Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Impact Of Dietary Ingredients On The Interpretation Of Various Fecal Parameters In Rats Fed Inulin, H.-J. Chen, F.-J. Dai, C.-R. Chang, Y.-Q. Lau, B.-S. Chew, C.-F. Chau

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In the present study, the influences of diets (i.e. chow and AIN-93 diets) on the interpretation of various fecal parameters including viable microbiota, moisture, weight, and short-chain fatty acids in rats fed different amounts of inulin (0.5–2 g/kg). Eight groups of rats (n = 8/group) were fed, for 4 weeks, chow or AIN-93 diets with or without inulin supplementation. Fecal samples were analyzed for different fecal parameters. After a 2-week adaptation, apparent differences in some fecal parameters were observed between the chow and AIN-93 diet groups. Throughout the 4-week intervention period, significantly (p < 0.05) higher Lactobacillus spp. counts, fecal moisture (∼2.7-fold), and fecal weight (∼5.8-fold) were observed with chow diet over AIN-93 diet. More specifically, significant elevations in the levels of Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., fecal moisture, and fecal weight could be observed at low-dose (0.5 g/kg) of inulin in chow diet groups, while most of these changes could merely be seen at medium-dose (1 g/kg) in AIN-93 diet groups. These results demonstrated that the choice of experimental diets would affect the comparison of fecal parameters as well as the interpretation of effective dosage of prebiotic in intestinal health assessments. © 2019

Efficient Identification Of Fungal Antimicrobial Principles By Tandem Ms And Nmr Database, M.-S. Lee, Y.-L. Yang, C.-Y. Wu, Y.-L. Chen, C.-K. Lee, S.-S. Tzean, T.-H. Lee

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

The continuous re-isolation of the known and non-applicable compounds that is time-consuming and wasting resources is still a critical problem in the discovery of bioactive entities from natural resources. To efficiently address the problem, high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-microfractionation (HPLC-DAD-microfractionation) guided by disk agar diffusion assay was developed, and the active compounds were further identified using the tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based molecular networking. Of 150 fungal strains screened, the methanolic extracts of Phoma herbarum PPM7487, Cryptosporiopsis ericae PPM7405, and Albifimbria verrucaria PPM945 exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans SC5314 and Cryptococcus neoformans H99 in the preliminary agar diffusion …

Viola Cornuta And Viola X Wittrockiana: Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant And Neuroprotective Activities On Caenorhabditis Elegans, C. Moliner, L. Barros, M.I. Dias, I. Reigada, I.C.F.R. Ferreira, V. López, E. Langa, C.G. Rincón

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Different Viola species are known for their traditional use as analgesic, antitussive, febrifuge, hipnotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory medicinal agents. Additionally, they are considered edible flowers in certain cultures. Thus, the aim of this work was to characterize the phenolic composition and to assess the neuroprotective properties of Viola cornuta and Viola x wittrockiana using in vitro and in vivo methodologies with Caenorhabditis elegans as model. The identification of the phenolic compounds was carried out with a LC-DAD-ESI/MSn. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined in vitro using Folin- Ciocalteu, DPPH and FRAP assays and in vivo with a juglone-induced …

Distribution Of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Among Staphylococcus Species Isolated From Ready-To-Eat Foods, Y.-T. Wang, Y.-T. Lin, T.-W. Wan, D.-Y. Wang, H.-Y. Lin, C.-Y. Lin, Y.-C. Chen, L.-J. Teng

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

We investigated antibiotic resistance of staphylococci isolated from 1128 samples of high-circulating RTE foods in Taiwan. A total of 111 Staphylococcus aureus and 709 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) comprising 23 species were isolated. The prevalence of S. aureus differed in various category of RTE foods, highest in fresh-cut fruits/vegetables (20.5%) and lowest in low-water activity (LWA) foods (0.7%). The overall staphylococcal contamination was highest in fresh-cut fruits/vegetables (62.2%), in which multiple isolates (up to 10) or species (up to 6) in single sample were frequently found. Distinct distribution of species contributed to unique feature in each category. Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant S. …

