Is the development of obesogenic food environments a self-reinforcing process? Evidence from soft drink consumption

Background: Understanding how the development of obesogenic food environments and the consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages influence each other can help policymakers to identify effective ways to curb the current obesity epidemic. This paper was designed to investigate whether, and to what extent, the consumption of soft drinks and the prevalence of obesity are linked through feedback effects. Methods: An ecological study design and a simultaneous equation model were used to investigate the existence of a vicious cycle between the consumption of soft drinks and the prevalence of obesity. The analysis was based on a longitudinal dataset covering per capita sales of soft drinks, the age-standardised prevalence rate of obesity and several demographic and socio-economic control variables in a sample of 98 countries worldwide for the period 2005–2019. Results: Using a Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) regression model with fixed effects, we documented a self-reinforcing process that links consumption and obesity. Changes in the spread of obesity were associated with changes in soft drink consumption: a one-unit increase in the age-adjusted prevalence rate of obesity increased consumption by about 2.39 l per person per year. Similarly, as the consumption of soft drinks rose, so did the prevalence of obesity: the age-adjusted rate of obesity increased by 0.07% for every additional litre consumed per capita. Computing the impact multipliers, we found that the outcome of a one-unit decrease in the average price of soft drinks was twofold: a) the prevalence of obesity increased by around 0.17%; and b) consumption increased by around 2.40 l per person, the sum of the increase directly caused by the price reduction (2 l) and the increase due to the interplay between consumption and obesity (0.4 l). Conclusions: This study has identified a feedback loop between unhealthy habits (i.e. the consumption of soft drinks) and health outcomes (i.e. the prevalence of obesity). This interplay amplifies the impact of any exogenous changes in the determinants of consumption and obesity. These feedback effects should be considered and exploited in planning effective strategies to tackle the burden of obesity and the global epidemic of non-​communicable diseases

First principle theory of correlated transport through nano-junctions

We report the inclusion of electron-electron correlation in the calculation of transport properties within an ab initio scheme. A key step is the reformulation of Landauer's approach in terms of an effective transmittance for the interacting electron system. We apply this framework to analyze the effect of short range interactions on Pt atomic wires and discuss the coherent and incoherent correction to the mean-field approach.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Effects of dislocation density on injection and temperature sensitivity of InGaN LED emission spectra: a combined experimental and simulation approach

The aim of this paper is to describe a combined simulation and characterization activity carried out on blue LEDs grown on templates with different threading dislocation densities (TDDs)

Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma cancer stem cells mirnome and transcriptome highlight novel functional networks

Molecular classification has improved the knowledge of medulloblastoma (MB), the most common malignant brain tumour in children, however current treatments cause severe side effects in patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been described in MB and represent a sub population characterised by self-renewal and the ability to generate tumour cells, thus representing the reservoir of the tumour. To investigate molecular pathways that characterise this sub population, we isolated CSCs from Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma (SHH MB) arisen in Patched 1 (Ptch1) heterozygous mice, and performed miRNA-and mRNA-sequencing. Comparison of the miRNA-sequencing of SHH MB CSCs with that obtained from cerebellar Neural Stem Cells (NSCs), allowed us to obtain a SHH MB CSC miRNA differential signature. Pathway enrichment analysis in SHH MB CSCs mirnome and transcriptome was performed and revealed a series of enriched pathways. We focused on the putative targets of the SHH MB CSC miRNAs that were involved in the enriched pathways of interest, namely pathways in cancer, PI3k-Akt pathway and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum pathway. In silico analysis was performed in SHH MB patients and identified several genes, whose expression was associated with worse overall survival of SHH MB patients. This study provides novel candidates whose functional role should be further investigated in SHH MB

Forests attenuate temperature and air pollution discomfort in montane tourist areas

Forests deliver many ecosystem services, from provisioning to regulating and cultural services. We aimed at demonstrating microclimatic regulation and pollutant removal as especially relevant ecosystem services when considering the tourism vocation of the Alpine regions. A study was realized along an altitudinal gradient (900–1600 m a.s.l.) in Trentino, northern Italy, an area with high touristic presence (ca. 9.3 million overnight stays in summer 2021). Nitrogen dioxide (NO2 , µg m−3 ), ozone (O3 , µg m−3 ) concentrations, air temperature (T, ◦C), and relative humidity (RH, %) were simultaneously measured in three open-field sites (OF) and below-canopy Norway spruce forest stands (FO) during the period 23 May–7 August 2013. The temperature–humidity index (THI) was calculated. We found a distinct mitigating effect of forest on T, with lower maximum (−30.6%) and higher minimum values (+6.3%) in FO than in OF. THI supported a higher comfort sensation in FO than in OF, especially in the central part of the day. NO2 concentrations did not differ between OF and FO; ozone concentrations were lower in FO than OF. This study confirms the role of forests in providing several ecosystem services beneficial for forest users, especially relevant for promoting nature-based tourism in the Alpine regio

Modeling Normal and Pathological Ear Cartilage in vitro Using Somatic Stem Cells in Three-Dimensional Culture

