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Genetic Influences On Rheumatoid Arthritis In Global Populations, Vincent Albert Laufer Jan 2018

Genetic Influences On Rheumatoid Arthritis In Global Populations, Vincent Albert Laufer

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease having numerous genetic and environmental risk factors the interplay of which produces RA pathobiology. While the sheer number of genetic and environmental risk factors complicates understanding of disease biology, understanding has progressed far enough for insight into the most likely mechanisms for the development of the disease. Modern studies of the genetics of RA are massively parallel, enabling researchers to systematically interrogate variants throughout the human genome for associations in genome-wide association studies or GWAS. Such studies have been carried out in European and Asian cohorts many times, and the most recent RA …


The Effect Of Primary Palatal Repair On Growth In Cleft Lip And Palate Patients, Nadia Abou Kheir Jan 2018

The Effect Of Primary Palatal Repair On Growth In Cleft Lip And Palate Patients, Nadia Abou Kheir

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Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a facial defect that is represented as a split in the mouth, palate or both. In the United States approximately 4440 babies are born with CLP annually. More than US$600 million are spent on their treatment and mostly on surgical interventions. Considering the high expenses of primary palatal repair, its effect on growth has been controversial. Surgical scaring is postulated as the cause of maxillary hypoplasia. However, this operation has been considered necessary for function and development of speechHowever, this operation has been considered as necessary for better functional and speech outcomes. Materials and …


Characterization Of Membrane Associated Mucins In Ocular Surface Disease, Anna Ablamowicz Jan 2018

Characterization Of Membrane Associated Mucins In Ocular Surface Disease, Anna Ablamowicz

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Mucins on the ocular surface are found in the tear film and are attached to corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells on the eye. The bulbar conjunctiva of the ocular surface can be divided into four anatomical regions: temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior. The palpebral conjunctiva is the epithelial layer of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower eyelids. In the tears, mucins provide lubrication of the ocular surface through formation of a hydrophilic gel. The primary mucin in the tear film is MUC5AC which is secreted by goblet cells that are located in varying densities within the bulbar conjunctiva. …


Culture And Patient Safety Outcomes: Examining The Impact Of The Departmental Work Environment On Outcomes, Dawn Ahner Jan 2018

Culture And Patient Safety Outcomes: Examining The Impact Of The Departmental Work Environment On Outcomes, Dawn Ahner

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This study examined the relationship between the departmental work environment and patient safety outcomes to determine if there were particular subcomponents of a department’s work environment that had a more significant impact on patient safety outcomes. The work environment was defined as the culture of an individual nursing department which consisted of the employee’s perception of engagement and patient safety culture. The research was informed by the commitment-based theory. Based on this theory, it was predicted that a team-based approach in the work environment would lead to a learning and positive environment, which would be positively associated with quality of …


Vestibular And Oculomotor Function In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Anwar B. Almutairi Jan 2018

Vestibular And Oculomotor Function In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Anwar B. Almutairi

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Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability of childhood, caused by non-progressive permanent injury to the fetal or infant’s brain. Visual and balance impairments are prominent hallmarks of these disorders. Although musculoskeletal and neuromuscular causes are well established in the literature, the role of vestibular and oculomotor disabilities was not explored in this population. Because of that, this dissertation aims to describe the vestibular and oculomotor function in children with CP, aged 7-12years, GMFCS levels I-III, and to determine the feasibility, sensitivity, specificity and retest reliability of vestibular and oculomotor clinical tests in children with CP, compared to …


Effects Of Medicare Reimbursement Policies On The Quality Of Hospital Care, Monica Aswani Jan 2018

Effects Of Medicare Reimbursement Policies On The Quality Of Hospital Care, Monica Aswani

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This dissertation is composed of two papers related to the role of social risk factors in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). As value-based initiatives like the HRRP become more commonplace, there is growing need to understand the relationship between performance in these programs and social risk factors, such as race and poverty, which are not incorporated in the program’s risk adjustment methodology. To address this gap in the literature, this dissertation specifically focuses on three areas: 1) how hospital and community factors are related to average HRRP penalties, taking the context of geography into account, 2) how hospital and …


A Study To Examine The Relationship Between Hospital Mergers And Patient Experience, Timothy William Attebery Jan 2018

A Study To Examine The Relationship Between Hospital Mergers And Patient Experience, Timothy William Attebery

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Since 2009, the United States has experienced another wave of hospital mergers. Consequently, health systems are getting larger and increasing their market concentration. How patients benefit from hospital consolidation remains an open issue for policy-makers, economists, health care executives, community leaders, politicians, government agencies, and others. One measure of healthcare consolidation’s impact, and its potential benefit/detriment, is how mergers affect patient experience, which, since 2007, has been measured by the standardized HCAHPS instrument. Hundreds of studies conducted over the past 50 years have found mergers trigger an internal, socially-disruptive effect in the first 12 to 24 months following the event …


The Impact Of The Cd11b 77his And 1146ser Variants On Mac-1 Activity And Functions, Justin Timothy Avery Jan 2018

The Impact Of The Cd11b 77his And 1146ser Variants On Mac-1 Activity And Functions, Justin Timothy Avery

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Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18, ITGAM/ITGB2, CR3) is a member of the β2 integrin family. While primarily expressed on myeloid lineage cells such as monocyte/macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells, Mac-1 is also found on natural killer cells and some B cells and T cell populations. Mac-1 has over 50 ligands, many of which are critical for adhesion, signaling, and the promotion of immune functions like phagocytosis. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked several SNPs in ITGAM, the gene which codes for CD11b, with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). rs1143679 results in an arginine to histidine change at amino acid position 77 …


Parental Self-Efficacy, Feeding Practices, And Weight Gain During Infancy: A Secondary Analysis, Jessica Bahorski Jan 2018

Parental Self-Efficacy, Feeding Practices, And Weight Gain During Infancy: A Secondary Analysis, Jessica Bahorski

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Mechanisms contributing to childhood obesity begin during early life, including infant feeding practices and an excessive rate of infant growth. Parental decisions regarding their infant contribute to these mechanisms. Parental self-efficacy (PSE) is the belief parents have in their ability to accomplish the tasks of parenting and is associated with infant outcomes. A high sense of PSE, breastfeeding self-efficacy, or self-efficacy for feeding has been found to be associated with healthy infant feeding practices. However, this research is limited in scope and has not been conducted in populations at greatest risk for childhood obesity such as low-income or African-American infants. …


The Mechanism Of Tgf-Β Function In Development Of The Axial Skeleton, Ga I Ban Jan 2018

The Mechanism Of Tgf-Β Function In Development Of The Axial Skeleton, Ga I Ban

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THE MECHANISM OF TGF-β FUNCTION IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE AXIAL SKELETON GA I BAN CELL, MOLECULAR DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY ABSTRACT Back pain is caused by degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVD). IVD consists of two compartments: the annulus fibrosus (AF) and the nucleus pulposus (NP). One strategy for treatment of IVD degeneration is stem cell therapy, which would require an in-depth knowledge of how the IVD develops. Currently, the molecular mechanism of IVD development are not well defined. AF and vertebral bodies (VB) are derived from the same embryonic progenitor, sclerotome. Specification of sclerotome is determined by complex interactions among various growth …


Mucus Adhesion As A Therapeutic Target In Cystic Fibrosis, Courtney Fernandez Petty Jan 2018

Mucus Adhesion As A Therapeutic Target In Cystic Fibrosis, Courtney Fernandez Petty

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease resulting from mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. CFTR is an ion channel responsible for proper movement of chloride and bicarbonate ions across the apical cell surface. Defective CFTR results in an absence of bicarbonate transport, which functions in part to chelate Ca2+, a divalent cation found in abundance in mucin granules in normal conditions; this yields a hyperviscous and adhesive mucus on the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of patients with CF. Bronchial mucins are glycosylated proteins with neutral and negative sugars modified by negatively charged sialic and neuraminic …


