Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 804
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Mechanisms of methylenedianiline toxicity to rat biliary epithelial cells
(2001-05-06)Methylenedianiline (4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane, DAPM), a compound used to produce polyurethanes and epoxy resins, rapidly injures biliary epithelial cells (BEC) of rats in vivo. DAPM also increases biliary inorganic ... -
Molecular characterization of cation-coupled transporters: the H+-coupled Mg2+-citrate transporter, CitM, and the Na+/sulfate cotransporter, hNaSi-1
(2003-01-28)In this dissertation, two cation-coupled transporters were characterized at the molecular level. The CitM transporter from Bacillus subtilis was functionally expressed and characterized in E.coli cells. The human NaSi-1 ... -
Parasite interactions with dendritic cells and macrophages: Implications for cutaneous Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania amazonensis
(2003-03-26)Protozoan Leishmania is an important human pathogen that affects millions people worldwide. Investigation of experimental Leishmania infection in mice has been instrumental to our understanding of interactions between the ... -
Effects of light-emitting diode photostimulation on burn wound healing
(2003-06-23)Annually, more than 1.2 million persons in the United States require medical care for burns. Healing of deep burn wounds requires restored perfusion and neoangiogenesis to reestablish blood flow and limit ischemic damage.\r\nWe ... -
Microvascular endothelial response to cocaethylene exposure: morphological and molecular observations
(2004-11-02)Cocaethylene (CE) is an active metabolite of cocaine and ethanol and is a toxicant of physiological relevance due to the high rate of cocaine and ethanol co-exposure (~80%) in cocaine abusers. It has prolonged action and ... -
Respect for research subjects: Reality or rhetoric?
(2004-11-03)The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (National Commission) identified respect for persons as one of three fundamental ethical principles for research in its ... -
Structural studies of the YedU stress protein
(2004-11-12)The knowledge of stress proteins is important for understanding stress response, pathology of a broad set of diseases, and the development of therapeutics. The Escherichia coli YedU stress protein, also known as Hsp31, ... -
Humna fetal neural stem cells: Proliferation and differentiation in response to growth factors and role in locomotor recovery after spinal cord contusion injury
(2005-01-12)Human fetal neural stem cells (hNSCs) may be useful for developing a cell-based therapy to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). In these studies we examined the effects of epigenetic mitogens on proliferation and differentiation ... -
Individual sensitivity to novelty and (+)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: Roles for serotonin and GABA neurotransmission
(2005-01-27)Drug addiction continues to be a problem in our society, and better understanding of the neuroanatomical and neurochemical alterations that delineate the switch between causal drug use and compulsive drug addiction is ... -
Serotonin 5-HT<sub/>2C</sub> receptors: Role in (+)-MDMA sensitization and distribution in the ventral tegmental area
(2005-03-09)Serotonin (5-HT) released consequent to acute (+)-3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine [(+)-MDMA; \"ecstasy\"] administration stimulates 5-HT<sub/>2C</sub> receptors (5-HT<sub/>2C</sub>R) to exert inhibitory influence on ... -
The relationship between nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) in the control of cervical ripening and parturition
(2005-03-14)Stephen G. Marx\r\nThe University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, April 2005\r\n\r\nSupervisor: Robert E. Garfield\r\n\r\nThe purpose of these studies is to examine if there is relationship between iNOS and COX-2 ... -
Identification and Characterization of Effectors/Binding Molecules for the Small GTPase Rab15
(2005-03-18)Endocytic trafficking is a key mechanism for regulating receptor availability on\r\nthe plasma membrane as well as receptor degradation. Clathrin-dependent endocytosis\r\ninvolves receptor internalization into early ... -
Analysis of nuclear transport signals of the human apurinic/apurimidinic endonuclease (APE1/REF1)
(2005-04-22)The nuclear localization signal (NLS) in human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1), a key protein in both DNA base excision repair and transcriptional regulation, has not been analyzed in detail. We examined the ... -
IL-1 activation of NF-kB contributes to perinatal hypoxia/ischemia induced cell death
(2005-06-01)IL-1 activity has been implicated in perinatal hypoxia/ischemia (HI) brain damage without the underlying mechanisms being characterized. We used a 7-day-old rat model to elucidate the role of NF-kB in HI stimulation of ... -
Understanding the function of ICOS/ICOSL costimulation in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis
(2005-06-15)The inducible costimulatory molecule (ICOS) is a relatively new member of the CD28 family of costimulatory molecules. For the first time, we have characterized the role of ICOS/ICOSL costimulation in experimental autoimmune ... -
Regulation of BACE1 promoter activity by nuclear factor-kappaB\r\n
(2005-06-30)The brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients display cerebrovascular and parenchymal deposits of beta-amyloid peptides, which are derived by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The beta-site ... -
Regional and temporal differential regulation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor by phencyclidine during development
(2005-07-06)Disruptions in glutamatergic neurotransmission may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to determine phencyclidine (PCP)-induced changes in the NMDA receptor subunit composition ... -
Characterization of serum-induced CYP1A1 expression and activity in mouse embryo fibroblasts
(2005-07-07)The AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxic effects of environmental contaminants that include TCDD. Using a TCDD dose-response treatment in MEFs, we observed a super induction of CYP1A1 with ... -
“Differential regulation of PTHrP gene expression by 1,25(OH)2D3 in prostate cancer cell lines”
(2005-07-08)Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is expressed by prostate cancer cells. Since PTHrP enhances the growth and osteolytic potential of prostate cancer cells, it is important to control PTHrP expression in these ... -
Cytokine patterns in a comparative model of arenavirus infection: Implications for virulence and control of viral replication
(2005-07-12)Guinea pig infection with the arenavirus Pichinde provides an animal model for human Lassa fever, a disease that affects 300,000 to 500,000 people a year in western Africa. Low passage Pichinde virus (P2) induces a mild ...