This thesis discussed the cardiovascular effects of the aqueous leaf extract and a fraction of the methanol extract of Leonotis leonurus, a plant commonly used in traditional medicine in South Africa for the treatment of hypertension and other cardiac problems. The cardiovascular effects was tested on anaesthetized normotensive male Wistar rats and isolated perfused rat hearts.

<p>Crinum macowanii (C. macowanii) (Amaryllidacea) as authenticated by Mr. F. Weitz at the Herbarium, University of the Western cape, is widely used a traditional remedy and is thought to have therapeutic value (Fennell and van Staden 2001). The objective of this study was to determine the cardiovascular effects of the crude aqueous extract of Crinum macowanii on the rat and to determine the effect of pre-treatment drugs on Crinum macowanii in in vivo, anaesthetized normotensive, male Wistar rats (200-250 g.).</p>

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) was purified 30,000-fold from hog plasma in a homogeneous state as indicated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme had an apparent molecular weight of 66,000 and was found to contain about 21.4 percent (w/w) carbohydrate. The properties of hog LCAT including amino acid composition were compared with human LCAT. High density lipoprotein (HDL) was isolated from the hog plasma by an immunoaffinity column chromatography. The isolated HDL showed nearly identical lipid-protein composition although it contained additional protein components when it was compared to HDL isolated by a traditional method involving ultracentrifugation.

Small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels are found ubiquitously throughout the brain and modulate the encoding of learning and memory. Systemic injection of 1-ethyl-2-benzimidalzolinoe (EBIO), a SK channel activator, impairs the encoding of novel object memory and locomotion but spares fear memory encoding in C57BL/6NHsd mice. The memory impairments discovered were not due to non-cognitive performance confounds such as ataxia, anxiety, attention or analgesia. Further investigation with intra-hippocampal application of EBIO revealed SK channels in dorsal CA1 contribute to the encoding deficits seen systemically, but do not account for the full extent of the impairment. Concentrated activation of dorsal CA1 SK channels do not influence fear memory encoding or locomotor impairments. Taken together, these data indicate SK channels, especially in the dorsal hippocampus, have a modulatory role on novel object memory encoding, but not retrieval; however, pharmacological activation of hippocampal SK channels does not appear to influence fear memory encoding. / by Kyle A. Vick, IV. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Two major troponin I (TnI) genes, fetal TnI (ssTnI) and adult TnI (cTnI), are expressed in the mammalian heart under the control of a developmentally regulated program. In this study, the up-stream domain (~1,800 bp) of mouse fetal TnI gene has been cloned and characterized. There is a high homology of this region among mouse, rat and human. Transfection assays indicated that conserved GA-rich sequences, CREB and a CCAAT box within the first 300 bp upstream of the transcription start site were critical for the gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed binding proteins to CREB site in nuclear extracts from myocardial cells. Thyroid hormone (T3) caused a significant inhibitory effect on ssTnI expression in myocardial cells. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) mutations have been linked to the development of restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) in human patients. We modeled one mutation in human cTnI Cv terminus, arginine1 92 histidine (R192H) by cardiac specific expression of the mutated protein (cTnI193His in mouse sequence) in transgenic mice. The main functional alteration detected in cTnI193His mice by ultrasound cardiac imaging examinations was impaired cardiac relaxation manifested by a decreased left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and an increased end diastolic dimension in both atria. Echocardiography revealed a series of changes on the transgenic mice including a reversed E-to-A ratio, increased deceleration time, and prolonged isovolumetric relaxation time. At the age of 12 months, cardiac output in cTnI193His mice was significantly declined, and some transgenic mice showed congestive heart failure. The negative impact of cTnI193His on ventricular contraction and relaxation was further demonstrated in isolated mouse working heart preparations. / Dobutamine stimulation increased heart rate in cTnI193His mice but did not improve CO.The cTnI193His mice had a phenotype similar to that in human RCM patients carrying the cTnI mutation. The results demonstrate a critical role of the COOH-terminal domain of cTnI in the diastolic function of cardiac muscle. This mouse model provides us with a tool to further investigate the pathophysiology and the development of RCM. / by Jianfeng Du. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The mechanisms that rodents employ to navigate through their environment have been greatly studied. Cognitive mapping theory suggests that animals use distal cues in the environment to navigate to a goal location (place navigation). However, others have found that animals navigate in a particular direction to find a goal (directional navigation). The rodent brain contains head direction cells (HD cells) that discharge according to the head direction of the animal. Navigation by heading direction is disrupted by lesions of the anterodorsal thalamic nuclei (ADN), many of which are HD cells. Aim 1 tested whether male C57BL/6J mice exhibit direction or place navigation in the Morris water maze. Aim 2 tested the effects of temporary inactivation of the ADN on directional navigation. Together, these data indicate that C57BL/6J mice also exhibit preference for directional navigation and suggest that the ADN may be crucial for this form of spatial navigation. / by Sidney Beth Williams. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Experimentally naive rats exhibit varying degrees of novelty exploration. Some rats display high rates of locomotor reactivity to novelty (high responders; HR), and others display low rates (low responders; LR). The novelty-seeking phenotype (LRHR) is introduced as a model of stress responsiveness. In this thesis I examined effects of chronic variable physical and social stress or control handling on the levels of various neurotrophins in the hippocampus, and changes in mossy fibre terminal fields in LRHR rats. A positive correlation is seen between histone deacetylase 2 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels both of which are oppositely regulated in LRHR CA3 fields in response to chronic social stress. Increase in BDNF levels in CA3 field accompanied increase in supra-pyramidal mossy fibre terminal field size (SP-MF) in HRs, and decrease in BDNF levels accompanied decrease in SP-MF volume in LRs. Epigenetic regulation of neurotrophic support underlying these structural changes is discussed. / by Ozge Oztan. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Um condicionador de ar para biotérios foi montado com módulos termoelétricos de efeito Peltier. Para troca térmica, foram testados: 1. dissipação externa a ar, com &delta;t de 14°C, rendimento de 16,46%, consumo de 1212 W/h e, 2. dissipação externa água, com &delta;t de 21°C, rendimento de 46,02%, consumo de 524 W/h. A simulação matemática de operação, com mistura de ar não condicionado, mostrou que o sistema pode servir, na dissipação a ar, a aproximadamente 91 microisoladores padrão rato e a aproximadamente 137, na dissipação a água. Quando comparado com um sistema de compressão de freon, o termoelétrico mostrou economia de 26% na implantação e 38% no consumo elétrico por BTU gerado. O sistema termoelétrico mostrou ainda, precisão de &plusmn; 0,1°C, nas temperaturas experimentais, o que é impossível num sistema de freon. Para os testes em animais foram empregados Ratos wistar, mantidos individualmente, em gaiolas metabólicas de arame, sem abrigo, em sistema microambiental, sob fluxo direto de ar a 0,6 m/s, nas temperaturas de 22°, 24°, 26°, 28° e 30°C (E I, E II, E III, E IV e E V). A ingestão de ração e o ganho de peso foram comparados ao final de 5 dias (ANOVA; Tukey-Kramer). No total, 7 grupos de 15 animais cada foram comparados. Para a faixa de 22°C foram utilizados 3 grupos, sendo um grupo experimental e dois grupos controle (CI e C II). Um deles foi mantido em condições ambientais semelhantes a biotérios convencionais sob ventilação geral diluidora (VGD) - C I. O outro grupo controle (C II) foi mantido no interior do equipamento de ventilação microambiental, porém, sem o direcionamento de ar, simulando a VGD. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram claramente que animais mantidos sob ventilação microambiental direta a 26°, 28° e 30° (E III, E IV e E V) apresentaram o mesmo ganho de massa corpórea que animais do grupo C I (22 &plusmn; 2°C). Os grupos E I e E II apresentaram menor ganho de massa corpórea quando comparados a C I (p<0,001 em ambas comparações). O ganho de peso de todos os grupos experimentais apresentou diferença estatística, quando comparado ao C II, exceto o grupo E V que obteve índice de ganho de peso equivalente a C II. A ingestão de ração de todos os grupos se manteve praticamente constante. O grupo E V apresentou uma redução na ingestão de ração quando comparado aos grupos C I, E I e E II (p<0,01; p<0,01; p<0,001 respectivamente). O grupo E III ingeriu menos ração que os grupos C I (p<0,05) e E II (p<0,05). / An air-conditioner for animal facility was assembled with Peltier effect thermoelectric modules. For external exchanger, had been tested: 1. external air dissipation: &delta;t = 14°C; 16,46% of efficiency; 1212 W/h of power consumption and, 2. external water dissipation: &delta;t = 21°C; 46,02% of efficiency; 524 W/h of power consumption. A mathematical simulation of operation, with not conditional air mixture, showed that the system can supply, with air dissipation, to &asymp; 91 microisolator rat cages and to &asymp; 137, with water dissipation. When compared with a freon system, the thermoelectric system shows economy of 26% in implantation and 38% in the electric consumption by generated BTU. The thermoelectric system showed too, a precision of ± 0,1°C, at experimental temperatures, what is impossible in a freon system. For animal tests, Wistar rats had been kept individually, in metabolic wire cages, without shelter, in microenvironmental system, under direct air flow at 0,6 m/s, under temperatures of 22°, 24°, 26°, 28° and 30° C (E I, E II, E III, E IV and E V). The food ingestion and the weight gain had been compared in the end of 5 days (ANOVA; Tukey-Kramer). In the total, 7 groups, 15 animals each, had been compared. For the 22°C temperature, had been used 3 groups, one experimental and two controls (C I e C II). One of them was kept in similar ambient of conventional laboratory animal rooms conditions (general diluitory ventilation, GDV) - C I. The other control group (C II) was kept in the interior of the equipment of microenvironmental ventilation, however, without the direct air flow, simulating the GDV. The gotten results demonstrate clearly that animal kept under direct microenvironmental ventilation at 26°, 28° and 30°C (E III, E IV and E V) have the same gain of corporal mass that C I group (22 &plusmn; 2°C). The E I and E II had less corporal mass gain when compared to C I (p<0,001 for the two comparisons). The weight gain for all the experimental groups, when compared to C II, presents statistical differences, except E V group, that was equal to C II. The food ingestion of all the groups was constant. The E V group presented a reduction in the food ingestion when compared with the groups C I , E I and E II (p<0,01; p<0,01; p<0,001 respectively). The E III group ingested less ration than C I (p<0,05) and E II (p<0,05) groups.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a heart muscle disease, characterized by diastolic dysfunction. The present dissertation is to understand the mechanisms underlyijng the initiation of diastolic dysfunction and the fast disease progression to early death in a RCM mouse model, the transgenic cTnI193His mouse... These data showed that myocardial ischemia occurred after diastolic dysfunction and before systolic dysfunction which proceeded congestive heart failure. The results demonstrate that myocardial ischemia causing cardiomycete death is a link between the initial diastolic dysfunction and late-stage systolic dysfunction, and accelerates the disease progression to fatal heart failure in the early age. / by Yuejin Li. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

This study explores the application of two methods of spectroscopy; Near Infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) as alternative approaches for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in chimpanzee feces. The goals of this study were twofold: The first was to determine if cortisol can be identified within the NIR and/or FTIR spectra of chimpanzee fecal hormone extract in ethanol solution. The second objective was to determine the capability of NIR and FTIR to predict FGM concentrations obtained using standard laboratory methods. Fecal glucocorticoid concentrations measured by Enzyme Immunoassay were used as the reference data of partial least square (PLS) regression of fecal extract NIR spectra and FTIR spectra. Low accuracies (NIR: R2 = 0.152; FTIR: R2 = 0.199) were obtained from regression models using data from both methods. Though this study did not successfully demonstrate the feasibility of using NIR and FTIR to qualify and quantify FGMs, it is likely not a reflection of the capabilities of the technology, but rather of appropriate sample types and preparation methods. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection