Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Role Of Urban Parks In Carbon Sequestration– A Case Study Of Safari Park, Karachi, Pakistan, Amna Bano, Minzah Shehzad, Hasnain Kazmi, Jamshaid Iqbal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Urban parks besides their recreational use can be the potential source of climate mitigation through carbon sequestration. Present study aims to identify the carbon sequestration potential of Safari Park which is by far the largest public park of Karachi established in 1970 covering an area of 0.72 km². A total of 153 individual trees belonging to 25 species and 14 families were included in the study. Five dominant species with highest Important Value Index (IVI) were Cocos nucifera (14.62 %), Azadirachta indica (14.21 %), Guaiacum officinale (9.93 %), Washington robusta (9.31 %) and Delonix regia (7.11 %). The …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

The Potential Of Stem Cell Therapy In Multiple Sclerosis Treatment: A Review, Sorina Amarculesei, Ava O'Meara Cushen, Cathy Brougham

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. There are currently 2.8 million people living with Multiple Sclerosis worldwide, including 9000 people in Ireland, with a prevalence of 193 per 100,000 people. Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis include sensory loss, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, spasticity, depression, optic neuritis, gait ataxia, diplopia, and loss of bladder control. Currently, there is no standardised treatment or cure for Multiple Sclerosis with many strategies focusing on symptoms. Stem cells have emerged as promising approaches for Multiple Sclerosis therapeutics. Clinical trials primarily focus on mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies for Multiple Sclerosis. Furthermore, …

Microplastics In Local Communities’ Tap Water, Zachary T. Rattell

Masters Theses

Microplastics are an emerging environmental contaminant. One of the ways microplastics can get into the environment is by the breakdown of larger plastics. These plastics can come from industrial practices, discarded fabrics, agriculture, and general plastic waste. As these plastics are broken down microplastics leach into the environment. The widespread use of plastics has resulted in the spread of microplastic contaminants all over the world. Microplastics have been reported to be in drinking water, so this paper is looking at the presence of microplastics in local communities of different demographics and socioeconomic statuses. In other studies of different drinking water …

An Insight Into The Physicochemical, Drug-Likeness, Pharmacokinetics And Toxicity Profile Of Kigelia Africana (Lam) Bioactive Compounds, Sulyman Olalekan Ibrahim, Halimat Yusuf Lukman, Marili Funmilayo Zubair, Oluwagbemiga Tayo Amusan, Fatimah Ronke Abdulkadri, Bashir Lawal, Lateefat Bello Abdulfatah, Olubunmi Atolani

Al-Bahir Journal for Engineering and Pure Sciences

Kigelia africana plant is multipurpose plant whose therapeutic potential has been thoroughly investigated. The physicochemical, solubilities, ADMET, pharmacological, and drug-like properties of this plant have not been reported in details. This study makes use of the information that is currently known on the chemical make-up of the plant to forecast its overall toxicity as well as the potential for the phytochemicals it contains to be employed in medication discovery. The study also employed free web servers for the lipophilicity, water solubility, drug-likness, bioavailability score, medicinal chemistry and toxicological profiling of the compounds of K. africana. Artemether, a known antimalaria …

Analyzing The Ramifications Of Climate Change On Mental Health, Salvatore A. Medori

Student Publications

When thinking about the vast array of impacts that the climate crisis has on humanity, there are many things that come to mind, but mental health impacts are likely not one of them. Even though research demonstrates that mental effects from any form of disaster far exceed the physical health implications mental health impacts of the largest disaster facing humanity since the Second World War are rarely considered at all, let alone when solutions are being created. This has led to a hidden crisis emerging underneath an even larger crisis, with serious consequences for most individuals across the globe. The …

Inequality Of Air Quality?: A Study Of Air Quality Within Housing Price Brackets In Gettysburg, Pa, Jess G. Schaefer, Alexis J. Jones, Arden H. Dowd

