Toxicology Commons^™

Comprehensive Forensic Toxicological Analysis Of Designer Drugs, Madeleine Jean Swortwood

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New designer drugs are constantly emerging onto the illicit drug market and it is often difficult to validate and maintain comprehensive analytical methods for accurate detection of these compounds. Generally, toxicology laboratories utilize a screening method, such as immunoassay, for the presumptive identification of drugs of abuse. When a positive result occurs, confirmatory methods, such as gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS), are required for more sensitive and specific analyses. In recent years, the need to study the activities of these compounds in screening assays as well as to develop confirmatory techniques to detect …

Immunological And Reproductive Health Assessment In Herring Gulls And Black-Crowned Night Herons In The Hudson-Raritan Estuary, Keith A. Grasman, Kathy R. Echols, Thomas M. May, Paul H. Peterman

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Previous studies have shown inexplicable declines in breeding waterbirds within western New York/New Jersey Harbor between 1996 and 2002 and elevated polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) eggs. The present study assessed associations between immune function, prefledgling survival, and selected organochlorine compounds and metals in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in lower New York Harbor during 2003. In pipping gull embryos, lymphoid cells were counted in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius (sites of T and B lymphocyte maturation, respectively). The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin response assessed T cell function in …

Atrazine And Nitrate In Public Drinking Water Supplies And Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma In Nebraska, Usa, Martha G. Rhoades, Jane L. Meza, Cheryl L. Beseler, Patrick J. Shea, Andy Kahle, Julie M. Vose, Kent M. Eskridge, Roy F. Spalding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A secondary analysis of 1999–2002 Nebraska case-control data was conducted to assess the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) associated with exposure to nitrate- and atrazine-contaminated drinking water. Water chemistry data were collected and weighted by well contribution and proximity of residence to water supply, followed by logistic regression to determine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We found no association between NHL risk and exposure to drinking water containing atrazine or nitrate alone. Risk associated with the interaction of nitrate and atrazine in drinking water was elevated (OR, 2.5; CI, 1.0–6.2). Risk of indolent B-cell lymphoma was higher …

Study Of Charge-Dependent Transport And Toxicity Of Peptide-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles Using Zebrafish Embryos And Single Nanoparticle Plasmonic Spectroscopy, Kerry J. Lee, Lauren M. Browning, Prakash D. Nallathamby, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Nanomaterials possess unusually high surface area-to-volume ratios and surface-determined physicochemical properties. It is essential to understand their surface-dependent toxicity in order to rationally design biocompatible nanomaterials for a wide variety of applications. In this study, we have functionalized the surfaces of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs, 11.7 ±+2.7 nm in diameter) with three biocompatible peptides (CALNNK, CALNNS, CALNNE) to prepare positively (Ag-CALNNK NPs^+ζ), negatively (Ag-CALNNS NPs^−2ζ), and more negatively charged NPs (Ag-CALNNE NPs^−4ζ), respectively. Each peptide differs in a single amino acid at its C-terminus, which minimizes the effects of peptide sequences and serves as …

The Bio-Nano-Interface In Predicting Nanoparticle Fate And Behaviour In Living Organisms: Towards Grouping And Categorising Nanomaterials And Ensuring Nanosafety By Design, Hugh Byrne, Arti Ahluwalia, Diana Boraschi,, Bengt Fadeel, Peter Gehr, Arno C. Gutleb, Michaela Kendall, Manthos Papadopoulos, Iseult Lynch

Articles

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research directions and some recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must …

Lipid Peroxides And Glutathione Status In Human Progenitor Mononuclear (U937) Cells Following Exposure To Low Doses Of Nickel And Copper, William Y. Boadi, Shalandus Harris, Justin B. Anderson, Samuel E. Adunyah

