Adapting a Nutrition Education Curriculum for Spanish-Speaking Adults Experiencing Low-Income: Recommendations from Key Stakeholders.

The purpose of this study was to understand recommendations of key stakeholders regarding cultural adaptation of an evidence-based nutrition and physical activity education curriculum for Spanish-speaking adults. Findings from focus groups with Spanish-speaking adults (n=43) and telephone interviews with experts in Spanish nutrition and health education (n=9) revealed: 1) emphasis of the heterogeneity of Spanish-speaking communities; 2) importance of including family in nutrition education; 3) importance of addressing cultural differences between Spanish-speaking and general United States culture; and 4) tips for engaging Spanish-speaking adults in health education. These findings were used to inform cultural adaptation of a nutrition education curriculum.

Nutrition Intervention to Hispanic Groups: Pilot Studies with Children and Caregivers.

Childhood obesity is a pressing public health issue, especially in the Hispanic community. Two pilot studies were performed; Study 1 was performed to assess the effect of a nutrition education intervention on the nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Hispanic children in an after-school program. Nutrition educational lessons were administered 1 h per week.

Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Nutrition-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors for Hispanic Children.

This study was performed to assess the effect of a nutrition education intervention on the nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Hispanic children, ages 6-10 years, in a local after-school program. The intervention included seven weekly lessons that lasted an average of 30 minutes each. Pre- and post-tests were used to evaluate the program.

Bone quality and strength are greater in growing male rats fed fructose compared with glucose.

Optimization of peak bone mass during adolescence is important for osteoporosis prevention. Studies in rodents and humans have demonstrated the harmful effects of sugar intake on bone health. With the high levels of sucrose in the diets of adolescents, it is necessary to understand the influence of glucose and fructose on growing bones.

Lymphocyte proteomics of Parkinson's disease patients reveals cytoskeletal protein dysregulation and oxidative stress.

Aims: There is increasing evidence of biochemical alterations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In this work, we describe the changes in protein levels in peripheral lymphocytes of PD patients in order to identify potential peripheral biomarkers.

Materials & Methods: By means of 2D electrophoresis and mass spectrometry protein identification, we compared patients under L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) treatment, patients under subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation and healthy controls.

Maternal high fat feeding and gestational dietary restriction: effects on offspring body weight, food intake and hypothalamic gene expression over three generations in mice.

Excessive gestational weight gain and maternal obesity have both been associated with increased incidence of obesity and metabolic disorder in offspring in both humans and animal models. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) whether mild gestational food restriction during the third trimester (GFR) would alter food intake and growth parameters of offspring, (2) whether effects of GFR depended on diet (high fat [HF] vs chow), (3) whether effects of excessive gestational weight gain (WG) would become magnified across generations, and (4) whether diet and GFR would alter hypothalamic gene expression in adult offspring. Three generations of female C57BL/6 mice were fed chow or HF diet, mated at 11 weeks of age and assigned to ad libitum feeding or 25% GFR.

Effect of reducing hypothalamic ghrelin receptor gene expression on energy balance.

Central and peripheral injections of fghrelin potently stimulates food intake via its receptor, GHSR1a expressed in the brain. In this study, we explored the role of GHSR1a in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) by reducing their gene expression using the RNA interference (RNAi). pSUPER plasmids inserted with sh (short hairpin)-GHSR1a were injected into the PVN to reduce its expression.

Direct effects of nutrients, acetylcholine, CCK, and insulin on ghrelin release from the isolated stomachs of rats.

Ghrelin is a powerful orexigenic peptide predominantly secreted by the stomach. Blood concentration of ghrelin increases before meals and fall postprandial. Its regulation appears to be influenced by the type of macronutrient ingested, the vagus nerve stimulation and by other post-meal stimulated hormonal factors.

ATP13A2 missense mutations in juvenile parkinsonism and young onset Parkinson disease.

Objective: To assess the prevalence, nature, and associated phenotypes of ATP13A2 gene mutations among patients with juvenile parkinsonism (onset <21 years) or young onset (between 21 and 40 years) Parkinson disease (YOPD).

Methods: We studied 46 patients, mostly from Italy or Brazil, including 11 with juvenile parkinsonism and 35 with YOPD. Thirty-three cases were sporadic and 13 had positive family history compatible with autosomal recessive inheritance.

alpha-Synuclein protects SH-SY5Y cells from dopamine toxicity.

Dopaminergic human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were stably transformed to increase expression of alpha-synuclein, a Parkinson's disease-related protein. Transformed cells were more resistant to oxidative insults, showing a cytoprotective role of alpha-synuclein. The expression of redox chaperonins (DJ-1, HSP70, and 14-3-3) was evaluated by Western blotting.

Role of AgRP on Ghrelin-induced feeding in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus.

MT II, agonist for MC3/4-Rs, inhibited Ghrelin's orexigenic effect in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). To further investigate the role of the melanocortin system as mediator of ghrelin's orexigenic actions, we explored the involvement of AgRP in Ghrelin's orexigenic effect by testing the effect on food intake after their co-administration in the PVN, during the light and dark phases of feeding in rats. During both the phases of feeding, co-administration of Ghrelin with either AgRP 50 or AgRP 100 pmol into the PVN did not produce a synergistic effect on the food intake, suggesting that ghrelin induction of feeding occurs by recruiting Agrp as one of the obligatory mediators of its orexigenic effect.

A topological model of the interaction between alpha-synuclein and sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles.

Human alpha-synuclein is a 140-amino acid protein of unknown function abundantly expressed in the brain and found in Lewy bodies, a characteristic feature of Parkinson's disease. Alpha-synuclein is random in water under physiological conditions, but the first approximately 100 residues interact with SDS micelles or acidic phospholipid small unilamellar vesicles and adopt an ordered conformation. The rest of the molecule remains disordered in the bulk of the solution.

Proteome analysis of human substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease.

Protein expression has been compared in human substantia nigra specimens from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and from controls, and 44 proteins expressed in this midbrain region were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. Among them, nine showed changes in their abundance. L and M neurofilament chains are less abundant in PD specimens, whereas peroxiredoxin II, mitochondrial complex III, ATP synthase D chain, complexin I, profilin, L-type calcium channel delta-subunit, and fatty-acid binding protein are significantly more present in PD samples than in controls.

Action of MT-II on ghrelin-induced feeding in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Ghrelin is a 28 amino-acid peptide that has been shown to induce positive energy balance when administered both peripherally and centrally. This effect appears to occur by increasing food intake and by reducing fat utilization. Ghrelin injected into the PVN increases food intake dose-dependently.

Proteome analysis of mesencephalic tissues: evidence for Parkinson's disease.

Proteome analysis is a powerful methodology to investigate protein expression in tissues involved in diseases not linked to particular genetic defects. To date, this technique has a limited number of applications in the field of neurodegenerative disorders. We decided therefore to investigate by this approach autoptic mesencephalic tissues of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease as well as control specimens from healthy subjects.

Interrelationships between mu opioid and melanocortin receptors in mediating food intake in rats.

The present study examined the interrelationships between feeding responses produced by mu opioid receptor agonists and melanocortin-3 or 4 (MC-3/4) receptor antagonists. Feeding induced by the mu-sensitive opioid peptide, beta-endorphin (betaEND, 10 microg, i.c.

Agouti-related protein: appetite or reward?

Agouti-related protein (AgRP) is an orexigenic peptide that acts as an antagonist of the melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors in the hypothalamus. Studies suggest that the melanocortin and opioid systems interact in the control of ingestive behavior. Also, AgRP has been shown to especially increase intake of a palatable diet.

Residual substantia nigra neuromelanin in Parkinson's disease is cross-linked to alpha-synuclein.

The pigmentation of substantia nigra pars compacta dopaminergic neurons is due to the presence of neuromelanin, an irregular macromolecular pigment belonging to the family of melanins. Depletion of neuromelanin in Parkinson's disease is typically indicated by loss of brown color in this area. Unlike that from controls, the pigment extracted from substantia nigra of parkinsonian patients seems to be mainly composed by highly cross-linked, protease-resistant proteic material and the neuromelanin macromolecule appears to be a minor presence.

Effect of Agouti-related protein on development of conditioned taste aversion and oxytocin neuronal activation.

Agouti-related protein (Agrp) is an orexigenic peptide that acts as an antagonist of the melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors. Initial studies suggest similarities between the effects of Agrp and opioid peptides on ingestive behavior. Given these observations, we examined whether Agrp, similarly to opioids, alleviates conditioned taste aversion (CTA) generated by peripheral injection of LiCl.

Magnetic investigations of human mesencephalic neuromelanin.

Pigmentation of neurons in substantia nigra is due to neuromelanin, a pigment that stores large amounts of iron. Human mesencephalic neuromelanin has been investigated by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements as a function of temperature. Magnetic measurements provide a physico-chemical characterization of the iron cluster buried in the organic melanin matrix and support the view that iron is not simply chelated, but rather is organized in a three-dimensional network.

[Aid tool for the assessment of health measures performance: the example of the program for alcoholism prevention in Lorraine].

From "alcohol primary prevention program in Lorraine", the authors developed a tool for an evaluation of performance: a card index to assess each action of the program. This tool can be applied to various programs, in particular health regional ones. Before presenting the tool, the authors specify conceptual frameworks to which they refer and present the evaluation of performance step which is declined in "evaluation of the results" and "evaluation of the processes".

Role of alpha-MSH in the regulation of consummatory behavior: immunohistochemical evidence.

Central injection of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) decreases food intake, suggesting a role for this peptide in the mediation of satiety. Inasmuch as alpha-MSH also supports the development of taste aversions under certain conditions, the nature of its influence on ingestive behavior, i.e.

Evidence of interactions between melanocortin and opioid systems in regulation of feeding.

The aim of our experiments was to study the presumed functional relationship between the melanocortin and opioid systems in the regulation of food intake. We determined that a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone, at relatively low doses, decreases food intake induced by i.c.

Cervical positional effects on snoring and apneas.

We examined the effects of cervical position on the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) through the use of a custom-designed cervical pillow which promoted neck extension. Twelve subjects with OSAS were recruited from a tertiary sleep disorder clinic population. Of the twelve subjects, three had mild cases of OSAS, four had moderate cases, and the remaining five had severe cases.

Effect of Agouti-related protein delivered to the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus on intake of a preferred versus a non-preferred diet.

Agouti-related protein (Agrp), a high-affinity antagonist of the melanocortin-3/4 receptors, increases feeding when administered centrally. Previous studies have shown that this increase is long-lasting (at least 24 h) and delayed, unless the animal is first stimulated to feed by fasting or onset of the dark phase. The present studies first demonstrate that long-lasting and delayed increases in food intake are also evident when Agrp is microinjected into the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH).