Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamic Changes In Death Cues Modulate Risks And Rewards Of Corpse Management In A Social Insect, Qian Sun, Kenneth F. Haynes, Xuguo Zhou

Faculty Publications

In social insects, the efficiency of exploitation of resources and colony defence are mediated by chemical communication. In colonies dependent on nutritionally limited resources, corpses represent both a food resource and a risk of pathogens. Because this risk vs. reward changes with time after death, behavioural plasticity in the response to corpses would be advantageous. How social insects regulate this trade-off remains unknown. We conducted quantitative behavioural bioassay and chemical analysis to study corpse management in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. We hypothesized that R. flavipes responds differently towards corpses with prolonged post-mortem time, and this behavioural plasticity is …

"We Need Help In The Delta": Barriers To Health Promotion Among Older African-American Men In The Mississippi Delta, Sherry C. Wang, Lashaundrea Crook, Carol Connell, Kathleen Yadrick

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to better understand the barriers to health promotion among African American older men living in the rural Mississippi Delta. A qualitative, intrinsic case study approach was used to explore the phenomenon of health and the barriers to promoting men’s health within the unique context of the Delta. Data included one key informant interview and two focus group interviews with 14 men, with the majority between the ages of 41 and 55 years. Focus group participants were lay community members as well as members of a volunteer community health advisors men’s group. Findings underscore the …

Changes In Underlying Determinants Explain Rapid Increases In Child Linear Growth In Alive & Thrive Study Areas Between 2010 And 2014 In Bangladesh And Vietnam, Phuong Hong Nguyen, Derek Headey, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Lan Mai Tran, Rahul Rawat, Marie T. Ruel, Purnima Menon

Faculty Publications

Background: Child linear growth sometimes improves in both intervention and comparison groups in evaluations of nutrition interventions, possibly because of spillover intervention effects to nonintervention areas or improvements in underlying determinants of nutritional change in both areas.

Objective: We aimed to understand what changes in underlying socioeconomic characteristics and behavioral factors are important in explaining improvements in child linear growth.

Methods: Baseline (2010) and endline (2014) surveys from the Alive & Thrive impact evaluation were used to identify the underlying determinants of height-for-age z scores (HAZs) among children aged 24–48 mo in Bangladesh (n = 4311) and 24–59 mo …

Risk Factors For Chronic Diseases And Multimorbidity In A Primary Care Context Of Central Argentina: A Web-Based Interactive And Cross-Sectional Study, David E.V. Olivares, Frank R.V. Chambi, Evelyn M.M. Chañi, Winston J. Craig, Sandaly O.S. Pacheco, Fabio J. Pacheco

Faculty Publications

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Global health agencies estimate an increase of chronic diseases in South America. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated chronic diseases and their risk factors in the perspective of multimorbidity. This research aimed to identify these aspects in a primary health care setting of central Argentina. The Pan America version of the STEP wise approach surveillance (STEPS) instrument of the World Health Organization was applied to 1044 participants, 365 men and 679 women, with a mean age of 43 years. High prevalence of overweight (33.5%), obesity (35.2%), central obesity (54%), dyslipidemia (43.5%), metabolic …

Reliability Of Pulse Waveform Separation Analysis: Effects Of Posture And Fasting, Lee Stoner, Daniel Credeur, Simon Fryer, James Faulkner, Danielle Lambrick, Bathany Barone Gibbs

Faculty Publications

Objective: Oscillometric pulse wave analysis devices enable, with relative simplicity and objectivity, the measurement of central hemodynamic parameters. The important parameters are central blood pressures and indices of arterial wave reflection, including wave separation analysis (backward pressure component P_b and reflection magnitude). This study sought to determine whether the measurement precision (between-day reliability) of P_b and reflection magnitude: exceeds the criterion for acceptable reliability; and is affected by posture (supine, seated) and fasting state.

