Director's Newsletter June 2011 - Human Nutrition Research Center ...
Director's Newsletter June 2011 - Human Nutrition Research Center ...
Director's Newsletter June 2011 - Human Nutrition Research Center ...
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HNRCA Director’s <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
<strong>June</strong>, <strong>2011</strong><br />
Dear Colleagues,<br />
As summer<br />
approaches, I<br />
wanted to highlight<br />
some of our recent<br />
achievements at the<br />
HNRCA. There have<br />
been many!<br />
In April, HNRCA scientists were very active at<br />
the Experimental Biology <strong>2011</strong> conference in<br />
Washington, D.C., where we took a leading<br />
role in presenting or chairing over 30<br />
presentations, and major and mini-symposia<br />
and presenting 17 posters. We also received<br />
three prestigious awards during the event.<br />
Congratulations to Xiang-Dong Wang for<br />
receiving the Mary Schwartz Rose Senior<br />
Award; Maria Carlota Dao for receiving the<br />
FASEB MARC award for best poster; and<br />
Victoria Vieira-Potter for winning the ASN<br />
Energy & Macronutrient RIS Student-Postdoc<br />
Abstract Competition.<br />
I also want to congratulate the investigators<br />
and staff responsible for the HNRCA submitting<br />
17 applications for NIFA grants in May. Special<br />
thanks go to the administrative support staff<br />
and Kara Charmanski who, together in<br />
collaboration with researchers, made the grant<br />
submissions a very seamless and efficient<br />
process.<br />
I am looking forward to our <strong>June</strong> 7 th retreat to<br />
address forming <strong>Research</strong> Clusters at the<br />
<strong>Center</strong>. Over the past few weeks, we’ve held<br />
important pre-retreat meetings for each<br />
potential cluster, Functional Genomics;<br />
Inflammation, Infectious Diseases, and<br />
Immunity; Cancer; Obesity; and CVD. I think<br />
our progress has been outstanding and I look<br />
forward to <strong>June</strong> 7 th . From that retreat, one or<br />
perhaps two year one clusters will be identified,<br />
leaders and support mechanisms will be<br />
created, and metrics for success stated.<br />
In this newsletter we are sharing our labs’<br />
recent publications and awards, marathon<br />
team successes, and other news.<br />
Simin Nikbin Meydani, D.V.M., Ph.D.<br />
New Pilot Grants Awarded<br />
The HNRCA Pilot Study review committee has<br />
completed its review for the first round of <strong>2011</strong><br />
Pilot Study proposals. Congratulations to the<br />
investigators whose proposals have been<br />
approved for funding:<br />
· Jacob Selhub, Vitamin Metabolism<br />
Laboratory, titled “The adverse effects of<br />
excessive Intake of folic acid”<br />
· Alice Lichtenstein, Cardiovascular<br />
<strong>Nutrition</strong> Laboratory, titled “Dietary<br />
carbohydrate type and CVD risk<br />
indicators”<br />
Thanks to Roger Fielding for chairing the Pilot<br />
Study review panel and Christine O’Connell for<br />
administrative support. The purpose of the<br />
HNRCA Pilot Study Program is to provide funds<br />
to conduct high quality preliminary research<br />
that will advance the mission-related science<br />
of the HNRCA. Priority will be given to those<br />
applicants who are generating pilot data for<br />
future extramural applications. The submission<br />
1
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
date for the next round of Pilot Studies for the<br />
<strong>2011</strong> fiscal year is July 1.<br />
The Tufts - HNRCA Marathon<br />
Team a Success<br />
Congratulations to the runners who completed<br />
the <strong>2011</strong> Boston Marathon while supporting the<br />
HNRCA. Michael Corcoran, Patrick Keefe (right<br />
top), Arya Meydani (left top), and Bharath Potti<br />
(left bottom with coach Don Megerle) raised<br />
funds to directly support health, wellness and<br />
fitness programs for HNRCA employees. Special<br />
thanks to the HNRCA Employee Recreation<br />
Association for helping the team members in<br />
their efforts and<br />
and organizing a wonderful get together to<br />
support them. They are Kathleen Benoit, Ebony<br />
Green, Ally Gotshell, MaryBeth Keith, Jo<br />
Obelsky, Gayle Petty, Megan Reichel, Sagena<br />
Shaba, Shahin Smith and Stephanie Valliere.<br />
Stay tuned for the soon to be announced<br />