Student Publications

With the rise of cars and other motorized vehicles has come the rise of air pollution, which tends to have disproportionate environmental and health impacts on low-income and communities of color. This study analyzes car presence and air quality on a transect within Gettysburg, PA to determine if there is a relationship between air pollution and vehicle presence, and if there is a difference in air quality between higher price bracket housing compared to campus, commercial, and lower price bracket housing. To test our research questions, we identified nine sampling locations along a transect where we measured air pollutants, including …

Clean Water Saves Lives: Improving Clean Water Access In Yeakpee Town, Liberia, Mishael F. Ohanwadi

Student Publications

Civil unrest in Liberia, a West Coast African nation, has caused the destruction of essential infrastructure, particularly water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems. As a result, there is a high reliance on unsafe water sources and prevalence of waterborne diseases and health issues, particularly in the Yeakpee Town Community. Inadequate funding has hindered progress, and there are connections between gender inequalities and limited access to clean water. The Clean Water Save Lives project, launched in 2020, aimed to provide sustainable access to clean water in Yeakpee Town community by constructing a water pump with a filtration system. The project aimed …

Microplastics In Water, Their Effects On The Aquatic Ecosystem And Human Public Health, And The Proposed Solutions, Mohanad Abouserie

The Undergraduate Research Journal

We could be swallowing a credit card's weight in plastic every week. Microplastic water pollution is becoming a threat to both humans and aquatic creatures. In this research, microplastic water contamination is discussed, and divergent solutions are proposed. This paper attempts to investigate the causes and effects of such pollution and analyze the current solutions for this issue. The adopted research method is secondary research, where several studies are explored and analyzed. This study explains numerous causes for this issue like cosmetics, cleaning products, factories, and sewage. Consequently, this contamination can negatively impact the organs and metabolisms of the living …

Self-Reported Consumption Of Bottled Water V. Tap Water In Appalachian And Non-Appalachian Kentucky, Jason W. Marion

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Quantitative studies on drinking water perceptions in Appalachia are limited. High-profile water infrastructure failures in the U.S. and Eastern Kentucky, coupled with human-made and natural disasters in the Appalachian Region, have likely impacted opinions regarding tap water.

Purpose: To use existing unexplored data to describe baseline tap water v. bottled water consumption in Kentucky.

Methods: Telephone-based cross-sectional data were obtained from the 2013 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) directed by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Among many items in KHIP, self-reported consumption of bottled water over tap water, reasons for bottled water use, and demographic data were obtained. …

Modeling Biphasic, Non-Sigmoidal Dose-Response Relationships: Comparison Of Brain- Cousens And Cedergreen Models For A Biochemical Dataset, Venkat D. Abbaraju, Tamaraty L. Robinson, Brian P. Weiser

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Biphasic, non-sigmoidal dose-response relationships are frequently observed in biochemistry and pharmacology, but they are not always analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. Here, we examine curve fitting methods for “hormetic” dose-response relationships where low and high doses of an effector produce opposite responses. We provide the full dataset used for modeling, and we provide the code for analyzing the dataset in SAS using two established mathematical models of hormesis, the Brain-Cousens model and the Cedergreen model. We show how to obtain and interpret curve parameters such as the ED50 that arise from modeling, and we discuss how curve parameters might change …

Coal Ash Dumps In The Mountain West, Julia Salangsang, Nicole Diaz Del Valle, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet presents data on coal ash dumps, their management, and the pollutants that exist at each site in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The original report includes data on coal ash dumping sites for all 50 states.

Reintroducing Hemp (Rongony) In The Material Palette Of Madagascar: A Study On The Potential Of Hemp Clay Components And Its Impact On Social And Ecological Communities., Henintsoa Thierry Andrianambinina

Masters Theses

When mentioning the word hemp, especially in the local language of Madagascar, the literal translation does not set it apart from marijuana, as they are both called “rongony” - creating the stigma around hemp as the negative stereotype of marijuana. However, the material has been used by the ancestors of Madagascar, as well as across cultures, in its fibrous form to produce fabrication like textile goods and packaging. During colonization, the prohibition of hemp intensified, and since then, any activity related to either of these plants is prohibited and will end in severe punitive measures. This thesis explores the strengths …

Morphologic Comparisons Of Recrystallized And Neocrystallized Fibrous Amphibole Asbestos: Implications For Corresponding Health Risk Potential, Natalie G. Renkes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The presence of naturally-occurring asbestos (NOA) is increasingly concerning for scientists, health and regulatory agencies, and citizens living in impacted areas. It is commonly believed that fibrous amphibole asbestos can only form through neocrystallization. In southern Nevada, NOA occurs as a result of hydrothermal alteration of granitic rock producing fibrous amphibole both as cross-cutting neocrystallized veins and via recrystallization of original magmatic hornblende crystals. Fibers with a greater aspect ratio are known to have increased toxicity. This study measured the maximum length and average width of both neocrystallized and recrystallized fibers to see if the morphologies were similar. Neocrystallized and …

Diketopiperazine Cyclo-(S-Pro-R-Leu) Produced By Periconia Pseudobyssoides K5 Isolated From Toona Sureni (Meliaceae) And Its Heme Polymerization Inhibition Activity, Azmi Azhari, Desi Harneti, Asri Peni Wulandari, Yeni Mulyani, Sari Purbaya, Aprilia Permata Sari, Galih Bayu Pratama, Unang Supratman, Yoshihito Shiono

Makara Journal of Science

Fungi endophytes are living microorganisms colonizing inside the internal tissue of a plant and provide ecological benefits for their host. Endophytes provide various metabolites for plant adaptation toward biotic and abiotic stresses and have tremendous pharmacological activities. Toona sureni (T. sureni) (Meliaceae) belongs to the Toona genera and is reported to have antimalarial activity. To determine the compounds produced by the endophytic fungus from this plant, we isolated a compound from Periconia pseudobyssoides (P. pseudobyssoides) K5 endophytes from the stem bark of T. sureni. Diketopiperazine cyclo-(S-Pro-R-Leu), a non-ribosomal peptide, was isolated from brown …

Sustainable Management Of Facemask Waste Generated From Covid-19 Pandemic In Bhutan, Tshering Yangdon, Twisuk Punpeng, Sirima Mongkolosomit, Kampol Nanthapong, Kinzang Yangden

Journal of Health Research

Background: The rise in facemask waste with the uncertainty of deposition data and all its concomitant pressure on management has resulted in new risks and challenges for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to estimate facemask waste generation and examine management in Bhutan since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: One thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh (1,527) consenting members of the public from Class A Thromdes (self-governing municipalities) were surveyed online from February to April 2022, to estimate mask waste using descriptive statistics. This was supported by the waste characterization conducted in Memelhakha, the biggest …

Development Of An Lcms Method To Detect And Quantify Curcumin In A Novel Oral Formulation Of Turmeric, Brandon Renninger

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Salinity And Acetaminophen On The Aquatic Snail Physa Acuta, Michelle Sackey-Ansah, Megan Mackey, Daniel Elias, Jason Doll, Alyssa Brookhart

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in water bodies, and their presence can negatively impact aquatic organisms. This effect can be amplified when combined with increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic that is commonly found in river, streams, and waters where it is discharged directly. Therefore, organisms present in these locations (e.g., insects, snails, amphibians, and fish) are likely to be affected by acetaminophen. In this study, we determined the effects of elevated salinity (0.68 g/L), acetaminophen (500 µg/L) and combined elevated salinity (0.68 g/L) and acetaminophen (500 µg/L), on the growth, reproduction, and movement of the …

Teaching Agroecology: Preparing Students For Navigating Uncharted Territory, Charles A. Francis, Steve Gliessman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agroecologists understand that farming and food systems are more complex than the aggregation of their components. This realization drives our choices of learning strategies and activities that will prepare students for complexity and uncertainty. Our quest for a just, sustainable, and nutritious food system adequate to equitably serve everyone on the planet today and into the future is an enormous challenge. An undertaking of this magnitude will be met only with major adjustments informed by thoughtful teaching and practicing problem solving skills through a new educational lens. The principles of agroecology help us focus this lens on the wicked problems …

The Path To U.S. National Registration Of A Toxic Bait For The Control Of The Small Indian Mongoose, Carmen C. Antaky, Steven C. Hess, Emily W. Ruell, Israel L. Leinbach, Shane R. Siers, Robert T. Sugihara

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata [syn. Herpestes auropunctatus]; mongoose) is a highly invasive species in its introduced range that negatively impacts ecosystems. Mongooses depredate native species, serve as a vector of disease posing a risk to human health, and cause sanitation issues in food processing facilities and public areas. Introduced for biocontrol in the late 1800s in Hawaiʻi and the Caribbean, mongooses currently have well-established populations across multiple islands in both island archipelagos and have invaded numerous other locations throughout the world. The concern of accidental introduction to mongoose-free islands, the difficulty in species detection, and the …

Trends In Cyanotoxin Production Potential In China Lake: An Edna Analysis Of Microcystis And Dolichospermum And The Environmental Drivers Of Cyanotoxin Production, Gennifer M. Rubin

Honors Theses

Episodes of cyano-harmful algal blooms (cyano-HABs) are hypothesized to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change. However, the dynamics of the interactions between elements of climate change and toxigenic cyanobacteria proliferation are not well defined. China Lake is the drinking water source for 7 municipalities in the Kennebec County and is one of many lakes in central Maine that has been subjected to high levels of cyano-HABs and microcystin toxin contamination in recent years. Monitoring the toxicity of these blooms in relation to various aspects of climate change may lead to identification of the major drivers of microcystin production …

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Cytotoxicity And Reproductive Impairment In Rainbow Trout Cell Lines Exposed To Microcystis Aeruginosa Extracellular Metabolites, Keira Harshaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current trends in cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) demonstrate increasing risks to human health and the health of aquatic ecosystems around the globe. Expansion of algal blooms, both geographically and temporally, serve to place increasing numbers of freshwater species, including fish, in peril. Microcystis aeruginosa, one of the most common species of bloom-causing cyanobacteria, is capable of producing a vast diversity of biologically active compounds, however Microcystis studies are often dominated by microcystins. How non-microcystin metabolites contribute to Microcystis toxicity, particularly in freshwater fish, has been the subject of a limited, but growing, body of research. To contribute to …

Cultivating Health, Not Wealth In The United States' Healthcare System: Comprehensive Revisions For The Orphan Drug Act Of 1983, Kayla Smith

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This thesis explores the way in which the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, originally instituted in response to a lack of treatments for rare diseases in the United States of America, has failed to achieve its initial objectives in the 40 years since its implementation. In evaluating various successful examples of government subsidization programs designed to intervene in private industry, this thesis composes the criterion required for funding-based legislation which maximize market outcomes while minimizing tax-payer burden. An analysis of the synthetic organic chemistry industry – and a case study into the production of a particular orphan treatment for a …

Halogen Bonding Interactions Of Haloaromatic Endocrine Disruptors And The Potential For Inhibition Of Iodothyronine Deiodinases, Craig A. Bayse

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Halogen bonding (XB) is a potential mechanism for the inhibition of the thyroid-activating/deactivating iodothyronine deiodinase family of selenoproteins through interactions with halogenated endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Trends in XB interactions were examined using density functional theory for a series of polyhalogenated dibenzo-1,4-dioxins, biphenyls, and other EDCs with methylselenolate, a simple model of the Dio active site selenocysteine. The strengths of the interactions depend upon the halogen (Br>Cl), the degree of substitution, and the position of the acceptor. In terms of donor-acceptor energies, interactions at the meta position are often the strongest, suggesting a link to the topology of THs, …