Chemistry Faculty Research

Effects of Cu2+, Ni2+ or Cu2+ + Ni2+ on lipid peroxide and glutathione (GSH) levels in U937 cells were investigated. Cells were treated with 0, 5, 10, and 20 µM of Cu2+ and/or Ni2+ and H2O2 (0.01 mM) and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Lipid peroxides were measured by the thiobarbituric acid assay (TBA). GSH intracellular levels were assayed by the GSH assay kit from EMD/Calbiochem (San Diego, California, USA). Cu2+ or Ni2+ significantly (P < 0.01) increased lipid peroxides in a dose-dependent manner, compared to controls. The effect was more pronounced for Cu2+, compared to the Ni2+-treated samples. Cu2+ + Ni2+ increased lipid peroxides in a significant (P < 0.001), dose-dependent manner, compared to Cu2+ or Ni2+ alone (i.e., ratio of 2.5:1-fold for combined versus single treatments, respectively). Cu2+ or Ni2+ significantly decreased GSH levels in U937 cells, with the effect being pronounced for Cu2+. Cu2+ + Ni2+ metal ions significantly (P < 0.001) depleted cells of GSH in a dose-dependent manner. Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) at 50 or 100 µM moderately reduced the Cu2+- or Ni2+-induced effects on GSH levels. Interestingly, GSH levels generally decreased to half (except for the combined metal dose of 20 µM at 100 µM EDTA) of its level at the highest metal concentration tested for both the single or combined treatments. In conclusion, multiple exposures of cells to metal ions may be lethal to cells, compared to their single treatments.

Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus Glacialis) As Bio-Indicators Of Endocrine Disrupting Plasticizers In The Marine Surface Environment., Olivia Feinstein

Summer Research

The plastics that make up over 10% of human waste are synthesized with phthalate plasticizers which are utilized in plastics as an additive to improve durability and flexibility. Many phthalates have been identified as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and studies have shown dramatic deleterious effects as a result of species exposure to growing numbers of EDCs in the environment. Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) are a northern hemisphere seabird species that forages opportunistically, meaning that they take advantage of a wide variety of different food sources, including inadvertent consumption of plastic. In addition to occupying space in the individuals’ …

Evaluating And Regulating Lead In Artificial Turf, Gregory Van Ulirsch, Kevin Gleason, Shawn Gerstenberger, Deaphne B. Moffett, Glenn Pulliam, Tariq Ahmed, Jerald Fagliano

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background: In 2007, a synthetic turf recreational field in Newark, New Jersey, was closed because lead was found in synthetic turf fibers and in surface dust at concentrations exceeding hazard criteria. Consequently, public health professionals across the country began testing synthetic turf to determine whether it represented a lead hazard. Currently, no standardized methods exist to test for lead in synthetic turf or to assess lead hazards.

Objectives: Our objectives were to increase awareness of potential lead exposure from synthetic turf by presenting data showing elevated lead in fibers and turf-derived dust; identify risk assessment uncertainties; recommend that federal and/or …

Interaction Of Fish Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Paralogs (Ahr1 And Ahr2) With The Retinoblastoma Protein, Rebeka R. Merson, Sibel I. Karchner, Mark E. Hahn

Faculty Publications

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) mediates the toxic effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-pdioxin (TCDD) and related compounds. In some mammalian cell lines, TCDD induces G1 cell cycle arrest, which depends on an interaction between the AHR and the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB). Mammals possess one AHR, whereas fishes possess two or more AHR paralogs that differ in the domains important for AHR-RB interactions in mammals. To test the hypothesis that fish AHR paralogs differ in their ability to interact with RB, we cloned RB cDNA from Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, and studied the interactions of killifish RB protein with killifish AHR1 and …

Development And Recycling Of Novel Arsenic Removal Technology, Morgan Jones

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

As of 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic from 50 parts per billion (ppb), to 10ppb because of links to cancer. Current remediation technologies are expensive; therefore, this change will result in increased economic pressure on rural communities with high levels of arsenic in their drinking water. Lowering of the standard has spurred the development of a novel remediation technology that has shown the ability to reduce arsenic in drinking water at the source, with the added benefit of low-cost disposal of a stable and benign waste product in ordinary landfills. …

