Browsing by Subject "Urogenital System"
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Item An American Text-Book of Gynecology, Medical and Surgical for Practitioners and Students(W.B. Saunders, 1899-01-01) Baldy, J.M.; Cragin, Edwin M.D.; Etheridge, J.H. M.D.; Goodell, William M.D.; Kelly, Howard M.D.; Krug, Florian M.D.; Montgomery, E.E. M.D.; Pryor, William M.D.; Tuttle, George M.D.; Byford, Henry M.D.2nd Edition. 1899Item Descriptive Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Tarrant County, Texas from 1998 to 2000(2001-12-01) McGrath, Christine J.; Rene, Antonio; Jones, Bobby; Sandhu, RaghbirMcGrath, Christine J., Descriptive Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Tarrant County, Texas from 1998 to 2000. Master of Public Health, Epidemiology track, December 2001, 21 p.p., 3 tables, 1 illustration, references, 14 titles. Incidence rates of STDs in Tarrant County, Texas from 1998 to 2000 were assessed and compared with the rates in Texas and the United States, focusing on similarities and differences in gender, age and race/ethnicity. Data were obtained from the Tarrant County Public Health Department, the Texas Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rates for gonorrhea and syphilis in Tarrant County were significantly higher than rates in Texas and the United States. The largest disparity was found among Blacks, followed by Hispanics and then Whites, with those ages 15 to 24 years at the greatest risk. To increase awareness and reduce the burden of STDs, prevention programs need to be developed.Item Detection of Androgen Receptors by Flow Cytometry(2008-05-01) Dutta, Mayurika; McClain, Robert; Singh, Meharvan; Hall, StanDutta, Mayurika, ‘Detection of androgen receptors by Flow Cytometry’. Internship Practicum report, Biotechnology, May 2008, 80 pp., 1 table, 18 figures. The use of androgen therapy is expanding given the documented potential benefits like increasing bone mineral density, muscle mass and strength. Androgen therapy also has potential risks including increasing the likelihood of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. So, we need a way to differentiate those who are likely to be benefitted by the therapy and those that are not. Data from Dr. Meharvan Singh’s lab has shown that activation of intracellular androgen receptors triggers cell survival pathways, while activation of the membrane androgen receptor suppresses cytoprotective pathways, and thus promotes cell death. We propose to develop a diagnostic kit that measures the relative ratio of intracellular androgen receptors and membrane androgen receptors, which is predicted to gauge relative risks or benefits associated with androgen therapy.Item Geographic Information System: A Targeted Approach to Syphilis Elimination(2000-08-01) Morrison-Jones, June; Urrutia-Rojas, Ximena; Lurie, Sue; Oppong, JosephMorrison-Jones, June, Geographic Information System: A Targeted Approach to Syphilis Elimination. Master of Public Health, August 2000, 55 pp., 3 tables, 3 appendices, reference list, 25 titles. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that has long caused a heavy public health and economic burden in the United States. With syphilis rates reaching their lowest recorded levels in the United States, Health officials are calling for an increased effort to eliminate the disease. In the United States, syphilis is also now extremely concentrated geographically, facilitating effective intervention. Most syphilis cases disproportionately affect a small portion of the population. African Americans who live below the poverty level, have limited access to health care, and have a number of social problems are also affected. This study examines the geographic distribution of syphilis and factors associated with syphilis transmission in Dallas County. The study used the techniques of geographic information system, principles of epidemiology, sociocultural linkages (race, ethnicity, and gender) between demographic factors and syphilis, to gain insights into the geographic distribution of syphilis among the affected groups, and intervention strategies for syphilis elimination were developed. These suggestions should assist the Dallas County Health Department in launching an effective syphilis elimination program. Results showed that zip codes with high incidence of cases were generally adjacent to each other. In addition, statistically significant results confirmed that poverty, minority-race ethnicity and geographic core areas are factors associated with the transmission of syphilis.Item Intravenous Pyruvate to Prevent Renal Injury Following Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation(2014-08-01) Hollrah, Roger A.; Robert T. Mallet; Myoung-Gwi Ryou; Rong MaIntroduction: Cardiac arrest followed by resuscitation and recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) produces systemic ischemia reperfusion (I/R), affecting all internal organs, including the kidney. This type of stress generates both a robust increase in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and an intense inflammatory response, which can result in renal cell death. The glycoprotein erythropoietin (EPO) has been shown to combat renal I/R injury by offering cyto-protection against inflammation and oxidative damage, as well as inhibiting apoptosis. The endogenous intermediary metabolite pyruvate has been observed to stabilize specific genetic machinery responsible for the production of EPO. This study was conducted to test the efficacy of intravenous pyruvate in exploiting these endogenous mechanisms of EPO to protect the kidney from cardiac arrest-induced, I/R injury. Hypothesis: Pyruvate administration during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, and ROSC will protect the kidneys from I/R injury by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation via increased EPO production at the renal corticomedullary border. Methods: Yorkshire swine underwent 10 minutes of cardiac arrest, CPR effected by precordial compressions, and defibrillation, and were recovered for either 4 hours (acute) or 3 days (chronic). The animals were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. Two groups underwent the cardiac arrest protocol described above: one group received intravenous infusion of 2M sodium pyruvate at a rate of 0.1 mmol∙kg-1∙min-1 during CPR and the first 60 