NADPH oxidase in PC12 cell differentiation and apoptosis

Neuronal differentiation is an important process during human development and regenerative medicine. One factor linked to differentiation of neurons in vivo as well as in vitro is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, neurodegeneration is the disease of the old age that is currently affecting millions. Although the etiology of each neurodegenerative disease differs, oxidative stress has been the common factor leading to neuronal death. PC12 cells differentiate into sympathetic-like neurons in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF). Once terminally differentiated, PC12 cells undergo apoptosis following NGF deprivation with similar characteristics of sympathetic neuronal death. These properties make them useful for studying in vitro neuronal differentiation and apoptosis. In addition, NADPH oxidase has been implicated in the differentiation and apoptosis of this cell line through production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the subunits involved in both processes have not been identified. A series of studies were designed to examine the effect of physiological activator (angiotensin II) and pharmacological inhibitor (DPI) of NADPH oxidase on PC12 cell differentiation and apoptosis. The differentiation study has revealed that the putative subunits involved in the early phases may be Nox4 and p67-phox, with subsequent recruitment of Nox1 and p47-phox during the later stages of differentiation. NGF withdrawal led to an increase in Nox1, p47-phox and p67-phox suggesting a role for those subunits in PC12 cell apoptosis. Therefore, these data confirm and extend previous results that suggest that neuronal but not phagocytic NADPH oxidase is involved in neurogenesis and apoptosis

NADPH oxidase in PC12 cell differentiation and apoptosis

Neuronal differentiation is an important process during human development and regenerative medicine. One factor linked to differentiation of neurons in vivo as well as in vitro is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, neurodegeneration is the disease of the old age that is currently affecting millions. Although the etiology of each neurodegenerative disease differs, oxidative stress has been the common factor leading to neuronal death. PC12 cells differentiate into sympathetic-like neurons in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF). Once terminally differentiated, PC12 cells undergo apoptosis following NGF deprivation with similar characteristics of sympathetic neuronal death. These properties make them useful for studying in vitro neuronal differentiation and apoptosis. In addition, NADPH oxidase has been implicated in the differentiation and apoptosis of this cell line through production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the subunits involved in both processes have not been identified. A series of studies were designed to examine the effect of physiological activator (angiotensin II) and pharmacological inhibitor (DPI) of NADPH oxidase on PC12 cell differentiation and apoptosis. The differentiation study has revealed that the putative subunits involved in the early phases may be Nox4 and p67-phox, with subsequent recruitment of Nox1 and p47-phox during the later stages of differentiation. NGF withdrawal led to an increase in Nox1, p47-phox and p67-phox suggesting a role for those subunits in PC12 cell apoptosis. Therefore, these data confirm and extend previous results that suggest that neuronal but not phagocytic NADPH oxidase is involved in neurogenesis and apoptosis

Diverticular Disease: Looking beyond fiber

Diverticular disease! looking at evidence beyond the fibe

The Effect of Exercise and Dietary Patterns on Mental Health Disorder before, during, and late COVID-19 on Males and Females

The Effect of Exercise and Dietary Patterns on Mental Health Disorder before, during, and late COVID-19 on Males and Females The emerging field of nutritional neuroscience has revealed the modulatory role of diet and sleep on mental health. Nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and whole grains were described as supporting brain functions, and sleep deprivation has been associated with a disruption in brain functions. Exercise is another effective modulator of mental health. The outbreak of the global pandemic Covid-19 has produced a sudden disruption in people\u27s routines. Factors such as sickness, loss of lives and jobs, and remote working heavily impact mental health. During the Covid lockdown, the food chain supply and exercise routine were interrupted. Therefore, studying the effects of dietary and exercise patterns on the mental health of men and women pre-Covid, during Covid, and post-Covid may provide significant insight into the effect of these modulators on mental health. In this study, we performed an event-based difference-in-difference study based on exercise and dietary patterns, then computed the probability of being in moderate or severe mental health disorder states. Our results show that, in total, women\u27s mental health was more affected by Covid-19. Also, having a sedentary lifestyle will increase the risk of having moderate or severe mental health for both males and females. Moreover, factors like increasing the frequency of consuming breakfast, sleep duration, exercise type, and consuming seafood were inversely associated with mental health disorders, while the distance to the gym, consuming fast food, caffeine intake, and HGI food were directly related to mental health disorders in men and women during weekdays and weekends.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1013/thumbnail.jp

Potential Triggers of Mental Distress in Cardiovascular Disease Patients

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death among Americans. There are many comorbidities that exist with CVD, such as insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and others. Mental distress such as anxiety and depression are comorbidities associated with CVD as well. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential factors that could possibly affect mental health in CVD patients. A de-identified database obtained from United Health Services - Cardiology Department in Binghamton, New York included medical records of 68,647 patients. Using Chi-Square statistical analysis, many variables were associated with anxiety and depression in CVD patients. These variables included gender, age, insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, cancer malignant, obesity, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and long-term use of antibiotic. To our knowledge, no study has investigated the combination of these factors in association with mental distress in CVD patients. Findings from this study will have the potential to contribute to better predictive ability of mental distress in CVD patients

Effects of Dietary Choices on Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety is commonly defined as a set of emotions including nervousness, restlessness or being fidgety. Depression is commonly defined as a state of unhappiness, hopelessness, worthlessness and a sense of futility. Previous research reported a positive relationship between the consumption of energy drinks, dairy and anxiety. On the other hand, other studies revealed a negative relationship between the consumption of fruit and anxiety. In addition, there is an established negative relationship between exercise, fish consumption and depression. However, there is a need to assess dietary patterns in relation to mental distress as nutrients collectively contribute to brain chemistry . An anonymous online survey was built-into on Google Form and distributed on several social media platforms. A total of 2,301 participants completed the survey. Data was analyzed using K-means clustering analysis , in SPSS Version 25.0, to identify clusters of food groups that associate with mental distress. Our results suggest that a dietary pattern similar to the Mediterranean diet (high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish) was inversely related to instances of anxiety and depression. In conclusion, dietary adjustments may be needed to improve mental wellbeing.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_spring2020/1053/thumbnail.jp

Is it time to revisit vitamin B12 for mental health and cognitive functions in elderly?

Decline in cognitive and motor functions and in mental health are commonly seen with aging. Although many reports attribute their etiology to aging, these conditions may have vitamin B12 deficiency as an underlying mechanism. Laboratory tests to assess vitamin B12 deficiency lack sensitivity and specificity largely due to absence of a gold standard for diagnosis. Additionally, patients with subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency have typically normal serum concentration levels and do not exhibit the classical symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Furthermore, many comorbidities that exist with aging decrease vitamin B12 and bioavailaibility from the gut. If left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency leads to irreversible nerve damage and brain atrophy which may result in mood alteration and cognitive decline. Microstructural changes in the myelin sheath have been described to alter the central nervous function. Additionally, elevated levels of serum homocysteine and epigenetic modifications have been documented with vitamin B12 deficiency. However, due to lack of vitamin B12 test sensitivity, many reports in the literature have failed to report a link between vitamin B12 deficiency and cognitive and mental health decline in elderly. The review suggests that there is a need to re-evaluate the role of vitamin B12 in these functions, especially in patients with comorbidities. Standardization of vitamin B12 testing across studies is needed to provide a better consensus of the actual role of vitamin B12 on cognitive function and mental health across populations

Anxiety and Depression: The Dimensions in Developing Prophylactic and Therapeutic Approaches

The rising prevalence of anxiety and depression, commonly known as mental distress, and their associated health care costs necessitate a change in disease management. To improve outcome, there is a need to move away from the one size fits all approach and personalize mental health prevention and treatment strategies. One of the major modifiable risk factors for mental distress is the diet. Nevertheless, there is a need to consider a couple of dimensions when personalizing dietary intake to support mental health. There is a clear divergence in the prevalence of mental distress among young adults (18-29 years old) and their older counterparts (30 years and older) as well as between gender. These discrepancies are due to the incomplete maturation of the prefrontal cortex in young adults and the differential brain connectivity and cortical volume between men and women, respectively. This talk will address some of my research findings along with others to support the hypothesis that personalization of mental distress prophylactic and therapeutic approaches that may significantly improve mental health outcome. The rising prevalence of anxiety and depression, commonly known as mental distress, and their associated health care costs necessitate a change in disease management. To improve outcome, there is a need to move away from the one size fits all approach and personalize mental health prevention and treatment strategies. One of the major modifiable risk factors for mental distress is the diet. Nevertheless, there is a need to consider a couple of dimensions when personalizing dietary intake to support mental health. There is a clear divergence in the prevalence of mental distress among young adults (18-29 years old) and their older counterparts (30 years and older) as well as between gender. These discrepancies are due to the incomplete maturation of the prefrontal cortex in young adults and the differential brain connectivity and cortical volume between men and women, respectively. This talk will address some of my research findings along with others to support the hypothesis that personalization of mental distress prophylactic and therapeutic approaches that may significantly improve mental health outcome

Relationships between Mental Distress and Food Intake Parameters Using Exploratory Data Analysis

Dietary intake plays an important role in the development of physical and mental health. Vital nutrients support day-to-day activities and biological processes. The physical health parameters can be easily correlated with the type of dietary intake. However, mapping of mental health parameters is still an area in need of further research. It is a strenuous task as it is widely dependent on a broad spectrum of attributes. The dataset is collected from a survey study on a group of 227 individuals who are categorized based on their gender and age. A questionnaire that contains 26 parameters is used for collecting information related to dietary intake and mental health parameters. We have mapped the mental health and dietary intake parameters using Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and Data Visualization techniques. Distinctive patterns have been observed that describe the correlation between food intake and mental distress parameters. Additionally, the research outcomes also describe the attributes that help to elevate the factors for mental well-being and emotional health.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1075/thumbnail.jp

Fast-Food, Sugary Food, High Caffeine Intake and Dental-Related Anxieties

Existing literature has investigated the relationship between dental anxieties and oral health, yet the relationship between diet and oral health status has yet to be examined. The purpose of this research study was to determine the correlational relationships that exist between oral health, dental anxiety, and nutrition. Data was collected through an anonymous Google Forms survey which was distributed to patients at various dental offices in the Binghamton-Vestal, NY area as well among Binghamton University students. The distributed survey was composed of the validated Food-Mood Questionnaire with questions pertaining to demographics, dental health and dental health anxieties. A total of 506 responses were collected and analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient in SPSS version 25.0. Our results suggest that females are more likely to experience dental anxiety than men. An increase in the consumption of low-quality-energy dense foods, including pre-packaged food, fast food, and sugary foods, a pattern similar to the Western diet, as well as caffeine consumption of 4 times or more per week, were positively correlated (P \u3c 0.01) with increased nervousness and anxiety at the dental office. Frequent consumption of low-quality-energy dense foods was also positively correlated with increased feelings of general mental health distress. Our findings provide a proof of concept that dietary patterns are potentially associated with dental anxiety, and modulation of these patterns may diminish dental-related mental distress.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1036/thumbnail.jp