Anatomy Commons^™

Neural Transcription Factors: From Embryos To Neural Stem Cells, Hyun-Kyung Lee, Hyun-Shik Lee, Sally Ann Moody

Anatomy and Regenerative Biology Faculty Publications

The early steps of neural development in the vertebrate embryo are regulated by sets of transcription factors that control the induction of proliferative, pluripotent neural precursors, the expansion of neural plate stem cells, and their transition to differentiating neural progenitors. These early events are critical for producing a pool of multipotent cells capable of giving rise to the multitude of neurons and glia that form the central nervous system. In this review we summarize findings from gain- and loss-of-function studies in embryos that detail the gene regulatory network responsible for these early events. We discuss whether this information is likely …

Effect Of Age On Uterine And Ovarian Morphology With Polycystic Ovaries, Ambreen Usmani, Rehana Rehman, Aisha Qamar

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

Objective: To measure the outcome of age on ovarian and uterine morphology in primary infertile women with

polycystic ovaries.

Methods: The observational cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2009 to March 2010, and the

subjects were recruited from Ziauddin Hospital, Nazimabad, Karachi. The primary infertile subjects with polycystic

ovaries were subdivided into two age groups:20-30 years (group I), and 31-40 years (group II). Both groups had equal

number of subjects. The ovarian volume, follicles count and size, uterine area and endometrial thickness were

determined by transabdominal and transvaginal scans. Shapiro-Wilk's test and Mann-Whitney test were applied,

with p<0.05 being significant.

Results: …

Regulation Of Peripheral Molecular Clocks In Mammalian Tissues And In Vitro Skeletal Muscle Activation Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Via Aicar, Alex C. Lupolt, Daniel P. Moorhead, Josef Brandauer

Student Publications

Most organisms possess a common molecular machinery that governs cellular and tissue circadian rhythmicity through a roughly 24-hour transcription-translation feedback loop. It is estimated that up to 15 percent of human genes are influenced by the core clock machinery. It is likely, however, that the metabolic networks affected by the molecular clock differ according to body tissue.

Recent evidence suggests that peripheral molecular clocks are governed to a greater extent by energy availability than by light and dark cycles. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a cellular fuel gauge within the cell and is activated in response to exercise and …

Unique Functional Abnormalities In Youth With Combined Marijuana Use And Depression: An Fmri Study, Kristen A. Ford, Michael Wammes, Richard W. Neufeld, Derek Mitchell, Jean Theberge, Peter Williamson, Elizabeth A. Osuch

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Prior research has shown a relationship between early onset marijuana (MJ) use and depression; however, this relationship is complex and poorly understood. Here, we utilized passive music listening and fMRI to examine functional brain activation to a rewarding stimulus in 75 participants [healthy controls (HC), patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), frequent MJ users, and the combination of MDD and MJ (MDD?+?MJ)]. For each participant, a preferred and neutral piece of instrumental music was determined (utilizing ratings on a standardized scale), and each completed two 6-min fMRI scans of a passive music listening task. Data underwent pre-processing and 61 participants …

Inpp4b Suppresses Prostate Cancer Cell Invasion, Myles C. Hodgson, Elena I. Deryugina, Egla Suarez, Sandra M. Lopez, Dong Lin, Hui Xue, Ivan P. Gorlov

Dartmouth Scholarship

INPP4B and PTEN dual specificity phosphatases are frequently lost during progression of prostate cancer to metastatic disease. We and others have previously shown that loss of INPP4B expression correlates with poor prognosis in multiple malignancies and with metastatic spread in prostate cancer.

We demonstrate that de novo expression of INPP4B in highly invasive human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells suppresses their invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Using global gene expression analysis, we found that INPP4B regulates a number of genes associated with cell adhesion, the extracellular matrix, and the cytoskeleton. Importantly, de novo expressed INPP4B suppressed the proinflammatory chemokine …

Atypical Multisensory Integration In Niemann-Pick Type C Disease – Towards Potential Biomarkers, Gizely N. Andrade, Sophie Molholm, John S. Butler, Alice Brown Brandwein, Steven U. Walkley, John J. Foxe

Publications and Research

Background: Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive disease in which cholesterol and glycosphingolipids accumulate in lysosomes due to aberrant cell-transport mechanisms. It is characterized by progressive and ultimately terminal neurological disease, but both pre-clinical studies and direct human trials are underway to test the safety and efficacy of cholesterol clearing compounds, with good success already observed in animal models. Key to assessing the effectiveness of interventions in patients, however, is the development of objective neurobiological outcome measures. Multisensory integration mechanisms present as an excellent candidate since they necessarily rely on the fidelity of long-range neural connections between the …

Cardiac Fibroblasts Contribute To Myocardial Dysfunction In Mice With Sepsis: The Role Of Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation, Wenbo Zhang, Xuemei Xu, Raymond Kao, Tina Mele, Peter Kvietys, Claudio M. Martin, Tao Rui

