No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1994.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1994.

No description available.

No description available.

Finally, the fourth part of this thesis demonstrated the potential of plasma RNA integrity for noninvasive clinical diagnosis. Based on previous reports of elevated RNase activities in the circulation of cancer patients, it was hypothesized that plasma RNA integrity might serve as a useful tumor marker. Using nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) as a disease model, it was found that plasma RNA in untreated NPC patients was of lower integrity than that in healthy individuals. Further analysis showed that patients undergoing radiotherapy had increased RNA integrity in the post-treatment plasma samples. These findings hence suggested that measurement of plasma RNA integrity may provide a feasible approach for noninvasive cancer detection. / Much recent interest has been focused on the clinical applications of cell-free circulating RNA for molecular diagnostics. Despite the rapid development of plasma RNA as a potential diagnostic tool, much of the biology of these molecular species remains enigmatic. This thesis aimed to investigate the integrity of cell-free RNA molecules in plasma and to study the effects of different preanalytical factors on this new biological parameter. Moreover, the possibility that plasma RNA integrity might serve as a useful clinical marker was explored. / The first part of this thesis was to develop a quantitative method for analyzing RNA integrity in plasma. One-step real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to amplify transcript sequences corresponding to multiple regions along a housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). It was demonstrated that 5' transcript fragments were predominant, when compared with those derived from the middle or 3' region, in the plasma of healthy individuals. This method was validated using two-step RT-PCR and serial dilution assays. / The potential generality of the underrepresentation of 3' mRNA fragments was further studied by using circulating placental RNA as a model system. Seven transcripts were analyzed in the plasma of pregnant women: the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (betahCG), tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2), adrenomedullin (ADM), inhibin beta A subunit (INHBA), placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA), and GAPDH. The second part of this thesis showed that for five of the seven genes, there appeared to be a greater abundance of transcript fragments arising from the 5' end than those from the 3' end in maternal plasma, and that for every gene under study, the 5'-specific assay had a higher rate of detection when compared to the 3'-specific one. Apart from biological significance, these data have implications for maximizing the sensitivity of fetal RNA detection in maternal plasma for future diagnostic use. / The results presented in this thesis not only have improved the current understanding of the biological nature of cell-free circulating RNA, but also have provided important information regarding the potential clinical utility of a new parameter, plasma RNA integrity, for the field of medical diagnostics. / To ensure accurate interpretation of the results on plasma RNA integrity, a number of preanalytical issues were investigated. In the third part of this thesis, several findings were described: (1) filtration of plasma samples did not change the observation that 5' end transcript was the predominant species; (2) time delay in the processing of plasma could lead to decreased RNA concentrations despite the lack of variation in plasma RNA integrity; and (3) repeated freezing and thawing of plasma samples, but not extracted RNA, could reduce RNA integrity significantly. / Wong Chi Kwan Blenda. / "August 2006." / Adviser: Yuk Ming Dennis Lo. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: B, page: 1453. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-184). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

