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Global Climate Change And The Southern Ocean: How Antarctic Fishes Physiologically Respond To A Changing Environment From The Cellular To The Organismal Level, Laura A. Enzor

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have projected that future changes in sea surface temperature and pCO2 levels will impact higher latitudes to a greater extent than in temperate regions. For notothenioid fishes of the Southern Ocean, evolution in extremely stable, cold waters has resulted in several adaptations which have left these fishes poorly prepared for global climate change. I have analyzed the metabolic and cellular response of Trematomus bernacchii, Pagothenia borchgrevinki and Trematomus newnesi to a long-term, multi-stressor scenario relevant to the predicted changes in the Southern Ocean. By combining whole animal respirometry with cellular level analysis of energy allocation, osmoregulatory mechanisms and cellular …

Absorption And Utilization Of Choline And Vitamin B12 In Lactating Dairy Cows Using Different Delivery Methods, Virginia Maria Artegoitia Etcheverry

Doctoral Dissertations

Choline and vitamin B12 are essential nutrients for growth and performances of production animals. However, both nutrients are extensively degraded during digestion in the rumen. This thesis comprised three experiments. First, four cows equipped with a rumen cannula and catheters in the portal vein and a mesenteric artery received a post-ruminal bolus of: 1) cyanocobalamin (CN-CBL) alone (0.1 g) [gram], 2) CN-CBL (0.1 g) + casein (10 g) or 3) CN-CBL (0.1 g) + whey proteins (10 g). After the bolus, blood samples were taken until 24 h [hour] post-bolus. The intestinal absorption of CN-CBL was greater when the vitamin …

Anti-Insulin Resistance Treatments Suppress Her2+ Breast Cancer Growth Via Altering Metabolism, Ping-Chieh Chou

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Epidemiological studies have identified that type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a significant risk factor for carcinogenesis and cancer death, including breast cancer. Our previous finding in patients showed that anti-insulin resistance treatments are associated with improved HER2⁺ breast cancer survival of diabetic women. However, there were no transgenic mouse models to study the correlation and explain the detailed mechanism. We generated a mouse model of HER2⁺ breast cancer with DM2 by crossing leptin receptor point mutation (Lepr ^db/+) and MMTV-ErbB2 (neu) mice. The MMTV-ErbB2/Lepr ^db/db mice had a poor survival rate compared …

Diabetes And Obesity Induce Transcriptomic And Metabolomic Changes Enhancing Pancreatic Cancer Aggressiveness, Guermarie Velázquez Torres

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, with poor prognosis that lacks effective diagnostic markers and therapies. It is expected that in 2014 the incidence and the mortality of pancreatic cancer in the United States will be 46,420 and 39,590 respectively. Diabetes and obesity are modifiable risk factors associated with accelerated pancreatic carcinogenesis and tumor progression, but the biological mechanisms are not completely understood. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate direct evidence for the mechanisms mediating these epidemiologic phenomena. Our hypothesis is that obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) accelerate pancreatic cancer and …

Different Expression Of Placental Pyruvate Kinase M2 In Normal, Preeclamptic, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies, Brigham L. Bahr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will be organized into two chapters discussing the placental expression of two proteins, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP 27), in human placentas. Understanding the mechanisms of placental metabolism in healthy and diseased placentas helps us understand how placenta disorders occur and how we can treat these disorders. The goal is to investigate these proteins to gain an understanding of their roles in placental disorders and help decrease maternal and fetal mortality rates. Chapter one covers the background of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in cancer and embryonic tissues, and the expression of PKM2 in …

Evaluation Of The Interest In Development And Availability Of The Resting Metabolic Rate Test As A Routine Healthcare Standard, Seth Wayne Parrish

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: A growing worldwide pandemic exists today that has large implications for the future of healthcare among the nations. Obesity is a growing disease that has multiple

implications for morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. The obese and overweight population plagues nearly 46% of the world's population, and likely is

preventable. We wanted to examine what role metabolic testing could play in prevention.

Methods: A cross-sectional study composed of a 52-question Likert-based scale survey was constructed and distributed to healthcare providers. We hypothesized that there would be a

generally accepted interest in establishing routine metabolic rate testing …

The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic regulator, acts in opposition to many of the effects of aging and may provide insights into the development of sarcopenia. However, the effect of aging on AMPK activation is unclear. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) clarify the controversy concerning the activation of AMPK in response to endurance-like exercise in aged skeletal muscle; 2) address mechanisms for the age-associated alterations in AMPK activation; and 3) address the known benefits of chronic AICAR treatment in aged skeletal muscle. First, to clarify the effect of age on AMPK activation, young adult (YA) (8 mo.) …

Lipid Dependence In Ras-Driven Tumors, Darin Salloum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over past decade, metabolic alterations in cancer cells have received a substantial amount of interest. It had been established that cancer cells undergo a significant amount of metabolic alterations, and some of these alterations are similar to those in normal highly proliferative cells. However, it is becoming more apparent that many of the metabolic alterations are specific to particular oncogenic signaling pathways. Although altered metabolic machinery makes cancer cells more efficient at promoting growth when nutrients are supplied at the sufficient amounts, the dependency of cancer cells on particular metabolic reprogramming deems cancer cells susceptible to disruptions within metabolic network. …

Metabolic Checkpoints In Cancer Cell Cycle, Mahesh Saqcena

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Growth factors (GFs) as well as nutrient sufficiency regulate cell division in metazoans. The vast majority of mutations that contribute to cancer are in genes that regulate progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle. A key regulatory site in G1 is the growth factor-dependent Restriction Point (R), where cells get permissive signals to divide. In the absence of GF instructions, cells enter the quiescent G0 state. Despite fundamental differences between GF signaling and nutrient sensing, they both have been confusingly referred to as R and therefore by definition considered to be a singular event in G1. Autonomy from …

Crosstalk Between Vitamin D₃- And Testosterone-Mediated Signaling In Prostate Cancer Cells, Wei-Lin Winnie Wang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Contrary to the common belief that prostate cancer is a hormone dependent disease, the incidence of prostate cancer and associated mortality actually increases significantly after serum androgen levels decline. This led us to hypothesize that androgen depletion in elder men is an underlying cause for the development and progression of prostate cancer. In addition, serum vitamin D₃ levels also decline in older men. Epidemiological and experimental data support an anti-neoplastic activity of vitamin D₃ in colorectal and breast cancers through regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell differentiation and metastasis. The effects of vitamin D₃ on prostate cancer …

The Lipogenic Phenotype Of Her2/Neu-Positive Breast Cancer Cells, Jan Martin Baumann

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Recent work has shown that HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells rely on a unique Warburg-like metabolism for survival and aggressive behavior. These cells are dependent on fatty acid (FA) synthesis, show markedly increased levels of stored fats and disruption of the synthetic process results in apoptosis. Supplementation of the growth media with physiological concentrations of saturated FAs induces cell death, whereas HER2-normal cells are not affected. This is particularly interesting in the context of new epidemiological data showing that a diet rich in saturated FAs is positively correlated with the development of HER2-negative disease, but not HER2/neu-positive disease.

Energy Tradeoffs Between Food Assimilation, Growth, Metabolism And Maintenance, Lihong Jiao

Masters Theses

"The effect of metabolic rate (MR) on organisms' health maintenance is a long-standing puzzle and empirical data on this issue is contradictory. A theoretical model was developed for understanding animal's energy budget under the food condition of Ad libitum (AL) and food restriction. This model offers a framework for understanding the role of MR and health maintenance mechanism from the perspective of energy tradeoff between food assimilation, growth, metabolism and maintenance. Hornworm (Manduca sexta larva) has been selected as an model to test the energetic tradeoff under different food supply and ambient temperatures. The changes in energy budget can …

Methionine Restriction-Induced Metabolic Changes In C57bl6j Mice, Cory Christopher Cortez

LSU Master's Theses

Introduction: Eighty percent restriction of normal dietary methionine (MR) intake has been shown to increase energy expenditure and attenuate the rate of adiposity gain in rodents, despite a paradoxical increase in energy intake. Energy expenditure in rats was shown to increase, even though physical activity level stays the same. This observation suggests that metabolic mechanisms account for the majority of increased energy expenditure measured in methionine restricted animals. Purpose: To observe and document the onset of physiological effects brought about and to determine the mechanistic role of the skeletal muscle on MR-induced metabolic changes in the C57BL6J mouse. Methods: C57BL6J …