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2010

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Articles 5431 - 5460 of 5693

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Genotyping Of Streptococcus Mutans Using Multilocus Sequence Typing, Stephanie Momeni Jan 2010

Genotyping Of Streptococcus Mutans Using Multilocus Sequence Typing, Stephanie Momeni

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The role of Streptococcus mutans has been extensively studied using a variety of genotyping techniques. Repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) is an effective tool for screening large-scale epidemiological studies with high discriminatory power and reproducibility. For this study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis is used to evaluate genotypes previously identified as unique using rep-PCR. Twenty-two unique S. mutans rep- PCR genotypes were selected from a longitudinal study. Four additional isolates were selected from each genotype group of the 6 most commonly occurring genotypes (n=30) for further analysis. Real-time PCR was performed using eight housekeeping S. mutans gene …

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The Role Of Parental Autonomy Support In The Motivation Of The Health Behaviors Of Diet And Exercise In Older Adolescents, Shannon A. Morrison Jan 2010

The Role Of Parental Autonomy Support In The Motivation Of The Health Behaviors Of Diet And Exercise In Older Adolescents, Shannon A. Morrison

All ETDs from UAB

regardless of the degree of heteroskedasticity. Moreover, in the presence of high leverage

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Host Preference Profile In An Area Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (Eee) Virus Transmission In Alabama, Ana Lucia Oliveira Jan 2010

Host Preference Profile In An Area Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (Eee) Virus Transmission In Alabama, Ana Lucia Oliveira

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osteoporosis susceptibility, perceived osteoporosis severity, perceived barriers to

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A Nucleolar Specificity Factor For E2f1 Induced Cell Death, Jason Chang Paik Jan 2010

A Nucleolar Specificity Factor For E2f1 Induced Cell Death, Jason Chang Paik

All ETDs from UAB

The E2F family of transcription factors are important regulators of cell proliferation, and are often dysregulated in cancers. One member of the E2F family, E2F1, also has the ability to induce apoptosis; therefore, uncovering how E2F1-induced apoptosis is controlled is of interest in understanding tumorigenesis. To this end, we identified RRP1B as a novel target specifically induced by E2F1. RRP1B expression is specifically upregulated by E2F1 overexpression, but not other E2F family members. RRP1B expression is correlated with E2F1 expression during the cell cycle, and is significantly induced after DNA damage. The minimal RRP1B promoter region responsive to E2F1 was …

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The Impact Of Ehr Systems On Physician Productivity And Performance, Anantachai Panjamapirom Jan 2010

The Impact Of Ehr Systems On Physician Productivity And Performance, Anantachai Panjamapirom

All ETDs from UAB

This study examines the relationship between electronic health record (EHR) adoption and physicians' operational productivity and financial performance. The resource-based view of the firm (RBV) was utilized as a theoretical framework to develop and address four hypotheses. Specifically, the first two hypotheses address the impact of EHR adoption status (i.e., electronic- vs. paper-based medical records), and the other two hypotheses focus on the length of EHR adoption (i.e., years of EHR adoption). This cross- sectional study used secondary data from the 2008 physician compensation and production survey conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Multiple linear regression analysis was …

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Pneumococcal Vaccine Response And Aging In Human, Saeyoung Park Jan 2010

Pneumococcal Vaccine Response And Aging In Human, Saeyoung Park

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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 …

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Regulation Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Signaling And Metabolism By Platelet-Derived Growth Factor, Jessica Perez Jan 2010

Regulation Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Signaling And Metabolism By Platelet-Derived Growth Factor, Jessica Perez

All ETDs from UAB

Growth factors are important inducers of vascular cell growth whose regulation is altered during the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. An increase in growth factor and cytokine production, as well as lipid oxidation is observed in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and contributes to altered vascular cell signaling, exacerbated atherosclerotic lesions and heart failure. A change in cellular bioenergetic status due to mitochondrial dysfunction or damage has also been noted in CVD. In this thesis, we first examine cell signaling pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) which are activated in response to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and regulate the cell cycle protein changes …

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The Contribution Of Different Mechanisms Of Viral Sequence Variation To The Evolution Of Positive-Sense Single-Stranded Rna Viruses, Brett Earl Pickett Jan 2010

The Contribution Of Different Mechanisms Of Viral Sequence Variation To The Evolution Of Positive-Sense Single-Stranded Rna Viruses, Brett Earl Pickett

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The Flaviviridae family of positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses includes viral taxa which greatly impact public health worldwide. To explore how the viruses within the Flaviviridae family evolve, we examined the extent to which these viral taxa use nucleotide covariance, spontaneous mutation, and/or homologous recombination to vary their genotype as well as the resulting phenotype. We developed and used CovarView to assist us in simultaneously viewing and inspecting the results from whole genome covariance analyses. This resulted in the identification of previously-characterized RNA functional structures in the genomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as a new RNA functional …

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Regulation Of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 In The Pathophysiology And Treatment Of Mood Disorders, Abigail Marie Polter Jan 2010

Regulation Of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 In The Pathophysiology And Treatment Of Mood Disorders, Abigail Marie Polter

All ETDs from UAB

Mood disorders are devastating psychiatric illnesses that will affect as many as one in every five persons worldwide over the course of their lifetime. Significant gaps still remain in our understanding of these illnesses and outcomes for many patients are far from optimal. Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3) is a protein kinase that is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in a number of neuronal functions, as well as in pathological states such as mood disorders. GSK3 is inhibited in the brain by phosphorylation on an N-terminal serine. Several treatments for mood disorders, including lithium, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotics …

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Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Acid Sensing Ion Channel-1, Yawar J. Qadri Jan 2010

Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Acid Sensing Ion Channel-1, Yawar J. Qadri

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Acid Sensing Ion Channel 1 is one of the many proteins in the Epithelial Sodium Channel/Degenerin family. The proteins in this family interact to form cation channels with unique biophysical properties and can all be inhibited by the small molecule amiloride. Their expression in many different cell types underlies their involvement in a large variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. ASIC-1 containing channels, specifically, are an important therapeutic target for ischemic stroke, nociception, the invasiveness of glioblastoma cells, and many other processes including anxiety and memory formation. Of the members of the ENaC/Deg family, chicken ASIC-1 is the only protein …

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Response Dynamics Of Retinal Ganglion And Early Visual Cortical Cells To Simulated Optical Blur, Michael Lance Risner Jan 2010

Response Dynamics Of Retinal Ganglion And Early Visual Cortical Cells To Simulated Optical Blur, Michael Lance Risner

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Visual neurons are highly sensitive to changes in luminance around the mean level of light. The effects of changes in luminance contrast on the responses of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and V1 neurons have been extensively studied. Sharp transitions in luminance signify edges, which are key features in the visual environment. However, edges are rarely sharp and may be blurred. Edges are generally blurred because eyes have a restricted depth of field, sources of light are rarely point sources, edges are typically smooth, and rapid motion induces blur. The purpose of this research was to understand how RGCs and V1 …

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Heparanase Drives The Aggressive Myeloma Phenotype: Preclinical Development Of A Heparanase Inhibitor For The Treatment Of Multiple Myeloma, Joe Ritchie Jan 2010

Heparanase Drives The Aggressive Myeloma Phenotype: Preclinical Development Of A Heparanase Inhibitor For The Treatment Of Multiple Myeloma, Joe Ritchie

All ETDs from UAB

Heparanase, an endoglycosidase which cleaves heparan sulfate chains at specific sites, is rarely expressed in normal tissues but becomes evident in many human cancers. We have previously shown that heparanase promotes myeloma growth and angiogenesis through modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Recognition that heparanase drives the aggressive myeloma phenotype has led to new strategies designed to therapeutically target this enzyme. SST0001, a non-anticoagulant heparin that is 100% N-acetylated and 25% glycol split, was previously described as a potent inhibitor of heparanase activity in vitro, and, in limited in vivo experiments, SST0001 was identified to have efficacy as an anti-tumor agent …

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Contributions Of The Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Gene System To The Relationship Between Pediatric Body Fat, Free Fatty Acids, And Blood Pressure, Amanda Willig Jan 2010

Contributions Of The Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Gene System To The Relationship Between Pediatric Body Fat, Free Fatty Acids, And Blood Pressure, Amanda Willig

All ETDs from UAB

Elevated blood pressure and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in children can lead to increased chronic disease risk during adulthood. The atrial natriuretic peptide precursor A (NPPA) and natiuretic peptide receptor A (NPR1) genes encode for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its cell receptor, respectively, and may influence levels of blood pressure and NEFA. Additionally, it is unclear how body composition, physical activity, physical fitness, and racial genetic ancestry influence pediatric NEFA and blood pressure. In order to understand the associations among these factors, five investigations were performed. For experimental aim 1, the association between blood pressure and body composition measures …

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Development And Validation Of A Scale To Measure Fear Of Physical Response To Exercise Among Overweight And Obese Adults, Brooks Cotton Wingo Jan 2010

Development And Validation Of A Scale To Measure Fear Of Physical Response To Exercise Among Overweight And Obese Adults, Brooks Cotton Wingo

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specified and alteration of both Type I and Type II error rates occurs. We examine

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Therapeutic Interventions For Chlorine Gas Induced Lung Injury, Amit Kumar Yadav Jan 2010

Therapeutic Interventions For Chlorine Gas Induced Lung Injury, Amit Kumar Yadav

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Rationale: Nitrite (NO2-) has been shown to limit injury to the heart, liver and kidneys in various models of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Currently, potential protective effects of systemic NO2- in limiting lung injury or enhancing repair have not been documented. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and mechanisms by which post-exposure intra-peritoneal injections of NO2- mitigate Cl2 induced lung injury in rats. Methods: Rats were exposed to Cl2 (400 ppm) for 30 minutes and returned to room air. Nitrite (1mg/Kg) or saline were administered intraperitoneally at 10 min, 2, 4 and 6 hrs post exposure. Rats were sacrificed at 6 hrs or …

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The Structural And Functional Studies Of Yeast Nucleotide Exchange Factor Sil1p And Its Complex With Bip, Ming Yan Jan 2010

The Structural And Functional Studies Of Yeast Nucleotide Exchange Factor Sil1p And Its Complex With Bip, Ming Yan

All ETDs from UAB

Sil1 is an Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) localized protein. SIL1 was initially identified as a UPR-regulated gene. Later studies show Sil1 functions as the nucleotide exchange factor of ER lumenal Hsp70--Bip by directly interacting with the ATPase domain of Bip. Currently, the molecular mechanism how Sil1 catalyzes nucleotide exchange of Bip is still elusive. In this study we determine the complex structure of yeast S.cerevisia Sil1 and Bip (also called Kar2) ATPase domain at 2.3Å resolution by Single-anomalous dispersion (SAD) methods. The Sil1-Bip complex structure reveals that one sil1 molecule interacts with one Bip ATPase domain molecule to form the complex. …

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The Role Of Map Kinase Cascade In Msp Signaling Response, Youfeng Yang Jan 2010

The Role Of Map Kinase Cascade In Msp Signaling Response, Youfeng Yang

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The MSP domain is an evolutionarily conserved immunoglobulin-like structure of about 120 amino acids (Miller et al., 2001). A P56S missense mutation in the MSP domain of the human vapb gene is associated with a dominantly inherited form of Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (Nishimura et al., 2004). In C. elegans, secreted MSP binds to the VAB-1 Eph receptor and other receptors on oocyte and ovarian sheath cell surfaces (Miller et al., 2003). We have recently shown that the P56S mutation prevents secretion of the VAPB MSP domain, suggesting that the signaling function is important in …

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A Timp2-Armed Conditionally-Replicating Adenovirus For The Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Sherry Wei Yang Jan 2010

A Timp2-Armed Conditionally-Replicating Adenovirus For The Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Sherry Wei Yang

All ETDs from UAB

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy in the U.S. Conventional therapies have limited therapeutic value due to advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Conditionally-replicating adenoviruses (CRAds) are promising, novel anti-cancer agents that are designed to selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells. In clinical trials, CRAds exhibited limited efficacy thus far. Second generation CRAds are being developed to express a therapeutic protein to further enhance antitumor efficacy. One attractive target in ovarian tumor microenvironment is the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade the extracellular matrix. Thus, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2), an endogenous inhibitor of MMPs, is …

