Chemicals and Drugs Commons^™

Combination Therapy With Hsp90 Inhibitors And Nanopulse Stimulation Synergistically Impedes Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Breast Cancer Growth In Mice, Christiana Dimitropoulou, Gagan Thangjam, Brittany P. Lassiter, Teresa Hooker, Ruben M. L. Colunga Biancatelli, John D. Catravas, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanopulse Stimulation (NPS) represents a promising and innovative therapeutic approach to cancer. Heat shock protein 90 Inhibitors (HI), on the other hand, are currently under investigation in multi-drug chemotherapy trials for various types of malignancies. Here we present results of a combination therapy employing two HSP90 inhibitors (AUY-922 or 17-AAG) and NPS to ablate cancer growth. We firstly tested the inhibitors alone or in combination with NPS in vitro in N1S1 cells, and then into two models of orthotopic Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and 4T1-Luc breast cancer. NPS + HI reduced tumor growth more than the sum of HI and NPS …

Outcomes Of Diuretic Augmentation Strategies In Patients With Serum Creatinine Increases In Acute Decompensated Heart Failure, Kevyn Niu, Zahir Moussa, Scott Kubomoto

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Toxicity Following Antiemetic Ingestions Reported To The Toxicology Investigators Consortium Core Registry, Jacob Fisher, Spencer Greene, Sharan Campleman

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Role Of Humic Acid In The Adsorption Mechanics Of Acetaminophen On Potassium Persulfate-Aged Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet), Andrew Littleton, Maria Danielle Garrett, Phd

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Pharmaceutical contaminants such as acetaminophen (APAP) are showing a rising presence in aquatic environments, where their interactions with microplastics (MPs) can potentially modulate natural degradation mechanisms. Concurrent presence of the two substances has been shown to potentiate increase their individual harmful effects. This study investigates whether oxidative aging and humic-acid surface modification of PET microplastics influence APAP adsorption.

In this study, UV-aging was reproduced using an iron (II)-activated potassium persulfate (Fe(II)-KPS) oxidation system. Aqueous dissolved organic matter (DOM) is simulated using multi-hour exposure to humic acid. The MPs are then removed from the solution to examine adsorption mechanisms. While most …

Assessment Of Doxorubicin And Etoposide Effects On Cardiotoxicity Using Daphnia Magna As A Model Organism​, Jacob P. Bealle, Andrea Florian

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin and etoposide are widely used in cancer treatment but are known to produce cardiotoxic side effects that can limit their clinical use. Doxorubicin has been strongly associated with dose-dependent cardiac damage, and etoposide has also been reported to produce cardiotoxic effects although the cardiotoxic effects of etoposide are not as well studied. Daphnia magna is a useful model organism for cardiotoxicity studies because its transparent body allows direct observation of heart rate and provides a living system for detecting physiological responses to exposure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardiotoxic effects of …

Potential Environmental Triggers Of Goodpasture's Disease And The Role Of The Sulfimine Crosslink, Colton S. Miller, Andrea Florian, Elena Pokidysheva

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Goodpasture’s syndrome (GP) is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects kidneys and lungs. The main issue for patients with Goodpasture's syndrome is the binding of autoantibodies to the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), which hinders the filtration of blood. A key characteristic of Goodpasture's syndrome is the presence of autoantibodies that target the NC1 domain of the α345 isoform of type IV collagen, a crucial component of the GBM that provides structural support and is critical for filtration function. Sulfilimine bonds crosslink the collagen IV NC1 hexamers, contributing to the stabilization of these structures. A recent clinical case of recurring Goodpasture's …

Effects Of Dietary Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (Pfbs) On Adipose Tissue, Hannah Olofintuyi, Eric Gato

Honors College Theses

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical substances used in a variety of industrial applications and consumer products. Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) is often used as a replacement for the more harmful (Perfluoroalkyl sulfonate) PFAS chemicals that have been around longer. It is believed that PFBS does not remain in the body as long as other PFAS compounds; however, there is a rising concern that it has the potential to cause damage to human health. This study focused on understanding how dietary PFBS exposure affects metabolism-related processes in adipose tissues in rats. To accomplish study objectives, Sprague Dawley rats were exposed …

Perinatal Inflammation And Oxidative Stress Alter Adult Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) Motor Behavior, Alexander Young

Honors College Theses

Recent evidence in comparative animal models suggests that early life exposure to elevated inflammation (via LPS exposure) and oxidative stress (via acetaminophen exposure) may synergistically interact to alter typical neurodevelopmental trajectories, resulting in lasting effects on both behavior and gut-brain neurochemistry. The current study observed emotional and motor behaviors and collected fecal-boli to measure Tyrosine (TE) levels in male and female Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus) rats. Subjects were either treated with [1] saline [2] lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to introduce an inflammatory state, [3] acetaminophen (APAP) to introduce oxidative stress, or [4] a dual-hit of both LPS + APAP on postnatal day (PD) …

Development Of Tunable Rose Bengal Based-Nanogumbos As Potential Selective Chemotherapeutic Agents, William J.A. Russell

Honors College Theses

As cancer remains one of the greatest threats to the global population, the development of chemotherapeutic agents that are selective and tunable is of critical importance. Herein, a series of Rose Bengal (RB)-based GUMBOS, a group of uniform materials based on organic salts, were synthesized via counterion exchange between [Na]₂[RB] and three organic cations: tetrabutylphosphonium bromide [TBP][Br], tetraphenylphosphonium chloride [TPP][Cl], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₁₂MIm][Cl]. The resulting GUMBOS were characterized through FT-IR, ESI-MS, NMR, and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Partition coefficient studies indicated all GUMBOS exhibited hydrophobic physiochemical characteristics. These hydrophobic RB-based GUMBOS …

Dose-Dependent Developmental Toxicity Of Cisplatin In Zebrafish Embryos, Reagan D. Sellers, Katherine T. Doucet, Jinhee Park, Andrea Florian

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapy drug for treating various types of cancer. Although cisplatin is effective in killing cancer, it can also cause toxic side effects in normal tissues. Because cisplatin can cross the placental barrier, its use during pregnancy is generally avoided, particularly during early embryonic stages of fetal development. Exposure to cytotoxic drugs during embryogenesis may lead to developmental abnormalities, birth defects, or pregnancy complications. Understanding how cisplatin affects early development is therefore important.          
       Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are an established model for studying developmental toxicity due to their rapid external development, transparent embryos, and genetic similarity to …

Effect Of Antipsychotic Medication Use And Type On Mortality And Cardiovascular Risks In Nursing Home Patients With Dementia, Hamid R. Okhravi, Fang Fang, Melissa P. Hunter, Brynn E. Sheehan

Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Faculty Publications

Introduction

Antipsychotic medication (APM) use in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia is common but carries risks. This study assessed the association between APM use and mortality, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) compared to non-use, as well as differences between first- and second-generation APMs.

Methods

A serial cross-sectional study using Medicare data examined outcomes from 2012 to 2015 in a national sample of 328,138 US NH residents aged 50 and older with dementia. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze risk.

Results

APM use was associated with increased mortality in all years (odds ratio [OR] range: 2.39 to 1.23, all …

Tezepelumab's Effects On Patient-Reported Symptoms In Severe Asthma, Overall And With History Of Comorbid Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps (Crswnp), Njira L. Lugogo, Joseph K. Han, Anju T. Peters, Stella E. Lee, Monica Kraft, Mary Kay Margolis, Sonia F. Shenoy, Nicole Martin, Shradha Chandarana, Christopher S. Ambrose

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Background

Tezepelumab (an anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin monoclonal antibody) treatment resulted in reduced exacerbations and improved sino-nasal symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in the NAVIGATOR study.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of tezepelumab versus placebo on sleep disturbances, activity levels, and physical exertion tolerance in NAVIGATOR patients with SUA overall and in those with past medical history of comorbid CRSwNP.

Methods

Patients (12-80 years old) with SUA were randomized to receive tezepelumab 210 mg or placebo subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. Patient responses to …

Self-Assembly Of Anti-Inflammatory Peptide Amphiphiles For Mucosal Health, Maria José Gómara, Ignacio Pérez-Pomeda, Ramon Pons, Paul Ziprin, Carolina Herrera, Isabel Haro

CONRAD Publications

Broad spectrum anti-inflammatory peptide amphiphiles (AIF-PAs) have been developed as an innovative strategy for the treatment of chronic mucosal inflammation and the prevention of HIV transmission. Novel lipopeptides based on two linear sequences of anti-inflammatory peptides were obtained by solid-phase peptide chemistry. In a pilot study, ex vivo exposure of colorectal tissue explants from Crohn's disease patients to AIF-PAs induced a downregulation of the proinflammatory profile. Furthermore, the HIV inhibitory potency of AIF-PAs was evaluated ex vivo in colorectal tissue explants, obtaining sub-micromolar IC₅₀ values. Characterization of AIF-PAs self-aggregation in aqueous solution revealed that the net charge distribution within the …