The Effect Of Novel Antibiotic Compounds On Endodontic Biofilms, Steven Rhodes Jan 2018

The Effect Of Novel Antibiotic Compounds On Endodontic Biofilms, Steven Rhodes

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Purpose: To investigate the effects of three novel experimental antibiotics on monospecies (Enterococcus faecalis) and polymicrobial (mixed) endodontic biofilms. Materials and Methods: Biofilms containing pure Enterococcus faecalis, as well as biofilms derived from mixed bacterial samples aspirated from inside the pulp spaces of necrotic human teeth, were grown onto slices of human dental in vitro. Biofilm formation capability was verified with SEM. The treatment groups consisted of 3 novel experimental antibiotics. 8.25% sodium hypochlorite and sterile saline were used as the controls. The biofilms were investigated with live/dead fluorochrome staining and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results: The full strength sodium …


Collecting Duct Nos1 Activation Is Necessary For Increased Glomerular Filtration Rate In Response To A High Salt Diet, John Miller Allan Jan 2018

Collecting Duct Nos1 Activation Is Necessary For Increased Glomerular Filtration Rate In Response To A High Salt Diet, John Miller Allan

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We previously reported that nitric oxide synthase-1 (NOS1) in the collecting duct (CD) is critical for maintaining fluid-electrolyte balance during high salt diet. Lack of NOS1 in the CD (CDNOS1KO) results in reduced sodium excretion, urine output, and urinary nitrite/nitrate excretion compared to male control mice after 1 day of a high salt diet (4% NaCl). By day 7 of a high salt diet, CDNOS1KO mice display significantly increased systolic blood pressure with sodium excretion returning to levels similar to control mice. Sex differences in renal sodium handling are important to consider. Female rodents possess redundant mechanisms for sodium handling …


Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy To Improve Gait And Mobility Of People With Chronic Stroke: A Mixed Methods Study, Sarah Monteiro Dos Anjos Jan 2018

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy To Improve Gait And Mobility Of People With Chronic Stroke: A Mixed Methods Study, Sarah Monteiro Dos Anjos

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Walking impairment after stroke impacts on participation and quality of life. Different techniques have been developed in the last decades to overcome walking difficulties after stroke, however, few have been shown to be efficacious. Constraint-induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a family of techniques that has been reported as one the most effective intervention for improving functional use and motor skills of a more-affected upper extremity (UE). The intervention protocol includes: 1) intensive supervised training; 2) use of shaping as a strategy for the motor training, 3) a group of behavioral strategies called the transfer package, and 4) procedures to increase …


Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski Jan 2018

Simulation Of Correlated Variables, Mixture Distributions, And Repeated Measures And Comparison Of Pharmacogenetic Prediction With Machine Learning Methods, Allison Cynthia Fialkowski

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Pharmacogenetics aims to improve individualized medicine by combining genetic information with clinical data when assigning drug treatments. Different diseases are often associated with different factors, each with its own distributional characteristics. For rare or complex diseases, these characteristics may not be well understood and standard analysis methods may not be appropriate. In psychiatric disorders, for example, multiple drug treatments need to be compared across small sample sizes with heterogeneous patient populations, making implementation of standard methods difficult. Simulating data that mirrors clinical data is important because it allows investigators to determine which method is best suited for data from their …


Risk Factors Associated With Multiple Myeloma, Stephen Gragg Jan 2018

Risk Factors Associated With Multiple Myeloma, Stephen Gragg

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy in which clonal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, leading to the formation of lytic bone lesions, hypercalcemia, anemia, renal insufficiency, and immunosuppression. It develops from a pre-malignant condition known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which is prevalent in up to 3% of White populations over the age of 50 years, and twice that in Black populations. Although much progress has been made toward understanding the large scale genomic aberrations that facilitate the formation of MGUS clones and the various copy-number variations and mutations that trigger the development of MM, …


