Digital Commons Network^™

Activity Loss Is Associated With Cognitive Decline In Age-Related Macular Degeneration., Barry W. Rovner, Robin J. Casten, Benjamin E. Leiby, William S. Tasman

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND/METHODS: The objective of this study was to determine whether relinquishing cognitive, physical, and social activities is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We conducted a 3-year longitudinal study of 206 nondemented patients with AMD.

RESULTS: Twenty-three subjects (14.4%) declined cognitively. Age, sex, education, decline in visual acuity, and number of dropped activities were associated with cognitive decline; each additional dropped activity increased the risk by 58%. Subjects who relinquished three activities were 3.87 times (95% confidence interval, 1.95-7.76) more likely to become demented than subjects who relinquished no activities; those …

Malignant Melanoma Metastatic To The Thyroid Gland: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature., Brian Kung, Md, Saba Aftab, Bs, Moira D. Wood, Md, David Rosen, Md

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

The thyroid gland is a relatively uncommon site for a secondary malignancy; even less common is a case of malignant melanoma metastatic to the thyroid. We describe the case of a 68-year-old man who presented with a neck mass in the posterior triangle. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) identified the mass as a malignant melanoma. The patient had had no known primary skin melanoma. He underwent a left modified radical neck dissection, and the mass was discovered to be a positive lymph node. Postoperatively, he declined to undergo radio- and chemotherapy. Eighteen months later, he returned with a diffusely enlarged thyroid. …

Thoracoscopic Decortication Vs Tube Thoracostomy With Fibrinolysis For Empyema In Children: A Prospective, Randomized Trial., Shawn D. St Peter, Kuojen Tsao, Troy L. Spilde, Scott J. Keckler, Christopher J. Harrison, Mary Anne Jackson, Susan W. Sharp, Walter S. Andrews, Douglas C. Rivard, Frank P. Morello, G W. Holcomb Iii, Daniel J. Ostlie

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: Management of empyema has been debated in the literature for decades. Although both primary video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and tube thoracostomy with pleural instillation of fibrinolytics have been shown to result in early resolution when compared to tube thoracostomy alone, there is a lack of comparative data between these modes of management. Therefore, we conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing VATS to fibrinolytic therapy in children with empyema.

METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, children defined as having empyema by either loculation on imaging or more than 10,000 white blood cells/microL were treated with VATS or fibrinolysis. Based on …

Rationale And Design Of A Trial Of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition In Infants With Single Ventricle., Daphne T. Hsu, Seema Mital, Chitra Ravishankar, Renee Margossian, Jennifer S. Li, Lynn A. Sleeper, Richard V. Williams, Jami C. Levine, Brian W. Mccrindle, Andrew M. Atz, Darlene Servedio, Lynn Mahony, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are known to improve clinical outcome and ventricular function in adults with heart failure. Infants with single-ventricle physiology show abnormalities in ventricular function as well as poor growth. The ability of an ACE inhibitor to preserve ventricular function and improve growth in these infants is unknown.

METHODS: The Pediatric Heart Network designed a randomized, double-blind trial to compare outcomes in infants with single-ventricle physiology receiving enalapril or placebo. Neonates < or =45 days old were eligible. The primary outcome is weight-for-age Z-score at 14 months of age. Secondary outcomes include other measures of somatic growth, laboratory and functional measures of heart failure, developmental indices, measures of ventricular size and function, and the relationship of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system genotype to the response to enalapril. The incidence and spectrum of adverse events will also be compared between treatment groups.

RESULTS: A total of 1,245 neonates were screened and 533 (43%) were eligible. The consent rate was 43%; 230 subjects were enrolled. Parental reluctance to …

Microrna Expression Profiling Of Male Breast Cancer., Matteo Fassan, Raffaele Baffa, Juan P Palazzo, Joshua Lloyd, Marco Crosariol, Chang-Gong Liu, Stefano Volinia, Hannes Alder, Massimo Rugge, Carlo M Croce, Anne Rosenberg

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION : MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that control gene expression by targeting mRNAs and triggering either translation repression or RNA degradation. Their aberrant expression may be involved in human diseases, including cancer. To test the hypothesis that there is a specific miRNA expression signature which characterizes male breast cancers, we performed miRNA microarray analysis in a series of male breast cancers and compared them with cases of male gynecomastia and female breast cancers. METHODS : Paraffin blocks were obtained at the Department of Pathology of Thomas Jefferson University from 28 male patients including 23 breast …

A Glycosylated Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Produced In A Novel Protein Production System (Avi-014) In Healthy Subjects: A First-In Human, Single Dose, Controlled Study., Roslyn Varki, Ed Pequignot, Mark C Leavitt, Andres Ferber, Walter K Kraft

