Life Sciences Commons^™

An Examination Of Depression, Anxiety, And Self-Esteem In Collegiate Student-Athletes, Samantha R. Weber, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Eva V. Monsma, Shawn M. Arent, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Mental health research exists for student-athletes in the areas of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem prevalence. However, updated prevalence rates and assessment of risks across sports, academic status, and genders are needed. Filling the gaps in research assists in the creation of patient-centered mental health screening and interventions designed for student-athletes. Therefore, the purpose is to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem in collegiate student-athletes and differences between sex, academic status, and sport type, and identify associations for risks. Using a cross-sectional design, collegiate student-athletes were surveyed to assess for risks of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. With the use …

Investigation Of Eating Disorder Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Female Competitive Cheerleaders, Allison B. Smith, Jennifer L. Gay, Eva V. Monsma, Shawn M. Arent, Mark A. Sarzynski, Dawn M. Emerson, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Social agents associated with cheerleading environments are increasingly linked to body image dissatisfaction (BID) and eating disorders (ED). This study examined ED risk across team type, squad type, and position. An additional purpose determined BID in clothing type (daily clothing, midriff uniform, and full uniform), and meta-perceptions from the perspective of peers (MP peers), parents (MP parents), and coaches (MP coaches). Female cheerleaders ( = 268) completed an online survey which included demographics, the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and pathogenic behavior questions. Body image perceptions were assessed by using the Sex-Specific Figural Stimuli Silhouettes. Overall, 34.4% of cheerleaders ( = 268; …

Hydration, Eating Attitudes And Behaviors In Age And Weight-Restricted Youth American Football Players, Susan Yeargin, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee, Dawn Emerson, Jessica Koller, John Dickinson

Faculty Publications

There is a paucity of research examining hydration and nutrition behaviors in youth American football players. A potentially unique risk factor are league restrictions based on weight (WR) or age (AR). The purpose of this study was to examine hydration status between WR and AR leagues. The secondary purpose was to describe eating patterns in players. An observational cohort design with 63 youth football players (10 ± 1 yrs, 148.2 ± 9.4 cm, 44.9 ± 15.3 kg) was utilized. Independent variables were league (AR ( = 36); WR ( = 27)) and activity type (practice (PX = 8); game (GM …

Exertional Heat Illness Risk Factors And Physiological Responses Of Youth Football Players, Susan W. Yeargin, John J. Dickinson, Dawn M. Emerson, Jessica Koller, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee, Zachary Y. Kerr

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine which intrinsic and extrinsic exertional heat illness (EHI) risk factors exist in youth American football players and observe perceptual and physiological responses of players during events (games and practices). METHODS: Cross-sectional cohort study observing 63 youth football players, varying in position. Independent variables were league (weight-restricted (WR, n = 27) and age-restricted (AR, n = 36)) and event type. Dependent variables were anthropometrics, work-to-rest ratio, and wet bulb globe temperature. Descriptive variables included preparticipation examination and uniform configuration. A subset of 16 players participated in physiological variables (heart rate and gastrointestinal temperature). Data collection occurred on 7 …

Prevalence Of Eating Disorder Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Rotc Cadets, Allison Smith, Dawn Emerson, Zachary Winkelmann, Devin Potter, Toni Torres-Mcgehee

Faculty Publications

Injury risk is multifactorial including non-modifiable and modifiable factors such as nutrition and mental health. The purpose of this study was to estimate eating disorder risk and body image (BI) dissatisfaction among Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. A total of 102 (male: = 75, female: = 27; age: 20 ± 2 years) ROTC cadets self-reported height, current and ideal weight, and completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and self-perceived BI current and perceived sex-specific figural stimuli. The overall eating disorder risk for ROTC cadets was 32.4%. No significant differences were found when comparing sex, ethnicity, or military branch. Overall …

Gut Dna Virome Diversity And Its Association With Host Bacteria Regulate Inflammatory Phenotype And Neuronal Immunotoxicity In Experimental Gulf War Illness, Ratanesh K. Seth, Rabia Maqsood, Ayan Mondal, Dipro Bose, Diana Kimono, Larinda A. Holland, Patricia Janulewicz Lloyd, Nancy Klimas, Ronnie Horner, Kimberly Sullivan, Efrem S. Lim, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Gulf War illness (GWI) is characterized by the persistence of inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue, neuroinflammation, headache, cognitive impairment, and other medically unexplained conditions. Results using a murine model show that enteric viral populations especially bacteriophages were altered in GWI. The increased viral richness and alpha diversity correlated positively with gut bacterial dysbiosis and proinflammatory cytokines. Altered virome signature in GWI mice also had a concomitant weakening of intestinal epithelial tight junctions with a significant increase in Claudin-2 protein expression and decrease in ZO1 and Occludin mRNA expression. The altered virome signature in GWI, decreased tight junction protein level was …

The Gut-Microbiome In Gulf War Veterans: A Preliminary Report, Patricia A. Janulewicz, Ratanesh K. Seth, Jeffrey M. Carlson, Joy Ajama, Emily Quinn, Timothy Heeren, Nancy Klimas, Steven M. Lasley, Ronnie Horner, Kimberly Sullivan, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom disorder affecting the central nervous system (CNS), immune and gastrointestinal (GI) systems of Gulf War veterans (GWV). We assessed the relationships between GWI, GI symptoms, gut microbiome and inflammatory markers in GWV from the Boston Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC). Three groups of GWIC veterans were recruited in this pilot study; GWV without GWI and no gastrointestinal symptoms (controls), GWV with GWI and no gastrointestinal symptoms (GWI-GI), GWV with GWI who reported gastrointestinal symptoms (GW+GI). Here we report on a subset of the first thirteen stool samples analyzed. Results showed significantly different …

Environmental Microcystin Targets The Microbiome And Increases The Risk Of Intestinal Inflammatory Pathology Via Nox2 In Underlying Murine Model Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Sutapa Sarkar, Diana Kimono, Muayad Albadrani, Ratanesh K. Seth, Philip Busbee, Hasan Alghetaa, Dwayne E. Porter, Geoff I. Scott, Bryan Brooks, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

With increased climate change pressures likely to influence harmful algal blooms, exposure to microcystin, a known hepatotoxin and a byproduct of cyanobacterial blooms can be a risk factor for NAFLD associated comorbidities. Using both in vivo and in vitro experiments we show that microcystin exposure in NAFLD mice cause rapid alteration of gut microbiome, rise in bacterial genus known for mediating gut inflammation and lactate production. Changes in the microbiome were strongly associated with inflammatory pathology in the intestine, gut leaching, tight junction protein alterations and increased oxidative tyrosyl radicals. Increased lactate producing bacteria from the altered microbiome was associated …

Blockade Of Cb1 Cannabinoid Receptor Alters Gut Microbiota And Attenuates Inflammation And Diet-Induced Obesity, Pegah Mehrpouya-Bahrami, Kumaraswamy Naidu Chitrala, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Chuanbing Tang, E Angela Murphy, Reilly Enos, Kandy T. Velazquez, Jamie Mccellan, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti

Faculty Publications

Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade, systemic inflammation, altered gut microbiota, and gut barrier disruption. Additionally, obesity is associated with increased activity of endocannabinoid system (eCB). However, the clear connection between gut microbiota and the eCB system in the regulation of energy homeostasis and adipose tissue inflammation and metabolism, remains to be established. We investigated the effect of treatment of mice with a cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonist on Diet-Induced Obesity (DIO), specifically whether such a treatment that blocks endocannabinoid activity can induce changes in gut microbiota and anti-inflammatory state in adipose tissue. Blockade of CB1 attenuated DIO, inflammatory cytokines …

Hmgb1-Rage Pathway Drives Peroxynitrite Signaling-Induced Ibd-Like Inflammation In Murine Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Varun Chandrashekaran, Ratanesh K. Seth, Diptadip Dattaroy, Firas Alhasson, Jacek Ziolenka, James Carson, Franklin G. Berger, Balaraman Kalyanaraman, Anna Mae Diehl, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Recent clinical studies found a strong association of colonic inflammation and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-like phenotype with NonAlcoholic Fatty liver Disease (NAFLD) yet the mechanisms remain unknown. The present study identifies high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) as a key mediator of intestinal inflammation in NAFLD and outlines a detailed redox signaling mechanism for such a pathway. NAFLD mice showed liver damage and release of elevated HMGB1 in systemic circulation and increased intestinal tyrosine nitration that was dependent on NADPH oxidase. Intestines from NAFLD mice showed higher Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation and proinflammatory cytokine release, an outcome strongly …

Altered Gut Microbiome In A Mouse Model Of Gulf War Illness Causes Neuroinflammation And Intestinal Injury Via Leaky Gut And Tlr4 Activation, Firas Alhasson, Suvarthi Das, Ratanesh K. Seth, Diptadip Dattaroy, Varun Chandrashekaran, Caitlin N. Ryan, Luisa S. Chan, Traci Testerman, James Burch, Lorne J. Hofseth, Ronnie Horner, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Stephen M. Lasley, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Many of the symptoms of Gulf War Illness (GWI) that include neurological abnormalities, neuroinflammation, chronic fatigue and gastrointestinal disturbances have been traced to Gulf War chemical exposure. Though the association and subsequent evidences are strong, the mechanisms that connect exposure to intestinal and neurological abnormalities remain unclear. Using an established rodent model of Gulf War Illness, we show that chemical exposure caused significant dysbiosis in the gut that included increased abundance of phylum Firmicutes and Tenericutes, and decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes. Several gram negative bacterial genera were enriched in the GWI-model that included Allobaculum sp. Altered microbiome caused significant decrease …

Individual Fluid Plans Versus Ad Libitum On Hydration Status In Minor Professional Ice Hockey Players, Dawn M. Emerson, Toni Torres-Mcgehee, Charles C. Emerson, Teri L. Lasalle

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite exercising in cool environments, ice hockey players exhibit several dehydration risk factors. Individualized fluid plans (IFPs) are designed to mitigate dehydration by matching an individual's sweat loss in order to optimize physiological systems and performance. METHODS: A randomized control trial was used to examine IFP versus ad libitum fluid ingestion on hydration in 11 male minor professional ice hockey players (mean age = 24.4 ± 2.6 years, height = 183.0 ± 4.6 cm, weight = 92.9 ± 7.8 kg). Following baseline measures over 2 practices, participants were randomly assigned to either control (CON) or intervention (INT) for 10 …

Identification Of An Association Of Tnfaip3 Polymorphisms With Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression In Fibroblasts In An Integrative Study Of Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Genetic And Environmental Factors.*, Peng Wei, Yang Yang, Xinjian Guo, Nainan Hei, Syeling Lai, Shervin Assassi, Mengyuan Liu, Filemon Tan, Xiaodong Zhou

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fibrotic disease attributed to both genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. This study was undertaken to investigate the associations between SSc-associated genetic variants and the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes in human fibroblasts stimulated with silica particles in time-course and dose-response experiments.

METHODS: A total of 200 fibroblast strains were examined for ECM gene expression after stimulation with silica particles. The fibroblasts were genetically profiled using Immunochip assays and then subjected to whole-genome genotype imputation. Associations of genotypes and gene expression were first analyzed in a Caucasian cohort and then validated in a meta-analysis …

Identification Of A Novel Gene On 10q22.1 Causing Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (Adrp)., Stephen P Daiger, Lori S Sullivan, Sara J Bowne, Daniel C Koboldt, Susan H Blanton, Dianna K Wheaton, Cheryl E Avery, Elizabeth D Cadena, Robert K Koenekoop, Robert S Fulton, Richard K Wilson, George M Weinstock, Richard A Lewis, David G Birch

Faculty Publications

Whole-genome linkage mapping identified a region on chromosome 10q21.3-q22.1 with a maximum LOD score of 3.0 at 0 % recombination in a six-generation family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). All known adRP genes and X-linked RP genes were excluded in the family by a combination of methods. Whole-exome next-generation sequencing revealed a missense mutation in hexokinase 1, HK1 c.2539G > A, p.Glu847Lys, tracking with disease in all affected family members. One severely-affected male is homozygous for this region by linkage analysis and has two copies of the mutation. No other potential mutations were detected in the linkage region nor were …

Large-Scale Identification Of Chemically Induced Mutations In Drosophila Melanogaster., Nele A Haelterman, Lichun Jiang, Yumei Li, Vafa Bayat, Hector Sandoval, Berrak Ugur, Kai Li Tan, Ke Zhang, Danqing Bei, Bo Xiong, Wu-Lin Charng, Theodore Busby, Adeel Jawaid, Gabriela David, Manish Jaiswal, Koen J T Venken, Shinya Yamamoto, Rui Chen, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty Publications

Forward genetic screens using chemical mutagens have been successful in defining the function of thousands of genes in eukaryotic model organisms. The main drawback of this strategy is the time-consuming identification of the molecular lesions causative of the phenotypes of interest. With whole-genome sequencing (WGS), it is now possible to sequence hundreds of strains, but determining which mutations are causative among thousands of polymorphisms remains challenging. We have sequenced 394 mutant strains, generated in a chemical mutagenesis screen, for essential genes on the Drosophila X chromosome and describe strategies to reduce the number of candidate mutations from an average of …

Emotional Climate, Feeding Practices, And Feeding Styles: An Observational Analysis Of The Dinner Meal In Head Start Families, Sheryl O Hughes, Thomas G Power, Maria A Papaioannou, Matthew B Cross, Theresa A Nicklas, Sharon K Hall, Richard M Shewchuk

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A number of studies conducted with ethnically diverse, low-income samples have found that parents with indulgent feeding styles had children with a higher weight status. Indulgent parents are those who are responsive to their child's emotional states but have problems setting appropriate boundaries with their child. Because the processes through which styles impact child weight are poorly understood, the aim of this study was to observe differences in the emotional climate created by parents (including affect, tone of voice, and gestures) and behavioral feeding practices among those reporting different feeding styles on the Caregiver's Feeding Styles Questionnaire. A secondary …