Digital Commons Network^™

Cellular And Molecular Remodeling Of Inguinal Adipose Tissue Mitochondria By Dietary Methionine Restriction, Yuvraj N. Patil, Kelly N. Dille, David H. Burk, Cory C. Cortez, Thomas W. Gettys

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Dietary methionine restriction (MR) produces a coordinated series of biochemical and physiological responses that improve biomarkers of metabolic health, increase energy expenditure, limit fat accretion and improve overall insulin sensitivity. Inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) is a primary target and site of action where the diet initiates transcriptional programs linked to enhancing both synthesis and oxidation of lipid. Using a combination of ex vivo approaches to assess dietary effects on cell morphology and function, we report that dietary MR produced a fourfold increase in multilocular, UCP1-expressing cells within this depot in conjunction with significant increases in …

Phosphorus Ingestion Improves Oral Glucose Tolerance Of Healthy Male Subjects: A Crossover Experiment, May Khattab, Christelle Abi-Rashed, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Sani Hlais, Omar Obeid

Faculty Publications

Background:

Fasting serum phosphorus (P) was reported to be inversely related to serum glucose and insulin, while the impact of P ingestion is not well documented. The effect of P intake with or before glucose ingestion on postprandial glucose and insulin statuses was investigated.

Method:

Two cross over experiments using healthy male subjects were conducted. Experiment 1: Overnight fasted subjects (n∈=∈7) randomly received: 500 mg of P tablets, glucose (75 g) solution with placebo or 500 mg of P tablets. Experiment 2: Overnight fasted subjects (n∈=∈8) underwent similar procedures to those of experiment 1, except that placebo or 500 mg …

Improving Healthspan Via Changes In Gut Microbiota And Fermentation, Michael J. Keenan, Maria L. Marco, Donald K. Ingram, Roy J. Martin

Faculty Publications

Dietary resistant starch impact on intestinal microbiome and improving healthspan is the topic of this review. In the elderly population, dietary fiber intake is lower than recommended. Dietary resistant starch as a source of fiber produces a profound change in gut microbiota and fermentation in animal models of aging. Dietary resistant starch has the potential for improving healthspan in the elderly through multiple mechanisms as follows: (1) enhancing gut microbiota profile and production of short-chain fatty acids, (2) improving gut barrier function, (3) increasing gut peptides that are important in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism, and (4) mimicking many of …

Sedentary Behavior In Preschoolers: How Many Days Of Accelerometer Monitoring Is Needed?, Wonwoo Byun, Michael W. Beets, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

The reliability of accelerometry for measuring sedentary behavior in preschoolers has not been determined, thus we determined how many days of accelerometry monitoring are necessary to reliably estimate daily time spent in sedentary behavior in preschoolers. In total, 191 and 150 preschoolers (three to five years) wore ActiGraph accelerometers (15-s epoch) during the in-school (≥4 days) and the total-day (≥6 days) period respectively. Accelerometry data were summarized as time spent in sedentary behavior (min/h) using three different cutpoints developed for preschool-age children (

Ethanol Enhances Arsenic-Induced Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression Via Both Nfat And Nf-Κb Signalings In Colorectal Cancer Cells, Lei Wang, John Andrew Hitron, James T.F. Wise, Young Ok Son, Ram Vinod Roy, Donghern Kim, Jin Dai, Poyil Pratheeshkumar, Zhuo Zhang, Mei Xu, Jia Luo, Xianglin Shi

Faculty Publications

Arsenic is a known carcinogen to humans, and chronic exposure to environmental arsenic is a worldwide health concern. As a dietary factor, ethanol carries a well-established risk for malignancies, but the effects of co-exposure to arsenic and ethanol on tumor development are not well understood. In the present study, we hypothesized that ethanol would enhance the function of an environmental carcinogen such as arsenic through increase in COX-2 expression. Our in vitro results show that ethanol enhanced arsenic-induced COX-2 expression. We also show that the increased COX-2 expression associates with intracellular ROS generation, up-regulated AKT signaling, with activation of both …

Validation Of Accelerometer Thresholds And Inclinometry For Measurement Of Sedentary Behavior In Young Adult University Students, Neil E. Peterson, John R. Sirard, Pamela A. Kulbok, Mark D. Deboer, Jeanne M. Erickson

Faculty Publications

Sedentary behavior (SB) is a major contributing factor to obesity and significant morbidity and mortality in adolescence and into adulthood, yet measuring SB is difficult. The purpose of this study was to assess the degree of construct validity of the ActiGraph GT3X+ inclinometer function and accelerometry metrics in objectively measuring SB and physical activity in young adult university students while performing semi-structured activities: lying, sitting, reading, playing seated video gaming, video watching, seated conversation, standing, stationary biking, and walking. These nine activities were objectively assessed using inclinometry and four output metrics from the ActiGraph based on the axis used to …

