Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Anomalous Constitutive Src Kinase Activity Promotes B Lymphoma Survival And Growth, Jiyuan Ke, R. Lakshman Chelvarajan, Vishal Sindhava, Darrell A. Robertson, Lazaros Lekakis, C. Darrell Jennings, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Background: Previously we have shown that B cell receptor (BCR) expression and B cell receptor signaling pathways are important for the basal growth of B lymphoma cells. In particular we have shown that the activation of Syk, a non-src family protein tyrosine kinase and the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), ERK and JNK that mediate BCR signals are required for the constitutive growth of B lymphoma cells. Since src family protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) like Lyn are known to be needed for the phosphorylation of BCR co-receptors, Ig-alpha and Ig-beta, we hypothesized that one or more SFKs will be constitutively …

Transcriptional Adaptations Following Exercise In Thoroughbred Horse Skeletal Muscle Highlights Molecular Mechanisms That Lead To Muscle Hypertrophy, Beatrice A. Mcgivney, Suzanne S. Eivers, David E. Machugh, James N. Macleod, Grace M. O'Gorman, Stephen D.E. Park, Lisa M. Katz, Emmeline W. Hill

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Selection for exercise-adapted phenotypes in the Thoroughbred racehorse has provided a valuable model system to understand molecular responses to exercise in skeletal muscle. Exercise stimulates immediate early molecular responses as well as delayed responses during recovery, resulting in a return to homeostasis and enabling long term adaptation. Global mRNA expression during the immediate-response period has not previously been reported in skeletal muscle following exercise in any species. Also, global gene expression changes in equine skeletal muscle following exercise have not been reported. Therefore, to identify novel genes and key regulatory pathways responsible for exercise adaptation we have used equine-specific …

Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence Vs Heavy Smoking Index In A General Population Survey, M. Pérez-Ríos, M. I. Santiago-Pérez, B. Alonso, A. Malvar, X. Hervada, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is used for assessing nicotine dependence. A shorter test derived from the FTND used for the general population is the Heavy Smoking Index (HSI) (six questions vs. two). The objective of this study is to compare the validity of the HSI versus the FTND.

METHODS: A survey of tobacco use in the general population was carried out in the northern Spanish region of Galicia using both the FTND and the HSI to study a representative sample of 1655 daily smokers. The HSI was compared with the FTND, considered the gold standard. Measures …

Chylomicrons Promote Intestinal Absorption And Systemic Dissemination Of Dietary Antigen (Ovalbumin) In Mice, Yuehui Wang, Sarbani Ghoshal, Martin Ward, Willem De Villiers, Jerold Woodward, Erik Eckhardt

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A small fraction of dietary protein survives enzymatic degradation and is absorbed in potentially antigenic form. This can trigger inflammatory responses in patients with celiac disease or food allergies, but typically induces systemic immunological tolerance (oral tolerance). At present it is not clear how dietary antigens are absorbed. Most food staples, including those with common antigens such as peanuts, eggs, and milk, contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT), which stimulate mesenteric lymph flux and postprandial transport of chylomicrons through mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and blood. Most dietary antigens, like ovalbumin (OVA), are emulsifiers, predicting affinity for chylomicrons. We hypothesized that chylomicron …

Documentation Of Body Mass Index And Control Of Associated Risk Factors In A Large Primary Care Network, Stephanie A. Rose, Alexander Turchin, Richard W. Grant, James B. Meigs

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) will be a reportable health measure in the United States (US) through implementation of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) guidelines. We evaluated current documentation of BMI, and documentation and control of associated risk factors by BMI category, based on electronic health records from a 12-clinic primary care network.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 79,947 active network patients greater than 18 years of age seen between 7/05 - 12/06. We defined BMI category as normal weight (NW, 18-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (OW, 25-29.9), and obese (OB, ≥ 30). We measured documentation …

No Association Of Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Related Genetic Variants With Colon Cancer, Cheryl L. Thompson, Sarah J. Plummer, Thomas C. Tucker, Graham Casey, Li Li

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) are known risk factors for colon cancer. Recent reports from a number of genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with obesity and T2D. Here we tested the hypothesis that these SNPs may also be associated with risk of colon cancer.

Methods: We genotyped nine SNPs reported in GWAS of obesity and/or T2D, including SNPs in HHEX, KCNJ11, SLC30A8, FTO, CDKN2, CDKAL1, TCF2, and the rs9300039 SNP in an intergenic region, in 561 colon cancer cases and 721 population controls.

Results: None of these SNPs were …

Apolipoprotein E But Not B Is Required For The Formation Of Infectious Hepatitis C Virus Particles, Jieyun Jiang, Guangxiang Luo

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Our previous studies have found that hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles are enriched in apolipoprotein E (apoE) and that apoE is required for HCV infectivity and production. Studies by others, however, suggested that both microsomal transfer protein (MTP) and apoB are important for HCV production. To define the roles of apoB and apoE in the HCV life cycle, we developed a single-cycle HCV growth assay to determine the correlation of HCV assembly with apoB and apoE expression, as well as the influence of MTP inhibitors on the formation of HCV particles. The small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of apoE expression …

Manganese Flux Across The Blood-Brain Barrier, Robert A. Yokel

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Manganese (Mn) is essential for brain growth and metabolism, but in excess can be a neurotoxicant. The chemical form (species) of Mn influences its kinetics and toxicity. Significant Mn species entering the brain are the Mn²⁺ ion and Mn citrate which, along with Mn transferrin, enter the brain by carrier-mediated processes. Although the divalent metal transporter (DMT-1) was suggested to be a candidate for brain Mn uptake, brain Mn influx was not different in Belgrade rats, which do not express functional DMT-1, compared to controls. Brain Mn influx was not sodium dependent or dependent on ATP hydrolysis, but was …

Detection Of Sub-Clinical Cwd Infection In Conventional Test-Negative Deer Long After Oral Exposure To Urine And Feces From Cwd+ Deer, Nicholas J. Haley, Candace K. Mathiason, Mark D. Zabel, Glenn C. Telling, Edward A Hoover

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids is a prion disease distinguished by high levels of transmissibility, wherein bodily fluids and excretions are thought to play an important role. Using cervid bioassay and established CWD detection methods, we have previously identified infectious prions in saliva and blood but not urine or feces of CWD+ donors. More recently, we identified very low concentrations of CWD prions in urine of deer by cervid PrP transgenic (Tg[CerPrP]) mouse bioassay and serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA). This finding led us to examine further our initial cervid bioassay experiments using sPMCA.

OBJECTIVES: We sought …

Immigrant Granite Installer Killed After Falling With Homemade Construction Box, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On a summer day in 2009, a 50-year-old granite installer and his two sons were working alone at a construction site when the granite installer fell out of a second story window and was killed. The three granite installers worked for a subcontractor hired to install granite vanity tops and sinks in a newly constructed hotel. Work had commenced at 7:00 AM that morning. They were installing the second set of ten vanities for the day. All ten vanities, with back and side splash pieces, had been loaded onto a homemade three-sided construction box and lifted via a forklift to …

Modulation Of Outer Hair Cell Electromotility By Cochlear Supporting Cells And Gap Junctions, Ning Yu, Hong-Bo Zhao

Surgery Faculty Publications

Outer hair cell (OHC) or prestin-based electromotility is an active cochlear amplifier in the mammalian inner ear that can increase hearing sensitivity and frequency selectivity. In situ, Deiters supporting cells are well-coupled by gap junctions and constrain OHCs standing on the basilar membrane. Here, we report that both electrical and mechanical stimulations in Deiters cells (DCs) can modulate OHC electromotility. There was no direct electrical conductance between the DCs and the OHCs. However, depolarization in DCs reduced OHC electromotility associated nonlinear capacitance (NLC) and distortion products. Increase in the turgor pressure of DCs also shifted OHC NLC to the negative …

Brazilian Adolescents Infected By Hiv: Epidemiologic Characteristics And Adherence To Treatment, Julia K. C. Machado, Maria J. C. Sant'anna, Veronica Coates, Flavia J. Almeida, Eitan N. Berezin, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Over the last 3 decades since the first AIDS cases appeared, we have witnessed great progress in therapeutic methodologies that have transformed the evolution of the disease from debilitating and fatal, into chronic and controllable. HIV-infected children are arriving at adolescence and bringing specific challenges, not only to themselves, but also to their families and caregivers. This retrospective study sets forth epidemiological and treatment characteristics of 46 HIV-infected adolescents followed in a specialized university service relating said characteristics to therapy adherence assessed through a combination of three indirect methods. Therapy adherence did not reveal any association with either epidemiologic characteristics …

Adding Dental Therapists To The Health Care Team To Improve Access To Oral Health Care For Children, David A. Nash

Oral Health Science Faculty Publications

Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, and the subsequent National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, contributed significantly to raising awareness regarding the lack of access to oral health care by many Americans, especially minority and low-income populations, with resulting disparities in oral health. The problem is particularly acute among children. The current dental workforce in the United States is inadequate to meet the oral health care needs of children. It is inadequate in terms of numbers of dentists, as well as their geographic distribution, ethnicity, education, and practice orientation. Dental therapists, paraprofessionals …

Are There Differences In The Smoking Identities Of Adolescents Boys And Girls?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Iris Torchalla, Pamela A. Ratner, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Purpose:

To assess sex-disaggregated differences in youth characterizations of their own smoking behaviour

Background:

•Smoking identities represent psychosocial constructions of how adolescents who smoke perceive themselves in relation to their smoking behaviour (e.g, ex-smoker, social smoker, occasional smoker, e.t.c.)

•These smoking identities converge (or diverge) with established taxonomies used to describe youth smoking behaviour

•Few quantitative studies have examined differences in smoking identity between boys and girls

Truck Drivers Killed After Exiting Semi Tractors And Being Struck By Other Semi Tractors In Distribution Center, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent truck driver injuries while traversing distribution facilities:

• Drivers of yard tractors should ensure that a clear path is visible before moving the vehicle. Truck drivers should not approach such vehicles on foot until acknowledgment of contact has been made between both drivers.
• Do not enter behind the trailer until other vehicle drivers behind have come to a complete stop and parked the vehicle.
• Always wear reflective vests while traversing a distribution facility.
• Employers should develop and implement a comprehensive safety plan that addresses truck driver pedestrian traffic in freight distribution facilities.
• All air lines and electrical connections should …

Is Exposure To Peer And Family Smoking Associated With Youths' Initial Smoking Experiences?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Chris G. Richardson, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background:

- Peers and family member’s smoking is associated with adolescent smoking.

- Sensitivity to the initial smoking experience, determined by positive (for e.g., feeling relaxed, high, and good) and/or negative (for e.g., feeling nervous, sick, coughing) symptoms upon initial smoking experimentation, is also associated with youth smoking.

- However, the effect of peer and family member’s smoking on the initial smoking experiences of adolescents has not been previously studied.

- We present the findings of a cross-sectional analysis assessing the association between exposure to smoking from peers and family members on the symptoms of the initial smoking experience of …

Prevalence Of Copd Among Symptomatic Patients In A Primary Care Setting, Barbara Yawn, David M. Mannino, Thomas Littlejohn, Gary Ruoff, Amanda Emmett, Ibrahim Raphiou, Glenn Crater

David M. Mannino

Objective: Spirometry is recognized as the gold standard assessment for the diagnosis of COPD. However, spirometry continues to be underused, perpetuating the underdiagnosis of COPD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of COPD in a primary care setting in patients with a smoking history and self-reported chronic bronchitis symptoms.

Research design and methods: This was a multi-center, cross-sectional study. The primary assessment was the percentage of patients with airway obstruction (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio ≤ 0.70) compared to those without obstruction (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio > 0.70).

Results: Airflow obstruction consistent with COPD was confirmed in 26% of patients …

The Impact Of Exercise Training Compared To Caloric Restriction On Hepatic And Peripheral Insulin Resistance In Obesity, Robert H. Coker, Rick H. Williams, Sophie E. Yeo, Patrick M. Kortebein, Don L. Bodenner, Philip A. Kern, William J. Evans

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Context: It has been difficult to distinguish the independent effects of caloric restriction versus exercise training on insulin resistance.

Objective: Utilizing metabolic feeding and supervised exercise training, we examined the influence of caloric restriction vs. exercise training with and without weight loss on hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance.

Design, Participants, and Intervention: Thirty-four obese, older subjects were randomized to: caloric restriction with weight loss (CR), exercise training with weight loss (EWL), exercise training without weight loss (EX), or controls. Based on an equivalent caloric deficit in EWL and CR, we induced matched weight loss. Subjects in the EX group received …

Ethnic Disparities In Cervical Cancer Survival Among Texas Women, Ann L. Coker, Christopher P. Desimone, Katherine S. Eggleston, Arica L. White, Melanie Williams

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: The aim of this work was to determine whether minority women are more likely to die of cervical cancer. A population-based cohort study was performed using Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) data from 1998 to 2002.

Methods: A total of 5,166 women with cervical cancer were identified during 1998–2002 through the TCR. Measures of socioeconomic status (SES) and urbanization were created using census block group-level data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of dying from cervical cancer by race, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was used for cervical cancer-specific survival analysis.

Results: After adjusting for age, SES, …

P03-01. The Relationship Of Envelope Evolution To Lentiviral Persistence And Vaccine Efficacy, J. K. Craigo, Charles J. Issel, R. C. Montelaro

Veterinary Science Presentations

We recently reported a direct, inverse, significant linear correlation of Env divergence from our live-attenuated vaccine strain (EIAVD9) and protection from disease. This marked effect of Env variation or viral evolution on vaccine efficacy begged the current questions: what is the relationship of Env variation and viral evolution to vaccine efficacy and does the evolution of virus in inapparent carriers differ from the evolution of attenuated vaccine viruses? Hence we further examined this relationship of Env divergence, evolution, and vaccine efficacy via investigations into Env evolution during inapparent infections, the elimination of ancestral viral species in infected ponies, and EIAVD9 …

