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Theses and Dissertations

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Articles 271 - 300 of 530

Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Using Dispersive Raman Spectroscopy To Assess Remodeling In Vascular Constructs Used In Tissue Engineering, Andrea S. Theus May 2018

Using Dispersive Raman Spectroscopy To Assess Remodeling In Vascular Constructs Used In Tissue Engineering, Andrea S. Theus

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) are a promising alternative to surgery for the treatment of thrombotic occlusion of small diameter (< 6 mm) arteries. It is important that TEVG composition prevent compliance mismatch. Both initial protein incorporation and cellular remodeling are important for blended TEVG compliance. Understanding the distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) components is also important and may dictate the remodeling response. Raman spectroscopy has been used to assess components of engineered scaffolds non-destructively. However, Raman has not been applied to semi-quantitatively assess 3D engineered-tissues and cellular remodeling of blended materials with low-scattering natural and high-scattering synthetic components. This is important due to the increased use of synthetic biomaterials for TEVG applications. The overall goal of this study was to develop a technique to assess the cellular and matrix remodeling response. Electrospun meshes were prepared with 100% poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), 90% PCL/collagen, and 90% PCL/fibrinogen. XPS and Raman results showed differences of protein distribution when incorporated into a PCL scaffold and differences in the resulting effects with cell culturing and incubation. Raman spectra was acquired for all pure materials individually (e.g. PCL, collagen, and fibrinogen) to determine the unique spectral fingerprint of each material. Protein peaks of interest were identified (e.g. 740 and 1040 cm-¹ ) and were analyzed when protein was incorporated into the electrospun meshes. Raman spectra was acquired for the pure PCL control and blended scaffold conditions. The protein peaks remained relevant for proteins even when incorporated into the high scattering PCL polymer and showed remodeling due to incubation and cell culturing over 21 days. Spectra were also analyzed with multi-factor processing techniques (e.g. MFA) and showed that separation between appropriate sample groups can be achieved even with large amounts of spectral data sets. Biochemical analysis (e.g. Hyp, µ-BCA assay) was done to determine if specific remodeling responses, degradation and/or release occur with incubation and culturing of smooth muscle cells. These results showed a negligible loss of protein within electrospun meshes with incubation and culture. Overall, we have shown that Raman spectroscopy can be used to semi-quantitatively detect the incorporation of low levels of specific proteins (e.g. collagen and fibrinogen) within electrospun meshes as well as changes that occur with mesh remodeling.

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Improving Realtime 3-D Tracking Of High Dose Rate Radiation Source Using A Flat Panel Detector, Leo Uchechukwu Udeji Jan 2018

Improving Realtime 3-D Tracking Of High Dose Rate Radiation Source Using A Flat Panel Detector, Leo Uchechukwu Udeji

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research 1 on this subject tracked the presumed exact path the HDR source would follow in real-time, during breast brachytherapy treatments in other to ensure accurate dose delivery and effectively confirm actual source position. As a continuation, this research has three objectives. Firstly, we will extract information from patient DICOM file which will be used to perform evaluations, then we will establish communication between our C program and the new Varex Paxscan flat panel detector (FPD). Finally, we will try to embed our C codes into a MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI) This research will attempt to improve the …

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Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid Jan 2018

Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid

Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular matrix protein Fibronectin (FN) plays an important role in cell contractility, differentiation, growth, adhesion, and migration. The 12th -14th Type III repeats of FN (FNIII 12-14), also referred to as the Heparin-II domain, comprise a highly promiscuous growth factor (GF) binding region. This binding domain aids in cellular signaling initiated from the ECM. Additionally, FN has the ability to assemble into fibrils under certain conditions, mostly observed during cell contractile processes such as those that initiate due to upregulation of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGF-β1) [1], [2]. Previous work from our lab has shown that self-assembly of …

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Regulation Of Pituitary Progenitor Differentiation By Β-Catenin, Julie Leann Youngblood Jan 2018

Regulation Of Pituitary Progenitor Differentiation By Β-Catenin, Julie Leann Youngblood

