Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Hgf-Mediated C-Met Signaling In Human Corneal Epithelial Cells., Kate Tarvestad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vision is often regarded as the primary sense of humans. The cornea is the main refractive tissue that permits light through to the retina, allowing a clear image. When the cornea sustains damage, it opens a pathway for infection and blindness through fibrotic processes. Healing the corneal tissue is critical for vision restoration and pain alleviation. Growth factors and their cognate receptors are currently under investigation as tools to restore proper corneal physiology. We hypothesize that manipulating the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/ c-Met signaling pathway is one route to promote quality corneal healing. This thesis investigates the signaling, trafficking, and …

Quality By Design Based Optimization Of Anti-Inflammatory Nanoemulgels For Local Treatment Of Burn Wounds, Leah Dickey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burns are some of the most traumatizing and damaging skin injuries, with the potential of causing extensive internal damage that increases the risk of chronic wound development. Oral and topical analgesics in combination with antibiotics can provide temporary relief and improve wound healing progress for both mild and severe burns. However, recurrent systemic exposure to pain relievers and antibiotics has been associated with adverse side effects including nausea, drowsiness, abdominal pain, etc., and increased risk of new infections or even ulcers. Local and targeted drug delivery systems, such as nanomedicine, have gained attention as potentially more effective alternatives to improve …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Polypharmacy In Adolescents Who Have Engaged In Sexually Abusive Behaviors, Rebecca Gilley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polypharmacy, or the concurrent use of multiple medications, is associated with detrimental outcomes for patients and has gathered increasing attention within the scientific clinical literature. Pediatric populations warrant special consideration for the practice of polypharmacy, as medication effects are more pronounced in youth and adverse effects may have a lasting impact on development. This dissertation study examined psychotropic prescribing practices in a sample of adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors, a subset of justice-involved youth who are at risk for polypharmacy. General prescribing trends were examined, and a principle components analysis involving variables associated with risk of polypharmacy …

Development Of Anti-Inflammatory Theranostic Nanocolloids Using Quality By Design Approaches, Michele Herneisey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanocolloids are attractive delivery vehicles for drugs with poor aqueous solubility. Despite this, relatively few nanocolloid products exist on the market. Currently, there is a lack of standardization in the pre-clinical, academic setting regarding nanocolloid development and quality control testing. Adaptation of quality by design (QbD) methods used in the pharmaceutical industry to nanocolloid development is a desirable approach that can improve nanocolloid product and process understanding, resulting in an increased number of marketable products.

The central hypothesis of this work is that QbD approaches can be utilized to optimize theranostic (therapeutic and diagnostic) nanocolloid stability, drug loading, and imaging …

Effect Of Chemical And Physical Enhancers On The Skin Permeation Of Cromolyn Sodium, Miranda Holman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cromolyn sodium (CS) has clinically shown to be an effective topical remedy for atopic dermatitis, however its physiochemical properties prevent efficient passive drug delivery beyond the outermost skin layer. This project aimed to optimize CS gel formulations and applications to improve drug delivery to the dermis of skin by examining various topical enhancement strategies. Oleic acid, salcaprozate sodium, and microneedles were investigated as enhancers for their effect on skin permeation of CS. In vitro permeation studies across dermatomed porcine ear skin tested CS gels to determine 24-hour drug permeation profiles and skin layer distribution of drug. Further, extraction method efficiency, …

35ci Solid-State Nmr Characterization Of Polymorphs And Cocrystals Of Xylazine Hci, Louae M. Abdulla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Xylazine HCl (X), a common veterinary analgesic, has four reported polymorphs that are stable under ambient conditions, Form A (Xa), Form X (Xx), Form Z (Xz), and Form M (Xm), and one monohydrate (Xh). A commercial sample of X was found to contain mixtures of polymorphs and previous synthetic approaches proved unreliable and/or unsuccessful for the production of pure phases in high yields. Herein, we report methods for the reliable preparation and interconversion of polymorphs of X (including mechanochemical synthetic pathways), the discovery of a novel polymorph (Xy), and synthesis of three novel cocrystals with coformers containing amide and carboxylic …

Polymeric Nanovaccine Delivery System For Influenza Vaccine, Chaitanya K. Valiveti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vaccines are the most efficient and cost-effective method for preventing illnesses caused by infectious pathogens. Even though the great success of vaccines over decades, the development of safe and robust vaccines is still essential for emerging new pathogens, re-evolving old pathogens, and improving the insufficient protection given by existing vaccines. One of the most critical strategies for developing effective new vaccines is selecting and using a suitable adjuvant or immune stimulant. Immunologic adjuvants are essential for improving vaccine potency by enhancing the immune response of vaccine antigens. The amount of antigen could be spared with improved potency, especially during mass …

Immune-Related Adverse Events Of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Incidence, Risk Factors, Clinical Outcomes, And Economic Burden In Older Adults With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Yiran Rong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To fill the gap in existing literature related to immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), this dissertation focused on: 1) assessing the incidence, spectrum and risk factors for the development of irAEs; 2) assessing the clinical impact of irAE occurrence on survival and treatment discontinuation; 3) analyzing and estimating the incremental economic burden of irAEs among an older population in the United States (US). A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the SEER-Medicare 2020 linkage database in order to evaluate the three study objectives. The dissertation included 8,175 patients diagnosed …