Phenolic compounds in young developing kiwifruit in relation to light exposure: Implications for fruit calcium accumulation

The interaction between light availability and the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in fruit of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa, C.F. Liang et A. R. Ferguson) was investigated. Fruits were exposed either to natural light or were artificially shaded while growing on mature vines and were analysed weekly during the first 11 weeks of development. Phenols were identified and quantified by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that the predominant phenolic compounds were hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs), flavonols and the flavan 3-ol epicatechin. Calcium (Ca2+), the main mineral nutrient involved in fruit quality was also determined. Light significantly increased the accumulation of both phenols and Ca2+ into the fruit. This work expands the list of known phenolics in kiwifruit and provides a possible explanation for the seasonal pattern of Ca2+ import into the fruit. Results on light–phenol interaction being apparently beneficial for fruit Ca2+ accumulation, suggest that accurate canopy management could enhance fruit quality

Semidiurnal temperature changes caused by tidal front movements in the warm season in seabed habitats on the Georges Bank northern margin and their ecological implications

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Public Domain. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 8 (2013): e55273, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055273.Georges Bank is a large, shallow feature separating the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean. Previous studies demonstrated a strong tidal-mixing front during the warm season on the northern bank margin between thermally stratified water in the Gulf of Maine and mixed water on the bank. Tides transport warm water off the bank during flood tide and cool gulf water onto the bank during ebb tide. During 10 days in August 2009, we mapped frontal temperatures in five study areas along ~100 km of the bank margin. The seabed “frontal zone”, where temperature changed with frontal movment, experienced semidiurnal temperature maxima and minima. The tidal excursion of the frontal boundary between stratified and mixed water ranged 6 to 10 km. This “frontal boundary zone” was narrower than the frontal zone. Along transects perpendicular to the bank margin, seabed temperature change at individual sites ranged from 7.0°C in the frontal zone to 0.0°C in mixed bank water. At time series in frontal zone stations, changes during tidal cycles ranged from 1.2 to 6.1°C. The greatest rate of change (−2.48°C hr−1) occurred at mid-ebb. Geographic plots of seabed temperature change allowed the mapping of up to 8 subareas in each study area. The magnitude of temperature change in a subarea depended on its location in the frontal zone. Frontal movement had the greatest effect on seabed temperature in the 40 to 80 m depth interval. Subareas experiencing maximum temperature change in the frontal zone were not in the frontal boundary zone, but rather several km gulfward (off-bank) of the frontal boundary zone. These results provide a new ecological framework for examining the effect of tidally-driven temperature variability on the distribution, food resources, and reproductive success of benthic invertebrate and demersal fish species living in tidal front habitats.This study was supported by salary funds from the regular annual salary budget from Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and United States Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS WH C&MSC), respectively; ship time funds from the NEFSC annual budget for days-at-sea ship operations; equipment from the NEFSC and USGS WH C&MSC annual equipment budgets

The Impact of Having a Baby on the Level and Content of Women’s Well-Being

The primary objective of this study was to more fully understand the impact of having a baby on women’s well-being by attending to both the level and the content of well-being. To cover the judgemental and affective aspects of well-being we included global measures of life satisfaction and well-being and affective experience measures derived from the day reconstruction method. In a sample of 19 first-time mothers no differences between pre and postnatal reports of general life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and experienced positive and negative affect were found, suggesting that the arrival of the newborn baby does not universally impact on women’s level of well-being. Changes in the content of well-being were studied by examining changes in the way women experience specific activities and interactions with various social partners. There appeared to be an upward shift in experienced positive affect during active leisure and a slight decrease in negative affect during time spent with relatives. The results are discussed in light of previously documented changes across the transition to motherhood in negative mood states, time use, women’s evaluation of various aspects of daily life, and relational satisfaction

Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: A randomised controlled trial

Background: Excessive sitting time is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity independent of physical activity. This aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a sit-stand workstation on sitting time, and vascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in office workers, and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility. Methods: A two-arm, parallel-group, individually randomised controlled trial was conducted in one organisation. Participants were asymptomatic full-time office workers aged ≥18 years. Each participant in the intervention arm had a sit-stand workstation installed on their workplace desk for 8 weeks. Participants in the control arm received no intervention. The primary outcome was workplace sitting time, assessed at 0, 4 and 8 weeks by an ecological momentary assessment diary. Secondary behavioural, cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes were assessed. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed via questionnaire and interview. ANCOVA and magnitude-based inferences examined intervention effects relative to controls at 4 and 8 weeks. Participants and researchers were not blind to group allocation. Results: Forty-seven participants were randomised (intervention n = 26; control n = 21). Relative to the control group at 8 weeks, the intervention group had a beneficial decrease in sitting time (-80.2 min/8-h workday (95 % CI = -129.0, -31.4); p = 0.002), increase in standing time (72.9 min/8-h workday (21.2, 124.6); p = 0.007) and decrease in total cholesterol (-0.40 mmol/L (-0.79, -0.003); p = 0.049). No harmful changes in musculoskeletal discomfort/pain were observed relative to controls, and beneficial changes in flow-mediated dilation and diastolic blood pressure were observed. Most participants self-reported that the workstation was easy to use and their work-related productivity did not decrease when using the device. Factors that negatively influenced workstation use were workstation design, the social environment, work tasks and habits. Conclusion: Short-term use of a feasible sit-stand workstation reduced daily sitting time and led to beneficial improvements in cardiometabolic risk parameters in asymptomatic office workers. These findings imply that if the observed use of the sit-stand workstations continued over a longer duration, sit-stand workstations may have important ramifications for the prevention and reduction of cardiometabolic risk in a large proportion of the working population. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02496507

Adjustment for physical activity in studies of sedentary behaviour

Sedentary behaviour (too much sitting, as distinct from too little exercise) has emerged as a potentially significant public health issue. Analytically, researchers have reported ‘independent’ associations between sedentary behaviour (SB) and a number of health outcomes by adjusting for physical activity (PA) (and other confounders), and conclude that SB is associated with the outcome even in those who are physically active. However, the logical rationale for why adjustments for PA are required is often not delineated, and as a consequence, PA has been conceptualised as a confounder, an intermediary, and an effect measure modifier—sometimes simultaneously—in studies of SB and health outcomes. This paper discusses the analytical assumptions underlying adjustment for PA in studies of SB and a given outcome, and considers the implications for associations between SB and health

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Immunometabolic mechanisms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing in prevalence worldwide, already accounting for at least half of all cases of heart failure. As most patients with HFpEF are obese with metabolic syndrome, metabolic stress has been implicated in syndrome pathogenesis. Recently, compelling evidence for bidirectional cross-talk between metabolic stress and chronic inflammation has emerged, and alterations in systemic and cardiac immune responses have been shown to participate in HFpEF pathophysiology. Indeed, based on both preclinical and clinical evidence, comorbidity-driven systemic inflammation, coupled with metabolic stress is held to participate in HFpEF pathogenesis. As metabolic alterations impact immune function(s) in HFpEF, major changes in immune cell metabolism are also recognized in HFpEF and in HFpEF-predisposing conditions. Both arms of immunity - innate and adaptive - are implicated in the cardiomyocyte response in HFpEF. Indeed, we submit that cross-talk among adipose tissue, the immune system and the heart represents a critical component of HFpEF pathobiology. Here, we review recent evidence in support of immunometabolic mechanisms as drivers of HFpEF pathogenesis, discuss pivotal biological mechanisms underlying the syndrome, and highlight questions requiring additional inquiry