College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF A MINDFULNESS FOCUSED NUTRITION PROMOTION PROGRAM TO BALANCE USDA SCHOOL NUTRITION GOALS WITH FOOD WASTE REDUCTION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS(2019) Schachtner-Appel, Amy Elizabeth; Song, Hee-Jung; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Healthy school meals offer numerous benefits for elementary school students, but low produce intake and high rates of waste prevent students from experiencing these benefits. This research aimed to create a mindful and sustainable eating intervention to encourage reduced waste and increased produce intake during lunch. The study was conducted using a mixed-methods triangulation approach for formative research, creation of a behavioral model to design a theory based intervention, and pilot test of the resulting program using a quasi-experimental controlled design. Formative findings, gathered from 50 3rd-5th grade focus group participants, 15 in-depth interviews with school staff, and 9 cafeteria observations supported the use of social cognitive theory (SCT) to explain eating behaviors and emphasized the importance of involving student leaders and creating environmental reinforcements. Pilot intervention approaches included delivery of an education curriculum, dissemination of messages by student leaders, cafeteria environment changes, and creation of a food recovery program. Measurements included observation of kindergarten – 5th grade lunches at baseline and follow-up (n = 162) to estimate foods selected, consumed, and wasted, survey of 3rd – 5th grade students at baseline and follow-up (n = 169) to measure psychosocial changes related to mindful and sustainable eating, and periodic food waste audits (n = 8) to monitor school-level plate waste. Baseline results showed students consumed only 36-42% of vegetables selected and 64-67% of fruit selected. At follow-up, intervention students selected more produce than controls (1.09 vs. 0.64 servings of vegetables; 1.32 vs. 1.06 servings of fruit). Similarly, they consumed more produce (0.51 vs. 0.33 servings of vegetables; 0.94 vs. 0.70 servings of fruit) than controls. Intervention students trended toward reduced vegetable waste while maintaining selection, whereas controls decreased selection substantially. Intervention students experienced significant increase in self-efficacy to base lunch choices on body cues. Higher produce consumption and lower waste were predicted by improved intentions to eat healthfully. Overall, the program successfully improved intake and trends indicate potential to reduce waste. Findings support expansion of the program, with potential to improve nutritional status of students and reduce the environmental impact of school meals.Item Identification of ESE-1 as a novel molecular target of chemopreventive agents for colon cancer prevention(2019) Lee, Jihye; Lee, Seong-Ho; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Epithelial specific ETS-1 (ESE-1) is one of the E26 transformation-specific transcription factor superfamily and could be considerable interest as a possible target for regulating diverse types of human cancer. Despite its clinical importance, the reported biological role of ESE-1 on cancer development and progression are still controversial and its underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis remains unclear. The objectives of this dissertation are to elucidate the role of ESE-1 in tumorigenesis. With the evidence in cancer phenotypes, the underlying mechanisms of ESE-1 in colon cancer was also investigated. ESE-1 knockout mice increased azoxymethane (AOM) -induced and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-promoted formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) compared to wild type mice. Overexpression of ESE-1 suppressed anchorage-independent growth and migration/invasion in human colon cancer cells and while knockdown of ESE-1 reversed anti-cancer activity. Full length ESE-1 was abundantly found in the nucleus, and internal deletion of nuclear localization sequence 2 (NLS2) decreased the amount of nuclear ESE-1. Three lysine residues (318KKK320) in the NLS2 were critical for nuclear localization of ESE-1 and mediates tumor suppressive activity of ESE-1 through reduced beta-catenin transcriptional activity. We identified two anti-cancer natural compounds, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and patchouli alcohol as ESE-1 inducers. Both EGCG and patchouli alcohol increased expression of ESE-1 protein and mRNA in human colon cancer cells. Patchouli alcohol showed reduced the number of tumors and tumor load in Apcmin/+ colon cancer animal model although protein expression level of ESE-1 did not show significant difference. These findings suggest a potential use of ESE-1 as a novel and potential molecular target of natural anti-cancer phytochemicals for colon cancer prevention.Item Flavonoids, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diabetes(2019) Gahche, Jaime; Sahyoun, Nadine R; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: Flavonoids have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and vasodilatory properties; mechanisms that may lead to cardio-protective benefits. Results from observational studies assessing the associations between flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus have been largely equivocal. Earlier studies were limited due to lack of complete flavonoid composition databases. With the development of more complete databases, total flavonoid intake can be more accurately estimated, but the associations between them and CVD and diabetes have not been assessed in a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population. Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between dietary intake of flavonoids and risk of: 1) CVD outcomes, and 2) diabetes. Methods: Baseline data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) were collected from participants in 1988-1994 and linked with administrative records to identify CVD and diabetes outcomes. The National Death Index was used for mortality and CMS Medicare Claims and Medicare enrollment data to identify initial events. Flavonoid intake was assessed with up to four 24-hour dietary recalls and the USDA’s flavonoid databases were used to assign flavonoid values to reported food and beverage consumption. Usual intakes of flavonoids and flavonoid sub-classes were estimated using the NCI method. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. Results: In this nationally representative sample of adults, from a 1988-1994 constructed cohort and followed passively for over 20 years, significant inverse associations between total flavonoids or sub-classes and CVD outcomes or diabetes were not evident. However, there was a marginal association between flavanones and CVD mortality, for males only (HR =0.93, 95 % CI 0.87, 1.00, p-value<0.04). Conclusions: In this population-based sample of individuals, associations between intakes of flavonoid and CVD mortality (with the exception of flavanone intake for men only), CVD morbidity or diabetes were not evident after 20 years of follow-up. This may be due to their low levels of usual intake, to errors in measurement of flavonoid intake, or misclassification over time of flavonoid intakes, or relatively small sample sizes.Item Relative impacts of determinants of childhood stunting in Malawi(2019) Kaur, Jasbir; Mehta, Mira; Desai, Sonalde B; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: High rates of stunting have persisted in Malawi for several decades. There is a need to better understand trends and determinants of childhood stunting in the population to inform effective policies and programmatic interventions. Objective: To analyze levels, trends, and distribution of stunting in a nationally-representative population of Malawian children under age five, and to analyze determinants and micronutrient levels associated with stunting in a subset of children under age two. Design: The study analyzes data from the Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys in 2000, 2004, 2010 and 2015–16 and the Malawi Micronutrient Survey in 2015–16. Stunting in children is defined as height-for-age index more than two standard deviations below the reference medium. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to estimate the change in stunting by socio-demographic variables, and impact of environmental enteropathy, water sanitation and hygiene, access to food, infant and young child feeding practices, women’s empowerment, domestic violence, and biomarkers of nutrition, specifically iron- deficiency anemia and vitamin A deficiency controlled for inflammation in children ages 0–59 months, adjusted for sampling design effects. Setting: Malawi is a landlocked country, divided into three regions: the northern, central, and southern regions. Subjects: Children ages 0–59 months with data on anthropometric measurements from the MDHS survey in 2000 (n=9,188), 2004 (n=8,090), 2010 (n=4,586), and 2016 (n=5,149), and from the MNS survey in 2015¬–16 (n=2,018). Results: The prevalence of stunting decreased in children from 54.3 percent in 2000 to 36.6 percent in 2016. Child’s household structure (a finished roof), child’s age, gender, birth order and birth interval, household wealth, land ownership, mother’s education, mother’s stature and BMI, and mother’s age appear to be the strongest determinants of childhood stunting. With addition of biomarkers of nutrition, inflammation, and inherited disorders, age of the child, birth order, and mother’s report of child’s size at birth and household hunger are major determinants of childhood stunting. At the cellular level, serum ferritin, retinol binding protein, and sickle cell disease and alpha-thalassemia are strongly associated with stunting in children.Item ROLE OF TRPV4 CALCIUM CHANNEL IN PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS-INDUCED EXACERBATION OF OXIDIZED LDL-MEDIATED MACROPHAGE FOAM CELL FORMATION(2018) Gupta, Nabyendu; Rahaman, Shaik Ohidar; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Atherosclerosis, a chronic vascular disease accounts for major deaths worldwide. Associations between atherosclerosis and periodontitis have been documented by epidemiological studies. The process underlying P. gingivalis (Pg) infection induced atherogenesis however, is unclear. Macrophage ‘foam cells’ formation is a hallmark for in-vivo atherosclerosis progression. Our studies indicate that a calcium channel, Transient Receptor Potential channel of the vanilloid family 4 (TRPV4) mediates foam cell generation on Pg lipopolysaccharide (PgLPS) stimulation. Also, we observed increased TRPV4 activity (Ca2+ influx) with PgLPS treatment. Genetic deletion of TRPV4 or inhibition by TRPV4 specific chemical antagonist impeded PgLPS-triggered aggravated oxidized LDL (oxLDL) uptake and foam cell formation. Our results mechanistically showed that i) TRPV4 is required for oxLDL uptake, but not its cell surface binding ii) Decreased foam cell formation is independent of CD36 expression. Altogether, our results demonstrate that TRPV4 plays a crucial role in PgLPS-induced exacerbation of oxLDL-mediated macrophage foam cell formation.Item O-GLCNACYLATION IS NOT INCREASED IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS OF RATS GIVEN 6 WEEK ACCESS TO SUCROSE SOLUTION DESPITE MARKERS OF METABOLIC DYSREGULATION(2018) Hudgins, Samantha