minutes of recovery; the other group received an equimolar infusion of NaCl. The other two groups were surgically prepared and infused with NaCl or sodium pyruvate, but were not subjected to cardiac arrest, CPR, or defibrillation. For the acute protocol (n=28), animals were sacrificed 4hr after cardiac arrest, while in the chronic protocol (n=18), animals recovered for 3d before sacrifice. To evaluate the impact of cardiac arrest and pyruvate treatment on renal metabolism and antioxidant defense, proteins were extracted from snap-frozen renal corticomedullary border tissue for spectrophotometric activity assays of a panel of 10 metabolic and antioxidant enzymes; myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme marker of pro-inflammatory leukocytes, was analyzed to assess inflammation. Plasma was sampled before cardiac arrest and at the time of biopsy to measure creatinine concentration, an indirect measure of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to measure EPO content and Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) content, a receptor expressed on renal tubular cells that plays an important role in apoptosis. Tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and examined under light microscopy to count neutrophils and monocytes and to compare structure integrity across the different treatment groups and protocols. Results: In this study global I/R stress imposed on the kidneys by reversible cardiac arrest did not appreciably alter the activity of the 10 panel enzymes. Despite having no histological evidence of neutrophil infiltration (H&E stained slides), an increase in renal MPO activity was evident at 4 h recovery in the NaCl group which was prevented by pyruvate treatment (P [less than] 0.05). There was no evidence of ultrastructural damage to renal cortical and outer medullary structures. There was a noticeable increase in renal EPO content at 4 h ROSC vs. the sham group. An apparent, albeit not statistically significant, increase in KIM-1 content was observed in the two CPR groups vs. the NaCl-infused sham group. Plasma creatinine concentrations did not change appreciably between pre-arrest baseline and 3 d recovery. Interpretation and Conclusion: The I/R stress produced by the present cardiac arrest-resuscitation failed to alter appreciably the activities of the 10 panel enzymes, suggesting the oxidative stress was not sufficient to overwhelm the kidney’s endogenous antioxidant defenses. Plasma creatinine concentrations were also stable, implying the GFR was maintained and the glomerular ultrastructures were unaffected by I/R. The increase in MPO activity at 4 h ROSC implied a transient infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes, although none were visible on histological examination. The increase in KIM-1 content, though not statistically significant, suggests modest renal apoptotic activity after cardiac arrest and reperfusion. The transient increase in renal EPO content in the NaCl-infused post-arrest vs. sham pigs supports the possibility that even a brief period of renal ischemia by cardiac arrest can evoke renal EPO production. Collectively, these results indicate the renal I/R imposed by cardiac arrest and resuscitation does not inflict appreciable damage on the kidneys or its enzyme systems, at least within the first 3 d of post-arrest recovery. Abbreviations: AKI: acute kidney injury; ARF: acute renal failure; CK: creatine kinase; CPR: cardiopulmonary resuscitation; CS: citrate synthase; EPO: erythropoietin; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; G6PDH: glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase; GFR: glomerular filtration rate; GP: glutathione peroxidase; GR: glutathione reductase; HIF-1: hypoxia-inducible factor 1; I/R: ischemia-reperfusion; KIM-1: kidney injury molecule 1; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; MPO: myeloperoxidase; PFK: phosphofructokinase; PHD: prolyl hydroxylase; RONS: reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; ROSC: recovery of spontaneous circulation.Item Store operated calcium entry in glomerular mesangial cells and diabetic nephropathy(2016-08-01) Chaudhari, Sarika; Rong Ma; J. Thomas Cunningham; Robert T. MalletGlomerular mesangial cells (MCs) are the major source of extracellular matrix (ECM). One of the early pathological changes in diabetic nephropathy (DN) is accumulation of ECM in glomeruli. Multifunctional store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) regulates MC function. However, whether and how SOCE in MCs contributes to pathophysiology of DN remains unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate association of SOCE in MCs with ECM protein expression and the underlying mechanism using both in vitro and in vivo systems. Study I was to determine the effect of diabetes on SOCE. In cultured human MCs, we found that prolonged high glucose (HG) treatment (7 days) significantly increased SOCE and membrane currents through store-operated channels (SOC). These responses were abolished by SOC inhibitors. Consistently, prolonged HG treatment also increased the abundance of SOC proteins STIM1 and Orai1. HG also increased STIM1, but not Orai1 mRNA expression. Furthermore, both STIM1 and Orai1 proteins were also increased in the glomeruli/renal cortices of diabetic rats. Study II determined the influence of SOCE in MCs on ECM protein expression. We found that activation of SOC by thapsigargin reduced the abundance of fibronectin and collagen IV while inhibitors of SOC had opposite effects. Knockdown of Orai1 in human MCs increased fibronectin abundance. The HG induced increase in fibronectin was attenuated by SOCE. Using a nanoparticle siRNA delivery system, specific knockdown of Orai1 in MCs in mice increased glomerular fibronectin and collagen IV protein content and mesangial expansion. Study III determined the mechanism for inhibition of ECM protein expression by SOCE. We found that activation of SOC attenuated TGFβ1 mediated phosphorylation and translocation of Smad3, a known fibrotic pathway in MCs. However, there was no change in the production or secretion of TGFβ1 by MCs. Orai1 knockdown in MCs in mice increased the activation of Smad3. Taken together, our results indicate that SOCE in MCs may be increased in the late stage of diabetes, which suppresses ECM protein expression by inhibiting TGFβ1-smad3 pathway.