Diseases Commons^™

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Moderate- And High-Carbohydrate Diets On Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors: A Pilot Study, Margaret Helen Fernandez, Julia Ava Niehaus Soper

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This pilot study compared the effects of two diets on total cholesterol to high- density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, body mass index, and waist circumference. A diet of 15% protein, 55% or more carbohydrate, and 30% or less fat was compared to a diet of 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat. Lipid levels and anthropometric measurements were obtained on 18 adult males with moderately elevated lipid levels before and after 12 weeks of dietary intervention. Analyses showed variances between and within the study groups in the areas of anthropometric measurements and lipid levels; no statistically significant differences between the groups …

The Role Of Gap Junctions In Congenital Diseases Of The Heart, Scott Henry Britz-Cunningham

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background. Gap junctions are thought to have a crucial role in the synchronized contraction of the heart and in embryonic development. Connexin43, the major protein of gap junctions in the heart, is targeted by several protein kinases that regulate myocardial cell-cell coupling. We hypothesized that mutations altering sites critical to this regulation would lead to functional or developmental abnormalities of the heart.

Methods. Connexin43 DNA from 25 normal subjects and 30 children with a variety of congenital heart diseases was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Mutant DNA was expressed in cell culture and examined for its effect …

Increased Glutathione Metabolic Defense Capabilities In Cultured Alzheimer's Diseased Lymphoblast Cell Lines, Collin M. Shaw

Dissertations and Theses

The hypothesis to be tested states that the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves elevated levels of oxidative stress, resulting in elevated levels of cellular oxidative defense mechanisms. If the premise is true, than AD pathologically afflicted cells should have a higher demand for glutathione (GSH) as an innate oxidative defense mechanism hence; greater GSH concentrations, increased GSH resynthesis capabilities, and increased levels of cystathionine gamma-lyase (CNase). Alzheimer diseased and age matched control lymphoblast cells, obtained from OHSU's Oregon Brain Aging Study, were cultured, and GSH biochemistry was subsequently evaluated. GSH was depleted by exposing cells to the GSH depleting …

Primary Cutaneous Actinomycosis, Anjum Kanjee, Zamaz Wahid, Shahid Pervez

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Posttransplant Recoarctation Of The Aorta: A Twelve Year Experience., Girish S. Shirali, C E. Cephus, M A. Kuhn, K K. Ogata, L K. Vander Dussen, R E. Chinnock, N F. Mulla, J K. Johnston, L L. Bailey, S R. Gundry, A J. Razzouk, R L. Larsen

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to investigate the incidence of posttransplant recoarctation of the aorta, delineate the mode of presentation, identify risk factors that predict recoarctation and examine the results of intervention for posttransplant recoarctation.

BACKGROUND: Patients with aortic arch hypoplasia require extended arch reconstruction at transplant, with an inherent possibility of subsequent recoarctation of the aorta.

METHODS: This was a retrospective review of all children (ageyears) who underwent cardiac transplantation over a 10-year period. Collected data included pretransplant diagnosis, details of the transplant procedure and posttransplant data including development of recoarctation of the aorta, interventions for recoarctation and the …

Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography For Assessing Coronary Artery Disease After Transplantation In Children., R L. Larsen, P M. Applegate, D A. Dyar, P A. Ribeiro, S D. Fritzsche, N F. Mulla, Girish S. Shirali, M A. Kuhn, R E. Chinnock, P M. Shah

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety and diagnostic accuracy of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) for evaluating posttransplant coronary artery disease (TxCAD) in children, and to determine the frequency of selected cardiac events after normal or abnormal DSE.

BACKGROUND: Posttransplant coronary artery disease is the most common cause of graft loss (late death or retransplantation) after cardiac transplantation (CTx) in children. Coronary angiography, routinely performed to screen for TxCAD, is an invasive procedure with limited sensitivity. The efficacy of DSE for detecting atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is established, but is unknown in children after CTx. …

An Evaluation Of Root End Filling Materials Using Endotoxin, Hong-Ming Tang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Mineral Trioxide Aggregates (MTA) was recently developed at Loma Linda University. It has been shown to possess good sealing ability when tested with dye, bacteria, and a fluid filtration technique.

Endotoxin is a component of the cell wall of Gram negative bacteria. It has been proposed that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of periradicular lesions. Previous studies have demonstrated that MTA can prevent the leakage of bacteria. However, the bacterial products were not tested during these studies.

