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The Evaluation of a Honey-Vanilla-Cedarwood Oil Mixture as a Potential Anesthetic Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model Organism to Explore a Cheaper Alternative for Lower Resource Settings
No full textLower Resource Settings (LRSs), areas that struggle to afford healthcare, struggle to accumulate essential products and keep their healthcare systems stocked. Cheaper alternatives are popular for facilities in LRSs to preserve funds. LRSs use spinal anesthesia to spend the least amount of money possible, yet this is not the most effective answer, as large amounts of spinal anesthesia ordered in small time frames increases the price. The purpose of this study was to test if a honey-vanilla-cedarwood oil mixture would work as an anesthetic on Caenorhabditis elegans to use in LRSs. It was hypothesized the honey-vanilla-cedarwood oil mixture would produce a greater sedative effect compared to the honey-vanilla and cedarwood oil mixtures on their own due to their combined sedative properties. Caenorhabditis elegans were placed into five separate petri dishes containing Escherichia coli, then each of the mixtures were diluted and 10 mL were applied to the assigned petri dish. After adding the mixtures, 30-second videos were recorded of the nematodes and imported to the Tracker Video Analysis and Modeling Tool, where 30 worms were tracked per each group. A One-Way ANOVA test, with a 95% confidence interval, concluded the data was significant and rejected the null hypothesis, as it had a p-value of 0.000000000000000331, lower than the a-value of 0.05. Significance was found between the honey-vanilla, honey-vanilla-cedarwood oil, and the control group. It was then determined that while there is no evidence supporting the hypothesis, causing them to move at an increased rate
The Synergistic Effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with the Compounds in Linum usitatissimum (flaxseed) on the Viability of the Colon Cancer Cell Line CACO-2
No full textThis study investigated the effects of oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the percentage of dead CACO-2 cells to evaluate their potential in enhancing cancer cell death. It was hypothesized that α-linolenic acid would display the greatest efficacy because it is a polyunsaturated acid, and that higher concentrations of all fatty acids would increase cell death. CACO-2 cells were treated with 5-FU in combination with the various fatty acids at concentrations of 50 µM, 100 µM, and 200 µM. The percentage of dead cells was calculated, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data; inferential statistics could not be utilized due to the small sample size. Notably, α-linolenic acid required lower concentrations to achieve significant effects, highlighting its efficiency. While palmitic acid demonstrated a consistent increase in efficacy with concentration, other fatty acids peaked at the middle concentration levels. Oleic acid was the most effective overall, though α-linolenic acid’s efficiency at lower doses suggests it may be advantageous in clinical applications. These results indicate that fatty acids, particularly α-linolenic acid, may enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy, though further studies with larger sample sizes, in vivo models, and alternative cancer lines are necessary to confirm these findings and their therapeutic potential
Quantum Chemical Exploration of Fentanyl and Its Analogs: Conformational Landscapes and Energetics in Solution
No full textOpioids are clinical drugs prescribed to manage moderate and severe pain; however, they have negative side effects such as bradycardia, constipation, and respiratory depression. Their addictive properties have led to a drug epidemic and major health crisis in the U.S. Although experimental and computational studies have explored opioid binding and activation of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR), key questions remain about how these interactions relate to physiological properties. We present a quantum chemical data set of 3081 optimized geometries and relative Gibbs free energies, at physiological temperature, for fentanyl and 33 of its analogs in aqueous solution. We find that these compounds are conformationally flexible, and the cis conformation, where the phenyl rings are approximately parallel, is most prevalent among the low-energy isomers. For the low-energy structures of all 34 analogs, we compare the conformations and energetics in solution with experimental binding affinity and potency data, finding little correlation. This suggests that interactions with the receptor, rather than intrinsic conformational preferences alone, play a dominant role in binding and activity. We expect the data set to be useful for future studies of opioid-MOR interactions
Falling in Love Again
No full textMike Stevenson \u2764 and Toni Robinson \u2764 find another chance at love after more than 60 years
Transfection of HEK293 Cells with Specifically Generated GFP Constructs for Cell Organelles to Study EMP3 with MET and CD44 in Glioblastoma
No full textGlioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and common types of cancer. Its exact cause is unknown; however, one potential factor associated with glioblastoma would be epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3), a multifunctional protein that when upregulated, is associated with a poor prognosis in glioblastomas. The interaction between EMP3 and two other proteins, membrane epithelial transition protein (MET) and CD44, was observed to learn more about the function of EMP3 and determine its potential as a therapeutic target in glioblastoma treatment. In previous experiments, it was found that MET and CD44 interact and are facilitated by EMP3. The objective of this research was to create green fluorescent protein (GFP) constructs and mark various cell organelles which include the nucleus, early endosomes, the membrane, the entire cell, and the endoplasmic reticulum. These constructs were then transfected into human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells to check the validity of each construct. In future experiments, these constructs will be used to observe the protein-protein interactions at different locations in the cell and to pinpoint the location of these interactions in hopes of learning more about EMP3 and possibly developing a drug to weaken glioblastoma progression
Microwave Spectrum and Analysis of 3-Chloro-2-Fluorophenol
No full textThe microwave spectrum of 3-chloro-2-fluorophenol has been measured and analyzed for the first time. Using a custom-built chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer, the spectrum was measured in the 8-18 GHz range. Ten thousand averages were collected to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. Then, Gaussian 03W software was used to calculate the constant values of the conformers. Ab initio calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory to guide analysis. Additional software was then used to determine the molecule\u27s rotational, distortion, and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, which can be used to determine its unique shape, providing more insight into its properties. This study is one of a series of studies performed in our laboratory on chloro-fluorophenols
Evaluation of a Bile Acid-derived Antibiotic that Can Treat Superbug Infection
No full textAntibiotics have revolutionized medicine, saving countless lives since the introduction of penicillin. However, antimicrobial resistance has challenged their efficacy, prompting ongoing efforts to develop new antibiotics. This study aimed to explore the antimicrobial effects of a bile acid derivative, BA-3/4-Butyl, by analyzing its interactions and mechanism of action against bacteria using a variety of assays. It is revealed that BA-3/4-Butyl exerts its antimicrobial activity via membrane permeabilization and that an efflux pump inhibitor and pharmacokinetic constraint exists. The zones of inhibition increased with BA-¾-Butyl concentration. A one-way ANOVA with a significance level (alpha) set at 0.05 gave a p-value of \u3c0.01. These findings provide insights into how BA-3/4-Butyl compromises bacterial membranes without causing toxicity in its mammalian counterparts. This study advances understanding of BA-3/4-Butyl’s antimicrobial activity and potential mechanisms of action, ultimately aiding the development of similar novel therapeutic agents to help combat antimicrobial resistance
The Use of Regular and Roasted Mushroom Coffee Grounds to Create Biofuel
No full textThis study aimed to see if La Republica mushroom coffee could be used to create biofuel. Regular mushroom coffee was predicted to yield the most oil because it was likely to have less oil lost from roasting. Roasted and regular mushroom coffee was measured at 50 g for each trial and distilled with steam distillation equipment. The water/oil mixture from each was added to distilled water and then separated through a separator. The regular coffee yielded around 8 mL of oil and the regular yielded around 4.2 mL of oil. The NaOH was used to titrate the oil (oil from roasted and regular mushroom coffee were titrated separately) with alcohol and phenolphthalein. The amount of NaOH needed to neutralize was measured and found that the regular mushroom coffee required less NaOH to neutralize the oil. Meaning that the regular mushroom coffee was less acidic so regular mushroom coffee would be best to use as a source of biofuel. However, mushroom coffee produced a relatively low yield (around 8 g oil per 150 g) of oil so it was not very cost-effective. Normally, the use of a t-test with the H0: μ=μ, Ha: μ ≠ μ, and α = 0.05 would be needed, however, due to human errors, it was unable to be run. Overall, renewable resources such as foods like coffee and other materials with high oil content should be used to create biofuel because they are more cost-effective and leave less harmful environmental effects
The Comparative Effect of Four Reflective Coatings on the Thermal Performance of Residential Roofing in Climate Zone 8B
No full textRoofs serve as a crucial interface between the earth’s atmosphere and its human-made environments. They contribute up to 60% of the total cooling load in any building and comprise close to 25% of the surface area of any city. With temperatures at their highest since first recorded in 1850, energy-conscious roofing design is paramount. This study compared the internal temperatures of five houses, each with a different roof coating, in order to expand understanding of the relationship between roof reflectivity and internal thermal comfort. It was hypothesized that the houses with roofs of a higher reflectivity would have a lower internal temperature because less solar energy would be absorbed. Five 30.40 cm square houses with pitched roofs, covered individually in black shingles, ultrawhite paint, or ultrawhite paint plus an additive, were placed in a zero-shade outdoor space in U.S. climate zone 8B. The internal temperature of each house was taken twice daily for 22 days in October. Results showed that the shingled roof, with low reflectivity, had the highest temperature difference (M=0.76, SD=0.66) from the mean, while the reflective ultrawhite roof experienced temperatures 1.11°C cooler than the shingled roof. These findings, paired with results of an ANOVA test with an alpha value of less than 0.05, suggest there were significant differences between groups. The implication of the study’s findings is that black shingles should be replaced with roofs of higher reflectivity and a promising alternative is readily available white paint
The Comparative Effect of Cannabidiol Oil vs Common Lady Beetle Pesticide on the Life of Hippodamia convergens and Brassica rapa
No full textSynthetic pesticides are very prominently used in agriculture. The increase in their use has caused an increase in environmental negative effects (Rattner, 2009). As a potential solution, biopesticides, derived from natural plant products, are gaining attention for their reduced toxicity and environmental impact. This study investigates the effectiveness of CBD oil, a plant-based compound, as a biopesticide alternative. Using Brassica rapa plants and ladybugs as model organisms, the research examines CBD oil\u27s impact on plant health, insect behavior, and pest control efficacy. 30 Brassica rapa and Hippodamia convergens were seperated into two groups in seperate containers to limit pesticidal drift on a smaller scale. Every two hours for four hours each pesticidal agent was sprayed on each container and ladybug mortality was examined to determine the efficacy of Cannibdiol oil compared to a synthethic pesticide. The results of this experiment were determined insignificant based on a T- test ran with an alpha value of 0.05 and a p value \u3e 0.05. The results suggest that CBD oil could serve as a viable, plant-safe biopesticide, offering a promising alternative to traditional synthetic pesticides. These findings contribute to the ongoing search for sustainable agricultural practices and emphasize the importance of natural solutions in pest management