THE POTENIAL ROLE OF INNATE IMMUNITY IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF POST-OPERATIVE ADHESIONSbyJENNELL WHITEDecember 2011Advisor: Ghassan SaedMajor: PhysiologyDegree: Doctor of PhilosophyPost-operative adhesion development occurs in the vast majority of patients followingabdominal surgery and is a natural occurrence of peritoneal-wound healing. These fibrous bands...

Integrin-mediated cell adhesions to the extracellular matrix (ECM) contribute to tissue morphogenesis and coherence and provide cells with vital environmental cues. These apparently static structures display remarkable plasticity and dynamic properties: they exist in multiple, interconvertible forms that are constantly remodeled in response to changes in ECM properties, cytoskeletal organizatio...

BACKGROUND Postoperative adhesions occur when fibrous strands of internal scar tissue bind anatomical structures to one another. The most common cause of intra-abdominal adhesions is previous intra-abdominal surgical intervention. Up to 74% of intestinal obstructions are caused by post surgical adhesions. Although a variety of methods and agents have been investigated to prevent post surgical a...

Mechanical cues can influence the manner in which cells generate traction forces and form focal adhesions. The stiffness of a cell's substrate and the available area on which it can spread can influence its generation of traction forces, but to what extent these factors are intertwined is unclear. In this study, we used microcontact printing and micropost arrays to control cell spreading, subst...

Decreasing pain and improving function and quality of life are important topics for patients that refuse, or are not candidates for traditional medical interventions, and those at end stages of disease. Patients with inoperable, metastatic bowel carcinoma that experience pain and small bowel obstruction (SBO) as a result of adhesions are a subset of these patients. The standard treatment, adhes...

AIMS Diagnosis of pericardial adhesions is challenging. Twisting of the left ventricle (LV) is essential for normal LV functioning. We experimentally characterized the impact of pericardial adhesions on epicardial and endocardial LV rotational mechanics with velocity vector imaging (VVI). METHODS AND RESULTS In nine open-chest pigs, the heart was exposed while preserving the pericardium. Earl...

Abdominal pains secondary to adhesions are a common complaint, but most surgeons do not perform surgery for this complaint unless the patient suffers from a bowel obstruction. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine if lysis of bowel adhesions has a role in the surgical management of adhesions for helping treat abdominal pain. The database of our patients with complex abdominal and pelv...

Many mammalian organs undergo branching morphogenesis to create highly arborized structures with maximized surface area for specialized organ function. Cooperative cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions that sculpt the emerging tissue architecture are guided by dynamic basement membranes. Properties of the basement membrane are reciprocally controlled by the interacting epithelial and mesenchymal ...

Tendon injuries are commonly met in the emergency department. Unfortunately, tendon tissue has limited regeneration potential and usually the consequent formation of scar tissue causes inferior mechanical properties. Nanoparticles could be used in different way to improve tendon healing and regeneration, ranging from scaffolds manufacturing (increasing the strength and endurance or anti-adhesio...