Expanded Scorpionate And Siderophore-Inspired Ligands: From Foundational Designs To Modern Applications, Austin Winfield Medley, Trandon Allen Bender

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Scorpionate ligands have been advanced significantly through systematic modifications of their apical atoms and heterocyclic arms, expanding their structural diversity and chemical reactivity. Recent biologically inspired variants now enable accurate modeling of complex bioinorganic motifs, such as the Fe₄S₄ clusters of nitrogenase, and support enzyme‐like reactivity under mild aqueous conditions. These developments have broadened the impact of scorpionate chemistry across bioinorganic modeling, homogeneous catalysis, and biorthogonal transformations. In particular, expanded tripodal scaffolds provide modular, tunable platforms for mimicking enzyme active sites and probing biological nitrogen fixation pathways. Beyond fundamental insight, these ligands present practical opportunities for sustainable catalysis by enabling …

Investigating The In Vitro Antimicrobial Potential And Comprehensive Computational Studies Of New Schiff Base Derivatives, Abrar Hussain, Shahzaib Akhter, Hammad Nasir, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Arfan, Sand Hyun Park

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat driven by multidrug-resistant bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and fungi (Candida albicans, and C. parapsilosis). This study evaluated six novel Schiff base derivatives (HSB-1 to HSB-6) through integrated in vitro antimicrobial activity and comprehensive computational studies. In vitro disk diffusion assay demonstrated the largest zones of inhibition against S. aureus for HSB-6 and HSB-1 (15–17 mm), activity against P. aeruginosa for HSB-5 and HSB-6 (12 mm), and moderate antifungal activity for HSB-4 (8–11 mm). Molecular docking results correlated with the in vitro findings with the binding energy ΔG = −12.3 kcal/mol …

Molecular Mechanisms And Metabolic Consequences Of Glucocorticoid Resistance, Genesee J. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Glucocorticoids are vital steroid hormones that govern metabolism, stress responses, and immune functions through intricate, tissue-specific mechanisms, both genomic and non-genomic. These hormones bind to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which then acts as a transcription factor to modulate gene expression. Chronic elevation of glucocorticoid levels may lead to glucocorticoid resistance, resulting in adiposity, inflammation, and insulin resistance, thereby adversely affecting multiple metabolic tissues. Whether produced endogenously or administered exogenously, excessive, chronic glucocorticoid concentrations impair glucocorticoid signaling. Although there are two primary isoforms of the receptor, GR⍺ and GRβ, only GR⍺ interacts with glucocorticoids.Through the research conducted in this dissertation, we …

Electrochemical Hemoglobin Biosensors For Point-Of-Care Diagnostics, Ashwini Dantanarayana, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Hemoglobin (Hb) and its glycated variant (HbA1c) are essential clinical biomarkers for diagnosing anemia, acute hemorrhage, and long-term glycemic control. The growing demand for decentralized point-of-care (POC) testing has accelerated the development of rapid, inexpensive, and portable electrochemical sensing platforms. These technologies exploit the intrinsic redox activity of the heme prosthetic group, yet achieving efficient direct electron transfer (DET) remains a fundamental challenge because the electroactive iron center is deeply embedded within the globin structure. This review critically examines recent advances in electrochemical Hb sensing, tracing the evolution of electrode architectures from conventional carbon substrates to nanostructured materials, including graphene, …

A Rare Case Of New Onset Lisinopril-Induced Angioedema Improved With Tranexamic Acid: A Case Report, Hafiz Numan Ijaz, Shahzaib Maqbool, Yugandhar Kandimalla

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Xylazine Associated Progressive Cutaneous Ulcerations With Non-Injectable Fentanyl Use, Briana Saravanan-Dougherty, Gazala Parvin

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Associations Between Oral Hormonal Contraceptive Use, Digestive And Other Health Symptoms In Young Women, Silviana E. Buzatu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Oral hormonal contraceptives (OHCs) are widely used among reproductive-age women; however, their gastrointestinal (GI) side effects remain understudied. The present study examined associations between OHC use, GI, physical, and psychological symptom burden in a large sample of undergraduate women. Participants (N = 669) aged 18 to 25 years were recruited from UCF’s SONA system and classified into three groups based on self-reported contraceptive status: no birth control, combined estrogen–progestin OHC, and progestin-only OHC. Participants completed GI questionnaires, as well as physical and mental health symptoms ones.

Multivariate analyses indicated that overall GI symptom profiles did not differ significantly by birth …