Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Adverse Effects Of Asparaginase In Pediatric Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Chengcheng Liu

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of childhood cancer. Asparaginase is a critical treatment component for ALL. However, its use is complicated by adverse effects, such as hypersensitivity, osteonecrosis and pancreatitis.

Hypersensitivity to asparaginase typically requires discontinuation of current formulation and substitution with other formulations, but the differential diagnosis can be challenging, and the diagnostic utility of antibody tests is unclear. We comprehensively analyzed anti-Elspar (native E.coli asparaginase) IgG antibodies in 410 pediatric patients treated on an asparaginaseintensive front-line clinical trial. Of 169 patients (41.2%) who exhibited clinical allergy, 147 (87.0%) were positive for anti-Elspar antibody. Of …

Assessment Of Uncertainty In Planning And Dose Delivery Of Proton Therapy In An Iroc- Houston Qa Phantom Due To Variable Ct Technique And Proton Energy, Mattie M. Mcinnis

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

As proton therapy increases in popularity, so does the need for effective quality assurance. Proton therapy institutions participating in NCI funded clinical trials rely heavily on the credentialing and auditing services of IROC-H and therefore the process must be well understood. The purpose of this project is to understand the uncertainties in proton therapy treatment planning for the IROC-H proton phantom QA program due to variations in CT technique and proton energy. It was hypothesized that variations in CT technique and proton energy will alter the delivered dose distributions of typical proton treatments by reducing the percent of passing pixels …

Quantifying Measurement Error In Digital Instruments, William B. Laing Iii, Sean Bryant

Faculty Works

A first lab experiment clearly illustrates that a glucose meter is actually an excellent source of both random and systematic error, much to the surprise to students and physicians alike. A histogram is constructed and the utility of the standard deviation and standard error to quantify the uncertainty in each measurement and in the mean value, respectively, is demonstrated. From the first lab on, students are challenged to express and interpret confidence intervals in order to form quantitative conclusions. Assessments reveal that many students find this to be surprisingly challenging.

College Student Understanding Of Informed Consent Terminology, Kishore Garapati

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A good, understandable informed consent form (ICF) is key to ethical medical research, and the ICF is necessary according to United States federal regulation. Since they may be written in complex technical language, ICFs are often difficult for subjects to understand. The purpose of this research was to evaluate students' understanding of terminology commonly used in the ICF. An online research survey was sent to active students of Eastern Michigan University (EMU) during the winter 2015 semester. Questions were asked to evaluate the students' understanding of the correct meaning of the terms used in medical research. The majority of students …

Characteristics Of A Novel Treatment System For Linear Accelerator–Based Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Ning Wen, Haisen Li, Kwang Song, Karen Chin-Snyder, Yujiao Qin, Jinkoo Kim, Maria Bellon, Misbah Gulam, Stephen Gardner, Anthony Doemer, Suneetha Devpura, James Gordon, Indrin Cherry, Farzan Siddiqui, Munther Ajlouni, Robert Pompa, Zane Hammoud, Michael Simoff, Steven Kalkanis, Benjamin Movsas, M. Salim Siddiqui

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to characterize the dosimetric properties and accuracy of a novel treatment platform (Edge radiosurgery system) for localizing and treating patients with frameless, image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Initial measurements of various components of the system, such as a comprehensive assessment of the dosimetric properties of the flattening filter-free (FFF) beams for both high definition (HD120) MLC and conical cone-based treatment, positioning accuracy and beam attenuation of a six degree of freedom (6DoF) couch, treatment head leakage test, and integrated end-to-end accuracy tests, have been performed. The end-to-end test of the …

Increased Resting-State Functional Connectivity Of Visual- And Cognitive-Control Brain Networks After Training In Children With Reading Difficulties, Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Mark Difrancesco, Benjamin Kay, Yingying Wang, Scott K. Holland

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

The Reading Acceleration Program, a computerized reading-training program, increases activation in neural circuits related to reading.We examined the effect of the training on the functional connectivity between independent components related to visual processing, executive functions, attention, memory, and language during rest after the training. Children 8–12 years old with reading difficulties and typical readers participated in the study. Behavioral testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging were performed before and after the training. Imaging data were analyzed using an independent component analysis approach. After training, both reading groups showed increased single-word contextual reading and reading comprehension scores. Greater positive correlations between …

