Life Sciences Commons^™

Pcb Disruption Of Gut And Host Health: Implications Of Prebiotic Nutritional Intervention, Jessie Baldwin Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Exposure to environmental pollutants poses numerous risk factors for human health, including increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been strongly linked to the development of these chronic inflammatory diseases and the primary route of exposure is through consumption of contaminated food products. Thus, the gastrointestinal tract is susceptible to the greatest levels of these pollutants and is an important facet to study.

The first two hypotheses of this dissertation tested that exposure to PCBs disrupts gut microbiota directly (in vitro) and within a whole body system. PCB exposure …

Towards A Healthier Chocolate Formula Which Is Rich In Polyphenols And Low In Fat, Lakmani Tharaka Galaniha

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Chocolate is a food that is craved by many in the world and healthy chocolates have become a current topic in the healthy eating trend. The healthiness of a chocolate depends mainly on the polyphenol, fat and sugar contents. Although the literature serves several interventions to reduce the fat content and total calorie content of chocolates, it does not provide many interventions that consider both improving the polyphenol and reducing the fat content simultaneously. Considering this gap in the literature, this research project sought to develop a chocolate that is both low in fat and high in polyphenol content, without …

Cultural Sensitivity In Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Programming In Kentucky, Anna Caroline Durr

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to learn how cultural sensitivity was integrated and perceived in community nutrition education of an existing program offered by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Program. Data collection consisted of a quantitative cultural competence assessment survey tool used with nutrition education paraprofessionals (n=74), qualitative in-depth interviews of nutrition education paraprofessionals (n=8) and focus groups of Hispanic/Latino nutrition education program participants (n=39). Findings were focused in three areas; the cultural sensitivity needs of the program, the perception of nutrition education by participants and the training and professional development needs of …

Vitamin D Works Through The Lipid Droplet Protein Plin2 To Augment Mitochondrial Function In Skeletal Muscle, David M. Schnell

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Vitamin D has been connected with increased intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. It is also shown to prevent lipotoxicity in several tissues, but this has not yet been examined in skeletal muscle. Perilipin 2 (PLIN2), a lipid droplet protein upregulated with vitamin D treatment, is integral to managing IMCL capacity and lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle. Increased lipid storage and oxidation is associated with increased tolerance to a hyperlipidic environment and resistance to lipotoxicity. Therefore, I hypothesized that vitamin D increases β-oxidation and lipid turnover though a PLIN2 mediated mechanism, thereby preventing lipotoxicity.

This hypothesis was divided …

The Impact Of Insulin Dysregulation On Protein Metabolism In Horses, Caroline Margot Marcelle Loos

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Insulin plays a vital role in whole-body metabolism and provides a major anabolic stimulus for cellular signaling pathways, including those involved in the metabolism of glucose and protein. Consequently, insulin dysregulation (ID) is known to alter molecular signal transduction in insulin-sensitive tissues such as skeletal muscle, thereby disrupting glucose metabolism and compromising protein synthetic capacity. Our first objective was to induce ID in healthy horses by administering dexamethasone (DEX), a potent glucocorticoid, for 21 days. We evaluated the effects on insulin-stimulated muscle protein signaling components involved in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. DEX-induced ID reduced insulin-stimulated activation of …

Applications In Utilization Of Forage Chemical Composition And Predicting Equine Digestibility, Veronica Taylor Bill

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Most forage quality models were developed for ruminant nutrition, and may not apply to the horse. This two-part study evaluated the relationship between forage chemical composition and dry matter digestibility (DMD) using an in vitro method with equine feces as the inoculums. The first experiment determined that compared to 48 h of incubation, 72 h of incubation resulted in higher DMD for some forages. As a result of experiment 1, incubations in experiment 2 were conducted using 48 and 72 h incubation periods at 38 degrees C. The second experiment evaluated the effect of chemical composition on DMD. Thirty-one hay …

The Prebiotic Inulin Beneficially Modulates The Gut-Brain Axis By Enhancing Metabolism In An Apoe4 Mouse Model, Jared D. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and a growing disease burden that has seen pharmacological interventions primarily fail. Instead, it has been suggested that preventative measures such as a healthy diet may be the best way in preventing AD. Prebiotics are one such potential measure and are fermented into metabolites by the gut microbiota and acting as gut-brain axis components, beneficially impact the brain. However, the impact of prebiotics in AD prevention is unknown. Here we show that the prebiotic inulin increased multiple gut-brain axis components such as scyllo-inositol and short chain fatty acids in the …