Publications by authors named "Ashley Mulcahy Toney"

Aims: This study aimed to understand the perceptions driving type 2 diabetes mellitus prevention and management behaviours of Mexican and Latina mothers in Mexico and the United States.

Methods: Low-income Mexican mothers in San Luis Potosí, Mexico and Latina mothers in Illinois, United States, were recruited by the Holistic Obesity Prevention Study (HOPS). Verbatim transcripts of the semistructured interviews conducted in Spanish (n = 24) and English (n = 1) were analysed using the Health Belief Model (HBM) framework.

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Article Synopsis
  • Community health workers (CHWs) connect communities to healthcare providers but often face integration challenges within healthcare organizations.
  • The study interviewed 28 CHWs in Nebraska to identify barriers like immigration policies, funding, and lack of supervisor support impacting their effectiveness.
  • Findings emphasize the need for improved support and solutions to sustain the CHW workforce, highlighting their essential role in bridging community health services.
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Background: Adaptive thermogenesis is an iron-demanding pathway, significantly contributing to whole-body energy expenditure. However, the effects of iron-deficient diets on adaptive thermogenesis and obesity remain unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the impact of dietary iron deficiency on iron homeostasis in adipocytes, adaptive thermogenic capacity, and metabolic consequences in obesity.

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Urolithin A (UroA) is a gut metabolite produced from ellagic acid-containing foods such as pomegranates, berries, and walnuts. UroA is of growing interest due to its therapeutic potential for various metabolic diseases based on immunomodulatory properties. Recent advances in UroA research suggest that UroA administration attenuates inflammation in various tissues, including the brain, adipose, heart, and liver tissues, leading to the potential delay or prevention of the onset of Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Whole red raspberry polyphenols (RRW), including ellagic acid, and their gut-derived metabolite, urolithin A (UroA), attenuate inflammation and confer health benefits. Although results from recent studies indicate that polyphenols and UroA also provide neuroprotective effects, these compounds differ in their bioavailability and may, therefore, have unique effects on limiting neuroinflammation. Accordingly, we aimed to compare the neuroprotective effects of RRW and UroA on BV-2 microglia under both 3 h and 12 and 24 h inflammatory conditions.

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Objective: Urolithin A (UroA) is a major metabolite of ellagic acid produced following microbial catabolism in the gut. Emerging evidence has suggested that UroA modulates energy metabolism in various cells. However, UroA's physiological functions related to obesity and insulin resistance remain unclear.

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Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a crucial regulator of energy expenditure. Emerging evidence suggests that n-3 PUFA potentiate brown adipogenesis in vitro. Since the pregnancy and lactation is a critical time for brown fat formation, we hypothesized that maternal supplementation of n-3 PUFA promotes BAT development in offspring.

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