Toxicology Commons^™

A Sweet Deception, Andrea Florian, Ellis Stafford, Bridget Mcloud, Awi Siam

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Have you ever wanted to be a detective and solve a murder? Well, here is your chance! Bradley Thompson, an investment banker at JP Morgan, was murdered in his home, and we are relying on you to piece together the toxicological clues and find his killer! This murder-mystery activity will involve selecting different toxicological tests and evaluating evidence to determine who committed this heinous crime.

Murder Of The Magic Mushroom Man, Andrea Florian, Alexa Cabral, Olivia Fawkes, Emily Gomez

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Rowan Tucker is an heirloom vegetable farmer that lives in Newbury, VT on an 80-acre farm. Most of the money in Rowan’s name was from selling psilocybin mushrooms that he disguised as payments under “crop-selling”. He was found dead presenting symptoms early that morning of confusion, hallucinations, vomiting, sweating, and extreme salivation. How did he get murdered? Who did it?

Hsp90 Inhibitor, At13387 Mitigates Chronic Lung Injury In Pre-Pubertal Mice: A Therapeutic Axis In Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Pavel A. Solopov, Christiana Dimitropoulou, John D. Catravas, Ruben M. L. Colunga Biancatelli

Bioelectrics Publications

Exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) can provoke severe chronic pulmonary injury. Children are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller airways, higher respiratory rate, and stronger inflammatory response; yet no countermeasures exist for HCl-induced chronic lung injury in the pediatric population. We have previously demonstrated the involvement of HSP90 during HCl-induced lung injury in pre-pubertal (p24) mice, who develop stronger persistent inflammation with higher NLRP3 inflammasome activation, but less pulmonary fibrosis compared to adults. Here, we tested the hypothesis that post-treatment with the second-generation HSP90 inhibitor AT13387 (Onalespib), administered subcutaneously beginning 24 h after HCl instillation, would prevent HCl-induced chronic lung …

Fluctuation Of Organochlorine Concentrations In Bull Sharks At Different Life Stages, Mackenzie R. Phillips

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

For Carcharhinid species such as the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), the maternal offloading of nutrients is essential for pup development and growth, however, significant amounts of OCs are also transferred. As a top predator in aquatic food webs, bull sharks can potentially bioaccumulate high concentrations of pollutants such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) that biomagnify through aquatic food webs. These pollutants are also hydrophobic and fat soluble and therefore pose toxicity risks to developing young bull sharks. In this study, liver tissues collected from juvenile bull sharks inhabiting Florida’s coastal waters were analyzed for a suite of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) …

Prevention Of Inflammation-Associated Neurodegeneration: Assessing The Efficacy Of N,N-Dimethylacetamide (Dma) In Lipopolysaccharide (Lps)-Induced Neuroinflammation Using C57bl/6 Mice, Teeshavi Devi Acosta

Theses and Dissertations

Neurological function is closely linked to both longevity and quality of life. While some degree of neurodegeneration occurs naturally with aging, pathological neurodegeneration leads to devastating functional decline. The mechanisms underlying these processes remain incompletely understood; however, neuroinflammation is recognized as a key driver of neuronal dysfunction and death. Emerging evidence indicates that neuroinflammatory cascades can precede and potentiate hallmark features of neurodegenerative diseases, including synaptic loss and cognitive decline observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway contributes to amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide production, further amplifying a cycle of inflammation and neuronal injury. Preclinical work from …

Neonicotinoid Bioaccumulation In Bluegill And Bullhead Within Lake Julia And Lake Zumwalde, Jake Stuber

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis, and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus are unique in their stark differences. Bullhead are scaleless bottom feeders that can tolerate high pollution and low O₂ conditions. In contrast, Bluegill are scaled, aggressive nesters and are less tolerant of high pollutants or low-oxygen conditions. Among these pollutants include a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids (hereafter referred to as neonics). Neonics are a class of insecticides primarily used within agriculture and pest management. Due to the effectiveness, application has escalated on a global scale. They have been well documented by many toxicology assessments. …

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (Pfos)-Induced Disruption Of Mitochondrial Activity And Cell Adhesion In Liver Cells, Phuong Dam Nam Tran

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent environmental pollutant associated with potential hepatoxic effects and other health risks. Despite its widespread distribution, the mechanisms underlying its toxicities remain to be fully understood. To investigate PFOS toxicology, my study utilized HepG2 and THLE-2 human hepatic cell models to replicate conditions reflecting PFOS accumulation in the liver. Cell viability, cell stress, and cell death assays were conducted to assess the toxicological influence of the chemical on both cell lines. Total RNA extraction was performed, followed by cDNA sequencing, and RT-qPCR. The XTT viability assay revealed a dose-dependent decrease in number of viable cells …

Spiders In The World Of Pesticides: A Review, Jackson L. Mendillo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Pesticides and other agrochemicals have varying effects on spiders depending on their mechanism of action and dosage, ranging from behavioral changes and ataxia, to reproductive changes and physiological stress, to lethal non-target effects. Additionally, peptide Hv1a has promising effects as a more narrow-spectrum pesticide.