Analysis Of Potential Anti-Aging Beverage Pru, A Traditional Cuban Refreshment, By Desorption Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry And Fticr Tandem Mass Spectrometry, M.A. Mamun, T.V. Gonzalez, A. Islam, T. Sato, S. Sato, T.K. Ito, M. Horikawa, F. Yamazaki, R.C. Alarcon, T. Ido, M. Setou

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Aging has been established as a major risk factor for prevalent diseases and hence, the development of anti-aging medicines is of great importance. Recently, herbal fermented beverages have emerged as a promising source of potential anti-aging drug. Pru, a traditional Cuban refreshment produced by decoction and fermentation of multispecies plants with sugar, has been consumed for many years and is claimed to have multiple medicinal properties. Besides the traditional method, Pru is also manufactured industrially. The present study analyzed the major components of both traditional Pru (TP) and industrial Pru (IP) to reveal their potential application in promoting the health …

Lipocalin 2 Induces Neuroinflammation And Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction Through Liver-Brain Axis In Murine Model Of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Ayan Mondal, Dipro Bose, Punnag Saha, Sutapa Sarkar, Ratanesh K. Seth, Diana Kimono, Muayad Albadrani, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Recent clinical and basic research implicated a strong correlation between NAFLD/NASH phenotypes with ectopic manifestations including neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, but the mediators and critical pathways involved are not well understood. Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is one of the important mediators exclusively produced in the liver and circulation during NASH pathology.

METHODS:

Using murine model of NASH, we studied the role of Lcn2 as a potent mediator of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in NASH pathology via the liver-brain axis. RESULTS: Results showed that high circulatory Lcn2 activated 24p3R (Lipocalin2 receptor) in the brain and induced the release of high mobility group box …

A Letter To Reconsider The Conditions For Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators For Emergency Reuse To Address Shortage, Eric P. Vejerano, Jeonghyeon Ahn

Faculty Publications

The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of < 69%, assuming complete degradation of their electrostatic coating. Experimental efficiencies were ~15% lower. For emergency reuse, we recommend to either adjust the flow rate closer to normal breathing, or the size of the test particle should reflect that of virus-laden respiratory aerosols (~> 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can …

A Health Evaluation Of Gulf Of Mexico Golden Tilefish (Lopholatilus Chamaeleonticeps) And Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kristina Leigh Deak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A lack of baseline heath indices for offshore Gulf of Mexico (GoM) teleosts complicated impact assessments of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. While measurement of contaminant levels in fish after a pollution event can document exposure, such data fail to provide meaningful information about how this contact affects an animal's physiology. Controlled exposure studies have highlighted the utility of biomarkers that may indicate deleterious, long-lasting effects of pollutant exposure on various life stages of fish, however, their extrapolation to wild-caught, non-model species is challenging. In an increasingly chemically-saturated environment, it can also be difficult to separate the influence of …

Mechanistic Insight On Vibrio Gazogenes Mediated Intervention Of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis In Aspergillus Flavus, Rubaiya Jesmin

Theses and Dissertations

Aflatoxin is a liver carcinogen, mycotoxin, and a secondary metabolite that is produced by some plant pathogens within the genus Aspergillus when they infect crops such as corn, peanuts, and cotton. Given the significant adverse health and economic impacts of aflatoxin and a predicted rise of crop contamination with mycotoxins caused by a changing climate, there is a pressing need for exploring new aflatoxin mitigation methods. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that metabolites from Vibrio gazogenes, an estuarine non-pathogenic bacterium, can inhibit aflatoxin synthesis. However, a direct interaction study between V. gazogenes and aflatoxin producing strains has …

An Assessment Of Disinfection-Related Water Chemistry At Public Pools And Spas In Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas Gerding, Tim Wilder, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The growth in the number of pools to more than 7.4 million in the U.S. has been accompanied by a rise in recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Effective pool management, though, can mitigate RWI risks. Inadequate management presumably occurs more frequently where training is less formalized and/or pool operation is a minor aspect of the job of the responsible pool manager(s). During summer 2018, weekly evaluations were performed at public venues in Louisville, Kentucky. Disinfectant levels and other items were monitored and compared with venue-specific (pool or spa) criteria. Among 1,312 venue surveys, 1,173 (89.4%) met criteria and 139 (10.6%) did …

Temporal Differences In The Emission And Atmospheric Dispersion Of Particulate Matter From Waste And Drinking Water Treatment Facilities, Abdulmalik Alsaif

Theses and Dissertations

Many countries encounter a growing shortage of water, and the reuse of treated or untreated wastewater is their main source. Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) are mainly designed to remove organic nutrients, large solids, and chemical substances. There are some possible issues regarding WWTPs that are close to residential areas around the world. One of the environmental effects from WWTP that might cause air pollution would be the emission of toxic chemical gases and microorganisms via aerosols that transport bacteria as well as viruses and fungal spores which can be harmful to human health. Therefore, particulate matters (PM) and metrological parameters …

Using A 3d In Vitro Ovarian Tissue Culture Model To Screen For The Female Reproductive Toxicity Of Pharmaceutical Compounds, Jingshan Xu

Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian toxicity (ovotoxicity) is one of the major side effects of pharmaceutical compounds for women at or before reproductive age. The current gold standard for screening of compounds for ovotoxicity largely relies on preclinical investigations using whole animals. However, in vivo models are time-consuming, costly, and harmful to animals. Here, we developed a three-tiered ovotoxicity screening approach starting from encapsulated in vitro follicle growth (eIVFG) and screened for the potential ovotoxicity of 8 preclinical compounds from AstraZeneca (AZ). Results from Tier 1 and 2 screenings using eIVFG showed that the first 7 tested AZ compounds, AZ-A, -B, -C, -D, -E, …

Understanding The Influence Of Changing Climate On Mycotoxin Contamination Of Food And Indoor Fungi-Mediated Respiratory Illness, Mayomi Helen Omebeyinje

Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, climate change has been a major core issue in public and environmental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that about 250,000 additional death per year would be attributed to climate change between 2030 and 2050 if this situation persists. Since our population depends on (but not limited to) the availability of clean water, good air quality, and exposure to environmental hazards/pathogens, the overall health impact caused by climate change is likely to be overwhelming in the nearest future. This dissertation explored the influence of climate change on fungi diseases and pathogenesis after severe weather conditions (hurricanes …

Medicine And Media: The Ranitidine Debate., Jennifer A. Wagner, Jennifer Colombo

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Ranitidine has been the topic of recent media reports. Current findings, confirmed by the US Food and Drug Administration, indicate that some ranitidine products contain a substance that may be carcinogenic. Providers and patients require additional information on the risks of continuing therapy vs. the benefits of the medication. This article comments on what is currently known about the evolving situation of elevated N-nitrosodimethylamine levels in ranitidine and the limits of the existing information to assess best practices.

Carboxymethyl Chitosan Perturbs Inflammation Profile And Colonic Microbiota Balance In Mice, Yuting Liu, Shuai Zong, Jinglei Li

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Mogrosides are the major triterpenoidal saponins found in swingle, the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, which have recently been widely used throughout the world as natural food sweeteners. Among this class of compounds, mogroside III E (MG III E) exhibits the most intense sweetness, and it was also found to effectively regulate blood glucose levels. However, the relative abundance of naturally occurring MG III E is low compared to other mogrosides. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to enrich MG III E through biotransformation of fruit extracts and to develop a reliable method for its purification. We used HPLC coupled …

Involvement Of Prohibitin 1 And Prohibitin 2 Upregulation In Cbsa-Induced Podocyte Cytotoxicity, Heng-Hsiung Wu, Chao-Jung Chen, Pei-Yu Lin, Yu-Huei Liu

