Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Crude Oil On Tumor Suppressor P53 Polymorphisms In Laboratory-Exposed Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Allison Margaret Nadler

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), constituents of crude oil, are implicated as a potent source of adverse toxicological effects on living organisms. To model the effects of PAHs in response to environmental oil spill disasters a species of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) was captured and exposed to crude oil in a laboratory-controlled setting. Over a period of 7 days, fish were dosed with crude oil by gavage, culled, and organs were harvested for analysis. Excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMS) of gall bladder tissue homogenates was used to verify exposure. Effects of PAHs on the p53 gene were evaluated as an indicator …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of A Novel Carbohydrate Template And Analogs Thereof For Potential Cns-Active Drugs, Emi Hanawa-Romero

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are becoming a major societal problem. Examples of well-known CNS disorders are: neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer’s diseases, epilepsy/seizures, addiction, bipolar disorder, catalepsy, meningitis, migraines, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and multiple sclerosis. CNS disorders can be caused by various factors and therefore can affect ages, genders and races of all.

The population of patients with CNS disorders is increasing and a significant percentage of patients have symptoms that are not controlled by existing treatments. In addition, since CNS disorders are chronic disorder, there is no cure and thus the patients have to …

B7h6: A Cancer Biomarker For The Development Of Novel Immunotherapy Approaches, Mariana Phillips

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Cancer-based immunotherapy has led the evolution of biologics that can stimulate immune responses towards tumor eradication. The synthesis of small to intermediate size molecules with the targeting and effector functions of mAb may represent a novel class of immunotherapeutics that may overcome the limitations of their biological counterparts.Towards this objective, B7H6 has been identified as a protein ligand localized on the cell surface of transformed tumor cells. B7H6 binds specifically to the activating receptor NKp30, constitutively expressed on all resting and active NK cells. Upon ligand:receptor binding, B7H6 triggers NK cell activation and release of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines such …

Exploring Knowledge, Beliefs And Practices Of Radon Gas Exposure Among Public Health Workers, Paschal Nwako

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Radon gas exposure is the highest cause of lung cancer among people that never smoked in the United States. People exposed to elevated levels of radon had a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Achieving the long term goal of the Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA) of 1988 require a combined efforts of government agencies. Public health workers are change agents and their role in protecting and improving the health of their communities are well documented. This study created and utilized a multi question survey, the Public Health Workers Radon Assessment Instrument (PHWRAI) to explore knowledge, beliefs, personal and professional …

Flow Cytometric Analysis For Cyanobacteria In 36 New Jersey Freshwater Bodies, Ruchit Patel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Eutrophication, a process that occurs due to excessive accumulation of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous is primarily from anthropogenic nitrogen and natural occurrences. This phenomenon causes cyanobacterial overgrowth which can potentially lead to toxic algal blooms that affect public drinking water sources and recreational usage. An immediate need to detect bloom forming cyanobacteria in freshwater bodies early hand is critical to implement prevention strategies. These microorganisms contain phycobiliproteins such as phycoerytrhin, and allophycocyanin as part of the phycobillisome that allow autofluorescence. In this study, 36 freshwater bodies from 14 New Jersey counties were collected and processed for flow cytometric …

Apical Testis Structure And The Effects Of Cadmium Treatment On Spermatogenesis In Drosophila, Paulina J. Cardaci

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is used extensively as a model for studying molecular, genetic and cellular aspects of human disease and physiology. Our lab has used D. melanogaster and related species to study the structure of the testis stem cell niche, as well as other aspects of spermatogenesis. We previously revealed a novel stem cell niche structure in D. pseudoobscura, a distant relative of D. melanogaster. The signaling center of the D. melanogaster stem cell niche has a well-characterized rosette arrangement of fasciclin-positive cells terms the “hub”. D. pseudoobscura, however, lacks a punctuate hub and instead displays a …

Molecular Characterization Of Hemoglobin Protein In Larvae Of 4th Instar Chironomidae For Evaluating Environmental Quality, Jun Taek Oh

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Studying environmental quality is a challenging task. It is a complicated exercise since the environment is constantly influenced by numerous variables such as climate change, anthropogenic activities, and unexpected natural disasters. Traditionally, exposure to chemical pollutants depended on chemical and physical analysis of environmental media. Unfortunately, this approach has not taken into consideration bioavailability of the chemical(s) of interest to exposed organisms and/or modification of the chemical (bioactivation/detoxification) by the organism. Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) have been chosen as bioindicators for numerous environmental biomonitoring programs geared towards the assessment of aquatic ecosystems. Biomonitoring requires a more subtle measure – a biomarker …

Submonomer Synthesis And Structure-Activity Relationship Studies Of Azapeptide Inhibitors Of The Insulin Receptor Tyrosine Kinase, Lathamol A. Kurian

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Azapeptides are a class of peptide mimics (peptidomimetics), which have served as valuable tools for the development of peptide based therapeutic agents. The therapeutic promise of azapeptides has been correlated to its primary sequence modification which translates into bio-active secondary structures that improves the pharmacological properties of the native peptide sequence. More specifically, azapeptides contain a semicarbazide within the peptide backbone which restricts the peptide bond torsion angles (φ, ψ) into pre-organized b-turn secondary structures. Thus, azapeptides have been shown to stabilize bio-active b-turn secondary structures responsible for high affinity and selective binding to a target …

Detection Of Pahs In Commercial And Wild Caught Fish Oil Using Scanning Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Edwin Antonio Pena

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The DeepWater Horizon (DWH) oil spill contaminated a large area in the Gulf of Mexico in summer 2010. It is likely that many aquatic species in the Gulf were affected by the spill. Crude oil contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs). Some PAHs are carcinogenic to fish and humans. The purpose of this project was to develop menhaden fish oil as a biomonitoring tool for crude oil contaminants such as PAHs using scanning fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS). Menhaden (Genus Brevoortia) is one of the most ecologically and economically important marine fish species along the Atlantic and Gulf coast; however, it is …

Evaluating Acute Toxicity Of Cadmium To Chironomid Using Hemoglobin As A Molecular Biomarker, Jun Taek Oh

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Effects of cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal contaminant, on hemoglobin were investigated in aquatic midge fly larvae of the Family, Chironomidae. In this study, chironomid populations from one polluted site, Kearny Marsh, New Jersey, two reference sites, North East Creek, and Bass Harbor, ME, and a laboratory population were taxonomically identified and tested for their sensitivity to Cd. Heavy metals in tissue, water and sediment were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Water quality at each site was assessed by measuring pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation-reduction potential ( eH), salinity and temperature. Hemoglobin proteins in individual larvae were easily detected using …

Studies On The Regulation Of Mu Opioid Receptor Mrna Expression In Shsy-5y Human Neuroblastoma Cells, Xin Yu

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Prolonged exposure to morphine down-regulates mu opioid receptors (MOR) on both undifferentiated and differentiated (retinoic acid or phorbol ester treated) SHSY-5Y cells. However, morphine pretreatment does not alter MOR receptor affinity for morphine. To investigate the molecular basis for MOR regulation after exposure to its selective agonists, we have developed a quantitative competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (QC-RT PCR) to quantify the expression of MOR in SHSY-SY cells. Differentiation of SHSY-5Y cells with retinoic acid or phorbol ester up regulated MOR mRNA expression by 30 % and 78%, respectively. A 24 hours treatment with morphine (10 µM) down regulated MOR …