Browsing by Subject "Oncology"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Applications Of Deuterium Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging In Assessing Cellular Energy Metabolism In Vivo(2024-01) Wang, TaoThe in vivo assessment and imaging of cellular metabolism and metabolic changes is crucial for understanding neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors, as disruptions in brain glucose metabolism have broader health impacts. Deuterium Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging (DMRSI) with administration of a non-radioactive deuterium (2H) isotope labeled substrate, has emerged as a promising imaging technique in this field. It offers advantages over traditional methods like robustness, higher signal-to-noise ratio and imaging resolution. Furthermore, DMRSI enables detailed study of cellular energy metabolism in vivo, particularly at ultrahigh magnetic field (UHF), and it potentially allows simultaneous measurement and imaging of the cerebral metabolic rates of glucose consumption, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and lactate production in the brain. My Ph.D. thesis work aims to explore and demonstrate the new utilities of DMRSI in assessing glucose energy metabolism in vivo at UHF. First, I apply the advanced high-resolution DMRSI approaches to investigate the cellular energy metabolism using the rat brain tumor model at 16.4 Tesla and assess the “Warburg Effect” associated with cancer biology and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Secondly, I explore the DMRSI capability into a more humanized preclinical mice brain model to further push the spatial-temporal resolution of DMRSI and demonstrate the unprecedent imaging quality achieved in small mice brains at UHF. Finally, to further demonstrate DMRSI versatility, I use DMRSI for the first time to examine myocardial metabolisms in rats to confirm acetate being the preferred substrate in myocardium energy. Overall, the DMRSI technology advancement and findings from my work show great promise and potential for imaging and studying the energy metabolism using a variety of preclinical models under various physiopathology conditions.Item Dual labeling of syngeneic tumor cells for in vivo and in vitro localization(2012-08) Zamora, Edward AnthonyAnimal models in cancer research have been critical to much of our understanding of tumor biology. However, while early models have advanced the field, improvements need to be made if we are to realize the ultimate goal of translational relevance. In this research, we sought to address the difficulties of in vivo and in vitro tumor cell tracking and localization by using two established models, B16 melanoma and Lewis lung carcinoma. To this end, cells were stably transfected with a dual reporter vector containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) and firefly luciferase (fLuc) genes and clonal isolates were compared with parental lines. In at least one instance, the monoclonal tumor model, LLC_GL:HI2 was shown to retain tumorigenic potential while also retaining expression of the reporter genes in vivo and in vitro.Item Effects of Hope-Based Music Therapy on Hope and Pain in Hospitalized Patients on Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit: A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Pilot Study(2016-09) Verstegen, AmandaBackground: Among continuous improvements in treating cancer as a physical malady, there has been an increased focus on the psychological health of cancer patients. Patients undergoing Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) are particularly susceptible to the deterioration of psychological health due to the demanding nature of BMT procedures. Hope is a multidimensional construct that can impact a patient’s psychological well-being. Extant research on hope with cancer patients has promoted psychological interventions to foster and maintain hope, but has been conducted almost exclusively within the field of oncology nursing. Although researchers have identified that music therapy can be effective in the treatment and psychological care of BMT patients, to date there has been no music therapy literature with a specific focus on hope in the psychological care and support of cancer patients. Objective: The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed-methods pilot study was to target hope by adapting an existing hope intervention to music therapy treatment with patients on a BMT unit. Methods: Patients (N = 10) were randomly assigned to experimental or wait-list control conditions and all patients completed the Herth Hope Index supplemented with an 11-point Likert-Type Pain Scale at pre- and posttest. Experimental participants engaged in a two-session individualized music therapy treatment consisting of patient-preferred live music chosen from a hope-based song menu coupled with therapeutic dialogue that was adapted from the Hope Intervention Program. Experimental participants also participated in an individual semi-structured interview in an attempt to understand their experiences and perceptions of how music therapy may affect hope. The six steps of thematic analysis, as identified by Braun and Clarke (2006), were used to analyze qualitative data. Results: There was no significant between-group difference at pretest. Posttest analyses utilizing Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significant between-group differences in measures of hope with patients in experimental condition demonstrating higher hope. Although not statistically significant, there was a slight tendency for a decrease in pre- to posttest pain for the experimental condition but not for the control condition. Qualitative analyses resulted in three emerging themes: 1. Hope-based music therapy provides opportunities for positive experiences including comfort and interpersonal connection; 2. Hope-based music therapy facilitates personal depth though self-awareness and self-identity; and 3. Hope-based music therapy provides a platform to discuss and confront hope including motivations for and obstacles to hope. Conclusion: Although generalization is limited by a small sample, quantitative results supported hope-based music therapy as an effective intervention with BMT patients in this pilot study. Qualitative data reinforced and provided depth to quantitative results, revealing that hope-based music therapy elicited positive experiences, comfort, and interpersonal connection; acted as a platform to discuss hope; and supported self-awareness and self-identity. Study limitations, implications for clinical practice, and suggestions for future research are provided.Item Molecular Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using Biomarker-Guided Strategies(2019-08) Shapovalova, MariyaProstate cancer affects 1 in 9 men in their lifetime. While disease that is detected early can be very treatable, recurrence affects about 30% of the patients. Imaging is an important tool for detecting