Medical Toxicology Commons^™

Use Of Botulinum Toxin In Central Nervous System Disorders, Julie Puvogel, Paige Torbet, Jourdan Ujlaki, Rebecca Worden, Lindsey Peters

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin that is produced by Clostridium botulinum. At one time, this toxin was only seen as a lethal substance, but now scientists have found many medical uses for it. There are eight distinctive toxins (A-H), but only A and B currently have clinical uses. Botulinum toxin A has three different versions that are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved: onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®), abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®), incobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®). Botulinum toxin B is also FDA approved as rimabotulinumtoxinB (Myobloc®). The toxins work by inducing reversible, local, dose-dependent chemodenervation by inhibiting acetylcholine release from presynaptic terminals. These drugs are approved …

A Pharmacist's Role In Educating On The Health Risks Of Smoking During Pregnancy And Helping Patients With Smoking Cessation, Alexandra Herman, Cassandra Hacker, Emily Wells, Brian Heilbronner, Brittany L. Long

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

While many people know smoking causes cancer, heart disease and other major health problems, smoking during pregnancy causes additional fetal health complications including birth defects, premature birth and infant death. Cigarettes contain carbon monoxide and nicotine, both of which can cause a decrease in oxygen delivery to the fetus' developing tissues causing organs like the brain, lungs, kidneys and ears not to develop properly. If children are exposed to these toxins through secondhand smoke after birth, they are more likely to experience severe health problems such as ear infections, cataracts, lung cancer and heart disease. It is also known that …

Latest Trends In The Heroin Epidemic And The Responsibility Of The Pharmacist In Controlling Heroin Abuse, Alexandra Herman, Cassandra Hacker, Emily Wells, Sabrina Hamman, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Over the last few years, there has been an exponential increase in morbidity and mortality associated with heroin abuse. The current rise in heroin abuse and overdose is attributed to widespread use and abuse of prescription opioids, which can produce significant euphoric effects in humans. In fact, reports suggest that heroin abusers initially become addicted to prescription opioids but subsequently switch to heroin because it is cheaper and more easily available than prescription opioids. Over the years, the purity of heroin available for illicit use has been on the decline. Smugglers and heroin vendors have started mixing heroin with other …

Medication Overdoses In The Emergency Department: Oral Hypoglycemic Agents, Atypical Antipsychotic Agents, Beta-Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, And Digoxin, Brooke Marlowe, Tara Tokar, Kayti Kintner, Kelsey Fink, Grant Walliser

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

The number of medication toxicities has been steadily increasing with more patients presenting to the emergency department for both intentional and unintentional overdoses. Oral hypoglycemics, atypical antipsychotics, betablockers, calcium channel blockers and digoxin overdoses are some of the more common medication toxicities health care professionals may see in practice. Toxic doses of oral hypoglycemic agents, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and digoxin have more definitive options for treatment, while atypical antipsychotic overdoses are managed with supportive care. Pharmacists in particular play a pivotal role in identifying presenting symptoms and recommending appropriate treatment options in toxicological emergencies.

Drugs Of Abuse: A Review Of Tramadol Abuse, Brittany Crowe, Tiffany Kneuss, Benjamin Finley, Kelsey Fink, Manoranjan S. D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in America. Among the different prescription drugs being abused, analgesics are the most commonly abused group of drugs. In the last few years, there is increasing evidence of abuse of tramadol, which is an atypical, centrally acting opioid analgesic. The increasing abuse of tramadol has prompted regulatory authorities to strengthen the product labeling of tramadol with respect to its abuse potential. Furthermore, several states have added tramadol to their controlled substances list. In this article, we will review the pharmacology of tramadol and some of the preclinical and clinical studies that …

Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Macrophage Activation: An Insight Into The Mechanism Of Thioredoxin-Mediated Immune Activation, Chontida Yarana, Hannah Thompson, Luksana Chaiswing, D. Allan Butterfield, Heidi L. Weiss, Subbarao Bondada, Sara S. Alhakeem, Suriyan Sukati, Daret K. St. Clair

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) generated from redox active anticancer drugs are released into the extracellular environment. These EVs contain oxidized molecules and trigger inflammatory responses by macrophages. Using a mouse model of doxorubicin (DOX)-induced tissue injury, we previously found that the major sources of circulating EVs are from heart and liver, organs that are differentially affected by DOX. Here, we investigated the effects of EVs from cardiomyocytes and those from hepatocytes on macrophage activation. EVs from H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes (H9c2 EVs) and EVs from FL83b mouse hepatocytes (FL83 b EVs) have different levels of protein-bound 4-hydroxynonenal and thus different immunostimulatory effects …

