Background: The medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor (Tv, Turkey Tail) is often prepared for co... more Background: The medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor (Tv, Turkey Tail) is often prepared for consumption as a powder from the fungal mycelium and the fermented substrate on which it grew. The goal for this study was to evaluate the immune-modulating properties of the mycelium versus the fermented substrate, to document whether an important part of the immune-activating effects resides in the metabolically fermented substrate. Methods: Tv mycelium was cultured on rice flour. The mycelium and the fermented substrate were mechanically separated, dried, and milled. The initial substrate served as a control. Aqueous fractions were extracted and passed through 0.22-μm filters. The remaining solids were passed through homogenization spin columns without filtration. The aqueous and solid fractions of the initial substrate (IS), the fermented substrate (FS), and the Trametes versicolor mycelium (TvM) were tested for immune-activating and modulating activities on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures, to examine expression of the CD69 activation marker on lymphocytes versus monocytes, and on the T, NKT, and NK lymphocyte subsets. Culture supernatants were tested for cytokines using Luminex arrays. Results: Both aqueous and solid fractions of TvM triggered robust induction of CD69 on lymphocytes and monocytes, whereas FS only triggered minor induction of CD69, and IS had no activating effect. The aqueous extract of TvM had stronger activating effects than the solid fraction. In contrast, the solid fraction of IS triggered a reduction in CD69, below levels on untreated cells. Both aqueous and solid fractions of FS triggered large and dose-dependent increases in immune-activating proinflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6), anti-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10), anti-viral cytokines interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-alpha (MIP-1α), as well as Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8). TvM triggered more modest cytokine increases. The aqueous extract of IS showed no effects, whereas the solid fraction showed modest effects on induction of cytokines and growth factors. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the immune-activating bioactivity of a mycelial-based medicinal mushroom preparation is a combination of the mycelium itself (including insoluble beta-glucans, and also watersoluble components), and the highly bioactive, metabolically fermented substrate, not present in the initial substrate.
Purpose: To compare three fractions of a medicinal mushroom blend (MMB), MyCommunity, on immune-a... more Purpose: To compare three fractions of a medicinal mushroom blend (MMB), MyCommunity, on immune-activation, inflammation-regulation, and induction of biomarkers involved in regenerative functions. Methods: A seventeen-species MMB was sequentially extracted: first, saline solution at ambient temperature, followed by re-extraction of the solids in ethanol, and finally resuspension of the homogenized ethanol-insoluble solids in cell-culture media. Fractions were tested on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from three healthy donors. Immunostaining, flowcytometry, and Luminex protein-arrays measured immune-cell activation and cytokine response. Dose-responses for induction of the CD69 early activation marker and individual cytokine and growth-factor responses for each donor were evaluated. The CD69 and the combined cytokine and growth-factor results were subjected to Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and multivariate ordination to aid interpretation of the aggregate immune response and pairwise permutational MANOVA on a distance-matrix to evaluate statistical differences between treatments on pooled data from all donors. Results: Differential effects were induced by water-soluble, ethanol-soluble, and insoluble immunomodulatory compounds of the MMB. The aqueous and ethanol fractions upregulated expression of CD69 on all tested cell types. Monocyte-activation was correlated with the ethanol fraction, while NKT and non-NK non-T cell-activation was more closely correlated with the aqueous fraction. The solid fraction was the most potent inducer of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, as well as the anti-viral cytokines interferon-γ, MCP-1 (CCL-2), MIP-1α (CCL-3), and MIP-1β (CCL-4), and induced G-CSF and b-FGF-growth-factors involved in regenerative functions-and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-1ra. Conclusion: The aqueous, ethanol, and insoluble compounds within MMB induced differential immune-activating, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects. This in vitro data suggests that, upon consumption, MMB may induce a concerted series of immunomodulatory events based on the differential solubility and bioavailability of the active constituents. These differential responses support both immune-activation and resolution of the host defense-induced inflammatory reactions, thus assisting a post-response return to homeostasis.
Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects American Indian/Alaska Native populations and, despite... more Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects American Indian/Alaska Native populations and, despite clinical nutrition and lifestyle intervention programs, the disease continues to be a rapidly growing problem in tribal communities. Ethnobotanical education programs hold promise for diabetes prevention efforts as they not only provide valuable and applicable information pertaining to individual self-care, but serve to reconnect native people to traditions and cultural heritage. By healing generational trauma and reconnecting people to their communities and cultural heritage, ethnobotanical education programs have the capacity to potentially alleviate the burden of diabetes in tribal communities. A key feature of these programs is the utilization of stories and cultural narratives. Stories relay a worldview of the fundamental interconnectedness of nature and culture and allow individuals to structure new meanings of their experiences of health and illness. What follows is a qualitative case study of the Traditional Foods and Medicines Program at the Northwest Indian Treatment Center in Elma, WA, which utilizes culturally grounded traditional knowledge to educate about health and heal cultural identity.
But aside from the intellectual discourses the Cyborg has aroused, the Cyborg has implanted its l... more But aside from the intellectual discourses the Cyborg has aroused, the Cyborg has implanted its little bionic self into the popular Western imagination. The Cyborg is Joe Schmo’s posthuman. I I would leave Joe’s posthuman constructs in peace if it weren’t for one thing: The Joe Schmos of the world are imposing their Cyborgian future onto the rest of the population by developing technologies and social structures, such as biotechnologies, genetic modification, microchips, that greatly affect human and other life forms.
If we hear all these voices telling us “Cyborg = future”, then that becomes ingrained in our thinking. This paper begin to deconstruct the mythic cyborg and argues for diversity in posthumanist imaginings.
A presentation on the paradoxical nature of complex systems, and how to harness paradoxes to make... more A presentation on the paradoxical nature of complex systems, and how to harness paradoxes to make logical leaps and glean insights into the issue at hand. For this talk, I discussed a case study and my experience with the 'Tradition is Innovation' paradox.
Background: The medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor (Tv, Turkey Tail) is often prepared for co... more Background: The medicinal mushroom Trametes versicolor (Tv, Turkey Tail) is often prepared for consumption as a powder from the fungal mycelium and the fermented substrate on which it grew. The goal for this study was to evaluate the immune-modulating properties of the mycelium versus the fermented substrate, to document whether an important part of the immune-activating effects resides in the metabolically fermented substrate. Methods: Tv mycelium was cultured on rice flour. The mycelium and the fermented substrate were mechanically separated, dried, and milled. The initial substrate served as a control. Aqueous fractions were extracted and passed through 0.22-μm filters. The remaining solids were passed through homogenization spin columns without filtration. The aqueous and solid fractions of the initial substrate (IS), the fermented substrate (FS), and the Trametes versicolor mycelium (TvM) were tested for immune-activating and modulating activities on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures, to examine expression of the CD69 activation marker on lymphocytes versus monocytes, and on the T, NKT, and NK lymphocyte subsets. Culture supernatants were tested for cytokines using Luminex arrays. Results: Both aqueous and solid fractions of TvM triggered robust induction of CD69 on lymphocytes and monocytes, whereas FS only triggered minor induction of CD69, and IS had no activating effect. The aqueous extract of TvM had stronger activating effects than the solid fraction. In contrast, the solid fraction of IS triggered a reduction in CD69, below levels on untreated cells. Both aqueous and solid fractions of FS triggered large and dose-dependent increases in immune-activating proinflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6), anti-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10), anti-viral cytokines interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-alpha (MIP-1α), as well as Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8). TvM triggered more modest cytokine increases. The aqueous extract of IS showed no effects, whereas the solid fraction showed modest effects on induction of cytokines and growth factors. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the immune-activating bioactivity of a mycelial-based medicinal mushroom preparation is a combination of the mycelium itself (including insoluble beta-glucans, and also watersoluble components), and the highly bioactive, metabolically fermented substrate, not present in the initial substrate.