Theses and Dissertations

The pituitary gland is a critical organ that is necessary for many physiological processes, including growth, reproduction, and stress response. These vital processes are regulated through the secretion of pituitary hormones from specialized cell types. Pituitary hormone-producing cells arise from a common pool of pituitary progenitors in the developing Rathke’s pouch, and mutations that disrupt the formation and differentiation of pituitary progenitors often result in hypopituitarism, pituitary adenomas, or craniopharyngiomas. Thus, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms of pituitary development in order to understand the ways in which these congenital defects and tumors develop and disrupt pituitary function. Canonical …

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The Visual Ecology Of Speyeria Mormonia, Natalie Sanchez Gonzalez Jan 2018

The Visual Ecology Of Speyeria Mormonia, Natalie Sanchez Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Variations in environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, and day length during larval development are known to affect morphological traits in butterflies related to their visual ecology, including eye size and wing color. These vision-related traits are important for the ability of diurnal butterfly species to detect mates, especially at long distances. Thus, changes in environmental conditions may result in phenotypic modifications to butterflies which may alter their visual ecology and subsequently, their reproductive fitness. To study the interaction of phenotypic plasticity and visual ecology in the Mormon Fritillary, Speyeria mormonia, I set up a natural-laboratory experiment at the Rocky …

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Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Farheen Syeda Jan 2018

Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Farheen Syeda

Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders require varying types and degrees of treatments depending on the symptoms and underlying causes of the disease. Patients suffering from medication-refractory symptoms often undergo further treatment in the form of brain stimulation, e.g. electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). These treatments are popular and have been shown to relieve various symptoms for patients with neurological conditions. However, the underlying effects of the stimulation, and subsequently the causes of symptom-relief, are not very well understood. In particular, TMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation therapy which uses time-varying magnetic …

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Association Between Mechanics And Biology In Vascular Graft Remodeling, David Andrew Prim Jan 2018

Association Between Mechanics And Biology In Vascular Graft Remodeling, David Andrew Prim

Theses and Dissertations

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) restores myocardial perfusion in patients with severe coronary artery disease by utilizing autografts – usually at least one of the internal thoracic artery (ITA), radial artery (RA), and great saphenous vein (GSV) – to bypass stenosed regions of coronary arteries. While decades of research and clinical improvements have made CABG an indispensable procedure, tens of thousands of grafts fail each year, which is due, at least in part, to an inability of the source vessels to adapt to the altered stimuli of the coronary circulation. In this dissertation, we first quantify and compare the mechanical …

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A Comprehensive Reengineering Of The Hospital Emergency Triage System, Nicholas D. Boltin Jan 2018

A Comprehensive Reengineering Of The Hospital Emergency Triage System, Nicholas D. Boltin

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital emergency triage and specifically Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs) are of major concern with regard to treatment and patient outcomes. Traditional emergency department triage models are oversimplified and often lead to over/under triaging of patients. Furthermore, triage models do not account for the full spectrum of different types of MCIs which often results in misclassification. In this thesis, we begin by looking at traditional triage models currently being used in hospital systems and identify several shortcomings of using these models within the context of a chemical related MCI. I will then move to describe a new approach to creating a …

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Changes Of Dispersal Ability In An Isolated Population, Connor Bacon Jan 2018

Changes Of Dispersal Ability In An Isolated Population, Connor Bacon

Theses and Dissertations

Dispersal is a core mechanism in the maintenance of metapopulations. It maintains genetic diversity by connecting subpopulations and generates new populations to replace those that die out. However, as populations become more isolated, as occurs in habitat fragmentation, dispersal becomes more difficult. This should lead to selective pressure against dispersive individuals, causing a reduction in dispersal traits. Over time, this can lead to variation in dispersal traits among populations. We examine this idea using an extreme case of isolation in Euphydryas gillettii, a population that has remained completely isolated for forty years. By comparing this population to a baseline established …

