Resistant starch and exercise independently attenuate weight regain on a high fat diet in a rat model of obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Long-term weight reduction remains elusive for many obese individuals. Resistant starch (RS) and exercise may be useful for weight maintenance. The effects of RS, with or without exercise, on weight regain was examined during relapse to obesity on a high carbohydrate, high fat (HC/HF) diet.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Obesity-prone rats were fed <it>ad libitum </it>for 16 weeks then weight reduced on a low fat diet to induce a 17% body weight loss (weight reduced rats). Weight reduced rats were maintained on an energy-restricted low fat diet for 18 weeks, with or without a daily bout of treadmill exercise. Rats were then allowed free access to HC/HF diet containing low (0.3%) or high (5.9%) levels of RS. Weight regain, energy balance, body composition, adipocyte cellularity, and fuel utilization were monitored as rats relapsed to obesity and surpassed their original, obese weight.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both RS and exercise independently attenuated weight regain by reducing the energy gap between the drive to eat and suppressed energy requirements. Exercise attenuated the deposition of lean mass during relapse, whereas its combination with RS sustained lean mass accrual as body weight returned. Early in relapse, RS lowered insulin levels and reduced the deposition of fat in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Exercise cessation at five weeks of relapse led to increased weight gain, body fat, subcutaneous adipocytes, and decreased lean mass; all detrimental consequences to overall metabolic health.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data are the first to show the complimentary effects of dietary RS and regular exercise in countering the metabolic drive to regain weight following weight loss and suggest that exercise cessation, in the context of relapse on a HC/HF diet, may have dire metabolic consequences.</p

Edge effects on components of diversity and above-ground biomass in a tropical rainforest

Edge effects are among the most significant consequences of forest fragmentation. Therefore, understanding the impacts of edge creation on biodiversity is crucial for forest management and biological conservation. In this study, we used trait‐based and phylogenetic approaches to examine the effects of fragmentation on components of diversity and above‐ground biomass of rainforest tree communities in Madagascar in forest edge vs. interior habitats. Tree communities in forest edges showed lower phylogenetic diversity relative to those in interior habitats, suggesting that some clades may be more vulnerable to environmental filtering than others. Functional diversity was also significantly lower on the edge for productivity traits, but not for dispersal traits. Tree communities in the forest edge showed higher divergence of dispersal traits and lower divergence in productivity traits than expected, while functional diversity in interior forest did not differ from random expectations. This suggests that separate mechanisms affect productivity traits vs. dispersal traits in edge habitats. There was no significant difference in above‐ground biomass between edge and interior habitats, suggesting that edge effects have not yet negatively influenced the forest's potential for carbon storage. However, these changes may not have occurred yet, given the slow turnover of tree communities. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the role of edge effects in the erosion of functional and phylogenetic diversity of highly diverse tree communities. While above‐ground biomass did not appear to be affected by forest edge in our study, we suggest long‐term monitoring of forests for potential changes in ecosystem functioning. These findings also indicate the need to reduce edge creation and buffer existing edges for holistic biodiversity conservation

The Changing Face of Neolithic and Bronze Age Ireland: A Big Data Approach to the Settlement and Burial Records

This paper synthesizes and analyses the spatial and temporal patterns of archaeological sites in Ireland spanning the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age transition (4300-1900 cal BC). Included are a large number of unpublished, newly discovered sites excavated through development-led projects. Data were also sourced from national archives, published excavation reports and on-line databases. Software tools were developed to deal with the varying nature and resolution of these datasets, allowing chronology to be considered in the analysis to a degree that is usually not possible in prehistoric studies. Summed radiocarbon probabilities are used to examine the dataset using context- and sample-sensitive approaches. Visualisations of spatial and chronological data illustrate the expansion of Early Neolithic settlement, followed by an apparent attenuation of all settlement activity. The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods are characterised by a resurgence and diversification of activity. To assess the significance of these observations, Irish radiocarbon data are compared to an idealized model derived from North American data. Even after taking various considerations into account, human population increases can be suggested to have occurred during the Early and Late Neolithic periods. Gaps and biases in the data are discussed and priorities for future work are identified

Implementation of a statewide program within community pharmacies to prevent opioid misuse and accidental overdose

Objective: To describe the implementation of a statewide pharmacy program called ONE Rx (Opioid and Naloxone Education) within community pharmacies.Setting: Thirty community pharmacies.Practice description: Community pharmacies throughout the state of North Dakota were invited to participate. Pharmacists in North Dakota can legally prescribe and dispense naloxone.Practice innovation: ONE Rx is a statewide program that provides pharmacists with the education and tools to screen every patient who was prescribed an opioid medication for the risk of opioid misuse and accidental overdose. The goal of ONE Rx is to prevent opioid misuse and accidental overdose through patient screening and individualized education and intervention within the community pharmacy.Evaluation: Outcomes to measure the implementation of ONE Rx included the number of pharmacists and technicians who participated in the training, the number of pharmacies who chose to implement ONE Rx, and the number of patients screened for the risk of opioid misuse and accidental overdose.Results: The ONE Rx training was completed by 240 pharmacists and 41 registered pharmacy technicians. Thirty community pharmacies implemented the program between October 2018 and May 2019, and more than 1700 patients were screened for the risk of opioid misuse and accidental overdose.Conclusion: A statewide program to screen for opioid misuse and accidental overdose was successfully implemented.North Dakota Department of Human ServicesBlue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring FoundationAlex Stern Foundatio

