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Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons™
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- Biomaterials (2)
- E-cadherin (2)
- Macrophage (2)
- Mechanotransduction (2)
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- 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1)
- 3D Live-FRET imaging (1)
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- Brain Stimulation (1)
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- Cell-cell junctions (1)
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Articles 1 - 17 of 17
Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
Theta Burst Brain Stimulation In Painful Diabetic Neuropathy Patients: Investigating Neural Mechanisms, Bhushan Thakkar
Theta Burst Brain Stimulation In Painful Diabetic Neuropathy Patients: Investigating Neural Mechanisms, Bhushan Thakkar
Theses and Dissertations
Chronic pain (CP) is a significant contributor to disability and disease burden globally. In 2019, approximately 50.2 million adults (20.4% of the US population) experienced chronic pain, contributing to $560-635 billion in direct medical costs. In addition, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions and is set to increase to 629 million by 2045. Almost 50% of patients with diabetes present with diabetic neuropathy (DN), and one in five patients with diabetes presents with painful DN (pDN) which is the most common cause of neuropathic pain (NP) in the US. Symptomatic treatment is the mainstay of management …
Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence
Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence
Theses and Dissertations
Combining vibrating mesh nebulizers with additional new technologies leads to substantial improvements in pharmaceutical aerosol delivery to the lungs across therapeutic administration methods. In this dissertation, streamlined components, aerosol administration synchronization, and/or Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) technologies were utilized to develop and test several novel devices and aerosol delivery systems. The first focus of this work was to improve the poor delivery efficiency, e.g., 3.6% of nominal dose (Dugernier et al. 2017), of aerosolized medication administration to adult human subjects concurrent with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a form of continuous-flow non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The developed Low-Volume Mixer-Heater (LVMH) …
Evaluating Neuromuscular Function Of The Biceps Brachii After Spinal Cord Injury: Assessment Of Voluntary Activation And Motor Evoked Potential Input-Output Curves Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Thibault Roumengous
Theses and Dissertations
Activation of upper limb muscles is important for independent living after cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) that results in tetraplegia. An emerging, non-invasive approach to address post-SCI muscle weakness is modulation of the nervous system. A long-term goal is to develop neuromodulation techniques to reinnervate (i.e. resupply nerve to) muscle fiber and thereby increase muscle function in individuals with tetraplegia. Towards this goal, developing monitoring techniques to quantify neuromuscular function is needed to better direct neurorehabilitation. Assessment of voluntary activation (VA) is a promising approach because the location of the stimulus can be applied cortically using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) …
A Mechanism Behind The Mechanotransduction Of Surface Characteristics In Osteoblasts, Otto J. Juhl Iv
A Mechanism Behind The Mechanotransduction Of Surface Characteristics In Osteoblasts, Otto J. Juhl Iv
Theses and Dissertations
Biomaterials for use in bone regeneration and healing range from metal and metal alloy implants to hydrogel-based solutions. These materials can be optimized to increase bone healing and integration by improving the mechanical and biological properties. Regardless of the material itself, the cell-substrate interaction is key to the success of the biomaterial once implanted. Substrate surface characteristics such as roughness, wettability, and particle density are well-known contributors to a substrate’s overall osteogenic potential, and therefore the substrate's overall success. Unfortunately, it is still unknown how these substrate surface characteristics are transduced into intracellular signals by cells, preventing specific tailoring of …
Nature-Inspired Material Strategies Towards Functional Devices, Sayantan Pradhan
Nature-Inspired Material Strategies Towards Functional Devices, Sayantan Pradhan
Theses and Dissertations
Naturally sourced, renewable biomaterials possess outstanding advantages for a multitude of biomedical applications owing to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and excellent mechanical properties. Of interest in this dissertation are silk (protein) and chitin (polysaccharide) biopolymers for the fabrication of functional biodevices. One of the major challenges restricting these materials beyond their traditional usage as passive substrate materials is the ability to combine them with high-resolution fabrication techniques. Initial research work is directed towards the fabrication of micropatterned, flexible 2D substrates of silk fibroin and chitin using bench-top photolithographic techniques. Research is focused on imparting electrochemical properties to silk proteins using conducting …
The Impact Of Aging And Mechanical Injury On Alveolar Epithelial And Macrophage Responses In Acute Lung Injury And Inflammation, Michael S. Valentine
