Public Health Commons^™

Differential Levels Of Nutrients And Heavy Metals In Tilapia Collected From Drains In Egypt, Emily Burch

Theses and Dissertations

Tilapia is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed fish globally. In terms of human health, tilapia is an excellent source of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and micronutrients. Tilapia and other aquatic species have become increasingly susceptible to contamination, as anthropogenic activities have been increasing around the world. Anthropogenetic activities often introduce high levels of contaminants, including heavy metals, into the marine environment. These contaminants often do not biodegrade, and they are absorbed by aquatic species. Contaminants can bioaccumulate and proceed in biomagnification up the fish food chain putting consumers at an increased risk of exposure. Heavy metals can …

The Impact Of The Tobacco-Free Policy On The Auc New Cairo Campus, Fatimah Badawy

Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, the American University in Cairo (AUC) conducted a research study on campus attitudes towards tobacco use and smoking behaviors within their community, in light of the then newly enforced tobacco-free policy. They found most campus members in support of the policy, with higher rates of disapproval from the smoking community. In 2021, this research aimed to follow-up on changes in attitudes towards the policy as well was smoking behaviors. It hypothesized that over time, levels of support to the policy would increase, smoking habits would be positively impacted and that positive health behaviors would correlate with policy support. …

Differential Transcriptional Alterations In Detoxification Genes In Parkinson’S Disease In Egypt, Nourhan Shebl

Theses and Dissertations

PD is the most common motor neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The underlying cause of PD is still unknow, owingthis to the complexity of the disease. Often, genetics and environmental factors are collaborating in the initiation of the disease. Despite the diversity of its genetical and environmental profiles, the Egyptian population is one of the mostunderrepresented population in terms of PD research. In this study, we investigated PD through various perspectives tohighlight the complexity of the disease in Egypt, taking into consideration the diversity of the Egyptian population. We recruited PD patients and reference controls from 4 governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and …

Pharmacists' Role In Opioid Use Disorder And Overdose Prevention And Treatment And Their Attitudes And Perceptions Towards Distributing Naloxone Under A Standing Order, Stephen C. Ijioma

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Opioids are a class of drugs that bind to opioid receptors (mu, delta, and kappa), located in the central and peripheral nervous systems, to exert responses such as analgesia, respiratory depression, euphoria, and miosis. The opioid epidemic is characterized in large part by an increase in opioid overdose deaths. Community pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals who frequently interact with patients and can implement OUD and opioid overdose prevention strategies. Treatment for opioid overdose and OUD include naloxone for overdose deaths as well as medication-assisted treatment for OUD.

Objective: The specific aims of this thesis include …

Psychological Sense Of Community Among Older Adults In Puerto Rico Two Years After Hurricane María, Thomas D. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in adverse long-term outcomes. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) may serve as a protective factor against the effects of Hurricane María for older adults in Puerto Rico. Using a three-paper format, this dissertation draws on a resilience framework and theories of PSOC and the Ecological Theory of Aging to examine the role of PSOC among older adults in Puerto Rico two years after Hurricane María.

Paper one is a scoping review of the concept of PSOC in research with community dwelling older adults. I begin by presenting findings on study characteristics …

Estimating Causal Effects In The Presence Of Spatial Interference, Keith W. Zirkle

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental epidemiologists are increasingly interested in establishing causality between exposures and health outcomes. A popular model for causal inference is the Rubin Causal Model (RCM), which typically seeks to estimate the average difference in study units' potential outcomes. If the exposure Z is binary, then we may express this as E[Y(Z=1)-Y(Z=0)]. An important assumption under RCM is no interference; that is, the potential outcomes of one unit are not affected by the exposure status of other units. The no interference assumption is violated if we expect spillover or diffusion of exposure effects based on units' proximity to other units and …

The Effect Of Ammonia On The Germination And Outgrowth Of Bacillius Globigii, Joseph B. Kunicki

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the germination and outgrowth of Bacillus globigii in the presence of ammonia in laboratory scale experiments. Germination was measured by monitoring the release of dipicolinic acid, an organic compound present in bacterial spores, while outgrowth was measured using phase-bright microscopy and semi-automated counting procedures. The ammonia-N concentrations investigated generally did not cause statistically significant differences in the initial 1-hr germination rates or the average 3-hr outgrowth rates of Bacillus globigii spores in batch style experiments. The average 1-hr germination rates observed in the absence of ammonia-N was 0.0258 hr^-1 for the water and buffer controls and …

Endocrine Disruption In Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) From A Pcb-Contaminated Reservoir, Stephanie B. Laplaca

Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous cases of intersex condition in fish, specifically immature oocytes in testicular tissue, documented in recent literature. Typically, these cases identify a point source input of endocrine disrupting compounds impacting the fish, such as wastewater treatment effluent. Legacy contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been suggested as endocrine disruptors in fish species. The objective of this study was to assess endocrine disruption in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from exposure to PCBs at a Superfund site in South Carolina on Lake Hartwell (SV-107), where high levels of PCBs in sediment and fish tissue samples have been detected …

Prenatal Methylmercury Exposure In A South Carolina Coastal Cohort, Alexis Donohue

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that has the ability to cross the placenta and adversely affect the developing fetus. Our primary objective was to investigate whether prenatal methylmercury exposure varied longitudinally, and whether differences were associated with maternal characteristics.

Methods: Pregnant mothers were recruited in Charleston, South Carolina (8-17 weeks gestation) (n=78). Blood samples were collected during both early (11.8 ± 1.7 weeks) and late (35.3 ± 2.0 weeks) gestation. Blood total mercury and methylmercury concentrations were analyzed. Upon enrollment in the study, mothers filled out a sociodemographic questionnaire that included questions regarding maternal age, race/ethnicity, and education level. Additionally, …

Molecular Cues Of Pattern-Recognition-Receptor Pathways In Redox-Toxicity-Driven Environmental Nafld, Suvarthi Das

Theses and Dissertations

With the pandemic proportions of obesity and a correlative increase in fatty liver disease, there was a dire need to explore the missing link between the changed environment and progression of NAFLD in obesity. My research implies that environmental toxin bromodichloromethane induces early liver lesions in obesity, and is mediated by the synchronous insult of oxidative stress and increased levels of the adipokine leptin. In a two-pronged approach to investigate the molecular cues, I looked at the role of Purinergic receptor X7 and Toll 4 receptor. Both rodent models and cell-based systems were used. Also, in order to validate my …

Variation In Restaurant Sanitary Scores In New York City, Kyle Gregory

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether restaurants that are homogenous in nature would exhibit substantially different hygiene scores based on the underlying consumer learning behaviors present in the neighborhoods in which the restaurants are located.

Influence Of Ph On The Transport Of Silver Nanoparticles In Saturated Porous Media: Laboratory Experiments And Modeling, Jason R. Flory

Theses and Dissertations

Given the ubiquity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), the largest and fastest growing category of nanomaterials, and their potential for toxic effects to both humans and the environment, it is important to understand their environmental fate and transport. The purpose of this study is to gain information on the transport properties of unmodified AgNP suspensions in a glass bead-packed column under saturated flow conditions at different solution pH levels. Commercial AgNPs were characterized using high resolution transmission spectroscopy (HRTEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ultraviolet (UV) visible spectroscopy. Transport data were collected at different pH levels (4, 6.5 and 9) at …

A Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study Of The Role Of Gender And Developmental Differences In Occupational And Environmental Exposure To Benzene, Elizabeth A. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, it shows that physiological differences between men and women result in gender-specific exposures with respect to benzene. Second, it assesses the potential for a lactating woman's occupational and personal benzene exposure to impact a nursing infant's exposure, highlighting the possibility of subjecting an infant to the effects of industrial chemicals via breast feeding. This study employs physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to investigate the influence of physiological parameters and to evaluate the ability of inhaled benzene to transfer from mother to infant through breastmilk. The models are run through scenarios that simulate …