Other Chemicals and Drugs Commons^™

The Teen Vaping Crisis, Jayavignesh Ganesan '21, Cynthia Mu '21, Carolina Seoane '21

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

In today’s society, many teens have the idea that is is cool to vape. This has led to an exponential increase in the number of teenagers addicted to nicotine. This increase is directly caused by nicotine companies, specifically vape companies, presenting their products with appealing and misleading packaging. Indeed, nicotine packages are required to have a warning. However, the warning is usually not taken into consideration, as the warning is not eye-catching. Because of this, we propose that all products containing nicotine, including e-cigarettes, must follow plain packaging regulations. Under plain packaging regulations, companies would be required to have the …

Juul Like It?, Kim Petit

Senior Honors Projects

Juul is the most prominent producer of e-cigarettes, devices that vaporize nicotine for inhalation. These devices were developed to deliver nicotine in a tobacco-free vapor as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. The Juul, in particular among other e-cigarettes, delivers a much higher concentration of dissolved nicotine than a standard cigarette. Although many smokers use Juuls as a method of quitting cigarettes, the overwhelming majority of Juul users are 15-21 years old and have never before used cigarettes, but now have unknowingly become heavily addicted to the nicotine contents. Research has found that 63% of Juul users do not know …

The Impact Of Medical Marijuana On The Opioid Crisis, Carl David Estep

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

In light of the current opioid crisis, research is needed to identify alternative treatments for acute and chronic pain. With medical marijuana being made available by rapidly changing state laws, it is prudent to identify what role it may play in pain control. This comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine what is known as to the effectiveness of medical marijuana, cannabis, or cannabinoids for treating acute and chronic pain as compared to prescription opiates. An additional comparison was also made between the addictive properties and adverse effects of medical marijuana and prescription opiates. The final parameter evaluated was the …

Iron-Containing Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Chrionic Biofilm Infections In Cystic Fibrosis, Leisha M. A. Martin

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease resulting in the morbidity and mortality of Caucasian children and adults worldwide. Due to a genetic mutation resulting in malfunction of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, CF patients produce highly viscous mucus in their respiratory tract. This leads to impairment of the mucociliary clearance of inhaled microbes. In addition to reduced microbial clearance, anoxic environmental conditions in the lungs promote biofilm-mode growth of the pathogenic bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chronic infections of P. aeruginosa begin in early childhood and typically persist until respiratory failure and death result. The …

Systematic Literature Review Of Quetiapine For The Treatment Of Psychosis In Patients With Parkinsonism, Jack J. Chen, Henry Hua, Lilian Massihi, Ivan Portillo, Azita Alipour, William Ondo, Khashayar Dashtipour

Library Articles and Research

Objective:

The purpose of this article was to determine the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine compared with placebo or other interventions for psychosis in parkinsonism.

Methods:

Participants with a diagnosis of parkinsonism participated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine for psychotic symptoms within a defined follow-up period. The authors conducted searches on PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, and EMBASE for articles published from January 1991 to October 2017. Study methodology and patient- and treatment-level data were independently extracted and summarized by using descriptive statistics. Studies underwent quality assessment for risk of bias.

Results: …

Synthesis Of A Sulfur Variant For Treatment Of Trypanosomiasis, Carlos Vera-Esquivel

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Previous work in our lab has found diphenyl ether benzylamines showed a successful response with a micromolar concentration of our lead compound to treat the deadly Trypanosamiosis rhodesience. Furthermore, mammalian cell lines saw promising resistance towards damages. The goal of this study was to synthesize a diphenyl thio benzylamine variant. This variant was more active toward T. b. rhodesience but showed more toxicity to both rat 10 (IC₅₀ mM) and human cell lines (HFF, HC-₀₄, U-₂ OS, and HEK₂₉₃). The selectivity index (ratio of toxicity to activity in the same concentration units (SI)) …

Small Peptide Ligands For Targeting Egfr In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Hanieh Hossein-Nejad-Ariani, Emad Althagafi, Kamaljit Kaur

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The efficacy of chemotherapy for cancer treatment can be increased by targeted drug delivery to the cancer cells. This is particularly important for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) for which chemotherapy is a major form of treatment. Here we designed and screened a library of 30 peptides starting with a previously reported epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting peptide GE11 (YHWYGYTPQNVI). A direct peptide array-whole cell binding assay, where the peptides are conjugated to a cellulose membrane, was used to identify four peptides with enhanced binding to TNBC cells. Next, the four peptides were synthesized as FITC-labelled soluble peptides to …

Innovation And Competition In Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Vaishali Shukla, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), including gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineering products, represent a paradigm shift in health care as they have great potential for preventing and treating many diseases (Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2013). By way of example, only 367 (8.0%) of the 4,603 rare diseases and conditions listed by the NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center had at least one FDA-approved drug therapy in early 2018. An estimated 3,038 (66.0%) of those rare diseases and conditions are congenital and genetic diseases that could potentially be treated by gene therapy. There are already ATMPs under …

Transforming Growth Factor-Β1 Decreases Β2-Agonist–Induced Relaxation In Human Airway Smooth Muscle, Christie A. Ojiaku, Elena Chung, Vishal Parikh, Jazmean K. Williams, Anthony Schwab, Ana Lucia Fuentes, Maia L. Corpuz, Victoria Lui, Sam Paek, Natalia M. Bexiga, Shreya Narayan, Francisco J. Nunez, Kwangmi An, Rennolds S. Ostrom, Steven S. An, Reynold A. Pannettieri Jr.

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Helper T effector cytokines implicated in asthma modulate the contractility of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells. We have reported recently that a profibrotic cytokine, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, induces HASM cell shortening and airway hyperresponsiveness. Here, we assessed whether TGF-β1 affects the ability of HASM cells to relax in response to β₂-agonists, a mainstay treatment for airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. Overnight TGF-β1 treatment significantly impaired isoproterenol (ISO)-induced relaxation of carbachol-stimulated, isolated HASM cells. This single-cell mechanical hyporesponsiveness to ISO was corroborated by sustained increases in myosin light chain phosphorylation. In TGF-β1–treated HASM cells, ISO evoked markedly lower …

An In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of The Anticancer Potential Of Resveratrol And Pterostilbene Against Hpv-E6 Positive Cancers, Kaushiki Chatterjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cervical cancer remains as one of the most prevalent cancers effecting women globally. Lack of awareness and affordable prophylactic and therapeutic options in developing countries drive the need for alternative low-cost approaches. Dietary polyphenols have gained increased attention as possible anti-cancer agents. Our study aims to investigate whether two natural structural analogs, resveratrol and pterostilbene, exhibit anti-HPV (Human papillomavirus) activity in cervical cancer. To determine the efficacy of these polyphenols, extensive in vitro and in vivo analyses were carried out. For the in vitro studies we utilized human HeLa cells (HPV18 positive) and murine TC1 cells (HPV 16 oncogene positive). …

The Promises And Challenges Of Erythropoietin For Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease, Jiahong Sun, Jan Michelle Martin, Victoria Vanderpoel, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the world, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular amyloid-beta protein deposits represent the major pathological hallmarks of the disease. Currently available treatments provide some symptomatic relief but fail to modify primary pathological processes that underlie the disease. Erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic growth factor, acts primarily to stimulate erythroid cell production, and is clinically used to treat anemia. EPO has evolved as a therapeutic agent for neurodegeneration and has improved neurological outcomes and AD pathology in rodents. However, penetration of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and negative hematopoietic effects are the two …

Pharmacologic Profiling Of Novel Compounds Via Fluorometric Analyses Of Monoamine Transporter Responses, Ashkhan Hojati

Theses and Dissertations

In humans and other organisms, monoaminergic systems are crucial in neuronal function and behavior. The monoamine transporters (MATs), which can be found on the presynaptic plasma membrane of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), are crucial in the regulation of neurotransmitter concentration in the synaptic cleft. As the duration and concentration of neurotransmitters in the cleft affect further downstream signaling responses, these proteins are important targets for both understanding neuronal physiology and compounds of interest. Multiple theories exist proponing the contribution of MATs to a variety of mental and neurological disorders, including depression. This theory establishes that depression is …

Pharmacodynamics Of Monoamine Transporter Releasing Agents And Reuptake Inhibitors, Alexa Holloway

Theses and Dissertations

Ligands of the human monoamine transporters encompass a wide range of both illicit and therapeutic drugs that act upon neural circuitry related to reward, motivation, and the processing of salient stimuli. The present study utilizes two methods for analyzing transporter substrates and inhibitors in order to characterize activity and assess potency. The first measures transient changes in intracellular calcium as a surrogate for transporter activity by harnessing the electrical coupling of monoamine transporters and L-type calcium channels. This is used to analyze novel chimera of the strong hDAT inhibitors methylphenidate and ��-PPP in order to assess the contribution of specific …

Glycosaminoglycan Mimetics For The Treatment Of Cancer And Lung Inflammation, Shravan Morla

Theses and Dissertations

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear polysaccharides whose disaccharide building blocks consist of an amino sugar and either uronic acid or galactose. They are expressed on virtually all mammalian cells, usually covalently attached to proteins, forming proteoglycans. GAGs are highly negatively charged due to an abundance of sulfate and carboxylic acid groups, and are structurally very diverse, with differences arising from chain length, the type of monomeric units, the linkages between each monomeric unit, the position of sulfate groups, and the degree of sulfation. GAGs are known to interact with a multitude of proteins, impacting diverse physiological and pathological processes. In addition, …

Hematologic Safety Of Chronic Brain-Penetrating Erythropoietin Dosing In App/Ps1 Mice, Jiahong Sun, Joshua Yang, Kathrine Whitman, Charlene Zhu, David H. Cribbs, Ruben J. Boado, William M. Pardridge, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Low blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and hematopoietic side effects limit the therapeutic development of erythropoietin (EPO) for Alzheimer's disease (AD). A fusion protein of EPO and a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting the mouse transferrin receptor (cTfRMAb) has been engineered. The latter drives EPO into the brain via receptor-mediated transcytosis across the BBB and increases its peripheral clearance to reduce hematopoietic side effects of EPO. Our previous work shows the protective effects of this BBB-penetrating EPO in AD mice but hematologic effects have not been studied. Herein, we investigate the hematologic safety and therapeutic effects of chronic cTfRMAb-EPO dosing, …

Investigating The Effect Of Sodium Benzoate On Immune Cells And Microbial Populations In The Small Intestine Of Murine Species., Shelby Pedigo

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Dietary ingredients can influence the mucosal surface morphology and mucosal immunity of the gastrointestinal tract. Additional health concerns and behavioral changes have been attributed to the consumption of foods containing preservatives and additives. Sodium benzoate (SB) is a commonly used bacteriostatic in food and beverages. This study investigates the effects of SB on the gut bacteria and mucosal health in the gastrointestinal tract of laboratory mice. The extent of lymphocytic infiltration in intestinal villi and granular density of Paneth cells in the ileum were used as evaluators of mucosal immunity. Adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to two …

Targeting Lipoprotein Biogenesis: Considerations Towards Antimicrobials, Toufic El Arnaout, Tewfic Soulimane

Articles

Decades have passed without approval of a new antibiotic class. Several companies have recently halted related discovery efforts because of multiple obstacles. One promising route under research is to target the lipoprotein maturation pathway in light of major recent findings and the virulence roles of lipoproteins. To support the future design of selective drugs, considerations and priority-setting are established for the main lipoprotein processing enzymes (Lgt, LspA, and Lnt) based on microbiology, biochemistry, structural biology, chemical design, and pharmacology. Although not all bacterial species will be similarly impacted by drug candidates, several advantages make LspA a top target to pursue …

In Vitro Metabolism Of The Synthetic Cannabinoids Px-1, Px-2, Px-3 And A Comparison Of Their Clearance Rates In Human Liver Microsomes, Travon Cooman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Detection of SCs in body fluids continue to be a challenge because of limited metabolism data, lack of standards and reference mass spectrometry data. In vivo and in vitro experiments help elucidate metabolite markers for novel psychoactive substances and can prompt synthesis of standards to verify proposed metabolites. In this study, metabolism of three SCs N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamine (PX-1), N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-2), and N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-3) were investigated using human liver microsomes. Previous studies showed PX-3 as the most potent CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist.

Half-life and clearance data were acquired using liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry. Metabolite elucidation was performed using liquid chromatography …

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Weed And Mexico, Eddy Martinez

Capstones

An American biotech firm named Phylos Bioscience is interested in entering the Mexican marijuana market once it legalizes. Before it can do that, it must deal with the Mexican government and a conservative society.

https://eddymartinezcunyedu.atavist.com/figuring-out-the-mysteries-of-weed-and-mexico

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of C5 Substituted Carbapenem Antibiotics To Counter Resistant Pathogens, Noora Mohammed S.A Al-Kharji

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

The 21st century has seen a dramatic acceleration in the evolution of bacterial resistance. Many classes of commercial antibiotics, including most current commercial β-lactams, were structurally optimized to counter 20th century pathogens. The carbapenems represent the most potent and broadest spectrum of the β-lactams, representing crucial last line agents to treat lifethreatening infections. While the 21st century has seen the appearance of carbapenem-resistant strains, the basic substitution pattern of commercial carbapenem antibiotics has remained constant, other than minor modifications at the C2 position. This research will investigate whether substitution at an atypical carbapenem position, the C5 position, can improve the …