Background: Dietary fiber has been consistently associated with beneficial effects on body composition and insulin resistance in humans, potentially acting through alterations in the gut microbiota. Murine studies have shown fiber to be able to mitigate antibiotic-induced gut microbial perturbations and subsequent insulin resistance.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of a short-term antibiotic cycle on glucose control. Furthermore, we will also explore potential associations between dietary fiber intake, glucose control, and body composition.

Methods: This preliminary analysis, derived from a larger randomized controlled trial, prospectively evaluated 11 adults with overweight or obesity, lacking a diabetes diagnosis. Glucose control and insulin resistance, measured via serum, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA index, were analyzed before and after a short-term antibiotic course (Vancomycin 500 mg/8h for 3 days) and analyzed at Bioreference Laboratories. Total dietary fiber intake was measured through 24h dietary records collected over six days and analyzed using ESHA Food Processor Nutrition Analysis Software. Body composition was evaluated through DEXA and BodPod scans at the TCU Applied Metabolic & Physiology Lab. SPSS was utilized for all statistical analyses. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A 3-day antibiotic cycle of Vancomycin caused a significant increase in fasting insulin 1.50 + 2.08 (p=0.037) and fasting glucose 5.67 + 1.53 (p=0.023), but not HOMA-IR 0.17 + 0.38. No significant correlations were found between fiber intake and chronic glucose control, antibiotic-induced glucose control changes, insulin resistance, or body composition. Participants consumed an average 15.58 grams of fiber per day with females (n=6) meeting 65.5% of fiber RDA for females (25 g/day) and males (n=5) meeting 38.5% of RDA (38 g/day).

Conclusion: The outcomes of this study illustrate the ability of a short-term antibiotic cycle, specifically Vancomycin, to induce harmful effects on glucose control in humans. These findings highlight the need for further research into understanding accumulated exposure risk as well as methods for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-induced metabolic disruption.

Since the ancient times, a common pigment used for expression in clothes and art was egyptian blue (EB). Today, instead of using this cuprous silicate as a way for one’s personal expression, we will provide reasons why this pigment can be used as a novel bioimaging agent for cell work. Finding another bioimaging agent for cell-use is always an advantage because each agent supplies their own advantages when working in cells. So the more agents we have in our possession, the more angles we can take on a problem. To be considered a bioimaging agent, it needs to dissolve in polar solvents (mainly water), be non-toxic, and display fluorescence in the near-infrared range of the optical spectrum. EB has all three of these properties with the right preparation. Sonicating EB reduces their size to become extremely small sheets, which increases interaction with water molecules to ultimately allow the sheets to dissolve within the water solvent. These sheets are on the nanoscale, so they will be referred to as EB nanosheets (EBNS). EBNS fluoresce in the near infrared and have no history of being toxic. EBNS have the capability of emitting more photons per photons absorbed compared to most materials (high quantum number). This novel material also does not quench fluorescently as easily as other agents due to its copper atoms. EBNS have strong Raman vibrational modes that can help image cells too. We want to highlight why EBNS can be an effective platform for future bioimaging applications and ultimately, cancer imaging/treatment applications.

We introduce a structural method used for quantifying the spatial heterogeneity(or clumpiness) of viral syncytial cells in a transfected bioassay. The solution lies in an inter-disciplinary process based on simplicial topology being applied to a biological system. Our method revolves around using topological theories including Delaunay Tessellations and Voronoi Graphs to signify cell-cell interaction probability. The main emphasis is the subset of Delaunay Tessellation called Alpha Shapes. By applying a filtration to the overall Delaunay Tessellation, we can obtain unique Alpha Shapes that have cell-cell interactions removed. The emphasis of the filtration is to find the correct shape where there were no connection crossing syncytia, only between healthy neighborhoods of cells. The process allows for the associated alpha number to be assigned to the clumpiness. Alpha numbers can then be used to separate different bioassays, or quantify temporal changes found in a single viral transfection due to syncytia.

Massive stars die through powerful supernova explosions, which produce clouds of gaseous debris that can be propelled to the outskirts of the galaxy. The material on the outer edge is more vulnerable to processes occurring in the environment. These processes pull and tug the debris and can form a gaseous stream flowing from the galaxy. One prominent example in the night sky is the Magellanic Stream (MS), which flows out of our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, we are examining the absorption features of light from background stars that pass through the gaseous material of the MS enabling us to measure its physical properties. We traced the small-scale motion of the neutral hydrogen gas using emission-line data from the Galactic All-Sky Survey and the Galactic Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder programs to determine where the MS begins relative to the LMC. Comparing these observations, we find the MS in the absorption spectra on the nearside of the LMC between +235 ≤ vlsr ≤ +350 km/s. By investigating the physical properties of the MS, we can better understand how the environmental processes shaped its formation.

Surface defects in nano- and micro-crystals strongly affect performance of materials in applications, necessitating elucidation and control of those defects. The beta variant of gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) in nano- and microcrystalline form is attracting a strong interest due to its potential applications in such critical areas as biological therapeutics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. In our studies, β-Ga2O3 crystals are produced through a simple bottom-up hydrothermal method, which yields, as a first step, an α-GaOOH precursor, which then undergoes calcination to bear the final product. Variation of growth parameters allows for a synthesis of particles with tunable morphologies and surface structures. Optoelectronic and physicochemical properties of both α-GaOOH & β-Ga2O samples are studied by a range of experimental techniques. These investigations address, among others, the surface defect properties. We also evaluate the impact of surface defects and particle morphologies on the antibacterial action α-GaOOH.