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Modulation Of Amyloid-Β Aggregation Via Small Molecules And Glycine Zipper Alterations, Steven Zebulon Vance Jan 2018

Modulation Of Amyloid-Β Aggregation Via Small Molecules And Glycine Zipper Alterations, Steven Zebulon Vance

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease. Nationally, AD is the 6th leading cause of death and the only top 10 killer of Americans that cannot be slowed, cured, or prevented. AD is characterized by the deposition of extracellular plaques of aggregated amyloid-β protein (Aβ). Aβ originates from the amyloid precursor protein (APP), a transmembrane protein that is cleaved to form a short and inert protein fragment called Aβ. However, Aβ undergoes a nucleation process wherein aggregates from soluble oligomers to insoluble fibrils are formed. While uncertainty remains as to the exact mechanism, studies have associated …

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Screening Of Novel Active Salicylic Acid Analogs And Identification Of A Bacterial Effector Targeting Key Proteins Involved In Salicylic Acid-Mediated Defense, Ian Palmer Jan 2018

Screening Of Novel Active Salicylic Acid Analogs And Identification Of A Bacterial Effector Targeting Key Proteins Involved In Salicylic Acid-Mediated Defense, Ian Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The master regulator of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated plant defense, NPR1 (NONEXPRESSER OF PR GENES 1), and its paralogs NPR3 and NPR4 act as SA receptors. After the perception of a pathogen, plant cells produce SA in the chloroplast. In the presence of SA, NPR1 protein is reduced from oligomers to monomers, and translocated into the nucleus. There, NPR1 binds to TGA and WRKY transcription factors to induce expression of plant defense genes. EDS1 and PBS3 are two key proteins involved in SA biosynthesis. Previous research has shown that several plant pathogens produce SA hydroxylases. These pathogen-produced hydroxylases act to degrade …

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Automatic Image Processing And Conversion To Tactile Graphics, Tyler Ferro Jan 2018

Automatic Image Processing And Conversion To Tactile Graphics, Tyler Ferro

Theses and Dissertations

Graphical information has become a critical method for portraying information for education, work and personal tasks and decisions. Unfortunately there are currently limited means of providing this information to individuals who are blind or visually impaired: alternate text is frequently missing, and accessible tactile diagrams tend to be time consuming to make and require expertise in order for them to be interpretable (which may be costly to the user and/or impossible to get). The aim of this project is to provide an accessible system to automatically generate tactile graphics for those who need to interpret information contained in visual images. …

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Nuclear Rupture In Progeria Expressing Cells, Kranthidhar Bathula Jan 2018

Nuclear Rupture In Progeria Expressing Cells, Kranthidhar Bathula

Theses and Dissertations

Cells regularly take on various types of force in the body. They have structures that are able to mediate, transfer and respond to the forces. A mutation in force regulating proteins such as lamin in the nucleus or the KASH domain which connects the nucleus to the cytoskeleton of the cell can cause catastrophic events to occur. The aims of this study were to better understand the response of the nucleus when structural proteins are mutated or are not present while under force. Progeria, a rare disease where an additional farnesyl group is attached to lamin was used in this …

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Fibronectin Mechanics And Signaling In Tgf-Β1-Induced Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition, Lauren Griggs Jan 2018

Fibronectin Mechanics And Signaling In Tgf-Β1-Induced Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition, Lauren Griggs

Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a dynamic process by which a distinct change in the phenotype and function of epithelial cells render them as mesenchymal cells. Characteristics of mesenchymal cells include the ability to invade, increased migratory kinetics and heightened resistance to apoptosis. Therefore, there is a strong need to fully understand the mechanism for the induction of EMT in pathological conditions such as carcinoma progression. Recent advances highlight two pivotal contributors, soluble growth factor (gf) signals, and mechanical signals, in the process. However, to date, no clear mechanism exists linking the two in epithelial transdifferentiation. Transforming Growth Factor-β1 …

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Decellularized Matrices Effect On The Adaptive Immune Response, Kegan Sowers Jan 2018

