Publications by authors named "J M Kouba"

CKD affects approximately half of US adults aged 65 years and older and accounts for almost 1 out of every 4 dollars of total Medicare fee-for-service spending. Efforts to prevent or slow CKD progression are urgently needed to reduce the incidence of kidney failure and reduce health care expenditures. Current CKD care guidelines recommend medical nutrition therapy (MNT), a personalized, evidence-based application of the Nutrition Care Process (assessment, intervention, diagnosis, and monitoring and evaluation) provided by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) to help slow CKD progression, improve quality of life, and delay kidney failure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Grasses are widespread and their pollen diversity affects allergic reactions, with recent studies using eDNA metabarcoding revealing that specific grass subfamilies dominate pollen exposure in different seasons and climates.
  • The study collected airborne pollen samples across subtropical and temperate regions over two seasons from 2017 to 2019, finding distinct patterns in grass pollen dominance, with Panicoid grasses prevalent in subtropical and temperate areas, while Chloridoid grasses were more common in subtropical locations.
  • The timing of pollen types was linked to seasonal changes, showing that eDNA analysis provides valuable insights into pollen distribution and its relationship with grass species in varying climate zones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

eDNA metabarcoding is an emergent tool to inform aerobiome complexity, but few studies have applied this technology with real-world environmental pollen monitoring samples. Here we apply eDNA metabarcoding to assess seasonal and regional differences in the composition of airborne pollen from routine samples collected across successive years. Airborne pollen concentrations over two sampling periods were determined using a continuous flow volumetric impaction air sampler in sub-tropical (Mutdapilly and Rocklea) and temperate (Macquarie Park and Richmond), sites of Australia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To determine the efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation in reducing depressive symptoms in women with type 2 diabetes (T2D), depression, and low vitamin D.

Methods: In this double-blind randomized active comparator-controlled trial, women with significant depressive symptoms as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale received weekly oral vitamin D supplementation (50,000 IU) or an active comparator (5,000 IU) for 6 months. Assessments of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D], and depression were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Heat storage efficiency is required to maximize the potential of combined heat and power generation or renewable energy sources for heating. Using a phase change material (PCM) could be an attractive choice in several instances. Commercially available paraffin-based PCM was investigated using T-history method with sufficient agreement with the data from the manufacturer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF