Nutritional Knowledge of NCAA Division I HBCU Student-Athletes

Obesity is a major public health problem. Nutrition education and promotion of healthy food choices may help students-athletes (SA) manage energy intake with some success. General nutrition knowledge may be lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess nutrition knowledge of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I SA at a historically black college or university (HBCU)

A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of hydrotherapy and land exercises on overall well being and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis

Background \ud Hydrotherapy is highly valued by people with rheumatoid arthritis yet few studies have compared the benefits of exercises in heated water against exercises on land. In particular, data on quality of life is rarely reported. This is especially important because patients treated with hydrotherapy often report an enhanced sense of well-being. We report a randomised controlled trial in which we compared the effects of hydrotherapy with exercises on land on overall response to treatment, physical function and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. \ud \ud Methods \ud One hundred and fifteen patients with RA were randomised to receive a weekly 30-minute session of hydrotherapy or similar exercises on land for 6 weeks. Our primary outcome was a self-rated global impression of change – a measure of treatment effect on a 7-point scale ranging from 1(very much worse) to 7 (very much better) assessed immediately on completion of treatment. Secondary outcomes including EuroQol health related quality of life, EuroQol health status valuation, HAQ, 10 metre walk time and pain scores were collected at baseline, after treatment and 3 months later. Binary outcomes were analysed by Fisher's exact test and continuous variables by Wilcoxon or Mann-Whitney tests. \ud \ud Results \ud Baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable. Significantly more patients treated with hydrotherapy (40/46, 87%) were much better or very much better than the patients treated with land exercise (19/40, 47.5%), p < 0.001 Fisher's exact test. Eleven patients allocated land exercise failed to complete treatment compared with 4 patients allocated hydrotherapy (p = 0.09). Sensitivity analyses confirmed an advantage for hydrotherapy if we assumed non-completers would all not have responded (response rates 70% versus 38%; p < 0.001) or if we assumed that non-completers would have had the same response as completers (response rates 82% versus 55% p = 0.002). Ten metre walk time improved after treatment in both cases (median pre-treatment time for both groups combined 10.9 seconds, post-treatment 9.1 s, and 3 months later 9.6 s). There was however no difference between treatment groups. Similarly there were no significant differences between groups in terms of changes to HAQ, EQ-5D utility score, EQ VAS and pain VAS. \ud \ud Conclusion \ud Patients with RA treated with hydrotherapy are more likely to report feeling much better or very much better than those treated with land exercises immediately on completion of the treatment programme. This perceived benefit was not reflected by differences between groups in 10-metre walk times, functional scores, quality of life measures and pain scores

Opportunities for improving animal welfare in rodent models of epilepsy and seizures

Animal models of epilepsy and seizures, mostly involving mice and rats, are used to understand the pathophysiology of the different forms of epilepsy and their comorbidities, to identify biomarkers, and to discover new antiepileptic drugs and treatments for comorbidities. Such models represent an important area for application of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use). This report provides background information and recommendations aimed at minimising pain, suffering and distress in rodent models of epilepsy and seizures in order to improve animal welfare and optimise the quality of studies in this area. The report includes practical guidance on principles of choosing a model, induction procedures, in vivo recordings, perioperative care, welfare assessment, humane endpoints, social housing, environmental enrichment, reporting of studies and data sharing. In addition, some model-specific welfare considerations are discussed, and data gaps and areas for further research are identified. The guidance is based upon a systematic review of the scientific literature, survey of the international epilepsy research community, consultation with veterinarians and animal care and welfare officers, and the expert opinion and practical experience of the members of a Working Group convened by the United Kingdom's National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)

TRPV-5 Mediates a Receptor Activator of NF-κB (RANK) Ligand-induced Increase in Cytosolic Ca2+ in Human Osteoclasts and Down-regulates Bone Resorption*♦

Most of the signaling effectors located downstream of receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) activation are calcium-sensitive. However, the early signaling events that lead to the mobilization of intracellular calcium in human osteoclasts are still poorly understood. The Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent probe Fura2 was used to detect changes in the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in a model of human osteoclasts. Stimulating these cells with receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) induced a rapid and significant increase in [Ca2+]i. Adding extracellular Ca2+ chelators, depleting intracellular stores, and the use of a phospholipase C inhibitor all indicated that the Ca2+ was of extracellular origin, suggesting the involvement of a Ca2+ channel. We showed that none of the classical Ca2+ channels (L-, T-, or R-type) were involved in the RANKL-induced Ca2+ spike. However, the effect of high doses of Gd3+ did suggest that TRP family channels were present in human osteoclasts. The TRPV-5 channel was expressed in osteoclasts and was mainly located in the cellular area in contact with the bone surface. Furthermore, the RNA inactivation of TRPV-5 channel completely inhibited the RANKL-induced increase in [Ca2+]i, which was accompanied in the long term by marked activation of bone resorption. Overall, our results show that RANKL induced a significant increase in [Ca2+]i of extracellular origin, probably as a result of the opening of TRPV-5 calcium channels on the surface of human osteoclasts. Our findings suggest that TRPV-5 contributes to maintaining the homeostasis of the human skeleton via a negative feedback loop in RANKL-induced bone resorption