Effects of Brown Midrib Corn Silage Hybrids with or without Kernel Processing at Harvest on Nutrient Metabolism in Beef Steers

A 2 × 3 factorial digestion study evaluated three corn silage hybrids and kernel processing for finishing steers. The three hybrids included a control corn silage, a brown midrib, and a brown midrib with a softer endosperm. Both brown midrib hybrids had greater fiber digestibility than the traditional control corn silage hybrid. No differences were observed between brown midrib hybrids for all other nutrients. Cattle fed brown midrib hybrids had a lower average ruminal pH compared to the control suggesting more fermentation, but no differences in volatile fatty acid concentration or proportions. Kernel processing had no effect on apparent total tract nutrient digestibility for any nutrients measured in this study. Kernel processing did not impact any ruminal characteristics or metabolism by beef steers. In finishing diets including elevated levels of corn silage, brown midrib corn silage hybrids allow for improved fiber digestibility and more energy available to the animal for improved growth performance over cattle fed control corn silages. Kernel processing did not appear to affect any ruminal fermentation and digestibility parameters, despite an observed improvement in feed efficiency in a similar finishing trial

Confidence in eating disorder knowledge does not predict actual knowledge in collegiate female athletes

Background Eating disorders are serious psychological disorders with long term health impacts. Athletic populations, tend to have higher incidences of eating disorders compared to the general population. Yet there is little known about athletes’ eating disorder knowledge and how it relates to their confidence in their knowledge. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate collegiate female athletes’ eating disorder (ED) knowledge and confidence in their knowledge. 51 participants were recruited from a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) university in the mid-west and asked to complete a 30-question exam assessing one’s knowledge of five different categories related to eating disorders. Confidence in the correctness of answers was assessed with a 5-point Likert-scale (1 = very unconfident, 5 = very confident). A one-way ANOVA was used to determine differences between scores on different categories and overall scores. A simple regression analysis was used to determine if confidence or age was predictive in knowledge scores. Results The average score of participants was 69.1%, SD = 10.8% with an average confidence of 3.69/5, SD = 0.33. Athletes scored lowest with regards to Identifying Signs and Symptoms of EDs compared to other sub-scores (p < 0.05). There was no relationship between knowledge and confidence scores. Discussion There is limited ED knowledge among collegiate female athletes. This may be problematic as many athletes appear confident in the correctness of their answers despite these low scores. Coaches should be aware of this lack of knowledge and work with clinical practitioners, such as dieticians, team physicians and athletic trainers to educate and monitor their athletes on eating disorders, specifically signs and symptoms

Accuracy and precision of tidal wetland soil carbon mapping in the conterminous United States

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Scientific Reports 8 (2018): 9478, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26948-7.Tidal wetlands produce long-term soil organic carbon (C) stocks. Thus for carbon accounting purposes, we need accurate and precise information on the magnitude and spatial distribution of those stocks. We assembled and analyzed an unprecedented soil core dataset, and tested three strategies for mapping carbon stocks: applying the average value from the synthesis to mapped tidal wetlands, applying models fit using empirical data and applied using soil, vegetation and salinity maps, and relying on independently generated soil carbon maps. Soil carbon stocks were far lower on average and varied less spatially and with depth than stocks calculated from available soils maps. Further, variation in carbon density was not well-predicted based on climate, salinity, vegetation, or soil classes. Instead, the assembled dataset showed that carbon density across the conterminous united states (CONUS) was normally distributed, with a predictable range of observations. We identified the simplest strategy, applying mean carbon density (27.0 kg C m−3), as the best performing strategy, and conservatively estimated that the top meter of CONUS tidal wetland soil contains 0.72 petagrams C. This strategy could provide standardization in CONUS tidal carbon accounting until such a time as modeling and mapping advancements can quantitatively improve accuracy and precision.Synthesis efforts were funded by NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS; NNH14AY67I), USGS LandCarbon and the Smithsonian Institution. J.R.H. was additionally supported by the NSF-funded Coastal Carbon Research Coordination Network while completing this manuscript (DEB-1655622). J.M.S. coring efforts were funded by NSF (EAR-1204079). B.P.H. coring efforts were funded by Earth Observatory (Publication Number 197)

CEREBROSPINAL FLUID BIOMARKERS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH ANOREXIA NERVOSA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL

Background: Biomarkers quantified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provide first-hand information on ongoing pathophysiology and biochemical activity within the brain of individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). Evidence supporting involvement of blood-based markers of inflammation and immune processes in anorexia nervosa has accumulated over the past decade, although whether central inflammation is present in AN is unknown. CSF-based biomarkers studies offer an opportunity to explore central inflammation in AN. A comprehensive review of studies that quantify CSF in anorexia nervosa is lacking. Methods: This systematic review will investigate differences in CSF biomarkers between patients with AN and healthy controls (HC) in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Additionally, we will create an online database of studies that have investigated CSF biomarkers in AN. Data will be reviewed independently by two members of our team using MEDLINE databases, Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We will include all studies that report on CSF biomarkers obtained by lumbar puncture in individuals with AN and HCs between 1973-2023. Discussion: This comprehensive systematic review will explore the role of CSF biomarkers in individuals with AN compared to control subjects. Findings will help researchers and clinicians by supporting a resurgence of research given its importance to understanding neuroinflammation in AN

Identification of State Markers in Anorexia Nervosa: Replication and Extension of Inflammation-Associated Biomarkers Using Multiplex Profiling

Background: Proteomics offers potential for detecting and monitoring anorexia nervosa (AN) and its variant, atypical AN (atyp-AN). However, research has been limited by small protein panels, a focus on adult AN, and lack of replication. Methods: In this study, we performed Olink multiplex profiling of 92 inflammation-related proteins in females with AN/atyp-AN (n = 64), all of whom were ≤90% of expected body weight, and age-matched healthy control individuals (n = 44). Results: Five proteins differed significantly between the primary AN/atyp-AN group and the healthy control group (lower levels: HGF, IL-18R1, TRANCE; higher levels: CCL23, LIF-R). The expression levels of 3 proteins (lower IL-18R1, TRANCE; higher LIF-R) were uniquely disrupted in participants with AN in our primary model. No unique expression levels emerged for atyp-AN. In the total sample, 12 proteins (ADA, CD5, CD6, CXCL1, FGF-21, HGF, IL-12B, IL18, IL-18R1, SIRT2, TNFSF14, TRANCE) were positively correlated with body mass index and 5 proteins (CCL11, FGF-19, IL8, LIF-R, OPG) were negatively correlated with body mass index in our primary models. Conclusions: Our results replicate the results of a previous study that demonstrated a dysregulated inflammatory status in AN and extend those results to atyp-AN. Of the 17 proteins correlated with body mass index, 11 were replicated from a previous study that used similar methods, highlighting the promise of inflammatory protein expression levels as biomarkers of AN disease monitoring. Our findings underscore the complexity of AN and atyp-AN by highlighting the inability of the identified proteins to differentiate between these 2 subtypes, thereby emphasizing the heterogeneous nature of these disorders

Prospective Two-Year Course and Predictors of Outcome in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Objective: To evaluate the 2-year course and outcomes of full and subthreshold avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in youth ages 9-23 at baseline using a prospective longitudinal design to characterize the remission and persistence of ARFID, evaluate diagnostic crossover, and identify predictors of outcome. We hypothesized that greater severity in each ARFID profile – sensory sensitivity, fear of aversive consequences, and lack of interest – would predict greater likelihood of illness persistence, controlling for age, sex, BMI percentile, ARFID treatment status, and baseline diagnosis. // Method: We followed participants (N = 100; ages 9-23 years; 49% female, 91% White) over two years. We used the Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview across three time points (Baseline, Year 1, Year 2) to measure the severity of each ARFID profile and evaluate illness persistence or remission, and the Eating Disorder Assessment for DSM-5 to evaluate diagnostic crossover. // Results: Across the 2-year follow-up period, half the sample persisted with their original diagnosis, and 3% of participants experienced diagnostic shift to anorexia nervosa. Greater severity in the sensory sensitivity and lack of interest profiles was associated with higher likelihood of ARFID persistence at Year 1 only; greater severity in the fear of aversive consequences profile was associated with higher likelihood of ARFID remission at Year 2 only. // Conclusion: Findings underscore the distinctiveness of ARFID from other eating disorders and emphasize its persistence over 2 years. Results also highlight the predictive validity and prognostic value of ARFID profiles (i.e., sensory sensitivity, fear of aversive consequences, lack of interest)

Author Correction: Accuracy and Precision of Tidal Wetland Soil Carbon Mapping in the Conterminous United States.

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