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Full-Text Articles in Pathology
Exosomes And Their Role In Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma, Phillip Blake Munson
Exosomes And Their Role In Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma, Phillip Blake Munson
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a locally invasive and highly aggressive cancer arising on the mesothelial surface of organ cavities (mainly pleural) as a direct result of asbestos exposure. The latency period of MM is long (20-50yrs) after initial asbestos exposure, and the prognostic outcomes are dismal with median life expectancy of 6-12 months post-diagnosis. There are no useful biomarkers for early MM diagnosis, no successful therapeutic interventions. These vast voids of knowledge led to our hypotheses that secreted vesicles, termed exosomes, play an important role in MM development and tumorigenic properties. Exosomes are nano-sized particles secreted from all cell types …
Clinical And Pathologic Significance Of Integrin Α6Β4 Expression In Human Malignancies, Rachel L. Stewart
Clinical And Pathologic Significance Of Integrin Α6Β4 Expression In Human Malignancies, Rachel L. Stewart
Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science
Integrins are cellular adhesion molecules that bind cells to the extracellular matrix. The integrin α6β4, a receptor for laminins, is predominantly expressed on epithelial cells where it is present at the basal surface adjacent to the basement membrane. This integrin plays a critical role in maintaining normal cellular functions, yet has also been implicated in promoting invasion and metastasis in human malignancies. While overexpression of the integrin α6β4 has been detected in select human cancers, the clinical significance of integrin α6β4 expression in a number of malignancies has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to examine integrin …