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Il-21 Dictates The Quality Of The Cd8 T Cell Response During Acute And Chronic Infections, John Seung-Hoon Yi Jan 2010

Il-21 Dictates The Quality Of The Cd8 T Cell Response During Acute And Chronic Infections, John Seung-Hoon Yi

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CD8 T cells contribute to the control of intracellular pathogens including viruses and certain bacteria. Recognition of foreign antigens by antigen-specific CD8 T cells initiates a differentiation process by which CD8 T cells gain effector functions including the ability to rapidly produce cytokines and kill infected cells. Currently, it is not well understood what signals dictate the generation of robust CD8 T cell responses, however it has been demonstrated that without CD4 T cell help CD8 T cell responses are compromised. CD4 T cells are the primary producers of interleukin-21 (IL-21), which has broad immunological actions. Thus for this dissertation, …

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Cross-Talk Between Marginal Zone B Cells And Marginal Zone Macrophages, Yuying You Jan 2010

Cross-Talk Between Marginal Zone B Cells And Marginal Zone Macrophages, Yuying You

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the test of group differences and the test of covariate. When we force the predictors in the

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Radiographic Damage And Functional Disability In African American Patients With Recent-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis, Jie Zhang Jan 2010

Radiographic Damage And Functional Disability In African American Patients With Recent-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis, Jie Zhang

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we adjust for heterskedasticity using a HCCM estimator, we find no significant evidence

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A Ck2-Dependent Mechanism For Activation Of The Jak-Stat Signaling Pathway: Implications For Cancer Biology, Ying Zheng Jan 2010

A Ck2-Dependent Mechanism For Activation Of The Jak-Stat Signaling Pathway: Implications For Cancer Biology, Ying Zheng

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Janus Kinase (JAK)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling is involved in regulation of cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. JAK tyrosine kinases can be transiently activated by cytokines or growth factors in normal cells, while they become constitutively activated as a result of mutations that affect their function in tumors. Specifically, the JAK2V617F mutation is present in the majority of patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) and is implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In this dissertation, we report the identification of the serine/threonine kinase CK2 as a novel interactor and important regulator of activation of the JAK-STAT signaling …

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Roles Of Nr4a3 In Insulin Sensitivity In Skeletal Muscle, Xiaolin Zhu Jan 2010

Roles Of Nr4a3 In Insulin Sensitivity In Skeletal Muscle, Xiaolin Zhu

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For the past several decades, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes and the metabolic syndrome has been increasing. Insulin resistance is the central pathogenic event for these diseases. We previously reported that the NR4A family of orphan nuclear receptors augments insulin sensitivity in adipocytes. We now found that lentiviral mediated NR4A3 hyper-expression increased insulin stimulated glucose transport (ISGT) in C2C12 myocytes while NR4A3 knock-down exhibited opposite effect. We also examined the effects of prostaglandin A2 (PGA2) on insulin action and NR4A3 trans-activation in C2C12 myocytes. PGA2 augmented ISGT and insulin stimulated AKT phosphorylation in C2C12 myocytes. Importantly, PGA2 treatment led …

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The Influence Of Self-Concept, Physical Activity, And Sedentary Screen Time Activities On Blood Pressure In 11-13 Year Old Middle School Children, Elizabeth Di Benedetto Gulledge Jan 2010

The Influence Of Self-Concept, Physical Activity, And Sedentary Screen Time Activities On Blood Pressure In 11-13 Year Old Middle School Children, Elizabeth Di Benedetto Gulledge

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The aims of this study were to: 1) examine associations between self-concept (SC), physical activity (PA), sedentary screen time (SST), and blood pressure (BP) and 2) determine the amount of variance explained by SC, PA, and SST in BP. The increase in SST along with decreases in PA may contribute to increases in BP. SC, PA and SST have been associated with BP in adolescents but less is known about middle school children. A sample of 116 (36 males; 80 females; 51 African American, 65 White) 6th and 7th grade11-13 year old students were recruited in a southeastern state. Participants …

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Information Technology And Quality Of Care In Pediatric Hospitals, Gouri Gupte Jan 2010

