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Newby, Brittney
Photo Credit: Chris Frazee, Media Solutions
 Brittney Newby
Hails from Fayetteville, GA
Fall 2007 will be a Junior at Florida A&M University majoring in Biochemistry.
Brittney's goal is to become a pediatrician. She has always wanted to research and create new innovations in the medical field as well as help people maintain and live healthy lives. She is facinated with the processes of life, the prevention and treatment of diseases,and the genetic and environmental factors related to disealse and health. She'd like to get a career in the medical field in conjunction with biomedical research.
Below: Lauren A. Trepanier, DVM, PhD- Associate Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, Medical Sciences watching as Brittney works on an experiment. Photo Credit: Chris Frazee, Media Solutions
Reason I chose UW-Madison Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Summer Research Program was because the program provided not only an opportunity to research with some of the best in the country, it also provided other helpful programs such as tutorials, and GRE classes to help the intern recieve a full enrichment from the program. Also UW Madison has one of the best biochemistry graduate programs in country, and by participating in this program I am able to get to know more about the school and what it can offer.
After participating in this progam, I hope to gain a multitude of knowledge about working in a lab. I also hope to gain more knowledge about the graduate programs here at UW- Madison in hopes that I might be able to enroll in one in the coming years.
Funding
Participating in the Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Summer Research Opportunity Program through the funding of the National Institute of Health.
Photo to Right: Brittney Newby with her advisor, Lauren Trepanier, DVM, PhD; and her lab mentor Dr. Sachin Bhusari Photo by Chris Frazee, Media Solutions
 Title of Summer Research
Ascorbate Defieciency on the Toxicity and Immunogencity of Sulfamethoxazole Nitoso
Abstract - Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is an antibacterial sulfonamide (sulfa drug) that is prescribed for the treatment of a multitude of gastrointestinal, urinary, and respiratory pathogens including Pneumocystis jaroveci pneumonia in patients with AIDS. The use of SMX is restricted due to the delayed manifestation of severe hypersensitivity reactions, including fever, rash, skin eruptions, blood dyscrasias, hepatotoxicity, and Steven-Johnson’s Syndrome . Although sulfonamide hypersensitivity reactions are uncommon in the general population, these reactions occur at a much higher rate in patients with HIV infection (25% - 60%). It has been hypothesized that sulfonamide hypersensitivity is caused by an inability to detoxify SMX-NO. SMX-NO is eliminated primarily by antioxidants such as glutathione, cystiene, and ascorbate . We hypothesized that ascorbate and glutathione deficiencies, as seen in HIV-infected patients, increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. We fed the guinea pigs a normal or vitamin C-restricted diet, with or without a drug that prevents the production of glutathione, and then dosed them with the sulfonamide nitroso metabolite or the placebo control. The animals were monitored for signs of illness, allergic responses to the drug, and evidence of drug damage to the tissues. The guinea pigs were treated for a 14 day dosing period, due to the time to toxicity of 7-14 days in humans with sulfonamide hypersensitivity. We found that ascorbate and glutathione levels were depleted. We also saw that ALT levels in the glutathione depleted guinea pigs were much higher than the other guinea pigs, which suggests liver (hepatotoxicity) damage. Our T-cell proliferation assay suggests that glutathione depletion may enhance the immunologic response to SMX-NO. Therefore, there is evidence that suggests that a depletion in glutathione and ascorbic acid may cause a higher susceptibility to SMX hypersensitivity by leading to increased T cell responses to SMX-NO. Additional work in more guinea pigs in each group, as well as the result of drug adduct assays and histopathology , will further explore this hypothesis.
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