Effectiveness of Group Work Contracts to Facilitate Collaborative Group Learning and Reduce Anxiety in Traditional Face-to-Face Lecture and Online Distance Education Course Formats

Group work (GW) in undergraduate education facilitates the development of communication and collaborative skills. However, dysfunctional and inequitable group dynamics can have adverse effects, leading to increased anxiety. This research sought to determine the effectiveness of a Group Work Contract to facilitate the GW process in the face-to-face (n=168) and online (n=105) formats of a third year nutritional science course. Changes in students’ attitudes and approaches to GW were assessed before (semester week 4) and after (semester week 12) completion of the contract and assignment via online surveys. The results in both course formats were similar, wherein the Group Work Contract reduced student anxiety and improved group dynamics and communication between group members, resulting in an improved learning experience overall . Further, the preferred methods of GW online communication utilized social networking platforms. This data demonstrates the benefits of formally structuring the GW process to optimize the student learning experience

Apple Flavonols Mitigate Adipocyte Inflammation and Promote Angiogenic Factors in LPS- and Cobalt Chloride-Stimulated Adipocytes, in Part by a Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ-Dependent Mechanism

Adipose tissue (AT) expansion induces local hypoxia, a key contributor to the chronic low-grade inflammation that drives obesity-associated disease. Apple flavonols phloretin (PT) and phlorizin (PZ) are suggested anti-inflammatory molecules but their effectiveness in obese AT is inadequately understood. Using in vitro models designed to reproduce the obese AT microenvironment, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured for 24 h with PT or PZ (100 μM) concurrent with the inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 ng/mL) and/or the hypoxia mimetic cobalt chloride (CoCl2; 100 μM). Within each condition, PT was more potent than PZ and its effects were partially mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ (p < 0.05), as tested using the PPAR-γ antagonist bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE). In LPS-, CoCl2-, or LPS + CoCl2-stimulated adipocytes, PT reduced mRNA expression and/or secreted protein levels of inflammatory and macrophage chemotactic adipokines, and increased that of anti-inflammatory and angiogenic adipokines, which was consistent with reduced mRNA expression of M1 polarization markers and increased M2 markers in RAW 264.7 macrophages cultured in media collected from LPS + CoCl2-simulated adipocytes (p < 0.05). Further, within LPS + CoCl2-stimulated adipocytes, PT reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation, nuclear factor-κB activation, and apoptotic protein expression (p < 0.05). Overall, apple flavonols attenuate critical aspects of the obese AT phenotype

Integrated Immunomodulatory Mechanisms through which Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Attenuate Obese Adipose Tissue Dysfunction

Obesity is a global health concern with rising prevalence that increases the risk of developing other chronic diseases. A causal link connecting overnutrition, the development of obesity and obesity-associated co-morbidities is visceral adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction, characterized by changes in the cellularity of various immune cell populations, altered production of inflammatory adipokines that sustain a chronic state of low-grade inflammation and, ultimately, dysregulated AT metabolic function. Therefore, dietary intervention strategies aimed to halt the progression of obese AT dysfunction through any of the aforementioned processes represent an important active area of research. In this connection, fish oil-derived dietary long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been demonstrated to attenuate obese AT dysfunction through multiple mechanisms, ultimately affecting AT immune cellularity and function, adipokine production, and metabolic signaling pathways, all of which will be discussed herein

Chickpea supplementation prior to colitis onset reduces inflammation in dextran sodium sulfate-treated C57Bl/6 male mice

The potential for a chickpea supplemented diet (rich in fermentable non-digestible carbohydrates and phenolic compounds) to modify the colonic microenvironment and attenuate the severity of acute colonic inflammation was investigated. C57Bl/6 male mice were fed a control basal diet (BD) or BD supplemented with 20% cooked chickpea flour for 3 weeks prior to acute colitis onset induced by 7-day exposure to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS, 2% w/v in drinking water) and colon and serum levels of inflammatory mediators were assessed. Despite an equal degree of DSS-induced epithelial barrier histological damage and clinical symptoms between dietary groups, biomarkers of the ensuing inflammatory response were attenuated by CK pre-feeding including reduced colon tissue activation of NFκB and inflammatory cytokine production (TNFα and IL-18). Additionally, colon protein expression of anti-inflammatory (IL-10) and epithelial repair (IL-22 and IL-27) cytokines were increased by CK pre-feeding. Furthermore, during acute colitis CK pre-feeding increased markers of enhanced colonic function including mRNA expression of Relmβ and IgA. Collectively, CK pre-feeding modulated the baseline function of the colonic microenvironment, whereby upon induction of acute colitis, the severity of the inflammatory response was attenuated.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author