Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of A Field-Deployable Reverse Transcription-Insulated Isothermal Pcr For Rapid And Sensitive On-Site Detection Of Zika Virus, Mariano Carossino, Yanqiu Li, Pei-Yu A. Lee, Chuan-Fu Tsai, Pin-Hsing Chou, Dennis Williams, Ashley Skillman, R. Frank Cook, Grayson Brown, Hsiao-Fen G. Chang, Hwa-Tang T. Wang, Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil and its precipitous expansion throughout the Americas has highlighted the urgent need for a rapid and reliable on-site diagnostic assay suitable for viral detection. Such point-of-need (PON), low-cost diagnostics are essential for ZIKV control in vulnerable areas with limited resources.

Methods: We developed and evaluated a ZIKV-specific field-deployable RT-iiPCR reagent set targeting the E gene for rapid detection of ZIKV in ZIKV-spiked human and mosquito specimens, and compared its performance to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) RT-qPCR assays targeting the E …

Metabolic Dysregulation And Cancer Mortality In A National Cohort Of Blacks And Whites, Tomi Akinyemiju, Justin Xavier Moore, Suzanne Judd, Susan Lakoski, Michael Goodman, Monika M. Safford, Maria Pisu

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: We examined the association between metabolic dysregulation and cancer mortality in a prospective cohort of Black and White adults.

Methods: A total of 25,038 Black and White adults were included in the analysis. Metabolic dysregulation was defined in two ways: 1) using the joint harmonized criteria for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and 2) based on factor analysis of 15 variables characterizing metabolic dysregulation. We estimated hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of MetS and metabolic dysregulation with cancer mortality during follow-up using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: About 46% of Black and 39% of White …

Combinational Sirna Delivery Using Hyaluronic Acid Modified Amphiphilic Polyplexes Against Cell Cycle And Phosphatase Proteins To Inhibit Growth And Migration Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Manoj B. Parmar, Daniel Nisakar Meenakshi Sundaram, Remant Bahadur Kc, Robert Maranchuk, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Judith C. Hugh, Raimar Löbenberg, Hasan Uludağ

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer with few therapeutic options if it recurs after adjuvant chemotherapy. RNA interference could be an alternative therapy for metastatic breast cancer, where small interfering RNA (siRNA) can silence the expression of aberrant genes critical for growth and migration of malignant cells. Here, we formulated a siRNA delivery system using lipid-substituted polyethylenimine (PEI) and hyaluronic acid (HA), and characterized the size, ζ-potential and cellular uptake of the nanoparticulate delivery system. Higher cellular uptake of siRNA by the tailored PEI/HA formulation suggested better interaction of complexes with breast cancer cells due to …

Advancing Stroke Genomic Research In The Age Of Trans-Omics Big Data Science: Emerging Priorities And Opportunities, Mayowa Owolabi, Emmanuel Peprah, Huichun Xu, Rufus Akinyemi, Hemant K. Tiwari, Marguerite R. Irvin, Kolawole Wasiu Wahab, Donna K. Arnett, Bruce Ovbiagele

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background—We systematically reviewed the genetic variants associated with stroke in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and examined the emerging priorities and opportunities for rapidly advancing stroke research in the era of Trans-Omics science.

Methods—Using the PRISMA guideline, we searched PubMed and NHGRI- EBI GWAS catalog for stroke studies from 2007 till May 2017.

Results—We included 31 studies. The major challenge is that the few validated variants could not account for the full genetic risk of stroke and have not been translated for clinical use. None of the studies included continental Africans. Genomic study of stroke among Africans presents …

Ventricular Depolarisation Vectors In Exercise Induced Myocardial Ischaemia, Cameruddin W. Vellani, Mohammad Yusuf, Sadia Mahmud, Satwat Hashmi

Section of Cardiology

Ischaemia reduces membrane excitability and conduction of myocardial depolarisation. This would alter the synergy of electromotive forces that contribute to a resultant force at any instant. Changes in magnitude and direction of resultant forces are reflected in electrocardiographic signals. Here we show a method for obtaining the coordinates of resultant electrical forces during exercise derived from a bipolar orthogonal lead system for calculation of electrical vectors in three planes. In a trial, analysis of changes in vectors indicated that the extent of reduction in magnitude with exercise was significantly greater in groups of patients categorized by impaired effort tolerance and …

Emergence Of The L Phenotype In Group B Streptococci In The South Of Ireland, Katherine Hayes, Lesley Cotter, L. Barry, Fiona O'Halloran

