BCAA supplements are just hype – here’s a better way to build muscles

First paragraph: As gym regulars we never cease to be amazed at the array of post-workout concoctions people consume in the changing room. We see everything from pills and powders to a rainbow of luminous drinks. Mostly it’s with one goal in mind, of course: to obtain muscles as close to the models endorsing these supplements as you possibly can. The global market for sports nutrition products ispredicted tohit $45 billion (£33 billion) by 2022, an increase of about 60% on 2016 value. Previously the domain of bodybuilders and elite athletes, amateur exercisersare becomingbig supplement consumers thanks to the rising popularity of obstacle races, boot camps andCrossFit– all of which the product manufacturers target heavily. One particularly popular variety is products containing branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). These seem to promise all the benefits of boosting muscle-building after exercise with none of the hassle of foods. But do these products work – or are there better ways to help you get the most out of your gym membership

Pike County Nutritional Sciences Field Day: The Story of the Strawberry

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings, Pike County ranks 88 out of 88 counties. The rankings are based on obesity rates, health behaviors, healthy food access and other socio-ecological determinants of health. Pike County also ranks low in terms of students who complete post-secondary education training. Many of Pike County's health problems mirror those of the larger Appalachian region and are attributed to socio-ecological determinants such as lack of healthy food access, food preparation skills, lack of awareness of nutrition science, traditional preferences for high-calorie foods, food insecurity and poverty. OSU Extension in Pike County and OSU South Centers developed and coordinated the Nutritional Sciences Field Day – The Story of the Strawberry to address some of the aforementioned challenges. The program was offered at OSU South Centers on May 25 to local high school agriculture and vocational, family and consumer sciences, and other science classes. The program objectives were to provide experiences and opportunities to increase awareness and interest in health science, food science, biotech, agriculture science, basic and applied nutrition science, physiology, food production, and local food resources. The students learned about opportunities from industry and academic leaders in various food and health sectors such as dieticians, biotech engineers, Ohio State faculty, and food processing. Students also participated in various hands-on activities and discussion related to nutrition. About 60 students and teachers from three Pike County schools attended the program. Before they left, each student was asked to complete a program evaluation rating his or her awareness and interest on various topics before versus after the program. Students were also asked what they had learned. Following the field day, students were more aware of the role that genetics play in fruit quality and nutrition, the daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables, and the nutritional benefits of small fruits. Students were also more interested in careers in agriculture, health and food sciences, and also more interested in buying local fruit. When asked what they had learned, several remarked that they had learned much about research, strawberry properties, nutrition and careers.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Tammy Jones, Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, The Ohio State University Extension, Pike County, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); Daniel Remley, Field Specialist, Food, Nutrition and Wellness, The Ohio State University Extension; Brad Bergefurd, Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University Extension, The Ohio State University South Centers; Jeffrey Fisher, Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University Extension, Pike County; Gary Gao, Extension Specialist, Small Fruits, The Ohio State University South Centers; Carol Hamilton, Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University Extension, Delaware County.The Pike County Nutritional Sciences Field Day – The Story of the Strawberry was offered to local high school students to increase awareness and interest in health science, food science, biotech and agricultural science, basic and applied nutrition science and physiology, food production, and local food resources. The field day is original in that it uses a multidisciplinary approach to address important issues of the county and region – health, wellness, and the vocational opportunities related to agriculture, food science and health. It also original in that it uses a strawberry theme to connect the topics including genetics, nutrition, taste and economic opportunities

Does the Proportion of Same-Day and 24-Hour Appointments Impact Patient Satisfaction?

Background: The relationship between open access and patient satisfaction is mixed. Our study is the first to assess the relationship between open access appointment scheduling and patient satisfaction in the Military Health System (MHS). It is also unique in that we examine both same-day and 24-hour access through a relationship with satisfaction. Methods: We conducted a panel time-series analysis with general estimating equations on the Army population of outpatient facilities (N = 32), with 32 364 957 total observations. Our primary independent variables were the proportion of a facility’s appointments within 24 hours and same day from July 2013 to May 2015. Results: We identified that a higher proportion of same-day appointments is associated with increased patient satisfaction with the ability to see their provider when needed. We did not find the same result when examining access within 24 hours. Conclusions: Open access appointment scheduling appears to have a greater impact on patient satisfaction with timeliness of care if that appointment is made the same day the patient presents to the facility. Facilities should consider opening more of their schedule to accommodate same-day appointments. This can result in less costly primary care instead of emergency department usage

The Evolution of Anti-Bat Sensory Illusions in Moths

Prey transmit sensory illusions to redirect predatory strikes, creating a discrepancy between what a predator perceives and reality. We use the acoustic arms race between bats and moths to investigate the evolution and function of a sensory illusion. The spinning hindwing tails of silk moths (Saturniidae) divert bat attack by reflecting sonar to create a misleading echoic target. We characterized geometric morphometrics of moth hindwings across silk moths, mapped these traits onto a new, robust phylogeny, and found that elaborated hindwing structures have converged on four adaptive shape peaks. To test the mechanism underlying these anti-bat traits, we pit bats against three species of silk moths with experimentally altered hindwings that created a representative gradient of ancestral and extant hindwing shapes. High-speed videography of battles reveals that moths with longer hindwings and tails more successfully divert bat attack. We postulate that sensory illusions are widespread and are underappreciated drivers of diversity across systems

Alternative Splicing of a Multi-Drug Transporter from Pseudoperonospora cubensis Generates an RXLR Effector Protein That Elicits a Rapid Cell Death

Pseudoperonospora cubensis, an obligate oomycete pathogen, is the causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew, a foliar disease of global economic importance. Similar to other oomycete plant pathogens, Ps. cubensis has a suite of RXLR and RXLR-like effector proteins, which likely function as virulence or avirulence determinants during the course of host infection. Using in silico analyses, we identified 271 candidate effector proteins within the Ps. cubensis genome with variable RXLR motifs. In extending this analysis, we present the functional characterization of one Ps. cubensis effector protein, RXLR protein 1 (PscRXLR1), and its closest Phytophthora infestans ortholog, PITG_17484, a member of the Drug/Metabolite Transporter (DMT) superfamily. To assess if such effector-non-effector pairs are common among oomycete plant pathogens, we examined the relationship(s) among putative ortholog pairs in Ps. cubensis and P. infestans. Of 271 predicted Ps. cubensis effector proteins, only 109 (41%) had a putative ortholog in P. infestans and evolutionary rate analysis of these orthologs shows that they are evolving significantly faster than most other genes. We found that PscRXLR1 was up-regulated during the early stages of infection of plants, and, moreover, that heterologous expression of PscRXLR1 in Nicotiana benthamiana elicits a rapid necrosis. More interestingly, we also demonstrate that PscRXLR1 arises as a product of alternative splicing, making this the first example of an alternative splicing event in plant pathogenic oomycetes transforming a non-effector gene to a functional effector protein. Taken together, these data suggest a role for PscRXLR1 in pathogenicity, and, in total, our data provide a basis for comparative analysis of candidate effector proteins and their non-effector orthologs as a means of understanding function and evolutionary history of pathogen effectors

Expression Profiling of Cucumis sativus in Response to Infection by Pseudoperonospora cubensis

The oomycete pathogen, Pseudoperonospora cubensis, is the causal agent of downy mildew on cucurbits, and at present, no effective resistance to this pathogen is available in cultivated cucumber (Cucumis sativus). To better understand the host response to a virulent pathogen, we performed expression profiling throughout a time course of a compatible interaction using whole transcriptome sequencing. As described herein, we were able to detect the expression of 15,286 cucumber genes, of which 14,476 were expressed throughout the infection process from 1 day post-inoculation (dpi) to 8 dpi. A large number of genes, 1,612 to 3,286, were differentially expressed in pair-wise comparisons between time points. We observed the rapid induction of key defense related genes, including catalases, chitinases, lipoxygenases, peroxidases, and protease inhibitors within 1 dpi, suggesting detection of the pathogen by the host. Co-expression network analyses revealed transcriptional networks with distinct patterns of expression including down-regulation at 2 dpi of known defense response genes suggesting coordinated suppression of host responses by the pathogen. Comparative analyses of cucumber gene expression patterns with that of orthologous Arabidopsis thaliana genes following challenge with Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis revealed correlated expression patterns of single copy orthologs suggesting that these two dicot hosts have similar transcriptional responses to related pathogens. In total, the work described herein presents an in-depth analysis of the interplay between host susceptibility and pathogen virulence in an agriculturally important pathosystem

Impact of Corn Silage Inclusion on Finishing Cattle Performance

Cattle fed high grain diets with little to no roughage are typically at greater risk for acidosis and reduced dry matter intake and average daily gain. An individual feeding study was conducted to compare different inclusions of corn silage used as a roughage source on finishing performance and liver abscess rate. Treatments consisted of 3 inclusions of corn silage at 0, 7.5 and 15% of the diet DM and a control treatment with 7.5% alfalfa. There were no differences for live animal performance or carcass characteristics. There were also no differences in liver abscess incidence. Feeding corn silage at 15% gave similar performance responses compared to 7.5% alfalfa. These data suggest that roughage is not required in a finishing diet when feeding individual animals