The Impact Of Aging And Mechanical Injury On Alveolar Epithelial And Macrophage Responses In Acute Lung Injury And Inflammation, Michael S. Valentine
Theses and Dissertations
Patients with severe lung pathologies, such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), often require mechanical ventilation as a clinical intervention; however, this procedure frequently exacerbates the original pulmonary issue and produces an exaggerated inflammatory response that potentially leads to sepsis, multisystem organ failure, and mortality. This acute lung injury (ALI) condition has been termed Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (VILI). Alveolar overdistension, cyclic atelectasis, and biotrauma are the primary injury mechanisms in VILI that lead to the loss of alveolar barrier integrity and pulmonary inflammation. Stress and strains during mechanical ventilation are believed to initiate alveolar epithelial mechanotransduction signaling mechanisms that contribute …
Higher Tensile Forces Across Cellular Junctions And An Intact Nuclear Linc Complex Is Required For Epithelial Function And Stability, Fnu Vani Narayanan
Higher Tensile Forces Across Cellular Junctions And An Intact Nuclear Linc Complex Is Required For Epithelial Function And Stability, Fnu Vani Narayanan
Theses and Dissertations
Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems have provided key insights into the understanding of biochemical and physiological states of native tissue. A significant progress in the field of mechanobiology involves measuring cellular traction forces in a more native 3D environment. However, the effects of mechanical forces exerted across cellular junctions and the nuclear LINC complex, in an organized 3D system has not been investigated thus far. Epithelial cells spontaneously form acini (also known as cysts or spheroids) with a single, fluid-filled central lumen, when grown in 3D matrices. The size of the lumen is dependent on apical secretion …
The Role Of Kras In Mechanosensing In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Krista M. Powell
The Role Of Kras In Mechanosensing In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Krista M. Powell
Theses and Dissertations
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer related death worldwide, with more than 1.6 million fatalities each year. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% of all lung cancers, with KRAS being one of the most prevalent oncogenic driver mutations. Therapeutic approaches for KRAS-mutated NSCLC have been extensively explored due to the US National Cancer Institute RAS Initiative, but methods of directly targeting KRAS or downstream effectors, such as MEK, still have poor results. Previous reports have shown that KRAS-mutated NSCLC activate distinct receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) depending on the epithelial or mesenchymal state. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) …
Eralpha Isoforms Modulate The Tumorigenicity Of 24r,25(Oh)2d3 In Estrogen-Responsive Cancer, Anjali Verma
Eralpha Isoforms Modulate The Tumorigenicity Of 24r,25(Oh)2d3 In Estrogen-Responsive Cancer, Anjali Verma
Theses and Dissertations
Over 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year. Nearly 20% of these patients supplement their diets with some form of vitamin D. This high frequency of vitamin D supplement use may be due in part to research suggesting that cancer patients with higher serum vitamin D3 levels have better prognoses than patients with low serum vitamin D3. However, double-blind clinical trials on the efficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation in breast cancer have been inconclusive. A recent meta-analysis showed evidence of reduced cancer recurrence in patients taking vitamin D3 supplements who had ‘estrogen receptor positive’ …
The Role Of The Mechanical Environment On Cd117+ Endothelial Cell Angiogenesis, Patrick Link
The Role Of The Mechanical Environment On Cd117+ Endothelial Cell Angiogenesis, Patrick Link
Theses and Dissertations
Angiogenesis is a complex process coordinating cell migration, proliferation, and lumen formation. Changes to the microenvironment regulate angiogenesis through mechanotransduction and cytokine signals. In pulmonary hypertension, something in the process becomes abnormal, resulting in changes to the microenvironment and the formation of a glomerulus of dysfunctional capillaries, called a plexiform lesion. Endothelial cells, expressing CD117 (CD117+ EC clones) increase in the plexiform lesions of pulmonary hypertension, independent of pro-angiogenic VEGF signaling. We hypothesize that the mechanical environment and the macromolecular composition of the extracellular matrix, both, contribute to the aberrant angiogenesis. When we changed the mechanical environment, we changed the …
Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid
Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid
Theses and Dissertations
The extracellular matrix protein Fibronectin (FN) plays an important role in cell contractility, differentiation, growth, adhesion, and migration. The 12th -14th Type III repeats of FN (FNIII 12-14), also referred to as the Heparin-II domain, comprise a highly promiscuous growth factor (GF) binding region. This binding domain aids in cellular signaling initiated from the ECM. Additionally, FN has the ability to assemble into fibrils under certain conditions, mostly observed during cell contractile processes such as those that initiate due to upregulation of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGF-β1) [1], [2]. Previous work from our lab has shown that self-assembly of …
