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Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

Medical Sciences

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

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Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Palmitic Acid Activation Of Dendritic Cells: Implications For Type 2 Diabetes, Dequina Angelina Nicholas Sep 2015

Palmitic Acid Activation Of Dendritic Cells: Implications For Type 2 Diabetes, Dequina Angelina Nicholas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Infiltration of immune cells into visceral adipose tissue is observed in type 2 diabetes development. Monocytes are recruited to obese visceral adipose tissue in large numbers and retain the ability to differentiate into dendritic cells, important antigen presenting cells in the immune system. Differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells likely accounts for the increased number of dendritic cells observed in the adipose tissue of type 2 diabetic patients. We have demonstrated this differentiation process is regulated in part by a major reduction of linker histone proteins. In adipose tissue, dendritic cells are exposed to high levels of saturated fatty acids. …


Dietary Intake And Bio-Activation Of Nitrite And Nitrate In Newborn Infants, Jesica Ann Jones Sep 2015

Dietary Intake And Bio-Activation Of Nitrite And Nitrate In Newborn Infants, Jesica Ann Jones

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nitrate and nitrite are commonly thought of as inert end products of nitric oxide (NO) oxidation, possibly carcinogenic food additives, or well-water contaminants. However, recent studies have shown that nitrate and nitrite play an important role in cardiovascular and gastrointestinal homeostasis through conversion back into NO via a physiological system involving enterosalivary recirculation, bacterial nitrate reductases, and enzyme-catalyzed or acidic reduction of nitrite to NO. The diet is a key source of nitrate in adults; however, infants ingest significantly less nitrate due to low concentrations in breast milk. In the mouth, bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite, which has gastro-protective effects. …


Tslp-Induced Mechanisms And Potential Therapies For Crlf2 B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Olivia L. Francis Jun 2015

Tslp-Induced Mechanisms And Potential Therapies For Crlf2 B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Olivia L. Francis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Childhood CRLF2 B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (CRLF2 B-ALL) is a high-risk form of leukemia that is associated with poor patient survival outcomes. CRLF2 B-ALL is five times more prevalent in Hispanic children than others and is associated with a higher rate of relapse, thus contributing significantly to childhood cancer health disparities. This disease occurs due to alterations of the CRLF2 gene, leading to overexpression of the CRLF2 protein- a component of the receptor signaling complex for the cytokine Thymic Stromal LymphoPoietin (TSLP) on the surface of B-ALL cells. TSLP has been shown to induce proliferation of human and mouse B-cell …


Crotalus Snake Venom Preconditioning To Prevent Surgical Brain Injury, Cherine Hee-Sun Kim Jun 2015

Crotalus Snake Venom Preconditioning To Prevent Surgical Brain Injury, Cherine Hee-Sun Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Preventive measures are increasingly relevant to medical practice. Preconditioning, a preemptive therapy that administers mildly harmful stimuli to induce endogenous protective mechanisms before major injury, has been shown to minimize injury in many animal models. Given the elective nature of most neurosurgical procedures, the surgical brain injury (SBI) rodent model provides an ideal platform for preconditioning. Our work shows that preconditioning with Crotalus rattlesnake venom, known for its hemorrhagic and inflammatory effects, mitigates some harmful effects of SBI. We have identified two proteins of interest in Crotalus venom: snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP), an enzyme with hemorrhagic effects, and phospholipase A2 …


Molecular Mechanisms That Govern Human Cardiac Stem Cell Age Disparity, Tania Fuentes Jun 2015

Molecular Mechanisms That Govern Human Cardiac Stem Cell Age Disparity, Tania Fuentes

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Transplantation of adult endogenous cardiovascular progenitor cells for heart repair results in some clinical benefit, however these stem cells lack the regenerative capacity unique to neonatal cardiovascular stem cells. The goal of this work was to identify mechanisms that contribute to the decline of cardiac stem cell regenerative ability with age and investigate novel therapeutic strategies to improve cardiac stem cell function. When comparing neonatal and adult cardiovascular stem cell clones, both cell types were capable of cardiomyogenic differentiation. However, the expression levels of forty-one microRNAs were significantly altered with age. Expression differences were correlated with reduced proliferation and a …


Molecular Characterization And Inhibition Of Antibodies Elicited Against Galactosyltransferase Knockout Pig Xenografts, John M. Stewart Jun 2015

Molecular Characterization And Inhibition Of Antibodies Elicited Against Galactosyltransferase Knockout Pig Xenografts, John M. Stewart

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

On average, 21 people in the United States die every day while waiting for a transplantable organ. Moreover, at the end of 2014, nearly 130,000 additional individuals were still on the transplant waiting list. Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of cells and/or organs from a member of another species, is both a viable supplement for, and bridge to, allotransplantation. Pigs are the favored organ donor because they: 1) breed and grow rapidly, 2) can be genetically modified, and 3) present few ethical concerns. However, due in part to their phylogenetic distance, several barriers must be successfully overcome before clinical xenotransplantation can be …


