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Family Well-Being: A Complex Challenge Worth Pursuing, Susan H. Landry

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Issue Editor, Susan Landry's point of view and summary of the articles in Family Well-Being and Social Environments.

Family Well-Being And Social Environments: Correlations Within Childhood, Robert D. Sanborn, Angelo P. Giardino

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Robert Sanborn and Angelo P. Giardino's introduction for Volume 5, Issue 1: Family Well-Being and Social Environments.

Evaluation Of Artifacts In Experimental Cine 4d Ct Acquisition Methods, Sarah Joy

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) has increased the accuracy of radiation treatment planning for patients in whom the extent of target motion is large. 4D CT has become a standard of care for radiation treatment simulation, allowing decreased motion artifacts and increased spatiotemporal localization of anatomical structures that move. However, motion artifacts may still remain. These artifacts, or artificial anatomic spatial distributions, add a systematic uncertainty to the treatment process and limit the accuracy of lung function images derived from CT. We proposed to reduce the motion artifacts in cine 4D CT by using three novel investigational 4D CT acquisition …

Factors Associated With Physical Activity In Kindergarten Children, Carol Hammonds

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Reversing obesity is an urgent public health need for children: worldwide, in 2011 more than 40 million children under the age of five were either overweight or obese. Increasing intensity and duration of physical activity is a strategy to aid in preventing and reducing obesity. A minimum of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity is recommended for children. School settings, such as full-day kindergarten, where 74% of children in the United States are enrolled, provide opportunities for population-based interventions to increase physical activity, yet little objective data exist on current levels of physical activity in …

How Do Black Nulliparous Women Cognitively Construct Birth?, Marianne F. Moore

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A focused ethnography was conducted to determine the cognitive constructions about birth described by nulliparous Black women in an urban area of the Southwestern US; also, during postpartum, how do these women reconcile expectations with the actual birth? Semi-structured interviews were conducted before birth and after birth.

Women, 16 or older, 17 - 33 weeks carrying a singleton fetus and without anomalies or problems like pre-gestational diabetes, NYHA Cardiac Class III/IV, cancer, renal failure, or sickle cell anemia that eliminated vaginal birth were sequentially recruited and sampled in an affiliated ultrasound clinic. Women scheduled for an anatomy scan were approached. …

Modulated Functions Of The Fanconi Anemia Core Complex, Yaling Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cells derived from Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are characterized by hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), suggesting that FA genes play a role in ICL repair. Fanconi anemia core complex (including A, B, C, E, F, G, L, FAAP20, and FAAP100) activates the Fanconi pathway by providing the essential E3 ligase activity for FANCD2 mono-ubiquitination. Previous studies suggested the existence of three protein-protein interaction groups. However, the functions of most FA core complex protein are still limited to their presence in the complex. How the spatially-defined FANCD2 ubiquitination is accomplished by the core complex remains unknown.

To elucidate the roles …

Mechanisms Underlying Distinct Egfr Versus Fgfr-3 And -1 Dependency In Human Bladder Cancer Cells, Tiewei Cheng

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) are activated by gene amplification, mutation and overexpression in bladder cancer, which drives tumor development and progression. Both EGFR and FGFR inhibitors are currently being tested in clinical trials. However, bladder cancer (BC) cells show remarkably heterogeneous sensitivities to both inhibitors, and the molecular determinants of this heterogeneity are presently unclear. Therefore, in this study, using selective EGFR and FGFR inhibitors in BC cells, we demonstrated that FGFR3 and FGFR1 play largely non-overlapping roles in mediating proliferation and invasion in the distinct “epithelial” and “mesenchymal” subsets of human …

Gain-Of-Function Mouse Models To Investigate Biological Roles Of Prmt6, Alessandra Di Lorenzo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gain-of-function Mouse Models to Investigate Biological Roles of PRMT6

Alessandra Di Lorenzo, Ph.D. Candidate

Mentor: Dr. Mark T. Bedford

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6) is the histone tail writer that methylates the H3R2 (arginine 2 of histone H3) residue, which counteracts the activating H3K4me3 mark. PRMT6 has been shown to behave both as transcriptional co-repressor (i.e. trhrombospondin-1, p21, p53), and co-activator (nuclear receptors). The co-repressor function of PRMT6 is likely the result of H3K4me3 antagonism, while the mechanism by which PRMT6 exerts its co-activator function has yet to be elucidated. PRMT6 is over-expressed in several types of tumors including small …

