Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Anemia In Communities Served By Shoulder To Shoulder Global: A Cross-Sectional Study In Santo Domingo, Ecuador, Kevin J. Mercer, Daniela Claudia Moga, Steven Fleming, Cristian Carrión, Melody Ryan

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Background Shoulder to Shoulder Global (STSG) recognizes anemia as a cause of morbidity among patients in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Little research has been done to assess targetable anemia risk factors to serve as a foundation for future pharmacotherapeutic interventions. This study sought to characterize anemia in this population to lay the foundation for future preventive intervention.

Methods Cross-sectional data obtained from existing clinic records from 2010 to 2016 included hemoglobin/hematocrit, age, sex, pregnancy status, and respective community. Chi-square compared means to examine risk factors associated with anemia. Logistic regression and odds ratios (OR) were used to estimate risk factors associated …

Adipocyte-Derived Serum Amyloid A Promotes Angiotensin Ii–Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In Obese C57bl/6j Mice, Preetha Shridas, Ailing Ji, Andrea C. Trumbauer, Victoria P. Noffsinger, Steve W. Leung, Adam J. Dugan, Sean E. Thatcher, Lisa A. Cassis, Frederick C. De Beer, Nancy R. Webb, Lisa R. Tannock

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Obesity increases the risk for human abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and enhances Ang II (angiotensin II)-induced AAA formation in C57BL/6J mice. Obesity is also associated with increases in perivascular fat that expresses proinflammatory markers including SAA (serum amyloid A). We previously reported that deficiency of SAA significantly reduces Ang II-induced inflammation and AAA in hyperlipidemic apoE-deficient mice. In this study. we investigated whether adipose tissue-derived SAA plays a role in Ang II-induced AAA in obese C57BL/6J mice.

Methods: The development of AAA was compared between male C57BL/6J mice (wild type), C57BL/6J mice lacking SAA1.1, SAA2.1, and SAA3 …

P-Flux: A Phosphorus Budget Dataset Spanning Diverse Agricultural Production Systems In The United States And Canada, M. R. Williams, P. Welikhe, J. Bos, K. King, M. Akland, D. J. Augustine, C. Baffaut, E. G. Beck, A. Bierer, D. D. Bosch, Elizabeth H. Boughton, C. B. Brandani, E. Brooks, Anthony R. Buda, M. Cavigelli, J. Faulkner, G. Feyereisen, A. Fortunato, B. Lee, Jason M. Unrine

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Examining The Perspectives And Experiences Of Nutrition Educators Working With Clients In Substance Use Recovery Settings, Cora Teets, Paula Plonski, Omolola Adedokun, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most detrimental health, social, and economic problems in the United States. Limited studies suggest providing tailored nutrition education during SUD treatment correlates with positive recovery outcomes. The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program conducted two focus group sessions to explore and determine educators’ instructional and programmatic needs who deliver nutrition education to clients in substance use recovery throughout Kentucky. The study team identified four emerging themes and several subthemes related to Nutrition Education Program educators working with clientele in recovery. The four emerging themes included: (1) current experiences working with the audience, …

Unifying Multi-State Efforts Through A Nationally Coordinated Extension Diabetes Program, Laura Balis, Shari Gallup, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Julie Buck, Pam Daniels, Dan Remley, Lisa Graves, Margaret Jenkins, Gayle Price

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

The Cooperative Extension System translates research to practice and “brings the University to the people” throughout the U.S. However, the system suffers from program duplication and is challenged to scale-out effective programs. One program, Dining with Diabetes (DWD), stands out for its dissemination to multiple states. DWD is a community-based program aimed at improving diabetes management, nutrition, and physical activity behaviors. DWD was coordinated through a national working group and implemented by state Extension systems. A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the national coordination model and the overall impact of DWD. Four states reported data …

Forage News [2022-04], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Targeting Squalene Epoxidase Interrupts Homologous Recombination Via The Er Stress Response And Promotes Radiotherapy Efficacy, Zhipeng Hong, Tao Liu, Lingfeng Wan, Pengyan Fa, Pankaj Kumar, Yanan Cao, Chandra Bhushan Prasad, Zhaojun Qiu, Joseph Liu, Hongbing Wang, Zaibo Li, Qi-En Wang, Peixuan Guo, Deliang Guo, Ayse S. Yilmaz, Lanchun Lu, Ioanna Papandreou, Naduparambil K. Jacob, Chunhong Yan, Qing-Bai She

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Over 50% of all patients with cancer are treated with radiotherapy. However, radiotherapy is often insufficient as a monotherapy and requires a nontoxic radiosensitizer. Squalene epoxidase (SQLE) controls cholesterol biosynthesis by converting squalene to 2,3-oxidosqualene. Given that SQLE is frequently overexpressed in human cancer, this study investigated the importance of SQLE in breast cancer and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), two cancers often treated with radiotherapy. SQLE-positive IHC staining was observed in 68% of breast cancer and 56% of NSCLC specimens versus 15% and 25% in normal breast and lung tissue, respectively. Importantly, SQLE expression was an independent predictor of …

Tumor Suppressor Par-4 Regulates Complement Factor C3 And Obesity, Nathália Araujo, James Sledziona, Sunil K. Noothi, Ravshan Burikhanov, Nikhil Hebbar, Saptadwipa Ganguly, Tripti Shrestha-Bhattarai, Beibei Zhu, Wendy S. Katz, Yi Zhang, Barry S. Taylor, Jinze Liu, Li Chen, Heidi L. Weiss, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Andrew J. Morris, Lisa A. Cassis, Mariana N. Nikolova‑Karakashian, Prabhakara R. Nagareddy, Olle Melander, B. Mark Evers, Phillip A. Kern, Vivek M. Rangnekar

Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Publications

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) is a tumor suppressor that induces apoptosis in cancer cells. However, the physiological function of Par-4 remains unknown. Here we show that conventional Par-4 knockout (Par-4^-/-) mice and adipocyte-specific Par-4 knockout (AKO) mice, but not hepatocyte-specific Par-4 knockout mice, are obese with standard chow diet. Par-4^-/- and AKO mice exhibit increased absorption and storage of fat in adipocytes. Mechanistically, Par-4 loss is associated with mdm2 downregulation and activation of p53. We identified complement factor c3 as a p53-regulated gene linked to fat storage in adipocytes. Par-4 re-expression in adipocytes or c3 deletion reversed …

Ruminant Livestock Production Systems And Imperatives For Sustainable Development, J. W. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Nutritional Sensitivity Per Morphological Component In Urochloa Hybrid Under Tropical Environments, Bernal-Flores Alvaro, E. A. Pizarro, Adrián R. Quero-Carrillo, Paulino Pérez-Rodríguez, Ramon Rodolfo Ruíz, Thiago Da Cruz Madeira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Camello^® (GP 3025) is a tolerant to drought Urochloa hybrid grass showing good forage production, early flowering with high regrowth rates. The objective was to define nutrient concentration changes by morphological component and, their differences for two tropical contrasting environments. Nutrient concentrations differences (P≤0.05) were observed among morphological components over time. In environments (Aw₁) the morphological components showed higher average protein content in comparison to that from hostile conditions (Aw₀); lamina (12.2% vs 10.4%), pseudostem (9.5% vs 6.6%) and sheath (9.8% vs 6.8%). Hostile environments (Aw0) promoted increases for FAD (47.9%, 46.9%, pseudostem …

Understanding Common Perceptions Of The Drylands, C. Bedelian, D. Pertaub, F. Ngarachu, C. Hesse, S. Krätli, J. Obando, C. Shisanya, J. Maraigua

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Drylands occupy over 40% of the earth’s surface and are home to more than 2 billion people. Drylands are key to the food and nutritional security of the planet and vital to the economies and livelihoods of dryland inhabitants. Yet, drylands are commonly perceived as unproductive, economically inefficient and marginal lands where small-scale farmers and pastoralists practice environmentally degrading activities. Driven by inadequate understanding and misconceptions of the drylands, policy-makers devise inappropriate policies and interventions. The BRECcIA project developed an online Drylands Perceptions Survey to understand the perceptions of researchers, practitioners and policy makers working in the drylands of Kenya, …

Methane And Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Grazed Grasslands, Harry Clark, C. Pinares-Patiño, C. De Klein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from grasslands make a substantial contribution to total agricultural emissions of these two gases.