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: AVI-014 is an egg white-derived, recombinant, human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). This healthy volunteer study is the first human investigation of AVI-014. METHODS: 24 male and female subjects received a single subcutaneous injection of AVI-014 at 4 or 8 mcg/kg. 16 control subjects received 4 or 8 mcg/kg of filgrastim (Neupogen, Amgen) in a partially blinded, parallel fashion. RESULTS: The Geometric Mean Ratio (GMR) (90% CI) of 4 mcg/kg AVI-014/filgrastim AUC(0-72 hr) was 1.00 (0.76, 1.31) and Cmax was 0.86 (0.66, 1.13). At the 8 mcg/kg dose, the AUC(0-72) GMR was 0.89 (0.69, 1.14) and Cmax was 0.76 (0.58, …

Regional And Foreign Accent Processing In English: Can Listeners Adapt?, Caroline Floccia, Joseph Butler, Jeremy Goslin, Lucy Ellis

School of Psychology

Recent data suggest that the first presentation of a foreign accent triggers a delay in word identification, followed by a subsequent adaptation. This study examines under what conditions the delay resumes to baseline level. The delay will be experimentally induced by the presentation of sentences spoken to listeners in a foreign or a regional accent as part of a lexical decision task for words placed at the end of sentences. Using a blocked design of accents presentation, Experiment 1 shows that accent changes cause a temporary perturbation in reaction times, followed by a smaller but long-lasting delay. Experiment 2 shows …

Change In Refractive Status Of The Patients Undergoing Phacoemulsification Surgery., Mr Joshi, S Shakya

School of Health Professions

This study was carried out with the objective of finding refractive status of patients undergoing phacoemulsification surgery for cataract extraction. Success of cataract surgery can be quantified with the improvement in visual acuity with least amount of refractive error. Prospective study of 44 patients was done pre operatively and with subsequent follow up in the first, third and eighth week post operatively. Pre and post operative evaluation was carried out in terms of visual acuity, refractive error and corneal curvature. Among patients undergoing surgery, 91.0% achieved visual acuity of 6/9 or better at eighth week follow up 73.3% of patients …

Hematologic Effects Of Placental Pathology On Very Low Birthweight Infants Born To Mothers With Preeclampsia., Kelly J. Zook, Md, Amy B. Mackley, Rnc, Jennifer Kern, David A. Paul. Md

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of placental pathology on neonatal neutrophils, platelets, hematocrit and nucleated red blood cells in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants born to mothers with preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of infants with birthweight < 1500 g born to mothers with preeclampsia from july, 2002 to july, 2006 at a single level III neonatal intensive care unit. Placental pathology was reviewed for the presence of placental infarction and vasculopathy. Hematologic parameters from day of life 0, 1 and 2 were obtained. Statistical analysis included repeated-measures analysis of variance and multivariable analysis using logistic regression. RESULT: The study sample included 203 infants with estimated gestational age of 28+/-3 weeks; 45% had placental infarctions and 26% placental vasculopathy. Infants with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia did not have an increased occurrence of placental infarction or maternal vasculopathy but were more likely to be of small gestational age (SGA) and of lower gestational age compared with infants without neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. After multivariable analysis, gestational age and SGA remained associated with both neutropenia and thrombocytopenia whereas placental infarction and vasculopathy did not remain in the models. CONCLUSION: In our population of VLBW infants born to mothers with preeclampsia, placental pathology was common. There was no association of placental infarction or vasculopathy with neonatal neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. The data suggest that neonatal hematologic effects of maternal preeclampsia, if related to the placenta, are associated with factors other than placental histology.

The Root Of Dental Anatomy: A Case For Naming Eustachius The "Father Of Dental Anatomy"., Gregory W. Bennett

Journal Articles: College of Dentistry

When one considers the names of those whose affect on dentistry reached far beyond their lifetimes, one may think of Fauchard, Wells, Morton and Black. One name that deserves to be called among the pantheon of the greats is Bartholomaeus Eustachius. Eustachius was not the first to study the anatomy of the teeth and jaws, having been preceded by Da Vinci; however, he was the first to publish a treatise devoted entirely to this subject, Libellus de Dentibus, in 1563. As Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, stated: "In Science, the credit goes to the man who convinces …

Micrornas: Key Modulators Of Posttranscriptional Gene Expression., Steven P. O'Hara, Justin L. Mott, Patrick L. Splinter, Gregory J. Gores, Nicholas F. Larusso

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

No abstract provided.

