RESUMO
In this manuscript, we expand upon sociological research in lay knowledge about health and healthicization by examining socially mediated ways in which 40 African American adults in two communities acquired information about eating practices. Participants employed a variety of socially informed information-seeking strategies. Many, but not all, used socially prescribed sources exhorting them to maximize their own health and reported an amalgam of experiences concerning their interpretation of healthist messages. Participants variously accepted messages about healthy eating or engaged in strategies of micro-resistance that decentered and/or reinterpreted health promotion discourse. Furthermore, participants used emic community-based resources including those that prioritized familial engagement over individual responsibility in eating practices or that drew upon alternative health practices. We discuss the implications our work has for further research on healthicization and lay knowledge about eating practices, in which community members are actively engaged in meaning-making within local socio-structural contexts.
Assuntos
Negro ou Afro-Americano , Comportamento Alimentar/etnologia , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Promoção da Saúde , Humanos , Estados UnidosRESUMO
The Gpbar1 [G-protein-coupled BA (bile acid) receptor 1] is a recently identified cell-surface receptor that can bind and is activated by BAs, but its physiological role is unclear. Using targeted deletion of the Gpbar1 gene in mice, we show that the gene plays a critical role in the maintenance of bile lipid homoeostasis. Mice lacking Gpbar1 expression were viable, developed normally and did not show significant difference in the levels of cholesterol, BAs or any other bile constituents. However, they did not form cholesterol gallstones when fed a cholic acid-containing high-fat diet, and liver-specific gene expression indicated that Gpbar1-deficient mice have altered feedback regulation of BA synthesis. These results suggest that Gpbar1 plays a critical role in the formation of gallstones, possibly via a regulatory mechanism involving the cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase pathway.
Assuntos
Colesterol/análise , Cálculos Biliares/genética , Cálculos Biliares/metabolismo , Deleção de Genes , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Animais , Ácidos e Sais Biliares/biossíntese , Colesterol 7-alfa-Hidroxilase/metabolismo , Gorduras na Dieta/metabolismo , Vesícula Biliar/patologia , Cálculos Biliares/química , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Fígado/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , RNA MensageiroRESUMO
GPR54 is a G-protein-coupled receptor that displays a high percentage of identity in the transmembrane domains with the galanin receptors. The ligand for GPR54 has been identified as a peptide derived from the KiSS-1 gene. KiSS-1 has been shown to have anti-metastatic effects, suggesting that KiSS-1 or its receptor represents a potential therapeutic target. To further our understanding of the physiological function of this receptor, we have generated a mutant mouse line with a targeted disruption of the GPR54 receptor (GPR54 -/-). The analysis of the GPR54 mutant mice revealed developmental abnormalities of both male and female genitalia and histopathological changes in tissues which normally contain sexually dimorphic features. These data suggest a role for GPR54/KiSS-1 in normal sexual development, and indicate that study of the GPR54 mutant mice may provide valuable insights into human reproductive syndromes.