Randomized controlled trial of probiotics and vitamin B3 on gut microbiome and quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and HealthMajor Professor Not ListedEvidence suggests that administration of probiotics and vitamin B3 may improve multiple symptoms and outcomes of Parkinson’s Disease through alterations in gut microbiome. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether a 12-week placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial is able to observe changes in constipation, drug efficacy, neuroendocrine levels, and indicators of quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. Methodology: A total of 54 people enrolled for this study, six were either excluded and/or did not meet inclusion criteria. Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned into three groups to receive: 1) probiotics + vitamin B3; 2) probiotics + vitamin B3 placebo; or, 3) the placebos for the probiotic and vitamin B3 for 12 weeks. Constipation, depression, anxiety, quality of life, mood, diet, and nutrition were assessed at the baseline, middle, and end of the supplementation period. Blood and stool samples were collected for blood chemistry and microbiome analyses, respectively. Next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes (Illumina MiSeq) was used for gut microbiota analysis. Within-group and between-group differences were statistically analyzed, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: The results showed improvements in constipation problems, quality-of-life scores, Movement Disorder Society- the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), decreased issues with communication via the PDQ-39 in probiotics and vitamin B3 groups compared to the placebo group. Blood chemistry were within normal reference ranges. Supplementation did not change assessments of anxiety, depression, or mood. Gut microbiome analyses indicated significant differences in alpha and beta diversity, salient gut microbiome composition relating to different interventions, disease status, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: Probiotics and vitamin B3 supplementation was beneficial for constipation symptoms, gut microbiome, and quality of life in these patients. Vitamin B3 appeared to have a more stabilizing effect on the gut microbiome. Several differences were greater after 12 weeks compared with 6 weeks of the intervention. This appears to support that the duration of supplementation is greater than 6 weeks for most of the assessed outcome measures. For quality of life and mood measures, an increased duration of study and/or larger sample size may be necessary to detect differences

Is lifestyle modification effective for glycemic control among type II diabetic adults in Southeast Asia?

Master of Public HealthHuman NutritionRichard R. RosenkranzBackground: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a costly and burdensome lifelong disease, and without proper glycemic control, severe life-threatening complications result. In Southeast Asia, the prevalence of T2DM is forecast to increase markedly from 2000 to 2030. Although literature reviews on lifestyle modification for glycemic control are available, these are mainly for the Western context, and there is a dearth of evidence for Southeast Asians who are at greater risk of T2DM and have differing patterns of diet, physical activity and body composition than Western populations. Objective: To systematically review literature on the effectiveness of lifestyle modification interventions for glycemic control in T2DM patients from Southeast Asia. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) with interventions ≥ 8 weeks that compared HbA1c or blood glucose for intervention (lifestyle modification) versus control groups were identified from searches in Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, Science Direct, SPORTDiscus, Scopus and Web of Science. Results: Seven RCTs (679 participants) meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. There was a significant reduction in HbA1c% (MD = -0.56%; 95% CI = -0.95,-0.16%; p = 0.006; n = 5 studies) and in blood glucose mg/dl (MD = -16.76 mg/dl; 95% CI = -31.36, -2.17 mg/dl; p = 0.02; n = 4 studies) over 3 months for lifestyle modification intervention groups. Lifestyle interventions included diet (n = 2), exercise (n = 2), and general lifestyle interventions (n = 3). Duration of interventions ranged from 12 weeks to 6 months. Studies included populations from Thailand (n = 5) and Malaysia (n = 2). Conclusion: Overall, lifestyle modification interventions are effective for the glycemic control of T2DM patients in countries of Southeast Asia

