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Full-Text Articles in Dentistry

Deficiency Of Rdh10 Causes Cleft Secondary Palate In Mouse., Swetha Raja Dec 2017

Deficiency Of Rdh10 Causes Cleft Secondary Palate In Mouse., Swetha Raja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this project is to understand the role of Retinoic Acid (RA) produced by RDH10-mediated metabolism of Vitamin A in palate development. For 80 years now, we have known that dietary restriction of RA/Vitamin A can cause cleft palate but we have failed to understand how RA deficiency causes cleft palate. Our gap in knowledge about how RA deficiency causes cleft palate is mainly owing to the fact that we lack a model system to study such defects. The aim of this thesis research project was to determine if conditional inactivation of the Vitamin A metabolic gene Rdh10 …


The Role Of Kinases And Phosphatases In The Pathobiology Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Sarah Whitmore Dec 2017

The Role Of Kinases And Phosphatases In The Pathobiology Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Sarah Whitmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal diseases result from the interplay between the dysregulation of the host inflammatory response and the actions of a dysbiotic bacterial community. These chronic inflammatory conditions affect persons on a worldwide scale. P. gingivalis is strongly implicated as a key periodontal pathogen in the more severe manifestations of periodontal diseases such as periodontitis. A core element of P. gingivalis pathogenicity is its dysregulation of innate immunity, including suppression of IL-8 production by gingival epithelial cells. The NF-κB family of related transcription factors plays a central role in regulating many important aspects of innate immune responses. NF-κB RelA/p65 homodimers regulate transcription …


Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru Dec 2017

Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia are two of the primary pathogens that are associated in the etiology and progression of chronic periodontitis. In T. forsythia, KLIKK proteases are the recently identified group of proteolytic enzymes that are secreted through Type IX secretion system (T9SS). Among, these KLIKK proteases a synergistic relationship was observed between karilysin and mirolysin in invading the host complement system for the survival of the bacteria. Since, karilysin has been already characterized, in this study we propose to study about mirolysin through structural, biochemical and biological characterization. The obtained results from the experiments has shown the …


Cumulative Trauma, Emotion Reactivity And Salivary Cytokine Response Following Acute Stress Among Healthy Women., Yvette Z. Szabo Aug 2017

Cumulative Trauma, Emotion Reactivity And Salivary Cytokine Response Following Acute Stress Among Healthy Women., Yvette Z. Szabo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study furthers understanding of how trauma exposure may be connected to the development and maintenance of poor health by focusing on cytokines, tightly regulated proteins of the immune system. Cytokine responses to acute stress have been associated with the onset of poorer mental health in physically healthy women. The present study examined how two factors recently associated with cytokine reactivity –cumulative trauma and emotion reactivity– are associated with salivary cytokine reactivity among healthy women. Seventy-one women, screened to be physically and mentally healthy, completed a laboratory acute stress paradigm and self-report measures of state emotion and trauma exposure. Participants …


Using An Audience Response System To Calibrate Dental Faculty Assessing Student Clinical Competence., Sean A. Aiken May 2017

Using An Audience Response System To Calibrate Dental Faculty Assessing Student Clinical Competence., Sean A. Aiken

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to best prepare students to become competent and confident practitioners in a clinical environment upon graduating dental school, it is imperative for them to receive consistent and productive feedback from the supervising faculty. Through academic engagement, and more specifically faculty calibration, it may be possible to eliminate the disconnect that sometimes exists between faculty expectations and terminology, and those of the students. In terms of definitions, academic engagement reflects faculty scholarly development activities that support integration of relevant, current theory of best practices consistent with the school's mission, expected learner outcomes, and supporting strategies.1-6, 32 The difficulty lies …


Treg Regulation In Periodontal Disease During Pregnancy., Aislinn Leah Hays May 2017

Treg Regulation In Periodontal Disease During Pregnancy., Aislinn Leah Hays

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Although pregnancy is prone to induce more severe periodontal inflammation and tissue damage, its mechanism remains elusive. Periodontal diseases during pregnancy are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth or low birth weight. Animal models are ideal for investigating immunological mechanisms in periodontal disease. With a newly modified ligature-induced disease model, we managed to develop periodontal disease in pregnant mice and investigate the immunological mechanism of more severe symptoms during pregnancy. Hypothesis: We hypothesis that P. gingivalis infection during pregnancy will lead to a down-regulation of Treg cells, therefore causing increased inflammation and disease severity. Methods: A ligature-induced …


