Browsing by Author "Ware L"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Dynamic Gastrointestinal Digestion of Bovine, Caprine and Ovine Milk Reconstituted from Commercial Whole Milk Powders
(MDPI AG, 2024-05-02) Li S; Ye A; Cui J; Zhang Y; Ware L; Miller JC; Abbotts-Holmes H; Roy NC; Singh H; McNabb W; Polidori P
The global dairy market has been increasingly diversified with more dairy product offerings of milk products from different animal species. Meanwhile, milk powders remain the main exported dairy product format due to their ease of transportation. In this work, we studied the structural changes, protein hydrolysis and nutrient delivery during dynamic gastric digestion and small intestinal digestion of cow, goat and sheep milk reconstituted from commercial whole milk powders. The results show that the reconstituted milks digest similarly to processed fresh milk. The digestion behaviors of the three reconstituted ruminant milks are broadly similar (gastric coagulation, kinetics of gastric emptying of protein and fat and the high digestibility in the small intestine) with some differences, which are likely contributed by the processing history of the milk powders. The delivery of individual amino acids to the small intestine differed between the early and late stages of gastric digestion, which were primarily affected by the abundance of amino acids in caseins and whey proteins but also by the difference between milk types associated with their gastric coagulation behaviors. This work showed that powdered milk is similar to fresh processed milk in digestion behavior, and the inherent differences between ruminant milks can be modified by processing treatments.
Impact of Mānuka Honey on Symptoms and Quality of Life in Individuals With Functional Dyspepsia: Protocol for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial
(JMIR Publications, 2025-05-21) Ombasa L; Miller J; Ware L; Abbotts-Holmes H; Tang J; Gasser O; Fraser K; Bayer S; Kemp R; Costello R; Highton A; Evans J; Merry T; Schultz M; Frampton C; Gearry R; McNabb W; Roy N; Sarvestan J
Background: Functional dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal condition that reduces the quality of life and increases health care costs. The lack of well-defined causes limits effective treatments. Consumers report using mānuka honey to treat gastrointestinal symptoms, although clinical evidence supporting such use is limited. Preclinical studies suggest its unique bioactive compounds may reduce gastrointestinal inflammation. Recently, 3,6,7-trimethyllumazine (Lepteridine), a natural pteridine in mānuka honey, was shown to inhibit enzymes involved in gastrointestinal inflammation in in vitro studies. Therefore, Lepteridine-standardized mānuka honey may deliver digestive health benefits. Objective: The aim of this feasibility study is to gather the data required to estimate sample size and support study logistics to design future trials. The primary objective will be preliminary assessments of the impact of Lepteridine-standardized mānuka honey on symptom severity and the quality of life in participants with mild-to-moderate functional dyspepsia. Other feasibility objectives include assessing the biological responses to mānuka honey standardized to medium and high levels of Lepteridine and measuring mānuka honey–derived metabolites in blood and urine. Methods: This is a 3-arm, parallel, controlled, double-blind, randomized feasibility study. A total of 75 healthy adults with symptoms of functional dyspepsia (Rome IV criteria) and mild-to-moderate dyspepsia severity (Short Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire) were recruited between October 2022 and September 2023. Participants were randomized into one of three groups: (1) mānuka honey standardized to contain 10 mg/kg Lepteridine, (2) mānuka honey standardized to contain 40 mg/kg Lepteridine, or (3) honey maple flavored syrup control. After a 2-week lead-in period, participants consumed 10 g of allocated intervention twice daily for 6 weeks. Throughout the study, participants completed daily bowel movement diaries and validated weekly questionnaires about their gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life. Stool samples and 3-day diet records were collected at baseline and the end of the intervention. Blood samples were collected at baseline, weeks 2 and 4, and at the end of the intervention. In addition, 6 healthy participants without symptoms of functional dyspepsia were recruited to undergo an acute 5-hour assessment for the appearance of Lepteridine and related metabolites in plasma and urine following consumption of Lepteridine-standardized mānuka honey. The study was approved by the Northern B Health and Disability Ethics Committee. Results: Initial analysis includes 68 participants, with laboratory and data analyses being undertaken as of March 2024. The results of the primary and secondary outcomes will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Conclusions: This study will provide essential information on the potential efficacy and suitability of Lepteridine-standardized mānuka honey for designing future clinical trials investigating its effect in treating symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12622001140741p; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=384094 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/66417
Power source, data retrieval method, and attachment type affect success of dorsally mounted tracking tag deployments in 37 species of shorebirds
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Society Oikos, 2025-12-04) Weiser EL; Lanctot RB; Ruthrauff DR; Saalfeld ST; Tibbitts TL; Abad-Gómez JM; Aldabe J; de Almeida JB; Alves JA; Anderson GQA; Battley PF; Belting H; Bêty J; Bianchini K; Bishop MA; Bom RA; Bowgen K; Brown GS; Brown SC; Bugoni L; Burton NHK; Bybee DR; Carneiro C; Castresana G; Chan Y-C; Choi C-Y; Christie KS; Clark NA; Conklin JR; Cruz-López M; Dinsmore SJ; Dodd SG; Douglas DC; Eberhart-Hertel LJ; English WB; Ewing HT; Faria FA; Franks SE; Fuller RA; Gill RE; Giroux M-A; Gratto-Trevor CL; Green DJ; Green RE; Green RMW; Gunnarsson TG; Gutiérrez JS; Harrison A-L; Hartman CA; Hassell CJ; Hoepfner SA; Hooijmeijer JCEW; Johnson JA; Johnson OW; Kempenaers B; Klaassen M; Kok EMA; Krietsch J; Küpper C; Kwarteng AY; Kwon E; Lamarre J-F; Latty CJ; Lecomte N; Loonstra AHJ; Ma Z; Mander L; Marlow C; Marra PP; Masero JA; McDuffie LA; McGuire RL; Melter J; Melville DS; Méndez V; Michels TJ; Morrissey CA; Mu T; Newstead DJ; Page GW; Pierce AK; Piersma T; Repenning M; Robinson BH; Rocha AD; Rogers DI; Scarpignato AL; Schulte S; Scragg ES; Senner NR; Smith PA; Taylor AR; Taylor RC; Þórisson B; Valcu M; Verhoeven MA; Ware L; Warnock N; Weber MF; Wright LJ; Wunder MB; Shamoun-Baranes J; Bensch S
Animal-borne trackers are commonly used to study bird movements, including in long-distance migrants such as shorebirds. Selecting a tracker and attachment method can be daunting, and methodological advancements often have been made by trial and error and conveyed by word of mouth. We synthesized tracking outcomes across 2745 dorsally mounted trackers on 37 shorebird species around the world. We evaluated how attachment method, power source, data retrieval method, relative tracker mass, and biological traits affected success, where success was defined as whether or not each tag deployment reached its expected tracking duration (i.e. all aspects succeeded for the intended duration of the study: attachment, tracking, data acquisition, and bird survival). We conducted separate analyses for tag deployments with remote data retrieval (‘remote-upload tag deployments') and those that archived data and had to be recovered (‘archival tag deployments'). Among remote-upload tag deployments, those that were a lighter mass relative to the bird, were beyond their first year of production, transmitted data via satellite, or were attached with a leg-loop harness were most often successful at reaching their expected tracking duration. Archival tag deployments were most successful when applied at breeding areas, or when applied to males in any season. Remote-upload tag deployments with solar power, satellite data retrieval, or leg-loop harnesses continued tracking for longer than those with battery power, other types of data retrieval, or glue attachments. However, the majority of tag deployments failed to reach their expected tracking duration (71% of remote-upload, 83% of archival), which could have been due to tracker failure, attachment failure, or bird mortality. Our findings highlight that many tag deployments may fail to meet the goals of a study if tracking duration is crucial. Using our results, we provide guidelines for selecting a tracker and attachment to improve success at meeting study goals.