Pathways of parental influence on adolescent diet and obesity: a psychological stress-focused perspective.

Youth obesity has become increasingly prevalent, with 34.5% of US adolescents 12-19 years old estimated to have overweight or obesity. Disordered eating and weight concern peak in adolescence, and overeating to cope with negative emotions can affect long-term health and obesity risk.

Association between physiological stress load and diet quality patterns differs between male and female adults.

A promising, yet relatively unexplored factor that may influence a person's stress response, is diet. Diet can affect the physiological response to stress, but relationships between diet quality and the chronic stress marker allostatic load (AL) are insufficiently studied. Furthermore, sex, age, and BMI may interact with diet quality to influence AL.

Symptomatic relief from at-home use of activated EVC001 probiotic in infants: results from a consumer survey on the effects on diaper rash, colic symptoms, and sleep.

The gut microbiome during infancy is directly involved in the digestion of human milk, development of the immune system, and long-term health outcomes. Gut dysbiosis in early life has been linked to multiple short-term ailments, from diaper dermatitis and poor stooling habits, to poor sleep and fussiness, with mixed results in the scientific literature on the efficacy of probiotics for symptom resolution. Despite the growing interest in probiotics for consumer use, observed symptomatic relief is rarely documented.

Wearable Technology to Quantify the Nutritional Intake of Adults: Validation Study.

Background: Wearable and mobile sensor technologies can be useful tools in precision nutrition research and practice, but few are reliable for obtaining accurate and precise measurements of diet and nutrition.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the ability of wearable technology to monitor the nutritional intake of adult participants. This paper describes the development of a reference method to validate the wristband's estimation of daily nutritional intake of 25 free-living study participants and to evaluate the accuracy (kcal/day) and practical utility of the technology.

Adolescent Obesity: Diet Quality, Psychosocial Health, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors.

Obesity is a multifaceted chronic condition with several contributing causes, including biological risk factors, socioeconomic status, health literacy, and numerous environmental influences. Of particular concern are the increasing rates of obesity in children and adolescents, as rates of obesity in youth in the United States have tripled within the last three decades. Youth from historically disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have higher rates of obesity compared to other groups.

Biosensors to Monitor Water Quality Utilizing Insect Odorant-Binding Proteins as Detector Elements.

In the developing world, the identification of clean, potable water continues to pose a pervasive challenge, and waterborne diseases due to fecal contamination of water supplies significantly threaten public health. The ability to efficiently monitor local water supplies is key to water safety, yet no low-cost, reliable method exists to detect contamination quickly. We developed an in vitro assay utilizing an odorant-binding protein (OBP), AgamOBP1, from the mosquito, , to test for the presence of a characteristic metabolite, indole, from harmful coliform bacteria.

Mapping the Anopheles gambiae odorant binding protein 1 (AgamOBP1) using modeling techniques, site directed mutagenesis, circular dichroism and ligand binding assays.

The major malaria vector in Sub-Saharan Africa is the Anopheles gambiae mosquito. This species is a key target of malaria control measures. Mosquitoes find humans primarily through olfaction, yet the molecular mechanisms associated with host-seeking behavior remain largely unknown.

The Anopheles gambiae odorant binding protein 1 (AgamOBP1) mediates indole recognition in the antennae of female mosquitoes.

Haematophagous insects are frequently carriers of parasitic diseases, including malaria. The mosquito Anopheles gambiae is the major vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and is thus responsible for thousands of deaths daily. Although the role of olfaction in A.

Camguk/CASK enhances Ether-á-go-go potassium current by a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism.

Signaling complexes are essential for the modulation of excitability within restricted neuronal compartments. Adaptor proteins are the scaffold around which signaling complexes are organized. Here, we demonstrate that the Camguk (CMG)/CASK adaptor protein functionally modulates Drosophila Ether-á-go-go (EAG) potassium channels.

Sexual dimorphic expression of putative antennal carrier protein genes in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.

To obtain a better understanding of the olfactory processes that allow mosquitoes to identify human hosts, a molecular study has been performed to identify and characterize molecules in the olfactory signalling pathway of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Using cDNA libraries from antennae of females and males, a collection of cDNAs encoding odorant binding proteins and other novel antennal proteins were isolated and characterized, which represent various families of putative carrier proteins with homologues in other insects. Using filter array hybridizations and quantitative RT PCR, regulation and gender specificity of expression of these genes was investigated.

Genomics spawns novel approaches to mosquito control.

In spite of advances in medicine and public health, malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise worldwide. Although vaccines, genetically modified mosquitoes and safer insecticides are under development, herein we examine a promising new approach to malaria control through better repellents. Current repellents, usually based on DEET, inhibit host finding by impeding insect olfaction, but have significant drawbacks.

Isolation of cDNA clones encoding putative odourant binding proteins from the antennae of the malaria-transmitting mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.

One way of controlling disease transmission by blood-feeding mosquitoes is to reduce the frequency of insect-host interaction, thus reducing the probability of parasite transmission and re-infection. A better understanding of the olfactory processes responsible for allowing mosquitoes to identify human hosts is required in order to develop methods that will interfere with host seeking. We have therefore initiated a molecular approach to isolate and characterize the genes and their products that are involved in the olfactory recognition pathway of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, which is the main malaria vector in sub-Saharan Africa.

Signaling pathways are focused at specialized regions of the plasma membrane by scaffolding proteins of the MAGUK family.

The MAGUKs (membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologs) are a family of proteins that act as molecular scaffolds for signaling pathway components at the plasma membrane of animal cells. They are localized in and required for the formation of several types of cell junctions, including epithelial tight and septate junctions as well as synaptic and neuromuscular junctions. They are also localized at the plasma membrane of other cell types, including erythrocytes, where they contribute to cell shape maintenance.

Camguk, Lin-2, and CASK: novel membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologs that also contain CaM kinase domains.

MAGUKs (membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologs) are proteins involved in cell junction organization, tumor suppression, and signalling. Their structure includes one or three copies of a DHR or PDZ domain (discs-large homologous region or PSD-95/SAP90, discs-large ZO-1 homologous domain), an SH3 domain, and a guanylate kinase domain. MAGUKs were classified into two subfamilies: Dlg-like with three DHR/PDZ domains and p55-like with a single DHR/PDZ domain.