Evaluating Willow Establishment With Biochar For Remediation Of Mine Waste Soils: Amendment Ph Determines Plant Biomass And Metal Mobility, Madeline R. Webb

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Heavy metal contaminated mine tailings (“stamp sands”) from historic copper mining inhibit plant establishment and contribute to ongoing metal contamination. Biochar amendments may enhance plant growth and reduce metal mobility in highly permeable mine waste soils, but the efficacies of different application methods or biochar sources and composition are uncertain. We evaluated different biochar sources (neutral or alkaline pH) and application methods (either mixed or layered) for planted willow growth, moisture retention, and metal mobility. A 10-week growth chamber experiment assessed plant performance, heavy metal content and heavy metal mobility in soil leachates and plant tissues. Biochar pH was the …

Toxicology Case Study Model, Ana Pego

Open Educational Resources

Graduate students apply laboratory skills to an authentic forensic toxicology case by interpreting evidence, recommending analytical methods, and presenting a critical group assessment.

Identifying Rna Splicing Changes During Alcohol Withdrawal Using An Optimized Rna-Seq Analysis Pipeline, Yasaswi Veera, Luana Martins De Carvalho, Amy Lasek

UROP Posters

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes long-lasting changes in brain gene expression and RNA splicing, particularly in the ventral hippocampus. This study analyzes RNA-Seq data from rats exposed to chronic alcohol and withdrawal to identify transcript-level and splicing alterations. An optimized RNA-Seq pipeline using STAR, FeatureCounts, edgeR, and WGCNA improved efficiency by 25-40% while maintaining consistency across 25 datasets. Results reveal changes in neural signaling and stress-response pathways associated with withdrawal. This work provides both biological insight into AUD and a reproducible computational framework for transcriptomic analysis.

Ion-Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensors For Toxic Metal-Ion Detection In Water: Coordination Chemistry, Transduction Strategies, And Environmental Applications, Ghita Yammouri, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Toxic metal contamination in aquatic environments remains a persistent threat to human health and ecosystems. Yet, the high cost, infrastructure demands, and centralized nature of conventional analytical methods constrain routine monitoring. Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs), a subclass of molecularly imprinted polymers, have emerged as promising synthetic recognition materials for metal-ion sensing because they generate coordination-defined binding sites with high selectivity, chemical stability, low cost, and reusability. This review summarizes recent advances in Ion-imprinted polymer (IIP)-based sensing technologies for toxic metal-ion detection in water from 2016 to 2026. It examines the fundamental recognition chemistry of IIPs, major synthesis strategies used to generate …

External Validation Of A Knowledge-Based Clinical Toxicology Consultant For Diagnosing Single Exposures, Hugo Lerogeron, Joel D. Schipper, Jay L. Schauben, Laurent Guéguen, Valentine Lacotte, Kim An Nguyen

Publications

Introduction

Clinical prediction models assist healthcare providers in estimating disease likelihood using multiple patient-specific factors. While these models are increasingly used, few undergo the essential process of external validation, which limits their clinical utility. In toxicology, timely diagnosis is crucial and expertise scarce, making knowledge-based systems an excellent choice to support medical decision making. A knowledge-based system developed using data from the Florida Poison Information Center Network has shown promise but lacks external validation. This study aims to evaluate its performance using data from the Lyon Poison Information Center to assess its generalizability

Methods

To externally validate the Florida diagnostic …

Harnessing Activated Sludge For The Treatment Of Hydrothermal Liquefaction Wastewater: A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Cyrus Li, Jiefu Wang, Meicen Liu, Yi Zheng, Sandeep Kumar, Isamu Umeda, Chandan Mahata, John Norton

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Although hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is the leading technology in converting wet biomass into bioenergy, the treatment of its toxic-laden aqueous phase wastewater presents a major challenge on its path toward commercial viability. This study presents the first-ever assessment of sewage sludge-fed HTL wastewater (SS-HTLWW) treatment and toxic compound removal using municipal activated sludge (AS) by optimizing its cultivation condition. It was found that AS with optimized pretreatment can remove up to 91.2% of the soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) in SS-HTLWW, of which up to 82% can be attributed to biological mineralization and adsorption of sCOD by AS. Conventional bioprocess …

Corrigendum To “Yi-Qi-Xuan-Fei Formula Ameliorate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease By Remodeling Lung And Intestinal Florase In Rat Models” [J Food Drug Anal 33(3) (2025) 252-276]

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

No abstract provided.