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyper-phosphorylated tau accumulation are accountable for the progressive neuronal loss and cognitive impairments usually observed in AD. Currently, medications for AD offer moderate symptomatic relief but fail to cure the disease; hence development of effective and safe drugs is urgently needed for AD treatment. In this study, we investigated a Chinese medicine (CM) formulation named NeuroDefend (ND), for reducing amyloid β (Aβ) and tau pathology in transgenic AD mice models. Regular oral administration of ND improved cognitive function and memory in 3XTg-AD and 5XFAD mice. In addition, …

Quantitation Of Dna Reactive Pyrrolic Metabolites Of Senecionine – A Carcinogenic Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid By Lc/Ms/Ms Analysis, Qingsu Xia, Xiaobo He, Qiang Shi, Ge Lin, Peter P. Fu

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

High hydrostatic pressure processing (HPP) is a non-thermal pasteurization technology which has already been applied in the food industries. Besides maintaining the food safety and quality, HPP also has potential applications in the enhancement of the health benefits of food products. This study examines the current progress of research on the use of HPP in the development of health foods. Through HPP, the nutritional value of food products can be enhanced or retained, including promotes the biosynthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the food materials, retains immunoglobulin components in dairy products, increases resistant starch content in cereals, and reduces the …

The Matrix Of Sds Integrated With Linear Hydrophilic Polymer For Resolution Of High- And Low-Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acids In Mekc, Kung-Hung Lin, Hwang-Shang Kou, Yi-Hui Lin, Chun-Chi Wang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults, when not effectively treated. The aim of this study was to discover new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of MN. A reliable mouse model of MN was used by the administration of cationic bovine serum albumin (cBSA). Mice with MN exhibited proteinuria, histopathological changes, and accumulation of immune complexes in the glomerular basement membrane. Label-free proteomics analysis was performed to identify changes in protein expression, and the overexpressed proteins were evaluated. There were 273 proteins that showed significantly different expression in mice with MN, as compared …

In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of The Neuroprotective Activity Of Uncaria Hirsuta Haviland, Chien-Min Lin, Yi-Tzu Lin, Tai-Lin Lee, Zuha Imtiyaz, Wen-Chi Hou, Mei-Hsien Lee

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a multi-functional material, has a high dispersion in molecular weight, and the functions of HA are determined through the size. Nevertheless, hyaluronic acid mixtures are not easily separated due to their polydispersity. In this study, a capillary electrophoresis strategy was developed for resolution of different molecular-weight HA without enzymatic digestion. Here, hyaluronic acid mixtures with low molecular weight (380 kD; LHA) and high molecular weight (2180 kD; HHA) were successfully resolved by the SDS integrated with low molecular-weight polymer in capillary electrophoresis. By optimizing experimental conditions, the separation of LHA and HHA was completed within 14 min. …

Neurodefend, A Novel Chinese Medicine, Attenuates Amyloid-Β And Tau Pathology In Experimental Alzheimer's Disease Models, Ashok Iyaswamy, Senthil Kumar Krishnamoorthi, Ju-Xian Song, Chuan-Bin Yang, Venkatapathy Kaliyamoorthy, Huan Zhang, Sravan G. Sreenivasmurthy, Sandeep Malampati, Zi-Ying Wang, Zhou Zhu, Benjamin Chun-Kit Tong, King-Ho Cheung, Jia-Hong Lu, Siva Sundara Kumar Durairajan, Min Li

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Higenamine (HG), a cardioactive component of some foods and medicines, has been listed in the doping category by the International Olympic Committee, which may lead to misuse by athletes. We report the development of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for determination of HG in various matrix samples (biological samples, different forms of Chinese patent medicine, Chinese herbal medicine) based on acylation derivatization of HG by heptafluorobutyric anhydride. Under optimal conditions, the linearity of HG in the range of 5–200 ng mL−1 was acceptable (R2 > 0.999), and the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) for HG was …