Matching Items (220)
Description
Osteosarcopenia is a newly formed term that combines the symptoms of osteoporosis and sarcopenia together because of their concurrent appearances in life. They are both age-related, debilitating conditions that affect older adults’ skeleton and musculoskeletal system. Osteoporosis specifically targets the cells of the bone and make them weak and porous. Sarcopenia attacks the skeletal muscles and deteriorates the muscle fibers, decreasing mass and strength. Both diseases put sedentary elders at high risk of sustaining fractures and proneness to fall. The manifestation of one condition typically leads to the other because of their obvious physical attachments as well as their direct chemical crosstalk. The onset of osteosarcopenia is subtle coinciding with age related processes that become greatly exacerbated and accelerated when coupled with chronic inactivity. Thus, a critical intervention for managing the disability associated with osteosarcopenia is physical activity. While some pharmacological treatments or supplements are known to have positive results in stemming further bone loss, regular participation in moderate-intensity exercises is considered the most effective treatment for attenuating further bone and muscle loss.
ContributorsLam, Ellen (Author) / Swan, Pamela (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The brain is considered the crux of identity, yet human behavior may be influenced by bacteria in gut microbiomes. Honeybees can exchange bacteria through their many social behaviors, making their microbiomes, and the effect they have on honeybee behavior, of interest. There is recent evidence suggesting the presence of bacteria existing in human brains, which can be investigated in honeybee brains due to their well-documented structure. The purpose of this study is to establish if lipopolysaccharide—a molecule on bacteria membranes—is present in the honeybee brain and if it colocalizes with vitellogenin—an immune mediator. Additionally, this study also seeks to establish the efficacy of embedding tissue samples in resin and performing immunohistochemistry for vitellogenin and lipopolysaccharide on sections.
ContributorsStrange, Amalie Sofie (Co-author) / Strange, Amalie (Co-author) / Amdam, Gro (Thesis director) / Baluch, Page (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Ketone bodies are produced in the liver from the acetyl CoA derived from fatty acids that cannot enter the Krebs cycle. This is a sub-analysis of a larger study which had numerous outcome markers. This analysis focuses on the relationship between ketone blood levels and cognition. The study looked at the relationship between Time Restricted Feeding (TRF), a method of intermittent fasting. TRF is something that can be easily adapted into an individual’s lifestyle and has been shown to have multiple advantages. This 8-week study began with 23 enrolled participants, but due to COVID-19 only 11 participants could be tested for cognition and blood ketone levels after week 4. All participants had similar ranges of weight, height, age, BMI, hip, and waist measurements at baseline. Moreover, these demographic variables were not related to ketone levels or cognition. The data indicate that ketone bodies increased in participants practicing TRF and that the increase in ketone bodies in the blood, specifically β-hydroxybutyrate was strongly correlated to increased cognitive function. This is consistent with theories that elevated ketone levels allowed for early hunter-gather communities and other mammals to survive prolonged periods of nutrient deprivation while keeping high cognitive function.
ContributorsTaha, Basel Mahmoud (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Karen, Sweazea (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common form of chronic liver disease in the United States. Diets high in saturated fats are known to promote obesity and hepatic steatosis. The consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) can increase the risk factors associated with insulin resistance, which can lead to the onset of diabetes and obesity. A prior study of a soil-derived organometallic complex (OMC) showed that supplementation reduces glucose and body mass in diabetic mice. The goal of this study was to test the efficacy of a similar OMC compound on the mitigation of hepatic steatosis induced from a HFD. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=42) were divided into the following diet groups: standard rodent chow or 60% kcal from fat high fat diet (mainly lard) for 10-weeks. Rats were further divided into OMC treatment groups with OMC added to their drinking water: 0 mg/ml, 0.6 mg/ml or 3.0mg/ml OMC. At 10 weeks, study animals were euthanized with sodium pentobarbital (200 mg/kg, i.p.) and cardiac plasma as well as liver samples were collected and stored at -80° C until further analyses. Plasma ALT and AST as well as liver triglyceride and free glycerol concentrations were measured using commercially available kits. To assess cellular injury, aspartate transaminase (AST; released mainly from injured cardiac and liver cells) and alanine transaminase (ALT; released mainly from injured liver cells) were examined. Rats fed HFD had elevated plasma ALT activity, which was prevented by treatment with the high dose of OMC (p<0.05). No changes in plasma AST activity were detected. Examination of liver triglyceride and free glycerol concentrations showed increased fat accumulation in the liver of rats consuming HFD (Two-Way ANOVA, p<0.001). OMC did not prevent this increase. These findings suggest that, although OMC does not prevent the accumulation of lipids in the liver of rats fed HFD, it does mitigate liver injury resulting from excess dietary intake of saturated fats.
