This study investigated the effect of high-fat diet consumption on Alzheimer's disease-related pathology in the Tg6799 mouse model. We found that high-fat diet attenuates Alzheimer's disease-related pathology and cognitive dysfunction in Tg6799 mice and propose decreased beta-amyloid deposition due to improved autophagic-lysosomal flux as a potential, underlying mechanism.

The hypothesis was evaluated that lower dietary consumption of carotene or retinol or lower serum levels of beta carotene or retinol are associated with development of colonic adenomas. To evaluate this hypothesis, selected patients who were to undergo colonoscopy to determine polyps status were asked to undergo a battery of tests to assess nutritional status. These tests included a dietary and demographic questionnaire, serologic assessment of beta carotene and retinol, and a dark adaptation test. One hundred male subjects were evaluated. Fifty-seven were found to have colonic adenomatous polyps. Cases and controls appeared to be well matched for demographic characteristics. There were no statistically significant differences for any nutritional parameter between cases and controls, but cigarette smoking was more prevalent among cases than controls (p<0.05). Because nonsignificant negative associations with colonic adenomas were observed for some of the nutritional parameters, it is concluded that additional subjects should be studied, as planned. / M.S.

This study was conducted to investigate attitudes of dietitians regarding ethical dilemmas surrounding nutritional support for terminally ill patients. In addition, the methods and adequacy of ethics training received in dietetics education and in supervised experience programs, such as the Approved Preprofessional Practice Program (AP4), Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CPD), dietetic internship (DI), or any other experience approved by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), was researched. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 147 dietitians living in Virginia with one to three years of clinical experience. Of the 144 deliverable questionnaires, 104 (72.2%) were returned, and results were tabulated. Data analysis included descriptive analyses, Pearson's correlation coefficient tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) of selected variables. Results indicated that the majority of the dietitians surveyed were women younger than 40 years old who reasoned contextually in decisions regarding termination of nutritional support, had little or no formal ethics education, and held either bachelor's or master's degrees. Dietitians who felt more confident with making ethical decisions were significantly more contextually influenced in nutritional support decisions than those who were somewhat, or not at all, confident. Those who said they brought spiritual beliefs to bear to a great extent in ethical decision making used more absolute principles in their decision-making. There were no differences in attitudes or ethics training relative to which supervised experience was completed, or to the highest degree attained. Most dietitians have not had formal ethics training, and they are not confident in ethical decision-making. Therefore, dietetics education may need to focus on ethics training to enable future dietitians to effectively deal with ethical dilemmas they will face in their professional lives. / Master of Science

This diploma focuses on the selection of gluten-free foods from the perspective of a diagnosed celiac. In the theoretical part is described the history of celiac disease, anatomy and physiology of small intestine, pathogenesis, manifestation and forms of celiac disease, diagnosis, screening and complications from celiac disease. It also describes a treatment of celiac disease which shows inappropriate and appropriate aliments in gluten free diet. One chapter deals with labeling of gluten free foods in the Czech Republic and in Canada. There is also a comparison of the Czech Republic and Canada regarding health care, government and restaurants offering gluten free dishes. The aim of the research is to map the selection of gluten free foods in people with diagnosed celiac disease, the second target is to explore differences in food selection in the Czech Republic and Canada. The third objective is focused on factors influencing the choice of gluten free foods. The research was conducted through a questionnaire survey. The survey was filled in the Czech Republic by 78 celiacs and in Canada by 56 celiacs. In the Czech Republic the survey was online on page named Celiake and Mladí Celiaci on Facebook. The Canadian survey was online on page The Celiac scene on facebook and filled out by costumers in...

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients grow poorly and tend to be malnourished. They frequently suffer from lung infections necessitating the repeated use of antibiotics. AIM: This study was conducted to determine whether supplementation with a probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) could reduce the incidence and duration of lung infections, and whether this would impact on their anthropometric data. The secondary purpose was to compare the nutritional status of the CF patients attending CF clinics in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) with CF patients attending CF clinics in Cape Town (CT). METHODS: Twenty three CF patients 6-31 years of age from 2 CF clinics in Kwazulu-Natal started the study although only 16 patients completed it. The study was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial with six months on placebo and six months on probiotic. Weight, height, mid arm circumference (MAC), triceps skin fold thickness (TSF), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured, sputum collected and a symptom diary completed over the 12 month period. Anthropometric data of CF patients attending CF clinics in CT was obtained from the publication by Westwood & Saitowitz (1999). RESULTS: Compliance with taking the L. reuteri was poor. Most took only 50% of the required daily dose. Probiotic supplementation showed a slight (non significant) trend to improve FEV1 and FVC, while no significant difference could be seen in the number and duration of the lung infections. Sputum analysis showed a non significant trend towards the probiotic reducing the number of bacteria in the sputum. There was a significant reduction of symptoms for fever, running nose, sore throat and ear ache while on placebo. There was a significant increase in weight gained off probiotic compared to the probiotic period. The changes in height, weight for age (WFA) percentiles, height for age (HFA) percentiles, WFA and HFA Z-scores, percentage expected weight for age and percentage expected height for age all showed no difference whether on or off probiotic. Over half the CF children in the KZN clinics were underweight for their actual height compared to one third in the CT clinics with a higher number of subjects below the 5th percentile for MAC and TSF readings compared to CT. CONCLUSION: Due to a small sample size and poor compliance no firm conclusions could be drawn. However a slight (non significant) improvement could be seen in favour of the probiotic for FEV1, FVC, and sputum analysis. Although all other findings were not significantly different it would be of benefit to carry out further investigation with improved compliance with the probiotic to see if the parameters set out above could be improved. The KZN and CT CF groups were comparable and the nutritional status of CF patients on KZN was well below that of the CT CF clinics and further monitoring would need to be carried out.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Anthropology. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on July 30, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis deals with the gluten-free diet and its possible enrichment. It is divided into two parts. The first part includes chapters such as history of gluten-free diet, basics of a gluten free diet, the first step in the introduction of a gluten-free diet, gluten-free food labeling legislation and the use of alcohol on a gluten-free diet. The practical part is focused on enriching the diet celiac patients. I focused on the preparation of bakery products for celiac, I have designed and practically tested recipes gluten-free pizza, buckwheat corpus, gluten-free sourdough seedcake and gluten-free cake with homemade pudding and caramel. The finished gluten-free products were submitted after baking consumers who rated their sensory quality. If necessary, an adjustment was made to the recipe and re-perform sensory evaluation. The prepared products were evaluated positively. Selected coeliacs decided suggested products to include in their diet.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / A recent review of randomized controlled trials found that trivalent chromium (Cr3+) supplementation significantly improved glycemia among patients with diabetes, consistent with a long-standing appreciation that this micronutrient optimizes carbohydrate metabolism. Nevertheless, a clear limitation in the current evidence is a lack of understanding of Cr3+ action. We tested if increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity, previously observed in Cr3+-treated cells or tissues from Cr3+-supplemented animals, mediates improved glucose transport regulation under insulin-resistant hyperinsulinemic conditions. In L6 myotubes stably expressing the glucose transporter GLUT4 carrying an exofacial myc-epitope tag, acute insulin stimulation increased GLUT4myc translocation by 69% and glucose uptake by 97%. In contrast, the hyperinsulinemic state impaired insulin stimulation of these processes. Consistent with Cr3+’s beneficial effect on glycemic status, chromium picolinate (CrPic) restored insulin’s ability to fully regulate GLUT4myc translocation and glucose transport. Insulin-resistant myotubes did not display impaired insulin signaling, nor did CrPic amplify insulin signaling. However, CrPic normalized elevated membrane cholesterol that impaired cortical filamentous actin (F-actin) structure. Mechanistically, data support that CrPic lowered membrane cholesterol via AMPK. Consistent with this data, siRNA-mediated AMPK silencing blocked CrPic’s beneficial effects on GLUT4 and glucose transport regulation. Furthermore, the AMPK agonist 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-D-ribonucleoside (AICAR) protected against hyperinsulinemia-induced membrane/cytoskeletal defects and GLUT4 dysregulation. To next test Cr3+ action in vivo, we utilized obesity-prone C57Bl/6J mice fed a low fat (LF) or high fat (HF) diet for eight weeks without or with CrPic supplementation administered in the drinking water (8 µg/kg/day). HF feeding increased body weight beginning four weeks after diet intervention regardless of CrPic supplementation and was independent of changes in food consumption. Early CrPic supplementation during a five week acclimation period protected against glucose intolerance induced by the subsequent eight weeks of HF feeding. As observed in other insulin-resistant animal models, skeletal muscle from HF-fed mice displayed membrane cholesterol accrual and loss of F-actin. Skeletal muscle from CrPic-supplemented HF-fed mice showed increased AMPK activity and protection against membrane cholesterol accrual and F-actin loss. Together these data suggest a mechanism by which Cr3+ may positively impact glycemic status, thereby stressing a plausible beneficial action of Cr3+ in glucose homeostasis.

