Engineering Commons^™

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Cold-Water Immersion On Arterial Compliance, Rita M. Grigorian

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

As the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases continues to exponentially grow in populations across the globe, the necessity of determining underlying factors, effective methods of diagnoses, and universally available preventive measures also grows. Early detection of endothelial dysfunction, a proven precursor of cardiovascular diseases, can be extremely impactful in encouraging preventative measures and early intervention before medical conditions become chronic. In recent years, ice plunging, a form of cryotherapy involving full body immersion in cold water, has gained popularity within circles of fitness and health practitioners, gaining the interest of people of all backgrounds. Certain parallels observed between the human physiological …

Development Of An Angiogenic Tissue-On-A-Chip Microenvironment, Eric Stuehr

Master's Theses

Preclinical testing is necessary to investigate the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics before moving to clinical trials, yet approximately 90% of these therapies fail once tested in humans. This has led to increased interest in developing robust preclinical models that accurately mimic the complex human in vivo physiology. Microfluidic devices that can introduce dynamic conditions to 3D cell/organoid cultures, also known as tissue-on-a-chip, have emerged as physiologically relevant in vitro preclinical models that can achieve high throughput screening of therapeutics. The research presented here aimed to develop an angiogenic environment within a novel microfluidic device to stimulate formation of …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Cold-Water Immersion On Arterial Compliance, Rita M. Grigorian

Master's Theses

As the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases continues to exponentially grow in populations across the globe, the necessity of determining underlying factors, effective methods of diagnoses, and universally available preventive measures also grows. Early detection of endothelial dysfunction, a proven precursor of cardiovascular diseases, can be extremely impactful in encouraging preventative measures and early intervention before medical conditions become chronic. In recent years, ice plunging, a form of cryotherapy involving full body immersion in cold water, has gained popularity within circles of fitness and health practitioners, gaining the interest of people of all backgrounds. Certain parallels observed between the human physiological …

Development Of A Cell-Based Regenerative Strategy To Modulate Angiogenesis And Inflammation In Ischemic Muscle, Fiona E. Serack

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The delivery of human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) to ischemic tissues represents a promising strategy to promote vascular regeneration for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). This thesis focused on the evaluation of hydrogels to enhance the retention and pro-angiogenic capacity of hASCs following delivery in vivo. Additionally, priming strategies to augment the paracrine function of hASCs were developed and assessed.

Recognizing the importance of endogenous macrophages in the pro-regenerative function of hASCs, delivery using a previously-developed hydrogel system, composed of peptide-functionalized methacrylated glycol chitosan (MGC-RGD) and a copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PEG(PTMC-A)₂), was …