Whakamana Te Tuakiri o Ngā Wāhine Māori I Te Ao Whutuporo : Flourishing Wāhine Māori Identities in Rugby: A Literature Review

This article presents a qualitative, autoethnographic exploration of personal realities and lived experiences in rugby. The literature highlights the potential harm of imposing a Westernised 'one size fits all' team culture, particularly in relation to its impact on Māori identity and aspirations. Herein we advocate for more inclusive environments that honour the intersections of diverse values, beliefs systems and perspectives of Māori, Pasifika and other marginalised communities. As an authorship team we sit within a research excellence group at the Centre of Indigenous Science. This space validates Māori and Indigenous identity, nurtures personal growth and embraces every facet of existence, from whakapapa to cultural identity, including our shared passion for rugby. This systematic literature review pursues two primary research objectives: firstly, it aims to identify and compare the challenges confronted by wāhine Māori in rugby, examining both Western and te ao Māori perspectives. Secondly, it uncovers effective strategies for addressing these challenges, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding and empowering flourishing wāhine Māori identities (tuakiri) in rugby

Postprandial enrichment of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins with omega-3 fatty acids: lack of an interaction with apolipoprotein E genotype?

Background We have previously demonstrated that carrying the apolipoprotein (apo) E epsilon 4 (E4+) genotype disrupts omega-3 fatty acids (n − 3 PUFA) metabolism. Here we hypothesise that the postprandial clearance of n − 3 PUFA from the circulation is faster in E4+ compared to non-carriers (E4−). The objective of the study was to investigate the fasted and postprandial fatty acid (FA) profile of triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein (TRL) fractions: Sf >400 (predominately chylomicron CM), Sf 60 − 400 (VLDL1), and Sf 20 − 60 (VLDL2) according to APOE genotype. Methods Postprandial TRL fractions were obtained in 11 E4+ (ϵ3/ϵ4) and 12 E4− (ϵ3/ϵ3) male from the SATgenϵ study following high saturated fat diet + 3.45 g/d of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 8-wk. Blood samples were taken at fasting and 5-h after consuming a test-meal representative of the dietary intervention. FA were characterized by gas chromatography. Results At fasting, there was a 2-fold higher ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to arachidonic acid (P = 0.046) as well as a trend towards higher relative% of EPA (P = 0.063) in the Sf >400 fraction of E4+. Total n − 3 PUFA in the Sf 60 − 400 and Sf 20 − 60 fractions were not APOE genotype dependant. At 5 h, there was a trend towards a time × genotype interaction (P = 0.081) for EPA in the Sf >400 fraction. When sub-groups were form based on the level of EPA at baseline within the Sf >400 fraction, postprandial EPA (%) was significantly reduced only in the high-EPA group. EPA at baseline significantly predicted the postprandial response in EPA only in E4+ subjects (R2 = 0.816). Conclusion Despite the DHA supplement contain very low levels of EPA, E4+ subjects with high EPA at fasting potentially have disrupted postprandial n − 3 PUFA metabolism after receiving a high-dose of DHA

Teaching Foundational Aquatic Skills to Children in Open Water Environments

Learning to swim in a swimming pool might not prepare water competence sufficiently for different aquatic environments. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of teaching children water safety knowledge and skills in open water environments (i.e., harbor, river, and surf). The aquatic knowledge and skills of 98 children (7-11 years old) were tested in a swimming pool before, immediately after, and three months after receiving a three-day intensive education program. At pre-test, typically fewer than 50% of children achieved a high level of water safety competence. After the program, competency in each of the six tasks assessed had increased with up to 80% of participants completing the tasks unassisted. Three-month retention of these skills was generally high (i.e., competency levels were either maintained or improved). A key challenge for future research will be to untangle the influences of maturation, order effects, and the open water education

Wāhine Māori Reflections on Wai

Introduction to four case studies:As Māori we are strongly connected to the ocean and to the water. These connections form the fabric of who we are and of our identity. As we age and mature, the nature of our relationship to the water changes as well. In this series of papers, we will share some of our insights and reflectionsabout being wāhine Māori today and the connections of indigenous identity to the ocean, to water and to the world in general. We are four researchers from Te Koronga, a Māori research excellence kaupapa based at the University of Otago. Tēnei mātou te koronga.

Impact of lipoprotein lipase gene polymorphism, S447X, on postprandial triacylglycerol and glucose response to sequential meal ingestion

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key rate-limiting enzyme for the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TAG) in chylomicrons and very low-density lipoprotein. Given that postprandial assessment of lipoprotein metabolism may provide a more physiological perspective of disturbances in lipoprotein homeostasis compared to assessment in the fasting state, we have investigated the influence of two commonly studied LPL polymorphisms (rs320, HindIII; rs328, S447X) on postprandial lipaemia, in 261 participants using a standard sequential meal challenge. S447 homozygotes had lower fasting HDL-C (p = 0.015) and a trend for higher fasting TAG (p = 0.057) concentrations relative to the 447X allele carriers. In the postprandial state, there was an association of the S447X polymorphism with postprandial TAG and glucose, where S447 homozygotes had 12% higher TAG area under the curve (AUC) (p = 0.037), 8.4% higher glucose-AUC (p = 0.006) and 22% higher glucose-incremental area under the curve (IAUC) (p = 0.042). A significant gene–gender interaction was observed for fasting TAG (p = 0.004), TAG-AUC (Pinteraction = 0.004) and TAG-IAUC (Pinteraction = 0.016), where associations were only evident in men. In conclusion, our study provides novel findings of an effect of LPL S447X polymorphism on the postprandial glucose and gender-specific impact of the polymorphism on fasting and postprandial TAG concentrations in response to sequential meal challenge in healthy participant

A mathematical model of the sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 cholesterol biosynthesis pathway

Cholesterol is one of the key constituents for maintaining the cellular membrane and thus the integrity of the cell itself. In contrast high levels of cholesterol in the blood are known to be a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. We formulate a deterministic nonlinear ordinary differential equation model of the sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP-2) cholesterol genetic regulatory pathway in an hepatocyte. The mathematical model includes a description of genetic transcription by SREBP-2 which is subsequently translated to mRNA leading to the formation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), a main precursor of cholesterol synthesis. Cholesterol synthesis subsequently leads to the regulation of SREBP-2 via a negative feedback formulation. Parameterised with data from the literature, the model is used to understand how SREBP-2 transcription and regulation affects cellular cholesterol concentration. Model stability analysis shows that the only positive steady-state of the system exhibits purely oscillatory, damped oscillatory or monotic behaviour under certain parameter conditions. In light of our findings we postulate how cholesterol homestasis is maintained within the cell and the advantages of our model formulation are discussed with respect to other models of genetic regulation within the literature