SUP Program: 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars
| 9:50-10:10 |
Andrew BarberPresentation Time: 9:50-10:10Home University: North Carolina Central UniversityResearch Mentor: Ilona Jaspers, Toxicology and Environmental MedicineProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Plastic Burn Pit Emissions Generated from Flaming and Smoldering Temperatures Induce Variable Toxicity on Human Nasal Epithelial CellsBurn pits are areas utilized for military waste disposal through open air combustion. This system was common in Afghanistan and Iraq, where in 2014, almost 60,000 pounds of solid waste was burned daily. Exposure to these emissions may damage respiratory tissues and increase one’s susceptibility to lung and airway diseases. We hypothesized that emissions from combusting plastic, a major components of burn pit materials, would be cytotoxic to human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) in vivo, and that incineration temperature would affect biological outcomes. Military-grade plastic materials were burned at smoldering (500°C) or flaming (640°C) temperatures in a quartz tube furnace system and collected as condensates in a series of cryotraps. Primary HNECs differentiated at air-liquid interface and 16HBEs were treated with smoldering and flaming plastic condensates at concentrations from 5-20 μg/cm2 on the apical side for 4 hours. Markers of inflammation including IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-13, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-p70 were assessed in basolateral supernatants. Our data indicate that regardless of temperature, emissions from incineration of plastic increase markers of inflammation. Specifically, emissions from burning plastics significantly increased IL-8, IL-1β and IL-6 at various concentrations and temperatures. Other markers of inflammation, although not significant, were all increased by emissions from burning plastic material. These results revealed that inhalation of emissions of burning plastic increases markers of inflammation in human respiratory cells. |
Plastic Burn Pit Emissions Generated from Flaming and Smoldering Temperatures Induce Variable Toxicity on Human Nasal Epithelial Cells | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 10:15-10:35 |
Louisa BoatengPresentation Time: 10:15-10:35Home University: UNC-Chapel HillResearch Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Fry, Department of Environmental Sciences and EngineeringProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Examining the Effects of Inorganic Arsenic on Chromatin Accessibility in Placental Cells Using ATAC-seqInorganic arsenic (iAs) is a ubiquitous toxic metal in the environment known to be detrimental to human health. More than 100 million people, including those in the United States, are at risk of exposure that exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb). Prenatal exposure to iAs is a global public health concern as iAs can cross the placental barrier and cause genomic and epigenomic perturbations in the fetus leading to developmental and later onset effects. Adverse health outcomes such as low birth weight and cancers have been linked to iAs exposure. In this study, we exposed JEG-3 placental choriocarcinoma cells to varying iAs doses for 24 hours. The Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) was then used to identify open regions of chromatin. We observed that iAs modified the chromatin structure differentially across the genome with potential effects on gene activation or silencing. A 3% difference in chromatin accessibility was observed across the entire genome when comparing the highest dosage to the controls. Future research will investigate the gene-specific locations of chromatin accessibility. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into the toxicity of iAs on human placental cells. These data are relevant to the known effects of prenatal exposure to iAs on fetal development and provide support for the Developmental Origins of Health and Human Diseases (DOHaD) hypothesis. |
Examining the Effects of Inorganic Arsenic on Chromatin Accessibility in Placental Cells Using ATAC-seq | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 10:40-11:00 |
Daniela Hercules AlfaroPresentation Time: 10:40-11:00Home University: UNC-Chapel HillResearch Mentor: Rebecca Fry, Department of Environmental Science and EngineeringProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Exploring chemical targets within the Robust Placental Clock using the Comparative ToxicoGenomics DatabaseThe Robust Placental Clock (RPC) is an epigenetic clock based on placental tissue DNA methylation found to be a highly accurate estimator of gestational age. Through its use of 558 individual CpG sites to enhance gestational age prediction, the Robust Placental Clock has been found to indicate a median error of less than one week. Due to its recent finding, however, the effects of chemical toxicants on the Robust Placental Clock have not yet been explored in-depth and literature on the topic itself is limited. By conducting a deep-dive of the Comparative ToxicoGenomics Database, the goal of this project is to build a “Robust Placental Clock Chemical-Gene interactions” database that explores the known effects of chemicals on the genes that are a part of the clock in an attempt to identify major gene targets of toxicants within existing literature that are also a part of the Robust Placental Clock. Through the identification of major gene targets within the clock, it is anticipated that the direction that future research should take in exploring the effects of chemical toxicants within the Robust Placental Clock will be elucidated. |
Exploring chemical targets within the Robust Placental Clock using the Comparative ToxicoGenomics Database | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 11:05-11:25 |
Caniah LentzPresentation Time: 11:05-11:25Home University: North Carolina Central UniversityResearch Mentor: Ilona Jaspers, Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung BiologyProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Characterization of Cytokines Secreted by Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Grown on TranswellsE-cigarettes are used by millions of people, but we do not understand their full toxicity. To study the effects of e-cigarettes on airway macrophages, we are using a macrophage model derived from human blood monocytes. Before these cells can be used in an e-cigarette exposure, they have to be characterized for markers usually presented by airway macrophages. We have previously characterized these cells after culturing them in regular cell culture dishes. However, for relevant e-cigarette aerosol exposures, these cells need to be grown on Transwell inserts to facilitate the exposure. The objective of this study is to compare biomarkers secreted by macrophages grown in regular cell culture dishes with those grown on Transwell inserts. To do so, we measured the secretion of three cytokines (IL-6, CCL17, CCL18) by human blood monocytes differentiated into three types of macrophages (M0, M1, M2). We found that on Transwells human blood monocytes differentiated into M1 type macrophages secreted significantly more IL-6, and we found that M2 type macrophages secreted significantly more CCL17 and CCL18. This is the same pattern we previously observed when growing the cells in regular dishes. These data indicate that human blood monocytes differentiated into M1 and M2 type macrophages have similar phenotypes when cultured in regular dishes and on Transwells, suggesting that they present a suitable model for studying the effects of e-cigarettes on macrophages. |
