Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition Commons^™

Food/Non-Food Classification Of Real-Life Egocentric Images In Low- And Middle-Income Countries Based On Image Tagging Features, Guangzong Chen, Wenyan Jia, Yifan Zhao, Zhi-Hong Mao, Benny Lo, Alex K Anderson, Gary Frost, Modou L Jobarteh, Megan A Mccrory, Edward Sazonov, Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Richard S Ansong, Thomas Baranowski, Lora Burke, Mingui Sun

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Malnutrition, including both undernutrition and obesity, is a significant problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In order to study malnutrition and develop effective intervention strategies, it is crucial to evaluate nutritional status in LMICs at the individual, household, and community levels. In a multinational research project supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we have been using a wearable technology to conduct objective dietary assessment in sub-Saharan Africa. Our assessment includes multiple diet-related activities in urban and rural families, including food sources (e.g., shopping, harvesting, and gathering), preservation/storage, preparation, cooking, and consumption (e.g., portion size and nutrition analysis). …

On The Joint Role Of Non-Hispanic Black Race/Ethnicity And Weight Status In Predicting Postmenopausal Weight Gain, Christopher N Ford, Shine Chang, Alexis C Wood, Joann E Manson, David O Garcia, Helena Laroche, Chloe E Bird, Mara Z Vitolins

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objectives: To determine how baseline weight status contributes to differences in postmenopausal weight gain among non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs).

Methods: Data were included from 70,750 NHW and NHB postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI OS). Body Mass Index (BMI) at baseline was used to classify women as having normal weight, overweight, obese class I, obese class II or obese class III. Cox proportional hazards was used to estimate the hazard of a 10% or more increase in weight from baseline.

Results: In both crude and adjusted models, NHBs were more likely to experience …

Gut Microbiota Profiles Of Young South Indian Children: Child Sex-Specific Relations With Growth, Nirupama Shivakumar, Ambily Sivadas, Sarita Devi, Farook Jahoor, John Mclaughlin, Craig P Smith, Anura V Kurpad, Arpita Mukhopadhyay

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Gut microbiota has been implicated as a modifier of childhood growth. Here, 16S rRNA sequencing-based fecal microbiota profiles of 18-24 month old Indian children were evaluated (n = 41), in relation to their anthropometric parameters, intestinal permeability, body composition and total energy expenditure. Pathway analyses were conducted to assess microbial functions related to stunting, underweight and wasting. The fecal microbiota was enriched in Prevotella 9, Bifidobacterium and Escherichia-Shigella. Weight, weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ) and weight-for-length Z-scores (WLZ), along with age, acted as covariates of microbiota variation specifically in boys (n = 23). Bifidobacterium longum subsp longum abundance was positively associated with …

Mitochondrial Aspects Of Neuronal Pathology In Triple-Transgenic Alzheimer’S Disease Mice, John Zachary Cavendish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease afflicting millions of people in the United States alone and is the only one of the top leading causes of morbidity and mortality with no effective disease-modifying therapies. It is the most common form of dementia, affecting one in three people over the age of 85. While the hallmarks of the disease include accumulation of beta-amyloid-based extracellular plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau-based intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, treatment strategies centered on removing or mitigating these components of AD have all failed in humans. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been increasingly recognized as an early and consistent …

Neural Stem Cell Metabolic Changes In The Presence Of Interferon-Gamma, Dylan Mckibben

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Spinal cord injury results in significant disability and health care costs due to an inability of the mature central nervous system to regenerate. One potential therapy would be implantation of neural stem cells to the injury site and stimulation of their differentiation to mature neurons. Previous work has shown that the cytokine interferon-gamma can promote this process; however, the signaling pathways induced in neural stem cells have not been well-defined. This proposal examines neural stem cell metabolic responses to signaling induced by interferon-gamma. Two questions will be answered: i) What specific metabolic pathway is activated to guide neural stem cell …

Pre-Clinical Advancements In Biomarkers, Tools, And Therapeutics For A Metabolic Neurodegenerative Disease, Zoë Simmons

