bak deletion stimulates gastric epithelial proliferation and enhances Helicobacter felis-induced gastric atrophy and dysplasia in mice

Helicobacter infection causes a chronic superficial gastritis that in some cases progresses via atrophic gastritis to adenocarcinoma. Proapoptotic bak has been shown to regulate radiation-induced apoptosis in the stomach and colon and also susceptibility to colorectal carcinogenesis in vivo. Therefore we investigated the gastric mucosal pathology following H. felis infection in bak-null mice at 6 or 48 wk postinfection. Primary gastric gland culture from bak-null mice was also used to assess the effects of bak deletion on IFN-γ-, TNF-α-, or IL-1β-induced apoptosis. bak-null gastric corpus glands were longer, had increased epithelial Ki-67 expression, and contained fewer parietal and enteroendocrine cells compared with the wild type (wt). In wt mice, bak was expressed at the luminal surface of gastric corpus glands, and this increased 2 wk post-H. felis infection. Apoptotic cell numbers were decreased in bak-null corpus 6 and 48 wk following infection and in primary gland cultures following cytokine administration. Increased gastric epithelial Ki-67 labeling index was observed in C57BL/6 mice after H. felis infection, whereas no such increase was detected in bak-null mice. More severe gastric atrophy was observed in bak-null compared with C57BL/6 mice 6 and 48 wk postinfection, and 76% of bak-null compared with 25% of C57BL/6 mice showed evidence of gastric dysplasia following long-term infection. Collectively, bak therefore regulates gastric epithelial cell apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, mucosal thickness, and susceptibility to gastric atrophy and dysplasia following H. felis infection

Diet, functional performance and muscle quality of independent-living men and women aged 65-75 years

Age-related sarcopenia is a syndrome characterised by progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength (von Haehling, Morley, & Anker, 2010). The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People recommends the measurement of muscle mass and function as means of diagnosing sarcopenia (Cruz-Jentoft et al., 2010) since sole focus on measurement of muscle mass may be of limited value. The age-associated loss of muscle strength (Dynapenia) cannot be only explained by reductions in muscle size since reductions in strength are more rapid than reductions in muscle (Clark & Manini, 2012). Cawthon et al. (2014) developed cut points for appendicular lean mass (ALM) that would identify individuals with clinically significant weakness taking into account both ALM and strength. Since sarcopenia is a multifaceted syndrome with potentially modifiable factors such as dietary intakes, the aim of this pilot study was to explore the interrelationships between dietary intakes, ALM, and strength. Twenty-five healthy older adults including both female (n=15, age: 68.8 ± 2.9 years) and male (n =10, age 69.5 ± 2.5 years) participants completed a 7-day diet diary before having their handgrip strength and body composition (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) measured. Males with ALM<19.75 kg and females with ALM<15.02 kg were defined as having low lean muscle mass, whilst cut points of <30 kg and <20 kg (Campbell & Vallis, 2014) were used to identify males and females with low strength. Participants received guidance on recording food and drink by household measures. Energy expenditure was calculated using the World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization equation (Frankenfield, Roth-Yousey, & Compher, 2005) for resting energy expenditure and an activity factor of 1.5. Forty percent (40%) of the females displayed low muscle strength while their male counterparts were all above the 30 kg cut point. ALM was 25.6±3.7 and 15.9±1.7 kg for males and females respectively. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the females were below the cut point for low lean mass whilst males were all above the equivalent cut point. Energy intake (EI) was 1753±366 kcal for males and 1376±270 kcal for females corresponding to an EI deficit of 27.8±21.7 % and 27.7±6 % for males and females respectively. EI was significantly (P<0.05) lower than recommended EI. Protein intake was 0.97±0.3 g·kg·d-1 for the males and 0.95±0.2 g·kg·d-1 for the females representing 18.8±3.1 and 17.8±2.4 % of EI for males and females respectively. Our findings suggest that females in early retirement years are at greater risk of sarcopenia and dynapenia than their male counterparts. Inadequate energy intake and protein consumption which was below current research led recommendations of 20 % suggest that females may benefit from dietary interventions that would address energy and protein deficits. References Campbell, T. M., & Vallis, L. A. (2014). Predicting fat-free mass index and sarcopenia in assisted-living older adults. Age (Dordr), 36(4), 9674. doi: 10.1007/s11357-014-9674-8 Cawthon, P. M., Peters, K. W., Shardell, M. D., McLean, R. R., Dam, T.-T. L., Kenny, A. M., . . . Guralnik, J. M. (2014). Cutpoints for low appendicular lean mass that identify older adults with clinically significant weakness. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 69(5), 567-575. Clark, B. C., & Manini, T. M. (2012). What is dynapenia? Nutrition, 28(5), 495-503. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2011.12.002 Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., Baeyens, J. P., Bauer, J. M., Boirie, Y., Cederholm, T., Landi, F., . . . European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older, P. (2010). Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Age Ageing, 39(4), 412-423. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq034 Frankenfield, D., Roth-Yousey, L., & Compher, C. (2005). Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc, 105(5), 775-789. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.005 Morley, J. E. (2008). Sarcopenia: diagnosis and treatment. J Nutr Health Aging, 12(7), 452-456. von Haehling, S., Morley, J. E., & Anker, S. D. (2010). An overview of sarcopenia: facts and numbers on prevalence and clinical impact. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle, 1(2), 129-133. doi: 10.1007/s13539-010-0014-

Oral iron exacerbates colitis and influences the intestinal microbiome

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with anaemia and oral iron replacement to correct this can be problematic, intensifying inflammation and tissue damage. The intestinal microbiota also plays a key role in the pathogenesis of IBD, and iron supplementation likely influences gut bacterial diversity in patients with IBD. Here, we assessed the impact of dietary iron, using chow diets containing either 100, 200 or 400 ppm, fed ad libitum to adult female C57BL/6 mice in the presence or absence of colitis induced using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), on (i) clinical and histological severity of acute DSS-induced colitis, and (ii) faecal microbial diversity, as assessed by sequencing the V4 region of 16S rRNA. Increasing or decreasing dietary iron concentration from the standard 200 ppm exacerbated both clinical and histological severity of DSS-induced colitis. DSS-treated mice provided only half the standard levels of iron ad libitum (i.e. chow containing 100 ppm iron) lost more body weight than those receiving double the amount of standard iron (i.e. 400 ppm); p<0.01. Faecal calprotectin levels were significantly increased in the presence of colitis in those consuming 100 ppm iron at day 8 (5.94-fold) versus day-10 group (4.14-fold) (p<0.05), and for the 400 ppm day-8 group (8.17-fold) versus day-10 group (4.44-fold) (p<0.001). In the presence of colitis, dietary iron at 400 ppm resulted in a significant reduction in faecal abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and increase of Proteobacteria, changes which were not observed with lower dietary intake of iron at 100 ppm. Overall, altering dietary iron intake exacerbated DSS-induced colitis; increasing the iron content of the diet also led to changes in intestinal bacteria diversity and composition after colitis was induced with DSS

Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances short but not longer duration running time-trial performance

Purpose This study evaluated the effects of dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation on physiological functioning and exercise performance in trained runners/ triathletes conducting short and longer distance treadmill running time-trials (TT). Method Eight trained male runners or triathletes completed four exercise performance tests comprising a 10 minute warm up followed by either a 1500 m or 10,000 m treadmill TT. Exercise performance tests were preceded 3 hours before the exercise by supplementation with either 140 ml concentrated nitrate-rich (~ 12.5 mmol nitrate) (BRJ) or nitrate-deplete (~ 0.01 mmol nitrate) (PLA) beetroot juice. Results BRJ supplementation significantly elevated plasma [NO2-] (P 0.05). However, post-exercise blood [lactate] was significantly greater in BRJ following the 1500 m TT (6.6 ± 1.2 vs. 6.1 ± 1.5 mM; P 0.05). Performance in the 1500 m TT was significantly faster in BRJ versus PLA (319.6 ± 36.2 vs. 325.7 ± 38.8 s; P 0.05). Conclusion Acute BRJ supplementation significantly enhanced 1500 m but not 10,000 m TT performance. These findings suggest that BRJ might be ergogenic during shorter-distance TTs which allow for a high work rate, but not during longer-distance TTs, completed at a lower work rate

Trinity University\u27s Summer Bridge Program: Navigating the Changing Demographics in Higher Education

