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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Lymphatic Dysfunction And Associated Systemic Inflammation In Lymphedema, Assessed By Nirf-Li Imaging And Plasma Cytokine/Chemokine Analysis, Anna Vang
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) manifests as swelling of the upper extremities and trunk as a result of lymphatic fluid buildup due to radiation therapy (RT), surgical lymph node removal, or chemotherapy. As there is currently no cure, BCRL treatment aims to improve quality of life (QOL). First-line treatment involves specialized massage therapy and the use of compression garments. Second-line treatments include reparative lymphatic microsurgeries such as lymphovenous bypass (LVB) and/or vascularized lymph node transplant (VLNT). There is a need for better understanding of the etiology of BCRL and lymphatic microsurgery outcomes. Blood specimens and near-infrared fluorescent lymphatic imaging (NIRF- LI)data …
Development Of Quantitative Molecular Photoacoustic Imaging For Noninvasive Cancer Diagnostics, Cayla Zandbergen
Development Of Quantitative Molecular Photoacoustic Imaging For Noninvasive Cancer Diagnostics, Cayla Zandbergen
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Traditional diagnostic imaging provides clinicians with anatomical information that guides both diagnosis and treatment planning; however, once a tumor has progressed enough to be visible, it has often reached an advanced stage. Molecular imaging techniques allow for real-time visualization of chemical and biological processes via imaging of specific biomarkers, which can facilitate detection of malignancies before they become visible. One biomarker of interest is blood oxygen saturation (SO2) due to its correlation with hypoxia, which is associated with increased tumor malignancy; some studies have also established SO2 as an independent biomarker of disease progression. Additionally, because cancerous …
Development Of Rational Combination Therapy With Parp Inhibitors And Kinase Inhibitors In Tnbc, Wen-Hsuan Yu
Development Of Rational Combination Therapy With Parp Inhibitors And Kinase Inhibitors In Tnbc, Wen-Hsuan Yu
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) emerge as potential targeting drugs for BRCA-deficient cancers including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, it has been reported that a subgroup of patients even with BRCA mutation fails to respond to PARPi in multiple clinical trials. In this study, we identified c-Met, a tyrosine kinase, phosphorylates PARP1 at Y907 and that the phosphorylation increases PARP1 activity, thereby rendering cancer cells resistant to PARPi. The combination of c-Met inhibitors (METi) and PARPi has a synergistic effect for c-Met overexpressed TNBC in vitro and in vivo. In addition to c-Met, through functional analysis, we found …
Targeting Oncogenic Mirnas With Small Molecules For Breast Cancer Therapy, Paloma Del C. Monroig
Targeting Oncogenic Mirnas With Small Molecules For Breast Cancer Therapy, Paloma Del C. Monroig
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
The crucial role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer pathobiology has driven the introduction of new drug development approaches such as miRNA inhibition. In order to advance miRNA-therapeutics, there is a need to develop screening strategies that can target tumors in a specific way. Small molecule inhibitors represent an attractive approach to pursue this. However, the absence of molecular structures for most of the miRNAs makes it very difficult to predict which inhibitors can bind to them. Herein we designed a strategy to screen for small molecules by assesing whether they could directly bind/ interact with miR-10b/miR-21. As part of our …
Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Reduces The Incidence Of Brain Metastasis In A Mouse Model Of Metastatic Breast Cancer, Daniel L. Smith
Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Reduces The Incidence Of Brain Metastasis In A Mouse Model Of Metastatic Breast Cancer, Daniel L. Smith
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a preventative whole-brain irradiation technique used to reduce the incidence of brain metastasis and improve overall survival in select patients with small cell lung cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A population of breast cancer patients – stage IV, HER2+ or triple-negative – has emerged as having a high risk of developing brain metastases. Because only 10-20% of breast cancer patients diagnosed with brain metastases survive longer than one year, in this high-risk population the benefit of PCI – potential for reduced incidence of brain metastasis and improved overall survival – may outweigh the risks – …
Cancer Incidence In First And Second Degree Relatives Of Brca1 And Brca2 Mutation Carriers, Haley Streff
Cancer Incidence In First And Second Degree Relatives Of Brca1 And Brca2 Mutation Carriers, Haley Streff
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are associated with increased risks for breast, ovarian, and several other cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of cancers in first and second degree relatives of BRCA mutation carriers compared to the general population. A total of 1086 pedigrees of BRCA mutation carriers were obtained from a prospectively maintained, internal review board approved study of persons referred for clinical genetic counseling at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. We identified 9032 first and second degree relatives from 784 pedigrees which demonstrated a clear indication of parental …
Echogenic Liposomes For Nitric Oxide Delivery And Breast Cancer Treatment, Soo Yeon Lee Female
Echogenic Liposomes For Nitric Oxide Delivery And Breast Cancer Treatment, Soo Yeon Lee Female
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Liposomes, also known as nontoxic, biodegradable, and non-immunogenic therapeutic delivery vehicles, have been proposed as a carrier for drugs and antitumor agents in cancer chemotherapy. Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) have the potential to entrap air or bioactive gas to enhance acoustic reflectivity in ultrasound and are used as a contrast agent. The innovative part of this study is based on a novel concept to encapsulate nitric oxide (NO) gas into ELIP, deliver it to breast cancer cells, and control its release via direct ultrasound exposure. Studies on the effect of NO in tumor biology have shown that a high levels of …
Defining The Role Of Egfr Acetylation In Cellular Processes: Clinical Implications, Hui Song
Defining The Role Of Egfr Acetylation In Cellular Processes: Clinical Implications, Hui Song
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a cell membrane tyrosine kinase receptor and plays a pivotal role in regulating cell growth, differentiation, cell cycle, and tumorigenesis. Deregulation of EGFR causes many diseases including cancers. Intensive investigation of EGFR alteration in human cancers has led to profound progress in developing drugs to target EGFR-mediated cancers. While exploring possible synergistic enhancement of therapeutic efficacy by combining EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) with other anti-cancer agents, we observed that suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, a deacetylase inhibitor) enhanced TKI-induced cancer cell death, which further led us to question whether SAHA-mediated sensitization to TKI was …