A Randomized Pilot Trial of the Donor Conception Tool to Empower Parental Telling and Talking (TELL Tool) with Their Children About Their Genetic Origins.

Introduction: Parents who use donated gametes or embryos to form their families struggle with telling their children about their genetic origins. We developed the Tool to Empower Parental Telling and Talking (TELL Tool) to support parents in disclosure to their children and an eBook attention control.

Method: A randomized parallel, two-group, attention-controlled clinical pilot trial was conducted online during COVID-19.

Exposure to a high fat diet during the perinatal period alters vagal motoneurone excitability, even in the absence of obesity.

Obesity is recognized as being multifactorial in origin, involving both genetic and environmental factors. The perinatal period is known to be critically important in the development of neural circuits responsible for energy homeostasis and the integration of autonomic reflexes. Diet-induced obesity alters the biophysical, pharmacological and morphological properties of vagal neurocircuits regulating upper gastrointestinal tract functions, including satiety.

Role of the vagus in the reduced pancreatic exocrine function in copper-deficient rats.

Copper plays an essential role in the function and development of the central nervous system and exocrine pancreas. Dietary copper limitation is known to result in noninflammatory atrophy of pancreatic acinar tissue. Our recent studies have suggested that vagal motoneurons regulate pancreatic exocrine secretion (PES) by activating selective subpopulations of neurons within vagovagal reflexive neurocircuits.