Saturated fat is more metabolically harmful for the human liver than unsaturated fat or simple sugars

OBJECTIVE Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (i.e., increased intrahepatic triglyceride [IHTG] content), predisposes to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Adipose tissue lipolysis and hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) are the main pathways contributing to IHTG. We hypothesized that dietary macronutrient composition influences the pathways, mediators, and magnitude of weight gain-induced changes in IHTG. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We overfed 38 overweight subjects (age 48 ± 2, BMI 31 ± 1 kg/m2, liver fat 4.7 ± 0.9%) 1,000 extra kcal/day of saturated (SAT) or unsaturated (UNSAT) fat or simple sugars (CARB) for 3 weeks. We measured IHTG (1H-MRS), pathways contributing to IHTG (lipolysis ([2H5]glycerol) and DNL (2H2O) basally and during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, endotoxemia, plasma ceramides, and adipose tissue gene expression at 0 and 3 weeks. RESULTS Overfeeding SAT increased IHTG more (+55%) than UNSAT (+15%, P < 0.05). CARB increased IHTG (+33%) by stimulating DNL (+98%). SAT significantly increased while UNSAT decreased lipolysis. SAT induced insulin resistance and endotoxemia and significantly increased multiple plasma ceramides. The diets had distinct effects on adipose tissue gene expression. CONCLUSIONS Macronutrient composition of excess energy influences pathways of IHTG: CARB increases DNL, while SAT increases and UNSAT decreases lipolysis. SAT induced greatest increase in IHTG, insulin resistance, and harmful ceramides. Decreased intakes of SAT could be beneficial in reducing IHTG and the associated risk of diabetes

Serotonin transporter binding of [123I]ADAM in bulimic women, their healthy twin sisters, and healthy women: a SPET study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is believed to be caused by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Previous studies support the existence of a bulimia-related endophenotype as well as disturbances in serotonin (5-HT) transmission. We studied serotonin transporter (SERT) binding in BN, and to investigate the possibility of a SERT-related endophenotype for BN, did this in a sample of female twins. We hypothesized clearly reduced SERT binding in BN women as opposed to healthy women, and intermediate SERT binding in unaffected co-twins.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied 13 female twins with BN (9 with purging and 4 with non-purging BN) and 25 healthy women, including 6 healthy twin sisters of BN patients and 19 women from 10 healthy twin pairs. [¹²³I]ADAM, a selective SERT radioligand for single photon emission tomography (SPET) imaging, was used to assess SERT availability in the midbrain and the thalamus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No differences in SERT binding were evident when comparing the BN women, their unaffected co-twins and the healthy controls (p = 0.14). The healthy sisters of the BN patients and the healthy control women had similar SERT binding in both brain regions. In a <it>post hoc </it>subgroup analysis, the purging bulimics had higher SERT binding than the healthy women in the midbrain (p = 0.03), but not in the thalamus.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our finding of increased SERT binding in the midbrain in the purging BN women raises the possibility that this subgroup of bulimics might differ in serotonergic function from the non-purging ones. The similarity of the unaffected co-twins and the healthy controls doesn't support our initial assumption of a SERT-related endophenotype for BN. Due to the small sample size, our results need to be interpreted with caution and verified in a larger sample.</p

Sport city branding of a mid-sized city in Finland

Global competition amongst cities has grown and branding has lately become an important part of cities’ strategies. The aim of this paper is to study the brand stakeholders’ perceptions of the sport city brand of a mid-sized city, Jyväskylä, in Finland. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with eleven city leaders and sport managers who had an infl uence on the sport brand of the city of Jyväskylä. The results show that in the minds of the respondents Jyväskylä has a strong image as a sport city. It stems from sports education, sports events, strong sports clubs, and active citizens. The results indicate that sports, and sporting events in particular, could be a key element in developing the brand image of the city of Jyväskylä. The results emphasize the importance of a closer cooperation and brand thinking amongst the stakeholders in order to develop the sport city brand of Jyväskylä. Zbog rastuće globalne konkurencije među gradovima brending je od nedavno postao važan element gradskih strategija. Rad prikazuje kako dionici marke doživljavaju sportsku marku Jyväskyläe, grada srednje veličine u Finskoj. Autori su proveli dubinske intervjue s jedanaest gradskih dužnosnika i sportskih menadžera koji su utjecali na sportsku marku grada Jyväskyläe. Prema rezultatima istraživanja, ispitanici smatraju kako Jyväskylä ima snažan imidž grada sporta. On počiva na sportskom obrazovanju, sportskim događanjima, jakim sportskim klubovima i aktivnom građanstvu. Rezultati pokazuju da bi sport, a posebno sportska događanja, mogli biti ključan element u razvoju imidža marke grada Jyväskyläe. Ističe se da je za razvoj marke grada sporta važna bliska suradnja i dobri, produktivni odnosi među dionicima.peerReviewe

The Effects of Coronavirus Pandemic on the Sports Industry: An Update

The sudden rise of the coronavirus in the world had various effects on the sports industry. Nevertheless, sports organizations around the world adopted new and different methods to manage the crisis, which in turn, enriched global knowledge of sports management. Also, some industries changed their products and adapted their structure and performance according to the new situation. The new Experiences gained during the pandemic showed that sports organizations need crisis management programs to deal with crises in the future. So, it’s necessary to manage sports organizations with a different perspective and new plans to encounter future needs and problems. To do this, sports managers must learn from the experiences of the pandemic era and be prepared to predict the world in the future, and better manage their organizations