Scanned Ion Beam Therapy For Thoracic Tumors, John Gordon Eley

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Although frequently cured of Hodgkin lymphoma, adolescents and young adults can develop radiation induced second cancers. These patients could potentially benefit from scanned ion radiotherapy yet likely would require motion mitigation strategies. In theory, four-dimensional (4D) optimization of ion beam fields for individual motion states of respiration can enable superior sparing of healthy tissue near moving targets, compared to other motion mitigation strategies. Furthermore, carbon-ion therapy can sometimes provide greater relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for cell sterilization in a target but nearly equivalent RBE in tissue upstream of the target, compared to proton therapy. Thus, we expected that for some …

Toll-Like Receptors 2 And 9 Are Important For Innate Immune Cell Activation And Recruitment In Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Kelly J. Andrews

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of environmental antigens. The disease is characterized by alveolitis and granuloma formation; however, some patients develop chronic HP (CHP), a restrictive lung disease characterized by fibrosis. Previous studies revealed that neutrophils are recruited into the lung via a MyD88- dependent pathway and regulate disease severity through cytokine production. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2 and 9 recognize conserved molecular patterns present in bacteria, and signal through the adaptor molecule MyD88. The goal of my project is to investigate the role of TLRs 2 and 9 in the pathogenesis of HP …

Modeling Acute Respiratory Illness During The 2007 San Diego Wildland Fires Using A Coupled Emissions-Transport System And General Additive Modeling, Brian Thelen, Nancy H. F. French, Benjamin W. Koziol, Michael Billmire, Robert Chris Owen, Jeffrey Johnson, Michele Ginsberg, Tatiana Loboda, Shiliang Wu

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Background

A study of the impacts on respiratory health of the 2007 wildland fires in and around San Diego County, California is presented. This study helps to address the impact of fire emissions on human health by modeling the exposure potential of proximate populations to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) from vegetation fires. Currently, there is no standard methodology to model and forecast the potential respiratory health effects of PM plumes from wildland fires, and in part this is due to a lack of methodology for rigorously relating the two. The contribution in this research specifically targets that absence by modeling …

Increased Risk And Related Factors Of Depression Among Patients With Copd: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Tzung-Yi Tsai, Hanoch Livneh, Ming-Chi Lu, Pang-Yau Tsai, Pei-Chun Chen, Fung-Chang Sung

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Depression is a common and mostly undertreated problem in patients with chronic diseases. However, population-based studies on the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and subsequent depression are limited in Asian populations. This study evaluated the incidence and risk factors of depression for patients with COPD in Taiwan.

Methods

Using the claims data from the National Health Insurance of Taiwan, we identified 38,010 COPD patients newly diagnosed in 2000–2004 and 38,010 subjects without COPD frequency, matched by sex, age and index date. The incidence rate and hazard ratio for depression were estimated by the end of 2008.

Results …

Vest Chest Physiotherapy Airway Clearance Is Associated With Nitric Oxide Metabolism., Joseph H. Sisson, Todd A. Wyatt, Jacqueline A. Pavlik, Pawanjit S. Sarna, Peter J. Murphy

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Background. Vest chest physiotherapy (VCPT) enhances airway clearance in cystic fibrosis (CF) by an unknown mechanism. Because cilia are sensitive to nitric oxide (NO), we hypothesized that VCPT enhances clearance by changing NO metabolism. Methods. Both normal subjects and stable CF subjects had pre- and post-VCPT airway clearance assessed using nasal saccharin transit time (NSTT) followed by a collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) analyzed for NO metabolites (NO x ). Results. VCPT shorted NSTT by 35% in normal and stable CF subjects with no difference observed between the groups. EBC NO x concentrations decreased 68% in control subjects after …

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Blocks Nitric Oxide-Mediated Alcohol-Stimulated Cilia Beating., Todd A. Wyatt, S . M. Wells, Z . A. Alsaidi, Jane M. Devasure, E. B. Klein, Kristina L. Bailey, Joseph H. Sisson

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

The airway epithelium is exposed to alcohol during drinking through direct exhalation of volatized ethanol from the bronchial circulation. Alcohol exposure leads to a rapid increase in the cilia beat frequency (CBF) of bronchial epithelial cells followed by a chronic desensitization of cilia stimulatory responses. This effect is governed in part by the nitric oxide regulation of cyclic guanosine and adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinases (PKG and PKA) and is not fully understood. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, is implicated in the pathogenesis of several pulmonary disorders. We hypothesized that the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase …

Associations Of Smoking Status And Serious Psychological Distress With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ke-Sheng Wang, Liang Wang, Shimin Zheng, Long-Yang Wu

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been a major public health problem due to its high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Smoking is a major risk factor for COPD, while serious psychological distress (SPD) is prevalent among COPD patients. However, no study focusing on the effect of SPD on COPD has been so far conducted, while few studies have focused on the associations of SPD and behavioral factors with COPD by smoking status.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations of SPD and behavioral factors (such as smoking and physical activity) with COPD.

