Monocyte and Cytokine Responses are improved by Baker’s Yeast β-Glucan Supplementation following Exercise in a Hot, Humid Environment

Strenuous exercise is known to suppress the immune system, which can increase the chances of getting sick in the hours after exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine if 10-d of supplementation with yeast b-glucan alters monocyte concentration, LPS-stimulated cytokine production, and plasma cytokine concentration in recreationally active subjects. Recreationally active subjects (29 men, 31 women, 22±4 y) completed 49±6 min of cycling (37±2°C, 45±5% relative humidity) after consuming either yeast b-glucan (250 mg/d, BG) or a placebo (sugar pill, PL) for 10-days prior to each exercise session. The investigators were blinded to the supplement conditions until all data was collected and analyzed. Venous blood was collected at baseline (prior to supplement), pre-, post-, and 2-hours (2H) post exercise. Total and subset monocyte concentration was measured by flow cytometry. LPS-stimulated production of 12 cytokines was measured using a whole blood assay. Plasma concentration of 13 cytokines was measured using a high-sensitivity MagPix assay. Monocyte (CD14+) concentration was significantly greater at 2H (P=0.05) with BG. Also, compared to PL, BG boosted LPS-stimulated production IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-g at PRE and POST (P\u3c0.05). Plasma concentration of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-10, and IFN-g were significantly greater at 2H in the BG compared to PL. In the placebo condition we observed the traditional response to strenuous exercise (rise at POST and suppression at 2H). It appears that 10-days of supplementation with BG primed blood leukocytes for the production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-g. These cytokines were elevated prior to and immediately after exercise in LPS-stimulated cultures and subsequent elevation were observed at 2H with unstimulated plasma measures. In addition to cytokine changes, BG appeared to blunt post-exercise reduction in blood monocyte concentration, which may have implication of immune-surveillance. The key findings of the present study demonstrate that BG may be a suitable countermeasure to protect and boost the immune system following stressful exercise. Such boost is likely to lower the duration of the “open window” response. This study was funded by Biothera, The Immune Health Company

Are visual threats prioritized without awareness? A critical review and meta analysis involving 3 behavioral paradigms and 2696 observers

Given capacity limits, only a subset of stimuli 1 give rise to a conscious percept. Neurocognitive models suggest that humans have evolved mechanisms that operate without awareness and prioritize threatening stimuli over neutral stimuli in subsequent perception. In this meta analysis, we review evidence for this ‘standard hypothesis’ emanating from three widely used, but rather different experimental paradigms that have been used to manipulate awareness. We found a small pooled threat-bias effect in the masked visual probe paradigm, a medium effect in the binocular rivalry paradigm and highly inconsistent effects in the breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm. Substantial heterogeneity was explained by the stimulus type: the only threat stimuli that were robustly prioritized across all three paradigms were fearful faces. Meta regression revealed that anxiety may modulate threat biases, but only under specific presentation conditions. We also found that insufficiently rigorous awareness measures, inadequate control of response biases and low level confounds may undermine claims of genuine unconscious threat processing. Considering the data together, we suggest that uncritical acceptance of the standard hypothesis is premature: current behavioral evidence for threat-sensitive visual processing that operates without awareness is weak

Contribution of neural crest-derived cells in the embryonic and adult thymus

Abstract Neural crest (NC)-derived mesenchyme has previously been shown to play an important role in the development of fetal thymus. Using Wnt1-Cre and Sox10-Cre mice crossed to Rosa26eYfp reporter mice, we have revealed NC-derived mesenchymal cells in the adult murine thymus. We report that NC-derived cells infiltrate the thymus before day 13.5 of embryonic development (E13.5) and differentiate into cells with characteristics of smooth muscle cells associated with large vessels, and pericytes associated with capillaries. In the adult organ at 3 mo of age, these NC-derived perivascular cells continue to be associated with the vasculature, providing structural support to the blood vessels and possibly regulating endothelial cell function.</jats:p

MagAO Imaging of Long-period Objects (MILO). I. A Benchmark M Dwarf Companion Exciting a Massive Planet around the Sun-like Star HD 7449

We present high-contrast Magellan adaptive optics (MagAO) images of HD 7449, a Sun-like star with one planet and a long-term radial velocity (RV) trend. We unambiguously detect the source of the long-term trend from 0.6-2.15 \microns ~at a separation of \about 0\fasec 54. We use the object's colors and spectral energy distribution to show that it is most likely an M4-M5 dwarf (mass \about 0.1-0.2 \msun) at the same distance as the primary and is therefore likely bound. We also present new RVs measured with the Magellan/MIKE and PFS spectrometers and compile these with archival data from CORALIE and HARPS. We use a new Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure to constrain both the mass ($> 0.17$ \msun ~at 99$\%$ confidence) and semimajor axis (\about 18 AU) of the M dwarf companion (HD 7449B). We also refine the parameters of the known massive planet (HD 7449Ab), finding that its minimum mass is $1.09^{+0.52}_{-0.19}$ \mj, its semimajor axis is $2.33^{+0.01}_{-0.02}$ AU, and its eccentricity is $0.8^{+0.08}_{-0.06}$. We use N-body simulations to constrain the eccentricity of HD 7449B to $\lesssim$ 0.5. The M dwarf may be inducing Kozai oscillations on the planet, explaining its high eccentricity. If this is the case and its orbit was initially circular, the mass of the planet would need to be $\lesssim$ 1.5 \mj. This demonstrates that strong constraints on known planets can be made using direct observations of otherwise undetectable long-period companions.Comment: Corrected planet mass error (7.8 Mj --> 1.09 Mj, in agreement with previous studies

Health, ethics and environment: A qualitative study of vegetarian motivations

This qualitative study explored the motivations of vegetarians by means of online ethnographic research with participants in an international message board. The researcher participated in discussions on the board, gathered responses to questions from 33 participants, and conducted follow-up e-mail interviews with eighteen of these participants. Respondents were predominantly from the US, Canada and the UK. Seventy per cent were female, and ages ranged from 14 to 53, with a median of 26 years. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. While this research found that health and the ethical treatment of animals were the main motivators for participants’ vegetarianism, participants reported a range of commitments to environmental concerns, although in only one case was environmentalism a primary motivator for becoming a vegetarian. The data indicates that vegetarians may follow a trajectory, in which initial motivations are augmented over time by other reasons for sustaining or further restricting their diet

On Editing Prose, the Gender Gap in Publishing, and Eating Alligator!: A chat with Cara Blue Adams, Editor of Southern Review

Cara Blue Adams\u27s fiction has appeared in Narrative, The Kenyon Review, and The Sun, among other journals. She won the Kenyon Review Short Fiction Prize. She lives in Baton Rouge, where she is the fiction and nonfiction editor of The Southern Review