Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exopolysaccharide: A Multi-Faceted Role In Mycoplasma Pulmonis, Jeffrey R. Bolland

All ETDs from UAB

The recently characterized exopolysaccharide of Mycoplasma pulmonis, EPS-I, has been identified as modulating the susceptibility to complement-mediated lysis and binding to host mucosal epithelium. M. pulmonis produces family of size- and phase-variable lipoproteins called Vsa. Previous evidence has strongly demonstrated that the length of the tandem repeat region of the M. pulmonis Vsa protein is associated with the susceptibility to the host innate immune system through complement-mediated lysis. Mycoplasmas producing a long form of Vsa, containing about 40 repeats, are resistant complement whereas strains that produce the short form of Vsa, 5 repeats or fewer, are susceptible. Furthermore, the size …

Organizational Configurations And Strategies Related To Financial Performance In Medical Group Practices: A Test Of Porter's Generic Strategies, Todd Brenton Smith

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Research in the field of organizational configurations (OC) involves the formation of groups of firms that are similar to each other on certain characteristics, and dissimilar from other groups, and explores organizational performance differences between the groups (Ketchen & Shook, 1996; Short, Payne, and Ketchen, 2008). However, OC is replete with literature lacking in common key terms, measurement methods, and specification of variables, and too few empirical articles with a strong theoretical basis have been published (Short, Payne, & Ketchen, 2008). Porter's (1980, 1985) generic strategies are a specific typology within the field of OC that have been used extensively …

Expanding Genetic Analysis Of Patients With A Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Like Phenotype, Emily Spencer

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Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a common autosomal dominant disorder with neuro-cardio- facio-cutaneous presentation, is caused by mutations in the NF1 gene, a negative regulator of RAS-MAPK signaling. The presentation of NF1 is overlapping, yet clinically distinct from other diseases of RAS-MAPK signaling. An RNA-based comprehensive approach for mutation detection identifies an NF1 alteration in over 95% of non-founder NF1 patients with a classical NF1 presentation. However, no NF1 mutation was identified in 54.2% of the 2432 patients referred for molecular diagnostics due to the presence one or more NF1 related sign between August 2003 and July 2007. In order to clarify …

The Role Of Protein Folding And Protein Trafficking In Human Disease, Cristy Davette Tower-Gilchrist

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This dissertation documents my findings in two unrelated projects. Project 1: Expansion of CAG repeats encoding glutamine in huntingtin and ataxin 3 causes the neurodegenerative diseases Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3), respectively. Both poly-glutamine (polyQ) expanded proteins misfold and ag-gregate within the cell. Preventing aggregation of polyQ proteins through molecular or pharmacological approaches provide therapeutic advantage in animal models of HD and SCA3. I hypothesized that the UL97 kinase encoded by the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) may be able to prevent the aggregation of polyQ proteins. Initially, I showed that the UL97 kinase prevents the deposition of aggregates …

The Requisite Role Of Dectin-1 And Il-17 In Innate Host Defense Against Aspergillus Fumigatus, Jessica L. Werner

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Immune suppression increases the incidence of invasive fungal infections, particularly those caused by the opportunistic mold Aspergillus fumigatus. We show that non-immunosuppressed mice lacking the beta-glucan receptor Dectin-1 (Dectin-1-/-) are more susceptible to intratracheal challenge with A. fumigatus than control mice, exhibiting >80% mortality within 5 days; ultimately attributed to a compromise in respiratory mechanics. In response to A. fumigatus challenge, Dectin-1-/- mice demonstrated impaired inflammatory response as seen through defective cytokine and chemokine production, which resulted in insufficient lung neutrophil recruitment and uncontrolled A. fumigatus lung growth. Alveolar macrophages from Dectin-1-/- mice failed to produce proinflammatory mediators in response …

Radiological Population Monitoring: Views Of Public Health Professionals In The Southeastern United States, Gwendolyn N. Hudson

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In the immediate aftermath of a radiological disaster, it is essential to rapidly screen the population to identify contaminated persons, those needing urgent medical treatment, and those requiring long-term follow-up. This process, known as "radiological population monitoring," is vital to reducing morbidity and mortality and effectively addressing people's health needs and concerns. Radiological population monitoring has become a significant new focus of attention and responsibility for government agencies in recent years, due in large part to growing concerns about the possibility of a terrorist attack involving radioactive materials. The primary responsibility for radiological population monitoring resides within state and local …

Relationships Among Self-Efficacy, Social Support, Social Problem-Solving, And Self-Management Behaviors Of People Living With Type 2 Diabetes In Rural Alabama, Caralise Weeks Hunt

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Self-management behaviors are the cornerstone for control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients living with T2DM manage their own care on a daily basis using a variety of self-care strategies. Rural people living with diabetes are diagnosed later and receive less than optimal care compared to people living with T2DM in urban areas. Research evidence supports a relationship between self-efficacy and self-management behaviors of people living with T2DM. Determining mediators of the relationship between self-efficacy and self-management can provide direction for development of interventions to improve participation in self-management behaviors, which can in turn improve diabetes outcomes. The purpose …

Neighborhood Characteristics And Weight Status In Preschool Children, Cynthia Irwin Joiner

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Introduction: Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate particularly among minority and low-income populations. More than 12 million children and adolescents are obese (Ogden, Carroll, Curtin, Lamb, & Flegal, 2010). Research on the neighborhood and built environment is relatively new. Few studies have examined the relationship of neighborhood characteristics and weight status, and studies in the preschool population are limited. Study Purpose: The study had three aims: 1) to examine the relationship between neighborhood characteristics (number of grocery stores and fast food restaurants, and number and quality of parks) and weight status (overweight and obese) in low income, preschool …

Low And High Let Irradiation Of Human Aortic Endothelial Cells Induces Dose And Time Dependent Adhesion Of Monocytes Which Is Mediated By Chemokines Expressed By The Irradiated Endothelium., Saman Fatima Khaled

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Exposure to radiation from a variety of sources is associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Since radiation also induces inflammation, a possible mechanism is a change in the adhesiveness of vascular endothelial cells, triggering pro-atherogenic accumulation of leukocytes. To investigate this mechanism at the cellular level, the effect of xrays, iron (Fe56) ions, and protons on adhesiveness of cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) was determined. HAECs were grown as monolayers and exposed to 0 to 30 Gy X-rays, 0, 2, and 5 Gy Fe56 ions, and 0, 0.5, and 2 Gy protons followed by measurement of …

The Role Of Trib3 In Insulin Resistance: Its Action As Nutrient Sensor And Regulator Of Insulin Action, Jiarong Lamiquiz

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THE ROLE OF TRIB3 IN INSULIN RESISTANCE: ITS ACTION AS NUTRIENT SENSOR AND REGULATOR OF INSULIN ACTION JIARONG LIU LAMIQUIZ PATHOLOGY ABSTRACT Insulin resistance is a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A reduced capacity for insulin to stimulate increases in glucose uptake and glucose oxidation in insulin sensitive tissues, such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, are common defects in patients with insulin resistance, T2DM, and other related diseases. Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) has been demonstrated to play a role in insulin resistance by serving as a negative regulator of Akt in mouse liver, fat, and pancreas. In a …

Three Dimensional Comparison Of Facial Morphology Of A Native Egyptian Population And A Native Brazilian Population, Ethan Larson

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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the use of three dimensional facial averages in determining facial morphological differences between a native adult Egyptian population and a native adult Brazilian population. Methods: Three- dimensional images were acquired through a commercially available stereo-photogrammetric camera system. The 3dMDfaceTM system was used to capture images from 186 subjects from two population groups (Egypt and Brazil). Each image was obtained as a facial mesh and orientated along a triangulated axis. All facial images were overlaid and superimposed, and a complex mathematical algorithm was performed to create a composite facial average of one …

Elucidation Of The Elongated Fibrillar Structure Of Streptococcus Mutans Antigen I/Ii, Matthew Rodney Larson

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Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the causative agent behind dental caries, an infectious disease also known as tooth decay or dental cavities. S. mutans has a cell wall-attached protein known as Antigen I/II (AgI/II) utilized for bacterial adhesion to the tooth surface. Here we have solved the structures of both amino- and carboxy-terminal regions of the AgI/II molecule using X-ray crystallography. Using this structural information we have now built a tertiary model for AgI/II as a fibrillar protein. Further, we have functionally characterized AgI/II and determined minimal regions of AgI/II that are implicated in its adherence to the salivary agglutinin …

Bayesian Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models For Detecting (Rare) Haplotype-Haplotype And Haplotype-Environment Interactions In Genetic Association Analysis, Jun Li

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This dissertation research focuses on genetic association analysis based on haplotypes in the context of both population-based and family-based studies. Haplotype-based association analysis is powerful in the discovery and characterization of the genetic basis of complex human diseases. However, statistical models that fit haplotype-haplotype and haplotype-environment interactions have not yet been fully developed. Furthermore, statistical methods for detecting the association between rare haplotypes and disease have not kept pace with their counterpart of common haplotypes. For both population-based and family-based association analyses, we herein propose two efficient and robust methods to separately tackle these problems based on Bayesian hierarchical generalized …