Text in English with abstracts in English and isiZulu / Poor adherence to their prescribed diet, medications and treatment contributes to increased mortality and morbidity in patients with end-stage renal disease. These patients must change their diet when receiving dialysis treatment, but cultural beliefs and practices can affect their adherence to the prescribed diet. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study was to improve health education on prescribed diet adherence to patients living on haemodialysis at a haemodialysis unit in eThekwini Municipality. Data from a sample of 20 patients was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that haemodialysis patients’ prescribed diet adherence was influenced by cultural and religious views, and by family support. Food availability, patients’ geographical location and patients’ financial means hindered their adherence to their prescribed diet. A multi-disciplinary health care team including nurses, should be sensitive to patients’ different cultural beliefs and practices when providing health education. / Ukungabambeleli endleleni emisiwe yokudla, amakhambi nasekwelashweni kunomthelela ekwandiseni izimpawu zesifo sezinso esingapheli (ESRD) futhi kwandisa isibalo sabantu ababulawa yilesisifo. Iziguli ezinalesisifo zidinga ukushitsha indlela yokuphila, iziphuzo kanye nokulandela indlela emisiwe yokudla kakhulukazi mabe ngaphansi kokwelashwa ngokuhlanzwa kwegazi ngomshini (dialysis). Izinkolelo zamasiko nendlela zokuphila ezihambisana namasiko kwenze imfundiso nge ezempilo maqondana nendlela emisiwe yokudla yaba lukhuni. Inhloso yalolucwaningo bekuwukwandisa ulwazi nemfundiso ngezempilo mayelana nokulandela indlela emisiwe yokudla kwiziguli izithola ukulashwa ngokuhlanzwa kwegazi ngomshini (haemodialysis) esikhungweni esikuMasipala weTheku. Kusetshenziwe indlela yokwenza ucwaningo esezingeni elifanele, Imininingwano eqoqiwe eqembini (sample) leziguli ezingamashumi amabili (20) ezithola ukwelashwange haemodialyisis. Imininigwane iqoqwe kusetshenziswa izingxoxo ezihleliwe. Imigomo elawula ukuhlaziya ilandeliwe yonke ngenkathi kwenziwe lolucwaningo. Lolucwaningo luveze ukuthi indlela yokudla emisiwe yeziguli ezikwi dialysis iphazanyiswa imobono yamasiko, inkolo kanye nokusekelwa nokuzimbandakanya kwamalungu omndeni. Izinselelo ezinjengokutholakala, indawo isiguli esihlala kuyo nezinkinga zemali zivimbela ukubambelela endleleni emisiwe yokudla. Abasebenzi bezempilo kumele banakekele indima edlalwa izinkolelo namasiko uma befundisa ngezempilo ezigulini eziphethwe izinso. / Nursing Science / M.A. (Nursing Science)