marcescens. For this study, 2% lidocaine HCl and articaine HCl were diluted to 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, 0.312, 0.156, and 0.078 mg ml^{-1} concentrations …

Effects Of Exercise On Hemorheological Parameters Of Young Nigerian Smokers, Omolade Augustina Awodu, Ademola Adekunle Famodu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: Regular physical exercise is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the hypothesis that acute submaximal exercise has similar effects on rheological parameters of smokers and non-smokers was tested. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three male university undergraduates comprised of 18 smokers and 15 non-smokers were studied. All the subjects underwent submaximal exercise on cycloergometer for 30 minutes. Blood for hemorheological parameters was collected 30 minutes before and after exercise. Samples were analyzed by standard methods. Results: A total of 33 undergraduates were studied. The hematocrit, plasma viscosity and plasma fibrinogen were significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers …

Water Sorption And Solubility Of Different Luting And Restorative Dental Cements, Fi̇li̇z Keyf, S. Hakan Tuna, Murat Şen, Agnes Safrany

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the water sorption and solubility of four provisional, three permanent luting cements and five restorative cements. Methods: A split ring mould was fabricated for the preparation of specimen discs which were 15.0 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm thick. All specimens were manipulated according to the manufacturer's instructions and then subjected to water sorption and solubility tests. Data were analysed with Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate surface topography and roughness. Results: All tested materials demonstrated different degrees of sorption and solubility. The difference between sorption …

The Role Of Heart-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein (H-Fabp) In Acute Myocardial Infarction (Ami) Compared To Conventional Cardiac Biochemical Markers, Hati̇ce Paşaoğlu, Ebru Ofluoğlu, Mustafa İlhan, Ati̇ye Çengel, Murat Özdemi̇r, Emre Durakoğlugi̇l, Murat Erden

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: To investigate the clinical implications of serum heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) compared to myoglobin, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) in patients with early phase acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Material and Methods: Patients were grouped clinically according to the American College of Cardiology/European Society of Cardiology new definition of myocardial infarction (MI) and by clinician diagnosis of MI. Serum concentrations of H-FABP, myoglobin, cTnI, and CK-MB were determined in 21 patients with AMI and 44 non-AMI patients. From each patient 3 blood samples were obtained 1-2, 3, and 6 h after the onset chest …

Ultrasonographic Mapping Reduces The Complications Of Diagnostic Laparoscopy For Abdominal Tuberculosis, Müjdat Balkan, Arzu Balkan, Taner Yi̇ği̇t, Mutlu Sağlam, Yüksel Ateş, Ahmet Tüzün

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background and Aim: Diagnostic laparoscopy is of great value in the early diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis and to help improve bed turnover. Diagnostic laparoscopy, however, is subject to all the risks and complications inherent to any invasive procedure. Our aim was to evaluate the role of ultrasonography in the prevention of complications when using diagnostic laparoscopy, and to present its efficacy in the monitoring of response to therapy. Materials and Methods: Nineteen male patients who had ascites with unknown etiology or with suspected abdominal tuberculosis were recruited. In order to analyze the potential role of ultrasonographic mapping as an aid …

A Torsioned And Autoamputated Ovarian Cyst Simulating A Duplication Cyst: A Case Report, Sema Uğuralp, Bi̇rsen Harma, Ahmet Siğirci, Neşe Karadağ

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The commonest and most serious complication of neonatal ovarian cysts is torsion. Ovarian torsion leads to loss of the ovary. We report a case of a torsioned and autoamputated right ovarian cyst presenting as a duplication cyst of the intestine in a newborn. An abdominal cystic mass 4.8 x 3.4 cm in diameter was diagnosed in a 36-week-gestation fetus using antenatal ultrasonography (US). The physical examination revealed a mobile abdominal mass in the right upper quadrant. Postnatal US confirmed a cystic mass in the right upper quadrant. Intraoperatively, the ovarian cyst was autoamputated and it was adhered to the antimesenteric …

A Rare Side Effect Of Metformin: Metformin-Induced Hepatotoxicity, Ersi̇n Aksay, Sedat Yanturali, Başak Bayram, Ni̇l Hocaoğlu, Selahatti̇n Kiyan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Metformin is an oral hypoglycemic agent that is commonly used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. While metformin-associated metabolic acidosis is a widely recognized side effect of this drug, metformin-induced hepatotoxicity has been rarely reported in the literature. We present herein the case of a 52-year-old male in whom metformin-associated lactic acidosis and metformin-induced hepatotoxicity developed.