This study used endotoxin to compare the sealing ability of SuperEBA, IRM, amalgam, and MTA.

The results showed that MTA …

The Relationship Between Tamoxifen And Depressive Symptoms In Women With Breast Cancer, Terry Marie Lynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with breast cancer and the presence of the drug tamoxifen, are more severely depressed than women with breast cancer and the absence of tamoxifen. Average Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores did not differ between the two sub-groups; however, two significant group differences were found. First, 10 women in the tamoxifen group had scores of zero (versus 4 in the absence of prescribed tamoxifen group). Research has shown that scores of zero do not always reflect an absence of depression. Second, the most severely depressed women (BDI scores in the 25 …

Analysis Of Serotonin And Postural Instability In Parkinson’S Disease, Sandra Kuniyoshi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Postural instability is one of the most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and the best clinical prognostic indicator of progressive disease. Significant differences in neuropathology, neurochemistry, response to L-dopa therapy and stereotactic surgery as well as prognosis have been identified in subtypes when patients with predominant postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD)/Type B were differentiated from those with predominant symptoms of tremor and rigidity/Type A. Postural instability is resistant to the therapeutic effects of L-dopa, despite its continued efficacy on other Parkinson’s symptomatology, implicating the nondopaminergic mechanism of postural instability in Parkinson’s disease. Patients with significant postural instability and gait …

Measurement Of Autonomic Function In Renal Disease And Diabetes, Ann King Cashion

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Renal disease and diabetes lead to dysautonomia resulting in consequences ranging from gastroparesis to sudden death. New technologies to detect dysautonomia, such as 24-hr heart rate variability, are being evaluated and compared to traditional evoked tests. These advances have, however, lead to a lack of standardization in testing batteries, procedures, and reporting formats. This series of 3 studies psychometrically assessed measures of autonomic function (AF) and explored relationships among objective and subjective measures in healthy adults and uremic patients. Participants underwent evoked tests that included change in heart rate with deep breathing and Valsalva. In addition, measures of 24-hr HRV …

Wild Primate Populations In Emerging Infectious Disease Research: The Missing Link?, Nathan D. Wolfe, Ananias A. Escalante, William B. Karesh, Annelisa Kilbourn, Andrew Spielman, Altaf A. Lal

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Wild primate populations, an unexplored source of information regarding emerging infectious disease, may hold valuable clues to the origins and evolution of some important pathogens. Primates can act as reservoirs for human pathogens. As members of biologically diverse habitats, they serve as sentinels for surveillance of emerging pathogens and provide models for basic research on natural transmission dynamics. Since emerging infectious diseases also pose serious threats to endangered and threatened primate species, studies of these diseases in primate populations can benefit conservation efforts and may provide the missing link between laboratory studies and the well-recognized needs of early disease detection, …

The “Spot 14” Gene Resides On The Telomeric End Of The 11q13 Amplicon And Is Expressed In Lipogenic Breast Cancers: Implications For Control Of Tumor Metabolism, Joel T. Moncur, Jonathan P. Park, Vincent A. Memoli, T. K. Mohandas, William B. Kinlaw

Dartmouth Scholarship

Enhanced long chain fatty acid synthesis may occur in breast cancer, where it is necessary for tumor growth and predicts a poor prognosis. “Spot 14” (S14) is a carbohydrate- and thyroid hormone-inducible nuclear protein specific to liver, adipose, and lactating mammary tissues that functions to activate genes encoding the enzymes of fatty acid synthesis. Amplification of chromosome region 11q13, where the S14 gene (THRSP) resides, also predicts a poor prognosis in breast tumors. We localized the S14 gene between markers D11S906 and D11S937, at the telomeric end of the amplified region at 11q13, and found that it was …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Behavior Of African American Undergraduate College Students Concerning Primary Preventative Health, Lionas Mayes

McCabe Thesis Collection

African Americans' knowledge about primary preventive health and their attitudes toward primary preventive health influence their health behavior. Primary preventive health behavior is also affected by the individuals' definition of health and the significance they ascribe to their health status. Attitudes toward primary preventive health determine whether health assessment is important in preventing disease. African Americans have a myriad of views about health and general well being. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between primary preventive health knowledge, primary preventive health attitudes and primary preventive health behavior in African American undergraduate students. A survey will be …