Microtia (underdeveloped ear) is a rare congenital dysmorphology affecting the development of the outer ear. Although human microtic cartilage has not been fully characterized, chondrogenic cells derived from this tissue have been proposed as a suitable source for autologous auricular reconstruction. The aim of this study was to further characterize native microtic cartilage and investigate the properties of cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs) derived from it. Two-dimensional (2D) systems are most commonly used to assess the chondrogenic potential of somatic stem cells in vitro, but limit cell interactions and differentiation. Hence here we investigated the behavior of microtic CSPCs in three-dimensional spheroid cultures. Remarkable similarities between human microtic cartilages from five patients, as compared to normal cartilage, were observed notwithstanding possibly different etiologies of the disease. Native microtic cartilage displayed poorly defined perichondrium and hyper-cellularity, an immature phenotype that resembled that of the normal developing human auricular cartilage we studied in parallel. Crucially, our analysis of microtic ears revealed for the first time that, unlike normal cartilage, microtic cartilages are vascularized. Importantly, CSPCs isolated from human microtic and normal ear cartilages were found to recapitulate many characteristics of pathological and healthy tissues, respectively, when allowed to differentiate as spheroids, but not in monolayer cultures. Noteworthily, starting from initially homogeneous cell pellets, CSPC spheroids spontaneously underwent a maturation process in culture, and formed two regions (inner and outer region) separated by a boundary, with distinct cell types that differed in chondrogenic commitment as indicated by expression of chondrogenic markers. Compared to normal ear-derived spheroids, microtic spheroids were asymmetric, hyper-cellularized and the inner and outer regions did not develop properly. Hence, their organization resembled that of native microtic cartilage. Together, our results identify novel features of microtic ears and highlight the importance of 3D self-organizing in vitro systems for better understanding somatic stem cell behavior and disease modeling. Our observations of ear-derived chondrogenic stem cell behavior have implications for choice of cells for tissue engineered reconstructive purposes and for modeling the etiopathogenesis of microtia

Probing gas and dust in the tidal tail of NGC 5221 with the type Ia supernova iPTF16abc

Context. Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) can be used to address numerous questions in astrophysics and cosmology. Due to their well known spectral and photometric properties, SNe Ia are well suited to study gas and dust along the lines-of-sight to the explosions. For example, narrow Na I D and Ca II H&K absorption lines can be studied easily, because of the well-defined spectral continuum of SNe Ia around these features. Aims. We study the gas and dust along the line-of-sight to iPTF16abc, which occurred in an unusual location, in a tidal arm, 80 kpc from centre of the galaxy NGC 5221. Methods. Using a time-series of high-resolution spectra, we examine narrow Na I D and Ca II H&K absorption features for variations in time, which would be indicative for circumstellar (CS) matter. Furthermore, we take advantage of the well known photometric properties of SNe Ia to determine reddening due to dust along the line-of-sight. Results. From the lack of variations in Na I D and Ca II H&K, we determine that none of the detected absorption features originate from the CS medium of iPTF16abc. While the Na I D and Ca II H&K absorption is found to be optically thick, a negligible amount of reddening points to a small column of interstellar dust. Conclusions. We find that the gas along the line-of-sight to iPTF16abc is typical of what might be found in the interstellar medium (ISM) within a galaxy. It suggests that we are observing gas that has been tidally stripped during an interaction of NGC 5221 with one of its neighbouring galaxies in the past $\sim10^9$ years. In the future, the gas clouds could become the locations of star formation. On a longer time scale, the clouds might diffuse, enriching the circum-galactic medium (CGM) with metals. The gas profile along the line-of-sight should be useful for future studies of the dynamics of the galaxy group containing NGC 5221.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Segond's fracture: a biomechanical cadaveric study using navigation

Background Segond’s fracture is a well-recognised radiological sign of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. While previous studies evaluated the role of the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and complex injuries on rotational stability of the knee, there are no studies on the biomechanical effect of Segond’s fracture in an ACL deficient knee. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a Segond’s fracture on knee rotation stability as evaluated by a navigation system in an ACL deficient knee. Materials and methods Three different conditions were tested on seven knee specimens: intact knee, ACL deficient knee and ACL deficient knee with Segond’s fracture. Static and dynamic measurements of anterior tibial translation (ATT) and axial tibial rotation (ATR) were recorded by the navigation system (2.2 OrthoPilot ACL navigation system B. Braun Aesculap, Tuttlingen, Germany). Results Static measurements at 30 showed that the mean ATT at 30 of knee flexion was 5.1 ± 2.7 mm in the ACL intact condition, 14.3 ± 3.1 mm after ACL cut (P = 0.005), and 15.2 ± 3.6 mm after Segond’s fracture (P = 0.08). The mean ATR at 30 of knee flexion was 20.7 ± 4.8 in the ACL intact condition, 26.9 ± 4.1 in the ACL deficient knee (P[0.05) and 30.9 ± 3.8 after Segond’s fracture (P = 0.005). Dynamic measurements during the pivot-shift showed that the mean ATT was 7.2 ± 2.7 mm in the intact knee, 9.1 ± 3.3 mm in the ACL deficient knee(P = 0.04) and 9.7 ± 4.3 mm in the ACL deficient knee with Segond’s fracture (P = 0.07). The mean ATR was 9.6 ± 1.8 in the intact knee, 12.3 ± 2.3 in the ACL deficient knee (P[0.05) and 19.1 ± 3.1 in the ACL deficient knee with Segond’s lesion (P = 0.016). Conclusion An isolated lesion of the ACL only affects ATT during static and dynamic measurements, while the addition of Segond’s fracture has a significant effect on ATR in both static and dynamic execution of the pivot-shift test, as evaluated with the aid of navigation