Recognizing Toxic Species In Aquatic Habitats: A Potential Concern In Lake Management, Mikolaj Kokocinski, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The importance of distinguishing toxic and non-toxic algal species is becoming a more common problem for management decisions associated with various freshwater and estuarine habitats. An example is given where two dinoflagellates, originally unidentified as closely resembling the toxin producing Pfiesteria spp., have been compared to these species. In order to clarify any relationship to Pfiesteria spp., scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the plate tabulation patterns of these dinoflagellates and make comparisons to the tabulation present in Pfiesteria spp. The results indicated significant differences in the plate tabulations of these taxa to distinguish them from Pfiesteria …

Characterization Of The Dust/Smoke Aerosol That Settled East Of The World Trade Center (Wtc) In Lower Manhattan After The Collapse Of The Wtc 11 September 2001, Paul J. Lioy, Clifford P. Weisel, Et Al, Robert C. Hale

VIMS Articles

The explosion and collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) was a catastrophic event that produced an aerosol plume impacting many workers, residents, and commuters during the first few days after 11 September 2001. Three bulk samples of the total settled dust and smoke were collected at weather-protected locations east of the WTC on 16 and 17 September 200 1; these samples are representative of the generated material that settled immediately after the explosion and fire and the concurrent collapse of the two structures. We analyzed each sample, not differentiated by particle Size, for inorganic and organic composition. In the …

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

Evaluation Of Toxicity, Bioavailability And Speciation Of Lead, Zinc And Cadmium In Mine/Mill Wastewaters, Mujde Erten-Unal, Bobby G. Wixson, Nord Gale, Jerry L. Pitt

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The toxicity of common compounds of lead, cadmium and zinc was evaluated in waters similar to that found in the world's largest lead producing area in Missouri. Static, acute toxicity tests were performed using fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and water fleas (Daphnia magna) respectively. Test organisms were subjected to varying amounts of sulfide, carbonate, chloride and sulfate salts of lead, zinc and cadmium mixed in hard, alkaline waters typical to this region. Median lethal concentrations were calculated using nominal versus measured metal concentrations. Measured metal concentrations included four different metal fractionation (extraction/filtration) techniques at different pH …

Ecological Water Treatment System For Removal Of Phosphorus And Nitrogen From Polluted Water, Ray W. Drenner, Donald J. Day, Stacy J. Basham, J. Durward Smith, Susan I. Jensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We propose that phosphorus and nitrogen can be removed from polluted water using an ecological water treatment system consisting of periphyton and fish. In the proposed system, polluted water flows through a series of vessels, and the nutrients are taken up by periphyton growing on porous screens. Algal-grazing fish feed on the periphyton and either assimilate or egest the nutrients in mucus-bound feces that settle from the water into a sediment trap. Both the fish and their feces can be harvested as nutrient sinks. In this study we examined the effects of an algal-grazing cichlid (Tilapia mossambica) and …

Research Needs For The Risk Assessment Of Health And Environmental Effects Of Endocrine Disruptors: A Report Of The Us Epa-Sponsored Workshop, Rj Kavlock, Gp Daston, C Derosa, P Fennercrisp, Le Gray, S Kaattari, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The hypothesis has been put forward that humans and wildlife species have suffered adverse health effects after exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Reported adverse effects include declines in populations, increases in cancers, and reduced reproductive function. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a workshop in April 1995 to bring together interested parties in an effort to identify research gaps related to this hypothesis and to establish priorities for future research activities. Approximately 90 invited participants were organized into work groups developed around the principal reported health effects-carcinogenesis, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity--as well as along the risk assessment paradigm--hazard identification, dose-response …

Pesticide Use On Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower And Peppers Grown In Connecticut: 1991, James J. Turner Ii, Candace L. Bartholomew

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Pesticide Use On Peaches And Pears Grown In Connecticut: 1991, James L. Turner Ii, Candace L. Bartholomew

