Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effective And Compassionate Communication Between Hospital Staff And Parents Of Children With Newly Diagnosed Cancer, Natalie Volz

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This study was conducted to determine the most effective and compassionate modes of communication for hospital staff at The Children's Hospital to use when conveying information to parents of children with cancer. Twelve parents whose children were four to twelve weeks post diagnosis were interviewed. Parents were asked a series of eleven open-ended questions addressing their experience with hospital staff's communication skills. Recurring themes resulting from the interviews include delivery of diagnosis, value of information, receptiveness to questions and availability of hospital staff. These themes reveal that parents value thorough and complete explanations of their child's diagnosis and treatment plans, …

Maternal Consumption Of Canola Oil Suppressed Mammary Gland Tumorigenesis In C3(1) Tag Mice Offspring, Gabriela Ion, Juliana A. Akinsete, W. Elaine Hardman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background: Maternal consumption of a diet high in omega 6 polyunsaturated fats (n-6 PUFA) has been shown to increase risk whereas a diet high in omega 3 polyunsaturated fats (n-3 PUFA) from fish oil has been shown to decrease risk for mammary gland cancer in female offspring of rats. The aim of this study was to determine whether increasing n-3 PUFA and reducing n-6 PUFA by using canola oil instead of corn oil in the maternal diet might reduce the risk for breast cancer in female offspring.

Methods: Female SV 129 mice were divided into two groups and placed on …

Analysis Of Primary Risk Factors For Oral Cancer From Us States With Increasing Rates, Anthony Bunnell, Nathan Pettit, Nicole Reddout, Kanika Sharma, Susan O'Malley, Michelle Chino, Karl Kingsley

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Objectives

To examine the primary risk factor for oral cancer in the US, smoking and tobacco use, among the specific US states that experienced short-term increases in oral cancer incidence and mortality.

Methods

Population-based data on oral cancer morbidity and mortality in the US were obtained from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for analysis of recent trends. Data were also obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to measure current and former trends of tobacco usage. To comprehensive measures of previous state tobacco use …

Using A Participatory Research Process To Address Disproportionate Hispanic Cancer Burden, Pamela C. Hull, Juan R. Canedo, Michelle C. Reece, Irma Lira, Francisco Reyes, Erandi Garcia, Paul Juarez, Elizabeth Williams, Baqar A. Husaini

Public Health, Health Administration, and Health Sciences Faculty Research

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) offers great potential for increasing the impact of research on reducing cancer health disparities. This article reports how the Community Outreach Core (COC) of the Meharry–Vanderbilt–Tennessee State University (TSU) Cancer Partnership has collaborated with community partners to develop and implement CBPR. The COC, Progreso Community Center, and Nashville Latino Health Coalition jointly developed and conducted the 2007 Hispanic Health in Nashville Survey as a participatory needs assessment to guide planning for subsequent CBPR projects and community health initiatives. Trained community and student interviewers surveyed 500 Hispanic adults in the Nashville area, using a convenience sampling method. …

Genetic And Environmental Factors Suggest That Dietary Fatty Acid Content, Lipid Metabolism, And Bone Properties Are Key Regulators Of Myeloid Progenitor Cell Frequency, Melinda E. Varney

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and its precursors are the result of the dysregulation of hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis proceeds in a stepwise manner, beginning with hematopoietic stem cells, continuing to develop into various stages of progenitor cells, and finally becoming fully functional blood cells. As this process goes awry, immature, functionless cells of the myeloid lineage proliferate out of control. Discerning how myeloid progenitor frequency is regulated allows for a better understanding of how the process may lose control. Hematopoiesis has been shown to depend on genetic and environmental factors. In this work, I have added to this knowledge base by providing …

2010 Cancer Care Annual Report, Children's Mercy Hospital

Cancer Center Annual Reports

Annual report of cancer care and oncology services at the Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City MO, a pediatric medical center.

2009 Cancer Care Annual Report, Children's Mercy Hospital

Cancer Center Annual Reports

Annual report of cancer care and oncology services at the Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City MO, a pediatric medical center. This report has a focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A Review Of Autoimmune Diseases Associated With Cancer, Patricia Tai, Edward Yu, Kurian Joseph, Thomas Miale

Oncology Publications

The focus of this review is on the relationships between autoimmune diseases and cancer from two closely related perspectives: 1.Those autoimmune diseases which are often associated with malignancies. 2.Those prevalent cancers which may increase the risks of developing autoimmune disorders. The review concludes with a brief discussion of some selected innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy.

Nursing Home Organizational Characteristics And Utilization Of Cancer-Related Medical Services, Chun-Chieh Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S and is more common among the elderly. Since frailty and other age related conditions put the elderly at risk for nursing home care, nursing homes may be the site of care and death for many elderly cancer patients. However, there is a large gap in knowledge concerning cancer treatment of elderly nursing home residents. Since residents rely heavily on their nursing facilities, nursing homes might influence them in their treatment decisions. After controlling for resident and nursing home market characteristics, this study applies Andersen’s Behavioral Model to examine whether …

Identification Of A Tumor-Targeting-Peptide And Development Of A Tumor-Targeted-Cytokine Vector For Systemic Treatment Of Primary And Metastatic Malignancies, Jeffry Cutrera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Advances in cancer therapies continue to be improved, yet cancer continues to be one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Harnessing the power of the body’s immune system to attack cancer is a promising strategy that can further improve therapies for neoplastic diseases. As part of this strategy, cytokines such as interleukin (IL) 2 and interferon á are currently accepted cancer treatments, and other cytokines such as IL12 and GM-CSF also show potential as new treatments. Clinical trials with these cytokines have shown less than acceptable therapeutic efficacy and toxicities, but tumor-targeting motifs can improve these effects. Both antibodies …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Breast Cancer Metastasis: Gap Junction Intercellular Communication And The Bone Microenvironment, Thomas Morgan Bodenstine

All ETDs from UAB

Metastatic disease accounts for the overwhelming majority of cancer related deaths. More specifically, breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in women and breast cancer cells metastasize to bone more than any other secondary site. Upon arriving within the bone microenvironment, breast cancer cells interact with bone marrow cells, leading to changes in bone biology that favor growth of the cancer cells. Additionally, some cancer cells are capable of direct cellular communication with cells at metastatic sites via dysregulation of a family of proteins known as connexins. This direct, physical communication is known as gap junctional intercellular …

Preclinical Pharmacology Of Novel Synthetic Iminoquinones As Anticancer Agents, Scharri Ezell

All ETDs from UAB

Prostate cancer is the most common male malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer related death in the United States. Despite recent advances in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer, there is a need for more effective therapies. Unfortunately, most conventional therapeutic modalities, such as androgen ablation therapy, frequently result in androgen-independent cancers. These cancers are typically more aggressive, metastatic, and resistant to chemotherapeutic agents than androgen-dependent prostate cancer. Therefore, agents that are effective against both androgen-sensitive and androgen-independent, as well as genetically diverse cancers are critically needed. The objective of the dissertation research was to address …

Structural Instability Of Human Ribosomal Rna Gene Clusters, Dawn Michelle Stults

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The human ribosomal RNA genes are critically important for cell metabolism and viability. They code for the catalytic RNAs which, encased in a housing of more than 80 ribosomal proteins, link together amino acids by peptide bonds to generate all cellular proteins. Because the RNAs are not repeatedly translated, as is the case with messenger RNAs, multiple copies are required. The genes which code for the human ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) are arranged as clusters of tandemly repeated sequences. Three of four catalytic RNAs are spliced from a single transcript. The genes are located on the short arms of the five …

Brms1 Coordinately Regulates Microrna To Suppress Breast, Mick D. Edmonds

All ETDs from UAB

The majority of cancer related mortality is attributed to complications associated with metastatic disease. Breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1) suppresses metastasis of multiple cancer types in vivo and loss of nuclear BRMS1 is associated with ER-negative cancers and a high rate of proliferation. Many groups have shown BRMS1 to regulate the expression of multiple metastatic genes, yet until now no one has been able to account for how these many changes in gene expression occur. In this work, we report that BRMS1 regulates a select set of genes called microRNA (miRNA), and these miRNA themselves can regulate metastasis. Using …

The Effects Of Weight Reduction On Obesity-Related Cancer Biomarkers And In Vitro Cancer Cell Growth, Maria Azrad

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity increases the risk for breast and endometrial cancers while weight loss reduces the risk for these cancers. One aim of this dissertation was to determine the effects of weight loss from an overweight state [body mass index (BMI) 27-30] to a normal weight state on several obesity-related cancer biomarkers in African-American (AA) and European-American (EA) premenopausal women. We also sought to determine whether the method of weight loss, caloric restriction alone (CR) or combined with exercise resulted in similar changes in cancer biomarkers. The biomarkers of interest were urinary estrogen metabolites, and serum adiponectin, leptin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, …

Regulation Of Redox Signaling By Lipid Electrophiles In Breast Cancer, Anne R. Diers

All ETDs from UAB

A number of steps in breast cancer progression and metastasis are regulated by redox signaling pathways. Electrophilic lipids such as 15-deoxy-delta12,14-Prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) are mediators of redox signaling pathways because of their ability to modify critical cysteine residues (thiols) in redox-sensitive proteins. In this thesis, we examine the effect of lipid electrophiles such as 15d-PGJ2 and others on redox signaling pathways in breast cancer. Furthermore, we develop new strategies to regulate cancer cell behavior in response to lipid electrophiles using three strategies: 1) through organelle-specific targeting of electrophiles 2) by exploiting the concentration-dependence of effects of electrophiles, and 3) utilizing …

Familial Clustering Of Cancer In Two Tertiary Care Hospitals In Nairobi, Kenya, G. W. Kiarie, N. O. Abinya, M. D. Joshi, G. N. Lule, G. Z. Mutuma

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Objective: To describe the occurrence of cancers in families of individuals diagnosed cancer.

Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Setting: Outpatient cancer clinics at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Radiotherapy Clinic at Nairobi Hospital.

Subjects: Patients with a tissue histological or cytological diagnosis of cancer.

Main outcome measures: A reported family history of cancer.

Results: A total number of 485 cancer patients were recruited, 382, from KNH and 103 from Nairobi Hospital. These index cases had 45 different types of cancer, with the most common being breast and uterine-cervical malignancies. Prevalence of family history of cancer was found to be 18.8% and …

Development And Validation Of A Palliative Care Needs Assessment Instrument-English/Arabic Versions (Pcna-Eav), For Use With Patients With Advanced Cancer, Susan Edith Volker

All ETDs from UAB

The aim of this study was to develop and translate a psychometrically valid and reliable, population-based, needs assessment instrument, the PCNA-EAV, to measure the health care and support needs of patients with advanced cancer. The cross-sectional study design combined qualitative and quantitative methods, to test instrument reliability and validity, and to examine the association between sample characteristics and health care and support needs. The 116-item, PCNA-EAV, comprised 10 domains of need: physical/functional; social; psychological/emotional; information; communication; helpful resources; financial; religious/spiritual; priority of need; and preference for care The target population was all cancer patients in the department of oncology at …

The Role Of Gli1 In Eralpha-Negative Breast Cancer: Promoting Survival, Migration, Invasion, And Metastasis, Yeon-Jin Kwon

All ETDs from UAB

Glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (Gli1) is a well-known oncogene and a transcription factor that mediates several signaling pathways important for tumor progression, such as hedgehog, TGFß, Ras, and EGFR. Although Gli1 is known to play an important role in cancers of brain, skin, prostate, and the pancreas, the role of Gli1 in breast cancer was not previously well-defined. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on defining the role of Gli1 and the mechanism underlying Gli1-mediated transcription in breast cancer. Interestingly, the major findings of the dissertation clearly indicate that Gli1 promotes cell survival and is predictive of a poor outcome in Estrogen …

Fiber Modification Of Adenoviral Vectors For Cancer Gene Therapy, Miho Murakami

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer still remains a major public health concern despite improvements in primary prevention, early detection and advanced treatments. Cancer gene therapy using human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) as a vector has been explored as a new therapeutic approach. HAdV-5 infection is initiated by binding to the coxsackie virus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), its primary cellular receptor. However, the levels and patterns of expression of CAR vary greatly in clinical tumor tissue samples, and the expression lev-els tend to decrease as the tumors progress. The low level expression of CAR in target cancer cells diminishes the utility of HAdV-5 as a …

Adjacent Slice Prostate Cancer Prediction To Inform Maldi Imaging Biomarker Analysis, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Lisa Cazares, Julius Nyalwidhe, Dean Troyer, O. John Semmes, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie, Nico Karssemeijer (Ed.), Ronald M. Summers (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men in US [1]. Traditionally, prostate cancer diagnosis is made by the analysis of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and histopathological images of biopsy samples under microscopes. Proteomic biomarkers can improve upon these methods. MALDI molecular spectra imaging is used to visualize protein/peptide concentrations across biopsy samples to search for biomarker candidates. Unfortunately, traditional processing methods require histopathological examination on one slice of a biopsy sample while the adjacent slice is subjected to the tissue destroying desorption and ionization processes of MALDI. The highest confidence tumor regions gained from the …

Prostate Cancer Region Prediction Using Maldi Mass Spectra, Ayyappa Vadlamudi, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Lisa Cazares, Julius Nyalwidhe, Dean Troyer, O. John Semmes, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

For the early detection of prostate cancer, the analysis of the Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum is currently the most popular approach. However, previous studies show that 15% of men have prostate cancer even their PSA concentrations are low. MALDI Mass Spectrometry (MS) proves to be a better technology to discover molecular tools for early cancer detection. The molecular tools or peptides are termed as biomarkers. Using MALDI MS data from prostate tissue samples, prostate cancer biomarkers can be identified by searching for molecular or molecular combination that can differentiate cancer tissue regions from normal ones. Cancer tissue regions are …

