The relationship between altitude and BMI varies across low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives: Studies suggest that living at high altitude decreases obesity risk, but this research is limited to single-country analyses. We examine the relationship between altitude and body mass index (BMI) among women living in a diverse sample of low- and middle-income countries.

Materials And Methods: Using Demographic and Health Survey data from 1 583 456 reproductive age women (20-49 years) in 54 countries, we fit regression models predicting BMI and obesity by altitude controlling for a range of demographic factors-age, parity, breastfeeding status, wealth, and education.

RhoA GEF Mcf2lb regulates rosette integrity during collective cell migration.

Multicellular rosettes are transient epithelial structures that serve as important cellular intermediates in the formation of diverse organs. Using the zebrafish posterior lateral line primordium (pLLP) as a model system, we investigated the role of the RhoA GEF Mcf2lb in rosette morphogenesis. The pLLP is a group of ∼150 cells that migrates along the zebrafish trunk and is organized into epithelial rosettes; these are deposited along the trunk and will differentiate into sensory organs called neuromasts (NMs).

RhoA GEF Mcf2lb regulates rosette integrity during collective cell migration.

During development, multicellular rosettes serve as important cellular intermediates in the formation of diverse organ systems. Multicellular rosettes are transient epithelial structures that are defined by the apical constriction of cells towards the rosette center. Due to the important role these structures play during development, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which rosettes are formed and maintained is of high interest.

An ABCG Transporter Functions in Rab Localization and Lysosome-Related Organelle Biogenesis in .

ABC transporters couple ATP hydrolysis to the transport of substrates across cellular membranes. This protein superfamily has diverse activities resulting from differences in their cargo and subcellular localization. Our work investigates the role of the ABCG family member WHT-2 in the biogenesis of gut granules, a lysosome-related organelle.

Testing the theoretical similarities between food and water insecurity: Buffering hypothesis and effects on mental wellbeing.

Theoretical analyses by anthropologists suggest that food and water insecurity exhibit multiple conceptual parallels, hold similar consequences for wellbeing, and lead to analogous coping strategies aimed at mitigating those consequences. However, these deductions largely originate from studies conducted separately on either food or water insecurity. Thus, these similarities may not bear out when examined in populations facing high rates of both.

Healthfulness, Modernity, and Availability of Food and Beverages: Adolescents' Perceptions in Southern India.

This study uses freelists to document perceptions of healthfulness, modernity, and availability of foods and beverages among adolescents ages 13-18 years (n = 26) in urbanizing India. Among the 10 foods and beverages adolescents perceived as "new," half were also seen as modern and unhealthy, 4 as traditional and unhealthy, and 3 as modern and healthy. Of those 10 "new" foods, 4 were reported as available only in supermarkets, 4 only in kiraana (local) stores, and 6 in both.

Globalization and Food Prestige among Indian Adolescents.

This study provides a foundation for understanding how globalization and changing food environments are linked to cultural models of food prestige in adolescents. We used methods from cognitive anthropology, including free lists, pile sorts, and consensus modeling, to explore the meanings that Indian adolescents attribute to foods. Adolescents (n = 29) were asked to free list foods eaten outside and inside the home.