Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Genomic And Proteomic Effects Of Red Raspberry (Rubus Idaeus) Consumption On The Perivascular Adipose Tissue Of The Obese Zucker Rat, A Model Of Human Metabolic Syndrome, Jasmine Waite

Honors College

The Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) affects 35% of U.S. adults and is an indicator of early death. While pharmacological treatments have been developed for the majority of MetS risk factors, obesity-induced inflammation remains to be addressed. Dysfunctional adipose tissue is a source of inflammation, and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is critical in its pathogenesis. This study investigates the effects of red raspberry (rubus idaeus) diet-enrichment on inflammation of PVAT. The obese Zucker rat (OZR) model of MetS and the lean Zucker rat (LZR) control (C) model were used. Rats received an eight-week control or whole red raspberry-enriched (WRR) diet …

Suppression Of Nlrp3 Inflammasome By Γ-Tocotrienol Ameliorates Type 2 Diabetes, Yongeun Kim, Wei Wang, Meshail Okla, Inhae Kang, Regis Moreau, Soonkyu Chung

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is an intracellular sensor that sets off the innate immune system in response to microbial-derived and endogenous metabolic danger signals. We previously reported that γ-tocotrienol (γT3) attenuated adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity, but the underlying mechanism remained elusive. Here, we investigated the effects of γT3 on NLRP3 inflammasome activation and attendant consequences on type 2 diabetes. γT3 repressed inflammasome activation, caspase-1 cleavage, and interleukin (IL) 1β secretion in murine macrophages, implicating the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome in the anti-inflammatory and antipyroptotic properties of γT3. Furthermore, supplementation of leptin-receptor KO mice …

Effect Of Raised Body Fat On Vitamin D, Leptin And Bone Mass, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Saad Farooq, Maaida Asif Tauni, Omar Irfan, Faiza Alam

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To estimate leptin, vitamin D and bone mineral density levels in individuals with high fat mass, and to assess any correlation.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi, and Aga Khan University, Karachi, from August 2012 to July 2014, and comprised healthy male volunteers between the ages of 18-60 years. Body fat percentage was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis and the participants were classified as: Group A (15-21.9); Group B (22-27.9); and Group C ( > 28). Bone mineral density was calculated by ultrasound bone densitometer (T-score between +1 and …

Characterization Of Ghrelin O-Acyltransferase Active Site, Leslie Patton

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Ghrelin, first discovered in 1999, is a 28-amino acid peptide hormone involved in the regulation of appetite, insulin secretion and sensitivity, and many neurological effects such as learning, memory, and depression.^1-6 Ghrelin has been identified to have a unique posttranslational octanoylation carried out by the enzyme ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT). This distinctive modification is a point of interest in studying GOAT whereby blocking the acylation of the ghrelin could potentially halt the activity of the peptide hormone and provide a means of treating obesity, diabetes, and other diseases affected by ghrelin levels. The duration of my project involved working …

Prevalence Of Obesity And Overweight, Its Clinical Markers And Associated Factors In A High Risk South-Asian Population, Faridah Amin, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Najmul Islam, Anwar H. Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Obesity is a global epidemic, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities. It is measured by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body fat (BF) distribution and abdominal fat mass, each having its own merits and limitations. Variability in body composition between ethnic groups in South-Asians is significant and may not be truly reflected by BMI alone, which may result in misclassification. This study therefore, aims to determine the frequency of obesity, body fat composition and distribution, in a high risk population of an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan. This survey …

Coprinus Comatus Cap Inhibits Adipocyte Differentiation Via Regulation Of Pparγ And Akt Signaling Pathway, Hyoung Joon Park, Jisoo Yun, Hong-Duck Kim, Chung-Kil Won, Gon-Sup Kim, Jae-Hyeon Cho

NYMC Faculty Publications

This study assessed the effects of Coprinus comatus cap (CCC) on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and the effects of CCC on the development of diet-induced obesity in rats. Here, we showed that the CCC has an inhibitory effect on the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells, resulting in a significant decrease in lipid accumulation through the downregulation of several adipocyte specific-transcription factors, including CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β, C/EBPδ, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Moreover, treatment with CCC during adipocyte differentiation induced a significant down-regulation of PPARγ and adipogenic target genes, including adipocyte protein 2, lipoprotein lipase, and adiponectin. Interestingly, the …

The Role Of Angiotensinogen In Atherosclerosis And Obesity, Congqing Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Nutritional Sciences

Angiotensinogen is the only known precursor in the renin-angiotensin system, a hormonal system best known as an essential regulator of blood pressure and fluid homeostasis. Angiotensinogen is sequentially cleaved by renin and angiotensin- converting enzyme to generate angiotensin II. As the major effector peptide, angiotensin II mainly function through angiotensin type 1 receptor.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and more recently renin inhibitors are widely known as the 3 classic renin-angiotensin system inhibitory drugs against hypertension and atherosclerosis. Here, we developed an array of regents to explore the effects of angiotensinogen inhibition. First, we demonstrated that genetic deficiency of …

Elongation Factor 1a-1 And Hepatocyte Response To Fatty Acid Excess, Alexandra M. Stoianov

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Obesity is associated with elevated levels of serum fatty acids, which accumulate in nonadipose tissues including the liver. Elongation factor 1A-1 (EF1A-1) has previously been shown to participate in the cell stress and death response of cardiomyocytes to excess saturated fatty exposure, and in steatotic mouse myocardium. In this thesis, the hypothesis that the hepatocyte response to fatty acid overload involves EF1A-1 was tested. EF1A-1 expression was induced in the livers of obese mice in association with severe hepatic steatosis, and in HepG2 human hepatoma cells in response to excess palmitate. Partial translocation of EF1A-1 from the ER to polymerized …

Green Tea Extract Protects Against Fibrogenesis Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Diet-Induced Obese Rats, Allyson M. Bower

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Polymerase Chain Reaction Method For The Detection Of Selenomonas Noxia, Arthuro Mehretu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In recent studies, periodontal health has been linked to being overweight and/or obese. Among common oral bacteria, Selenomonas noxia has been implicated in converting periodontal health to disease. Selenomonas spp. have also been found in gastric ulcers, and were misdiagnosed as Helicobacter -like organisms, but no further studies were conducted. The increasing clinical and epidemiological importance of S. noxia necessitates the development of a rapid detection method. In this study, a TaqMan 16S rRNA based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method was developed, optimized and evaluated for the rapid and specific detection of S. noxia . The 16S PCR assay …