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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Role Of Protein Translation And Degradation In Aging And Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis, Harper S. Kim
The Role Of Protein Translation And Degradation In Aging And Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis, Harper S. Kim
All ETDs from UAB
Protein translation (PT) is an essential cellular process playing crucial roles in growth and development. PT precipitously declines with age in multiple animal species, including humans. It has been implicitly assumed that elevated PT at young ages is beneficial to health while PT ends up dropping as a passive byproduct of aging. However, whether this holds true and how dynamic fluctuations in PT over time impact aging remain unknown. In Drosophila, we show that a transient PT spike in early-adulthood drives aging by triggering dysfunction in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) at old ages. We propose the early-adulthood spike in PT to …
Pain Among Older Adults With Cancer-Results From The Cancer And Aging Resilience Evaluation (Care) Registry, Mustafa Al Obaidi
Pain Among Older Adults With Cancer-Results From The Cancer And Aging Resilience Evaluation (Care) Registry, Mustafa Al Obaidi
All ETDs from UAB
Purpose: The impact of pain on functional status and mental health among older adults with cancer is a relevant, yet understudied issue. Our aim of this study sought to identify prevalence of pain at diagnosis in older adults with cancer and evaluate the association with functional status limitations, cognition, and mental health issues. Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with cancer at age ≥60 enrolled in the CARE Registry at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Patients completed a patient-reported geriatric assessment at the time of their initial visit with a medical oncologist. Pain measured in numeric rating scale from 0-10. …
Dietary Nitrate And The Oral Microbiome In Obesity, Health And Exercise, Christian E. Behrens
Dietary Nitrate And The Oral Microbiome In Obesity, Health And Exercise, Christian E. Behrens
All ETDs from UAB
Obesity ranks among the top growing health concerns worldwide. The prevalence of obesity at all life stages continues to rise with nearly 40% of adults and 35% of children/adolescents being affected. Equally troublesome is the increased risk for a number of comorbidities associated with obesity including cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and certain types of cancer. The successful treatment of obesity, particularly long-term, continues to prove challenging and is often met with limited success. This highlights the importance of continued investigation into alternative strategies that may reduce the incidence and severity of obesity and associated pathophysiologies. Regular physical …
Context Fear Memory Formation Is Regulated By Hippocampal Lncrna-Mediated Histone Methylation Changes, Anderson Alan Butler
Context Fear Memory Formation Is Regulated By Hippocampal Lncrna-Mediated Histone Methylation Changes, Anderson Alan Butler
All ETDs from UAB
The post-translational modification of histones regulates gene expression and is critical for the formation and maintenance of hippocampus-dependent long-term memories. Changes in gene-specific expression of various epigenetic marks during the aging pro-cess are sufficiently consistent as to be used as an aging landmark or epigenetic clock in both humans and other species; however, the molecular mechanisms which govern the application of these marks aging are poorly explored. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated as regulators of histone methyltransferases and other chromatin-modifying enzymes (CMEs). Despite the relevance of such mechanisms to both aging and memory formation, the behavioral relevance …
Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad
Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad
All ETDs from UAB
As life expectancy for people living with HIV (PLWH) has increased, healthy aging in this community has become an emerging public health concern. Although the benefits of adopting healthy diets and regular physical activity are well-documented, implementing strategies for lifestyle modifications among older PLWH remains a challenge. The complex milieu of social, physiological and economic burdens encountered by PLWH exposes this population to increased risk for adverse health outcomes, especially from preventable metabolic diseases. The interaction of diet, physical activity and social determinants of health in persons who are HIV positive is an understudied area. The aim of this dissertation …
The Role Of Klotho In Adult Neurogenesis, Ann Laszczyk
The Role Of Klotho In Adult Neurogenesis, Ann Laszczyk
All ETDs from UAB
Klotho is an anti-aging protein that when upregulated, extends lifespan and enhances cognition. Klotho knockout mice age prematurely and die by ~8 weeks of life after developing cognitive impairment. Klotho function outside of the brain is well established but the protein’s action within the brain remains unknown. As klotho regulates peripheral stem cell populations, I sought to determine whether klotho contributes to cognition through a role in the maintenance of the adult hippocampal neurogenic niche. I examined adult mouse neurogenesis using global klotho-deficiency or global klotho overexpression models. Klotho knockout brains show reduced progenitor proliferation and granule cell production while …
Phenomic And Metabolomic Analysis Of Chronological Aging In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Haley Albright
Phenomic And Metabolomic Analysis Of Chronological Aging In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Haley Albright
All ETDs from UAB
Systematic investigation of chronological lifespan (CLS) in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast gene knockout and knockdown (YKO/KD) strains reveals genes, path-ways, and interactions of potential relevance for aging of all eukaryotic cell types. Growth curves obtained by quantitative high-throughput cell array phenotyping (Q-HTCP) of the entire YKO/KD strain collection provide comprehensive snapshots of the influence of each individual gene on CLS. Yeast CLS is also influenced by media com-position, auxotrophic background, and media buffering. We used Q-HTCP to analyze CLS of the YKO/KD libraries, focusing on the interaction between gene networks and media buffering, with respect to their influence on CLS. …
Volumetric Analysis Of The Lips In Aging African American And Caucasian Females, David William Bowen
Volumetric Analysis Of The Lips In Aging African American And Caucasian Females, David William Bowen
All ETDs from UAB
The objective of this study was to perform a volumetric analysis of the lips at rest and upon smiling in African American and Caucasian females distributed throughout five age groups. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional surface facial images of 100 African American females and 100 Caucasian females were obtained using the 3dMDTMface system (3dMDface, Atlanta GA). Images were analyzed using the Aging Evaluation Analysis (AEVA) software (Eotech, Paris, France) to assess lip volume at rest and upon smile. The following linear measurements were also calculated upon smiling and non-smiling: subnasale-stomion superius, commissure-commissure, stomion inferius-labiomental sulcus. Gingival display and crown length was …
Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Male Face, Catherine Haynie Haynie
Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Male Face, Catherine Haynie Haynie
All ETDs from UAB
Objectives: The adult population is a fast growing subgroup of orthodontic practices. The facial soft tissues of adults are different from adolescents, and there is significant sexual dimorphism in the aging of facial soft tissue. It is imperative for the orthodontist to understand how aging effects the soft tissues of the face, and to know how male and females differ in this process. The objectives of this study include: 1.) Identification of trends in facial aging among a Caucasian male and African American male sample utilizing three-dimensional surface imaging technology. 2.) Comparison of the aging effects between the Caucasian and …
Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly
Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly
All ETDs from UAB
The human neuromuscular system deteriorates progressively with age and disease. This results in denervation events and ultimately motor unit remodeling, which is revealed by abnormal “groups” of myofibers expressing the same myosin protein isoform – a phenomenon described as myofiber type grouping. Despite the acceptance of myofiber type grouping as a hallmark indicator of motor unit remodeling, traditional techniques of detecting it lack quantitative parameters and therefore comparative data in aging and disease are scarce. The purpose of this dissertation is to establish a statistically-driven, quantitative method for detecting myofiber type grouping and to use it to characterize the effects …
The Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitor Acarbose As A Calorie Restriction Mimetic To Modify Metabolic Outcomes In Mice, Rachel Ann Brewer
The Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitor Acarbose As A Calorie Restriction Mimetic To Modify Metabolic Outcomes In Mice, Rachel Ann Brewer
All ETDs from UAB
Age-related diseases continue to be a leading cause of death. One of the only replicable methods proven to decrease age-related morbidity and mortality in multiple species is calorie restriction (CR). CR is difficult for human populations to implement, and has a number of associated risks and side effects. A CR mimetic could provide the healthspan- and lifespan-extending benefits of CR without the limitations. Acarbose (ACA), an α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor approved to treat type 2 diabetes in humans, was recently identified as able to extend lifespan in healthy mice. The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of …
Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Face; African American Female Population, Christina Theresa Sutherland
Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Face; African American Female Population, Christina Theresa Sutherland
All ETDs from UAB
Objectives: Treatment of older adults is one of the fastest growing areas in orthodontic practice. The objectives of this study are to: 1. Investigate the aging of the female African American face using three-dimensional surface imaging to understand how the soft tissue of the face matures in relation to the teeth and 2.) Compare the effects of aging on African American female faces to aging of Caucasian female faces. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 100 African American females with balanced faces. Five age groups (in years) were included: [20-30], [31-40], [41-50], [51-60], [61-70]. Three-dimensional (3D) surface images of …
Gut Microbiome And Its Role In Obesity And Aging In C57bl/6j Mice, Yongbin Yang
Gut Microbiome And Its Role In Obesity And Aging In C57bl/6j Mice, Yongbin Yang
All ETDs from UAB
The gut microbiome has been found to be associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases. Many studies have shown microbial composition changes with obese status or switching of diets. However, few of them have investigated the long-term microbial changes in subjects under the same environmental factors. This study examined gut microbiome changes in multiple aspects with well-controlled diet-induced obese mice models and demonstrated the following: there were great variations in gut microbiome composition and diversity in the same strain of inbred mice under the same environment and diet; certain lineages of bacteria were associated with digestive efficiency; …
Social Support, Social Stigma, Health, Coping, And Quality Of Life In Older Gay Men With Hiv, Larry Zuendel Slater
Social Support, Social Stigma, Health, Coping, And Quality Of Life In Older Gay Men With Hiv, Larry Zuendel Slater
All ETDs from UAB
With the advent of antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV/AIDS are living longer and managing their HIV infection as would an individual with any other chronic disease. As life expectancy increases, quality of life has progressed as an emerging issue for older adults with HIV/AIDS. A majority of people living with HIV in the U.S. are still gay men, who thus comprise a large portion of those who are growing older with the disease. The aims of the descriptive, correlational study were to: (1) explore the relationships among age, race, socioeconomic status, health, social support, social stigma, coping, perceived health, and …
Survival Analysis With Censored Outcomes, Henry T. Robertson
Survival Analysis With Censored Outcomes, Henry T. Robertson
All ETDs from UAB
This dissertation is arranged in the three-paper format. The unifying theme of the dissertation is estimating longevity in terms of years of life lost (YLL). The papers are presented in order of increasing methodological focus. The first paper, No compelling evidence that sibutramine prolongs life in rodents despite providing a dose-dependent reduction in body weight, was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2010. Although sibutramine reduced food intake and body weight, it had no association with longevity. The conclusions were based on data from a 2-year toxicology trial required by the FDA. Although this paper was largely applied …
Pneumococcal Vaccine Response And Aging In Human, Saeyoung Park
Pneumococcal Vaccine Response And Aging In Human, Saeyoung Park
All ETDs from UAB
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen, especially for young children and older adults. To protect from pneumococcal diseases, 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) has been used clinically since 1983. However, PPV23 is not so effective among old adults with its protective efficacy diminishing with age. We confirmed that young and old adults, who were immunized with PPV23, have comparable pneumococcal polysaccharide (PS) specific IgG levels. Interestingly, we found that old adults had lower IgA and IgM antibody levels than young adults for three serotypes (serotype 14, 18C and 23F). Consistent with the previous results, opsonic capacities of immune sera …