Diseases Commons^™

Malaria Resilience In South America: Epidemiology, Vector Biology, And Immunology Insights From The Amazonian International Center Of Excellence In Malaria Research Network In Peru And Brazil, Kathrine Torres, Marcelo U. Ferreira, Marcia C. Castro, Ananias A. Escalante, Jan E. Conn, Elizabeth Villasis, Maisa Da Silva Araujo, Gregorio Almeida, Priscila T. Rodrigues, Rodrigo M. Corder, Anderson R.J. Fernandes, Priscila R. Calil, Winni A. Ladeia, Stefano S. Garcia-Castillo, Joaquin Gomez, Lis Ribeiro Do Valle Antonelli, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Douglas T. Golenbock, Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas, Dionicia Gamboa, Joseph M. Vinetz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The 1990s saw the rapid reemergence of malaria in Amazonia, where it remains an important public health priority in South America. The Amazonian International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) was designed to take a multidisciplinary approach toward identifying novel malaria control and elimination strategies. Based on geographically and epidemiologically distinct sites in the Northeastern Peruvian and Western Brazilian Amazon regions, synergistic projects integrate malaria epidemiology, vector biology, and immunology. The Amazonian ICEMR’s overarching goal is to understand how human behavior and other sociodemographic features of human reservoirs of transmission— predominantly asymptomatically parasitemic people—interact with the major Amazonian malaria …

Genomic Approaches To Uncovering The Coevolutionary History Of Parasitic Lice [Review], Kevin P. Johnson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Next-generation sequencing technologies are revolutionizing the fields of genomics, phylogenetics, and population genetics. These new genomic approaches have been extensively applied to a major group of parasites, the lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) of birds and mammals. Two louse genomes have been assembled and annotated to date, and these have opened up new resources for the study of louse biology. Whole genome sequencing has been used to assemble large phylogenomic datasets for lice, incorporating sequences of thousands of genes. These datasets have provided highly supported trees at all taxonomic levels, ranging from relationships among the major groups of lice to those among …

Novel Approaches For Enhancing Cell Survival And Function In Vivo, Ou Wang

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

FDA has approved several cell-based therapeutics and hundreds of cell therapy clinical trials are ongoing. Cells will be a significant type of medicine after small molecule and protein drugs. However, several obstacles need to be addressed to achieve the widespread use of cellular therapeutics. The first challenge is the low efficacy of cell transplantation due to low retention, survival, integration, and function of cells in vivo. The second challenge is producing a massive number of cells for clinical treatment with cost-effectively and reproducibly technologies.

In this thesis, we proposed and investigated two approaches to address these challenges. To begin …

Daily Phonatory Activity Of Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease, Jeff Searl, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

This study evaluated the amount of phonatory activity of Persons with Parkinson disease (PwPD) compared to adults without Parkinson’s disease measured over 3 days. The relationship between the amount of phonatory activity and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) total score was assessed as were differences in voicing activity across 3 days of data collection.

Methods

Fifteen PwPD receiving dopaminergic medication and fifteen age and sex matched adults without Parkinson’s disease completed the VHI and then wore a VocaLog vocal monitor (VM) for 3 consecutive days. From the VM data, the number of 1-second windows with dB sound pressure level > 0 …

The Sulfur Microbial Diet Is Associated With Increased Risk Of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Precursors, Long H. Nguyen, Yin Cao, Jinhee Hur, Raaj S. Mehta, Daniel R. Sikavi, Yiqing Wang, Wenjie Ma, Kana Wu, Mingyang Song, Edward L. Giovannucci, Eric B. Rimm, Walter C. Willett, Wendy S. Garrett, Jacques Izard, Curtis Huttenhower, Andrew T. Chan

Food for Health: Publications

Background and aims: Diet may contribute to the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) before age 50 (early-onset CRC). Microbial metabolism of dietary sulfur produces hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a gastrointestinal carcinogen that cannot be easily measured at scale. As a result, evidence supporting its role in early neoplasia is lacking.

