Acute and chronic effects of multivitamin/mineral supplementation on objective and subjective energy measures

Background: Vitamins and minerals play an essential role within many cellular processes including energy production and metabolism. Previously, supplementation with a multivitamin/mineral (MVM) for ≥28 days resulted in improvements to cognition and subjective state. We have also demonstrated shifts in metabolism during cognitively demanding tasks following MVM in females, both acutely and following 8-week supplementation. The current study aimed to assess these effects further in males and females using metabolically challenging exercise and cognitive tasks. Methods: The current randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups study investigated the effects of a MVM complex in 82 healthy young (18-35y) exercisers. Subjective ratings and substrate metabolism were assessed during 30 min each of increasingly effortful incremental exercise and demanding cognitive tasks. Assessments took place on acute study days following a single dose (Day 1) of MVM, containing 3 times recommended daily allowance of water-soluble vitamins plus CoQ10, and following 4-week supplementation (Day 28). Results: Energy expenditure (EE) was increased during cognitive tasks following MVM across Day 1 and Day 28, with greater effects in males. In males, MVM also increased carbohydrate oxidation and energy expenditure during exercise across Day 1 and Day 28. In females, mental tiredness was lower during exercise; increases in physical tiredness following 30 min of exercise were attenuated; and stress ratings following cognitive tasks were reduced following MVM. In males, MVM only lowered mental tiredness following 10 min of exercise. These effects were apparent irrespective of day, but effects on mental tiredness were greater on Day 28. Ferritin levels were also higher on Day 28 in those receiving MVM. Conclusion: These findings extend on existing knowledge, demonstrating increased carbohydrate oxidation and increased energy expenditure in males following MVM supplementation for the first time. Importantly, they show modulation of energy expenditure and subjective tiredness following a single dose, providing further evidence for acute effects of MVM. Differential effects in men and women suggest that sex may play an important role in the effects of MVM on energy metabolism and should be considered in future research. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03003442. Registered 22nd November 2016 – retrospectively registere

“Most people don’t like a client group that tell you to get fucked”: Choice and control in Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme for formerly incarcerated people

Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a substantial policy reform aiming to radically transform the design and delivery of disability services. Choice and control are key tenets of the scheme, however challenges and limitations exist with respect to inequities and difficulties posed by boundaries between the NDIS and mainstream services. People with disability who have been incarcerated are particularly at risk of experiencing these limitations. However there has been little academic exploration of these issues for this group. This paper explores whether NDIS services are readily accessible for people with disability who were formerly incarcerated, outlining some of the challenges this group encounters. The research is based on interviews with 28 stakeholders from government and non-government organisations that interact with and provide support or services to people with disability within the criminal justice system. Our findings confirm the importance of a functioning NDIS plan to help prevent some individuals encountering the criminal justice system, outlining several challenges that formerly incarcerated people with disability experience with the scheme. We conclude that ideas of choice and control are inhibited for some formerly incarcerated people with disability and highlight actions that can be taken regarding specialist support coordination, advocacy services and market stewardship to address these issues

Where specialist and mainstream service systems collide : The National Disability Insurance Scheme in prisons

The coordination of specialist with mainstream service systems is prone to role delineation and implementation difficulties worldwide. In the case of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), this specialist/mainstream interface is complicated by federalism and funding responsibilities held by different levels of government. People with disability, especially cognitive or intellectual disability, are over-represented in Australia's prisons. Through semi-structured interviews with professionals working at the interface of disability and criminal justice, we explore some of these interface issues with regard to NDIS services (specialist) in prisons (mainstream). We find that policy permits some NDIS-funded services to be delivered inside prisons, such as transition services related to a person's disability, but in practice there is significant variation in how policy is understood and implemented, leading to exclusion and service gaps. This case study shines light on longstanding debates about service coordination across organisational and jurisdictional boundaries

The Acute Effects of Caffeinated Black Coffee on Cognition and Mood in Healthy Young and Older Adults

Cognitive and mood benefits of coffee are often attributed to caffeine. However, emerging evidence indicates behavioural effects of non-caffeine components within coffee, suggesting the potential for direct or synergistic effects of these compounds when consumed with caffeine in regular brewed coffee. The current randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced-crossover study compared the effects of regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and placebo on measures of cognition and mood. Age and sex effects were explored by comparing responses of older (61–80 years, N = 30) and young (20–34 years, N = 29) males and females. Computerised measures of episodic memory, working memory, attention, and subjective state were completed at baseline and 30 min post-drink. Regular coffee produced the expected effects of decreased reaction time and increased alertness when compared to placebo. When compared to decaffeinated coffee, increased digit vigilance accuracy and decreased tiredness and headache ratings were observed. Decaffeinated coffee also increased alertness when compared to placebo. Higher jittery ratings following regular coffee in young females and older males represented the only interaction of sex and age with treatment. These findings suggest behavioural activity of coffee beyond its caffeine content, raising issues with the use of decaffeinated coffee as a placebo and highlighting the need for further research into its psychoactive effects

Effects of high-dose B vitamin complex with vitamin C and minerals on subjective mood and performance in healthy males

A significant proportion of the general population report supplementing their diet with one or more vitamins or minerals, with common reasons for doing so being to combat stress and fatigue and to improve mental functioning. Few studies have assessed the relationship between supplementation with vitamins/minerals and psychological functioning in healthy cohorts of non-elderly adults. The present randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel groups trial assessed the cognitive and mood effects of a high-dose B-complex vitamin and mineral supplement (Berocca®) in 215 males aged 30 to 55 years, who were in full-time employment. Participants attended the laboratory prior to and on the last day of a 33-day treatment period where they completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Cognitive performance and task-related modulation of mood/fatigue were assessed with the 60 min cognitive demand battery. On the final day, participants also completed the Stroop task for 40 min whilst engaged in inclined treadmill walking and subsequent executive function was assessed. Vitamin/mineral supplementation led to significant improvements in ratings on the PSS, GHQ-12 and the 'vigour' subscale of the POMS. The vitamin/mineral group also performed better on the Serial 3s subtractions task and rated themselves as less 'mentally tired' both pre- and post-completion of the cognitive demand battery. Healthy members of the general population may benefit from augmented levels of vitamins/minerals via direct dietary supplementation. Specifically, supplementation led to improved ratings of stress, mental health and vigour and improved cognitive performance during intense mental processing

The Energy-Signaling Hub SnRK1 Is Important for Sucrose-Induced Hypocotyl Elongation

Emerging seedlings respond to environmental conditions such as light and temperature to optimize their establishment. Seedlings grow initially through elongation of the hypocotyl, which is regulated by signaling pathways that integrate environmental information to regulate seedling development. The hypocotyls of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) also elongate in response to sucrose. Here, we investigated the role of cellular sugar-sensing mechanisms in the elongation of hypocotyls in response to Suc. We focused upon the role of SnRK1, which is a sugar-signaling hub that regulates metabolism and transcription in response to cellular energy status. We also investigated the role of TPS1, which synthesizes the signaling sugar trehalose-6-P that is proposed to regulate SnRK1 activity. Under light/dark cycles, we found that Suc-induced hypocotyl elongation did not occur in tps1 mutants and overexpressors of KIN10 (AKIN10/SnRK1.1), a catalytic subunit of SnRK1. We demonstrate that the magnitude of Suc-induced hypocotyl elongation depends on the day length and light intensity. We identified roles for auxin and gibberellin signaling in Suc-induced hypocotyl elongation under short photoperiods. We found that Suc-induced hypocotyl elongation under light/dark cycles does not involve another proposed sugar sensor, HEXOKINASE1, or the circadian oscillator. Our study identifies novel roles for KIN10 and TPS1 in mediating a signal that underlies Suc-induced hypocotyl elongation in light/dark cycles

