SOX2 regulation by hedgehog signaling controls adult lingual epithelium homeostasis.

Adult tongue epithelium is continuously renewed from epithelial progenitor cells, a process that requires hedgehog (HH) signaling. In mice, pharmacological inhibition of the HH pathway causes taste bud loss within a few weeks. Previously, we demonstrated that sonic hedgehog (SHH) overexpression in lingual progenitors induces ectopic taste buds with locally increased SOX2 expression, suggesting that taste bud differentiation depends on SOX2 downstream of HH. To test this, we inhibited HH signaling in mice and observed a rapid decline in Sox2 and SOX2-GFP expression in taste epithelium. Upon conditional deletion of Sox2, differentiation of both taste and non-taste epithelial cells was blocked, and progenitor cell number increased. In contrast to basally restricted proliferation in controls, dividing cells were overabundant and spread to suprabasal epithelial layers in mutants. SOX2 loss in progenitors also led non-cell-autonomously to taste cell apoptosis, dramatically shortening taste cell lifespans. Finally, in tongues with conditional Sox2 deletion and SHH overexpression, ectopic and endogenous taste buds were not detectable; instead, progenitor hyperproliferation expanded throughout the lingual epithelium. In summary, we show that SOX2 functions downstream of HH signaling to regulate lingual epithelium homeostasis.

Neural correlates of verbal memory in youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.

Prenatal alcohol exposure can impact both brain development and neurobehavioral function, including verbal learning and recall, although the relation between verbal recall and brain structure in this population has not been examined fully. We aimed to determine the structural neural correlates of verbal learning and recall in youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure using a region of interest (ROI) approach. As part of an ongoing multisite project, subjects (age 10-16 years) with prenatal alcohol exposure (AE, n = 81) and controls (CON, n = 81) were tested using the CVLT-C and measures of cortical volume, surface area, and thickness as well as hippocampal volume were derived from MRI. Group differences in brain and memory indices were tested with ANOVA. Multiple regression analyses tested whether brain ROIs significantly predicted memory performance. The AE group had lower scores than the CON group on all CVLT-C variables (ps ≤ .001) and volume and surface area (ps < .025), although results varied by ROI. No group differences in cortical thickness were found. The relations between cortical structure and memory performance differed between group among some ROIs, particularly those in the frontal cortex, generally with smaller surface area and/or thinner cortex predicting better performance in CON but worse performance in AE. Cortical surface area appears to be the most sensitive index to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, while cortical thickness appears to be the least sensitive. These findings also indicate that the neural correlates of verbal memory are altered in youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure compared to controls.

The Feasibility of Using Facebook, Craigslist, and Other Online Strategies to Recruit Young African American Women for a Web-Based Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Change Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Reports describing successful recruiting of minority participants are available; however, they focus largely on traditional strategies. Internet and mobile devices are widely used, providing alternative approaches, yet less information is available describing the success of these approaches. OBJECTIVE: This article (1) evaluates the feasibility of using online advertising as a recruiting modality for a healthy lifestyle behavior change intervention targeting young African American women and (2) describes lessons learned to better inform researchers for future directions. METHODS: African American women, aged 18 to 45 years, with untreated prehypertension and Internet access were eligible for a 12-week randomized study providing physical activity or nutrition behavior change education delivered via online modules. Traditional strategies included flyers, tabletop cards, blood pressure screenings, health fairs, and clinics. Online-related strategies included posting ads on Facebook, Craigslist, and on the university Web site, intranet, and "on-hold" telephone line. Descriptive statistics were used to identify frequency of recruitment strategies. χ Analysis was used to assess differences between enrolled and nonenrolled inquiries. RESULTS: Among all 176 inquiries, the most frequented strategies were the university Web site (44%), blood pressure screenings (15%), Facebook/Craigslist (13%), and clinics (12%). Enrollment rates differed across recruitment strategies (χ P = .046). The 3 highest enrollment rates were (1) employee in-services (100%), (2) flyers/tabletop cards (31.6%), and (3) word of mouth/physician referral (25%). CONCLUSION: Online-related strategies are convenient and have great potential for reaching large numbers of people. However, the actual rate of participants successfully enrolled online was proportionally smaller when compared with traditional recruiting strategies.