Decellularized Matrices Effect On The Adaptive Immune Response, Kegan Sowers

Theses and Dissertations

Decellularized extracellular matrices have been a growing area of interest in the biomedical engineering fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.As these materials move toward clinical applications, the immune response to these materials will be a driving force toward their success in clinical approaches. Fully digested decellularized matrix constructs derived from porcine liver, muscle and lung were created to test the adaptive immune response. Hydrogel characterization ensured that the materials had relatively similar stiffness levels to reduce variability, and in vitro studies were conducted. Each individual construct as well as a gelatin control were plated with a co-culture of macrophages …

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Matrix Stiffness Modulates Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sensitivity To Geometric Asymmetry Signals, Maria Eugenia Piroli Jan 2018

Matrix Stiffness Modulates Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sensitivity To Geometric Asymmetry Signals, Maria Eugenia Piroli

Theses and Dissertations

Human stem cells hold significant potential for the treatment of various diseases. However, their use as a therapy is hampered by the limited understanding of the mechanisms by which stem cells respond to environmental stimuli. Efforts to understand extracellular biophysical cues have demonstrated the critical roles of geometric and mechanical signals in determining the fate of stem cells. The goal of this study was to explore the interplay between cell polarity and matrix stiffness in stem cell lineage specification. We hypothesize that confining cells to asymmetric extracellular matrix (ECM) islands will impart polarity at a single-cell level and result in …

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Plants As Biofactories To Produce Mammalian Tumor Suppressor Micrornas, John Lachlan Macarthur Jan 2018

Plants As Biofactories To Produce Mammalian Tumor Suppressor Micrornas, John Lachlan Macarthur

Theses and Dissertations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding single stranded RNAs that are considered master regulators of gene expression. They are also an emerging class of therapeutic agents with significant potential for the prevention and treatment of many diseases, including cancer. Many different forms of cancer are associated with loss or reduced accumulation of one or more miRNAs that function as tumor suppressors. In animal models, restoration of missing tumor suppressor miRNAs prevents the initiation, progression and/or spread of the disease. However, the current absence of an efficient method for delivery of therapeutic miRNAs is a critical barrier to their use. The research …

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Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson Jan 2018

Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

In natural disasters and military deployment operations, injury to long bone can cause extensive damage and be difficult to treat and heal quickly. Explosive devices and trauma often produce long-bone (>2-cm length) wounds that are more complicated than common fractures. Due to the size and complexity of these injuries, they can be difficult to treat in a battlefield environment and take a long time to heal completely and properly. Even after the long healing period, these injuries often require rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles that have weakened in the wounded limb. For military applications especially, these effects can put …

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Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn Jan 2018

Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn

Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges in achieving accurate positioning in head and neck radiotherapy is that the anatomy at and above the cervical spine does not act as a single, mechanically rigid body. Current immobilization techniques contain residual uncertainties that are especially present in the lower neck that cannot be reduced by setting up to any single landmark. The work presented describes the development of a radiotherapy friendly mostly-plastic 6D robotic platform for positioning independent landmarks, (i.e., allowing remote, independent positioning of the skull relative to landmarks in the thorax), including analysis of kinematics, stress, radiographic compatibility, trajectory planning, physical …

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Engineering Surface Properties To Modulate Inflammation And Stem Cell Recruitment Through Macrophage Activation, Kelly M. Hotchkiss Jan 2018

Engineering Surface Properties To Modulate Inflammation And Stem Cell Recruitment Through Macrophage Activation, Kelly M. Hotchkiss

Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials are becoming the most commonly used therapeutic method for treatment of lost or damaged tissue in the body. Metallic materials are chosen for high strength orthopaedic and dental applications. Titanium (Ti) implants are highly successful in young, healthy patients with the ability to fully integrate to surrounding tissue. However the main population requiring these corrective treatments will not be healthy or young, therefore further research into material modifications have been started to improve outcomes in compromised patients. The body’s immune system will generate a response to any implanted material, and control the final outcome. Among the first and most …

