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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Exosomes And Their Role In Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma, Phillip Blake Munson
Exosomes And Their Role In Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma, Phillip Blake Munson
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a locally invasive and highly aggressive cancer arising on the mesothelial surface of organ cavities (mainly pleural) as a direct result of asbestos exposure. The latency period of MM is long (20-50yrs) after initial asbestos exposure, and the prognostic outcomes are dismal with median life expectancy of 6-12 months post-diagnosis. There are no useful biomarkers for early MM diagnosis, no successful therapeutic interventions. These vast voids of knowledge led to our hypotheses that secreted vesicles, termed exosomes, play an important role in MM development and tumorigenic properties. Exosomes are nano-sized particles secreted from all cell types …
The Role Of Inflammasomes In Asbestos-Induced Mesothelial To Fibroblastic Transition, Joyce K. Thompson
The Role Of Inflammasomes In Asbestos-Induced Mesothelial To Fibroblastic Transition, Joyce K. Thompson
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Malignant Mesothelioma (MM) is a fatal disease with a low median survival between 8 to 12 months after diagnosis. MM has a long latency period (10-60 years), is causally related to asbestos exposure, and is refractory to all available modes of therapy. Despite the causal association between asbestos exposure and MM however, the mechanisms by which asbestos induces this deadly disease remain unclear. Chronic inflammation due to the presence of asbestos fibers is believed to play an important role in all aspects of MM pathogenesis, from development to progression and resistance. Chronic inflammation has been shown to promote dysregulated wound …