FIELD EXPERIENCE REPORT: CHANGING BEHAVIOR – SUGARY DRINKS

Master of Public HealthPublic Health Interdepartmental ProgramRichard R. RosenkranzMy public health field experience was completed at the Riley County Research and Extension office at 110 Courthouse Plaza in Manhattan, KS, during January to March 2015, total 180 hour. The objective of K-State Research Extension is to help the community by providing evidence-based university knowledge in the most practical ways so that people can apply in real-life and benefit in many areas such as agriculture, economics, family life, youth development, community leadership and business. Cooperative Extension was established in 1914. Various level of government and land-grant universities funded the county extension programs to extend technical expertise and research findings to help people improving their homes, families, farms, business and communities54. In Riley County, Kansas State University is the land-grant university that supports the research extension54. The program is funded and guided by a partnership of federal, state and county government. The Riley County office is directed by a county Extension director, and there are four Extension agents, one receptionist and two assistants. The agents specialize in the disciplines of family and consumer sciences, 4-H, horticulture and agriculture54. I completed the internship under the supervision and guidance of Ms. Virginia (Ginny) Barnard, MPH, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent of the Riley County. Her specialization is in the areas of nutrition, food safety, health and indoor environments. Ginny has several program schedules and during my time the Head Start - Mothers (Parents) and Children Health and Nutrition Program was a new program possible to add into existing programs. That parents and children health and nutrition program (Head Start) interested me and Ginny also found that program fitted my education, previous experiences and passions. Therefore, after consultations of myself, Ginny and Program Director of Head Start, I agreed to focus on this program as my internship program assignment. Head Start/Early Head Start55 is a free, federally funded early childhood program. The program serves families with low incomes in Riley County and the Manhattan-Ogden School District with education, health, nutrition, and social services. Head Start enrolls children ages 3-5 years and offers full-day and half-day preschool classes. Early Head Start is a home visitation program that enrolls pregnant mothers and children from birth to 3 years of age. Head Start promotes the belief that parents are their child's lifelong teacher, so it supports the involvement of parents, efforts to reach goals, changes and transitions in the family's life. Head Start provides a supportive learning environment for children, parents, staff, and the community. During my field experience, I was able to provide nutrition education for parents and children relating to some nutrition concerns that were widespread in the community but not frequently addressed

Systematic review and meta-analysis : is lifestyle modification effective for glycemic control among adults with type II diabetes in Southeast Asia?

This systematic review with meta-analysis examined whether lifestyle modification (diet and/or exercise) is effective for glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asia. Results showed that lifestyle modification is effective in the short term (3 months), but not over the longer term (6 months) in this population

A Meta-analytic Structural Equation Modelling on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology in Higher Education

With technology advancements in society, many theories and models evolved for explaining the technology acceptance of people in different contexts, especially in education. This study’s main objective is to confirm the factors influencing the actual use behaviour of technology in the higher education sector, based on the framework of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). This objective was executed by means of the modern statistical technique, meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM). This study can synthesize 44 quantitative studies of UTAUT model, covering 16550 participants in higher education institutions. The result confirms the original version of the UTAUT model developed by Venkatesh et al. (2003), except the direct effect of facilitating conditions on use behavior. Therefore, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions are the significant positive predictors of the teachers and students’ behavioural intention to use the technology and behavioural intention can also significantly predict the actual technology use behaviour of teachers and students. It is anticipated that this study’s findings can add the strong evidences of the validity and usefulness of the UTAUT model to the technology acceptance literature. Moreover, the future integration of ICTs and technology in higher education can be guided effectively by the practitioners with the help of this research’s findings

Genomic Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Myanmar

In December 2019, the COVID-19 disease started in Wuhan, China. The WHO declared a pandemic on 12 March 2020, and the disease started in Myanmar on 23 March 2020. In December 2020, different variants were brought worldwide, threatening global health. To counter those threats, Myanmar started the COVID-19 variant surveillance program in late 2020. Whole genome sequencing was done six times between January 2021 and March 2022. Among them, 83 samples with a PCR threshold cycle of less than 25 were chosen. Then, we used MiSeq FGx for sequencing and Illumina DRAGEN COVIDSeq pipeline, command line interface, GISAID, and MEGA version 7 for data analysis. In January 2021, no variant was detected. The second run, during the rise of cases in June 2021, showed Alpha, Delta, and Kappa variants. The third and the fourth runs in August and December showed only a Delta variant. Omicron and Delta variants were detected during the fifth run in January 2022. The sixth run in March 2022 showed only Omicron BA.2. Amino acid mutation at the receptor binding domain of Spike glycoprotein started since the second run coupling with high transmission, recurrence, and vaccine escape. We also found the mutation at the primer targets used in current RT-PCR platforms, but there was no mutation at the existing antiviral drug targets. The occurrence of multiple variants and mutations claimed vigilance at ports of entry and preparedness for effective control measures. Genomic surveillance with the observation of evolutionary data is required to predict imminent threats of the current disease and diagnose emerging infectious diseases