Using Height-For-Age Differences (Had) Instead Of Height-For-Age Z-Scores (Haz) For The Meaningful Measurement Of Population-Level Catch-Up In Linear Growth In Children Less Than 5 Years Of Age, Jef L. Leroy, Marie Ruel, Jean-Pierre Habicht, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Background: Evidence from studies conducted in nutritionally deprived children in low- and middle-income countries (LIMC) in past decades showed little or no population-level catch-up in linear growth (mostly defined as reductions in the absolute height deficit) after 2 years of age. Recent studies, however, have reported population-level catch-up growth in children, defined as positive changes in mean height-for-age z-scores (HAZ). The aim of this paper was to assess whether population-level catch-up in linear growth is found when height-for-age difference (HAD: child’s height compared to standard, expressed in centimeters) is used instead of HAZ. Our premise is that HAZ is inappropriate …

Effects Of Oil-Contaminated Sediments On Submerged Vegetation: An Experimental Assessment Of Ruppia Maritima, Charles W. Martin, Lauris O. Hollis, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

Oil spills threaten the productivity of ecosystems through the degradation of coastal flora and the ecosystem services these plants provide. While lab and field investigations have quantified the response of numerous species of emergent vegetation to oil, the effects on submerged vegetation remain uncertain. Here, we discuss the implications of oil exposure for Ruppia maritima, one of the most common species of submerged vegetation found in the region affected by the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We grew R. maritima in a range of manipulated sediment oil concentrations: 0, 0.26, 0.53, and 1.05 mL oil /L tank volume, and tracked …

Genetics, Synergists, And Age Affect Insecticide Sensitivity Of The Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera, Frank D. Rinkevich, Joseph W. Margotta, Jean M. Pittman, Robert G. Danka, Matthew R. Tarver, James A. Ottea, Kristen B. Healy

Faculty Publications

The number of honey bee colonies in the United States has declined to half of its peak level in the 1940s, and colonies lost over the winter have reached levels that are becoming economically unstable. While the causes of these losses are numerous and the interaction between them is very complex, the role of insecticides has garnered much attention. As a result, there is a need to better understand the risk of insecticides to bees, leading to more studies on both toxicity and exposure. While much research has been conducted on insecticides and bees, there have been very limited studies …

High Blood Pressure In Sub-Saharan Africa: The Urgent Imperative For Prevention And Control, Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui, Andre P. Kengne, Sebhat Erqou, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dissemination Of An Electronic Manual To Build Capacity For Implementing Farmers’ Markets With Community Health Centers, M Aaron Guest, Darcy Freedman, Kassandra A. Alia, Heather M. Brandt, Daniela B. Friedman

Faculty Publications

Community-university partnerships can lend themselves to the development of tools that encourage and promote future community health development. The electronic manual, "Building Farmacies," describes an approach for developing capacity and sustaining a community health center-based farmers' market that emerged through a community-university partnership. Manual development was guided by the Knowledge to Action Framework and experiences developing a multivendor, produce-only farmers' market at a community health center in rural South Carolina. The manual was created to illustrate an innovative solution for community health development. The manual was disseminated electronically through 25 listservs and interested individuals voluntarily completed a Web-based survey to …

An Insight Into The Functional Role Of Thioredoxin Reductase, A Selenoprotein, In Maintaining Normal Native Microbiota In The Gulf Coast Tick (Ambylomma Maculatum), Khemraj Budachetri, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Tick selenoproteins have been associated with antioxidant activity in ticks. Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), also a selenoprotein, belongs to the pyridine nucleotide‐disulphide oxidoreductase family of proteins and is an important antioxidant. Molecular interactions between native microbiota and tick hosts have barely been investigated to date. In this study, we determined the functional role of TrxR in tick feeding and in maintenance of the native microbial community. TrxR transcript levels remained high and microbial load was reduced throughout tick attachment to the vertebrate host. RNA interference (RNAi) showed that depletion of TrxR activity did not interfere with tick haematophagy or phenotype but …

#Aulivewholly, Patricia Spangler

Faculty Publications

Andrews University officially launched its new University Health & Wellness initiative on Wednesday, September 23. The initiative will integrate five deeply connected pillars: physical, spiritual, mental, relational and professional wellness, but mainly focus on physical health and wellness to address the gaps that have been identified.

Ecological Networks In Stored Grain: Key Postharvest Nodes For Emerging Pests, Pathogens, And Mycotoxins, John F. Hernandez Nopsa, Gregory J. Daglish, David W. Hagstrum, John F. Leslie, Thomas W. Phillips, Caterina Scoglio, Sara Thomas-Sharma, Gimme H. Walter, Karen A. Garrett

Faculty Publications

Wheat is at peak quality soon after harvest. Subsequently, diverse biota use wheat as a resource in storage, including insects and mycotoxin-producing fungi. Transportation networks for stored grain are crucial to food security and provide a model system for an analysis of the population structure, evolution, and dispersal of biota in networks. We evaluated the structure of rail networks for grain transport in the United States and Eastern Australia to identify the shortest paths for the anthropogenic dispersal of pests and mycotoxins, as well as the major sources, sinks, and bridges for movement. We found important differences in the risk …

Parenting Around Child Snacking: Development Of A Theoretically-Guided, Empirically Informed Conceptual Model, Kirsten K. Davison, Christine E. Blake Ph.D., Rd, Rachel E. Blaine, Nicholas A. Younginer, Alexandria Orloski, Heather A. Hamtil, Claudia Ganter, Yasmeen P. Bruton, Amber E. Vaughn, Jennifer O. Fisher

Faculty Publications

Background: Snacking contributes to excessive energy intakes in children. Yet factors shaping child snacking are virtually unstudied. This study examines food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income caregivers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 60 low-income caregivers of preschool-aged children (18 non-Hispanic white, 22 African American/Black, 20 Hispanic; 92% mothers). A structured interview guide was used to solicit caregivers' definitions of snacking and strategies they use to decide what, when and how much snack their child eats. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an iterative theory-based and grounded approach. A conceptual model …

Oat Consumption Reduced Intestinal Fat Deposition And Improved Health Span In Caenorhabditis Elegans Model, Chenfei Gao, Zhanguo Gao, Frank L. Greenway, Jeffrey H. Burton, William D. Johnson, Michael J. Keenan, Frederick M. Enright, Roy J. Martin, Yi Fang Chu, Jolene Zheng

Faculty Publications

© 2015 The Authors. In addition to their fermentable dietary fiber and the soluble β-glucan fiber, oats have unique avenanthramides that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that reduce coronary heart disease in human clinical trials. We hypothesized that oat consumption will increase insulin sensitivity, reduce body fat, and improve health span in Caenorhabditis elegans through a mechanism involving the daf-2 gene, which codes for the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1-like receptor, and that hyperglycemia will attenuate these changes. Caenorhabditis elegans wild type (N2) and the null strains sir-2.1, daf-16, and daf-16/daf-2 were fed Escherichia coli (OP50) and oat flakes (0.5%, 1.0%, or …

Food Insecurity Reported By Children, But Not By Mothers, Is Associated With Lower Quality Of Diet And Shifts In Foods Consumed, Jennifer Bernal, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Juan A. Rivera

Faculty Publications

Household food security shows little indication of nutrient inadequacy among children, according to reports made by parents. We examined the associations of food insecurity as reported by children and mothers with children’s consumption of energy, macronutrients such as vitamin A, calcium, iron and zinc, and selected foods, and whether these associations differed by child’s gender. This cross-sectional study had non-probabilistic 128 Venezuelan mother–child pairs. We assessed food insecurity and management strategies in children using 10- and nine-item instruments, respectively. Mothers’ report of food insecurity came from a previously validated 12-item instrument. Nutrient intake of children was assessed with a 67-item …

How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry Between Males And Females Of The Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes Albopictus, Ae. Aegypti, And Culex Quinquefasciatus, Donald A. Yee, Michael G. Kaufman, Nnaemeka F. Ezeakacha

Faculty Publications

Allocation patterns of carbon and nitrogen in animals are influenced by food quality and quantity, as well as by inherent metabolic and physiological constraints within organisms. Whole body stoichiometry also may vary between the sexes who differ in development rates and reproductive allocation patterns. In aquatic containers, such as tree holes and tires, detrital inputs, which vary in amounts of carbon and nitrogen, form the basis of the mosquito-dominated food web. Differences in development times and mass between male and female mosquitoes may be the result of different reproductive constraints, which could also influence patterns of nutrient allocation. We examined …

Skin Carotenoid Response To A High-Carotenoid Juice In Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Sheryl S. Aguilar, Heidi J. Wengreen, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

Background Previous studies have shown an increase in serum carotenoid status among children when fed carotenoids. This study looked at the effect and dose–response of a known amount of carotenoid consumption on change in skin carotenoid status among children.

