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Understanding Mammalian Locomotion will formally introduce the emerging perspective of collision dynamics in mammalian terrestrial locomotion and explain how it influences the interpretation of form and functional capabilities. The objective is to bring the reader interested in the function and mechanics of mammalian terrestrial locomotion to a sophisticated conceptual understanding of the relevant mechanics and the current debate ongoing in the field.

GDNF receptor alpha-like is a brainstem-restricted receptor for growth and differentiation factor 15, regulating appetite and body weight in non-homeostatic conditions by activating the emergency circuit response to disease and toxin stresses. Brainstem receptor regulates body mass loss Growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) acts on feeding centres in the brain to cause anorexia, leading to loss of both lean and fat mass and eventually cachexia. GDF15 levels rise in response to tissue stress and injury, and higher levels are associated with weight loss in numerous chronic human diseases, including cancer. Bernard Allan and colleagues now show that glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) receptor alpha-like (GFRAL) is a GDF15 receptor in the brainstem. The structure of GDF15 and its interaction with GFRAL together with biochemical experiments and analysis of Gfral knockout mice demonstrate that regulation of body weight by GFRAL is independent of previously characterized pathways. Unlike hormones from gut and adipose tissue that activate receptors mostly in the hypothalamus, GDF15 increases in response to tissue damage and activates GFRAL-expressing neurons in the brainstem. Gfral knockout mice overate under stressed conditions and were resistant to chemotherapy-induced anorexia and weight loss. These findings provide therapeutic opportunities for disorders with altered energy demands. Under homeostatic conditions, animals use well-defined hypothalamic neural circuits to help maintain stable body weight, by integrating metabolic and hormonal signals from the periphery to balance food consumption and energy expenditure 1 , 2 . In stressed or disease conditions, however, animals use alternative neuronal pathways to adapt to the metabolic challenges of altered energy demand 3 . Recent studies have identified brain areas outside the hypothalamus that are activated under these ‘non-homeostatic’ conditions 4 , 5 , 6 , but the molecular nature of the peripheral signals and brain-localized receptors that activate these circuits remains elusive. Here we identify glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) receptor alpha-like (GFRAL) as a brainstem-restricted receptor for growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). GDF15 regulates food intake, energy expenditure and body weight in response to metabolic and toxin-induced stresses; we show that Gfral knockout mice are hyperphagic under stressed conditions and are resistant to chemotherapy-induced anorexia and body weight loss. GDF15 activates GFRAL-expressing neurons localized exclusively in the area postrema and nucleus tractus solitarius of the mouse brainstem. It then triggers the activation of neurons localized within the parabrachial nucleus and central amygdala, which constitute part of the ‘emergency circuit’ that shapes feeding responses to stressful conditions 7 . GDF15 levels increase in response to tissue stress and injury, and elevated levels are associated with body weight loss in numerous chronic human diseases 8 , 9 . By isolating GFRAL as the receptor for GDF15-induced anorexia and weight loss, we identify a mechanistic basis for the non-homeostatic regulation of neural circuitry by a peripheral signal associated with tissue damage and stress. These findings provide opportunities to develop therapeutic agents for the treatment of disorders with altered energy demand.

Moving up or down a weight class? Switching positions within your sport? Competing in a new league or level? Are you big enough, quick enough, and strong enough? Elite athletes understand the impact that body weight and composition have on performance. Gain too much, and lose that all-important first step. Drop too much, and risk being overpowered. Here, sport dietitians Macedonio and Dunford have analyzed today's top athletes, competitive trends, and positional demands across 21 sports to help you determine--and achieve--your optimal competitive weight. Assess body composition, nutritional requirements, and your current training program. Then follow the customizable meal plans for a personalized approach to maximizing performance. Whether you need to add muscle and mass, lose body fat, or control water weight, this book will help you reach your goals without sacrificing safety or performance.--From publisher description.

We systematically study how diverse physiologic systems in the human organism dynamically interact and collectively behave to produce distinct physiologic states and functions. This is a fundamental question in the new interdisciplinary field of Network Physiology, and has not been previously explored. Introducing the novel concept of Time Delay Stability (TDS), we develop a computational approach to identify and quantify networks of physiologic interactions from long-term continuous, multi-channel physiological recordings. We also develop a physiologically-motivated visualization framework to map networks of dynamical organ interactions to graphical objects encoded with information about the coupling strength of network links quantified using the TDS measure. Applying a system-wide integrative approach, we identify distinct patterns in the network structure of organ interactions, as well as the frequency bands through which these interactions are mediated. We establish first maps representing physiologic organ network interactions and discover basic rules underlying the complex hierarchical reorganization in physiologic networks with transitions across physiologic states. Our findings demonstrate a direct association between network topology and physiologic function, and provide new insights into understanding how health and distinct physiologic states emerge from networked interactions among nonlinear multi-component complex systems. The presented here investigations are initial steps in building a first atlas of dynamic interactions among organ systems.

Auxin participates in a multitude of developmental processes, as well as responses to environmental cues. Compared with other plant hormones, auxin exhibits a unique property, as it undergoes directional, cell-to-cell transport facilitated by plasma membrane-localized transport proteins. Among them, a prominent role has been ascribed to the PIN family of auxin efflux facilitators. PIN proteins direct polar auxin transport on account of their asymmetric subcellular localizations. In this review, we provide an overview of the multiple developmental roles of PIN proteins, including the atypical endoplasmic reticulum-localized members of the family, and look at the family from an evolutionary perspective. Next, we cover the cell biological and molecular aspects of PIN function, in particular the establishment of their polar subcellular localization. Hormonal and environmental inputs into the regulation of PIN action are summarized as well.

Tissue engineering encompasses various scientific disciplines with the aim of revolutionizing our outlook on the future of research and medicine. In this Perspective, Robert Langer and Ali Khademhosseini discuss the advancing field of tissue engineering, featuring high-impact technologies over the past decade and their own future perspectives on the field. Tremendous progress has been achieved in the field of tissue engineering in the past decade. Several major challenges laid down 10 years ago, have been studied, including renewable cell sources, biomaterials with tunable properties, mitigation of host responses, and vascularization. Here we review advancements in these areas and envision directions of further development.