Diseases Commons^™

Long-Term Effects Of Notch1 Signaling On Neural Stem Cells Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Cruz Sevilla Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating problem which stands as a leading cause of death and disability. The elderly is significantly affected by TBI, typically as the result of falls, and recovery is especially limited. This, in part, is associated with decreased tissue-specific stem cell regeneration and replacement of damaged cells in the aged brain. The diminished ability of the aged brain to recover is especially devastating after TBI, likely leading to permanent loss of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Studies have shown that the mature mammalian brain contains Neural Stem Cells (NSCs), found in specific regions of the …

Diuretic And Natriuretic Activity Of Faah Inhibition In The Renal Medulla: A Proposed Role Of Palmitoylethanolamide And Its Regulation By Renal Medullary Interstitial Cells, Sara Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension is a critical public health issue worldwide, and in the United States, it is the leading cause of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, contributing to more than 1,100 deaths per day. It is proposed that the renal medulla combats increased blood pressure by releasing a neutral lipid from the lipid droplets of medullary interstitial cells, termed medullipin, which induces diuresis- natriuresis and vasodepression. The renal medulla is enriched with fatty acid lipid ethanolamides including the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), along with their primary hydrolyzing enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Our lab is investigating …

Examination Of Strain-Dependent Differences In S. Sanguinis Virulence And Growth, Shannon Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus sanguinis, an abundant and benign inhabitant of the oral cavity, is an important etiologic agent of infective endocarditis, particularly in people with pre-disposing cardiac valvular damage. Although commonly isolated from patients with IE, little is known about the factors that make any particular S. sanguinis isolate more virulent than another or, indeed, whether significant differences in virulence exist among isolates. To investigate the virulence of multiple isolates, a variation of the Bar-seq (barcode sequencing) method was employed. A conserved chromosomal site was identified for subsequent insertion of a barcode identifier, unique for each strain. Barcode insertion did not …

Role Of Sarm1 In Chronic Immune-Mediated Central Nervous System Inflammation, Kenneth E. Viar Ii

Theses and Dissertations

SARM1 is an injury-induced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide nucleosidase (NADase) that was previously shown to promote axonal degeneration in response to traumatic, toxic, and excitotoxic stressors. This raises the question of whether a SARM1-dependent program of axonal degeneration is central to a common pathway contributing to disease burden in neurological disorders. The degree to and mechanism by which SARM1 inactivation decreases the pathophysiology of such disorders is of interest to establish the rationale to pursue SARM1 as a therapeutic target. In this study, we compare the course and pathology of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Sarm1-knockout (KO) mice and wild-type …

Incidence And Predictor Variables Of Pressure Injuries In Patients Undergoing Ventricular Assist Device And Total Artificial Heart Surgeries: An Eight-Year Retrospective Review, Christopher T. Brindle

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND

Cardiac surgery patients have some of the highest reported incidence and prevalence of pressure injuries (PI). A growing subset of cardiac surgery include patients with end-stage heart failure who undergo ventricular assist device (VAD) or total artificial heart (TAH) surgery. The risk of PI and their natural history of development in this population are unknown and the specific risk factors for PI development remain unexplored.

OBJECTIVES

To perform a systematic review of the literature to identify the incidence and risk factors of PI development in patients undergoing VAD-TAH surgery and thereby inform study design and variables in an eight-year …

2nd Tier Assay For The Detection Of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia By Virginia’S Newborn Screening Laboratory: Steroid Profile By Hplc-Ms/Ms, Christopher E. Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) encompasses several disorders related to disruptions in the adrenal steroid production pathway. These disruptions may cause virilization of the external female sex organs, incorrect gender assignment, precocious puberty, and in the most severe form, may cause life-threatening salt wasting and adrenal crisis if not detected and treated early in the newborn period.

17α-Hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) is the primary target for immunofluorescence detection of CAH from dried blood spots in newborn screening (NBS). Unfortunately, current immunoassay techniques for the detection of CAH suffer from high false positive rates. The primary factors contributing to false positive determinations can include …

The Role Of Syndecan-1 And Extracellular Vesicles In Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis, Megan R. Sayyad

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer metastasizes to the brain in 15-30% of all breast cancer cases, and metastasis is the predominant cause of breast cancer-related deaths. Patients with HER2-enriched and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are more likely to develop brain metastases. While targeted therapies exist for HER2-enriched breast cancers, there are no effective treatments for TNBCs. Thus, a greater understanding of how these cancers spread to the brain is critical. In order to spread to the brain, disseminated breast cancer cells must overcome 2 major steps—crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and survival and successful colonization of the distinctive and mostly cellular brain environment. …

Cellular Mechanisms By Which Alcohol Promotes Hiv Protease Inhibitor-Induced Hepatotoxicity, Michael Hinton

Theses and Dissertations

CELLULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH ALCOHOL PROMOTES HIV PROTEASE INHIBITOR-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY

Michael Hinton, B.S.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

Major Director: Huiping Zhou

Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

The development of highly-active-antiretroviral therapy(HAART) has allowed management of HIV and extended the lives of those infected. Alcohol abuse, which is very common in HIV-1 infected patients, is one of the most important co-morbid risk factors for liver injury and has been associated with the occurrence of serious metabolic syndrome and subsequent discontinuation …