employee exercise room.<br />
HNRCA Staff Member Receives<br />
Honor from University<br />
Congratulations to Meghan Faherty,<br />
Administrative Assistant to the Associate<br />
Director, who was one of 15 extremely<br />
deserving winners of the <strong>2011</strong> Tufts Distinction<br />
Awards.<br />
Meghan was recognized with the Extra Mile<br />
Award for exceptional customer service.<br />
University President Larry Bacow will present the<br />
awards in a ceremony on <strong>June</strong> 8 th in the<br />
Behrakis Auditorium in the Jaharis Family<br />
<strong>Center</strong>.<br />
Welcome Recent Hires!<br />
We are pleased to announce the following<br />
recent additions in <strong>2011</strong> to our HNRCA family:<br />
Noble, Timothy<br />
Alper, Erek H.<br />
Du, Xiaogang<br />
Benoit, Kathleen S.<br />
Gotsell, Allyson J.<br />
Pevear, Mary E.<br />
Lomartire, John N.<br />
Desautels, Nellie<br />
Sawicki, Caleigh<br />
Finkenaur, Matthew<br />
<strong>Research</strong> Tech<br />
<strong>Research</strong> Tech<br />
<strong>Research</strong> Scholar<br />
Staff Assistant<br />
Staff Assistant<br />
Volunteer Recruiter<br />
Staff Assistant<br />
<strong>Research</strong> Tech<br />
Senior <strong>Research</strong><br />
Technician<br />
Desktop Support<br />
Specialist<br />
2
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
Scientist Spotlight: Roger<br />
Fielding, Ph.D., Director, NEPS<br />
Lab<br />
aged 70 to 89, for a two-to-four-year period. In<br />
addition to looking at the effects exercise and<br />
health education have on mobility, cognitive<br />
function and heart health, the study will look at<br />
specifically whether exercise can prevent falls<br />
and keep people from losing their ability to<br />
generally care for themselves. We’re one of<br />
eight research institutions across the country<br />
contributing to the study.<br />
We’re also doing an interesting investigation<br />
with whey protein, to see how it might stimulate<br />
muscle development, especially when<br />
consumed right after exercise.<br />
You chair the Pilot Study Program at HNRCA,<br />
how is that going?<br />
The work of Dr. Roger Fielding, Ph.D., Director of<br />
the <strong>Nutrition</strong>, Exercise and Physiology and<br />
Sarcopenia (NEPS) Lab at the HNRCA was<br />
recently profiled in a cover story for Tufts<br />
<strong>Nutrition</strong> magazine (Summer, <strong>2011</strong>). Here, Dr.<br />
Fielding tells us about some of the many<br />
projects he is leading.<br />
What is the primary focus of the NEPS lab?<br />
Our lab is trying to focus on the physical activity<br />
and nutritional interventions that might<br />
counteract sarcopenia, which we define as the<br />
loss of muscle mass which occurs during the<br />
aging process. In many cases we’re looking at<br />
physical activity interventions and nutritional<br />
interventions, and the interaction of those<br />
together, as ways to combat and reverse the<br />
disease.<br />
I was very supportive when the pilot study<br />
program was introduced, and I really believe in<br />
it. There have been some exciting grant<br />
submissions, and it’s important that we help<br />
investigators with this seed funding so that they<br />
can gather data for future, larger grant<br />
applications. It’s a process, like anything else,<br />
and you have to be committed to seeing it<br />
through.<br />
What do you do in your spare time for fun?<br />
I’m pretty active, maybe that’s why I’ve gone<br />
down the research path I’m on. People at the<br />
HNRCA occasionally see me in my running<br />
clothes; I like to run when I can. My family and I<br />
like to ski together, it’s a great family sport.<br />
Tell us about your current projects and what<br />
you are investigating<br />
We’re working on several very interesting<br />
projects. The LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and<br />
Independence for Elders) study is an interesting<br />
one. We are working with sedentary subjects,<br />
3
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
Recent Publications from HNRCA<br />
Scientists<br />
The recent publications listed below reflect<br />
submitted to the Director’s office and<br />
published in <strong>2011</strong>. We will continue to<br />
collect new publications from all labs and<br />
include them in future newsletters. Thank<br />
you!<br />
Dohadwala MM, et al. (including Jeffrey<br />
