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The Impact Of The Neuropeptide Y System On The Progression Of Breast Cancer, Philip J. Medeiros

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chronic stress is associated with elevated levels of sympathetic neurotransmitter release and immunosuppression. A growing body of evidence suggests that stress-related factors may contribute to the initiation, development and progression of breast cancer. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has recently been determined as such a factor, however few investigations have addressed the functional effects of NPY on breast cells and tumors. Thus, the overall objective of this thesis was to elucidate the mechanisms by which NPY may contribute to the disease. Using the 4T1 murine breast cancer model, we began by first characterizing NPY receptor expression in cancer cells and tumors. Y1R, …

Evaluating The Impact Of Two Different Methods Of Diabetes Self-Management Education On Knowledge, Attitude, And Behaviours Of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Laura B. Briden

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study compared the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education (DSME) methods by examining changes in knowledge, attitude, and behaviour (KAB) after receiving education. Participants from a convenience sample were randomized into two groups, one receiving education through conversation maps and the other through traditional group education. Participants’ knowledge and attitude changes were measured by using a repeated measures pre-test/post-test design and changes in Hb A1c were observed. Focus groups were conducted after education was received to obtain perceptions and self-reported behaviour changes. Significant knowledge and attitude score changes were observed in the conversation map group after education. When comparing the …

Male Gender Promotes An Increased Inflammatory Response To Lipopolysaccharide In Umbilical Vein Blood., Shunaha Kim-Fine, Timothy Regnault, James S Lee, Sarah A Gimbel, Jill A Greenspoon, Jonathan Fairbairn, Kelly Summers, Barbra De Vrijer

Paediatrics Publications

OBJECTIVES: To establish gender-specific differences in maternal and fetal immune response in healthy human fetuses at term.

METHODS: Forty-five women with elective caesarean sections for uncomplicated singleton pregnancies were recruited for two studies. Using a multiplex biomarker immunoassay system, unstimulated maternal and fetal plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured from one study population. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cytokine response was measured in a second study.

RESULTS: There were no significant gender differences in either maternal or fetal unstimulated plasma cytokine concentrations, but concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and …

Overexpression Of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 1 And Lactate Dehydrogenase A In Nerve Cells Confers Resistance To Amyloid Β And Other Toxins By Decreasing Mitochondrial Respiration And Reactive Oxygen Species Production, Jordan T. Newington, Tim Rappon, Shawn Albers, Daisy Y. Wong, R. Jane Rylett, Robert C. Cumming

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Aerobic glycolysis promotes resistance against Aβ toxicity. Results: Increased LDHA and PDK1 expression attenuates mitochondrial activity and confers resistance to Aβ. These proteins are down-regulated in a transgenic Alzheimer disease (AD) mouse model, and PDK1 is decreased in AD brain. Conclusion: PDK and LDHA are central mediators of Aβ resistance. Significance: Drugs that augment aerobic glycolysis may enhance brain cell survival in AD patients. © 2012 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

The Development Of A Decision Aid For Patients With Ulcerative Colitis Deciding Between Ileostomy Or Ileal Anal-Pouch Reconstruction, Luc A. Dubois

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: To develop a prototype decision aid used to assist ulcerative colitis patients when deciding between ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) and ileostomy.

Methods: Three separate systematic reviews (quality of life studies, IPAA studies, ileostomy studies) were conducted to populate the decision aid with outcome probabilities. Meta-regression was used to select appropriate pooled outcomes.

Results: Of 3920 studies reviewed, 9 studies reported on quality of life, 67 on outcomes following IPAA, and 11 following ileostomy. No difference in quality of life was found between procedures. Among IPAA patients, pooled pouch failure rate was 5.5%, with pouchitis being the most common complication …

Analysis Of The Mmp-Dependent And Independent Functions Of Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase-2 On The Invasiveness Of Breast Cancer Cells, Logan A. Walsh, Mario A. Cepeda, Sashko Damjanovski

Paediatrics Publications

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are secreted endopeptidases that play an essential role in remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM). MMPs are primarily active during development, when the majority of ECM remodeling events occurs. In adults, elevated MMP activity has been observed in many pathological conditions such as cancer and osteoarthritis. The proteolytic activity of MMPs is controlled by their natural inhibitors - the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In addition to blocking MMP-mediated proteolysis, TIMPs have a number of MMP-independent functions including binding to cell surface proteins thereby stimulating signaling cascades. TIMP-2, the most studied member of the family, can both inhibit …

The Systemic Inflammatory Response After Spinal Cord Injury In The Rat Is Decreased By Α4Β1 Integrin Blockade, Feng Bao, Vanessa Omana, Arthur Brown, Lynne C. Weaver

