Medical Specialties Commons^™

Environmental And Food Allergens Reactivity And Its Association With Total Ige, Age And Gender In Karachi, Pakistan, Noreen Abbas, Ahmed Raheem, Farooq Ghani

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the frequency of food and environmental allergens reactivity and its association in with age, gender and total IgE levels
Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 88 individuals including children and adults (male: 47 and female: 41). The study was conducted in the clinical laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital from May 2009 till May 2010. Sera of patients positive for total IgE were tested for allergen specific IgE levels by Immulite 2000, 3gAllergyTM. We divided allergens into two panels, namely food and environmental.
Results: …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Six Different Staphylococcus Epidermidis Clones, Isolated Individually From Preterm Neonates Presenting With Sepsis At Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary, Paul Walsh, M. Bekaert, J. Carroll, T. Manning, B. Kelly, A. O'Driscoll, X. Lu, C. Smith, P. Dickinson, K. Templeton, P. Ghazal, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Herein, we report the draft genome sequences of six individual Staphylococcus epidermidis clones, cultivated from blood taken from different preterm neonatal sepsis patients at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Clinical Applications Of A Combination Chemotherapy Using 8-Chloro Camp And 8-Chloro Adenosine, Erik Munoz, Andrea Saich, Andrew Cox, Yu-An Peter Chang

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Dr. Cho-Chung from the NIH first thought to use halogenated cAMP derivatives as competitive inhibitors of cAMP to slow down cancer cell mitosis. While the iodine and bromine substituted versions showed very little therapeutic actions, 8-Chloro cAMP has been shown to have strong anti-cancer effects. This has been shown in the phase II clinical trials this drug has undergone. However, these trials have had issues with solubility and toxicity. The drug is similar to vitamin C and is excreted quickly. Scientists tried to overcome this by using a peristaltic pump to give patients a continuous dosage, but this proved too …

Hepatitis B Vaccines And Hpv Vaccines Have Been Hailed As Major Public Health Achievements In Preventing Cancer--Could A Schistosomiasis Vaccine Be The Third?, Michael H. Hsieh, Julia M L Brotherton, Afzal A Siddiqui

Urology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Characterization And Investigation Of Fungi Inhabiting The Gastrointestinal Tract Of Healthy And Diseased Humans, Mallory J. Suhr

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gastrointestinal microbiome studies have failed to include fungi in total community analyses. As a result, their diversity and function in the gut is poorly understood. Recent work has begun to uncover the role intestinal fungi play in diet, immune system development, interactions with other microorganisms in the gut, and pathogenesis of diseases. Advances in sequencing technologies allow for the ability to profile the fungal gut microbiome (“mycobiome”) in healthy and diseased states. This thesis explores the mycobiome in 1) healthy humans with a vegetarian diet and 2) pediatric small bowel transplant recipients that develop fungal bloodstream infections.

The gut mycobiome …

A Comparison Of The Upper Limb Lift Test Between Women With Breast Cancer And Healthy Control Subjects, Mary Insana Fisher, Lucinda Pfalzer, Ellen W. Levy, Shana Harrington, Lynn H. Gerber, Nicole L. Stout

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Presentation at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress, held May 1-4, 2015, in Singapore.

Background: Objective measures of upper limb (UL) function specific to breast cancer survivors (BC) are limited. Motion, strength, and muscular endurance are measurable components of UL function. A clinical test that quantifies these components is needed.

