1. Mood Disorders and Substance Abuse – When They Happen Together
Substance abuse is a serious medical issue that often requires medical intervention and care. Comorbidity in instances of substance use is common. This seminar will discuss substance abuse and comorbidity across the age spectrum, focusing on how co-occurring mood disorders and substance abuse present in patients and on important treatment considerations from childhood into adulthood.
January 12, 2012
9:00 a.m. – Noon
MSB 2.135
Chaired by Jair Soares, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Speakers:
Oscar Bukstein, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School
“Substance abuse and comorbid mood disorders in childhood and adolescence”
Alan Swann, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School
“Mechanisms involved in Mood Disorders and Substance Abuse – Impulsivity as a common link?”
Prashant Gajwani, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School
“Substance abuse & mood disorders - management implications”
Gerard Moeller, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School
“Pharmacotherapy – what is in the horizon for substance abuse?”
2. Mechanisms of RNA Metabolism and Action in Disease and Infection
The central dogma of gene expression is DNA begets RNA begets protein, with appropriate regulation of expression occurring predominately at the level of transcription. Beginning with the discovery of RNA reverse transcriptase, new and unexpected mechanisms of regulating gene expression have challenged this dogma. Currently, novel mechanisms directed at post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression have begun to play an increasingly important role in the maintenance of health. These mechanisms include participation of non-coding RNA, microRNA, the 3’-untranslated region of mRNA and RNA-metabolizing enzymes. This workshop is focused on describing novel and surprising mechanisms in which the function of RNA to appropriately express protein is compromised and how the activation or dysfunction of these mechanisms can ultimately lead to a disease state.
March 15, 2012
9:00 a.m. – Noon
MSB 2.135
Chaired by Joseph Alcorn, Ph.D., Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology
Speakers:
Ambro van Hoof, Ph.D.
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth Medical School
“The battle between RNases and RNA viruses"
Eric Wagner, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTHealth Medical School
“Altered mRNA 3’ End Formation in Human Disease”
Ann-Bin Shyu, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UTHealth Medical School
"MicroRNA regulation and airway inflammation"
Peng Gao, Ph.D.
Institute of Molecular Medicine, UTHealth Medical School
“Enterococcus faecalis RNase J2: A key regulator of pili expression and bacterial virulence”
3. Infectious Diseases: The Host-Pathogen Interface
With the advent of vaccines and antimicrobial agents in the twentieth century, it was thought that the tyranny of infectious diseases over humanity was over. While great strides have been made, infections continue to have a great impact on human health. These come in at least four forms: old nemeses that still have no universally effective defense, the rapid spread of agents through global travel or food distribution; newly identified infectious agents that crop up almost every year, and the selection of agents with antibiotic resistance or other properties through medical treatment (iatrogenic infections). This workshop will focus on the host-pathogen interface, which has come to the forefront as we discover that many of the manifestations of infectious diseases result from either overreactions or deficiencies in the host response.
May 10, 2012
9:00 a.m. – Noon
MSB 2.135
Chaired by Steven Norris, Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Speakers:
Herbert L. DuPont, M.D.
Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Epidemiology, UTHealth School of Public Health
“Post Infectious irritable Bowel Syndrome - the Interplay of Infection, Genetics and Chronic Inflammation"
Stacey L. Mueller-Ortiz, Ph.D.
Center for Immunology and Autoimmune Diseases, UTHealth Institute of Molecular Medicine
“Mice lacking the C3a receptor (C3aR) are susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes systemic infection despite having an elevated CD4+ Th1 cytokine response”
Shirley Bruce, Ph.D. and Joseph Alcorn, Ph.D.
Department of Pediatrics, UTHealth Medical School
"Antagonism between RSV infection and innate immunity in the lung"
Cesar Arias, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, UTHealth Medical School
“Tracking the in vivo evolution of antimicrobial resistance in enterocci"
4. Circadian Rhythms
Circadian rhythms are 24 h cycles of biological processes that are ubiquitous to many life forms from cyanobacteria to mammals. Many well recognized behaviors and natural phenomenon, such as sleep-awake cycle, daily feeding and drinking activity, daily opening and closing of flowers, and seasonal migration, are under circadian control. Circadian rhythm is driven by an endogenous molecular clock, which operates by auto-feedback loops of transcriptions and translations of several key regulators. This endogenous clock is able to free-run under constant conditions independent of external signals, while its timing can be reset by environmental signals, such as light, temperature and food. In mammals, the retina plays a major role in sensing light signal, which resets the central clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. However, the circadian photo-sensor is independent of rod and cones cells. Light cue can directly reset the clock in cells throughout the body of a transparent Zebrafish. It has been shown that up to 15% of genes in the mammalian genome displays daily oscillating expression pattern. Many cellular, physiological and pathological processes are regulated by circadian clock. For example, hormonal secretions are largely under clock control. Pathological events such as heart attack and asthma attack have temporal preferences. Dysfunctions of the clock appear to link to cancer. Interest in manipulation of the clock for health benefits has led to the screening and identification of small molecules that target clock regulators. The pervasiveness of circadian clock’s role in life processes makes it a rich source of information for novel insight into many of nature’s phenomenon, though much remains to be understood.
September 6, 2012
9:00 a.m. – Noon
MSB 2.135
Chaired by Cheng Chi Lee, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Speakers:
Sandra K. Hanneman, PhD, RN, FAAN
School of Nursing, UTHealth
"Circadian rhythms in a porcine adult ICU model"
Christophe P. Ribelayga, Ph.D
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, UTHealth Medical School
"Circadian organization of the retina: from molecules to function"
Ghislain Breton, Ph.D.
Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, UTHealth Medical School
"Exploring the circadian system output network in zebrafish"
Jake Chen, Ph.D
Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, UTHealth Medical School
"Chemical probes of circadian biology"
5. Multimodal in vivo Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging has a critical role in understanding the normal brain function and in the diagnosis and treatment of various neurological, neuropsychiatric and developments disorders. Various modalities such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetoencephalography (MEG), and Optical Imaging are someof the major neuroimaging modalities. These modalities provide complementary information that would improve our understanding of brain function and patient management. This workshop will bring experts in these various modalities from UTHealth.
November 1, 2012
9:00 a.m. – Noon
MSB 2.135
Chaired by Ponnada Narayana, Ph.d., Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging
Speakers:
F. Gerard Moeller, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School
“MR Imaging as a Tool for Medications Development"
Giridhar Kalamangalam, M.D.
Department of Neurology, UTHealth Medical School
“Oxygen-enhanced MRI - Principles and Applications"
Nitin Tandon, M.D.
Department of Neurosurgery, UTHealth Medical School
“Advanced MRI for Neurosurgical Planning”
Andrew Papanicolaou, Ph.D.
Department of Pediatrics, UTHealth Medical School
“Pharmacotherapy – what is in the horizon for substance abuse?”
Daniel Felleman, Ph.D.
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, UTHealth Medical School
“Visualization of Cortical Functional Architecture Using Intrinsic Cortical Imaging"
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