An Exploration Of Possibly Using Anti-Angiogenic Therapy As A Treatment For Lung Cancer, Peter Alan Middleton

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Controlling angiogenesis in vivo is strongly being considered by pathologists and experimenters due to the recent success of using anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer patients in clinical trials. The apparent nature and overwhelming number of cases of lung cancer (bronchogenic carcinoma) are leading some clinicians to using anti-angiogenic pharmaceuticals with lung-cancer patients. Pre-clinical and experimental evidence supporting the use of anti-angiogenic therapy for lung cancer is apparently increasing. The literature research here attempts to point out specific relationships between lung tumor growth and the mechanisms by which the body reacts to such. Macrophages, lymphocytes, fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, lung alveolar, …

Black Lung Update: The Evolution Of The Current Regulations And The Proposed Revolution, William S. Mattingly

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Antigen-Specific Cd8+ T Cells Protect Against Lethal Toxoplasmosis In Mice Infected With Neospora Caninum, Lloyd H. Kasper, Imtiaz A. Khan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Neospora caninum is a coccidial protozoan parasite that appears morphologically indistinguishable from Toxoplasma gondii and that infects a large range of mammals. Both inbred and outbred strains of mice exhibit a high degree of resistance to infection with N. caninum. Three inbred strains of mice (A/J, BALB/c, and C57BL/6) that were infected intraperitoneally with N. caninum were protected against a lethal challenge from T. gondii. Vaccine-induced protection was Neospora dose dependent. A rise in the CD8+ T-cell population in mice that had been vaccinated with N. caninum and challenged with T. gondii was observed. Adoptive transfer of CD8+ T-cell splenocytes …

Development, Reproductive Capacity And Survival Of Amblyomma Variegatum And Boophilus Decoloratus In Relation To Host Resistance And Climatic Factors Under Field Conditions, G. Solomon, G. P. Kaaya

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

To determine the developmental periods, fecundity and survival of Amblyomma variegatum and Boophilus decoloratus and the effect of host resistance, a study was carried out in the field at Abemossa ranch in Ethiopia using three breeds of cattle: Arssi, Baran and Baran X Friesian crossbreed. The investigation took place between October 1991 and September 1992. The developmental periods of both tick species were recorded. The hatching periods of larvae, engorgement, larvo-nymphal and nympho-adult moulting periods during various climatic seasons in shaded and dry areas were also recorded. While the engorgement periods recorded on the animal were relatively constant for each …

Gynandropsis Gynandra Essential Oil And Its Constituents As Tick (Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus) Repellents, W. Lwande, A. J. Ndakala, A. Hassanali, L. Moreka, E. Nyandat, M. Ndungu, H. Amiani, P. M. Gitu, M. M. Malonza, D. K. Punyua

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The repellency of the essential oil of the previously reported anti- tick pasture shrub Gynandropsis gynandra and identified constituents of the oil were evaluated against the livestock tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. In a tick-climbing repellency bioassay, the oil of G. gynandra exhibited a repellency effect which at the highest treatment levels was higher than that of the commercial arthropod repellent N,N-diethyltoluamide. Twenty eight compounds were identified in the G. gynandra oil by GC, GC-MS and coinjection with authentic samples. Carvacrol was found to occur in largest quantity (29.2%), followed by trans-phytol (24.0%), linalool (13.3%), trans-2- methylcyclopentanol (7.2%) and β-caryophyllene (4.4%). m-Cymene, …

Bordetella Holmesii-Like Organisms Associated With Septicemia, Endocarditis, And Respiratory Failure, Perry J. Severance, Yi-Wei Tang, Marlene K. Hopkins, Christopher P. Kolbert, Paul A. Hartley, David H. Persing

Articles

We recovered an unusual bacterial strain from blood or sputum of three patients with septicemia, endocarditis, and/or respiratory failure. The three isolates were thin, curved, gram-negative, light brown, pigment-producing bacilli with variable catalase activity. They were asaccharolytic, oxidasenegative, nonmotile, and fastidious. Identification was not possible on the basis of these characteristics alone or in combination with cellular fatty acid profiles. Nucleic acid amplification and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that all three isolates were identical and most closely related to the emerging pathogen Bordetella holmesii, diverging from the published sequence at three nucleotide positions (99.8% similarity). …