Paediatrics Publications

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) follows spinal cord injury (SCI) and causes damage to the lungs, kidney, and liver due to an influx of inflammatory cells from the circulation. After SCI in rats, the SIRS develops within 12 h and is sustained for at least 3 days. We have previously shown that blockade of CD11d/CD18 integrin reduces inflammation-driven secondary damage to the spinal cord. This treatment reduces the SIRS after SCI. In another study we found that blockade of α4β1 integrin limited secondary cord damage more effectively than blockade of CD11d/CD18. Therefore we considered it important to assess the …

Hearts And Minds: Examining The Evolution Of The Egyptian Excerebration And Evisceration Traditions Through The Impact Mummy Database, Andrew D. Wade

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Egyptian mummification and funerary rituals were a transformative process, making the deceased a pure being; free of disease, injury, and disfigurements, as well as ethical and moral impurities. Consequently, the features of mummification available to specific categories of individuals hold social and ideological significance. This study refutes long-held classical stereotypes, particularly dogmatic class associations; demonstrates the apocryphal nature of universal heart retention; and expands on the purposes of excerebration and evisceration implied by synthetic and radiological analyses.

Features of the embalming traditions, specifically the variable excerebration and evisceration traditions, represented the Egyptian view of death. Fine-grain analyses, through primary imaging …

The Role Of Religion And Spirituality In The Care Of Patients In Family Medicine, Michael F. Lee-Poy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Aims: This thesis explored patients’ perspectives on discussing their religious and spiritual beliefs with their family physicians and family physicians’ behaviours in discussing patients’ religion and spirituality.

Methods: This thesis examined the role of religion and spirituality in patient care in family medicine using qualitative and quantitative methodologies including in-depth interviews of patients and a survey of family physicians.

Findings: The majority of participants believed that religion and spirituality was important in patient care in family medicine. Barriers and facilitators were identified to the integration of religion and spirituality into patient care. Both studies identified physician comfort level as a …

Cd11d Antibody Treatment Improves Recovery In Spinal Cord-Injured Mice, Nicole M. Geremia, Feng Bao, Trina E. Rosenzweig, Todd Hryciw, Lynne Weaver, Gregory A. Dekaban, Arthur Brown

Paediatrics Publications

Acute administration of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) raised against the CD11d subunit of the leukocyte CD11d/CD18 integrin after spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rat greatly improves neurological outcomes. This has been chiefly attributed to the reduced infiltration of neutrophils into the injured spinal cord in treated rats. More recently, treating spinal cord-injured mice with a Ly-6G neutrophil-depleting antibody was demonstrated to impair neurological recovery. These disparate results could be due to different mechanisms of action utilized by the two antibodies, or due to differences in the inflammatory responses between mouse and rat that are triggered by SCI. To address …

The Long And Short Of It: The Role Of Telomeres In Fetal Origins Of Adult Disease., Stephanie E Hallows, Timothy Regnault, Dean H Betts

Paediatrics Publications

Placental insufficiency, maternal malnutrition, and other causes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can significantly affect short-term growth and long-term health. Following IUGR, there is an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes. The etiology of these diseases is beginning to be elucidated, and premature aging or cellular senescence through increased oxidative stress and DNA damage to telomeric ends may be initiators of these disease processes. This paper will explore the areas where telomere and telomerase biology can have significant effects on various tissues in the body in IUGR outcomes.

Medical Physics Staffing For Radiation Oncology: A Decade Of Experience In Ontario, Canada., Jerry J. Battista Dr., Brenda G Clark, Michael S Patterson, Luc Beaulieu, Michael B Sharpe, L John Schreiner, Miller S Macpherson, Jacob Van Dyk

Oncology Publications

The January 2010 articles in The New York Times generated intense focus on patient safety in radiation treatment, with physics staffing identified frequently as a critical factor for consistent quality assurance. The purpose of this work is to review our experience with medical physics staffing, and to propose a transparent and flexible staffing algorithm for general use. Guided by documented times required per routine procedure, we have developed a robust algorithm to estimate physics staffing needs according to center-specific workload for medical physicists and associated support staff, in a manner we believe is adaptable to an evolving radiotherapy practice. We …

Cardiac Failure Following Inadvertent Administration Of High-Dose Epinephrine Subcutaneously, Kim A. Tran, Douglas D. Fraser, Krista Hawrylyshyn, Kambiz Norozi

Paediatrics Publications

Our aim is to report the consequences of epinephrine toxicity leading to cardiac failure in a child and the successful management with dopamine and milrinone. A previously healthy 13-year-old girl undergoing a left tympanomastoidectomy was inadvertently administered 10 mL of 1:1000 epinephrine subcutaneously (0.175 mg/kg) on the left post auricular region in lieu of lidocaine. She developed sudden supraventricular tachycardia, hypertension and flash pulmonary edema. She was initially treated with propofol, nitrogycerin and increased peak end-expiratory pressure. Within 4 h, she remained tachycardic, but was hypotensive with an increased central venous pressure. Electrocardiogram and echocardiogram investigations showed ST changes indicative …