Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as excess hepatic lipid accumulation, in the absence of excess alcohol consumption and chronic liver disease. NAFLD can range in severity from simple fatty liver (steatosis) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is defined as hepatic steatosis with inflammation and hepatic injury and describes...
The unfolding of human retinoid X receptor α in the presence of the denaturant guanidine HCl was studied using stopped-flow absorbance spectroscopy. The protein's four native cysteine residues were mutated to obtain four single-cysteine mutants, each with the other three cysteine residues mutated to alanine. The thiols of these hRXRα...
In rats, sesame lignans increase plasma γ-tocopherol concentrations and inhibit γ-tocopherol degradation to its metabolite γ-carboxyethylhydroxychroman (γ-CEHC). To test if sesame lignan consumption inhibits γ- tocopherol metabolism in humans, muffins prepared with either corn oil (control) or sesame oil and an equimolar mixture of deuterium labeled d6-α- and d2-γ- tocopheryl...
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by the accumulation of excess neutral lipids within the parenchymal cells of the liver. The primary etiology is diet-induced and most often exists as a comorbidity with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or Type 2 Diabetes. The development of excess liver lipid can be self-limiting...
Metabolic syndrome is a problem affecting people around the world. In a number of studies, soy intake has been documented to possess antidiabetic and anticardiovascular effect. My project is focused on the impact of the intake of compounds found within soy, the isoflavones, their impact on metabolic syndrome symptoms, and...
Met is a prognostic indicator of colorectal cancer patient survival. Therapies that target Met may therefore have beneficial outcomes in the clinic. Recently, EGCG was reported to suppress Met activation, although the mechanisms were not elucidated. HCT116 and HT29 human colon cancer cells were used to examine the relationships between...
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) encompasses a spectrum of lymphoid progenitors that have undergone malignant transformation and clonal proliferation at various stages of differentiation. Some cases of ALL have been documented to have prenatal origins and in particular neonatal exposure to various environmental pollutants is associated with increased disease risk, including...
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by an accumulation of neutral lipids in the form of triglycerides and cholesterol esters accounting for >5% of liver weight. Excess neutral lipids accumulate in large lipid droplets, i.e., macrosteatosis, displacing the nucleus of cells. Current theory suggests neutral lipid accumulation is the...
Osteoporosis is a common metabolic bone disease, affecting a third of women and a fifth of men over age 65. In the US, annual health care costs associated with osteoporosis are estimated to be over $20 billion. Osteoporosis is associated with increased fracture risk, which has been demonstrated to predict...
Despite the advances in surgery, physical therapy, and pharmaceutical agents, muscle
dysfunction (i.e., atrophy and weakness) continues to impair recovery from an anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and surgery. Ischemia-reperfusion injury during surgery
and the subsequent limb disuse are two events experienced by patients having ACL
surgery. Oxidative stress and...