Blumberg) Effects of cranberry juice<br />
consumption on vascular function in patients<br />
with coronary artery disease. Am J Clin Nutr.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> March 16.<br />
Li SC, et al. (including Oliver Chen) Almond<br />
consumption improved glycemic control and<br />
lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes.<br />
Metabolism. <strong>2011</strong>; 60:474-9.<br />
Bhupathiraju S, et al. (including Shilpa<br />
Bhupathiraju, Alice Lichtenstein, Bess Dawson-<br />
Hughes and Katherine Tucker) Adherence<br />
index based on the American Heart<br />
Association 2006 Diet and Lifestyle<br />
Recommendations: Associations with<br />
cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Boston<br />
Puerto Rican Health Study. J <strong>Nutrition</strong>. <strong>2011</strong>;<br />
141:460-9.<br />
Lecker J, et al. (including Jaime Lecker, Nirupa<br />
Matthan and Alice Lichtenstein) Changes in<br />
cholesterol homeostasis modify the response of<br />
F1B hamsters to dietary very long chain n-3 and<br />
n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lipids in Health<br />
and Disease. <strong>2011</strong>;<br />
Tybor DJ,et al. (including Alice Lichtenstein and<br />
Gerard Dallal) Independent effects of agerelated<br />
changes in waist circumference and<br />
BMI z scores in predicting cardiovascular<br />
disease risk factors in a prospective cohort of<br />
adolescent females. Am J Clin Nutr. <strong>2011</strong>;<br />
93:392-401.<br />
4<br />
Barker FM, et al. (including Elizabeth Johnson).<br />
<strong>Nutrition</strong>al Manipulation of Primate Retinas. V:<br />
Effects of Lutein,Zeaxanthin and n--3 Fatty<br />
Acids on Retinal Sensitivity to Blue Light<br />
Damage. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. <strong>2011</strong> Jan<br />
18.<br />
Nascimento MC, et al. (including Kyung-Jin<br />
Yeum and and Ana Lucia Ferreira).<br />
Pharmacological dose of alpha-tocopherol<br />
induces cardiotoxicity in Wistar rats determined<br />
by echocardiography and histology. Hum Exp<br />
Toxicol. <strong>2011</strong> Feb 11.<br />
Aldini G, et al. (including Kyung-Jin Yeum) An<br />
integrated high resolution mass spectrometric<br />
and informatics approach for the rapid<br />
identification of phenolics in plant extract. J<br />
Chromatogr A. <strong>2011</strong> Mar 3.<br />
Shen J, et al. (Including Paul Jacques and Jose<br />
Ordovas) Dietary factors and incident atrial<br />
fibrillation: the Framingham Heart Study. Am J<br />
Clin Nutr. <strong>2011</strong>; 93(2):261-266.<br />
Wang TJ, et al. (including Paul Jacques)<br />
Metabolite profiles and the risk of developing<br />
diabetes. Nat Med. <strong>2011</strong> Mar 20.<br />
Thongtang N, et al. (including Thomas<br />
Himbergen, Bela Asztalos and Ernst Schaefer)<br />
Effects of maximal atorvastatin and<br />
rosuvastatin treatment on markers of glucose<br />
homeostasis and inflammation. Am J Cardio.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> Feb 1;107(3):387-92.<br />
Rosenson RS, et al. (including Ernst Schaefer)<br />
HDL Measures, Particle Heterogeneity,<br />
Proposed Nomenclature, and Relation to<br />
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Events. Clin<br />
Chem. <strong>2011</strong> Mar;57(3):392-410.<br />
Farina EK, et al. (including Ernst Schaefer)<br />
Protective effects of fish intake and interactive<br />
effects of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty<br />
acid intakes on hip bone mineral density in
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
older adults: the Framingham Osteoporosis<br />
Study. Am J Clin Nutr. <strong>2011</strong> Mar 2.<br />
Schaefer EJ, et al., Limitations of Direct<br />
Methods and the Reference Method for<br />
Measuring HDL and LDL Cholesterol. Clin Chem.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> Mar 28.<br />
Hallacoglu B, et al. (including Bertan Hallacoglu<br />
and Aron Troen). Cerebral perfusion and<br />
oxygenation are impaired by folate deficiency<br />
in rat: absolute measurements with noninvasive<br />
near-infrared spectroscopy. J Cereb Blood Flow<br />
Metab. <strong>2011</strong> Mar 9.<br />
Garaulet M, et al. (including Caren Smith and<br />
Jose Ordovas) Ghrelin, Sleep Reduction and<br />
Evening Preference: Relationships to CLOCK<br />
3111 T/C SNP and Weight Loss. PLoS One.<br />
<strong>2011</strong>;6(2):e17435.<br />
Kwak JH, et al. (including Jose Ordovas) FADS<br />