Horner´S Syndrome Post-Excision Of A Huge Cervical Sympathetic Chain Schwannoma, Sedat Aydin, Ari̇f Şanli, Ömer Taşdemi̇r, Ayli̇n Ege Gül

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Schwannoma of the cervical sympathetic chain is a rare nerve tumor. These lesions typically present as an asymptomatic neck mass and are easily mistaken for a carotid body tumor during the initial work-up. In this report, a rarely seen huge cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma case, who experienced partial Horner´s syndrome postoperatively, is presented. We report a case of schwannoma on the cervical sympathetic chain, which to our knowledge is the largest reported in the current literature.

The Nature Of Medical Evidence And Evidence-Based Practice, John A. Murie

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Is Serum Prostate Specific Antigen Level Affected By In-And-Out Urethral Catheterization?, Yilmaz Aslan, Altuğ Tuncel, Ümi̇t Tekdoğan, Osman Özergi̇n, Ali̇ Atan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of in-and-out urethral catheterization on serum total and free prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and free/total PSA ratio. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study including 24 patients who admitted with lower urinary tract symptoms and underwent in-and-out urethral catheterization with 18 F Foley catheter inserted for postvoiding residual urine measurement. Blood samples were withdrawn to determine serum total and free PSA levels and free/total PSA ratio immediately before, and at 1, 24 and 72 hours after urethral catheterization. Results: There was no alteration in total and free PSA …

Perioperative Deaths In A Nigerian Tertiary Teaching Hospital, Chibundu E. Ohanaka, Charles O. Imarengiaye

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: Perioperative deaths may be categorized into avoidable and non-avoidable. An audit of such deaths should be carried out periodically with a view to improving the standard of clinical practice. Materials and Methods: The master registry of the main theater of the hospital was examined to identify all deaths that occurred within the main theater environment (reception, operating room, and recovery room) over a five-year period (January 2000- December 2004). Patients’ ages, sex and timing of surgery (elective or emergency), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status and the diagnosis were noted. The diagnosis was further categorized in relation to the …

Gastric Duplication Cyst Mimicking Pancreatic Pseudocyst/Hydatid Cyst: A Rare Presentation, Prasad Seetharam, Gabriel Rodrigues

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Congenital gastrointestinal duplications are rare, and gastric duplication cysts are even rarer. Most cases are seldom diagnosed preoperatively. We present a case of gastric duplication cyst, which in preoperative imaging studies mimicked a hydatid/pseudocyst of the pancreas. The diagnosis was made only intraoperatively and was confirmed by histopathological examination of the completely excised cyst.

Genetic Variants Account For Differences In Responses In Blood Pressure And Blood Flow Values To Laryngoscopy/Intubation/Extubation, Hülya Gönen, Zeynep Kayhan, Fatma Belgi̇n Ataç, Ayşe Canan Yazici, Feri̇de İffet Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: There is a variation in drug response among individuals. In this study, we determined angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D), beta2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) Arg16Gly and dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) -48 G/A polymorphisms, which are presumed to be related to the transient hypertension induced by the mechanical stimulation of laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation/extubation. Materials and Methods: One hundred American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I patients were enrolled in this study. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded before induction (T_0), after induction (T_1), during laryngoscopy/intubation (T_i) and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min thereafter (T_{i-1}-T_{i-5}), before extubation (T_e) and …

Pain In Upper Abdominal Malignancy, Colin Johnson, Jon Birtwistle, Carol Davis

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Does Lanz® Endotracheal Tube Offer Advantage In Nitrous Oxide Anesthesia?, Özgün Cuvaş, Fatma Dokumaci, Mehmet Aki̇f Yazar, Hülya Başar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: Increasing intracuff pressure and postoperative laryngotracheal complications are the important issues in nitrous oxide anesthesia. The Lanz® endotracheal tube is a new kind of tube with a pressure-regulating valve. We aimed to investigate whether or not this tube may be useful in nitrous oxide anesthesia in terms of postoperative laryngotracheal complications. Materials and Methods: The study included 70 female patients, aged 18-60 years. Patients were intubated with the standard endotracheal tube in Group S (n = 35) and the Lanz® endotracheal tube in Group M (n = 35). The intracuff pressures were monitored with a manometer during general anesthesia. …

Autopsy Status And Pathologists’ Attitude Towards Autopsy In Turkey, Kemal Kösemehmetoğlu, Ali̇ Riza Tümer, Alp Usubütün

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: While there have been efforts to slow the recent declining trend in autopsy practice in the world, in Turkey there is already a low level of medical autopsy audit, practically nearing zero. In this study, we determine and evaluate the autopsy status in Turkey; reveal pathologists' attitudes towards autopsy practice; propose several factors to explain current autopsy audit; and discuss differences in Turkey's autopsy practice with that of the rest of the world. Materials and Methods: We directed a questionnaire to 85 pathologists and requested autopsy numbers from 50 universities for the period 1995 to 2003. Results: Mean values …