Progestin Stimulation Of The Protooncogene C-̲M̲Y̲C In T47d Human Breast Cancer Cells, Kristy Ann Blankenship

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Moore and co-workers have previously demonstrated that progestins stimulate the growth of T47D human breast cancer cells. We now investigate the possibility that progestins might transactivate the protooncogcne c-myc as part of the mechanism for growth stimulation. Treatment of T47D cells with the synthetic progestin R5020 results in a rapid, dose-dependent increase in c-myc mRNA. This stimulation is evident as early as 5 minutes, increases up to 4-fold at 1 hour, and then returns toward basal levels. The optimal concentration of R5020 for induction of c-myc gene expression is 10 nM, which is within the physiologically relevant range of hormone …

Repair Of The Airway Epithelium: Potential Opportunities For Therapeutic Intervention In Airway Disease, Stephen I. Rennard

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

The epithelium of the airway has considerable capacity to undergo repair. These repair processes are responsible for maintaining and restoring function after injury of the airways, which likely occurs often as a result of infectious, toxic or other exposures. However, repair processes need not be fully effective. Inadequate repair can take a number of forms and may result in metaplasia, hyperplasia or fibrotic scarring. It is likely that repair processes that lead to tissue disruption play an important role in the chronic airways diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis. Through delineation of these processes, it may become feasible to target …

Aids Education On College Campuses, Lauretta A. Dienberg

Graduate Research Papers

Many researchers have examined the issue of college students and AIDS. Most have come to the same conclusion, that students know how to protect themselves but don't see AIDS as personal threat to their lives. As colleges become more diverse and more students are able to attend college, these issues probably will become more complex. Coupled with diversity issues, AIDS has now become known as a chronic rather than deadly disease, as a result of progress made toward treating AIDS and through early detection.

Medical Implications Of The Genetic Revolution, Monique K. Mansoura, Francis S. Collins

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

What Should The Law Say About Disclosure Of Genetic Information To Relatives?, Ellen Wright Clayton

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Family Disclosure In Genetic Testing For Cancer Susceptibility: Determinants And Consequences, Caryn Lerman, Beth N. Peshkin, Chanita Hughes, Claudine Isaacs

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Ethical Responsibilities Of Patients And Clinical Geneticists, Allen Buchanan

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

The Argument Against A Physician's Duty To Warn For Genetic Diseases: The Conflicts Created By Safer V. Estate Of Pack, Angela Liang

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Boling V. Romer: Federal Courts Condone Forced Withdrawal Of Blood For Dna Data Banks Despite Constitutional Concerns, C. Teddy Li

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Activities Of 5’-O-Myristoyl Analogue Derivatives Of 3’-Fluoro-2’,3’-Dideoxythymidine (Flt) And 3’-Azido-2’,3’- Dideoxythymidine (Azt), Keykavous Parang, Leonard I. Wiebe, Edward E. Knaus, Jyy-Shiang Huang, David L. Tyrrell

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The objective of this study was to evaluate a dual action prodrug concept wherein an unnatural myristic acid analogue is coupled via an ester moiety to the 5’-position of FLT or AZT. Subsequent intracellular cleavage of the prodrug ester would simultaneously release FLT or AZT that could inhibit reverse transcriptase (RT), and the myristic acid analogue that could inhibit myristoyl- CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (NMT). Methods: Cytotoxicity (2.2.15 cell culture), and antihepatitis B activity of 5’-O-myristoyl analogue prodrug derivatives of FLT and AZT (2-8) were evaluated in vitro using human liver hepatitis B virus (HBV) producing 2.2.15 cell lines. Results: The 5’- …

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa): Molecular Detection And Dna Fingerprinting, Leslie Cotter

Theses

Throughout the 1990s, the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has increased in many health care areas including acute and chronic care facilities, outpatient clinics and in the community. Once introduced into a health care environment, this nosocomial pathogen can spread rapidly and as MRSA are resistant to multiple antibiotics, treatment is often difficult. Therefore effective infection control measures are required to prevent cross-infection and further spread of endemic strains.

In this study, a sensitive and specific triplex-PCR assay was designed for MRSA detection, wherein three genes, the methicillin resistance gene (mecA). femA and the extracellular thermonuclease gene (rmc) were simultaneously …