Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Land Application Of Sewage Sludge: Physiological And Biochemical Response Of The Rio Grande Tomato, Nabil Charchar, Ali Elafri, Redwane Rais, Halassi Ismahen

Journal of Bioresource Management

Treated wastewater produces sewage sludge as a by-product that may have beneficial implications on agricultural practices. The effects of sludge amendments on growth, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the agro-industrial Tomato cultivar Rio Grande were observed. A pot culture experiment was carried out during 4 months (16 February 2019 to 18 June 2019), at an experimental green house in the locality of Salah Soufi, Guelma, north-eastern Algeria. There were significant differences between soil and sewage sludge samples. Total nitrogen (20.58 mg/kg) was more available in sewage sludge than in soil (N = 2.09 ± 0.3 mg/kg). In ...

Houston, We Have A Problem: Humanity & Home In 2001: A Space Odyssey, Charlotte Grace Mcgill Wood

2020 JHU Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium

Stanley Kubrick's watershed film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is epic in its undertaking. In just under three hours, Kubrick attempts to capture the totality of human history, beginning before the evolution of humankind as we know it and ending in a kind of post-physical dream space. The question of the environment's role weighs heavily throughout, as humankind becomes increasingly divorced from the Earth and begins a love affair with the wider universe. This affair is, of course, mediated. It is possible only because of suits and ships, tools invented by and for humans that allow them to ...

Indomethacin Exposure Is Associated With Birthweight In Extremely Preterm Infants: Non-Standard Exposure With Standard Weight-Based Dosing, Bradley C. Stockard

Research Days

No abstract provided.

Hiv-1 Tat Interactions With Opioids Are Modulated By Progesterone And Estradiol, Dejun Jackson

Honors Theses

HIV infection and combined substance abuse are comorbid epidemics. Previous studies show that concurrent opioid drug use may potentiate HIV-1-mediated neurotoxicity partly via interactions with opioids. Preclinical studies suggest that the HIV-1 trans-activator of transcription (Tat), an HIV regulatory protein, can synergize with opioids to exacerbate its already neurotoxic effects. However, its interactions with clinical opioids, such as oxycodone, have yet to be elucidated. Additionally, Tat disrupts a number of systems including the dopaminergic system, which contribute to its capacity to potentiate the rewarding effects of abused drugs. Although the neurotoxic effects of Tat may be inhibited by gonadal steroids ...

The Impact Of Age/Rage Signaling On Oxidative Stress Under Diabetic Conditions In Cardiac Fibroblasts, Christopher Dorroh

Honors Theses

Diabetes is a major health concern in the United States, with 1.5 million new cases diagnosed each year. Patients who suffer from diabetes have an increased risk of developing heart failure, a form of cardiovascular disease. Heart failure has been shown to result from increased left ventricular stiffness, which in turn is caused by increased remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This increase in ECM remodeling is a result of AGE/RAGE signaling, which occurs at a heightened level in the cardiac fibroblast cells of diabetics. Studies have shown that diabetics have elevated levels of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-Products ...

Study Of Pharmaceutical Tablets Using Raman Mapping, Kyle Joseph Pauly

Honors Theses

Covalent bonds are the strongest type of bonds holding molecules together. Based on the pattern of bonding of the molecule, the atoms associated with the bond will vibrate at a specific frequency. Utilizing vibrational spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, these unique vibrational frequencies can be used to detect the presence of analytes over a selected area. Furthermore, the intensities of the vibrational modes can be tracked to comparatively quantify the concentration of analytes at various locations. This is a method of great importance due to its ability to compare pharmaceutical tablets synthesized with different techniques. Here, the presence and concentration ...

Impacts Of Embryonic Exposure To Cannabidiol Or ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol On Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Frailty In F0 And F1 Generations, Anika Faruque

Honors Theses

Exposure to cannabinoids during critical development periods has increased with epileptic children being commonly prescribed CBD for seizures and pregnant women taking it recreationally. Many studies have been done on the possible benefits and drawbacks of cannabinoid exposure on the human brain, but not much is known about how it can affect the developing brain long-term. To see the potential adverse effects of cannabinoid exposure during critical stages of development and discover potential developmental origins of disease in consuming cannabinoids during embryogenesis, zebrafish embryos (6-96 hours post fertilization) were exposed to varying concentrations of CBD (0.02, 0.1, 0 ...

Formation Of Nanoparticles For The Oral Delivery Of Small Molecules By Flash Nanoprecipitation, Jing Zhi Lo

Master of Chemical Sciences Capstone Projects

Nanoparticles have shown considerable potential in many biological applications including drug delivery, bio-imaging, and medical diagnostics. Specifically, the development of nanoparticle-based drug formulations holds opportunities to improve the dissolution rate and oral availability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The goal of this project is to improve oral bioavailability of a small molecule drug (“G-1”) through the formation of nanoparticles using the flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) process. Interestingly, “G-1” formed ~80 nm particles that are electrostatically stabilized without the use of stabilizing polymers and concentration as high as 160 mg/mL of “G-1” formed nanoparticles. Additionally, trehalose was found to be an effective ...

The Influence Of Climate Change On Disease And Public Health, Natalie Petruzelli

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

This paper attempts to analyze the growing influence of climate change on the spread and development of diseases, as well as how this continues to affect public health and medical administrations around the world. The prevalence of airborne, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases have been found to be exacerbated as a result of climate change. In addition to this, the paper addresses the reemergence of eliminated diseases and ancient pathogens due to changing temperatures and weather patterns. Finally, the effect of these different conditions on national and international public health organizations and policies is analyzed, including projections on what can be ...

Phospholipid Remodeling Via Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Uptake Modulates Stress Resistance In Vibrio Cholerae, William Strike

Honors Theses

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens represent an escalating threat to public health worldwide, substantially increasing the burden of healthcare and community-acquired infections. Several factors contribute to the emergence and spread of this threat, including but not limited to improper antibiotic use and prescriptions in health-care settings and the community, increasing global travel and migration from countries that have higher levels of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and a lack of new antibiotics under development. According to the World Health Organization, rising rates of resistance among Gram-negative bacteria (such as Vibrio cholerae) are of particular concern. These bacteria have evolved a number of endogenous membrane remodeling strategies ...

Baclofen-Induced Changes In The Resting Brain Modulate Smoking Cue Reactivity: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study In Cigarette Smokers, Ariel Ketcherside, Kanchana Jagannathan, Sudipto Dolui, Nathan Hager, Nathaniel Spilka, Chaela Nutor, Hengyi Rao, Teresa Franklin, Reagan Wetherill

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Smoking cue-(SC) elicited craving can lead to relapse in SC-vulnerable individuals. Thus, identifying treatments that target SC-elicited craving is a top research priority. Reduced drug cue neural activity is associated with recovery and is marked by a profile of greater tonic (resting) activation in executive control regions, and increased connectivity between executive and salience regions. Evidence suggests the GABA-B agonist baclofen can reduce drug cue-elicited neural activity, potentially through its actions on the resting brain. Based on the literature, we hypothesize that baclofen’s effects in the resting brain can predict its effects during SC exposure.

Methods: In ...

Effects Of Nicotine On Attention: Role Of Orexin-1 Receptors, Stacy Pitcairn

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The orexin (also called hypocretin) system projects to a wide array of brain regions and is activated by drugs of abuse. The orexin system is best known for its function in wakefulness and arousal, but recent research has suggested that orexins play a vital role in attentional processing. The orexin-1 receptor has been implicated in crucial mechanisms of attention, specifically the transmission of acetylcholine to the cortex. Nicotine is a commonly administered psychoactive drug that has been shown to have cognitive-enhancing effects. Nicotine appears to target the orexin system, suggesting a potential role of the orexin system in mediating the ...

Rna Therapeutics: Informational Drugs As A Pandemic Response Tool, Anastasia Khvorova

UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Seminars

This presentation, hosted by the Community Engagement and Research Section, University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Clinical and Translational Science, describes the development of siRNA-based approaches for modulation of COVID-19 in the lung in a three-month time frame.

This talk was the second in the COVID-19 Research Community Forum webinar series, a collaboration of the four federally-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awardees (CTSA) in Massachusetts, that provided an opportunity for community members, institutions and other organizations to be part of the discussions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The MA CTSAs, consisting of the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science ...

Investigating The Effects Of Temperature On Lesser Celandine, Regina Bellian

The Downtown Review

This paper explores invasive species Ficaria verna (Lesser celandine) and the effects of temperature on its growth. Trials were completed with two treatments, 13OC cold temperature and 20OC ambient temperature. Germinated bulbils of Lesser celandine were planted on February 15, 2017 and placed in their respective growing chambers. The plants were watered weekly and monitored for growth until harvest on March 29, 2017. Upon harvest, the plants’ height, largest leaf diameter and biomass were measured after extraction from soil and the removal of the leftover soil debris. Average height was found to be 11.66cm for the cold treatment and ...

The Influence Of Acidification And Copper Exposure On Copper Accumulation And Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Responses In The Pond Snail, Lymnaea Stagnalis, Gretchen K. Bielmyer-Fraser, Francis Alip, Ruth Adeyemi, Nolan Carney, Fasinia Santiago, Kyla Siemen, Kiley Donaghy

Georgia Journal of Science

Atmospheric carbon dioxide is rising at an accelerated rated due to increased anthropogenic activities. Metals have also been a noted problem; however, little research has addressed combined exposure of both pollutants to sensitive, calcifying organisms in freshwater habitats. This study examined copper accumulation (over 7 d) and activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase (over 2 d), in the freshwater common pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, after exposure to ambient and increased (2000 µatm) CO₂ and copper (control, 5, and 20 µg/L). Results demonstrated increased copper accumulation in soft tissue of snails exposed to copper; however, exposure ...

Microrna Expression Profiling Of Normal And Malignant Human Colonic Stem Cells Identifies, Vignesh Viswanathan, Lynn Opdenaker, Shirin Modarai, Jeremy Z Fields, Gregory Gonye, Bruce M Boman

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a critical role in regulating stem cells (SCs) during development, and because aberrant expression of miRNAs occurs in various cancers, our goal was to determine if dysregulation of miRNAs is involved in the SC origin of colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously reported that aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is a marker for normal and malignant human colonic SCs and tracks SC overpopulation during colon tumorigenesis. MicroRNA expression was studied in ALDH-positive SCs from normal and malignant human colon tissues by Nanostring miRNA profiling. Our findings show that: (1) A unique miRNA signature distinguishes ALDH-positive CRC cells from ALDH-positive normal ...

Computational Chemistry - Ulk 101, Michaela Montpas

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Autophagy is a process that generates the necessary building components for cells by cytoplasmic breakdown of unnecessary materials (Martin, Celano, Solitro, Gunaydin, Scott, et. al., 2018). This is a survival technique for cells in times of stress, especially during periods of nutrient starvation. Cancer cells, unfortunately, benefit from this process due to their ability to flourish in nutrient-starved environments, becoming resistant to therapy. The primary protein in mammals responsible for this process is a serine/threonine kinase called ULK 1 (unc-51 like autophagy initiating kinase 1). As such, inhibitors of ULK 1 can be used in cancer therapies in order ...

Antidepressants Versus Music Therapy: Which Treatment Is Better For Treating Depression In Parkinson's Disease?, Emaan Dawood

Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Conference

Music and medicine are merging to treat depression in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Antidepressants, the current standard, demonstrate mixed effects in clinical trials, warranting other treatment options. Here, I compare music therapy to antidepressants in the treatment of depression in PD via literature review. Studies of depressed PD patients undergoing music therapy and/or antidepressants were reviewed with attention to variables including depression (on a patient-reported outcome) that were measured pre- and post- therapy. In the music studies, improvements were seen in depression. Methodological inconsistencies across these studies, a paucity of studies, and small sample sizes, however, necessitate more research ...

Extreme Fire As A Management Tool To Combat Regime Shifts In The Range Of The Endangered American Burying Beetle, Alison K. Ludwig, Daniel R. Uden, Dirac Twidwell

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research in Agronomy and Horticulture

This study is focused on the population of federally-endangered American burying beetles in south-central Nebraska. It is focused on changes in land cover over time and at several levels of spatial scale, and how management efforts are impacting both the beetle and a changing landscape. Our findings are applicable to a large portion of the Great Plains, which is undergoing the same shift from grassland to woodland, and to areas where the beetle is still found.

Tip60 Regulation Of Δnp63Α Is Associated With Cisplatin Resistance, Akshay Hira, Andrew Stacy, Jin Zhang, Michael P. Craig, Madhavi Kadakia

Symposium of Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

About 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed every year in the US. ΔNp63a, a member of the p53 transcription factor family, is overexpressed in non-melanoma skin cancer and regulates cell survival, migration and invasion. TIP60 is histone acetyltransferase (HAT) which mediates cellular processes such as transcription and the DNA damage response (DDR). Previous studies in our lab have shown that overexpression of TIP60 induces ΔNp63a protein stabilization in a catalytic-dependent manner. Since ΔNp63a is known to transcriptionally regulate several DDR genes and promote cisplatin resistance, its stabilization by TIP60 may contribute to the failure of ...