Methods: We evaluated long-term adherence to the sulfur microbial diet, a dietary index defined a priori based on increased abundance of 43 bacterial species involved with sulfur metabolism, with risk of CRC precursors among 59,013 individuals who underwent lower endoscopy in the Nurses’ Health Study II …

The Effects Of Omega-3 Pufa Infusions During Late Gestation On Developmental Pathologies In The Intrauterine Growth Restricted Fetus, Taylor A. Lacey

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Low birthweight due to intrauterine growth restriction is associated with metabolic disorders after birth. Our 1^st study assessed deficits in skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and pancreatic β cell function in IUGR fetal sheep. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of daily intravenous infusions of the anti-inflammatory ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), as a means of improving deficits previously observed in the IUGR fetus by targeting fetal systemic inflammation. The presence of systemic inflammation in IUGR fetuses was evident by increased total circulating populations of total leukocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes. However, these were …

Hiv-1 Transcription Elongation By Tat-Mediated Recruitment Of P-Tefb, Elizabeth Griggs

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Over 38.0 million people live with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as of 462019. HIV hijacks the host's cellular machinery to replicate its viral DNA and transcribe the corresponding RNA. HIV-1 transcription relies on both cellular and viral transcription factors for proper regulation. The viral transcriptional activator Tat is a primary regulator. Transcription activation and elongation is controlled through the interaction of Tat with Positive Transcription Elongation Factor b (P-TEFb), a cellular transcriptional activator. The focus of this paper is 1) an in-depth understanding of the interaction between P-TEFb and Tat in HIV transcription, and 2) a review of recent …

Host Cell Responses To Zika Virus Infection, Bikash Ranjan Sahoo

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The re-emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in 2015 as a significant human pathogen causing neurological diseases in infants as well as adults is a serious global health concern. A clear understanding of the mechanisms involved in ZIKV replication in infected host cells as well as the host responses to virus infection are keys to the development of therapeutic strategies against ZIKV. Studies conducted in this dissertation demonstrate that ZIKV infection induces the activation of mTOR signaling cascade that promotes viral protein accumulation and infectious progeny production. While both mTORC1 and mTORC2 are essential for ZIKV replication, the observation that depletion …

The Sulfur Microbial Diet And Risk Of Colorectal Cancer By Molecular Subtypes And Intratumoral Microbial Species In Adult Men, Daniel R. Sikavi, Long H. Nguyen, Koichiro Haruki, Tomotaka Ugai, Wenjie Ma, Dong D. Wang, Kelsey N. Thompson, Yan Yan, Tobyn Branck, Jeremy E. Wilkinson, Naohiko Akimoto, Rong Zhong, Mai Chan Lau, Kosuke Mima, Keisuke Kosumi, Teppei Morikawa, Eric B. Rimm, Wendy S. Garrett, Jacques Izard, Yin Cao, Mingyang Song, Curtis Huttenhower, Shuji Ogino, Andrew T. Chan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: We recently described the sulfur microbial diet, a pattern of intake associated with increased gut sulfur-metabolizing bacteria and incidence of distal colorectal cancer (CRC). We assessed whether this risk differed by CRC molecular subtypes or presence of intratumoral microbes involved in CRC pathogenesis (Fusobacterium nucleatum and Bifidobacterium spp.).

Methods: We performed Cox proportional hazards modeling to examine the association between the sulfur microbial diet and incidence of overall and distal CRC by molecular and microbial subtype in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2012).

Results: We documented 1,264 incident CRC cases among 48,246 men, approximately 40% …

Development Of Vaccines And Antivirals Against Zika Virus, Aryamav Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The re-emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV), an arbovirus, poses a major global human health concern because of its ability to cause congenital abnormalities and neurological diseases. While many candidate vaccines and antiviral drugs are in the developmental pipeline, none have been approved for use against ZIKV infection. This dissertation describes the characterization of one vaccine and two antiviral drug candidates against ZIKV infection. A bacterial ferritin-based nanoparticle vaccine, termed zDIII-F, is designed to display multiple copies of ZIKV E protein domain III on its surface. These stable nanoparticles are shown to induce robust antibody-mediated protection against lethal ZIKV infection in …

Complexity Of Malaria Transmission Dynamics In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Ana Maria Ribeiro De Castro Duarte, Licia Natal Fernandes, Fabiana Santos Silva, Igor Lucoves Sicchi, Luis Filipe Mucci, Izilda Curado, Aristides Ferrnandes, Antônio Ralph Medeiros-Sousa, Walter Ceretti-Junior, Mauro Toledo Marrelli, Eduardo Evangelista, Renildo Teixeira, Juliana Laurito Summa, Marcello Schiavo Nardi, Margoth Ramos Garnica, Ana Carolina Loss, Julyana Cerqueira Buery, Crispim Cerutti Jr., M. Andreína Pacheco, Ananias A. Escalante, Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, Gabriel Zorello Laporta

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax are protozoan parasites that can cause malaria in humans. They are genetically indistinguishable from, respectively, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium, that is, parasites infecting New World non-human primates in South America. In the tropical rainforests of the Brazilian Atlantic coast, it has long been hypothesized that P. brasilianum and P. simium in platyrrhine primates originated from P. malariae and P. vivax in humans. A recent hypothesis proposed the inclusion of Plasmodium falciparum into the transmission dynamics between humans and non-human primates in the Brazilian Atlantic tropical rainforest. Herein, we assess the occurrence of human …

Thyreos Completes Seed Funding From Invest Nebraska, Strategic Angel Investors, Nebraska Combine

The Combine

First paragraph:

Thyreos (https://www.thyreosvaccines.com/), a vaccine company that is developing a novel vaccine platform that protects against a range of herpesviruses, has announced a $750,000 investment round led by Invest Nebraska with participation from other local angel investors in the animal health and veterinary space.

Malaria In Southern Venezuela: The Hottest Hotspot In Latin America, Maria Eugenia Grillet, Jorge E. Moreno, Juan V. Hernández-Villena, Maria F. Vincenti-González, Oscar Noya, Adriana Tami, Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, Martin Llewellyn, Rachel Lowe, Ananias A. Escalante, Jan E. Conn

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Malaria elimination in Latin America is becoming an elusive goal. Malaria cases reached a historical ~1 million in 2017 and 2018, with Venezuela contributing 53% and 51% of those cases, respectively. Historically, malaria incidence in southern Venezuela has accounted for most of the country’s total number of cases. The efficient deployment of disease prevention measures and prediction of disease spread to new regions requires an in-depth understanding of spatial heterogeneity on malaria transmission dynamics. Herein, we characterized the spatial epidemiology of malaria in southern Venezuela from 2007 through 2017 and described the extent to which malaria distribution has changed country-wide …

Dietary Fiber Intake, The Gut Microbiome, And Chronic Systemic Inflammation In A Cohort Of Adult Men, Wenjie Ma, Long H. Nguyen, Mingyang Song, Dong D. Wang, Eric A. Franzosa, Yin Cao, Amit Joshi, David A. Drew, Raaj Mehta, Kerry L. Ivey, Lisa L. Strate, Edward L. Giovannucci, Jacques Izard, Wendy Garrett, Eric B. Rimm, Curtis Huttenhower, Andrew T. Chan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: A higher intake of dietary fiber is associated with a decreased risk of chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease and inflammatory bowel disease. This may function in part due to abrogation of chronic systemic inflammation induced by factors such as dysbiotic gut communities. Data regarding the detailed influences of long-term and recent intake of differing dietary fiber sources on the human gut microbiome are lacking.

Methods: In a cohort of 307 generally healthy men, we examined gut microbiomes, profiled by shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing, and long-term and recent dietary fiber intake in relation to plasma …

Comparisons Of Oral, Intestinal, And Pancreatic Bacterial Microbiomes In Patients With Pancreatic Cancer And Other Gastrointestinal Diseases, Mei Chung, Naisi Zhao, Richard Meier, Devin C. Koestler, Guojun Wu, Erika De Castillo, Bruce J. Paster, Kevin Charpentier, Jacques Izard, Karl T. Kelsey, Dominique S. Michaud

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Oral microbiota is believed to play important roles in systemic diseases, including cancer. Methods: We collected oral samples (tongue, buccal, supragingival, and saliva) and pancreatic tissue or intestinal samples from 52 subjects, and characterized 16S rRNA genes using high-throughput DNA sequencing.

Results: Bray–Curtis plot showed clear separations between bacterial communities in the oral cavity and those in intestinal and pancreatic tissue samples. PERMANOVA tests indicated that bacterial communities from buccal samples were similar to supragingival and saliva samples, and pancreatic duct samples were similar to pancreatic tumor samples, but all other samples were significantly different from each …

The Role Of Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells In Liver Malady Homeostasis, Fatima Cabral

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current literature described techniques for the purification of liver cell types through text alone. The techniques described for the isolation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells as well as hepatocytes described here are modified from a published article in the Journal of Visualized experiments. The video protocol allows for the user to successfully isolate cells as the most difficult parts of the procedure are demonstrated visually. The detection of liver maladies such as the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the stage if this disease and differentiation between non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease is demonstrated in the development of a unique panel …

Investigating Microbial And Host Factors That Modulate Severity Of Clostridioides Difficile Associated Disease, Armando Lerma

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Clostridioides difficile is recognized as one of the most important pathogens in hospital and community healthcare settings. The clinical outcome of infection of toxigenic C. difficile infection (CDI) ranges from asymptomatic colonization to fulminant pseudomembranous colitis and death. In recent studies, it has been suggested that a high proportion of nosocomial CDI cases are transmitted from asymptomatic carriers which might be acting as infection reservoirs. Understanding what causes the different responses to infection could lead to the development of novel prevention and treatment strategies. Although several explanations have been proposed to explain variations in susceptibility, understanding of the exact mechanisms …

Multi-Omics: Differential Expression Of Ifn-Γ Results In Distinctive Mechanistic Features Linking Chronic Inflammation, Gut Dysbiosis, And Autoimmune Diseases, Heekyong R. Bae, Patrick S. C. Leung, Deborah L. Hodge, John M. Fenimore, Seon Min Jeon, Vishal Thovarai, Amiran Dzutsev, Andrew A. Welcher, Michael Boedigheimer, Michael A. Damore, Myung Sook Choi, Richard A. Fravell, Giorgio Trinchieri, M. Eric Gershwin, Howard A. Young

United States Public Health Resources

Low grade, chronic inflammation is a critical risk factor for immunologic dysfunction including autoimmune diseases. However, the multiplicity of complex mechanisms and lack of relevant murine models limit our understanding of the precise role of chronic inflammation. To address these hurdles, we took advantage of multi-omics data and a unique murine model with a low but chronic expression of IFN-γ, generated by replacement of the AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3’ UTR region of IFN-γ mRNA with random nucleotides. Herein, we demonstrate that low but differential expression of IFN-γ in mice by homozygous or heterozygous ARE replacement triggers distinctive gut …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware. The commonly known screening method among …

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program For Livestock Producers, Bradley Lubben

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

United States Congress and the President have approved multiple phases of COVID-19 assistance to date including the $2.3 trillion CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act passed in March that provides financial support for agricultural producers as a small part of the overall relief.

While agricultural producers and agribusinesses are eligible for two programs administered through the Small Business Administration, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), the primary support for agriculture is coming from USDA through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The CARES Act provided $9.5 billion directly to the Secretary of …

Has Covid-19 Impacted Price-Weight Relationships And Value Of Gain?, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

In the beginning of COVID-19, much of the attention was focused on managing the redirection of meat product from food service to retail stores. This past month has keenly focused on packing plant closures due to COVID-19 cases among workers and how to manage the supply of fat cattle already ready for slaughter. Fat cattle available for slaughter either cannot get bids or bids are significantly below breakeven prices leaving feedlots with decisions to be made about marketing and placements. The April 2020 Cattle on Feed report (https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/m326m174z) revealed March placement decisions. Placements were down about …

How Does The Social World Shape The Experience Of A Rare Disease? Social Position And The Development, Progression, And Medical Care For People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jennifer A. Andersen

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the implications of social position and life course on the experience of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Using a sociology in medicine frame, I test three theoretical perspectives (fundamental cause theory, social determinants of health, and life course theory) to determine the influence of social conditions on the development and progression of, and medical care for, people with ALS (pALS). Further, I use ALS as an exemplar of the need for a sociology of disease.

Using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis National Registry, I first assess the association of social position with the reported onset location at the …

Association Between Sulfur-Metabolizing Bacterial Communities In Stool And Risk Of Distal Colorectal Cancer In Men, Long H. Nguyen, Wenjie Ma, Dong D. Wang, Yin Cao, Himel Mallick, Teklu K. Gerbaba, Jason Lloyd-Price, Galeb Abu-Ali, A. Brantley Hall, Daniel Sikavi, David A. Drew, Raaj S. Mehta, Cesar Arze, Amit D. Joshi, Yan Yan, Tobyn Branck, Casey Dulong, Kerry L. Ivey, Shuji Ogino, Eric B. Rimm, Mingyang Song, Wendy S. Garrett, Jacques Izard, Cutis Huttenhower, Andrew T. Chan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background and aims: Sulfur-metabolizing microbes, which convert dietary sources of sulfur into genotoxic hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), have been associated with development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We identified a dietary pattern associated with sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in stool and then investigated its association with risk of incident CRC using data from a large prospective study of men.