gene polymorphisms in Koreans: association<br />
with omega6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in<br />
serum phospholipids, lipid peroxides, and<br />
coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Jan;214(1):94-100.<br />
Perez-Martinez P, et al. (including Jose<br />
Ordovas) Consumption of diets with different<br />
type of fat influences triacylglycerols-rich<br />
lipoproteins particle number and size during the<br />
postprandial state. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> Jan;21(1):39-45.<br />
Feitosa MF, et al. (including Jose Ordovas)<br />
Association of gene variants with lipid levels in<br />
response to fenofibrate is influenced by<br />
metabolic syndrome status. Atherosclerosis.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> Jan 21.<br />
Shen J, et al. (including Paul Jacques and Jose<br />
Ordovas) Dietary factors and incident atrial<br />
fibrillation: the Framingham Heart Study. Am J<br />
Clin Nutr. <strong>2011</strong> Feb;93(2):261-6.<br />
Van Rompay MI, et al. (including Maria Van<br />
Rompay, Carmen Castaneda Sceppa, Nicola<br />
5<br />
McKeown and Jose Ordovas) Prevalence of<br />
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among<br />
Older Puerto Rican Adults Living in<br />
Massachusetts. J Immigr Minor Health. <strong>2011</strong> Feb<br />
6.<br />
Delgado-Lista J, et al. (including Larry Parnell,<br />
Simin N. Meydani and Jose Ordovas) Interleukin<br />
1B Variant -1473G/C (rs1143623) Influences<br />
Triglyceride and Interleukin 6 Metabolism. J Clin<br />
Endocrinol Metab. <strong>2011</strong> Feb 9.<br />
Huang T, et al. (including Jimmy Crott, Larry<br />
Parnell, Caren Smith, Jose Ordovas and Chao<br />
Qiang Lai) Interactions between genetic<br />
variants of folate metabolism genes and<br />
lifestyle affect plasma homocysteine<br />
concentrations in the Boston Puerto Rican<br />
population. Public Health Nutr. <strong>2011</strong> Feb 22:1-8.<br />
Sanchez-Moreno C, et al. (including Jose<br />
Ordovas and Caren Smith) APOA5 gene<br />
variation interacts with dietary fat intake to<br />
modulate obesity and circulating triglycerides<br />
in a Mediterranean population. J Nutr. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Mar;141(3):380-5.<br />
Smith CE, et al. (including Caren Smith and<br />
Jose Ordovas) Apolipoprotein A-II<br />
polymorphism: relationships to behavioural and<br />
hormonal mediators of obesity. Int J Obes<br />
(Lond). <strong>2011</strong> Mar 8.<br />
Zachariah JP, et al. (including Jose Ordovas)<br />
Circulating plasma cholesteryl ester transfer<br />
protein activity and blood pressure tracking in<br />
the community. J Hypertens. <strong>2011</strong> Mar 22.<br />
Huang T, et al. (including Jimmy Crott, Larry<br />
Parnell, Caren Smith, Jose Ordovas and Chao<br />
Qiang Lai) Methylenetetrahydrofolate<br />
reductase variants associated with<br />
hypertension and cardiovascular disease<br />
interact with dietary polyunsaturated Fatty<br />
acids to modulate plasma homocysteine in<br />
puerto rican adults. J Nutr. <strong>2011</strong> Apr;141(4):654-<br />
9.
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
Wang CS, et al. (including Xiang-Dong Wang)<br />
Clinical efficacy and immunological changes<br />
in children with allergic rhinitis receiving specific<br />
immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides<br />
pteronyssinus. Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing<br />
Wai Ke Za Zhi. <strong>2011</strong> Jan;46(1):36-9.<br />
Mein JR, et al. (including Greg Dolnikowski and<br />
Xiang-Dong Wang) Enzymatic formation of<br />
apo-carotenoids from the xanthophyll<br />
carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and β-<br />
cryptoxanthin by ferret carotene-9',10'-<br />
monooxygenase. Arch Biochem Biophys. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Feb 1;506(1):109-21.<br />
Liu C, et al. (including Chun Liu and Xiang-<br />
Dong Wang) Beta-Cryptoxanthin<br />
supplementation prevents cigarette smokeinduced<br />
lung inflammation, oxidative damage<br />
and squamous metaplasia in ferrets. Cancer<br />
Prev Res (Phila). <strong>2011</strong> Mar 18.<br />
Fielding RA, et al. (including Roger Fielding and<br />
Christine Liu) Exercise as an Intervention for<br />
Frailty. Clin Geriatr Med. <strong>2011</strong> Feb;27(1):101-10.<br />
Rivas D, et al. (including Donato Rivas, Evan<br />