Our article is divided into five sections. First, our study explores the demographic, economic, and cultural changes influencing higher education. We also explain the tangible and intangible benefits of a college education for first-generation, underrepresented students (FGUS). Second, we provide a brief discussion of the history of Trinity University and our Summer Bridge program. Third, our study describes our Summer Bridge program. Fourth, the data we collected examines how our Summer Bridge students’ grades and retention rates compare to our other first-year students. And, fifth, our article concludes with a discussion of future directions for our Summer Bridge program and how it may apply to other higher educational institutions. In particular, we offer recommendations for other student affairs professionals who also will be experiencing an increase in first-generation, underrepresented students

The “Batman Effect”: Improving Perseverance in Young Children

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138336/1/cdev12695.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138336/2/cdev12695_am.pd

Mouth rinsing with a sweet solution increases energy expenditure and decreases appetite during 60 minutes of self-regulated walking exercise

Carbohydrate mouth rinsing can improve endurance exercise performance and is most ergogenic when exercise is completed in the fasted state. This strategy may also be beneficial to increase exercise capacity and the energy deficit achieved during moderate intensity exercise relevant to weight control when performed after an overnight fast. Eighteen healthy men (mean(SD); age 23(4)years, body mass index 23.1(2.4)kg.m-2 ) completed a familiarisation trial and three experimental trials. After an overnight fast, participants performed 60-minutes of treadmill walking at a speed that equated to a rating of perceived exertion of 13 (“fairly hard”). Participants manually adjusted the treadmill speed to maintain this exertion. Mouth rinses for the experimental trials contained either a 6.4% maltodextrin solution with sweetener (CHO), a taste-matched placebo (PLA) or water (WAT). Appetite ratings were collected using visual analogue scales and exercise energy expenditure and substrate oxidation were calculated from online gas analysis. Increased walking distance during CHO and PLA induced greater energy expenditure compared with WAT (mean difference (90% CI); 79(60)kJ; P=0.035; d=0.24 and 90(63)kJ; P=0.024; d=0.27, respectively). Appetite area under the curve was lower in CHO and PLA than WAT (8(6)mm; P=0.042; d=0.43 and 6(8)mm; P=0.201; d=0.32, respectively). Carbohydrate oxidation was higher in CHO than PLA and WAT (7.3(6.7)g; P=0.078; d=0.47 and 10.1(6.5)g; P=0.015; d=0.81, respectively). This study provides novel evidence that mouth rinsing with a sweetened solution may promote a greater energy deficit during moderate exertion walking exercise by increasing energy expenditure and decreasing appetite. A placebo effect may have contributed to these benefits

Local barrier dysfunction identified by confocal laser endomicroscopy predicts relapse in inflammatory bowel disease

Loss of intestinal barrier function plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Shedding of intestinal epithelial cells is a potential cause of barrier loss during inflammation. The objectives of the study were (1) to determine whether cell shedding and barrier loss in humans can be detected by confocal endomicroscopy and (2) whether these parameters predict relapse of IBD

Care Planning for Community-Dwelling People with Dementia: A Systematic Scoping Review

Published 10 February 2023People with dementia and their care partners report a lack of support, treatment, and information, fragmented services, and a lack of inclusion in decisions about their care. Care planning may address these issues; however, there is scarce literature on the process or benefits of care planning for people with dementia. This review describes the literature on care planning for community-dwelling people with dementia and their care partners. A systematic scoping methodology was followed to identify the research questions, identify relevant documents, select relevant documents, chart the data, and collate, summarise, and report the results. 31 full-text documents published between 2010 and May 2020 were identified and reviewed. Seven were guidelines, seven were expert opinion pieces, 11 were intervention studies, and six were descriptive studies. The topics and process of care planning varied depending on the service context (e.g., memory clinic, home care, and primary care). Care planning was presented as a component of case management in 15 papers. Six of the 11 intervention studies reported positive outcomes, one showed no improvement, and one did not evaluate outcomes for people with dementia or their care partners. Of the six with positive outcomes, four evaluated care planning in the context of care management. There is limited evidence that care planning alone improves outcomes for people with dementia and their care partners. It is unclear whether it may have benefits when combined with care management.Lee-Fay Low, Tanya J. Duckworth, Lauren King, Meredith Gresham, Lyn Phillipson, Yun-Hee Jeon, and Henry Brodat