Digital Commons Network^™

Online + International: Utilizing Theory To Maximize Intercultural Learning In Virtual Exchange Courses, Gudrun Nyunt, Elizabeth Niehaus, Ashley Light, Alex Boryca, Angela Bryan

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Virtual exchanges (VEs) are course-based experiences designed to promote global learning, often by integrating cross-cultural interactions and collaborations with people from other areas of the world into coursework in a virtual format. Due to the widespread disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, VEs have seen an increase in popularity. However, research findings on the effectiveness of VEs are mixed, and limited guidance is available to VE instructors on how to structure and facilitate these programs. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how theories and literature in two distinct areas of scholarship, Intergroup Contact theory and the Community of Inquiry …

Increased Liver Stiffness Promotes Hepatitis B Progression By Impairing Innate Immunity In Ccl4-Induced Fibrotic Hbv+ Transgenic Mice, Grace Bybee, Youra Moeun, Weimin Wang, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Larisa Y. Poluektova, Srivatsan Kidambi, Natalia A. Osna, Murali Ganesan

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection develops as an acute or chronic liver disease, which progresses from steatosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis to end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An increased stromal stiffness accompanies fibrosis in chronic liver diseases and is considered a strong predictor for disease progression. The goal of this study was to establish the mechanisms by which enhanced liver stiffness regulates HBV infectivity in the fibrotic liver tissue. Methods: For in vitro studies, HBV-transfected HepG2.2.15 cells were cultured on polydimethylsiloxane gels coated by polyelectrolyte multilayer films of 2 kPa (soft) or 24 kPa (stiff) …

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells And Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Have A Strong Synergy In Modulating Inflammation And Its Resolution, Li Han, Xinran Wu, Ou Wang, Xiao Luan, William Velander, Michael Aynardi, E. Scott Halstead, Anthony S. Bonavia, Rong Jin, Guohong Li, Yulong Li, Yong Wang, Cheng Dong, Yuguo Lei

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Trauma, surgery, and infection can cause severe inflammation. Both dysregulated inflammation intensity and duration can lead to significant tissue injuries, organ dysfunction, mortality, and morbidity. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids and immunosuppressants can dampen inflammation intensity, but they derail inflammation resolution, compromise normal immunity, and have significant adverse effects. The natural inflammation regulator mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have high therapeutic potential because of their unique capabilities to mitigate inflammation intensity, enhance normal immunity, and accelerate inflammation resolution and tissue healing. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that MSCs are safe and effective. However, they are not potent enough, alone, to …

Estimating The Genetic Parameters Of Yield-Related 1 Traits Under Different Nitrogen Conditions In Maize, Semra Palali Delen, Gen Xu, Jenifer Velazquez-Perfecto, Jinliang Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Understanding the genetic basis responding to nitrogen (N) fertilization in crop production is a long-standing research topic in plant breeding and genetics. Albeit years of continuous efforts, the genetic architecture parameters, such as heritability, polygenicity, and mode of selection, underlying the N responses in maize remain largely unclear. In this study, about n = 230 maize inbred lines were phenotyped under high N (HN) and low N (LN) conditions for two consecutive years to obtain six yield-related traits. Heritability analyses suggested that traits highly responsive to N treatments were less heritable. Using publicly available SNP genotypes, the genome-wide association study …

The Biggest Grower: A Youth Gardening Competition For Growing Specialty Crops And Urban Farmers, Stacy A. Adams, Terri James

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Youth today have tendencies for unhealthy lifestyles, being sedentary, consuming high fat diets low in fruits and vegetables, all contributing to child obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and precedence for life-long health concerns. For rural and economically disadvantaged urban households, poor diet is directly attributed to the inaccessibility of fresh produce, affordability and understanding of preparation of various specialty crops. Through a grant from the NE Specialty Crop Block Funding Program, The Biggest Grower Competition (BGC) was developed as a summer extension education program for youth in 8^th through 12^th grade. Project goals included; provide educational materials on …