Methods: Twenty healthy adults (50% female, 27.9 years, 24.2 kg/m²) were tested on six different mornings: 3 days fasted, 3 …

Adherence To Exercise Prescription And Improvements In The Clinical And Vascular Health Of African Americans, Dianne M. Babbitt, Amanda M. Perkins, Keith M. Diaz, Deborah L. Feairheller, Kathleen M. Sturgeon, Praveen Veerabhadrappa, Sheara T. Williamson, Jan Kretzschmar, Chenyi Ling, Hojun Lee, Heather Grim, Michael D. Brown

Faculty Publications

Improvements in indices of vascular health and endothelial function have been inversely associated with hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure), renal failure, and mortality. Aerobic exercise training (AEXT) has been positively associated with improvements in clinical health values, as well as vascular health biomarkers, and endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether measures of exercise adherence were related to clinical outcome measures and indices of vascular health subsequent to a 6-month AEXT intervention in a middle-to-older aged African American cohort. Following dietary stabilization, sedentary, apparently healthy, African American …

Naturally-Occurring Changes In Social-Cognitive Factors Modify Change In Physical Activity During Early Adolescence, Rod K. Dishman, Marsha Dowda, Kerry L. Mciver, Ruth P. Saunders, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Purpose

To determine whether naturally-occurring changes in children’s motives and beliefs are associated with the steep decline in physical activity observed from childhood to early adolescence.

Methods

Latent growth modeling was applied in longitudinal tests of social-cognitive influences, and their interactions, on physical activity in a large cohort of boys and girls evaluated annually between 5th and 7th grades.

Results

Measurement equivalence of motives and beliefs was confirmed between boys and girls. After adjustment for gender and maturity differences, physical activity declined less in children who reported the least decreases in self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to activity and perceived parental …

Neighborhood Environment And Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Emily Joy Nicklett, Matthew C. Lohman Ph.D., Matthew Lee Smith

Faculty Publications

Background: Falls present a major challenge to active aging, but the relationship between neighborhood factors and falls is poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between fall events and neighborhood factors, including neighborhood social cohesion (sense of belonging, trust, friendliness, and helpfulness) and physical environment (vandalism/graffiti, rubbish, vacant/deserted houses, and perceived safety walking home at night). Methods: Data were analyzed from 9259 participants over four biennial waves (2006–2012) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Results: In models adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates, a one-unit …

Biogeography Of A Plant Invasion: Genetic Variation And Plasticity In Latitudinal Clines For Traits Related To Herbivory, Ganesh P. Bhattarai, Laura A. Meyerson, Jack Anderson, David Cummings, Warwick J. Allen, James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

© 2016 by the Ecological Society of America. The juxtaposition of plant-species invasions with latitudinal gradients in herbivore pressure is an important yet mostly unexplored issue in invasion biology. Latitudinal clines in defense and palatability to herbivores are expected to exist in native plant species but the evolution of these clines may lag behind for invasive plant species resulting in non-parallel latitudinal clines that may impact invasion success. Our study focused on a native and European invasive lineages of the common reed Phragmites australis in North America. Using native and invasive genotypes of P. australis collected across a 17° latitudinal …

Bacteria Associated With Piezodorus Guildinii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), With Special Reference To Those Transmitted By Feeding, Claudia Husseneder, Jong Seok Park, Andrea Howells, Chinmay V. Tikhe, Jeffrey A. Davis

Faculty Publications

The redbanded stink bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), is a rapidly growing pest damaging southern US agriculture. Pentatomid stink bugs are known to vector bacterial, fungal, and viral plant diseases. However, bacteria associated with redbanded stink bugs and their vector potential have not yet been assessed. In this study, we 1) cultured and identified bacteria transmitted by feeding of redbanded stink bug and 2) described bacteria from guts of redbanded stink bug individuals using next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Nineteen bacteria transmitted by feeding of redbanded stink bug on soybean agar were isolated and identified via Sanger …

Diabetes Prevalence Is Associated With Different Community Factors In The Diabetes Belt Versus The Rest Of The United States, Candice A. Myers, Tim Slack, Stephanie T. Broyles, Steven B. Heymsfield, Timothy S. Church, Corby K. Martin

Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate differences in community characteristics associated with diabetes prevalence between the Diabetes Belt and the rest of the contiguous United States (U.S.). Methods: County-level adult diabetes prevalence estimates (i.e., percent of people [≥20 years] with diagnosed diabetes 2009) were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to carry out a spatial regime analysis to identify county-level factors correlated with diabetes prevalence in the Diabetes Belt versus the remainder of the U.S. Results: Counties outside of …

Development Of A Combined Osmotic Dehydration And Cryogenic Freezing Process For Minimizing Quality Changes During Freezing With Application To Fruits And Vegetables, Juan Li, Arranee Chotiko, Emmanuel Kyereh, Jie Zhang, Chen Liu, Vondel Vandeker Reyes Ortega, David Bankston, Subramaniam Sathivel

Faculty Publications

The effect of a combined osmo-dehydro-cryogenic-freezing process on quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables was evaluated. Cut-tomato-pieces were used as a model vegetable to evaluate the process. Tomatoes had 15.74% water loss and 0.22% solids gain after 24 h of osmotic dehydration in a 55% (w/w) maltodextrin solution at 35C, and increased redness was observed in osmotically dehydrated samples with lycopene content of 1244.78 µg/g of dry mass. Under liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezing at −40C osmotic pretreated tomato samples had shorter freezing time (3.13 min) and higher freezing rate (16.53C/min) than untreated samples (4.48 min and 11.58C/min, respectively). Pretreated-thawed tomato …

Not-From-Concentrate Blueberry Juice Extraction Utilizing Frozen Fruit, Heated Mash, And Enzyme Processes, Rebecca E. Stein-Chisholm, John W. Finley, Jack N. Losso, John C. Beaulieu

Faculty Publications

Juice production is a multibillion dollar industry and an economical way to use fruit past seasonal harvests. To evaluate how production steps influence not-from-concentrate (NFC) blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) juice recovery, bench top and pilot scale experiments were performed. In bench-top, southern highbush (SHB) blueberry (Vaccinium darrowii × Vaccinium corymbosum) and rabbiteye blueberry (RAB) (Vaccinium ashei) were pressed at varying temperatures. Press treatments included ambient temperature, frozen then thawed, and frozen then heated berries. In addition, two commercial pectinase enzymes were evaluated. Three batches were pressed and average juice recovery was calculated. The highest average free juice recovery (68.8% ± 1.1%) …

Large-Scale Behavior-Change Initiative For Infant And Young Child Feeding Advanced Language And Motor Development In A Cluster-Randomized Program Evaluation In Bangladesh, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Phuong H. Nguyen, Kuntal K. Saha, Tina Sanghvi, Kaosar Afsana, Raisul Haque, Jean Baker, Marie T. Ruel, Rahul Rawat, Purnima Menon

Faculty Publications

Background: Promoting adequate nutrition through interventions to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) has the potential to contribute to child development.

Objective: We examined whether an intensive intervention package that was aimed at improving IYCF at scale through the Alive & Thrive initiative in Bangladesh also advanced language and gross motor development, and whether advancements in language and gross motor development were explained through improved complementary feeding.

Methods: A cluster-randomized design compared 2 intervention packages: intensive interpersonal counseling on IYCF, mass media campaign, and community mobilization (intensive) compared with usual nutrition counseling and mass media campaign (nonintensive). Twenty subdistricts …

Cover Crop Root Contributions To Soil Carbon In A No-Till Corn Bioenergy Cropping System, Emily E. Austin, Kyle Wickings, Marshall D. Mcdaniel, G. Philip Robertson, A. Stuart Grandy

Faculty Publications

Crop residues are potential biofuel feedstocks, but residue removal may reduce soil carbon (C). The inclusion of a cover crop in a corn bioenergy system could provide additional biomass, mitigating the negative effects of residue removal by adding to stable soil C pools. In a no-till continuous corn bioenergy system in the northern US Corn Belt, we used 13CO2 pulse labeling to trace plant C from a winter rye (Secale cereale) cover crop into different soil C pools for 2 years following rye cover crop termination. Corn stover left as residue (30% of total stover) contributed 66, corn roots 57, …

A Model For The Ergosterol Biosynthetic Pathway In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Kristy M. Brumfield, Susan M. Laborde, James V. Moroney

Faculty Publications

© 2017 British Phycological Society. Ergosterol and 7-dehydroporiferasterol are the predominant sterols in the membranes of the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard. Ergosterol is primarily found in most fungi, which produce their end-product sterols by way of the intermediate lanosterol. In contrast, plants rarely make ergosterol and plant sterols are made via the intermediate cycloartenol. The cycloartenol-lanosterol bifurcation has been used as a means to evolutionarily categorize species based on their sterol production. Use of bioinformatics has revealed that the green alga, C. reinhardtii is probably producing sterols using a pathway very similar to that of higher plants. The Chlamydomonas genome …

Ready To Learn: The Impact Of The Morning Blast Physical Activity Intervention On Elementary School Students, Tingting Xu, Erik Jon Byker, Monica Rae Gonzales

Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a physical activity intervention programme, named “Morning Blast”, on elementary school students’ math learning and daily physical activity. The Morning Blast intervention programme was a 16-week cardiovascular endurance emphasized physical activity program that students voluntarily participated in before the school day. Participants that volunteered, did so for the duration of the program. Methods: This mixed-methods study included seven educators and 83 students (n=90). The students were all children who were enrolled in Grades 3, 4, and 5 in a semi-rural elementary school in the United States. …

Using Wireless Pedometers To Measure Children’S Physical Activity: How Reliable Is The Fitbit Zip?, Tingting Xu, Erik Jon Byker, Monica Rae Gonzales

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability of wireless pedometers in measuring elementary school children’s physical activity. Activity measurement using a wireless pedometer Fitbit Zip^TM was compared to activity measurement using Yamax Digi-Walker^TM SW701 for a group of randomly selected 25 children in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Fitbit Zip^TM wireless pedometers were found to have an appropriate degree (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994) of accuracy and reliability compared to the Yamax Digi-Walker^TM SW701 pedometer. The Fitbit Zip^TM wireless pedometer collected more step counts than the Yamax Digi-Walker^TM SW701 pedometer; however, the …

End-Of-Life Training In Us Internal Medicine Residency Programs: A National Study, Derek Cegelka, Timothy R. Jordan, Jiunn-Jye Sheu, Joseph A. Dake, Ragheb Assaly

Faculty Publications

Background: End-of-life care is a required and important component of medical training for internal medicine residents; many of whom will go on to provide care for adults at the end-of-life stage. Although a body of past research suggests that physician training in end-of-life care needs significant improvement, a comprehensive national study of end-of-life education within US internal medicine residency programs has never been published.

Objective: To determine the status of end-of-life education in internal medicine residency programs in the United States.

Method: The study was a cross-sectional, observational study of all internal medicine Residency Program Directors in the US as …

Seed Yield Prediction Models Of Four Common Moist-Soil Plant Species In Texas, Daniel P. Collins, Warren C. Conway, Corey D. Mason, Jeffrey W. Gunnels

Faculty Publications

Seed production by moist-soil plant species often varies within and among managed wetlands and on larger landscapes. Quantifying seed production of moist-soil plants can be used to evaluate wetland management strategies and estimate wetland energetic carrying capacity, specifically for waterfowl. In the past, direct estimation techniques were used, but due to excessive personnel and time costs, other indirect methods have been developed. Because indirect seed yield models do not exist for moist-soil plant species in east-central or coastal Texas, we developed direct and indirect methods to model seed production on regional managed wetlands. In September 2004 and 2005, we collected …

Seaside Sparrows Reveal Contrasting Food Web Responses To Large-Scale Stressors In Coastal Louisiana Saltmarshes, J A. Olin, C M. Burns, S Woltmann, S S. Taylor, J A. Olin, W Bam, L Hooper-Bui, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

Large-scale ecosystem disturbances can alter the flow of energy through food webs, but such processes are not well defined for Gulf of Mexico saltmarsh ecosystems vulnerable to multiple interacting stressors. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill significantly affected the composition of terrestrial saltmarsh communities in Louisiana, and thus had the potential to alter energy pathways through terrestrial and aquatic food webs, with direct consequences for higher trophic-level species restricted to these habitats. The Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus) is endemic to saltmarshes and relies completely on the habitat and resources they provide; thus, the sparrows can serve as indicators of …

