Post-prandial increases in liver-gut hormone LEAP2 correlate with attenuated eating behaviour in adults without obesity

Background: The novel liver-gut hormone LEAP2 is a centrally acting inverse agonist, and competitive antagonist of orexigenic acyl ghrelin (AG), at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, reducing food intake in rodents. In humans, the effects of LEAP2 on eating behaviour and mechanisms behind the post-prandial increase in LEAP2 are unclear, though this is reciprocal to the post-prandial decrease in plasma AG. Methods: Plasma LEAP2 was measured in a secondary analysis of a previous study. Twenty-two adults without obesity attended after an overnight fast (Fasted-saline), consuming a 730kcal meal without (Fed-saline) or with (Fed-ghrelin) subcutaneous AG administration. Post-prandial changes in plasma LEAP2 were correlated with post-prandial changes in appetite, high-energy (HE) or low-energy (LE) food cue reactivity using functional MRI, ad libitum food intake, and plasma/serum AG, glucose, insulin and triglycerides. Results: Post-prandial plasma LEAP2 increased by 24.5-52.2% at 70-150 min, but was unchanged by exogenous AG administration. Post-prandial increases in LEAP2 correlated positively with post-prandial decreases in appetite, and cue reactivity to HE/LE and HE food in anterior/posterior cingulate cortex, paracingulate cortex, frontal pole, middle frontal gyrus, with similar trend for food intake. Post-prandial increases in LEAP2 correlated negatively with body mass index, but did not correlate positively with increases in glucose, insulin or triglycerides, nor decreases in AG. Conclusions: These correlational findings are consistent with a role for post-prandial increases in plasma LEAP2 in suppressing human eating behaviour in adults without obesity. Post-prandial increases in plasma LEAP2 are unrelated to changes in plasma AG and the mediator(s) remain uncertain

Spectral tools for Dynamic Tonality and audio morphing

The analysis-resynthesis method used by the spectral toolbox allows the independent control of both frequency and amplitude for every partial in a given sound. The spectral toolbox begins by separating the 'signal' from the 'noise' which allows the peaks in the spectrum to be treated differently from the wide-band components. The spectral mapping technology is used to map the input to a fixed destination spectrum G like the SpT.Ntet routine maps all partials of the input sound to scale steps of the N-tone equal tempered scale that can be used to create sounds that are particularly appropriate for use in a given N-TET scale. Spectral morphing generates sound that moves smoothly between a source spectrum F and a destination spectrum G over a specified time t. A Dynamic Tonality synthesizer like Trans-FormSynth has a small number of parameters that enable many musically useful, and relatively, unexplored features like the continuous parameters α,β and γ move the tuning between a number of equal temperaments, non-equal temperaments and circulating temperaments

Case Report: Retracing Atypical Development: A Preserved Speech Variant of Rett Syndrome

The subject of the present study is the development of a girl with the preserved speech variant of Rett disorder. Our data are based on detailed retrospective and prospective video analyses. Despite achieving developmental milestones, movement quality was already abnormal during the girl's first half year of life. In addition, early hand stereotypies, idiosyncratic vocalizations, asymmetric eye opening, and abnormal facial expressions are early signs proving that this variant of the Rett complex, too, manifests itself within the first months of life

N2O Decomposition over Fe-ZSM-5 Studied by Transient Techniques

N2O decomposition to gaseous N-2 and O-2 catalyzed by a commercial Fe-ZSM-5 has been studied by different transient techniques: (i) via the transient response methods at ambient pressure, (ii) via the temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor under vacuum, and (iii) by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) under vacuum. The catalyst was activated in He at 1323 K. Two main steps can be distinguished within the transient period of N2O decomposition under constant N2O feed at 603 K: the first step consists of molecular N-2 formation and surface atomic oxygen (O)(Fe). It follows a period of stoichiometric N2O decomposition to gaseous N-2 and O-2 with increasing conversion until steady state is reached. The observed rate increase is assigned to a slow accumulation on the surface of NOx,ads species formed from N2O and participating as co-catalyst in the N2O decomposition. The NOx,ads species accelerates the atomic oxygen recombination/desorption, which is the rate-determining step of N2O decomposition. The formation and accumulation of NOx,ads species during N2O interaction with the catalyst was confirmed by TAP studies. The amount of NOx,ads was found to depend on the number of N2O pulses injected into the TAP reactor. In the presence of adsorbed NOx on the catalyst surface (NOx,ads ) the desorption of dioxygen is facilitated. This results in a shift of the oxygen desorption temperature from 744 K to considerably lower temperatures of 580 K in TPD experiments. Pulses of gaseous NO had a similar effect leading to the formation NOx,ads thus facilitating the oxygen recombination/desorption

Effect of an eight-week high-intensity interval training programme on circulating sphingolipid levels in middle-aged adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk (SphingoFIT)-Protocol for a randomised controlled exercise trial.

Evidence indicates that sphingolipid accumulation drives complex molecular alterations promoting cardiometabolic diseases. Clinically, it was shown that sphingolipids predict cardiometabolic risk independently of and beyond traditional biomarkers such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. To date, little is known about therapeutic modalities to lower sphingolipid levels. Exercise, a powerful means to prevent and treat cardiometabolic diseases, is a promising modality to mitigate sphingolipid levels in a cost-effective, safe, and patient-empowering manner. This randomised controlled trial will explore whether and to what extent an 8-week fitness-enhancing training programme can lower serum sphingolipid levels of middle-aged adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk (n = 98, 50% females). The exercise intervention will consist of supervised high-intensity interval training (three sessions weekly), while the control group will receive physical activity counselling based on current guidelines. Blood will be sampled early in the morning in a fasted state before and after the 8-week programme. Participants will be provided with individualised, pre-packaged meals for the two days preceding blood sampling to minimise potential confounding. An 'omic-scale sphingolipid profiling, using high-coverage reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, will be applied to capture the circulating sphingolipidome. Maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests will be performed before and after the 8-week programme to assess patient fitness changes. Cholesterol, triglycerides, glycated haemoglobin, the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, static retinal vessel analysis, flow-mediated dilatation, and strain analysis of the heart cavities will also be assessed pre- and post-intervention. This study shall inform whether and to what extent exercise can be used as an evidence-based treatment to lower circulating sphingolipid levels. The trial was registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06024291) on August 28, 2023