Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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ING4 Tumor Suppressor and Chemotherapy Response in Triple-negative Breast Cancer

Description
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by the lack of three receptors (estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors) and accounts for 12-17% of breast cancers. TNBC is an aggressive form of the disease associated with high rates of recurrence and mortality within five years. Inhibitor of Growth 4 (ING4)…

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by the lack of three receptors (estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors) and accounts for 12-17% of breast cancers. TNBC is an aggressive form of the disease associated with high rates of recurrence and mortality within five years. Inhibitor of Growth 4 (ING4) is a gene deleted in 16.5% and downregulated in 34% of breast tumors. The correlation between ING4 deficiencies and advanced tumors and poor patient survival implicates its tumor suppressive function in breast cancer. Low ING4 expression has been correlated with NFκB activation in metastatic breast tumors. Moreover, ING4 has been shown to inhibit NFkB-mediated gene transcription in various cancers, suggesting that ING4 may suppress cancer by inhibiting NFkB activation. However, the contribution of ING4 deficiencies and NFkB activation to aggressive TNBC progression is currently not well understood. We investigated the role of ING4 in the MDAmb231 TNBC cell line by genetically engineering the cells to overexpress or delete ING4. Cell growth and sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin were evaluated between the ING4-modified cell lines with or without TNFα to activate NFκB. The results showed that cell growths were comparable between the vector controls and ING4 overexpressing or deleted cell lines. In addition, TNFα treatment did not alter the growths of all cell lines, indicating that ING4 with or without NFkB activation did not play a role in determining the growth rates of TNBC. However, ING4 overexpressing cells were 20-30% more sensitive to 10 μM doxorubicin treatment, whereas ING4-deleted cells were 20-50% more resistant, suggesting that ING4 may determine chemotherapy response in TNBC. These findings suggest that tumors with low levels of ING4 may be more resistant to chemotherapy, thus requiring higher dosage and/or additional chemotherapy in patient treatment. Unexpectedly, TNFα sensitized all cell lines to doxorubicin regardless of ING4 expression levels, suggesting a TNFα function outside of NFκB activation in increasing doxorubicin sensitivity. It implicates that TNFα treatment may increase chemotherapy response in TNBC patients.
ContributorsUngor, Ashley Jordyn (Author) / Capco, David (Thesis director) / Kim, Suwon (Committee member) / Compton, Carolyn (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
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The Relationship Between Healthcare Provider’s Physical Activity and Predictive Patient Care Treatment Plans

Description
This research evaluates the need for health providers to prioritize their personal health as a means to improve their patient care. Due to the traditional healthcare system maintaining a patient-centric focus, physicians became victims to the very diseases they were treating their patents for. The sacrifice of one's own health…

This research evaluates the need for health providers to prioritize their personal health as a means to improve their patient care. Due to the traditional healthcare system maintaining a patient-centric focus, physicians became victims to the very diseases they were treating their patents for. The sacrifice of one's own health caused physicians to be more susceptible to both institutional and perceptual barriers that limited their engagement in preventative care counseling. Their own personal lifestyle habits, such as physical activity, played an influential role when prescribing treatment plans, and thus, could serve as a compromising factor in substandard care of a patient. The research suggested that providers who sustained healthier lifestyles by practicing what they preach are more efficient at delivering quality care to their patients in comparison to providers living an unhealthy lifestyle. With a provider's responsibility and obligation to continuously provide optimal care, there is a need to promote the health of a provider to establish both reliable and standardize patient care within the healthcare system. In addition to the research, three personal testimonials are included to help demonstrate the potential effects of a physician’s personal health in their medical practice.
ContributorsSiragusa, Tiana Rae (Author) / Lussier, Mark (Thesis director) / Compton, Carolyn (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Curtin Final Project (Spring 2022)

Description

Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated…

Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated various impacts of bioactive food molecules on the promotion or prevention of these oncogenic mutations. This work explores several of these molecules and their relation to cancer prevention and provides a sample meal plan, which highlights many additional molecules that are currently being studied.
ContributorsCurtin, Elise (Author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Compton, Carolyn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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Curtin Diet Plan (Spring 2022)

Description

Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated…

Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated various impacts of bioactive food molecules on the promotion or prevention of these oncogenic mutations. This work explores several of these molecules and their relation to cancer prevention and provides a sample meal plan, which highlights many additional molecules that are currently being studied.
ContributorsCurtin, Elise (Author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Compton, Carolyn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05

The Potential Utilization of Nutraceuticals as a Cancer Preventive Strategy

Description
Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated…

Cancer is an ever-relevant disease with many genetic, social, environmental, and behavioral risk factors. One factor which has been garnering interest is the impact of nutrition on cancer. As a disease process, cancer is primarily driven by an accumulation of genetic aberrations. Recent epidemiological, pre-clinical, and clinical studies have demonstrated various impacts of bioactive food molecules on the promotion or prevention of these oncogenic mutations. This work explores several of these molecules and their relation to cancer prevention and provides a sample meal plan, which highlights many additional molecules that are currently being studied.
ContributorsCurtin, Elise (Author) / Don, Rachael (Thesis director) / Compton, Carolyn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05