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2018

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Articles 15301 - 15330 of 15422

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Intense Exercise For Survival Among Men With Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer (Interval-Gap4): A Multicentre, Randomized, Controlled Phase Iii Study Protocol, Robert U. Newton, Stacey A. Kenfield, Nicolas H. Hart, June M. Chan, Kerry S. Courneya, James Catto, Stephen P. Finn, Rosemary Greenwood, Daniel C. Hughes, Lorelei Mucci, Stephen R. Plymate, Stephan F.E Plaet, Emer M. Guinan, Erin L. Van Blarigan, Orla Casey, Mark Buzza, Sam Gledhill, Li Zhang, Daniel A. Galvao, Charles J. Ryan, Fred Saad Jan 2018

Intense Exercise For Survival Among Men With Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer (Interval-Gap4): A Multicentre, Randomized, Controlled Phase Iii Study Protocol, Robert U. Newton, Stacey A. Kenfield, Nicolas H. Hart, June M. Chan, Kerry S. Courneya, James Catto, Stephen P. Finn, Rosemary Greenwood, Daniel C. Hughes, Lorelei Mucci, Stephen R. Plymate, Stephan F.E Plaet, Emer M. Guinan, Erin L. Van Blarigan, Orla Casey, Mark Buzza, Sam Gledhill, Li Zhang, Daniel A. Galvao, Charles J. Ryan, Fred Saad

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: Preliminary evidence supports the beneficial role of physical activity on prostate cancer outcomes. This phase III randomised controlled trial (RCT) is designed to determine if supervised high-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise increases overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Methods and analysis: Participants (n=866) must have histologically documented metastatic prostate cancer with evidence of progressive disease on androgen deprivation therapy (defined as mCRPC). Patients can be treatmentnaive for mCRPC or on first-line androgen receptor-targeted therapy for mCRPC (ie, abiraterone or enzalutamide) without evidence of progression at enrolment, and with no prior chemotherapy for mCRPC. Patients …


Key Features Of Palliative Care Service Delivery To Indigenous Peoples In Australia, New Zealand, Canada And The United States: A Comprehensive Review, Shaouli Shahid, Emma V. Taylor, Shelley Cheetham, John A. Woods, Samar M. Aoun, Sandra C. Thompson Jan 2018

Key Features Of Palliative Care Service Delivery To Indigenous Peoples In Australia, New Zealand, Canada And The United States: A Comprehensive Review, Shaouli Shahid, Emma V. Taylor, Shelley Cheetham, John A. Woods, Samar M. Aoun, Sandra C. Thompson

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Indigenous peoples in developed countries have reduced life expectancies, particularly from chronic diseases. The lack of access to and take up of palliative care services of Indigenous peoples is an ongoing concern.

Objectives: To examine and learn from published studies on provision of culturally safe palliative care service delivery to Indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand (NZ), Canada and the United States of America (USA); and to compare Indigenous peoples’ preferences, needs, opportunities and barriers to palliative care.

Methods: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was undertaken. Articles were included if they were published in English from 2000 onwards …


Time For Change: Fitness And Strength Can Be Improved And Sustained In Adolescents With Low Motor Competence, Beth Hands, Paola Chivers, Tegan Grace, Fleur Mcintyre Jan 2018

Time For Change: Fitness And Strength Can Be Improved And Sustained In Adolescents With Low Motor Competence, Beth Hands, Paola Chivers, Tegan Grace, Fleur Mcintyre

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: There are few exercise interventions focused on adolescents with low motor competence and most interventions are short with little follow up and engagement over time.

Methods and procedures: Fifty-eight adolescents with low motor competence (39 males, Mean Age=13.6, SD=1.4 years) attended an exercise clinic twice a week for each 13 week program. Two programs ran each year, and participants attended for as long as they felt progress was made or they turned 18 years of age. Performance on the Multistage Fitness Test (MSFT), Curl-ups, Grip Strength, 1RM Leg press and Chest Press, Vertical Jump and Standing Broad Jump (SBJ) …


Suboptimal Bone Status For Adolescents With Low Motor Competence And Developmental Coordination Disorder - It's Sex Specific, Paola Chivers, Timo Rantalainen, Fleur Mcintyre, Beth Hands, Benjamin Weeks, Belinda Beck, Nimphius Sophia, Nicolas Hart, Aris Siafarikas Jan 2018

Suboptimal Bone Status For Adolescents With Low Motor Competence And Developmental Coordination Disorder - It's Sex Specific, Paola Chivers, Timo Rantalainen, Fleur Mcintyre, Beth Hands, Benjamin Weeks, Belinda Beck, Nimphius Sophia, Nicolas Hart, Aris Siafarikas

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Australian adolescents with low motor competence (LMC) have higher fracture rates and poorer bone health compared to European normative data, but currently no normative data exists for Australians.

Aims: To examine whether there were bone health differences in Australian adolescents with LMC or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) when compared to typically developing age-matched Australian adolescents.

Methods and Procedures: Australian adolescents aged 12–18 years with LMC/DCD (n=39; male=27; female=12) and an Australian comparison sample (n=188; boys=101; girls= 87) undertook radial and tibial peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) scans. Stress Strain Index (SSI (mm3)), Total Bone Area (TBA (mm2)), Muscle Density …


International Validation Of The Eortc Qlq-Prt20 Module For Assessment Of Quality Of Life Symptoms Relating To Radiation Proctitis: A Phase Iv Study, Georgia K.B Halkett, Charles Adam Wigley, Samar M. Aoun, Maurizio Portaluri, Francesco Tramacere, Lorenzo Livi, Beatrice Detti, Stefano Arcangeli, Jo-Asmund Lund, Are Kristensen, Nathalie Mcfadden, Arne Grun, Sean Bydder, Irina Sackerer, Elfriede Greimel, Nigel Spry, Eortc Quality Of Life Group Jan 2018

International Validation Of The Eortc Qlq-Prt20 Module For Assessment Of Quality Of Life Symptoms Relating To Radiation Proctitis: A Phase Iv Study, Georgia K.B Halkett, Charles Adam Wigley, Samar M. Aoun, Maurizio Portaluri, Francesco Tramacere, Lorenzo Livi, Beatrice Detti, Stefano Arcangeli, Jo-Asmund Lund, Are Kristensen, Nathalie Mcfadden, Arne Grun, Sean Bydder, Irina Sackerer, Elfriede Greimel, Nigel Spry, Eortc Quality Of Life Group

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Although patients experience radiation proctitis post radiotherapy no internationally tested instruments exist to measure these symptoms. This Phase IV study tested the scale structure, reliability and validity and cross-cultural applicability of the EORTC proctitis module (QLQ-PRT23) in patients who were receiving pelvic radiotherapy.

Methods: Patients (n = 358) from six countries completed the EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-PRT23 and EORTC Quality of Life Group debriefing questions. Clinicians completed the EORTC Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale. Questionnaires were completed at four time-points. The module’s scale structure was examined and validated using standard psychometric analysis techniques.

Results: Three items were dropped from the …


Mitochondria And Neuroprotection In Stroke: Cationic Arginine-Rich Peptides (Carps) As A Novel Class Of Mitochondria-Targeted Neuroprotective Therapeutics, Gabriella Macdougall, Ryan S. Anderton, Frank L. Mastaglia, Neville W. Knuckey, Bruno P. Meloni Jan 2018

Mitochondria And Neuroprotection In Stroke: Cationic Arginine-Rich Peptides (Carps) As A Novel Class Of Mitochondria-Targeted Neuroprotective Therapeutics, Gabriella Macdougall, Ryan S. Anderton, Frank L. Mastaglia, Neville W. Knuckey, Bruno P. Meloni

