Matching Items (381)
DescriptionBreast implant illness (BII) is a controversial disease that results in a cluster of various symptoms. As a result, patients frequently diagnose themselves based on what they learn from social media and online articles. Our thesis analyzes BII, including its frequency, common symptoms, potential causes, and treatment options.
ContributorsCamacho, Jessica (Author) / McNally, Mariah (Co-author) / Weaver, Jessica (Thesis director) / Burnsed, Olivia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-12
Description
In this comprehensive research, we have pursued a dual investigation within the scope of tissue engineering: firstly, to investigate the retention of nanoprobe siloxane emulsions in bio-compatible hydrogel matrices in order to be able to measure oxygen saturation within the hydrogel; secondly, to refine the design of 3D printed hydrogel molds to enhance structural integrity of hydrogels for cell encapsulation. We evaluated the retention capabilities of these nanoemulsions, tagged with fluorescent dyes, across varying concentrations, and further advanced the mold design to prevent hydrogel unraveling and ensure complete filling. The findings suggest pivotal implications for the application of these hydrogels in cell transplantation and set a methodological precedent for future empirical studies.
ContributorsMazboudi, Jad (Author) / Weaver, Jessica (Thesis director) / Alamin, Tuhfah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Objective: To determine if patients’ insurance status or the income level of their zip code of residence affect their quality of life or overall survival after enrollment in clinical trials for cancer treatment. Methods: Data were collected from cancer treatment trials conducted through the North Central Cancer Treatment Group and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. 700 subjects with baseline quality of life scores were analyzed to explore potential differences in quality of life indicators by insurance group. 624 patients with valid US zip codes were also analyzed based on the median household income of their zip code to determine any associations with quality of life. Overall survival was also analyzed by insurance group and by income quartile. Results: 700 subjects (mean age 59 years, 53% male) were included. 49% had private insurance only, 30% had public insurance only, 8.9% had both private and public insurance, 1.4% had no insurance, and 10% had other insurance. 13% of patients came from zip codes in the bottom quartile by median income, 20% came from the second quartile, 25% from the third quartile and 42% from the top quartile. No significant differences were found in baseline quality of life scores between insurance groups or income quartiles. Patients with both private and public insurance had higher baseline fatigue scores compared to only private, only public, or other insurance. No significant difference was found in baseline fatigue scores by income quartile. No significant differences were found in overall survival by insurance group or income quartile. Conclusions: Patients with both private and public insurance may need more extensive interventions than patients with other insurance statuses due to their higher baseline fatigue scores. Future studies are needed to further investigate the effects of neighborhood advantage level on quality of life indicators.
ContributorsPetersen, Emma K. (Author) / Ross, Heather (Thesis director) / Dueck, Amylou (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2021-12
ContributorsBeeler, Adeline (Author) / McNally, Mikayla (Co-author) / Schaefer, Sydney (Thesis director) / Lohse, Keith (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2021-12
ContributorsBeeler, Adeline (Author) / McNally, Mikayla (Co-author) / Schaefer, Sydney (Thesis director) / Lohse, Keith (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2021-12
Description
In this study, the engineers from biomedical engineering and electrical engineering researched and analyzed the components, uses, and processes for the brain and the Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). They investigated the basics on the brain, the signals, and the overall uses of the devices. There have been many uses for electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, including prosthetics for patients after nerve injuries, cursor movements on a computer, moving vehicles, and many more projects. There are studies currently in progress and that will be in progress in the future that extend the uses of BCIs. The researchers in this thesis focused more on the processes the scientists used to approach the given problem. Some worked with patients to better his or her life, while others worked with volunteers to gain more knowledge of the brain and/or the BCIs. This thesis includes many different approaches for many unique projects. The analysis includes the location of the signal, the processing of the signal, the filtering of the signal, the transmission of the signal, and the movement of the device based on the signal. The current BCIs are not ready to be in patient’s daily lives, but the researchers are trying to create and perfect them in order to help as many patients as possible. As a biomedical engineer, the researchers in this thesis can apply the knowledge from the articles to solving potential problems in the future and further specific studies.
