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- Creators: Arizona State University
Description
This dissertation investigates the condition of skeletal muscle insulin resistance using bioinformatics and computational biology approaches. Drawing from several studies and numerous data sources, I have attempted to uncover molecular mechanisms at multiple levels. From the detailed atomistic simulations of a single protein, to datamining approaches applied at the systems biology level, I provide new targets to explore for the research community. Furthermore I present a new online web resource that unifies various bioinformatics databases to enable discovery of relevant features in 3D protein structures.
ContributorsMielke, Clinton (Author) / Mandarino, Lawrence (Committee member) / LaBaer, Joshua (Committee member) / Magee, D. Mitchell (Committee member) / Dinu, Valentin (Committee member) / Willis, Wayne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Obesity is currently a prevalent health concern in the United States. Essential to combating it are accurate methods of assessing individual dietary intake under ad libitum conditions. The acoustical monitoring system (AMS), consisting of a throat microphone and jaw strain sensor, has been proposed as a non-invasive method for tracking free-living eating events. This study assessed the accuracy of eating events tracked by the AMS, compared to the validated vending machine system used by the NIDDK in Phoenix. Application of AMS data toward estimation of mass and calories consumed was also considered. In this study, 10 participants wore the AMS in a clinical setting for 24 hours while all food intake was recorded by the vending machine. Results indicated a correlation of 0.76 between number of eating events by the AMS and the vending machine (p = 0.019). A dependent T-test yielded a p-value of 0.799, illustrating a lack of significant difference between these methods of tracking intake. Finally, number of seconds identified as eating by the AMS had a 0.91 correlation with mass of intake (p = 0.001) and a 0.70 correlation with calories of intake (p = 0.034). These results indicate that the AMS is a valid method of objectively recording eating events under ad libitum conditions. Additional research is required to validate this device under free-living conditions.
ContributorsSteinke, Amanda (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Votruba, Susanne (Committee member) / Hall, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Obesity is now an epidemic in the United States and scientists must work to approach it from a unique angle. The focus of my thesis is the application of brown adipose tissue as a combatant for fat loss in the body. Unused as adults, brown adipose tissue increases metabolism and mitochondrial function to burn more fat in individuals that cannot lose weight conventionally. Current research works to introduce safe hormonal pathways in the sympathetic nervous system to generate more of this tissue.
ContributorsGrade, Neenah Young (Author) / Morse, Lisa (Thesis director) / Appel, Christy (Committee member) / Mayol-Kreiser, Sandra (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
"Globesity," as defined by the World Health Organization, describes obesity as a pandemic affecting at least 400 million people worldwide. The prevalence of obesity is higher among women than men; and in non-Hispanic black and Hispanic populations. Obesity has been significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality, and mortality from cardiovascular disease, obesity-related cancers, diabetes and kidney disease. Current strategies to curb obesity rates often use an ecological approach, suggesting three main factors: biological, behavioral, and environmental. This approach was used to develop four studies of obesity. The first study assessed dietary quality, using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2005, among premenopausal Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women, and found that Hispanic women had lower total HEI-2005 scores, and lower scores for total vegetables, dark green and orange vegetables and legumes, and sodium. Markers of obesity were negatively correlated with total HEI-2005 scores. The second study examined the relationship between reported screen time and markers of obesity among premenopausal women and found that total screen time, TV, and computer use were positively associated with markers of obesity. Waist/height ratio, fat mass index, and leptin concentrations were significantly lower among those who reported the lowest screen time versus the moderate and high screen time categories. The third study examined the relationship between screen time and dietary intake and found no significant differences in absolute dietary intake by screen time category. The fourth study was designed to test a brief face-to-face healthy shopping intervention to determine whether food purchases of participants who received the intervention differed from those in the control group; and whether purchases differed by socioeconomic position. Participants in the intervention group purchased more servings of fruit when compared to the control group. High-income participants purchased more servings of dark green/deep yellow vegetables compared to those in the low-income group. Among those who received the intervention, low-income participants purchased foods of lower energy density, and middle-income participants purchased food of higher fat density. The findings of these studies support policy changes to address increasing access and availability of fruits and vegetables, and support guidelines to limit screen time among adults.
ContributorsMilliron, Brandy-Joe (Author) / Woolf, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Vaughan, Linda (Committee member) / Ainsworth, Barbara (Committee member) / Wharton, Chris (Committee member) / Der Ananian, Cheryl (Committee member) / Appelhans, Bradley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Objective: This research examined the impact of daily ingestions of commercial high protein nutrition bars (with or without added fiber) on 24-h energy intake and satiety
for one week among free-living young healthy adults.
Design: In a 4-week double-blind, randomized crossover trial, 21 normal and
overweight participants (Mean BMI 23.9 ± 2.7 kg/m²), free of chronic diseases, were
randomized assigned to HP (high protein: 21 g protein) or HPHF (high protein high fiber:
20g, 14 g fiber) nutrition bars. Participants were included in the trial if they meet the
criteria for non-smoking, and not taking prescribed medication for chronic diseases.
Participants were instructed to consume commercial nutrition bars daily for seven
consecutive days. Body composition was measured with a bioelectrical impedance scale
at weeks 1, 3, and 5. Dietary data was recorded by the MyFitnessPal app on Wednesday,
Friday, and Sunday of each week.
Results: The mean energy intake for the weeks HPHF bars were consumed is
significantly higher compared to baseline (1998 ± 534 vs. 1806 ± 537 respectively; p =
0.035). The mean fat mass following one week of HPHF bar consumption was
significantly higher than the baseline value (18.8 ± 6.8 vs. 18.3 ± 6.7 respectively; p =
0.023) and trended higher (18.8 ± 6.8 vs. 18.3 ± 6.7 respectively; p = 0.057) in
comparison to the value following one week of HP bar consumption. For the high
physical activity level group (n = 10), the mean energy intakes for the baseline week and
the weeks the HP and HPHF bars were consumed were 1883 ± 597 kcal, 2154 ± 712 kcal,
and 2099 ± 603 kcal respectively (p ˂ 0.04; energy intakes for both bars were
significantly different from baseline). Nutrient intakes differed significantly mirroring the
nutrient profile for each specific bar. There are significant effects after both bars on
satiety, but there were no differences between each bar.
Conclusions: Sales of nutrition bars gained rapid growth and may represent a
unique source for specific nutrients. However, ingestion of commercial high protein
nutrition bars may increase the risk of gaining fat mass and eventual body mass over
time.
ContributorsPang, Minghan (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Shepard, Christina (Committee member) / Alexon, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
According to the World Health Organization, obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 and forty-one million children under the age of 5 are overweight or obese (World Health Organization, 2018). Exercise is a potential intervention to prevent obesity-induced cardiovascular complications as exercise training has been shown to aid nitric oxide (NO) production as well as preserving endothelial function in obese mice (Silva et al., 2016). A soil-derived organic mineral compound (OMC) has been shown to lower blood sugar in diabetic mice (Deneau et al., 2011). Prior research has shown that, while OMC did not prevent high fat diet (HFD)-induced increases in body fat in male Sprague-Dawley rats, it was effective at preventing HFD-induced impaired vasodilation (M. S. Crawford et al., 2019). Six-weeks of HFD has been shown to impair vasodilation through oxidative-stress mediated scavenging of NO as well as upregulation of inflammatory pathways including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (Karen L. Sweazea et al., 2010). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine whether OMC alters protein expression of iNOS and endothelial NOS (eNOS) in the vasculature of rats fed a control or HFD with and without OMC supplementation. Six-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a standard chow diet (CHOW) or a HFD composed of 60% kcal from fat for 10 weeks. The rats were administered OMC at doses of 0 mg/mL (control), 0.6 mg/mL, or 3.0 mg/mL added to their drinking water. Following euthanasia with sodium pentobarbital (200 mg/kg, i.p.), mesenteric arteries and the surrounding perivascular adipose tissue were isolated and prepared for Western Blot analyses. Mesenteric arteries from HFD rats had more uncoupled eNOS (p = 0.006) and iNOS protein expression (p = 0.027) than rats fed the control diet. OMC was not effective at preventing the uncoupling of eNOS or increase in iNOS induced by HFD. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) showed no significant difference in iNOS protein expression between diet or OMC treatment groups. These findings suggest that OMC is not likely working through the iNOS or eNOS pathways to improve vasodilation in these rats, but rather, appears to be working through another mechanism.
ContributorsNelson, Morgan Allen (Author) / Sweazea, Karen L (Thesis advisor) / Katsanos, Christos S (Committee member) / Baluch, Debra P (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Obesity is one of the most challenging health conditions of our time, characterized by complex interactions between behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors. These interactions lead to a distinctive obese phenotype. Twenty years ago, the gut microbiota (GM) was postulated as a significant factor contributing to the obese phenotype and associated metabolic disturbances. Exercise had shown to improve and revert the metabolic abnormalities in obese individuals. Also, genistein has a suggested potential anti-obesogenic effect. Studying the dynamic interaction of the GM with relevant organs in metabolic homeostasis is crucial for the design of new long-term therapies to treat obesity. The purpose of this experimental study is to examine exercise (Exe), genistein (Gen), and their combined intervention (Exe + Gen) effects on GM composition and musculoskeletal mitochondrial oxidative function in diet-induced obese mice. Also, this study aims to explore the association between gut microbial diversity and mitochondrial oxidative capacity. 132 adult male (n=63) and female (n= 69) C57BL/6 mice were randomized to one of five interventions for twelve weeks: control (n= 27), high fat diet (HFD; n=26), HFD + Exe (n=28), HFD + Gen (n=27), or HFD + Exe + Gen (n=24). All HFD drinking water was supplemented with 42g sugar/L. Fecal pellets were collected, DNA extracted, and measured the microbial composition by sequencing the V4 of the 16S rRNA gene with Illumina. The mitochondrial oxidative capacity was assessed by measuring the enzymatic kinetic activity of the citrate synthase (CS) of forty-nine mice. This study found that Exe groups had a significantly higher bacterial richness compared to HFD + Gen or HFD group. Exe + Gen showed the synergistic effect to drive the GM towards the control group´s GM composition as we found Ruminococcus significantly more abundant in the HFD + Exe + Gen than the rest of the HFD groups. The study did not find preventive capacity in either of the interventions on the CS activity. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm the synergistic effect of Exe, Exe, and Gen on the gut bacterial richness and the capacity to prevent HFD-induced deleterious effect on GM and mitochondrial oxidative capacity.
ContributorsOrtega Santos, Carmen Patricia (Author) / Whisner, Corrie M (Thesis advisor) / Dickinson, Jared M (Committee member) / Katsanos, Christos (Committee member) / Gu, Haiwei (Committee member) / Liu, Li (Committee member) / Al-Nakkash, Layla (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Objectives. To determine the association between parental level of acculturation using the Anglo Orientation Subscale (AOS) and the Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS) derived from the Acculturating Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA II) and their likelihood of serving green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages during family meals. Methods. A sample of Hispanic parents of 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade adolescents (n=447; 39.8±6.8 years; 89.7% female) enrolled in a parenting intervention promoting healthy nutrition and substance use prevention. Parents completed baseline surveys to self-report whether they had family meals or not, acculturation-related questions, and the frequency with which they serve green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) during family meals. Associations between parental acculturation level and their likelihood of serving green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages during meal times were assessed with Spearman’s rank correlations. Results. There was a positive correlation between a higher level of acculturation on the Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS) scale and the frequency of serving SSB during family meals (p=.006). There was a positive correlation between a higher level of acculturation on the Anglo Orientation Subscale (AOS) with the frequency of parents serving green salad (p=<.001), vegetables (p=<.001), and 100% fruit juice (p=.025) during family meals. Conclusion. Findings suggest that a higher Mexican orientation is associated with serving more sugar-sweetened beverages, and a higher Anglo orientation is associated with serving more green salad, vegetables, and 100% fruit juice to adolescents during family meals. Further research is needed to understand how the association of parental acculturation, home food environment, family meals, and socioeconomic status impact what they serve during family meals to their adolescents. A better understanding of what is served would help develop more evidence-based interventions that could help improve adolescents’ diet, which could help curb down obesity prevalence.
ContributorsOdell, Sandra P (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis advisor) / Ayers, Stephanie (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Obesity is associated with many well-established health risks as well as high annual public health costs. Intervening in the trajectory of obesity becomes significantly more difficult after a child has reached obesity. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the processes that influence weight early in life. Parents serve as one of the main influences on child health, have a significant impact on the weight of their offspring, and are often incorporated into childhood obesity prevention programs. However, the mutual influence that parents and children have on each other is not accounted for. Using an Actor-Partner Interdependence model, the current study 1) examined the effect of children’s and mother’s temperament (e.g., negative affectivity, effortful control, and impulsivity) on their own weight as well as the weight of the other dyad member, 2) explored the effect of the interaction between mother and child temperament on both members’ weight, 3) assessed the effect of mother’s approach to food on mother and child weight, and 4) investigated how temperament might moderate the relationships between mother’s approach to food and mother and child weight. The sample consisted of 220 mother-child dyads. Children ranged from 4 to 6 years of age. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires on their own temperament and approach to food as well as their child’s temperament. Weight measures were assessed in the laboratory for both mother and child. Results indicated children’s impulsivity was related to their mother’s higher weight. The interaction between mother and child temperament was not significantly associated with weight. However, the interaction between child impulsivity and mother’s approach to food was significant; the effect of the mother’s approach to food on her own weight depended on their child’s impulsivity behaviors. Specifically, mothers’ approach to food on her own weight was nonsignificant when her child showed higher levels of impulsivity. The association of mother’s approach to food with her own weight was stronger when her child exhibited average to low impulsivity levels. This investigation of the influence of mother and child on each other’s weight is well-placed for translation into later obesity preventative and intervention efforts for family systems.
ContributorsOhrt, Tara (Author) / Perez, Marisol (Thesis advisor) / Luecken, Linda (Committee member) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program provide nutritious meals to school-age children. USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is designed to extend the reach of these programs by allowing schools in low-income areas to provide free school meals to all students at no cost to families. CEP has been shown to increase school meal participation, nutritional intake, academic achievement, and attendance in previous research studies. This study aims to examine the impact of long-term CEP participation on student weight outcomes. Nurse-measured height and weight data for school years 2013-14 to 2019-20 were collected from 141 K-12 public schools in four low-income cities. School-level prevalence of obesity was calculated from students’ heights and weights using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocol. CEP participation for each school year was obtained from the state Department of Education. Schools in the sample began participating in CEP at different times yielding varying numbers of years of CEP exposure over the study period. Multivariable analyses examined the relationship between school CEP exposure and the prevalence of obesity, controlling for school-level covariates. Multivariable analyses showed that for every additional year of CEP participation, the school-level prevalence of obesity was 0.4% lower (p=0.018). The regression-adjusted obesity prevalence for schools that never participated in CEP was 28.0%, while the obesity prevalence for schools with 6 years of CEP participation was 25.4%. The lower prevalence of obesity in CEP-participating schools was primarily driven by elementary schools. These results suggest that the benefits of CEP participation can cumulate over time, significantly reducing school-level obesity prevalence over time.
ContributorsDykstra, Tatum Nicole (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis advisor) / Acciai, Francesco (Committee member) / McCoy, Maureen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024