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Access status: Metadata only ,
ECU Research Hub
(2026-06-26)
This is the home of raw research at East Carolina University.
Access status: Open Access ,
Monocrotaline toxicity in rats: decreased lung retinol and elevated alpha-tocopherol levels in lung and liver
(Journal of Nutritional Science, 2026) Baybutt, Richard; Samuel Stafford
Monocrotaline (MCT) induces lung injury and pulmonary hypertension (PH) by a mechanism that is in part due to oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine how MCT affected nutrient antioxidants retinol and alpha-tocopherol in a rat lung and liver. Rats were fed a purified diet (AIN-93G) one-week prior to a subcutaneous injection of MCT (60 mg/kg) and remained on the diet throughout the study. Three weeks after injection, the animals were euthanized, and the lungs and livers were analyzed for retinol, alpha-tocopherol, phospholipid (PL), and cholesterol content. Lung retinol concentrations were significantly lower in MCT-treated rats, 2.0 ± 1.2 (nmol/g lung) vs. vehicle control (VEH), 5.8 ± 1.4 (P < 0.01). However, liver retinol concentrations were not significantly different, 3.3 ± 1.3 vs. 2.5 ± 0.9 nmol/g liver. Alpha-tocopherol was significantly greater in MCT-treated rats in the lung, 145 ± 24 vs. 99 ± 13 nmol/g lung (P < 0.001), and liver, 107 ± 30 vs. 47.7 ± 4.8 nmol/g liver (P < 0.001). Phospholipid and cholesterol were significantly lower in the lung of the MCT-treated group, but not significantly different in the liver. In conclusion, retinol along with phospholipid, and cholesterol were decreased in the lungs whereas alpha-tocopherol was elevated in the lungs and liver in response to MCT. These findings along with others suggest a novel mechanistic link between MCT-induced oxidative stress, lung vitamin A depletion, inflammation and the impairment of alveolar cell proliferation and repair. Pulmonary retinol is important in the pathogenesis of MCT-induced lung injury.
Access status: Open Access ,
Disparities in Access to Gastrointestinal Care in the United States
(Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2026) Ali, Hassam
Disparities in gastrointestinal (GI) care in the United States represent a major health burden, with GI diseases accounting for approximately $135 billion annually in direct medical expenditures. A pronounced geographic disparity exists, with over two-thirds of the 3,149 U.S. counties lacking any GI specialist. This results in an estimated 49–50 million Americans required to travel more than 25 miles for specialty care. For instance, states like Wyoming and Arizona report over 75% of residents are more than 25 miles from GI care, while states such as Alaska and North Dakota average only 1.8 gastroenterologists per 100,000 population. Socioeconomic inequities manifest as tangible deficits in care: a lack of insurance is associated with a 15–20% point gap in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake. For hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, initiation within one year of diagnosis was 35% for privately insured patients but only 23% for Medicaid patients. In acute emergencies, uninsured patients face higher mortality in both upper GI bleeding (UGIB) and lower GI bleeding (LGIB). Targeted interventions show promise in mitigation: community health worker (CHW)-led programs have been shown to significantly increase CRC screening uptake. Patient navigation, often combined with mailed fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), has increased CRC screening completion by 7.3% points in safety-net populations. Telemedicine models can expand access, with video-based IBD care management programs requiring in-person evaluations in only ~ 1.3% of cases. Policy reforms, such as removing restrictive state Medicaid criteria for HCV therapy, have been shown to significantly increase treatment and narrow disparities. Continued focus on workforce incentives and data transparency remains critical to address these persistent, structurally rooted gaps.
Access status: Open Access ,
Sensitivity of Flood Extent and Population Exposure to Variations in Bathymetry Across a Shallow Continental Shelf Lagoon
(Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2026) Al-Attabi, Zaid; Narayan, Siddharth; Wuppukondur, Ananth; Babanawo, Daystar; Xu, Yicheng; Lagomasino, David.
Bathymetry is a critical input to storm surge models on coastlines fronted by lagoon systems, yet few studies explore how variations in bathymetry influence flood impacts, flooded extent, and exposed population across these globally widespread morphologies. Here, we investigate the influence of variations in bathymetry on storm inundation impact estimates across a continental shelf lagoon system. We explore how flooded extents and exposed population estimates from a 1% storm for Belize vary with estimated depths by comparing three existing bathymetries over a northern shallow, enclosed lagoon and a central deeper, open lagoon system with a newly developed bathymetry data set, Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Enhanced Data set-SDBED. We compare multiple bathymetric data sets to understand the influence on the flood uncertainties and the quantity of the impact of exposed population estimates. Our results show that greater estimated lagoon depths consistently result in lower predicted flood impacts for both lagoon systems in almost all cases. Unexpectedly, for one bathymetry with a median depth of 2 m in the northern lagoon, we find that a reduction in lagoon volume by 59% reduces total inundation volume by 45%. Our findings also show how vertical uncertainties in the SDBED bathymetry propagate through the model, resulting in variations of up to 12% in flood extents and up to 2% in exposed populations.
Access status: Metadata only ,
Asymmetrical effects of temperature on stage-structured predator-prey interactions
(2021-03-02)
Warming can impact consumer-resource interactions through multiple mechanisms. For example, warming can both alter the rate at which predators consume prey and the rate prey develop through vulnerable life stages. Thus, the overall effect of warming on consumer-resource interactions will depend upon the strength and asymmetry of warming effects on predator and prey performance. Here, we quantified the temperature dependence of both 1) density-dependent predation rates for two dragonfly nymph predators on a shared mosquito larval prey, via the functional response, and 2) the development rate of mosquito larval prey to a predator-invulnerable adult stage. We united the results of these two empirical studies using a temperature- and density-dependent stage-structured predation model. Warming accelerated both larval mosquito development and increased dragonfly consumption. Model simulations suggest that differences in the magnitude and rate of predator and prey responses to warming determined the change in magnitude of the overall effect of predation on prey survival to adulthood. Specifically, we found that depending on which predator species prey were exposed to in the model, the net effect of warming was either an overall reduction or no change in predation strength across a temperature gradient. Our results highlight a need for better mechanistic understanding of the differential effects of temperature on consumer-resource pairs to accurately predict how warming affects food web dynamics.