Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition Commons^™

Titanium Dioxide: An Inquiry Into The Mechanisms And Implications Of Exposure In Gut Dysbiosis And Metabolic Disorders, Meghan Gardiner

Senior Honors Theses

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most prevalent food additives utilized in commercial products in the United States. While TiO₂ was originally hailed as a nontoxic and cost-effective additive, studies are beginning to reveal that TiO₂ is not as safe as it once seemed. TiO₂ may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and metabolic disorders through direct and indirect mechanisms. The compound induces gut dysbiosis, leading to alterations in bacterial metabolites and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which results in the selective resistance of glucocorticoid receptors. Additionally, TiO₂ itself can translocate from the gut to …

The Effects Of Body Mass Index On Fertility And In Vitro Fertilization, Morgan R. Kidd

Honors College Theses

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most widely used type of assisted reproductive technology for treating infertility arising from a number of conditions. As obesity rates continue to climb in the United States, infertility has been discovered to have a direct correlation. Individuals that fall below or above the healthy body mass index range are found to have disrupted regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in diminished reproductive health. Those that are diagnosed as infertile due to conditions caused by the effects of low body mass index or high body mass index may seek assisted reproductive technologies to intervene in achieving …

The Role Of Top-Down Appetite Self-Regulation In The Development Of Healthy Eating Behaviors Among Children: A Narrative Review And Socialization Framework, David J Bridgett, Sheryl O Hughes, Matthew Broussard, Daniela Mccourt, Christina M Croce, Jennifer O Fisher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Appetite self-regulation (ASR) among children is thought to have a fundamental role in shaping the development of healthy eating behaviors, dietary intake, and growth during childhood. Parallel to developmental frameworks for understanding "general" self-regulation among children, ASR has been described as involving children's use of "top-down" cognitive processes to moderate "bottom-up" biological drives around food approach and avoidance in the interest of achieving desired eating behaviors or outcomes. Whereas bottom-up ASR processes during early childhood are well characterized, particularly in the context of dysregulation and obesity risk, the role of top-down ASR processes in the development of healthy eating behaviors …

Vitamin D Status During Pregnancy Modulates The Effect Of Pre-Pregnancy Obesity On Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Risk: A Birth Cohort Study, Ali H. Ziyab, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Reem Al-Sabah, Majeda S. Hammoud, Saeed Akhtar

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective:

To determine whether gestational vitamin D status modulates the effect of pre-pregnancy obesity on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk while stratifying by maternal age.

Design:

Birth cohort.

Setting:

A major maternity hospital in Kuwait.

Participants:

Pregnant women in their second/third trimester of gestation were enrolled. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) was categorized as under/normal weight (< 25.0), overweight (25.0 to < 30.0), and obesity (≥30.0). Gestational 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were categorized as deficiency (< 50 nmol/L) or insufficiency/sufficiency (≥50 nmol/L). GDM status was ascertained according to international guidelines. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression.

Results:

Data from 957 pregnant women were analyzed, with GDM affecting 166 (17.4%) pregnancies. Pre-pregnancy obesity and gestational vitamin D deficiency was ascertained in 275 (28.7%) and 533 (55.7%) pregnant women, respectively. The association between pre-pregnancy obesity and GDM risk differed according …

The Impact Of Gastric Sleeve And Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass On Chief Cell Function And Protein Digestion In Obese Patients, Garikoitz Mikel Gainza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Obesity has become one of the largest global health concerns of the 21^st century, correlating with numerous associated diseases. To help address the growing prevalence and burden of obesity, sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass have become two commonly performed surgical procedures done to promote weight loss by altering the anatomical structure of the stomach and surrounding organs of the gastrointestinal system. Although the benefits of improved metabolism linked to these surgical procedures are well studied, their impact on the physiology of gastric cells, and more specifically chief cells as they relate to protein digestion post-surgery, is yet to …

