Unaccustomed eccentric exercise can lead to decreases in muscle force production, increases in soreness, swelling, stiffness, and discomfort. The purpose of this study was to test the dose response of pomegranate juice concentrate on serum markers of muscle permeability, inflammation, and total anti-oxidant status. To test this hypothesis, 45 healthy recreationally active males (22.3 ± 0.5 y, 73.8 ± 1.71 kg, 174.9 ± 0.9 cm) were recruited from the local Austin community for participation in this study. Subjects were disqualified from participation in the study if in the past 6 months they were engaged in an exercise training program. Subjects were placed into either the placebo group, the once-daily, or twice-daily pomegranate juice concentrate supplementation group. Subjects performed a total of 8 days of supplementation. On day 4, all subjects came to the laboratory and underwent an eccentric exercise protocol consisting of 2 minutes of downhill running at -10% grade at 7.5 mph repeated 10 times, resulting in ~20 minutes of total downhill running. Thereafter, subjects performed 50 eccentric elbow extensions each lasting 5 seconds using a weight equal to their concentric one-repetition maximum. Blood measures were made pre-exercise (baseline), and 2, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours post exercise and analyzed for interleukin-6, creatine kinase, myoglobin, and total anti-oxidant status. Creatine kinase was significantly elevated at 96 hours post exercise, but with no significant differences between treatments. Myoglobin was significantly elevated above baseline at 2 and 96 hours, but with no differences between treatments. There was no effect for time or treatment on the total anti-oxidant status of the serum. Il-6 was significantly higher at 2 and 24 hours after exercise, but with no difference between treatments. The percent increase in interleukin-6 from baseline was significantly lower in the twice-daily POM supplementation group versus placebo (124.3 ± 9.4, 188.6 ± 16.0% of baseline; respectively) during the 2-96 hours following eccentric exercise, but no statistical difference between 1x and 2x or 1x and placebo was observed. This suggests that 8 days of supplementation with pomegranate juice concentrate twice a day significantly reduces the percent increase in a marker of inflammation (interleukin-6) during the 96 hours following eccentric exercise; however, neither supplement was different than the placebo in regards to all other measures. / text

Evidence shows that consumption of a Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality suggesting that this diet has an overall effect on health. Antioxidants found within olive oil, the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, may be leading contributors to the decreased disease risk. More specifically, hydroxytyrosol (HT), one of the most active and powerful antioxidants found in olive oil, has the ability to increase total antioxidant status and lower levels of lipid peroxidation. In addition to a healthy diet, physical activity decreases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; however, aerobic exercise of sufficient intensity or duration can induce oxidative stress. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of HT supplementation on antioxidant status and markers of inflammation in healthy, recreationally active males before and throughout acute aerobic exercise bouts. Using a randomized, double-blind, repeated-measures, placebo-controlled design, sixty-one (n=61) participants were randomly assigned to consume a placebo (PLA), low dose of HT (LHT, 50 mg/day), or high dose of HT (HHT, 150 mg/day). Throughout the course of the study, the participants performed four time trial rides (TT1-TT4) on cycle ergometers. TT1 occurred before supplementation, TT2 halfway through the supplementation period, and TT3 and TT4 occurred in the sixth week and final two days of supplementation. Blood was drawn prior to (pre) and just before termination (end) of each time trial to measure markers of antioxidant status and inflammation during exercise. We did not observe significant main effects for treatment on any of the markers for antioxidant status (TEAC) or for markers of inflammation (oxLDL, CRP, 8IP, TNFα, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, or IL-1ra). Significant treatment-by-time interactions occurred for CRP, 8IP, and IL-6 although significant treatment differences in these measures were not detected. We conclude that chronic and acute HT supplementation does not improve antioxidant status nor decrease markers of inflammation in this population at rest, during, or following exercise. / text

