Prostate cancer is one of the most challenging global medical issues today. In 2011, prostate cancer was the most diagnosed malignancy in the United States, making up 29% of new cancer cases. In that year it was the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among men in the USA and the second most common cause of cancer related death overall from the EU. The prostate remains, however, an under studied organ, making insights into the anatomy and biology of prostate cancer difficult to achieve. After 30 years, PSA screening of men of the appropriate age is still the first step in prostate cancer diagnosis, usually followed by a manual prostate exam which may lead to a transrectal biopsy. This study makes use of Next Generation Sequencing to successfully identify a superior miRNA based urinary assay for the detection of prostate cancer. A receiver operating curve AUC of 0.90 was achieved for patients vs. non-patients using an additive risk model defined by empirically derived critical threshold values of eight urinary miRNAs identified with this method. This is superior to the PSA blood test’s AUC of 0.66 which illustrates that a miRNA profile such as this has the potential to surpass protein biomarkers such as PSA in terms of specificity and sensitivity. It was also demonstrated that a geometric mean of three urinary miRNAs were useful for endogenous normalization. One significant risk factor for prostate cancer is being African American. Again using Next Generation Sequencing technology, we have established a miRNA expression profile for the stages of a prostate cancer cell line progression model derived from the normal prostate epithelium of an African American man. Normal prostate epithelium was immortalized only with SV40 large T antigen (P69) and passaged three times in nude mice, producing the highly aggressive and metastatic M12 cell line. The M2182 cell line is an intermediate between the P69s and M12s having only been passaged twice and not yet having acquired metastatic potential. The F6 cell line was derived by reintroducing a copy of chromosome 19 missing from the M12 cell line via microcell mediated chromosome transfer. These profiles show a large downregulation of miRNAs early in tumorigenesis (from P69 toM2182) affecting the DLK1-DIO3 megacluster and the miR-200 family. The later acquisition of metastatic potential (from M2182 to M12) is concomitant with the upregulation of specific miRNAs including the HOX gene miRNAs miR-10a and miR-196 and miR-9. Thus, the analysis of this progression model has uncovered relevant miRs and genes the dysregulation of which contribute to prostate tumorigenesis.

