Vitamin D: Feel It in More Than Just Your Bones!
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cornfield DN
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7328251 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family have myriad functions during development of both non-vertebrate and vertebrate organisms. One of these family members, FGF10, is largely expressed in mesenchymal tissues and is essential for postnatal life because of its critical role in development of the craniofacial complex, as well as in lung branching. Here, we review the function of FGF10 in morphogenesis of craniofacial organs. Genetic mouse models have demonstrated that the dysregulation or absence of FGF10 function affects the process of palate closure, and FGF10 is also required for development of salivary and lacrimal glands, the inner ear, eye lids, tongue taste papillae, teeth, and skull bones. Importantly, mutations within the FGF10 locus have been described in connection with craniofacial malformations in humans. A detailed understanding of craniofacial defects caused by dysregulation of FGF10 and the precise mechanisms that underlie them offers new opportunities for development of medical treatments for patients with birth defects and for regenerative approaches for cancer patients with damaged gland tissues.
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Project description:While children's independent mobility (CIM) is associated with various benefits, there is evidence of a generational decline in CIM in westernized countries; therefore, it is helpful to understand how CIM is currently negotiated between children and their parents. The purpose of this study was to examine children's and parents' perspectives and negotiations of CIM within the family unit. Face-to-face interviews and walk-along interviews were conducted with parents (n = 44) and children (n = 22), respectively. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Four key preconditions were identified that facilitated negotiation of CIM within family units, including (1) the influence of parents' childhood experiences regarding their view of CIM (e.g., positive interpretations of childhood on parenting practices), (2) the role of children's individual characteristics on their independent mobility (e.g., child's confidence in their abilities), (3) family communication as a key coping strategy (parent-parent and parent-child communication), and (4) the influence of positive perceptions of the social environment on CIM. The findings suggest that CIM thrives when these conditions are present; as a result, it may be particularly helpful to develop policies and programs that support children's skill training, explore strategies to support communication between parents and children, and build neighbourhood connections.
| S-EPMC7998357 | biostudies-literature
Project description:University students represent a population that faces high risks regarding physical inactivity. Research suggests that a regular engagement in physical activity (PA) may be more likely established when it leads to the experience of subjective vitality. Subjective vitality, in turn, is more likely achieved through physical activities that individuals feel competent in, and that take place in natural outdoor environments. An activity that may fulfill these conditions is active commuting to and from university (ACU). To examine whether and in which form ACU can combine this promising pattern of aspects, a person-oriented analysis was conducted. The sample contained 484 university students (59.3% females). Leisure-time PA, ACU by walking, ACU by cycling, subjective vitality, PA-related competence and body mass index were included as input variables in a self-organizing maps analysis. For both female and male university students, the identified clusters indicated that students who intensively engaged in ACU did not exhibit subjective vitality levels above average. Consistently, they did not show elevated levels of PA-related competence, which suggests that ACU does not support the perception of their physical abilities. Considerations regarding urban university environments lacking sufficient natural elements finally add to the conclusion that engaging in ACU does not suffice to establish a vitality-supportive and thus sustainable PA behavior. Additionally, the identified clusters illustrate a large heterogeneity regarding the interaction between leisure-time PA, body mass index and subjective vitality.
| S-EPMC9223208 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We report on two independent failures to conceptually replicate findings by Ballard & Lewandowsky (Ballard and Lewandowsky 2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 373, 20140464 (doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0464)), who showed that certainty in, and concern about, projected public health issues (e.g. impacts of climate change) depend on how uncertain information is presented. Specifically, compared to a projected range of outcomes (e.g. a global rise in temperature between 1.6°C and 2.4°C) by a certain point in time (the year 2065), Ballard & Lewandowsky (Ballard and Lewandowsky 2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 373, 20140464 (doi:10.1098/rsta.2014.0464)) showed that focusing people on a certain outcome (a global rise in temperature of at least 2°C) by an uncertain time-frame (the years 2054-2083) increases certainty in the outcome, and concern about its implications. Based on two new studies that showed a null effect between the two presentation formats, however, we recommend treating the projection statements featured in these studies as equivalent, and we encourage investigators to find alternative ways to improve on existing formats to communicate uncertain information about future events.
| S-EPMC6689617 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Do we perceive fine details in the visual periphery? Here, we propose that phenomenology in the visual periphery can be characterized by an inflated sense of perceptual capacity, as observers overestimate the quality of their perceptual inputs. Distinct from the well-known perceptual phenomenon of 'filling-in' where perceptual content is generated or completed endogenously, inflation can be characterized by incorrect introspection at the subjective level. The perceptual content itself may be absent or weak (i.e. not necessarily filled-in), and yet such content is mistakenly regarded by the system as rich. Behaviourally, this can be reflected by metacognitive deficits in the degree to which confidence judgements track task accuracy, and decisional biases for observers to think particular items are present, even when they are not. In two experiments using paradigms that exploit unique attributes of peripheral vision (crowding and summary statistics), we provide evidence that both types of deficits are present in peripheral vision, as observers' reports are marked by overconfidence in discrimination judgements and high numbers of false alarms in detection judgements. We discuss potential mechanisms that may be the cause of inflation and propose future experiments to further explore this unique sensory phenomenon.This article is part of the theme issue 'Perceptual consciousness and cognitive access'.
