Browsing by Subject "In vitro"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Embryo Adoption: Implications of Personhood, Marriage, and Parenthood
    (2008-04-14T12:30:19Z) McMillen, Brooke Marie; Brand, Peggy Zeglin; Eberl, Jason T.; Burke, Michael B.
    One’s personal claims regarding personhood will influence his moral belief regarding embryo adoption. In Chapter One, I consider the personhood of the human embryo. If the human embryo is a person, we are morally obligated to permit the practice of embryo adoption as an ethical means to save human persons. However, for those who do not claim that an embryo is a person at conception, embryo adoption is not a necessary practice because we have no moral obligation to protect them. There are still others who claim that personhood is gained at some point during gestation when certain mental capacities develop. I offer my own claim that consciousness and sentience as well as the potential to be self-conscious mark the beginning of personhood. Embryo adoption raises several questions surrounding the institution of marriage. Due to its untraditional method of procreation, embryo adoption calls into question the role of procreation within marriage. In Chapter Two, I explore the nature of the marriage relationship by offering Lisa Cahill’s definition of marriage which involves both a spiritual and physical dimension, and then I describe the concept of marriage from different perspectives including a social, religious, and a personal perspective. From a personal perspective, I explore the relationship between marriage and friendship. Finally, I describe how the concept of marriage is understood today and explore the advantages to being married as opposed to the advantages of being single. Embryo adoption changes the way we customarily think about procreation within a family because in embryo adoption, couples are seeking an embryo from another union to be implanted into the woman. This prompts some philosophers to argue that embryo adoption violates the marriage relationship. In Chapter Three, I further consider the impact of embryo adoption on the family as an extension of the marital relationship as well as the impact of embryo adoption on the traditional roles of motherhood and fatherhood. I examine motherhood by looking at how some philosophers define motherhood and when these philosophers claim a woman becomes a mother. After considering these issues regarding motherhood, I examine the same issues surrounding fatherhood. Peg Brand, PhD., Chair
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    Protein expression profiles of intestinal epithelial co-cultures: effect of functionalised carbon nanotube exposure
    (Inderscience, 2013) Lai, Xianyin; Blazer-Yost, Bonnie L.; Clack, James W.; Fears, Sharry L.; Mitra, Somenath; Ntim, Susana Addo; Ringham, Heather N.; Witzmann, Frank A.; Cellular and Integrative Physiology, School of Medicine
    To assess the biological effects of low level, water dispersible, functionalised carbon nanotube (f-CNT) exposure in an in vitro model simulating the digestive tract, cellular protein expression was quantified and compared using label-free quantitative mass spectrometry (LFQMS). Co-cultured cells were exposed to well-characterised SWCNT-COOH, MWCNT-COOH, and MWCNT-PVP. The relative expression of 2,282 unique proteins was compared across the dose groups. 428 proteins were found to be differentially expressed. At the high dose, the extent of differential protein expression was CNT-specific and directly related to CNT colloidal stability. Cells responded to low level MWCNT-PVP exposure with three-fold greater differential expression. Bioinformatic analysis indicated significant and f-CNT-specific effects on relevant molecular and cellular functions and canonical pathways, with little overlap across f-CNT type and in the absence of overt toxicity.
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    Tumor-osteocyte interactions under fluid flow stimulation
    (2018) Jalali, Aydin; Yokota, Hiroki
    Bone is one of the most common sites for breast cancer metastasis. Osteocytes compose approximately 90% of the cell population in bone matrix. Osteocytes are very sensitive to mechanical stimulation, and physical activities play an essential role in maintaining bone's health. Mechanical stimulation can alter the gene expression profile in osteocytes. However, little is known about the effects of mechanical stimulation on tumor-bone interactions. In this thesis, this question has been addressed: Does applying mechanical stimulation to osteocytes change tumor-osteocytes interactions? The hypothesis is that mechanical stimulation can change osteocytes secreting signals and contribute to higher proliferation and migration of tumor cells. In this thesis, fluid flow-driven shear stress has been used as the mechanical stimulator for osteocytes, and the interactions of tumor-osteocytes, with and without mechanical stimulation has been investigated. Monolayer cultures and 3D spheroids of breast cancer cells, including TMD and 4T1 cells were cultured in the conditioned medium (CM) isolated from MLO-A5 osteocytes, and fluid flow-treated conditioned medium (FFCM), and their migratory behavior, proliferation, and protein expression have been evaluated. The results showed that in response to MLO-A5 FFCM, tumor cells behave differently in Src expression, proliferation, and migration compared to MLO-A5 CM. As opposed to MLO-A5 CM, FFCM promoted migration, reduced proliferation, and upregulated Src expression in tumor cells. Moreover, by plasmid and siRNA transfection it has been shown that Src is upstream of Snail and their upregulation is causing epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) responses in tumor cells. Furthermore, ELISA concentration assessment showed the involvement of TGF-beta in Src upregulation. An in vivo study using seventeen mice was conducted to investigate the effect of mechanical stimulation on clinical conditions. Compressive loads were applied to tibia after intratibial injection of 4T1.2 cells. The results suggested that direct mechanical stimulation of metastasized bone, might not be advantageous, and cause more damage. Furthermore, the results indicated that direct mechanical loading can make the knee joint more fragile. This research showed mechanical stimulation can cause tumor cells to behave more migratory in bone microenvironment, and demonstrated its crucial role in tumor-osteocytes interactions.