The Philippines relies on a vast biodiversity of fishes as a staple food, but like many countries around the globe, experiences severe “leakages” of contaminants and pollutants in the environment. In order to better understand the relationship between environmental pollutants and public health, this research project measured the concentration of pollutants in a commonly consumed local fish (Siganus fuscescens), and then evaluated the potential health risks of eating this fish based on estimated average consumer weight and consumption levels. Fish sampled from four different sites located in Negros Oriental, Philippines were analyzed for organic contaminants using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Pollutants quantified included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs). Across the four study sites, fishes from Manjuyod showed the highest frequency of detection of different pollutants. However, phthalates and PAHs were found in similar concentrations in all four sites, with fishes from Dumaguete showing the highest level of PCBs compared to the other sampled sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guide for fish contaminants pinpoints several health risks associated with the chronic ingestion of these contaminants. Based on estimated average body weights of Filipino adult men, adult women, and children, and various consumption levels, people who eat the fish at or above the national average consumption level may be at increased risk for chronic health outcomes, such as cancer and/or other adverse effects. Specifically, due to the high concentration of PCBs in Dumaguete, selected populations who eat local fish from this site may be at higher risk than the citizens who eat the fish from other sites at similar consumption rates. These results can help to inform local and national policies on water quality, waste disposal, and fish consumption advisory programs.

Optometry is an important field in medicine as it allows people a chance to have their vision corrected and it serves as a health screening opportunity for those who receive a dilated eye examination. One of the largest barriers to receiving a dilated eye exam is insurance coverage. Most health insurance policies have limited optometric coverage. By expanding health insurance plans to be more inclusive of optometric care, people who use these health insurance plans will have a better access of care.

There is a lot of variation in health outcomes when it comes to individual states in America. Some states, such as Hawaii, have the life expectancy equivalent to that of developed countries, whereas states like Mississippi have the life expectancy equivalent to that of third world countries. This raised the questions of which states are doing well in health and why, and if their health has to do with their performance in the primary, secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary prevention levels. The purpose of this research was to investigate if there is a correlation between performance in any of the prevention levels and the overall health status of a state, and if there is, which prevention level would be most beneficial for states to prioritize. The hypothesis of this research was: states that prioritized primary and secondary levels of prevention would have better health than states that prioritized tertiary and quaternary levels of prevention, since basic health measures contribute more to health outcomes than advanced medicine. To investigate this question, indicators were chosen to derive the ranking of each state in health and each of the four prevention levels. Six states were then chosen to represent the high, average, and low health statuses respectively. The six states were ranked for all indicators, and the data was analyzed and compared to determine a potential relationship between the prevention level rankings and the overarching health ranking. It was found that there is a correlation between performance in the primary and secondary prevention levels and a state’s overall health status, whereas there was no such correlation for the tertiary and quaternary levels. A model for health was proposed for states looking to improve their health status, which was to invest in primary prevention, followed by secondary, tertiary, then quaternary prevention and only moving to the next prevention level once the previous level reached a satisfactory threshold.

The purpose of this cookbook and ingredient index is to simplify the reasoning behind eating a plant based diet--including how it can be beneficial to your health, and what benefits each ingredient provides. These recipes have been cultivated and modified over time to provide nutritious meals that are also tasty. I was introduced to healthy eating at a young age, and have been fascinated by it ever since. The recipes and information conveyed about a plant based diet have come from the many books read and research I have done on the subject. This paper will walk you through how I started this journey, and go on to show a basic overview of what makes up the foods we consume and why we need them. The cookbook portion of my Thesis contains recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sauces, and dessert. Following the cookbook is an ingredient index that goes through the majority of ingredients used in my recipes, and what health benefits they provide. I hope that by reading this, others will be inspired to use more plant-based whole foods in their diet, and realize the healing that can come from them.

A significant amount of prior research has been conducted to investigate type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form afflicting over 90% of diabetic individuals [6]. Yet, gestational diabetes is an understudied form of diabetes that is thought to share various attributes with type 2 diabetes. It was the aim of this project to investigate a proposed mechanism of the disease, the contra-insulin effect, through a cell-culture experiment. To address the question of whether glycemic and hormonal conditions of cell-culture media affect Hs 795.Pl morphology, cellular growth, and glucose uptake, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and a glucose uptake assay was performed. It was hypothesized that higher the presence of hormones, specifically lactogen, in cell culture media will exacerbate the contra-insulin effect, decreasing the glucose uptake of the Hs 795.Pl cells and inducing abhorrent cell morphology. Qualitatively, estradiol and cortisol had a severe impact on cellular morphology indicative of stress and death. As for glucose uptake, it was decreased when the hormones were isolated compared to all together with estradiol thought to be majorly inhibitory to insulin’s proper functioning. It was concluded that cell morphology, growth, and glucose uptake were detrimentally impacted by the gestational hormones, especially those of cortisol and estrogen.

This project explores modern healthcare related disparities in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as the overarching historical structures that have influenced public health within the city. Historical and systemic racism, harmful housing policies, barriers preventing upwards economic mobility, and purposeful measures put in place by business leaders and city officials are all explored as factors impacting current disparities in access to care. In order to fully analyze the gaps in care, different areas, both high and low-income, are analyzed throughout history in order to understand shifting demographics and policies. The project concludes with an in-depth look at current public health efforts within Maricopa County, as well as with future policy recommendations.