Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Something In The Air? Uncovering The Air Quality Of St. Mary's University, Isaiah Charles, Keagan Farrell, Antonio Martinez, Andrea Realyvasquez, Kelly Swyers

Presentations - 2026

What is air quality?

Measurement of how clean or polluted the air is in a certain area. The Environmental Protection Agency uses Air Quality Index (AQI), a scale that describes the quality of air. The six major pollutants measured are: •ground- level ozone •particulate matter •carbon monoxide •sulfur dioxide •nitrogen dioxide •lead   Impacts of air pollution
•Acid rain •Climate change •Damage to plants and crops •Loss of biodiversity
•Respiratory illnesses •Cardiovascular damage •Premature death •Coughing and asthma

Microplastic-Mediated Delivery Of Di-Butyl Phthalate Alters C. Elegans Lifespan And Reproductive Fidelity, Chiara Angelyn Maldonado

Presentations - 2026

•The challenge: microplastic contamination •The question: How do microplastics and chemical contaminants affect living organisms? •The follow-up: What’s next!

Effects Of Pfos On Zebrafish Dopaminergic Neurodevelopment, Allison G. Fletcher

Research and Creativity Symposium

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of environmental contaminants that cause disruptions to the nervous and endocrine systems. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) is considered one of the most disruptive PFAS to the nervous system, and may disrupt neurodevelopment of the dopaminergic system, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders like Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in humans. I hypothesized that early life PFOS exposure disrupts the development of the dopaminergic system. To test this hypothesis, I exposed zebrafish to 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 mg/L PFOS through 5 days of embryonic and larval development. To assess acute effects of PFOS on the …

Retrospective Analysis Of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers And Knee Cartilage Volume In Osteoarthritis: Evidence From The Osteoarthritis Initiative, Parv Kale, Vijay Kale

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Improper Waste Disposal On Marine Life: Why Does It Matter And How Can We Prevent It?, Abbey Ward, Ashlee Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Improperly disposed of waste, specifically plastic, can end up in the ocean and negatively impact marine life, and in turn, negatively impact human health. Marine life, such as turtles, have faced serious health consequences and even death from entanglement in abandoned fishing gear and consuming plastics. Larger plastic particles can break down into smaller particles known as microplastics which can harbor harmful substances (such as Bisphenol A and persistent organic pollutants) and can cause several negative health effects when consumed by marine life such as loss of nutrition, starvation, and death. Microplastics have been found in 75% of commercial fish. …

Prevention Of Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity By A Coumestan Analogue, Psoralidin, Mujtaba H. Shah, Myia Aiges, Kota V. Ramana

Annual Research Symposium

Natural phenolic compound Psoralidin limits cardiotoxicity associated with Doxorubicin

How Will Climate Change Affect The Future, Ashanti K. Belone, Farrukh Zia

Publications and Research

Climate Change has played a massive role in the habitat of us earth dwellers and the animals that co-exists with us. I believe that essentially climate change plays a massive role because this can dictate whether or not the earth is habitable and if a need for evacuation is necessary. Many might believe that climate change only refers to the rising temperature but that’s just the icing on the cake. Earth is a system that is very much connected, this means that changes in one area will set off a chain reaction allowing these changes to happen in many other …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Timeline For Medication Assisted Therapy, Alexander Cristofori

Capstone Showcase

Opioid Use Disorder is patterns of opioid use leading to withdrawal, giving up important life events in order to use opioids, and excessive time spent using opioids, to name a few diagnostic criteria. The clinical progression of the disorder involves periods of acute exacerbation and remission that are cyclic in nature. Treatment is most effective when it includes both pharmacological and psychosocial modalities, referred to as medication assisted therapy (MAT). Three drugs used commonly in MAT-based treatment for OUD from oldest to newest include Methadone, Buprenorphine-naloxone, and Naltrexone. Treatment program models that prioritize total abstinence from the addictive substance attached …

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

The Nature Of Genes Expressed Differently After Environmental Drug Exposure, Nicci Siffel