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Group B Streptococcal isolates (n = 235) from the South of Ireland were characterised by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility and determination of the phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms of resistance. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was observed in 21·3% and 20·4% of the total population, respectively. The c-MLSB phenotype was the most common phenotype detected (62%), with ermB being the predominant genetic determinant, present in 84% of resistant isolates. The rare L phenotype was observed in 2·9% (n = 7) of isolates, four of which harboured the lsaC gene responsible for clindamycin resistance. Serotypes Ia, III and II were the most common …

Organic Solvent Exposure And Depressive Symptoms Among Licensed Pesticide Applicators In The Agricultural Health Study, Miriam Siegel, Sarah E. Starks, Wayne T. Sanderson, Freya Kamel, Jane A. Hoppin, Fred Gerr

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Purpose

Although organic solvents are often used in agricultural operations, neurotoxic effects of solvent exposure have not been extensively studied among farmers. The current analysis examined associations between questionnaire-based metrics of organic solvent exposure and depressive symptoms among farmers.

Methods

Results from 692 male Agricultural Health Study participants were analyzed. Solvent type and exposure duration were assessed by questionnaire. An “ever-use” variable and years of use categories were constructed for exposure to gasoline, paint/lacquer thinner, petroleum distillates, and any solvent. Depressive symptoms were ascertained with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); scores were analyzed separately as continuous (0–60) …

Association Of Vitamin D Binding Protein Polymorphism With Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In A Pakistani Urban Population: A Case Control Study, Khalida Iqbal, Najmul Islam, Iqbal Azam, Ali Asghar, Naseema Mehboobali, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To assess if genotypes/diplotypes of vitamin D binding protein have any association with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted from January 2013 to July 2015 at the endocrinology clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised adult patients with type 2 diabetes and their age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Venous blood was obtained and assessed for serum/plasma 25 hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, calcium, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine. Deoxyribonucleic acid was isolated and genotyping was done by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphismprocedures.
Results: Of the 330 participants, there were 165(50%) …

Id3, Estrogenic Chemicals, And The Pathogenesis Of Tumor-Like Proliferative Vascular Lesions, Vincent E. Avecilla

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tumor-like proliferative vascular lesions manifest in several diseases such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and atherosclerosis (AS) after arterial injury. The cause of the vascular cell dysfunction in PAD patients is not known. Our recent novel discovery shows that inhibitor of differentiation 3 (ID3) is highly expressed in intimal lesions of clinical vascular disease samples. The central hypothesis of our study is: estrogenic chemical induced dysregulation of ID3 target genes is involved in the development of vascular disease. NHANES data analysis demonstrated higher geometric levels of all 6 PCB congeners in both PAD diagnosed participants and participants at risk of …

Frequency Of G6pd Mediterranean In Individuals With And Without Malaria In Southern Pakistan, Bushra Moiz, Haroon Muhammad Arshad, Ahmed Raheem Raheem, Hasan Hayat, Najia Karim Ghanchi, M Asim Beg

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Pakistan has an estimated annual burden of 1.5 million malaria cases. The current situation calls for an efective malaria control and eradication programme in this country. Currently, primaquine is an attractive option for eliminating reservoirs of Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites and killing gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum. However, this drug causes haemolysis in individuals who are glucose-6-phosphate (G6PD) defcient. It is important to map G6PD defciency and malaria distribution in Pakistan to design an efective malaria eradication regimen. Frequency of G6PD defciency (G6PDd) in malaria patients has not been reported from Pakistan in any meaningful way. The purpose of this study …

How Useful Is Gsv As An Environmental Observation Tool? An Analysis Of The Evidence So Far., Katherine Nesse, Leah Airt

SPU Works

Researchers in many disciplines have turned to Google Street View to replace pedestrian- or carbased in-person observation of streetscapes. It is most prevalent within the research literature on the relationship between neighborhood environments and public health but has been used as diverse as disaster recovery, ecology and wildlife habitat, and urban design. Evaluations of the tool have found that the results of GSV-based observation are similar to the results from in-person observation although the similarity depends on the type of characteristic being observed. Larger, permanent and discrete features showed more consistency between the two methods and smaller, transient and judgmental …

Gender Differences In Virologic Response After Antiretroviral Therapy In Treatment-Naïve Hiv-Infected Individuals: Results From The 550 Clinic Hiv Cohort Study., Andrea Reyes-Vega, Alejandra Loban, Kavitha Srinivasan, Stephen P. Furmanek, Conner English, Mary Bishop, Cathy Spencer, Daniel Truelove, Julio A. Ramirez, Anupama Raghuram, Paula Peyrani

