Anatomy Commons^™

Imaging Mass Spectrometry Detection Of Gangliosides Species Within The Mouse Brain Following Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia, Shawn N. Whitehead, Kenneth H. N. Chan, Sandhya Gangaraju, Jacqueline Slinn, Jianjun Li, Sheng T. Hou

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Gangliosides, a member of the glycosphingolipid family, are heterogeneously expressed in biological membranes and are particularly enriched within the central nervous system. Gangliosides consist of mono- or poly-sialylated oligosaccharide chains of variable lengths attached to a ceramide unit and are found to be intimately involved in brain disease development. The purpose of this study is to examine the spatial profile of ganglioside species using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging (IMS) following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) reperfusion injury in the mouse. IMS is a powerful method to not only discriminate gangliosides by their oligosaccharide components, but also by their carbon …

Vacht Knock-Down Mice Show Normal Prepulse Inhibition But Disrupted Long-Term Habituation, S. Schmid, E. Azzopardi, X. De Jaeger, Marco Prado, V. F. Prado

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) plays a crucial role in both the central and peripheral nervous system. Central cholinergic transmission is important for cognitive functions and cholinergic disruptions have been associated with different neural disorders. We here tested the role of cholinergic transmission in basic cognitive functions, i.e. in prepulse inhibition (PPI) and short-term habituation (STH) as well as long-term habituation (LTH) of startle using mice with a 65% knockdown (KD) of the vesicular ACh transporter (VAChT). These mice are slow in refilling cholinergic synaptic transmitter vesicles, leading to a reduced cholinergic tone. Prepulse inhibition has been assumed to be mediated …

Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers

Master's Theses

Functional vasodilation in arterioles is impaired with chronic ischemia. We sought to examine the impact of chronic ischemia and age on skeletal muscle resistance artery function. To examine the impact of chronic ischemia, the femoral artery was resected from young (2-3mo) and adult (6-7mo) mice and the profunda femoris artery diameter was measured at rest and following gracilis muscle contraction 14 days later using intravital microscopy. Functional vasodilation was significantly impaired in ischemic mice (14.4±4.6% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p<0.0001 n=8) and non-ischemic adult mice (103.0±9.4% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p=0.05 n=10). In order to analyze the cellular mechanisms of the impairment, a protocol was developed to apply pharmacological agents to the experimental preparation while maintaining tissue homeostasis. Endothelial and smooth muscle dependent vasodilation were impaired with ischemia, 39.6 ± 13.6% vs. 80.5 ± 11.4% and 43.0 ± 11.7% vs. 85.1 ± 10.5%, respectively. From this data, it can be supported that smooth muscle dysfunction is the reason for the observed impairment in arterial vasodilation.

The Role Of Protein Kinase C Epsilon In Hydrogen Peroxide And Nitric Oxide Release During Oxidative Stress Caused By Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy, Edward S. Iames

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Clinical extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) treatment to ablate kidney stones can cause acute damage to the renal microvasculature. Accumulation of continued treatment with shockwave therapy can lead to chronic damage to the kidney, and lead to clinical hypertension. Shockwaves have been shown to stimulate endothelial cells to release superoxide (SO), which is converted to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and reacts with nitric oxide (NO) to produce peroxynitrite anion (OONO^-), creating a powerful oxidant that increases oxidative stress while simultaneously reducing NO bioavailability. Increased oxidative stress during events such as ESWL, also uncouples NO production …

Femoroacetabular Impingement: Saving The Joint, Ronald Huang, Javad Parvizi

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Many factors have been linked to the development of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip, but often, cases are still considered “idiopathic.” Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been suggested as a possible etiologic factor for the otherwise “idiopathic” cases. It is theorized that the subtle morphologic abnormalities seen at the head-neck junction and acetabulum in FAI may lead to labral tears, chondral damage, and subsequent progression of OA. Prevalence of FAI has been suggested to be as high as 14% in the general population. It often presents in young active patients that subject their hip joint to repetitive micro trauma associated with …

Multimodal Spectral Imaging Of Cells Using A Transmission Diffraction Grating On A Light Microscope, Dragan Isailovic, Yang Xu, Tyler Copus, Suraj Saraswat, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A multimodal methodology for spectral imaging of cells is presented. The spectral imaging setup uses a transmission diffraction grating on a light microscope to concurrently record spectral images of cells and cellular organelles by fluorescence, darkfield, brightfield, and differential interference contrast (DIC) spectral microscopy. Initially, the setup was applied for fluorescence spectral imaging of yeast and mammalian cells labeled with multiple fluorophores. Fluorescence signals originating from fluorescently labeled biomolecules in cells were collected through triple or single filter cubes, separated by the grating, and imaged using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. Cellular components such as nuclei, cytoskeleton, and mitochondria were …

Surgical Management Of Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect: Associations With Surgical Technique, Age, And Trisomy 21., Andrew M. Atz, John A. Hawkins, Minmin Lu, Meryl S. Cohen, Steven D. Colan, James Jaggers, Ronald V. Lacro, Brian W. Mccrindle, Renee Margossian, Ralph S. Mosca, Lynn A. Sleeper, L Luann Minich, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the contemporary results after repair of a complete atrioventricular septal defect and to determine the factors associated with suboptimal outcomes.