Morgan; Castonguay, Thomas W; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The peptide hormone leptin acts globally to maintain various metabolic processes. Impaired response to leptin binding is referred to as leptin resistance and results in metabolic dysregulation. Leptin is essential in the prevention of weight gain through central signals to increase energy expenditure and reduce food intake. A sugar sensitive pathway, the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), may be the cause of diet induced leptin resistance. The HBP glycosylates proteins by modifying fructose- 6-phosphate molecules from glycolysis. While high sugar diets have been linked to leptin resistance, O-GlcNAcylation of pathway proteins have not been examined. Approximately 8-week-old male rats were assigned to ad libitum access to diet and water or 30% sucrose solution, diet and water. On Day 5 rats were surgically fitted with a third ventricle cannula. On Day 41, diet and sugar solutions were removed for an overnight fast. On Day 42 each rat received a central injection of leptin or control solution and subsequently euthanized 30 minutes post injection. Body weight and body composition were not significantly different between treatment groups after 42 days. However, the Sucrose group exhibited signs of metabolic syndrome, evidenced by increased fasting serum triglycerides and glucose as well as decreased serum HDL. Analysis of hypothalamic O-GlcNAcylation revealed no significant difference between treatment groups. These data may be the result of variability of glucose utilization within the hypothalamus. These data support previous findings that 42-day access to a 30% sucrose solution yields evidence of metabolic syndrome in the absence of obesity as well as the absence of increased hypothalamic OGlcNAcylation. Future research should examine O-GlcNAcylation regionally within the hypothalamus. Analysis of protein specific O-GlcNAcylation was not achieved; however, a novel O-GlcNAcylation was observed in hypothalamic tissue at the Threonine 1808 residue of prolow-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 isoform X1 (LRP-1), a protein that may play a crucial role in leptin signaling. These data give further evidence to support the use of 30% sucrose solution to model leptin resistance in Sprague Dawley rats, as well as provide a target protein for future analysis.Item FOOD SECURITY AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A MULTISECTORAL APPROACH(2018) Wambogo, Edwina; Sahyoun, Nadine; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Background: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently developed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and tested its latent dimensional structure and psychometric properties using the 2014 Gallup World Poll (GWP) data. However, the similarities in psychometric structure of FIES across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that would allow aggregation of food insecurity (FI) results for SSA was not tested. Aims: To, 1) assess the validity of FIES for use in SSA, determine the prevalence of FI by country, age group, and gender, and examine sociodemographic and economic characteristics of individuals with FI, 2) explore the association between FI and place of residence, and poverty in adults aged 50 years and older, and examine whether social capital (networks), social participation (volunteerism, donations, and helpfulness) and social support (emotional and instrumental) attenuate these associations, and whether such associations may differ by gender, 3) examine the associations between proximate factors (food security and physical health) and measures of Subjective well-being (SWB), and other distal risk factors independently associated with SWB, and 4) identify patterns of risk factors associated with SFI among older adults 60 years and above in SSA, and determine the bivariate and multivariate associations between the identified risk factors with severe FI (SFI). Methods: Rasch modeling, classification tree analysis, and logistic regression analyses were applied to SSA data on 57,792 respondents aged 19 years and above in the 2014 and 2015 GWP surveys. Results: FIES has acceptable internal validity for use in SSA. Older adults and women in SSA are at higher risk of FI, and compared to other older adults, urban-poor older men and women are at higher risk for SFI. A broad range of factors explain FI and SWB among older adults in SSA, including social capital, social support and social participation. Other less investigated factors, such as cost of housing and respect of women were also found to be major predictors of SFI among older adults. Conclusions: FI, as measured by FIES, continues to be highly prevalent and needs continued monitoring and multisectoral intervention strategies. Improvements in food security will lead to higher well-being in SSA.Item ASSOCIATIONS OF HEALTH MARKERS, PERCEPTIONS, AND LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS WITH DIET QUALITY INDICES AND TYPE 2 DIABETES STATUS IN U.S. ADULTS(2018) Al-Ibrahim, Afnan Abdul Hamid; Jackson, Robert T; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There is growing evidence that adherence to healthful dietary patterns reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010) are recognized as assessment tools for measuring dietary quality. This research had three main objectives: 1) Determine whether the AHEI-2010 provides a more accurate assessment of dietary quality than the HEI-2010 in relation to diabetes status; 2) Examine the relationship between diabetes status and discrepancies between perceived diet quality (PDQ) and measured diet quality (MDQ) (using total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores, respectively); 3) Examine the relationships between selected lifestyle behaviors independently, and in combination with other lifestyle behaviors, and dietary quality (using total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores) by diabetes status. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010 were used to analyze participants age 20 years and older (n = 4097). Overall, the total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores for the sample indicate that U.S. adults need dietary improvement (mean total HEI-2010 score = 47.3 ± 0.4; mean total AHEI-2010 score = 38.2 ± 0.4). Diabetics had higher total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores compared to prediabetics and non diabetics, but did not have better health markers. Results indicate no predictive value of total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores (OR = 1.00, p > 0.05) in relation to diabetes status. In addition, the associations between diabetes status and discrepancy scores (for both HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010) were not significant after adjusting for perceived health status (p > 0.05). However, there were significant associations between individual lifestyle behaviors and total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores by diabetes status (p < 0.05). In addition, the combined Lifestyle Behaviors score was a significant predictor of total HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores (p < 0.05) by diabetes status. In conclusion, these findings suggest that dietary quality, measured with HEI-2010 or AHEI-2010 is associated with health markers, perceptions, and lifestyle behaviors, all of which can influence the development of T2DM. Findings of this research have implications for developing more successful strategies to improve compliance with dietary guidelines and evidence-based recommendations for disease management and prevention.Item Anti-cancer mechanism of arctigenin (ARC) in human lung cancer cells(2018) Xu, Yanrui; Lee, Seong-Ho; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Arctigenin (ARC) is a lignan and is abundant in Asteraceae plant which possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. The current study was performed to investigate if ARC affects cancer progression and metastasis focusing on epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) using invasive human lung cancer cell line, A549. No toxicity was observed in the cells treated with different doses of ARC (12-100 µM). The treatment of ARC repressed TGF-β-stimulated changes of metastatic morphology and cell invasion and migration. ARC inhibited TGF-β-induced phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of SMAD2/3 and expression of snail in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. ARC also decreased expression of N-cadherin and increased expression of E-cadherin in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. These changes were accompanied with decreased amount of nuclear phospho-SMAD2 and SMAD3, and nuclear translocation of SMAD2 and SMAD3. Moreover, ARC repressed TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of ERK. Our data demonstrate anti-metastatic activity of ARC in lung cancer model. Key words: ARC, TGF-β, EMT, Lung cancerItem FORMATIVE RESEARCH TO ASSESS KEY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIET QUALITY OF HOME-PACKED LUNCHES IN YOUNG SCHOOL CHILDREN(2018) Nadaud, Perrine; Song, Hee-Jung; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the United States, about 46% of elementary students who are not eligible for school meal (SM) benefits do not participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and bring home-packed lunches (HPL). With considerable criticism directed at the NSLP, parents may believe that they can pack healthier lunches that respond better to their children’s tastes than the SM. Nonetheless, previous studies have found that HPL needed nutritional improvement. This study’s objective was to assess how key parent psychosocial factors related to young school-aged children’s diet quality. Using a cross-sectional study design, nine public schools were randomly selected in one school district in Maryland. In-depth interviews with principals and vice-principals were conducted and a web-based survey was sent to kindergarten and first-grade teachers. Parents of children, in those grades, who frequently consume HPL were invited to complete a web-based survey and to report their children’s food intake using the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Recall (ASA24-2016). Children’s diet quality was assessed using the HEI-201 and HEI-2015. 19 teachers and 100 parents completed the survey. 71 parents reported at least one day of their child’s food intake. Interviews with 15 school administrators revealed that HPL contain too much food and are nutritionally diverse depending on children’s country of origin. The survey showed that more than half of the teachers considered HPL more nutritious than SM. Moreover, children’s overall diet quality was better when parents scored higher their self-efficacy for enacting healthy diet behaviors in their children and when parents were more closely monitoring their child’s food intake. Children of parents with the same higher self-efficacy had better total vegetable scores and were consuming more vegetables in their HPL. They also had better empty calories scores, and more precisely better added sugars scores and were consuming less added sugars in their HPL. Future interventions aiming to improve HPL’s nutritional quality should take into account school lunch policies and the cafeteria environment and incorporate parents’ key psychosocial variables.