Erythropoiesis In The Absence Of Adult Hemoglobin, Shanrun Liu

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The mammalian erythrocyte is a highly specialized blood cell that differentiates via an orderly series of committed progenitors in the bone marrow in a process termed erythropoiesis. During erythroid development, hemoglobin synthesis increases from early erythroid progenitors to mature enucleated red blood cells (RBCs). Although hemoglobin is the most extensively studied protein in history, the role, if any, that hemoglobin plays in erythroid development remains obscure. In this study, I ask the question what happens during erythropoiesis in the absence of hemoglobin. I demonstrate that my original hypothesis that excess free heme would accumulate in the absence of globin chain …

The Effects Of Simvastatin On Learning And Memory Mechanisms In Mice, Robert Mans

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Statins, a widely prescribed class of cholesterol-lowering drug, inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Due to the identification of cholesterol as a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), a number of studies have examined whether statins are neuroprotective against developing AD or dementia. While some epidemiological studies do indicate a lower prevalence of AD in people taking statins, other reports are contradictory. A consensus has therefore not been reached regarding the neuroprotective effects of statin treatment. Aside from the well-characterized reduction in circulating cholesterol resulting from statin therapy, numerous cholesterol-independent, pleiotropic effects have been …

Analysis Of Nphp Complex Genetic Interactions Associated With Human Cilia Disorders, Svetlana Viktorovna Masyukova

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Primary cilia are antenna-like organelles that extend from the surface of almost all mammalian cell types. They regulate many signaling pathways and sense physical and chemical changes in the extracellular environment. Defects in primary cilia cause several human disorders of different severity collectively called ciliopathies, including nephronophthisis (NPHP), Joubert syndrome (JBTS), and Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS). Numerous MKS, JBTS and NPHP genes have been identified but in most cases of these ciliopathies the genetic defect is unknown. Despite the fact that NPHP, JBTS and MKS patients present with distinct clinical features, they have mutations in identical genes. This can be explained …

Hemoglobin Switching, Thalassemia And Sickle Cell Disease In Humanized Knockin Mice, Sean Mcconnell

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In this dissertation we describe knockin mouse models for the study of human hemoglobin disorders. These knockin human globin genes, in contrast to transgenes, replace the adult mouse globin genes, remain under control of endogenous mouse globin enhancer sequences and are inherited in a manner identical to globin alleles in man. Starting with various knockin alleles composed of unique human alpha, beta and gamma globin gene sequences, we evaluate several allele combinations towards our goal of generating improved models of thalassemia and sickle cells disease. We show that humanized knockin mice complete a fetal to adult hemoglobin switch during postnatal …

Alcoholic Women In Recovery: A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Spirituality And Recidivism Prevention, Jennifer Irene Mcleod

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In the United States, 7-12% of women compared to 20% of men, abuse alcohol, yet the social and medical consequences impact women much harder and faster than men. Women aggrieved by alcoholism have unique health and social consequences which are not well understood because women have been marginalized in studies of alcoholism. Little is known about the nature of the lived experience of the recovery process in women who have achieved a stable recovery and prevented recidivism. The aim of this study was to describe the lived experiences of alcoholic women in a stable recovery, defined as sustained abstinence for …

Factors Associated With Prescribing Antiviral Medications For Treatment Of Influenza Among Primary Care Physicians In The United States, Payal Patel

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Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness that affects millions each year. The illness, if not contained, can be a paramount public health threat in the U.S. and the world. Primary care physicians play an essential role in administering antiviral medications as a treatment for influenza yet the factors that influence their prescribing of these medications remain unclear. The present study aims to identify factors associated with physicians' prescribing of antiviral medications in the ambulatory care setting. The data utilized for this study were obtained from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for each influenza season between the years of 2005-2008. …

Labrad : Vol 36, Issue 1 - January 2011, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

LABRAD - Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Radiology Archives

• Routine and Special Liver Function Tests
• Management of Coagulopathy Associated with Liver Disease
• Significance of Clinical and Laboratory Scoring System in Diagnosis of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in Chronic Liver Disease
• Laboratory Diagnosis of Hydatid Disease
• Laboratory Diagnosis of Amoebiasis
• Improvement of Bacteriological Yield of Liver Abscess by use of Anaerobic Chambers
• Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumours
• HER2 in Breast Cancer: Frequently Asked Questions
• Clinical Laboratory Continuing Medical Education (CME) Seminar
• World Blood Donor Day at Aga Khan University Blood Bank

Knowledge Of Management Of Musculoskeletal Problems: Assessment Of Students Enrolled In Four Professional Programs At The University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Patricia Lee Perez

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Background: Previous studies point to inadequate knowledge of musculoskeletal medicine for both student and practicing physicians and physical therapists. Professions with practice regulations that allow direct access by the consumer to healthcare should be assessed to determine competence in managing musculoskeletal conditions. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if there is a difference in knowledge of the management of musculoskeletal conditions in students enrolled in four professional programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Methods: Students enrolled in the last semester of medical school (MD), adult nurse practitioner (NP), physical therapy (PT) and physician assistant …