Data from: Edge effects on components of diversity and above-ground biomass in a tropical rainforest

1. Edge effects are among the most significant consequences of forest fragmentation. Therefore, understanding the impacts of edge creation on biodiversity is crucial for forest management and biological conservation. 2. In this study, we used trait-based and phylogenetic approaches to examine the effects of fragmentation on components of diversity and above-ground biomass of rainforest tree communities in Madagascar in forest edge vs. interior habitats. 3. Tree communities in forest edges showed lower phylogenetic diversity relative to those in interior habitats, suggesting that some clades may be more vulnerable to environmental filtering than others. Functional diversity was also significantly lower on the edge for productivity traits, but not for dispersal traits. Tree communities in the forest edge showed higher divergence of dispersal traits and lower divergence in productivity traits than expected by chance, while functional diversity in interior forest did not differ from random expectations. This suggests separate mechanisms affect productivity traits vs. dispersal traits in edge habitat. 4. There was no significant difference in above-ground biomass between edge and interior habitats, suggesting that edge effects have not yet negatively influenced the forest’s potential for carbon storage. However, these changes may not have occurred yet, given the slow turnover of tree communities. 5. Synthesis and applications: Our results highlight the role of edge effects in the erosion of functional and phylogenetic diversity of highly diverse tree communities. While above-ground biomass did not appear to be affected by forest edge in our study, we suggest long-term monitoring of forests for potential changes in ecosystem functioning. Given the prevalence of forest fragmentation globally, these findings indicate the need for more holistic biodiversity studies to better understand local consequences of forest fragmentation.11-Jul-201

Evaluation of a wearable biosensor to monitor potassium imbalance in patients receiving hemodialysis

Background: A non-invasive method capable of promptly detecting clinically important blood potassium changes could benefit care and safety for significant patient populations, including those with end-stage kidney disease. Methods: A total of 96 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis participated in service evaluations of a wearable biosensor across four renal centers (two in UK, one in US and one in Saudi Arabia). All the patients had standard blood tests taken before and after their routine hemodialysis sessions and the results were used as reference potassium measurements for simultaneous, photoplethysmography-based, non-invasive digital samples obtained by the wearable biosensor. These digital samples were subsequently analyzed utilizing a machine learning model designed to identify excursions in serum potassium concentration by quantifying changes across a ternary classification strategy— hyperkalemia (K+ > 5.2 mEq/L), normokalaemia (K+ 3.5–5.2 mEq/L) or hypokalemia (K+  5.2 mEq/L) or normokalemia (3.5 ≥ K+ ≤ 5.2). The total weighted recall of the biosensor and model was 86%. The overall weighted precision of the model was 86% with an F1-score of 0.86 indicating that the model achieved both high sensitivity and a low rate of false positives Conclusions: This evaluation demonstrates wearable technology capable of identifying important blood potassium changes outside of the normal reference range, in a group of patients receiving hemodialysis

Exercise decreases lipogenic gene expression in adipose tissue and alters adipocyte cellularity during weight regain after weight loss.

Exercise is a potent strategy to facilitate long-term weight maintenance. In addition to increasing energy expenditure and reducing appetite, exercise also favors the oxidation of dietary fat, which likely helps prevent weight re-gain. It is unclear whether this exercise-induced metabolic shift is due to changes in energy balance, or whether exercise imparts additional adaptations in the periphery that limit the storage and favor the oxidation of dietary fat. To answer this question, adipose tissue lipid metabolism and related gene expression were studied in obese rats following weight loss and during the first day of relapse to obesity. Mature, obese rats were weight-reduced for 2 weeks with or without daily treadmill exercise (EX). Rats were weight maintained for 6 weeks, followed by relapse on: a) ad libitum low fat diet (LFD), b) ad libitum LFD plus EX, or c) a provision of LFD to match the positive energy imbalance of exercised, relapsing animals. 24h retention of dietary- and de novo-derived fat were assessed directly using 14C palmitate/oleate and 3H20, respectively. Exercise decreased the size, but increased the number of adipocytes in both retroperitoneal (RP) and subcutaneous (SC) adipose depots, and prevented the relapse-induced increase in adipocyte size. Further, exercise decreased the expression of genes involved in lipid uptake (CD36 & LPL), de novo lipogenesis (FAS, ACC1), and triacylglycerol synthesis (MGAT & DGAT) in RP adipose during relapse following weight loss. This was consistent with the metabolic data, whereby exercise reduced retention of de novo-derived fat even when controlling for the positive energy imbalance. The decreased trafficking of dietary fat to adipose tissue with exercise was explained by reduced energy intake which attenuated energy imbalance during refeeding. Despite having decreased expression of lipogenic genes, the net retention of de novo-derived lipid was higher in both the RP and SC adipose of exercising animals compared to their energy gap-matched controls. Our interpretation of this data is that much of this lipid is being made by the liver and subsequently trafficked to adipose tissue storage. Together, these concerted effects may explain the beneficial effects of exercise on preventing weight regain following weight loss