Pharmacology Commons^™

Environmental Mercury Alters Immune Pathways Linked To Autoimmune Risk In Mice Mirroring Humans, Maurgan Lee, Paul Stemmer, Randall Gill, Allen Rosenspire, Anil Aranha, Heather Gibson

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background and Purpose: Mercury is a pervasive environmental contaminant, and human epidemiologic studies have linked chronic low-level exposure to increased autoimmune disease-risk. Dysregulated lymphocyte activation and impaired signaling tolerance are central mechanisms in human autoimmunity. Protein phosphorylation governs lymphocyte differentiation and function, alterations in phosphoproteomic networks may represent a signature of immune disruption. This study evaluates how low dose mercury exposure modifies B and T cell abundance and intracellular signaling patterns in BALB/c and Diversity Outbred (DO) mice.

Methods: BALB/c and DO mice were exposed to low dose HgCl2 in their water for two weeks or provided standard water controls. …

Reversible, Light-Controlled Inhibition Of Stim1-Mediated Calcium Signaling Using Photoswitchable Ml-9 Derivatives In Jurkat-Lucia Nfat Reporter T Cells, José L. Matute Gálvez

Honors Scholar Theses

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) through calcium release-activated

calcium (CRAC) channels is the dominant pathway for sustained Ca2+ influx in

non-excitable cells and is essential for T cell activation, driving downstream

signaling through the calcineurin-NFAT transcriptional axis. Dysregulation of

SOCE produces multi-systemic disease phenotypes, establishing that precise,

spatiotemporally controlled modulation of this pathway is a fundamental

therapeutic requirement. ML-9 is one of the only characterized small molecules

capable of targeting SOCE upstream at the level of STIM1 localization, but lacks

the selectivity, pharmacokinetic properties, and spatiotemporal control necessary

for therapeutic development.

This work describes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of …

Enhancing Cataract Surgery Outcomes: Optimal Use Of Pre- And Post-Operative Eye Drops, Keith Skolnick M.D., Anu Valiaveedu

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Many preoperative and postoperative cataract patients struggle with comprehending the use of prescription medication as directed. Language barriers and low health literacy levels are major factors contributing to improper use of prescriptions. To increase patients comprehension, the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute employed an educational intervention consisting of a live presentation and an instructional video. Results found that 44% of patients were hesitant to ask questions to clinical staff, 32% felt overwhelmed, and nearly 70% lacked confidence in using their prescribed eye drops. Following the intervention, 91% of patients reported increased confidence in their medications, and most indicated that the video …

Identification Of Fentanyl And Fentanyl Analogs Found In Human Urine Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Adam M. Fisher

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Identification of fentanyl and its analogs in unknown samples is a frequent practice completed in forensic crime labs, as the fentanyl epidemic continues. With the continued increase in illicit drug use, crime labs are not able to keep up with the flooding of new fentanyl analogs being developed, resulting in new analogs slipping past the crime labs’ authority. This research is to start to develop a database of commonly found fentanyl analogs in New York State. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is a widely used method for the detection and identification of illicit drugs in forensic crime labs. A database that …

T. Boudieri Extract Potentiates The Effects Of Capecitabine Treatment In Human Colon Cancer Cells, Katia Sawaya, Mahmoud Khalil, Ghada Khawaja

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Resistance to chemotherapy remains a major challenge for colorectal cancer patients worldwide, hence the persistent need to uncover alternative treatments as well as new adjunct therapies in the fight against cancer. Natural extracts constitute an excellent source of bioactive substances that have a promising potential in that regard, with minimal negative side effects. We have previously demonstrated that both the ethanolic as well as the water extracts of Terfezia boudieri, a black desert truffle abundant in and part of the cuisine of the Mediterranean region, have significant antiproliferative effects against colon cancer cells. Our aim in this study was …

Nanoparticles As Antioxidant Agents: A Comprehensive Review, Sulyman Olalekan Ibrahim, Halimat Yusuf Lukman, Fatimat Ronke Abdulkadir, Monsurat Yemisi Bello, Yusuf Oloruntoyin Ayipo, Halimah Funmilayo Babamale, Marili Funmilayo Zubair, Olubunmi Atolani