Structural Basis Of Dna Binding By The Whib-Like Transcription Factor Whib3 In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Tao Wan, Magdaléna Horová, Vimmy Khetrapal, Shanren Li, Camden Jones, Andrew Schacht, Xinghui Sun, Limei Zhang

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) WhiB3 is an iron–sulfur cluster-containing transcription factor belonging to a subclass of the WhiB-Like (Wbl) family that is widely distributed in the phylum Actinobacteria. WhiB3 plays a crucial role in the survival and pathogenesis of Mtb. It binds to the conserved region 4 of the principal sigma factor (σ^A₄) in the RNA polymerase holoenzyme to regulate gene expression like other known Wbl proteins in Mtb. However, the structural basis of how WhiB3 coordinates with σ^A₄ to bind DNA and regulate transcription is unclear. Here we determined crystal structures …

Akkermansia Muciniphila And Its Membrane Protein Ameliorates Intestinal Inflammatory Stress And Promotes Epithelial Wound Healing Via Crebh And Mir‑143/145, Henry Wade, Kaichao Pan, Qihua Duan, Szczepan Kaluzny, Ekta Pandey, Linda Fatumoju, Viswanathan Saraswathi, Rongxue Wu, Edward N. Harris, Qiaozhu Su

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background The intestinal epithelial barrier is the interface for interaction between gut microbiota and host metabolic systems. Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is a key player in the colonic microbiota that resides in the mucus layer, whose abundance is selectively decreased in the faecal microbiota of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. This study aims to investigate the regulatory mechanism among A. muciniphila, a transcription factor cAMPresponsive element-binding protein H (CREBH), and microRNA-143/145 (miR-143/145) in intestinal inflammatory stress, gut barrier integrity and epithelial regeneration.

Methods A novel mouse model with increased colonization of A muciniphila in the intestine of CREBH knockout …

Conformal Electrodeposition Of Antimicrobial Hydrogels Formed By Self-Assembled Peptide Amphiphiles, Gervasio Zaldivar, Jiachen Feng, Leonardo Lizarraga, Yafan Yu, Luana De Campos, Kelly Mari Pires De Oliveira, Kurt Piepenbrink, Martin Conda-Sheridan, Mario Tagliazucchi

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The colonization of biomedical surfaces by bacterial biofilms is concerning because these microorganisms display higher antimicrobial resistance in biofilms than in liquid cultures. Developing antimicrobial coatings that can be easily applied to medically-relevant complex-shaped objects, such as implants and surgical instruments, is an important and challenging research direction. This work reports the preparation of antibacterial surfaces via the electrodeposition of a conformal hydrogel of self-assembling cationic peptide-amphiphiles (PAs). Hydrogels of three PAs are electrodeposited: C₁₆K₂, C₁₆K₃, and C₁₈K₂, where C_n is an alkyl chain of n methylene …

Advancements In Computational Modelling Of Biological Systems: Seventh Annual Sysmod Meeting, Bhanwar Lal Puniya, Andreas Dräger

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The Computational Modelling of Systems Biology (SysMod) Community of Special Interest (COSI) convenes annually at the Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference to facilitate knowledge dissemination and exchange of research findings on systems modelling from interdisciplinary domains. The SysMod meeting 2022 was held in a hybrid mode in Madison, Wisconsin, spanning a 1-day duration centred on modelling techniques, applications, and single-cell technology implementations. The meeting showcased innovative approaches to modelling biological systems using cell-specific and multiscale modelling, multiomics data integration, and novel tools to develop systems models using single-cell and multiomics technology. The meeting also recognized outstanding research by …

Complab V1.0: A Scalable Pore-Scale Model For Flow, Biogeochemistry, Microbial Metabolism, And Biofilm Dynamics, Heewon Jung, Hyun-Seob Song, Christof Meile