Scholars Week

The Nature of Genes Expressed Differently after Environmental Drug Exposure

N. Siffel, S. Anderson, B. Subedi, D.R. Hammond-Weinberger

Drug use, of prescription or illicit varieties, alter bodily functions in different ways, especially in the nervous system. These drugs are found in sources of drinking water because they are not removed by wastewater treatment facilities. To investigate the effects of these drugs as they appear in mixtures, we exposed groups of zebrafish embryos to cocktails of drugs and screened for genes that were differentially expressed between the experimental and control groups and could thus give more insight into their biological functions. …

Effects Of Chronic Ethanol Exposure On Stress Coping Style And Genetic States Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Alexander Goodman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Neurotransmitter systems are important in regulating the stress response. If a behavioral response is disproportional to a stressor it is characterized as anxiety-like behavior. Many anxiolytic compounds, such as ethanol, increase stressor engagement, but how these compounds interact with an organism on a neurogenetic level is less understood. In this study, I assessed the impact of chronic ethanol treatment on behavior and gene expression of GABA_Areceptors subunits on two strains of zebrafish. Each strain was selectively bred to display the proactive or reactive stress coping style where proactive individuals will actively engage a stressor more than reactive individuals. …

Consumption Profiles Of Illicit And Neuropsychiatric Drugs In Urban And Rural Communities In Kentucky Using Sewage Epidemiology, Tara Croft, Katelyn Foppe, Rhiannon Huffines, Bikram Subedi

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The drug overdose deaths in the USA increased by ~20% from 2015 to 2016 to the total >63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016. Kentucky is among the highest rate of drug overdose death states in the USA. The current estimates of the prevalence of substance abuse are based on the self-reported surveys, overdose/toxicological reports, and drug-related crime statistics. Survey-based conventional approaches are not only cost and time-intensive but also underestimate the actual consumption of drugs. As “wastewater never lie,” the drug residues in raw wastewater collected from the centralized wastewater treatment plants were utilized to determine the consumption rate of …

Applied Drug Development And Combinatorial Strategies For Antimicrobial Treatment, Steven K. Lai Hing

Andrews Research Conference

Streptococcus mutans JH1140 is a strain of bacteria which produces a lantibiotic product, named mutacin 1140. Mutacin 1140 has been shown to be effective at inhibiting Gram-positive bacterial infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mutacin 1140 is a ribosomally synthesized peptide antibiotic that undergoes extensive posttranslational modifications (PTM). We have found that Mutacin 1140 and an aminoglycoside, Kanamycin, when combined together, act synergistically against Staphylococcus aureus. This was determined by performing serial kill curve dilution overlays on solid media, followed up with kill curve by microdilution plate, and most recently confirmed with kill curve CFU count plates …

How Does The Exploitation And Degradation Of Finite Natural Resources By Industrial Oil Producers Effect Our Future Planetary Environment?, Zachary J. King Mr.

Symposium of Student Scholars

Zachary King

Dr. Tu

26 March 2015

GEOG 3700

Abstract

The purpose of this presentation is to communicate content of the reports given by credible institution on the degradation and exploitation of finite natural resources by corporate institutions, for short term financial gain, and how it will effect the future planetary environment. Methods used in obtaining this research range from point source observation directly from oil spills in the Gulf or pipe leaks in the Mid-West, to analytical and numerical data quantifications gathered over a period of two decades. This presentation encompasses a wide scope of information concerning the way …

The Economics Of Water Utilization: Tools And Applications, Matt Bogard

Agriculture Department Seminar Series

Given worldwide problems of access to safe potable water, this presentation examines how tools of economics can aid in drafting appropriate mitigating policies. Utilizing partial equilibrium analysis, it demonstrates the role that prices play in social coordination and then applies the framework to real world examples. In addition it examines Pigouvian Taxation and Coasean Bargaining as two classic methods for dealing with externalities in the context of water pollution. Second-best solutions such as tradable permits and metered pricing by public utilities are discussed. This presentation concludes by examining the issues and challenges that policy makers face when trying to implement …