Development of Extracellular Vesicle Isolation and Model Systems Toward Early Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics

Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterized by late stage discovery and low survivability. However, when diagnosed early (Stages I or II) the 5-year survival rate is 92% up from 29%.5 The extreme dichotomy in survivability is what makes OC a prime candidate for early diagnosis techniques. Exosomes, a subtype of extracellular vesicles, may bridge the gap between early and late diagnosis, but are lacking consistent isolation and detection technologies. Here poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) capillary channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers employing an HIC protocol are investigated as a novel exosome isolation method and a quick, inexpensive, and easy-to-use platform for OC diagnosis. The cell model system, immunoaffinity protocols, and biomarker identification tools developed here will aid in the refinement of a selective PET C-CP exosome isolation. The exosome isolation and diagnostic technique developed as a result of these investigations will allow for earlier and routine diagnosis of OC and save many women from one of the deadliest cancers

Quality of life and palliative care need in multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy : a pilot study using quantitative and qualitative methods

MD ThesisBackground Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) are atypical Parkinsonian disorders which are rapidly progressive. The impact that Parkinsonian disorders has on quality of life (QoL) is increasingly understood, though less work has been done in MSA and PSP compared to Parkinson’s disease. The role of Palliative Care in enhancing QoL is beginning to be translated into clinical practice though fewer studies have been done in MSA and PSP compared with Parkinson’s disease. Methods A cross-sectional study of 23 MSA patients and 24 PSP patients was carried out, assessing aspects of QoL, depression, palliative symptoms and clinical milestones such as dysarthria. Carers for each disease type were assessed in terms of carer strain and QoL. A range of QoL measures including subjective, disease-specific and general QoL scores were taken with the aim of achieving a holistic impression of QoL and symptom burden. A subset of participants were selected for interviews to obtain personal perspectives of living with these conditions. The interviews were evaluated using thematic analysis, to gain a still fuller, richer picture of the implications of these diseases on QoL for patients and carers. The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods was intended to complement each other, with the recognition that QoL is a complex and subjective concept and cannot be encompassed using a single type of assessment. Results Using multiple linear regression, QoL was predicted for by depression and palliative need in MSA and PSP, with severity having an influence in PSP only. Carer mental well-being and patient depression influenced different aspects of carer QoL. Issues with legs was the highest-rated symptom in both groups and there was no significant difference in palliative need between MSA and PSP. Subjective QoL using the SEIQoL-DW score produced diverse domains which people felt influenced their QoL. The most commonly nominated were ‘family’ and ‘partner’; some domains in common were discussed in interviews. ii The overarching themes in interviews were connection to others, transitions (including adjustment) and seeking support, from peers, palliative care services and sourcing expertise for these rare conditions. Conclusion MSA and PSP have a profound effect on QoL, seen using a range of QoL scores. Depression and symptoms frequently managed in palliative care, predict for patient disease-specific QoL, though severity seems to have a greater impact on QoL in PSP compared with MSA. Carer QoL is impacted by patient depression and by carers’ own mental well-being. This work emphasises that QoL in progressive neurological disorders is heterogeneous and individual. Patients and their carers would likely benefit from an individualised, palliative approach supporting patients through the course of their disease, maximising QoL to enhance the experience of living with a progressive disease

2016 IMSAloquium, Student Investigation Showcase

Welcome to the twenty-eighth year of the Student Inquiry and Research Program (SIR)! This is a program that is as old as IMSA. The SIR program represents our unending dedication to enabling our students to learn what it is to be an innovator and to make contributions to what is known on Earth.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/archives_sir/1026/thumbnail.jp

Artificial intelligence within the interplay between natural and artificial computation:Advances in data science, trends and applications

