The Overlap Between Binge Eating Behaviors and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: An Etiological Integrative Model

Studies indicate that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) features (e.g. insulin instability, food cravings,overproduction of androgens and menstrual irregularities) are associated with increased appetite, impairedimpulse control and feelings of body dissatisfaction. Counter intuitively, binge eating behaviors have been shownto reinforce PCOS symptomatology, precipitating concurrently body dissatisfaction, weight gain, insulin instabilityand overproduction of androgens. The present systematic literature review aspires to investigate the relationshipbetween binge eating, in the broader context of eating disorder behaviors, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome(PCOS), taking into account shared characteristics between EDs (Eating Disorders) and PCOS. To address thisaim, the PRISMA guidelines are adopted. A total of 21 studies, which investigated the presence of binge eating inPCOS population and the presence of PCOS in EDs population, were synthesized. Findings suggested that anincreased prevalence of binge eating has been reported in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS);and that women suffering from BN (Bulimia Nervosa) and BED (Binge Eating Disorder) are more likely to displaypolycystic ovaries. Further research on their shared liability is required in order to inform more efficientprevention and treatment initiatives for populations presenting with comorbid features

Evaluating the validity of a smartphone step-counter in adults with asthma: a proof-of-concept study

Introduction: Regular physical activity and structured exercise are often reported to be associated with improved asthma control - however the majority of published evidence is limited by short-term studies employing subjective measures of assessment (i.e. self-report / questionnaires). Modern smartphones typically include built-in activity sensors (i.e. possess the capability to monitor daily step-count) and thus may offer a cost-effective and pragmatic solution to the assessment of physical activity in clinical practice and/or research trials. The primary aim of this proof-of-concept study was therefore to evaluate the validity of the iPhone® (Apple Inc, USA) step-counter in adults with asthma and healthy controls. Methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional laboratory based-trial. Ten healthy adults with no prior history of respiratory disease and ten adults with a prior physician diagnosis of asthma were enrolled. All completed baseline clinical assessment followed by a standardised walking treadmill challenge consisting of 3 x 3-minute stages at pre-determined speeds: 2.5kph, 5.0kph and 7.5kph. Steps were recorded using the following devices: (i) Yamax Digiwalker™ SW-200 Pedometer (Yamax, UK), (ii) iPhone® step-counter (upper body arm-band), (iii) iPhone® step-counter (lower body trouser pocket) - and evaluated against a video-verified manual step-count (i.e. gold-standard comparator) conducted by the investigator (CR). Results: No difference was observed in manual total step-count between individuals with asthma (1018 steps) and healthy controls (1038 steps) (P=0.44). The iPhone® step-counter (both upper and lower body) provided close agreement with video-verified manual step-count, and importantly, outperformed the Yamax Digiwalker® SW-200 Pedometer across the majority of test stages. Specifically, the iPhone® (lower body) correlated strongly (r = 0.96; P<0.006) and produced the highest level of agreement with video-verified total step-count (mean bias: -11; limits of agreement: -43 to 21) (Table 1). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the iPhone® provides an accurate estimate of step-count in adults with asthma and healthy controls completing a standardised laboratory-based treadmill test. Prior to implementation, further research is required to determine the validity and reliability of this approach during daily active / free living conditions

Chaotic motion and spiral structure in self-consistent models of rotating galaxies