Engineering Surface Properties To Modulate Inflammation And Stem Cell Recruitment Through Macrophage Activation, Kelly M. Hotchkiss
Engineering Surface Properties To Modulate Inflammation And Stem Cell Recruitment Through Macrophage Activation, Kelly M. Hotchkiss
Theses and Dissertations
Biomaterials are becoming the most commonly used therapeutic method for treatment of lost or damaged tissue in the body. Metallic materials are chosen for high strength orthopaedic and dental applications. Titanium (Ti) implants are highly successful in young, healthy patients with the ability to fully integrate to surrounding tissue. However the main population requiring these corrective treatments will not be healthy or young, therefore further research into material modifications have been started to improve outcomes in compromised patients. The body’s immune system will generate a response to any implanted material, and control the final outcome. Among the first and most …
Modulating The Innate Immune Response To Electrospun Scaffolds And Polymer Degradative Byproducts, Daniel Abebayehu
Modulating The Innate Immune Response To Electrospun Scaffolds And Polymer Degradative Byproducts, Daniel Abebayehu
Theses and Dissertations
Implanted biomaterials often induce inflammation that frequently leads to the foreign body response, fibrosis, and the failure of the implant. Thus, it is important to evaluate how cells interact with materials to promote a more regenerative response. It is critical to determine how to modulate the response of tissue resident innate immune cells, as they are among the first cells to interact with implanted materials. Among tissue resident innate immune cells are mast cells, which are inflammatory sentinels that degranulate and orchestrate the fate of other cell populations, such as monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes. Mast cells have also been reported to …
Fabrication Of Flexible, Biofunctional Architectures From Silk Proteins, Ramendra K. Pal
Fabrication Of Flexible, Biofunctional Architectures From Silk Proteins, Ramendra K. Pal
Theses and Dissertations
Advances in the biomedical field require functional materials and processes that can lead to devices that are biocompatible, and biodegradable while maintaining high performance and mechanical conformability. In this context, a current shift in focus is towards natural polymers as not only the structural but also functional components of such devices. This poses material-specific functionalization and fabrication related questions in the design and fabrication of such systems. Silk protein biopolymers from the silkworm show tremendous promise in this regard due to intrinsic properties: mechanical performance, optical transparency, biocompatibility, biodegradability, processability, and the ability to entrap and stabilize biomolecules. The unique …
The Role Of E-Cadherin Force In The Maintenance Of Homeostasis In Epithelial Acini, Fnu Vani Narayanan
The Role Of E-Cadherin Force In The Maintenance Of Homeostasis In Epithelial Acini, Fnu Vani Narayanan
Theses and Dissertations
Numerous three-dimensional model systems have emerged for emulating the biochemical and physiological states of native tissue. Yet little is known about the effects of mechanical forces on cell behavior in the context of an organized tissue structure in three-dimensional cell-culture. Epithelial cells cultured in a three-dimensional environment comprised of extracellular matrix proteins form spheroids of polarized cells. Cellular responses to mechanical cues, generated from dynamic interactions with the extracellular matrix and neighboring cells, are known to influence cellular behavior to a great extent. Previous studies have shown that tumorigenic progression has been frequently linked to the down regulation of E-cadherin, …
Multi-Platform Arabinoxylan Scaffolds As Potential Wound Dressing Materials, Donald C. Aduba Jr
Multi-Platform Arabinoxylan Scaffolds As Potential Wound Dressing Materials, Donald C. Aduba Jr
Theses and Dissertations
Biopolymers are becoming more attractive as advanced wound dressings because of their naturally derived origin, abundance, low cost and high compatibility with the wound environment. Arabinoxylan (AX) is a class of polysaccharide polymers derived from cereal grains that are primarily used in food products and cosmetic additives. Its application as a wound dressing material has yet to be realized. In this two-pronged project, arabinoxylan ferulate (AXF) was fabricated into electrospun fibers and gel foams to be evaluated as platforms for wound dressing materials. In the first study, AXF was electrospun with varying amounts of gelatin. In the second study, AXF …
Ex Vivo Dna Cloning, Adam B. Fisher
Ex Vivo Dna Cloning, Adam B. Fisher
Theses and Dissertations
Genetic engineering of microbes has developed rapidly along with our ability to synthesize DNA de novo. Yet, even with decreasing DNA synthesis costs there remains a need for inexpensive, rapid and reliable methods for assembling synthetic DNA into larger constructs or combinatorial libraries. While technological advances have resulted in powerful techniques for in vitro and in vivo assembly of DNA, each suffers inherent disadvantages. Here, an ex vivo DNA cloning suite using crude cellular lysates derived from E. coli is demonstrated to amplify and assemble DNA containing small sequence homologies. Further, the advantages of an ex vivo approach are …