| S-EPMC6074087 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Metallic implants show dose-modulating effects in radiotherapy and complicate its computed tomography (CT)-based planning. Dose deviations might not only affect the surrounding tissues due to backscattering and inadvertent dose increase but might also compromise the therapeutic effect to the target lesion due to beam attenuation. Later on, follow-up imaging is often obscured by metallic artefacts. Purposes: This study investigates the dosimetric impact of titanium and radiolucent carbon fiber/polyether ether ketone (CF/PEEK) implants during adjuvant radiation therapy in long bones. (1) Does the use of CF/PEEK implants allow for a more homogenous application of radiation? (2) Is the dose delivery to the target volume more efficient when using CF/PEEK implants? (3) Do CF/PEEK implants facilitate CT-based radiation therapy planning? Materials and methods: After CT-based planning, bone models of six ovine femora were irradiated within a water phantom in two immersion depths to simulate different soft-tissue envelopes. Plates and intramedullary nails of both titanium and CF/PEEK were investigated. Radiation dosage and distribution patterns were mapped using dosimetry films. Results: First, the planned implant-related beam attenuation was lower for the CF/PEEK plate (1% vs. 5%) and the CF/PEEK nail (2% vs. 9%) than for corresponding titanium implants. Secondly, the effective decrease of radiation dosage behind the implants was noticeably smaller when using CF/PEEK implants. The radiation dose was not significantly affected by the amount of surrounding soft tissues. A significant imaging artefact reduction was seen in all CF/PEEK models. Conclusion: CF/PEEK implants lead to a more reliable and more effective delivery of radiation dose to an osseous target volume. With regard to radiation therapy, the use of CF/PEEK implants appears to be particularly beneficial for intramedullary nails.
| S-EPMC7178689 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The pandemic increase in obesity is inversely associated with vitamin D levels. While a higher BMI was causally related to lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), no evidence was obtained for a BMI lowering effect by higher 25(OH)D. Some of the physiological functions of 1,25(OH)2D3 (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or calcitriol) via its receptor within the adipose tissue have been investigated such as its effect on energy balance, adipogenesis, adipokine, and cytokine secretion. Adipose tissue inflammation has been recognized as the key component of metabolic disorders, e.g., in the metabolic syndrome. The adipose organ secretes more than 260 different proteins/peptides. However, the molecular basis of the interactions of 1,25(OH)2D3, vitamin D binding proteins (VDBPs) and nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) after sequestration in adipose tissue and their regulations are still unclear. 1,25(OH)2D3 and its inactive metabolites are known to inhibit the formation of adipocytes in mouse 3T3-L1 cell line. In humans, 1,25(OH)2D3 promotes preadipocyte differentiation under cell culture conditions. Further evidence of its important functions is given by VDR knock out (VDR(-/-)) and CYP27B1 knock out (CYP27B1 (-/-)) mouse models: Both VDR(-/-) and CYP27B1(-/-) models are highly resistant to the diet induced weight gain, while the specific overexpression of human VDR in adipose tissue leads to increased adipose tissue mass. The analysis of microarray datasets from human adipocytes treated with macrophage-secreted products up-regulated VDR and CYP27B1 genes indicating the capacity of adipocytes to even produce active 1,25(OH)2D3. Experimental studies demonstrate that 1,25(OH)2D3 has an active role in adipose tissue by modulating inflammation, adipogenesis and adipocyte secretion. Yet, further in vivo studies are needed to address the effects and the effective dosages of vitamin D in human adipose tissue and its relevance in the associated diseases.
| S-EPMC4067728 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Along with the current aging demographics in the Netherlands, the number of older first-generation migrants is also increasing. Despite studies suggesting a higher quantity of social contacts of migrants, loneliness is more common among migrants as compared to native Dutch. We theorize that migrants experience more emotional and social loneliness due to a lower satisfaction with social relationships and lower participation in social activities, respectively, compared to their native counterparts. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:We use data from Statistics Netherlands (N = 7,920) with first-generation migrants aged 40 years and older and their Dutch counterparts. Contact frequency, household composition, satisfaction with social relationships, relationship quality with the partner, and social activities, are used as main predictors and separate regression models for social and emotional loneliness are analyzed. RESULTS:Compared to the native Dutch, first-generation migrants are both socially and emotionally more lonely. Migrants have a similar contact frequency as the native Dutch, but are less satisfied with their social relationships, which contributes to their higher emotional, social, and overall loneliness. Migrants engage less in social activities but this does not put them at additional risk of loneliness. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS:Migrants experience more social and emotional loneliness and are less satisfied with their social relationships compared to their native counterparts. Interventions should focus on reducing both social and emotional loneliness among older migrants. Specific attention should be paid to fostering satisfying social interactions. Additionally, encouraging migrants to broaden their social network may reduce social loneliness.
| S-EPMC7039375 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Vitamin D deficiency is a common health problem with consequences not limited to bone and calcium hemostasis. Low levels have also been linked to tuberculosis and other respiratory infections as well as autoimmune diseases. We have previously shown that supplementation with vitamin D can induce the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin during ex vivo infection of human urinary bladder. In rodents, however, cathelicidin expression is not linked to vitamin D and therefore this vitamin D-related effect fighting bacterial invasion is not relevant. To determine if vitamin D had further protective mechanisms during urinary tract infections, we therefore used a mouse model. In vitamin D-deficient mice, we detected more intracellular bacterial communities in the urinary bladder, higher degree of bacterial spread to the upper urinary tract and a skewed cytokine response. Furthermore, we show that the vitamin D receptor was upregulated in the urinary bladder and translocated into the cell nucleus after E. coli infection. This study supports a more general role for vitamin D as a local immune response mediator in the urinary tract.
| S-EPMC5531565 | biostudies-literature