Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Weight Gain Among Adults With Intellectual Disabilities Receiving Atypical Antipsychotics, Sherri Lyn Transier

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study assessed whether the atypical antipsychotic agents olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine are associated with significant weight gain among adults with intellectual disabilities after 6 months of drug treatment. The body weights of 79 participants were retrieved 6 months prior to the initiation of drug treatment, at the start of the atypical antipsychotic agent, and after 6 months of drug therapy. Each individual served as his or her own control by utilizing pretreatment baseline trends in weight change to calculate a dependent measure of adjusted posttreatment weight gain. Doing so allowed for a stringent determination of the liability for …

Improving The Value Of Standard Toxicity Test Data In Reach, Magnus Breitholtz, Elin Lundström, Ulrika Dahl, Valery E. Forbes

Valery Forbes Publications

Worldwide, environmental risk assessment strategies are based on the assumption that measuring direct effects of single substances, using a few single species tests, in combination with safety factors correcting for extrapolation inconsistencies, can be used to protect higher levels of biological organization, such as populations and even ecosystems. At the same time, we are currently facing a range of pollution problems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Series 2005), of which some could at least indirectly be linked to the fact that this assumption may not be fully valid. Consequently, there is an ongoing scientific debate on whether current chemical control protocols are …

Environmentally Sensitive Life-Cycle Traits Have Low Elasticity: Implications For Theory And Practice, Valery E. Forbes, Mette Olsen, Annemette Palmqvist, Peter Calow

Valery Forbes Publications

The relationships between population growth rate and the life-cycle traits contributing to it are nonlinear and variable. This has made it difficult for ecologists to consistently predict changes in population dynamics from observations on changes in life-cycle traits. We show that traits having a high sensitivity to chemical toxicants tend to have a low elasticity, meaning that changes in them have a relatively low impact on population growth rate, compared to other life-cycle traits. This makes evolutionary sense in that there should be selection against variability in population growth rate. In particular, we found that fecundity was generally more sensitive …

Integrating Population Modeling Into Ecological Risk Assessment, Valery E. Forbes, Peter Calow, Volker Grimm, Takehiko Hayashi, Tjalling Jager, Annemette Palmqvist, Rob Pastorok, Dan Salvito, Richard Sibly, Julann Spromberg, John Stark, Richard A. Stillman

Valery Forbes Publications

Current approaches to ecological risk assessment (ERA) are not sufficient to address environmental protection goals stated in current regulations in the European Union, North America and elsewhere. For example, the data used to estimate the likelihood of adverse ecological effects typically include responses of survival, growth, or reproduction of individuals measured under constant and typically favorable laboratory conditions. But these organism-level endpoints are far removed from the ecological features that the process aims to protect (i.e., the long-term persistence of populations of species in space and time under naturally varying field conditions and in the presence of other stressors). Ecological …

The Effects Of Landscape Modifications On The Long-Term Persistence Of Animal Populations, Jacob Nabe-Nielsen, Richard M. Sibly, Mads C. Forchhammer, Valery E. Forbes, Christopher J. Topping

Valery Forbes Publications

Background: The effects of landscape modifications on the long-term persistence of wild animal populations is of crucial importance to wildlife managers and conservation biologists, but obtaining experimental evidence using real landscapes is usually impossible. To circumvent this problem we used individual-based models (IBMs) of interacting animals in experimental modifications of a real Danish landscape. The models incorporate as much as possible of the behaviour and ecology of four species with contrasting life-history characteristics: skylark (Alauda arvensis), vole (Microtus agrestis), a ground beetle (Bembidion lampros) and a linyphiid spider (Erigone atra). This allows …

Investigation Of The Fate And Effects Of Acetyl Cedrene On Capitella Teleta And Sediment Bacterial Community, Lea Ellegaard-Petersen, Henriette Selck, Anders Priemé, Daniel Salvito, Valery E. Forbes

Valery Forbes Publications

The fate of the fragrance material, acetyl cedrene (AC), in sediment was examined in a 16 day laboratory experiment using the sediment microbial community subjected to the following treatments: AC (nominal concentration; 0 and 50 μg g−1 dw sediment) and macrofaunal worms (with/without Capitella teleta (formerly Capitella sp. I)). Furthermore effects of AC on microbial respiration in the system were determined by examining CO₂ flux. T-RFLP (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) was used to analyze PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplified 16S DNA gene fragments from the sediments to detect changes in the structure and diversity of the bacterial community. …

Bioactivity And Chemical Investigations Of Pereskia Bleo And Pereskia Grandifollia., Sim Kae Shin

Student Works (2010-2019)

Ethnopharmacological data has been one of the common useful criteria in drug discovery. Pereskia bleo and Pereskia grandifolia (Cactaceae), commonly known as ‘Jarum Tujuh Bilah’ in Malay and ‘Cak Sing Cam’ in Chinese have long been used as natural remedies in Malaysia. The experimental approach in the present study was based on bioassay-guided fractionation. The crude methanol and fractionated extracts of both Pereskia spp. were initially investigated for their biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effect against five human cancer cell lines, namely nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma cell line (KB), cervical carcinoma cell line (CasKi), colon carcinoma cell line …

Studies On The Bioactive Properties Of Selected Plant And Fermented Extracts., Saravana Kumar Sinniah

Student Works (2010-2019)

The aim of this study was to isolate protein/peptide and secondary metabolites from plant and fermented sources. The extracts were used to test for antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In the current study protein/peptide extracts of Allium sativum showed promising results with a 15mm inhibition zone against Escherichia coli, 28mm against Staphylococcus aureus, 16.3mm against Bacillus cereus and 9mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The minimum bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) results showed that Allium sativum protein/peptide extract is only bacteriostatic and not bacteriocidal. Andrographis paniculata showed the most promising result for the ethanolic extracts with an inhibition zone of 14mm against B. cereus, 11.5mm …

Retrieval Of Atmospheric Elemental Carbon Records Using Lake Sediments : Implications In Radiative Forcing, Tanveer Ahmed

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Elemental or black carbon (EC or BC) aerosols produced during incomplete combustion strongly absorb solar radiation and contribute to global warming, and cause cardiopulmonary disease. Long-term atmospheric EC measurements, [EC]_atm, are needed to validate global climate models to estimate the impact of EC on earth's temperature. Such data is sparse.

Preparation And Application Of Transgenic And Knockout Mouse Models For Studies On Cytochrome P450 Functions, Yuan Wei

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The overall objective of this dissertation is to study the in vivo function of microsomal cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), which metabolize numerous drugs, chemical carcinogens, environmental pollutants, as well as endogenous signaling molecules such as steroid hormones and eicosanoids. The major research tool of this study involves the development of transgenic and knockout mouse models. The specific aims are 1) to study the in vivo function of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) and CPR-dependent enzymes using a mouse model with a reversible hypomorphic Cpr gene; 2) to study the in vivo function of CYP2A13 with a CYP2A13- transgenic model; and 3) …

Arsenic Speciation Analysis Of Biological Fluids : A Study Of Liquid Chromatography Coupled To Analytical Atomic Spectrometric Instrumentation, Kanna Ito

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Arsenic exists as many different chemical forms including inorganic, methylated and dietary species. The toxicity of these species varies: some are highly toxic and can cause adverse health effects in many parts of the body; others are considered relatively non-toxic. Monitoring arsenic exposure is usually accomplished by its direct measurement in biological fluids. Urine is the specimen of choice for assessing arsenic exposure, because of its short biological half-life in blood. There have been very few studies of arsenic species in blood, yet such research can provide valuable information on arsenic distribution and its metabolism in the body.