Test-Retest Reliability Of The Sway Balance Mobile Application, Ryan Z. Amick, Alex Chaparro, Jeremy A. Patterson, Michael J. Jorgensen

Publications

The SWAY Balance Mobile Application is an FDA-cleared balance testing system which uses the built-in tri-axial accelerometers of a mobile electronic device to objectively assess postural movement. The system was designed to provide a means of quantitative balance assessment in clinical and on-field environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the intrasession and intersession reliability, as well as the minimum difference to be considered real, of the SWAY Balance Mobile Application.

Wirelessly Connected Sensor Acquisition System For Remote Nursing Applications, Yuhua Hu

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Taking advantage of the equipment used in the "Remote Nursing" project, nurses can watch patients' status remotely. The equipment, which is installed in the patient's ward or home, can monitor them and their environment. This project demonstrates this using a microcontroller system that interfaces to a video camera and temperature and humidity sensors in the room. Also a servomotor is installed to control the position of the camera. The microcontroller communicates wirelessly with a PC.

This project is focused on hardware rather than software. It is to test the video camera and sensors being used over the microcontroller through the …

Effects Of Pringle Maneuver And Partial Hepatectomy On The Pharmacokinetics And Blood–Brain Barrier Permeability Of Sodium Fluorescein In Rats, Mohammad K. Miah, Imam H. Shaik, Ulrich Bickel, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Liver diseases are known to affect the function of remote organs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Pringle maneuver, which results in hepatic ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury, and partial hepatectomy (Hx) on the pharmacokinetics and brain distribution of sodium fluorescein (FL), which is a widely used marker of blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Rats were subjected to Pringle maneuver (total hepatic ischemia) for 20 min with (HxIR) or without (IR) 70% hepatectomy. Sham-operated animals underwent laparotomy only. After 15 min or 8 h of reperfusion, a single 25-mg/kg dose of FL was injected intravenously and serial …

Anesthesia For Deep Brain Stimulation In Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Hemidystonia., Jill M Jani, Chima O Oluigbo, Srijaya K Reddy

Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Faculty Publications

Deep brain stimulation in an awake patient presents several unique challenges to the anesthesiologist. It is important to understand the various stages of the procedure and the complexities of anesthetic management in order to have a successful surgical outcome and provide a safe environment for the patient.

Anisotropic Smoothing Improves Dt-Mri-Based Muscle Fiber Tractography, Amanda K W Buck, Zhaohua Ding, Christopher P. Elder, Theodore F. Towse, Bruce M. Damon

Peer Reviewed Articles

Purpose

To assess the effect of anisotropic smoothing on fiber tracking measures, including pennation angle, fiber tract length, and fiber tract number in the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle in healthy subjects using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI).

Materials and Methods

3T DW-MRI data were used for muscle fiber tractography in the MG of healthy subjects. Anisotropic smoothing was applied at three levels (5%, 10%, 15%), and pennation angle, tract length, fiber tract number, fractional anisotropy, and principal eigenvector orientation were quantified for each smoothing level.

Results

Fiber tract length increased with pre-fiber tracking smoothing, and local heterogeneities in fiber direction …

Insole Antenna For On-Body Telemetry, Domenico Gaetano, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann, Matthias John, Colm Brannigan, Louise Keating, Frances Horgan

Articles

A 433 MHz antenna is proposed for integration with the insole of footwear for a body area network. The folded dipole design with an asymmetric groundplane radiates from its edges and considers the close proximity of the human foot and ground surfaces. It functions for different ground conductivity conditions and an on-body communication link with an Inverted F Antenna in the upper body area was evaluated on a static and dynamic human subject. The antenna solution was compliant with Specific Absorption Rate requirements, remains matched and links with upper-body nodes regardless of the body posture and node location.

Functional Analysis Of The Molluscum Contagiosum Virus Mc160 Death Effector Domain-Containing Protein Rxdl Motif, Sarah Weber

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) is a member of the Poxviridae family that causes benign skin lesions. MCV lesions persist on average for 8-12 months in otherwise healthy individuals. MCV lesions are characterized by reduced inflammation. The persistence and reduction of inflammation at the site of MCV lesions have been attributed to MCV immune evasion genes. MCV encodes two death effector domain (DED) containing proteins, MC159 and MC160. DEDs are found in cellular proteins such as FADD and procaspase-8. These cellular proteins are involved in several innate immune responses such as apoptosis and activation of interferon (IFN). Presumably, MC159 and …

A Study To Evaluate The Maximal Dose Administration At Two Different Locations In Two Different Vdr4 High Frequency Percussive Ventilator (Hpfv) Circuits, Jeff L. Heltborg, Bethany S. Kobza, Ace Nilson

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this study was to determine if the positioning of a nebulizer at two different locations in the VDR4, a specialty ventilator, would result in differing dose administrations of a bronchodilator, Albuterol Sulfate. We hypothesized that placement near the endotracheal tube will provide greater dose deposition. The ventilator was set up to mimic the normal adult patient. Administration was done through the nebulizer placed in the ventilator circuit either before the humidifier or between the endotracheal tube and the VDR 4’s Phasitron. Three trials were performed using a standard dose of Albuterol for each trial. The mass of …

A Novel Caspase 8 Selective Small Molecule Potentiates Trail-Induced Cell Death, Octavian Bucur, Gabriel Gaidos, Achani Yatawara, Bodvael Pennarun, Chamila Rupasinghe, Jérémie Roux, Stefan Andrei, Bingqian Guo, Alexandra Panaitiu, Maria Pellegrini, Dale Mierke, Roya Khosravi-Far

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recombinant soluble TRAIL and agonistic antibodies against TRAIL receptors (DR4 and DR5) are currently being created for clinical cancer therapy, due to their selective killing of cancer cells and high safety characteristics. However, resistance to TRAIL and other targeted therapies is an important issue facing current cancer research field. An attractive strategy to sensitize resistant malignancies to TRAIL-induced cell death is the design of small molecules that target and promote caspase 8 activation. For the first time, we describe the discovery and characterization of a small molecule that directly binds caspase 8 and enhances its activation when combined with TRAIL, …

Physical Feature Encoding And Word Recognition Abilities Are Altered In Children With Intractable Epilepsy: Preliminary Neuromagnetic Evidence, Maria Pardos, Milena Korostenskaja, Jing Xiang, Hisako Fujiwara, Ki H. Lee, Paul S. Horn, Anna Byars, Jennifer Vannest, Yingying Wang, Nat Hemasilpin, Douglas F. Rose

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Objective evaluation of language function is critical for children with intractable epilepsy under consideration for epilepsy surgery. The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate word recognition in children with intractable epilepsy by using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Ten children with intractable epilepsy (M/F 6/4, mean ± SD 13.4 ± 2.2 years) were matched on age and sex to healthy controls. Common nouns were presented simultaneously from visual and auditory sensory inputs in “match” and “mismatch” conditions. Neuromagnetic responses M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 with latencies of ∼100ms, ∼150ms, ∼250ms, ∼350ms, and ∼450ms, respectively, elicited during the “match” condition were …

Using Education And A Prevention Protocol Tool To Decrease The Incidence Of Pressure Ulcers In A Nursing Home, Kristina L. Scalzitti

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Over 1.3 million persons are residents in nursing homes (NHs); one in ten have pressure ulcers. The purpose of this evidence based practice project was to determine if implementation of a pressure ulcer prevention tool, along with staff education, decreases the incidence of pressure ulcers within the NH. Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Model and the Stetler Model were used to guide this project. The setting was a NH in northwest Indiana. Eleven nurses attended a 15 minute educational session on pressure ulcer prevention and implementation of the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Protocol Intervention (PUPPI) tool. PowerPoint slides were distributed and flyers about …

Fracture Toughness Of Irradiated Bone In A Murine Model, Lynda Marie Brady

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Cancer is a prevalent and diverse disease affecting fourteen million people in the United Sates alone. While some cancers can be treated effectively with one-time operations such as surgery, other cancers require more persistent treatments, commonly chemotherapy and radiation. These latter two treatments can have extreme side-effects and long-term ramifications. One long-term side effect of radiation therapy is a higher incidence of insufficiency fractures in bones of the skeleton. The mechanism responsible for this apparent weakness in bone is not well understood. In order to quantify changes in ductility following radiation therapy, femora from mice treated with 20 Gy radiation …

Diabetes Type 2 Self-Management Education Program: Short Messaging From Patient Portal To Web-Enabled Device, Lynn S. Holcomb

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Only one in eight adults with diabetes reaches target goals for disease management, which can lead to clinical complications, costly both economically and in quality and duration of human life. The standard of care is a quarterly 15-minute face-to-face visit-- arguably inadequate to impart self-care knowledge. The purpose of this EBP project was to deliver a 30-day diabetes self-management education program (DSMEP) utilizing widely accessible web-based technology to facilitate adults with diabetes to reach targeted goals. Using the Chronic Care Model as a framework, the DSMEP design was based on an extensive literature review of the delivery of DSMEP in …

The Effect Of An Educational Intervention On Oral Anticoagulation Therapy Knowledge In Primary Care, Elizabeth D. Deck

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

It is estimated that three million people in the United States are on oral anticoagulation therapy (warfarin). Populations studied have been found in therapeutic range 64% of the time (Pernod, Labarere, & Bosson, 2008). The low percentage of therapeutic range is attributable to (a) adherence, (b) monitoring infrequency, (c) Vitamin K antagonists, and (d) the effects of aging and comorbidities. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to examine whether an educational intervention would improve the knowledge of patients receiving warfarin therapy. Roy’s model for patient adaptation and the Stetler Model for EBP were used as frameworks for …

Comparison Of Neutral Versus Extended Wrist Pushup For Patients With Wrist Injury, Emily Tucci

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) is a crucial stabilizing structure of the wrist. Damage to this ligament often results from falling upon an outstretched hand, leading to carpal instability­.^1,2,3 Tears to the SLIL create a gap in the scapholunate joint and allow the scaphoid to flex and the lunate to extend, rather than moving with one another as they do in healthy physiologic motion.^4,5 The SLIL is normally repaired following injury in order to decrease the risk of arthritis and pain.^1,2,5,6,7 Patients will often begin rehabilitation exercises after SLIL repair in order to reduce recovery time.^{8,9 …}

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Polysialic Acid-Polycaprolactone Based Micelles For Drug Delivery, Weston Ryan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The growing use and investigation of pharmaceuticals to treat disease has offered the field of drug delivery an opportunity to further improve upon the effects provided, as well as address therapeutic complications. An effective long-term treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has yet be developed, while many current treatments pose disadvantageous side effects due to undesirable reactions outside of the diseased tissue. Therefore, there is a need for an improved strategy for RA treatment. A previously developed drug carrier system based on polysialic acid (PSA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) micelles was shown to be effective for in vitro therapeutic use. The evaluated …

Development Of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanoparticles For Cancer Therapy, Philip Choiniere

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of biopolyesters produced and stored by bacteria, have garnered attention for a number of industrial and biomedical applications. The goal of the current study was to extend the use of PHAs to drug delivery for the treatment of cancer. As a first step, the cytotoxicity of poly(3- hydroxy-octanoate-co-10-undecanoate) (PHOU) towards the A549 lung carcinoma cell line was determined and nanoparticles were prepared via a single emulsion technique. Elution tests, whereby cells were grown in fluid extracts obtained from media incubated for 24 hours at 37°C with PHOU films, did not result in any significant changes in …

Comparison Of Propulsive Power During Loaded Countermovement Jumps Performed In Water Versus Land In College Aged Males, Clint R. Nardoni

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

As use of an aquatic environment increases as a training and rehabilitative tool, the purpose of this study was to assess peak propulsive power in loaded countermovement jumps (CMJ) in water and compare them to loaded CMJ on land. 20 college aged (24.6±3.6 years) recreationally active males performed 4 randomized countermovement jumps on a force plate with increasing loads (bodyweight [BW], BW+10%, BW+20%, BW+30%) in two environments: immersed in water at the xiphoid process and on land. Peak power (PP) and mean power (MP) normalized to apparent mass were assessed for all jumps. A 2 (environment) by 4 (load) repeated …

Developing A Bilingual, Computer-Tailored, Hpv Vaccination Promotion Intervention Targeting Latino Parents, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Ashish Amresh

Publications

In this paper we present an innovative, computer-tailored application aimed at increasing Latino parents' intention to vaccinate their adolescent children against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Latinas have the highest age-adjusted incidence rate for HPV-associated cervical cancer compared with their counterparts in other racial/ethnic groups. HPV vaccines offer hope against HPV-associated diseases. Because parental consent is required for children under age 18 to receive t h e HPV vaccination in most U. S. states, parents' attitudes and intention to have their children vaccinated are keys for promoting HPV …

The Importance Of A Pictorial Medical History In Assisting Medical Diagnosis Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Telemedicine Approach, Grace Bonanno

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

When face-to-face physical medical exams are not possible, virtual physical exams, in the form of a pictorial medical exam/history, can be substituted, and telemedicine can be the means to deliver these virtual exams. The goal of this work was to determine if presence in the form of a visual and/or pictorial medical history can be of benefit to clinicians in the diagnosis of medical conditions of individuals with developmental disabilities (DDs) and/or intellectual disabilities (IDs), in particular those who cannot, because of their cognitive and/or physical disabilities, verbally relate their illness to a clinician. Virtual exams can also be useful …

Raman Micro Spectroscopy For In Vitro Drug Screening: Subcellular Localisation And Interactions Of Doxorubicin, Zeineb Farhane, Franck Bonnier, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Vibrational spectroscopy, including Raman spectroscopy, has been widely used over the last few years to explore potential biomedical applications. Indeed, Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated to be a powerful non-invasive tool in cancer diagnosis and monitoring. In confocal microscopic mode, the technique is also a molecularly specific analytical tool with optical resolution which has potential applications in subcellular analysis of biochemical processes, and therefore as an in vitro screening tool of the efficacy and mode of action of, for example, chemotherapeutic agents.

In order to demonstrate and explore the potential in this field, established, model chemotherapeutic agents can be valuable. …

The Incidence Of Chagas Coinfections Amongst Acute Dengue Patients In Machala, Ecuador, Elizabeth A. Mcmahon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Dengue fever is a febrile illness found throughout the tropics that, in severe cases, can be deadly. The most rapidly spreading of any mosquito-borne disease, dengue is re-emerging as an illness of great concern in Latin America and around the globe. The CDC estimates that as many as 400 million cases of dengue occur each year. The pathogenesis of dengue virus is complicated and acts through modulation of the host immune system. Dengue polarizes the immune system balance of T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cells towards a Th1 inflammatory response. Parasitic infections have also been shown …

A Comparison Of The Upper Limb Lift Test Between Women With Breast Cancer And Healthy Control Subjects, Mary Insana Fisher, Lucinda Pfalzer, Ellen W. Levy, Shana Harrington, Lynn H. Gerber, Nicole L. Stout

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Presentation at the World Confederation for Physical Therapy Congress, held May 1-4, 2015, in Singapore.

Background: Objective measures of upper limb (UL) function specific to breast cancer survivors (BC) are limited. Motion, strength, and muscular endurance are measurable components of UL function. A clinical test that quantifies these components is needed.

Purpose: This study compares the Upper Limb Lift Test (ULLT) between women with BC and healthy control subjects (HC) at baseline, 1-3 months, and 12+ months post-operatively enrolled in a prospective surveillance trial with early intervention. A secondary purpose was to validate the ULLT by comparing findings to self-reported …

A Comparison Of Cyfra 21-1, Nse, And Cea For The Serodiagnosis Of Lung Cancer, A Alexandra Knopp

Honors Theses

There were 224,210 new cases of lung cancer in the US during 2014, and of those cases, there 159,260 that died from lung cancer during 2014. Since early diagnosis and treatment leads to a better prognosis, the medical community is actively looking for new, noninvasive tests for the disease. This includes the search for new and effective tumor markers. Tumor markers are used in combination with other tests to diagnose cancer. After the diagnosis, they are used to follow a patient’s case. The three tumor markers studied were neuron specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and CYFRA 21-1. In this …