An Eiav Field Isolate Reveals Much Higher Levels Of Subtype Variability Than Currently Reported For The Equine Lentivirus Family, Jodi K. Craigo, Shannon Barnes, Baoshan Zhang, Sheila J. Cook, Laryssa Howe, Charles J. Issel, Ronald C. Montelaro

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a lentivirus that infects horses, has been utilized as an animal model for the study of HIV. Furthermore, the disease associated with the equine lentivirus poses a significant challenge to veterinary medicine around the world. As with all lentiviruses, EIAV has been shown to have a high propensity for genomic sequence and antigenic variation, especially in its envelope (Env) proteins. Recent studies have demonstrated Env variation to be a major determinant of vaccine efficacy, emphasizing the importance of defining natural variation among field isolates of EIAV. To date, however, published EIAV sequences have been …

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Transylvania’S Skull With A Hole In It, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Assessing Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Persons With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Joy L. Johnson, Leslie Malchy

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background

• Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure increases the risk for cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease.

• Individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have a higher smoking prevalence than the general population, placing them at increased risk for related morbidity and mortality.

• Given the higher smoking prevalence in this population, the risk for SHS exposure among smokers and nonsmokers with SPMI should be an issue of concern. Yet, SHS exposure in this population is understudied.

• The purpose of our study was to examine the correlates of SHS exposure in this population. Our specific aims were …

Association Of Ambient Ozone Exposure With Airway Inflammation And Allergy In Adults With Asthma, Sumita B. Khatri, Fernando C. Holguin, P. Barry Ryan, David M. Mannino, Serpil C. Erzurum, W. Gerald Teague

David M. Mannino

Rationale

Previous studies have demonstrated associations of high ozone levels with increased epidemiologic as well as lung function measures of asthma activity.

Objectives

In an observational study during the summer months, we hypothesized that higher ambient ozone levels are associated with more frequent symptoms, higher airway and systemic inflammation, as well as worse lung function in asthmatics as compared with non-asthmatic individuals.

Methods

Thirty-eight asthmatics and thirteen healthy control subjects residing in metropolitan Atlanta were enrolled during peak ozone season. Medical histories, quality-of-life questionnaires, spirometry, serum immunoglobulin (IgE), peripheral eosinophil counts, and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) were obtained during study …

Methods And Animal Model For Analyzing Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Jayakrishna Ambati

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Patents

Methods for testing candidate drugs for treatment of age-related macular degeneration are provided. Ccl2-deficient, and Ccr2-deficient mice are used to determine the effect of candidate drugs and treatments on development of age-related macular degeneration. Also provided is a Ccl2-deficient, Ccr2-deficient dual knockout mouse, which is a useful animal model for age-related macular degeneration.

Bridging The Care Continuum: Patient Information Needs For Specialist Referrals., Carol L. Ireson, Svetla Slavova, Carol L. Steltenkamp, F. Douglas Scutchfield

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Information transfer is critical in the primary care to specialist referral process and has been examined extensively in the US and other countries, yet there has been little attention to the patient's perspective of the information transfer process. This cross-sectional study examined the quality of the information received by patients with a chronic condition from the referring and specialist physician in the specialist referral process and the relationship of the quality of information received to trust in the physicians.

METHODS: Structured telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 250 patients who had experienced a referral to a …

Compositions Comprising Human Immunodeficiency Virus Tat Adsorbed To The Surface Of Anionic Nanoparticles, Russell J. Mumper, Jerold Woodward, Zhengrong Cui, Avindra Nath

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

Non-denatured, recombinant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Tat that is free of bacterial RNA and endotoxin is employed in an anti-HIV vaccine. A process of producing the recombinant Tat protein includes steps for removing bacterial RNA from the recombinant Tat and for removing endotoxin from the recombinant Tat protein. A Tat-adsorbed nanoparticle formulation and method of making the same. A method of vaccinating against and/or treating HIV infection comprises administering to a subject in need of such vaccination or treatment an immune-response inducing effective amount of the recombinant Tat protein.

Transcriptional Profiling Differences For Articular Cartilage And Repair Tissue In Equine Joint Surface Lesions, Michael J. Mienaltowski, Liping Huang, David D. Frisbie, C. Wayne Mcilwraith, Arnold J. Stromberg, Arne C. Bathke, James N. Macleod

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Full-thickness articular cartilage lesions that reach to the subchondral bone yet are restricted to the chondral compartment usually fill with a fibrocartilage-like repair tissue which is structurally and biomechanically compromised relative to normal articular cartilage. The objective of this study was to evaluate transcriptional differences between chondrocytes of normal articular cartilage and repair tissue cells four months post-microfracture.

METHODS: Bilateral one-cm2 full-thickness defects were made in the articular surface of both distal femurs of four adult horses followed by subchondral microfracture. Four months postoperatively, repair tissue from the lesion site and grossly normal articular cartilage from within the same …