Dissipationless N-body models of rotating galaxies, iso-energetic to a non-rotating model, are examined as regards the mass in regular and in chaotic motion. The values of their spin parameters $\lambda$ are near the value $\lambda=0.22$ of our Galaxy. We obtain the distinction between the sets of particles moving in regular and in chaotic orbits and we show that the spatial distribution of these two sets of particles is much different. The rotating models are characterized by larger fractions of mass in chaotic motion ($\thickapprox 65$) compared with the fraction of mass in chaotic motion in the non-rotating iso-energetic model ($\thickapprox 32$). Furthermore, the Lyapunov numbers of the chaotic orbits in the rotating models become by about one order of magnitude larger than in the non-rotating model. Chaotic orbits are concentrated preferably in values of the Jacobi integral around the value of the effective potential at the corotation radius. We find that density waves form a central rotating bar embedded in a thin and a thick disc with exponential surface density profile. A surprising new result is that long living spiral arms are exited on the disc, composed almost completely by chaotic orbits. The bar excites an $m=2$ mode of spiral waves on the surface density of the disc, emanating from the corotation radius. These spiral waves are deformed, fade, or disappear temporarily, but they grow again re-forming a well developed spiral pattern. Spiral arms are discernible up to 20 or 30 rotations of the bar (lasting for about a Hubble time).Comment: 30 pages, 17 figures (low resolution). Revised version. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. For high resolution figures please send email to [email protected]

Smartphone pedometers in adults with asthma: a practical approach to physical activity assessment? A pilot validation study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot validation study was to determine the accuracy of a smartphone (iPhone®) pedometer in adults with and without asthma. METHODS: : Ten adults with asthma and ten healthy controls underwent clinical assessment prior to completing two separate trials. Phase 1. standardized treadmill and self-paced walking tests. Total steps were recorded via: (i) Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 pedometer positioned on the waistband, (ii) iPhone® pedometer positioned on the upper body, (iii) iPhone® pedometer positioned on the lower body and evaluated against a video-verified manual step-count. Phase 2. step-count was evaluated over seven-days during habitual free-living conditions via Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 and iPhone® pedometers. RESULTS: : During treadmill walking, the iPhone® positioned on the lower body correlated strongly (r = 0.96) and produced the highest level of agreement (mean bias: -11 steps, LOA: -43 to 21 steps) in comparison to video-verified manual step-count. During self-paced walking, all devices provided an excellent step-count estimate. During free-living conditions, no difference was observed between the Yamax Digiwalker™ SW800 pedometer and iPhone® (P = 0.10) and a strong correlation (r = 0.94) and acceptable agreement (mean bias: -343, LOA: -1963 to 1276 steps) was observed. CONCLUSION: : Our findings indicate that an in-built iPhone® pedometer offers a practical approach to physical activity assessment in adults with and without asthma. Future research is now required to further validate the precision of this approach and evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of smartphone pedometers to monitor and promote physical activity when employed during medical consultation and/or clinical research trials

Deregulation of methylation of transcribed-ultra conserved regions in colorectal cancer and their value for detection of adenomas and adenocarcinomas

Expression of Transcribed Ultraconserved Regions (T-UCRs) is often deregulated in cancer. The present study assesses the expression and methylation of three T-UCRs (Uc160, Uc283 and Uc346) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and explores the potential of T-UCR methylation in circulating DNA for the detection of adenomas and adenocarcinomas. Expression levels of Uc160, Uc283 and Uc346 were lower in neoplastic tissues from 64 CRC patients (statistically significant for Uc160, p<0.001), compared to non-malignant tissues, while methylation levels displayed the inverse pattern (p<0.001, p=0.001 and p=0.004 respectively). In colon cancer cell lines, overexpression of Uc160 and Uc346 led to increased proliferation and migration rates. Methylation levels of Uc160 in plasma of 50 CRC, 59 adenoma patients, 40 healthy subjects and 12 patients with colon inflammation or diverticulosis predicted the presence of CRC with 35% sensitivity and 89% specificity (p=0.016), while methylation levels of the combination of all three T-UCRs resulted in 45% sensitivity and 74.3% specificity (p=0.013). In conclusion, studied T-UCRs’ expression and methylation status are deregulated in CRC while Uc160 and Uc346 appear to have a complicated role in CRC progression. Moreover their methylation status appears a promising non-invasive screening test for CRC, provided that the sensitivity of the assay is improved

Being there: a preliminary study examining the role of presence in Internet Gaming Disorder