Optimization And Toxocologic Effects Of Cancer Immuno-Electrogene Therapy Using A Tumor-Targeted Interleukin-12 Gene Construct, Scott Douglas Reed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation includes a comprehensive current review of reversible electroporation (EP) and other related physical gene transfection techniques; an overview of results of electrochemogene therapy (ECGT) used to treat naturally occurring spontaneous neoplasms in dogs; and the results of comprehensive, pre-clinical toxicology testing of electrogene therapy (EGT) of a tumor-targeted version of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in mice. Intralesional bleomycin (BLM) and feline interleukin-12 (fIL-12) DNA injection combined with trans-lesional EP resulted in complete cure of two recurrent oral squamous cell carcinomas and an acanthomatous ameloblastoma in a series of six cases of spontaneous neoplasia in pet dogs. The three remaining dogs, …

Use Of Oral Chemotherapeutic Medications In Non-Traditional Ambulatory Settings, Sameer Arora

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in economically developed countries. The use and availability of oral treatment for cancer has increased dramatically in the past 10 years. Few studies have described the use of oral chemotherapy in non-traditional ambulatory settings by health care professionals across different specialties. Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the usage of oral chemotherapeutic medications in ambulatory settings. Methods: Cross sectional study of 2007 NAMCS Survey analysis involving 21,761 subjects aged 18 years and above with cancer who participated in the 2007 National Ambulatory Medical Survey (NAMCS). Main Outcome Measure: …

Outcome And Haemato-Toxicity Of Two Chemotherapy Regimens For Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma In A Kenyan Hospital, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Effectiveness and toxicity of childhood cancer treatments have never been evaluated in Kenya since introduction of structured care in the early seventies.

Objective:To evaluate effectiveness and toxicity of two treatment protocols for Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Design: Historical cohort study using medical records.

Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital, a tertiary care and medical teaching hospital.

Subjects: Children ≤ 15 years with diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcomes were median survival, event free survival and toxicity.

Results: Out of 101 records, only 26 (25.7%) met inclusion criteria. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two treatment arms. …

Chitosan/Ellagic Acid Composite Materials For Local Cancer Therapy, Sung Woo Kim

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Current advances in the drug delivery have improved the therapeutic efficacy of the drug and minimized risks of side effects associated with toxicity of the drug. Implantable polymeric delivery system has gained increasing attentions for controlled drug release and localized treatments. In comparison to conventional chemotherapy, polymeric delivery systems are implantable at a local targeted site and biodegradable after a sufficient therapeutic span. The objectives of this project were to fabricate and characterize an implantable polymeric vehicle for a local chemotherapy and investigate its biological properties against cancer cells including human WM115 melanoma, human U87 glioblastoma, and rat C6 glioma …

Expression And Function Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 Alpha In Human Melanoma Under Non-Hypoxic Conditions, Caroline N. Mills, Sandeep S. Joshi, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) protein is rapidly degraded under normoxic conditions. When oxygen tensions fall HIF-1α protein stabilizes and transactivates genes involved in adaptation to hypoxic conditions. We have examined the normoxic expression of HIF-1α RNA and protein in normal human melanocytes and a series of human melanoma cell lines isolated from radial growth phase (RGP), vertical growth phase (VGP) and metastatic (MET) melanomas.

Results

HIF-1α mRNA and protein was increased in RGP vs melanocytes, VGP vs RGP and MET vs VGP melanoma cell lines. We also detected expression of a HIF-1α mRNA splice variant that lacks part …

Mcconnell, Addison Mitchell "Mitch," Jr., B. 1942 (Sc 2081), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2081. Letter from U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell to Sue Lynn Stone, Bowling Green, Kentucky, responding to her concerns about cancer research and expressing support for funding the National Institutes of Health.

An Examination Of Chimpanzee Use In Human Cancer Research, Jarrod Bailey

Laboratory Experiments Collection

Advocates of chimpanzee research claim the genetic similarity of humans and chimpanzees make them an indispensable research tool to combat human diseases. Given that cancer is a leading cause of human death worldwide, one might expect that if chimpanzees were needed for, or were productive in, cancer research, then they would have been widely used. This comprehensive literature analysis reveals that chimpanzees have scarcely been used in any form of cancer research, and that chimpanzee tumours are extremely rare and biologically different from human cancers. Often, chimpanzee citations described peripheral use of chimpanzee cells and genetic material in predominantly human …

Obesity And Cancer, Rickie Brawer, Phd, Mph, Nancy Brisbon, Md, James Plumb, Md

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

Obesity has become the second leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, trailing only tobacco use. Weight control, dietary choices, and levels of physical activity are important modifiable determinants of cancer risk. If multi-factorial approaches to prevention and management are not implemented, obesity will likely become the leading modifiable cause of death in the coming years. Physicians have a key role in integrating these approaches into clinical care and advocating for systemic prevention efforts. This article provides: 1) an introduction to the epidemiology and magnitude of childhood and adult obesity; 2) the relationship of overweight/obesity to …