Dysregulation of CXCL1 Expression and Neutrophil Recruitment in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes-Related Periodontitis in Male Mice.

Unlabelled: Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia are risk factors for periodontitis and poor wound healing in diabetes, which have been associated with selective loss of insulin activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the gingiva. This study showed that insulin resistance in the mouse gingiva due to selective deletion of smooth muscle and fibroblast insulin receptor (SMIRKO mice) or systemic metabolic changes induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in HFD-fed mice exacerbated periodontitis-induced alveolar bone loss, preceded by delayed neutrophil and monocyte recruitment and impaired bacterial clearance compared with their respective controls. The immunocytokines, CXCL1, CXCL2, MCP-1, TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-17A, exhibited delayed maximal expression in the gingiva of male SMIRKO and HFD-fed mice compared with controls.

The Association between Psychological Resilience and Driving Behavior among Older Drivers in Australia.

This study compared a sample of Australian drivers aged 77 years and older to participants from an older driver longitudinal cohort study (Ozcandrive) and examined the relationship between resilience and self-reported driving measures within these samples. Using a survey with a subset of questions from Ozcandrive, data were collected from 237 older drivers throughout Australia. The two samples were analyzed for differences in demographics, health, resilience, and self-reported driving behavior.

Applying systems thinking to improve the safety of work-related drivers: A systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: Light vehicles (<4.5 tons) driven for work purposes represent a significant proportion of the registered motor vehicles on our roads. Drivers of these vehicles have significant exposure to the dangers of the road transport environment.

Examining the contribution of psychological resilience on self-reported and naturalistic driving behavior of older adults.

Introduction: This study examined the contribution of psychological resilience on self-reported driving comfort, abilities, and restrictions, and on naturalistic driving (ND) behavior of older adults at two time points, five years apart (N = 111; Male: 65.8%, Mean age = 86.1 years).

Endothelial Cells Induced Progenitors Into Brown Fat to Reduce Atherosclerosis.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) can increase atherosclerotic and cardiovascular risk by inducing endothelial dysfunction, decreasing nitric oxide (NO) production, and accelerating arterial inflammation. The aim is to determine the mechanism by which insulin action and NO production in endothelial cells can improve systemic bioenergetics and decrease atherosclerosis via differentiation of perivascular progenitor cells (PPCs) into brown adipocytes (BAT).

Methods: Studies used various endothelial transgenic and deletion mutant mice of insulin receptors, eNOS (endothelial NO synthase) and ETBR (endothelin receptor type B) receptors for assessments of atherosclerosis.

Regeneration of glomerular metabolism and function by podocyte pyruvate kinase M2 in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) arises from systemic and local changes in glucose metabolism and hemodynamics. We have reported that many glycolytic and mitochondrial enzymes, such as pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), were elevated in renal glomeruli of DN-protected patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Here, mice with PKM2 overexpression specifically in podocytes (PPKM2Tg) were generated to uncover the renal protective function of PPKM2Tg as a potential therapeutic target that prevented elevated albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), mesangial expansion, basement membrane thickness, and podocyte foot process effacement after 7 months of streptozotocin-induced (STZ-induced) diabetes.

Pre- and post-industrial levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (eastern Canada).

The concentrations of 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; 16 parent PAHs and 7 alkyl-PAHs) were determined in 45 surface sediment and 7 basal sediment box core samples retrieved from the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada. The concentration sums of 16 priority PAHs (ΣPAHs) in the surface sediments (representing modern times or at least younger than the last decade) ranged from 71 to 5672 ng g.

Spatial and temporal distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The concentrations of 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; 16 parent and 7 alkylated PAHs) were determined in 113 surface marine sediment samples, 13 on-land sediment samples and 8 subsampled push cores retrieved from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). PAHs were extracted via accelerated solvent extraction and quantified via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The sums of the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs in the surface sediments ranged from 7.

Under ice spills of conventional crude oil and diluted bitumen: Physiological resilience of the blue mussel and transgenerational effects.

Spillages at sea of diluted bitumen (dilbit) from oil sands have received little attention until now. To our best knowledge, there are no reports on the impact of a severe exposure to dilbit on the Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). In this study, adult Blue mussels were exposed to one conventional crude oil (Heidrun) and two dilbits (Cold Lake Blend and Access Western Blend) for a period of 7 days in an ice-covered environment and then maintained for three months until the spawning season.

The Influence of Hearing Impairment on Driving Avoidance Among a Large Cohort of Older Drivers.

As people age, some of the commonly experienced psychomotor, visual, and cognitive declines can interfere with the ability to safely drive, often leading to situational avoidance of challenging driving situations. The effect of hearing impairment on these avoidance behaviors has not been comprehensively studied. Data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study were used to assess the effect of hearing impairment on driving avoidance, using three measures of hearing.

Understanding the process of implementing nutrition and physical activity policies in a large national child care organization: a mixed-methods study.

Learning Care Group made a three-year commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America to implement several evidence-based nutrition and physical activity policies in over 900 child care centers. New practices included serving more fruits and vegetables; eliminating sugary drinks and juice; family-style dining; healthier celebrations; limiting screen time; increasing outdoor play time; and supporting breastfeeding. A sequential convergent mixed-methods design was used to describe changes in center practices over time; organizational support for changes; and center director perceptions of the implementation process.

Characterization of Glycolytic Enzymes and Pyruvate Kinase M2 in Type 1 and 2 Diabetic Nephropathy.

Objective: Elevated glycolytic enzymes in renal glomeruli correlated with preservation of renal function in the Medalist Study, individuals with ≥50 years of type 1 diabetes. Specifically, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) activation protected insulin-deficient diabetic mice from hyperglycemia-induced glomerular pathology. This study aims to extend these findings in a separate cohort of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and discover new circulatory biomarkers for renal protection through proteomics and metabolomics of Medalists' plasma.

Improving Safe Mobility: An Assessment of Vehicles and Technologies among a Large Cohort of Older Drivers.

Evidence suggests that older driver safety may be improved by good vehicle maintenance, in-vehicle advanced technologies, and proper vehicle adaptations. This study explored the prevalence of several measures of vehicle maintenance and damage among older drivers through inspection of their vehicles. We also investigated the prevalence of in-vehicle technologies and aftermarket adaptations.

The effects of demographics, functioning, and perceptions on the relationship between self-reported and objective measures of driving exposure and patterns among older adults.

The exploratory study reported here was intended to examine: how strongly subjectively reported driving avoidance behaviors (commonly referred to as self-regulation) and exposure were related to their objectively measured counterparts and whether it depended on the specific behavior; the extent to which gender and age play a role in the association between subjectively reported driving avoidance behaviors and exposure and their objectively measured counterparts; and the extent to which demographics, health and functioning, driving-related perceptions, and cognition influence the association between subjective and objective driving avoidance behaviors overall. The study used data from the Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study, a multisite, prospective cohort study designed to generate empirical data for understanding the role of medical, behavioral, environmental, and technological factors in driving safety during the process of aging. Objective driving measures were derived from GPS/datalogger data from 2131 LongROAD participants' vehicles.

Reduction of bacterial biofilm formation using marine natural antimicrobial peptides.

There is an important need for the development of new "environmentally-friendly" antifouling molecules to replace toxic chemicals actually used to fight against marine biofouling. Marine biomass is a promising source of non-toxic antifouling products such as natural antimicrobial peptides produced by marine organisms. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficiency of antimicrobial peptides extracted from snow crab (SCAMPs) to reduce the formation of marine biofilms on immerged mild steel surfaces.

Potential effects of lowering the BAC limit on injuries, fatalities, and costs.

Introduction: Potential health and cost impacts of lowering the BAC limit for U.S. drivers below .

Are older drivers' driving patterns during an on-road driving task representative of their real-world driving patterns?

Objective: The current study investigated whether older drivers' driving patterns during a customized on-road driving task were representative of their real-world driving patterns.

Methods: Two hundred and eight participants (male: 68.80%; mean age = 81.

Perceptions of alcohol-impaired driving and the blood alcohol concentration standard in the United States.

Introduction: Although the number of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) fatalities has declined over the past several years, AID continues to be a serious public health problem. The purpose of this effort was to gain a better understanding of the U.S.

Exogenous Insulin Infusion Can Decrease Atherosclerosis in Diabetic Rodents by Improving Lipids, Inflammation, and Endothelial Function.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate whether exogenously induced hyperinsulinemia may increase the development of atherosclerosis.

Approach And Results: Hyperinsulinemia, induced by exogenous insulin implantation in high-fat fed (60% fat HFD) apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (ApoE) mice, exhibited insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia. Atherosclerosis was measured by the accumulation of fat, macrophage, and extracellular matrix in the aorta.

Stakeholder perceptions of lowering the blood alcohol concentration standard in the United States.

Purpose: This study sought to better understand the past change in the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) standard from 0.10% to 0.08% in the United States, as well as explore stakeholder perceptions about potential health and other impacts of further lowering the standard below 0.

Characteristics of informal caregivers who provide transportation assistance to older adults.

The study aim was to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of informal caregivers who provide transportation assistance and to explore the types and frequency of this assistance. A telephone survey was administered to a representative sample of 268 informal caregivers (age 45-80) who provide transportation assistance to older adults (age 70 and older) in Michigan. Responses were analyzed overall and by the caregiver sex and care recipient age.