Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of A Wild Blueberry Diet On Hepatic And Aortic Morphology In The Obese Zucker Rat, A Model Of The Metabolic Syndrome, Thomas Merrow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of a wild blueberry diet on pathology of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) by examining the morphological and biochemical properties of the liver and aortic tissue in the obese Zucker rat (OZR), a valid model of the MetS.

At 8-weeks of age, 16 Obese Zucker ras (OZR) and 16 lean Zucker rats (LZR) littermates were placed on either an 8% w/w wild blueberry (WB)-enriched isocaloric diet or an isocaloric control (C) diet for a duration of 8-weeks. At 16-weeks of age, the tissues of interest were harvested for the study. The …

Dynamic Host-Pathogen Interactions Result In Fungal Epitope Unmasking, Alex Hopke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular camouflage is used by a diverse set of pathogens to disguise their identity and avoid recognition by protective host receptors. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is a good example, as it masks the inflammatory component β-glucan in its cell wall to evade detection by the immune receptor Dectin-1. Interestingly, it has been seen that β-glucan becomes unmasked during infection in vivo, though the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Exposure levels of this epitope may be important, as Dectin-1 mediates protection from some strains of C. albicans and alterations in the organization and composition of the Candida cell wall …

Eating For Environmental And Personal Health: Green Eating, Health Behavior And Environmental Perceptions At The University Of Maine, Moira E. Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if green eating (GE), defined as environmentally conscious eating, in college students had an impact on BMI, health behavior, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and perceptions of the campus environment. This was a cross-sectional study of undergraduate and graduate students (n=190) at the University of Maine. The GE Survey was used to determine GE stage of change; participants were classified as either pre-action (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation) (n=113) or post-action (action, maintenance) (n=77). The GE Survey was also used to assess GE behavior, decisional balance, and self-efficacy. A de novo health behavior …

A Competitive Assessment Of Commercial Elderberry (Sambucus Sp.) Products And The Evaluation Of Copigmentation Within Elderberry Tinctures, Joseph A. Galetti Phd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elderberry (Sambucus sp.) fruit is a healthful food with a variety of reported curative properties and is among the richest sources of anthocyanic pigmentation, which are the primary factors for its commercial use. Although a variety of value-added elderberry products are available to consumers, it is questionable as to which product form contains the highest nutrient levels and color stability characteristics, and represents the best value to consumers. It was the objectives of this research to evaluate a variety of commercial elderberry products, and to develop a value-added elderberry product with enhanced nutrient and color stability.

The first part …