http://hdl.handle.net/1957/11402 2013-05-22T01:45:57Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/37314 Elovl5 Regulates the mTORC2-Akt-FOXO1 Pathway by Controlling Hepatic cis-Vaccenic Acid Synthesis in Diet-Induced Obese Mice Tripathy, Sasmita; Jump, Donald B. Elevated hepatic expression of fatty acid elongase-5 (Elovl5) induces FoxO1 phosphorylation, lowers FoxO1 nuclear content and suppresses expression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis. In this report we define the molecular and metabolic basis of Elovl5 control of FoxO1 phosphorylation. Adenoviral-mediated (Ad-Elovl5) induction of hepatic Elovl5 in diet induced obese-glucose intolerant mice and HepG2 cells increased the phosphorylation of Akt2-S⁴⁷³ (mTORC2 site), but not Akt2-T³⁰⁸ (PDK1 site). The Akt2 inhibitor, Akti1/2, blocked Elovl5 induction of FoxO1-S²⁵⁶ phosphorylation in HepG2 cells. Elevated Elovl5 activity in liver and HepG2 cells induced rictor mRNA, rictor protein and rictor-mTOR interaction, while rictor knockdown (siRNA) attenuated Elovl5 induction of Akt2-S⁴⁷³ and FoxO1-S²⁵⁶ phosphorylation in HepG2 cells. Fatty acid analysis revealed that the abundance of cis-vaccenic acid (18:1,n-7) was increased in livers of obese mice and HepG2 cells following Ad-Elovl5 infection. Treating HepG2 cells with Elovl5 substrates established that palmitoleic acid (16:1,n-7), but not γ-linolenic acid (18:3,n-6), induced rictor protein, Akt-S⁴⁷³ and FoxO1- S²⁵⁶ phosphorylation. Inhibition of fatty acid elongation blocked 16:1,n-7, but not 18:1,n- 7, induction of rictor protein and Akt-S⁴⁷³ and FoxO1-S²⁵⁶ phosphorylation. These results establish a novel link between Elovl5 mediated synthesis of 18:1,n-7 and gluconeogenesis through the control of the mTORC2-Akt-FoxO1 pathway. This is the author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and can be found at: http://www.jlr.org/. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/37289 The relationship between income and food insecurity among Oregon residents: does social support matter? De Marco, Molly; Thorburn, Sheryl Objective: Millions of US households experienced food insecurity in 2005. Research indicates that low wages and little social support contribute to food insecurity. The present study aimed to examine whether social support moderates the relationship between income and food insecurity. Design: Using a mail survey, we collected data on social support sources (social network, intimate partner and community) and social support functions from a social network (instrumental, informational and emotional). We used hierarchical logistic regression to examine the potential moderation of various measures of social support on the relationship between income and food insecurity, adjusting for potential confounding variables. Setting: Oregon, USA. Subjects: A stratified random sample of Oregonians aged 18–64 years (n 343). Results: We found no evidence of an association between social support and food insecurity, nor any evidence that social support acts as a moderator between income and food insecurity, regardless of the measure of social support used. Conclusions: Although previous research suggested that social support could offset the negative impact of low income on food security, our study did not find support for such an effect. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Cambridge University Press and can be found at: http://www.cambridge.org/. 2009-06-11T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/36866 Physician Care Patterns and Adherence to Postpartum Glucose Testing after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Oregon Hunsberger, Monica L.; Donatelle, Rebecca J.; Lindsay, Karen; Rosenberg, Kenneth D. Objective: This study examines obstetrician/gynecologists and family medicine physicians' reported care patterns, attitudes and beliefs and predictors of adherence to postpartum testing in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus. Research Design and Methods: In November-December 2005, a mailed survey went to a random, cross-sectional sample of 683 Oregon licensed physicians in obstetrician/gynecologists and family medicine from a population of 2171. Results: Routine postpartum glucose tolerance testing by both family physicians (19.3%) and obstetrician/gynecologists physicians (35.3%) was reportedly low among the 285 respondents (42% response rate). Factors associated with high adherence to postpartum testing included physician stated priority (OR 4.39, 95% CI: 1.69-7.94) and physician beliefs about norms or typical testing practices (OR 3.66, 95% CI: 1.65-11.69). Specialty, sex of physician, years of practice, location, type of practice, other attitudes and beliefs were not associated with postpartum glucose tolerance testing. Conclusions: Postpartum glucose tolerance testing following a gestational diabetes mellitus pregnancy was not routinely practiced by responders to this survey. Our findings indicate that physician knowledge, attitudes and beliefs may in part explain suboptimal postpartum testing. Although guidelines for postpartum care are established, some physicians do not prioritize these guidelines in practice and do not believe postpartum testing is the norm among their peers. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Public Library of Science and can be found at: http://www.plosone.org/home.action. 2012-10-11T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/35783 West Nile virus : forecasting models for a resurging vector-borne disease in Arizona, U.S.A. Roldan, Josiah Javier West Nile Virus (WNV), a vector-borne disease continues to be a serious threat to public health in the United States, particularly in the Southwest region. While all the states in the U.S. experienced a decreasing trend of WNV disease in 2010, the state of Arizona experienced a sharp increase from 20 in 2009 to 166 cases the following year. This dissertation endeavored to develop forecasting models to predict future cases of disease and identify counties with increased propensity for WNV. Furthermore, this study aimed to identify environmental and economic factors that contributed to the increase in WNV cases in Maricopa County, Arizona. A spatiotemporal stochastic regression model was developed using Bayesian principles and was successful in calculating the annual mean cases of disease from 2003 to 2011 for all counties. The model was also able to predict future cases of disease by fitting historical data. The model-based inference identified counties in the southern region of Arizona as having an elevated propensity for disease compared to counties in the northern region. A Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model was developed and effectively forecasted monthly cases of human WNV in Maricopa County, Arizona. By fitting the SARIMA model to monthly historical disease data from 2005 to 2011, the temporal model presented a decreasing trend of monthly incidence of disease for 2012. The impact of home foreclosures, climate variability, and population growth on the resurgence of human WNV disease cases in Maricopa County during the 2010 epidemic was investigated. These factors were found to have contributed to the resurgence of the disease by creating the optimal environmental conditions that allowed the amplification of mosquito populations, thus increasing the risk of disease transmission to humans. As spatiotemporal disease data become readily available, forecasting models can be an important and viable risk assessment tool for public health practitioners. Forecasting models allow the mobilization and distribution of limited resources to areas with elevated propensity for disease, and the timely deployment of intervention programs to reduce the overall risk of disease. Graduation date: 2013 2012-12-03T00:00:00Z