An investigation into eating attitudes, body image satisfaction and nutritional status of dance and non-dance students

Dancers undergo huge pressure from the industry to adhere to a specific body shape; therefore, studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction in comparison to non-dancers( 1 , 2 , 3 ). Despite previous studies focusing on dancers, there is limited research in the area of university dance students. Commonly accompanied with disordered eating behaviours and body image dissatisfaction is a failure to meet nutritional requirements; however, except for the examination of calorie intake( 4 ), investigation into the nutritional status of dancers is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between dance students and non-dance students in terms of eating attitudes, body image satisfaction and nutritional status. After gaining ethical approval, female dance students (n = 15) and non-dance students (n = 14) were recruited. Anthropometric measures including height, weight and body fat percentage were conducted using standardised procedures and participants completed a three day validated food diary. Eating attitudes and body image satisfaction were assessed using the EAT-26 questionnaire( 5 ) and Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, respectively. The dietary intake data was analysed using Microdiet software (v3) and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistics (v22). Statistical significance was set at 0·05. Normal distribution was investigated using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of normality and because the main variables were not normally distributed (P < 0·05), they were investigated using the nonparametric Mann Whitney U Test. Dance students scored significantly higher than non-dance students on the total EAT-26 and on the EAT-26 subscales of dieting and oral control (Table 1). Five dance students, as opposed to zero non-dance students, scored above the EAT-26 cut-off for being at risk of an eating disorder. There were no significant differences in nutrient intake, anthropometric measures or body image satisfaction between dance and non-dance students (Table 1). Table 1. Median, 25th percentile and 75th percentile of parameters measured in dance students and non-dance students (*p < 0·05, **p < 0·01). Results from the EAT-26 questionnaire support previous studies and show that students studying dance are at higher risk of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to partake in dieting practices than non-dance students. These findings suggest negative eating behaviours are present within Higher Education; therefore, an intervention at this level may be necessary and beneficial

Regulation of growth hormone induced JAK2 and mTOR signalling by hepatic protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) regulates various signalling pathways including insulin, leptin, IGF-1 and growth hormone (GH) signalling. Transmission of the GH signal depends on Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), which is how PTP1B is thought to modulate GH signalling in the liver, based on studies utilising global PTP1B knockout mice (Ptp1b(-/-)). Here, we investigated the liver-specific role of PTP1B in GH signalling, using liver-specific Ptp1b(-/-) mice (alb-crePtp1b(-/-)), under physiological (chow) or insulin resistant (high-fat diet [HFD]) feeding conditions. Body weight and adiposity were comparable between female alb-crePtp1b(-/-) and Ptp1b(fl/fl) control mice. On chow diet, under 48-hour fasting GH-resistant conditions, GH stimulation in vivo led to a robust stimulation of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway. Alb-crePtp1b(-/-) mice exhibited significantly higher GH-induced JAK2 phosphorylation and SOCS3 gene expression post-GH stimulation. However, STAT3, STAT5 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and SOCS2 gene expression were similar between groups. Interestingly, GH-induced mTOR phosphorylation was significantly higher in alb-crePtp1b(-/-) mice 5-min post-GH stimulation compared to controls, revealing this part of the pathway under direct control of PTP1B. Under ad lib HFD-fed conditions, GH-induced STAT5 phosphorylation significantly increased in alb-crePtp1b(-/-) mice only, with no alterations in the controls. Overall, our data demonstrate that liver-specific PTP1B deletion leads to significant alterations in GH signalling with increased JAK2, STAT5 and mTOR phosphorylation and SOCS3 gene expression

Mutation update for the SATB2 gene

SATB2-associated syndrome (SAS) is an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by alterations in the SATB2 gene. Here we present a review of published pathogenic variants in the SATB2 gene to date and report 38 novel alterations found in 57 additional previously unreported individuals. Overall, we present a compilation of 120 unique variants identified in 155 unrelated families ranging from single nucleotide coding variants to genomic rearrangements distributed throughout the entire coding region of SATB2. Single nucleotide variants predicted to result in the occurrence of a premature stop codon were the most commonly seen (51/120=42.5%) followed by missense variants (31/120=25.8%). We review the rather limited functional characterization of pathogenic variants and discuss current understanding of the consequences of the different molecular alterations. We present an expansive phenotypic review along with novel genotype-phenotype correlations. Lastly, we discuss current knowledge on animal models and present future prospects. This review should help provide better guidance for the care of individuals diagnosed with SAS

The ARID1B spectrum in 143 patients: from nonsyndromic intellectual disability to Coffin–Siris syndrome

Purpose: Pathogenic variants in ARID1B are one of the most frequent causes of intellectual disability (ID) as determined by large-scale exome sequencing studies. Most studies published thus far describe clinically diagnosed Coffin–Siris patients (ARID1B-CSS) and it is unclear whether these data are representative for patients identified through sequencing of unbiased ID cohorts (ARID1B-ID). We therefore sought to determine genotypic and phenotypic differences between ARID1B-ID and ARID1B-CSS. In parallel, we investigated the effect of different methods of phenotype reporting. Methods: Clinicians entered clinical data in an extensive web-based survey. Results: 79 ARID1B-CSS and 64 ARID1B-ID patients were included. CSS-associated dysmorphic features, such as thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, thick alae nasi, long and/or broad philtrum, small nails and small or absent fifth distal phalanx and hypertrichosis, were observed significantly more often (p < 0.001) in ARID1B-CSS patients. No other significant differences were identified. Conclusion: There are only minor differences between ARID1B-ID and ARID1B-CSS patients. ARID1B-related disorders seem to consist of a spectrum, and patients should be managed similarly. We demonstrated that data collection methods without an explicit option to report the absence of a feature (such as most Human Phenotype Ontology-based methods) tended to underestimate gene-related features

Men, sex, and homosociality: how bonds between men shape their sexual relations with women

Male-male social bonds have a powerful influence on the sexual relations of some young heterosexual men. Qualitative analysis among young men aged eighteen to twenty-six in Canberra, Australia, documents the homosocial organization of men's heterosexual relations. Homosociality organizes men's sociosexual relations in at least four ways. For some of these young men, male-male friendships take priority over male-female relations, and platonic friendships with women are dangerously feminizing. Sexual activity is a key path to masculine status, and other men are the audience, always imagined and sometimes real, for one's sexual activities. Heterosexual sex itself can be the medium through which male bonding is enacted. Last, men's sexual storytelling is shaped by homosocial masculine cultures. While these patterns were evident particularly among young men in the highly homosocial culture of a military academy, their presence also among other groups suggests the wider influence of homosociality on men's sexual and social relations