Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Prevention Of Obesity-Related Morbidity & Mortality In Adults, Rachelle Virgin

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

Poster presentation on the prevention of obesity related morbidity and mortality in adults.

The Impact Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms On Cortisol Receptor Activity In Populations With Obesity, Cassidy Michalicka

Honors Theses

Cortisol is a crucial part of the endocrine system; it has the capacity to affect nearly every organ and tissue in the human body. When functioning correctly, cortisol is known to regulate the body’s stress response, control metabolism, suppress inflammation, regulate blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, regulate our body’s circadian rhythm, and much more. When the concentration of cortisol in the blood is elevated for an excessive period, the body responds with symptoms such as hyperglycemia, hypertension, weight gain, and moon face. Commonly this is known as Cushing’s Syndrome (CS), and interestingly, we have seen a phenotypic resemblance when contrasted …

Feasibility And Efficacy Of Bisphosphonate Use For The Prevention Of Bone And Muscle Loss, Laura E. Flores

Theses & Dissertations

Loss of bone and muscle mass often occurs in tandem, increasing the risk of fragility fractures. Whereas many drugs are approved for the treatment of bone loss, there are few treatments available for the concomitant loss of bone and muscle. Identification of a treatment to mitigate pathologic bone and muscle atrophy has the potential to impact countless populations and influence approaches for healthy aging. Bisphosphonates have emerged as a potential treatment for both bone and muscle loss in cellular, murine, and observational human studies. Our findings of modest weight maintenance in postmenopausal women treated with 12-months of risedronate, relative to …

Exploring Β-Cell Function And Heterogeneity In Obese Sm/J Mice, Mario Alejandro Miranda

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic β-cells perform glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, a process required to maintain systemic glucose homeostasis. Obesity promotes glycemic and inflammatory stress, causing β-cell death and dysfunction, resulting in diabetes. Efforts to improve β-cell function in obesity have been hampered by observations that β-cells are highly heterogeneous, varying in morphology, function, and gene expression. There is great need to understand the breadth of β-cell heterogeneity in health and obesity to improve diabetic therapies.High fat-fed SM/J mice spontaneously transition from hyperglycemic-obese to normoglycemic-obese with age, providing a unique opportunity to study β-cell adaptation. Here, we show that as they resolve hyperglycemia, obese SM/J …

Relationship Between Binge Eating Disorder And Circadian Chronotype, Leon B. Jons

Theses & Dissertations

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a common condition in the general population and is more common in individuals with obesity. The later timing of food intake has been associated with an increase incidence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between circadian chronotype and BED in a population of individuals with obesity. The sample consists of a retrospective review of 170 subjects presenting to an obesity medicine clinic who had been clinically evaluated for BED and chronotype.

No significant correlation was found between BED and a late chronotype in this population. In a secondary analysis …

Are Soy-Based Proteins, Meals, And Diets An Effective Treatment In Reducing Waist Circumference In Overweight And Obese Adults Ages 20-75 Years?, Lisa Lin

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this evidence based medicine review is to determine whether or not soy-based proteins, meals, and diets are effective treatments in reducing waist circumference in overweight and obese adults ages 20-75 years.

Study design: Review of three published, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2003, 2007, and 2011. All English language.

Data Source: The three randomized controlled trials that used in this review were found using PubMed.

Outcomes measured: The outcomes measured were improvement of patient’s overweight and obesity status and their overall quality of life through the indication of reduced waist circumference. …

Assessing For Awareness And Knowledge Regarding Diabetes In Pre-Diabetes Obese Patients, Remona Lysa Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in prevalence of diabetes in the United States. Prevention of diabetes and improving patients' knowledge and awareness of diabetes are crucial for healthcare providers. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical foundation, the student used the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to improve awareness and knowledge of diabetes among obese individuals with prediabetes. The key research question of this project was to determine whether the patients' diabetes knowledge and awareness improved after the NDPP program. A convenience sample of …

Factors Regulating Features Of Metabolic Syndrome, Sonja S. Pijut

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The collective presence of central obesity, low HDL-cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose constitutes Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a disease state that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), present in up to 90% of obese adults, is also linked to MetS. As in CVD, disruptions in cholesterol metabolism play a contributing role in the development of T2DM and NAFLD. Genes involved in cholesterol synthesis, secretion, and catabolism are diurnally regulated in the liver and adipose. Disruptions in the sleep-wake cycle are thought to potentiate metabolic …

Restraint Stress Alters Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression And Increases Superoxide Dismutase In The Rat Hypothalamus And Hippocampus, Kristina Isabel Barron

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The impact of restraint stress on changes in cytokine expression and oxidative stress markers in hippocampal (Hipp) and hypothalamic (Hyp) regions of the brain, were assessed in a rat model. In addition, immune and inflammatory variables were assessed in peripheral blood. Male Wistar rats were acutely (30 min) or repeatedly (30 min/d for 14 consecutive days) exposed to a restraint stress, or maintained as non-stressed controls. At the time of sacrifice, whole blood and brain tissues enriched in Hyp or Hipp regions were collected; blood was collected with EDTA as an anticoagulant and centrifuged to yield plasma. All tissue samples …