Life Sciences Commons^™

My Experience In Swaziland With Give Hope, Fight Poverty, Megan Kaser

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Megan Kaser, a recent 2017 alum in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, describes her experience with Give Hope, Fight Poverty (GHFP)—a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. GHFP’s mission is “to foster philanthropy domestically by designing service-learning programs that engage U.S. college students with rural communities in Swaziland, Africa, and work together to educate, empower, and lift orphaned and vulnerable children—particularly those living in child-headed households— out of poverty” (Give Hope, Fight Poverty, n.d.). By incorporating college students in the implementation of GHFP orphan education …

Comparison Of Calculated Energy Expenditure To Measured Energy Expenditure In Overweight And Obese Burn Patients In An Icu Setting: A Retrospective Study, Elle Maree Skinner, Deborah A. Cohen, Orrin B. Myers, Diana Gonzales-Pacheco

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Burns cause massive dermal wounds. Wound healing elicits a significant catabolic response and increase in energy expenditure, and thus, calorie needs. Overfeeding and/or underfeeding the overweight and obese critically ill patient can increase complications. Indirect Calorimetry (IC) is considered the ‘gold standard” for the measurement of Energy Expenditure (EE). Predictive equations are calculated to estimate EE instead. This study is a retrospective chart review. The difference between predictive energy expenditure (via Curreri formula) and measured IC were analyzed via non-parametric Wilcoxon signed rank match paired tests. Curreri equation prediction was analyzed on the ability to match IC (0% over or …

A Mobile-Based Intervention For Obesity Prevention Among Female College Students In Saudi Arabia: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Abeer Hussain Alssafi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students transitioning from adolescence into early adulthood may encounter new stresses, which may lead to unhealthy weight-related behaviors and weight gain. Students gain approximately 4-9 pounds during their first 2 years in college. Health behaviors in this population pose an increased risk because they tend to persist into adulthood. In Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, student obesity is on the rise. About 24% of female college students were overweight or obese in Saudi Arabia in 2015. This dissertation describes the development of a mobile intervention program using Instagram and a self-tracking app to minimize the risk of overweight/obesity …

Micronutrient Deficiency Independently Predicts Time To Event In Patients With Heart Failure, Terry A. Lennie, Christina Andreae, Mary Kay Rayens, Eun Kyeung Song, Sandra B. Dunbar, Susan J. Pressler, Seongkum Heo, Jinshil Kim, Debra K. Moser

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background—Dietary micronutrient deficiencies have been shown to predict event‐free survival in other countries but have not been examined in patients with heart failure living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine whether number of dietary micronutrient deficiencies in patients with heart failure was associated with shorter event‐free survival, defined as a combined end point of all‐cause hospitalization and death.

Methods and Results—Four‐day food diaries were collected from 246 patients with heart failure (age: 61.5±12 years; 67% male; 73% white; 45% New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III/IV) and analyzed using Nutrition Data Systems …

Toxic Effects Of Lead Disposal In Water: An Analysis Of Tri Facility Releases, Patrick Koval

Economics Department Working Papers

Using county-level TRI data from 2003 to 2016, I find evidence that lead emissions in water adversely affect birth weights within the emitting county, especially with respect to the percentage of births considered low birth weight within that county (less than 2,500 grams). I find that a one percent increase in lead emissions per square mile increases the proportion of low birth weights by 0.27 percentage points. For a county with an average number of births in a particular year, this one percent increase in lead per square mile translates to an additional $475,000 in hospitalization costs from complications with …

The Effect Of Wild Blueberry Anthocyanins And Phenolic Acids On Innate Immunity: The Compliment System, Vasiliki Papakotsi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ingestion of berries containing polyphenols is associated with lower risk of inflammatory, metabolic, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. Diet has been shown to modulate the activation of the complement system, a set of over 50 proteins present in the circulation and tissues that reacts in response to damage or microbial encounter and is critical for the maintenance of homeostasis. Imbalanced activation is tightly correlated with inflammation and various pathologies. Wild blueberries are a rich source of anthocyanins and phenolic acids, which can be found in plasma shortly after consumption. Given the involvement of both complement and polyphenols in the modulation of …

Animal Agriculture And American Health: The Search For Sustainable Protein, Britta Brinkmann

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This study examines the impact large-scale animal agriculture has on the environment. It links the environment and health. The goal is to find protein sources that are sustainable and nutritious in order to replace typical meat and dairy products. A study is proposed to measure the impact of the typical American diet, a vegan diet, an insect-supplemented diet and a diet heavy in seafood.

Interventions For Afterschool Programs To Decrease The Likelihood Of Childhood Obesity, Anna R. Boyd, Lauren E. Hendricks, Elexus T. Morton, Kayleigh S. Phillips, Corie Vanarsdale, Msn

Nursing Undergraduate Work

This systematic research review (SRR) looked at the epidemic of childhood obesity and subsequent complications. Afterschool programs (ASPs) were targeted as a key area where children spend many hours each day and, therefore, an ideal place for obesity interventions. The purpose of this SRR was to search the current benefits ASPs can have on decreasing the risk and prevalence of childhood obesity and to answer the research question, "What are nursing interventions within ASPs that decrease the risk of obesity in children in the United States of America?" Childhood obesity influences nurses in many areas, including inpatient hospitals, schools, and …

Nutritional Virulence Of Legionella Pneumophila., Ashley M. Best

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legionella pneumophila is an environment organism that parasitizes a wide range of protozoa. Growth within the environmental host primes L. pneumophila for infection of human alveolar macrophages when contaminated aerosols are inhaled. Intracellular replication within either host requires the establishment a replicative niche, known as the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV). Biogenesis of the LCV depends on the type IVb translocation system, the Dot/Icm, to translocation >320 effectors into the host cytosol. Effectors are responsible for preventing lysosome fusion to the LCV, recruitment of ER-derived vesicles to the LCV, and modulation of a plethora of host processes to promote the intracellular …

Pkm2 Influences The Metabolic Fate Of Butyrate In Colorectal Cancer Cells, Megan Louise Pence

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Correcting For The Inconveniences Of Cultivation: Foraging As A Food Source In Southwestern Burkina Faso, Julia Deryn Morgan

Geography Honors Projects

Malnutrition is an important public health issue in Burkina Faso where 30 % of children are underweight for their age and 92% suffer from iron deficiency. Such statistics indicate that there is a significant lack of adequate nutrition in the country. With approximately 80% of the population employed in the agricultural sector, development projects have focused on increasing agricultural production and commercializing output to ameliorate poor nutrition. However, this strategy ignores the importance of local knowledge and food traditions, most notably by neglecting to acknowledge foraging as a significant source of food. To address this concern, I seek to understand …

Knowledge, Attitude And Practices Toward Nutrition And Diet During Pregnancy Among Recently Delivered Women Of Syrian Refugees, Dana Harb Msc., Mohamad Younes Abou Haidar Phd, Elie Bou Yazbeck Phd

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

The aim of this study is to assess the nutrition situation in terms of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) among recently delivered Syrian refugee women and to identify nutrition related KAP problems of this vulnerable population. An analytical descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a non-randomized sample of one hundred recently delivered Syrian women from refugee background aged 18 years old and above who were admitted for delivery to the obstetric unit of a governmental hospital located in Beirut, Lebanon. The study reveals that fifty-six percent of the studied population was not knowledgeable about maternal nutrition during pregnancy, twenty-five percent …

Obesity And Obesogenic Growth Are Both Highly Heritable And Modified By Diet In A Nonhuman Primate Model, The African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus Aethiops Sabaeus), C. A. Schmitt, S. K. Service, A. J. Jasinska, Thomas D. Dyer, M. J. Jorgensen, R. M. Cantor, G. M. Weinstock, John Blangero, J. R. Kaplan, N. B. Freimer

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

OBJECTIVE: In humans, the ontogeny of obesity throughout the life course and the genetics underlying it has been historically difficult to study. We compared, in a non-human primate model, the lifelong growth trajectories of obese and non-obese adults to assess the heritability of and map potential genomic regions implicated in growth and obesity.

STUDY POPULATION: A total of 905 African green monkeys, or vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) (472 females, 433 males) from a pedigreed captive colony. METHODS: We measured fasted body weight (BW), crown-to-rump length (CRL), body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) from 2000 to 2015. We used a …

Choose Healthy Here Pilot Program: A Secondary Analysis Of Consumers' Behaviors And Perceptions To Access And Affordability Of Healthy Foods, Lindsey R. Anderson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over one-third of adults in the United States are obese. Recent shifts in research have focused on environmental issues to understand and address this epidemic, primarily within the food environment. The goal of this study included examining customer perceptions and behaviors towards access and affordability of healthy foods in rural food retail venues across Nebraska. Differences were assessed between stores, with the Choose Healthy Here (CHH) pilot program implemented at treatment stores only. Process surveys were completed by participants ≥19 years of age. Statistical analysis was performed with a p≤0.05 level of significance used.

Overall, participants (n=148) were rural residents, …

Proper Nutrition And Its Potential As Alternative Treatment Of Depression, Delaney Passmore

Honors Theses – Charlotte Campus

Within the last two decades, a lot of research has been conducted to determine the factors that cause and prevent depression. This is important because the diagnostic count for mental diseases is rapidly increasing due to the stresses and unhealthy habits of many people. So far, researchers have come up with causes such as life-altering events, genetics, chemical imbalances in the brain, and lack of nutritional requirements. Many argue that all of these factors have something to do with why a person starts experiencing depressive symptoms. During tragic or uncontrollable events, such as a death in the family, it is …

The Association Between Type Of Fat And The Risk Of Developing Cardiovascular Diseases, Dovid Leib Glassner

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Objective: To determine the significance of various types of dietary fat in the progression of atherosclerosis leading to heart disease. Methods: Study inclusion criteria constituted relevance to the discussion topic and peer reviewed literature. Age of the published material was taken into account as well, with greater preference being given to more recent research as the topic of nutrition and its relation to chronic disease remains an emerging science. Results: This research review found an overall significant relationship between the type (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans-fat) of dietary fat intake and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. While earlier research identified …

Examining The Credentials Of Food Bloggers And The Online Environment Of Food Blogs, Jessica Coburn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated characteristics of food blogs and food bloggers that potentially affect food choices. It was hypothesized that most food bloggers would not have a nutrition-related degree and food blog environments wouldn’t be supportive of health-conscious food choices. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a novel evaluation tool on 187 blogs, out of which 100 blogs met inclusion criteria. Because some blogs had multiple bloggers, two samples were investigated: 111 bloggers (n1 = 111) and 100 food blogs (n2 = 100). Data were gathered from a randomized list of blogs taken from americanfoodbloggers.com. Results showed that 6% of bloggers …

Nutrition Transition, Trace Elements In Nails, And Blood Pressure Along The Interoceanic Highway, Madre De Dios, Peru, Stacy M. Pettigrew

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The paving of the Interoceanic Highway (IOH) brought rapid development to the Madre de Dios (MDD) region in the Peruvian Amazon. Development brings concerns of toxic trace element exposures, and road development has been a major driver of the transition from traditional to calorie-dense processed ‘Western’ diets in lower and middle-income countries. Investigacion de Migracion, Ambiente, y Salud (IMAS) (Investigation of Migration, the Environment, and Health) is the first analysis of health, diet, and integrated toxic trace elements in nails in the region. In 2014 we collected household surveys from 310 households in 46 communities along the IOH and nails …

Implementing A Healthy Diet In The Intellectual Disability Residential Community, Stephanie Michelle Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was how staff working in a residential agency for individuals with an intellectual disability (IID) make decisions about how to implement a healthy diet. The purpose of this study was to identify the influences on decisions made by staff on the meals they provided to their clients with an IID. The theory of planned was used to study the influences of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control on the meals provided for IID. The key research question explored how staff members make decisions. A qualitative case study design was used. The 12 participants …

Effects Of Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Yeast Supplementation And Supplementation Frequency On Immune Parameters, Performance, And Digestibility Among Periparturient Beef Cows And Calves, Janine Swartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effects of enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (EHY) and supplementation frequency (FREQ) on immune parameters among beef cows and calves was evaluated. Eighty multiparous (parity = 4.2 ± 0.3) cows were fed a common brome hay-based diet (CP = 8.0 ± 0.17%). Cows were blocked by expected calving date and stratified by body condition score (BCS) before random assignment of treatment. Beginning 88 ± 5 d prior to parturition, cows were provided 1 kg daily or 3 kg every 3 d of a soybean hull-based supplement (CP = 34.0, % of DM) that contained 0 or 3 g/kg EHY. The daily supplement …

Farmers Market Education With Supplemental Voucher Improves Farmers Market Awareness In Elementary Children, Ali Papendick

All Master's Theses

Purpose:The purpose of this pilot intervention study was to provide farmers market (FM) education coupled with FM voucher to assess FM awareness, attendance, and voucher use. Methods:Kindergarten through 3^rdgrade students attending a summer school program participated in this three-week FM pilot intervention study. A pre/post intervention questionnaire was distributed to students to assess FM awareness and attendance. In addition, an $8 FM voucher was provided to children for purchases of fruit and vegetables at the local FM. The voucher was valid for two weeks and fruit and vegetable purchases were recorded each week. Results:This study …