Mechanisms Of Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 And Alphα-Synuclein In Pathogenesis Of Parkinson Disease, Hisham Abdelmotilib Jan 2018

Mechanisms Of Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 And Alphα-Synuclein In Pathogenesis Of Parkinson Disease, Hisham Abdelmotilib

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Two pathological hallmarks define Parkinson disease (PD) including dopaminergic neurodegeneration in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and accumulation of α-synuclein insoluble inclusions, called Lewy pathology, in surviving neurons. LRRK2 (encoding Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) and SNCA (encoding α-synuclein (α-syn)) are two major genes linked to PD. Pathogenic mutations in these two genes cause autosomal dominant (AD) PD. Additionally, genetic variations in LRRK2 and SNCA are associated with increased risk of sporadic PD. Cellular and animal studies using preformed α-syn fibrils (PFF) demonstrate that the fibrils can be internalized by neurons and act as seeds that can recruit and corrupt endogenously …


Reaching Consensus On Global Health Nursing Competencies For Baccalaureate Nursing Education In The United States: A Delphi Method Study, Herica Maria Torres-Alzate Jan 2018

Reaching Consensus On Global Health Nursing Competencies For Baccalaureate Nursing Education In The United States: A Delphi Method Study, Herica Maria Torres-Alzate

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The purpose of this study was to reach consensus among experts on global health competencies for baccalaureate nursing students in the United States. A Nursing Global Health Competencies Framework (NGHCF) was created to guide identification of the domains and competencies for BSN nursing education. A three-round modified Delphi study intersected with a mixed methods research approach to reach consensus from experts in global health on essential global health competencies in nursing. The first phase revised the original list of competencies based on: (a) qualitative responses to the surveys conducted by Wilson et al. (2012), Ventura et al. (2014), and Warren …


The Effect Of Allergic Airway Sensitization On The Immune Response To Pulmonary Bacterial Infection., Arthur Harold Totten Jan 2018

The Effect Of Allergic Airway Sensitization On The Immune Response To Pulmonary Bacterial Infection., Arthur Harold Totten

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Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease associated with small airway obstruction and hy-perreactivity. Greater than 300 million people are estimated to live with asthma world-wide, and in the United States (US), estimated cost-of-care is over $50 billion per year. Allergic sensitization and infections have proven to be important in both asthmatic development, as well as recurrent exacerbations. Diversity and number of bacterial species are increased in asthmatics compared to non-asthmatics, and is also predictive of increased incidence of res-piratory infections. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mpn) is an atypical bacterial pathogen of the class Mollicutes, which lacks a cell wall and is an …


Analysis Of The Gtp Cyclohydrolase I/Tetrahydrobiopterin Pathway In Glioblastoma Biology, Anh Tran Jan 2018

Analysis Of The Gtp Cyclohydrolase I/Tetrahydrobiopterin Pathway In Glioblastoma Biology, Anh Tran

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Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults and one of the most aggressive cancers with high rates of recurrence and therapeutic resistance. In GBMs, subpopulations of highly tumorigenic cells called brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) have the unique capacity to promote tumor maintenance, therapeutic resistance, and angiogenesis. Depending on the level, differentiation state, and tumor stage, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species inhibit or increase cancer growth and BTIC maintenance. GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate limiting enzyme in a pathway that can regulate reactive species production but has not been thoroughly investigated in GBM. …


Clinical And Histomorphometric Outcomes Following The Use Of Small Versus Large Particle Sized Bone Allografts In Ridge Preservation Procedures: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Gentiane Valiquette Jan 2018

Clinical And Histomorphometric Outcomes Following The Use Of Small Versus Large Particle Sized Bone Allografts In Ridge Preservation Procedures: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Gentiane Valiquette

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Alveolar ridge preservation at the time of tooth extraction is a commonly performed procedure as it significantly minimizes ridge resorption and allows for more optimal implant placement. The amount of new vital bone has been shown to vary with the use of different types of bone replacement grafts, however, the effect of bone graft particle size on the outcomes following ridge preservation has not been elucidated in the scientific literature. The present randomized clinical trial compared clinically, radiographically and histomorphometrically the use of small- (0.25-1.0mm) versus large- (1.0- 2.0mm) sized particle mineralized cortico-cancellous bone freeze-dried bone allografts (FDBAs) in ridge …


Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Jacqueline B. Vo Jan 2018

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Jacqueline B. Vo

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Background: There are nearly 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., and approximately 10% are diagnosed prior to age 45 and considered “young.” The overall five-year survival rate for breast cancer survivors is approaching 90%. Living longer, many breast cancer survivors are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease due to cancer treatment, such as anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab. This study’s purpose was to examine cardiovascular disease risk, measured using excess heart age, among young breast cancer survivors. Methods: A retrospective, two-year longitudinal design was used to review electronic medical records of breast cancer survivors diagnosed between 30 and 44 years …


The Effects Of Ketamine And Other Rapid Antidepressants On Hippocampal Circuits, Allie J. Widman Jan 2018

The Effects Of Ketamine And Other Rapid Antidepressants On Hippocampal Circuits, Allie J. Widman

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a common mental disorder that can impair cognitive functioning and negatively impact hippocampus. While several pharmacological treatments are currently available for MDD, most target the monoamine system, providing little variety in approaching treatment. Additionally, a large percentage of people with MDD have an inadequate response to this drug class, leaving them with little optimism of a full functional recovery. Recently, low-dose ketamine, an open-channel N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, produced rapid antidepressant effects in humans, including people who do not respond to monoamine-based therapies, that lasted for days. The antidepressant-like behavioral effect of ketamine is …


Assessing The Comparative Effect Of Tocilizumab On Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Claims Data: A Direct Comparison Among Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, Fenglong Xie Jan 2018

Assessing The Comparative Effect Of Tocilizumab On Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Claims Data: A Direct Comparison Among Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, Fenglong Xie

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ASSESSING THE COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF TOCILIZUMAB ON RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AMONG RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS USING CLAIMS DATA: A DIRECT COMPARISON AMONG BIOLOGIC DISEASEMODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS FENGLONG XIE PhD-EPID ABSTRACT Tocilizumab is a humanized monoclonal anti-body against the interleukin-6 receptor and is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. Multiple studies have observed unfavorable changes in the lipid profile of tocilizumab-treated RA patients. Few studies have compared the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with tocilizumab to other biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDS). Due to limitations in existing studies, the real-world association of tocilizumab with CVD risk remains uncertain. …


Cigarette Smoking Among Hiv-Positive Patients In Routine Clinical Care, Cosmas Mudenda Zyambo Jan 2018

Cigarette Smoking Among Hiv-Positive Patients In Routine Clinical Care, Cosmas Mudenda Zyambo

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People living with HIV (PLWH) are two to three times more likely to be current smokers, less likely to quit smoking and more likely to relapse than those in the general population. Although smoking status, prescription of smoking cessation medications (SCMs), smoking cessation and relapse has been explored in this population, few have investigated using a large sample of PLWH receiving routine HIV care. Using data from a large observational cohort of PLWH receiving routine care in Birmingham, we determined: 1) Factors associated with smoking status; 2) Factors associated with prescription of SCMs; 3) Predictors of smoking cessation and; 4) …


Epigenetic Regulation Of Stem Cell Fate Determination And Tumorigenesis, Kushani Shah Jan 2018

Epigenetic Regulation Of Stem Cell Fate Determination And Tumorigenesis, Kushani Shah

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It is unclear how H3K4 methylation, an epigenetic modification associated with gene activation, regulates stem cell fate determination and tumorigenesis. DPY30 is one of the core subunits of the SET1/MLL complex in mammals responsible for H3K4me. DPY30 enhances the H3K4me activity of the SET1/MLL complex. Here, I sought to define role of DPY30 and H3K4me3 in postnatal neurogenesis and hematopoietic malignancies. Using a conditional knockout model, I found that Dpy30 deficiency halts the development of postnatal hippocampus, the subventricular zone, and cerebellum. Deficiency in cerebellum is most likely the cause of uncoordinated ataxia-like movements in these mice. By deleting Dpy30 …


Pathological Changes In Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission And Neuronal Function During Early Disease In The Novel Tgf344-Ad Rat Model, Lindsey Allyson Smith Jan 2018

Pathological Changes In Hippocampal Synaptic Transmission And Neuronal Function During Early Disease In The Novel Tgf344-Ad Rat Model, Lindsey Allyson Smith

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in those 65 years and older and the 6th leading cause of death in the United Sates. Current treatments only target symptoms of the disease and cannot slow or halt disease progression. The novel and comprehensive TgF344-AD rodent model may bridge the translational gap previous animal models have failed to traverse by providing the platform to probe pre-lesion synapse dysfunction, which is thought to result primarily from increased levels of toxic soluble amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau. The most recently developed model, the TgF344-AD rat was created in 2013 by insertion …


Morphological And Functional Characterization Of A Murine Garp2-Specific Knockout, Delores Stacks Jan 2018

Morphological And Functional Characterization Of A Murine Garp2-Specific Knockout, Delores Stacks

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GARP2, found exclusively in retinal rod photoreceptors, has been proposed to function as a structural protein, a calcium binding protein, and a modulator of the phosphodiesterase regulating visual phototransduction cascade kinetics. GARP2 is a splice variant of the Cngb1 gene which also encodes the β-subunit of the phototransduction cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel and another glutamic acid-rich protein, GARP1. Mutations of the β-subunit and, recently discovered regions shared with the GARP en-coding regions of Cngb1cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP), while overexpression of GARP2 in the absence of the β-subunit accelerates the observed Cngb1-mediated retinal degeneration in mouse β-subunit knockout disease models. In …


The Role Of Glycosylation Initiation By Galnac-Ts In Iga Nephropathy, Tyler Stewart Jan 2018

The Role Of Glycosylation Initiation By Galnac-Ts In Iga Nephropathy, Tyler Stewart

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The autoimmune disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a common cause of primary glo-merulonephritis, often resulting in end-stage renal disease. IgAN patients have elevated serum levels of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) with autoantigenic galactose-deficient (gd) O-glycans. The gd-O-glycans occur at specific sites within IgA1 hinge-region. We hy-pothesized that GalNAc-Ts play a role in the formation of gd-IgA1, due to their role in determining glycosylation sites and densities. To better understand how GalNAc-Ts may change O-glycans of IgA1 in IgAN we characterized the complex glycosylation mecha-nism involved in mucin-type O-glycan synthesis of IgA1 hinge-region. In the first section of this work, we explore …


Protein O-Glcnacylation In Hippocampal Hyperexcitability & Gabaergic Neurotransmission, Luke Thomas Stewart Jan 2018

Protein O-Glcnacylation In Hippocampal Hyperexcitability & Gabaergic Neurotransmission, Luke Thomas Stewart

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Plasticity at central synapses is a vital component of neuronal function and an intensively studied phenomenon thought to underlie learning and memory processes in brain structures including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. A principle mechanism at work during long-term plasticity is the rapid and heavily regulated post-translational modification of synaptic proteins such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination. A comparatively understudied modification is ‘O-GlcNAcylation’, a distinct form of monoglycosylation with rapid intracellular signaling capacity as opposed to the structural and extracellular signaling roles of O- and N-linked polysaccharide chains on conventionally glycosylated proteins. O-GlcNAcylated proteins are found in every cell type/tissue system …