NYCSEA

Abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common plasticizer used in manufacturing that negatively impacts human health. Bisphenol S (BPS) is a common substitute for BPA, but its structural similarity to estrogen sparks concern that it is also harmful to systems in aquatic and soil organisms. Past studies in Caenorhabditis elegans found that BPA and BPS exposure reduces fertility and affects germline formation. Mouse studies also showed that BPA exposure decreases microbiome diversity and hampers sperm cell development from stem cells. This study observed the effect of BPA and BPS exposure on C. elegans fertility. It was not consistently significant, and the expression of meiosis genes rad-54 and atl-1 was monitored over multiple generations, decreasing in the exposed generation and their offspring. Modeling stem cell growth and effects on aquatic organisms, the regeneration of brown planaria exposed to BPA and BPS was tracked. Low BPA concentrations slowed regeneration, and high BPA concentrations caused worms to disintegrate, but BPS did not have a significant impact on them. The effect of BPA and BPS exposure on the growth of microbes in the microbiome was tracked and found to be nonlethal, but BPS slowed the growth of Escherichia coli in liquid media. Based on these results, BPA and BPS affect systems in aquatic and soil organisms, suggesting further investigation. 

References

1. [1] Chen, Y., Shu, L., Qiu, Z., Lee, D. Y., Settle, S. J., Que Hee, S., Telesca, D., Yang, X., & Allard, P. (2016). Exposure to the BPA-substitute bisphenol S causes unique alterations of germline function. PLOS Genetics, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006223

   [2] Mersha, M. D., Patel, B. M., Patel, D., Richardson, B. N., & Dhillon, H. S. (2015). Effects of BPA and BPS exposure limited to early embryogenesis persist to impair non-associative learning in adults. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-015-0071-y 

   [3] Xiao, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, C., Li, J., Zhao, Y., Zhu, Y., Zhang, J., & Zhou, X. (2019). Toxicity and multigenerational effects of bisphenol S exposure to caenorhabditis elegans on developmental, biochemical, reproductive and oxidative stress. Toxicology Research, 8(5), 630–640. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9tx00055k

   [4] Allard, P., & Colaiácovo, M. P. (2010). Bisphenol A impairs the double-strand break repair machinery in the germline and causes chromosome abnormalities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(47), 20405–20410. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010386107 

   [5] Altun, Z. F., & Hall, D. H. (2009). Introduction TO C. elegans Anatomy. Handbook - introduction. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://www.wormatlas.org/hermaphrodite/introduction/mainframe.htm 

   [6] Allard, P., & Colaiácovo, M. P. (2011). Mechanistic insights into the action of Bisphenol A on the germline using C. elegans. Cell Cycle, 10(2), 183–184. https://doi.org/10.4161/cc.10.2.14478 

   [7] Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (2014, November). Bisphenol A (BPA): Use in food contact application. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-application 

   [8] Gene ontology term: Reciprocal meiotic recombination. reciprocal meiotic recombination | SGD. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://www.yeastgenome.org/go/GO:0007131#:~:text=Gene%20Ontology%20Term%3A%20reciprocal%20meiotic%20recombination,-GO%20ID%20GO&text=The%20cell%20cycle%20process%20in,a%20pair%20of%20homologous%20chromosomes. 

   [9] Miura, T., Yamana, Y., Usui, T., Ogawa, H. I., Yamamoto, M.-T., & Kusano, K. (2012). Homologous recombination via synthesis-dependent strand annealing in yeast requires the IRC20 and SRS2 DNA helicases. Genetics, 191(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.112.139105 

   [10] Rad-54.L (gene) - wormbase : Nematode information resource. WormBase. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://wormbase.org/species/c_elegans/gene/WBGene00004298#0-9f-10 

   [11] ATL-1 (gene) - wormbase : Nematode information resource. WormBase. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://wormbase.org/species/c_elegans/gene/WBGene00000226#0-9f-10 

   [12] Feng, D., Zhang, H., Jiang, X., Zou, J., Li, Q., Mai, H., Su, D., Ling, W., & Feng, X. (2020). Bisphenol A exposure induces gut microbiota dysbiosis and consequent activation of gut-liver axis leading to hepatic steatosis in CD-1 mice. Environmental Pollution. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749120302736?via%3Dihub

   [13] Liu, R., Cai, D., Li, X., Liu, B., Chen, J., Jiang, X., Li, H., Li, Z., Teerds, K., Sun, J., Bai, W., & Jin, Y. (2022). Effects of Bisphenol A on reproductive toxicity and gut microbiota dysbiosis in male rats. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 239, 113623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113623

   [14] Brian Bienkowski, Environmental Health News. (2015, January 22). BPA Exposure May Change Stem Cells, Lower Sperm Production. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-exposure-may-change-stem-cells-lower-sperm-production/

   [15] Winz, C., & Suh, N. (2021, March 30). Understanding the Mechanistic Link between Bisphenol A and Cancer Stem Cells: A Cancer Prevention Perspective. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8020171/

   [16] Ly, K., Reid, S. J., & Snell, R. G. (2015). Rapid RNA analysis of individual caenorhabditis elegans. MethodsX, 2, 59–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2015.02.002 

   [17] TopTipBio. (2018, March 9). How to perform the delta-delta CT method (in Excel). YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkle8T7aXjk 

   [18] Glen, S. (2021, June 7). How to calculate the least significant difference (LSD). Statistics How To: : Elementary Statistics for the rest of us! Retrieved August 23, 2022, from https://www.statisticshowto.com/how-to-calculate-the-least-significant-difference-lsd/ 

   [19] Hyun, M., Rathor, L., Kim, H.-J., McElroy, T., Hwang, K. H., Wohlgemuth, S., Curry, S., Xiao, R., Leeuwenburgh, C., Heo, J.-D., & Han, S. M. (2021). Comparative toxicities of BPA, BPS, BPF, and TMBPF in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian fibroblast cells. Toxicology, 461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2021.152924 

Abstract: Pathogens that can develop resistance to antimicrobial treatments have become a phenomenon extensively recorded over the last few years. Pathogens, including Escherichia coli, are dangerous to humans and are capable of resisting various therapies. Treatments using clove (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oil and eugenol extracted from clove buds have been shown to deactivate Escherichia coli strains and to prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance. As pathogens such as Escherichia coli have become a concern in the medical world, it is crucial to attempt to find the most effective treatment; comparing the performance of these two treatments would be beneficial in finding this. Clove oil and eugenol samples were applied to antibiotic disks and placed in agar plates inoculated with Escherichia coli. Plates with ampicillin and no treatment were prepared as well. These plates were stored in an incubator and taken out three days each. The areas of the zones of inhibition were recorded, and their averages were calculated; visual observations were written down as well. The eugenol plate demonstrated dense Escherichia coli growth and minor zones of inhibition, while the essential oil plate featured sparse growth. This could suggest that clove essential oil can more inhibit Escherichia coli growth, though it was theorized that the oil may have been thin enough to diffuse across its plate.

References

[1] Calderón, D., Cárdenas, P. A., Prado-Vivar, B., Graham, J. P., & Trueba, G. (2022). A longitudinal study of dominant E. coli lineages and antimicrobial resistance in the gut of children living in an upper middle-income country. Escholarship.org, 29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2022.03.002

[2] Crettels, L., Champon, L., Burlion, N., Delrée, E., Saegerman, C., & Thiry, D. (2023). Antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli prevalence in freshwaters in Belgium and human exposure risk assessment. Heliyon, 9(6), e16538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16538

[3] Jeyakumar, G. E., & Lawrence, R. (2020). Mechanisms of bactericidal action of Eugenol against Escherichia coli. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 26, 100406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hermed.2020.100406

[4] Lambert, M. M., Campos, D. R., Borges, D. A., de Avelar, B. R., Ferreira, T. P., Cid, Y. P., Boylan, F., Scott, F. B., de Almeida Chaves, D. S., & Coumendouros, K. (2020). Activity of Syzygium aromaticum essential oil and its main constituent eugenol in the inhibition of the development of Ctenocephalides felis felis and the control of adults. Veterinary Parasitology, 282, 109126. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109126

[5] Nakano, R., Nakano, A., Nishisouzu, R., Hikosaka, K., Suzuki, Y., Kamoshida, G., Tansho-Nagakawa, S., Endo, S., Kasahara, K., Ono, Y., & Yano, H. (2023). Genetic relatedness of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli among livestock, farmers, and patients in Japan. One Health, 16(16), 100524–100524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100524

[6] Peña-Gonzalez, A., Soto-Giron, M. J., Smith, S., Sistrunk, J. R., Montero, L., Páez, M., Ortega, E., Hatt, J. K., Cevallos, W., Trueba, G., Levy, K., & Konstantinidis, K. T. (2019). Metagenomic Signatures of Gut Infections Caused by Different Escherichia coli Pathotypes. ASM Journals, 85(24). 

https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01820-19

[7] Tan, M.-F., Li, H.-Q., Yang, Q., Zhang, F.-F., Tan, J., Zeng, Y.-B., Wei, Q.-P., Huang, J.-N., Wu, C.-C., Li, N., & Kang, Z.-F. (2023). Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of bacterial pathogens isolated from poultry in Jiangxi Province, China from 2020 to 2022. Poultry Science, 102(8), 102830. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102830

[8] Wongsawan, K., Chaisri, W., Tangtrongsup, S., & Mektrirat, R. (2019). Bactericidal Effect of Clove Oil against Multidrug-Resistant Streptococcus suis Isolated from Human Patients and Slaughtered Pigs. Pathogens, 9(1), 14. 

https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9010014

[9] Yoo, J. H., Baek, K. H., Heo, Y. S., Yong, H. I., & Jo, C. (2020). Synergistic bactericidal effect of clove oil and encapsulated atmospheric pressure plasma against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus and its mechanism of action. Food Microbiology, 93, 103611. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2020.103611

[10] Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Zhu, X., Cao, P., Wei, S., & Lu, Y. (2017). Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of eugenol from essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry (clove) leaf against periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Microbial Pathogenesis, 113, 396–402. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2017.10.054

Abstract: The present study found evidence that essential workers and their families are at an increased risk for anxiety, stress and sleep disruption. 120 female adolescents and 55 of their parents completed surveys measuring anxiety and sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two samples, although drawn from the same community, were not linked. All adolescents attend an all-girls academy in suburban New York. T-tests and regression analyses suggest that essential workers and their families are at elevated risk for mental illness. 

Keywords:  Mental Health, COVID-19, Frontline Workers, Frontline Workers

References

1. Elamin, M. M. E. et al. (2020, July 9). The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on health professionals in Sudan 2020. PubMed. https://www.scilit.net/article/ae3af7d8ee52d024a51b75281f8c33dd

2. Gupta, R. et al. (2020). Changes in sleep pattern and sleep quality during COVID-19 lockdown. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33165382/

3. Henker, B. et al. (2020). Anxiety, affect, and activity in teenagers: monitoring daily life with electronic diaries. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12049440/

4. Huang, Y., & Zhao, N. (2020b). Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during COVID-19 outbreak in China: a web-based cross-sectional survey. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32325383/

5. Pfefferbaum, B. & North, C. (2020, August 6). Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32283003/

6. Spitzer, R. L. et al. (2006, May 22). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16717171/

7. Tausczik, Y. et al. (2012). Public anxiety and information seeking following the H1N1 outbreak: blogs, newspaper articles, and Wikipedia visits. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21827326/

Abstract: Gifted children are people who are capable of high performance in cognitive, educational, scientific, creative and artistic fields compared to their peers. But there are also gifted children who have problems with cognitive, educational, social, emotional and behavioral development. They are called twice-exceptional children. Regarding these children, who have high talents and abilities while at the same time having disabilities, is an important issue for education professionals. The present study mainly aims to compare the executive functions profile of twice exceptional children with gifted ones.To this end, 30 twice-exceptional gifted children and 30 gifted children were selected from among elementary school students in district 3 of Isfahan, Iran. Then, the two groups administered The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC®-IV) for assessment of the Tower Test (NEPSY) to evaluate executive functions. The research results showed that the profile and average executive function of the twice-exceptional children were lower than those of gifted children in the Tower test (NEPSY). Therefore, it is suggested to consider executive functions (planning, organization, time management, problem solving, etc.) in identifying and educating these children.

Keywords: Gifted children, twice-exceptional children, executive function

References:

[1] Dawson,P & Guara,R .(2018). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents Third Edition: A practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention.

[2] Guilford Press Major, J. (2017). A Change Plan for Underachieving Gifted Children (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://digital commons.nl.edu/diss/252. Pfeiffer, S. I. (2015).

[3] Gifted students with a coexisting disability: The twice exceptional. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), 32 (4), 717-727.

[4] Sterenberg,R.J & Javin,L & Grigorenko,E.L. (2011) Exploration in Giftedness . Cambridge University Press

Abstract: Even though Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide impacting over 300 million individuals, early detection and intervention is hindered by the limited knowledge of its underlying mechanisms. One association found to be significant within MDD is the presence of early life stress (ELS), such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse and family conflict. However, the biological mechanism linking ELS and MDD are unknown.

To properly assess the function consequences of ELS within MDD and address these open questions, we propose an analysis of the metabolism of AMY, ACC, HIP, and DLPFC through FDG PET in addition to a structural MRI in MDD patients with and without ELS. We hypothesize that in MDD patients with prior history of ELS, compared to those without ELS, will have a smaller volume/cortical thickness as measured by MRI and decreased metabolism as measured by PET scans in the bilateral DLPFC, ACC, HIP, and AMY. This study would for the first time, assess both structure and function of critical regions of the HPA axis in MDD, while accounting for the common confounder of ELS.

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