Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Development And Evaluation Of Alginate Nanofibers As A Neuroprotective Nano-Scaffold For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Als), Julia Bielanin

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized in pathology by a significant loss of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle wasting and loss of voluntary movement. There are about 6,000-8,000 new cases of ALS diagnosed per year in the U.S., with a fatal outcome within 2 to 4 years (on average) after diagnosis. There are only two FDA approved drugs for treating ALS. Both are very expensive and only have modest benefits for patients. The population is in dire need of more affordable and effective medicine for the treatment of ALS.

Therefore, the goal …

Potential Benefits Of Physical Therapy For Individuals With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Rebecca Soito

Senior Honors Projects

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS is associated with progressive motor deficits and paralysis of the muscles that control limb movement, swallowing, and breathing. As ALS progresses, the muscles responsible for fine and gross motor functions are affected and motor skills decline. Typical life expectancy of people with ALS is 2-5 years after symptom onset. The most common cause of death for individuals with ALS is respiratory failure. There is no current curative treatment for ALS but symptoms can be managed through multidisciplinary care. The …

Promoting Independence Through Effective Interventions For Adults With Als, Renee Gluchowski, Ots, Hannah Harris, Ots, Jaclyn Heineman, Ots, Kimberly Kendro, Ots, Heather Malosky, Ots

Collaborative Research and Evidence shared Among Therapists and Educators (CREATE Day)

PICO Question

What are effective occupational therapy interventions for adults with ALS to improve participation in ADLs/IADLs?

Objectives

• Define amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and recognize the prevalence
• Identify and describe evidence-based interventions to promote independence for individuals with ALS in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
• Discuss how the current literature on the effective interventions impacts occupational performance and treatment of adults with ALS

How Does The Social World Shape The Experience Of A Rare Disease? Social Position And The Development, Progression, And Medical Care For People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jennifer A. Andersen

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the implications of social position and life course on the experience of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Using a sociology in medicine frame, I test three theoretical perspectives (fundamental cause theory, social determinants of health, and life course theory) to determine the influence of social conditions on the development and progression of, and medical care for, people with ALS (pALS). Further, I use ALS as an exemplar of the need for a sociology of disease.

Using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis National Registry, I first assess the association of social position with the reported onset location at the …

Stop Requested: A Collection Of Als Poetry, Brittany File, Katherine Hubbard, Ma

Phase 1

Introduction: This project aims to use poetry to convey the lessons, challenges, and experiences encountered by patients in the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This will not only allow for individual patients to freely discuss, reminisce, and reflect on their journey with this disease, but distributing the collection to our community will aid in a better understanding of ALS patients, serve to humanize ALS, and deepen the empathic beyond between community members and patients. Additionally, it will create an environment in which both myself and physicians can reflect on the human experience and how disease …

Granulins Modulate Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation And Aggregation Of The Prion-Like C-Terminal Domain Of The Neurodegeneration-Associated Protein Tdp-43, Anukool A. Bhopatkar, Vladimir N. Uversky, Vijayaraghavan Rangachari

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) has emerged as a key player in many neurodegenerative pathologies, including frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Hallmarks of both FTLD and ALS are the toxic cytoplasmic inclusions of the prion-like C-terminal fragments of TDP-43 CTD (TDP-43 C-terminal domain), formed upon proteolytic cleavage of full-length TDP-43 in the nucleus and subsequent transport to the cytoplasm. Both full-length TDP-43 and its CTD are also known to form stress granules by coacervating with RNA in the cytoplasm during stress and may be involved in these pathologies. Furthermore, mutations in the PGRN gene, leading to …

Advancing Stem Cell Therapy For Repair Of Damaged Lung Microvasculature In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis, Robert Shell, Hilmi Mustafa, Surafuale Hailu, Alison E. Willing, Paul R. Sanberg, Cesar V. Borlongan

Neurosurgery and Brain Repair Faculty Publications

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease of motor neuron degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. Progressive paralysis of the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles leading to respiratory dysfunction and failure is the most common cause of death in ALS patients. Respiratory impairment has also been shown in animal models of ALS. Vascular pathology is another recently recognized hallmark of ALS pathogenesis. Central nervous system (CNS) capillary damage is a shared disease element in ALS rodent models and ALS patients. Microvascular impairment outside of the CNS, such as in the lungs, may occur in ALS, triggering lung damage …

The Current State Of Drug Repurposing And Rare Diseases: An Interview With Paul Trippier, Paul C. Trippier

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Paul Tripper is an Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC, NE, USA) and an Editorial Board member of Future Drug Discovery. Here, he speaks to Managing Editor Francesca Lake about drug repurposing, focusing on the key challenges, its application to rare diseases and what we can look forward to in the future.