Alterations in sweet taste function in adults with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and potential implications.

Diet therapy for diabetes involves controlling carbohydrate intake in order to manage blood glucose concentrations. Simple carbohydrates, like sucrose, quickly and potently raise blood glucose when ingested, and are typically perceived as sweet. Sweetness is innately pleasurable and contributes to the positive hedonic evaluation of foods and beverages.

Restoring Perivascular Adipose Tissue Function in Obesity Using Exercise.

Purpose: Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) exerts an anti-contractile effect which is vital in regulating vascular tone. This effect is mediated via sympathetic nervous stimulation of PVAT by a mechanism which involves noradrenaline uptake through organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) and β-adrenoceptor-mediated adiponectin release. In obesity, autonomic dysfunction occurs, which may result in a loss of PVAT function and subsequent vascular disease.

Role of Sympathetic Nerves and Adipocyte Catecholamine Uptake in the Vasorelaxant Function of Perivascular Adipose Tissue.

Objective: Healthy perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) exerts an anticontractile effect on resistance arteries which is vital in regulating arterial tone. Activation of β-adrenoceptors by sympathetic nerve-derived NA (noradrenaline) may be implicated in this effect and may stimulate the release of the vasodilator adiponectin from adipocytes. Understanding the mechanisms responsible is vital for determining how PVAT may modify vascular resistance in vivo.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate activation of ERM contributes to vascular calcification.

Vascular calcification is the deposition of mineral in the artery wall by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in response to pathological stimuli. The process is similar to bone formation and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Given that ceramide and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are involved in cardiovascular pathophysiology and biomineralization, their role in VSMC matrix mineralization was investigated.

Non-receptor tyrosine kinases and the actin cytoskeleton in contractile vascular smooth muscle.

The contractility of vascular smooth muscle cells within the walls of arteries is regulated by mechanical stresses and vasoactive signals. Transduction of these diverse stimuli into a cellular response occurs through many different mechanisms, one being reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton. In addition to a structural role in maintaining cellular architecture it is now clear that the actin cytoskeleton of contractile vascular smooth muscle cells is a dynamic structure reacting to changes in the cellular environment.