Artificial intelligence and all its supporting tools, e.g. machine and deep learning in computational intelligence-based systems, are rebuilding our society (economy, education, life-style, etc.) and promising a new era for the social welfare state. In this paper we summarize recent advances in data science and artificial intelligence within the interplay between natural and artificial computation. A review of recent works published in the latter field and the state the art are summarized in a comprehensive and self-contained way to provide a baseline framework for the international community in artificial intelligence. Moreover, this paper aims to provide a complete analysis and some relevant discussions of the current trends and insights within several theoretical and application fields covered in the essay, from theoretical models in artificial intelligence and machine learning to the most prospective applications in robotics, neuroscience, brain computer interfaces, medicine and society, in general.BMS - Pfizer(U01 AG024904). Spanish Ministry of Science, projects: TIN2017-85827-P, RTI2018-098913-B-I00, PSI2015-65848-R, PGC2018-098813-B-C31, PGC2018-098813-B-C32, RTI2018-101114-B-I, TIN2017-90135-R, RTI2018-098743-B-I00 and RTI2018-094645-B-I00; the FPU program (FPU15/06512, FPU17/04154) and Juan de la Cierva (FJCI-2017–33022). Autonomous Government of Andalusia (Spain) projects: UMA18-FEDERJA-084. Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria of Galicia: ED431C2017/12, accreditation 2016–2019, ED431G/08, ED431C2018/29, Comunidad de Madrid, Y2018/EMT-5062 and grant ED431F2018/02. PPMI – a public – private partnership – is funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and funding partners, including Abbott, Biogen Idec, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., GE Healthcare, Genentech and Pfizer Inc

06. 2005 Seventeenth Annual IMSA Presentation Day

https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/class_of_2005/1004/thumbnail.jp

2005 Seventeenth Annual IMSA Presentation Day

The Student Inquiry and Research Program fosters the development of students as highly skilled and integrative problem finders, problem solvers, and apprentice investigators, all skills required to succeed in the global workplace of the 21 Century.https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/archives_sir/1017/thumbnail.jp

DoR Communicator - June 2014

The June 2014 issue of the Division of Research newsletter.https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/research_newsletter/1009/thumbnail.jp

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENABLED EDGE-CENTRIC SOLUTION FOR AUTOMATED ASSESSMENT OF SLEEP USING WEARABLES IN SMART HEALTH

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENABLED EDGE-CENTRIC SOLUTION FOR AUTOMATED ASSESSMENT OF SLEEP USING WEARABLES IN SMART HEALT

Viral Gene Therapy

The development of technologies that allow targeting of specific cells has progressed substantially in recent years for several types of vectors, particularly viral vectors, which have been used in 70% of gene therapy clinical trials. Particular viruses have been selected as gene delivery vehicles because of their capacities to carry foreign genes and their ability to efficiently deliver these genes associated with efficient gene expression. This book is designed to present the most recent advances in viral gene therap

Mitochondria and stem cell function: from somatic cells to iPSC-based disease modeling

[eng] Homeostasis of the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell pool relies on a finely tuned balance between self-renewal, differentiation and proliferation. Recent work has revealed the importance of mitochondria during stem cell differentiation; however, it remains unclear whether mitochondrial content/function affects human hematopoietic stem versus progenitor function. We sorted cord blood-derived CD34+ cells on the basis of mitochondrial mass and examined their homeostasis and clonogenic potential in vitro and hematopoietic repopulation potential in vivo. CD34+ cells with high mitochondrial mass contained and expressed 2-fold high ATP levels and mitochondrial-specific genes than cells with low mitochondrial mass, however, HIF-1α and MEIS1 were high in the CD34+ cells with low mitochondria. We found that CD34+ cells with low mitochondrial content were enriched for hematopoietic stem cell function as demonstrated by significantly higher hematopoietic reconstitution potential in immunodeficient mice. By contrast, CD34+ cells with high mitochondrial content were enriched for hematopoietic progenitor function with high in vitro clonogenic capacity. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a critical role in mitochondria as an electron carrier within the electron transport chain (ETC) and is an essential antioxidant. Mutations in genes responsible for CoQ10 biosynthesis (COQ genes) cause primary CoQ10 deficiency, a rare and heterogeneous mitochondrial disorder with no clear genotype-phenotype association, mainly affecting tissues with high energy demand including brain and skeletal muscle (SkM). A four-year-old girl was identified with a heterozygous mutation (c.483G>C; E161D) in COQ4, associated with a reduction in [CoQ10], CoQ10 biosynthesis and ETC activity affecting complexes I/II+III. Bona fide induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines carrying the COQ4 mutation (CQ4-iPSCs) were generated, characterized and genetically corrected using CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing (CQ4ed-iPSCs). Comprehensive differentiation and metabolic analysis of control-iPSCs, CQ4-iPSCs and CQ4ed-iPSCs faithfully reproduced the disease phenotype. Accordingly, the COQ4 mutation in iPSCs was associated with CoQ10 deficiency, metabolic dysfunction and impaired differentiation into SkM. Remarkably, differentiation of CQ4-iPSCs into dopaminergic or motor neurons was unaffected. This study offers an unprecedented iPSC model recapitulating CoQ10 deficiency-associated functional and metabolic phenotypes caused by COQ4 mutation