Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Possible Breakdown Of Dopamine Receptor Synergism In A Mouse Model Of Huntington's Disease, Samantha F. Kennedy

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The model of basal ganglia function proposed by Albin, Young and Penney (1989) describes two anatomically independent motor pathways, the direct and indirect. However, under normal conditions striatal dopamine (DA) is required for the expression of motor behavior, and DAergic control of the two pathways (via D1 and D2 receptors, respectively) is dependent on co-activation. We tested for a possible breakdown of D1/D2 synergism using transgenic R6/1 mice bearing the human huntingtin allele (Htt). Motor stereotypy, observed prior to the onset of HD-related symptoms, was rated on a 5-point scale following activation of: A) D1 receptors alone, B) D2 receptors …

Neurocorrelates Of The Mirror Neuron System In Children With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Ade Marais

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Activation of brain regions that make up the mirror neuron system (MNS) is thought to reflect processing and perceiving behavior, action, and intentionality of other organisms. Sensing and perceiving motor behavior in others is an important component of understanding and participating in social interactions. Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) are diagnosed with serious medical, cognitive, and socio-emotional symptoms. Atypical development and function of the MNS may underpin some aspects of socio-emotional impairment and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like symptomology reported. This study of the MNS investigates differences in activation in the operculum, sensorimotor areas, and basal ganglia (BG) in …

Stasi Brainwashing In The Gdr 1957 - 1990, Jacob H. Solbrig, Jacob Hagen Solbrig

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the methods used by the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), more commonly known as the Stasi, or East German secret police, for extraction of information from citizens of the German Democratic Republic for the purpose of espionage and covert operations inside East Germany, as it pertains to the deliberate brainwashing of East German citizens. As one of the most efficient intelligence agencies to ever exist, the Stasi’s main purpose was to monitor the population, gather intelligence, and collect or turn informants. They used brainwashing techniques to control the people of the GDR, keeping the populace paralyzed with fear …

A Qualitative Study To Explore Clinical Supervisors' Perceptions Of How Personal Recovery Influences Their Supervision, Adrianne Trogden

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Substance abuse counseling has many counselors and supervisors who are in recovery from a personal history of substance abuse. Approximately 37% of supervisors in the substance abuse field reported being in personal recovery (Eby, Burke, & Birkelbach, 2009). Little is known about how a clinical supervisor’s personal recovery influences his or her clinical supervision. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to investigate the perceived lived experiences of clinical supervisors’ in recovery during the clinical supervision of substance abuse counselors working towards a license or credential in Louisiana. A qualitative phenomenological methodology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to …

Nanomedicine For Immunosuppressive Therapy: Achievements In Pre-Clinical Research, Hanan Al-Lawati, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Behzad Sharif Makhmalzadeh, Afsaneh Lavasanifar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Immunosuppression is the mainstay therapy in organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases. The effective clinical application of immunosuppressive agents has suffered from the emergence of systemic immunosuppression and/or individual drug side effects. Nanotechnology approaches may be used to modify the mentioned shortcomings by enhancing the delivery of immunosuppressants to target cells of the immune system, thus reducing the required dose for function, and/or reducing drug distribution to non-target tissues.

Areas covered: We provide an overview on the development of nanotechnology products for the most commonly used immunosuppressive agents. At first, the rationale for the use of nanoparticles as …

Histomorphology Of Trauma In Charred And Decomposed Remains, Mariya Bezugly

Student Theses

Decomposition and burning of human remains are frequently encountered in forensic cases, and pose a challenge at determining an accurate cause of death. At autopsy, macroscopic techniques fail to reach beyond superficial layers of degraded tissue to identify wound morphology that characterizes blunt-force gunshot, and sharp-force trauma. The postmortem damage imparted on tissue with pre-existing injuries, obstructs the external features of trauma. Exploring beyond charred and decayed superficial tissue, histo-morphological patterns of injury are still identifiable as shown in this thesis. With detailed observation to the pattern of tissue disruption- an understanding of the type of trauma imposed can be …

Snail Determines The Therapeutic Response To Mtor Kinase Inhibitors By Transcriptional Repression Of 4e-Bp1, Jun Wang, Qing Ye, Yanan Cao, Yubin Guo, Xiuping Huang, Wenting Mi, Side Liu, Chi Wang, Hsin-Sheng Yang, Binhua P. Zhou, B. Mark Evers, Qing-Bai She

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Loss of 4E-BP1 expression has been linked to cancer progression and resistance to mTOR inhibitors, but the mechanism underlying 4E-BP1 downregulation in tumors remains unclear. Here we identify Snail as a strong transcriptional repressor of 4E-BP1. We find that 4E-BP1 expression inversely correlates with Snail level in cancer cell lines and clinical specimens. Snail binds to three E-boxes present in the human 4E-BP1 promoter to repress transcription of 4E-BP1. Ectopic expression of Snail in cancer cell lines lacking Snail profoundly represses 4E-BP1 expression, promotes cap-dependent translation in polysomes, and reduces the anti-proliferative effect of mTOR kinase inhibitors. Conversely, genetic …

Virtual Reality As A Training Tool To Treat Physical Inactivity In Children, Adam W. Kiefer, David Pincus, Michael J. Richardson, Gregory D. Myer

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Lack of adequate physical activity in children is an epidemic that can result in obesity and other poor health outcomes across the lifespan. Physical activity interventions focused on motor skill competence continue to be developed, but some interventions, such as neuromuscular training (NMT), may be limited in how early they can be implemented due to dependence on the child’s level of cognitive and perceptual-motor development. Early implementation of motor-rich activities that support motor skill development in children is critical for the development of healthy levels of physical activity that carry through into adulthood. Virtual reality (VR) training may be beneficial …

Comparison Of Equations For Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate In Screening For Chronic Kidney Disease In Asymptomatic Black Africans: A Cross Sectional Study, Geoffrey Omuse, Daniel Maina, Jane Mwangi, Caroline Wambua, Alice Kiyua, Elizabeth Kagotho, Angela Amayo, Peter Ojwang, Rajiv Erasmus

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Several equations have been developed to estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The common equations used were derived from populations predominantly comprised of Caucasians with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Some of the equations provide a correction factor for African-Americans due to their relatively increased muscle mass and this has been extrapolated to black Africans. Studies carried out in Africa in patients with CKD suggest that using this correction factor for the black African race may not be appropriate. However, these studies were not carried out in healthy individuals and as such the extrapolation of the findings to an asymptomatic black …

Efficacy Of Stereotactic Radiosurgery In Patients With Multiple Metastases: Importance Of Volume Rather Than Number Of Lesions, Basem A. Dahshan, Malcolm D. Mattes, Sanjay Bhatia, Mary Susan Palek, Christopher P. Cifarelli, Joshua D. Hack, John A. Vargo

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

The role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the treatment of multiple brain metastases is controversial. While whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has historically been the mainstay of treatment, its value is increasingly being questioned as emerging data supports that SRS alone can provide comparable therapeutic outcomes for limited (one to three) intracranial metastases with fewer adverse effects, including neurocognitive decline. Multiple recent studies have also demonstrated that patients with multiple (> 3) intracranial metastases with a low overall tumor volume have a favorable therapeutic response to SRS, with no significant difference compared to patients with limited metastases. Herein, we present …

Data Descriptor: An Open Resource For Transdiagnostic Research In Pediatric Mental Health And Learning Disorders, Lindsay M. Alexander, Jasmine Escalera, Lei Ai, Charissa Andreotti, Karina Febre, Alexandra Mangone, Natan Vega-Potler, Nicolas Langer, Alexis Alexander, Meagan Kovacs, Shannon Litke, Bridget O'Hagan, Jennifer Andersen, Batya Bronstein, Anastasia Bui, Marijayne Bushey, Henry Butler, Victoria Castagna, Nicolas Camacho, Elisha Chan, Danielle Citera, Jon Clucas, Samantha Cohen, Sarah Dufek, Megan Eaves, Brian Fradera, Judith Gardner, Natalie Grant-Villegas, Gabriella Green, Camille Gregory, Emily Hart, Shana Harris, Megan Horton, Danielle Kahn, Katherine Kabotyanski, Bernard Karmel, Simon P. Kelly, Kayla Kleinman, Bohwang Koo, Eliza Kramer, Elizabeth Lennon, Catherine Lord, Ginny Mantello, Amy Margolis, Kathleen R. Merikangas, Judith Milham, Giuseppe Minniti, Rebecca Neuhaus, Alexandra Levine, Yael Osman, Lucas C. Parra, Ken R. Pugh, Amy Racanello, Anita Restrepo, Tian Saltzman, Batya Septimus, Russell Tobe, Rachel Waltz, Anna Williams, Anna Yeo, Francesco X. Castellanos, Arno Klein, Tomas Paus, Bennett L. Leventhal, R. Cameron Craddock, Harold S. Koplewicz, Michael P. Milham

Publications and Research

Technological and methodological innovations are equipping researchers with unprecedented capabilities for detecting and characterizing pathologic processes in the developing human brain. As a result, ambitions to achieve clinically useful tools to assist in the diagnosis and management of mental health and learning disorders are gaining momentum. To this end, it is critical to accrue large-scale multimodal datasets that capture a broad range of commonly encountered clinical psychopathology. The Child Mind Institute has launched the Healthy Brain Network (HBN), an ongoing initiative focused on creating and sharing a biobank of data from 10,000 New York area participants (ages 5–21). The HBN …

A Pilot Study Of An Autologous Tumor-Derived Autophagosome Vaccine With Docetaxel In Patients With Stage Iv Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer., Rachel E Sanborn, Helen J Ross, Sandra Aung, Anupama Acheson, Tarsem Moudgil, Sachin Puri, Traci Hilton, Brenda Fisher, Todd Coffey, Christopher Paustian, Michael Neuberger, Edwin Walker, Hong-Ming Hu, Walter Urba, Bernard A Fox

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Tumor-derived autophagosome vaccines (DRibbles) have the potential to broaden immune response to poorly immunogenic tumors.

METHODS: Autologous vaccine generated from tumor cells harvested from pleural effusions was administered to patients with advanced NSCLC with the objectives of assessing safety and immune response. Four patients were vaccinated and evaluable for immune response; each received two to four doses of vaccine. Study therapy included two cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m

RESULTS: Three of four patients had tumor cells available for testing. Autologous tumor-specific immune response was seen in two of the three, manifested by IL-5 (1 patient after 3 doses), and …

Improved Survival And Tumor Control With Interleukin-2 Is Associated With The Development Of Immune-Related Adverse Events: Data From The Proclaim, Brendan Curti, Gregory A Daniels, David F Mcdermott, Joseph I Clark, Howard L Kaufman, Theodore F Logan, Jatinder Singh, Meenu Kaur, Theresa L Luna, Nancy Gregory, Michael A Morse, Michael K K Wong, Janice P Dutcher

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Immune related adverse events (irAEs) are associated with immunotherapy for cancer and while results suggest improvement in tumor control and overall survival in those experiencing irAEs, the long-term impact is debated. We evaluated irAE reports related to high dose interleukin-2 therapy (IL-2) documented in the PROCLAIM

METHODS: Reports on 1535 patients, including 623 with metastatic melanoma (mM) and 919 with metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) (7 patients had both diseases), were queried for irAEs. The timing of the event was categorized as occurring before, during or after IL-2 or related to any checkpoint inhibitor (CPI). mM patients and mRCC …

Evaluation Of A Field-Deployable Reverse Transcription-Insulated Isothermal Pcr For Rapid And Sensitive On-Site Detection Of Zika Virus, Mariano Carossino, Yanqiu Li, Pei-Yu A. Lee, Chuan-Fu Tsai, Pin-Hsing Chou, Dennis Williams, Ashley Skillman, R. Frank Cook, Grayson Brown, Hsiao-Fen G. Chang, Hwa-Tang T. Wang, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil and its precipitous expansion throughout the Americas has highlighted the urgent need for a rapid and reliable on-site diagnostic assay suitable for viral detection. Such point-of-need (PON), low-cost diagnostics are essential for ZIKV control in vulnerable areas with limited resources.

Methods: We developed and evaluated a ZIKV-specific field-deployable RT-iiPCR reagent set targeting the E gene for rapid detection of ZIKV in ZIKV-spiked human and mosquito specimens, and compared its performance to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) RT-qPCR assays targeting the E …

Comparison Between Listeria Sensu Stricto And Listeria Sensu Lato Strains Identifies Novel Determinants Involved In Infection, Jakob Schardt, Grant Jones, Stefanie Müller-Herbst, Kristina Schauer, Sarah E. F. D'Orazio, Thilo M. Fuchs

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The human pathogen L. monocytogenes and the animal pathogen L. ivanovii, together with four other species isolated from symptom-free animals, form the "Listeria sensu stricto" clade. The members of the second clade, "Listeria sensu lato", are believed to be solely environmental bacteria without the ability to colonize mammalian hosts. To identify novel determinants that contribute to infection by L. monocytogenes, the causative agent of the foodborne disease listeriosis, we performed a genome comparison of the two clades and found 151 candidate genes that are conserved in the Listeria sensu stricto species. Two factors were …

Sequence Data And Association Statistics From 12,940 Type 2 Diabetes Cases And Controls, Jason Flannick, Christian Fuchsberger, Anubha Mahajan, Tanya M. Teslovich, Vineeta Agarwala, Kyle J. Gaulton, Lizz Caulkins, Rector Arya, Ravi Duggirala, Joanne E. Curran, Satish Kumar, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

To investigate the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) to high resolution, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia catalogued variation from whole-genome sequencing of 2,657 European individuals and exome sequencing of 12,940 individuals of multiple ancestries. Over 27M SNPs, indels, and structural variants were identified, including 99% of low-frequency (minor allele frequency [MAF] 0.1–5%) non-coding variants in the whole-genome sequenced individuals and 99.7% of low-frequency coding variants in the whole-exome sequenced individuals. Each variant was tested for association with T2D in the sequenced individuals, and, to increase power, most were tested in larger numbers of individuals (>80% of low-frequency …

Impact Of The G84e Variant On Hoxb13 Gene And Protein Expression In Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Prostate Tumours, Liesel M. Fitzgerald, Kelsie Raspin, James R. Marthick, Matt A. Field, Roslyn C. Malley, Russell J. Thomson, Nicholas B. Blackburn, Erika Banks, Annette Banks, Jac C. Charlesworth, Shaun Donovan, Joanne L. Dickinson

School of Medicine Publications

The HOXB13 G84E variant is associated with risk of prostate cancer (PCa), however the role this variant plays in PCa development is unknown. This study examined 751 cases, 450 relatives and 355 controls to determine the contribution of this variant to PCa risk in Tasmania and investigated HOXB13 gene and protein expression in tumours from nine G84E heterozygote variant and 13 wild-type carriers. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry showed that HOXB13 gene and protein expression did not differ between tumour samples from variant and wild-type carriers. Allele-specific transcription revealed that two of seven G84E carriers transcribed both the variant and wild-type …

Gene Master Regulators Of Papillary And Anaplastic Thyroid Cancers, Dumitru Iacobas, Neha Tuli, Sanda Iacobas, John Rasamny, Augustine Moscatello, Jan Geliebter, Raj Tiwari

NYMC Faculty Publications

We hypothesize that distinct cell phenotypes are governed by different sets of gene master regulators (GMRs) whose strongly protected (by the homeostatic mechanisms) abundance modulates most cell processes by coordinating the expression of numerous genes from the corresponding functional pathways. Gene Commanding Height (GCH), a composite measure of gene expression control and coordination, is introduced to establish the gene hierarchy in each phenotype. If the hypothesis is true, than one can selectively destroy cancer nodules from a heterogeneous tissue by altering the expression of genes whose GCHs are high in cancer but low in normal cell phenotype. Here, we test …

Consequences Of Fatigue And Sleep Deficiency In The Workplace: Implications For The Construction Industry, Karen Phegley

Master of Public Health Program Student Publications

Background: This study was a review of the (1) consequences that fatigue and sleep deficiency have on the human body, personal safety and safety in the workplace with implications for the construction industry; and (2) factors in the workplace that contribute to worker fatigue.

Methods: A systematic search and review of peer-reviewed articles and gray literature was conducted for sources describing common industry policies, standards and/or recommendations addressing sleep related problems in the workplace.

Results: The contributing factors of fatigue include work-related mental exertion, sleep deficiency and work-related physical exertion. Major work-related effects stem from circadian rhythm disruptions due to …

What's Happening: December 18, 2017, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Week Of December 18, 2017, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Prominent Trauma Surgeon Addresses 14th Annual Louis R.M. DelGuercio Professorship and Research Day
• GSA Organizes Successful Second Annual Snowman Project
• SOM P2P Committee Recognizes Role Models at NYMC

Maternal Depressive Symptoms And Child Behavior Among Mexican Women And Their Children., Emily P Flynn, Esther O Chung, Emily J Ozer, Lia C H Fernald

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Over 50% of mothers in rural Mexico have high depressive symptoms, and their children's health and development are likely to be negatively affected. A critical question is whether children vary in their vulnerability to the effects of high maternal depressive symptoms according to their indigenous ethnicity, maternal education, or household wealth. Our sample included 4442 mothers and 5503 children from an evaluation of Mexico's social welfare program. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, and child behavior was measured using an adapted version of the Behavior Problems Index (BPI). Multiple linear regression models …

Hospital Consumer Assessment Of Healthcare Providers And Systems Scores Relating To Pain Following The Incorporation Of Clinical Pharmacists Into Patient Education Prior To Joint Replacement Surgery, Erik Hefti, Michael Remington, Charles Lavallee

Harrisburg University Faculty Works

Background: Pharmacist involvement has been shown to improve various aspects of patient care. Patients undergoing knee and hip replacement surgery generally experience post-operative pain and discomfort. Pain control can impact patient satisfaction, as reported by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.

Objective: The current pilot study aims to measure the potential impact that incorporating pharmacists into preoperative patient education programs has on the response to select HCAHPS questions.

Methods: Patient responses to two select HCAHPS questions related to pain were recorded for a year prior to pharmacist involvement in a comprehensive preoperative patient education program …

Epidemiology News, Georgia Southern University

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: News & Publications (2011-2018)

• Georgia Southern Examines Cervical Screening Interventions for Rural Latina Immigrant Women

College Of Public Health News, Georgia Southern University

College of Public Health: News & Publications

• JPHCOPH Examines Test Strategies Of Treatment EFFICACY IN Noninferiority Clinical Trials
• JPHCOPH Examines Consistency-ensured Parametric Tests for Critical Events of Composite Endpoints
• Georgia Southern Examines Cervical Screening Interventions for Rural Latina Immigrant Women

Evaluation Of A Health Education Intervention To Improve Knowledge, Skills, Behavioral Intentions And Resources Associated With Preventable Determinants Of Infant Mortality, Danielle Fastring, Susan Mayfield-Johnson, Janna Madison

Faculty Publications

Mississippi has the highest rate of infant mortality in the nation (9.3 infant deaths for 1,000 live births). A health disparity exists between white infants (6.2) and black infants (13.0). This project reports on the effectiveness of a pilot educational program, Healthy Moms and Healthy Babies, which sought to improve knowledge, skills, behavioral intentions and resources related to preventable determinants of infant mortality. A curriculum was developed and piloted with women who were currently pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant or who had an infant

The Role Of Catalytic Residue PKA On The Hydrolysis/Transglycosylation Partition In Family 3 Β-Glucosidases, Inacrist Geronimo, Christina M. Payne, Mats Sandgren

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

β-Glucosidases (βgls) primarily catalyze the hydrolysis of the terminal glycosidic bond at the non-reducing end of β-glucosides, although glycosidic bond synthesis (called transglycosylation) can also occur in the presence of another acceptor. In the final reaction step, the glucose product or another substrate competes with water for transfer to the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate. The factors governing the balance between the two pathways are not fully known; however, the involvement of ionizable residues in binding and catalysis suggests that their pK_a may play a role. Through constant pH molecular dynamics simulations of a glycoside hydrolase Family 3 (GH3) βgl, we …

A Gut Pathobiont Synergizes With The Microbiota To Instigate Inflammatory Disease Marked By Immunoreactivity Against Other Symbionts But Not Itself, João Carlos Gomes-Neto, Hatem Kittana, Sara Mantz, Rafael R. Segura Munoz, Robert J. Schmaltz, Laure B. Bindels, Jennifer L. Clarke, Jesse M. Hostetter, Andrew K. Benson, Jens Walter, Amanda Ramer-Tait

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are likely driven by aberrant immune responses directed against the resident microbiota. Although IBD is commonly associated with a dysbiotic microbiota enriched in putative pathobionts, the etiological agents of IBD remain unknown. Using a pathobiont-induced intestinal inflammation model and a defined bacterial community, we provide new insights into the immune-microbiota interactions during disease. In this model system, the pathobiont Helicobacter bilis instigates disease following sub-pathological dextran sulfate sodium treatment. We show that H. bilis causes mild inflammation in mono-associated mice, but severe disease in the presence of a microbiota, demonstrating synergy between the pathobiont and microbiota …

Season Of The Year Influences Infection Rates Following Total Hip Arthroplasty, Samuel Rosas, Alvin C. Ong, Leonard T. Buller, Karim G. Sabeh, Tsun Yee Law, Martin W. Roche, Victor H. Hernandez

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

To research the influence of season of the year on periprosthetic joint infections. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the entire Medicare files from 2005 to 2014. Seasons were classified as spring, summer, fall or winter. Regional variations were accounted for by dividing patients into four geographic regions as per the United States Census Bureau (Northeast, Midwest, West and South). Acute postoperative infection and deep periprosthetic infections within 90 d after surgery were tracked. RESULTS In all regions, winter had the highest incidence of periprosthetic infections (mean 0.98%, SD 0.1%) and was significantly higher than other seasons in the …

Neighborhood Cohesion, Neighborhood Disorder, And Cardiometabolic Risk, Jennifer N. Robinette, Susan T. Charles, Tara Gruenewald

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Perceptions of neighborhood disorder (trash, vandalism) and cohesion (neighbors trust one another) are related to residents’ health. Affective and behavioral factors have been identified, but often in studies using geographically select samples. We use a nationally representative sample (n = 9032) of United States older adults from the Health and Retirement Study to examine cardiometabolic risk in relation to perceptions of neighborhood cohesion and disorder. Lower cohesion is significantly related to greater cardiometabolic risk in 2006/2008 and predicts greater risk four years later (2010/2012). The longitudinal relation is partially accounted for by anxiety and physical activity.