Sweetpotatoes are a highly nutritious staple crop, playing an important role in global nutritional security. Although the majority of research in the United States (U.S.) focuses on the cultivation of the storage roots, both the leaves and roots are edible. Sweetpotatoes are indigenous to the Andes Region of South America;...
Testing the many potential chemoprevention agents from dietary sources in animal or human models is expensive and takes a long time. In vitro models can be useful for screening the right compounds to use in larger studies. We tested the MatTek™ EpiIntestinal™ small intestine epithelial 3D cell culture model for...
Vitiligo is a disease characterized by depigmented patches of skin. The disease is known to involve the loss of melanocytes in the basal layer of the skin in affected areas, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Recent evidence suggests oxidative stress and disruptions to antioxidant pathways contribute to an autoimmune...
Anaerobic digestion is a common terminal step in wastewater treatment systems and produces valuable by-products such as biogas, a combination of carbon dioxide and methane. Biogas can be used to off-set energy costs, and along with the anaerobic co-digestion of fats, oils, and greases (FOG) has been found to increase...
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been studied for their carcinogenic toxicity. PAHs are formed by incomplete carbon combustion. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an IARC classified Class 1 Human carcinogenic PAH. New studies are conducted to gain a better understanding of PAHs and how to reduce exposure. Glutathione S-transferase M 1 (GSTM1...
Blueberry stem galls in Pacific Northwest are often attributed to Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The disease also is associated with indole-3-acetic-acid (IAA) producing bacteria, as described on cranberry stem gall. Lack of studies makes it difficult to conclude whether these two types of bacteria could be the causal agent of stem gall...
Biogas can be used to generate energy from a wide variety of sources. Wastewater treatment sludge is an effective source of waste to be used for generation of biogas to make energy which can be used to heat homes and run businesses. This would help decrease the use of fossil...
Ubiquitous fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures significantly impact global public health, yet little is known about the mechanisms causing these known adverse health effects. Oxidative stress due to PM2.5 associated chemical constituents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a proposed possible mechanism for PM2.5 mediated health effects. Variations in...