Motility And Adhesion Through Type Iv Pili In Gram-Positive Bacteria, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Eric J. Sundberg

Food for Health: Publications

Type IV pili are hair-like bacterial surface appendages that play a role in diverse processes such as cellular adhesion, colonization, twitching motility, biofilm formation, and horizontal gene transfer. These extracellular fibers are composed exclusively or primarily of many copies of one or more pilin proteins, tightly packed in a helix so that the highly hydrophobic amino-terminus of the pilin is buried in the pilus core. Type IV pili have been characterized extensively in Gram-negative bacteria, and recent advances in high-throughput genomic sequencing have revealed that they are also widespread in Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we review the current state of knowledge …

Sneaky Salt Contributes To High Blood Pressure, Rodney Richmond

Faculty Research ​and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Mindfulness-Based Interventions On Stress Eating, Emotional Eating, And Binge Eating: A Literature Review, Kira L. Minot

Food Science and Nutrition

This literature review examines the impact of various mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on the obesity-related eating behaviors of stress eating, emotional eating, and binge eating. With the inconsistency of the weight loss industry to provide long-term weight loss results, the United States is in need of alternative methods of weight loss and weight maintenance to combat the current overweight and obesity epidemic. MBIs are thought to be beneficial when targeted at behaviors of weight gain because mindfulness promotes an individual’s awareness of present physical and emotional sensations within the body, including hunger and satiety cues. Self-acceptance and stress reduction are also …

Volumetry Of Low-Contrast Liver Lesions With Ct: Investigation Of Estimation Uncertainties In A Phantom Study, Qin Li, Yongguang Liang, Qiao Huang, Min Zong, Benjamin Berman, Marios A. Gavrielides, Lawrence H. Schwartz, Binsheng Zhao, Nicholas Petrick

United States Food and Drug Administration: Publications

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of lesion volumetry in hepatic CT as a function of various imaging acquisition parameters.

Methods: An anthropomorphic abdominal phantom with removable liver inserts was designed for this study. Two liver inserts, each containing 19 synthetic lesions with varying diameter (6–40 mm), shape, contrast (10–65 HU), and both homogenous and mixed-density were designed to have background and lesion CT values corresponding to arterial and portal-venous phase imaging, respectively. The two phantoms were scanned using two commercial CT scanners (GE 750 HD and Siemens Biograph mCT) across a set of imaging protocols (four slice thicknesses, …

Nutrinews, Volume 23, December, 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week, World Aids Day, Is Butter Good to Eat?, The Health Benefits of Tomatoes, Food Insecurity on College Campuses

Evaluation Of The Shelf-Stability Of A High-Carotenoid Breakfast Food And Its Impact On Skin Carotenoid Levels, Dawn L. Reed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carotenoids are pigments found throughout nature in a large variety of plants including fruits and vegetables (F/V). Carotenoids provide much of the color we see in nature but are perhaps most noticeable in plants with yellow, orange, or red flesh. Carotenoids are antioxidants that serve as a protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation and other free radical producing processes in the body and in plant tissues. Once consumed, carotenoids are deposited in the skin, particularly in fatty tissue. Raman resonance spectroscopy (RRS) can be used to quantify skin carotenoid levels and has been proven a good indicator of F/V consumption. A …

A Generalized Framework For Computational Design And Mutational Scanning Of T-Cell Receptor Binding Interfaces, Timothy P. Riley, Cory M. Ayres, Lance M. Hellman, Nishant K. Singh, Michael Cosiano, Jennifer M. Cimons, Michael J. Anderson, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian G. Pierce, Zhiping Weng, Brian M. Baker

Food for Health: Publications

T-cell receptors (TCRs) have emerged as a new class of therapeutics, most prominently for cancer where they are the key components of new cellular therapies as well as soluble biologics. Many studies have generated high affinity TCRs in order to enhance sensitivity. Recent outcomes, however, have suggested that fine manipulation of TCR binding, with an emphasis on specificity may be more valuable than large affinity increments. Structure-guided design is ideally suited for this role, and here we studied the generality of structure-guided design as applied to TCRs. We found that a previous approach, which successfully optimized the binding of a …

The Effect Of Teaching Strategies And Learning Environment On Certification Exam Pass Rates In Dietetic Education, Debra Head

Theses and Dissertations

The obligation for preparing competent graduates begins with an educational experience in an environment that promotes optimal learning. An important outcome of successful health professions education is the passage of the certification exam. The objective of this study was to evaluate learning outcomes and teaching strategies and the effect on certification exam pass rate in dietetic education programs. A non-experimental associational cross-sectional mixed methods design was chosen for the study in order to gather objective data through the use of the previously validated Constructivist Learning Environment Survey. A 30 item electronic survey was administered to faculty in dietetic education programs …

Bariatric Surgery Weight-Loss Maintenance Among Hispanics: A Multiple Case Study, Minerva Aguilera

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Obesity significantly contributes to human illness and to subsequent rising healthcare expenditures. Bariatric surgery has been identified as the only effective option to achieve the weight loss necessary for those who are morbidly obese. Previous research indicated that maintaining significant weight loss has been a problem for individuals who undergo bariatric surgery. The number of bariatric surgeries is increasing and factors that contribute to or interfere following bariatric-surgery weight-loss maintenance need to be determined. Research on weight-loss maintenance following bariatric surgery is very limited, particularly among the Hispanic population. This case-study research used an explanatory, multiple-case-study design to gain greater …

Lighten Up, Brittany G. Burress

Scholars Week

Looking at the effects of fast food restaurant convenience as well as physical activity opportunities and how the two contrast in the community of Murray, Kentucky.

Higher Unsaturated Fatty Acid Intake And Aerobic Training Are Related With Lower Intramyocellular Lipid In Older Adults, Hillary D. Mclean

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Title: Higher Unsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Aerobic Training are Related to Lower Intramyocellular Lipid in Older Adults

¹Hillary McLean, ²Maja Redzic, and ³D. Travis Thomas

Department: ¹Department of Agriculture, ²Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, and ³Department of Clinical Sciences

Funding: R21AG046762-01A1, UL1TR000117, T32DK007778-16

Word Count: 298/300

Intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) is associated with metabolic dysfunction in aging. Exercise is known to influence IMCL accumulation and was recently observed to have a direct association with vitamin D status (25(OH)D) in our lab. In addition, we observed an inverse association between IMCL and dietary unsaturated …

Nutrinews, Volume 22, November, 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Nutrition Updates, From Jessica's Table: Fall Desserts, The benefits of dietary cinnamon for diabetics

Exploring The Connection Between Community Food Security Initiatives And Social-Cognitive Factors On Dietary Intake, Diana Cuy Castellanos, Josh Keller, Emma Majchrzak

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Food insecurity and poor dietary consumption continue to impact low-income populations in the U.S. However, communities are developing ways to address it at the local level. Community Food Security Initiatives (CFSI) focus on increasing a sustainable, healthy food supply and food system while addressing food insecurity and dietary quality within a community.

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) explore CFSIs in low-income areas in a metropolitan Midwest city and (2) examine the effects of the initiatives along with other social-cognitive factors on fruit and vegetable consumption in persons participating in local CFSIs.

This was a mixed-methods study. First, …

Risk For Type 2 Diabetes Among Snap Participants With Prediabetes, Diana L. Malkin-Washeim, Phd, Mph, R.D., Cde, Shirley Gerrior, Phd, R.D.

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This study explored food security status among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants with prediabetes in relation to food choice decisions over a 30-day benefit cycle that potentially increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes. A cross-sectional, quantitative design based on food choice process model constructs was used. SNAP participants (n = 36) with prediabetes, aged 21–70 years, were recruited as outpatients from Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center and completed self-reported questionnaires on demographics and health, food security, and food frequency over time. Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi square tests, and regression analysis were performed using SPSS. Two post-hoc tests, the …

Bischof And Byrd-Jacobs To Present In Quest For Honors College Deanship, College Of Education And Human Development

Family and Consumer Sciences News

Dr. Christine Byrd-Jacobs, associate dean of the Graduate College, will present at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the honors college lounge.

Dr. Gary Bischof, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, will present at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, also in the honors college lounge.

Stand Down For Veterans: The Impact Of Volunteerism On Student Learning, Kelsey Herwick

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In this article, Kelsey Herwick, a graduating senior in dietetics and nutrition, fitness, and health, describes her experience with Stand Down. The first ever Stand Down event occurred during the Vietnam War and had the purpose of giving soldiers in combat time to eat warm meals, attend to personal hygiene needs, and tend to any medical needs (MFRI, n.d.a). Over time, Stand Down has become an event that has the purpose of giving veterans a break from homelessness. A group of 14 nutrition science students from Purdue University planned and served at a booth for the Lafayette Stand Down event, …

The Ismail Center Hypertension Program: Application Of Medical Nutrition Therapy, Lily Darbishire

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Lily Darbishire is a registered dietitian nutritionist and graduate student at Missouri State University completing a master’s degree in public health. During her senior year in the dietetics program at Purdue University, Darbishire was involved in a service-learning–based hypertension clinic focusing on medical nutrition therapy. This article outlines her experiences and what she learned as a result of completing the program.

Brighter Sights: Using Photovoice For A Process Evaluation Of A Food Co-Op Style Nutrition Intervention, Margaret P. Raber, Kimberly Kay Lopez, Mike Pomeroy, Avni Mody, Christine Markham, Shreela V. Sharma

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Access to healthy food is a critical factor impacting childhood obesity. Brighter Bites is a school-based program that addresses the issue of fresh food access among low-income families living in food deserts using a food co-op model. The aim of this study is to evaluate initial parent participant reactions to the ongoing Brighter Bites program using Photovoice. A predominately Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, urban school was chosen as the site for the Photovoice project. A total of seven Brighter Bites parent participants were enrolled and six completed the study. The participants developed research questions, took documentary photographs, completed a group analysis …

Nutrinews, Volume 21, October, 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Healthy Osprey Week, Cancer: top killer of Americans?, Eating in Season

Stable Engraftment Of Bifidobacterium Longum Ah1206 In The Human Gut Depends On Individualized Features Of The Resident Microbiome, María X. Maldonado-Gómez, Inés Martínez, Francesca Bottacini, Amy O’Callaghan, Marco Ventura, Douwe Van Sinderen, Benjamin Hillmann, Pajau Vangay, Dan Knights, Robert W. Hutkins, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Live bacteria (such as probiotics) have long been used to modulate gut microbiota and human physiology, but their colonization is mostly transient. Conceptual understanding of the ecological principles as they apply to exogenously introduced microbes in gut ecosystems is lacking. We find that, when orally administered to humans, Bifidobacterium longum AH1206 stably persists in the gut of 30% of individuals for at least 6 months without causing gastrointestinal symptoms or impacting the composition of the resident gut microbiota. AH1206 engraftment was associated with low abundance of resident B. longum and underrepresentation of specific carbohydrate utilization genes in the pre-treatment microbiome. …

Fcs Faculty Member Dr. Duncan Lane Has Article In Journal Of Marriage And Family Review, College Of Education And Human Development

Family and Consumer Sciences News

Dr. Crystal Duncan Lane recently had an article accepted in Marriage and Family Review, one of the top-tier journals in the family science field.

Ua12/2/1 Healthy Living Guide, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special magazine published by the College Heights Herald.

• Collins, Emma. Six Ways to Learn Healthy Eating in Your Dorm
• Austin, Emma. Preston Health & Activities Center Accommodates Users of Varied Abilities
• Henderson, Andrew. If Five Campus Restaurants Had Personality Types
• Burgess, Kelly. How to Make a Light & Fresh Quinoa Fruit Salad
• Carlson, Kylie. New Boxing Gym Swings into Bowling Green – BGKY Boxing
• Adams, Julia. Students Open Discussion on Mental Health
• Healthier Eating with a Meal Plan
• Kast, Monica. Gluten & Allergy Free Station to Open in Fresh – Dining Services
• Sims, Adam. Students Develop Personal Workout Routines
• Cole, …

Structural Diversity In The Type Iv Pili Of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Erik Lillehoj, Christian M. Harding, Jason W. Labonte, Xiaotong Zuo, Chelsea A. Rapp, Robert S. Munson Jr, Simeon E. Goldblum, Mario F. Feldman, Jeffrey J. Gray, Eric J. Sundberg

Food for Health: Publications

Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative coccobacillus found primarily in hospital settings that has recently emerged as a source of hospital-acquired infections. A. baumannii expresses a variety of virulence factors, including type IV pili, bacterial extracellular appendages often essential for attachment to host cells. Here, we report the high resolution structures of the major pilin subunit, PilA, from three Acinetobacter strains, demonstrating thatA. baumannii subsets produce morphologically distinct type IV pilin glycoproteins. We examine the consequences of this heterogeneity for protein folding and assembly as well as host-cell adhesion by Acinetobacter. Comparisons of genomic and structural data with pilin proteins from …

The Neu1-Selective Sialidase Inhibitor, C9- Butyl-Amide-Dana, Blocks Sialidase Activity And Neu1-Mediated Bioactivities In Human Lung In Vitro And Murine Lung In Vivo, Sang W. Hyun, Anguo Liu, Zhenguo Liu, Alan S. Cross, Avelino C. Verceles, Sadagopan Magesh, Yadagiri Kommagalla, Chandrababunaidu Kona, Hiromune Ando, Irina G. Luzina, Sergei P. Atamas, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Eric J. Sundberg, Wei Guang, Hideharu Ishida, Erik P. Lillehoj, Simeon E. Goldblum

Food for Health: Publications

Neuraminidase-1 (NEU1) is the predominant sialidase expressed in human airway epithelia and lung microvascular endothelia where it mediates multiple biological processes. We tested whether the NEU1-selective sialidase inhibitor, C9-butyl-amide-2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-Nacetylneuraminic acid (C9-BA-DANA), inhibits one or more established NEU1-mediated bioactivities in human lung cells. We established the IC50 values of C9-BA-DANA for total sialidase activity in human airway epithelia, lung microvascular endothelia and lung fibroblasts to be 3.74 µM, 13.0 µM and 4.82 µM, respectively. In human airway epithelia, C9-BA-DANA dose-dependently inhibited flagellin-induced, NEU1-mediated mucin-1 ectodomain desialylation, adhesiveness for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and shedding. In lung microvascular endothelia, C9-BA-DANA reversed NEU1-driven restraint of …

Nutrinews, Volume 20, September 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Recipes from Jessica's Table, Orthorexia: The unhealthy obsession with being too healthy, Controlling type 2 diabetes

Benefits Of A Flexitarian Diet: Educating College Students Of Lifestyle Approaches To Reduce The Risk Of Developing Breast And Prostate Cancer, Abbigail Pace

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Practicing the Flexitarian diet, a plant-based diet, in conjunction with physical activity can promote a lifestyle consistent with the American Cancer Society’s recommendations for reducing risks of breast and prostate cancer (American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention, 2015) College students were assessed on knowledge of the relationship between diet and cancer risk prior to and after accessing information on the American Institute of Cancer Research site or the WKU Flexitarian Pinterest Page. Participants were recruited from the National Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council memberships and the International students at Western Kentucky University. Participants completed a …

Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients On Lung Function In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Jessica M. Hinds

Theses & Dissertations

Introduction Veterans are three times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than the general population. This is likely due to increased use of tobacco and exposure to environmental risk factors. Nutritional intake has been linked to COPD, and veterans report unique barriers to improving their eating habits.

Purpose The primary outcome of this study was to examine the relationship between antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient intake and lung function in veterans with COPD. It was hypothesized that a higher intake of lutein + zeaxanthin, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, retinol, ɑ-carotene, ß-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin D, ɑ-tocopherol, omega-3, zinc and selenium …

Identifying Characteristics Associated With Ileus Development Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery, Kara C. Hannon

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Postoperative ileus (POI) is the period of intestinal paralysis following any surgical procedure. POI is manifested by nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, delayed tolerance of oral diet and delayed time to flatus and stool. Little is known about POI following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as no other study has focused specifically on the incidence of POI following CABG.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to determine the incidence of POI post CABG. The secondary aim is to evaluate baseline characteristics associated with POI following CABG.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 100 patients who underwent …

Association Of Body Weight With Athletic Success And The Occurrence Of Female Athlete Triad In Cross Country Athletes, Lindsey Hinken

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Young adult females who participate in endurance sports are at risk of developing Female Athlete Triad (FAT). The high prevalence of FAT among collegiate athletes and its potentially lifelong consequences substantiate the importance of relevant research. The objective of the present study is to identify the risk of FAT among the Western Kentucky University women’s cross country team, based on the presence or absence of the three FAT components, and to investigate the perceptions of those determined to be ‘at-risk.’ It was hypothesized that a preponderance of the WKU women’s cross country team would be considered ‘at risk’ for developing …

‘Project Spraoi’: A Randomized Control Trial To Improve Nutrition And Physical Activity In School Children, Tara Coppinger, Seán Lacey, Cian O'Neill, Con Burns

Publications

Background

Recent evidence predicts that by 2030, Ireland will have the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Consequently, there are concerns that health problems associated with this condition will present in childhood. Studies have shown that interventions based on increasing physical activity (PA) levels, reducing sedentary lifestyles and improving nutritional habits all pose protective mechanisms against obesity and its related disorders in youth. Yet, to date, there are no interventions being delivered in Ireland that concurrently target PA, nutritional habits and sedentary time amongst school children.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate an intervention that …