Acclimatization To High-Altitude, Long-Term Hypoxia Alters Bk Channel Structure And Function, Xiaoxiao Tao Jun 2015

Acclimatization To High-Altitude, Long-Term Hypoxia Alters Bk Channel Structure And Function, Xiaoxiao Tao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

We examined the major possible mechanisms for the left shift of the BK channel I-V relationship in native basilar artery myocytes from the two LTH groups. These mechanisms included: differential expression of the accessary BK -1 subunit; differential phosphorylation of the BK subunit; and splice variation of the BK subunit. Using molecular cloning, heterologous expression, and patch-clamp electrophysiology techniques, we elucidated a mechanism that, at least in part, contributes to the differences we observed between channels from native normoxic and LTH myocytes.


Curcumin: A Multi-Dimensional Approach To Pancreatic Cancer Targeting Cell Death And Exosomes, Carlos J. Diaz Osterman Jun 2015

Curcumin: A Multi-Dimensional Approach To Pancreatic Cancer Targeting Cell Death And Exosomes, Carlos J. Diaz Osterman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pancreatic cancer is currently one of the most difficult diseases to treat due to difficulty of detection and the aggressive nature of the disease. In addition, pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rates compared to other cancer types. These mortality rates are attributable in part to increasing resistance to cancer therapy. Cancer therapy resistance is caused by adaptations that favor survival within cancer cells and their environment, termed the tumor microenvironment. Intracellular adaptations include the overexpression of resistance-linked genes, such as the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins and overall resistance to cell death. Adaptations in the tumor microenvironment …


Chlorinated Tyrosine Species As Markers Of Inflammation: A Kinetic Study, Matthew Peter Curtis Jun 2015

Chlorinated Tyrosine Species As Markers Of Inflammation: A Kinetic Study, Matthew Peter Curtis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic inflammation is associated with numerous human diseases. During inflammation, leukocytes release the enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) which generates reactive oxygen species such as hypochlorous acid (HOCl). Additionally, MPO generates reactive nitrogen species. These reactive species can damage host fats, proteins, and DNA, contributing to disease pathology. Because of the reactivity and short half-lives of reactive species, measurement of surrogate markers is necessary to determine their extent and source. Chlorination of the tyrosine phenol ring by HOCl to produce 3-chlorotyrosine (3ClTyr) or nitration of the phenol ring by reactive nitrogen species to produce 3-nitrotyrosine (NO2Tyr) are two such markers. Both are …


Lipid Regulation As A Critical Factor In The Development Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michael A. Castello Jun 2015

Lipid Regulation As A Critical Factor In The Development Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michael A. Castello

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the United States, representing around eighty percent of all cases. For more than two decades, researchers have been led by the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which assumes that accumulation of the amyloid peptide Aβ, derived by proteolytic processing from the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is the key pathogenic trigger in AD. To date, therapies have largely focused on removing Aβ from the brain, an approach that has produced disappointing clinical outcomes. I present an alternative hypothesis in which Aβ production and aggregation is a symptom of a larger, systemic disease …


Long-Term Hypoxia Alters Ovine Fetal Adrenal Enos And Cortisol Biosynthesis, Elizabeth Anne Newby Jun 2015

Long-Term Hypoxia Alters Ovine Fetal Adrenal Enos And Cortisol Biosynthesis, Elizabeth Anne Newby

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Maintaining normal levels of cortisol in response to chronic stress, while retaining the ability to respond to acute stress, is important for ensuring normal fetal growth and development. Long-term hypoxia (LTH) causes adaptations in the fetal hypothalamopituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis that maintain basal cortisol levels but enhance production in response to a secondary stress. Nitric oxide (NO), produced by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the adrenal cortex, plays a significant role in regulating cortisol production in the LTH fetus. The production of NO is regulated by eNOS activity which can be altered via phosphorylation through key signaling pathways. In …


Existence Of Inhibitor Of Apoptosis In Tumor Exosomes, Malyn May Asuncion Valenzuela Mar 2015

Existence Of Inhibitor Of Apoptosis In Tumor Exosomes, Malyn May Asuncion Valenzuela

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly and aggressive disease. The only option for metastatic pancreatic cancer is chemotherapy where only the antimetabolites gemcitabine (Gem) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) are used clinically. However, resistance to these antimetabolites remains a problem highlighting the need to discover and develop new antimetabolites that will improve a patient’s overall survival. Cancer is a disease that has acquired numerous molecular, biochemical and cellular changes. Resistance to apoptosis is one of the characteristics of cancer, of which the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins plays an important role. It has also been shown that cancer cells secrete vesicles …