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Microbial activity and chemical reactions in porous media depend on the local conditions at the pore scale and can involve complex feedback with fluid flow and mass transport. We present a modeling framework that quantitatively accounts for the interactions between the bio(geo)chemical and physical processes and that can integrate genome-scale microbial metabolic information into a dynamically changing, spatially explicit representation of environmental conditions. The model couples a lattice Boltzmann implementation of Navier–Stokes (flow) and advection–diffusion-reaction (mass conservation) equations. Reaction formulations can include both kinetic rate expressions and flux balance analysis, thereby integrating reactive transport modeling and systems biology. We also …

Agricultural Machinery Operator Monitoring System (Ag-Oms): A Machine Learning Approach For Real-Time Operator Safety Assessment, Terence Irumva, Herve Mwunguzi, Santosh Pitla, Bethany Lowndes, Aaron Yoder, Ka-Chun Siu

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The 2015 CS-CASH (Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, 2015) Injury Surveillance Surveys showed that around 19% of injuries to agricultural producers are related to tractors or large agricultural machinery, yet only a limited number of studies are found that address tools and methods for monitoring safety behaviors of agricultural machinery operators in real-time. The current safety behavior monitoring approaches require an in-person presence, which can be both time- and cost-inefficient, and the other available methods lack a feedback element to alert operators in realtime. As a result, the research presented in this study aimed to develop an …

Crop Stress Sensing And Plant Phenotyping Systems: A Review, Geng Bai, Yufeng Ge

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Enhancing resource use efficiency in agricultural field management and breeding high-performance crop varieties are crucial approaches for securing crop yield and mitigating negative environmental impact of crop production. Crop stress sensing and plant phenotyping systems are integral to variable-rate (VR) field management and high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP), with both sharing similarities in hardware and data processing techniques. Crop stress sensing systems for VR field management have been studied for decades, aiming to establish more sustainable management practices. Concurrently, significant advancements in HTPP system development have provided a technological foundation for reducing conventional phenotyping costs. In this paper, we present a …

Goniometer In The Air: Enabling Brdf Measurement Of Crop Canopies Using A Cable-Suspended Plant Phenotyping Platform, Geng Bai, Yufeng Ge, Bryan Leavitt, John Gamon, David Scoby

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) quantifies the distribution of the spectral reflectance of a target surface at various viewing and illumination angles. In-field measurement of the BRDF of vegetation canopies improves the characterization of offnadir measurements and informs radiative transfer models of canopy reflectance, where the Lambertian assumption does not hold. However, current field goniometers are unable to measure BRDF efficiently, especially for tall vegetation across the growing season because of the limitations of clearance, field accessibility, and flexibility of the sensor field of view. In this study, we explored the potential of using a large-scale cable-suspended field phenotyping …

Osc-Co2: Coattention And Cosegmentation Framework For Plant State Change With Multiple Features, Rubi Quiñones, Ashok Samal, Sruti Das Choudhury, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Cosegmentation and coattention are extensions of traditional segmentation methods aimed at detecting a common object (or objects) in a group of images. Current cosegmentation and coattention methods are ineffective for objects, such as plants, that change their morphological state while being captured in different modalities and views. The Object State Change using Coattention-Cosegmentation (OSC-CO²) is an end-to-end unsupervised deep-learning framework that enhances traditional segmentation techniques, processing, analyzing, selecting, and combining suitable segmentation results that may contain most of our target object’s pixels, and then displaying a final segmented image. The framework leverages coattention-based convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and …

Estimating Battery Size Requirements For Tractor Electrification Of Row-Crop Planting Operations, Cheetown Liew, Andrew Donesky, Mark Freyhof, Ian Tempelmeyer, Santosh Kumar Pitla

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Power sources such as batteries, used for both on-road and off-road vehicles, are advancing at a rapid pace. Electric batteries are becoming more power dense, thus allowing them to be used as a power source to replace previous diesel or gasoline-powered systems. Efforts are underway to transition off-road agricultural vehicles from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs); however, the energy requirements of typical agricultural field operations need to be fully understood before such a transition can occur. Theoretical prediction equations available in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) standards or the use of engine …

Pathways Of Density Dependence And Natural Selection In Modern Humans, John Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Living things depend on a flow of energy and materials to grow, reproduce, and maintain their bodies. Populations are aggregations of individuals, so they too depend on resources. Humans use many fuels derived from the Earth’s photosynthetic energy, which in turn support a population that often occurs at unusually high densities for a mammal. Like most populations, growing human populations may experience negative feedbacks from population size unless the socio-economic system in which the population lives grows fast enough to maintain resource flows to individuals and to limit the downsides of high density. I map out a simple view of …

Longitudinal Variations In Antibody Responses Against Sars-Cov-2 Spike Epitopes Upon Serial Vaccinations, Dicle Yalcin, Sydney J. Bennett, Jared Sheehan, Amber J. Trauth, For Yue Tso, John T. West, Michael E. Hagensee, Alistair J. Ramsay, Charles Wood

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) impacted healthcare, the workforce, and worldwide socioeconomics. Multi-dose mono- or bivalent mRNA vaccine regimens have shown high efficacy in protection against SARSCoV- 2 and its emerging variants with varying degrees of efficacy. Amino acid changes, primarily in the receptor-binding domain (RBD), result in selection for viral infectivity, disease severity, and immune evasion. Therefore, many studies have centered around neutralizing antibodies that target the RBD and their generation achieved through infection or vaccination. Here, we conducted a unique longitudinal study, analyzing the effects of a three-dose mRNA vaccine …

Gene Regulatory Changes Underlie Developmental Plasticity In Respiration And Aerobic Performance In Highland Deer Mice, Rena M. Schweizer, Catherine M. Ivy, Chandrasekhar Natarajan, Graham R. Scott, Jay F. Storz, Zachary A. Cheviron

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Phenotypic plasticity can play an important role in the ability of animals to tolerate environmental stress, but the nature and magnitude of plastic responses are often specific to the developmental timing of exposure. Here, we examine changes in gene expression in the diaphragm of highland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in response to hypoxia exposure at different stages of development. In highland deer mice, developmental plasticity in diaphragm function may mediate changes in several respiratory traits that influence aerobic metabolism and performance under hypoxia. We generated RNAseq data from diaphragm tissue of adult deer mice exposed to (1) life-long …

Sensor Equipped Uas For Non-Contact Bridge Inspections: Field Application, Roya Nasimi, Fernando Moreu, G. Matthew Fricke

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

In the future, sensors mounted on uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) will play a critical role in increasing both the speed and safety of structural inspections. Environmental and safety concerns make structural inspections and maintenance challenging when conducted using traditional methods, especially for large structures. The methods developed and tested in the laboratory need to be tested in the field on real-size structures to identify their potential for full implementation. This paper presents results from a full-scale field implementation of a novel sensor equipped with UAS to measure non-contact transverse displacement from a pedestrian bridge. To this end, the authors modified …

Higher Concentrations Of Microplastics In Runoff From Biosolid-Amended Croplands Than Manure-Amended Croplands, Nasrin Naderi Beni, Shahab Karimifard, John Gilley, Tiffany Messer, Amy Schmidt, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land-applied municipal biosolids, produced from municipal wastewater treatment sludge, contributes to microplastics contamination in agroecosystems. The impacts of biosolids on microplastic concentrations in agricultural soil have been previously investigated, however, the potential for microplastics transport from biosolid-amended croplands has not been previously quantified. In this study, manure and biosolids were applied to field plots, runoff was collected following natural precipitation events and the potential of bacterial biofilm to grow on different microplastic morphologies was investigated. Higher concentrations of microplastics were detected in runoff from plots with land-applied biosolid in comparison with manure-amended and control plots. Fibers and fragments were the …

Histidine Enhances The Anticancer Effect Of Gemcitabine Against Pancreatic Cancer Via Disruption Of Amino Acid Homeostasis And Oxidant—Antioxidant Balance, Narendra Kumar, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Gopalakrishnan Natarajan, Alexandra Crook, Thiyagarajan Gopal, Vinothkumar Rajamanickam, Jyoti B. Kaushal, Sirpu N. Nagabhishek, Robert Powers, Surinder K. Batra, Viswanathan Saraswathi

Robert Powers Publications

Simple Summary: Amino acid metabolism is aberrantly altered in pancreatic cancer (PC). Evidence suggests that circulating histidine (His) levels are low in PC. However, the role of His in modulating the progression of PC remains unknown. We determined the role of His in altering the therapeutic effectiveness of gemcitabine (Gem) against PC. We provide evidence that the expression of histidine ammonia lyase (HAL), an enzyme involved in His catabolism, is greatly increased in mouse and human pancreatic tumors. We show that combining His with Gem led to enhanced cytotoxic effects against aggressive PC cell lines. Our metabolomics analysis revealed that …

Multiplatform Untargeted Metabolomics, Micah J. Jeppesen, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Metabolomics samples like human urine or serum contain upwards of a few thousand metabolites, but individual analytical techniques can only characterize a few hundred metabolites at best. The uncertainty in metabolite identification commonly encountered in untargeted metabolomics adds to this low coverage problem. A multiplatform (multiple analytical techniques) approach can improve upon the number of metabolites reliably detected and correctly assigned. This can be further improved by applying synergistic sample preparation along with the use of combinatorial or sequential non-destructive and destructive techniques. Similarly, peak detection and metabolite identification strategies that employ multiple probabilistic approaches have led to better annotation …

Germination And Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion Of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) In Exhibiting In Vitro Antioxidant Activity In Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells, Ashley Newton, Kaustav Majumder

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Plant-based proteins, in particular pulse proteins, have grown in popularity worldwide. Germination, or sprouting, is an effective method to release peptides and other dietary compounds. However, the combination of germination and gastrointestinal digestion in enhancing the release of dietary compounds with potential health-beneficial biological activity has yet to be entirely elucidated. The present study illustrates the impact of germination and gastrointestinal digestion on the release of dietary compounds with antioxidant activity from chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.). Germination up to 3 days (D0 to D3) increased the peptide content by denaturing chickpea storage proteins and increased the degree of hydrolysis …

Diagnosing Neurocysticercosis In Skeletonized Human Remains Of Forensic Importance, John O. Obafunwa, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Neurocysticercosis is endemic in many parts of the underdeveloped and developing countries, with continuous presence in developed countries due to the influx of migrants from regions where the diseases are endemic. Neuroimaging, anatomic pathological techniques, immunodiagnostic tests, clinical examination and epidemiologic considerations will easily provide the diagnosis. However, physicians in developed countries are perhaps progressively missing the diagnosis, and need to re-acquaint themselves with the condition and acquire a high suspicion index. The authors present a medicolegal case where the forensic team made a conclusion of neurocysticercosis (among other diagnoses), following post mortem examination of a largely skeletonized and mummified …

Exploring The Evolution Of Trypanosoma Cruzi And The Emergence Of Chagas Disease In The Context Of Environmental Change: Applying The Stockholm Paradigm To Archaeoparasitology, Part I, Aida Romera Barbera, Daniel R. Brooks, T. Michael Fink, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The Stockholm Paradigm is an evolutionary synthesis that explains the emergence of novel pathogens in the context of environmental disturbances. Considering the urgent climate change situation, anticipation stands as key to prevent and mitigate the effects that climate change can have in the emergence of pathogens. However, the success of preventive measures is hindered by a limited knowledge of the interplaying dynamics between biology, environment, and culture leading to emerging infectious diseases. For many decades, bioarchaeologists have been gathering data on past human-environment interactions, therefore contributing to the conversation. Archaeoparasitology, at the intersection between pathology, bioarchaeology, and biology, is uniquely …

