The Relationship Between Stress and Cognitive Functioning

Exposure to stress can negatively impact cognitive functions. The effects can depend on one’s health behaviors and mental health status. Participants in this study completed various surveys asking about their mental health status, their physical activity level, and other important information such as whether or not they take part in mindful meditation practices. In addition, they were randomly separated in two groups: a stress group who experienced the stressful version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993), and a control group who experienced a non-stressful version of TSST. Participants then completed a Stroop task on a computer program, where the participants were asked to say the color of the word, rather than the word itself (Stroop, 1935). The participants’ reaction time and number of errors made were recorded. It was found that participants in the stress group reported higher levels of state anxiety and state depression than participants in the control group, as well as increased heart rate following the TSST. While previous studies have shown that when presented with threat words on the Stroop task, anxious participants are more likely to have a slower reaction time and have an increased amount of errors, participants in the present study’s stress group did not exhibit this pattern of behavior

Cross-sectional Analysis of the Relationship Between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Mental Wellness

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a well-known healthy dietary pattern that continues to be recommended by literature due to its benefits of preventing chronic diseases and enhancing the overall health of the general public. With an abundance of literature focusing on the physical health benefits of MD, this study aimed to assess whether there is an association between adherence to MD and mental wellness, specifically levels of depression and anxiety. A random sample of 100 participants consented to complete an online survey to assess their adherence to MD and levels of depression and anxiety through the validated questionnaires of 14-item Questionnaire of Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) assessment. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient analysis was used to identify the possible correlations between MD and depression as well as MD and anxiety. The results demonstrated a significant negative correlation for both indicating that adherence to MD is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety

Pubertal lipid levels are significantly lower in youth with type 1 diabetes who experienced partial clinical remission

Importance: The physiologic changes in lipids during puberty in type 1 diabetes (T1D) is unclear as subjects in previous studies were not stratified by partial clinical remission (PCR) status. Aim: To determine the effect of PCR on lipid changes during puberty in youth with T1D. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of 194 subjects consisting of 71 controls of age 12.9±1.3y and 123 subjects with T1D stratified into remitters (n=44, age 13.0±0.8y) and non-remitters (n=79, age 11.2±0.6y). PCR was defined as insulin-dose adjusted HbA1c of ≤9. Pubertal status was determined by Tanner staging. Results: Among the pubertal cohort, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration was significantly higher in the non-remitters compared to the remitters, 91.1±25.6mg/dL vs 77.2±25.8mg/dL, p=0.018; and the normal-weight controls, 91.1±25.6mg/dL vs 70.4±22.9 mg/dL, p=0.009; but was similar between the overweight/obese controls and non-remitters, 89.7±28.9mg/dL vs 91.1± 25.6mg/dL, p=0.81, and similarly between the normal-weight controls and remitters, 70.4±22.9mg/dL vs 77.2±25.8mg/dL, p=0.39. Total cholesterol was also significantly higher in the non-remitters compared to the remitters, 167.8±30.5 mg/dL vs 149.8±32.1mg/dL, p=0.012; and normal-weight controls, 167.8±30.5mg/dL vs 143.2±30.1mg/dL, p=0.011; but similar between the non-remitters and overweight/obese controls, p=0.098; and remitters and normal-weight controls, p=0.51. Non-HDL cholesterol was equally significantly higher in non-remitters compared to remitters, 111.3±30.1mg/dL vs 95.9±29.1mg/dL, p=0.028; and normal-weight controls, 111.3±30.1mg/dL vs 86.2± 32.2mg/dL, p=0.028; but similar between non-remitters and overweight/obese controls, p=0.48; and remitters versus normal-weight controls, p=0.39. Conclusions: Puberty-related reductions in LDL, TC, and non-HDL occur in remitters and normal-weight controls, but not in non-remitters and overweight/obese controls

Ergocalciferol in New-onset Type 1 diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The impact of the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions of Vitamin D on the duration of partial clinical remission (PR) in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is unclear. Objective: To determine the effect of adjunctive ergocalciferol on residual β-cell function (RBCF) and PR in youth with newly-diagnosed T1D who were maintained on a standardized insulin treatment protocol. Hypothesis: Ergocalciferol supplementation increases RBCF and prolongs PR. Methods: A 12-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 50,000 IU of ergocalciferol per week for 2 months, and then once every 2 weeks for 10 months, versus placebo in 36 subjects of ages 10-21years(y), with T1D ofmonths, and a stimulated C-peptide (SCP) level of ≥0.2nmol/L (≥0.6ng/mL). The ergocalciferol group had 18 randomized subjects (10m/ 8f), mean age 13.3±2.8y; while the control group had 18 subjects (14m/4f), age 14.3±2.9y. Results: The ergocalciferol treatment group had significantly higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at 6 months (p=0.01) and 9 months (p=0.02) than the placebo group. At 12 months, the ergocalciferol group had a significantly lower serum TNF-α concentration (p=0.03). There were no significant differences between the groups at each timepoint from baseline to 12 months for SCP concentration (p=0.08), HbA1c (p=0.09), insulin-dose-adjusted A1c (IDAA1c), or total daily dose of insulin. Temporal trends for rising HbA1c (p=0.044) and IDAA1c (p=0.015) were significantly blunted in the ergocalciferol group. Conclusions: Ergocalciferol significantly reduced serum TNF-α concentration and the rates of increase in both A1c and IDAA1c suggesting a protection of RBCF and PR in youth with newly-diagnosed T1D