Faculty Scholarship

Background

Controversy still exists regarding gender differences in virologic response between treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate gender difference in virologic and immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy in treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals. Methods

This was a retrospective, observational study of treatment-na•ve HIV-infected individuals managed at the 550 clinic who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) between January 1st, 2010 and December 31, 2015. Patients with available viral load and CD4 counts before and one year after initiating ART were included in this study. Virologic suppression was defined as < 48 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL, and mmunologic recovery was defined as a CD4 count increase of at least 150 cells/mm3. Dichotomous variables were reported in number and percentages and analyzed using Chi-squared tests and Fisher’s exact (whichever was appropriate). Continuous variables were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR) and analyzed using Wilcox rank-sum tests. Multivariate analyses performed were logistic regressions with adjustment for other covariates. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. R version 3.3.2 was used for the statistical analysis. Results

A total of 70 women and 90 men were included …

Nursing [Career Paper], Tradesha Chatman

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Philosophy Bakes No Bread, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

Philosophy Bakes No Bread

Far from baking bread, far from practical applicability, philosophy traditionally sought to explain the world, ideally so. Thus, when Marx argued that it was high time philosophy “change the world,” his was a revolutionary challenge. Today, philosophy is an analytic affair and analytic philosophers seek less to explain the world than to squirrel out arguments or, more descriptively, to resolve the minutiae of this or that name problem. Faced with diminishing student demand, analytic philosophers have taken to urging that everyone from primary school students to scientists be required to study (analytic) philosophy. Just so, applied …

Community Perception Of The Hiv Vaccine In Western Kenya: Acceptability, Potential Behavior Changes, And Views On Compulsory Vaccination, Deborah Keen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) suppresses the immune system by attacking T cells, leading to the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV affects over 30 million people around the world and 1.6 million people in Kenya. On August 18, 1987, the FDA sanctioned the first human testing of a candidate vaccine for HIV. Currently, multiple HIV vaccines—projected to be on the market in five to ten years—are being tested for efficacy and safety. The goal of this study was to explore opinions related to the HIV vaccine so that there is a guide for future policy development in Western Kenya. …

Association Of Body Shape Index (Absi) With Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors: A Crosssectional Study Of 6081 Caucasian Adults, Simona Bertoli, Alessandro Leone, Nir Y. Krakauer, Giorgio Bedogni, Angelo Vanzulli, Valentino Ippocrates Redaelli, Ramona De Amicis, Laila Vignati, Jesse C. Krakauer, Alberto Battezzati

Publications and Research

A Body Shape Index (ABSI) was specifically developed as a transformation of waist circumference (WC), statistically independent of BMI to better evaluate the relative contribution of WC to central obesity and clinical outcomes. Previous studies have found ABSI is associated with total mortality and cardiovascular events. However, no study has specifically evaluated the joint contribution of ABSI and BMI to cardio-metabolic outcomes (high triglycerides, low HDL, high fasting glucose and high blood pressure). With this aim, we performed a retrospective study on 6081 Caucasian adults. Subjects underwent a medical interview, anthropometric measurements, blood sampling, measurement of blood pressure, and measurement …

Does Breastfeeding Shape Food Preferences? Links To Obesity, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

The first 2 years of life have been recognized as a critical window for obesity prevention efforts. This period is characterized by rapid growth and development and, in a relatively short period of time, a child transitions from a purely milk-based diet to a more varied solid-food diet. Much learning about food and eating occurs during this critical window, and it is well-documented that early feeding and dietary exposures predict later food preferences, eating behaviors, and dietary patterns. The focus of this review will be on the earliest feeding experiences - breast- and formula-feeding - and the unique role of …

Associations Between Bottle-Feeding Intensity And Maternal Encouragement Of Bottle-Emptying, Alison K. Ventura, Patsy Garcia, Andrew A. Schaffner

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objective: To explore longitudinal associations between bottle-feeding and maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying during the first 6 months of infancy.

Design: Mothers completed questionnaires during the third trimester of pregnancy, then monthly during the first 6 months postpartum. Questionnaires assessed family demographics, maternal and infant weight status, infant feeding patterns and maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying.

Setting: The Infant Feeding Practices Study 2, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

Subjects: Mothers (n 1776).

Results: Repeated-measures regression was used to explore associations between bottle-feeding intensity (BFI; defined as the percentage …

Preventing Horse-Related Injuries By Watching Out For Other Humans, William R. Gombeski Jr., Fernanda C. Camargo, Holly Wiemers, Connie Jehlik, Polly Haselton Barger, James Mead

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The more one rides or handles horses, the more likely one is to have a horse-related injury. These injuries are caused by many factors, including those generated by other riders, handlers or spectators. An analysis of 266 cases of injured equestrians showed that 16% of those injuries were caused by other humans. A panel of horse riding safety experts felt 63% were preventable, and the injured individuals themselves felt 51% were preventable. The study findings suggest that increased awareness of the role others play in causing horse-related injuries and increased education about common people-caused injuries could reduce the number of …

Shopping Pattern And Food Purchase Differences Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) Households And Non-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households In The United States, Alison A. Gustafson

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Trends In The Environmental Health Job Market For New Graduates, Jason W. Marion, Timothy J. Murphy Phd, Anne Marie Zimeri Phd

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The question of whether the job market can support future graduates of environmental health programs remains an important and difficult question for environmental health programs, current and prospective students, parents, and other stakeholders. Our previous report using 2014 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics demonstrated anticipated growth and higher than average pay in the profession through at least 2022 for baccalaureate degree holders (Marion & Sinde, 2015). Growth in the profession does not necessarily translate into job availability if the market is saturated with job candidates. While university programs produce graduates, local health departments (LHDs) have suffered tremendous …

Lyme Disease And Youtube™: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Video Contents, Corey H. Basch, Lindsay A. Mullican, Kwanza D. Boone, Jingjing Yin, Alyssa Berdnik, Marina E. Eremeeva, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Objectives: Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. People seek health information on Lyme disease from YouTubeTM videos. In this study, we investigated if the contents of Lyme disease-related YouTubeTM videos varied by their sources.

Methods: Most viewed English YouTubeTM videos (n = 100) were identified and manually coded for contents and sources.

Results: Within the sample, 40 videos were consumer-generated, 31 were internet-based news, 16 were professional, and 13 were TV news. Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV news videos were more likely to mention celebrities (odds ratio [OR], 10.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.13–52.58), prevention of Lyme disease …

Interleukin-6 (Il-6) Rs1800796 And Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor (Cdkn2a/Cdkn2b) Rs2383207 Are Associated With Ischemic Stroke In Indigenous West African Men, Rufus Akinyemi, Donna K. Arnett, Hemant K. Tiwari, Bruce Ovbiagele, Fred Sarfo, Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Marguerite Ryan Irvin, Abiodun Adeoye, Rodney T. Perry, Albert Akpalu, Carolyn Jenkins, Lukman Owolabi, Reginald Obiako, Kolawole Wahab, Emmanuel Sanya, Morenikeji Komolafe, Michael Fawale, Philip Adebayo, Godwin Osaigbovo, Taofiki Sunmonu, Paul Olowoyo, Innocent Chukwuonye, Yahaya Obiabo, Onoja Akpa, Sylvia Melikam, Raelle Saulson, Raj Kalaria, Adesola Ogunniyi, Mayowa Owolabi

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background—Inherited genetic variations offer a possible explanation for the observed peculiarities of stroke in sub – Saharan African populations. Interleukin–6 polymorphisms have been previously associated with ischemic stroke in some non-African populations.

Aim—Herein we investigated, for the first time, the association of genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 and CDKN2A- CDKN2B and other genes with ischemic stroke among indigenous West African participants in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) Study.

Methods—Twenty-three previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes of relevance to the neurobiology of ischemic stroke were investigated. Logistic regression models adjusting for known …

County-Level Cumulative Environmental Quality Associated With Cancer Incidence, Jyotsna S. Jagai, Lynne C. Messer, Kristen M. Rappazzo, Christine L. Gray, Shannon C. Grabich, Danelle T. Lobdell

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Individual environmental exposures are associated with cancer development; however, environmental exposures occur simultaneously. The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) is a county-level measure of cumulative environmental exposures that occur in 5 domains.