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Impact Of Electrospun Conduit Composition And Peritoneal Pre-Conditioning On Patency And Remodeling Of Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts, Mozhgan Shojaee Oct 2017

Impact Of Electrospun Conduit Composition And Peritoneal Pre-Conditioning On Patency And Remodeling Of Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts, Mozhgan Shojaee

Theses and Dissertations

Overall goal of this project was to develop a tissue engineered vascular graft by implanting an electrospun tubular conduit into the peritoneal cavity to recruit autologous cells to it and provide the cells with the components of the hysiological environment prior to grafting the conduit into the artery. This was accomplished through three complimentary studies: finding the best ratio of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and collagen that improves inflammatory response within the peritoneal cavity; determining the effect of peritoneal pre-implantation and the amount of incorporated collagen on graft functionality; and reducing the potential side effect of peritoneal adhesion formation. In the first …

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High Throughput Analysis Of The Penetration Of Iron Oxide/Polyethylene Glycol Nanoparticles Into Multicellular Breast Cancer Tumor Spheroids, Jonathan Robert Gabriel Jul 2017

High Throughput Analysis Of The Penetration Of Iron Oxide/Polyethylene Glycol Nanoparticles Into Multicellular Breast Cancer Tumor Spheroids, Jonathan Robert Gabriel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and optimize a system for the high-throughput analysis of multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS), and validate the system through the study of a complex biological model. The system was successfully created and optimized, allowing the histological recovery of MCTS at rates up to 90% for microarrays of 24-spheroids. Arrays of 96-spheroids were recovered at rates up to 86%. The system was used to study the penetration of 5k Da-polyethylene coated superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (5k-PEG SPIONs) into HTB-126 breast cancer spheroids cultured to a mean diameter of 486 micrometer (± 25.2 micrometer). Results were …

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Effect Of Tannic Acid Crosslinking On The Mechanical Properties Of Collagen Scaffolds And Melanoma Cell Proliferation, Christopher J. Bridgeman Jul 2017

Effect Of Tannic Acid Crosslinking On The Mechanical Properties Of Collagen Scaffolds And Melanoma Cell Proliferation, Christopher J. Bridgeman

Theses and Dissertations

Metastatic melanoma is responsible for nearly 10,000 deaths in the United States each year. While the prognosis for patients with localized early stage melanoma cancer is good, the chances of survival for patients with late stage metastatic melanoma are only 16%. Matrix stiffness has been shown to have a profound effect on tumor metastasis for breast cancer, but little is known about its role on melanoma metastasis and progression. Similarly, the therapeutic effect of tannic acid (TA) has been extensively characterized for soft breast and leukemia cancers, but not for melanoma. The goal of the current study was to investigate …

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Effects Of Passive And Active Training Paradigms On Bone And Muscle Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury, Brittany Lynn King Jun 2017

Effects Of Passive And Active Training Paradigms On Bone And Muscle Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury, Brittany Lynn King

Theses and Dissertations

The effects spinal cord injury (SCI) has have been studied in both human and animal models. Specifically in incomplete SCI, the bone degradation and muscle atrophy seen in the lower limbs has been documented, along with the effects of different training paradigms on bone and muscle loss. This study implemented a clinically relevant animal model of a moderate spinal contusion injury at the T9--T10 level, along with active body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and passive bike training, to compare the effects such training methods have on the bone microstructure properties and muscle masses in the lower limbs of rats. …

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Effects Of Bioengineering Scaffolds Releasing Neurotrophins And Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training On H-Reflex After Spinal Cord Injury, Jaclyn Ann Witko May 2017

Effects Of Bioengineering Scaffolds Releasing Neurotrophins And Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training On H-Reflex After Spinal Cord Injury, Jaclyn Ann Witko

