Chemicals and Drugs Commons^™

The Nuclear Legacy In Appalachia, Michele Morrone, Harold Perkins

Journal of Appalachian Health

Nestled in the rolling hills of Appalachia Ohio is a reminder of the role that the region played in winning the Cold War. For more than 40 years in rural Pike County, the 3,700-acre Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), or the “A-Plant” as the locals refer to it, enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons. While the facility produced nuclear fuel for national security, it simultaneously exposed plant workers to chemicals and radiation and discharged pollution into the surrounding community. The A-Plant is now being demolished and the site repurposed. However, the site continues to affect the community as, for …

Ethanol Sustains Phosphorylated Tau Protein Immunofluorescence In The Cultured Neonatal Rat Hippocampus: Implications For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Caleb Seth Bailey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are comprised of developmental, behavioral, and cognitive abnormalities caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, affecting an estimated 2%-5% of childrenand costing up to $4 billion annually in the United States alone. Although some behavioral therapies can help, the biochemical mechanisms that underpin FASDs need further elucidation for development of more efficacious therapeutics. The tau protein modulates cytoskeletal structure in neurons, and thereby plays an integral role in proper development and function of the central nervous system, but its function is altered by its phosphorylation state, such that increased phosphorylation reduces tau protein function. The tau protein …

Measuring The Effects Of Lobinaline-N-Bioxide (419) On Alcohol Consumption, Nicotine Locomotor Sensitization, And Conditioned Place Preference In Mice And Rats, Cocanut M. Suhail

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

Objective: Novel drug 419 was examined to see the effect it has in vivo mice and rats on alcohol consumption, nicotine locomotor sensitization, and conditioned place preference (CPP) models regarding behavioral tests on dopamine transporter activity.

Methods: Mice and rats were used to see how they react to the drug 419 and control vehicle, in each of the models. The animals were assessed to pre- and post- drug administration of novel drug 419. We examined each model to see the association between how drug 419 will help with treating drug abuse.

Results: We found that in alcohol consumption model the …

A Systematic Review Of Consumer Preference For E-Cigarette Attributes: Flavor, Nicotine Strength, And Type, Samane Zare, Mehdi Nemati, Yuqing Zheng

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Objective

Systematic review of research examining consumer preference for the main electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) attributes namely flavor, nicotine strength, and type.

Method

A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles resulted in a pool of 12,933 articles. We included only articles that meet all the selection criteria: (1) peer-reviewed, (2) written in English, and (3) addressed consumer preference for one or more of the e-cigarette attributes including flavor, strength, and type.

Results

66 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Consumers preferred flavored e-cigarettes, and such preference varied with age groups and smoking status. We also found that several flavors were …

The Winding Road To Relapse: Forging A New Understanding Of Cue-Induced Reinstatement Models And Their Associated Neural Mechanisms, Mark D. Namba, Seven E. Tomek, M. Foster Olive, Joshua S. Beckmann, Cassandra D. Gipson

Psychology Faculty Publications

In drug addiction, cues previously associated with drug use can produce craving and frequently trigger the resumption of drug taking in individuals vulnerable to relapse. Environmental stimuli associated with drugs or natural reinforcers can become reliably conditioned to increase behavior that was previously reinforced. In preclinical models of addiction, these cues enhance both drug self-administration and reinstatement of drug seeking. In this review, we will dissociate the roles of conditioned stimuli as reinforcers from their modulatory or discriminative functions in producing drug-seeking behavior. As well, we will examine possible differences in neurobiological encoding underlying these functional differences. Specifically, we will …

Reproductive Steroids And Adhd Symptoms Across The Menstrual Cycle, Bethan A. Roberts, Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, Michelle M. Martel

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder shows (ADHD) male predominance, females are significantly impaired and exhibit additional comorbid disorders during adolescence. However, no empirical work has examined the influence of cyclical fluctuating steroids on ADHD symptoms in women. The present study examined estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), and testosterone (T) associations with ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle in regularly-cycling young women (N=32), examining trait impulsivity as a moderator. Women completed a baseline measure of trait impulsivity, provided saliva samples each morning, and completed an ADHD symptom checklist every evening for 35 days. Results indicated decreased levels of E2 in the context of increased …

Interactive Effects Of Ovarian Steroid Hormones On Alcohol Use And Binge Drinking Across The Menstrual Cycle, Michelle M. Martel, Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, Bethan A. Roberts

Psychology Faculty Publications

Patterns and features of substance use and abuse vary across the menstrual cycle in humans. Yet, little work has systematically examined the within-person relationships between ovarian hormone changes and alcohol use across the menstrual cycle. Our study was the first to examine the roles of within-person levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in relation to daily alcohol use and binge drinking in young women. Participants were 22 naturally cycling women, ages 18-22, recruited through a university subject pool who reported any alcohol use and who completed a screening visit assessing study eligibility, followed by 35 subsequent days of data …

Age Drives Distortion Of Brain Metabolic, Vascular And Cognitive Functions, And The Gut Microbiome, Jared D. Hoffman, Ishita Parikh, Stefan J. Green, George Chlipala, Robert P. Mohney, Mignon Keaton, Bjoern Bauer, Anika M. S. Hartz, Ai-Ling Lin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Advancing age is the top risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the contribution of aging processes to AD etiology remains unclear. Emerging evidence shows that reduced brain metabolic and vascular functions occur decades before the onset of cognitive impairments, and these reductions are highly associated with low-grade, chronic inflammation developed in the brain over time. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that the gut microbiota may also play a critical role in modulating immune responses in the brain via the brain-gut axis. In this study, our goal was to identify associations between deleterious changes in …

Pharmacology Of Cannabis, Mandakini Sadhir

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Cannabis has been used for recreational purposes around the world. It is derived from the plant cannabis sativa which has various other compounds known as cannabinoids. Most common form of cannabis used for recreational purpose is marijuana, which is prepared from dried flowering tops and leaves. The primary psychoactive component is delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (δ-9THC), which exerts its physiological and psychological effects through its interaction with CB1 and CB2 receptors. Smoking is the most commonly used method with onset of effects within minutes after inhalation. Oral ingestion of cannabis has varied absorption with delayed onset but longer duration of action. Urine …

A Case-Control Study Of Farming And Prostate Cancer In African-American And Caucasian Men, Tamra E. Meyer, Ann L. Coker, Maureen Sanderson, Elaine Symanski

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: To determine the risk of prostate cancer associated with farming by duration, recency and specific activities among African-Americans and Caucasians.

Methods: This population-based case–control study had information on farming-related activities for 405 incident prostate cancer cases and 392 controls matched for age, race and region in South Carolina, USA, from 1999 to 2001. Cases with histologically confirmed, primary invasive prostate cancer who were aged between 65 and 79 years were ascertained through the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry. Appropriately matched controls were identified from the Health Care Financing Administration Medicare Beneficiary File. Data were collected using computer-assisted telephone interviewing, …