Specificity of the failure to inhibit responses in overweight children

Poor response inhibition has been associated with obesity, excessive food intake, and other consumptive behaviours, including alcohol use. However, the correlation between obesity and addictive behaviours like alcoholism is low: people who are obese appear to have a specific problem in restraining food intake. This would imply that obese people have more difficulties in inhibiting responses towards food, compared to other rewarding stimuli. In the present study eighty-nine children (ages 7-9) were tested with the stop signal task, in which responses towards food pictures or toy pictures had to be inhibited. Results showed that children were less effective in inhibiting responses towards food and percentage overweight predicted a lower ability to inhibit responses in general. When dichotomizing the sample in overweight and lean children, it appeared that overweight children were specifically less effective in inhibition towards food cues, compared to lean children. In conclusion: The results confirm weight related inhibitory problems and might explain the increased overeating to food cues in overweight children, as reported in the literature

Heat Transport through Rough Channels

We investigate the two-dimensional transport of heat through viscous flow between two parallel rough interfaces with a given fractal geometry. The flow and heat transport equations are solved through direct numerical simulations, and for different conduction-convection conditions. Compared with the behavior of a channel with smooth interfaces, the results for the rough channel at low and moderate values of the Peclet number indicate that the effect of roughness is almost negligible on the efficiency of the heat transport system. This is explained here in terms of the Makarov's theorem, using the notion of active zone in Laplacian transport. At sufficiently high Peclet numbers, where convection becomes the dominant mechanism of heat transport, the role of the interface roughness is to generally increase both the heat flux across the wall as well as the active length of heat exchange, when compared with the smooth channel. Finally, we show that this last behavior is closely related with the presence of recirculation zones in the reentrant regions of the fractal geometry.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Surgical Gastrostomy: Current Indications And Complications In A University Hospital [gastrostomia Cirúrgica: Indicações Atuais E Complicações Em Pacientes De Um Hospital Universitário]

Objective: To analyze the surgical gastrostomies performed at a public University Hospital, their indications and complications. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, nonrandomized review of medical records of patients who underwent surgical gastrostomy from 2007 to 2011; Results:, In the period of studied, 86 patients underwent surgical gastrostomies for enteral nutrition. The Stamm technique was employed in all cases. Men constituted 76 (88%) of the cases and the mean age was 58.4 years, the maximum age being 87 years and the minimum 19. We observed 16 (18.60%) minor complications, 17 (19.76%) serious complications and 8 (9.3%) perioperative deaths. Conclusion: Surgical gastrostomy, while considered a smaller procedure, is not without complications and mortality. The Stamm technique, despite the complications reported, is easy to perform and to handle, as well as safe.406458462Witzel, O., Zur technik der magenfistulaeinlegung (1891) Zbl Chir, 18, pp. 601-604Stamm, M., Gastrostomy: A new method (1894) Med News, 65, p. 324Grant, J.P., Comparison of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy with Stamm gastrostomy (1988) Ann Surg, 207 (5), pp. 598-603Gauderer, M.W., Ponsky, J.L., Izant Jr., R.J., Gastrostomy without laparoscopy: A percutaneous endoscopic technique (1980) J Pediatr Surg, 15 (6), pp. 872-875Kwon, R.S., Banerjee, S., Desilets, D., Diehl, D.L., Farraye, F.A., Enteral nutrition access devices (2010) Gastrointest Endosc, 72 (2), pp. 236-248. , ASGE Technology CommitteeHerman, L.L., Hoskins, W.J., Shike, M., Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for decompression of the stomach and small bowel (1992) Gastrointest Endosc, 38 (3), pp. 314-318Möller, P., Lindberg, C.G., Zilling, T., Gastrostomy by various techniques: Evaluation of indications, outcome, and complications (1999) Scand J Gastroenterol, 34 (10), pp. 1050-1054Wollman, B., D'Agostino, H.B., Walus-Wigle, J.R., Easter, D.W., Beale, A., Radiologic, endoscopic, and surgical gastrostomy: An institutional evaluation and meta-analysis of the literature (1995) Radiology, 197 (3), pp. 699-704Ljungdahl, M., Sundbom, M., Complication rate lower after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy than after surgical gastrostomy: A prospective, randomized trial (2006) Surg Endosc, 20 (8), pp. 1248-1251Pisano, G., Calò, P.G., Tatti, A., Farris, S., Erdas, E., Licheri, S., Surgical gastrostomy when percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is not feasible: Indications, results and comparison between the two procedures (2008) Chir Ital, 60 (2), pp. 261-266Martins, F.P., Sousa, M.C.B., Ferrari, A.P., New "introducer" PEG-gastropexy with T fasteners: A pilot study (2011) Arq Gastroenterol, 48 (4), pp. 231-235Ocaña, L.F.O., Crocifoglio, V.A., La gastrostomía laparoscópica como una alternative a la gastrostomía endoscópica percutánea (1995) Rev Gastroenterol Mex, 60 (4), pp. 218-220Bergstrom, L.R., Larson, D., Zinsmeister, A.R., Sarr, M.G., Silverstein, M.D., Utilization and outcomes of surgical gastrostomies and jejunostomies in an era of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: A population- based study (1995) Mayo Clin Proc, 70 (9), pp. 829-836Nicholson, F.B., Korman, M.G., Richardson, M.A., Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy: A review of indications, complications and outcome (2000) J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 15 (1), pp. 21-25Shellito, P.C., Malt, R.A., Tube gastrostomy. Techniques and complications (1985) Ann Surg, 201 (2), pp. 180-185Cox, W.D., Gillesby, W.J., Gastrostomy in postoperative decompression: Indications and methods (1967) Am J Surg, 113 (2), pp. 298-302Cosentini, E.P., Sautner, T., Gnant, M., Winkelbauer, F., Teleky, B., Jakesz, R., Outcomes of surgical, percutaneous endoscopic, and percutaneous radiologic gastrostomies (1998) Arch Surg, 133 (10), pp. 1076-1083Rustom, I.K., Jebreel, A., Tayyab, M., England, R.J., Stafford, N.D., Percutaneous endoscopic, radiological and surgical gastrostomy tubes: A comparison study in head and neck cancer patients (2006) J Laryngol Otol, 120 (6), pp. 463-466Grilo, A., Santos, C.A., Fonseca, J., Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for nutritional palliation of upper esophageal cancer unsuitable for esophageal stenting (2012) Arq Gastroenterol, 49 (3), pp. 227-231Zorrón, R., Flores, D., Meyer, C.A.F., Castro, L.M., Madureira, F.A.V., Madureira, F.D., Single-wound gastrostomy: A simple method as an option for endoscopy (2005) Rev Col Bras Cir, 32 (3), pp. 153-15

Overexpression of adenosine A2A receptors in rats: effects on depression, locomotion, and anxiety

Adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) are a sub-type of receptors enriched in basal ganglia, activated by the neuromodulator adenosine, which interact with dopamine D2 receptors. Although this reciprocal antagonistic interaction is well-established in motor function, the outcome in dopamine-related behaviors remains uncertain, in particular in depression and anxiety. We have demonstrated an upsurge of A2AR associated to aging and chronic stress. Furthermore, Alzheimer's disease patients present A2AR accumulation in cortical areas together with depressive signs. We now tested the impact of overexpressing A2AR in forebrain neurons on dopamine-related behavior, namely depression. Adult male rats overexpressing human A2AR under the control of CaMKII promoter [Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR)] and aged-matched wild-types (WT) of the same strain (Sprague-Dawley) were studied. The forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference test (SPT), and the open-field test (OFT) were performed to evaluate behavioral despair, anhedonia, locomotion, and anxiety. Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR) animals spent more time floating and less time swimming in the FST and presented a decreased sucrose preference at 48 h in the SPT. They also covered higher distances in the OFT and spent more time in the central zone than the WT. The results indicate that Tg(CaMKII-hA2AR) rats exhibit depressive-like behavior, hyperlocomotion, and altered exploratory behavior. This A2AR overexpression may explain the depressive signs found in aging, chronic stress, and Alzheimer's disease

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc