Right-Wing Politicians Prefer the Emotional Left

Physiological research suggests that social attitudes, such as political beliefs, may be partly hard-wired in the brain. Conservatives have heightened sensitivity for detecting emotional faces and use emotion more effectively when campaigning. As the left face displays emotion more prominently, we examined 1538 official photographs of conservative and liberal politicians from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States for an asymmetry in posing. Across nations, conservatives were more likely than liberals to display the left cheek. In contrast, liberals were more likely to face forward than were conservatives. Emotion is important in political campaigning and as portraits influence voting decisions, conservative politicians may intuitively display the left face to convey emotion to voters

The presence and etiology of developmental disorders related to diabetes mellitus

Ontwikkelingsstoornissen bij kinderen van moeders met suikerziekte worden aangenomen veroorzaakt te zijn door een wisselende of slecht gereguleerde glycaemie. Hoewel een vrijwel normo-glycaemische situatie kan worden bereikt door toepassing van continue subcutane insuline infusie (CSII), blijkt dat dit geen garantie is voor het voorkomen van perinatale diabetische complicaties. Bij kinderen van moeders uit type 1-diabetes is de incidentie van ontwikkelingsstoornissen circa zesmaal verhoogd. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat ontregeling van de bloedsuikerregulatie en met name hoge bloedsuikers, in het eerste trimester van graviditeit een rol spelen. Toch wordt bij goede bloedsuikerregulatie in deze zwangerschappen frequent een foetale groeiachterstand gevonden. Er zijn vele oorzaken of combinaties van oorzaken voor het optreden van ontwikkelingsstoornissen mogelijk. In dit project wordt getracht na te gaan of met behulp van de in vitro kweek van ratte-embryo's in sera van diabetici, die goed geanalyseerd en gestratificeerd zijn, specifieke factoren in relatie gebracht kunnen worden met ontwikkelingsstoornissen bij het ratte-embryo.HI

Effect of individualised dietary advice for weight loss supplemented with walnuts on blood pressure: the HealthTrack study

Background/objectives: In addition to weight-loss, healthy dietary patterns and lower sodium intakes can help reduce blood pressure (BP), but individualised dietary advice may be necessary to achieve these effects. This study aimed to examine the impact of individualised dietary advice on BP in the intensive phase of a weight-loss trial. Subjects/methods: Secondary analysis of baseline and 3-month data from the HealthTrack randomised controlled trial (n = 211). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three dietary advice groups: general advice (control), individualised advice (intervention group, I), or intervention group supplemented with 30 g walnuts/day (IW). Resting BP and 24-h urine sodium and potassium were measured. Dietary intake was evaluated through diet history interviews. Results: Unadjusted SBP reduced significantly in all groups (IW and I groups P \u3c 0.001; control group P = 0.002) and DBP in IW and I groups (P \u3c 0.001). Compared to controls, the reductions in BP were 3-4 mmHg greater in the I and IW groups, but this only reached significance for DBP in the I group (−3.3 mmHg; P = 0.041). After controlling for age, sex, medication, weight-loss, physical activity and smoking, only the IW group showed a significant association between SBP reduction and increased urinary potassium (β = −0.101, P = 0.044), decreased sodium:potassium ratio (β = 2.446, P = 0.037) and increased consumption of seed and nut products and dishes (β = −0.108, P = 0.034). Conclusions: Dietary patterns with distinctive foods and lower sodium:potassium ratios may enhance the effects of weight-loss on BP. The patterns were best achieved with individualised dietary advice and food supplements