Al-Bahir

This study seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in the antioxidant properties of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising tool in several domains of science and industry, including their application as antioxidant agents. The main knowledge gaps seem to be in correctly identifying the make-up of the naturally occurring phytochemicals that give these nano-antioxidants their extraordinary pharmacology and drug-like properties. In many instances, that characterization is done using spectroscopy instrumentation such as fourier-transform Infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). From literature appraisals, it was discovered that a lot of …

Heavy Metals Analysis And Physicochemical Characterization Of Groundwater At A Battery Recycling Site In South-Western Nigeria, Adeniyi T. Adeleke, Rasaki K. Odunaike, Shamsideen K. Alausa, Idris O. Olayiwola, Adetoro T. Talabi, Qasim A. Adeniji, Adejumobi C. Adeniyi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Indiscriminate dumping of battery waste is a huge issue that endangers human health and the environment. This study aimed at analysing the health impacts of exposure to pollution from spent battery recycling in Ogun State, which houses a diverse range of battery recycling industries. At this study site, forty water samples were studied over the Wet and Dry seasons to assess the impact of battery recycling waste on groundwater. Except for the TSS, the physiochemical parameters of the groundwater vary with season and are within the permissible limits. The electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, Phosphorus, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Dissolve oxygen …

Design Of Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists For Potential Treatment Of Multiple Sclerosis, Lindsay Kornberger

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and neuroinflammation. There is currently no cure for MS. There is a critically unmet need for the development of pharmacotherapies that can induce remyelination promoting both repair and recovery. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) has been identified as a potential target for the development of remyelinating pharmacotherapies. KOR activation has been shown to promote functional recovery and remyelination preclinically. However, typical KOR agonists like U50,488 have limitations such as sedation and dysphoria limiting their use. This necessitates further development of new KOR agonists that maintain …

Photoluminescence Switching In Quantum Dots Connected With Fluorinated And Hydrogenated Photochromic Molecules, Ephraiem S. Sarabamoun, Jonathan M. Bietsch, Pramod Aryal, Amelia G. Reid, Maurice Curran, Grayson Johnson, Esther H. R. Tsai, Charles W. Machan, Guijun Wang, Joshua J. Choi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We investigate switching of photoluminescence (PL) from PbS quantum dots (QDs) crosslinked with two different types of photochromic diarylethene molecules, 4,4'-(1-cyclopentene-1,2-diyl)bis[5-methyl-2-thiophenecarboxylic acid] (1H) and 4,4'-(1-perfluorocyclopentene-1,2-diyl)bis[5-methyl-2-thiophenecarboxylic acid] (2F). Our results show that the QDs crosslinked with the hydrogenated molecule (1H) exhibit a greater amount of switching in photoluminescence intensity compared to QDs crosslinked with the fluorinated molecule (2F). With a combination of differential pulse voltammetry and density functional theory, we attribute the different amount of PL switching to the different energy levels between 1H and 2F molecules which result in different potential barrier …

Drug Ideologies Of The United States, Macy Montgomery

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The United States has been increasingly creating lenient drug policies. Seventeen states and Washington, the District of Columbia, legalized marijuana, and Oregon decriminalized certain drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The medical community has proven that drugs, including marijuana, have myriad adverse health side effects. This leads to two questions: Why does the United States government continue to create lenient drug policies, and what reasons do citizens give for legalizing drugs when the medical community has proven them harmful? The paper hypothesizes that the disadvantages of drug legalization outweigh its benefits because of the numerous harms it causes, such as …

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.

Development Of A Chemical Biology Approach To Uncover The Influence Of Sequence Variations On Ces1 Activity In Live Cells, Samuel James Knebel

Masters Theses

Drug metabolism is the biochemical process of modifying drugs to detoxify and remove them through enzymatic transformations. These biotransformation’s occur primarily in the liver and are critical to understanding how pharmaceutical compounds are chemically altered inside the human body. Human carboxylesterases (CESs) catalyze the hydrolysis of esters, amides, thioesters, and carbamates. CES-mediated hydrolysis plays an important role in the metabolism of many drugs including the first FDA approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19, remdesivir (Veklury), the seizure control medication rufinamide (Banzel), and the flu antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). CES activity is known to be influenced by a variety of factors including …

Supporting The Protect Initiative, Josh Lefton, Jackson Murray, Ahmed Thabet, Sriram Baireddy, Prakash Shukla, Mridul Gupta, Reagan Becker, Julie Ertle, Tony Doan, Aerin Yang

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Recently, medication dosage errors have received more political and media attention. Dosage errors are the most common medical errors, affecting about 1.5 million people annually.