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and represents a major cause of devastating long-term disability. Despite sustained efforts to develop clinically effective neuroprotective therapies, presently there is no clinically available neuroprotective agent for stroke. As a central mediator of neurodamaging events in stroke, mitochondria are recognised as a critical neuroprotective target, and as such, provide a focus for developing mitochondrial-targeted therapeutics. In recent years, cationic arginine-rich peptides (CARPs) have been identified as a novel class of neuroprotective agent with several demonstrated mechanisms of action, including their ability to target mitochondria and exert positive effects on the organelle. …


Intraoperative Detection Of Blood Vessels With An Imaging Needle During Neurosurgery In Humans, Hari Ramakonar, Bryden C. Quirk, Rodney W. Kirk, Jiawen Li, Angela Jacques, Christopher R.P Lind, Robert A. Mclaughlin Jan 2018

Intraoperative Detection Of Blood Vessels With An Imaging Needle During Neurosurgery In Humans, Hari Ramakonar, Bryden C. Quirk, Rodney W. Kirk, Jiawen Li, Angela Jacques, Christopher R.P Lind, Robert A. Mclaughlin

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Intracranial hemorrhage can be a devastating complication associated with needle biopsies of the brain. Hemorrhage can occur to vessels located adjacent to the biopsy needle as tissue is aspirated into the needle and removed. No intraoperative technology exists to reliably identify blood vessels that are at risk of damage. To address this problem, we developed an “imaging needle” that can visualize nearby blood vessels in real time. The imaging needle contains a miniaturized optical coherence tomography probe that allows differentiation of blood flow and tissue. In 11 patients, we were able to intraoperatively detect blood vessels (diameter, >500 μm) with …


Poly-Arginine R18 And R18d (D-Enantiomer) Peptides Reduce Infarct Volume And Improves Behavioural Outcomes Following Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy In The P7 Rat, Adam B. Edwards, Jane L. Cross, Ryan S. Anderton, Neville W. Knuckey, Bruno P. Meloni Jan 2018

Poly-Arginine R18 And R18d (D-Enantiomer) Peptides Reduce Infarct Volume And Improves Behavioural Outcomes Following Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy In The P7 Rat, Adam B. Edwards, Jane L. Cross, Ryan S. Anderton, Neville W. Knuckey, Bruno P. Meloni

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

We examined the neuroprotective efficacy of the poly-arginine peptide R18 and its D-enantiomer R18D in a perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic (HI) model in P7 Sprague-Dawley rats. R18 and R18D peptides were administered intraperitoneally at doses of 30, 100, 300 or 1000 nmol/kg immediately after HI (8% O2/92%N2 for 2.5 h). The previously characterised neuroprotective JNKI-1-TATD peptide at a dose of 1000 nmol/kg was used as a control. Infarct volume and behavioural outcomes were measured 48 h after HI. For the R18 and R18D doses examined, total infarct volume was reduced by 25.93% to 43.80% (P = 0.038 to < 0.001). By comparison, the JNKI-1-TATD reduced lesion volume by 25.27% (P = 0.073). Moreover, R18 and R18D treatment resulted in significant improvements in behavioural outcomes, while with JNKI-1-TATD there was a trend towards improvement. As an insight into the likely mechanism underlying the effects of R18, R18D and JNKI-1-TATD, the peptides were added to cortical neuronal cultures exposed to glutamic acid excitotoxicity, resulting in up to 89, 100 and 71% neuroprotection, respectively, and a dose dependent inhibition of neuronal calcium influx. The study further confirms the neuroprotective properties of polyarginine peptides, and suggests a potential therapeutic role for R18 and R18D in the treatment of HIE.


