American Indian Botanicals for Women's Health: Ethnobotanical and Pharmacognostic Studies

The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine Illinois tallgrass prairie plants with traditional uses by American Indians for their potential in improving women’s health. Also, to perform a medical ethnobotany survey of urban American Indian women concerning their menopausal experiences and medicinal plant knowledge of some of the plants tested in this project. Pharmacognostic methods were used to identify traditionally used plants that can be used during menopause or that could exhibit (anti) estrogenic, chemopreventive or anti-inflammation properties. Fifteen plants were extracted and screened for the aforementioned activities. Amorpha canescens Pursh (Fabaceae) – leadplant, displayed the most activity and was further characterized to decipher its anti-estrogenic compounds. Xanthocerin A and a newly discovered derivative were isolated and categorized as possible anti-estrogenic compounds from leadplant. However, these two compounds did not display significant anti-estrogenic activity individually in a cell-based assay. Future work will identify the compounds responsible for the anti-estrogenic response from leadplant. Ethnobotanical methods examined how urban American Indian women from Chicago, Il and Green Bay, WI, perceived, experienced, and treated menopause and if they used any of the active plants from this study medicinally. Data were collected from three focus group discussions. Results showed that the participants perceive menopause as naturally occurring, with both positive and negative connotations. All the participants experienced at least one menopausal symptom in which hot flashes was the most common. Most women did not treat their symptoms; however, some did use medicinal plants such as red raspberry and black cohosh. None of the active plants from this study were used medicinally by members of the focus group. Participants mentioned action items to implement within the American Indian community about menopause and women’s health issues such as obtaining more support programs that were culturally designed. Some of these action items are currently being prepared for implementation. This research represents a starting point for examining native plants traditionally used by American Indians and performing more community based research with urban American Indians

Stress and Coping among American Indian and Alaska Natives in the Age of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic compounds stressors of daily life among American Indian/Alaska Natives. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 among American Indian/Alaska Natives and non-Hispanic whites by examining depressive symptoms, overall stress, resilience, and coping, utilizing the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Of the 207 individuals participating in this study, 109 identified as American Indian/Alaska Native and 98 as non-Hispanic white. Despite demographic similarities, American Indian/Alaska Natives exhibited more stressors related to COVID-19 as well as higher depressive symptom scores compared to non-Hispanic whites. Furthermore, COVID-19 stressors were more positively correlated with depressive symptoms for American Indian/Alaska Natives than non-Hispanic whites. For American Indian/Alaska Natives, the predominant coping processes identified were planful problem solving, escape-avoidance, and self-controlling. This study provides data to support programs and policies centered on improving the psychosocial health for American Indians/Alaska Natives and decreasing COVID-19-related health disparities

Gut Microbiome and Maternal Glycemia: A Scoping Review Protocol

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by the onset of hyperglycemia during pregnancy and is associated with short and long-term health complications for both mother and child. Research is emerging that targeting the capacity of the gut microbiome, the collection of archaea, eukarya, and bacteria found within the gastrointestinal tract, may be an approach to prevent and manage GDM. To date, initial studies show that women with GDM may exhibit a distinct gut microbiota profile with differences in structure, metabolic function, and composition in comparison to women without GDM during pregnancy. However, an examination of the gut microbiome and maternal glycemic control is in its infancy and a comprehensive, systematic synthesis on this knowledge has yet to be performed. Our scoping review described in this protocol aims to fill that gap. </p