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Neuronal Toxicity Of Humoral Factors From Patients With Diabetic Neuropathy And Mechanism Of Neuronal Death On Cultured Adrenergic Neurons: Studies Of Autoimmune Pathogenesis In Diabetic Neuropathy, Dong Liu

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Diabetic neuropathy is an extremely common medical problem because of the high frequency of diabetes and its complications. Diabetic neuropathy consists of not one, but many patterns of nerve injury, each potentially with its own discrete pathogenic mechanisms. Evidence is accumulating that indicates autoimmunity plays a role in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. However, the significance of immunopathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy is as yet unclear.

Using the N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cell line (NB) as a model of the adrenergic autonomic neuron, we found that sera of IDDM patients with neuropathy inhibit growth and differentiation of adrenergic neurons in culture (Pittenger et al, …

Lead Activation Of A Developmentally Regulated Calcium Channel In Rat Hippocampal Nerve Terminals, Troy E. Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Low level lead (Pb²⁺) exposure may produce lasting deficits in learning and memory by altering calcium (Ca²⁺) dependent processes. Isolated presynaptic nerve terminals from rat hippocampus were loaded with the intracellular (Ca²⁺) indicator Fura-2. The changes in cytoplasmic free calcium ([Ca²⁺]_i) were measured by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy following depolarization with elevated potassium on a millisecond time scale (Lentzner et al., 1992). Depolarization promoted a rapid increase in Ca²⁺_i which occured in two kinetically distinguishable phases: a fast component, representing the activity of rapidly inactivating Ca²⁺ channels (τ …

The Assessment Of Osteoinductivity Of Human Allograft Demineralized Bone Matrix By In Vivo And In Vitro Assay Models, Min Zhang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The osteoinductive potential (osteoinductivity) is a very important aspect of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as a biomaterial. This study is directed at establishing qualitative and quantitative assays of the osteoinductivity of human DBM. Further aspects of this study include an assessment of the effects of the production process, matrix characterization, and donor related factors on osteoinductivity of the DBM.

Athymic mice were chosen as the animal model for use in the in vivo bioassay. Implantation of DBM in muscle pouches provided for much higher osteoinductivity (remineralization to 10% calcium) than subcutaneous site implantation (remineralization to 1.6% calcium). Histological observations revealed …

Numerical Chromosome Abnormalities In Sperm From Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic Patients And Fertile Males, Myung-Geol Pang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Artificial fertilization protocols have been developed which bypass natural barriers for reproduction. One aspect of infertility which has received little attention is the potential importance of aneuploidy in sperm. To more clearly understand the cytogenetic make-up of sperm from OAT patients, multi-probe, multi-color FISH was performed to determine aneuploidy.

The introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has revolutionized protocols used in in vitro fertilization centers. The pregnancies resulting from ICSI suggest an increased frequency of sex chromosome aneuploidy in livebirths. Preliminary data by others' suggest that sperm tail swelling patterns following hypo-osmotic swelling (HOST) can be predictive of fertilizing ability. …