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Pesticide Use On Apples Grown In Connecticut: 1990, James L. Turner Ii, Candace L. Bartholomew

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Toxicological Studies On Aquatic Contaminants Originating From Coal Production And Utilization: The Induction Of Tolerance To Silver In Laboratory Populations Of Fish And The Chronic Toxicity Of Nickel To Fish Early Life Stages, Wesley J. Birge, Jeffrey A. Black, James F. Hobson, Albert G. Westerman

KWRRI Research Reports

Aquatic toxicity studies were performed on two important coal-derived contaminants, silver and nickel. Silver was investigated with regard to metal-induced tolerance in laboratory populations of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Fish were exposed to acute silver concentrations following acclimation to sublethal exposures of this metal. Based on median lethal times (LT50), animals which had received 14 days prior exposure to 1.5 and 15 μg Ag/L were three to four times more resistant to silver than were previously unexposed organisms. This metal-induced resistance was not a sustained response. After organisms which had been acclimated to 15 μg/L had been transferred to …

The Induction Of Tolerance To Heavy Metals In Natural And Laboratory Populations Of Fish, Wesley J. Birge, William H. Benson, Jeffrey A. Black

KWRRI Research Reports

Aquatic toxicity studies were performed on two natural populations of fathead minnows. One group of organisms was taken from a metal-contaminated flyash pond associated with a coal-fired power plant and the other group was collected from relatively uncontaminated hatchery ponds. Acute tests indicated that flyash pond fish were significantly more tolerant to cadmium and copper than were hatchery fish. At an exposure concentration of 6.0 mg Cd/L in moderately hard water, the median period of survival for flyash pond fish was 50.0 hr compared to 6.8 hr for hatchery fish. Both groups of organisms were about equally sensitive to zinc. …

Effects Of Organic Compounds On Amphibian Reproduction, Wesley J. Birge, Jeffrey A. Black, Robert A. Kuehne

KWRRI Research Reports

Aquatic toxicity tests were conducted with atrazine, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methylene chloride, trisodium nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and phenol. Each compound was administered to developmental stages of three to five amphibian species. Exposure was initiated at fertilization and maintained through 4 days posthatching. Test responses included lethality and teratogenesis. Different amphibian species exhibited varying degrees of tolerance to the selected compounds. Greatest tolerance usually was observed for the more broadly adapted semi-aquatic and terrestrial species (e.g., Bufo americanus, Bufo fowleri). The more sensitive amphibians usually included those species which normally are restricted to aquatic or moist habitats (e.g., Rana …

Metals In Apple Cider Produced And Marketed In Connecticut, Dennis W. Hill, Thomas R. Kelley, Gale R. Morrow, Sylvia W. Matiuck

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Acute Effect Of Free Chlorine On Selected Estuarine Invertebrates And Vertebrates : Final Report, Morris H. Roberts, Robert J. Diaz

Reports

The objective of this project was to determine acute toxic effects of chlorine on selected estuarine organisms found adjacent to the projected outfall of a sewage treatment plant in the lower York River. The test species specified under contract were ovster (Crassostrea virginica) and clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) larvae, Acartia tonsa (a dominant copepod), and the fishes, menhaden (Brcvoortia tyranus), pipefish (Svngnathus fuscus), blennies (Hypsoplennius hentzi) and sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). The parameter of interest in the tests was mortality when the animals were exposed to a constant level of chlorine for a 48 or 96 hr period.

Interbasin Movement Of Ground Water At The Nevada Test Site, Isaac J. Winograd

Publications (WR)

The present paper presents hydraulic evidence for the interbasin circulation of ground water through carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age at the Nevada Test Site. An integral part of this evidence is the discovery that aquifers in alluvium and tuff, formerly thought to be the principal aquifers at the Test Site, are semiperched above a thick tuffaceous aquiclude that separates them from the carbonate rocks.

This paper is based on one of the studies being made by the Geological
Survey for the Atomic Energy Commission. These studies seek to evaluate
the risk that may arise if ground water should be contaminated …