Molecular, Genetic, and Biochemical Nutrition Commons^™

A Multi-Year Examination Of Gardening Experience And Fruit And Vegetable Intake During College, Daniel Staub, Sarah Colby, Melissa D. Olfert, Kendra Kattelmann, Wenjun Zhou, Tanya M. Horacek, Geoffrey W. Greene, Ivana Radosavljevic, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Anne E. Matthews

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Gardening has been positively associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption based on short-term studies among children, but long-term data among adolescents and young adults are lacking. This investigation sought to elucidate the association between gardening experience and FV intake among college students over a two-year period. Students (N = 593) from eight universities were assessed at the end of their freshman (Y1) and sophomore (Y2) years during the springs of 2016 and 2017, respectively. At each time point, participants completed the NCI FV Screener and questions related to gardening experience and FV-related attitudes and behaviors. Students were then categorized …

Hydrophobic Sand Is A Viable Method Of Urine Collection From The Rat For Extracellular Vesicle Biomarker Analysis, Jessica F. Hoffman, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr, Alexander P. Alimov, John F. Kalinich, John J. Mccarthy, Charlotte A. Peterson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previously we have shown in rats a new method of urine collection, hydrophobic sand, to be an acceptable alternate in place of the traditional method using metabolic cages. Hydrophobic sand is non-toxic, induces similar or lower levels of stress in the rat, and does not contaminate clinical urine markers nor metal concentrations in collected samples (Hoffman et al., 2017 and 2018). Urine is often used in humans and many animal models as a readily-attainable biosample which contains proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) within extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be isolated to indicate changes in health. In order to ensure hydrophobic sand …

Inhibitory Effects Of Shiitake-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles On Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation, Yizhu Lu

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a critical mediator of inflammation and consists of the sensor NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), the adaptor apoptotic speck protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and the effector caspase-1. Dysregulated or excessive activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Therefore, the NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising therapeutic target for treating these diseases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed tiny particles released by almost any type of cells and they are involved in the intercellular communication by transferring their cargos including RNAs, …

Transport And Distribution Of Bovine Milk Exosomes And Mir-34a Cargo In Murine Cerebral Cortex Endothelial Bend.3 Cells And Bv2 Microglia, Pearl Ebea

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses an obstacle in the delivery of drugs to the brain. Bovine milk exosomes (BME) are explored for delivering antisense oligonucleotides to tumors, because BME are bioavailable and protect RNA cargos against degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. This study had the following objectives: 1) assess the transport kinetics of BME and their RNA cargos and secretion of RNA across the apical membrane in murine cerebral cortex endothelial bEnd.3 cells and 2) determine whether murine brain BV2 microglia have the potential to accumulate and, therefore, eliminate BME that crossed the BBB. The uptake of BME labeled with …

Diets And Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Zahra Darabi, Amin Mokari-Yamchi, Masoomeh Hajizadehoghaz, Arezoo Rezazadeh

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder, which is characterized by the presence of abdominal pain or discomfort associated with altered bowel habits. This systematic review aimed to assess the nutritional factors (dietary patterns and food groups) associated with IBS.

Methods: Articles were collected via searching in databases such as Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using relevant keywords and phrases, including irritable bowel syndrome, pattern, intake, behavior, habit, meal, nutrition, food, lifestyle, and prevalence. The articles were confined to the original human studies that were published in English since 2010. …

Inter- And Intra-Individual Differences In Emg And Mmg During Maximal, Bilateral, Dynamic Leg Extensions, John Paul V. Anders, Cory M. Smith, Joshua L. Keller, Ethan C. Hill, Terry J. Housh, Richard Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to compare the composite, inter-individual, and intra-individual differences in the patterns of responses for electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude (AMP) and mean power frequency (MPF) during fatiguing, maximal, bilateral, and isokinetic leg extension muscle actions. Thirteen recreationally active men (age = 21.7 2.6 years; body mass = 79.8 11.5 kg; height = 174.2 12.7 cm) performed maximal, bilateral leg extensions at 1801 until the torque values dropped to 50% of peak torque for two consecutive repetitions. The EMG and MMG signals from the vastus lateralis (VL) muscles of both limbs were recorded. Four …

