An assessment of the performance of grip enhancing agents used in sports applications

The performances of four grip enhancing agents, powdered and liquid chalk, rosin and Venice turpentine, were assessed using a bespoke finger friction rig and compared against an agent-free finger. The effectiveness of these agents was measured in dry, damp and wet conditions, to simulate the different environments in which the agents are used. The tests were first done on a polished steel surface and then the powdered and liquid chalk and agent-free finger were tested on sandstone. The tests on the steel showed that in a dry condition, only the Venice turpentine significantly increased the coefficient of friction, compared to no application of agent, with the rosin and powdered chalk actually decreasing the coefficient of friction. It is thought that the reduction in the coefficient of friction is caused by the solid particles acting as a lubricant between the two surfaces. When the fingers were wet, only the granular powder-based agents increased the coefficient of friction. This is because the Venice turpentine cannot adhere well to a wet finger, and therefore is not as effective. When the surface is wet, there is very little difference between the agents due to the water separating the finger surface from the steel. The tests on the sandstone showed no real difference between the lubricants or the different conditions, except for the dry, chalk-free finger, which had a decreased coefficient of friction due to the lubricating properties of the sandstone particles. These results highlight that the use of grip enhancing agents should take into account the moisture in the contact, as in dry conditions, the grip may be optimum when there is no agent used. It also shows that in different sports, different grip enhancing agents should be used

Long‐term health consequences of congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) caused by 21‐hydroxylase deficiency accountsfor 95% of all CAH cases and is one of the most common inborn metabolicconditions. The introduction of life‐saving glucocorticoid replacement therapy 70years ago has changed the perception of CAH from a paediatric disorder into alifelong, chronic condition affecting patients of all age groups. Alongside healthproblems that can develop during the time of paediatric care, there is an emergingbody of evidence suggesting an increased risk of developing co‐morbidities duringadult life in patients with CAH. The mechanisms that drive the negative long‐termoutcomes associated with CAH are complex and involve supraphysiologicalreplacement therapies (glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids), excess adrenalandrogens both in the intrauterine and postnatal life, elevated steroid precursorsand adrenocorticotropic hormone levels. Alongside a review of mortality outcome,we discuss issues that need to be addressed when caring for the CAH patientincluding female and male fertility, cardio‐metabolic morbidity, bone health andother important long‐term outcomes of CAH

The discovery of ash dieback in the UK: the making of a focusing event

Why did the identification of ‘Ash Dieback’ (Chalara Fraxinea) in 2012 in the UK catch the national media, public and political zeitgeist, and lead to policy changes, in a way that no other contemporary tree pest or pathogen outbreak has?The identification of Ash Dieback in the UK is conceptualised as a successful ‘focusing event’ and the ways in which it was socially constructed by the media, stakeholders and the government are analysed. National newspaper coverage contributed to the way that the disease was understood and was significant in driving the political response. Ash Dieback’s focal power derived from the perceived scale and nature of its impact; the initial attribution of blame on government; the ‘war-like’ response from the government; and Ash’s status as a threatened ‘native’ tree. The Ash Dieback focusing event has increased the salience of plant health issues amongst policymakers, the public and conservation organisations in the UK

Glucocorticoids regulate AKR1D1 activity in human liver in vitro and in vivo

Steroid 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in human liver where it inactivates endogenous glucocorticoids and catalyses an important step in bile acid synthesis. Endogenous and synthetic glucocorticoids are potent regulators of metabolic phenotype and play a crucial role in hepatic glucose metabolism. However, the potential of synthetic glucocorticoids to be metabolised by AKR1D1 as well as to regulate its expression and activity has not been investigated. The impact of glucocorticoids on AKR1D1 activity was assessed in human liver HepG2 and Huh7 cells; AKR1D1 expression was assessed by qPCR and Western blotting. Genetic manipulation of AKR1D1 expression was conducted in HepG2 and Huh7 cells and metabolic assessments were made using qPCR. Urinary steroid metabolite profiling in healthy volunteers was performed pre- and post-dexamethasone treatment, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. AKR1D1 metabolised endogenous cortisol, but cleared prednisolone and dexamethasone less efficiently. In vitro and in vivo, dexamethasone decreased AKR1D1 expression and activity, further limiting glucocorticoid clearance and augmenting action. Dexamethasone enhanced gluconeogenic and glycogen synthesis gene expression in liver cell models and these changes were mirrored by genetic knockdown of AKR1D1 expression. The effects of AKR1D1 knockdown were mediated through multiple nuclear hormone receptors, including the glucocorticoid, pregnane X and farnesoid X receptors. Glucocorticoids down-regulate AKR1D1 expression and activity and thereby reduce glucocorticoid clearance. In addition, AKR1D1 down-regulation alters the activation of multiple nuclear hormone receptors to drive changes in gluconeogenic and glycogen synthesis gene expression profiles, which may exacerbate the adverse impact of exogenous glucocorticoids

Childhood Adversity Moderates Change in Latent Patterns of Psychological Adjustment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Survey of U.S. Adults