Economic Evaluation Of Ai-Assisted Technologies In Healthcare: A Systematic Review, Wen-Tung Wu, Yi-Wen Chao, Tsung-Kun Lin, Ching-Kuo Huang, Ping-Hsuan Hsieh

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly integrated into healthcare, yet their economic value remains uncertain. Traditional economic evaluation methods may not adequately capture the unique features of AI, including dynamic model evolution, scalability, and broader societal impacts. This systematic review synthesized existing evidence on the cost-effectiveness of AI-based healthcare interventions and assessed the methodological rigor of published studies. A comprehensive search identified health economic evaluations of AI applications published between September 2019 and March 2025, following PRISMA and SWiM guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025641230). Eligible studies were full economic evaluations comparing AI-based interventions with non-AI alternatives, and data were …

Combination Treatment Of Cordycepin And Radiation Induces Apoptosis Accompanied By Protective Autophagy In Tm3 Mouse Leydig Progenitor Cells, Yu-Yan Lan, Yi-Ping Lee, Wei-Ru Huang, Chun-Ying Yu, Lyh-Jyh Hao, Chun-Hung Lin, Bu-Miin Huang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Leydig cells are anatomically located in the testicular interstitial tissue, and their main function is to produce and secrete testosterone and indirectly support spermatogenesis. We previously reported that the combination treatment of cordycepin and radiation can effectively induce Leydig tumor cell apoptosis through cell cycle arrest, caspase activation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and DNA damage. However, there is still a lack of scientific evidence for the susceptibility of normal Leydig cells to the combination treatment. In the present study, mouse TM3 Leydig progenitor cells were used as a model to evaluate the effects and mechanisms …

Development Of An Untargeted Metabolomics Analytical Protocol For Fecal Samples By Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry, Tsai-Wei Ting, Chih-Ning Cheng, Chieh-Chang Chen, Ching-Hua Kuo

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Gut microbiota has recently gained attention for its role in regulating multiple host pathways and contributing to disease developments. Fecal metabolomics using liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry (LC—MS) offers a promising approach to study gut microbial metabolites; however, it remains technically challenging due to the complex, heterogeneous nature of fecal samples and the lack of standardized protocols. This study aimed to establish a robust and reproducible untargeted fecal metabolomics workflow. We systematically evaluated sample preparation parameters―including sample amount, extraction solvent, numbers of extraction, and sample-to-solvent ratio―and assessed method reproducibility. Additionally, we compared three LC—MS data acquisition workflows using 10 samples from inflammatory …

Dna Tetrahedron-Au Nps-Go For Enhanced Fluorescence Detection Of Serotonin, Zhang Yun, Wu Qiong, Gao Hui, Zhang Hua, Miao Xiang-Min

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Evidence had accumulated that serotonin (5-HT), a hormone and neurotransmitter, was not only involved in a variety of different physiological and central nervous system functions but also in the development and manifestation of psychiatric diseases. Here, DNA tetrahedron-Au NPs-GO for enhanced fluorescence sensor was designed for detecting serotonin. Au NPs-GO was used as a fluorescence quencher, while fluorophore-labeled DNA tetrahedron was used as a donor, resulting in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the fluorophore to Au NPs-GO (signal off). With the strong binding ability of aptamer to serotonin, S5 was released from Aptamer: S5 duplex, then reacted with the …

Carotenoids Identified From Slipper-Shaped Oyster Magallana Bilineata Powder Residue Exhibit Potent Biological Activities, Rhoda Mae C. Simora, Raymund B. Parcon, Andrea Roxanne J. Anas, Tatsufumi Okino

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Carotenoids are a diverse class of biologically active compounds that contribute significantly to human health, serving vital functions in nutrition and overall well-being. Magallana bilineata, a commercially important oyster species, yields a shelf-stable powder residue possessing bioactivities with unknown specific compounds. Carotenoids are key marine bioactive compounds, but their presence in oysters remains underexplored. The present study aimed to identify the bioactive compounds from oyster powder residue through mass spectrometry for optimum utilization and value creation as a biomedical resource. The study employed solvent extraction of oyster powder residue, followed by fractionation using octadecylsilyl (ODS) column chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass …