bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis on systemic immune function in humans (382.7)
Authors: Meng Huicui , Roberts Robert , Kris‐Etherton Penny , Lee Yujin , Ba Zhaoyong , Fleming Jennifer , Furumoto Emily , Rogers Connie 
Published: June 2021

Evidence suggests that probiotic bacteria modulate both innate and adaptive immunity; however the immune response varies by type of organism. Probiotics in the genera Bifidobacterium may stimulate T cell and cytokine responses that augment cell mediated immunity. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effect of one species, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB‐12 at a dose of log 10 ± 0.5 CFUs/day on immune responses in a controlled, 4‐period crossover, free‐living study. Furthermore, the matrix used to deliver probiotic bacteria may influence the performance and efficacy of probiotic interventions in vivo. Therefore, a sub‐aim of this project will determine if the immune response to BB‐12 differs depending on the delivery matrix of the probiotic bacteria. Healthy adults (n=27) aged 18‐40 years old with BMI 20‐35 kg/m2 were recruited, and received 4 treatments in a random order: 1) yogurt smoothie alone; smoothie with organism added 2) before or 3) after fermentation, or 4) organism given in tablet form. At baseline and after each treatment, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from peripheral blood, and functional and phenotypic marker expression was assessed. The distribution of immune cell subsets (e.g. T and B lymphocytes, nature killer cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and granulocytes) in peripheral blood was not altered by any treatment However, we observed a treatment effect on TNF‐α and IL‐6 secretion from BB‐12 (p=0.027) and LPS stimulated PBMCs and on T cell proliferation (p=0.036). This interim analysis suggests that probiotic treatment may be altering the immune response in humans, and the delivery matrix of BB‐12 also influences its performance in vivo.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Dairy Research Instituite
Epigenetic changes in obesity (383.6)
Authors: Lupu Daniel , Fan Cheng , Parker Joel , Niculescu Mihai 
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study was to find epigenetic differences between obese sensitive and obese resistant phenotypes in an obesity sensitive mouse model. 88 C57BL/6J females were fed either a high‐fat diet (HF, 60% kilocalories from fat) or a control diet (CT, 10% kilocalories from fat) for 10 weeks. 15 CT mice, 15 mice from the low (obesity resistant ‐ HFR), and 15 high (obesity sensitive ‐ HFS) weight extremes, respectively, were selected based on the heterogeneous weight gain of the group exposed to HF. Promoter DNA methylation (liver) was assessed between the 3 groups using methylated CpG islands amplification combined with microarrays (MCAM). Following statistical analysis for microarrays and gene ontology (GO) ranking we found that the HFR group is epigenetically similar to the CT, with 8 hyper‐methylated and 73 hypo‐methylated genes. The HFS group had 7,721 differentially methylated genes compared to the CT, with the majority being hyper‐methylated. Also, we found higher methylation in the imprinted control region of the H19/Igf2 imprinted region, as determined by pyrosequencing, in the HFS group versus CT. In conclusion, the epigenomes of the obesity‐resistant and control mice are similar, while the epigenome of the obesity‐prone mice presents specific alterations. GO analysis revealed that such epigenetic alterations are grouped within functional classes related to key pathways involved in liver metabolism.Grant Funding Source: Nutrition Research Institute Research Funds
America's nutrition report card: comparing WWEIA, NHANES 2007‐2010 usual nutrient intakes to dietary reference intakes (384.2)
Authors: Parker Elizabeth , Goldman Joseph , Moshfegh Alanna 
Published: June 2021

Assessing the nutritional status of Americans is critical to health officials and Federal policymakers involved in establishing dietary guidance and programs. How diets compare to dietary standards provide the foundation to assure the nutritional well‐being of the U.S. population. Dietary data from 17,892 individuals 1+ years of age (excluding breastfed infants and pregnant or lactating females) collected in What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007‐2010 were analyzed to determine estimates of usual nutrient intake distributions and compared to the requirements established by the National Academy of Sciences. Most Americans had inadequate intakes of vitamins D (94% + 0.4) and E (88% + 0.7) based on their Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). Nutrients in which at least one‐third of individuals were below their EAR include vitamins C and A, calcium, and magnesium (37, 40, 42, and 49% respectively). Other nutrients that may be a problem for population subgroups include vitamin B6 for adult females, phosphorus for preteen and teenage females, and zinc for older adults and teenage girls. Vitamin K, potassium, choline, and dietary fiber, nutrients for which no EAR has been established may also be of concern.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Food Surveys Research Group
Capturing sodium reduction efforts in What We Eat in America, NHANES (384.6)
Authors: Moshfegh Alanna , Parker Elizabeth , Martin Carrie , Adler Meghan , Hoy Mary , Rhodes Donna , Anand Jaswinder , Montville Janice , Sebastian Rhonda 
Published: June 2021

The Institute of Medicine report, Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States, recommended that Federal agencies should ensure and enhance monitoring and surveillance relative to sodium (Na) intake measurement and Na content of foods. This presentation highlights initiatives undertaken to assure that the Na reduction efforts are reflected in dietary intake data collected in What We Eat in America, NHANES. A comprehensive review of the USDA Automated Multiple‐Pass Method (AMPM) began in 2008. Questions to elicit specific details for 2/3 of the foods/beverages reported by respondents have been updated as necessary with attention to Na. The survey database of foods/beverages has expanded by 20 % (>1300 items) since 2009‐10 with increased specificity about foods that impact Na content. Identification of ~125 “sentinel foods”, select foods being monitored as primary indicators for assessing potential change in Na content, was completed in collaboration with other government agencies. Results from the AMPM Validation Study demonstrated the competence of AMPM to capture accurate estimates of dietary Na intake. Each of these initiatives enhances Na intake measurement in national surveillance.Grant Funding Source: Supported by the Food Surveys Research Group
The effects of multivitamin and zinc supplementation on infectious morbidity in Tanzanian infants (389.5)
Authors: McDonald Christine , Manji Karim , Kisenge Rodrick , Aboud Said , Spiegelman Donna , Fawzi Wafaie , Duggan Christopher 
Published: June 2021

Objective: To determine whether daily supplementation of Tanzanian infants with multivitamins (MV), zinc (Zn), or both (MV+Zn) lowers the risk of infectious morbidity compared with placebo.Methods: 2400 infants born to HIV‐negative mothers were randomly assigned to receive daily oral supplementation of MV (B complex, C and E), Zn, MV+Zn, or placebo from age 6 weeks for 18 months. Morbidity was assessed by study nurses at monthly visits and by physicians every 3 months and/or when the child was acutely ill.Results: Rates of diarrhea (RR=0.88; 95% CI=0.81, 0.96; p=0.004) and acute upper respiratory infection (RR=0.88; 95% CI=0.82, 0.95; p=0.0008), as diagnosed by study physicians, were 12% lower among infants who received Zn vs those who did not. The incidence of diarrhea, as reported at monthly visits, was 18% lower in the Zn only vs placebo group (RR=0.82; 95% CI=0.69, 0.98; p=0.03). There was a non‐significant increase in mortality among infants who received Zn (HR=1.80; 95% CI=0.98, 3.31; p=0.06). MV did not alter the occurrence of any recorded morbidities. Neither Zn nor MV reduced hospitalizations or unscheduled outpatient visits.Conclusion: Daily zinc supplementation from age 6 weeks may lower the burden of diarrhea and upper respiratory infections. Provision of multivitamins may not confer additional benefit.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NICHD R01 HD048969‐01
Tuberculosis treatment modifies iron status without iron intervention (389.8)
Authors: Minchella Peter , Donkor Simon , Sutherland Jayne , McDermid Joann 
Published: June 2021

Iron biomarker patterns identify tuberculosis (TB) risk, but evidence of the evolution of iron biomarkers from treatment initiation to disease resolution is limited. Plasma/serum ferritin, hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) were measured in 45 Gambians diagnosed with TB (active disease) at treatment initiation, 2 and 6 months and compared to 42 tuberculin skin test (TST)+ (infection only, no disease) and 44 TST‐ (uninfected) controls. At treatment initiation, median ferritin (164.5 ng/ml), hepcidin (84.0 ng/ml), and sTfR (29.4 nM) identified active disease compared to infected (ferritin 29.3 ng/ml, P<0.001; hepcidin 19.8 ng/ml, P<0.001; sTfR 23.0 nM, P=0.005) and uninfected (ferritin 23.3 ng/ml, P<0.001; hepcidin 24.2 ng/ml P<0.001; sTfR 18.6 nM, P<0.001) levels, which were similar. Ferritin, hepcidin and sTfR decreased significantly during the first two months of treatment and remained at these levels until treatment completion. Understanding fluctuations in iron distribution driven by infection and immune activation will inform the clinical management of TB, particularly in global regions with high burdens of iron malnutrition. Additionally, nutritional iron interventions to alleviate co‐existing iron insufficiency and iron deficiency anemia may be most effective if targeted after immune or infection‐driven iron redistribution stabilizes after 2 months of TB treatment.Grant Funding Source: ILSI North America, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Testosterone influences the accumulation of carotenoids in the retina of a wild bird (39.4)
Authors: Toomey Matthew , Daniel Chelsie , Davies Scott , McGraw Kevin 
Published: June 2021

Carotenoids accumulate at high concentrations in the avian retina, where they filter incoming light, tune spectral sensitivity, and provide protection from damaging UV light. Among wild house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus), we have observed significant seasonal variation in retinal carotenoid levels, with a peak during the non‐reproductive winter period and lowest levels during the spring/summer breeding season. We hypothesized that these seasonal patterns of accumulation could be driven by the direct influence of photoperiod and/or indirectly through the influence of seasonally sensitive sex steroid hormones (testosterone) on retinal carotenoid physiology. To test these hypotheses, we brought wild caught male and female adult house finches into captivity, gonadectomized a subset of the male birds, and maintained groups on long (16:8 light:dark) or short (8:16) photoperiods for two months. At the conclusion of the study, gonadectomized males had significantly higher carotenoid levels in their retinas and much lower circulating testosterone levels than males that were sham‐treated, but did not differ significantly from intact females. Photoperiod alone had no significant effect on retinal carotenoid levels; however there was a significant interactive effect of gonad status, photoperiod, and time on plasma carotenoid levels. Sham‐treated males on the long photoperiod showed a significant decline in plasma carotenoid levels in the first month of the experiment, but recovered in the second month. These results suggest that testosterone maybe influencing the uptake, transport, and/or accumulation of carotenoids in the avian retina and driving seasonal patterns of accumulation. These shifts in retinal carotenoid accumulation represent a previously unrecognized cost of testosterone‐mediate traits (e.g. song, territoriality).Grant Funding Source: Supported by NSF‐IOS‐0910357, 0923694 and DBI‐1202776
Vitamin A supplementation and ontogeny affect maturation‐related gene expression in neonatal rat lung (39.7)
Authors: Owusu Sarah , Ross A 
Published: June 2021

Background: Vitamin A (VA) is necessary for proper lung development in early life. Previously, the combination of VA and 10% all‐trans‐retinoic acid (VARA) synergistically increased total retinol uptake and storage in neonatal rat lung. In this study, we investigated whether periodic VARA supplementation during postnatal development and in adulthood alters the expression of genes essential for proper lung alveolarization (proliferation) and septation. Methods: Rat dams and their post‐weaning offspring were fed a VA‐marginal diet, while pups received an oral dose of oil (placebo) or VARA on post‐natal day (P) P0/1, P4, P7, P10, and 2 months (adult). Tissues were collected 6 h after the final dose and qPCR was used to determine gene expression. Results: Ontogenic expression of PDGFRα (secondary septation) increased linearly with significant attenuation by VARA. VARA decreased EGFR (epithelial maturation) and surfactant protein expression at P14 and adult while increasing VEGF (vascularization) expression in adult lung. Ontogenic expression of αSMA was highest during alveolarization (P4‐P14); however, VARA reduced expression pre‐ and postalveolarization (P0/1 and adult). Elastin expression was not effected by VARA. Impact: Our results advance understanding of the ontogenic pattern of proliferative genes during neonatal lung development and show that expression is also regulated by VA supplementation.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Alfred P. Sloan Scholarship and NIH HD006892
Providing flexible food portions in a restaurant setting: impact on business operations, food consumption and food waste (390.3)
Authors: Berkowitz Sarah , Marquart Leonard , Reicks Marla , Mykerezi Elton , Degeneffe Dennis 
Published: June 2021