Theses and Dissertations

Changes in monosynaptic reflex, often used to study spasticity, has been tested through the H-reflex in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients after rehabilitation training, such as body weight support treadmill training or cycling. The combinational effects of rehabilitation training and a bioengineered scaffold on spasticity in SCI animal model have not been studied. We used a clinically relevant animal model of spinal cord moderate contusion at T9/T10 with BWSTT and the bioengineered scaffold PNIPAAm-g-PEG loaded with the growth factors BDNF/NT-3 to measure the efficiency of the combinational bioengineered approach to treat spasticity. Five animal groups were included in the study: …

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Pegda Pouches To Prevent Adhesions With In Vivo Bioreactor- Based Vascular Graft Strategies, Kranthi Vuppuluri May 2017

Pegda Pouches To Prevent Adhesions With In Vivo Bioreactor- Based Vascular Graft Strategies, Kranthi Vuppuluri

Theses and Dissertations

Different strategies have been investigated for the fabrication of vascular grafts. Using the peritoneal cavity of the patient as an “in vivo bioreactor” to recruit autologous cells to the implanted vascular conduit is one of the promising options. One of the main drawbacks with this strategy is the potential to form adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. In this project we are trying to address this potential side-effect by using polyethylene (glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) to produce a hydrogel pouch into which the electrospun conduits are placed, with the goal of reducing the potential to form peritoneal adhesion after implantation. PEG is …

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Monitoring Heart Rate Variability In Relation To Sleep Quality, Yi-Tzu Wang May 2017

Monitoring Heart Rate Variability In Relation To Sleep Quality, Yi-Tzu Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The development and analysis of heart rate variability for sleep quality monitoring have been concerned for many years in human being. Sleep is a physiological process that is essentially maintaining the function of human body. Heart rate variability have undergone much-needed development to assess the effects such as sleep disorder, insomnia, high blood pressure, stress and even diabetes. Accurately evaluating physiological signals that are practical to measure the sleep quality in individuals monitoring heart rate variability is an important activation of diverse biological systems during sleep. A noteworthy role of measuring the heart rate variability is played by the autonomic …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of 3-D Tissue Engineered Tumor Models For Melanoma Study And Extracellular Matrix Investigation, Joseph L. Spano May 2017

Synthesis And Characterization Of 3-D Tissue Engineered Tumor Models For Melanoma Study And Extracellular Matrix Investigation, Joseph L. Spano

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, projected to claim over 9,700 American lives and necessitate $3.3 billion in care and treatment costs in 2017. In order to reduce the socioeconomic burdens and lessen cancer-related mortality and morbidity, advancements in early-stage diagnostics and treatments are essential. Two-dimensional (2-D) tissue culture treated plastics (TCTP) are reductionist in vitro models that are commonly used in drug development and preclinical drug evaluation. These models poorly recapture the native tumor microenvironment (TME), providing unrealistic growth conditions, and are thus poorly suited to measure the efficacy of newly emerging therapies. We have developed …

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Mapping Tools For Measuring Gross Motor Function In Conductive Education, Jara’ Nicole Templet Mar 2017

Mapping Tools For Measuring Gross Motor Function In Conductive Education, Jara’ Nicole Templet

Theses and Dissertations

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a collection of disorders caused by disturbances in the developing brain before, during, or just after birth that affect the development of movement and posture resulting in limitations in activity. Two of the most widely employed gross motor function classification systems used to classify CP are the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Despite the wide use of these classification systems, neither is fully sufficient in classifying the gross motor function of a patient with CP. A newer therapy program, Conductive Education (CE) seeks to help children with CP …

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A Review Of The Potential Therapeutic Application Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation During Childbirth, Tanya Enderli Mar 2017

A Review Of The Potential Therapeutic Application Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation During Childbirth, Tanya Enderli

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to show that transcutaneous Vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) should be investigated as a possible modality for increasing endogenous release of oxytocin during childbirth. There have been many great advances made in the practice of modern obstetrics in the last century. The 1900s saw the discovery, isolation, and subsequent widespread use of the hormone oxytocin as an agent to prevent postpartum hemorrhage and to initiate or quicken labor during childbirth. There are significant risks to the fetus when synthetic oxytocin is used. While the medical administration of oxytocin during labor was being popularized, there was …

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