Methods: We collected data from 51,529 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study since 1986 to determine the association between sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in stool and risk of CRC over 26 years of follow-up. First, in a subcohort of 307 healthy men, we …

The Relationship Between The Cervical Microbiome And Cervical Cancer Risk In Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameron G. Klein

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite ongoing efforts, sub-Saharan Africa faces a higher cervical cancer burden than anywhere else in the world. Besides HPV infection, definitive factors of cervical cancer are still unclear. Dysbiosis of the cervicovaginal microbiota, particularly involving sexually transmitted infections, is associated with increased cervical cancer risk. Notably, HIV infection, which is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, greatly increases risk of cervicovaginal dysbiosis and cervical cancer. To better understand and address cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, a better understanding of the regional cervicovaginal microbiome is required. In this study, I establish the relationship between cervical cancer, HPV, HIV, cervicovaginal infections, and the cervicovaginal …

On The Inadequacy Of Species Distribution Models For Modelling The Spread Of Sars-Cov-2: Response To Araújo And Naimi, Joseph D. Chipperfield, Blas M. Benito, Robert B. O'Hara, Richard J. Telford, Colin J. Carlson

United States Public Health Resources

The ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing significant damage to public health and economic livelihoods, and is putting significant strains on healthcare services globally. This unfolding emergency has prompted the preparation and dissemination of the article “Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus likely to be constrained by climate” by Araújo and Naimi (2020). The authors present the results of an ensemble forecast made from a suite of species distribution models (SDMs), where they attempt to predict the suitability of the climate for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the coming months. They argue that climate is …

Diabetes Debunked: What You Need To Know, Maggie Hutson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this Honors creative project is to encourage health literacy in populations who are curious about Type 2 Diabetes or have Type 2 Diabetes. From personal experience, I have seen noncompliance in diabetics and wondered why since it is a serious, progressive disease. After researching, I found that some diabetics do not understand the scope of their disease, especially since many of the dangerous complications that arise from Type 2 Diabetes do not present until later in the disease when it is too late. For my senior project, I decided to write an educational paper as a supplement …

Neutrophil Infiltration Into The Cervical Compartment Is Suppressed By Hiv Infection, Madeline Maschka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV), is a small circular dsDNA virus with at least 200 different genotypes; each genotype is identified by at least 10% difference at the DNA level in the L1 capsid gene. Each HPV genotype affects the body in different tissues, either mucosal or cutaneous. Mucosal HPVs type 16 and 18 are known as high-risk strains, since HPV infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer and plays a central role in formation of precancerous lesions. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) damages the body’s immune system by targeting CD4+ T cells. Once CD4+ T cells are infected, the body …

Knowledge Of Breast Cancer And Screening Methods Among Rural Women In Southwest Nigeria: A Mixed Method Analysis, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina, Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa, Julianah Babajide, Juliet Amarachukwu Nwafor

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware of it. The commonly known screening …

Mucosa-Associated Microbiota In Barrett’S Esophagus, Dysplasia, And Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Differ Similarly Compared With Healthy Controls, Shajan Peter, Amanda Pendergraft,, William Vanderpol, Mel Wilcox, Kondal R. Kyanam Kabir Baig, Casey Morrow, Jacques Izard, Peter J. Mannon

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alterations in the composition of the human gut microbiome and its metabolites have been linked to gut epithelial neoplasia. We hypothesized that differences in mucosa-adherent Barrett’s microbiota could link to risk factors, providing risk of progression to neoplasia.

Methods: Paired biopsies from both diseased and nonaffected esophagus (as well as gastric cardia and gastric juice for comparison) from patients with intestinal metaplasia (n = 10), low grade dysplasia (n = 10), high grade dysplasia (n = 10), esophageal adenocarcinoma (n = 12), and controls (n = 10) were processed for mucosa-associated bacteria …

Urban Food Sovereignty: Urgent Need For Agroecology And Systems Thinking In A Post-Covid-19 Future, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to challenges associated with our dominant industrial food system in the U.S. The general public now has more appreciation for farm workers and meatpacking employees, as well as those in grocery stores and in food transportation who are suddenly recognized as essential frontline workers. It apparently takes a crisis for us to focus clearly on the fragility of this system and the lives of people on whom we depend. In this commentary we discuss the definition of food sovereignty, how it manifests in urban areas, and how the COVID-19 pandemic can trigger viable …