Information Technology And Quality Of Care In Pediatric Hospitals, Gouri Gupte

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The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between the adoption of information technology by pediatric hospitals and performance on several quality of care measures. This research is aimed at addressing a gap in literature by utilizing a relatively large sample size that examines health information technology adoption across institutions and utilizes validated quality indicators from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Donabedian evaluation model that encompasses "structure, process, and outcomes" provides the conceptual framework for the organization of this research, selection of variables, and analysis. Three secondary datasets were used, 2005 Information Technology Survey of the …

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A Pilot Study For A Computer-Tailored Program To Increase Calcium And Vitamin D Consumption In Young Women: Does Adding Quantitative Ultrasound Change Outcomes?, Donald Henry Lein Jan 2010

A Pilot Study For A Computer-Tailored Program To Increase Calcium And Vitamin D Consumption In Young Women: Does Adding Quantitative Ultrasound Change Outcomes?, Donald Henry Lein

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Osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures are costly personal and national problems. No cure exists so experts stress early practice of bone protective behaviors, like adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures. However, young women in the United States do not consume adequate amounts of these two nutrients. Further evaluation to identify cost effective programs to increase calcium and vitamin D consumption in young women is needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether quantitative ultrasound (QUS) with bone strength feedback to a computer-tailored feedback and counseling intervention was needed to increase calcium and vitamin …

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Effect Of Overexpressing Apolipoprotein A-I In An Animal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Terry L. Lewis Jan 2010

Effect Of Overexpressing Apolipoprotein A-I In An Animal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Terry L. Lewis

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Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the major protein component of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in circulation and is expressed mainly by the liver and intestine. The levels of apoA-I/HDL are inversely related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Because of the connections between heart disease and Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is conceivable that high levels of apoA-I/HDL may be protective against AD. However, the limited literature shows mixed results on the role of apoA-I/HDL in the development of AD. It is hypothesized that increased expression of human apoA-I will ameliorate the behavioral deficits and characteristic amyloid-ß (Aß) plaque formation in a …

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Protective Antibodies To The Proline-Rich And Alpha Helical Regions Of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A And Their Detection In An In Vitro Surrogate Assay, Calvin Clay Daniels Jan 2010

Protective Antibodies To The Proline-Rich And Alpha Helical Regions Of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A And Their Detection In An In Vitro Surrogate Assay, Calvin Clay Daniels

All ETDs from UAB

Current pneumococcal vaccines containing pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide antigens protect against infection by pneumococci. However, this protection is limited to strains expressing the capsule types included in the vaccine. Since the introduction of these vaccines, the increase in incidence of infection by serotypes not targeted by the vaccine, a process called "serotype replacement," and the growing antibiotic resistance of replacement strains both stress the need for vaccines with broader protection. The alpha-helical region of a protein present on all clinical isolates of pneumococci, Pneumococcal Surface Protein A (PspA), elicits protective immunity. Downstream of the alpha-helical region is a highly conserved region …

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A Dual Protease Inhibitor/Receptor Antagonist With Therapeutic Implications For Chronic Inflammatory Lung Diseases, Matthew Thomas Hardison Jan 2010

A Dual Protease Inhibitor/Receptor Antagonist With Therapeutic Implications For Chronic Inflammatory Lung Diseases, Matthew Thomas Hardison

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protein (CRP) and smoking, controlling for waist circumference (WC) and race, we find

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O-Glcnac Transferase Modulates Jnk1 And Foxo4 Transcription Factor To Resist Acute Oxidative Stress, Shiuh-Rong Ho Jan 2010

O-Glcnac Transferase Modulates Jnk1 And Foxo4 Transcription Factor To Resist Acute Oxidative Stress, Shiuh-Rong Ho

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O-GlcNAcylation is an abundant and dynamic post-translational modification on serine and threonine residues of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) and Nuclear Cytoplasmic O-GlcNAcase and Acetyltransferase (NCOAT) are the only two enzymes and major regulators in this process. In the past two decades, many studies have demonstrated its important modulation roles in nutrient sensing, protein turnover, cell cycle progression, transcription, translation as well as stress resistance. Among these biological functions, the understanding of O-GlcNAcylation dependent oxidative stress is relatively unknown. This study aims to examine the effects of O-GlcNAcylation on JNK1 and FOXO4 transcription factors under acute oxidative stress …

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