Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Acute Intracranial Pressure Changes On Optic Nerve Head Morphology In Humnans And Pig Model, Sachin Kedar

Theses & Dissertations

The optic nerve head (ONH) is located at the interface of intracranial and intraocular compartments. It is comprised of lamina cribrosa (LC), a fenestrated connective tissue tethered to the posterior sclera across the scleral canal. Since LC is exposed to intraocular pressure (IOP) anteriorly and intracranial pressure (ICP) posteriorly, it is an ideal site for noninvasively detecting intracranial pressure (ICP) fluctuation. We hypothesized that the pressure differential between IOP and ICP across LC, will determine LC position and meridional diameter of scleral canal (also called Bruch’s membrane opening- BMOD). We tested our hypothesis in 19 human subjects undergoing medically necessary …

Novel Detection And Treatment Strategies For Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Joseph Carmicheal

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies with an estimated 5-year survival rate of less than 9%. The high lethality of PDAC is due to two primary reasons: the discovery of PDAC at later stages, with locally invasive or metastatic disease present at the time of initial diagnosis as well as the lack of efficacious therapeutic interventions that significantly impact survival. In this dissertation, we sought to discover and test novel detection and treatment strategies for PDAC. Firstly, serum EVs were investigated as potential non-invasive liquid biopsy biomarkers, to serve as a means of early cancer …

Immersive Virtual Reality Training Improved Upper Extremity Function In Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries: A Case Series, Anqi Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging treatment tool to engage people in environments that appear and feel similar to real-world objects and events.¹ There are various levels of evidence that VR can potentially promote functional activity and neuroplasticity in patients with neurological disorders like spinal cord injury (SCI).^2,3

In this case series, we explored the feasibility of using commercially available immersive VR technology as an augmented treatment in the SCI population and compare participant’s suitability for this intervention. Three male SCI participants were recruited in a subacute inpatient rehabilitation facility and participated in VR intervention twice a week …