Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Application Of Multivariate Statistical Methodology To Model Factors Influencing Fate And Transport Of Fecal Pollution In Surface Waters, Kimberlee K. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Degraded surface water quality is a growing public health concern. While indicator organisms are frequently used as a surrogate measure of pathogen contamination, poor correlation is often observed between indicators and pathogens. Because of adverse health effects associated with poor water quality, an assessment of the factors influencing the fate and transport of fecal pollution is necessary to identify sources and effectively design and implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect and restore surface water quality. Sinking Creek is listed on the State of Tennessee’s 303D list as impaired due to pathogen contamination. The need to address the listing of …

Superfund Evaluation: The Families Of Tar Creek, Gary D. Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Tar Creek Superfund Site is located in far northeastern Oklahoma near the Oklahoma/Kansas border in Ottawa County. The Site generally consists of a forty-square-mile area which is also part of the larger Tri-State Mining District that includes areas of Kansas and Missouri. The Site includes parts of five communities: Picher, Cardin, Quapaw, North Miami, and Commerce in Oklahoma. It also includes Treece, Kansas, and affects a total population of roughly 30,000 residents. Following Superfund designation, families in the Tar Creek area had to decide whether to accept or reject buy-out offers. This project explored the decision-making processes employed by …

Unintentional Home Injury Risks Among The Elderly In Southern Nevada, Michelle Echauz Ching

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The elderly population (65 years of age and older) is one of the fastest growing populations in the US. A major public health concern involving the elderly population is unintentional injuries in the home. Since elderly adults typically spend the majority of their time in the home, minimizing unintentional home injury hazards is crucial for this population. The Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership (NHHP) program is a grant funded effort that helps to improve the quality and availability of safe and healthy homes in Nevada. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the NHHP program interventions …

Analysis Of Nanoparticle Exposure On Legionella Pneumophila Biofilm Morphology And Host-Bacteria Interactions, Tara Diane Raftery

All Theses

An increase in the amount of money spent on nanotechnology has led to an increase in funding to support nanoparticle (NP) research. Due to their stable, beneficial properties, NPs are found in daily consumer products such as bike frames, socks, cosmetics, and sunscreens. As a result of this, these NPs have the potential to enter the environment and interact with various organisms that play integral roles in the ecosystem as a whole. The effect that NPs have on aquatic systems is largely unknown and understudied. Biofilms are an important structural and functional part of aquatic ecosystems, and comprise various microorganisms …

Continental-Scale Characterization Of Molecular Variation In Quaking Aspen, Colin M. Callahan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaking aspen has the largest natural distribution of any tree native to North America, ranging from Alaska through the breadth of Canada and south to mid-Mexico. Recent studies suggest a general decline of aspen throughout much of the range since at least the mid-20th century, though these findings remain inconclusive. Regardless, factors such as climate change, periods of drought, soil nutrient deficiencies, pathogens, insects, and encroachment by other tree species all pose risks to the health and maintenance of aspen across the continent. This situation is exemplified in the western United States where climate change is forecasted to have an …

Solar Synthesis Of Acyl Hydroquinones And Their Bioactivity., Fernando De Leon, Shizue Mito

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

Without the Sun, we would not enjoy the benefits of life here on the Earth. This energy is essential and crucial for sustaining life: playing important roles in circadian rhythms and photosynthesis in plants. In our research, this endlessly renewable clean energy source is utilized for photo-Friedel-Crafts acylation of 1,4 - benzoquinones and 1,4 - naphthoquinones. Photo-Friedel-Crafts acylation was first discovered in 1891 and although there have been reported examples of acylated products, the substrates are still limited. In this project a variety of aldehydes having different substituents are examined, and bioassays were performed. While conventional methods for photochemistry use …

Hippocampal Ca1 Transcriptional Profile Of Sleep Deprivation: Relation To Aging And Stress, Nada M. Porter, Julia H. Bohannon, Meredith Curran-Rauhut, Heather M. Buechel, Amy L.S. Dowling, Lawrence D. Brewer, Jelena Popovic, Veronique Thibault, Susan D. Kraner, Kuey-Chu Chen, Eric M. Blalock

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Many aging changes seem similar to those elicited by sleep-deprivation and psychosocial stress. Further, sleep architecture changes with age suggest an age-related loss of sleep. Here, we hypothesized that sleep deprivation in young subjects would elicit both stress and aging-like transcriptional responses.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: F344 rats were divided into control and sleep deprivation groups. Body weight, adrenal weight, corticosterone level and hippocampal CA1 transcriptional profiles were measured. A second group of animals was exposed to novel environment stress (NES), and their hippocampal transcriptional profiles measured. A third cohort exposed to control or SD was used to validate transcriptional results …

Thyroid Function And Perfluoroalkyl Acids In Children Living Near A Chemical Plant, Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa, Debapriya Mondal, Ben Armstrong, Michael S. Bloom, Tony Fletcher

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Background: Animal studies suggest that some perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), including perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) may impair thyroid function. Epidemiological findings, mostly related to adults, are inconsistent.

Objectives: We investigated whether concentrations of PFAAs were associated with thyroid function among 10,725 children (1–17 years of age) living near a Teflon manufacturing facility in the Mid-Ohio Valley (USA).

Methods: Serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (TT4), and PFAAs were measured during 2005–2006, and information on diagnosed thyroid disease was collected by questionnaire. Modeled in utero PFOA concentrations were based on historical information on PFOA releases, …

Correlation Of In-Vitro Drug Dissolution And In-Vivo Drug Absorption Of Various Therapeutically Equivalent Pharmaceutical Solid Dosage Forms Of Simvastatin, Aphrodite Kotrotsios

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Simvastatin is a well known anti-cholesterol drug that is commercially available in the United States in various strengths including Simvastatin Tablets, USP 80 mg, that are under the brand name Zocor (manufactured by Merck Pharmaceutical Co.) and various generic equivalent products for example those manufactured by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Ltd. When generic products are tested in the United States, they must be found to be equivalent with their branded products by the FDA. Therefore, generic Simvastatin Tablets, USP 80 mg, have been tested and approved by the FDA as equivalents to, and substitutable with, the branded …

Rickettsia Felis In Ctenocephalides Felis From Guatemala And Costa Rica, Adriana Troyo, Danilo Alvarez, Lizeth Taylor, Gabriela Abdalla, Olger Calderon-Arguedas, Maria L. Zambrano, Gregory A. Dasch, Kim A. Lindblade, Laya Hun, Marina Eremeeva, Alejandra Estevez

Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Rickettsia felis is an emerging human pathogen associated primarily with the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. In this study, we investigated the presence of Rickettsia felis in C. felis from Guatemala and Costa Rica. Ctenocephalides felis were collected directly from dogs and cats, and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for Rickettsia-specific fragments of 17-kDa protein, OmpA, and citrate synthase genes. Rickettsia DNA was detected in 64% (55 of 86) and 58% (47 of 81) of flea pools in Guatemala and Costa Rica, respectively. Sequencing of gltA fragments identified R. felis genotype URRWXCal2 in samples from both countries, and genotype Rf2125 in …

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.

Cdc42-Dependent Activation Of Nadph Oxidase Is Involved In Ethanol-Induced Neuronal Oxidative Stress, Xin Wang, Zunji Ke, Gang Chen, Mei Xu, Kimberly A. Bower, Jacqueline A. Frank, Zhuo Zhang, Xianglin Shi, Jia Luo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress play an important role in ethanol-induced damage to both the developing and mature central nervous system (CNS). The mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced neuronal ROS, however, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of NADPH oxidase (NOX) in ethanol-induced ROS generation. We demonstrated that ethanol activated NOX and inhibition of NOX reduced ethanol-promoted ROS generation. Ethanol significantly increased the expression of p47^phox and p67^phox, the essential subunits for NOX activation in cultured neuronal cells and the cerebral cortex of infant mice. Ethanol caused serine …

Environmental Monitoring Of Chemicals In Swimming Pools In North And Northeast Houston, Ogochukwu Adaikpoh

Theses (Pre-2016)

N/A

San Antonio High School Food Justice Program: A Handbook And Evaluation Of Edible Education, Katherine B. Tenneson

Pitzer Senior Theses

This senior environmental studies thesis explains and analyzes edible education through a food and gardening program at a continuation high school in Claremont, California. The first chapter situates the program-specific analysis by providing background information of the edible education movement, a history of the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, and an explanation of why food is a powerful teaching tool. The second chapter delineates the program by describing all of its components and compiling essential resources and teaching documents. The third chapter is based on interviews with 9 of 12 involved students and 7 teachers, and thoroughly explains the outcomes …

Localization And Expression Of Gfrα2 Receptors In Neonatal And Adolescent Mouse Heart., Bryan Gunter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Neurturin (NRTN), a member of the glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF) family, is required in the development of parasympathetic cholinergic neurons. It signals through binding to a glycosyl-phophatidyl inositol (GPI)-linked receptor, GDNF family receptor α2 (GFRα2), which couples to Ret tyrosine kinase. Studies of NRTN knockout mice have shown that NRTN is essential for normal cholinergic innervation of the heart, but the precise role of NRTN remains unknown. For NRTN to evoke a biological response, GFRα2 must be localized to the surface of target neurons. The aim of this study was to determine the expression and localization of GFRα2 at …

Effects Of Maternal Low Protein Diet On Expression Of Drug Transporters In The Blood-Brain Barrier Of Adult Offspring, Bonnie L. Hastings

Senior Theses

Adverse uterine environment, manifested as low birth weight (LBW), has been shown to predispose individuals to hypertension, diabetes, and obesity by mechanisms that are just beginning to be understood. One of the mechanisms is the dysregulation of the expression or function of drug transport proteins, such as the organic anion transporter (OAT) family, which are crucial for the transport of various endogenous and exogenous compounds into and out of all organs, especially the brain. Hence, we examined the status of select drug transporters in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), using a LBW rat model. Maternal low protein diet (LPD) during gestation …

The Reaction Of Methionine With A Non-C2-Symmetrical Platinum (Ii) Diamine Compound, Nilesh Sahi

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The research that we have conducted has allowed us to discover that the amino acids, methionine (Met) and N-acetyl methionine (N-AcMet), will react in a 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratio with platinum complexes containing bulky diamine ligands. Previous research has allowed us to gain a plethora of information on the experimentation and results of specific bulky diamine ligands such as N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine and N,N-diethylethylenediamine. In the current study, we have investigated the bulky diamine ligand of N,N-dimethylethylenediamine, or Me₂en. With our focus on the bulk of the Me₂en ligand, we have been able to synthesize a platinum …

Distribution, Elimination, And Biopersistence To 90 Days Of A Systemically Introduced 30 Nm Ceria-Engineered Nanomaterial In Rats, Robert A. Yokel, Tu C. Au, Robert Macphail, Sarita S. Hardas, D. Allan Butterfield, Rukhsana Sultana, Michael Goodman, Michael T. Tseng, Mo Dan, Hamed Haghnazar, Jason M. Unrine, Uschi M. Graham, Peng Wu, Eric A. Grulke

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanoceria is used as a catalyst in diesel fuel, as an abrasive in printed circuit manufacture, and is being pursued as an antioxidant therapeutic. Our objective is to extend previous findings showing that there were no reductions of cerium in organs of the mononuclear phagocyte (reticuloendothelial) system up to 30 days after a single nanoscale ceria administration. An ~5% aqueous dispersion of citrate-stabilized 30 nm ceria, synthesized and characterized in-house, or vehicle, was iv infused into rats terminated 1, 7, 30, or 90 days later. Cageside observations were obtained daily, body weight weekly. Daily urinary and fecal cerium outputs were …

