INTERRELATIONSHIP OF STRESS, BODY IMAGE, NEGATIVE MOOD STATE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ABNORMAL EATING BEHAVIOUR AMONG GAME SPECIFIC FEMALE ATHLETES: AN EXPLORATORY APPROACH

Purpose: To achieve and maintain a perfect body shape athlete often follows restrictive dieting which ultimately leads them to eating disorders. The purpose of the study was to identify whether there is an interrelationship of abnormal eating behaviours, perceived stress, negative mood state and self-perception of body image among athletic population and another was to observe the consequences of negative psychological well-being and game specificity on food choices and frequency. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the “at risk-eating disorder” participants who were involved in different sports category. Methods: One thirty eight healthy young female participants matched for BMI were selected by purposive sampling. Subjects were divided into 4 categories i.e. aesthetic games group, endurance groups, strength group and healthy controls. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection during their non-competitive session. ANOVA followed by Scheffe’s test was applied to compare different parameters among the groups. Regression model examined the associations among disordered eating behaviours, stress, body shape concern, emotional eating, total mood disturbance and food choice. Findings: Result revealed disordered eating behaviour was significantly prominent in control and aesthetic game group than other two groups. Control group obtained the highest score in stress and emotional eating while aesthetic game group secured the highest score in body shape concern. Mood disturbance was more prevalent in strength group. Body mass index, body shape concern, emotional eating and total mood disturbance were identified as strongest predictor of EAT-26 scores. The result revealed that controls and aesthetic game group exhibit more abnormal eating behaviours than others. Value: This result will help to indicate abnormal eating behaviour and its relation with psychological well-being among female athletic population. Interventions programmes should be designed to cope up with competitive pressure to avoid abnormal eating behaviour.  Article visualizations

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF STRESS, BODY IMAGE, NEGATIVE MOOD STATE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ABNORMAL EATING BEHAVIOUR AMONG GAME SPECIFIC FEMALE ATHLETES: AN EXPLORATORY APPROACH

Purpose: To achieve and maintain a perfect body shape athlete often follows restrictive dieting which ultimately leads them to eating disorders. The purpose of the study was to identify whether there is an interrelationship of abnormal eating behaviours, perceived stress, negative mood state and self-perception of body image among athletic population and another was to observe the consequences of negative psychological well-being and game specificity on food choices and frequency. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the “at risk-eating disorder” participants who were involved in different sports category. Methods: One thirty eight healthy young female participants matched for BMI were selected by purposive sampling. Subjects were divided into 4 categories i.e. aesthetic games group, endurance groups, strength group and healthy controls. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection during their non-competitive session. ANOVA followed by Scheffe’s test was applied to compare different parameters among the groups. Regression model examined the associations among disordered eating behaviours, stress, body shape concern, emotional eating, total mood disturbance and food choice. Findings: Result revealed disordered eating behaviour was significantly prominent in control and aesthetic game group than other two groups. Control group obtained the highest score in stress and emotional eating while aesthetic game group secured the highest score in body shape concern. Mood disturbance was more prevalent in strength group. Body mass index, body shape concern, emotional eating and total mood disturbance were identified as strongest predictor of EAT-26 scores. The result revealed that controls and aesthetic game group exhibit more abnormal eating behaviours than others. Value: This result will help to indicate abnormal eating behaviour and its relation with psychological well-being among female athletic population. Interventions programmes should be designed to cope up with competitive pressure to avoid abnormal eating behaviour.  Article visualizations

Brain region–specific lipid alterations in the PLB4 hBACE1 knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

We are grateful to the Alzheimer’s Society Scottish Doctoral Training Centre and the RS Macdonald Trust Transition Fund for funding the research presented.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

MAXIMIZATION OF COOLING EFFECTIVENESS OF TURBINE BLADE SURFACES USING DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT OF COOLING HOLES AND VARIOUS BLOWING RATIOS