Furthermore, U.S. poison-control centers reported more than 200,000 cases per year of medication errors. These cases result in medical costs of around $3.5 billion, and children under 6 years old constitute approximately 30% of these cases.

The PROTECT Initiative (Preventing Overdoses and Treatment Errors in Children Taskforce) was launched in 2008 as a collaborative effort between public health agencies and patient advocates to minimize dosage errors.

In alignment with the PROTECT Initiative effort, this project …

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Mathematical Model Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer In Response To Combination Chemotherapies, Angelica Davenport, Yun Lu, Carlos Gallegos, Adriana Massicano, Katherine Heinzman, Patrick Song, Anna Sorace, Nick Cogan

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Exploring Pathways From Data To Knowledge To Insights In The Pharmaceutical Industry: ‘Introducing The Pharmaceutical Knowledge Ecosystem’, Melanie J. Adams, Paige E. Kane, Anne Greene (Editor), Martin Lipa

Level 3

The ecosystem of how the pharmaceutical industry acquires data, transforms these data into tangible knowledge, and derives valuable insights throughout the process, is highly complex. Data, information, knowledge, and the resulting insights, are necessary to support decision- making, manage risk, problem solve, ensure product realisation, enable continual improvement, and enhance operational effectiveness. Building on the fundamental concepts established in the well-known Data Information Knowledge Wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy, this paper reviews the basic concepts involved in the DIKW pathway and begins to relate these concepts to both established capabilities (e.g., PAT), existing requirements (e.g., data integrity), and emerging trends in the …

Improving Risk-Based Decision Making (Rbdm) Effectiveness Through A Framework Which Integrates Knowledge And Risk, Martin Lipa, Valerie Mulholland, Anne Greene (Editor)

Level 3

This paper explores the emergence of the importance of knowledge in Risk-Based Decision Making (RBDM) and Quality Risk Management (QRM) through a detailed review of ICH Q9(R1) (Step 2) and presents a framework(the RKI cycle) to integrate knowledge and risk and associated six principles to operationalise it.

Wastewater-Based Estimation Of Substances Discharged At The Rest Areas Along The State Highways In Kentucky, Katherine E. Gray, Eugene Shin, Tyler Whitt, Andrew Windhorst, Houston Hampton, Chris Delcher, Bikram Subedi

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The availability of licit and illicit stimulants and its adverse consequences on public health has emerged as a major drug threat to communities in the United States. Despite several drug-involved traffic incidents along the interstate highways, this report represents the first comprehensive and quantitative report of drugs discharged at the rest areas along the interstate highways. In this National Institute of Justice-funded study, the amount of several discharged drugs focusing on stimulants but also including opioids and prescription antipsychotics are being measured in raw wastewater collected from five rest areas and a truck servicing facility using a state-of-the-art mass …

Building Tools For Improved Modulation Of The Human Gabaa Receptor, A Central Nervous System Target For The Treatment Of Anxiety, Garrett Edward Zinck

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

In the U.S., anxiety is recognized as an increasing range of mentally and physically debilitating psychiatric health disorders with significant economic repercussions. Over the last 20 years, several novel anti-anxiety therapies have entered the drug development pipeline, but none have made it to market.

The work in this dissertation focused on structurally modifying valerenic acid (VA), a structurally unique carboxylated sesquiterpene acid found in Valeriana officinalis. VA is putatively reported to have allosteric modulatory activity of the human GABA_A receptor, a ligand-gated ion channel responsible for attenuating neurotransmissions. Structural modeling of VA’s GABA_A receptor interaction suggests that …

Behavioral Screening And Chiral Bioanalysis Of Emerging Stimulant-Type Drugs In Rats, Tyson R. Baird

Theses and Dissertations

The epidemic of drug use in the United States and elsewhere in the world has resulted in tragic loss of life and substantial economic costs. Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are one of the contributors to this problem, and the lack of information about many of these drugs compounds their risk. This dissertation proposes a strategy to use intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) as a behavioral screening tool to assess emerging drugs of abuse for their abuse potential in order to generate a proactive threat assessment. A series of stimulant-type drugs including methcathinone, α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (α-PHP), cocaine, and the phenyltropane analogs of cocaine WIN35428 …

Cognitive Effects Of The Bet Protein Inhibitor Apabetalone: A Prespecified Montreal Cognitive Assessment Analysis Nested In The Betonmace Randomized Controlled Trial, Jeffrey Cummings, Gregory G. Schwartz, Stephen J. Nicholls, Aziz Khan, Chris Halliday, Peter P. Toth, Michael Sweeney, Jan O. Johansson, Norman C.W. Wong, Ewelina Kulikowski, Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, Kenneth Lebioda, Henry N. Ginsberg, Bengt Winblad, Henrik Zetterberg, Kausik K. Ray

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Epigenetic changes may contribute importantly to cognitive decline in late life including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are epigenetic 'readers' that may distort normal gene expression and contribute to chronic disorders. Objective: To assess the effects of apabetalone, a small molecule BET protein inhibitor, on cognitive performance of patients 70 years or older participating in a randomized trial of patients at high risk for major cardiovascular events (MACE). Methods: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was performed on all patients 70 years or older at the time of randomization. 464 participants were randomized …

Systematic Review Of Polyherbal Combinations Used In Metabolic Syndrome, Amber Hanif Palla, Faridah Amin, Bilqees Fatima, Arooj Shafiq, Najeeb Ur Rehman, Ikram Ul Haq, Anwar-Ul-Hassan Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial disease, whose main stay of prevention and management is life-style modification which is difficult to attain. Combination of herbs have proven more efficacious in multi-targeted diseases, as compared to individual herbs owing to the "effect enhancing and side-effect neutralizing" properties of herbs, which forms the basis of polyherbal therapies This led us to review literature on the efficacy of herbal combinations in MetS.
Methods: Electronic search of literature was conducted by using Cinnahl, Pubmed central, Cochrane and Web of Science, whereas, Google scholar was used as secondary search tool. The key words used …

In Vivo Antidiabetic Activities Of Polyherbal Extracts Against Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide Induced Type 2 Diabetic Mice Model, Pradnya Jagtap, Yashashri Nimbalkar, Vidya Patil, Ravindra Y. Patil

Tanzania Journal of Science

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder and rapidly increasing cases of diabetes throughout the world are major concerns in both developed and developing countries. Currently available oral antidiabetic medicines have limitations in efficacy and safety, which in conjunction with the emergence of diabetes mellitus as a global epidemic have aided the popularity of alternative therapies to manage the disease safely and more efficiently. Herbal medicines are accepted as alternative therapies for blood sugar control. Gymnema sylvestre, Boerhavia diffusa, Tinospora cordifolia, and Argyreia nervosa are some potent herbs used for the management of diabetes. Mixing of these plants in different …

Pharmaceuticals In The Environment: Health Implications And Environmental Toxicity, Jessica Phillips

Wayne State University Dissertations

Approximately 2.9 billion prescriptions are written annually in the United States, with a multitude of biochemical actions, with 63151 tons used by food producing animals worldwide and an additional 55-77 million prescriptions written for companion animals. With increasing prescription and unknown toxicologic effects of many of these chemicals, zebrafish (danio rerio), an NIH approved human model, were used to model potentially health effects. Significant abnormalities were seen with extended duration metformin exposure from 4 hours post fertilization up to 5 days post fertilization, although short term metformin exposure for 24 hours at 4-5 days post fertilization did not lead to …

Melanogenesis, Its Regulatory Process, And Insights On Biomedical, Biotechnological, And Pharmacological Potentials Of Melanin As Antiviral Biochemical, Toluwase Hezekiah Fatoki, Omodele Ibraheem, Catherine Joke Adeseko, Boluwatife Lawrence Afolabi, Daniel Uwaremhevho Momodu, David Morakinyo Sanni, Jesupemi Mercy Enibukun, Ibukun Oladejo Ogunyemi, Akinwunmi Oluwaseun Adeoye, Harriet U. Ugboko, Amoge Chidinma Ogu, Abiodun Samuel Oyedele, Adejoju Omodolapo Adedara, Abiodun Joseph Jimoh, Oluwakemi Ruth Ogundana, Oritsetimeyin Eworitse Ebosa

Chemistry Student Research

Melanin is s most widely distributed pigment and is found in bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Melanogenesis is under complex regulatory control by multiple agents interacting through pathways activated by hormonal and receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms. There are about 20 genes that are involved in the biochemical pathway of melanogenesis and its regulation, which include: tyrosinase, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, melanocortin1 receptor, adenylate cyclase, protein kinase A. Human melanogenesis regulatory proteins such as MAPK1, CREB3, and CREBP, have binary interaction with the protein of herpesvirus, hepatitis C virus, Human immunodeficiency virus type 1, Simian virus 40, and Human adenovirus A and …

The Analytical And Biomedical Applications Of Carbon Dots And Their Future Theranostic Potential: A Review, Sukunya Ross, Ren-Siang Wu, Shih-Chun Wei, Gareth M. Ross, Huan-Tsung Chang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In recent years, carbon dots (C-dots) have gained appreciable interest owing to their unique optical properties, including tunable fluorescence, stability against photobleaching and photoblinking, and strong fluorescence. Simple and low-cost hydrothermal and electrochemical approaches have been widely used in the preparation of biocompatible and high-quality C-dots. Various C-dots have been used for the quantitation of small analytes, mostly based on analyte induced fluorescence quenching. Depending on the nature of precursors, synthetic conditions (such as reaction temperature and time), and surface conjugation, multi-function C-dots can be prepared and used in diagnostics and therapeutics. Their strong fluorescence and photostability, enables use in …

Comparison Of Centrifugation And Solid Phase Extraction (Spe) Methods Of Sample Preparations In Determination Of Residues Of Drugs Of Abuse In Urine, John Mahugija, Anastazia Wandwi, Kessy Kilulya

Tanzania Journal of Science

Detection of drugs of abuse in urine samples depends on their composition, absorption, distribution, physical and chemical properties, concentrations, elimination properties, and the techniques employed. This study compared the performance of centrifugation and solid phase extraction (SPE) methods in the determination of levels of drugs of abuse and their metabolites in urine samples collected from drug abusers. Analysis was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Calibration was done using both internal and external standards. The recovery values were generally greater in centrifugation method than in SPE method, but the recoveries in both methods were within an acceptable range. Linearity …

Isolation, Structure Elucidation, And Synthesis Of Natural Products From Marine Cyanobacteria, Keren Solomon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the isolation, structure elucidation, and synthesis of natural products from marine cyanobacteria. A crude extract from a cyanobacterium collected in Curacao showed selective affinity for the dopamine D₅ receptor in a screen against a panel of CNS receptors. Due to the high similarity of the D₅ and D₁ receptor, to date there are no known ligands that differentiate them. Attempts to purify the compound responsible for this affinity led to the isolation of the known compound caylobolide A. A second extract from a cyanobacterium collected in Panama underwent bioassay-guided fractionation and yielded the novel …

Innovative Approaches In The Discovery Of Aquatic Mycobacteriophages, Janis H. Doss

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that infect bacteria, have many applications in medicine, agriculture, molecular biology, and other fields. As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasing problem, interest in phages has grown. The traditional techniques of phage discovery are successful for some phages, but others require modified procedures to achieve detectable host infection.

Mycobacterium is a diverse bacterial genus characterized by a unique cell wall containing mycolic acids, which aids in survival and pathogenesis. The aims of the present research were to isolate mycobacteriophages, use bioinformatics techniques to analyze mycobacterial prophages, and combine genetic analysis with multi-well plate host range studies to identify …

Phytoremediation Potential Of Four Heavy Metals In Soil By Chromolaena Odorata (L.) King & Robinson At The Phytotoxicity Screening Benchmarks, Gloria O. Omoregie, Beckley Ikhajiagbe, Geoffery O. Anoliefo

Tanzania Journal of Science

The remediative capacity of Chromolaena odorata with respect to heavy metal induced growth-stress was investigated. This was with a view to providing information on the adaptive mechanisms adopted by the test plant during the phytoremediation of selected heavy metals such as copper, manganese, zinc and cadmium. Stems of C. odorata were planted in soils polluted with  Mn, Zn, Cd, and Cu at the ecological screening benchmark (ESB) of 50 mg/kg (Mn and Zn), 4 mg/kg (Cd) and 100 mg/kg (Cu) of metal per kilogram of soil, in varying concentrations of 0 ESB (control), 1 ESB, 3 ESB and 5 ESB. …