Rev. Christopher L. Smith | Andrews University (original) (raw)

Rev. Christopher L. Smith

The Rev. Dr. Christopher L. Smith has a background across and between academic disciplines. He has contributed in the fields of applied mathematics and the sciences, religion and ministry, ethics, education and leadership as well as mental health. Christopher has a bachelors degree, four masters degrees and two doctoral degrees.

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Papers by Rev. Christopher L. Smith

Research paper thumbnail of Decompression of the thoracic duct: A novel transcatheter approach

Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2019

In patients with total cavopulmonary connections, elevated central venous pressures (CVP) have de... more In patients with total cavopulmonary connections, elevated central venous pressures (CVP) have detrimental effects on the lymphatic system causing an imbalance in fluid production and drainage of the interstitium. This combination may result in lifethreatening lymphatic complications including plastic bronchitis (PB), protein losing enteropathy (PLE), chylothorax, and ascites. While embolization of the abnormal lymphatics has greatly improved outcomes from these complications, alternative treatment strategies have been proposed that would result in improved lymphatic drainage while leaving the lymphatic system intact. We report two novel transcatheter approaches for thoracic duct (TD) decompression in two patients who developed PLE after completion of the Fontan procedure as part of staged palliation for congenital heart disease. In addition, one patient had severe concurrent PB. In both patients, a connection was created between a left superior vena cava (LSVC) to the left atrium allowing for a nonsurgical method to decompress the TD. This procedure resulted in significant clinical and laboratory improvement of both patients' PLE and other symptoms of lymphatic dysfunction.

Research paper thumbnail of Mesenchymal stem cells from human fat engineered to secrete BMP4 are nononcogenic, suppress brain cancer, and prolong survival

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2014

Glioblastoma is the most common adult primary malignant intracranial cancer. It is associated wit... more Glioblastoma is the most common adult primary malignant intracranial cancer. It is associated with poor outcomes because of its invasiveness and resistance to multimodal therapies. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSC) are a potential treatment because of their tumor tropism, ease of isolation, and ability to be engineered. In addition, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) has tumor-suppressive effects on glioblastoma and glioblastoma brain tumor-initiating cells (BTIC), but is difficult to deliver to brain tumors. We sought to engineer BMP4-secreting hAMSCs (hAMSCs-BMP4) and evaluate their therapeutic potential on glioblastoma. The reciprocal effects of hAMSCs on primary human BTIC proliferation, differentiation, and migration were evaluated in vitro. The safety of hAMSC use was evaluated in vivo by intracranial coinjections of hAMSCs and BTICs in nude mice. The therapeutic effects of hAMSCs and hAMSCs-BMP4 on the proliferation and migration of glioblastoma cells as w...

Research paper thumbnail of Optimization Problems Related to Zigzag Pocket Machining

Algorithmica, 2000

. A fundamental problem of manufacturing is to produce mechanical parts from billets by cleari... more . A fundamental problem of manufacturing is to produce mechanical parts from billets by clearing areas within specified boundaries from the material. Based on a graph-theoretical formulation, the algorithmic handling of one particular machining problem—``zigzag pocket machining''—is investigated. We present a linear-time algorithm that ensures that every region of the pocket is machined exactly once, while attempting to minimize

Research paper thumbnail of Decompression of the thoracic duct: A novel transcatheter approach

Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2019

In patients with total cavopulmonary connections, elevated central venous pressures (CVP) have de... more In patients with total cavopulmonary connections, elevated central venous pressures (CVP) have detrimental effects on the lymphatic system causing an imbalance in fluid production and drainage of the interstitium. This combination may result in lifethreatening lymphatic complications including plastic bronchitis (PB), protein losing enteropathy (PLE), chylothorax, and ascites. While embolization of the abnormal lymphatics has greatly improved outcomes from these complications, alternative treatment strategies have been proposed that would result in improved lymphatic drainage while leaving the lymphatic system intact. We report two novel transcatheter approaches for thoracic duct (TD) decompression in two patients who developed PLE after completion of the Fontan procedure as part of staged palliation for congenital heart disease. In addition, one patient had severe concurrent PB. In both patients, a connection was created between a left superior vena cava (LSVC) to the left atrium allowing for a nonsurgical method to decompress the TD. This procedure resulted in significant clinical and laboratory improvement of both patients' PLE and other symptoms of lymphatic dysfunction.

Research paper thumbnail of Mesenchymal stem cells from human fat engineered to secrete BMP4 are nononcogenic, suppress brain cancer, and prolong survival

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2014

Glioblastoma is the most common adult primary malignant intracranial cancer. It is associated wit... more Glioblastoma is the most common adult primary malignant intracranial cancer. It is associated with poor outcomes because of its invasiveness and resistance to multimodal therapies. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSC) are a potential treatment because of their tumor tropism, ease of isolation, and ability to be engineered. In addition, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) has tumor-suppressive effects on glioblastoma and glioblastoma brain tumor-initiating cells (BTIC), but is difficult to deliver to brain tumors. We sought to engineer BMP4-secreting hAMSCs (hAMSCs-BMP4) and evaluate their therapeutic potential on glioblastoma. The reciprocal effects of hAMSCs on primary human BTIC proliferation, differentiation, and migration were evaluated in vitro. The safety of hAMSC use was evaluated in vivo by intracranial coinjections of hAMSCs and BTICs in nude mice. The therapeutic effects of hAMSCs and hAMSCs-BMP4 on the proliferation and migration of glioblastoma cells as w...

Research paper thumbnail of Optimization Problems Related to Zigzag Pocket Machining

Algorithmica, 2000

. A fundamental problem of manufacturing is to produce mechanical parts from billets by cleari... more . A fundamental problem of manufacturing is to produce mechanical parts from billets by clearing areas within specified boundaries from the material. Based on a graph-theoretical formulation, the algorithmic handling of one particular machining problem—``zigzag pocket machining''—is investigated. We present a linear-time algorithm that ensures that every region of the pocket is machined exactly once, while attempting to minimize

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