Public Health & Health Science Division, ULAB

Public health research has assessed the negative human health outcomes from continued exposure to air pollutants, in particular, fine particulate matter (PM2.5 , PM10), nitrogen oxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). Recent studies have honed in on expectant mothers and their developing fetuses as a large, at-risk population for these exposures. Ambient air pollutant exposure is linked with negative physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes in both child and mother. Expectant mothers subjected to contaminants (PM2.5 , PM10 , NO2 , O3) over an extended period of time have an increased risk of their child being born prematurely with low birth weight and size, neurological delays, impaired motor and cognitive function, and development of lung related diseases such as cancer and asthma. In their early stages of life, children whose mothers were exposed to air pollutants during pregnancy also had detrimental mental and behavioral health outcomes. These negative health effects were not just limited to their children; expectant mothers also took this burden upon themselves. Pregnant mothers had elevated levels of blood cortisol and chronic stress, which ultimately impacts their child’s development in the womb due to oxidative stress and inflammation of crucial organs including the placenta. Researchers have found that mothers with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes and asthma faced an even greater risk of air pollutant-related health complications. Expectant mothers also faced harmful mental health outcomes during their pregnancy and postpartum period. Additionally, researchers conducted geographical comparisons of residential areas with less air pollutant estimates versus regions with higher levels. Their findings showed that high ambient air pollutant levels were concentrated in predominantly low-income and minority communities and subsequently how these populations are the most vulnerable to its negative health outcomes. Public health research regarding maternal and child health has advanced rapidly in recent years, bringing to light about the issues of socioeconomic disparities and environmental racism surrounding air pollution exposure.

Despite an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of breast cancer in recent years, the disease remains largely prevalent in the female population due to its disordered process. Breast cancer is known to affect 1 in 8 women and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women as well. Treatments are currently being administered mostly in surgical procedures, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, but current research indicates that there are potential remedies that could alter the metastasis of breast cancer on the DNA level. The usage of CRISPR(Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 within breast cancer treatments has grown in popularity immensely in the last decade. CRISPR/Cas9 is a system that utilizes a guide RNA to target and cut specific DNA sequences with the intention of genetically altering the genome. In cancer treatments, the knockout of specific genes utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system has proven variably successful in apoptosis by indirectly regulating tumor suppressor genes and causing gene knockouts. However, there are serious limitations and consequences that are being investigated within these therapies, as discussed in this paper.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has profoundly affected global health, presenting unprecedented challenges to pregnant women and their offspring. This paper explores the impacts of COVID-19 on maternal, neonatal, and childhood health, shedding light on both short-term and potential long-term consequences. The transmission of the virus from mother to child, though relatively low compared to other vertically transmitted diseases, remains a subject of ongoing study. Maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is linked to adverse outcomes such as preterm delivery, cesarean section, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Additionally, COVID-19 infection appears to influence placental pathology, raising concerns about fetal development and health in the long term. The pandemic has exacerbated maternal mental health challenges, including an increased prevalence of postpartum depression. Infants born to mothers with COVID-19 may experience lower neonatal weight, reduced head circumference, and a heightened risk of complications. Long-term health effects on children, including cardiovascular and respiratory impacts, remain areas of active investigation. Comprehensive research is vital to understand the magnitude of these risks and develop effective strategies for preventing and managing COVID-19 in pregnant women. Prioritizing the health and well-being of pregnant women and their offspring is critical in mitigating the enduring effects of the pandemic on maternal, neonatal, and childhood outcomes.

In the United States alone, approximately 2.1 million people are living with limb loss, a number expected to double by 2050. Despite the number of amputees expected to increase, current infrastructures, from policies to health personnel, fail to support amputees in need of prosthetics worldwide. This study explores the variables causing the difficulties in accessibility and turn, the factors that affect the quality of life after limb loss. Included in this research paper is the analysis of different barriers to the implementation of prosthetics on a national and public health scale. Current literature suggests a combination of internal and external factors that influence the access to prosthetics and quality of life for amputees including socioeconomic factors such as income, race or ethnicity, insurance, and geographic location. There will be an exploration into the development of 3D printing as a promising solution to improving the quality of life for amputees while addressing multi-faceted concerns including sustainability and biodegradability.

Multitudes of epidemiological factors contribute to the resultant effects in the mental health of adolescents, defined by the World Health Organization as between ages of 10 to 19. Presently, both prevailing aspects, including the occuring Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent social lockdown, and inherent social determinants like certain academic environments, poverty, chronic loneliness, and lack of available treatment or research influence the state of adolescent mental health. This literature review seeks to identify critical determinants of adolescent mental health and study their long term influence on mental health epidemiology as a whole. By compiling a plethora of various case studies from publications on PubMed and MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, and PLOS One along with data from important surveys such as Youth Self Report, Adult Self Report, and TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey, this study generates a comprehensive overview of facets underlying the current trends in specifically adolescent mental health. Through the review of critical results extracted from these sources, this paper displays the causal relationship with Covid-19’s social disruptions, especially quarantine, on Vitamin D deficiency and in academic contexts. Furthermore, this paper explores the generalized risk factors associated with mental illness onset in the context of adolescent development along with an evaluation of current trends in mental health research.