Exploring A Novel Nf-ĸb- Inhibiting Nanoparticle For Periodontitis Therapy., Kameswara Satya Srikanth Upadhyayula May 2017

Exploring A Novel Nf-ĸb- Inhibiting Nanoparticle For Periodontitis Therapy., Kameswara Satya Srikanth Upadhyayula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is an infection-driven inflammatory disease characterized by gingival inflammation and bone loss. The NF-ĸB signaling pathway is pivotal in osteoclastogenesis and infection-induced pro-inflammatory responses. The use of nanoparticles as a vehicle to deliver drug increases stability, loading capacity, and facilitates transmembrane transportation. The hypothesis was that a novel nanoparticle carrying therapeutic NBD inhibitory peptides (NBD-nanoparticles) will inhibit measures of periodontal disease. In this project, we tested the nanoparticles for their ability to directly inhibit osteoclastogenesis and inflammation as an original strategy for periodontitis therapy. We also tested the capability of the nanoparticles to inhibit gingival inflammation and alveolar bone …


Expression Of Zeb Factors In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma., Saira Ahmed May 2017

Expression Of Zeb Factors In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma., Saira Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The ZEB family of transcription factors (ZEB1 and ZEB2) have been demonstrated to play a role in metastatic progression of several cancers, and may also influence the initial transformation and generation of cancer stem cells. However, the expression pattern of ZEB proteins in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to define changes in expression and subcellular localization of the ZEB family in both precancerous lesions and different grades of OSCC. Materials and Methods: Seventy-nine tongue biopsies were subjected to immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence to determine the expression and subcellular …


Inhibition Of Chemotherapeutic-Induced Apoptosis In Esophageal Squamous Cancer Cells By The Keystone Periodontal Pathogen, Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Atul Kumar Agrawal May 2017

Inhibition Of Chemotherapeutic-Induced Apoptosis In Esophageal Squamous Cancer Cells By The Keystone Periodontal Pathogen, Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Atul Kumar Agrawal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent evidence has shown that P. gingivalis, a Gram-negative, anaerobic oral bacterium, is negatively associated with the presence and outcome of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). While potential underlying mechanisms are yet to be established, P. gingivalis infection is known to inhibit apoptosis in gingival epithelial cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that P. gingivalis may also inhibit of the induction of apoptosis in human ESCC cells exposed to the commonly employed anti-ESCC chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin. The capacity of P. gingivalis, at variant multiplicities of infection, to suppress cisplatin-induced necrosis and apoptosis in EC9706 ESCC cells was established by lactate …


Student Self-Assessment Of Operative Dentistry Experiences : A Time Dependent Exercise In Best Practice Outcomes., Celine Joyce Cornelius Timothius May 2017

Student Self-Assessment Of Operative Dentistry Experiences : A Time Dependent Exercise In Best Practice Outcomes., Celine Joyce Cornelius Timothius

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to evaluate student self-assessment of operative dentistry experiences. Methods: First, a retrospective analysis of student self-assessment and faculty assessment grade sheets were evaluated for mean differences and correlations across time. Both preclinical (D2: n=120) and clinical (D3: n=120; D4: n=120) grades sheets were evaluated. Secondly, twenty-five (n=25) students from each of the D1, D2, D3 and D4 classes were asked to evaluate dentoform work. Twenty-five (n=25) operative calibrated faculty graded the same two dentoforms. Results: D2 student’s self-assessment scores were significantly higher than the faculty assessment scores (t-test; p0.05) and there was a …


An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Child, Family, And Community Factors And Early Childhood Oral Health And The Utilization Of Dental Health Services, Nicole Holt May 2017

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Child, Family, And Community Factors And Early Childhood Oral Health And The Utilization Of Dental Health Services, Nicole Holt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background / Objective: Children under the age of 5 years bear a disproportionate burden of oral disease. The aim of this study is to investigate how child, family, and community determinants impact dental care utilization, and parental report of child’s oral health. Methods: Data for this study came from the 2011/2012 National Survey of Children’s Health for children aged 1 to 5 years old. Dependent variables evaluated were if the child had an oral health problem, been to a dentist in the past year, and parents description of the child’s teeth. Independent variables were selected from child, family, and community …