Feasibility study suggests no impact from protected engagement time on adverse events in mental health wards for older adults

Hospital adverse events, such as falls, violence and aggression, security, self-harm, and suicide, are difficult to manage in older people with dementia. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether protected engagement time (PET) resulted in lower adverse events and incidents compared to comparable non-PET wards for people admitted to inpatient older people's mental health wards. Ten inpatient wards for older people were included. Five followed a PET-management pathway, while five continued usual care. All adverse events and incidents were recorded in routine hospital records over 72 weeks. Data were gathered from these records and analysed as rate per person per week to assess differences in frequency and type of adverse events between wards. A total of 4130 adverse events were recorded. In the PET wards, a mean of 0.38 adverse events occurred per person per week compared to 0.40 in non-PET wards. No statistically-significant differences were found between PET and non-PET wards for adverse events (P = 0.93), or for adverse events of any particular type (P ≥ 0.15). Therefore, there is no evidence to suggest that PET has any impact on adverse events in older people's mental health wards. Further investigation with a larger cohort is warranted, using a definitive, phase 3, clinical trial

Psychological mechanisms and the ups and downs of personal recovery in bipolar disorder

Background Personal recovery is recognized as an important outcome for individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) and is distinct from symptomatic and functional recovery. Recovery-focused psychological therapies show promise. As with therapies aiming to delay relapse and improve symptoms, research on the psychological mechanisms underlying recovery is crucial to inform effective recovery-focused therapy. However, empirical work is limited. This study investigated whether negative beliefs about mood swings and self-referent appraisals of mood-related experiences were negatively associated with personal recovery. Design Cross-sectional online survey. Method People with a verified research diagnosis of BD (n = 87), recruited via relevant voluntary sector organizations and social media, completed online measures. Pearson's correlations and multiple regression analysed associations between appraisals, beliefs, and recovery. Results Normalizing appraisals of mood changes were positively associated with personal recovery. Depression, negative self-appraisals of depression-relevant experiences, extreme positive and negative appraisals of activated states, and negative beliefs about mood swings had negative relationships with recovery. After controlling for current mood symptoms, negative illness models (relating to how controllable, long-term, concerning, and treatable mood swings are; β = −.38), being employed (β = .39), and both current (β = −.53) and recent experience of depression (β = .30) predicted recovery. Limitations Due to the cross-sectional design, causality cannot be determined. Participants were a convenience sample primarily recruited online. Power was limited by the sample size. Conclusions Interventions aiming to empower people to feel able to manage mood and catastrophize less about mood swings could facilitate personal recovery in people with BD, which might be achieved in recovery-focused therapy. Practitioner points •Personal recovery is an important outcome for people living with bipolar disorder •More positive illness models are associated with better personal recovery in bipolar disorder, over and above mood symptoms •Recovery-focused therapy should focus on developing positive illness models •Recovery-focused therapy should address personally meaningful goals such as gaining employmen

Development of the EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) Criteria for Data Centres, Server Rooms and Cloud Services

The development of the Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria for Data Centres, Server Rooms and Cloud Services is aimed at helping public authorities to ensure that data centres’ equipment and services are procured in such a way that they deliver environmental improvements that contribute to European policy objectives for energy, climate change and resource efficiency, as well as reducing life cycle costs. Three priority areas of focus are identified as the basis for criteria: 1) ICT System Performance, 2) Mechanical and electrical system performance, 3) Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions. For each area of focus, one or more criteria are provided, accompanied by the background technical rationale and a summary of the stakeholder contributions that support the final version of each criterion. Procurers can apply the criteria and engage tenderers to reduce the life cycle environmental impacts of their activities, focusing on those areas presenting the most improvement opportunities from cost and market perspectives and for which performance can be verified. The identified procurement processes and final green criteria are also described in a separate document, published as a Staff Working Document of the Commission: SWD(2020) 55 final. Together these two documents aim to provide public authorities with orientation on how to effectively integrate these GPP criteria into their procurement processes.JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi