Graduate Theses

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    Nutritional Status Among Critically Ill Patients in Rwanda
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-09-08) Bianco, Jolene
    Rwandan hospitals do not currently provide food services to patients, as is seen in most high-income countries, and instead the responsibility lies on the patient’s caretaker to provide food for the patient. There may also not be adequate medical nutrition therapy for intensive care unit (ICU) patients at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK). This is potentially risky given the multitude of factors involved in feeding a critically ill patient in the hospital, including concerns of nutritional adequacy, food safety, and patient-specific nutrient requirements. This is of particular concern given that two recent studies conducted at the CHUK revealed sub-optimal enteral nutrition (EN) feeding practices in the ICU and emergency.
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    Exploration of infant and young child feeding knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs held by young, non-parent men in Nova Scotia
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-08) Levin, Olga
    Adherence to infant and young child feeding (IYCF) recommendations is critical for optimal child growth and development and is often influenced by sociocultural factors. Most research to date has focussed on breastfeeding alone, and usually only among future/current parents and healthcare providers. As members of the public and potential future fathers, young, non-parent men may play a role in IYCF decisions or setting social norms; however, in-depth qualitative work on this topic is limited.
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    Not first responders, but often first to respond: Canadian journalists’ use of trauma-informed approaches in reporting
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022) Dubinski, Kate
    As part of their work, journalists regularly encounter people who have experienced trauma, whether long-term and systemic or immediate, such as following the death of a loved one. Their jobs take them into the intimate lives and emotions of these people, which they then have to communicate with their audiences, and their approaches could have a harmful, neutral, or positive impact. The central purpose of this study is to investigate if journalists have an understanding of trauma-informed communication practice and how they use them when performing their daily job tasks. The study involved qualitative interviews with six working journalists in Ontario, Canada. Using grounded theory approach, the study found the journalists have a deep desire to be sensitive and empathetic to the people they encounter on the job, and that they regularly put the demands of their superiors and the (sometimes unwritten) rules of their profession second to the needs of the people they are interviewing and reporting on. Based on the responses of the participants and on an understanding of trauma-informed approaches, a series of guiding principles were formulated for newsrooms and for journalists, mindful of daily deadline pressures, the demands placed on journalists, and the need for trauma-informed approaches to tell more meaningful stories while not further harming those individuals or communities which are being reported upon.
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    Does partial reduction of added sugar in chocolate milk and yogurt benefit glycaemic response?
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-08) Gunaydin, Duygu
    Commercially available dairy products such as chocolate milk, or yogurt have added sugar (5.5% or higher of total calories) that contributes to a higher energy density of these products. The objective of this study was to investigate whether chocolate milk and yogurt with reduced sugar content have any benefits on blood glucose (BG) control in humans. We hypothesized that chocolate milk and yogurt formulated with the reduced level of added sugar will benefit mean glycaemic response of these products. Methods: Ten male and ten female aged 19-35 completed a cross-over, single-blinded, randomized study attending five sessions with one week washout between the sessions. The treatments were randomly assigned and included a serving of chocolate milk (250ml) with 3.3% (C3.3%) and 5.5% added sugar (C5.5%), a serving of yogurt (175g) with 3.3% (Y3.3%) and 5.5% added sugar (Y5.5%), and water control (250ml). Blood samples were collected and the subjective appetite rating and feeling of physical comfort were recorded at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min. Ad libitum food intake (FI) was measured with a pizza meal at 120 minutes. The changes in blood glucose, appetite and physical comfort parameters over time were analyzed with two-way ANOVA, and food intake, blood glucose and appetite AUCs, and the palatability of the treatments and pizza meal were analyzed with one-way ANOVA. The TukeyKramer post-hoc test was used for pairwise comparisons. Results: There was an effect of a treatment on