Assessing The Relative Influence And Efficacy Of Public And Private Food Safety Regulation Regimes: Comparing Codex And Global Gap Standards, Sam F. Halabi, Ching-Fu Lin

Faculty Publications

An extensive global system of private food regulation is under construction, one that exceeds conventional regulation, thought of as being driven by public authorities like FDA and USDA in the U.S. or the Food Standards Agency in the UK. Agrifood and grocer organizations, in concert with some farming groups, have been the primary designers of this new food regulatory regime. These groups have established alliances that compete with national regulators in complex ways. This article analyzes the relationship between public and private sources of food safety regulation by examining standards adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a food safety organization …

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 …

Androgen Receptor Agonists Increase Lean Mass, Improve Cardiopulmonary Functions And Extend Survival In Preclinical Models Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Suriyan Ponnusamy, Ryan D. Sullivan, Dahui You, Nadeem Zafar, Chuan He Yang, Thirumagal Thiyagarajan, Daniel L. Johnson, Maron L. Barrett, Nikki J. Koehler, Mayra Star, Erin J. Stephenson, Dave Bridges, Stephania A. Cormier, Lawrence M. Pfeffer, Ramesh Narayanan

Faculty Publications

© The Author 2017. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disease that predominantly affects boys as a result of mutation(s) in the dystrophin gene. DMD is characterized by musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary complications, resulting in shorter life-span. Boys afflicted by DMD typically exhibit symptoms within 3-5 years of age and declining physical functions before attaining puberty. We hypothesized that rapidly deteriorating health of pre-pubertal boys with DMD could be due to diminished anabolic actions of androgens in muscle, and that intervention with an androgen receptor (AR) agonist will reverse musculoskeletal complications and extend survival. While castration of dystrophin and utrophin …

Longitudinal Analysis Of A Diversity Support Program In Biology: A National Call For Further Assessment, Cissy J. Ballen, Nicholas A. Mason

Faculty Publications

© The Author(s) 2017. National calls to improve the performance and persistence of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in science have led to a surge of research on inclusive, evidence-based teaching methods. Less work has revealed the effects of diversity support initiatives that improve campus climate and community cohesion. Here, we examine whether participation in the Biology Scholars Program (BSP) at Cornell University-a diversity support program at a prominent university-affects underrepresented racial minority (URM) student performance. We found that BSP participants are less academically prepared when they enter college but typically have GPAs similar to those of their non-BSP counterparts …

Obese Zdf Rats Fermented Resistant Starch With Effects On Gut Microbiota But No Reduction In Abdominal Fat, Felicia Goldsmith, Justin Guice, Ryan Page, David A. Welsh, Christopher M. Taylor, Eugene E. Blanchard, Meng Luo, Anne M. Raggio, Rhett W. Stout, Diana Carvajal-Aldaz, Amanda Gaither, Christine Pelkman, Jianping Ye, Roy J. Martin, James Geaghan, Holiday A. Durham, Diana Coulon, Michael J. Keenan

Faculty Publications

© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Scope: To determine if whole-grain (WG) flour with resistant starch (RS) will produce greater fermentation than isolated RS in obese Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats, and whether greater fermentation results in different microbiota, reduced abdominal fat, and increased insulin sensitivity. Methods and results: This study utilized four groups fed diets made with either isolated digestible control starch, WG control flour (6.9% RS), isolated RS-rich corn starch (25% RS), or WG corn flour (25% RS). ZDF rats fermented RS and RS-rich WG flour to greatest extent among groups. High-RS groups had increased …

Factors Affecting Fecal Egg Counts In Periparturient Katahdin Ewes And Their Lambs, D. R. Notter, J. M. Burke, J. E. Miller, J. L.M. Morgan

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. Selection for low fecal egg counts (FEC) can be used to genetically enhance resistance to gastrointestinal nematode parasites in growing lambs, thereby reducing the frequency of use of anthelmintics, facilitating marketing of organic lamb, and reducing the risk of development of anthelmintic resistance by the parasite. Recording of FEC in lambs has, therefore, been incorporated into several national sheep genetic evaluation programs. Ewes in late gestation and early lactation are also vulnerable to parasite infection and commonly experience a periparturient rise in FEC. This study was designed to assess factors …

Season Progression, Ontogenesis, And Environment Affect Lespedeza Cuneata Herbage Condensed Tannin, Fiber, And Crude Protein Concentrations, James P. Muir, Thomas H. Terrill, Jorge A. Mosjidis, Jean Marie Luginbuhl, James E. Miller, Joan M. Burke, Samuel W. Coleman

Faculty Publications

© Crop Science Society of America. Sericea lespedeza [Lespedeza cuneata (Dumont de Courset) G. Don., SL] is a perennial, warm-season forage legume with wide adaptation, freeze tolerance, establishment ease, and persistence under grazing. It has high condensed tannin (CT) concentrations (g kg−1), which could be useful for methane mitigation and rumen bypass protein, as well as insect pest and gastro-intestinal nematode suppression. However, CT concentration is variable. Our objective was to test CT, crude protein (CP), and fiber concentrations at five locations (Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas) during a growing season. Established ‘AU Grazer’ SL regrowth and accumulated …

Obese Zdf Rats Fermented Resistant Starch With Effects On Gut Microbiota But No Reduction In Abdominal Fat, Felicia Goldsmith, Justin Guice, Ryan Page, David A. Welsh, Christopher M. Taylor, Eugene E. Blanchard, Meng Luo, Anne M. Raggio, Rhett W. Stout, Diana Carvajal-Aldaz, Amanda Gaither, Christine Pelkman, Jianping Ye, Roy J. Martin, James Geaghan, Holiday A. Durham, Diana Coulon, Michael J. Keenan

Faculty Publications

© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Scope: To determine if whole-grain (WG) flour with resistant starch (RS) will produce greater fermentation than isolated RS in obese Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats, and whether greater fermentation results in different microbiota, reduced abdominal fat, and increased insulin sensitivity. Methods and results: This study utilized four groups fed diets made with either isolated digestible control starch, WG control flour (6.9% RS), isolated RS-rich corn starch (25% RS), or WG corn flour (25% RS). ZDF rats fermented RS and RS-rich WG flour to greatest extent among groups. High-RS groups had increased …

Pomegranate Juice And Extract Extended Lifespan And Reduced Intestinal Fat Deposition In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Jolene Zheng, David Heber, Mingming Wang, Chenfei Gao, Steven B. Heymsfield, Roy J. Martin, Frank L. Greenway, John W. Finley, Jeffrey H. Burton, William D. Johnson, Frederick M. Enright, Michael J. Keenan, Zhaoping Li

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Hogrefe. Pomegranate juice with a high content of polyphenols, pomegranate extract, ellagic acid, and urolithin A, have anti-oxidant and anti-obesity effects in humans. Pomegranate juice extends lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) (n = 6) compared to the control group in each treatment, lifespan was increased by pomegranate juice in wild type (N2, 56 %, P < 0.001) and daf-16 mutant (daf-16(mgDf50)I) (18 %, P = 0.00012), by pomegranate extract in N2 (28 %, P = 0.00004) and in daf-16(mgDf50)I (10 %, P < 0.05), or by ellagic acid (11 %, P < 0.05). Pomegranate juice reduced intestinal fat deposition (IFD) in C. elegans (n = 10) N2 (–68 %, P = 0.0003) or in the daf-16(mgDf50)I (–33 %, P = 0.0034). The intestinal fat deposition was increased by pomegranate extract in N2 (137 %, P < 0.0138) and in daf-16(mgDf50)I (26 %, P = 0.0225), by ellagic acid in N2 (66 %, P < 0.0001) and in daf-16(mgDf50)I (74 %, P < 0.0001), or by urolithin A in N2 (57 %, P = 0.0039) and in daf-16(mgDf50)I (43 %, P = 0.0001). These effects were partially mediated by the daf-16 pathway. The data may offer insights to human aging and obesity due to homology with C. elegans.