Characterization of Cytokines Secreted by Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Grown on Transwells | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 11:55-12:15 |
Kristina Nicole StuckeyPresentation Time: 11:55-12:15Home University: UNC-Chapel HillResearch Mentor: Kathleen Gray, UNC Institute for the EnvironmentProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Setting up a Wastewater Monitoring Program in North Carolina: Learning to Go with the Flow During a PandemicIn January 2021, North Carolina began monitoring COVID-19 levels in wastewater at eleven wastewater utilities throughout the state. Influent samples were collected twice a week by wastewater plants and analyzed at a UNC laboratory by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure the level of SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Epidemiologic analysis of trends was conducted by state and national scientists and data were published to the public. These data allow local and state health departments to quickly implement public health actions, such as increased testing, vaccination clinics, and public communication. Due to the large amount of data collected and the number of partners involved in the process, determining a method to collect and securely store the results was critical to the program’s success. In response, we created a relatively easy to use, relational online database using REDCap for participating laboratory staff and epidemiologists. Our team also investigated whether precipitation events correlated with increased influent flow on sampling days. To examine this, influent flow and daily precipitation were graphed to visualize trends for the eleven sites. Our results show that precipitation events often coincided with higher influent flow, suggesting higher levels of infiltration by rainwater. This potentially correlates with a dilution of the gene copies per person suggesting an underestimation of COVID-19 levels, however, more research is needed. |
Setting up a Wastewater Monitoring Program in North Carolina: Learning to Go with the Flow During a Pandemic | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 12:20-12:40 |
Nicole M EgerstromPresentation Time: 12:20-12:40Home University: UNC-Chapel HillResearch Mentor: Kathleen Gray, UNC Institute for the EnvironmentProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Occupational Health and Industry in Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in North CarolinaWorker protection is important to keeping our economy and society running. We aim to study occupational and behavioral circumstances leading to COVID-19 exposures in North Carolina workplaces, as part of a pilot project by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Our survey will be used to inform workplace interventions for COVID-19 infection and prevention control. We called confirmed COVID-19 positive individuals from a randomly sampled list from the NCOVID surveillance system (02/15/2021-07/15/2021). Inclusion criteria was anyone 18-64 years old, living in NC, who was working outside the home during the 2 weeks prior to illness onset. Healthcare workers were excluded from the survey. Our goal was to complete over 100 interviews with adults infected with SARS-CoV-2. Out of 551 calls, the response rate was 33.3%, while the survey completion rate was 14.2%. Survey respondents were 55.1% White, 14.5% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 29% Black/African American. Women accounted for 46.1% of respondents, while men accounted for 52.6% (1 gender not identified). 22.4% of workers did not receive paid time off for COVID-19 illness, with an average of 9.5 workdays missed. Employee health must be a high priority during pandemics since workplaces may be high-risk settings for infections. Unfortunately, our interview goal was not met, however statistical analysis was still conducted. Instituting policy changes that mandate paid time off for illness may be an effective way to prevent spread of COVID-19. |
Occupational Health and Industry in Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in North Carolina | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |
| 1:30-1:50 |
Sally-Irene Joso NgevePresentation Time: 1:30-1:50Home University: North Carolina Central UniversityResearch Mentor: Dr. Rob Maile, Burnett Womack - UNC School Of MedicineProgram: 21st Century Environmental Health ScholarsResearch Title: Differences in Estradiol Levels After Burn InjuryThe American Burn Association estimates ~450,000 people in the United States will suffer from burn injury each year, which results in ~3,500 deaths per year due to severe immune dysregulation. Female burn patients suffer higher mortality rates compared to males. Estradiol is involved in the regulation of local and systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, which has been demonstrated by others to positively correlates with poor outcomes following burn. We hypothesize that estradiol levels increase after burn injury and contributes to local and systemic immune dysregulation. We utilized plasma from 1) human burn patients admitted to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center and 2) our murine model of burn injury, in which C57BL/6 mice are exposed to a 20% total body surface area burn injury. We measured human estradiol levels 1-3 days after burn injury and murine estradiol levels 3 and 7 days after injury by ELISA. In humans there were differences in levels at these timepoints (p<0.05). In mice we observed a difference in the change in murine estradiol levels between males and females 7 days after injury (p < 0.01). These data suggest burn injury upregulates estradiol in both humans and mice following burn injury whereby this is more robust in females at later stages of burn injury and thus contributing to female-associated poor clinical outcomes. We are currently correlating estradiol levels to IL-6 levels. |
Differences in Estradiol Levels After Burn Injury | 21st Century Environmental Health Scholars |