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Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medical Sciences

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Theses/Dissertations

2020

Obesity

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Understanding The Impact Of Diet And Obesity On Anti-Tumor Immunity And Therapeutic Efficacy In Kidney Cancer, Rachael Miller Orlandella Jan 2020

Understanding The Impact Of Diet And Obesity On Anti-Tumor Immunity And Therapeutic Efficacy In Kidney Cancer, Rachael Miller Orlandella

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity is regarded as a major risk factor for developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Advanced-stage RCC exhibits chemotherapeutic resistance, but is responsive to immunotherapies such as the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1). Despite some clinical successes, response rates remain low for anti-PD-1 monotherapy (20-30%). Preclinical evaluations of immunotherapeutic strategies typically use lean mice and do not account for patient comorbidities. This may explain the underwhelming success rates following clinical translation of new cancer treatments. Recent studies found that obesity was associated with favorable outcomes and responses to immunotherapy in melanoma. However, the effects of obesity on anti-tumor immunity …


Circadian Clock And Lipid Metabolism Disruption In Fatty Liver Disease, Jennifer Valcin Jan 2020

Circadian Clock And Lipid Metabolism Disruption In Fatty Liver Disease, Jennifer Valcin

All ETDs from UAB

Hepatic Steatosis, characterized by the accumulation of triglyceride (TG) in the liver is the first stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Many metabolic pathways, including lipid metabolism, are regulated by the molecular circadian clock. Importantly, alcohol consumption and obesity induce circadian clock disruption, a risk factor for many diseases, including liver disease. In our first study, we investigated the combined effect of clock disruption and alcohol feeding on liver pathology, and diurnal rhythms in the liver molecular clock and lipid metabolism. Male liver-specific Bmal1 knockout (LKO) mice and control littermates were fed a control …


Downstream Pathways Of Glucagon Receptor Agonism In Obesity, Shelly Nason Jan 2020

Downstream Pathways Of Glucagon Receptor Agonism In Obesity, Shelly Nason

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity is highly prevalent and strategies to improve weight loss maintenance are critical for healthcare. Behavioral interventions are effective but require major lifestyle changes that are often difficult to maintain long-term. Therefore, modifying energy balance with pharmacotherapy is a strategy to combine with lifestyle modifications for sustained weight loss. Glucagon, a hormone involved in maintaining glucose homeostasis, also regulates energy expenditure, food intake, and lipid metabolism. As such, glucagon-based therapies have gained attention as an attractive clinical target. Glucagon Receptor (GCGR) mono-agonism induces glucose intolerance; therefore, dissecting the mechanisms by which GCGR signaling mediates energy balance are clinically relevant to …