Obesity is a known risk factor for many types of cancer including pancreatic. Calorie restriction (CR), an anti-obesity diet regimen, has potent anticancer effects that may be mediated through its ability to reduce serum metabolic hormones and protumorigenic cytokines such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. IGF-1 is a metabolic hormone responsive to nutrient status that activates the inflammatory, cancer-related pathway, nuclear factor (NF)-[kappa]B. For this report, we tested the hypothesis that CR, via regulation of IGF-1, inhibits pancreatic tumor cell growth through modulation of NF-kB activation and protumorigenic gene expression. Male athymic nude mice were randomized to either a control diet consumed ad libitum (n=15) or a 30% CR diet (n=15) for 17 weeks, at which time, mice were injected with human pancreatic cancer cells (MiaPaca) and tumor growth was monitored for 6 weeks. Translocation of p65, a regulatory element of NF-[kappa]B, and expression of its downstream gene targets were analyzed in excised tumors. CR mice weighed less, (p<0.05), and had smaller tumors (p=0.022) relative to controls. Tumors from CR mice, relative to controls, demonstrated significant decreases in NF-[kappa]B downstream genes CCND1, RELA, Survivin, VEGF, and XIAP. These findings parallel our previous studies in pancreatic tumors from mouse origin, and suggest that the inhibitory effects of CR on MiaPaca pancreatic tumor growth are associated with decreased NF-kB activation. / text

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

Background: Knowledge regarding the associations of (i) hemoglobin level (Hb) prior to cancer diagnosis and cancer mortality (ii) the full range of Hb and cancer incidence and (iii) baseline inflammatory/other biomarkers and Hb in older populations is limited. The present study examined the associations of anemia status/Hb with cancer incidence and mortality, as well as the association with inflammatory biomarker levels in post-menopausal women. Methods: Anemia was defined as Hb <1 2 g/dl, while high Hb was defined as Hb >= 15 g/dl, or >= 16 g/dl. Associations were determined in three Women's Health Initiative Study sub-populations. The association between anemia/Hb with cancer mortality was determined in women without (N=21,021) or with (N=2,976) cancer history who had cancers on follow-up. The cross-sectional association of biomarkers and anemia/Hb was determined on 1,001 women with these available data. Finally, the association between anemia/Hb with cancer incidence was determined in women enrolled in the Observational Study/Clinical Trial who did not have a history of cancer/extreme energy intakes/missing follow-up time (N=140,269). Results: Anemia was associated with a 21% higher hazard of total cancer death in participants with, and a 55% greater hazard in participants without cancer history. Anemic women with a history of cancer had twice the hazard of colorectal cancer death. C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha, TNF-beta and TNFR2 were significantly associated with anemia. IL-1 alpha and IL-10 were significantly associated with continuous Hb. Anemia was not associated with cancer incidence in the total population, but anemic African-American women had a reduced risk of any cancer incidence which was not observed in white women (p-interaction=0.03). Women with high Hb had an increased hazard of any (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.60) or breast cancer (HR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.84) incidence. Conclusions: Anemia determined prior to cancer diagnosis was associated with total and colorectal cancer death. High Hb was associated with increased risk of total cancer and breast cancer incidence. Anemia was associated with elevated levels of C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha, TNF-beta and TNFR2, while continuous Hb was associated with IL-1 alpha and IL-10. Further research is required to confirm associations and clarify causal mechanisms.

A number of studies have indicated that individuals with arthritis have a decreased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Inflammatory processes are implicated in the neurodegeneration associated with AD and the reduced risk associated with arthritis may be due to the anti-inflammatory (AI) drugs used by these individuals. The present project used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the integrity of gray and white brain matter in AI users compared to controls not taking AIs. Thirty six female AI users were compared to thirty three controls. All participants underwent extensive neuropsychological testing. MRI scans included diffusion-weighted imaging, sensitive to the microstructural integrity of brain matter, high resolution anatomical imaging for the determination of brain volume, and T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging, sensitive to white matter damage that is seen as hyperintense regions on this type of image. AI users showed increased brain integrity in the frontal lobes and in the corpus callosum, compared to controls indicated by diffusion imaging. Volumetric analysis indicated that AI users and controls have different relationships between brain volume and age. AI users showed greater brain volume than controls at higher ages, particularly in frontal and parietal brain regions, and in the cingulate. White matter hyperintensity volume did not differ between AI users and controls. Finally, the data indicated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, but not methotrexate use, had a beneficial effect on cognitive function, particularly in the domain of memory function.

No description available.