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Full-Text Articles in Chemicals and Drugs
Regulation Of Prostaglandin D2 And Angiogenesis-Related Factors From Human Skin Mast Cells By Interleukin-6 And Resveratrol, Cody Cody Mchale
Regulation Of Prostaglandin D2 And Angiogenesis-Related Factors From Human Skin Mast Cells By Interleukin-6 And Resveratrol, Cody Cody Mchale
Theses and Dissertations
Mast cells are classically recognized as the effector cells of Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity reactions (i.e. allergic reactions). Mast cells also play an important role in the innate immune response to parasitic helminth infection. Allergic disease including allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and anaphylaxis, is a major health concern in the United States with greater than 60 million Americans suffering from allergy and asthma. In addition, mast cells have more recently been implicated in non-allergic disease including various human cancers, which will affect approximately 39.6% of U.S. men and women. Therefore, understanding the immunological and molecular mechanisms that regulate mast …
The Role Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 In Vascular Disease, Desiree Leach
The Role Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 In Vascular Disease, Desiree Leach
Theses and Dissertations
In response to injury, mature vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) undergo dedifferentiation, also known as phenotype modulation or switch. This process is characterized by a downregulation or loss of expression of contractile genes and concomitant with an increase in cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production, thereby leading to vascular lesion formation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. The objective of my study was to determine whether cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8), a transcription-regulating kinase, plays a mediator role in vascular SMC dedifferentiation and lesion formation. Our results from immunochemical staining and Western blot revealed that CDK8 expression …
The Role Of Inflammation In Atherosclerosis, Fatma Saaoud
The Role Of Inflammation In Atherosclerosis, Fatma Saaoud
Theses and Dissertations
Atherosclerosis is both a chronic inflammatory disease and lipid deposition disorder characterized by accumulation of lipids, fibrous tissue, and inflammatory cells in the arterial wall. Thus, investigating the role of inflammation and the immune system in the progression of atherosclerosis may help in the development of novel therapeutics for atherosclerotic disease. Current atherosclerosis therapy is aimed at lipid targets and focused primarily on reducing plasma cholesterol levels. Clinical and experimental data support the critical role of inflammation in atherosclerosis and suggest that reducing inflammation even without affecting lipid levels may reduce the event rate of cardiovascular disease. Yet, no pure …
Differences In Resting-State Functional Connectivity Of Chronic Migraine, With And Without Medication Overuse Headache, And The Effectiveness Of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block As A Treatment For Repairing Dysfunctional Connectivity., Kaitlin Krebs
Theses and Dissertations
Chronic Migraine (CM) is a debilitating neurological condition that occurs when the migraine frequency progresses to a chronic state of more than 15 headache days per month. The overuse of analgesic medication (MOH) is one of the most prominent risk factor of this chronification and little is known about why it is a cause. The repetitive inhibition of the Sphenopalatine Ganglion is one promising treatment that is used to treat chronic migraine. The purpose of this study is to determine if a specific pattern of disruption is present for chronic migraine, both with and without medication overuse headache, and if …
Regulation Of Chronic And Acute Inflammatory Disease By Microrna And Microbiota, Pegah Mehrpouya-Bahrami
Regulation Of Chronic And Acute Inflammatory Disease By Microrna And Microbiota, Pegah Mehrpouya-Bahrami
Theses and Dissertations
Inflammation is implicated in cancer development, degenerative diseases, allergies as well as artherosecelorsis. Dysregulated immune responses lead to chronic inflammation and tissue damage. Finding the ways to terminate inflammatory responses when no longer needed, demands further investigation. Herein, we investigated the modulation of acute and chronic inflammatory disease models by inducing antiinflammatory state. Acute inflammatory model was induced with SEB, an enterotoxin produced by a ubiquitous Gram-positive coccus, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which exerts profound toxic effects on the immune system, which leads to the cytokine storm and adverse immune response. SEB is the main cause of nosocomial infections, acute …
Morphogenic Effects Of Dopamine In Cultured Rat Hippocampal Astrocytes, Ashley L. Galloway
Morphogenic Effects Of Dopamine In Cultured Rat Hippocampal Astrocytes, Ashley L. Galloway
Theses and Dissertations
Dopamine is critical for processing of reward and addictive behaviors brought about by drugs of abuse. Scientific investigation of drugs of abuse and their effects on CNS function has traditionally been directed at understanding the role of neurons. However, astrocytes, which constitute approximately half of all human brain cells, play a dynamic role in many essential nervous system functions, including neurotransmission, ion homeostasis, and immune defense. Dopamine effects on astrocytes have been historically understudied, yet research indicates that astrocytes express dopamine receptors and are sensitive to dopaminergic activity. Importantly, astrocytes, comprise a morphologically heterogeneous population of cells, and a distinction …
The Identification Of The Direct And Indirect Pathways Through Which Leptin Facilitates Synaptic Plasticity In The Hippocampus, Catherine Van Doorn
The Identification Of The Direct And Indirect Pathways Through Which Leptin Facilitates Synaptic Plasticity In The Hippocampus, Catherine Van Doorn
Theses and Dissertations
Leptin, a peptide synthesized by adipocytes in the periphery, has been shown to play significant roles in feeding and energy expenditure mediated by the hypothalamus. Growing evidence supports the role of leptin in influencing synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus in that leptin dose-dependently enhances LTP, alters morphology and neurogenesis, facilitates spatial learning and memory, as well as memory retention. Models of leptin deficiency and resistance have further supported the importance of leptin in synaptic plasticity by exhibiting deficits in electrophysiological, morphological and behavioral tests that are improved after leptin restoration. The effects of leptin when applied directly into the hippocampus …
The Role Of Epidermal Stem/Progenitor-Like Cells In Hpv-Mediated Pre-Neoplastic Transformation, Yvon L. Woappi
The Role Of Epidermal Stem/Progenitor-Like Cells In Hpv-Mediated Pre-Neoplastic Transformation, Yvon L. Woappi
Theses and Dissertations
The role of epidermal basal stem cells in dysplasia is a matter of great interest in the human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven cancers. To assess the relationship between “stemness” and HPV-mediated transformation, we made use of 3-D suspension culture and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to purify stem/progenitor-like cells from primary normal human keratinocyte (NHKc) cultures. We found that NHKc cells derived from multicellular keratinocyte spheroids were enriched for a basal subpopulation of epidermal stem-like cells, that could be maintained for prolonged time in culture and used to conduct transfection experiments with full-length HPV16 DNA. Thus, by using these stem cell enrichment …