Purpose: This study compares the Upper Limb Lift Test (ULLT) between women with BC and healthy control subjects (HC) at baseline, 1-3 months, and 12+ months post-operatively enrolled in a prospective surveillance trial with early intervention. A secondary purpose was to validate the ULLT by comparing findings to self-reported …

Comparing Functional Motor Control And Gait Parameters In Children With Autism To Those Of Age-Matched Peers Who Are Typically Developing, Patricia Stevenson, Samantha Novotny, Jillian May, Christopher Ancell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare motor performance of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to that of age-matched peers who are typically developing (TD) on motor control tasks plus symmetry and variability of gait parameters across four walking conditions. A sample of convenience of children with ASD (n=6) and peers who are TD (n=6) were recruited. Motor control was assessed using initiation and completion times on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Gait parameters were collected using a computerized walkway under four trial conditions: 1) walking at self-selected velocity (SSV); 2) walking during a tray-carrying task …

Multilevel Deregulation Of Survival Mechanisms In Npm-Alk+ T-Cell Lymphoma, Deeksha Vishwamitra

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a single chain transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase that belongs to the insulin receptor superfamily. Other members of this superfamily include the insulin receptor (IR), type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR), and the leukocyte tyrosine kinase. The common structural finding among these tyrosine kinases is the YXXXYY motif present within their respective tyrosine kinase domains. Binding of its ligands causes ALK receptor homodimerization and protein kinase activation. ALK has been previously shown to play a significant role during early developmental stages. In human embryos, the expression of ALK is mainly seen in …

Cancer Associated Fibroblast Derived Angiogenic Factor Mfap5 In Ovarian Cancer Progression, Sze Lee Cecilia Leung

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Advanced stage ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. No major improvement on patient survival has been achieved in the past decade. Therefore, identification of predictive or prognostic markers and further understanding of the molecular mechanisms in ovarian cancer progression are of paramount importance.

While cancer cells have always been the targets for the identification of prognostic and predictive markers, the potential for developing new diagnosis and treatments based on the tumor supporting stromal microenvironment is relatively unexplored. Using transcriptome profiling analysis on microdissected stromal and epithelial components of normal and malignant ovarian tissues, we identified a gene signature …

Evaluating The Nccn Clinical Criteria For Hereditary Breast And Ovarian Cancer Syndrome Genetic Testing, Caiqian Wu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome predisposes females with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation to an up to 85% lifetime risk for breast cancer and an up to 40% lifetime risk for ovarian cancer. It is crucial for individuals with HBOC to be identified to allow for proper screening, management, and identification of at-risk family members in order to reduce mortality. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has established clinical guidelines for when to recommend BRCA1/2 testing. A retrospective chart review of 1123 M.D. Anderson Cancer Center breast cancer patients was performed in order to evaluate the positive predictive …

Local Modulation And Measurement Of Macrophage-Derived Bioactive Proteins From Implanted Biomaterials In Rat, Geetika Bajpai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fibrosis around the implanted medical devices is a severe problem that can plague long-term device reliability. Activation of macrophage phenotype (macrophage polarization) has emerged as a new and possible means for reducing fibrosis in the fields of biomaterials and regenerative medicine. Macrophages are phagocytic cells that respond to microenvironmental cues that direct their phenotype. Macrophage activation has been widely studied in mouse and human in the context of tumor biology, yet little information is available regarding how macrophage activation could be used in a biomaterials context. Further, rats rather than mice are the common subjects in biomaterials experiments. A significant …

Killer Cell Activation By A Novel Multifunctional Protein: An Immuno/Gene Therapy For Cancer, Ashlee Tietje

All Dissertations

One of the characteristics of advanced tumors is the evasion of the immune system. There are multiple methods that tumor cells employ to achieve this including reducing the expression of activating ligands on the cell surface and a shift in the tumor microenvironment toward pro-tumor cytokines. The purpose of this research is to develop a novel bifunctional fusion protein that will target these two deficiencies in the tumor microenvironment and activate killer cells that are already present. The proposed protein combines the extracellular domain of a ligand for the killer cell activating receptor NKG2D and Interleukin-12 (IL-12). It is hypothesized …

Evaluation Of Tulane Virus As A Surrogate For The Study Of Human Norovirus, Sabastine Eugene Arthur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Among all known causes of acute gastroenteritis, human noroviruses (HuNoV) are the primary cause (68%) of outbreaks and are associated with 78% of illnesses, 46% of hospitalizations, and 86% of deaths. The main obstacle to studying the pathogenesis of HuNoV is the lack of cell culture system and small animal model. Murine norovirus (MNV) and feline calicivirus (FCV) have been utilized as model surrogate viruses to study HuNoV. In this research, a more recent surrogate virus, Tulane virus (TV), was evaluated for physicochemical stability and environmental persistence. The primary goal was to determine the suitability of TV as a surrogate …

Translation Initiation Complex Eif4f Is A Therapeutic Target For Dual Mtor Kinase Inhibitors In Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma., Christos Demosthenous, Jing Jing Han, Mary J Stenson, Matthew J Maurer, Linda E Wellik, Brian Link, Kristen Hege, Ahmet Dogan, Eduardo Sotomayor, Thomas Witzig, Mamta Gupta

Medicine Faculty Publications

Deregulated mRNA translation has been implicated in disease development and in part is controlled by a eukaryotic initiation complex eIF4F (composed of eIF4E, eIF4G and eIF4A). We demonstrate here that the cap bound fraction from lymphoma cells was enriched with eIF4G and eIF4E indicating that lymphoma cells exist in an activated translational state. Moreover, 77% (110/142) of diffuse large B cell lymphoma tumors expressed eIF4E and this was associated with an inferior event free survival. Over-expression of wild-type eIF4E (eIF4E(WT)) but not cap-mutant eIF4E (eIF4E(cap mutant)) increased the activation of the eIF4F complex. Treatment with the active-site dual mTOR inhibitor …

Urine Proteomics Identifies Preeclampsia Subphenotypes, Michelle R. Axe

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Preeclampsia is a perinatal complication of unknown etiology, resulting in 76,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 infant deaths annually₁. The Nationwide Children’s Center for Perinatal Research was the first cohort to propose that preeclampsia is rooted in protein misfolding. We aimed to characterize the misfolded protein components of maternal urine samples and to determine if distinct molecular profiles exist for clinical preeclampsia phenotypes. A total of 86 maternal urine samples from Yale-New Haven Hospital were analyzed for this study, from six clinical preeclampsia subphenotypes- pregnant control (n=10), idiopathic proteinuria (n=15), mild preeclampsia (n=14), superimposed preeclampsia (n=12), typical severe preeclampsia …

Targeted Single Molecule Sequencing Methodology For Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome., Funda Orkunoglu-Suer, Arthur F. Harralson, David Frankfurter, Paul Gindoff, Travis J. O'Brien

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: One of the most significant issues surrounding next generation sequencing is the cost and the difficulty assembling short read lengths. Targeted capture enrichment of longer fragments using single molecule sequencing (SMS) is expected to improve both sequence assembly and base-call accuracy but, at present, there are very few examples of successful application of these technologic advances in translational research and clinical testing. We developed a targeted single molecule sequencing (T-SMS) panel for genes implicated in ovarian response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for infertility.

RESULTS: Target enrichment was carried out using droplet-base multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology (RainDance®) …

Opisthorchiasis: An Overlooked Danger., Ludmila M Ogorodova, Olga S Fedorova, Banchob Sripa, Viatcheslav A Mordvinov, Aleksei V Katokhin, Jennifer Keiser, Peter Odermatt, Paul J. Brindley, Oleg A Mayboroda, Thirumalaisamy P Velavan, Maxim B Freidin, Alexey E Sazonov, Irina V Saltykova, Mariya Y Pakharukova, Yulia V Kovshirina, Kostas Kaloulis, Olga Y Krylova, Maria Yazdanbakhsh

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Six-Week Home Exercise Program Improves Endothelial Function And Cd34+ Circulating Progenitor Cells In Patients With Pre-Diabetes, Sabyasachi Sen, Sarah Witkowski, Ann Lagoy, Ashequl Islam

Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Pre-diabetes is associated with endothelial dysfunction and affects endothelium-associated stem cells. Lifestyle modification has been shown to prevent the progression from pre-diabetes to overt type 2 diabetes; however, the effect of such interventions on CD34⁺ progenitor cells in pre-diabetes participants has not been tested. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a home-based 6-week exercise intervention improved vascular function, circulating number, function, and gene expression of circulating CD34⁺progenitor cells in patients with pre-diabetes.

Methods: Patients (40 - 70 years, BMI of 25 - 39.9, n = 11) were enrolled in a 16-week randomized crossover …

Physical Actvity In Pregnant Rat Dams Reduces Mammary Tumor Formation In Offspring, Leon Clah

Open Access Theses

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of cancer death among women. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet play a role in attenuating the incidence of breast cancer. Current research is beginning to show that exercise during pregnancy can convey long term health benefits to offspring. In light of these studies, the goal of this project was to determine if maternal physical activity during pregnancy could lead to reduced mammary tumor development in female offspring. Towards this goal, female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, sedentary and exercise, with the exercise …

Image Enhancement Of Cancerous Tissue In Mammography Images, Richard Thomas Richardson

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a framework for enhancing and analyzing time-sequenced mammographic images for detection of cancerous tissue, specifically designed to assist radiologists and physicians with the detection of breast cancer. By using computer aided diagnosis (CAD) systems as a tool to help in the detection of breast cancer in computed tomography (CT) mammography images, previous CT mammography images will enhance the interpretation of the next series of images. The first stage of this dissertation applies image subtraction to images from the same patient over time. Image types are defined as temporal subtraction, dual-energy subtraction, and Digital Database for Screening Mammography …

The Association Between Critical Thinking And Scholastic Aptitude On First-Time Pass Rate Of The National Physical Therapy Examination, Daniel W. Suckow, C. Jayne Brahler, Betsy Donahoe-Fillmore, Mary Insana Fisher, Philip A. Anloague

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objectives: 1) To investigate the relationships among critical thinking (CT) abilities, overall academic performance in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA), and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) licensure scores, and 2) To determine if NPTE scores were significantly different between groups of students who were classified as having low, moderate or high CT abilities.

Background: It is well-established that physical therapy practice requires good clinical reasoning skills. Passage of the NPTE is required for licensure. Research to date has been mixed as to whether CT abilities or GPA can predict success …

Brain Blast 2015 Speakers Poster, Annie Leslie

Brain Blast

Poster from UNE's Brain Blast 2015 listing the expected presenters at this event.*

Characterization Of Genomic Variations In Snps Of Pe_Pgrs Genes Reveals Deletions And Insertions In Extensively Drug Resistant (Xdr) M. Tuberculosis Strains From Pakistan., Akber Kanji, Zahra Hasan, Ruth Mcnerney, Mridul Nair, Asho Ali, Kim Mallard, Taane G. Clark, Ambreen Zaver, Sana Jafri,, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

BACKGROUND:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) PE_PGRS genes belong to the PE multigene family. Although the function of PE_PGRS genes is unknown, it is hypothesized that the PE_PGRS genes may be associated with antigenic variability in MTB.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Whole genome sequencing analysis was performed on (n=37) extensively drug-resistant (XDR) MTB strains from Pakistan, which included Lineage 1 (East African Indian, n=2); Other lineage 1 (n=3); Lineage 3 (Central Asian, n=24); Other lineage 3 (n=4); Lineage 4 (X3, n=1) and T group (n=3) MTB strains.

RESULTS:

There were 107 SNPs identified from the analysis of 42 PE_PGRS genes; of these, 13 …

The Association Of Cognitive Endophenotypes And Risky Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Of Alzheimer's Disease Within The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (Adni) Database, Kyle Joseph Jennette

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) previously associated with Alzheimer's disease on specific domains of cognition, when controlling for Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE), in a sample of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Methods: The data were drawn from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database, a comprehensive, longitudinal database of controls, persons with mild cognitive impairment, and persons with mild Alzheimer's disease. Each subject has a full neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, genetic sequencing, and physical evaluation. For the purposes of this study, individuals were selected based on the presence of the three …

The Effect Of Active Video Games On The Heart Rate Of Older Adults, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Diane M. Hanel

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Heart rate is used as a health biomarker. This aim of this study was to investigate the effects of playing active video games on the heart rate of older adults, in comparison to the heart rate after common table recreational activity.

Methods: An experimental study with 40 participants was conducted: a control group (n=20) participated in common Pokeno® card games; an experimental group (n=20) played WiiTM bowling. The participants’ pre- and post-activity heart rates were measured and compared between and within groups using t-tests.

Results: The findings signified an 11.9% increase (p

Conclusions: The inclusion of active video games …

Factors Affecting Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Survival In Adult Patients, Farid Khan, Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Muhammad Ehsan Bari

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion remains the mainstay of treatment for hydrocephalus despite a high rate of complications. The predictors of shunt malfunction have been studied mostly in pediatric patients. In this study, we report our 11-year experience with VP shunts in adult patients with hydrocephalus. We also assess the various factors affecting shunt survival in a developing country setting.
Methods: A retrospective chart analysis was conducted for all adult patients who had undergone shunt placement between the years 2001 and 2011. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to determine the duration from shunt placement to first malfunction and log-rank (Cox-Mantel) tests …

The Regulatory Function Of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling Axis On Regulatory T Cells In Colorectal Cancer, Andrew V. Nguyen, Yuan-Yuan Wu, Elaine Y. Lin

Publications and Research

In tumors associated with inflammation such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), high numbers of regulatory T cells (Tregs) are associated with both favorable and poor prognoses. The functions of Tregs in CRC remain elusive and have yet to be clearly defined. With new evidence supporting many subsets of Tregs, the research on the development and functions of these cells has begun to come to fruition. The sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) pathway was recently reported to regulate the development and function of regulatory T cells. This pathway may shine new light into the pleiotropic nature of these …

Cytometric Characterization Of Circulating Tumor Cells Captured By Microfiltration And Their Correlation To The Cellsearch(®) Ctc Test., Daniel L Adams, Steingrimur Stefansson, Christian Haudenschild, Stuart S Martin, Monica Charpentier, Saranya Chumsri, Massimo Cristofanilli, Cha-Mei Tang, R Katherine Alpaugh

Pathology Faculty Publications

Recent studies reporting hundreds, to thousands, of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of cancer patients have raised questions regarding the prevalence of CTCs, as enumerated by the CellSearch(®) CTC Test. Although CellSearch has been shown to consistently detect clinically relevant CTCs; the ability to only capture EpCAM positive cells has led to speculation that it captures limited subsets of CTCs. In contrast, alternative approaches to CTC isolation are often cited as capturing large numbers of CTCs from patient blood. Not surprisingly the number of cells isolated by alternative approaches show poor correlations when compared to CellSearch, even when …

The Artificial Divide Between Biomedical Sciences And Clinical Medicine In Undergraduate Medical Education, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Tcr Alpha Lcr And Non-Lcr Cis-Elements Contributing To Tissue Specific Expression Of The Tcr Alpha Gene In Thymic And Peripheral T Cells, Martina Kucerova-Levisohn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Orchestrated expression of multiple genes residing in the complex TCRα/δ/Dad1 locus requires tight control from multiple cis-acting elements. The TCRα locus control region (LCR), is positioned between TCRα and Dad1 gene, and has been implicated in the differential expression of both genes. In this study, we focus our work on the hypersensitive site (HS)1 prime (HS1'), located 3' of the classical Eα enhancer, within the TCRα LCR. We investigated its non- redundant role in TCRα expression in thymic and peripheral T cells as assayed by in vivo and in vitro studies. Furthermore, formation of HS1' in both lymphoid and …