Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Development Of An Astrocyte/Glioma Co-Culture System For Measuring Cellular Dynamics, Urna Kansakar Feb 2019

Development Of An Astrocyte/Glioma Co-Culture System For Measuring Cellular Dynamics, Urna Kansakar

Doctoral Dissertations

Gliomas are brain tumors that primarily arise from glial cells. Gliomas account for 70% of the brain tumors and they are more prevalent in older adults. About 60% of the people with gliomas experience at least one seizure. Brain tumors can grow and metastasize to neighboring areas, thereby destroying normal brain cells. In a brain tumor microenvironment, both malignant cancer cells and healthy brain cells are present. Studies have shown that astrocytes may have a role in tumor growth in the brain. Monocultures cannot evaluate interactions between two cell types and does not accurately represent in vivo conditions. Thus, a …


Three-Dimensional Human Neural Stem Cell Culture For High-Throughput Assessment Of Developmental Neurotoxicity, Pranav Joshi Jan 2019

Three-Dimensional Human Neural Stem Cell Culture For High-Throughput Assessment Of Developmental Neurotoxicity, Pranav Joshi

ETD Archive

Only a few hundred of compounds, among tens of thousands of commercially available compounds, have been tested for developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) due to the limitations of current guidelines for DNT which are based entirely on in vivo experiments. In vivo studies are highly expensive and time-consuming, which often do not correlate to human outcomes. There is a key gap in our ability to predict in vivo outcomes accurately and robustly using in vitro assays. This is particularly the case for predicting the toxicity of chemicals on the developing human brains. Conventional in vitro assays are typically performed in two-dimensional (2D) …


Type 2 Diabetes Leads To Impairment Of Cognitive Flexibility And Disruption Of Excitable Axonal Domains In The Brain, Leonid M. Yermakov Jan 2019

Type 2 Diabetes Leads To Impairment Of Cognitive Flexibility And Disruption Of Excitable Axonal Domains In The Brain, Leonid M. Yermakov

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease affecting millions of people around the world. Cognitive and mood impairments are among its many debilitating complications, but disease mechanism(s) remain elusive. Here, we present a series of behavioral tasks that demonstrate impairment of cognitive flexibility in db/db mice, a commonly used type 2 diabetes model. Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrate disruption of axon initial segments (AIS) and nodes of Ranvier, excitable axonal domains regulating neuronal output, in brain regions associated with cognitive and mood impairments. Finally, we present results of exercise treatment that ameliorates AIS disruption in these animals. Establishing cognitive flexibility deficits …


Biomarker-Performance Associations During Nutritional And Exercise Intervention In Air Force Personnel, Jennifer Jurcsisn Jan 2019

Biomarker-Performance Associations During Nutritional And Exercise Intervention In Air Force Personnel, Jennifer Jurcsisn

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the combined effects of an exercise intervention and nutritional supplement on biomarkers of stress and resilience, and the relationships of those markers with physical and cognitive performance. 130 healthy Active-Duty Air Force (AF) personnel were recruited to participate in a double-blind, placebo controlled 12-week exercise and nutritional intervention. Serum was collected at basal and high stress conditions pre- and post-intervention to track the following biomarkers: cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), norepinephrine (NE), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and serotonin. The exercise intervention significantly attenuated the cortisol response and peak stress cortisol levels. The nutritional intervention decreased peak stress NE. The selected …