A Role For Lipid Rafts In Egfr Tki Resistance In Breast Cancer, Mary Elizabeth Irwin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Breast cancer can be divided into genetic sub-types including luminal, HER2+, and basal-type. With the introduction of targeted therapies against estrogen receptor and HER2 receptor mortality rates of American women with breast cancer have declined. Unfortunately, basal-type breast cancers, which have the worst clinical outcome, do not express estrogen receptor or HER2, and as such, have no targeted therapeutic option. The epidermal growth factor receptor is an attractive target for therapeutics in basal-type breast cancer, as it is over-expressed in 60% of these cases. Also, over-expression of EGFR correlates with poor patient prognosis. Unfortunately, inhibitors of EGFR have shown little …

Evaluating And Regulating Lead In Artificial Turf, Gregory Van Ulirsch, Kevin Gleason, Shawn Gerstenberger, Deaphne B. Moffett, Glenn Pulliam, Tariq Ahmed, Jerald Fagliano

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: In 2007, a synthetic turf recreational field in Newark, New Jersey, was closed because lead was found in synthetic turf fibers and in surface dust at concentrations exceeding hazard criteria. Consequently, public health professionals across the country began testing synthetic turf to determine whether it represented a lead hazard. Currently, no standardized methods exist to test for lead in synthetic turf or to assess lead hazards.

Objectives: Our objectives were to increase awareness of potential lead exposure from synthetic turf by presenting data showing elevated lead in fibers and turf-derived dust; identify risk assessment uncertainties; recommend that federal and/or …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction And Its Modulation By Dietary Lipids, Zuzana Majkova

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in Western societies. Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in the pathology of atherosclerosis, which is an underlying cause in the majority of cardiovascular events. Exposure to persistent environmental pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.

First, we tested a hypothesis that coplanar PCBs, dioxin-like chemicals with affinity for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), can stimulate up-regulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), an endothelium-derived chemokine that attracts monocytes into sub-endothelial space in early stages of atherosclerosis. Coplanar PCBs 77 and 126 increased expression of …

Studies Of Antioxidant And Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Activity Of Orthosiphon Stamineus (Misai Kucing)., Che Wan Imanina Che Wan Takwa

Student Works (2010-2019)

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Studies On Formulation Development Of Apoorly Water - Soluble Drug Through Solid Dispersion Technique, Sunita Dahiya

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

An attempt has been made to enhance dissolution of aceclofenac (AC) by solid dispersion technique using water soluble carriers PEG 6000 and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Solid dispersions of AC with PEG 6000 were prepared by melting solvent method and with β...

Author Index, Keyword Index, N/A

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Micelle Enhanced Spectrofluorimetric Method For The Determination Of Ofloxacin And Lomefloxacin In Human Urine And Serum, Kuldeep Kaur, Baldev Singh, Ashok Kumar Malik

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

A spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of two fluoroquinolone drugs, ofloxacin and lomefloxacin in biological fluids has been developed. The method is based on native fluorescence of these drugs in micellar medium of sodium dodecyl sulfate (S...

Simultaneous Spectrophotometric Determination Of Iron (Ii) And Copper (Ii) In Tablets By Chemometric Methods, Melisew Tadele Alula, Abdel-Maaboud I., Adnan A. Bekhit

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The significant spectral overlap (Di)0.5 = 0.5667 which is about 75.3% overlapping of the UV/Visible absorption spectra of iron (II) and copper (II) complexes necessitates chemometric assisted methods for simultaneous analysis of these ions in the pharma...

Inhibitory Effect Of 2,5-Bis(4-Hydroxy-3-Methoxybenzylidene) Cyclopentanone On Mast Cell Histamine Mediated-Rat Paw Edema, Agung Endro Nugroho, Sardjiman, Kazutaka Maeyama

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2,5-Bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)cyclopentanone, known as pentagamavunon-0 (PGV-0), is a benzylidene cyclopentanone analog of curcumin. This compound posses stronger pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antibacter...