Methods Participants were children aged 5 to 17 years from Cache County, UT (n=58). Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: high (n=18) or low (n=18) dose of a carotenoid-rich juice (2.75 mg carotenoids/30 mL juice), or placebo juice (n=22). Children were asked to drink an assigned dose of the juice (30 to 120 mL/day) based on the weight …

The Adaptive Change Of Hla-Drb1 Allele Frequencies Caused By Natural Selection In A Mongolian Population That Migrated To The South Of China, Hao Sun, Zhaoqing Yang, Keqin Lin, Shuyuan Liu, Kai Huang, Xiuyun Wang, Jiayou Chu, Xinyu Huang

Faculty Publications

Pathogen-driven balancing selection determines the richness of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. Changes in the pathogen spectrum may cause corresponding changes in HLA loci. Approximately 700 years ago, a Mongolian population moved from the north of China to the Yunnan region in the south of China. The pathogen spectrum in the south of China differs from that in the north. In this study, changes in the HLA genes in the Yunnan Mongolian population, as well as the underlying mechanism, were investigated. A sequence-based typing method (SBT) was used to genotype HLA-DRB1 in 470 individuals from two Mongolian populations and another …

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Fat Intake, And Physical Activity Participation In Relation To Socio-Demographic Factors Among Medically Underserved Adults, Amir Alakaam, Jennifer Lemacks

Faculty Publications

Fruit and vegetable intake as well as physical activity participation in Mississippi is consistently lower than recommendations. We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine fruit and vegetables consumption, fat intake, and moderate-intensity physical activity participation and how these variables relate to socio-demographic factors among medically underserved adults in south Mississippi. Fruit and vegetable consumption and fat intake along with physical activity participation and socio-demographic characteristics was collected from a sample of 161 (48 male and 113 female) adults in south Mississippi. A majority (81.9%) of participants reported consuming less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and 54% …

Directional Dominance On Stature And Cognition In Diverse Human Populations, Peter K. Joshi, Tonu Esko, Hannele Mattsson, Niina Eklund, Ilaria Gandin, Teresa Nutile, Anne U. Jackson, Claudia Schurmann, Albert V. Smith, Weihua Zhang, Yukinori Okada, Alena Stančáková, Jessica D. Faul, Wei Zhao, Traci M. Bartz, Maria Pina Concas, Nora Franceschini, Stefan Enroth, Veronique Vitart, Stella Trompet, Xiuqing Guo, Daniel I. Chasman, Jeffrey R. O'Connel, Tanguy Corre, Suraj S. Nongmaithem, Yuning Chen, Massimo Mangino, Daniela Ruggiero, Michela Traglia, Aliki Eleni Farmaki, Tim Kacprowski, Andrew Bjonnes, Ashley Van Der Spek

Faculty Publications

Homozygosity has long been associated with rare, often devastating, Mendelian disorders, and Darwin was one of the first to recognize that inbreeding reduces evolutionary fitness. However, the effect of the more distant parental relatedness that is common in modern human populations is less well understood. Genomic data now allow us to investigate the effects of homozygosity on traits of public health importance by observing contiguous homozygous segments (runs of homozygosity), which are inferred to be homozygous along their complete length. Given the low levels of genome-wide homozygosity prevalent in most human populations, information is required on very large numbers of …

Deep Characterization Of The Microbiomes Of Calophya Spp. (Hemiptera: Calophyidae) Gall-Inducing Psyllids Reveals The Absence Of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria And Three Dominant Endosymbionts, Will A. Overholt, Rodrigo Diaz, Erin Rosskopf, Stefan J. Green, William A. Overholt

Faculty Publications

© This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. Bacteria associated with sap-feeding insect herbivores include not only symbionts that may increase their hosts' fitness but also harmful plant pathogens. Calophya spp. gall-inducing psyllids (Hemiptera: Calophyidae) are being investigated for their potential as biological control agents of the noxious weed, Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolia), in Florida. Although there are no examples of plant pathogen transmission by …

Phylogenetics, Divergence Times And Diversification From Three Genomic Partitions In Monocots, Kate L. Hertweck, Michael S. Kinney, Stephanie A. Stuart, Olivier Maurin, Sarah Mathews, Mark W. Chase, Maria A. Gandolfo, J. Chris Pires

Faculty Publications

© 2015 The Authors. Resolution of evolutionary relationships among some monocot orders remains problematic despite the application of various taxon and molecular locus sampling strategies. In this study we sequenced and analysed a fragment of the low-copy, nuclear phytochrome C (PHYC) gene and combined these data with a previous multigene data set (four plastid, one mitochondrial, two nuclear ribosomal loci) to determine if adding this marker improved resolution and support of relationships among major lineages of monocots. Our results indicate the addition of PHYC to the multigene dataset increases support along the backbone of the monocot tree, although relationships among …

An Insight Into The Sialome Of The Lone Star Tick, Ambylomma Americanum, With A Glimpse On Its Time Dependent Gene Expression, Shahid Karim, José M.C. Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Hard ticks feed for several days or weeks on their hosts. Blood feeding is assisted by tick saliva, which is injected in the host skin regularly, alternating with blood ingestion. Tick saliva contains hundreds or thousands of different peptides and other bioactive compounds that assist feeding by inhibiting their hosts’ blood clotting, platelet aggregation, vasoconstriction, as well as pain and itching. Immunomodulatory and antimicrobial peptides are also found in tick saliva. Molecular characterization of tick salivary compounds, or its sialome (from the Greek sialos = saliva), helps identification of possible antigens that might confer anti-tick immunity, as well as identifying …

Mobile Health-Care Information For All: A Global Challenge, Geoff Royston, Christine Hagar, Lesley-Anne Long, Dennis Mcmahon, Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Nand Wadhwani

Faculty Publications

Access to health-care information for citizens is a key determinant to reach both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the emerging post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, but this challenge has repeatedly been relegated to the sidelines.1 What might kickstart progress? An obvious candidate is the mobile phone, which is becoming ubiquitous in low-income and middle-income countries.

Lithium In Drinking Water And Suicide Mortality: Interplay With Lithium Prescriptions, Marco Helbich, Michael Leitner, Nestor D. Kapusta

Faculty Publications

Background: Little is known about the effects of lithium intake through drinking water on suicide. This intake originates either from natural rock and soil elution and/or accumulation of lithium-based pharmaceuticals in ground water. Aims: To examine the interplay between natural lithium in drinking water, prescribed lithium-based pharmaceuticals and suicide in Austria. Method: Spatial Bayesian regressions for males, females and pooled suicide mortality rates were estimated. Results: Although the expected inverse association between lithium levels in drinking water and suicide mortality was confirmed for males and for total suicide rates, the relationship for females was not significant. The models do not …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Food Insecurity Among Palestinian Refugees In Lebanon: Data From A Household Survey, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Annie Belle J. Sassine, Karin Seyfert, Mark Nord, Nadine R. Sahyoun

Faculty Publications

Lebanon hosts the highest per capita refugee concentration worldwide. The Palestinian presence in Lebanon dates from 1948 and they remain a marginalized population. No information on their food security status has been reported previously. A survey of a representative sample of Palestinian refugee households in Lebanon (n = 2501) was conducted using a stratified two stage cluster sampling approach. We measured food insecurity using a modified USDA household food security module, locally validated. We collected data on household demographic, socioeconomic, health, housing, coping strategies and household intake of food groups and analysed these by food security status. About 41% (CI: …

Resveratrol Induces Brown-Like Adipocyte Formation In White Fat Through Activation Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) Α1, S. Wang, X. Liang, Q. Yang, X. Fu, C. J. Rogers, M. Zhu, B. D. Rodgers, Q. Jiang, M. V. Dodson, M. Du

Faculty Publications

© 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. Objective: Development of brown-like/beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue (WAT) helps to reduce obesity. Thus we investigated the effects of resveratrol, a dietary polyphenol capable of preventing obesity and related complications in humans and animal models, on brown-like adipocyte formation in inguinal WAT (iWAT). Methods: CD1 female mice (5-month old) were fed a high-fat diet with/without 0.1% resveratrol. In addition, primary stromal vascular cells separated from iWAT were subjected to resveratrol treatment. Markers of brown-like (beige) adipogenesis were measured and the involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1 was assessed using conditional …

The Relationship Between Interviewer-Respondent Race Match And Reporting Of Energy Intake Using Food Frequency Questionnaires In The Rural South United States, Jennifer Lemacks, Holly F. Huye, Renee Rupp, Carol Connell

Faculty Publications

Objective

The purpose of the observational study was to determine whether interviewer race influences food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) reporting accuracy in a Deep South, largely African American cohort.

Methods

A secondary analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of interviewer race on energy reporting of 319 African Americans who participated in the Mississippi Communities for Healthy Living intervention in May–June 2011, a community-based and USDA-funded project. Reported energy intake was compared to total energy expenditure to identify normal (ENR), under-(EUR) and over-reporters (EOR). Multivariate logistic regression models determined the relationship between race match and energy misreporting, accounting for confounding variables …