Type 1 diabetes is caused by immune destruction of pancreatic β cells. There is increasing evidence that genes outside the MHC region contribute to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. Cytokines due to their role in immune regulation seem to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Three hundred and eight patients with type 1 diabetes and 150 normal controls were genotyped for polymorphism in the genes for IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6, and TGF-β1. All assays employed in this study were PCR based. The IFN-γ CA repeats was an octa-allelic repeat and the 3 / 3 genotype showed a significant association with type 1 diabetes (p=0.0001). The IL-4 C (-590) T polymorphism did not show a significant association with type 1 diabetes. The GG genotype of G (-174) C of the IL-6 gene polymorphism showed a strong association with the susceptibility towards type 1 diabetes (p= 0.002). The TC genotype of the TGF-β1 T (+869) C polymorphism also showed a significant association with type 1 diabetes (p= 0.003). The association of the 3 I 3 genotype of the IFNG CA repeats and no association of IL-4 C (-590) T polymorphism may support the idea of dominance of the TH1 cytokine profile and type 1 diabetes suggesting a cell mediated disease. The IL-6 G (-174) C result attests an existing hypothesis of the important role of IL-6 in the onset of type 1 diabetes and its development. Immunosuppression of the TGF-β1 may have been initiated after deviation of the TH1/TH2 cytokine milieu. The GC of the IL-6 G (-174) C and the TC of the TGF-β1 T (+869) C showed strong association with diabetic nephropathy. Haplotype studies showed that cytokine function might be as a result of a cytokine network rather than individual cytokines. Further, the genetic susceptibility may be influenced not only by genetic composition but by the gender of patients as well as age at onset of type 1 diabetes. In conclusion these results suggest a contribution of the IFNG CA repeats, the TGF-β1 T (+869) C, and the IL-6 G (-174) C to the genetic susceptibility of type l diabetes and may have future therapeutical values.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Defense Decision-Making & Planning))--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2007. / AD-A475 821. "December 2007." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 17, 2008. Thesis Advisor(s): Russell, James A. ; Kadhim, Abbas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-71). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2003. / Title from title screen (viewed Jan. 28, 2005). "September 2003." Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in paper format.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 156 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-110).

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Bergin, Richard ; Josefek, Robert. "March 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Interagency Modeling Atmpspheric Assessment Center (IMAAC), Plume Model, NARAC, Cincinnati Fire Department. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-103). Also available in print.

No description available.

Organophosphates (OPs) are used in agriculture via pesticides, and warfare and terrorism via nerve agents. OPs can inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the nervous system, leading to the buildup of acetylcholine (ACh), and overstimulation of the nervous system and eventual asphyxiation and death. The development of novel blood-brain barrier () penetrating pyridinium oxime reactivators have previously demonstrated efficacy towards treatment of OP poisoning after exposure of rats to a sarin or a VX surrogate, nitrophenyl isopropyl methylphosphonate (NIMP) and nitrophenyl ethyl methylphosphonate (NEMP), respectively. An effective oxime antidote capable of penetrating the and restoring nervous system activity after exposure to a cyclosarin surrogate, nitrophenyl cyclohexyl methylphosphonate (NCMP), has yet to be determined. In Chapter 2, in vitro testing of the efficacy of 17 total novel oxime candidates to utilize against NCMP was conducted with a modified Ellman’s AChE assay. Pools of naïve adult male rat brains were utilized as the AChE source. The first variable investigated was the measurement of AChE activity after inhibition with NCMP and subsequent reactivation with one of the oximes. The second variable investigated restoration of AChE activity after simultaneous oxime and NCMP incubation. The final variable investigated the restoration of AChE activity after simultaneous 2-PAM, oxime and NCMP incubation. A thorough kinetic analysis of our best oximes has yet to be accomplished. In Chapter 3, the best oxime antidotes for NEMP and NIMP were used for kinetic analysis with a modified 96-well plate Ellman’s AChE assay. Protein concentrations were analyzed with a modified Lowry protein tube assay to ensure consistent analytical concentrations. The sources of AChE included pooled rat brain and skeletal muscle, and rat and human erythrocytes and plasma. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity was also measured in the rat and human plasma samples. The results of these studies strengthen the argument that our oxime antidotes can be used as potential therapeutic drugs for OP poisoning. The kinetic data provided critical information to help propose, for Chapter 4, a dynamic pharmacokinetic based model to predict human AChE or BChE activity after exposure to nerve agent surrogates (NEMP and NIMP) and the oximes (44.08 and 44.25).

No description available.

War is a perpetual shadow cast over human history. It brings forth unparalleled destruction, leaving behind a wake of devastation that scars both the land and its people. Its relentless march leaves cities in ruins, families torn, landscapes transformed and the built environment obliterated. War affects an individual, a community and a country's identity. Destruction both leaves a memory and shapes it. The process of rebuilding raises complex questions: How do we rebuild after that has which been destroyed? What should be rebuilt? Is rebuilding necessary? There are no easy answers and the choices made will reverberate through generations, influencing what endures in collective memory and what is forgotten. This thesis aims to explore the relationship between memory, destruction and architecture. / Master of Architecture / War is relentless in its destruction and it affects both the people and the land. It has a profound effect on a country and its people, destroying cities, landscapes and the built environment. War has an enormous impact on an individual, a community and a country. A few questions need to first be addressed: Where do you begin? What should be rebuilt? How do you rebuild? There are no easy answers, however central to any endeavor to rebuild is the role of memory. This thesis aims to explore the relationship between memory, destruction and architecture.