Materials and Methods: Weighted logistic regression …

Role Of Inos In Septic Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cell Activation, Zahra Asad

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

Background. Neutrophils and nitric oxide (NO) derived from inducible NO synthase (iNOS) contributes importantly to the pathophysiology of acute lung injury (ALI) and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (PMVEC) injury. However, the mechanism of neutrophil and neutrophil iNOS dependent PMVEC injury has not been addressed. In our studies, we assessed PMVEC activation under septic conditions, and defined the role of PMVEC vs. bone-marrow polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) iNOS in this septic PMVEC activation.

Methods and Results. We isolated PMVEC from iNOS+/+ and iNOS-/- mice lungs magnetically by microbeads attached to anti-PECAM antibodies, sorted by flow cytometry (FACS) by DiI-acetylated low density …

Bioengineering The Expression Of Active Recombinant Human Cathepsin G, Enteropeptidase, Neutrophil Elastase, And C-Reactive Protein In Yeast, Eliot T. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The yeasts Pichia pastoris and Kluyveromyces lactis were used to express several recombinant human proteins for further biochemical characterization. Two substitution variants of recombinant human enteropeptidase light chain (rhEPL) were engineered to modify the extended substrate specificity of this serine protease. Both were secreted as active enzymes in excess of 1.7 mg/L in P. pastoris fermentation broth. The substitution variant rhEPL R96Q showed significantly reduced specificities for the preferred substrate sequences DDDDK and DDDDR; however, the rhEPL Y174R variant displayed improved specificities for these substrate sequences relative to all other reported variants of this enzyme. The neutrophil serine proteases human …

Maresin-1 Reduces The Pro-Inflammatory Response Of Bronchial Epithelial Cells To Organic Dust., Tara M. Nordgren, Art J. Heires, Todd A. Wyatt, Jill A. Poole, Tricia D. Levan, D. Roselyn Cerutis, Debra J. Romberger

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Exposure to organic dust causes detrimental airway inflammation. Current preventative and therapeutic measures do not adequately treat resulting disease, necessitating novel therapeutic interventions. Recently identified mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids exhibit anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving actions. We tested the potential of one of these mediators, maresin-1 (MaR1), in reducing organic dust-associated airway inflammation.

METHODS: As bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) are pivotal in initiating organic dust-induced inflammation, we investigated the in vitro effects of MaR1 on a human BEC cell line (BEAS-2B). Cells were pretreated for 1 hour with 0-200 nM MaR1, followed by 1-24 hour treatment with 5% hog …

Do User Fees Increase Tuberculosis Notifications?, Chioma Y. Chukwumah

Economics Honors Projects

Public health sectors around the world strive to provide accessible and affordable care. Tight government budgets and growing populations lead countries to consider adding or raising charges to health care consumers. These user fees may affect the quality, equity and revenue of health care. This paper investigates the impact of user fees on notifications of tuberculosis. In the panel data composed of 176 countries from 1960 to 2012, I find no evidence that suggests user fees increase tuberculosis. In contrast, I find strong and robust evidence suggesting user fees are associated with fewer new cases of tuberculosis.

Bronchial Thermoplasty In The Endoscopy Unit Reducing Smooth Muscle Hypertrophy Asthmatic, Marie Porter Rn, Bsn, Cgrn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Advocacy For Pneumonia Prevention In Korea: A Multi-Dimensional Program Organised Around World Pneumonia Day, Soon A. Kim, Paul E. Kilgore

Department of Pharmacy Practice

There are limited examples of population-based approaches that engage a broad range of stakeholders for prevention of pneumonia. In 2010, a multi-dimensional public-private partnership was established around World Pneumonia Day (WPD) in Seoul, Korea and included the following components: a) formation of an expert advisory group, b) creation of educational materials tailored for lay persons, c) creation of a dedicated WPD internet website in the local language, d) organisation of a WPD venue in central Seoul, e) creation of video and social networking messages for wide distribution, and f) engagement of parents, health-care professionals, public health agencies and policymakers. This …