The metabolic heat generated by exercise must be dissipated to maintain body temperature within narrow physiological limits; during exercise and heat exposure, body water is lost via sweating to enable evaporative cooling of the body. When sweating takes place, total body water is reduced (without the intake of additional fluids) from each fluid compartment due to the free exchange of water between compartments with a concomitant loss of electrolytes, primarily sodium. A series of three investigations were undertaken to evaluate: 1) the efficacy of acute sodium citrate-chloride loading on endurance trained males and females as a viable means to expand extracellular fluid volume, 2) any menstrual cycle effects on renal handling of this sodium load at rest, and 3) if any subsequent hypervolaemia reduces the physiological strain of exercise in warm conditions in both genders. The first investigation examined eight endurance-trained (VO₂[max]: 58 ml�kg⁻��min⁻� (SD 5); 36 y (SD 11)) runners in a randomized double-blind crossover study. The participants ingested a high-sodium (HighNa⁺: 164 mmol Na⁺�L⁻�) or low-sodium (LowNa⁺: 10 mmol Na⁺�L⁻�) beverage (10 ml�kg⁻�) before running to exhaustion at 70% VO₂[max] in warm conditions (32�C, 50% RH, V[a]~1.5 m�s⁻�). Results indicate that HighNa⁺ increased PV before exercise (4.5% (SD 3.7)), calculated from Hct and [Hb]), whereas LowNa⁺ didn�t (0.0% (SD 0.5); P = 0.04), and involved greater time to exercise termination in those who were stopped due to ethical end point of 39.5�C and volitional exhaustion (39.5�C: 57.9 min (SD 6) vs. 46.4 min (SD 4); n = 5, P = 0.04; EXH: 96.1 min (SD 22) vs. 75.3 min (SD 21); n = 3, P = 0.03; HighNa⁺ vs. LowNa⁺ respectively). At equivalent times before exercise termination, HighNa⁺ also involved lower core temperature (38.9 vs. 39.3�C; P = 0.00) and perceived exertion (P = 0.01), and a tendency for lower heart rate (164 vs. 174 bpm; P = 0.08). The main purpose of the second investigation was to investigate the efficacy of an acute sodium load on endurance trained women�s plasma volume and renal mechanisms across the menstrual cycle at rest. This was evaluated by inducing a sodium-mediated plasma volume expansion using HighNa⁺ at rest during the last high hormone week of the OCP cycle (HH[ocp]) or the late-luteal phase of the natural cycle (LUT[nat]) and during the low hormone sugar pill week of the OCP cycle (SUG[ocp]) or during the early follicular phase of the natural cycle (FOL[nat]. Thirteen women completed the study with one woman on a progestin-only pill (results were used for case study, not statistical analyses) and were assigned to one of two groups: 1) control (NAT, n = 6, 24 y (SD 5), 53 ml�kg�ml⁻� (SD 3)) or oral contraceptive pill (OCP, n = 6, progestin only n = 1, 29 y (SD 6), 51 ml�kg�ml⁻� (SD 2)) group according to their usage status. Across the four-hour post loading time there was greater plasma volume expansion in SUG[ocp] and FOL[nat] vs. LUT[nat] and HH[ocp] (5.06% (SD1.16) vs. 3.35% (SD 0.23), P = 0.02). OCP usage did not reliably alter the hypervolaemic response (P = 0.27), and this was not dependent on phase of cycle (P = 0.32). Plasma volume expansion occurred across both types and phases of the menstrual cycle with evidence that estradiol interactions with AVP, P[osm] and body water retention are stronger in the low hormone phase of the OCP than in the follicular phase of the natural cycle; illustrated by greater overall water retention after an acute sodium+water load. The third investigation was conducted during the high hormone phase of both OCP and NAT menstrual cycles to further examine sodium-loading effects on the physiological capacity of exhaustive cycling in warm conditions. Thirteen endurance-trained (VO₂[peak] 52 ml�kg⁻��min⁻� (SD 2); 26 y (SD 6), 60.8 kg (SD 5), mean (SD)) cyclists completed this double-blind, crossover experiment during the high hormone phase of the menstrual cycle. Cyclists ingested a concentrated sodium (HighNa⁺: 164 mmol Na⁺�L⁻�) or low-sodium (LowNa⁺: 10 mmol Na⁺�L⁻�) beverage (10 ml�kg⁻�) before cycling to exhaustion at 70% VO₂[max] in warm conditions (32�C, 50% RH, V[a]~5.6 m�s⁻�). HighNa⁺ increased PV before exercise, similar to that of the men in the first investigation, whereas LowNa⁺ didn�t (4.4% (SD 1.2) vs. -1.9% (SD 1.3); P < 0.0001), and involved greater time to exhaustion (98.6 min (SD 25.6) vs. 78.5 min (SD 24.6); P < 0.0001). There was a higher baseline core temperature and faster rate of change for HH[ocp] for both beverage conditions (HighNa⁺: 37.15 (SD 0.6) vs. 36.92�C (SD 0.4); P = 0.05, LowNa⁺: 37.04 (SD 0.6) vs. 36.90�C (SD 0.4), P = 0.05; HH[ocp] vs. LUT[nat], respectively). Through this series of investigations a greater understanding was achieved of fluid balance and the effect of pre-exercise hypervolaemia between genders; pre-exercise ingestion of a concentrated sodium beverage increased plasma volume before exercise and involved less thermoregulatory and the actual and perceived physiological strain during exercise and increased endurance in warm conditions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-113). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2009. / Release of full electronic text on OhioLINK has been delayed until September 1, 2012. Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-288)