Movement Economy In Soccer: Current Data And Limitations, Filippo Dolci, Nicolas H. Hart, Andrew Kilding, Paola Chivers, Benjamin Piggott, Tania Spiteri Jan 2018

Movement Economy In Soccer: Current Data And Limitations, Filippo Dolci, Nicolas H. Hart, Andrew Kilding, Paola Chivers, Benjamin Piggott, Tania Spiteri

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Soccer is an intermittent team-sport, where performance is determined by a myriad of psychological, technical, tactical, and physical factors. Among the physical factors, endurance appears to play a key role into counteracting the fatigue-related reduction in running performance observed during soccer matches. One physiological determinant of endurance is movement economy, which represents the aerobic energy cost to exercise at a given submaximal velocity. While the role of movement economy has been extensively examined in endurance athletes, it has received little attention in soccer players, but may be an important factor, given the prolonged demands of match play. For this reason, …


Netrin-1-Like-Immunoreactivity Co-Expresses With Dcc And Has A Differential Level In The Myenteric Cholinergic And Nitrergic Neurons Of The Adult Mouse Colon, Suh Youn Ko, John T. Price, Gregory L. Blatch, Kulmira Nurgali Jan 2018

Netrin-1-Like-Immunoreactivity Co-Expresses With Dcc And Has A Differential Level In The Myenteric Cholinergic And Nitrergic Neurons Of The Adult Mouse Colon, Suh Youn Ko, John T. Price, Gregory L. Blatch, Kulmira Nurgali

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Netrin-1 is a potent axonal and neuronal guidance cue in the developing nervous system. Netrin-1 functions are mediated by its receptors, such as deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) present on axons and neurons. Localization of DCC and Netrin-1 on various types of enteric neurons and their role in the mature enteric nervous system is unknown. The results of our study revealed that almost all enteric neurons and processes express DCC and Netrin-1 in the adult mice. Netrin-1-like-immunoreactivity (IR) was detected in the cytoplasm of neurons with some showing strong or weak staining. The majority of Netrin-1-like-immunoreactive enteric neurons were choline …


Plasmodium Detection And Differentiation By Direct-On-Blood Pcr Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Immunoassay: Development, Validation, And Evaluation, Johanna M. Roth, Laura De Bes, Patrick Sawa, George Omweri, Victor Osoti, Boris Oberheitmann, Henk D.F.H. Schallig, Pètra F. Mens Jan 2018

Plasmodium Detection And Differentiation By Direct-On-Blood Pcr Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Immunoassay: Development, Validation, And Evaluation, Johanna M. Roth, Laura De Bes, Patrick Sawa, George Omweri, Victor Osoti, Boris Oberheitmann, Henk D.F.H. Schallig, Pètra F. Mens

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Decreasing malaria transmission warrants the search for highly sensitive point-of-care diagnostics, especially in resource-limited settings. The direct-on-blood PCR nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay (db-PCR-NALFIA) is a simplified PCR-based technique with a lateral flow readout that does not require sample preparation. Two duplex db-PCR-NALFIAs were developed: a pan-Plasmodium/Plasmodium falciparum (pan/P. falciparum) and a pan-Plasmodium/Plasmodium vivax (pan/P. vivax) assay. Confirmed positive samples (n = 61) and negative controls (n = 40) were used for laboratory validations. A prospective field evaluation of the pan/P. falciparum assay was performed in Kenya (n = 300). In the laboratory validation, sensitivity and specificity of the pan/P. …


How To Prepare Interprofessional Teams In Two Weeks: An Innovative Education Program Nested In Telehealth, Tina S. Haney, Karen Kott, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Bruce Britton, Christianne N. Fowler, Rebecca D. Poston Jan 2018

How To Prepare Interprofessional Teams In Two Weeks: An Innovative Education Program Nested In Telehealth, Tina S. Haney, Karen Kott, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Bruce Britton, Christianne N. Fowler, Rebecca D. Poston

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

PROBLEM:

Preparing health professional students for interprofessional collaborative practice, especially at a distance where provider shortages prevail remains difficult.

APPROACH:

A two-week interprofessional education (IPE) immersion experience preparing students from 11 disciplines and four universities was implemented. Week-one, using online technology, students develop/present an interprofessional careplan for a complex patient. Students then meet face-to-face to conduct group interviews with two standardized patient dyads. Week-two, students develop a website for use of the patient dyads. Websites are presented to faculty and fellow students via an online virtual meeting space.

OUTCOMES:

To date, 594 students have participated demonstrating capacity to: 1.effectively engage …


The Practical Utility And Suitability Of Email Interviews In Qualitative Research, Janice E. Hawkins Jan 2018

The Practical Utility And Suitability Of Email Interviews In Qualitative Research, Janice E. Hawkins

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Interviews with key informants are the most common means of data collection in qualitative descriptive research. Researchers have historically preferred face-to-face interviews but advances in technology have resulted in more options, including email exchanges, to conduct interviews. This article examines the practical utility and suitability of the email interview in qualitative research. The author will share personal experiences from a recent qualitative study involving email interviews of nurse educators. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of nurse educators in developing and implementing concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs. Interviews of nurse educators describing their experiences of developing and …


Characterizing Curiosity-Related Behavior In Bottlenose (Tursiops Truncatus) And Roughtoothed (Steno Bredanensis) Dolphins, Malin Lilley, Amber J. De Vere, Deirdre Yeater, Stan A. Kuczaj Ii Jan 2018

Characterizing Curiosity-Related Behavior In Bottlenose (Tursiops Truncatus) And Roughtoothed (Steno Bredanensis) Dolphins, Malin Lilley, Amber J. De Vere, Deirdre Yeater, Stan A. Kuczaj Ii

Psychology Faculty Publications

Dolphins are frequently described as curious animals; however, there have been few systematic investigations of how dolphins behave when they are curious and the extent to which individual differences in curiosity exist in dolphins. Previous research has described individual differences in dolphins’ frequency of interactions with environmental enrichment as well as quantifying curiosity-related traits of dolphins via personality assessments, though behavioral observation and trait rating components have not been part of the same study. The present study describes two different experiments designed to elicit curiosity in 15 bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and 6 rough-toothed (Steno bredanensis) dolphins. …


Three Essays On Maternal And Child Health, Mandar V. Bodas Jan 2018

Three Essays On Maternal And Child Health, Mandar V. Bodas

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a collection of three separate essays on the health of women and children. In the first essay, I along with my co-authors, analyzed the impact of two large, national-level health policies (the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)) on maternal health outcomes (proportion of institutional deliveries) in India. We used data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) and found that the JSY and the NRHM had a greater impact on institutional deliveries in high-focus states. We also found that the conditions of the public health facilities, did not change after the …


Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs And Opioid Poisoning: Evaluating The Impact Of Prescriber Use Mandates On Prescription Opioid Poisoning Emergency Department Visits, Sarah Almanie Jan 2018

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs And Opioid Poisoning: Evaluating The Impact Of Prescriber Use Mandates On Prescription Opioid Poisoning Emergency Department Visits, Sarah Almanie

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are one strategy established to curb the prescription opioid abuse epidemic. Prescriber use mandates has emerged as a promising practice to increase PDMPs impact on prescription opioid abuse; however, evidence of its effectiveness has not yet been established. Kentucky was the first state to implement comprehensive prescriber use mandates in July 2012.

Objective: To assess the relationship between prescriber use mandates policy and emergency department (ED) visits related to prescription opioid poisoning among adults in Kentucky and

North Carolina. Secondary aim: to evaluate the economic impact of prescriber use mandates in Kentucky.

Methods: A …


Branched Short Chain Fatty Acid Isovaleric Acid Causes Smooth Muscle Relaxation Via Camp/Pka Pathway, Inhibits Gastrointestinal Motility, And Disrupts Peristaltic Movement, Bryan Adam Blakeney Jan 2018

Branched Short Chain Fatty Acid Isovaleric Acid Causes Smooth Muscle Relaxation Via Camp/Pka Pathway, Inhibits Gastrointestinal Motility, And Disrupts Peristaltic Movement, Bryan Adam Blakeney

Theses and Dissertations

Isovaleric Acid (IVA) is a 5-carbon branched chain fatty acid present in fermented foods and produced by the fermentation of leucine by colonic bacteria. IVA activates G-protein coupled receptors such as FFAR2, FFAR3, and OR51E1 known to be expressed on enteric neurons and enteroendocrine cells. We previously reported that the shorter, straight chain fatty acids acetate, propionate and butyrate, differentially affect colonic propulsion; however, the effect of branched chain fatty acids on gastrointestinal motility is unknown. We hypothesize that IVA relaxes smooth muscle in a cAMP/PKA dependent manner by direct action on smooth muscle cells. IVA will also decrease peristalsis …


Motion-Induced Artifact Mitigation And Image Enhancement Strategies For Four-Dimensional Fan-Beam And Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Matthew J. Riblett Jan 2018

Motion-Induced Artifact Mitigation And Image Enhancement Strategies For Four-Dimensional Fan-Beam And Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Matthew J. Riblett

Theses and Dissertations

Four dimensional imaging has become part of the standard of care for diagnosing and treating non-small cell lung cancer. In radiotherapy applications 4D fan-beam computed tomography (4D-CT) and 4D cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) are two advanced imaging modalities that afford clinical practitioners knowledge of the underlying kinematics and structural dynamics of diseased tissues and provide insight into the effects of regular organ motion and the nature of tissue deformation over time. While these imaging techniques can facilitate the use of more targeted radiotherapies, issues surrounding image quality and accuracy currently limit the utility of these images clinically.

The purpose of …


Placental Eicosanoids And Sphingolipids In Preeclampsia, Daniel T. Reep Jan 2018

Placental Eicosanoids And Sphingolipids In Preeclampsia, Daniel T. Reep

Theses and Dissertations

Placental dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Chemical signals between the placenta and maternal circulation are a suspect cause of endothelial dysfunction and maternal hypertension. This study examined select lipid mediators of inflammation produced by the placenta. Patients were recruited from Virginia Commonwealth University’s pregnancy clinics and placentas were collected at delivery. Forty-eight-hour explant cultures of villous placental tissue were used to model lipid production. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to quantify concentrations of free lipids in the culture media. Bicinchoninic acid assays were performed to quantify protein in each culture for normalization of lipid data. After …


Economic Burden Of Renal Cell Carcinoma (Rcc) And Treatment Patterns, Overall Survival And Healthcare Costs Among Older Metastatic Rcc Patients, Hrishikesh P. Kale Jan 2018

Economic Burden Of Renal Cell Carcinoma (Rcc) And Treatment Patterns, Overall Survival And Healthcare Costs Among Older Metastatic Rcc Patients, Hrishikesh P. Kale

Theses and Dissertations

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. Patients diagnosed with metastatic RCC (mRCC) have shorter overall survival compared to those diagnosed at earlier stages. Several targeted therapies, which cost from $7,000 - $16,000 per month have been approved since 2005 to treat mRCC. In addition, there is a growing interest in the use of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) with targeted therapies among mRCC patients. However, little is known regarding the economic burden of RCC and role of CN and prescribing patterns of targeted therapies among older mRCC patients.

Objectives

1) To assess the economic burden …


Investigating The Role Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists In Lung Cancer Progression And Chemosensitivity In The Context Of Treating Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, Sarah L. Kyte Jan 2018

Investigating The Role Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists In Lung Cancer Progression And Chemosensitivity In The Context Of Treating Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, Sarah L. Kyte

Theses and Dissertations

While cancer chemotherapy continues to significantly contribute to the number of cancer survivors, exposure to these drugs can often result in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a consequence of peripheral nerve fiber dysfunction or degeneration. CIPN is characterized by sensory symptoms in the hands and feet, such as numbness, burning, and allodynia, resulting in an overall decrease in quality of life. Paclitaxel (Taxol), a microtubule poison that is commonly used to treat breast, lung, and ovarian cancers, has been found to cause CIPN in 59-78% of cancer patients. There is currently no effective preventative or therapeutic treatment for this side effect, …