METHODS: The EQI was linked to county-level annual age-adjusted cancer incidence rates from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program state cancer profiles. All-site cancer and the top 3 site-specific cancers for male and female subjects were considered. Incident rate differences (IRDs; annual rate difference per 100,000 persons) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using fixed-slope, random intercept multilevel linear regression models. Associations were assessed with …

Advances In Developing Therapies To Combat Zika Virus: Current Knowledge And Future Perspectives, Ashok Munjal, Rekha Khandia, Kuldeep Dharma, Swati Sachan, Kumaragurubaran Karthik, Ruchi Tiwari, Yashpal S. Malik, Deepak Kumar, Raj K. Singh, Hafiz M. N. Iqbal, Sunil K. Joshi

Bioelectrics Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) remained largely quiescent for nearly six decades after its first appearance in 1947. ZIKV reappeared after 2007, resulting in a declaration of an international “public health emergency” in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until this time, ZIKV was considered to induce only mild illness, but it has now been established as the cause of severe clinical manifestations, including fetal anomalies, neurological problems, and autoimmune disorders. Infection during pregnancy can cause congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly and neurological degeneration, and in other cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome, making infections with ZIKV a substantial public health concern. Genomic and …

Maternal Choline Supplementation Alters Fetal Growth Patterns In A Mouse Model Of Placental Insufficiency, Julia H. King, Sze Ting (Cecilia) Kwan, Jian Yan, Kevin C. Klatt, Xinyin Jiang, Mark S. Roberson, Marie A. Caudill

Publications and Research

Impairments in placental development can adversely affect pregnancy outcomes. The bioactive nutrient choline may mitigate some of these impairments, as suggested by data in humans, animals, and human trophoblasts. Herein, we investigated the effects of maternal choline supplementation (MCS) on parameters of fetal growth in a Dlx3+/− (distal-less homeobox 3) mouse model of placental insufficiency. Dlx3+/− female mice were assigned to 1X (control), 2X, or 4X choline intake levels during gestation. Dams were sacrificed at embryonic days E10.5, 12.5, 15.5, and 18.5. At E10.5, placental weight, embryo weight, and placental efficiency were higher in 4X versus 1X choline. Higher concentrations …

Effects Of A Multidisciplinary Weight Loss Intervention In Overweight And Obese Children And Adolescents: 11 Years Of Experience, Chiara Mameli, Jesse C. Krakauer, Nir Y. Krakauer, Alessandra Bosetti, Chiara Matilde Ferrari, Laura Schneider, Barbara Borsani, Sara Arrigoni, Erica Pendezza, Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti

Publications and Research

Aims To evaluate the effects of an outpatient multidisciplinary weight loss intervention in reducing body mass index (BMI) in children and adolescents suffering overweight and obesity, changes in A Body Shape Index (ABSI, waist circumference normalized to height and weight) and Hip Index (HI, normalized hip circumference) during treatment and correlation between the ABSI and HI with change in BMI z score.

Methods We analyze anthropometric data from pediatric patients affected by overweight and obesity aged 2 to 18 years old who entered our multidisciplinary weight loss intervention, which included medical, psychological and nutritional sessions, from January 1st 2006 to …

Maternal Distraction During Breast- And Bottle Feeding Among Wic And Non-Wic Mothers, Alison K. Ventura, Simone Teitelbaum

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objective: To explore the prevalence and correlates of maternal distraction during infant feeding within a sample of mothers enrolled or not in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Design: Mothers kept diaries of their infants’ feeding patterns.

Participants: Mothers (n = 75) with infants aged ≤6 months.

Main Outcome Measures: Within the diaries, mothers recorded what else, if anything, they did during the feeding. Mothers also completed questionnaires on demographics, feeding styles, and infant temperament and eating behaviors.

Analysis: Mothers’ responses were coded into thematic categories. Feedings were classified as distracted when the mothers reported …

Consumer Knowledge, Perception And Attitudes Of Unlabeled Genetically Modified Foods Of An Educated Population In The State Of Kentucky, Aldious A. Waite

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Genetically modified (GM) foods technology is a novel idea for improving food and crop production, but the supposed health risk of GM foods, such as possible negative long-term health effects to humans, animals and the environment, have provoked the European Union to create assessment protocols to monitor and regulate the safety of GM foods and crops. This research investigates the perception and attitudes of unlabeled GM foods of the WKU faculty and staff. A survey was administered via WKU Qualtrics, and chi-square tests were performed to see how the benefits and disadvantages of GM foods may affect the purchasing decisions …

The Effect Of Target-Specific Biomolecules In Breast Cancer, Mohannad Garoub

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in the United States and the World, therefore, early effective prevention, diagnosis, and therapy is needed. Estrogens play a major role in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. Elevated lifetime exposure to estrogens is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Estrogens through influencing mitochondria contribute to estrogen induced breast carcinogenesis; however, the exact mitochondrial mechanisms underlying the estrogen carcinogenic effect in breast tissue are not clearly understood. For this dissertation, the mitotoxic and cytotoxic effects of triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP) and Origanum majorana organic extract (OME) as well as …