Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Trends In The Environmental Health Job Market For New Graduates, Jason W. Marion, Timothy J. Murphy Phd, Anne Marie Zimeri Phd

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The question of whether the job market can support future graduates of environmental health programs remains an important and difficult question for environmental health programs, current and prospective students, parents, and other stakeholders. Our previous report using 2014 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics demonstrated anticipated growth and higher than average pay in the profession through at least 2022 for baccalaureate degree holders (Marion & Sinde, 2015). Growth in the profession does not necessarily translate into job availability if the market is saturated with job candidates. While university programs produce graduates, local health departments (LHDs) have suffered tremendous …

Prozac In The Water: Chronic Fluoxetine Exposure And Predation Risk Interact To Shape Behaviors In An Estuarine Crab, Joseph R. Peters, Elise F. Granek, Catherine E. De Rivera, Matthew Rollins

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Predators exert considerable top-down pressure on ecosystems by directly consuming prey or indirectly influencing their foraging behaviors and habitat use. Prey is, therefore, forced to balance predation risk with resource reward. A growing list of anthropogenic stressors such as rising temperatures and ocean acidification has been shown to influence prey risk behaviors and subsequently alter important ecosystem processes. Yet, limited attention has been paid to the effects of chronic pharmaceutical exposure on risk behavior or as an ecological stressor, despite widespread detection and persistence of these contaminants in aquatic environments. In the laboratory, we simulated estuarine conditions of the shore …

Lyme Disease And Youtube™: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Video Contents, Corey H. Basch, Lindsay A. Mullican, Kwanza D. Boone, Jingjing Yin, Alyssa Berdnik, Marina E. Eremeeva, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung

Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. People seek health information on Lyme disease from YouTubeTM videos. In this study, we investigated if the contents of Lyme disease-related YouTubeTM videos varied by their sources.

Methods: Most viewed English YouTubeTM videos (n = 100) were identified and manually coded for contents and sources.

Results: Within the sample, 40 videos were consumer-generated, 31 were internet-based news, 16 were professional, and 13 were TV news. Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV news videos were more likely to mention celebrities (odds ratio [OR], 10.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.13–52.58), prevention of Lyme disease …

Inhibition Of Post-Transcriptional Steps In Ribosome Biogenesis Confers Cytoprotection Against Chemotherapeutic Agents In A P53-Dependent Manner, Russell T Sapio, Anastasiya N Nezdyur, Matthew Krevetski, Leonid Anikin, Vincent J Manna, Natalie Minkovsky, Dimitri G Pestov

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

The p53-mediated nucleolar stress response associated with inhibition of ribosomal RNA transcription was previously shown to potentiate killing of tumor cells. Here, we asked whether targeting of ribosome biogenesis can be used as the basis for selective p53-dependent cytoprotection of nonmalignant cells. Temporary functional inactivation of the 60S ribosome assembly factor Bop1 in a 3T3 cell model markedly increased cell recovery after exposure to camptothecin or methotrexate. This was due, at least in part, to reversible pausing of the cell cycle preventing S phase associated DNA damage. Similar cytoprotective effects were observed after transient shRNA-mediated silencing of Rps19, but not …

Overexpressed Somatic Alleles Are Enriched In Functional Elements In Breast Cancer., Paula Restrepo, Mercedeh Movassagh, Nawaf Alomran, Christian Miller, Muzi Li, Chris Trenkov, Yulian Manchev, Sonali Bahl, Stephanie Warnken, Liam Spurr, Tatiyana Apanasovich, Keith Crandall, Nathan Edwards, Anelia Horvath

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

Asymmetric allele content in the transcriptome can be indicative of functional and selective features of the underlying genetic variants. Yet, imbalanced alleles, especially from diploid genome regions, are poorly explored in cancer. Here we systematically quantify and integrate the variant allele fraction from corresponding RNA and DNA sequence data from patients with breast cancer acquired through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We test for correlation between allele prevalence and functionality in known cancer-implicated genes from the Cancer Gene Census (CGC). We document significant allele-preferential expression of functional variants in CGC genes and across the entire dataset. Notably, we find frequent …

Full-Water Column Turbulence Parameterization Of Stratified Waters In Southern Lake Michigan, Kyla A. Prendergast, Cary D. Troy, David Cannon

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Full water column mean flow and turbulence structure was characterized at two stratified locations in Lake Michigan (a. Muskegon, MI; b. Michigan City, IN) in order to better understand the filtration potential of invasive quagga mussels. Invasive quagga mussels in Lake Michigan are filter feeders and can dramatically alter clarity as well as the biological/chemical characteristics of the water column. This filtering capacity is highly contingent on turbulence characteristics throughout the water column, which is poorly understood in the Great Lakes. Using velocity, temperature, and turbulence data collected from these locations, the structure of the water column turbulence was modeled …

Mobility Characteristics Of Azithromycin In Soil, Ryan Minter, Jihyun Kim, Linda Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment has become a widespread problem in recent decades. Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic commonly prescribed for infections in humans, has been detected in waste treatment plant discharge and surface waters across the world. Data on the mobility characteristics of azithromycin in soil is scarce, and further studies must be performed to explore the potential for azithromycin leaching to groundwater or becoming available for plant uptake. In this study, azithromycin sorption isotherms were measured on eight soils varying in pH, organic carbon content, and clay content. Soil was equilibrated with …

County-Level Cumulative Environmental Quality Associated With Cancer Incidence, Jyotsna S. Jagai, Lynne C. Messer, Kristen M. Rappazzo, Christine L. Gray, Shannon C. Grabich, Danelle T. Lobdell

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Individual environmental exposures are associated with cancer development; however, environmental exposures occur simultaneously. The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) is a county-level measure of cumulative environmental exposures that occur in 5 domains.

METHODS: The EQI was linked to county-level annual age-adjusted cancer incidence rates from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program state cancer profiles. All-site cancer and the top 3 site-specific cancers for male and female subjects were considered. Incident rate differences (IRDs; annual rate difference per 100,000 persons) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using fixed-slope, random intercept multilevel linear regression models. Associations were assessed with …

Rxtx And Micromedex, Shawn Hendrikx, Kelly Hatch

Western Libraries Publications

No abstract provided.

Sphingolipids In Models Of Kidney Disease And Injury., Tess V. Dupre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acute kidney injury (AKI), resulting from cisplatin, remains an obstacle in the treatment of cancer. Cisplatin-induced AKI involves cell death pathways regulated by sphingolipids such as ceramide and glucosylceramide. Results indicate that cisplatin-treated mice had increased levels of ceramide and hexosylceramide. Pre-treatment of mice with inhibitors of ceramide synthesis prevented accumulation of ceramide and hexosylceramide in the renal cortex and attenuated cisplatin-induced AKI. To determine the role of ceramide metabolism to hexosylceramides in kidney injury, we treated mice with an inhibitor of glycosphingolipid synthesis. Inhibition of glycosphingolipid synthesis attenuated the accumulation of the hexosylceramide and exacerbated ceramide accumulation in the …

Using Neonatal Skin To Study The Developmental Programming Of Aging, Leryn J. Reynolds, Brett J. Dickens, Benjamin B. Green, Carmen J. Marsit, Kevin J. Pearson

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Numerous studies have examined how both negative and positive maternal exposures (environmental contaminants, nutrition, exercise, etc.) impact offspring risk for age-associated diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and others. The purpose of this study was to introduce the foreskin as a novel model to examine developmental programming in human neonates, particularly in regard to adipogenesis and insulin receptor signaling, major contributors to age-associated diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Neonatal foreskin was collected following circumcision and primary dermal fibroblasts were isolated to perform adipocyte differentiation and insulin stimulation experiments. Human neonatal foreskin primary fibroblasts take up lipid when …

Novel Insight Into The Liver-Lung Axis In Alcohol-Enhanced Acute Lung Injury., Lauren G. Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Individuals who chronically abuse alcohol are almost 4 times more likely to develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), the most severe form of Acute Lung Injury (ALI), but the mechanisms by which alcohol abuse sensitizes the lung to injury are poorly understood. However, the lung appears to share many parallel mechanisms of injury with the liver- a primary target of alcohol abuse. The overarching goal of this dissertation was therefore to expand on established mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver injury to ask innovative questions about mechanisms of alcohol-enhanced acute lung injury, as well as to develop new tools that may …

Advances In Tumor-Targeted Therapy Using Nanomedicine., Divya Karukonda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite continuous improvement and significant progress made in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer, it is still the leading cause of death worldwide. Although conventional chemotherapy has made significant advances in improving patient survival the indiscriminate destruction of normal cells leads to severe side effects and poor clinical outcomes. Thus, there is a need for effective delivery of drugs to the tumor site avoiding normal tissues to reduce toxicity in the rest of the body. For this reason, a novel multidisciplinary field called Nanotechnology has evolved in recent years and advances in this field have contributed to the development of …

Prevention And Treatment Of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis And Colorectal Cancer By Bilberry-Derived Anthocyanidins., Ashley M. Mudd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths within the United States. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited disorder which if left untreated will develop into colon cancer. The family of plant-derived compounds, anthocyanins, show significant therapeutic potential against a variety of diseases, however, they are limited by their instability and poor bioavailability. The goal of my Master’s research project was to determine whether anthocyanidins (non-glycosylated anthocyanins) are more effective than the native anthocyanins, and whether exosomal formulation of anthocyanidins (ExoAnthos) can enhance therapeutic potency compared with free Anthos against both FAP and CRC. The antiproliferative …

The Comparative Cytotoxicity And Genotoxicity Of Hexavalent Chromium In Humans And Sea Turtles., Rachel M. Speer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring the health effects of environmental contaminants can be achieved using sentinel species as models. Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are an endangered marine species that may experience prolonged exposures to environmental contaminants including hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]. While Cr(VI) has been identified as a known human carcinogen, the health effects in marine species are poorly understood. In this study the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of particulate and soluble Cr(VI) were assessed in leatherback lung cells and compared to those in human lung cells. Cr(VI) induced a concentration-dependent increase in cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in leatherback lung cells indicating Cr(VI) …

A Comparison Of Outdoor Bioaerosol And Particulate Measurements In Las Vegas, Tanviben Yogeshkumar Patel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The urbanization of the Las Vegas Valley has turned the desert into a green oasis by introducing many non-native plant species, some of which are allergenic. Outdoor bioaerosols consist of microorganisms, pollen, spores, and other agents that could cause infections or affect the health of humans. Studies have suggested that exposure to bioaerosols through inhalation can lead to various human health risks. Typically, one monitoring station is established per city to obtain pollen and mold counts for an entire metropolitan area, and the site may not be representative of community exposures. The objective of this study was to measure and …

Enemy Exacerbation: Effects Of Predator Stress On Sulfate Lethality In Freshwater Amphipods (Gammarus Minus), Trevor Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predator cues can influence how aquatic organisms respond to anthropogenic contaminants. This study examined the effects of predator cues on behavior, metabolic rate, and sulfate (as Na₂SO₄) toxicity in amphipods (Gammarus minus). Predator cues included alarm cue (macerated conspecifics) and kairomone from mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Amphipods decreased activity and increased time in refuge when exposed to alarm cue, and increased time in refuge when exposed to kairomone. While median lethal concentrations (96-h LC₅₀) were not influenced by predator cues, analysis of dose response curves indicated that kairomone exposure increased amphipod …

Pharmacologic And Genetic Manipulations Of Angiotensin Signaling In Thoracic Aortic Disease Models, Andrew M. Peters

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients. Many different risk factors have been associated TAAD, but hypertension is the largest risk factor. Subsets of TAAD patients have identifiable syndromic genetic diseases, yet a number of genetic non-syndromic patients have been identified. Infusion of angiotensin II into mouse models causes aortic disease through inflammation and fibrosis. An angiotensin type I receptor (AT1R) blocker (ARB) or an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (ACEi) can reverse aortic pathology in some mouse models. I set out to better understand the relationship between angiotensin and TAAD …

Designing Local Solutions For Emptying Pit Latrines In Low-Income Urban Settlements (Malawi)., W. C. Chipeta, R. H. Holm, J. F. Kamanula, W. E. Mtonga, F. L. De Los Reyes

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A lack of effective options in local technology poses challenges when onsite household sanitation facilities are eventually filled to capacity in unplanned settlement areas within Mzuzu City, located in northern Malawi. Vacuum trucks currently dominate the market but focus on emptying septic tanks in the more easily accessible planned settlement areas, rather than servicing the pit latrines common in unplanned settlement areas. As a result, households in the unplanned settlement areas within Mzuzu rely primarily on manual pit emptying (i.e., shoveling by hand) or digging a new pit latrine. These practices have associated health risks and are limited by space …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Vibrio Gazogenes Atcc 43942, Phani M. Gummadidala, Michael E. Holder, Jacqueline L. O’Brien, Nadim J. Ajami, Joseph F. Petrosino, Chandrani Mitra, Yung Pin Chen, Alan W. Decho, Anindya Chandaa

Faculty Publications

Vibrio gazogenes ATCC 43942 has the potential to synthesize a plethora of metabolites which are of clinical and agricultural significance in response to environmental triggers. The complete genomic sequence of Vibrio gazogenes ATCC 43942 is reported herein, contributing to the knowledge base of strains in the Vibrio genus.