Association Between Warfarin Adherence Trajectories, Hospitalization Risk, And Healthcare Utilization Among Medicare Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Group-Based Trajectory Modelling Approach, Mai Alhazami Jan 2018

Association Between Warfarin Adherence Trajectories, Hospitalization Risk, And Healthcare Utilization Among Medicare Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Group-Based Trajectory Modelling Approach, Mai Alhazami

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Warfarin is the most commonly prescribed drug for stroke prevention among Atrial Fibrillation (AF) patients, especially in older adult populations, but medication nonadherence reduces its effectiveness in clinical practice. Group Based Trajectory Models (GBTM) have been used to identify distinct patterns of adherence behavior related to various medications and understand the patient characteristics associated with each trajectory. The objectives of the study were: 1) Describe trajectories of warfarin adherence among Medicare AF patients, 2) Assess impact of adherence trajectories on AF-related hospitalization, 3) Estimate the AF-related direct costs for each adherence trajectory group.

Methods: We identified elderly AF patients …


Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn Jan 2018

Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn

Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges in achieving accurate positioning in head and neck radiotherapy is that the anatomy at and above the cervical spine does not act as a single, mechanically rigid body. Current immobilization techniques contain residual uncertainties that are especially present in the lower neck that cannot be reduced by setting up to any single landmark. The work presented describes the development of a radiotherapy friendly mostly-plastic 6D robotic platform for positioning independent landmarks, (i.e., allowing remote, independent positioning of the skull relative to landmarks in the thorax), including analysis of kinematics, stress, radiographic compatibility, trajectory planning, physical …


Evaluation And Adaptation Of Live-Cell Interferometry For Applications In Basic, Translational, And Clinical Research, Kevin A. Leslie Jan 2018

Evaluation And Adaptation Of Live-Cell Interferometry For Applications In Basic, Translational, And Clinical Research, Kevin A. Leslie

Theses and Dissertations

Cell mass is an important indicator of cell health and status. A diverse set of techniques have been developed to precisely measure the masses of single cells, with varying degrees of technical complexity and throughput. Here, the development of a non-invasive, label-free optical technique, termed Live-Cell Interferometry (LCI), is described. Several applications are presented, including an evaluation of LCI’s utility for assessing drug response heterogeneity in patient-derived melanoma lines and the measurement of CD3+ T cell kinetics during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The characterization of mast cells during degranulation, the measurement of viral reactivation kinetics in Kaposi’s Sarcoma, and drug …


Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Analysis Of Secreted Proteins, Emmanuel K. Cudjoe Jr Jan 2018

Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Analysis Of Secreted Proteins, Emmanuel K. Cudjoe Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Secreted proteins play important roles in many cellular functions and molecular processes. Because secreted proteins potentially enter the blood stream, they can serve as valuable measures of health and disease useful for disease diagnosis and prognosis, therapeutic target identification, and patient stratification in personalized medicine. Consequently, significant interest exists in secreted protein analysis within complex biospecimens, particularly blood but significant bioanalytical challenges including the wide protein dynamic range >10 orders of magnitude remain. The cellular secretome therefore represents a viable alternative to direct biomarker discovery in biofluids. Finally, cellular systems are amenable to labeling for the production of intact stable …


Housing Status, Patient Characteristics, And Ed Utilization Associated With Medication Prescribing At Ed Discharge Among Homeless And Nonhomeless Adults In Urban Hospitals In The United States, Lauren Cox Jan 2018

Housing Status, Patient Characteristics, And Ed Utilization Associated With Medication Prescribing At Ed Discharge Among Homeless And Nonhomeless Adults In Urban Hospitals In The United States, Lauren Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study used a weighted sample of ED visits contained in the 2010-2015 years of the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey-Emergency Department (NHAMCS-ED) dataset. The purpose of this study was to: 1) identify differences in predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, and ED use and medication prescribing characteristics between homeless and nonhomeless ED users; 2) assess the association between housing status and medication prescribing at ED discharge, and identify variables contributing to the disparity in medication prescribing between homeless and nonhomeless ED users; and 3) assess the predisposing, enabling, need, and ED use characteristics that predict medication prescribing at ED …