Large portion sizes in restaurants have been identified as a public health risk. A field experiment was conducted to examine the impact of offering flexible portion sizes in a sit‐down restaurant setting in St. Paul MN on business operations, food consumption and waste. Patrons were surveyed online at the beginning and end of the study to determine their likelihood of purchasing reduced portion size menu items. Purchasing, consumption and food waste data were collected throughout the study. Reduced sized portions were added to the menus halfway through the study in the spring of 2013. The management team was interviewed at the completion of the study. Patron survey data and observational data on actual customer choices showed that a large proportion of customers (>25%) were willing to purchase the reduced portion items. Analyses of choice and plate waste data show that food consumed per seating decreased 29% and share of food wasted decreased >30% with the addition of reduced portion items. The management team reported the added items provided higher profit margins and improved customer satisfaction and has implemented the menu changes indefinitely. Promoting voluntary introductions of flexible portions may be a viable policy alternative to more restrictive regulation options.Grant Funding Source: Supported by the Food Policy Research Center, University of Minnesota, supported through USDA NIFA
Mid‐arm circumference is a reliable predictor of adiposity in preterm and term infants (391.6)
Authors: Daly‐Wolfe Kelly , Jordan Kristine , Slater Hillarie , Beachy Joanna , Moyer‐Mileur Laurie 
Published: June 2021

Premature birth is associated with poor growth quality due to increased fat deposition. Standard anthropometry (body weight, length, and head circumference) may not adequately assess fat deposition. Validated, low‐risk methods to assess body fat deposition are needed to assist clinicians with optimizing growth quality in preterm infants.The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of infant body fat (%BF). Air displacement plethysmography (ADP), standard anthropometry, and body circumferences were measured at hospital discharge in preterm (n=28; 32‐36 weeks post‐menstrual age, PMA) and term (n=28; 38‐41 weeks PMA) infants.Body weight, length, and head circumference were significantly lower for preterm infants (p<0.05) at hospital discharge compared to term infants. Despite the smaller body size and younger PMA, preterm infant %BF by ADP was 12.33% (SD±4.15%) versus 9.64% (SD±4.01%) in term infants (p=0.01). Mid‐arm circumference (MAC) and suprailiac skinfold were significant predictors of %BF in both preterm and term infants (adj‐R2=0.49 vs. adj‐R2=0.41, p<0.001). In preterm infants alone, MAC predicted 60.4% of the variability of %BF by ADP (p<0.01).Our results confirm a greater rate of body fat deposition in preterm infants as they approach term‐corrected age. Importantly, MAC appears to be a reliable, low‐cost measure for monitoring infant body fat deposition in preterm and term infants.Grant Funding Source: Supported by the Division of Neonatology and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah
Metabolic profiling uncovers differential metabolic signatures and biomarkers in influenza‐infected obese mice (392.3)
Authors: Milner J , Wang Jue , Paich Heather , Sheridan Patricia , Ebbels Tim , Saric Jasmina , Beck Melinda 
Published: June 2021

Obese individuals are at greater risk for hospitalization and death from influenza virus infection. Paralleling human evidence, obese mice also exhibit greater mortality to influenza compared with lean mice. Although obesity is known to impair immunity, the mechanisms driving greater influenza severity in the obese remain unclear. Therefore, we have taken a novel approach for elucidating the underlying mechanisms contributing to altered infection responses. We conducted metabolic profiling to identify differential metabolic signatures in infected lean and obese mice, and integrated metabolite data with immune parameters to identify significant immune‐metabolic interactions. Urine, feces, serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lungs, mesenteric white adipose tissue, and livers were harvested from uninfected or influenza infected mice for subsequent 1H NMR‐based metabolic profiling. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed distinct metabolic signatures between lean and obese mice, both locally at the site of infection and systemically. Obesity caused perturbations in lipid, choline, nucleotide and carbohydrate metabolic pathways during infection. Further, activated T cells negatively correlated with 3‐hydroxybutyrate and creatine in the lungs of obese mice, possibly suggesting regulatory functions for these metabolites. Of interest, urine samples obtained from obese mice as early as two days post‐infection had a distinct metabolic signature compared with urine samples from lean infected mice. Given the rapidity of influenza transmission and the sudden onset of symptoms during infection, identification of an early infection metabolic signature and unique biomarkers in a non‐invasive biofluid, such as urine, has widespread prognostic and diagnostic implications. Further, identification of altered metabolic pathways in obese mice will facilitate better understanding of the determinants of greater influenza mortality observed in obese mice and humans.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NORC DK56350
Vitamin E boosts resistance to Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in aged mice by inhibiting hepoxilin A3‐mediated neutrophil recruitment across the lung epithelium (392.4)
Authors: Bou Ghanem Elsa , Wu Dayong , Camilli Andrew , Leong John , Meydani Simin 
Published: June 2021

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) infections in the elderly are a significant health and economic burden. We showed that vitamin E (VE) supplementation reverses the age‐associated decline in resistance to Sp in mice. To identify mechanisms of VE‐mediated protection, young and old (2 and 22 mo, respectively) mice were fed a control (30 PPM VE) or supplemented (500 PPM VE) diet for 1 mo and then intratracheally challenged with Sp. Aged mice fed the control diet suffered excessive pulmonary inflammation relative to young mice, with almost two‐fold higher levels of neutrophil infiltration (PMNs; p= 0.0157), a feature associated with pulmonary damage and poor disease outcome. VE supplementation reduced pulmonary inflammation in old mice to levels found in young mice. VE also inhibited Sp‐induced PMN egress across polarized lung epithelial monolayers. PMN trans‐epithelial migration in response to Sp infection requires 12‐lipoxygenase‐ (12‐LO‐) dependent production of the eicosanoid hepoxilin A3 (HXA3) but VE had no effect on 12‐LO levels or activity. Rather, VE decreased the responsiveness of PMNs to HXA3. These results indicate that VE dramatically reduces age‐associated susceptibility to Sp in a murine infection model and identify HXA3 responsiveness as a key target for VE‐mediated reduction of PMN migration in aged mice.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Tufts Collaborates, ASPEN ‘13 Abbott Nutrition Grant and USDA Contract #58‐1950‐0‐014
Ferritin, when corrected for inflammation, is associated with increased malaria incidence in rural Zambian children (392.6)
Authors: Barffour Maxwell , Schulze Kerry , Palmer Amanda , Klemm Rolf , Coles Christian , Arguello Margia , Chileshe Justin , Kalungwana Ngandwe , Moss William , West Keith 
Published: June 2021

Poor iron status, assessed by low serum ferritin (SF), may protect against malaria. We evaluated the association of SF, and SF corrected for inflammation and malaria status (SFcorr), with microscopy‐confirmed incident malaria in a cohort of 954 4‐8 y old Zambian children participating in a 6 mo trial to improve vitamin A status (August 2012 to March 2013). Analyses were stratified by age (<5 y and >5 y) to account for the age‐specific risk of malaria. Baseline SFcorr was determined by proportionately reducing SF based on categories of inflammation defined by AGP > 1g/L, CRP > 5 mg/L, and by concurrent malaria status assessed by microscopy, relative to SF observed in unaffected children. SF and SFcorr levels were classified as deficient, medium, and high using cutoffs of <12 or 15 ug/L (depending on age), up to 60 ug/L (but not deficient), and >60 ug/L, respectively. Malaria‐infected children were treated at baseline. Among children <5 y, having medium or high SFcorr resulted in relative risks for incident malaria after 6 mo of 1.61 (95%CI: 1.05‐2.50) and 1.67 (95%CI: 1.06‐2.61), respectively. This pattern was not observed with uncorrected SF. Our findings demonstrate the necessity of adjusting for inflammation and concurrent malaria infection when assessing the relationship between iron status and malaria, and are consistent with evidence that iron status modifies malaria risk, particularly in young children.Grant Funding Source: Supported by HarvestPlus and Canadian International Development Agency