Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations

BACKGROUND: The ability of an intermittent fasting (IF)-calorie restriction (CR) regimen (with or without liquid meals) to modulate adipokines in a way that is protective against coronary heart disease (CHD) has yet to be tested. OBJECTIVE: Accordingly, we examined the effects of an IFCR diet on adipokine profile, body composition, and markers of CHD risk in obese women. METHODS: Subjects (n = 54) were randomized to either the IFCR-liquid (IFCR-L) or IFCR-food based (IFCR-F) diet for 10 weeks. RESULTS: Greater decreases in body weight and waist circumference were noted in the IFCR-L group (4 ± 1 kg; 6 ± 1 cm) versus the IFCR-F group (3 ± 1 kg; 4 ± 1 cm). Similar reductions (P < 0.0001) in fat mass were demonstrated in the IFCR-L (3 ± 1 kg) and IFCR-F group (2 ± 1 kg). Reductions in total and LDL cholesterol levels were greater (P = 0.04) in the IFCR-L (19 ± 10%; 20 ± 9%, respectively) versus the IFCR-F group (8 ± 3%; 7 ± 4%, respectively). LDL peak particle size increased (P < 0.01) in the IFCR-L group only. The proportion of small LDL particles decreased (P < 0.01) in both groups. Adipokines, such as leptin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) decreased (P < 0.05), in the IFCR-L group only. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that IFCR with a liquid diet favorably modulates visceral fat and adipokines in a way that may confer protection against CHD

Neuroenhancement in Military Personnel: Conceptual and Methodological Promises and Challenges

Military personnel are subjected to prolonged operations in harsh and undesirable conditions characterized by severe environmental exposures, resource scarcity, and physical and mental encumbrance. Prolonged military operations under these conditions can degrade the already limited perceptual, cognitive, and emotional resources necessary to sustain performance on mission-related tasks. The complex multi-domain operations of the future battlespace are expected to further increase demands at even the lowest levels of the military echelon. These demands will be characterized with increasingly prolonged operations of small units in austere environments with limited resupply and degraded technological capabilities. It is therefore critical to identify new training and technological approaches to enable sustained, optimized, and/or enhanced performance of military personnel. Research in the international defence science community, academia, and industry has developed several promising neuroscientific strategies for pursuing this goal, including neuromodulatory and neurofeedback techniques. The present paper reviews the state of the art in cognitive neuroenhancement research and development from six participating nations: Canada, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Six neuromodulation techniques are reviewed, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS), transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), transcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (tPNS), photobiomodulation, and cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). Three neurofeedback techniques are considered, including the use of electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for monitoring brain states, with feedback loops enabled through machine learning and artificial intelligence. Participating nations summarize basic and applied research leveraging one or more of these neuromodulation and neurofeedback technologies for the purposes of enhancing Warfighter cognitive performance. The report continues by detailing the inherent methodological challenges of cognitive neuroenhancement and other considerations for conducting research, development, and engineering in this domain. The report concludes with a discussion of promising future directions in neuroenhancement, including biosensing, improved mechanistic and predictive modelling and software tools, developing non-invasive forms of deep-brain stimulation, testing emerging theoretical models of brain and behavior, and developing closed-loop neuroenhancement and humanmachine teaming methods. Emphasis is placed on the conceptual and methodological promises and challenges associated with planning, executing, and interpreting neuroenhancement research and development efforts in the context of Warfighter selection, training, operations, and recovery

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease

Why Narcissists are Unwilling to Apologize: The Role of Empathy and Guilt

We hypothesized that narcissists would be unwilling to apologize for their interpersonal transgressions, and that reduced levels of self-reported empathy and guilt would serially mediate this effect. Narcissism is characterized by little empathy for the victim, which reduces guilt about one's transgressions. Low guilt, in turn, is associated with unwillingness to apologize. In Study 1, we assessed dispositional narcissism, empathy, guilt, and willingness to apologize. In Study 2, we assessed dispositional narcissism and obtained state measures of empathy, guilt, and willingness to apologize. In Study 3, we manipulated narcissism and collected state measures of empathy, guilt, and willingness to apologize. Narcissism was negatively associated with (Studies 1-2) and decreased (Study 3) willingness to apologize, with this link being explained (i.e., serially mediated) by low empathy and guilt. Finally, in Study 4, we showed that antagonistic narcissism (i.e., narcissistic rivalry), but not agentic narcissism (i.e., narcissistic admiration), was negatively associated with willingness to apologize and apologizing behaviour. In all, narcissists are unwilling to apologize for their transgressions, as they experience little empathy for their victims and lower guilt