Maternal mortality remains a significant global health challenge, with roughly 300,000 maternal deaths occurring annually, most of which are preventable. The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal mortality rates (MMR) has been widely studied, with a growing body of evidence suggesting that lower SES is associated with higher MMR. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the relationship between SES and MMR across different countries. We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases and included studies that reported the association between SES and MMR. We used a random-effects model to estimate the overall effect size and explored potential sources of heterogeneity using subgroup analyses. Our findings suggest that there is a significant inverse association between SES and MMR, with higher SES being associated with lower MMR. However, the magnitude of the effect varied across different regions, with the strongest association observed in low and middle-income countries. While previous studies have examined the relationship between various variables, they often do so within a narrow context, focusing on specific regions or communities. As a result, the findings of such studies may not be generalizable or applicable to other settings. Our research, therefore, takes a more comprehensive approach, examining the interplay between SES and MMR across different regions and countries, and considering a range of social, economic, and health-related factors that could potentially influence this relationship. Our research employs a meta-analysis of research papers and scientific data, this approach allowed for a more comprehensive and rigorous examination of the research question and can help identify patterns and trends across studies. A systematic literature search/screening coupled with data extraction from online databases informed our results

General anesthesia (GA) is a widely used medical intervention, given to patients to eliminate pain during invasive procedures and surgeries, effectively revolutionizing the field of medicine. GA induces a reversible unconscious state by potentiating inhibitory receptors like GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors. Despite the practical uses of GA, recent studies have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with anesthesia exposure on the brain and cognitive function. In recent studies, these adverse effects, like neuronal death, can cause neurotoxicity despite the reversible and transitory nature of most GAs. In this paper, we discuss the neurological and behavioral outcomes after GA in developing and post-developed brains. These findings highlight serious concern on how GA impacts neurocognition and brain activity in both immature and mature brains and the potential harmful long term effects of GA. By understanding anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity, more avenues can be explored to particularly learn how to effectively protect vulnerable populations from harmful effects to the brain and warrant further research on clinical applications of anesthesia.

The purpose of our research study was to determine the social and ethical aspects of genetic engineering. What originally began as a way to decrease an embryo's risk of genetic diseases has now become a way to alter its appearance; this paper aims to challenge the risks of genetic engineering. To dive deeper into our research question, we were able to examine sources on a global level to determine the perspectives of genetic engineering in different parts of the world. As the current field of genetic engineering is under speculation by many providers, evaluating the pros and cons of each scenario can determine the efficacy of genetic engineering. Employing clinical technology and socially ethical framework were two main criterias which were used in determining the parameters in understanding if genetic engineering is a viable treatment option. The research examined explains any known sideaffects, while also bringing to light the unknown side effects that can result from genetic alterations of an embryo. In summation, this paper aims to highlight embryonic effects and how genetic engineering could challenge their integration into society itself.

The goal of this literature review is to analyze various treatment options for Alzheimer’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects many Americans. Four drugs being studied in the paper include Donepezil, Memantine, Lecanemab, and Rivastigmine. Donepezil is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is used for patients with mild or moderate AD. Memantine is used to block the overflow of glutamate through NMDA receptors and to treat patients with moderate to severe AD. It can be used in combination therapy with Donepezil and Galantamine. Lecanemab is used to target amyloid-beta plaques and to reduce aggregates. Rivastigmine is a carbamate cholinesterase inhibitor that can be used to inhibit both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase for mild to moderate cases of AD. All four drugs have been shown to slow down the progression of AD by increasing cognitive performance and to improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers

Several studies have examined the efficacy of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool in remedying the toxic effects of Huntington’s disease (HD) as a potential therapy for preventing the neurodegeneration that is observed in HD. Huntington’s disease is caused by an abnormality in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which leads to the encoding of the mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT). The accumulation of mHTT protein in neurons has been found to cause oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. Additionally, the abnormality in the HTT gene has been attributed to the abnormal expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat sequence. Therefore, some studies used CRISPR/Cas9 to target the mHTT gene, along with genes that play a role in redox regulation, including Nrf2 and SOD2. The results of this study showed a decrease in oxidative stress and greater mitochondrial function. A second study builds on these findings in recognizing the dangers involved with removing the CAG repeat in the gene. This study tested the use of a single gRNA to selectively remove particular CAG repeats in the mutated HTT gene at the site of transcription. This allele-specific approach changes genetic expression permanently.