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Myocardial contractile dysfunction in sepsis is associated with the increased morbidity and mortality. Although the underlying mechanisms of the cardiac depression have not been fully elucidated, an exaggerated inflammatory response is believed to be responsible. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is an intracellular platform that is involved in the maturation and release of interleukin (IL)-1 beta. The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether sepsis activates NLRP3 inflammasome/caspase-1/IL-1 beta pathway in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and whether this cytokine can subsequently impact the function of cardiomyocytes (cardiac fibroblast-myocyte crosstalk). We show that treatment of …

What Are The Best Skeletal Indicators Of Handedness?, Margret B. White, Anne Su

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

Previous research indicates that there are asymmetries in limb bone structure and dimensions. It is hypothesized that these asymmetries are the result of hand preference, or repeated unilateral mechanical loading. The aim of this study was to first identify the best skeletal indicators of handedness by means of a comprehensive literature search. Based on the previous findings of other researchers, we examined non-pathological male individuals (N=19, aged 20-35) from the Hamann-Todd Skeletal Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for asymmetry of paired second metacarpals, by measuring the difference between right and left diameters at mid-shaft. We also tested …

Comparing Moral Judgments Of Patients With Frontotemporal Dementia And Frontal Stroke, Sandra Baez, Blas Couto, Teresa Torralva, Luciano A. Sposato, David Huepe, Patricia Montañes, Pablo Reyes, Diana Matallana, Nora S. Vigliecca, Andrea Slachevsky, Facundo Manes, Agustin Ibanez

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Importance Several clinical reports have stated that patients with prefrontal lesions or patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia share social cognition impairments. Moral reasoning is impaired in both conditions but there have been few investigations that directly compare this domain in the 2 groups.

Observations This work compared the moral judgments of these patient groups using a task designed to disentangle the contributions of intentions and outcomes in moral judgment. For both disorders, patients judged scenarios where the protagonists believed that they would cause harm but did not as being more permissible than the control group. Moreover, patients …

Kir Channel Activation Contributes To Onset And Steady-State Exercise Hyperemia In Humans, Anne R. Crecelius, Gary J. Luckasen, Dennis G. Larson, Frank A. Dinenno

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that activation of inwardly rectifying potassium (K_IR) channels and Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase, two pathways that lead to hyperpolarization of vascular cells, contributes to both the onset and steady-state hyperemic response to exercise. We also determined whether after inhibiting these pathways nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandins (PGs) are involved in the hyperemic response. Forearm blood flow (FBF; Doppler ultrasound) was determined during rhythmic handgrip exercise at 10% maximal voluntary contraction for 5 min in the following conditions: control [saline; trial 1 (T1)]; with combined inhibition of K_IR channels and Na …

Role Of Astrocyte Network In Edema After Juvenile Traumatic Brain Injury, Andrew Minoru Fukuda

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Juvenile traumatic brain injury (jTBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in young children and adolescents. Despite its lasting detrimental effects on the developing brain, no pharmacological treatment exists. One of the pathological hallmarks of jTBI is edema. Astrocytes play a key role in the edema process, and have been hypothesized that numerous astrocyte networks allow communication and propagation of edema and secondary injury spread. Two key astrocyte proteins are hypothesized to have a central role in the edema process: Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and Connexin 43 (Cx43). AQP4 is expressed extensively in astrocyte endfeet, which surrounds the blood …

Vascular Architecture Of The Liver In Shr And Wky Rats, Charalette Mathwig, Kenneth Willaert

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The liver is a highly complex vascular organ containing an intricate network of arteries, arterioles, portal veins, veins, venules, and capillaries. This complex network could change in situations related to vascular disease such as hypertension. We examined the vasculature in rat livers by scanning electron microscopy. The tissue was prepared by perfusing either Mercox resin or polyurethane resin into the vasculature. Once the resin polymerized, each liver was placed in concentrated potassium hydroxide to corrode the tissue from the vascular casts. The casts were critical point dried, sputter coated with gold-palladium, and viewed by scanning electron microscopy. Examination of the …

Simultaneous Measurement Of Smoothened Entry Into And Exit From The Primary Cilium, Jynho Kim, Elaine Y.C. Hsia, James Kim, Navdar Sever, Philip A. Beachy, Xiaoyan Zheng

Anatomy and Regenerative Biology Faculty Publications

Ciliary accumulation of signaling proteins must result from a rate of ciliary entry that exceeds ciliary exit, but approaches for distinguishing ciliary entry vs. exit are lacking. Using a photoconvertible fluorescent protein tag, we establish an assay that allows a separate but simultaneous examination of ciliary entry and exit of the Hedgehog signaling protein Smoothened in individual cells. We show that KAAD-cyclopamine selectively blocks entry, whereas ciliobrevin interferes initially with exit and eventually with both entry and exit of ciliary Smoothened. Our study provides an approach to understanding regulation of ciliary entry vs. exit of Hedgehog signaling components as well …

Identification Of Functional Parameters For The Classification Of Older Female Fallers And Prediction Of ‘First-Time’ Fallers, Niklas König Ignasiak

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Falls remain a challenge for ageing societies. Strong evidence indicates that a previous fall is the strongest single screening indicator for a subsequent fall and the need for assessing fall risk without accounting for fall history is therefore imperative. Testing in three functional domains (using a total 92 measures) were completed in 84 older women (60–85 years of age), including muscular control, standing balance, and mean and variability of gait. Participants were retrospectively classified as fallers (n = 38) or non-fallers (n = 42) and additionally in a prospective manner to identify first-time fallers (FTFs) (n = 6) within a …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Plantar Weight Distribution And The Condition Of Osteoarthritic Knees During Quiet Standing, Brian Joseph Sutterer

Graduate Theses - Biology & Biomedical Engineering

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a damaging disease that commonly affects the knee and can impact function of the lower limb. This study examined how plantar weight distribution is related to the changes in knee alignment and various types of joint damage in patients with OA. A force mat was used to measure plantar weight distribution on 37 patients with knee OA, and the internal condition of the knee was evaluated during surgery. Analysis showed a relationship between medial plantar weight distribution and an increase in knee alignment angle (0.20, p < 0.001). For the damage models, an indirect relationship was found between medial weight distribution and ACL damage (-0.14, p=0.029). No relationship was found for the other types of OA damage. It is reasonable to believe they do exist, however. This study found a connection between weight distribution and alignment, and previous research has shown one between alignment and OA.

Complexity And Familiarity Enhance Single-Trial Detectability Of Imagined Movements With Electroencephalography, Raechelle M. Gibson, Srivas Chennu, Adrian M. Owen, Damian Cruse

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Objective: We sought to determine whether the sensorimotor rhythms (SMR) elicited during motor imagery (MI) of complex and familiar actions could be more reliably detected with electroencephalography (EEG), and subsequently classified on a single-trial basis, than those elicited during relatively simpler imagined actions. Methods: Groups of healthy volunteers, including experienced pianists and ice hockey players, performed MI of varying complexity and familiarity. Their electroencephalograms were recorded and compared using brain-computer interface (BCI) approaches and spectral analyses. Results: Relative to simple MI, significantly more participants produced classifiable SMR for complex MI. During MI of performance of a complex musical piece, the …

Effects Of Passive Immobilization On Locomotor Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury In Adult Rats., Kelsey Lee Stipp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Spontaneous locomotor recovery in spinal rats has been attributed to animals moving freely in-cage. Environmental enrichment has been shown to increase in-cage movement and functional recovery subsequently. Anxiety has been shown to decrease overnight activity in rats. Methods: Rats were double-housed in medium cages (MC) or single-housed in tiny sized cages (TC). Slotted dividers allowed for partial isolation in TC. Overnight activity was monitored bi-weekly. The open field test and BBB’s were taken weekly. Gait analysis was performed at weeks six and eight. Results: MC showed higher overnight activity and improved gait overtime. No differences were found in BBB …

Uhplc-Ms/Ms Analysis Of Arachidonic Acid And 10 Of Its Major Cytochrome P450 Metabolites As Free Acids In Rat Livers: Effects Of Hepatic Ischemia, Vindhya Edpuganti, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) are mostly present in tissues, such as the liver, as bound to phospholipids, with only a small fraction available as free acids. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a UHPLC-MS/MS method for quantitation of free liver concentrations of AA and four epoxygenated (5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-EET), four dihydroxylated (5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-DHET), and two ω/(ω-1) hydroxylated (19- and 20- HETEs) metabolites of AA in rat livers using deuterated internal standards. The analytes were rapidly and efficiently (79-92%) recovered from 100 mg of fresh liver into methanol. …

Craniodental Anatomy Of A New Late Cretaceous Multituberculate Mammal From Udan Sayr, Mongolia., Amir Subhash Sheth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multituberculates were the longest-lived group of early mammals, with a nearly worldwide distribution, and a temporal range from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Eocene. Multituberculates are typically represented by isolated teeth and jaw fragments; however, several localities in Mongolia revealed abundant, well-preserved multituberculate skulls and partial skeletons from the Late Cretaceous. This study is centered on two specimens of a new multituberculate taxon from a locality in the Gobi desert, Udan Sayr. Included is a (1) bone-by-bone description of the cranial and mandibular elements, as well as the dental features of both specimens, PSS-MAE 141 (holotype) and PSS-MAE 142, …

Pkc-Dependent Phosphorylation Of Enos At T495 Regulates Enos Coupling And Endothelial Barrier Function In Response To G(+) -Toxins, Feng Chen, Sanjiv Kumar, Yanfang Yu, Saurabh Aggarwal, Christine Gross, Yusi Wang, Trinad Chakraborty, Alexander D. Verin, John D. Catravas, Rudolf Lucas, Stephen M. Black, David J. R. Fulton

Bioelectrics Publications

Gram positive (G(+)) infections make up similar to 50% of all acute lung injury cases which are characterized by extensive permeability edema secondary to disruption of endothelial cell (EC) barrier integrity. A primary cause of increased permeability are cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) of G(+)-bacteria, such as pneumolysin (PLY) and listeriolysin-O (LLO) which create plasma membrane pores, promoting Ca2+-influx and activation of PKC alpha. In human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC), pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, ETU reduced the ability of LLO to increase microvascular cell permeability suggesting an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-dependent mechanism. LLO stimulated superoxide production …