Pacific Northwest and California freshwater resources are key elements in the life history and ecology of Pacific salmon and steelhead listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Risk to listed Pacific salmonid species can be assessed by evaluating the spatial and temporal co-occurrence of salmonid species at...
The heterogeneous reactions of ambient particulate matter (PM)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) with NO₃/N₂O₅, OH radicals, and O₃ were studied in a laboratory photochemical chamber. Ambient PM[subscript 2.5] and PM₁₀ samples were collected from Beijing, China and Riverside, California, and exposed under simulated atmospheric long-range transport conditions...
Dibenzo(def,p)chrysene (DBC), (also known as dibenzo[a,l]pyrene), is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) found in the environment, including food, produced by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. DBC, classified by IARC as a 2A probable human carcinogen, has a relative potency factor (RPF) in animal cancer models 30-fold higher...
In 2004 the National Toxicology Program published an article describing their intent to pursue toxicology testing and risk assessment practices solely reliant on high throughput in vitro datasets and in silico modeling for dose-response assessments. Support and contributions form regulatory agencies and a significant portion of the life sciences community...
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) hay is an important source of forage for a variety of livestock species, and is most common in cool, coastal climates such as the Pacific Northwest. An endophyte fungus called Neotyphodium lolii frequently colonizes this grass to promote insect resistance, drought tolerance, and growth enhancement without...
Passive sampling is a popular technology for environmental monitoring, and silicone is an ideal choice for a variety of passive sampling applications. The silicone work described here encompasses laboratory and field studies that demonstrate the use of this polymer in novel environments, for new applications, and for emerging compounds. Unique...
Epigenetic changes, including aberrant DNA methylation, result in altered gene expression and play an important role in carcinogenesis. Phytochemicals such as sulforaphane (SFN) and 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) are promising chemopreventive agents for the treatment of prostate cancer. Both have been shown to induce re-expression of genes, including tumor suppressor genes silenced...
Multiple drug resistance (MDR) Tuberculosis (TB), leads to increased use of “second-line” drugs; one of the most effective is ethionamide (ETA). ETA is a prodrug metabolized by a mycobacterial flavin-containing monooxygenase (EtaA) as well human flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). Of the five functional FMOs of humans, FMOs 1, 2, and 3...
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays multiple roles in regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. The ability of certain AhR ligands to induce regulatory T cells (Tregs) has generated interest in developing AhR ligands for therapeutic treatment of immune-mediated diseases. To this end, we...
Identification of new molecular targets for the treatment of breast cancer is an important clinical goal, especially for triple-negative breast cancer, which is refractory to existing targeted treatments. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor known primarily as the mediator of dioxin toxicity. However, the AhR can...