2. At present practical mitigation options that relate to grazing ruminants and grazed pastures are limited.

3. Research into agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is of low priority in most developed countries.

4. Direct manipulation of the rumen ecosystem provides the best opportunity for large reductions in CH₄ in the long term.

5. Reducing the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted by grazing animals is a priority in N₂O research, …

Global Atmospheric Change And Its Effect On Managed Grassland Systems, Andreas Lüscher, J. Fuhrer, P. C. D. Newton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and a trend to warmer mean temperatures are the most reliable aspects of global atmospheric change. Projections of the extent of climate change and the frequency of extreme weather conditions remain uncertain.

2. Research has considerably reduced the uncertainty about effects of global atmospheric change on physiology of plants, productivity and species composition of plant communities.

3. Other factors (e.g. nutrient availability, soil type) and long-term adaptation of the ecosystem (e.g. nutrient cycling and sequestration) influence the response of plant communities to global atmospheric change. Generalisation is not possible with respect to the …

Water Resources, Agriculture And Pasture: Implications Of Growing Demand And Increasing Scarcity, M. W. Rosegrant, R. A. Valmonte-Santos, S. A. Cline, C. Ringler, W. Li

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Water availability for irrigation is threatened in many regions by rapidly increasing demand for nonagricultural water uses in industry, households, and the environment. The scarcity of irrigation water will not only impact crop production, but also meat production, as much of the pasture used to feed livestock is irrigated.

2. Grassland is caught between two countervailing forces: a requirement for increasing meat demand that boosts the need for additional pasture to support livestock production, and rapidly increasing water scarcity that makes pasture irrigation uneconomical.

3. The most effective means of dealing with water scarcity is likely to …

Gingival Transcriptome Of Innate Antimicrobial Factors And The Oral Microbiome With Aging And Periodontitis, Jeffrey L. Ebersole, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Linh Nguyen, Octavio A. Gonzalez

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

The epithelial barrier at mucosal sites comprises an important mechanical protective feature of innate immunity, and is intimately involved in communicating signals of infection/tissue damage to inflammatory and immune cells in these local environments. A wide array of antimicrobial factors (AMF) exist at mucosal sites and in secretions that contribute to this innate immunity. A non-human primate model of ligature-induced periodontitis was used to explore characteristics of the antimicrobial factor transcriptome (n = 114 genes) of gingival biopsies in health, initiation and progression of periodontal lesions, and in samples with clinical resolution. Age effects and relationship of AMF to …

Adoption Of Tropical Legume Technology Around The World: Analysis Of Success, H. M. Shelton, S. Franzel, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Examples of successful adoption of forage legumes are reported from all continents, where they delivered profitability and often provided multipurpose benefits to farmers.

2. Factors vital to successful adoption were: meeting the needs of farmers; building relevant partnerships; understanding the socio-economic context and skills of farmers; participatory involvement with rural communities; and long-term involvement of champions.

3. Organisation of seed supply, achieving scale-up and forming partnerships to implement adoption are key features.

4. Legumes remain an important but under-exploited resource for tropical farming systems. The alternative to legumes will be greater and more costly use of N-fertilisers …

Grasses As Biofactories: Scoping Out The Opportunities, Nick Roberts, K. Richardson, G. Bryan, C. Voisey, W. Mcnabb, T. Conner, M. Christey, R. Johnson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Plant biopharming is set to dominate commercial recombinant protein expression for specific proteins.

2. The choice of plant species depends on a multitude of factors and is determined on a caseby- case basis.

3. As a leaf based expression system grasses would have to compete predominantly with tobacco and alfalfa.

4. The grass-endophyte symbiosis offers a number of unique possibilities for biopharming.

Evolution Of Integrated Crop-Livestock Production Systems, Martin H. Entz, William D. Bellotti, J. M. Powell, S. V. Angadi, W. Chen, K. H. Ominski, B. Boelt

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Many factors contribute to changes in the crop-livestock systems, but no logical end-point in the evolution process exists.

2. While benefits of integrated crop-livestock systems over specialised crop and livestock systems are well documented, there has been a move to specialised crop and livestock production.

3. Sustainability issues (manure nutrient concentration, soil quality maintenance, salinity, herbicide resistance, economic instability) have created a renewed interest in integrated crop-livestock systems.

4. Farmer adaptability is as an important link in the evolution between ‘states of integration’.

Overcoming Seasonality Of Production: Opportunities Offered By Forage Conservation Technologies, P. O'Kiely, A. G. Kaiser

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Seasonality of forage supply is a key contributor to the seasonality of meat and milk production.

2. Conserving forages as silage or hay can help reduce the seasonality of feed supply.

3. Forage conservation technologies make this contribution mainly through increases in the yield or quality of suitable crops, through an improved efficiency of the conservation process or by allowing a reduction in costs.

4. Future research needs differ considerably among regions of the world.

Strategies To Mitigate Seasonality Of Production In Grassland-Based Systems, Claudio Porqueddu, S. Maltoni, John G. Mcivor

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Fertilisation use and manipulation can cost-effectively alter species composition, increase seasonal herbage production and improve herbage quality.

2. Choice of suitable grassland species, varieties and mixtures offers opportunity to mitigate limitations of seasonal grassland production.

3. Special purpose fodder crops, cereals, shrubs and trees offer alternative or supplementary feed sources.

4. Manipulation of stocking rates, grazing systems, transhumance and pasture management at various times of the season are significant advantageous options.

5. Integration of different strategies is essential to mitigate seasonality in systems of animal production that must be inherently more sustainable over a longer time frame.

Interactions Between Foraging Behaviour Of Herbivores And Grassland Resources In The Eastern Eurasian Steppes, Deli Wang, Guodong Han, Yuguang Bai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. In rangeland areas such as the eastern Eurasian steppes (Mongolia and China), foraging behaviour is influenced by plant or vegetation properties with high heterogeneity.

2. Until recently foraging theory has not accounted for the foraging process or ingestive behaviour. Existing theories on foraging behaviour need to evolve and begin to coalesce, and combine with observations or manipulative experiments.

3. Plant and patch properties such as diversity and height influence animal foraging behaviour (related to foraging process or diet selection) in heterogeneous steppes.

4. Stocking rate is the most important management factor for grazing or vegetation management, and …

Foraging Behaviour And Herbage Intake In The Favourable Tropics/Subtropics, S. C. Da Silva, Paulo C. De F. Carvalho

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Herbage intake by animals grazing tropical/sub-tropical pastures is directly related to bite mass, as it is for those grazing temperate pastures.

2. Where these swards have low proportions of stem and dead material (controlled swards), herbage intake follows a similar pattern to that of temperate pasture species, but leaf characteristics, such as lamina length play an important role and influence the short-term rate of intake.

3. Sward structural characteristics and behavioural factors are relatively more important than nutritional factors in terms of herbage intake regulation. The feeding value of the herbage produced is potentially adequate to sustain …

Grass And Forage Plant Improvement In The Tropics And Sub-Tropics, Liana Jank, Cacilda B. Do Valle, Rosangela M. S. Resende

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. The majority of tropical and subtropical forage grass genera and/or species have not yet been collected, or need further collection to be representative of their natural distribution.

2. New biotechnological techniques will only result in the release of superior forage cultivars if supported by strong breeding programs.

3. More funding and investment in the formation of strong public research teams in forage conservation and improvement are needed to guarantee the sustainability of tropical and subtropical pasture-based livestock systems in the future.

4. The creation of a permanent international working group on tropical and subtropical forages is essential …

Grass And Forage Improvement: Temperate Forages, Chris J. Pollock, M. T. Abberton, M. O. Humphreys

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Plant breeding has contributed significantly to the development of effective grassland production systems.

2. New technologies offer enhanced precision in breeding and access to wider genetic variation.

3. The requirement for more sustainable production systems will require genetic improvements in complex traits where the use of new technology will be vital.

Improving The Quality Of Products From Grassland, Nigel D. Scollan, R. J. Dewhurst, A. P. Moloney, J. J. Murphy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Consumers are increasingly aware of the links between diet and health, and place increasing emphasis on nutritional quality as a component of product quality.

2. Meat and milk products are rich sources of nutrients such as omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, which offer health benefits to consumers.

3. Green plants are the primary source of n-3 fatty acids in the food chain.

4. Grassland production systems have the potential to enhance the content of beneficial fatty acids, improve stability (from higher antioxidant content) and alter sensory attributes of meat and milk.

5. Grassland offers …

Rising Demand For Meat And Milk In Developing Countries: Implications For Grasslands-Based Livestock Production, C. L. Delgado

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Meat and milk consumption in developing countries has grown three times as fast as in developed countries over the past 30 years.

2. By 2020, developing countries will consume 72 million metric tons (mmt) more meat and 152 mmt more milk compared to 2002/3, dwarfing developed-country increases of 9 mmt for meat and 18 mmt for milk.

3. Ruminant livestock will account for 27% of the increase in global meat consumption between 2003 and 2020, up from 23% over the previous two decades.

4. The inflation-adjusted prices of livestock and feed grains are expected to fall only …

Grassland In Ireland And The Uk, Myles Rath, S. Peel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grassland is the dominant land use option in Ireland and the UK, and is characterised by a long growing season.

2. Dynamic, interactive systems of grassland management have been developed which combine high grass dry matter intakes with good sward quality. In the better grassland areas milk yields in excess of 7000 kg/cow are attainable with low levels of concentrate supplementation.

3. In the times to come, measures to protect the environment will constrain stocking rates, and fertiliser and manure use on intensive grassland enterprises.

4. A high proportion of beef and sheep farms participate in voluntary, …

Central Vs. Peripheral Vision During A Singe-Leg Drop Jump: Implications Of Dynamics And Patellofemoral Joint Stress, Junyoung Ko, Kyeongtak Song, Hoon Kim, Sae Yong Lee, Jihong Park

Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition Faculty Publications

Landing on a single-leg without receiving direct visual information (e.g., not looking at the ground) may increase the risk of injury. We examined whether visual focus contributed to the changing lower-extremity dynamics and patellofemoral joint stress during a single-leg drop jump task. Twenty healthy volunteers visited the laboratory for three separate sessions. During each session, participants randomly performed either of two types of a single-leg drop jump task from a 30 cm high wooden box. Subsequently, participants looked at the landing spot (central vision condition) or kept their heads up (peripheral vision condition) when performing the task. Sagittal and frontal …

Screening And Breeding For Bermudagrass Stem Maggot (Bsm) Resistance Using U.S. Bermudagrass Germplasm, W. F. Anderson, D. Hancock, L. Baxter, W. Hudson, Esteban F. Rios

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) is an important perennial forage grass grown in many parts of the world. Bermudagrass Stem Maggot (BSM) (Atherigona reversura Villeneuve) is an insect pest that reduces forage yield and nutritive value if it is not controlled. The pest, native to SE Asia, was first documented in North America in 2009 and is now considered invasive. A collection of over 300 forage bermudagrass accessions was evaluated in the field for susceptibility to BSM in 2014 and 2015. Tolerant lines and susceptible checks were then evaluated for yield loss due to BSM in a replicated field study …

Body Condition Score Change Throughout Lactation Utilizing An Automated Bcs System: A Descriptive Study, Carissa M. Truman, Magnus R. Campler, Joao H. C. Costa

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a traditional visual technique often using a five-point scale to non-invasively assess fat reserves in cattle. However, recent studies have highlighted the potential in automating body condition scoring using imaging technology. Therefore, the objective was to implement a commercially available automated body condition scoring (ABCS) camera system to collect data for developing a predictive equation of body condition dynamics throughout the lactation period. Holstein cows (n = 2343, parity = 2.1 ± 1.1, calving BCS = 3.42 ± 0.24), up to 300 days in milk (DIM), were scored daily using two ABCS cameras mounted …