Teeth and heavyset kids: Intervention similarities between childhood obesity and oral health interventions within Native American societies

A systematic literature review was conducted focusing on childhood obesity and oral health interventions which may have relevance to Native American children, their families, and their communities. Childhood obesity and oral health have become a significant problem across Indian Country. Subsequently, a number of oral health and obesity interventions are emerging developed for ethnic minority populations including Native Americans. The objective of this review was to determine best practices of various obesity and oral health interventions used with Native youth. The review found a number of prevalence related studies showing both health conditions were concerns within Native American societies (n=94). A small portion of these studies were intervention studies linking these co-occurring conditions (n=26). Findings also discovered a dearth of oral health interventions whereas the majority was obesity focused. Findings indicated that interventions focused on multi-year environmental modifications. These included culturally tailored adaptations to intervention techniques and environmental medications that promoted healthy eating in school based delivery systems. These included food preparation education, inclusion of family, and structured physical education. Other findings showed policy intervention in both oral health and obesity arena were helpful at the community level

The Nanostructure of Myoendothelial Junctions Contributes to Signal Rectification between Endothelial and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Micro-anatomical structures in tissues have potential physiological effects. In arteries and arterioles smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells are separated by the internal elastic lamina, but the two cell layers often make contact through micro protrusions called myoendothelial junctions. Cross talk between the two cell layers is important in regulating blood pressure and flow. We have used a spatiotemporal mathematical model to investigate how the myoendothelial junctions affect the information flow between the two cell layers. The geometry of the model mimics the structure of the two cell types and the myoendothelial junction. The model is implemented as a 2D axi-symmetrical model and solved using the finite element method. We have simulated diffusion of Ca2+ and IP3 between the two cell types and we show that the micro-anatomical structure of the myoendothelial junction in itself may rectify a signal between the two cell layers. The rectification is caused by the asymmetrical structure of the myoendothelial junction. Because the head of the myoendothelial junction is separated from the cell it is attached to by a narrow neck region, a signal generated in the neighboring cell can easily drive a concentration change in the head of the myoendothelial protrusion. Subsequently the signal can be amplified in the head, and activate the entire cell. In contrast, a signal in the cell from which the myoendothelial junction originates will be attenuated and delayed in the neck region as it travels into the head of the myoendothelial junction and the neighboring cell

CMS-G from Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima is maintained in natural populations despite containing an atypical cytochrome c oxidase

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Less is more: minimal expression of myoendothelial gap junctions optimizes cell-cell communication in virtual arterioles.

Dysfunctional electrical signalling within the arteriolar wall is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. The endothelial cell (EC) layer constitutes the primary electrical pathway, coordinating contraction of the overlying smooth muscle cell (SMC) layer. As myoendothelial gap junctions (MEGJs) provide direct contact between the cell layers, proper vasomotor responses are thought to depend on a high, uniform MEGJ density. However, MEGJs are observed to be heterogeneously expressed within and among vascular beds. This discrepancy is addressed in the present study. As no direct measures of MEGJ conductance exist, we employed a computational modelling approach to vary the number, conductance, and distribution of MEGJs. Our simulations demonstrate that a minimal number of randomly distributed MEGJs augment arteriolar cell-cell communication by increasing conduction efficiency and ensuring appropriate membrane potential responses in SMCs. We show that electrical coupling between SMCs must be tailored to the particular MEGJ distribution. Finally, observation of non-decaying mechanical conduction in arterioles without regeneration has been a long-standing controversy in the microvascular field. As heterogeneous MEGJ distributions provide for different conduction profiles along the cell layers, we demonstrate that a non-decaying conduction profile is possible in the SMC layer of a vessel with passive electrical properties. These intriguing findings redefine the concept of efficient electrical communication in the microcirculation, illustrating how heterogeneous properties, ubiquitous in biological systems, may have a profound impact on system behaviour and how acute local and global flow control is explained from the biophysical foundations