Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

"It’S Just Another Thing”: Perceptions Of Well Water Quality And Barriers In An Arsenic Hot Spot, Linzy Rosen

Honors Theses

Privately owned water is the primary source of drinking water for 43 million Americans. Although residential or private wells are susceptible to a variety of contaminants, the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 positions individuals as responsible for the testing, remediation, and management of this water. Despite the elevated presence of arsenic in Maine, which is linked to various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and neurological damage, little is known about how private well owners perceive the safety and quality of their own water.

This study takes a qualitative approach to understanding concerns and opinions by conducting semi - structured interviews with …

System Measurements For X-Ray Phase And Diffraction Imaging, Erik Wolfgang Tripi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In medical imaging, X rays are used to look inside the body to find fractures in bones, abnormal masses, cavities in teeth, and so on. What makes X rays so good at looking at these types of structures is the X ray’s penetration power. When imaging soft tissue to search for tumors, X-ray images tend to have difficulty performing well. The reason for this is that the background structures, such as fat or fibro glandular tissue have similar absorption coefficients as the tumor. Mammography tends to have a high false positive rate and can miss tumors entirely as well. There …

Changes In Physical Activity And Relationships To Submaximal Exercise Capacity And Cardiac Function During Breast Cancer Therapy, Moriah P. Bellissimo

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are at high risk for heart failure due to curative cancer therapies. In non-cancer populations, physical activity is a first line treatment for preventing cardiovascular disease. This study examined whether more physical activity was associated with better submaximal exercise capacity and cardiac function during the first three months of cancer therapy.

Methods: Participants included 223 women with stage I-III BC before therapy and after three months of undergoing treatment and 126 controls. Leisure time physical activity was reported using the Godin Sheppard leisure time exercise questionnaire. Cardiac function was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance, and …

Human Papillomavirus 16 E2 Regulates Host Cell Pathways Important For Cancer Progression And Treatment Sensitivity Which May Contribute To Cancer Outcomes, Christian Fontan

Theses and Dissertations

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are causative agents in around 5% of all cancers, including cervical and oropharyngeal. A feature of HPV cancers is their better clinical outcome compared with non-HPV anatomical counterparts. In turn, the presence of E2 predicts a better clinical outcome in HPV-positive cancers; the reason(s) for the better outcome of E2-positive patients is not fully understood.

Previously, we demonstrated that HPV16 E2 regulates host gene transcription that is relevant to the HPV16 lifecycle in N/Tert-1 cells. One of the genes repressed by E2 and the entire HPV16 genome in N/Tert-1 cells is TWIST1. In these studies, we demonstrate …

Intracellular Trafficking And Distribution Of Cd And Inp Quantum Dots In Hela And Ml-1 Thyroid Cancer Cells, Min Zhang

MSU Graduate Theses

The study of the interaction of engineered nanoparticles, including quantum dots (QDs), with cellular constituents and the kinetics of their localization and transport, has provided new insights into their biological consequences in cancers and for the development of effective cancer therapies. The present study aims to elucidate the toxicity and intracellular transport kinetics of CdSe/ZnS and InP/ZnS QDs in late-stage ML-1 thyroid cancer using well-tested HeLa cells as a control. The XTT viability assay showed that ML-1 cells, and non-cancerous mouse fibroblast cells, exhibit no viability defect in response to these QDs, whereas HeLa cell viability decreases. These results suggest …

Increasing Cancer Survivorship Knowledge Through Individualized Cancer Survivorship Packets, Ashley Atkins

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This project was developed with the aim of formulating an individualized educational packet that would improve patients’ knowledge of their initial cancer diagnosis and provide additional information to facilitate a smooth transition from treatment to remission. Using a pretest and posttest, quantitative data was collected pertaining to 10 different types of patient education. The pretest survey collected eight questions that related to gathering information about their cancer diagnosis, resources, and knowledge level. The DNP Project Leader secured a Cancer Survivorship Guide through the American Society of Clinical Oncology that was added to the initial cancer survivorship education for all patients. …

A Review Of Monte Carlo Methods And Their Application In Medical Physics For Simulating Radiation Transport, Joe Shields

Honors Theses and Capstones

Monte Carlo methods are used to calculate statistical behavior through the use of random number generators and probability density functions. They have been used extensively in medical physics for research in radiotherapy, designing technology, dosimetry, and advanced clinical applications. This paper provides a background on Monte Carlo methods and a review of radiation therapy physics and dosimetry. Additionally, there is a discussion of the different ways Monte Carlo methods are used in medical physics as well as a review of current research related to Monte Carlo methods. The final portion of this paper contains my own Monte Carlo simulation using …