陳宇傑. / "2009年9月". / "2009 nian 9 yue". / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-176). / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Chen Yujie. / 中文摘要 --- p.i / Abstract (英文摘要) --- p.iii / 鳴謝 --- p.v / 目錄 --- p.vi / 表格索引 --- p.ix / 圖表索引 --- p.xi / Chapter 第一章 --- 引言 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- 研究背景 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- 脈症從捨釋名 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- 歷代文獻回顧 --- p.6 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- 當代期刊、論文發表狀況 --- p.9 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- 脈症從捨之重要性及困難度 --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2 --- 研究目的 --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3 --- 研究範圍與方法 --- p.15 / Chapter 第二章 --- 判辨從捨之輔助途徑 --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1 --- 各種病情資料與從捨之對應規律 --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- 病程與體質 --- p.19 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- 脈、症、舌 --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- 八綱 --- p.25 / Chapter 2.1.3.1 --- 虛實 --- p.26 / Chapter 2.1.3.2 --- 表裏寒熱 --- p.29 / Chapter 2.1.3.3 --- 正邪盛衰與脈病陰陽 --- p.32 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- 特殊病證 --- p.33 / Chapter 2.2 --- 脈症易得真象之處 --- p.37 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- 診脈沉取、久按與脈力 --- p.37 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- 關鍵症狀 --- p.43 / Chapter 2.3 --- 脈症之程度與數量 --- p.50 / Chapter 2.4 --- 尋找脈症不符之原因 --- p.53 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- 診斷未真詳 --- p.58 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- 理解未確切 --- p.61 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- 治療措施影響 --- p.63 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- 生活、環境因素影響 --- p.65 / Chapter 2.4.5 --- 體質禀賦 --- p.68 / Chapter 2.4.6 --- 機體功能受損，不能正常反應病理變化 --- p.71 / Chapter 2.4.7 --- 沉痼之疾 --- p.73 / Chapter 2.4.8 --- 夙有宿疾，復感新病 --- p.74 / Chapter 2.4.9 --- 病情有時間性變化 --- p.76 / Chapter 2.4.9.1 --- 一時脈症惟顯病情一隅 --- p.76 / Chapter 2.4.9.2 --- 病情先顯於脈症一端 --- p.79 / Chapter 2.4.10 --- 病情輕淺不顯 --- p.81 / Chapter 2.4.11 --- 病有主次標本兼夾 --- p.82 / Chapter 2.4.12 --- 邪氣壅遏 --- p.86 / Chapter 2.4.13 --- 元氣發露 --- p.91 / Chapter 2.4.14 --- 脈症不符原因總結及討論 --- p.95 / Chapter 第三章 --- 張錫純脈症從捨治例三則探討 --- p.99 / Chapter 3.1 --- 治例一 --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2 --- 治例二 --- p.105 / Chapter 3-3 --- 治例三 --- p.110 / Chapter 第四章 --- 理論探討 --- p.117 / Chapter 4.1 --- 真假、從捨之爭議與混淆 --- p.117 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- 假象緣於診斷未真詳、理解未確切之商榷 --- p.117 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- 假象實為病機本質之反映 --- p.120 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- 四診合參與脈症從捨理應相得益彰 --- p.123 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- 脈症關係是否平行對等 --- p.128 / Chapter 4.1.5 --- 爭議之結論與建議之芻探 --- p.129 / Chapter 4.2 --- 相關概念、關係之義蘊 --- p.133 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- 真假、不符與從捨密切相關 --- p.133 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- 真假與脈症不符之定義 --- p.134 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- 與真假、從捨相關之常規 --- p.136 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- 廣義狹義之分及概念間之關係 --- p.139 / Chapter 4.3 --- 從捨之價值、作用及定位 --- p.148 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- 從捨之價值與作用 --- p.148 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- 從捨概念之定位 --- p.151 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- 「從」、「捨」（執行動作)之涵蘊及實際運用 --- p.153 / Chapter 第五章 --- 總結 --- p.160 / 參考書目 --- p.166 / 附錄 --- p.175

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1939.

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The Reitan-Indiana Aphasia Screening Test was examined using a latent structure analysis which involved the assumptions that a latent variable X (brain function), could explain the relationships among the manifest variables A, B, C, D (categories of responses to the Aphasia Test). It was further assumed that within the latent variable a four-class model would be the preferred model. And, it was assumed that persons clinically assigned to the latent classes would be similarly assigned by their test responses. The model was represented by mathematical equations which express the probability of a given response pattern in a contingency table in terms of the joint probabilities of each latent class and the response pattern. Chi-square values were obtained for the model of independence, for the four-class model, for the three-class model and for two two-class models. Hierarchical subtractions were made which resulted in a preferred model, leaving a Chi-square value to be referred to the Chi-square distribution to determine whether or not the latent class model offered an improvement of fit to the data. Twelve comparisons were made using different item combinations. All 12 showed the four-class model offered a significant improvement over the model of independence and either of two two-class models tested. Eleven of the twelve comparisons showed that a four-class model provided an adequate fit to the data. In seven of those instances the four-class model was accepted as the preferred model. In the remaining four instances the heirarchical subtractions showed that a four-class model did not offer significant improvement over the three-class model, so the three-class model was accepted as the preferred model due to the criterion of parsimony. The study showed that there are four categories of brain function which can be identified by means of a behavioral test. It also gave the exact coefficient of agreement between assignment of individuals into those categories by clinical and test classification. It was concluded that latent structure analysis is an effective technique to describe brain-behavior relationships. It was further suggested that consideration be given to the use of latent trait statistics to continue to refine the Aphasia Test without compromising the extensive results already achieved.

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One quarter of any community may have normal (normal/high-normal) as opposed to optimal or hypertensive blood pressures (BP). These individuals may be at risk for a BP-related cardiovascular event, but do not qualify for BP-lowering therapy as those at risk are difficult to identify. In the present thesis I sought to determine whether aspects of non-invasively determined aortic BP may refine BPrelated cardiovascular risk assessment in those with brachial BP values within normotensive ranges. In 1169 participants from a community sample of African ancestry, 319 (27%)