Robust Nonparametric Regression Approach For Competing Cause Censored Survival Mortality Data With Covariates, Milind Arvind Phadnis

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In the case of two or more competing risks when only the time to the event due to one risk is observable with times due to the other outcomes treated as censored observations, standard methods of survival analysis fall short of assessing the association of a set of predictors with the outcomes of interest. This problem is particularly severe when there is a differential association of a predictor with two competing risks (harmful for one risk and protective for the other risk) such as stroke and myocardial infarction and in situations where the predictor is associated with only one risk …

The Association Between The Body Mass Index (Bmi) Of African American College Women And Their Exposure To Magazine Advertisements, Candice P. Prince

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The primary purpose of this study was to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and exposure to magazine advertisements among African-American college women aged 19 to 29. This study also sought to determine how personal, behavioral, and environmental factors affect the BMI of African-American college women. A sample of 252 African-American college women enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in the Southeast United States completed a web-based survey on their weight-related health behaviors and magazine usage. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multivariable regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Bivariate correlations showed significant associations between BMI and several …

Parental Influences On Late Adolescents' Autonomous Motivation And Sexual Risk Knowledge And Behavior, Bettina Hornbuckle Riley

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Adolescent risky sexual behavior is associated with unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV/AIDS. During their time of transition to adulthood, late adolescents make decisions about their sexual health that may or may not be motivated by parental (mother and father) sexual risk communication and autonomy support. While the adolescent may be physically independent or semi-independent from his/her parents, parents continue to influence their adolescents through past and present endorsement of certain behaviors. This research examined how parent-sexual risk communication and parental autonomy support may individually and collectively …

Survival Analysis With Censored Outcomes, Henry T. Robertson

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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 …

High Resolution Analysis Of Clonal Pluripotent Stem Cell Lentiviral Gene Therapy In A Mouse Model Of Beta-Thalassemia, Rui Yang

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Gene therapy for hematopoietic disorders using viral vectors has achieved significant clinical benefit. However this approach has been held back by adverse genotoxic events due to random viral integration into the genome. A better understanding of viral transgene chromosomal position effects is critical for the design of safer viral vectors and clinical protocols. However, detailed analysis of viral transgenes is hampered by the heterogeneity of the viral-transduced bone marrow cell populations. I hypothesized that viral transduction of pluripotent stem cells would enable the clonal analysis of viral transgene expression, safety, and efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. Here I …

Piggybac Transposon Mutagenesis In Human And Mouse Stem Cells, Tingting Zhang

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The most common genetic diseases worldwide, £] thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) result from mutations in the adult £] globin gene. One promising therapeutic method to ameliorate these diseases is to reactivate the endogenous fetal f× globin gene. I hypothesize that an erythroid mutagenic transposon system can be used to activate f× globin gene expression. To test this hypothesis three lines of genetically modified mice were generated and bred together. The first is a transgenic mouse line that contains a multicopy array of erythroid mutagenic PiggyBac (PB) transposons. The second transgenic mouse line expresses the PB transposase (TPase) from …

Characterization And Modeling Of Styrene Emission From A Thermoset Composite Material, Shaun Anthony Crawford

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Diffusive emissions of volatile compounds from building materials have been well documented as a source of indoor air pollution. While laboratory testing can quantify these emissions and predict volatile concentrations in indoor air, the ability to precisely model emission rates from any given building material would provide a useful tool to air quality professionals to anticipate, identify and mitigate potential sources of indoor air pollution. Composite materials, some made with vinyl ester resins, are replacing metal in transportation applications (bus bodies, airplane fuselages) but contain volatile styrene. Here, a mass transfer model for predicting volatile emissions from a dry building …

Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger

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ABSTRACT For nearly two decades, violence has been viewed as a major public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,141 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 were murdered in 2008, and over 480,238 young people were treated for violence-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms that same year. That translates to an average of 11 young people murdered each day, and a daily average of 1,315 young people who sustained violence-related injuries so severe that they required treatment at a hospital. The purpose of this study was to test a multilevel model linking …

Characterization Of Tbx20 Isoforms And Protein Interactions In Heart Development, Paige Debenedittis

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Proper cardiogenesis is critical for the development of vertebrates. Abnormalities in cardiogenesis can lead to congenital heart defects (CHDs), which occur in approximately 1% of live births. The cardiac transcription factor network contains different transcription factor families which direct the expression of critical cardiac genes. Determining how the cardiac transcription factors are regulated will provide insight in the mechanisms of cardiogenesis and CHDs. The T-box (TBX) transcription factor family is an ancient gene family important for development. Several TBX genes are expressed within the developing heart and play critical roles in differentiation, proliferation, and morphogenesis. One important TBX protein is …