blood glucose iAUC0-120min (P=0.0025). The treatments with C3.3%, C5.5% and Y5.5% resulted in a higher BG iAUC0-120min compared to water control (P<0.05), while the treatment with Y3.3% led to a similar BG iAUC0-120min as the water control (P>0.05). Additionally, all the dairy treatments resulted in a similar BG iAUC0-120min (P>0.05). All caloric treatments resulted in reduced subjective appetite compared to water control over two hours (P<0.05). There was no effect of a treatment on cumulative FI over two hours; however, there was an effect of a treatment (P=0.02) on ad libitum FI with pizza meal at 120 min. The treatments with C3.3% led to reduced FI compared to water control (P=0.02) and a similar trend was observed for the treatment with Y3.3% (P=0.05). All treatments resulted in a similar subjective rating of energy, fatigue, thirst physical and comfort parameters (P>0.05). Conclusion: The treatments with chocolate milk and yogurts with full and reduced added sugar content result in a similar glycaemic response over two hours. However, the reduction of added sugar in yogurt results in BG response similar to water control and tended to lower ad libitum FI compared to water control, while chocolate milk with reduced added sugar content results in a lower ad libitum FI compared to water control. Both chocolate milk and yogurt with reduced sugar content similarly suppress subjective appetite over two hours as their full sugar counterparts, and do not cause any physical discomfort. The reduction of added sugar does not negatively impact the sensory properties of chocolate milk and yogurt. Although the reduction of added sugar in chocolate milk and yogurt does not cardinally impact postprandial glycaemic response, both chocolate milk and yogurt with reduced added sugar content possess with unique metabolism that may position them as potential functional products for metabolic control.
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    The effect of milk proteins co-ingested with glucose on blood glucose control in rats
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-08) Desai, Devanshi
    The ingestion of whey protein (WP) leads to the reduction of postprandial blood glucose (BG) response paralleled with an increased insulin response. However, the role of glycomacropeptide (GMP), βlactoglobulin (β-LG),α-lactalbumin (α-LA), micellar casein (MC), and total milk protein (TMP) remains unclear when these proteins are consumed with a glycemic carbohydrate. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of co-ingestion of WP, GMP, β-LG, α-LA, MC and TMP with glucose on BG and insulin response in rats. We hypothesized that milk protein fractions co-ingested with glucose will reduce blood glucose response and increase insulin response compared to glucose ingested alone. Methods: A randomized repeated measures study was conducted in rats fitted with jugular vein catheters and vascular access buttons (VAB). Ten male 10-week-old 275-300g Wistar Han rats were gavaged 350mg (allometrically scaled from a human dosage of 10g) of WP, GMP, β-LG, α-LA, MC, TMP co-ingested with glucose or a glucose control dissolved in 3ml of water after being fasted for 6h during daylight. The use of a VAB allowed for the same rat to receive all seven treatments in a random order, with a 48h washout period between treatments. Blood was collected at 0, 15, and 30 min for insulin, and at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min for glucose. Whole blood was analyzed for glucose using a HemoCue 201 Glucose Analyzer, and plasma was analyzed for insulin using a wide range ELISA. The data were tested for normality and analyzed using Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA for the effect of time, treatment, and a treatment by time interaction. The data for the area under the curve (AUC) for 2h BG and 30 min insulin were analyzed with One-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA. The differences between the treatments were assessed with Tukey-Kramer post hoc test. Results: There was an effect of time (P<0.0001), a treatment by time interaction (P<0.0001) but no effect of treatment (P=0.35) over 120 min on BG response. There was an effect of time (P<0.0001), a treatment by time interaction (P<0.0001) and an effect of treatment (P=0.03) on BG response over 30 min. WP, GMP, β-LG, α-LA, TMP and MC resulted in a lower BG compared to glucose treatment at 15 and 30 min (P<0.05). Blood glucose AUC over 30 min was suppressed after WP treatment compared to glucose alone (P<0.05). There was an effect of time (P<0.0001) and a treatment by time interaction (P=0.0002) but no effect of treatment (P>0.05) on insulin response over 30 min. There was no effect of a treatment on insulin AUC over 30 min (P=0.4). Results: at the dose of 350mg WP, GMP, βLG, α-LA, MC and TMP co-ingested with glucose attenuated BG response at 15 and 30 min, and WP coingested with glucose attenuated BG response over 30 min compared to glucose alone. The co-ingestion of milk protein fractions with glucose resulted in an elevated insulin response similar to the insulin response when glucose was ingested alone.