Impact of a Nutrition and Diabetes Continuing Education Program on Primary Care Provider's Knowledge, Attitude, and Clinical Practice.

Purpose: Diet/nutrition is the first-line non-pharmacological therapy in the treatment of diabetes. Diet/nutrition counseling is infrequently provided by primary care providers (PCPs), who have limited nutrition education in both medical and advanced practice provider curricula. This quality improvement project aimed to improve knowledge and attitude, and frequency of diet/nutrition counseling by PCPs among patients with uncontrolled diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin A1c ≥8%), by providing an online continuing medical education (CME) program on diabetes diet/nutrition.

A role for organ level dynamics in morphogenesis of the C. elegans hermaphrodite distal tip cell.

The morphology of cells in vivo can arise from a variety of mechanisms. In the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite gonad, the distal tip cell (DTC) elaborates into a complex plexus over a relatively short developmental time period, but the mechanisms underlying this change in cell morphology are not well defined. We correlated the time of DTC elaboration with the L4-to-adult molt, but ruled out a relevant heterochronic pathway as a cue for DTC elaboration.

A DTC morphometrics package for quantification of complex and variable cellular morphology using ImageJ.

Quantification of complex cellular morphology is important for understanding developmental control of cell shape as well as the developmental ramifications of dysregulated cell shape. However, processing and scoring 3D confocal micrographs can be time consuming and prone to errors such as sample-data matching for large datasets, reproducibility between users, and errors introduced by variable image quality. These problems are further compounded where cell shapes vary from sample to sample and intensity dynamic ranges extend over orders of magnitude.

Looking to the future: Agendas, directions, and resources for nutrition research.

The development and progression of nutrition as a scientific field is ever evolving and complex. Although the history of nutrition research began by exploring specific food components, it has evolved to encompass a more holistic view that considers the impact of dietary patterns over time, interactions with the environment, nutrition's role in disease processes, and public policy related to nutrition health. To guide the future direction of nutrition science, both federal and other professional organizations have established agendas and goals.

Quantifying the Over-retraction (Ore) phenotype in male tail tip morphogenesis.

Morphometrics, the quantitative analysis of biological structures, reduces subjectivity and increases reproducibility in characterizing morphological phenotypes. In males, the rounded adult tail tip emerges from a stage-specific retraction of epidermal cells regulated by the heterochronic pathway via LIN-41/TRIM71. Precocious tail tip morphogenesis in reduction-of-function conditions results in a blunted tail (Ore) phenotype, previously described qualitatively (Del Rio-Albrechtsen et al.

Innexin function dictates the spatial relationship between distal somatic cells in the gonad without impacting the germline stem cell pool.

Gap-junctional signaling mediates myriad cellular interactions in metazoans. Yet, how gap junctions control the positioning of cells in organs is not well understood. Innexins compose gap junctions in invertebrates and affect organ architecture.

Modeling the C. elegans germline stem cell genetic network using automated reasoning.

Computational methods and tools are a powerful complementary approach to experimental work for studying regulatory interactions in living cells and systems. We demonstrate the use of formal reasoning methods as applied to the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line, which is an accessible system for stem cell research. The dynamics of the underlying genetic networks and their potential regulatory interactions are key for understanding mechanisms that control cellular decision-making between stem cells and differentiation.

Ideal body weight: A commentary.

Background & Aims: The Ideal Body Weight (IBW) model has provided dietitians and researchers with a quick method of risk assessment but is known to be imperfect. IBW formulas were developed from anthropometric measurements of life-insurance policy holders obtained between 1885 and 1908, providing statistics of mortality, organized by sex and age. Actuaries of the U.

Germline Stem and Progenitor Cell Aging in .

Like many animals and humans, reproduction in the nematode declines with age. This decline is the cumulative result of age-related changes in several steps of germline function, many of which are highly accessible for experimental investigation in this short-lived model organism. Here we review recent work showing that a very early and major contributing step to reproductive decline is the depletion of the germline stem and progenitor cell pool.

DAF-18/PTEN inhibits germline zygotic gene activation during primordial germ cell quiescence.

Quiescence, an actively-maintained reversible state of cell cycle arrest, is not well understood. PTEN is one of the most frequently lost tumor suppressors in human cancers and regulates quiescence of stem cells and cancer cells. The sole PTEN ortholog in Caenorhabditis elegans is daf-18.

A Genome-Wide RNAi Screen for Enhancers of a Germline Tumor Phenotype Caused by Elevated GLP-1/Notch Signaling in .

Stem cells are tightly controlled Both the balance between self-renewal and differentiation and the rate of proliferation are often regulated by multiple factors. The hermaphrodite germ line provides a simple and accessible system for studying stem cells In this system, GLP-1/Notch activity prevents the differentiation of distal germ cells in response to ligand production from the nearby distal tip cell, thereby supporting a stem cell pool. However, a delay in germline development relative to somatic gonad development can cause a pool of undifferentiated germ cells to persist in response to alternate Notch ligands expressed in the proximal somatic gonad.

Biology of the Germline Stem Cell System.

Stem cell systems regulate tissue development and maintenance. The germline stem cell system is essential for animal reproduction, controlling both the timing and number of progeny through its influence on gamete production. In this review, we first draw general comparisons to stem cell systems in other organisms, and then present our current understanding of the germline stem cell system in In contrast to stereotypic somatic development and cell number stasis of adult somatic cells in , the germline stem cell system has a variable division pattern, and the system differs between larval development, early adult peak reproduction and age-related decline.

Loss of appetite in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is associated with weight loss and decreased calorie consumption independent of dysphagia.

Background: Loss of appetite has been reported to affect up to half of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to be associated with weight loss. We wished to test whether loss of appetite correlates with reduced dietary intake independent of dysphagia.

Methods: Appetite was measured repeatedly using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) in participants in the Electronic health Application To Measure Outcomes REmotely study.

Insulin/IGF Signaling and Vitellogenin Provisioning Mediate Intergenerational Adaptation to Nutrient Stress.

The roundworm C. elegans reversibly arrests larval development during starvation [1], but extended early-life starvation reduces reproductive success [2, 3]. Maternal dietary restriction (DR) buffers progeny from starvation as young larvae, preserving reproductive success [4].

Nutritional counseling with or without mobile health technology: a randomized open-label standard-of-care-controlled trial in ALS.

Background: Nutritional status is an important prognostic factor in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We wished to study the safety, tolerability and efficacy of nutritional counseling with or without an mHealth application to maintain or increase body weight in ALS, compared to standard care.

Methods: In this randomized open-label, standard-of-care-controlled, single-center clinical trial, we randomly assigned adults with ALS to one of three nutritional interventions: counseling by their physician or nurse ("standard care"), counseling by a registered dietitian (RD) ("in-person"), or counseling supported by a mHealth app ("mHealth").

Comparison of visceral fat measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to computed tomography in HIV and non-HIV.

Background/objectives: Individuals with HIV are susceptible to visceral fat accumulation, which confers an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. Advanced software to ascertain visceral fat content from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has not been validated among this population. We sought to compare DXA with computed tomography (CT) in the measurement of visceral fat cross-sectional area (VAT) in HIV and non-HIV using Bland-Altman analyses.

Ectopic Germ Cells Can Induce Niche-like Enwrapment by Neighboring Body Wall Muscle.

Niche cell enwrapment of stem cells and their differentiating progeny is common and provides a specialized signaling and protective environment. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying enwrapment behavior has important basic and clinical significance in not only understanding how niches are formed and maintained but also how they can be engineered and how they are misregulated in human pathologies, such as cancer. Previous work in C.

Diet Quality Is Low and Differs by Sex in People with HIV.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) are at risk for developing metabolic comorbidities driven, in part, by immune activation/inflammation. Little is known about diet quality, a potential modifiable factor in PWH.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore diet quality in terms of conformance with US dietary guidelines by calculating Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) scores among adults with and without HIV in Boston, MA, and determine associations with HEI and markers of immune activation/inflammation.

I-FABP Is Higher in People With Chronic HIV Than Elite Controllers, Related to Sugar and Fatty Acid Intake and Inversely Related to Body Fat in People With HIV.

Background: Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) has been shown to be a marker of intestinal damage among people living with HIV. We hypothesized that I-FABP would be increased in chronically HIV-infected patents more than elite controllers and would relate to specific nutrient intake and body composition.

Methods: In an observational study, serum I-FABP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Functional Interactions Between /S6K, /Notch, and Regulators of Fertility and Germline Stem Cell Maintenance.

The proper accumulation and maintenance of stem cells is critical for organ development and homeostasis. The Notch signaling pathway maintains stem cells in diverse organisms and organ systems. In , GLP-1/Notch activity prevents germline stem cell (GSC) differentiation.

Nutrition and Bone Density in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have lower bone mineral density (BMD) than typically developing controls. Differences in diet and exercise may contribute to low BMD.

Objective: Our aim was to examine macro- and micronutrient intakes and self-reported physical activity in boys with ASD compared to TDC and the relationship of these variables with BMD.

The DSL ligand APX-1 is required for normal ovulation in C. elegans.

DSL ligands activate the Notch receptor in many cellular contexts across metazoa to specify cell fate. In addition, Notch receptor activity is implicated in post-mitotic morphogenesis and neuronal function. In C.

Linking the environment, DAF-7/TGFβ signaling and LAG-2/DSL ligand expression in the germline stem cell niche.

The developmental accumulation of proliferative germ cells in the hermaphrodite is sensitive to the organismal environment. Previously, we found that the TGFβ signaling pathway links the environment and proliferative germ cell accumulation. Neuronal DAF-7/TGFβ causes a DAF-1/TGFβR signaling cascade in the gonadal distal tip cell (DTC), the germline stem cell niche, where it negatively regulates a DAF-3 SMAD and DAF-5 Sno-Ski.

Aspartame Intake Relates to Coronary Plaque Burden and Inflammatory Indices in Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Background: Dietary sweeteners may contribute to metabolic dysregulation and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but this has not been assessed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Methods: One hundred twenty-four HIV-infected and 56 non-HIV-infected participants, without history of known coronary artery disease were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a 4-day food record.