Reducing Calorie Intake May Not Help You Lose Body Weight

Background Previously a meta-analysis found that multi-vitamin/mineral supplementation reduced mild psychiatric symptoms. To establish mechanisms, and to pin-point the individuals most likely to benefit, the role of various polymorphisms were examined. Supplementation was found to influence mild-psychiatric symptoms depending on the form of particular genes: genes that are risk factors for psychiatric disease and influence mechanisms by which drugs act. Methods In a double-blind trial young healthy males rated psychiatric symptoms, before and after taking vitamin/mineral supplements for three months, and the response was related to single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with catecholamines and serotonin. Outcomes With rs1800497 (Taq1A; dopamine D2 receptor), those with the CT allele benefitted from a vitamin/mineral supplement. Similarly with rs1800955 (DRD4 – dopamine D4 receptor), the mood of those with the CC allele benefitted selectively. With rs6296 (HTR1B) only those with the GC alleles responded, and with rs6311 (HTR2A) supplementation produced a beneficial response in those with the GG allele. With rs1050565 (5HTT gene - Human Serotonin Transporter gene) supplementation increased the mental health of those with the AA allele. Interpretation In a situation where a substantial proportion of patients do not benefit from drug therapy, and there is an element of trial and error when prescribing, it was proposed that future work should consider distinguishing patients depending on various polymorphisms and micro-nutrient status. In those with particular alleles, we should consider if drug administration and vitamin / mineral status interact synergistically to influence the therapeutic outcom

Missing Links: Referrer Behavior and Job Segregation

How does referral recruitment contribute to job segregation, and what can organizations do about it? Current theory on network effects in the labor market emphasizes the job-seeker perspective, focusing on the segregated nature of job-seekers’ information and contact networks, and leaves little role for organizational influence. But employee referrals are necessarily initiated from within a firm by referrers. We argue that referrer behavior is the missing link that can help organizations manage the segregating effects of referring. Adopting the referrer’s perspective of the process, we develop a computational model which integrates a set of empirically documented referrer behavior mechanisms gleaned from extant organizational case studies. Using this model, we compare the segregating effects of referring when these behaviors are inactive to the effects when the behaviors are active. We show that referrer behaviors substantially boost the segregating effects of referring. This impact of referrer behavior presents an opportunity for organizations. Contrary to popular wisdom, we show that organizational policies designed to influence referrer behaviors can mitigate most if not all of the segregating effects of referring