Prioritization Of Variants For Investigation Of Genotype-Directed Nutrition In Human Superpopulations, Pascal D. Nilsson, Jacklyn M. Newsome, Henry M. Santos, Martin R. Schiller

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Dietary guidelines recommended by key health agencies are generally designed for a global population. However, ethnicity affects human disease and environment-gene interactions, including nutrient intake. Historically, isolated human populations with different genetic backgrounds have adapted to distinct environments with varying food sources. Ethnicity is relevant to the interaction of food intake with genes and disease susceptibility; yet major health agencies generally do not recommend food and nutrients codified by population genotypes and their frequencies. In this paper, we have consolidated published nutrigenetic variants and examine their frequencies in human superpopulations to prioritize these variants for future investigation of population-specific genotype-directed …

Cooking And Meal Planning As Predictors Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Bmi In First-Year College Students, Andrea J. Hanson, Kendra Kattelmann, Lacey A. Mccormack, Wenjun Zhou, Onikia N. Brown, Tanya M. Horacek, Karla P. Shelnutt, Tandalayo Kidd, Audrey Opoku-Acheampong, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Melissa D. Olfert, Sarah E. Colby

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The objective was to determine if cooking skills and meal planning behaviors are associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake and lower body mass index (BMI) in first-year college students who are at risk for excessive weight gain. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from a multi-state research project aimed at preventing weight gain in first-year college students. Cooking type, frequency and confidence, self-instruction for healthful mealtime behavior intention, self-regulation of healthful mealtime behavior, and cup equivalents of fruits and vegetables (FV) were measured using validated surveys. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. First-year students (n …

Potential Of Prebiotic Butyrogenic Fibers In Parkinson’S Disease, Thaisa M. Cantu-Jungles, Heather Rasmussen, Bruce R. Hamaker

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Recent evidence supports the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract in PD pathogenesis, including alterations in microbiota and intestinal permeability. Apart from being the preferred energy source for colonic epithelial cells, butyrate is involved in anti-inflammatory, enteroendocrine and epigenetic mechanisms that influence colonic and systemic health, including brain function. A few studies using oral administration of sodium butyrate indicate beneficial effects in PD animal models; however, prebiotic fibers that generate butyrate locally in the gut may be more effective. The design and selection of …

Mobile Phone Text Message Intervention On Diabetes Self-Care Activities, Cardiovascular Disease Risk Awareness, And Food Choices Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Martha J. Nepper, Jennifer R. Mcatee, Lorey A. Wheeler, Weiwen Chai

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

This study examines the effects of educational text messages on diabetes self-care activities, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk awareness, and home food availabilities related to food choices among patients with type 2 diabetes. Quasi-experimental design was used with 40 patients (58.0 10.6 years) in the intervention group and 39 (55.7 12.2 years) in the control group. In addition to the usual care provided for all participants, the intervention group received three educational text messages weekly for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention measures were collected for both groups. Ninety-four percent of the participants receiving text messages indicated the usefulness of this program. …

Development Of A Pediatric Model Of Nafld In Neonatal Iberian Pigs, Gabriella Veronica Hernandez, Victoria Alice Smith, Morgan Coffin, Daniel Columbus, Matthew Burd, Kimberly Sprayberry, Mark Edwards, Daniel Peterson, Darin Bennett, Robert Fanter, Christopher Kitts, Michael La Frano, Margaret Rice, Douglas Burrin, Magdalena Maj, Rodrigo Manjarin

Master's Theses

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children has increased over the past decades, creating a need for animal models that recapitulate the features of the pediatric disease. Iberian pigs have a leptin-resistant phenotype characterized by hyperleptinemia, hyperphagia, and extreme adipogenesis. We hypothesized that neonatal Iberian pigs fed a high fat high-fructose (HFF) diet will develop a pattern of liver injury resembling pediatric NAFLD. In addition, we sought to determine if a mixture of probiotics would prevent the disease. Animals were fed 1 of 4 diets containing (g/kg body weight × d) 0 g fructose, 11 g fat …

Redesign, Field-Testing, And Validation Of The Physical Activity Campus Environmental Supports (Paces) Audit, Tanya M. Horacek Phd, Rd, Elif Dede Yildirim, Dean Seidman, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Sarah Colby, Adrienne A. White, Karla P. Shelnutt, Melissa D. Olfert, Anne E. Mathews, Kristin Riggsbee, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Jesse Stabile Morrell, Kendra Kattelmann

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

+is paper describes the redesign, field-testing, and convergent validity of a practical tool—Physical Activity Campus Environmental Supports (PACES) audit. Methods. +eaudit includes two parts: (1) PACES-Programs, which is comprised of questions regarding populations served, fees, programs (recreation/fitness classes and intramurals), proximity, adequacy of facilities, and marketing, and (2) PACES-Facilities, which is comprised of questions regarding built environment (aesthetics, bike racks, stairs, and universal design), recreation equipment, staff, amenities, and access. Each item criterion is specifically scored using a fivepoint, semantic-differential scale ranging from limited to extensive environmental support. A few questions utilize select all that apply for a summed score. …

Platiscity Of C. Elegans Germline Stem Cells Under Nutritional And Metabolic Stress, Kenneth Trimmer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Stem cells are integral for tissue maintenance and fertility. Therefore, understanding how stem cells are regulated under stress is imperative. When confronted with acute starvation, stem cells must conserve energy and metabolites to cope with the lack of an external source. Caenorhabditis elegans germline stem cells (GSCs) are an excellent model for studying stem cell properties and regulation as they can divide throughout the life of the organism. While GSCs are an adult stem cell population, their cell cycle structure more closely mimics mouse and human embryonic stem cells with short G1 and long S phases. In this thesis, I …

Chemophobia And The Relation To Names, Justin Crow

Undergraduate Research Conference

Chemophobia is a recently identified cultural phenomena where people are afraid of chemicals in their lives, whether "chemicals" are in their food, their medicines, vaccinations, and other products. An increasing amount of people have a concern about the risk associated with chemicals in their everyday life. Chemistry professionals find this a bit strange as Chemistry states that all matter is made up of chemicals. Chemistry has many systems of naming and understanding chemicals which can exclude people from understanding the risk or lack thereof attributed to materials that are common in daily life. This effect could be accentuated by educational …

Bovine Milk Extracellular Vesicles (Evs) Modification Elicits Skeletal Muscle Growth In Rats, Hailey A. Parry, C. Brooks Mobley, Petey W. Mumford, Matthew A. Romero, Cody T. Haun, Yufeng Zhang, Paul A. Roberson, Janos Zempleni, Arny A. Ferrando, Ivan J. Vechetti, John J. Mccarthy, Michael D. Roberts, Andreas N. Kavazis

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The current study investigated how bovine milk extracellular vesicles (EVs) affected rotarod performance and biomarkers of skeletal muscle physiology in young, growing rats. Twenty-eight-day Fisher 344 rats were provided an AIN-93G-based diet for 4 weeks that either remained unadulterated [EVs and RNA-sufficient (ERS; n = 12)] or was sonicated [EVs and RNA-depleted (ERD; n = 12)]. Prior to (PRE) and on the last day of the intervention (POST), animals were tested for maximal rotarod performance. Following the feeding period, the gastrocnemius muscle was analyzed at the histological, biochemical, and molecular levels and was also used to measure mitochondrial function and …

Body Mass Index In Multiple Sclerosis Modulates Ceramide-Induced Dna Methylation And Disease Course, Kamilah Castro, Achilles Ntranos, Mario Amatruda, Maria Petracca, Peter Kosa, Emily Y. Chen, Johannes Morstein, Dirk Trauner, Corey T. Watson, Michael A. Kiebish, Bibiana Bielekova, Matilde Inglese, Ilana Katz Sand, Patricia Casaccia

Advanced Science Research Center

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) results from genetic predisposition and environmental variables, including elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) in early life. This study addresses the effect of BMI on the epigenome of monocytes and disease course in MS.

Methods: Fifty-four therapy-naive Relapsing Remitting (RR) MS patients with high and normal BMI received clinical and MRI evaluation. Blood samples were immunophenotyped, and processed for unbiased plasma lipidomic profiling and genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of circulating monocytes. The main findings at baseline were validated in an independent cohort of 91 therapy-naïve RRMS patients. Disease course was evaluated by a two-year longitudinal follow up …

Development And Validation Of The Policies, Opportunities, Initiatives And Notable Topics (Points) Audit For Campuses And Worksites, Tanya M. Horacek, Marlei Simon, Elif Dede Yildirim, Adrienne A. White, Karla P. Shelnutt, Kristin Riggsbee, Melissa D. Olfert, Jesse Morrell, Anne E. Matthews, Wenjun Zhou, Tandalayo Kidd, Kendra Kattelmann, Geoffrey Greene, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Sarah E. Colby, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Onikia Brown

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Workplace or campus wellness/obesity-prevention policies and initiatives can improve health. Research tools to assess worksite or campus policies/initiatives are scarce. Thus, the aim of this research is to develop and validate the policies, opportunities, initiatives, and notable topics (POINTS) audit. Methods: POINTS was developed and refined via expert review, pilot-testing, and field testing. Trained researchers completed a web-based review from a student-focus or employee-focus regarding 34 health-promoting topics for colleges. Each topic was evaluated on a 0–2 scale: 0 = no policy/initiative, 1 = initiatives, 2 = written policy. When a written policy was detected, additional policy support questions …

Cooking Frequency Associated With Dietary Quality In Icook-4h Youth Participants At Baseline, Amber D. Ford, Sarah E. Colby, Marissa Mcelrone, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Melissa D. Olfert, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Increased intakes of ready-made and fast foods paralleled with decreased homemade food consumption have been associated with increased rates of obesity. Researchers have shown associations between cooking self-efficacy (SE) and cooking frequency (CF) with dietary quality and weight status. Some cooking interventions have shown positive associations with dietary outcomes, such as increased fruit and vegetable intake and decreased fast food consumption. There is still much unknown about SE and CF, especially among youth.

Objective: Determine baseline SE and CF and the associations with dietary quality and body mass index (BMI) of youth enrolled in iCook 4H.

Methods: Youth (n …

Micrornas In Bovine Milk Exosomes Are Bioavailable In Humans But Do Not Elicit A Robust Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Response, Ezra Mutai, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Janos Zempleni

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Bovine milk exosomes are studied for their roles as bioactive food compounds and as vehicles for drug delivery. Both lines of investigation converge on immune function, e.g., immune regulation by absorption of microRNAs encapsulated in milk exosomes across species boundaries, and the possibility of exosomes and their cargos triggering an immune response if used in drug delivery. This study assessed the bioavailability of immune-related microRNAs from bovine milk and changes in plasma cytokine concentrations after milk consumption in humans, and the secretion of cytokines by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) cultured with milk exosomes transfected with immune-relevant microRNAs. …

Forms Of Supplemental Selenium In Vitamin-Mineral Mixes Differentially Affect Serological And Hepatic Parameters Of Growing Beef Steers Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Yang Jia

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Consumption of endophyte-infected tall fescue results in a syndrome of negatively altered physiological systems, collectively known as fescue toxicosis. Another challenge to endophyte-infected tall fescue -based beef cattle operations is that the soils often are selenium (Se) poor, necessitating the need to provide supplemental Se. To test the general hypothesis that different forms of supplemental Se would ameliorate the negative effects of fescue toxicosis, predominately-Angus steers (BW = 183 ± 34 kg) were randomly selected from herds of fall-calving cows grazing an endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture and consuming vitamin-mineral mixes that contained 35 ppm Se as sodium selenite (ISe), SELPLEX …