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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Multi-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Obstructive Lung Disease, Khadija Sheikh
Multi-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Obstructive Lung Disease, Khadija Sheikh
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Obstructive lung diseases such as chronic-obstructive-lung-disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, and asthma are characterized by airflow obstruction. They affect over six million Canadians costing the economy $12 billion/year. Despite decades of research, therapies that modify obstructive-lung-disease progression and control are lacking because patient diagnosis, monitoring, and response to therapy are currently made using airflow measurements that may conceal the independent contributions of underlying pathologies. One goal of obstructive-lung-disease research is to develop ways to identify patients with specific underlying pathological phenotypes to improve patient care and outcomes. Thoracic computed-tomography (CT) and magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) provide ways to regionally identify the underlying pathologies associated …
Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly
Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly
All ETDs from UAB
The human neuromuscular system deteriorates progressively with age and disease. This results in denervation events and ultimately motor unit remodeling, which is revealed by abnormal “groups” of myofibers expressing the same myosin protein isoform – a phenomenon described as myofiber type grouping. Despite the acceptance of myofiber type grouping as a hallmark indicator of motor unit remodeling, traditional techniques of detecting it lack quantitative parameters and therefore comparative data in aging and disease are scarce. The purpose of this dissertation is to establish a statistically-driven, quantitative method for detecting myofiber type grouping and to use it to characterize the effects …