In gas turbines, the operating temperature of the primary fluid is very high. In order to lessen the damage of turbine blades due to severe working temperature, film cooling holes are commonly implemented during designing of turbine blades. Film cooling effectiveness has been studied numerically to determine the arrangement of cooling holes and optimum blowing ratio. In this study, three dimensional standard Reynold’s Average Navier Stokes (RANS) shear stress transport turbulence model have been used for the simulation purpose. Three different shapes of cooling holes have been considered to find out optimum shape of the hole geometry. The blowing ratios equal to 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 and the free stream Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and hydraulic diameter of the mainstream channel as 15316have been taken for the present study. 3D domain has been used in order to capture recirculation zone near the wall. Effectiveness obtained for fan-shaped hole at M = 0.8 and 1 is maximum compared to conventional hole shapes. Film cooling effectiveness is highest near the hole region which decreases further downstream of cooling holes due to coolant and mainstream intermixing. The simulation results show that best effective blade surface cooling is achieved for fan-shaped staggered row at blowing ratio equal to 1.0

Extravascular fibrinogen in the white matter of Alzheimer's disease and normal aged brains : implications for fibrinogen as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease

The research was supported by the Alzheimer’s Society (grant numbers AS-PG-2013-011 and AS-JF-18-01). Tissue for this study was provided by the Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource, which is funded in part by a grant from the UK Medical Research Council (G0400074) and by Brains for Dementia research, a joint venture between Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.The blood‐brain barrier (BBB) regulates cerebrovascular permeability and leakage of blood‐derived fibrinogen has been associated with cerebral arteriolosclerosis small vessel disease (SVD) and subsequent white matter lesions (WML). Furthermore, BBB‐dysfunction is associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with the presence of CSF plasma proteins suggested to be a potential biomarker of AD. We aimed to determine if extravascular fibrinogen in the white matter was associated with the development of AD hallmark pathologies, i.e., hyperphosphorylated tau (HPτ) and amyloid‐β (Aβ), SVD, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and measures of white matter damage. Using human post‐mortem brains, parietal tissue from 20 AD and 22 non‐demented controls was quantitatively assessed for HPτ, Aβ, white matter damage severity, axonal density, demyelination and the burden of extravascular fibrinogen in both WML and normal appearing white matter (NAWM). SVD severity was determined by calculating sclerotic indices. WML‐ and NAWM fibrinogen burden was not significantly different between AD and controls nor was it associated with the burden of HPτ or Aβ pathology, or any measures of white matter damage. Increasing severity of SVD was associated with and a predictor (both p < 0.05) of both higher WML‐ and NAWM fibrinogen burden (both P<0.05) in controls only. In cases with minimal SVD NAWM fibrinogen burden was significantly higher in the AD cases (p<0.05). BBB dysfunction was present in both non‐demented and AD brains and was not associated with the burden of AD‐associated cortical pathologies. BBB dysfunction was strongly associated with SVD but only in the non‐demented controls. In cases with minimal SVD, BBB dysfunction was significantly worse in AD cases possibly indicating the influence of CAA. In conclusions, extravascular fibrinogen is not associated with AD hallmark pathologies but indicates SVD, suggesting that the presence of fibrinogen in the CSF is not a surrogate marker for AD pathology.PostprintPeer reviewe

Parietal white matter lesions in Alzheimer’s disease are associated with cortical neurodegenerative pathology, but not with small vessel disease

