Medical Toxicology Commons^™

When Venom Isn’T The Only Threat: Roseomonas Mucosa Bacteremia Following A Snake Bite, Cyrus Davati, Kishan Patel, James A. Espinosa Md, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Snake bites in the ED  overall are rare in the United States. While mortality is low due to modern interventions, the sequelae - including tissue necrosis, digit amputation, and subsequent infection  remain a significant concern.  Here we present the case of a  presumptively non-venomous snakebite, which  was associated with R. mucosa bacteremia.

A Galleria Mellonella Study: Protective Effects Of Sulforaphane On Immune Function In Binge Alcohol Exposure, Robert Kento Darby, Braydon Black, Vincent Tran, Dallen James, Scott Quimby

Annual Research Symposium

Alcohol is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Pulmonary infections with opportunistic pathogens can occur in healthy humans; however, hazardous alcohol exposure like binge alcohol intoxication (≥ 0.08% BAC) is a major risk factor. We’ve previously investigated the efficacy of Sulforaphane (SFN) prophylaxis in protecting human and murine alveolar macrophage function against opportunistic infections when exposed to binge alcohol conditions in vitro. However, an in vivo model investigating SFN and hazardous alcohol exposure in the context of infection is not well understood. The aim of this study is to 1) establish a G. mellonella larvae model by determining the LD50 …

Avaren-Fc, A Novel Immunotherapeutic, Recruits Nk Cells In B16f10 Melanoma Tumor Tissue, Sreevatsa Vemuri, Katarina Mayer, Nobuyuki Matoba

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the US, with limited effective immunotherapeutic options available for patients. Avaren-Fc (AvFc) is a novel experimental immunotherapeutic agent with a unique “lectibody” property. It is capable of targeting cancer cells through the selective recognition of high mannose glycans, which are aberrantly overrepresented on the surface of malignant cells. AvFc can interact with circulating effector immune cells equipped with Fc receptors, such as natural killer (NK) cells to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and kill cancer cells. Previous work has shown that AvFc effectively induces ADCC activity against B16F10 cancer cells in vitro …

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange To Alleviate Ventricular Tachycardia After Diphenhydramine Ingestion, Kaushal Dosani, Lejla Music Aplenc, Stephen Pfeiffer

Research Days

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the mental health of children causing an increased incidence of suicide attempts. Diphenhydramine is a common household medication and is frequently ingested by children. Toxic doses of diphenhydramine can affect the cardiovascular and central nervous system. In the heart, diphenhydramine blocks fast sodium channels and potassium channels which can result in conduction abnormalities including sinus tachycardia, widening of QRS duration, ventricular tachycardia and torsades de pointes. Massive ingestion can cause severe cardiovascular collapse which may require ECMO support

Objectives/Goal: To describe a novel method of clearing highly protein-bound diphenhydramine molecules from circulation after …

The Effects Of Paclitaxel On Cellular Migration And The Cytoskeleton, Ashley Salguero-Gonzalez

Thinking Matters Symposium

In a clinical setting, some patients are exposed to an anti-cancer chemotherapy agent, paclitaxel. Cancerous cells undergo rapid, continuous cell division without control. Chemotherapy treatments try to slow and stop the uncontrollable cell division cycles and eliminate cancerous cells in the process. Paclitaxel serves as a treatment for some types of cancers, including lung, melanoma, bladder, and esophageal. Because it targets the cytoskeleton, paclitaxel can also influence cell migration. This project utilizes a cellular migration assay and an immunohistochemistry assay to analyze the effects of paclitaxel on the movement of cells and on the cytoskeleton of neuroglia rat cells with …

A Case Of Cocaine Toxicity From Body Stuffing, Justin Smith, James Lee, Alan Lucerna, James Espinosa

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Body stuffing refers to the ingestion of an illegal substance in an effort to conceal it and avoid prosecution. This is distinct from, and more common than, the practice of body packing in which large amounts of an illegal substance are carefully packaged and ingested to be transported discreetly by smugglers [1]. While body packers tend to ingest much larger quantities of a drug, they are less prone to developing symptoms of drug toxicity due to the meticulous packaging methods used when compared with those who ingest packets of drugs in haste to avoid prosecution [2]. Many substances have been …

Magnitude Based Inference, Sharlo Bayless, Trevor J. Bihl

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Though its use is widespread in research, null hypothesis significance testing is not without flaws. Out of a desire to provide a more practical approach to solving statistical problems in certain fields, Magnitude Based Inference (MBI) was created. MBI is a statistical method that was developed by Will G Hopkins and Alan M Batterham, two researchers in Sports and Exercise Science, in 2009.The main issues that they wanted to address with null hypothesis significance testing (NHST),were: 1) the need for a large sample size,2) the confusing language, and 3) the arbitrary selection of a p value of 0.05 in testing …

Triamcinolone With Vitamin D Synergistic Efficacy In Psoriasis, Steven Repas, Jeffrey B. Travers

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Psoriasis is one of the most common skin conditions in the United States affecting more than 8 million people. High amounts of vitamin D has been shown to be effective in treatment of psoriasis. It also has a well-documented safety profile at the doses and duration that will be used during this study. Triamcinolone and other topical corticosteroids are considered a first line treatment for mild to moderate psoriasis with a well-documented safety profile. Individually both of these medications have shown effectiveness in the management and treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis. This study is designed to test whether a …

Uvb-Induced Microvesicle Particle Release In Human Skin In Vivo Is Diminished Following Oral Vitamin C And E Antioxidant Administration, Benjamin Schmeusser, Cameron Mcglone, Jeffrey B. Travers

Medical Student Research Symposium Abstracts and Posters

An important question in photobiology asks how Ultraviolet B (UVB, 290 – 320 nm) radiation, which mostly absorbs in the outer epidermis of skin, can generate a systemic response such as immunosuppression. Previous in vitro and ex vivo studies demonstrate UVB-dependent release of bioactive molecule-containing microvesicle particles (MVPs) from keratinocytes. Furthermore, MVP release is diminished upon antioxidant administration. The purpose of this study is to examine UVB-induced MVP release and antioxidant response in vivo. In this IRB-approved study, 8 male participants with Fitzpatrick type I or II skin were treated with 1000 J/m2 UVB irradiation to a 5 by 5 …

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 …

Amiodarone Induced Epididymo-Orchitis, Yaser Khalid, Neethi Dasu, Sravan Panuganti, Stephen Daly

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Amiodarone has a well-established and extensive side effect profile: pulmonary fibrosis, thyroid toxicity, corneal deposits, skin discoloration. However, in some rare instance, epididymitis/orchitis is a side effect of amiodarone. Amiodarone toxicity was first studied in (1, 2) Symptoms range from testicular pain to swelling and erythema (1,2) The mechanism of how this toxicity occurs is unknown. In this case report, we will discuss the case of an elderly patient who developed epididymitis and orchitis after several years of tolerating amiodarone without any adverse events. Our patient underwent a full workup with testicular ultrasound, evaluation by urology and cardiology specialists. Then …

Parallelization Of A Three-Dimensional Full Multigrid Algorithm To Simulate Tumor Growth, Dylan Goodin, Chin F. Ng, Hermann B. Frieboes

Commonwealth Computational Summit

We present the performance gains of an openMP implementation of a fully adaptive nonlinear full multigrid (FMG) algorithm to simulate three-dimensional multispecies desmoplastic tumor growth on computer systems of varying processing capabilities. The FMG algorithm is applied to solve a recently published thermodynamic mixture model that uses a diffuse interface approach with fourth-order reaction-advection-diffusion PDEs (Cahn-Hilliard-type equations) that are coupled, nonlinear, and numerically stiff. The model includes multiple cell species and extracellular matrix (ECM), with adhesive and elastic energy contributions in chemical potential terms, as well as including blood and lymphatic vessels represented as continuous vasculatures. Advection-reaction-diffusion PDEs are employed …

Stratified Meta-Analysis To Examine Data Biases In Lung Cancer Studies Of Refinery Workers, Sherman Selix

Yale Day of Data

Petroleum refineries employ a variety of workers who historically experienced different potentials for asbestos exposure depending on job tasks. Associations between petroleum refinery work and lung cancer related to occupational asbestos exposure have been quantified among various locations, corporations, and time periods. To combine the data from several individual refinery studies and examine an overall effect, a systematic review and stratified meta-analysis was employed. Using set search terms among four databases, 112 potential publications were identified, of which 29 qualified for meta-analysis. Risk estimates and confidence intervals were extracted from these publications to construct four separate datasets. Inverse variance weighting …