ContributorsKerlee, Jessica (Author) / Rodriguez, Armando (Thesis director) / Muthuswamy, Jitendran (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The optimization of a blood-based assay for diagnosing tuberculosis which has been developed and validated in Dr. Hu’s lab, at Arizona State University, is important for ensuring its successful translation to a resource-limited setting of the developing world. Tuberculosis is most prevalent in the developing world with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest cases of HIV/TB coinfections. The implementation of a blood-based assay for diagnosing Tuberculosis in the sub-Saharan would significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of tuberculosis thereby managing or eliminating the pandemic altogether. The World Health Organization has called for robust diagnostic technologies that would resolve the shortfalls of the current technologies which include GeneXpert, X-ray, and smear microscopy. The blood-based diagnostic methodology heavily relies on Mass-spectrometry, a technology which could be entirely novel and expensive to implement in most laboratories in the Sub-Saharan. Despite virtual challenges in implementing the technology, the assay has demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity to HIV/TB coinfected patients and children in comparison to the available TB diagnostic assays. This study endorses the Blood-based Mass Spectrometry assay as one of the promising technologies to effectively improve the diagnosis of TB. The performance of the assay on detecting TB antigens was tested using different methods and materials. In the end, the use of DBS and miniaturized mass spectrometers have been discussed as possible routes for translating the assay to the developing world
ContributorsTwaibu, Jaffalie (Author) / Hu, Tony (Thesis director) / Shu, Qingbo (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Epilepsy is a medical disorder that is difficult to diagnose given the current available protocols and procedures. This project looks at the potential economic impact of a new digital screening technology developed by EpiFinder, Inc. Utilizing a thorough literature review, this thesis generated a concept based clinical utility function comprised of the essential functional aspects of a seizure assessment. EpiFinder’s digital screening tool was then inserted into the clinical utility objective function based on its capabilities. In order to evaluate the potential impact of this model, hospital discharge data from Phoenix Children’s Hospital was assessed for costs relating to procedures performed. This was estimated using average charges for Medicare Part B in 2018. Patients were categorized based on the severity of their seizure presentation into groups of well-controlled, intermediate-controlled, and uncontrolled seizures. Due to a limited data set for well-controlled seizure patients, only intermediate-controlled and uncontrolled groups were compared through the clinical utility model. There was an average cost savings of $227.92 for the uncontrolled group with digital screening and $131.94 for the intermediate-controlled group. The findings of this feasibility study for the economic impact of digital screening suggest further work to refine the model and improve the quality of cost estimates. Clinical utility of seizure assessment procedures and protocols should be quantified through claims data and field specialists opinions to broaden the scope of digital screening’s impact across the continuum of care for epilepsy patients. Comparisons of clinical utility and the creation of an objective function to assess new medical technologies is becoming a common practice for analyzing new medical technologies entering the market. This is the first such attempt in regards to adding a digital screening tool into the current seizure assessment protocols.
ContributorsSilverman, Bernard (Author) / Baldwin, Marjorie (Thesis director) / Mehta, Neel (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Human walking is a complex and rhythmical activity that comprises of the brain, nerves and muscles. Neuromuscular disorder (NMD) is a broad term that refers to conditions that affect the proper use of muscles and nervous system, thus also impairing the walking or gait cycle of an individual. The improper gait cycle might be attributed to the lack of force produced at the toe-off stage. This project addresses if it is possible to create an OpenSim model to find the ideal time and force magnitude needed of an assistive force ankle device to improve gait patterns in individuals with NMD.
ContributorsRivera, Jose Luis (Author) / Zhang, Wenlong (Thesis director) / Lockhart, Thurmon (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Stromal cells play an important role in facilitating disease progression of ductal carcinoma. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are an important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which constitutes the microenvironment of breast tumor cells. They are known to participate in chemotherapeutic drug resistance by modulating various biochemical and biophysical factors that contribute to increased matrix stiffness and collagen I density of the tumor-adjacent stroma. To address these issues in terms of patient treatment, anti-cancer drug regimes have been assembled to incorporate both chemotherapeutic as well as anti-fibrotic drugs to both target tumor cells while also diminishing the elastic modulus of the microenvironment by targeting CAFs. The quantitative assessment of these drug regimes on tumor progression is missing in terms of CAFs role alone.
A high density 3D tumor model was utilized to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment of ductal carcinoma in vitro. The tumor model consisted of MDA-MB-231 tumors seeded within micromolded collagen wells, chemically immobilized upon a surface treated PDMS substrate. CAFs were seeded within the greater collagen structure from which the microwells were formed. The combinatorial effect of anti-fibrotic drug (Tranilast) and chemotherapy drug (Doxorubicin) were studied within 3D co culture conditions. Specifically, the combinatorial effects of the drugs on tumor cell viability, proliferation, and invasion were examined dynamically upon coculture with CAFs using the microengineered model.
The results of the study showed that the combinatorial effects of Tranilast and Doxorubicin significantly decreased the proliferative ability of tumor cells, in addition to significantly decreasing the ability of tumor cells to remain viable and invade their surrounding stroma, compared to control conditions.
A high density 3D tumor model was utilized to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment of ductal carcinoma in vitro. The tumor model consisted of MDA-MB-231 tumors seeded within micromolded collagen wells, chemically immobilized upon a surface treated PDMS substrate. CAFs were seeded within the greater collagen structure from which the microwells were formed. The combinatorial effect of anti-fibrotic drug (Tranilast) and chemotherapy drug (Doxorubicin) were studied within 3D co culture conditions. Specifically, the combinatorial effects of the drugs on tumor cell viability, proliferation, and invasion were examined dynamically upon coculture with CAFs using the microengineered model.
The results of the study showed that the combinatorial effects of Tranilast and Doxorubicin significantly decreased the proliferative ability of tumor cells, in addition to significantly decreasing the ability of tumor cells to remain viable and invade their surrounding stroma, compared to control conditions.
ContributorsSilva, Casey Rudolph (Author) / Nikkhah, Mehdi (Thesis director) / Saini, Harpinder (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05