Smoke Inhalation Injury, Paul Shores

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Ampr Transcriptional Regulatory Network, Deepak Balasubramanian

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Enterobacteriaceae, the transcriptional regulator AmpR, a member of the LysR family, regulates the expression of a chromosomal β-lactamase AmpC. The regulatory repertoire of AmpR is broader in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen responsible for numerous acute and chronic infections including cystic fibrosis. Previous studies showed that in addition to regulating ampC, P. aeruginosa AmpR regulates the sigma factor AlgT/U and production of some quorum sensing (QS)-regulated virulence factors. In order to better understand the ampR regulon, the transcriptional profiles generated using DNA microarrays and RNA-Seq of the prototypic P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain with its isogenic ampR deletion …

The Incidence And Aetiology Of Hospitalised Community-Acquired Pneumonia Among Vietnamese Adults: A Prospective Surveillance In Central Vietnam, Kensuke Takahashi, Motoi Suzuki, Le Minh, Nguyen Anh, Luu Thi Huong, Tran Vo Son, Phan Long, Nguyen Thi Ai, Le Tho, Konosuke Morimoto, Paul E. Kilgore, Dang Anh, Koya Ariyoshi, Lay Yoshida

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) including Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious disease that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The patterns of aetiological pathogens differ by region and country. Special attention must be paid to CAP in Southeast Asia (SEA), a region facing rapid demographic transition. Estimates burden and aetiological patterns of CAP are essential for the clinical and public health management. The purposes of the study are to determine the incidence, aetiological pathogens, clinical pictures and risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the Vietnamese adult population.

Methods

A prospective surveillance for hospitalised adult …

Factors Associated Within 28 Days In-Hospital Mortality Of Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Nadia Sharif, Muhammad Irfan, Javaid Hussain, Javaid Khan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Objective. To determine the factors leading to in-hospital mortality within 28 days in hospitalized patients with ARDS. It was a prospective observational cohort study conducted in Intensive Care Unit of Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi from March to August 2011. Methodology. Data was collected from patients admitted in the intensive care unit on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The patients were followed daily for 28 days to record any in-hospital complications and the outcome of patients. Results. Total of 46 patients were included during this period out of which 56% (26) were males and 43% (20) were females. …

Bronchial Carcinoid Presenting As Multiple Lung Abscesses, Zeeshan Waheed, Muhammad Irfan, Saulat Fatimi, Ruqaiya Shahid

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Bronchial carcinoid tumours is a rare group of pulmonary malignant neoplasm that is derived from neuroendocrine system. Bronchial carcinoid usually present with hilar masses, atelactasis, bronchiectasis, or post-obstructive pneumonia. This case describes a very unusual presentation of bronchial carcinoid tumour with multiple lung abscesses involving the whole lung. This report is of an adult lady who presented with multiple lung abscesses involving her whole of the right lung. She was found to have an endo-bronchial lesion in her right main bronchus which eventually turned out to be carcinoid tumour. She responded to resection and antibiotic therapy.

Expression Of M. Tuberculosis-Induced Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling (Socs) 1, Socs3, Foxp3 And Secretion Of Il-6 Associates With Differing Clinical Severity Of Tuberculosis, Kiran I. Masood, Martin E. Rottenberg, Naseem Salahuddin, Muhammad Irfan, Nisar Rao, Berit Carow, Muniba Islam, Rabia Hussain, Zahra Hasan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background

Appropriate immune activation of T cells and macrophages is central for the control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. IFN-γ stimulated responses are lowered in tuberculosis (TB), while expression of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) molecules – 1 and 3 and CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺T regulatory cells is increased. Here we investigated the association of these molecules in regard to clinical severity of TB.

Methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from patients with pulmonary TB (PTB, n = 33), extra-pulmonary TB (ETB, n = 33) and healthy endemic controls (EC, n = 15). Cases were classified …

The Common Allergic Mechanism Of Rhinitis And Asthma, Esther Feinstein

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are closely linked diseases which are very prevalent within the population, affecting millions. They are both characterized by chronic airway inflammation. They are often present in the same patients and rhinitis is even considered an independent risk factor for asthma. Treating allergic rhinitis can reduce the severity of asthma. Mechanisms connecting the two have been researched for many years. Studies show that they have a similar allergic mechanism that is mediated by the same cells. The allergic inflammation is characterized by the presence of eosinophils and is mediated by T-helper type 2 lymphocytes. The circulation of …