In Vitro Genetic Code Expansion And Selected Applications, Emil S. Iqbal Jan 2018

In Vitro Genetic Code Expansion And Selected Applications, Emil S. Iqbal

Theses and Dissertations

The ability of incorporation non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) using translation offers researchers the ability of extend the functionality of proteins and peptides for many applications including synthetic biology, biophysical and structural studies, and discovery of novel ligands. Here we describe the three projects where the addition of ncAAs to in vitro translation systems creates useful chemical biology techniques. In the first, a fluorinated histidine derivative is used to create a novel affinity tag that allows for the selective purification of peptides from a complex mixture of proteins. In the second, the high promiscuity of an editing-deficient valine-tRNA synthetase (ValRS T222P) …


Elucidation Of Substrate Binding Interactions For Human Organic Cation Transporters 1 (Slc22a1) And 2 (Slc22a2) Using In Silico Homology Modeling In Conjunction With In Vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis And Kinetic Analysis, Raymond E. Lai Jan 2018

Elucidation Of Substrate Binding Interactions For Human Organic Cation Transporters 1 (Slc22a1) And 2 (Slc22a2) Using In Silico Homology Modeling In Conjunction With In Vitro Site-Directed Mutagenesis And Kinetic Analysis, Raymond E. Lai

Theses and Dissertations

The organic cation transporters (OCTs) play a critical role in the absorption, distribution and elimination of many drugs, hormones, herbal medicines, and environmental toxins. Given the broad substrate specificity of OCTs, they fall victim to the high susceptibility for contributing to harmful drug-drug interactions. Further defining how human (h)OCTs mechanistically bind to its broad array of substrates will provide significant insight to the understanding and prediction of drug-drug interactions in polypharmacy patients and the advancement of future rational drug design for therapeutics targeting OCTs. The goal of the current study was to elucidate the critical amino acid residues for transporter-substrate …


Novel Insights Into The Contribution Of Cellular Senescence To Cancer Therapy: Reversibility, Dormancy And Senolysis., Tareq Saleh Jan 2018

Novel Insights Into The Contribution Of Cellular Senescence To Cancer Therapy: Reversibility, Dormancy And Senolysis., Tareq Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Cellular senescence a specialized form of growth arrest that contributes to the pathogenesis of several aging-related disorders including cancer. While by definition tumor cells are considered immortalized, they can undergo senescence when exposed to conventional and targeted cancer therapy. Therapy-Induced Senescence (TIS) represents a fundamental response to therapy and impacts its outcomes. However, TIS has been considered a positive therapeutic goal since senescent tumor cells are expected to enter a state of permanent growth abrogation. In this work we examined the hypothesis that a subpopulation of senescent cells can re-acquire proliferative potential after a state of senescent dormancy, indicating that …


Trna Profiling Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosome, Khin Mimi San Jan 2018

Trna Profiling Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosome, Khin Mimi San

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Exosomes have great potential in regenerative medicine through the

transfer of their bioactive cargos, such as RNA. tRF RNA and tiRNA are tRNAderived

non-coding RNA. Here, we sought to identify the tRF/tiRNA profile in human

mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) exosomes. Methods: Bone marrow hMSCs were

cultured with/without osteogenic differentiation medium and exosomes were

harvested. RNA was extracted from: 1) control cells (Cell-NT); 2) control exosomes

(EXO-NT); 3) differentiated cells (Cell-OM); 4) exosomes produced by differentiated

cells (EXO-OM). RNA was sequenced to profile the small RNA with a focus on

tRF/tiRNA. Results: tRF/tiRNA was highly enriched in hMSC exosomes. Less …