Organizational Social Relations and Social Embedding: A Pluralistic Review.

To date there has been little systematic organization of the extensive literature on the processes and mechanisms shaping social relationships in and around organizations. In an analysis of 372 studies from this literature, we identified a broad spectrum of assumptions, priorities, and relational issues emerging from multiple disciplines and theoretical lenses. Three dominant perspectives surfaced in our study: economic, organizational, and interactionist. Each manifests distinctive ontologies of social relations, actors, relational processes, and modes of social embedding. The rich variety of relationships and causal patterns discovered characterizes more fully these perspectives, suggesting opportunities for further research within each, and a wider range of conceptual options to target relational paradigms toward different types of organizations, problems, and levels of analysis. It also brings to light the pluralistic nature of social relations in organizational contexts and the processes by which they become embedded.

Common Variants in Cholesterol Synthesis- and Transport-Related Genes Associate with Circulating Cholesterol Responses to Intakes of Conventional Dairy Products in Healthy Individuals.

BACKGROUND: Dairy intake has been associated with varying impacts on circulating cholesterol concentrations across nutritional epidemiology and intervention studies, with findings attributed mainly to differences in the nature of dairy products consumed or study designs. The contribution of the genomic architecture to such observations has yet to be revealed. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the impact of multiple common genetic variations in cholesterol-related genes on responses of serum cholesterol to the recommended amount of dairy product intake in Canada. METHODS: In a multicenter, randomized crossover design, 101 normolipidemic adults (n = 29 men and 72 women), with a mean ± SD age of 41.7 ± 16.7 y and a body mass index (BMI, in kg/m(2)) of 25.9 ± 4.3 consumed 3 servings/d of dairy [375 mL 1% milk-fat (MF) milk, 175 g 1.5% MF yogurt, and 30 g of 34% MF cheese] or energy-matched control products (juice, cashews, and cookies) provided within a prudent background diet for 4 wk each, separated by a 4- to 8-wk washout period. Serum lipid variables were determined by standard enzymatic methods by using an autoanalyzer. Candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed by TaqMan genotyping assay. RESULTS: The responsiveness of serum total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol to the dairy compared with the control diet was associated with individuals' genotypes. The cholesterol transport gene ATP-binding cassette subfamily G, member 5 (ABCG5) rs6720173-GG homozygotes had higher concentrations of TC (+0.18 mmol/L; P = 0.0118) and LDL cholesterol (+0.17 mmol/L; P = 0.0056) relative to C-allele carriers (-0.07 and -0.06 mmol/L, respectively). The bile acid synthesis gene cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) rs3808607-G-allele carriers had higher TC (+0.20 to +0.28 mmol/L; P = 0.0026) and LDL cholesterol (+0.19 mmol/L for GT genotype; P = 0.0260) relative to TT homozygotes (-0.11 and -0.03 mmol/L, respectively). In addition, the cholesterol synthesis gene 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) rs760241-A-allele carriers had higher LDL cholesterol (+0.26 mmol/L; P = 0.0399) relative to GG homozygotes (+0.06 mmol/L). CONCLUSION: Genetic variations in ABCG5, CYP7A1, and DHCR7 may contribute to differing responses of serum cholesterol to dairy intake among healthy adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01444326.

Recommended dairy product intake modulates circulating fatty acid profile in healthy adults: a multi-centre cross-over study.

Dairy products are rich sources of an array of fatty acids (FA) that have been shown individually and in certain clusters to exert varying effects on cardiovascular health, for which the circulating lipid profile is a powerful biomarker. Whether the profile of these FA is reflected in blood upon short terms of intake, possibly contributing to the lipid-related health impacts of dairy products, remains to be fully established. The objectives of the present study were to assess a recommended dairy product consumption in relation to circulating FA and lipid profiles, and to evaluate certain FA in dairy fat as potential biomarkers of intake. In a free-living, multi-centre, cross-over design, 124 healthy individuals consumed 3 servings/d of commercial dairy (DAIRY; 1% fat milk, 1·5% fat yogurt and 34% fat cheese) or energy-equivalent control (CONTROL; fruit and vegetable juice, cashews and a cookie) products for 4 weeks each, separated by a 4-week washout period. Plasma FA and serum lipid profiles were assessed by standard methods at the end of each dietary phase. After 4 weeks of intake, plasma levels of FA pentadecanoic acid (15 : 0) and heptadecanoic acid (17 : 0) were higher (0·26 v. 0·22% and 0·42 v. 0·39% of the total identified FA, respectively) after the DAIRY phase than after the CONTROL phase (P< 0·0001). This was accompanied by a small but significant increase in serum LDL-cholesterol levels after the DAIRY phase compared with the CONTROL phase (+0·08 mmol/l; P= 0·04). In conclusion, intake of 3 servings/d of conventional dairy products may modify certain circulating FA and lipid profiles within 4 weeks, where 15 : 0 and 17 : 0 may be potential short-term biomarkers of intake.

Dairy product consumption has no impact on biomarkers of inflammation among men and women with low-grade systemic inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials specifically designed to assess inflammation-related outcomes in response to dairy consumption are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the impact of dairy food consumption on biomarkers of inflammation in healthy men and women with low-grade systemic inflammation. METHODS: In a multicenter randomized crossover study, 112 adult men and women with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) values >1 mg/L consumed 3 servings/d of dairy (375 mL low-fat milk, 175 g low-fat yogurt, and 30 g regular-fat cheddar cheese) or energy-matched control (fruit juice, vegetable juice, cashews, and 1 cookie) products as part of prudent 4-wk diets, each separated by a 4- to 8-wk washout period. Serum concentrations of inflammation biomarkers were measured at the beginning and end of each dietary phase. Expression levels of key inflammatory genes and transcription factors in whole blood cells were assessed at the end of each diet by real-time polymerase chain reaction in a random subset of 53 subjects. RESULTS: Analysis of within-diet changes (post- vs. prediet values) showed a significant reduction in hs-CRP concentrations after the control diet (-11.7%, P = 0.05) but no change after the dairy diet (-7.3%, P = 0.47). As a result, changes in hs-CRP differed between the dairy and control diets (P = 0.04). Both the control and dairy diets similarly reduced interleukin-6 concentrations compared with diet-specific baseline values (-17.6% and -19.9%, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both, P = 0.77 for between-diet comparison). No between- or within-diet difference was observed in adiponectin concentrations, and there was also no between-diet difference in the expression of inflammatory genes and transcription factors. CONCLUSION: Consistent with data from previous work, these results suggest that short-term consumption of a combination of low- and high-fat dairy products as part of a healthy diet has no adverse effects on inflammation. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01444326.

Randomized controlled study of the effect of a butter naturally enriched in trans fatty acids on blood lipids in healthy women.

BACKGROUND: Whereas the negative effect of consuming trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is well established, the effect of trans fatty acids from ruminant sources (rTFAs) on CVD risk factors has not yet been established, particularly among women. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of a butter naturally enriched in rTFAs, of which vaccenic acid is the predominant isomer, on plasma lipid concentrations among healthy women. DESIGN: In a double-blind, randomized, crossover controlled study, 61 healthy women aged 19-70 y were fed 2 isoenergetic diets lasting 4 wk each. The 2 diets were defined as moderately high in rTFAs (3.7 g/d, 1.5% of daily energy) and control (0.9 g/d, 0.3% of daily energy). RESULTS: No significant effect of the rTFA diet was found on total plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, and triglyceride concentrations compared with the control diet. There was a small yet statistically significant reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations with the rTFA diet (-2.8%; P = 0.004), which was significant (P for the BMI × treatment interaction = 0.006) among women with a BMI (in kg/m(2)) ≥25 (-5.2%; P = 0.004; n = 18) but not among women with a BMI <25 (-1.2%; P = 0.13; n = 43). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that an increase in dietary rTFAs equivalent to ∼1% of daily energy has no significant effect on LDL but may be associated with a reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations, particularly in overweight women. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00930137.