The Association Between The Il-1 Pathway, Isaac C. Wun

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is a potentially lethal malignancy that warrants attention and further research, as it is known to that there is an increasing rate of incidence in theUnited States, and it is also known that exposure to UV light is its most crucial risk factor, and family history of melanoma is also an important risk factor. Melanoma is an aggressive and lethal cancer in humans. There are an estimated new 132,000 melanoma cases annually worldwide, and the trend has doubled in the past 20 years. However, attempts to treat melanoma have encountered considerable resistance and remained ineffective. The …

Systematic Methodology For The Identification Of A Novel Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa Disease-Causing Gene, Jennifer D. Churchill

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal disease that leads to degeneration of the retina through loss of rod and cone photoreceptor cells and subsequent loss of vision. RP affects approximately 1.5 million people world-wide. Mutations causing autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) have been identified in 23 different genes. However, these mutations only account for approximately 70% of known adRP cases in Caucasians of Western-European origin and for an even smaller percentage of cases in other ethnicities. My research aims to increase the number of known genes associated with adRP by using an array of advanced genetic techniques to search …

Imbalance Between Neutrophil Elastase And Elafin Promotes Breast Cancer Growth And Progression, Joseph Anthony Caruso

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Elafin, an endogenous serine protease inhibitor, is a critical component of the epithelial barrier against neutrophil elastase (NE) activity. The central hypothesis examined in this dissertation was that elafin has tumor suppressive properties in breast cancer. In support of this hypothesis, immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis revealed that elafin was downregulated in the majority of invasive breast tumors and a subset of pre-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) compared to elafin expression in the normal mammary epithelium. To understand the role of elafin in the mammary epithelium and the impetus for its downregulation during breast tumorigenesis, primary and immortalized human mammary epithelial …

Image-Guided Proton Therapy For Online Dose-Evaluation And Adaptive Planning, Joey P. Cheung

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The main advantage for using protons in radiotherapy is their finite range in patients, allowing for potential improved sparing of normal tissues. However, this comes at a cost of increased sensitivity to range uncertainties. Density changes along the beam path will affect the proton range and the resultant dose distribution, making it difficult to estimate the impact of visible anatomic changes to the patient dose distribution. In order to better understand the effect of anatomy change on proton dose, some form of treatment-time verification is required and methods to correct for observed changes would be beneficial. Therefore, this project aims …

Activating The 4-1bb Pathway For The Expansion Of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes For Adoptive T-Cell Therapy For Metastatic Melanoma Patients, Jessica Ann Chacon

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This dissertation project focused on improving the quality of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) used in Adoptive T-cell therapy by understanding the role of 4-1BB/CD137 co-stimulation during the expansion of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Adoptive T-cell therapy using TIL is a promising therapy for late stage melanoma patients, resulting in a 50% response rate and durable long-term survival in over 20% of patients. Current research is aiming at improving the quality of the expanded cells and their persistence in vivo after adoptive transfer to further boost response rates. The specific focus of this dissertation project is the testing of agonistic anti-4-1BB …

Bioactivity And Cell-Mediated Targeting Of Multistage Nanoporous Silicon Particles, Jonathan O. Martinez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Progress in drug delivery approaches have not adequately translated into clinical advances in the diagnosis or treatment of inflammatory disorders (e.g., cancer). This disconnect is rooted in the inefficient delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents to the inflamed site upon systemic delivery. A multitude of biological barriers pose insurmountable obstacles limiting the ability of the agent to effectively reach and accumulate at the target site. Nanoparticles (NP) surfaced as potential vectors to encapsulate and deliver biological agents. However, even after surface decoration, NP have failed to evade biological barriers (i.e., MPS) and to accumulate at the tumor site at therapeutic …

Eye-Tracking Measures Of Attentional Bias In Cocaine Dependent Subjects, Nadeeka Dias

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cocaine-dependent (CD) subjects show evidence of attentional bias toward cocaine-related cues, and this measure of cue-reactivity is predictive of craving and relapse. In previous work, cue-reactivity and attentional bias have been assessed by models that present drug-relevant stimuli (e.g., cocaine-specific Stroop task) and measure physiological and behavioral reactivity (e.g., heart rate, reaction times). Studies have indicated competition between the higher-order cortical processes (frontal eye-fields, DLPFC) in voluntary eye control (i.e., anti-saccades) and more reflexive saccades driven by involuntary midbrain (superior colliculus) perceptual input (i.e., pro-saccades). In addition, neuroimaging studies in patients with cocaine dependence have shown activation in frontal regions …

Role Of Talin1 Phosphorylation In Beta1 Integrin Activation And Prostate Cancer Metastasis, Jung-Kang Jin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Talins are adaptor proteins that regulate focal adhesion signaling by conjugating integrins to the cytoskeleton. Talins directly bind and activate integrins but the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. As integrin activation and overexpression of talins promote prostate cancer metastasis, understanding the mechanism by which talins activate integrins will better elucidate their roles in Prostate cancer metastasis. Phosphorylation of talins on serine 425 has been associated with β1 integrin functions. Work in this dissertation tested the hypothesis that increased talin1 S425 phosphorylation was required for β1 integrin activation and promotion of prostate cancer metastasis.

I first used shRNA to …

Metadherin Functions As A Laminin Receptor That Is Essential For Metastasis And Is Associated With Poor Survival In Osteosarcoma, Limin Zhu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Osteosarcoma is a highly invasive bone malignancy in which metastasis accounts for the vast majority of death and morbidity in patients. Understanding the mechanisms controlling metastasis is essential for improving patient survival in this disease. In order to improve the clinical outcomes for patients with poor prognosis, it is urgent to find new therapeutic targets to block metastasis in this disease. Recent studies have shown that Metadherin (MTDH) plays an essential role in mediating tumorigenesis and metastasis in a variety of human cancers. Our study assessed the role of MTDH in osteosarcoma metastasis and elucidated the mechanisms underlying its metastasis-promoting …

Anti-Insulin Resistance Treatments Suppress Her2+ Breast Cancer Growth Via Altering Metabolism, Ping-Chieh Chou

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Epidemiological studies have identified that type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a significant risk factor for carcinogenesis and cancer death, including breast cancer. Our previous finding in patients showed that anti-insulin resistance treatments are associated with improved HER2⁺ breast cancer survival of diabetic women. However, there were no transgenic mouse models to study the correlation and explain the detailed mechanism. We generated a mouse model of HER2⁺ breast cancer with DM2 by crossing leptin receptor point mutation (Lepr ^db/+) and MMTV-ErbB2 (neu) mice. The MMTV-ErbB2/Lepr ^db/db mice had a poor survival rate compared …

Performance Evaluation Of Material Decomposition Using Rapid Kvp-Switching Dual-Energy Ct For Assessing Bone Mineral Density, John M. Wait

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Osteoporosis is diagnosed by assessing the bone mineral density (BMD) of the trabecular bone, and has previously been characterized with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or single-energy computed tomography (SECT). Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is able to create two three-dimensional sets of images representing the densities of two materials in a given basis pair. DECT is theoretically capable of providing a true density measurement of trabecular bone material with the proper material basis pair.

Using the rapid kVp-switching GE HD750 scanner, the concentrations of various solutes were assessed in two-material syringe-phantoms in different experimental conditions with DECT material density images, SECT …

Phage Display Library Screening For Psa-/Lo Prostate Cancer Cell-Binding Peptides, John R. Moore

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading malignancies affecting men worldwide. Our lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying prostate carcinogenesis and developing therapeutics that target the cells responsible for driving PCa and mediating therapy resistance. My master thesis research employs a phage display library screening technology aiming to identify peptides that preferentially home in to undifferentiated PCa cells, which our lab has previously demonstrated to be intrinsically resistant to castration.

There is now evidence that a population of cells in PCa possesses characteristics associated with stem cells; these cells are referred to as cancer stem cells (CSCs). …

Characterization Of Ftsa-Ftsn Interaction During Escherichia Coli Cell Division, [email protected] K. Busiek

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Division of a bacterial cell into two equal daughter cells requires precise assembly and constriction of the division machinery, or divisome. The Escherichia coli divisome includes nearly a dozen essential cell division proteins that assemble at midcell between segregating sister chromosomes. FtsZ, a homolog of eukaryotic tubulin, is the first essential cell division protein to localize at midcell where it polymerizes into a ring-shaped scaffold (Z ring). Establishment of the Z ring is required for recruitment of downstream cell division proteins including FtsA, a cytoplasmic protein that tethers the Z ring to the inner membrane. Following localization of FtsA and …

Evaluation Of Current Clinical Criteria For Li-Fraumeni Syndrome In A Diverse Sample Of Tp53 Mutation Carriers, Emily A. Parham

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome caused by heterozyogous germline mutations in the TP53 gene and characterized by an excess of early-onset cancers, high lifetime risk of cancer, and a wide range of tumor types. Recent studies suggesting a benefit in comprehensive screening protocols for both children and adults make the timely identification of individuals with LFS increasingly important.

A number of criteria have been proposed to identify patients with LFS. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) combines several in its Clinical Practice Guidelines for TP53 genetic testing. Prior studies have shown that the cumulative sensitivity of …

Proteasome Inhibition Enhances The Effect Of Bikdd Gene Therapy, Ye Sun

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

BikDD is a phosphorylation mimic mutant form of pro-apoptotic protein Bik, and possesses a stronger apoptosis induction capability. By constructing into a highly amplified “VISA” (VP16-GAL4-WPRE integrated systemic amplifier) system under the control of a cancer specific promoter, previous studies have verified the specific killing effect of BikDD in cancer cells both in in vitro and in vivo models. C-VISA-BikDD delivered by liposome has been approved by FDA for clinical trial in advanced pancreatic cancer. In this study, we proposed proteasome inhibition as a combinational therapy strategy with BikDD gene therapy to enhance the clinical benefits. Proteasome inhibition stabilized exogenously …

Latinas And The Traditional Genetic Counseling Model: A Qualitative Study, Stephanie Thompson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The traditional genetic counseling model reflects an individualized counseling session that includes the presentation of information about genes, chromosomes, personalized risk assessment, and genetic testing and screening options. Counselors are challenged to balance providing educational information with discussion of implications of this information in an allotted amount of time. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of pregnant Latinas on the benefits and limitations of the traditional prenatal genetic counseling model and to determine the specific preferences for receiving prenatal genetic counseling. Data were collected through focus groups and one-on-one, semi-structured interviews of twenty-five Spanish speaking Latinas …

P53 Maintains Hepatic Cell Identity During Liver Regeneration, Zeynep Hande Coban Akdemir

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

p53 MAINTAINS HEPATIC CELL IDENTITY DURING LIVER REGENERATION

Zeynep Hande Coban Akdemir, B.S.,M.A.

Advisory Professor: Michelle Craig Barton, Ph.D.

p53 is a tumor suppressor that has been well studied in tumor-derived, cultured cells. However, its functions in normal proliferating cells and tissues are generally overlooked. We propose that p53 functions during the G1-S transition can be studied in normal, differentiated cells during surgery-induced liver regeneration. Two-thirds partial hepatectomy (PH) of mouse liver offers a unique model to compare p53 functions in regenerating versus sham (control) cells. My hypothesis is that intersection of global expression analyses (microarray and RNA sequencing) and …

The Epigenetics Of Small Cell Prostate Cancer, Brittany N. Kleb

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Small cell prostate cancer (SCPC) is an androgen receptor (AR) negative variant that can develop during the progression of castration-resistant AR-positive (AR⁺) prostate adenocarcinomas. While rare at initial diagnosis, SCPC is present in 10-20% of patients resulting in an aggressive clinical course with poor response to hormonal therapies and a short median survival. Our studies in patient-tumor derived xenografts revealed that the AR-negative small cell prostate carcinomas (AR^-SCPC) express genes involved in neural development instead of the prostate luminal epithelial gene expression that characterizes AR-positive castration-resistant adenocarcinomas (AR⁺ADENO). We hypothesized that the differences in …

Contribution Of Interleukin 6 Trans Signaling In Pulmonary Fibrosis, Thuy T. Le

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal lung disease with progressive fibrosis and death within 2-3 years of diagnosis. IPF incidence and prevalence rates are increasing annually, and because the pathogenesis is unknown, there are no effective treatments available. Inhibition of interleukin 6 (IL-6) results in the attenuation of pulmonary fibrosis in mice. It is unclear whether this is due to blockade of classical signaling, mediated by membrane-bound IL-6 receptor alpha (mIL-6Rα), or trans signaling, mediated by soluble IL-6Rα (sIL-6Rα). Our study assessed the role of sL-6Rα in IPF. We demonstrated elevations of sIL-6Rα in IPF patients and in mice …

Regulation Of The Candida Albicans Arginine Biosynthetic Pathway, Claudia Jimenez Lopez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida albicans is the most importan thuman-associatedfungus.It is a commensal microorganism but also an opportunistic pathogen able to cause superficial infections aswellaslife-threateninginfectionswhich are associated with a highmortalityrateof 50%. The interactions between C. albicans and the cells of the mammalian innate immune system, which confer the most important protecting mechanisms against disseminated infections, are very dynamic and determine the success of C. albicans as a pathogen. Transcriptional profiling has shown that phagocytosis of C. albicans by macrophages results primarily in the activation of alternative carbon metabolism pathways suggesting that the pathogen is exposed to a glucose poor environment. Changes in …

Gsbs News, Spring 2014, Graduate School Of Biomedical Sciences, University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

GSBS News

Cover image by artist Syd Moen; Benefactor News: Smithville fundraiser supports GSBS fellow; New endowment to support MD/PhD Program; Coming full circle: developing and promoting a Core Curriculum; Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence: GSBS Alumni All-Stars shine at Super Panel and 2013 Reunion; Faculty Membership Report; Faculty News: Dr. Vicki Knutson retires; GSBS Outreach Council hosts community Science Night; Student News; 2013-2014 Student Awards; Alumni News; Message to Alumni

Caring Minds, University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston School Of Nursing

Caring Minds

No abstract provided.