N-Glycosylation-Defective Splice Variants Of Neuropilin-1 Promote Metastasis By Activating Endosomal Signals, Xiuping Huang, Qing Ye, Min Chen, Aimin Li, Wenting Mi, Yuxin Fang, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva, Kathleen L. O'Connor, Craig W. Vander Kooi, Side Liu, Qing-Bai She

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is an essential transmembrane receptor with a variety of cellular functions. Here, we identify two human NRP1 splice variants resulting from the skipping of exon 4 and 5, respectively, in colorectal cancer (CRC). Both NRP1 variants exhibit increased endocytosis/recycling activity and decreased levels of degradation, leading to accumulation on endosomes. This increased endocytic trafficking of the two NRP1 variants, upon HGF stimulation, is due to loss of N-glycosylation at the Asn150 or Asn261 site, respectively. Moreover, these NRP1 variants enhance interactions with the Met and β1-integrin receptors, resulting in Met/β1-integrin co-internalization and co-accumulation on endosomes. This provides persistent …

A Distinct Pattern Of Sterile Inflammation Induced By Zinc Oxide Nanowires., Ruqaih Salem Alghsham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in nanotechnology. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) become an increasingly important area in nanotechnology. Recent developments in ENMs have drawn commercial and research attention in many areas such as agriculture, medicine, and Industry. High-aspect ratio zinc oxide nanowires (ZnONWs) have become one of the most significant ENMs due to their remarkable physical properties which makes them useful in a wide-range of applications. However, questions have been raised about ZnONW safety uses and biological consequences. In this dissertation, we investigated the inflammatory potential of ZnONWs in mouse models. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to ZnONW …

Data From: Docosahexaenoic Acid Consumption Impedes Early Interferon- And Chemokine-Related Gene Expression While Suppressing Silica-Triggered Flaring Of Murine Lupus, Abby D. Benninghoff, James Pestka

Browse all Datasets

The dataset contains five files of tabular data with an accompanying README file.

Supplementary file 1: Customized probe annotation file for the Nanostring nCounter Mouse PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel (catalog # 115000142). This file is provided as supporting material for a journal article.

Supplementary file 2: Microsoft Excel document with output from nSolver for differential expression analyses for pairwise comparisons noted by each named sheet. This data set is supporting material for a journal article.

Supplementary file 3: Microsoft Excel document with output from nSolver for global and directed significance scores for immune pathways. This data set is supporting material …

A Case Report Of Water Hemlock Poisoning, Blue Butterfield, Alicia Bond Md, Dan Meyer, Gary Diperna, Tamas Peredy Md

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: Water hemlock poisoning is an uncommon cause of seizures, gastrointestinal upset, and renal failure. This poisoning occurs infrequency and is likely to go unrecognized without a proper history and consideration in the differential diagnosis.

Clinical Findings: A 23-year-old male with an unremarkable past medical history presented to the emergency department after being found unresponsive at a farm where he was employed. He had several tonic-clonic seizures en route. Initial evaluation was unremarkable and included toxicology screening, lumbar puncture, and brain imaging.

Main diagnoses, therapeutics, interventions, and outcomes: The patient was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and antivirals with a suspected …

Microrna Regulation Of Epigenetic Modifiers In Breast Cancer, Brock Humphries, Zhishan Wang, Chengfeng Yang

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Epigenetics refers to the heritable changes in gene expression without a change in the DNA sequence itself. Two of these major changes include aberrant DNA methylation as well as changes to histone modification patterns. Alterations to the epigenome can drive expression of oncogenes and suppression of tumor suppressors, resulting in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. In addition to modifications of the epigenome, microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation is also a hallmark for cancer initiation and metastasis. Advances in our understanding of cancer biology demonstrate that alterations in the epigenome are not only a major cause of miRNA dysregulation in cancer, but that miRNAs …

Chronic Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Disrupt Mitochondrial Homeostasis And Promote Premature Endothelial Senescence, Yi-Fan Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has been hugely successful in reducing the mortality associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, resulting in a growing population of people living with HIV (PLWH). Since PLWH now have a longer life expectancy, chronic comorbidities have become the focus of the clinical management of HIV. For example, cardiovascular complications are now one of the most prevalent causes of death in PLWH. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are the backbone of cART, and two NRTIs are typically used in combination with one drug from another drug class, such as a non-NRTI, a protease inhibitor or an …

Protective Effects Of Novel Derivatives Of Vitamin D3 And Lumisterol Against Uvb-Induced Damage In Human Keratinocytes Involve Activation Of Nrf2 And P53 Defense Mechanisms, Anyamanee Chaiprasongsuk, Zorica Janjetovic, Tae-Kang Kim, Stuart G. Jarrett, John A. D'Orazio, Michael F. Holick, Edith K. Y. Tang, Robert C. Tuckey, Uraiwan Panich, Wei Li, Andrzej T. Slominski

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

We tested whether novel CYP11A1-derived vitamin D₃- and lumisterol-hydroxyderivatives, including 1,25(OH)₂D₃, 20(OH)D₃, 1,20(OH)₂D₃, 20,23(OH)₂D₃, 1,20,23(OH)₃D₃, lumisterol, 20(OH)L₃, 22(OH)L₃, 20,22(OH)₂L₃, and 24(OH)L₃, can protect against UVB-induced damage in human epidermal keratinocytes. Cells were treated with above compounds for 24 h, then subjected to UVB irradiation at UVB doses of 25, 50, 75, or 200 mJ/cm², and then examined for oxidant formation, proliferation, DNA damage, and the expression of genes …

Sub-Region Based Radiomics Analysis For Survival Prediction In Oesophageal Tumours Treated By Definitive Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy, Congying Xie, Pengfei Yang, Xuebang Zhang, Lei Xu, Xiaoju Wang, Xiadong Li, Luhan Zhang, Ruifei Xie, Ling Yang, Zhao Jing, Hongfang Zhang, Lingyu Ding, Yu Kuang, Tianye Niu, Shixiu Wu

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Evaluating clinical outcome prior to concurrent chemoradiotherapy remains challenging for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as traditional prognostic markers are assessed at the completion of treatment. Herein, we investigated the potential of using sub-region radiomics as a novel tumour biomarker in predicting overall survival of OSCC patients treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Independent patient cohorts from two hospitals were included for training (n = 87) and validation (n = 46). Radiomics features were extracted from sub-regions clustered from patients' tumour regions using K-means method. The LASSO regression for ‘Cox’ method was used for feature selection. The survival prediction model …

Data From: Mapping Of Dynamic Transcriptome Changes Associated With Silica-Triggered Autoimmune Pathogenesis In The Lupus-Prone Nzbwf1 Mouse, James Pestka, Abby D. Benninghoff

Browse all Datasets

The dataset contains six files of tabular data with an accompanying README file.

Supplementary file 1: Customized probe annotation file for the Nanostring nCounter Mouse PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel (catalog # 115000142). This file is provided as supporting material for a journal article. Codes for columns are in file.

Supplementary file 2: Microsoft Excel document with output from nSolver for differential expression analyses for pairwise comparisons noted by each named sheet. This data set is supporting material for a journal article. Codes for columns are listed in README.

Supplementary File 3: Microsoft Excel document with output from nSolver for global …

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 …

Novel Mechanisms And Biomarkers In Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury., Christine E. Dolin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Ethanol (EtOH) consumption is known to affect multiple organs; this is unsurprising, as the concentration of EtOH in the blood at relevant doses reaches the millimolar range. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to elucidate mechanisms of alcohol-induced organ injury, specifically the effects of alcohol on the hepatic extracellular matrix (ECM) proteome, the alcoholic hepatitis (AH) plasma peptidome, and the effects of alcohol on the renal cortex proteome and transcriptome. Methods. Mice were pair-fed ethanol-containing liquid diet chronically, and then some mice were administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Liver sections from these mice were processed in a series of increasingly …

Circular Rna Circnol10 Inhibits Lung Cancer Development By Promoting Sclm1-Mediated Transcriptional Regulation Of The Humanin Polypeptide Family, Aruo Nan, Lijian Chen, Nan Zhang, Yangyang Jia, Xin Li, Hanyu Zhou, Yihui Ling, Zhishan Wang, Chengfeng Yang, Sijin Liu, Yiguo Jiang

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

circNOL10 is a circular RNA expressed at low levels in lung cancer, though its functions in lung cancer remain unknown. Here, the function and molecular mechanism of circNOL10 in lung cancer development are investigated using in vitro and in vivo studies, and it is shown that circNOL10 significantly inhibits the development of lung cancer and that circNOL10 expression is co‐regulated by methylation of its parental gene Pre‐NOL10 and by splicing factor epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 (ESRP1). circNOL10 promotes the expression of transcription factor sex comb on midleg‐like 1 (SCML1) by inhibiting transcription factor ubiquitination and thus also affects regulation …

Mechanistic Study Of Diatrizoic Acid Induced Proximal Tubule Cytotoxicity, Dakota Blake Ward

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Radiocontrast media (RCM) are necessary for many diagnostic procedures such as arteriography, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and computed tomography. Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is the third most common cause of hospital-associated kidney damage accounting for 10-25% of cases worldwide. The mechanisms of contrast-induced renal impairment are not entirely known, but diminished renal hemodynamics, inflammatory responses, and direct cytotoxicity have been hypothesized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of direct cytotoxicity observed in HK-2 cells following treatment with diatrizoic acid (DA) and to determine the source of this damage. Mitochondrial function, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative …

Role Of Cytochrome P450 2b6 Polymorphisms In Unexpected Methadone Death, Taha Ahmad

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Methadone is a synthetic, long-acting opioid prescribed as an analgesic for chronic pain. It has a single chiral center forming two enantiomers, (R)-methadone and (S)-methadone, each having specific pharmacological actions. Concentrations of (R)- and (S)-methadone above therapeutic levels have the ability to cause serious, life-threatening, and fatal side effects. Cardiotoxicity is caused by elevated (S)-methadone levels by prolonging the QT interval of the heart’s electrical cycle. In 2014, methadone accounted for only 1% of all opioids prescribed for pain, but was responsible for 3,400 of the 14,838 individuals (~23%) who died in the United States from overdoses due to prescription …

Chemical Composition And Toxicity Of Emissions From Burning Five Vegetation Types Of Western Australia Under Experimental Combustion Conditions, T T Trang Dong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the emission factors (EFs) for inorganic gases (CO2, CO, SO2, NO and NO2), carbonyls (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde and benzaldehyde), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from laboratory-based fires of vegetation from five typical vegetation types of Western Australia. Species burnt were three grasslands (Spinifex represented by Triodia basedowii, Kimberley grass represented by Sehima nervosum and Heteropogon contortus, and an invasive grass represented by Ehrharta calycina (Veldt grass)), Banksia woodland and Jarrah forest under different combustion conditions. Chemical composition (water-soluble metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – PAHs) and in vitro toxicity …

Metabolism Reprogramming In Hexavalent Chromium-Induced Human Lung Carcinogenesis, James Tate Fortin Wise

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is an established human carcinogen that is a worldwide environmental health concern. It is well understood that reactive oxygen species, genomic instability, and DNA damage repair deficiency are important contributors to Cr(VI)-induced carcinogenesis. After decades of research some cancer hallmarks remain understudied for the mechanism of Cr(VI) carcinogenesis. Dysregulated cellular energetics have been established as a hallmark of cancer. Energy pathways that become dysregulated in cancer include mitochondrial respiration, lipogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, one carbon metabolism, and increased anaerobic glycolysis in the presence of oxygen or ‘Warburg effect’.

To investigate metabolism changes in Cr(VI) carcinogenesis, we exposed …

Improving Access To Clean Water In Rural Ecuador: The Connection Between Willingness To Pay And Population Health, Micalea Leaska

Capstone Collection

Climate change is affecting social and environmental determinants of health through access to safe drinking water, safely managed sanitation systems, and access to health care services and the ability for individuals to break free from unsuitable circumstances. Ecological disturbances such as those caused by climate change can cause a shift in host vectors or a change in habitat that results in a greater likelihood of the pathogen coming in contact with humans. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and their accessibility to populations can directly impact a community’s vulnerability to diseases and limiting factors to increase economic growth. If rural …

Studies Of Oxidative Damage, Brain Proteome, And Neurochemical Metabolites In Cognitive And Neurodegenerative Disorders: (1) Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment; (2) Parkinson Disease Rat Model, Xiaojia Ren

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The rate of cancer patients is increasing as the development of science and technology. Twenty million cancer survivors are estimated living in the United States by 2025. However, many cancer survivors show cognitive dysfunction, negatively affecting the quality of life. These cognitive impairments are recognized as chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), also called "chemo brain" by cancer survivors, including the diminished ability of memory and learning, hard to concentrate and focus, as well as diminution of executive function and processing speed. The etiologies and pathologies of CICI are complicated, especially in most cases the anti-cancer drug cannot cross the blood-brain barrier …