The research was supported by the Alzheimer’s Society (Grant Number: AS-PG-2013-011). Tissue for this study was provided by the Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource, which is funded in part by a grant from the UK Medical Research Council (G0400074) and by Brains for Dementia research, a joint venture between Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.Cerebral white matter lesions (WML) encompass axonal loss and demyelination, and the pathogenesis is assumed to be small vessel disease (SVD)-related ischemia. However, WML may also result from the activation of Wallerian degeneration as a consequence of cortical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, i.e. hyperphosphorylated tau (HPτ) and amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition. WML seen in AD have a posterior predominance compared to non-demented individuals but it is unclear whether the pathological and molecular signatures of WML differ between these two groups. We investigated differences in the composition and aetiology of parietal WML from AD and non-demented controls. Parietal WML tissue from 55 human post-mortem brains (AD, n = 27; non-demented controls, n = 28) were quantitatively assessed for axonal loss and demyelination, as well as for cortical HPτ and Aβ burden and SVD. Biochemical assessment included Wallerian degeneration protease calpain and the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) to proteolipid protein (PLP) ratio (MAG:PLP) as a measure of hypoperfusion. WML severity was associated with both axonal loss and demyelination in AD, but only with demyelination in controls. Calpain was significantly increased in WML tissue in AD, whereas MAG:PLP was significantly reduced in controls. Calpain levels were associated with increasing amounts of cortical AD-pathology but not SVD. We conclude that parietal WML seen in AD differ in their pathological composition and aetiology compared to WML seen in aged controls: WML seen in AD may be associated with Wallerian degeneration that is triggered by cortical AD-pathology, whereas WML in aged controls are due to ischaemia. Hence, parietal WML as seen on MRI should not invariably be interpreted as a surrogate biomarker for SVD as they may be indicative of cortical AD-pathology, and therefore, AD should also be considered as the main underlying cause for cognitive impairment in cases with parietal WML.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Investigating mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegenerative dementia, estimated to affect 50 million people worldwide. Despite extensive research into AD, current therapeutic options provide only symptomatic relief, with no disease-modifying treatments presently available, which highlights the need to understand the aetiology of AD. Increasing evidence implicates mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic deficits in the early stages of AD pathogenesis. In AD, the accumulation of oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ) within the mitochondria allows it to interact with key mitochondrial proteins, such as 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 (17β-HSD10) – a multifunctional protein which can modulate the cellular response to metabolic stress. Levels of 17β-HSD10 are upregulated within several disease-relevant regions of the human brain in AD, and the high affinity interaction between 17β-HSD10 and Aβ has been linked to cellular toxicity. Previous research shows that the catalytic function of 17β-HSD10 is essential to propagate the Aβ-induced toxicity, hence indicating that either inhibiting the enzyme or preventing the interaction between 17β-HSD10 and Aβ may hold potential as a point of therapeutic intervention. Therefore, the primary aim of the research presented within this project was to develop cellular models to advance screening of small molecule inhibitors of 17β-HSD10 developed by the group. HEK293 and differentiated SH-SY5Y cellular models overexpressing 17β-HSD10 showed that the toxicity arising from the protein’s interaction with Aβ may selectively impact vulnerable cells with a high metabolic demand. To explore the disease-relevant implications of metabolic deficits within the brain, lipidomics analysis was performed using a murine model of AD and human post mortem AD brain tissue, which revealed an increased susceptibility of the hippocampus to lipid dysregulation, and a potential role for lipid abnormalities in the white matter degeneration observed within the human brain in AD."I am grateful to the Alzheimer’s Society Scottish Doctoral Training Centre for the funding to make the research conducted during my PhD possible, and to the RS Macdonald Trust Transition Fund for the extra time available to extend upon the original project." -- Acknowledgement

Computational study of turbine blade cooling with various blowing ratios

This paper presents computational analysis of centerline film cooling effectiveness using Navier-Stokes equation solver. Film cooling effectiveness has been varied along the downstream of cooling holes. The computational model has been validated with benchmark experimental literature. Computational study compares film cooling effectiveness over various blowing ratios (M) and various hole shapes. The k-ω shear stress transport model of FLUENT software has been used for the computational analysis. The hole geometry and blowing ratios have important effects on film cooling effectiveness. Computational results reveal that film cooling effectiveness increases with increase in blowing ratio whereas effectiveness decreases due to intermixing of coolant and mainstream flow and due to coolant jet lift off. The best results were obtained for fan-shaped hole with M=1.00. While for lower blowing ratio, coolant is unable to spread over a longer distance downstream of cooling holes

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF STRESS, BODY IMAGE, NEGATIVE MOOD STATE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ABNORMAL EATING BEHAVIOUR AMONG GAME SPECIFIC FEMALE ATHLETES: AN EXPLORATORY APPROACH

Purpose: To achieve and maintain a perfect body shape athlete often follows restrictive dieting which ultimately leads them to eating disorders. The purpose of the study was to identify whether there is an interrelationship of abnormal eating behaviours, perceived stress, negative mood state and self-perception of body image among athletic population and another was to observe the consequences of negative psychological well-being and game specificity on food choices and frequency. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the “at risk-eating disorder” participants who were involved in different sports category. Methods: One thirty eight healthy young female participants matched for BMI were selected by purposive sampling. Subjects were divided into 4 categories i.e. aesthetic games group, endurance groups, strength group and healthy controls. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection during their non-competitive session. ANOVA followed by Scheffe’s test was applied to compare different parameters among the groups. Regression model examined the associations among disordered eating behaviours, stress, body shape concern, emotional eating, total mood disturbance and food choice. Findings: Result revealed disordered eating behaviour was significantly prominent in control and aesthetic game group than other two groups. Control group obtained the highest score in stress and emotional eating while aesthetic game group secured the highest score in body shape concern. Mood disturbance was more prevalent in strength group. Body mass index, body shape concern, emotional eating and total mood disturbance were identified as strongest predictor of EAT-26 scores. The result revealed that controls and aesthetic game group exhibit more abnormal eating behaviours than others. Value: This result will help to indicate abnormal eating behaviour and its relation with psychological well-being among female athletic population. Interventions programmes should be designed to cope up with competitive pressure to avoid abnormal eating behaviour

SIRT1 affects DNA methylation of polycomb group protein target genes, a hotspot of the epigenetic shift observed in ageing

BACKGROUND: SIRT1 is likely to play a role in the extension in healthspan induced by dietary restriction. Actions of SIRT1 are pleiotropic, and effects on healthspan may include effects on DNA methylation. Polycomb group protein target genes (PCGTs) are suppressed by epigenetic mechanisms in stem cells, partly through the actions of the polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs), and have been shown previously to correspond with loci particularly susceptible to age-related changes in DNA methylation. We hypothesised that SIRT1 would affect DNA methylation particularly at PCGTs. To map the sites in the genome where SIRT1 affects DNA methylation, we altered SIRT1 expression in human intestinal (Caco-2) and vascular endothelial (HuVEC) cells by transient transfection with an expression construct or with siRNA. DNA was enriched for the methylated fraction then sequenced (HuVEC) or hybridised to a human promoter microarray (Caco-2). RESULTS: The profile of genes where SIRT1 manipulation affected DNA methylation was enriched for PCGTs in both cell lines, thus supporting our hypothesis. SIRT1 knockdown affected the mRNA for none of seven PRC components nor for DNMT1 or DNMT3b. We thus find no evidence that SIRT1 affects DNA methylation at PCGTs by affecting the expression of these gene transcripts. EZH2, a component of PRC2 that can affect DNA methylation through association with DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), did not co-immunoprecipitate with SIRT1, and SIRT1 knockdown did not affect the expression of EZH2 protein. Thus, it is unlikely that the effects of SIRT1 on DNA methylation at PCGTs are mediated through direct intermolecular association with EZH2 or through effects in its expression. CONCLUSIONS: SIRT1 affects DNA methylation across the genome, but particularly at PCGTs. Although the mechanism through which SIRT1 has these effects is yet to be uncovered, this action is likely to contribute to extended healthspan, for example under conditions of dietary restriction. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40246-015-0036-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users