The SCN8A encephalopathy mutation p.Ile1327Val displays elevated sensitivity to the anticonvulsant phenytoin

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134291/1/epi13461_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134291/2/epi13461.pd

The Effects Of Acute Resistance Exercise On Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Measures Of Body Composition

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is a popular method of body composition assessment; however, validity of BIA is thought to be highly dependent on adhering to pre-test criteria, including the abstinence from exercise prior to testing. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if acute, localized resistance exercise (RE) compromises the validity of BIA total body composition estimates. METHODS: In a crossover design, 16 healthy, resistance trained adults, including 7 females (age: 22.7 ± 1.9 y; height: 165.4 ± 8.4 cm; body mass: 62.1 ± 10.9 kg; body fat: 25.9 ± 7.3%) and 9 males (age: 24.3 ± 3.6 y; height: 179.1 ± 5.1 cm; body mass: 88.0 ± 7.6 kg; body fat: 18.4 ± 6.6%) completed three conditions in a randomized order: lower-body resistance exercise (RELOWER), upper-body resistance exercise (REUPPER), and rest (REST). The RE protocol consisted of a warm-up consisting of 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions of 3 upper-body exercises (upper) or 3 lower-body exercises (lower), followed by 5 sets of 10 repetitions per exercise, with 1-minute rest intervals. The REST condition involved no exercise. BIA (InBody 770) was completed immediately pre and post-exercise and at 15-, 30-, and 60-minutes post-exercise. BIA estimates of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were analyzed using 3 x 5 (condition x time) analysis of variance with repeated measures, follow-up pairwise comparisons, and evaluation of the partial eta-squared (ηp2) effect sizes. RESULTS: Pre-exercise FM and FFM did not differ between conditions (0.1 to 0.4 kg; p \u3e 0.4 for all). Condition x time interactions were present for both FM (pp2 =0.48) and FFM (pp2 =0.45). Pairwise comparisons indicated that FM was lower in the REUPPER condition as compared to both REST (1.5 kg; pLOWER (1.3 kg; pUPPER condition as compared to both REST (1.3 kg; pLOWER (0.9 kg; pUPPER as compared to REST (1.0 kg; p=0.005) but no longer differed between REUPPER and RELOWER (0.4 kg; p=0.44). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that acute upper-body RE compromises the validity of BIA total body composition estimates compared to REST and lower-body RE and reinforces exercise abstinence as a pre-test consideration. Further exploration of the effects on segmental body composition data is warranted

Initial conditions can have long-term effects on plant species diversity in jarrah forest restored after bauxite mining

Much of the remarkable plant species diversity of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region can be attributed to high diversity of the understorey in its forests and woodlands, including 400–600 understorey species per km2 in the Northern Jarrah Forest alone. Consequently, returning species diversity is a key challenge for postmining ecological restoration in the region. Each year, Alcoa of Australia undertakes restoration of mined areas within the Northern Jarrah Forest with a goal of returning a self-sustaining jarrah forest ecosystem. To meet this goal, it is important to understand long-term (i.e. > 20 years) trajectories of vegetation development and the restoration practices that direct species diversity outcomes. Here, we report the results of several experiments, the oldest of which is 45 years of age, which together demonstrate significant longer-term effects on understorey species diversity of restoration practices determining initial conditions including topsoil handling, fertiliser application, seeding rates of large legumes, and tree (overstorey) species stocking rates. Our research highlights (1) that ‘historical contingency’ can determine the trajectory of jarrah forest restoration and (2) that longer-term studies are critical as they give a different, sometimes conflicting, perspective to short-term datasets. Notably, after 27 years, we found an inverse relationship between plant cover and P fertilisation, where plant cover was highest in the in the absence of P fertiliser and lowest at the uppermost P amendment rate. We also found that the long-accepted Initial Floristics Model of succession does not fit well with our data. Our overall findings are likely useful to restore understorey diversity to woodlands, forests, and abandoned farmlands elsewhere in the region

The Effects Of Acute Resistance Exercise On Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Measure Of Body Composition

Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is a reference laboratory method for estimating body composition but there are questions concerning the pre-testing guidelines that should be followed to increase validity and reliability of this methodology. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if acute, localized resistance exercise disrupts the validity of DXA total body composition estimates. METHODS: In a crossover design, 18 healthy, resistance-trained, college-aged adults, including 7 females (age: 22.7 ± 1.9 y; height: 165.4 ± 8.4 cm; body mass: 62.1 ± 10.9 kg; body fat: 25.9 ± 7.3%) and 11 males (age: 24.2 ± 4.1 y; height: 180.0 ± 5.1 cm; body mass: 90.2 ± 9.5 kg; body fat: 18.7 ± 7.2%) completed three conditions in a randomized order: lower-body resistance exercise (RELOWER), upper-body resistance exercise (REUPPER), and rest (REST). The resistance exercise (RE) protocol consisted of a RE warm-up consisting of 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions of 3 upper-body exercises (upper), or 3 lower-body exercises (lower) or nothing (rest). The RE circuit consisted of 5 sets of 10 repetitions per exercise, with 1-minute rest intervals between circuits. A DXA scan was performed immediately before exercise and at 60 minutes post exercise. DXA estimates of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM; calculated as lean soft tissue plus bone mineral content) were analyzed using 3 x 2 (condition x time) analysis of variance with repeated measures, follow-up pairwise comparisons, and evaluation of the partial eta-squared (ηp2) effect sizes. RESULTS: Pre-exercise FM and FFM did not differ between conditions (0.2 to 0.4 kg; p \u3e 0.14 for all). For FM, no statistically significant interaction or main effects were present (interaction: p=0.80, ηp2=0.01; time main effect: p=0.14, ηp2=0.12; condition main effect: p=0.92, ηp2=0.01). For FFM, no statistically significant interaction (p=0.13, ηp2=0.12) or condition main effect (p=0.56, ηp2=0.03) was present. However, a statistically significant time main effect was present (p=0.009, ηp2=0.34). Pairwise comparisons indicated that post-condition FFM estimates were 0.20 ± 0.07 kg lower than pre-condition values in all conditions combined. CONCLUSION: No differences were seen among conditions, indicating that DXA total body composition estimates may be relatively robust to the effects of acute, localized RE. However, investigation of segmental estimates is warranted due to RE-induced blood flow redistributio

Quantifying the impact of climate change on drought regimes using the Standardised Precipitation Index

The study presents a methodology to characterise short- or long-term drought events, designed to aid understanding of how climate change may affect future risk. An indicator of drought magnitude, combining parameters of duration, spatial extent and intensity, is presented based on the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI). The SPI is applied to observed (1955–2003) and projected (2003–2050) precipitation data from the Community Integrated Assessment System (CIAS). Potential consequences of climate change on drought regimes in Australia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Spain, Portugal and the USA are quantified. Uncertainty is assessed by emulating a range of global circulation models to project climate change. Further uncertainty is addressed through the use of a high-emission scenario and a low stabilisation scenario representing a stringent mitigation policy. Climate change was shown to have a larger effect on the duration and magnitude of long-term droughts, and Australia, Brazil, Spain, Portugal and the USA were highlighted as being particularly vulnerable to multi-year drought events, with the potential for drought magnitude to exceed historical experience. The study highlights the characteristics of drought which may be more sensitive under climate change. For example, on average, short-term droughts in the USA do not become more intense but are projected to increase in duration. Importantly, the stringent mitigation scenario had limited effect on drought regimes in the first half of the twenty-first century, showing that adaptation to drought risk will be vital in these regions

A study of association between common variation in the growth hormone-chorionic somatomammotropin hormone gene cluster and adult fasting insulin in a UK Caucasian population