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and a highly important substrate for cellular metabolism. Characterization of the enzymes and mechanisms of glycogen metabolism began over 70 years ago and over the last 20 years, a previously unknown protein called laforin has emerged as an important contributor to glycogen metabolism homeostasis. Multiple labs demonstrated that laforin is a glycogen phosphatase and mutations in the gene encoding laforin cause the formation of aberrant glycogen-like aggregates called Lafora bodies (LBs). LBs are cytoplasmic, water-insoluble aggregates that drive neurodegeneration and early death in Lafora disease (LD) patients. The direct relationship between mutated laforin, …

Probiotic Vsl#3 Treatment Reduces Colonic Permeability And Abdominal Pain Symptoms In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Prapaporn Boonma, Jordan M Shapiro, Emily B Hollister, Shyam Badu, Qinglong Wu, Erica M Weidler, Bincy P Abraham, Sridevi Devaraj, Ruth Ann Luna, James Versalovic, Margaret M Heitkemper, Tor C Savidge, Robert J Shulman

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Little is known regarding the clinical impact of treatment and treatment duration of probiotic VSL#3 on gut and microbiome function in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). As part of a safety trial, we assessed the effect of VSL#3 treatment duration on abdominal pain, stooling, gut permeability, microbiome composition and function.

Methods: Adults with IBS were randomized into an open label trial to receive the probiotic VSL#3 for 4 or 8 weeks. Adverse events, abdominal pain, and stooling patterns were recorded daily. Gut permeability, fecal bile acid levels, and microbiome composition were profiled at baseline and after treatment.

Results: Fifteen subjects …

Assessment Of The Gut Bacterial Microbiome And Metabolome Of Girls And Women With Rett Syndrome, Santosh Thapa, Alamelu Venkatachalam, Nabeel Khan, Mohammed Naqvi, Miriam Balderas, Jessica K Runge, Anthony Haag, Kathleen M Hoch, Daniel G Glaze, Ruth Ann Luna, Kathleen J Motil

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Gastrointestinal problems affect the health and quality of life of individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT) and pose a medical hardship for their caregivers. We hypothesized that the variability in the RTT phenotype contributes to the dysbiosis of the gut microbiome and metabolome in RTT, predisposing these individuals to gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Objectives: We characterized the gut bacterial microbiome and metabolome in girls and young women with RTT (n = 44) and unaffected controls (n = 21), and examined the relation between the composition of the microbiome and variations in the RTT phenotype.

Methods: Demographics and clinical information, including growth and …

How Minority Parents Could Help Children Develop Healthy Eating Behaviors: Parent And Child Perspectives, Chishinga Callender, Denisse Velazquez, Meheret Adera, Jayna M Dave, Norma Olvera, Tzu-An Chen, Shana Alford, Debbe Thompson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Minority children and children living in under-resourced households are at the greatest risk for obesity and diet-related disparities. Identifying effective strategies to reduce these risks is an important step in child obesity prevention. Parents influence the home environment and play a critical role in child obesity prevention. Eighteen parent–child dyads living in under-resourced Houston area communities participated in a mixed methods study (online surveys, telephone interviews). The purpose of the research reported here was to conduct a secondary analysis of the qualitative data to explore Black/African American and Hispanic parent and child perspectives of the ways in which parents could …

Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Measurements Of Tissue Perfusion And Metabolism, Keith Michel

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Imaging (HP MRI) is an emerging modality that enables non-invasive interrogation of cells and tissues with unprecedented biochemical detail. This technology provides rapid imaging measurements of the activity of a small quantity of molecules with a strongly polarized nuclear magnetic moment. This polarization is created in a polarizer separate from the imaging magnet, and decays continuously towards a non-detectable thermal equilibrium once the imaging agent is removed from the polarizer and administered by intravenous injection. Specialized imaging strategies are therefore needed to extract as much information as possible from the HP signal during its limited lifetime.

