Degree
Master of Science
Program
Medical Biophysics
Supervisor
Dr. Lisa Hoffman
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive neuromuscular disease that is the result of a loss of functional dystrophin, which causes cardiomyocyte fibrosis and death, leading to cardiomyopathy. In this thesis, I have utilized dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT), positron emission tomography-fluorodeoxyglucose (PET-FDG), echocardiography, and traditional histology to longitudinally assess disease progression and degree of cardiomyopathy in a murine model of DMD (mdx:utrn-/-). No significant changes were observed in the blood flow, blood volume, or cardiac volume measured via DCE-CT, nor in standard uptake value (SUV) of glucose as measured by PET-FDG in the left myocardium between and within the two study groups (of mdx:utrn -/- mice and healthy wild-type mice) over time. Our pilot echocardiography study and histological results show possible morphological/architectural and functional changes in affected myocardia of mdx:utrn-/- mice. These findings may provide us with an avenue to longitudinally characterize the progression of cardiomyopathy in the murine model of DMD, mdx:utrn -/- , in addition to providing a potential baseline for a comparison with future therapeutics.
Recommended Citation
Moazami, Seyed Hamed, "Characterization of Cardiomyopathy in a Mouse Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Using Echocardiography, DCE-CT, and PET-FDG" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 952.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/952
Included in
Animal Diseases Commons, Biophysics Commons, Cardiovascular Diseases Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Musculoskeletal Diseases Commons