Ultra-Processed Foods And The Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Continuum: Integrating Epidemiological, Multi-Omics, And Translational Evidence, Saiful Singar, Amirhossein Ataei Kachouei, Leandro Lantigua-Somoano, David Manley, Anthony Cardinale, Muhammad Zulfiqah Sadikan, Saurabh Kadyan, Donya Shahamati, Lorena Dias, Amber Wood, Cinthia Chavarria, Sara K. Rosenkranz, Neda S. Akhavan

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome integrates excess adiposity, metabolic dysfunction, kidney impairment, subclinical cardiovascular diseases, and clinical events along a staged continuum that invites unified prevention and treatment. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a complex, high-prevalence exposure that may influence risk across CKM stages through nutrient profiles, additives, processing-induced compounds, and packaging-related contaminants. This review synthesizes epidemiologic, mechanistic, and translational evidence with attention to exposure definition and analytic rigor. We summarize NOVA-based UPF operationalization across dietary assessment tools, highlighting misclassification of mixed dishes, brand heterogeneity, and energy under-reporting, and we propose further examination of energy-adjusted models, calibration, and harmonized metrics. Observational studies consistently …

A Cross-Sectional Study Investigating The Relationship Between The Fto Gene Polymorphism In Relation To Obesity Traits And Vitamin D Status In Adolescence, Ahmad Al-Serri, Rabeah A. Al-Temaimi, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Lemia Shaban, Reem Al-Sabah, Abdur Rahman, Ali H. Ziyab

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background and Objective: Obesity affects 18%-25% of adolescents globally and represents a major public health challenge. Genetic factors contribute to obesity susceptibility, with the FTO gene variant rs9939609 consistently associated with obesity in adults; however, evidence in adolescents is limited. This study examined the association between FTO and obesity traits in adolescents and explored potential interactions with vitamin D status.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 509 adolescents aged 10-15 years were genotyped for FTO rs9939609. Obesity traits, including BMI, BMI z-score, and waist circumference, were assessed. Associations with genotype were analyzed using an additive genetic model, and potential interactions with …

Influence And Excess: A Study Of Alcohol’S Governmental, Societal, Biochemical, And Enzymatic Impact In The U.S And Other Countries Around The World, Thomas W. Snider

Senior Honors Theses

The conduct of the thesis is to explore the intricacies of alcohol consumption. The thesis will outline the history of alcohol and the societal pressures and conduct of drinking with relation to the government. After the history of alcohol has been defined, the thesis will move into the chemistry portion, delineating the absorption, digestion, metabolism, and excretion of alcohol. This is the portion of the thesis that will contain the quantitative data and source material as much research has already been conducted regarding these components of alcohol consumption. The condition of the research is that the data will be collected …

The Diabetes Prevention Program And Its Outcomes Study: Niddk's Journey Into The Prevention Of Type 2 Diabetes And Its Public Health Impact, Jill P Crandall, Dana Dabelea, William C Knowler, David M Nathan, Marinella Temprosa, Dpp Research Group

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The current-day epidemic of type 2 diabetes, largely driven by increased adiposity and reduced physical activity in the setting of genetic susceptibility, is a major public health challenge. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) presciently proposed the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a multicenter randomized clinical trial, designed by investigators in conjunction with NIDDK staff and initiated in 1996. The primary goal of DPP was to determine whether an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILS) or metformin in comparison with placebo would reduce the development of diabetes in a high-risk population with prediabetes. After mean 2.8 years, ILS …

The Small Gtpase Rap1 In Pomc Neurons Regulates Leptin Actions And Glucose Metabolism, Kentaro Kaneko, Weisheng Lu, Yong Xu, Alexei Morozov, Makoto Fukuda

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The hypothalamic leptin-proopiomelanocortin (POMC) pathway is critical for regulating metabolism. POMC neurons in the arcuate nucleus respond to leptin and play a pivotal role in mediating energy and glucose balance. However, during diet-induced obesity (DIO), these neurons often develop resistance to exogenous leptin. Recently, the small GTPase Rap1 has been implicated as an inhibitor of neuronal leptin signaling; however, its specific role within POMC neurons remains unexplored. We generated tamoxifen-inducible, POMC neuron-specific Rap1 knockout mice to selectively delete both Rap1a and Rap1b isoforms in POMC neurons. By analyzing these mice through metabolic phenotyping, immunohistochemistry, and biochemical assays, we show that …

Exploring Profiles Of Fathers Integrating Food And Physical Activity Parenting Practices, John A Jimenez-Garcia, Louise C Mâsse, Robert L Newton, Salma M Musaad, Alicia Beltran, Teresia M O'Connor

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: This study aims to identify fathers' profiles integrating food parenting practices (FPP) and physical activity parenting practices (PAPP).

Design: We analysed cross-sectional data. The fathers completed the reduced FPP and PAPP item banks and socio-demographic and family dynamics (co-parenting and household responsibility) questionnaires. We identified fathers' profiles via latent profile analysis. We explored the influence of social determinants, child characteristics and family dynamics on fathers' profiles using multinomial logistic regression.

Setting: Online survey in the USA.

Participants: Fathers of 5-11-year-old children.

Results: We analysed data from 606 fathers (age = 38 ± 8·0; Hispanic = 37·5 %). Most fathers …

Altered Thermal Preference By Preoptic Estrogen Receptor Alpha Neurons In Postpartum Females, Nan Zhang, Meng Yu, Qianru Zhao, Bing Feng, Yue Deng, Jonathan C Bean, Qingzhuo Liu, Benjamin P Eappen, Yang He, Kristine M Conde, Hailan Liu, Yongjie Yang, Longlong Tu, Mengjie Wang, Yongxiang Li, Na Yin, Hesong Liu, Junying Han, Darah Ave Threat, Nathan Xu, Taylor Smiley, Pingwen Xu, Lulu Chen, Tianshu Zeng, Yanlin He, Chunmei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate how reproductive experience (RE) alters thermal preference and thermoregulation in female mice, with a focus on estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-expressing neurons in the preoptic area (POA).

METHODS: Thermal preference and body temperature were measured in female mice with and without RE, and virgin female mice with selective deletion of ERα from the POA (ERα

RESULTS: We showed that female mice prefer a cooler environment starting from late pregnancy and persisting long term postpartum. Female mice with RE (>4 weeks post-weaning) displayed lower body temperature and a lower thermal preferred temperature, and lost preference …

Red Meat Consumption And Hypertension: An Updated Review, Tara S Allen, Michael Najem, Alexis C Wood, Danielle J Lee, Lorena S Pacheco, Lori B Daniels, Matthew A Allison

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The global prevalence of HTN and related CVD mortality continues to rise. The development of HTN is influenced by genetic predisposition and modifiable risk factors, including diet. One area of ongoing debate is the relationship between red meat consumption and risk of HTN.

RECENT FINDINGS: Processed red meat has become increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis and morbidity of HTN, though randomized control trials comparing HTN-related outcomes associated with red meat subtypes have yielded heterogenous results. This review summarizes the existing relevant literature and highlights the methodological …

Multimorbidity And Peak Oxygen Uptake In Patients Undergoing Cardiac Rehabilitation, Pauline F. Gomes, Audry Chacin-Suarez, Sophie A. Miller, Karen M. Fischer, Thomas P. Olson

Einstein Health Papers

No abstract provided.

The Adiponectin-Pparγ Axis In Hepatic Stellate Cells Regulates Liver Fibrosis, Shangang Zhao, Qingzhang Zhu, Wang-Hsin Lee, Jan-Bernd Funcke, Zhuzhen Zhang, May-Yun Wang, Qian Lin, Bianca Field, Xue-Nan Sun, Guannan Li, Mbolle Ekane, Toshiharu Onodera, Na Li, Yi Zhu, Christine M Kusminski, Terry D Hinds, Philipp E Scherer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are key drivers of local fibrosis. Adiponectin, conventionally thought of as an adipokine, is also expressed in quiescent HSCs. However, the impact of its local expression on the progression of liver fibrosis remains unclear. We recently generated a transgenic mouse line (Lrat-rtTA) that expresses the doxycycline-responsive transcriptional activator rtTA under the control of the HSC-specific lecithin retinol acyltransferase (Lrat) promoter, which enables us to specifically and inducibly overexpress or eliminate genes in these cells. The inducible elimination of HSCs protects mice from methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced liver fibrosis, confirming their causal involvement in fibrosis development. We generated …

Sex-Specific Astrocyte Regulation Of Spinal Motor Circuits By Nkx61, Navish A Bosquez Huerta, Zhung-Fu Lee, Eun-Ah Christine Song, Junsung Woo, Yi-Ting Cheng, Debosmita Sardar, Ozlem Sert, Ehson Maleki, Kwanha Yu, Ekin Su Akdemir, Kaitlyn Sanchez, Juyeon Jo, Matthew N Rasband, Hyun Kyoung Lee, Akdes Serin Harmanci, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Astrocytes exhibit diverse cellular and molecular properties across the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies identified region-specific transcription factors (TF) that oversee these diverse properties; how sex differences intersect with region-specific transcriptional programs to regulate astrocyte function is unknown. Here, we show that the TF Nkx6.1 is specifically expressed in ventral astrocytes of the spinal cord and that its deletion results in sex-specific effects on astrocyte morphology. Astrocytes from males exhibit enhanced morphological complexity, accompanied by increased motor function and cholinergic synapses. In contrast, female astrocytes exhibit reduced complexity and no changes in motor function. Mechanistically, we found that Nkx6.1 …

Sex Differences In Response To Diet Enriched With Glutathione Precursors In The Aging Heart, Aude Angelini, Grecia Garcia Marquez, Anna Malovannaya, Marta L Fiorotto, Alexander Saltzman, Antrix Jain, Joann Trial, George E Taffet, Katarzyna A Cieslik

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Common features of the aging heart are dysregulated metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis. Elevated oxidative stress is another hallmark of cardiac aging that can exacerbate each of these conditions. We hypothesize that by increasing natural antioxidant levels (glutathione), we will improve cardiac function. Twenty-one-month-old mice were fed glycine and N-acetyl cysteine (GlyNAC; glutathione precursors)-supplemented or control diets for 12 weeks. Heart function was monitored longitudinally, and the exercise performance was determined at the end of the study. We found that the GlyNAC diet was beneficial for old male but not old female mice, leading to an increase of Ndufb8 expression (a …

Attacking Diabetes One Day At A Time, Kyla Duncan

Theses and Dissertations

The "Attacking Diabetes One Day at a Time" initiative targets the growing concern of public health, type 2 diabetes, among under-reserved communities. This comprehensive care program emphasizes the importance of prevention through education, improving lifestyles, and access to care. Based on insights from the Self-Care Management Theory, this initiative seeks to provide individuals with sound, culturally tailored strategies that reduce disease risk and help them manage healthy lifestyles. Major components include educational workshops, and resource navigation. The success of this program, from community engagement through evaluation on a phased implementation plan, is guaranteed. The expected outcomes of this work will …

Rwanda's Natural Remedies: A Fresh Look At The Fight Against Malaria, Leandre Nsabimana Ndisanze

Pomona Senior Theses

Malaria remains one of the most devastating parasitic diseases globally, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan Africa, where Rwanda continues to face high transmission rates and rising resistance to conventional interventions. Despite decades of control efforts, the emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and insecticide-resistant Anopheles mosquitoes threatens to reverse recent gains. This research responds to the urgent need for sustainable and culturally relevant alternatives by exploring the therapeutic potential of Rwandan traditional medicinal plants. These indigenous remedies, long used by local healers, offer an underexplored reservoir of bioactive compounds that may provide the basis for novel antimalarial drugs.

The central hypothesis of this …

Predictive Equation Derived From 6,497 Doubly Labelled Water Measurements Enables The Detection Of Erroneous Self-Reported Energy Intake, Rania Bajunaid, Chaoqun Niu, Catherine Hambly, Zongfang Liu, Yosuke Yamada, Heliodoro Aleman-Mateo, Liam J Anderson, Lenore Arab, Issad Baddou, Linda Bandini, Kweku Bedu-Addo, Ellen E Blaak, Carlijn V C Bouten, Soren Brage, Maciej S Buchowski, Nancy F Butte, Stefan G J A Camps, Regina Casper, Graeme L Close, Jamie A Cooper, Richard Cooper, Sai Krupa Das, Peter S W Davies, Prasangi Dabare, Lara R Dugas, Simon Eaton, Ulf Ekelund, Sonja Entringer, Terrence Forrester, Barry W Fudge, Melanie Gillingham, Annelies H Goris, Michael Gurven, Asmaa El Hamdouchi, Hinke H Haisma, Daniel Hoffman, Marije B Hoos, Sumei Hu, Noorjehan Joonas, Annemiek M Joosen, Peter Katzmarzyk, Misaka Kimura, William E Kraus, Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Rebecca Kuriyan, Robert F Kushner, Estelle V Lambert, Pulani Lanerolle, Christel L Larsson, William R Leonard, Nader Lessan, Marie Löf, Corby K Martin, Eric Matsiko, Anine C Medin, James C Morehen, James P Morton, Aviva Must, Marian L Neuhouser, Theresa A Nicklas, Christine D Nyström, Robert M Ojiambo, Kirsi H Pietiläinen, Yannis P Pitsiladis, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Guy Plasqui, Ross L Prentice, Susan B Racette, David A Raichlen, Eric Ravussin, Leanne M Redman, John J Reilly, Rebecca Reynolds, Susan B Roberts, Dulani Samaranayakem, Luis B Sardinha, Analiza M Silva, Anders M Sjödin, Marina Stamatiou, Eric Stice, Samuel S Urlacher, Ludo M Van Etten, Edgar G A H Van Mil, George Wilson, Jack A Yanovski, Tsukasa Yoshida, Xueying Zhang, Alexia J Murphy-Alford, Srishti Sinha, Cornelia U Loechl, Amy H Luke, Herman Pontzer, Jennifer Rood, Hiroyuki Sagayama, Dale A Schoeller, Klaas R Westerterp, William W Wong, John R Speakman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nutritional epidemiology aims to link dietary exposures to chronic disease, but the instruments for evaluating dietary intake are inaccurate. One way to identify unreliable data and the sources of errors is to compare estimated intakes with the total energy expenditure (TEE). In this study, we used the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labeled Water Database to derive a predictive equation for TEE using 6,497 measures of TEE in individuals aged 4 to 96 years. The resultant regression equation predicts expected TEE from easily acquired variables, such as body weight, age and sex, with 95% predictive limits that can be used …

Dual Inhibitor Of Mdm2 And Nfat1 For Experimental Therapy Of Breast Cancer: In Vitro And In Vivo Anticancer Activities And Newly Discovered Effects On Cancer Metabolic Pathways, Wei Wang, Marlene Aguilar, Sayantap Datta, Abigail Alley, Meheret Tadesse, Xinshi Wang, Xia Gao, Ruiwen Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: The oncogene MDM2 has garnered attention not only for its role in cancer as a negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53 but also for its p53-independent oncogenic activities. MDM2 also involves metabolic reprogramming, such as serine metabolism, respiration, mitochondrial functions, the folate cycle, and redox balance. Traditional MDM2 inhibitors blocking the protein-protein binding between MDM2 and p53 have shown limited clinical success in various stages of clinical trials, most likely due to low efficacy, drug toxicity, and drug resistance, highlighting the need for a novel, p53-independent strategy to inhibit MDM2. The present study investigated the antitumor effects of …

Commentary: Impact Of Resistance Training Intensity On Body Composition And Nutritional Intake Among College Women With Overweight And Obesity: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Joshua L Keller, Sarah E Deemer, Gian Luca Di Tanna, Sherri L Pals, Kevin R Fontaine, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Dance-Related Fractures Occur In The Upper And Lower Extremities At Similar Rates: An Analysis Of The 2004-2023 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Database, Senah E. Stephens, Joshua F. Edwards, Lisa K. Cannada

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction

In the United States, 21% of adolescents participate in dance. Dancers are susceptible to injuries, particularly of the lower extremity, due to extreme positioning, dynamic overload, and repetitive movements.

Objectives

(1) to report the prevalence and describe demographic characteristics of dance-related fractures and (2) to analyze variables associated with disposition status.

Methods

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database, published by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, was used to investigate dance-related fractures diagnosed in a sample of 100 emergency departments over 20 years. Descriptive statistics and demographic variables were analyzed using chi square tests. Age was analyzed …

Untargeted Metabolome Atlas For Sleep-Related Phenotypes In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos, Ying Zhang, Brian W Spitzer, Yu Zhang, Danielle A Wallace, Bing Yu, Qibin Qi, Maria Argos, M Larissa Avilés-Santa, Eric Boerwinkle, Martha L Daviglus, Robert Kaplan, Jianwen Cai, Susan Redline, Tamar Sofer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Sleep is essential to maintaining health and wellbeing of individuals, influencing a variety of outcomes from mental health to cardiometabolic disease. This study aims to assess the relationships between various sleep-related phenotypes and blood metabolites.

METHODS: Utilising data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we performed association analyses between 40 sleep-related phenotypes, grouped in several domains (sleep disordered breathing (SDB), sleep duration, sleep timing, self-reported insomnia symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and heart rate during sleep), and 768 metabolites measured via untargeted metabolomics profiling. Network analysis was employed to visualise and interpret the associations between sleep phenotypes …

Orthogonal And Multiplexable Genetic Perturbations With An Engineered Prime Editor And A Diverse Rna Array, Qichen Yuan, Hongzhi Zeng, Tyler C Daniel, Qingzhuo Liu, Yongjie Yang, Emmanuel C Osikpa, Qiaochu Yang, Advaith Peddi, Liliana M Abramson, Boyang Zhang, Yong Xu, Xue Gao

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Programmable and modular systems capable of orthogonal genomic and transcriptomic perturbations are crucial for biological research and treating human genetic diseases. Here, we present the minimal versatile genetic perturbation technology (mvGPT), a flexible toolkit designed for simultaneous and orthogonal gene editing, activation, and repression in human cells. The mvGPT combines an engineered compact prime editor (PE), a fusion activator MS2-p65-HSF1 (MPH), and a drive-and-process multiplex array that produces RNAs tailored to different types of genetic perturbation. mvGPT can precisely edit human genome via PE coupled with a prime editing guide RNA and a nicking guide RNA, activate endogenous gene expression …

Impact Of American Thyroid Association's Revised Cancer Management Guidelines On Thyroid Cancer Incidence Trends: A Retrospective Cohort Study, 2000-2020, Pierre Fwelo, Natalia I Heredia, Ruosha Li, Ayrton Bangolo, Vignesh K Nagesh, Simcha Weissman, Xianglin L Du

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The past four decades have seen a steady increase in thyroid cancer in the United States (US). This study investigated the impact of the American Thyroid Association (ATA)'s revised cancer management guidelines on thyroid cancer incidence trends and how the trends varied by socioeconomic, histologic, geographic, and racial and ethnic characteristics from 2000 to 2020.

Methods: We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to identify thyroid cancer cases diagnosed among US patients between 2000 and 2020. We employed joinpoint regression software to fit, assess, and compare thyroid cancer incidence trends over time stratified by …

Ai-Enabled Wearable Cameras For Assisting Dietary Assessment In African Populations, Frank P-W Lo, Jianing Qiu, Modou L Jobarteh, Yingnan Sun, Zeyu Wang, Shuo Jiang, Tom Baranowski, Alex K Anderson, Megan A Mccrory, Edward Sazonov, Wenyan Jia, Mingui Sun, Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Gary Frost, Benny Lo

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

We have developed a population-level method for dietary assessment using low-cost wearable cameras. Our approach, EgoDiet, employs an egocentric vision-based pipeline to learn portion sizes, addressing the shortcomings of traditional self-reported dietary methods. To evaluate the functionality of this method, field studies were conducted in London (Study A) and Ghana (Study B) among populations of Ghanaian and Kenyan origin. In Study A, EgoDiet's estimations were contrasted with dietitians' assessments, revealing a performance with a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 31.9% for portion size estimation, compared to 40.1% for estimates made by dietitians. We further evaluated our approach in Study …

Adiposity Throughout Adulthood And Risk Of Young-Onset Breast Cancer Tumor Subtypes In The Young Women's Health History Study, Lydia Marcus Post, Dorothy R. Pathak, Ann S. Hamilton, Kelly A. Hirko, Richard T. Houang, Emily H. Guseman, Dan Sanfelippo, Nicole Bohme Carnegie, L. Karl Olson, Hallgeir Rui, Ann G. Schwartz, Ellen M. Velie

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The role of adult adiposity in young-onset breast cancer (YOBC) subtype risk is not well understood.

METHODS: In this population-based case (n = 1812)-control (n = 1,381) study of invasive YOBC (ages <50 >years), cases were identified from the Los Angeles County and Metropolitan Detroit Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, 2010 to 2015. Area-based, frequency-matched controls were sampled from the 2010 Census. General adiposity [body mass index (BMI)] and central adiposity (waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio) across adulthood and covariates were collected from in-person interviews and measurements. ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for adiposity and YOBC tumor subtypes …

Urinary Metal Levels, Cognitive Test Performance, And Dementia In The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis, Arce Domingo-Relloso, Katlyn E Mcgraw, Susan R Heckbert, Jose A Luchsinger, Kathrin Schilling, Ronald A Glabonjat, Irene Martinez-Morata, Melanie Mayer, Yongmei Liu, Alexis C Wood, Jeff Goldsmith, Kathleen M Hayden, Mohamad Habes, Ilya M Nasrallah, R Nick Bryan, Tanweer Rashid, Wendy S Post, Jerome I Rotter, Priya Palta, Linda Valeri, Timothy M Hughes, Ana Navas-Acien

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Metals are established neurotoxicants, but evidence of their association with cognitive performance at low chronic exposure levels is limited.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of urinary metal levels, individually and as a mixture, with cognitive tests and dementia diagnosis, including effect modification by apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The multicenter prospective cohort Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) was started from July 2000 to August 2002, with follow-up through 2018. A total of 6303 MESA participants were included. Data analysis was performed from October 12, 2023, to June 13, 2024.

EXPOSURE: Urine samples were collected at baseline …

Chronic Β3-Ar Stimulation Activates Distinct Thermogenic Mechanisms In Brown And White Adipose Tissue And Improves Systemic Metabolism In Aged Mice, Duraipandy Natarajan, Bhuvana Plakkot, Kritika Tiwari, Shoba Ekambaram, Weidong Wang, Michael Rudolph, Mahmoud A Mohammad, Shaji K Chacko, Madhan Subramanian, Stefano Tarantini, Andriy Yabluchanskiy, Zoltan Ungvari, Anna Csiszar, Priya Balasubramanian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adipose thermogenesis has been actively investigated as a therapeutic target for improving metabolic dysfunction in obesity. However, its applicability to middle-aged and older populations, which bear the highest obesity prevalence in the United States (approximately 40%), remains uncertain due to age-related decline in thermogenic responses. In this study, we investigated the effects of chronic thermogenic stimulation using the β3-adrenergic (AR) agonist CL316,243 (CL) on systemic metabolism and adipose function in aged (18-month-old) C57BL/6JN mice. Sustained β3-AR treatment resulted in reduced fat mass, increased energy expenditure, increased fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial activity in adipose depots, improved glucose homeostasis, and a …