Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by severe tissue damage and extreme inflammation involving prolonged invasion of inflammatory cells. Following SCI, there is long-term disability and treatment is limited. We previously demonstrated that sustained subdural infusion of the anti-inflammatory protein, Serp-1, significantly improved functional recovery and reduced inflammatory cell invasion following SCI. We hypothesized that sustained delivery of immune-modulating Serp-1 using a chitosan-collagen hydrogel would demonstrate therapeutic benefits and reduce damage following forceps crush-induced SCI. Following the dorsal column crush injury, we observed that for rats treated with high-dose (100 μg/50 μL) Serp-1, functional motor improvement was observed. There was also a more pronounced neuroprotective effect in comparison to the low-dose (10 μg/50 μL) treatment, which was likely attributable to suppression of local inflammation. Conversely, sustained infusion of low-dose Serp-1 CCH did not enhance recovery. Thus, sustained delivery of immune-modulating Serp-1 through a chitosan-collagen hydrogel exhibits neuroprotective potential following acute SCI.

Breast cancer affects about 12% of women in the US. Arguably, it is one of the most advertised cancers. Mammography became a popular tool of breast cancer screening in the 1970s, and patient-geared guidelines came from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the US Preventative Task Force (USPSTF). This research focuses on ACS guidelines, as they were the earliest as well as the most changed guidelines. Mammography guidelines changed over time due to multiple factors. This research has tracked possible causes of those changes. Research began with an extensive literature search of clinical trials, the New York Times and the Washington Post archives, systematic reviews, ACS and USPSTF archives.

By questioning methods of sex selection since their early development, and often discovering that they are unreliable, scientists have increased the creative and technological capacity of the field of reproductive health. The presentation of these methods to the public, via published books on timing methods and company websites for sperm sorting, increased interest in, and influence of, sex selection within the global society. The purpose of explaining the history, interest, development, and impact of various sex selection methods in the mid-twentieth century based on the information that is available on them today is to show couples which methods have failed and provide them with the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision on how they choose to go about utilizing methods of sex selection.

By demonstrating the struggle for sound standard of care for non-medical reproductive health care providers during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, this project emphasizes what the standards of reproductive health care for abortion and contraception might be like if the organizations that made them so readily available, like Planned Parenthood, were defunded or criminalized in our modern setting.