In …

Great Expectations: Phosph(On)Ate Prodrugs In Drug Design—Opportunities And Limitations, Victoria Yan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Phosphate and phosphonates are chemical moieties with historical precedence in anticancer and antiviral nucleotide analogues. Synchronous to modern efforts identifying novel therapeutic targets in cancer, such chemical moieties are being investigated in the design of novel inhibitors with antineoplastic potential. A central challenge to the delivery of phosph(on)ate-containing drugs is their anionic character at physiological pH, which portends poor membrane permeability. This limitation has been successfully overcome through the use of prodrugs. When attached to the phosph(on)ate moiety, prodrugs mask the negative charge and easily enable cell permeability. Upon cellular entry, the promoieties are enzymatically or environmentally cleaved to unveil …

Association Between Circulating Osteocalcin And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Following A 4-Week Leafy Green Vitamin K-Rich Diet, Alexander Tacey, Marc Sim, Cassandra Smith, Mary N. Woessner, Elizabeth Byrnes, Joshua R. Lewis, Tara Brennan-Speranza, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Itamar Levinger

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Evidence suggests that lower serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) may be negatively associated with cardiometabolic health. We investigated whether individuals with a suppression of ucOC following an increase in dietary vitamin K1 exhibit a relative worsening of cardiometabolic risk factors.

Materials and Methods: Men (n = 20) and women (n = 10) aged 62 ± 10 years participated in a randomized, controlled, crossover study. The primary analysis involved using data obtained from participants following a high vitamin K1 diet (HK; 4-week intervention of increased leafy green vegetable intake). High and low responders were defined based on the median percent reduction …

Ceramide Analog [18F]F-Hpa-12 Detects Sphingolipid Disbalance In The Brain Of Alzheimer’S Disease Transgenic Mice By Functioning As A Metabolic Probe, Simone M. Crivelli, Daan Van Kruining, Qian Luo, Jo A. A. Stevens, Caterina Giovagnoni, Andreas Paulus, Matthias Bauwens, Dusan Berkes, Helga E. De Vries, Monique T. Mulder, Jochen Walter, Etienne Waelkens, Rita Derua, Johannes V. Swinnen, Jonas Dehairs, Felix M. Mottaghy, Mario Losen, Erhard Bieberich, Pilar Martinez-Martinez

Physiology Faculty Publications

The metabolism of ceramides is deregulated in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and is associated with apolipoprotein (APO) APOE4 and amyloid-β pathology. However, how the ceramide metabolism changes over time in AD, in vivo, remains unknown. Distribution and metabolism of [¹⁸F]F-HPA-12, a radio-fluorinated version of the ceramide analog N-(3-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-3-phenylpropyl) dodecanamide, was investigated in the brain of AD transgenic mouse models (FAD) on an APOE4 or APOE3 genetic background, by positron emission tomography and by gamma counter. We found that FAD mice displayed a higher uptake of [¹⁸F]F-HPA-12 in the brain, independently from the APOE4 …

Β-Cell Impairment And Clinically Meaningful Alterations In Glycemia In Obese Youth Across The Glucose Tolerance Spectrum, Joon Young Kim, Hala Tfayli, Fida Bacha, Sojung Lee, Nour Gebara, Silva Arslanian

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background/aims: In obese youth, it is not clear what degree of β-cell impairment translates to glucose dysregulation commensurate with shifts from normal glucose tolerance (NGT) to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the quantitative relationship between β-cell (clamp-measured disposition index [DI]) and OGTT glucose area under the curve (G-AUC) in obese youth across the spectrum of glucose tolerance.

Methods: Data from 152 youth (58 African-American [AA] and 94 American-White [AW]; 73 NGT, 48 IGT, and 31 type 2 diabetes) who completed a 3-h hyperinsulinemic (80 mu/m2/min)-euglycemic clamp, and a 2-h hyperglycemic (225 mg/dL) clamp …

Modeling Age-Dependent Developmental Changes In The Expression Of Genes Involved In Citrulline Synthesis Using Pig Enteroids, Mahmoud A Mohammad, Inka C Didelija, Barbara Stoll, Douglas G Burrin, Juan C Marini

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

metabolism of citrulline and arginine are well characterized. Enteroids, a novel ex-vivo model that recreates the three-dimensional structure of the intestinal crypt-villus unit, have shown to replicate molecular and physiological profiles of the intestinal segment from where they originated ("location memory").

Objective: The present study tested the hypothesis that enteroids recapitulate the developmental changes observed in vivo regarding citrulline production in pigs ("developmental memory").

Methods: Preterm (10- and 5-d preterm) and term pigs at birth, together with 7- and 35-d-old pigs were studied. Gene expression was measured in jejunal samples and in enteroids derived from this segment. Whole body citrulline …

Type 1 Doing Well: Pilot Feasibility And Acceptability Study Of A Strengths-Based Mhealth App For Parents Of Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Marisa E Hilliard, Viena T Cao, Sahar S Eshtehardi, Charles G Minard, Rana Saber, Debbe Thompson, Lefkothea P Karaviti, Barbara J Anderson

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a pilot behavioral intervention delivered to parents of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) via mobile-friendly web app. The Type 1 Doing Well app aimed to promote supportive family diabetes management by helping parents recognize and reinforce teens' positive diabetes-related behaviors ("strengths").

Methods: Parents (n = 80, 74% recruitment) of adolescents (age range = 12-17 years, M = 15.3 ± 1.5 years, 59% female, 56% insulin pump, M hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) = 9.0% ± 2.1%) were randomized 2:1 to intervention or control (i.e., usual medical care with or without app) for …

Attenuation Of Interferon Responses In The Obese Host And Ramifications For Influenza Virus Evolution, Rebekah Reed Honce

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The most insidious pandemic of modern life does not arise from an infectious agent but rather from malnutrition. With its global incidence tripling over the past three decades, obesity is a major public health concern. Obesity’s rising prevalence has also illuminated its impact on communicable diseases. Following the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus pandemic, obesity was identified as a risk factor for increased disease severity and mortality in infected individuals. Obesity causes a chronic state of meta-inflammation with systemic implications for immunity, including delayed antiviral responses to influenza virus infection, poor recovery, and impaired immunological memory. However, the majority of …

A Body Shape Index Significantly Predicts Mri-Defined Abdominal Adipose Tissue Depots In Non-Obese Asian Indians With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Shajith Anoop, Jesse Krakauer, Nir Krakauer, Anoop Misra

Publications and Research

Introduction: We aimed to determine the correlations of volumes of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SCAT) (anterior, posterior, superficial and deep), total SCAT, intraperitoneal adipose tissue, retroperitoneal abdominal adipose tissue (RPAT), total intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT), pancreatic volume, liver span, total body fat (TBF) and truncal fat mass (TFM) with anthropometric indices, viz., A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Hip Index, their Z scores and Anthropometric Risk Index in non-obese (body mass index (BMI) /m²) Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Research design and methods: Non-obese patients with T2DM (cases; n, 85) and BMI-matched, healthy subjects …

The Central Melanocortin System And Human Obesity, Yongjie Yang, Yong Xu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The prevalence of obesity and the associated comorbidities highlight the importance of understanding the regulation of energy homeostasis. The central melanocortin system plays a critical role in controlling body weight balance. Melanocortin neurons sense and integrate the neuronal and hormonal signals, and then send regulatory projections, releasing anorexigenic or orexigenic melanocortin neuropeptides, to downstream neurons to regulate the food intake and energy expenditure. This review summarizes the latest progress in our understanding of the role of the melanocortin pathway in energy homeostasis. We also review the advances in the identification of human genetic variants that cause obesity via mechanisms that …

Oral Pathology Induced By Excess Or Deficiency Of Glucocorticoids In Adults, Rucsandra Elena Dănciulescu Miulescu, Loreta Guja, Bogdan Socea, Anca Dumitriu, Stana Paunica, Emil Ștefănescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Oral manifestations are present both in Cushing's syndrome and in adrenal insufficiency. Possible oro-dental pathology in patients with Cushing's syndrome include jawbone loss, tooth loss, and periodontal diseases. Professional societies did not include Cushing's syndrome as being part of systemic diseases associated with loss of periodontal supporting tissues. The comorbidities of Cushing's syndrome such as obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes are conditions that influence periodontal attachment apparatus. In patients with adrenal primary insufficiency, the most specific sign is the melanic pigmentation of the skin and mucosal surfaces due to increments of corticotropin and pro-opiomelanocortin peptide levels that occur as a result …

Fat And Fat-Free Mass Index References In Children And Young Adults: Assessments Along Racial And Ethnic Lines, Roman J Shypailo, William W Wong

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Fat-free mass index (FFMI) and fat mass index (FMI) are superior to BMI and fat percentage in evaluating nutritional status. However, existing references fail to account for racial/ethnic differences in body composition among children.

Objectives: Our goal was to produce age-based normative references for FFMI and FMI in children for specific racial/ethnic groups.

Methods: Body composition, weight, and height were measured in 1122 normal healthy children aged 2-21 y. Bone mineral content measured by DXA, total body water by deuterium dilution, and total body potassium by whole-body γ counting were combined to calculate fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass …

The Impact Of Narratives And Active Video Games On Long-Term Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol, Dar Alon, Caio Victor Sousa, Tom Baranowski, Tiago V Barreira, Romina Cabrera-Perez, Kelly Chiu, Austin Fernandez, Amy Fleischman, Shirley Huang, Jungyun Hwang, Melanie C Green, I-Min Lee, Kelly Lee, Sarah Lessard, Lynne L Levitsky, Aika Misawa, Farzad Noubary, Ronald Samuels, Kyung Jin Sun, Debbe Thompson, Amy S Lu

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, current PA interventions are still not effective in ameliorating the obesity epidemic. Additional forms of PA need to be investigated to improve PA engagement and outcomes. We hypothesize that pairing a narrative (i.e., story) with an active video game (AVG), a less traditional form of PA, will increase participant engagement in PA. This paper presents the rationale, implementation, and pilot results of a study assessing the effect of narrative's impact on PA and a series of other health outcomes.

Objective: This paper presents the rationale, implementation, …

Capsaicin Is A Negative Allosteric Modulator Of The 5-Ht3 Receptor, Eslam El Nebrisi, Tatiana Prytkova, Dietrich Ernst Lorke, Luke Howarth, Asma Hassan Alzaabi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Murat Oz

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, effects of capsaicin, an active ingredient of the capsicum plant, were investigated on human 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT₃) receptors. Capsaicin reversibly inhibited serotonin (5-HT)-induced currents recorded by two-electrode voltage clamp method in Xenopus oocytes. The inhibition was time- and concentration-dependent with an IC₅₀ = 62 μM. The effect of capsaicin was not altered in the presence of capsazepine, and by intracellular BAPTA injections or trans-membrane potential changes. In radio-ligand binding studies, capsaicin did not change the specific binding of the 5-HT₃ antagonist [³H]GR65630, indicating that it is a noncompetitive inhibitor of …

Therapeutic Potential Of A Ketogenic Diet In The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder, Jordan A. Murrin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second most common mental health condition and a leading cause of disability in the world. It is theorized that MDD develops from a combination of biological, psychological, and social stressors. The condition is typically treated using pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy. However, not all individuals with MDD have access to or choose to use these treatments, or may prefer to incorporate therapeutic lifestyle changes such as exercise, sleep, and healthy eating. Even with treatment, MDD can alter brain structure and function, leading to the development of comorbid mental health and chronic metabolic conditions like obesity, cardiovascular …

From The Dinner Pot To Smoking Pot; How A Better Understanding Of Cannabidiol In Crayfish Could Alleviate Anxiety And Modulate Hunger, Christopher Michael Timmer

Masters Theses

Anxiety affects approximately 1/3 of the US population and presents in many different forms, ranging from social to panic disorders. It also presents with high comorbidity for other mental disorders. One treatment is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which allow for increased activation of serotonin (5-HT) receptors. SSRIs come with an extensive list of side effects, which can fail to maintain quality of life. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabis derived compound which has been shown to decrease anxiety by activation of multiple subtype 5-HT amine receptors. CBD has few side effects, is not psychoactive, and exhibits anti-psychotic properties. The current …

Investigating The Metabolic Progression Of Glioblastoma With Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance, Travis Salzillo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Rapid diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of aggressive diseases such as glioblastoma (GBM) can improve patient survival by providing physicians the time to optimally deliver treatment. This includes early in development, while the tumor is still manageable, or following initial therapy, when alternative treatments should be considered. The main goal of this project was to determine whether metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) could detect changes in tumor progression more rapidly than conventional anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patient-derived GBM murine models. To comprehensively capture the dynamic nature of cancer metabolism, in vivo pyruvate-to-lactate conversion with hyperpolarized MRI, …

Tissue-Resident Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Modulate Immune Homeostasis In Healthy Adipose., Katlin Brooke Stivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our goal with this study was to gain insight into the homeostatic immune cell network in healthy adipose tissue. Specifically, we sought to determine if the immature myeloid cells found in healthy and inflamed adipose were, in fact, tissue-resident myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Using various in vitro and in vivo methods, we have uncovered a population of CD11b^Hi Ly6C^Hi Ly6G^- MDSCs resident in healthy adipose tissue. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that these cells have been investigated and described in healthy adipose tissue. Systemic MDSC depletion lead to the accumulation of …

Paraventricular Hypothalamus Mediates Diurnal Rhythm Of Metabolism, Eun Ran Kim, Yuanzhong Xu, Ryan M Cassidy, Yungang Lu, Yongjie Yang, Jinbin Tian, De-Pei Li, Rachel Van Drunen, Aleix Ribas-Latre, Zhao-Lin Cai, Mingshan Xue, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Kristin Eckel-Mahan, Yong Xu, Qingchun Tong

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Defective rhythmic metabolism is associated with high-fat high-caloric diet (HFD) feeding, ageing and obesity; however, the neural basis underlying HFD effects on diurnal metabolism remains elusive. Here we show that deletion of BMAL1, a core clock gene, in paraventricular hypothalamic (PVH) neurons reduces diurnal rhythmicity in metabolism, causes obesity and diminishes PVH neuron activation in response to fast-refeeding. Animal models mimicking deficiency in PVH neuron responsiveness, achieved through clamping PVH neuron activity at high or low levels, both show obesity and reduced diurnal rhythmicity in metabolism. Interestingly, the PVH exhibits BMAL1-controlled rhythmic expression of GABA-A receptor γ2 subunit, and dampening …

Noodles Made From High Amylose Wheat Flour Attenuate Postprandial Glycaemia In Healthy Adults, Kim Ang, Carla Bourgy, Haelee Fenton, Ahmed Regina, Marcus Newberry, Dean A. Diepeveen, Domenico Lafiandra, Sara Grafenauer, Wendy Hunt, Vicky Solah

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Previous research has not considered the effect of high amylose wheat noodles on postprandial glycaemia. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of consumption of high amylose noodles on postprandial glycaemia over 2-h periods by monitoring changes in blood glucose concentration and calculating the total area under the blood glucose concentration curve. Twelve healthy young adults were recruited to a repeated measure randomised, single-blinded crossover trial to compare the effect of consuming noodles (180 g) containing 15%, 20% and 45% amylose on postprandial glycaemia. Fasting blood glucose concentrations were taken via finger-prick blood samples. Postprandial blood glucose …

Disrupted Hypothalamic Crh Neuron Responsiveness Contributes To Diet-Induced Obesity, Canjun Zhu, Yuanzhong Xu, Zhiying Jiang, Jin Bin Tian, Ryan M Cassidy, Zhao-Lin Cai, Gang Shu, Yong Xu, Mingshan Xue, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Qingyan Jiang, Qingchun Tong

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The current obesity epidemic mainly results from high-fat high-caloric diet (HFD) feeding and may also be contributed by chronic stress; however, the neural basis underlying stress-related diet-induced obesity remains unknown. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH), a known body weight-regulating region, represent one key group of stress-responsive neurons. Here, we found that HFD feeding blunted PVH CRH neuron response to nutritional challenges as well as stress stimuli and dexamethesone, which normally produce rapid activation and inhibition on these neurons, respectively. We generated mouse models with the activity of these neurons clamped at high or low levels, both …