Elevated Expression Of L-Selectin Ligand In Lymph Node-Derived Human Prostate Cancer Cells Correlates With Increased Tumorigenicity., Prakash Radhakrishnan, Ming-Fong Lin, Pi-Wan Cheng

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Human prostate cancer LNCaP cells including C-33 and C-81 cells were originally derived from the lymph nodes of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer. These two cells were employed for characterization of L-selectin ligand and in vitro tumorigenicity, because they mimic the clinical conditions of early and late-stage human prostate cancer. C-81 cells exhibit higher in vitro migratory and invasive properties as compared with C-33 cells. We find that the L-selectin ligand and mucin glycan-associated MECA-79 epitope were elevated in C-81 cells. An increase of these glycotopes positively correlates with elevated tumorigenicity and expression of key glycosyl- and sulfotransferase genes. …

Reduced Neutrophil Count In People Of African Descent Is Due To A Regulatory Variant In The Duffy Antigen Receptor For Chemokines Gene, David Reich, Michael A. Nalls, W H Linda Kao, Ermeg L. Akylbekova, Arti Tandon, Nick Patterson, James Mullikin, Wen-Chi Hsueh, Ching-Yu Cheng, Josef Coresh, Eric Boerwinkle, Man Li, Alicja Waliszewska, Julie Neubauer, Rongling Li, Tennille S. Leak, Lynette Ekunwe, Joe C. Files, Cheryl L. Hardy, Joseph M. Zmuda, Herman A. Taylor, Elad Ziv, Tamara B. Harris, James G. Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Persistently low white blood cell count (WBC) and neutrophil count is a well-described phenomenon in persons of African ancestry, whose etiology remains unknown. We recently used admixture mapping to identify an approximately 1-megabase region on chromosome 1, where ancestry status (African or European) almost entirely accounted for the difference in WBC between African Americans and European Americans. to identify the specific genetic change responsible for this association, we analyzed genotype and phenotype data from 6,005 African Americans from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study, and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. …

Intergenerational Wealth Transmission And The Dynamics Of Inequality In Small-Scale Societies, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Samuel Bowles, Tom Hertz, Adrian Bell, Jan Beise, Greg Clark, Ila Fazzio, Michael Gurven, Kim Hill, Paul L. Hooper, William Irons, Hillard Kaplan, Donna Leonetti, Bobbi Low, Frank Marlowe, Richard Mcelreath, Suresh Naidu, David Nolan, Patrizio Piraino, Robert Quinlan, Eric Schniter, Rebecca Sear, Mary Shenk, Eric Alden Smith, Christopher Von Reuden, Polly Wiessner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Small-scale human societies range from foraging bands with a strong egalitarian ethos to more economically stratified agrarian and pastoral societies. We explain this variation in inequality using a dynamic model in which a population’s long-run steady-state level of inequality depends on the extent to which its most important forms of wealth are transmitted within families across generations. We estimate the degree of intergenerational transmission of three different types of wealth (material, embodied, and relational), as well as the extent of wealth inequality in 21 historical and contemporary populations. We show that intergenerational transmission of wealth and wealth inequality are substantial …

Comparative Efficacy Of 2 Topical Anesthetics For The Placement Of Orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Devices, Derek S Reznik, Arthur H Jeske, Jung-Wei Chen, Jeryl English

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study compared the effectiveness of topical benzocaine 20% versus a combination of lidocaine, tetracaine, and phenylephrine in providing sufficient analgesia for the placement of orthodontic temporary anchorage devices (TADs). The 2 topical anesthetics were tested against each other bilaterally using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. The agents were left in place for the amount of time prescribed by the manufacturer. The TAD was then placed, and each subject rated the degree of pain on a Heft-Parker visual analogue scale. A pulse oximeter was used to record the preoperative and postoperative pulse rates. Statistically significant differences in perceived pain (P …

Incidental Detection Of An Occult Oral Malignancy With Autofluorescence Imaging: A Case Report, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Sheila Koh, Ann Gillenwater

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Autofluorescence imaging is used widely for diagnostic evaluation of various epithelial malignancies. Cancerous lesions display loss of autofluorescence due to malignant changes in epithelium and subepithelial stroma. Carcinoma of unknown primary site presents with lymph node or distant metastasis, for which the site of primary tumour is not detectable. We describe here the use of autofluorescence imaging for detecting a clinically innocuous appearing occult malignancy of the palate which upon pathological examination was consistent with a metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A submucosal nodule was noted on the right posterior hard palate of a 59-year-old white female during …

Taxonomy Development And Knowledge Representation Of Nurses' Personal Cognitive Artifacts, Sharon Mclane, James P Turley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nurses prepare knowledge representations, or summaries of patient clinical data, each shift. These knowledge representations serve multiple purposes, including support of working memory, workload organization and prioritization, critical thinking, and reflection. This summary is integral to internal knowledge representations, working memory, and decision-making. Study of this nurse knowledge representation resulted in development of a taxonomy of knowledge representations necessary to nursing practice.This paper describes the methods used to elicit the knowledge representations and structures necessary for the work of clinical nurses, described the development of a taxonomy of this knowledge representation, and discusses translation of this methodology to the cognitive …

Key Role Of T Cell Defects In Age-Related Vulnerability To West Nile Virus, James D. Brien, Jennifer L. Uhrlaub, Alec Hirsch, Clayton A. Wiley, Janko Nikolich-Zugich

Open Access Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) infection causes a life-threatening meningoencephalitis that becomes increasingly more prevalent over the age of 50 and is 40-50x more prevalent in people over the age of 70, compared with adults under the age of 40. In a mouse model of age-related vulnerability to WNV, we demonstrate that death correlates with increased viral titers in the brain and that this loss of virus control with age was the result of defects in the CD4 and CD8 T cell response against WNV. Specific age-related defects in T cell responses against dominant WNV epitopes were detected at the level …

Effector Memory T Cell Responses Are Associated With Protection Of Rhesus Monkeys From Mucosal Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Challenge., Scott G. Hansen, Cassandra Vieville, Nathan Whizin, Lia Coyne-Johnson, Don C. Siess, Derek D. Drummond, Alfred W. Legasse, Michael K. Axthelm, Kelli Oswald, Charles M. Trubey, Michael Piatak, Jeffrey D. Lifson, Jay A. Nelson, Michael A. Jarvis, Louis J. Picker

School of Biomedical Sciences

The rapid onset of massive, systemic viral replication during primary HIV or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and the immune evasion capabilities of these viruses pose fundamental problems for vaccines that depend upon initial viral replication to stimulate effector T cell expansion and differentiation. We hypothesized that vaccines designed to maintain differentiated effector memory T cell (TEM cell) responses at viral entry sites might improve efficacy by impairing viral replication at its earliest stage, and we have therefore developed SIV protein-encoding vectors based on rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV), the prototypical inducer of life-long TEM cell responses. RhCMV vectors expressing SIV Gag, …

Molluscan Memory Of Injury: Evolutionary Insights Into Chronic Pain And Neurological Disorders, Edgar T Walters, Leonid L Moroz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Molluscan preparations have yielded seminal discoveries in neuroscience, but the experimental advantages of this group have not, until now, been complemented by adequate molecular or genomic information for comparisons to genetically defined model organisms in other phyla. The recent sequencing of the transcriptome and genome of Aplysia californica, however, will enable extensive comparative studies at the molecular level. Among other benefits, this will bring the power of individually identifiable and manipulable neurons to bear upon questions of cellular function for evolutionarily conserved genes associated with clinically important neural dysfunction. Because of the slower rate of gene evolution in this molluscan …

Is Paromomycin An Effective And Safe Treatment Against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis? A Meta-Analysis Of 14 Randomized Controlled Trials, Dae Hyun Kim, Hye Jin Chung, Joachim Bleys, Reza F Ghohestani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: High cost, poor compliance, and systemic toxicity have limited the use of pentavalent antimony compounds (SbV), the treatment of choice for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Paromomycin (PR) has been developed as an alternative to SbV, but existing data are conflicting.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, without language restriction, through August 2007, to identify randomized controlled trials that compared the efficacy or safety between PR and placebo or SbV. Primary outcome was clinical cure, defined as complete healing, disappearance, or reepithelialization of all lesions. Data were extracted independently by two investigators, and pooled …

Objectively Measured Physical Activity And Its Association With Adiponectin And Other Novel Metabolic Markers: A Longitudinal Study In Children (Earlybird 38)., Bs Metcalf, An Jeffery, J Hosking, Ld Voss, N Sattar, Tj Wilkin

Peninsula Medical School

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that, in children, traditional markers of metabolic disturbance are related only weakly to physical activity. We therefore sought to establish the corresponding relationships with newer metabolic markers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a nonintervention longitudinal study of 213 healthy children recruited from 54 schools in Plymouth, U.K. MTI accelerometers were used to make objective 7-day recordings of physical activity at ages 5 +/- 0.3 (mean +/- SD), 6, 7, and 8 years. Overall physical activity was taken as the average of the four annual time points. The metabolic markers at 8 years were adiponectin, leptin, …

Computing Travel Time When The Exact Address Is Unknown: A Comparison Of Point And Polygon Zip Code Approximation Methods, Ethan M. Berke, Xun Shi

Dartmouth Scholarship

Travel time is an important metric of geographic access to health care. We compared strategies of estimating travel times when only subject ZIP code data were available.Using simulated data from New Hampshire and Arizona, we estimated travel times to nearest cancer centers by using: 1) geometric centroid of ZIP code polygons as origins, 2) population centroids as origin, 3) service area rings around each cancer center, assigning subjects to rings by assuming they are evenly distributed within their ZIP code, 4) service area rings around each center, assuming the subjects follow the population distribution within the ZIP code. We used …

Quality Improvement In Small Office Settings: An Examination Of Successful Practices., Daniel Wolfson, Elizabeth Bernabeo, Brian Leas, Shoshanna Sofaer, Gregory Pawlson, Donna Pillittere

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Physicians in small to moderate primary care practices in the United States (U.S.) (<25>physicians) face unique challenges in implementing quality improvement (QI) initiatives, including limited resources, small staffs, and inadequate information technology systems 23,36. This qualitative study sought to identify and understand the characteristics and organizational cultures of physicians working in smaller practices who are actively engaged in measurement and quality improvement initiatives.

METHODS: We undertook a qualitative study, based on semi-structured, open-ended interviews conducted with practices (N = 39) that used performance data to drive quality improvement activities.

RESULTS: Physicians indicated that benefits to performing measurement and …

Quality Improvement In Small Office Settings: An Examination Of Successful Practices., Daniel Wolfson, Elizabeth Bernabeo, Brian Leas, Shoshanna Sofaer, Gregory Pawlson, Donna Pillittere

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Physicians in small to moderate primary care practices in the United States (U.S.) (<25 >physicians) face unique challenges in implementing quality improvement (QI) initiatives, including limited resources, small staffs, and inadequate information technology systems 23,36. This qualitative study sought to identify and understand the characteristics and organizational cultures of physicians working in smaller practices who are actively engaged in measurement and quality improvement initiatives.

METHODS: We undertook a qualitative study, based on semi-structured, open-ended interviews conducted with practices (N = 39) that used performance data to drive quality improvement activities.

RESULTS: Physicians indicated that benefits to performing measurement and …

The Interaction Of Hab18g/Cd147 With Integrin Alpha6beta1 And Its Implications For The Invasion Potential Of Human Hepatoma Cells., Jing-Yao Dai, Ke-Feng Dou, Cong-Hua Wang, Pu Zhao, Wayne Bond Lau, Ling Tao, Ya-Mei Wu, Juan Tang, Jian-Li Jiang, Zhi-Nan Chen

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: HAb18G/CD147 plays pivotal roles in invasion by hepatoma cells, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our previous study demonstrated that overexpression of HAb18G/CD147 promotes invasion by interacting with integrin alpha3beta1. However, it has never been investigated whether alpha3beta1 is solely responsible for this process or if other integrin family members also interact with HAb18G/CD147 in human hepatoma cells. METHODS: Human SMMC-7721 and FHCC98 cells were cultured and transfected with siRNA fragments against HAb18G/CD147. The expression levels of HAb18G/CD147 and integrin alpha6beta1 were determined by immunofluorescent double-staining and confocal imaging analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses were performed to examine …

Staphylococcus Aureus Activates Type I Ifn Signaling In Mice And Humans Through The Xr Repeated Sequences Of Protein A, Francis J. Martin, Marisa I. Gomez, Dawn M. Wetzel, Guido Memmi

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Polyethylenimine-Based Sirna Nanocomplexes Reprogram Tumor-Associated Dendritic Cells Via Tlr5 To Elicit Therapeutic Antitumor Immunity, Juan R. Cubillos-Ruiz, Xavier Engle, Uciane K. Scarlett, Diana Martinez

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Lung Cancer In A U.S. Population With Low To Moderate Arsenic Exposure, Julia Heck

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Noninvasive Measurement Of Aminolevulinic Acid-Induced Protoporphyrin Ix Fluorescence Allowing Detection Of Murine Glioma In Vivo, Summer L. Gibbs-Strauss, Julia A. O'Hara, P Jack Hoopes, Tayyaba Hasan, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence is studied as a contrast agent for noninvasive detection of murine glioma, using the fluorescence-to-transmission ratio measured through the cranium. Signals measured prior to administration of ALA are very similar between control animals, 9L-GFP, and U251 tumor-bearing animals. However, 2 h after ALA administration, the PpIX signal from both tumor-bearing groups is significantly higher than the control group (9L-GFP group p-value=0.016, and U251 group p-value=0.004, relative to the control group). The variance in signal from the 9L-GFP group is much larger than either the control group or the U251 group, which is consistent …