ContributorsWood, Courtney Ann (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Shaibi, Gabriel (Committee member) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Intermittent Fasting (IF) is defined as a cyclical eating pattern where an individual will fast for a specific increment of time, followed by caloric intake periods. Fasting is a crucial part of our ancestors’ adaptation to the stresses of famine in order to maintain mental acuity and physical abilities during food deprivation. IF influences physiological changes such as: triggers protective metabolic pathways, increases metabolic flexibility and resilience, promotes DNA repair and autophagy, increases microbiome diversity and restores the natural cyclical fluctuations of the gut, increases BDNF expression in mood regulating neuronal circuits, and enhances synaptic plasticity of the brain. Research on the underlying causes of mood disorders has linked impairments in neuroplasticity and cellular resilience to this pathophysiology, which fasting could mitigate. Depression and anxiety are reported as the top impediments to academic performance. Thus, an easily implemented treatment such as intermittent fasting may be an option for combating impaired mental health in college students. This research study tested time restricted feeding (TRF) and its impact on mood states. It was hypothesized that: if college students follow a time restricted feeding pattern, then they will be less moody due to TRF’s effects on the metabolism, brain, and gut. The study consisted of 11 college students: 5 following a four-week adherence to TRF (8am-4pm eating window) and 6 in the control group. The POMS questionnaire was used to measure mood states. The participants height, weight, BMI, body fat %, and POMS scores were tested at the beginning and end of the 4 week intervention. The results were as follows: weight p=0.112 (statistical trend), BMI p=0.058 (nearly significant), body fat % p=0.114 (statistical trend), POMS p=0.014 (statistically significant). The data suggests that following a TRF eating pattern can decrease moodiness and improve mood states.
ContributorsFoley, Sadie Jean (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis director) / Shepard, Christina (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Background
The reproductive ground plan hypothesis of social evolution suggests that reproductive controls of a solitary ancestor have been co-opted during social evolution, facilitating the division of labor among social insect workers. Despite substantial empirical support, the generality of this hypothesis is not universally accepted. Thus, we investigated the prediction of particular genes with pleiotropic effects on ovarian traits and social behavior in worker honey bees as a stringent test of the reproductive ground plan hypothesis. We complemented these tests with a comprehensive genome scan for additional quantitative trait loci (QTL) to gain a better understanding of the genetic architecture of the ovary size of honey bee workers, a morphological trait that is significant for understanding social insect caste evolution and general insect biology.
Results
Back-crossing hybrid European x Africanized honey bee queens to the Africanized parent colony generated two study populations with extraordinarily large worker ovaries. Despite the transgressive ovary phenotypes, several previously mapped QTL for social foraging behavior demonstrated ovary size effects, confirming the prediction of pleiotropic genetic effects on reproductive traits and social behavior. One major QTL for ovary size was detected in each backcross, along with several smaller effects and two QTL for ovary asymmetry. One of the main ovary size QTL coincided with a major QTL for ovary activation, explaining 3/4 of the phenotypic variance, although no simple positive correlation between ovary size and activation was observed.
Conclusions
Our results provide strong support for the reproductive ground plan hypothesis of evolution in study populations that are independent of the genetic stocks that originally led to the formulation of this hypothesis. As predicted, worker ovary size is genetically linked to multiple correlated traits of the complex division of labor in worker honey bees, known as the pollen hoarding syndrome. The genetic architecture of worker ovary size presumably consists of a combination of trait-specific loci and general regulators that affect the whole behavioral syndrome and may even play a role in caste determination. Several promising candidate genes in the QTL intervals await further study to clarify their potential role in social insect evolution and the regulation of insect fertility in general.
The reproductive ground plan hypothesis of social evolution suggests that reproductive controls of a solitary ancestor have been co-opted during social evolution, facilitating the division of labor among social insect workers. Despite substantial empirical support, the generality of this hypothesis is not universally accepted. Thus, we investigated the prediction of particular genes with pleiotropic effects on ovarian traits and social behavior in worker honey bees as a stringent test of the reproductive ground plan hypothesis. We complemented these tests with a comprehensive genome scan for additional quantitative trait loci (QTL) to gain a better understanding of the genetic architecture of the ovary size of honey bee workers, a morphological trait that is significant for understanding social insect caste evolution and general insect biology.
Results
Back-crossing hybrid European x Africanized honey bee queens to the Africanized parent colony generated two study populations with extraordinarily large worker ovaries. Despite the transgressive ovary phenotypes, several previously mapped QTL for social foraging behavior demonstrated ovary size effects, confirming the prediction of pleiotropic genetic effects on reproductive traits and social behavior. One major QTL for ovary size was detected in each backcross, along with several smaller effects and two QTL for ovary asymmetry. One of the main ovary size QTL coincided with a major QTL for ovary activation, explaining 3/4 of the phenotypic variance, although no simple positive correlation between ovary size and activation was observed.
Conclusions
Our results provide strong support for the reproductive ground plan hypothesis of evolution in study populations that are independent of the genetic stocks that originally led to the formulation of this hypothesis. As predicted, worker ovary size is genetically linked to multiple correlated traits of the complex division of labor in worker honey bees, known as the pollen hoarding syndrome. The genetic architecture of worker ovary size presumably consists of a combination of trait-specific loci and general regulators that affect the whole behavioral syndrome and may even play a role in caste determination. Several promising candidate genes in the QTL intervals await further study to clarify their potential role in social insect evolution and the regulation of insect fertility in general.
ContributorsGraham, Allie M. (Author) / Munday, Michael D. (Author) / Kaftanoglu, Osman (Author) / Page, Robert (Author) / Amdam, Gro (Author) / Rueppell, Olav (Author) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2011-04-13
Description
With the rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes, novel treatments to help mitigate or prevent symptoms of these conditions are warranted. Prior studies have shown that fossilized plant materials found in soil lowers blood sugar in a mouse model of diabetes. The goal of this study is to determine whether a similar organometallic complex (OMC) could prevent insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle brought on by chronic high fat intake by examining the protein expression of key enzymes in the insulin signaling pathway and examining glucoregulatory measures. Six-week-old periadolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=42) were randomly chosen to be fed either a high fat diet (HFD) (20% protein, 20% carbohydrates [6.8% sucrose], 60% fat) or a standard chow diet (18.9% protein, 57.33% carbohydrates, 5% fat) for 10 weeks. Rats from each diet group were then randomly assigned to one of three doses of OMC (0, 0.6, 3.0 mg/mL), which was added to their drinking water and fasting blood glucose was measured at baseline and again at 10 weeks. After 10 weeks, rats were euthanized, and soleus muscle samples were isolated, snap-frozen, and stored at -80°C until analyses. Fasting plasma glucose was measured using a commercially available glucose oxidase kit. Following 6 and 10 weeks, HFD rats developed significant hyperglycemia (p<0.001 and p=0.025) compared to chow controls which was prevented by high dose OMC (p=0.021). After 10 weeks, there were significant differences in fasting serum insulin between diets (p=0.009) where levels were higher in HFD rats. No significant difference was seen in p-PI3K expression between groups. These results suggest that OMC could prevent insulin resistance by reducing hyperglycemia. Further studies are needed to characterize the effects of diet and OMC on the insulin signaling pathway in skeletal muscle, the main site of postprandial glucose disposal. This study was supported by a grant from Isagenix International LLC as well as funds from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, Tempe Campus.
ContributorsStarr, Ashlee (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Hyatt, JP (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
The purpose of this cookbook was to provide students that live in the Barrett dorms with easily accessible nutritious meals that prevent total reliance on the dorm's dining hall throughout the year. Limitations of this research included staying within budget, the availability of near-by grocery stores, meal preparation time, and the types of appliances which can be used in dorms. While living in dorms many students may find that dining halls have a large variety of food offerings that are consistently available. Although there are many options, they are not necessarily the healthiest choices. In addition to health these options rarely change. For safety reasons students are limited to dorm room appliance options that include a mini-fridge and a microwave. There is not a lot of cooking you can do with just a microwave, but with the proper knowledge it is surprisingly enough to make a great meal. In addition to appliances students can utilize cutting boards, plates, and plastic utensils, but if students are not educated about cooking diverse meals it is easy to venture toward unhealthy meal choices. Attending college can be costly. Expenses of tuition, books, supplies and living fees can add up quickly. Students are always in need of healthy meal options that are also healthy for their bank accounts. This cookbook contains affordable, healthy, and quick to make recipes. Virtually everyone who has ever been a student usually has a weekly/monthly budgetary amount to spend and cooking their own meals in the dorms will turn out to be much cheaper alternative to having dining hall meals every day. It was interesting to create a week full of meal preps for breakfast, lunch and dinner- including snacks with various alternatives. Not every student has a vehicle in which they can get necessary ingredients for cooking; Therefore, this cookbook has a grocery store map that includes address and store hours to aid students in choosing closer more convenient locations. In college, the journey to a healthy lifestyle is not easy. There are many ways to keep on track and follow the routine which works for both the body and the mind. Following the easy recipes within this cook book will minimize the risk of freshman 15 weight gain and decrease the time spent on both cooking and coming up with healthy meal ideas. These meals are uncomplicated, affordable, and take little to no effort. Barrett CookBook for Dorms main mission was to provide students with a foundation for a nutritional, flexible, and stress-free dining environment without the added stress of constantly thinking about what goes into their bodies.
ContributorsCherkaskykh, Alisa A. (Author) / Grgich, Traci (Thesis director) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
As a biology major, many of my classes have included studying the fundamentals of genetics or investigating the way genetics influence heritability of certain diseases. When I began taking upper-division psychology courses, the genetic factors of psychological disorders became an important part of the material. I was exposed to a new idea: that genes were equally important in studying somatic diseases as they were to psychological disorders. As important as genetics are to psychology, they are not part of the required courses for the major; I found many of my peers in psychology courses did not have a grasp on genetic fundamentals in the same way biology majors did. This was a disconnect that I also found in my own life outside the classroom. Growing up, my mother consistently reminded me to limit my carbs and watch my sugars. Diabetes was very prevalent in my family and I was also at risk. I was repeatedly reminded of my own genes and the risk I faced in having this biological disorder. However, my friend whose father was an alcoholic did not warn her in the same way. While she did know of her father's history, she was not warned of the potential for her to become an alcoholic. While my behavior was altered due to my mother's warning and my own knowledge of the genetic risk of diabetes, I wondered if other people at genetic risk of psychological disorders also altered their behavior. Through my thesis, I hope to answer if students have the same perceived genetic knowledge of psychological diseases as they do for biological ones. In my experience, it is not as well known that psychological disorders have genetic factors. For example, alcohol is commonly used by college students. Alcohol use disorder is present in 16.2% of college aged students and "40-60% of the variance of risk explained by genetic influences." (DSM V, 2013) Compare this to diabetes that has "several common genetic variants that account for about 10% of the total genetic effects," but is much more openly discussed even though it is less genetically linked. (McVay, 2015)This stems from the stigma/taboo surrounding many psychological disorders. If students do know that psychological disorder are genetically influenced, I expect their knowledge to be skewed or inaccurate. As part of a survey, I hope to see how strong they believe the genetic risk of certain diseases are as well as where they gained this knowledge. I hypothesize that only students with a background in psychology will be able to correctly assign the genetic risk of the four presented diseases. Completing this thesis will require in-depth study of the genetic factors, an understanding of the way each disease is perceived and understood by the general population, and a statistical analysis of the survey responses. If the survey data turns out as I expect where students do not have a strong grasp of diseases that could potentially influence their own health, I hope to find a way to educate students on biological and psychological diseases, their genetic risk, and how to speak openly about them.
ContributorsParasher, Nisha (Author) / Amdam, Gro (Thesis director) / Toft, Carolyn Cavaugh (Committee member) / Ostwald, Madeleine (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are pollinators that face multiple challenges during foraging such as fungicides applied to floral sources. Fungicides are chemicals used to inhibit key fungal mechanisms like metabolism, but their effects remain relatively unknown in bees. In addition, studying the maturing bee can help us identify demographics that are more vulnerable to toxic materials like fungicides. The purpose of this study is test whether maturation and the fungicide Pristine influence the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Specifically, we use a transportable dye to test how blood brain barrier transporter function responds to toxic insult and how it changes with age. Oral ingestion of Pristine by female workers did not have an effect on blood brain barrier permeability which suggests Pristine may have no or longer term consequences in the bee. However, blood brain barrier permeability changed with the bee's age which could be explained by the regulation of blood brain barrier transporters during natural transitions in hive task or the presence of hemolymph protein filtration
ContributorsPatel, Aamir S. (Author) / Amdam, Gro (Thesis director) / Harrison, Jon (Committee member) / Ozturk, Cahit (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05