Continuous glucose monitoring reduces pubertal hyperglycemia of type 1 diabetes

Background: Physiologic hyperglycemia of puberty is a major contributor to poor glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This study\u27s aim was to determine the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to improve glycemic control in pubertal youth with T1D compared to a non-CGM cohort after controlling for age, sex, BMI, duration, and insulin delivery methodology. The hypothesis is that consistent CGM use in puberty improves compliance with diabetes management, leading to increased percentage (%) time in range (TIR70-180 mg/dL) of glycemia, and lowering of HbA1c. Methods A longitudinal, retrospective, case-controlled study of 105 subjects consisting of 51 T1D controls (60.8% male) age 11.5 +/- 3.8 y; and 54 T1D subjects (48.1% male) age 11.1 +/- 5.0 y with confirmed CGM use for 12 months. Pubertal status was determined by Tanner staging. Results were adjusted for baseline HbA1c and diabetes duration. Results HbA1c was similar between the controls and the CGM group at baseline: 8.2 +/- 1.1% vs 8.3 +/- 1.2%, p=0.48 respectively; but was significantly lower in the CGM group 12 months later, 8.2 +/- 1.1% vs. 8.7 +/- 1.4%, p=0.035. Longitudinal change in HbA1c was similar in the prepubertal cohort between the control- and CGM groups: -0.17 +/- 0.98% vs. 0.38 +/- 1.5%, p=0.17. In contrast, HbA1c increased with advancing age and pubertal status in the pubertal controls but not in the pubertal CGM group: 0.55 +/- 1.4 vs -0.22 +/- 1.1%, p=0.020. Percent TIR was inversely related to HbA1c in the CGM group, r=-0.6, p=0.0004, for both prepubertal and pubertal subjects. Conclusions CGM use significantly improved glycemic control in pubertal youth with T1D compared to non-CGM users

Affective Responses to Increasing- and Decreasing-Intensity Resistance Training Protocols.

This study compared the effects of an increasing-intensity (UP) and a decreasing-intensity (DOWN) resistance training protocol on affective responses across six training sessions. Novice participants (Mage 43.5 ± 13.7 years) were randomly assigned to UP (n = 18) or DOWN (n = 17) resistance training groups. Linear mixed-effects models showed that the evolution of affective valence within each training session was significantly moderated by the group (b = -0.45, p ≤ .001), with participants in the UP group reporting a decline in pleasure during each session (b = -0.82) and the DOWN group reporting an improvement (b = 0.97; ps < .001). Remembered pleasure was significantly higher in the DOWN group compared to the UP group (b = 0.57, p = .004). These findings indicate that a pattern of decreasing intensity throughout a resistance exercise session can elicit more positive affective responses and retrospective affective evaluations of resistance training

Recruitment, use, and satisfaction with a web platform supporting families of children with suspected or diagnosed developmental coordination disorder: A randomized feasibility trial

Objectives. To determine the feasibility of recruiting families of children with suspected or diagnosed developmental coordination disorder (sdDCD) and explore their satisfaction with a web-based intervention Design. A feasibility randomized trial was conducted. Participants were the parents of 5-12-year-old children with sdDCD. The intervention group had access to online resources, group and private forums, and videoconferencing with a therapist. Main outcomes were recruitement and retention rates. Satisfaction was documented through a post-intervention survey and interview. Results. The recruitment rate was seven participants per month (n = 28 participants) and retention rate was 68%. Satisfaction was moderate. No differences in use and satisfaction were observed between groups. Participants formulated recommendations for improving the intervention, including targeting families earlier in the diagnosis process, and pre-scheduling meetings with therapists. Conclusions. This study demonstrated the feasibility of future trials, and highlighted avenues for improvement. Parent involvement during the development of the intervention is discussed at length. Abbreviations: DCD: Developmental Coordination Disorder; sdDCD: suspected or diagnosed Developmental Coordination Disorder; RCT: randomized-controled trial

Identification of FBXL4 as a Metastasis Associated Gene in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among western men, with a significant mortality and morbidity reported for advanced metastatic disease. Current understanding of metastatic disease is limited due to difficulty of sampling as prostate cancer mainly metastasizes to bone. By analysing prostate cancer bone metastases using high density microarrays, we found a common genomic copy number loss at 6q16.1–16.2, containing the FBXL4 gene, which was confirmed in larger series of bone metastases by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Loss of FBXL4 was also detected in primary tumours and it was highly associated with prognostic factors including high Gleason score, clinical stage, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and extent of disease, as well as poor patient survival, suggesting that FBXL4 loss contributes to prostate cancer progression. We also demonstrated that FBXL4 deletion is detectable in circulating tumour cells (CTCs), making it a potential prognostic biomarker by ‘liquid biopsy’. In vitro analysis showed that FBXL4 plays a role in regulating the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. FBXL4 potentially controls cancer metastasis through regulation of ERLEC1 levels. Therefore, FBXL4 could be a potential novel prostate cancer suppressor gene, which may prevent cancer progression and metastasis through controlling cell invasion