Arsenic Contamination In Groundwater In Vietnam: An Overview And Analysis Of The Historical, Cultural, Economic, And Political Parameters In The Success Of Various Mitigation Options, Thuy M. Ly

Pomona Senior Theses

Although arsenic is naturally present in the environment, 99% of human exposure to arsenic is through ingestion. Throughout history, arsenic is known as “the king of poisons”; it is mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. Even in smaller concentrations, it accumulates in the body and takes decades before any physical symptoms of arsenic poisoning shows. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe concentration of arsenic in drinking water is 10 µg/L. However, this limit is often times ignored until it is decades too late and people begin showing symptoms of having been poisoned.

This is the current situation for Vietnam, …

Increased Geranylgeranylated K-Ras Contributes To Antineoplastic Effects Of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors., Mandy A. Hall

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The Ras family of small GTPases (N-, H-, and K-Ras) is a group of important signaling mediators. Ras is frequently activated in some cancers, while others maintain low level activity to achieve optimal cell growth. In cells with endogenously low levels of active Ras, increasing Ras signaling through the ERK and p38 MAPK pathways can cause growth arrest or cell death. Ras requires prenylation – the addition of a 15-carbon (farnesyl) or 20-carbon (geranylgeranyl) group – to keep the protein anchored into membranes for effective signaling. N- and K-Ras can be alternatively geranylgeranylated (GG’d) if farnesylation is inhibited but are …

Chemosensitization Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma To Gemcitabine By Non-Invasive Radiofrequency Field-Induced Hyperthermia, Mustafa Raoof

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gemcitabine is a potent nucleoside analogue against solid tumors however drug resistance rapidly emerges. Removal of gemcitabine incorporated in the DNA by repair mechanisms could potentially contribute to resistance in chemo-refractory solid tumors. In this study, we evaluated homologous recombination repair of gemcitabine-stalled replication forks as a potential mechanism contributing to resistance. We also studied the effect of hyperthermia on homologous recombination pathway to explain the previously reported synergy between gemcitabine and hyperthermia. We found that hyperthermia degrades and inhibits localization of Mre11 to gemcitabine-stalled replication forks. Furthermore, gemcitabine-treated cells that were also treated with hyperthermia demonstrate a prolonged passage …

A Pre-Clinical Assessment Of Minocycline For Treatment Of Chronic Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury, Alissa R. Poteete

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Patients living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) often develop chronic neuropathic pain (CNP). Unfortunately, the clinically approved, current standard of treatment, gabapentin, only provides temporary pain relief. This treatment can cause numerous adverse side effects that negatively affect the daily lives of SCI patients. There is a great need for alternative, effective treatments for SCI-dependent CNP.

Minocycline, an FDA-approved antibiotic, has been widely prescribed for the treatment of acne for several decades. However, recent studies demonstrate that minocycline has neuroprotective properties in several pre-clinical rodent models of CNS trauma and disease. Pre-clinical studies also show that short-term minocycline treatment …

Binding Efficacy Of Different Polyphenolic Phytochemicals With Β-Lactoglobulin And Human Serum Albumin: Implication For Therapeutics Against Neurodegenerative Diseases, Rene Duran^, Andres Ortiz^, Mahesh Narayan*, Vladik Kreinovich*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Las Carreteras Ya No Cantan: Una Investigación Sobre La Riqueza Y Diversidad De Especies De Anfibios En Sitios Sensibles A Lado Del Eje Vial N°4 En La Reserva Biológica Tapichalaca, Harrison Goldspiel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tapichalaca Biological Reserve (RBT), located in Zamora Chinchipe Province in southern Ecuador, is a zone with high biodiversity and endemism. Although famous for the Jocotoco antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi), the reserve is very rich in anphibians, especially frogs of the genus Pristimantis. RBT hosts at least 29 species of amphibians, including the new and endemic Hyloscirtust tapichalaca and 25 Pristimantis species (Meza-R. et al. 2008). RBT faces various threats, such as climate change, farms, and the exploitation of palm trees. One pertinent threat is Eje Vial N°4, a main road that passes through the reserve. This study investigated …

Cosmetic Neurology: Enhancement Of The Mind And Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Medication Abuse Among College Students, Mary M. Huff

Senior Honors Theses

Cosmetic neurology is becoming increasingly popular, and it is not just sleep deprived, over worked college students who are interested. People are beginning to seek off-label prescriptions for medications that are typically used to treat disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy, while researchers are trying to create drugs used solely for mind enhancement purposes. Along with these drugs come many legal and ethical quandaries relating to the regulation of current use as well as the what ifs of future possibilities. A survey was conducted among college students regarding the diagnosis of ADHD, the abuse of ADHD …

Planarians In Pharmacology: Parthenolide Is A Specific Behavioral Antagonist Of Cocaine In The Planarian Girardia Tigrina, Oné R. Pagán, Debra Baker, Sean Deats, Erica Montgomery, Matthew Tenaglia, Clinita Randolph, Dharini Kotturu, Christopher Tallarida, Daniel Bach, Galia Wilk, Scott Rawls, Robert B. Raffa

Biology Faculty Publications

Planarians are traditional animal models in developmental and regeneration biology. Recently, these organisms are arising as vertebrate-relevant animal models in neuropharmacology. Using an adaptation of published behavioral protocols, we have described the alleviation of cocaine-induced planarian seizure-like movements (pSLM) by a naturally-occurring sesquiterpene lactone, parthenolide. Interestingly, parthenolide does not prevent the expression of pSLM induced by amphetamines; in vertebrates, amphetamines interact with the same protein target as cocaine. Parthenolide is also unable to prevent pSLM elicited by the cholinergic compounds nicotine and cytisine or by the glutamatergic agents L- or D- glutamic acid or NMDA. Thus, we conclude that parthenolide …

Evaluation Of Urinary Pesticide Biomarkers Among A Sample Of The Population In The United States, Alex Lance Lebeau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pesticide use in the United States continues to attract negative public attention. In recent years, this attention has focused on the effects that chronic, low-level pesticides may have, especially on children and various sub-populations. Over the past decade, studies have attempted to correlate negative health effects with detections of pesticide biomarkers in biological media. The current research investigates biomarker of exposure levels in a sample of the United States population. Data from the 2001-2002 NHANES dataset (n=11,039) was evaluated. The detection frequency of urinary biomarkers of exposure and the geometric mean from the NHANES pesticide dataset (n=3,152) were determined. Of …

Associations Between The Quality Of The Residential Built Environment And Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women In North Carolina, Marie Lynn Miranda, Lynne C. Messer, Gretchen L. Kroeger

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The built environment, a key component of environmental health, may be an important contributor to health disparities, particularly for reproductive health outcomes.Objective: In this study we investigated the relationship between seven indices of residential built environment quality and adverse reproductive outcomes for the City of Durham, North Carolina (USA).

Methods: We surveyed approximately 17,000 residential tax parcels in central Durham, assessing > 50 individual variables on each. These data, collected using direct observation, were combined with tax assessor, public safety, and U.S. Census data to construct seven indices representing impor­tant domains of the residential built environment: housing damage, property disorder, …

Research, Monitoring, Assessment And Development Plan 2011 – 2012, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Anthropogenic Climate Change And Allergic Diseases, James Blando, Leonard Bielory, Viann Nguyen, Rafael Diaz, Hueiwang Anna Jeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Climate change is expected to have an impact on various aspects of health, including mucosal areas involved in allergic inflammatory disorders that include asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and anaphylaxis. The evidence that links climate change to the exacerbation and the development of allergic disease is increasing and appears to be linked to changes in pollen seasons (duration, onset and intensity) and changes in allergen content of plants and their pollen as it relates to increased sensitization, allergenicity and exacerbations of allergic airway disease. This has significant implications for air quality and for the global food supply.