Round 8: 2019-2020 Multi-Institutional Pilot Projects
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PI & Institution |
Peter Katzmarzyk, PhD, Pennington Biomedical |
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Project Title |
Obesity, Health Disparities and Cancer Risk in Louisiana |
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Abstract |
The long-term goal of this project is to increase our understanding of the association between obesity and cancer in our high-risk, underserved Louisiana population, and to identify the roles of sex, race and cancer genes in modifying this association. The aim of this project is to link data from approximately 19,000 participants in the Pennington Center Longitudinal Study (66% White, 34% African American) to the National Death Index and the Louisiana Tumor Registry to investigate associations among adiposity and cancer mortality and incidence. A further goal is to test selected participants for cancer genes to explore how their genetics modify associations between obesity and cancer. This work will be accomplished through a partnership between the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. The results will provide new information on cancer biology and identify new ways to improve cancer prevention and survival. |
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PI & Institution |
David Welsh, MD, LSUHSC-New Orleans |
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Project Title |
Confluent Disparities in Modifiable Health Behaviors in People Living with HIV throughout Louisiana |
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Abstract |
The long-term goal of our research collaborative is to mitigate the disparities in adverse health behaviors in people living with HIV (PLWH) in order to reduce comorbidities and poor health outcomes. The overall objective of this proposal is to generate sufficient preliminary data, and to establish a research collaborative, to support a successful federal research funding application to test interventions targeting confluent adverse health behaviors in order to improve the health of PLWH. Our hypothesis is that interventions designed to reduce smoking and other substance use, increase physical activity, and/or modify dietary selection will reduce comorbidity in PLWH. We will study this in HIV-specific clinics in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. An improved understanding of the interrelatedness of these behaviors, and the barriers to implementation of treatment, will inform interventions that offer the potential to significantly improve the health and quality of life of PLWH. |
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PI & Institution |
David McDougal, PhD, Pennington Biomedical |
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Project Title |
Evaluating glial acetate metabolism as a biomarker of hypoglycemic complications in patients with type 1 diabetes: A proof of concept study |
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Abstract |
Hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) is a condition commonly developed in diabetic patients, which often causes life threatening bouts of hypoglycemia. These hypoglycemic crises are a significant impediment to the maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes. HAAF is thought to be driven by cellular or metabolic adaptations in the brain which alters its response to hypoglycemia. Cross-sectional studies have previously demonstrated an association between glial acetate metabolism (GAM) and susceptibility to hypoglycemia. The PIs prior study, GLIMpSE, was the first interventional study that demonstrated that exposure to hypoglycemia would lead to increases in GAM. Furthermore, these data demonstrated that GAM was predictive of susceptibility to future hypoglycemic events, and thus showed promise as a biomarker. The current proposal will build on these preliminary findings to further investigate the relationship between GAM and hypoglycemia in a targeted patient population known to experience treatment-induced hypoglycemia, individuals with T1DM. |