Endometriosis or the "career woman's disease" is a puzzling disease affecting women in their reproductive years. Research on endometriosis has focussed on aspects such as the personality characteristics of sufferers and its correlation with infertility (Venter, 1980). As yet, the experiential world of endometriosis sufferers and the relationships which are influenced by their disease have received little attention (Weinstein, 1987). Furthermore, endometriosis is construed as a physical disorder which is medically diagnosed and medically treated. As such, the epistemology surrounding the term "endometriosis" is an adherent to a largely non-contextual, non-systemic and intrinsically mechanistic biomedical model (Bogdan, 1984; Schwartz, 1982). By using an ecosystemic epistemology, this dissertation will attempt to describe the unique experiential world of the afflicted woman in terms of her coping strategies in dealing with endometriosis and to formulate a description of the interactional patterns between herself and significant others directly influenced by her disease. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

published_or_final_version / Obstetrics and Gynaecology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The management of advanced cervical and ovarian cancers remains a significant challenge as many women fail to respond to recommended therapy, resulting in disease progression and ultimately patient death. Because of tumour heterogeneity, it is rare for all cancers of a particular type to respond to a specific therapy. Many patients therefore receive treatment from which they derive little or no benefit, leading to increased morbidity and costs. A marker that could rapidly predict disease outcome would clearly be beneficial in allowing the administration of tailored therapy while reducing toxicity and cost. Novel functional imaging techniques have the ability to characterise biological tissues and non-invasively integrate physical and metabolic information. These include diffusion weighted MRI (DW-MRI), which is particularly sensitive to the microscopic motion of water molecules and changes in tissue cellularity, as well as dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) which can assess tumour vascular characteristics during the passage of a paramagnetic contrast agent through tissues. Both imaging techniques have demonstrated potential as biomarkers of tumour response in various malignancies such as brain tumours, but have not been fully explored in gynaecological cancers.

Copies of author's previously published articles inserted. / Bibliography: leaves 187-209. / xiii, 209 leaves : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Documents the establishment of a reproducible model of carcinoma implanted into the abdominal wall of an immunocompetent Dark agouli rat to study the relationship between laparoscopy and the development of port site metastases. / Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Surgery, 1998?

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-87).

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of bioactive chemical once used in industrial applications, but which now contaminate the world environment. PCBs are lipophilic with few natural degadatory mechanisms, and thus they accumulate in human and animal tissues, and are passed to subsequent generations via transfer between mother and offspring. Research has shown that PCBs can interfere with brain and sexual organ development, and adult sexual behaviors and reproduction. However, previous studies produced contradictory results based on the dose and method of administration, species, and the age at exposure. The research detailed in this thesis elucidates the effects of prenatal exposure to low levels of a commercial mixture of PCBs, Aroclor (A) 1221, on female reproductive function. The studies undertaken in this dissertation focus on three areas relevant to understanding long-term effects of PCBs on reproductive physiology in female rats: (1) developmental effects in two generations, (2) sexual behaviors in the first generation, and (3) gene expression in the first generation. In the first research section of this dissertation, the sexual and somatic development of PCB-exposed animals is investigated in first (F1) and second (F2) generation females. Dose-dependent effects are observed in both generations, and a greater number of endpoints are significantly affected in the F2, including circulating hormone levels and uterine and ovarian weight. The second research section of the dissertation explores whether sexual behaviors in the first generation of exposed animals are altered by A1221, using a paced mating paradigm designed to elucidate female-typical behaviors. Several salient behaviors are affected by PCB exposure, including likelihood to mate, mating trial pacing, and stress-related vocalizations. The third research chapter discusses the results of a genomewide microarray assay performed on the preoptic area of the brain. The preoptic area is a neuroendocrine control center implicated in regulation of reproductive physiology and behavior. Taken together, these results suggest that A1221 has long lasting and trans-generational effects on the development and behavior of exposed females, accompanied by altered gene expression in a neuroendocrine region of the brain. These findings have implications for female reproductive health and reproductive success in wildlife and humans.

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-212).

Thesis--Copenhagen University. / Summary in Danish. Includes index. Bibliography: p. 139-162.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-212) Also available in print.