T1R3: A human calcium taste receptor

Many animals can detect the taste of calcium but it is unclear how or whether humans have this ability. We show here that calcium activates hTAS1R3-transfected HEK293 cells and that this response is attenuated by lactisole, an inhibitor of hT1R3. Moreover, trained volunteers report that lactisole reduces the calcium intensity of calcium lactate. Thus, humans can detect calcium by taste, T1R3 is a receptor responsible for this, and lactisole can reduce the taste perception of calcium by acting on T1R3

Tecnologias de enfermagem para promoção do aleitamento materno: revisão integrativa da literatura Tecnologías de enfermería para promover la lactancia materna: revisión integradora Nursing technologies to promote breastfeeding: integrative literature review

Objetivou-se realizar uma revisão integrativa da literatura sobre os tipos de tecnologias que o enfermeiro tem desenvolvido ou que o mesmo poderia utilizar para a promoção do aleitamento materno. Realizou-se em outubro de 2009 uma busca com os descritores aleitamento materno (breastfeeding), enfermagem (nursing) e tecnologia (technology) nas bases: CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed e LILACS. Encontraram-se 127 referências, das quais dez participaram da análise por atenderem aos critérios de seleção do estudo. Verificou-se que a maioria dos estudos (6 - 60%) foi encontrada no Pubmed, na língua inglesa (8 - 80%) e não citou o tipo de estudo (4 - 40%). Identificaram-se 13 tipos de tecnologias para o cuidado, classificadas como dura (8 - 61,5%) e leve (5 - 38,5%), cujo principal público-alvo foi mães de crianças (9 - 90%), sendo a tecnologia mais utilizada o vídeo/filmagem (4 - 40%). Assim, deve-se estimular o uso de tecnologias, sobretudo as consideradas leves e leves-duras, por serem práticas, facilmente desenvolvidas e aplicáveis.<br>El objetivo fue hacer una revisión integradora sobre los tipos de tecnologías que el enfermero ha desarrollado o que lo mismo podrá utilizarse para la promoción de la lactancia materna. Llevado a cabo en octubre de 2009 por meio de una búsqueda con los descriptores: lactancia materna (breastfeeding), enfermería (nursing) y tecnología (technology) en las bases: CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed y LILACS. Se han encontrado 127 referencias, de las cuales diez participaron del análisis por cumpriren los criterios de selección del estudio. Se encontró que la mayoría (60 - 60%) de los estudios fue encontrada en PubMed, en inglés (80 - 80%) y no se mencionó el tipo de estudio (4 - 40%). Se identificaron trece tipos de tecnologías para el cuidado, clasificadas como dura (8 a 61,5%) y leve (5 a 38,5%), cuyo principal público fue las madres de los niños (90-90%), y la tecnología más utilizada fue de vídeo / cine (4 - 40%). Por lo tanto, se debe fomentar el uso de tecnologías, sobretodo las consideradas leves y leves-dura, porque son prácticas, fácilmente desarrolladas y aplicables.<br>This paper aims to accomplish an integrative literature review on the types of technologies that nurses have developed or that they could use to promote breastfeeding. A research was carried out in October 2009 using the descriptors: breastfeeding, nursing and technology, in the CINAHL, Scopus, PubMed and LILACS databases. 127 references were found, 10 of them participated in the analysis for they fit the study selection criteria. It was verified that most (6 - 60%) of the studies were found in Pubmed, in English (8 - 80%) and didn't mention the study type (4 - 40%). Thirteen types of care technologies were identified, classified as hard (8 - 61.5%) and soft (5 - 38.5%), the main target audience was formed by children's mothers (9 - 90%), with the video/footage as the most used technology (4 - 40%). The use of soft and soft-hard technologies should be stimulated, for they are considered practical, easily developable and appliable

Afferent neurotransmission mediated by hemichannels in mammalian taste cells

In mammalian taste buds, ionotropic P2X receptors operate in gustatory nerve endings to mediate afferent inputs. Thus, ATP secretion represents a key aspect of taste transduction. Here, we characterized individual vallate taste cells electrophysiologically and assayed their secretion of ATP with a biosensor. Among electrophysiologically distinguishable taste cells, a population was found that released ATP in a manner that was Ca(2+) independent but voltage-dependent. Data from physiological and pharmacological experiments suggested that ATP was released from taste cells via specific channels, likely to be connexin or pannexin hemichannels. A small fraction of ATP-secreting taste cells responded to bitter compounds, indicating that they express taste receptors, their G-protein-coupled and downstream transduction elements. Single cell RT–PCR revealed that ATP-secreting taste cells expressed gustducin, TRPM5, PLCβ2, multiple connexins and pannexin 1. Altogether, our data indicate that tastant-responsive taste cells release the neurotransmitter ATP via a non-exocytotic mechanism dependent upon the generation of an action potential