BACKGROUND: Reduced growth during infancy is associated with adult insulin resistance. In a UK Caucasian cohort, the CSH1.01 microsatellite polymorphism in the growth hormone-chorionic somatomammotropin hormone gene cluster was recently associated with increases in adult fasting insulin of approximately 23 pmol/l for TT homozygote males compared to D1D1 or D2D2 homozygotes (P = 0.001 and 0.009; n = 206 and 92, respectively), but not for females. TT males additionally had a 547-g lower weight at 1 year (n = 270; P = 0.008) than D2D2 males. We sought to replicate these data in healthy UK Caucasian subjects. We genotyped 1396 subjects (fathers, mothers and children) from a consecutive birth study for the CSH1.01 marker and analysed genotypes for association with 1-year weight in boys and fasting insulin in fathers. RESULTS: We found no evidence for association of CSH1.01 genotype with adult male fasting insulin concentrations (TT/D1D1 P = 0.38; TT/D2D2 P = 0.18) or weight at 1 year in boys (TT/D1D1 P = 0.76; TT/D2D2 P = 0.85). For fasting insulin, our data can exclude the previously observed effect sizes as the 95 % confidence intervals for the differences observed in our study exclude increases in fasting insulin of 9.0 and 12.6 pmol/l for TT relative to D1D1 and D2D2 homozygotes, respectively. Whilst we have fewer data on boys' 1-year weight than the original study, our data can exclude a reduction in 1-year weight greater than 557 g for TT relative to D2D2 homozygotes. CONCLUSION: We have not found association of the CSH1.01 genotype with fasting insulin or weight at 1 year. We conclude that the original study is likely to have over-estimated the effect size for fasting insulin, or that the difference in results reflects the younger age of subjects in this study relative to those in the previous study

Young women's and midwives' perspectives on improving nutritional support in pregnancy: The babies, eating, and LifestyLe in adolescence (BELLA) study

Rationale: Teenage pregnancy has a high risk of poor outcomes for both mother and baby. Teenage girls have the poorest diets of any population group in the UK, which compounds the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Pregnant teenagers trust advice from their midwives, but midwives feel they do not have time, confidence, or knowledge to discuss nutrition. Objective: This study examined how the relationship between pregnant teenagers and their midwives could be utilised to deliver support to improve diet quality. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted across three urban sites in the UK: Manchester, Doncaster, and Southampton with adolescent mothers and their midwives regarding diet and lifestyle, and what form of support would be helpful. In total, 106 young women and 20 midwives were interviewed. Most of the young mothers were 19 or younger (67%). Half had had their first child in the past year (52%) and 21% were pregnant during the study. Thematic analysis was used to identify ways to better support young mothers to eat well. Results: Young women found it difficult to prioritise healthy eating; they often felt isolated and not in control of their own lives and wanted support from their midwife. Midwives felt that it was their role to support young mothers with diet in pregnancy but were anxious about initiating conversations and felt they lacked clear guidance. Conclusions: Pregnant teenagers and their midwives lack reliable resources and strategies for healthy eating support. An effective intervention to improve pregnant teenagers' diet quality must empower, inform, and motivate young mothers and their midwives, and enable connections between young mothers

Making sense of violence: a study of narrative meaning

Dramatized violence has been a feature of entertainment in western civilization throughout history. The function of film violence is explored and compared to violence encountered in real life. The role of narrative in individuals' meaning-making processes is also investigated. Six adults were individually interviewed using a semi-structured schedule and narrative analysis was implemented. The findings revealed that real life violence is experientially distinct from film violence but narrative was found to be central to participants' quest for the meaning of violence in both contexts. The narrative framework of violence and whether it is justifiable were fundamental to participants' understanding. The function of violent film was found to be multifaceted: it can teach viewers about the consequences of violence; it allows them to speculate about their own and others' reactions to violence; and it provides an opportunity to experience something which is ordinarily outside of our experience in order to satisfy our human existential needs