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been introduced as an emerging mental health condition requiring further study. Associations between IGD and gaming presence (i.e., absorption in the virtual environment) have been implied. The aim of the present study was twofold: (a) to evaluate the extent to which presence contributes to IGD severity and, (b) to examine longitudinal differences in IGD according to the initial level of presence experienced. The participants comprising 125 emerging adults aged 18 to 29 years completed either: (i) three face-to-face assessments (one month apart, over three months) or (ii) a cross-sectional, online assessment. IGD was assessed with the nine-item IGD Scale Short Form and presence was assessed using the Presence Questionnaire. Regression and latent growth modelling analyses were conducted. Findings demonstrated that the level of gaming presence related to IGD severity but not to linear change in severity over a three-month period. The study shows that emergent adults who play internet games may be at a high risk of IGD given a more salient sense of being present within the gaming environment. Clinical implications considering prevention and intervention initiatives are discussed

Children’s right to participate: The Lundy model applied to early childhood education and care

Children have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them, and to have them considered and given due weight. Children’s participation is most meaningful when rooted in children’s everyday lives, and its promotion should be encouraged from the youngest ages, especially in early childhood education and care (ecec). In this paper we apply the Lundy model of participation, widely used in policy, practice and professional development initiatives, to the ecec context. Based on examples provided by ecec professionals from Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Portugal, we illustrate the implementation of the elements of space, voice, audience and influence, proposed by the Lundy model. We also discuss the interrelations among these elements and the need for organisational and contextual support to enhance children’s participation. This paper adds to existing literature, highlighting theoretical and practical issues associated with the promotion of children’s right to participate in ecec.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Caenorhabditis elegans reporter fusion genes generated by seamless modification of large genomic DNA clones

By determining spatial-temporal expression patterns, reporter constructs provide significant insights into gene function. Although additionally providing information on subcellular distribution, translational reporters, where the reporter is fused to the gene coding sequence, are used less frequently than simpler constructs containing only putative promoter sequences. Because these latter constructs may not contain all necessary regulatory elements, resulting expression patterns must be interpreted cautiously. To ensure inclusion of all such elements and provide details of subcellular localization, construction of translational reporters would, preferably, utilize genomic clones, containing the complete locus plus flanking regions and permit seamless insertion of the reporter anywhere within the gene. We have developed such a method based upon λ Red-mediated recombineering coupled to a robust two-step counter-selection protocol. We have inserted either gfp or cfp precisely at the C-termini of three Caenorhabditis elegans target genes, each located within different fosmid clones, and examined previously with conventional reporter approaches. Resulting transgenic lines revealed reporter expression consistent with previously published data for the tagged genes and also provided additional information including subcellular distributions. This simple and straightforward method generates reporters highly likely to recapitulate endogenous gene expression and thus represents an important addition to the functional genomics toolbox

System Test of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer in the H8 Beam at the CERN SPS

An extensive system test of the ATLAS muon spectrometer has been performed in the H8 beam line at the CERN SPS during the last four years. This spectrometer will use pressurized Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers and Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) for precision tracking, Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) for triggering in the barrel and Thin Gap Chambers (TGCs) for triggering in the end-cap region. The test set-up emulates one projective tower of the barrel (six MDT chambers and six RPCs) and one end-cap octant (six MDT chambers, A CSC and three TGCs). The barrel and end-cap stands have also been equipped with optical alignment systems, aiming at a relative positioning of the precision chambers in each tower to 30-40 micrometers. In addition to the performance of the detectors and the alignment scheme, many other systems aspects of the ATLAS muon spectrometer have been tested and validated with this setup, such as the mechanical detector integration and installation, the detector control system, the data acquisition, high level trigger software and off-line event reconstruction. Measurements with muon energies ranging from 20 to 300 GeV have allowed measuring the trigger and tracking performance of this set-up, in a configuration very similar to the final spectrometer. A special bunched muon beam with 25 ns bunch spacing, emulating the LHC bunch structure, has been used to study the timing resolution and bunch identification performance of the trigger chambers. The ATLAS first-level trigger chain has been operated with muon trigger signals for the first time