Tag: Multidisciplinary Science

The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Components and their Association with HbA1c in Tunisia

Presenter: Adriana Wisniewski – Human Physiology, Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

The prevalence of diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rapidly increasing worldwide. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of metabolic components (e.g., abdominal obesity and elevated blood pressure) that are risk factors for NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Anthropometric, biomarker, and sociodemographic data were collected from a nationally representative sample of individuals 15 years and older (n = 7444) as part of the Tunisian Health Examination Survey, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. Examining both diabetic and nondiabetic groups, we hypothesize that: 1) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and individual components of MetS, and 2) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and the cumulative number of MetS components. Results showed that both diabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and triglyceride levels and between HbA1c and systolic blood pressure(SBP). Nondiabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and LDL cholesterol levels and HbA1c and triglyceride levels. Nondiabetic men also had a negative association between HbA1c and HDL cholesterol levels. These findings highlight the different MetS components and metabolic risk factors that are associated with increasing HbA1c levels in Tunisian diabetic and nondiabetic populations.

Diet affects microbiome diversity in Drosophila melanogaster

Presenter: Dante James − Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Nadia Singh

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Hot sauce adds spice to our life, orange juice gives us a refreshing break in the morning, and probiotics help us digest food. These components of our diets affect not only our mood, but our general health. We aimed to explore how components of our diet may affect the microbiome. Specifically, we wanted to test the relationship between diet and the bacteria strains found in microbiomes. To test this, we utilized the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Our hypothesis was that different diets affect the microbiome of Drosophila melanogaster. We tested 4 separate treatments. These included a control, probiotics, hot sauce, and juice. We prepared fly food containing 20% (by volume) of each of these treatments. We exposed flies for one week and then homogenized them in water. We plated the homogenate on LB plates to culture bacteria for 3 days. We then counted the colonies that had formed and isolated them. We used PCR to amplify a segment of the 16S gene. Finally, we used the BLAST program to identify what bacteria we cultured. We found that the two most common genera across treatments were Staphylococcus and Acetobacter. We also found that the bacterial community changed in response to the different diets. This indicates that diet can affect the microbiome, which has implications and significance for human health.

Experiences and Health of Transgender & Gender Diverse People of Color During the BLM Protests

Presenter: Alexandra Jagielski − Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Zachary DuBois, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Transgender and gender diverse people of color (TGD POC) endure high levels of discrimination and violence related to anti-trans bias and racism. The Trans Resilience & Health in Sociopolitical Contexts Study (N = 158) is a longitudinal mixed-methods study that captured monthly data on experiences of certain sociopolitical events and measured aspects of mental and physical health from a diverse sample of TGD people living in Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, and Nebraska. This investigation centers on the experiences and health of TGD POC participants during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in June 2020. These events involved a series of protests characterized by increased mobilization against systemic racism. Participants reflected on the increased focus on police brutality and racism. TGD POC participants reported significantly higher levels of post-event changes related to anti-trans hate speech and impacts on overall safety. TGD POC also had significantly higher perceived stress scores and lower resilience scores compared to TGD white participants. These findings show how sociopolitical events have negatively impacted the social treatment and well-being of TGD POC in our sample. It enables further understanding of the experiences of TGD POC which could help inform the development of supportive programs in the community. This study also highlights the importance of examining compounded effects of inequality related to intersecting marginalized identities.

In vivo arterial stiffness, but not endothelial function, varies with the mouse estrus cycle

Presenter: Bradley Bedell − Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Mackenzie Kehmeier MS, Ashley Walker PhD

(In-Person) Poster Presentation 

Historically, females have been omitted from research due to their perceived variability. Hormones fluctuate throughout the estrus cycle in mice mimicking the human menstrual cycle. The endothelium plays a role in vascular function and arterial stiffness. Human endothelial function and arterial stiffness vary throughout the menstrual cycle, however this has yet to be investigated in the mouse model.

C56Bl/6J mouse estrus cycle stage was identified via vaginal cytology prior to testing. Arterial stiffness was assessed via aortic pulse wave velocity. Endothelial function and nitric oxide mediated dilation were assessed by dose responses in pressurized mesenteric (MA) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs). Gene expression in PCAs and MAs was assessed as well as aortic protein analysis.

Aortic pulse wave velocity was lowered for mice in estrus as compared to diestrus. PCA and MCA dose responses did not differ between stages of the estrus cycle. PCA Esr2 gene coding for estrogen receptor β (ERβ) expression was lowered for mice in estrus as compared to diestrus and proestrus.

The estrus phase in mice is associated with lower in vivo large artery stiffness. There were no differences between the estrus cycle phase in ex vivo resistance artery endothelial function. ER gene expression changes during the estrus cycle are limited to ERβ in the cerebral arteries. These results suggest that estrus phase should be considered when measuring in vivo arterial stiffness in young female mice.