Morris and Roger Fielding) Lipogenic regulators<br />
are elevated with age and chronic overload in<br />
rat skeletal muscle. Acta Physiologica. <strong>2011</strong><br />
March. Accepted Article.<br />
Scofield DE, et al. (including Gregory Cloutier<br />
and Roger Fielding) A novel, non-invasive<br />
transdermal fluid sampling methodology; IGF-I<br />
measurement following aerobic exercise. Am J<br />
Physiol. <strong>2011</strong> March 9. Accepted Article.<br />
Clark DJ, et al. (including Roger Fielding)<br />
Neuromuscular Contributions to Age-Related<br />
Weakness. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. <strong>2011</strong><br />
March 17.<br />
Choi SJ, et al. (including Roger Fielding)<br />
Eccentric contraction-induced injury to type I,<br />
IIa, and IIa/IIx muscle fibers of elderly adults.<br />
Age (Dordr). <strong>2011</strong> Mar 24.<br />
Chiu, C-J et al. (including Chung-Jung Chiu<br />
and Allen Taylor) Informing food choices and<br />
health outcomes by use of the dietary<br />
glycemic index. Nutr Revs. 1 March <strong>2011</strong>.<br />
Chiu, C-J., et al. (Including Chung-Jung Chiu<br />
and Allen Taylor) Dietary hyperglycemia,<br />
glycemic index and age-related metabolic<br />
retinal diseases. Prog Ret Eye Res. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Jan;30(1):18-53.<br />
Ong KT, et al. (including Andrew Greenberg)<br />
Adipose triglyceride lipase is a major hepatic<br />
lipase that regulates triacylglycerol turnover<br />
and fatty acid signaling and parititioning.<br />
Hepatology. Jan <strong>2011</strong>;53(1):116-26.<br />
Perfield JW, et al. (including Eugene Chang,<br />
Yunkyoung Lee, Martin Obin, Andrew<br />
Greenberg and Chen Xie) Tumor Progression<br />
Locus 2 (TPL2) Regulates Obesity-Associated<br />
Inflammation and Insulin Resistance. Diabetes.<br />
<strong>2011</strong> Feb 23.<br />
Ranjit S, et al. (including Andrew Greenberg)<br />
Regulation of fat specific protein 27 by<br />
isoproterenol and TNF-α to control lipolysis in<br />
murine adipocytes. J Lipid Res. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Feb;52(2):221-36.<br />
Kovsan J,et al. (including Andrew Greenberg)<br />
Altered autophagy in human adipose tissues in<br />
obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Feb;96(2):E268-77.<br />
Murphy G, et al. (including Jacob Selhub)<br />
Prospective study of serum cysteine levels and<br />
oesophageal and gastric cancers in China.<br />
Gut. <strong>2011</strong> Jan 27. Epub ahead of print.<br />
Pickell L, et al. (including Jacob Selhub) High<br />
intake of folic acid disrupts embryonic<br />
development in mice. Birth Defects Res A Clin<br />
Mol Teratol. <strong>2011</strong> Jan;91(1):8-19.<br />
Le Marchand, et al. (including Jacob Selhub)<br />
Association of plasma vitamin B6 with risk of<br />
colorectal adenoma in a multiethnic case-<br />
6
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
control study. Cancer Causes Control. <strong>2011</strong> Mar<br />
25.<br />
Bull CF, et al. (including Jimmy Crott)<br />
Application and adaptation of the in vitro<br />
micronucleus assay for the assessment of<br />
nutritional requirements of cells for DNA<br />
damage prevention. Mutagenesis. <strong>2011</strong><br />
Jan;26(1):193-7.<br />
Flood A, et al. (including Zhenhua Liu and Joel<br />
Mason) Concentration of folate in colorectal<br />
tissue biopsies predicts prevalence of<br />
adenomatous polyps. Gut. <strong>2011</strong> Jan;60(1):66-<br />
72.<br />
French M, et al. (including Jimmy Crott)<br />
Molecular mechanism of micronucleus,<br />
nucleoplasmic bridge and nuclear bud<br />
formation in mammalian and human cells.<br />
Mutagenesis. <strong>2011</strong> Jan;26(1):125-32.<br />
Tong SY, et al. (including Sang-Woon Choi)<br />
Common polymorphisms in<br />
methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene<br />
are associated with risks of cervical<br />
intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer in<br />
women with low serum folate and vitamin B12.<br />
Cancer Causes Control. <strong>2011</strong> Jan;22(1):63-72.<br />
Tomaszewski JJ, et al. (including Joel Mason)<br />
Increased cancer cell proliferation in prostate<br />
cancer patients with high levels of serum folate.<br />
Prostate. <strong>2011</strong> Feb 9. Epub ahead of print.<br />
** We will continue to solicit information<br />
regarding publications for the next newsletter **<br />
7