Purpose: To compare three fractions of a medicinal mushroom blend (MMB), MyCommunity, on immune-a... more Purpose: To compare three fractions of a medicinal mushroom blend (MMB), MyCommunity, on immune-activation, inflammation-regulation, and induction of biomarkers involved in regenerative functions. Methods: A seventeen-species MMB was sequentially extracted: first, saline solution at ambient temperature, followed by re-extraction of the solids in ethanol, and finally resuspension of the homogenized ethanol-insoluble solids in cell-culture media. Fractions were tested on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from three healthy donors. Immunostaining, flowcytometry, and Luminex protein-arrays measured immune-cell activation and cytokine response. Dose-responses for induction of the CD69 early activation marker and individual cytokine and growth-factor responses for each donor were evaluated. The CD69 and the combined cytokine and growth-factor results were subjected to Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and multivariate ordination to aid interpretation of the aggregate immune response and pairwise permutational MANOVA on a distance-matrix to evaluate statistical differences between treatments on pooled data from all donors. Results: Differential effects were induced by water-soluble, ethanol-soluble, and insoluble immunomodulatory compounds of the MMB. The aqueous and ethanol fractions upregulated expression of CD69 on all tested cell types. Monocyte-activation was correlated with the ethanol fraction, while NKT and non-NK non-T cell-activation was more closely correlated with the aqueous fraction. The solid fraction was the most potent inducer of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, as well as the anti-viral cytokines interferon-γ, MCP-1 (CCL-2), MIP-1α (CCL-3), and MIP-1β (CCL-4), and induced G-CSF and b-FGF-growth-factors involved in regenerative functions-and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-1ra. Conclusion: The aqueous, ethanol, and insoluble compounds within MMB induced differential immune-activating, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects. This in vitro data suggests that, upon consumption, MMB may induce a concerted series of immunomodulatory events based on the differential solubility and bioavailability of the active constituents. These differential responses support both immune-activation and resolution of the host defense-induced inflammatory reactions, thus assisting a post-response return to homeostasis.
Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects American Indian/Alaska Native populations and, despite... more Type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects American Indian/Alaska Native populations and, despite clinical nutrition and lifestyle intervention programs, the disease continues to be a rapidly growing problem in tribal communities. Ethnobotanical education programs hold promise for diabetes prevention efforts as they not only provide valuable and applicable information pertaining to individual self-care, but serve to reconnect native people to traditions and cultural heritage. By healing generational trauma and reconnecting people to their communities and cultural heritage, ethnobotanical education programs have the capacity to potentially alleviate the burden of diabetes in tribal communities. A key feature of these programs is the utilization of stories and cultural narratives. Stories relay a worldview of the fundamental interconnectedness of nature and culture and allow individuals to structure new meanings of their experiences of health and illness. What follows is a qualitative case study of the Traditional Foods and Medicines Program at the Northwest Indian Treatment Center in Elma, WA, which utilizes culturally grounded traditional knowledge to educate about health and heal cultural identity.
But aside from the intellectual discourses the Cyborg has aroused, the Cyborg has implanted its l... more But aside from the intellectual discourses the Cyborg has aroused, the Cyborg has implanted its little bionic self into the popular Western imagination. The Cyborg is Joe Schmo’s posthuman. I I would leave Joe’s posthuman constructs in peace if it weren’t for one thing: The Joe Schmos of the world are imposing their Cyborgian future onto the rest of the population by developing technologies and social structures, such as biotechnologies, genetic modification, microchips, that greatly affect human and other life forms.
If we hear all these voices telling us “Cyborg = future”, then that becomes ingrained in our thinking. This paper begin to deconstruct the mythic cyborg and argues for diversity in posthumanist imaginings.
A presentation on the paradoxical nature of complex systems, and how to harness paradoxes to make... more A presentation on the paradoxical nature of complex systems, and how to harness paradoxes to make logical leaps and glean insights into the issue at hand. For this talk, I discussed a case study and my experience with the 'Tradition is Innovation' paradox.
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If we hear all these voices telling us “Cyborg = future”, then that becomes ingrained in our thinking. This paper begin to deconstruct the mythic cyborg and argues for diversity in posthumanist imaginings.
If we hear all these voices telling us “Cyborg = future”, then that becomes ingrained in our thinking. This paper begin to deconstruct the mythic cyborg and argues for diversity in posthumanist imaginings.