Emerging evidence suggests that the consequences of childhood adversity impact later psychopathology by increasing individuals’ risk of experiencing difficulties in adjusting to stressful situations later in life. The goals of this study were to: (a) identify sociodemographic factors associated with subgroups of psychological adjustment prior to and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) examine whether and to what extent types of childhood adversity predict transition probabilities. Participants were recruited via multiple social media platforms and listservs. Data were collected via an internet-based survey. Our analyses reflect 1942 adults (M = 39.68 years); 39.8% reported experiencing at least one form of childhood adversity. Latent profile analyses (LPAs) and latent transition analyses (LTAs) were conducted to determine patterns of psychological adjustment and the effects of childhood adversity on transition probabilities over time. We identified five subgroups of psychological adjustment characterized by symptom severity level. Participants who were younger in age and those who endorsed marginalized identities exhibited poorer psychological adjustment during the pandemic. Childhood exposure to family and community violence and having basic needs met as a child (e.g., food, shelter) significantly moderated the relation between latent profile membership over time. Clinical and research implications are discussed

Multivariable model to predict an ACTH stimulation test to diagnose adrenal insufficiency using previous test results

Context The adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulation test (AST) is used to diagnose adrenal insufficiency, and is often repeated in patients when monitoring recovery of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis. Objective To develop and validate a prediction model that uses previous AST results with new baseline cortisol to predict the result of a new AST. Methods This was a retrospective, longitudinal cohort study in patients who had undergone at least 2 ASTs, using polynomial regression with backwards variable selection, at a Tertiary UK adult endocrinology center. Model was developed from 258 paired ASTs over 5 years in 175 adults (mean age 52.4 years, SD 16.4), then validated on data from 111 patients over 1 year (51.8, 17.5) from the same center, data collected after model development. Candidate prediction variables included previous test baseline adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), previous test baseline and 30-minute cortisol, days between tests, and new baseline ACTH and cortisol used with calculated cortisol/ACTH ratios to assess 8 candidate predictors. The main outcome measure was a new test cortisol measured 30 minutes after Synacthen administration. Results Using 258 sequential ASTs from 175 patients for model development and 111 patient tests for model validation, previous baseline cortisol, previous 30-minute cortisol and new baseline cortisol were superior at predicting new 30-minute cortisol (R2 = 0.71 [0.49-0.93], area under the curve [AUC] = 0.97 [0.94-1.0]) than new baseline cortisol alone (R2 = 0.53 [0.22-0.84], AUC = 0.88 [0.81-0.95]). Conclusion Results of a previous AST can be objectively combined with new early-morning cortisol to predict the results of a new AST better than new early-morning cortisol alone. An online calculator is available at https://endocrinology.shinyapps.io/sheffield_sst_calculator/ for external validation

Electronic structure in underdoped cuprates due to the emergence of a pseudogap

The phenomenological Green's function developed in the works of Yang, Rice and Zhang has been very successful in understanding many of the anomalous superconducting properties of the deeply underdoped cuprates. It is based on considerations of the resonating valence bond spin liquid approximation and is designed to describe the underdoped regime of the cuprates. Here we emphasize the region of doping, $x$, just below the quantum critical point at which the pseudogap develops. In addition to Luttinger hole pockets centered around the nodal direction, there are electron pockets near the antinodes which are connected to the hole pockets by gapped bridging contours. We determine the contours of nearest approach as would be measured in angular resolved photoemission experiments and emphasize signatures of the Fermi surface reconstruction from the large Fermi contour of Fermi liquid theory (which contains $1+x$ hole states) to the Luttinger pocket (which contains $x$ hole states). We find that the quasiparticle effective mass renormalization increases strongly towards the edge of the Luttinger pockets beyond which it diverges.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a spectrum of disease ranging from hepatocellular steatosis through steatohepatitis to fibrosis and irreversible cirrhosis. The prevalence of NAFLD has risen rapidly in parallel with the dramatic rise in obesity and diabetes, and is rapidly becoming the most common cause of liver disease in Western countries. Indeed, NAFLD is now recognized to be the aetiology in many cases previously labelled as cryptogenic cirrhosis

Long-term cardiometabolic morbidity in young adults with classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Purpose To study the current practice for assessing comorbidity in adults with 21-hydroxylase CAH and to assess the prevalence of comorbidity in these adults. Methods A structured questionnaire was sent to 46 expert centres managing adults with CAH. Information collected included current therapy and surveillance practice with a particular focus on osteoporosis/osteopaenia, hyperlipidaemia, type 2 diabetes/hyperinsulinaemia, hypertension, CV disease, obesity. Results Of the 31 (67%) centres from 15 countries that completed the survey, 30 (97%) screened for hypertension by measuring blood pressure, 30 (97%) screened for obesity, 26 (84%) screened for abnormal glucose homoeostasis mainly by using Hb1Ac (73%), 25 (81%) screened for osteoporosis mainly by DXA (92%), 20 (65%) screened for hyperlipidaemia and 6 (19%) screened for additional CV disease. Of the 31 centres, 13 provided further information on the six co-morbidities in 244 patients with a median age of 33 yrs (range 19, 94). Of these, 126 (52%) were females and 174 (71%) received fludrocortisone in addition to glucocorticoids. Of the 244 adults, 73 (30%) were treated for at least one comorbidity and 15 (21%) for more than 2 co-morbidities. Of 73, the patients who were treated for osteoporosis/osteopaenia, hyperlipidaemia, type 2 diabetes/hyperinsulinaemia, hypertension, CV disease, obesity were 43 (59%), 17 (23%), 16 (22%), 10 (14%), 8 (11), 3 (4%) respectively. Conclusion Cardiometabolic and bone morbidities are not uncommon in adults with CAH. There is a need to standardise the screening for these morbidities from early adulthood and to explore optimal therapy through routine collection of standardised data