METHODS: The demographic, procedural, and outcome data were obtained within 1 and 6 months after repair of a complete atrioventricular septal defect in 120 children in a multicenter observational study from June 2004 to 2006.

RESULTS: The median age at surgery was 3.7 months (range, 9 days to 1.1 years). The type of surgical repair was a single patch (18%), double patch (72%), and a single atrial septal defect patch with primary ventricular septal defect …

Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone Genotype Influences Ventricular Remodeling In Infants With Single Ventricle., Seema Mital, Wendy K. Chung, Steven D. Colan, Lynn A. Sleeper, Cedric Manlhiot, Cammon B. Arrington, James F. Cnota, Eric M. Graham, Michael E. Mitchell, Elizabeth Goldmuntz, Jennifer S. Li, Jami C. Levine, Teresa M. Lee, Renee Margossian, Daphne T. Hsu, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: We investigated the effect of polymorphisms in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) genes on ventricular remodeling, growth, renal function, and response to enalapril in infants with single ventricle.

Methods and results: Single ventricle infants enrolled in a randomized trial of enalapril were genotyped for polymorphisms in 5 genes: angiotensinogen, angiotensin-converting enzyme, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, aldosterone synthase, and chymase. Alleles associated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system upregulation were classified as risk alleles. Ventricular mass, volume, somatic growth, renal function using estimated glomerular filtration rate, and response to enalapril were compared between patients with ≥2 homozygous risk genotypes (high risk), and those …

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Reduces Dendritic Spine Density Across Sensory Cortices, Francis Oppong

Theses and Dissertations

Dendritic spines are the major site of excitatory synapses in cortex, and factors that reduce dendritic spine numbers will produce serious cortical processing deficits, such as has been demonstrated for mental retardation and other psychiatric disorders. Prenatal alcohol exposure also has detrimental effects on brain development that lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which results in reduction of dendritic spine numbers in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and somatosensory cortex. FASD also is associated with temporal processing disorders involving sequential auditory stimuli that would be processed in auditory cortical areas. However, it is unknown if the reduction of spine density …

A Review Of Literature For Osteology: Cell Biology, Tissue Biology, And The Application Of Synthetic Compounds For The Facilitation Of Bone Tissue Repair, Ryan T. Jones

Honors Theses

Bone is a dynamic matter that provides support, structure, mineral reserves, and stem cell reserves for the body. Important functions range from structural support for the body to roles in maintaining homeostasis. Structure and support for the body is the most obvious role, with the skeletal system as a whole providing a normal force for other tissues and organs to resist gravity. Protection is also inferred for tissues and organs from impacting forces, especially with axial bones covering vital organs in the thoracic cavity. Another function of bone includes the ability to store and release minerals when needed to maintain …

Ocular Pathology Relevant To Glaucoma In A Gja1(Jrt) Mouse Model Of Human Oculodentodigital Dysplasia, Edmund Tsui, Kathleen A. Hill, Alex M. Laliberte, Daniel Paluzzi, Ilia Kisilevksy, Qing Shao, Godfrey J. Heathcote, Dale W. Laird, Gerald M. Kidder, Cindy M. L. Hutnik

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

PURPOSE. Oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD) is a human disorder caused by mutations in the gap junction alpha 1 (GJA1) gene encoding the connexin43 (Cx43) gap junction protein. Causal links between GJA1 mutations and glaucoma are not understood. The purpose in this study was to examine the ocular phenotype for Gja1(Jrt/+) mice harboring a Cx43 G60S mutation. METHODS. In young Gja1(Jrt/+) mice, Cx43 abundance was assessed with a Western blot, and Cx43 localization was visualized using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured by rebound tonometry, and eye anatomy was imaged using ocular coherence tomography (OCT). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained …

Sulfatide Is Required For Organization Of The Paranode In The Myelinated Axon In The Peripheral Nervous System, Eva Kwong

Theses and Dissertations

Myelin facilitates the timely, efficient conduction of action potentials along axons. Made by Schwann cells (SCs) in the PNS, myelin is unique in that it is composed of a high percentage of lipids, particularly galactolipids. Sulfatide, one such galactolipid, is made by cerebroside sulfotransferase (CST) and has been shown to play a role in organizing paranodal domains in myelinated axons. However less is known regarding the involvement of sulfatide in the establishment and maintenance of the node, of particular interest as it is responsible for the potentiation of action potentials along the axon. Using immunohistochemical and, to a lesser extent, …

The Effects Of Sdf-1Α Treatment On The Migration Of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells After Traumatic Brain Injury, Corey Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability among young adults and has been a significant field in medical research over the past decades. Intensive studies focusing on how to repair tissue damage resulting from head injuries have discovered that the central nervous system (CNS) retains a regenerative capacity throughout life due to the persistent presence of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/NPCs) in the neurogenic regions. In the normal brain, cells generated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) migrate along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb and cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) …

Wilms’ Tumor-1 (Wt1) Protein Expression In Glioma Cells Actuates Cellular Invasiveness- Identifying Its Target Genes, Archana Chidambaram

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated the expression of WT1 in a significant number of glioma cells and established its role in promoting tumor cell proliferation. Here, we noted the effect(s) of manipulating WT1 levels on the expression levels of genes that were previously shown to be regulated by WT1. We found no correlation between the expression levels of WT1 and PDGF-A, Snai1 and E-cadherin and a consistent inverse correlation between WT1 and IGF-1R expression in U251-MG cells. To ascertain whether the increased IGF-1R levels resulting from WT1 silencing could account for decreased cellular proliferation, we utilized siRNA mediated knockdown …

Fracture In Teeth—A Diagnostic For Inferring Bite Force And Tooth Function, Paul J. Constantino, Brian R. Lawn, James J.-W. Lee, Peter W. Lucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Teeth are brittle and highly susceptible to cracking. We propose that observations of such cracking can be used as a diagnostic tool for predicting bite force and inferring tooth function in living and fossil mammals. Laboratory tests on model tooth structures and extracted human teeth in simulated biting identify the principal fracture modes in enamel. Examination of museum specimens reveals the presence of similar fractures in a wide range of vertebrates, suggesting that cracks extended during ingestion or mastication. The use of ‘fracture mechanics’ from materials engineering provides elegant relations for quantifying critical bite forces in terms of characteristic tooth …

Pain Threshold, Tolerance And Catastrophization In Women With Dyspareunia, Jennifer Bivens, Hilary Billings, Jenna Dilauro, Lea Thaler, Marta Meana

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

This study examined the impact of pain and sexual stimuli on the experience of experimentally induced pain, as well as pain threshold, tolerance and catastrophization levels in women with dyspareunia compared to control women.

Can Female Genital Mutilation Victims Benefit From Corrective Surgery: To Regain Sexual Pleasure And Be “Whole” Once Again?, Monique Sulls

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organization, (WHO), as the removal or cutting of the external female genitalia. WHO estimates between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide currently live with the consequences of FGM. The study finds that through corrective surgery, pre/post therapy, counseling, and sexual education victims to FGM can regain sexual pleasure providing them a chance to be “Whole” once again.

Hughes-Stovin Syndrome, Umair Khalid, Taimur Saleem

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Hughes-Stovin Syndrome (HSS) is a very rare clinical disorder characterized by thrombophlebitis and multiple pulmonary and/or bronchial aneurysms. Less than 40 published cases of HSS have been described in English medical literature so far. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of HSS is unknown, possible causes include infections and angiodysplasia. HSS has also been considered as a variant of Behcet's disease (BD). Patients with HSS usually present with cough, dyspnea, fever, chest pain and haemoptysis. The management of HSS can either be medical or surgical. Medical management includes the use of steroids and cytotoxic agents. Cyclophosphamide, in particular, is a favored …

An Evaluation Of The Emerging Interventions Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv)-Associated Acute Lower Respiratory Infections In Children, Harish Nair, Vasundhara R. Verma, Evropi Theodoratou, Lina Zgaga, Tanvir Huda, Eric Af Simoes, Peter F. Wright, Igor Rudan, Harry Campbell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children. It is estimated to cause approximately 33.8 million new episodes of ALRI in children annually, 96% of these occurring in developing countries. It is also estimated to result in about 53,000 to 199,000 deaths annually in young children. Currently there are several vaccine and immunoprophylaxis candidates against RSV in the developmental phase targeting active and passive immunization.

Methods: We used a modified CHNRI methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. This was done in two stages. In Stage I, we systematically reviewed …

Differential Levels Of Glutamate Dehydrogenase 1 (Glud1) In Balb/C And C57bl/6 Mice And The Effects Of Overexpression Of The Glud1 Gene On Glutamate Release In Striatum, Kevin N. Hascup, Xiaodong Bao, Erin R. Hascup, Dongwei Hui, Wenhao Xu, Francois Pomerleau, Peter Huettl, Mary L. Michaelis, Elias K. Michaelis, Greg A. Gerhardt

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that overexpression of the Glud1 (glutamate dehydrogenase 1) gene in neurons of C57BL/6 mice results in increased depolarization-induced glutamate release that eventually leads to selective neuronal injury and cell loss by 12 months of age. However, it is known that isogenic lines of Tg (transgenic) mice produced through back-crossing with one strain may differ in their phenotypic characteristics from those produced using another inbred mouse strain. Therefore, we decided to introduce the Glud1 transgene into the Balb/c strain that has endogenously lower levels of GLUD1 (glutamate dehydrogenase 1) enzyme activity in the brain as compared with …