and assessing therapeutic regimens for prostate cancer patients. Patients with advanced stages of prostate cancer, typically those who have had a recurrence and are forming resistance to hormone therapy, are in a great need for a more accurate assessment of the extent of their disease for a better understanding of its aggressiveness. Clinical imaging offers physicians information about the location and extent of disease. Unfortunately, conventional imaging methods often lack the sensitivity needed to detect some lesions properly, especially when the disease is no longer localized and has spread outside of the prostate, which leads to insufficient information that is needed for proper diagnosis and treatment planning. Most of the current imaging techniques are not specific for tumor physiological processes. Therefore, a clinical need remains for new imaging agents that can target prostate tumors more specifically and sensitively. My PhD research focused on using molecular-genetic imaging approaches to develop imaging agents in vitro and in vivo that can detect prostate cancer using the cancer's unique regulatory genetic differences from normal cells. I investigated the expression two prostate cancer-specific genes, AMACR and PEG10 and used the genes' unique transcriptional regulations in the prostate cancer cells to induce prostate cancer-specific expression of reporter proteins. Specifically, I used the promoters of AMACR and PEG10 in adenovirus and plasmid DNA vectors upstream of various reporter genes to induce expression of reporter proteins in prostate cancer cells. By using the prostate cancer-specific promoters, I was able to image prostate cancer in vivo using various vectors and different modes of imaging such as bioluminescence/fluorescence and positron emission tomography imaging. My results strongly support that prostate cancer specific promoters can induce prostate cancer specific gene expression and may have the potential to be used for imaging purposes.Item Postoperative Radiotherapy Breast Cancer Treatment: Musculoskeletal and Functional Implications(2023-09) Braudy, RenataABSTRACT Purpose/Hypotheses: The overall purpose of this study was to better understand the effect of post-lumpectomy radiation therapy (RT) on skeletal muscle morphology, shoulder kinematics, and shoulder function following treatment for unilateral breast cancer. We hypothesized that within the same breast cancer survivor, the affected (treated) side would demonstrate significantly different shoulder kinematics and skeletal muscle morphology than the unaffected (untreated) side. We also hypothesized that RT dose delivered to specific muscles within the radiation field would adversely affect self-reported shoulder function. A small study was first performed on healthy volunteers to determine intra-rater reliability of a novel method of skeletal muscle B-mode ultrasonography (US) to evaluate echo intensity (EI) and cross-sectional area (CSA) of three muscles within the radiation field that have the potential to affect shoulder function. Number of Participants: 31 (5 healthy volunteers for US reliability, 26 breast cancer survivors for main study) Materials and Methods: This was a single center, non-therapeutic, observational cross-sectional study with two parts. First, 5 healthy volunteers participated in the US reliability study which involved three repeated measures of the pectoralis major (PMaj), pectoralis minor (PMin), and serratus anterior (SA) bilaterally. Second, 26 breast cancer survivors who were at least 1-year post-completion of RT following lumpectomy plus sentinel lymph node biopsy for the treatment of unilateral breast cancer then participated in the main study. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected using electromagnetic sensors during forward shoulder flexion and abduction. Musculoskeletal US was used to determine skeletal muscle CSA and EI of the PMaj, PMin, and SA muscles of the treated and untreated sides. Radiation dose analyses were performed for those same 3 muscles using pre-existing computed tomography radiation simulation scans. The Penn Shoulder Score (PSS) and a custom questionnaire were also given to participants. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests to determine difference across sides and groups, Spearman correlation to examine associations between variables, and multiple linear regression to examine covariate effects. Ultrasound intrarater reliability was performed on the healthy participants using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Statistical significance cutoff value was set at 0.05 for all tests. Results: PMaj and PMin CSA and EI were reliable (ICC > 0.70) and used in the breast cancer survivor study. SA CSA and EI were not reliable (ICC < 0.7) and were used in the main study as exploratory analyses only. Breast cancer survivors demonstrated more sternoclavicular elevation during arm elevation on their affected side vs. their unaffected side. No significant differences existed between the affected and unaffected sides for other shoulder kinematic variables nor for ultrasound EI and CSA. In general, Penn Shoulder Score values were high, but a few specific functional movements were more commonly noted as being difficult which has clinical implications. Some PMin, PMaj, and SA radiation values were significantly correlated with multiple aspects of the PSS (total score and subscales). Trends were found for the PMin radiation dose and total radiation dose to affect the PSS, although correction for multiple testing made these statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Our data suggests that there may be a significant effect of postoperative RT on shoulder function in breast cancer survivors after unilateral lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Kinematic analysis demonstrated increased clavicle elevation on the affected side vs the unaffected side during arm elevation, but clinical relevance is uncertain. B-mode US was a reliable method of quantifying PMaj and PMin CSA and EI, but it was not reliable for the SA. B-mode US may not be sensitive enough to detect significant differences in EI and CSA in these muscles following RT. The PMaj, PMin, and SA receive a significant amount of radiation during treatment which may affect patient-reported shoulder pain. Although PSS scores were generally high, participants consistently reported ‘some difficulty’ with certain functional tasks that highlight the specific impairments many breast cancer survivors have following treatment. Additionally, breast cancer survivors complained not just of ‘shoulder pain’ but also stiffness, tightness, achiness, and other impairments in their shoulder, chest wall, and arm that need to be recognized and addressed by medical providers. This research demonstrates potential relationships between adjuvant RT and shoulder function which need to be further investigated to provide breast cancer survivors with the highest quality of life possible.