Documenting The Presence Of Chagas Disease In Prehistoric North America: Applying The Stockholm Paradigm To Archaeoparasitology, Part Ii, Karl J. Reinhard, Daniel R. Brooks, Aida Romera Barbera, T. Michael Fink

Karl Reinhard Publications

The DAMA protocol (Document, Assess, Monitor, Act) is the applied aspect of the Stockholm Paradigm. Evidence from archaeology and history of medicine has a demonstrated value in documenting infection risk for specific study areas. Bioarchaeological remains and historical documents show vivid examples of pathology related to the Chagas disease life cycle. The science of archaeology defines the lifestyles that created risk of triatomine kissing bug infestations and trypanosome protozoa infections. Paleogenetics, in the form of molecular analyses of Trypanosoma cruzi, elucidate the temporal origins of genetic variants and adaptation to human environments. We illustrate how these fields reveal the risk …

Revisiting The Rainbow: Culturally Responsive Updates To A Standard Clinical Resource, Angela M. Dietsch, Richard Mocarski, Debra A. Hope, Nathan Woodruff, Miechelle Mckelvey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Cultural responsivity is essential for efficacious and affirming clinical relationships. This may be especially important with historically marginalized clients, such as transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people seeking behaviorally based affirming communication services. We recommend modifications to standard tools for diagnostics and training that otherwise might undermine our efforts to create an inclusive and affirming environment.

Method

Modifications to the Rainbow Passage, a standardized paragraph utilized for eliciting speech samples in clinical settings, focused on nongendered terminology and the elimination of content with religious connotations.

Results

The recommended edits to the Rainbow Passage maintain similar length, cadence, and phonetic balance …

Brain Activity Associated With Taste Stimulation: A Mechanism For Neuroplastic Change?, Angela M. Dietsch, Ross M. Westemeyer, Douglas H. Schultz

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Neuroplasticity may be enhanced by increasing brain activation and bloodflow in neural regions relevant to the target behavior.We administered precisely formulated and dosed taste stimuli to determine whether the associated brain activity patterns included areas that underlie swallowing control.

Methods: Five taste stimuli (unflavored, sour, sweet-sour, lemon, and orange suspensions) were administered in timing-regulated and temperature-controlled 3 mL doses via a customized pump/tubing system to 21 healthy adults during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whole-brain analyses of fMRI data assessed main effects of taste stimulation as well as differential effects of taste profile.

Results: Differences in …

Correlates Of Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Among U.S. College Students, Julia N. Soulakova, Lisa Crockett, Mary Schmidt-Owens, Eric W. Schrimshaw

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Hesitance toward COVID-19 vaccination has greatly decreased over the course of the pandemic in the U.S. However, some populations have lower vaccination rates than the general population. This study was conducted to identify correlates of being fully vaccinated (i.e., having received all doses required to be fully vaccinated) among college students using students’ responses to the 2022 Spring American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment. The surveys were administered in March of 2022. The sample (n=617) included 18-to-30-year-old students. Firth logistic regression models were performed that controlled for age, sex assigned at birth, and food security (at a 5% significance …

Site-Specific Analysis Of The Incidence Rate Of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli Infection Elucidates An Association With Childhood Stunting, Wasting, And Being Underweight: A Secondary Analysis Of The Mal-Ed Birth Cohort, Ahshanul Haque, Sabiha Nasrin, Parag Palit, Rina Das, Barbie Zaman Wahid, Amran Gazi, Mustafa Mahfuz, Abu Syed Golam Faruque, Tahmeed Ahmed

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Asymptomatic infection by fecal enteropathogens is a major contributor to childhood malnutrition. Here, we investigated the incidence rate of asymptomatic infection by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and assessed its association with childhood stunting, wasting, and being underweight among children under 2 years of age. The Malnutrition and Enteric Disease birth cohort study included 1,715 children who were followed from birth to 24 months of age from eight distinct geographic locations including Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Peru, Tanzania, Pakistan, Nepal, and South Africa. The TaqMan array card assay was used to determine the presence of ETEC in the nondiarrheal stool samples collected …