The Relationship Between Sexual Functioning and Sleep Quality in A Female Undergraduate Student Sample

A relative lack of literature exists regarding the relationship between sexual functioning and sleep quality in women. The current study assessed these constructs in a sample of 260 undergraduate female students via online administration of relevant measures for sleep quality, sexual functioning, stress, and medical conditions and prescription medications. The relationship between sleep quality and sexual functioning was positive but not significant, even when controlling for relevant variables such as stress. As such, future research might seek to clarify this relationship and to identify variables that mediate or moderate this relationship

Inhibition of L-carnitine biosynthesis and transport by methyl-γ-butyrobetaine decreases fatty acid oxidation and protects against myocardial infarction

Publisher Copyright: © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.Background and Purpose The important pathological consequences of ischaemic heart disease arise from the detrimental effects of the accumulation of long-chain acylcarnitines in the case of acute ischaemia-reperfusion. The aim of this study is to test whether decreasing the L-carnitine content represents an effective strategy to decrease accumulation of long-chain acylcarnitines and to reduce fatty acid oxidation in order to protect the heart against acute ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Key Results In this study, we used a novel compound, 4-[ethyl(dimethyl)ammonio]butanoate (Methyl-GBB), which inhibits γ-butyrobetaine dioxygenase (IC50 3 μM) and organic cation transporter 2 (OCTN2, IC50 3 μM), and, in turn, decreases levels of L-carnitine and acylcarnitines in heart tissue. Methyl-GBB reduced both mitochondrial and peroxisomal palmitate oxidation rates by 44 and 53% respectively. In isolated hearts treated with Methyl-GBB, uptake and oxidation rates of labelled palmitate were decreased by 40%, while glucose oxidation was increased twofold. Methyl-GBB (5 or 20 mg·kg-1) decreased the infarct size by 45-48%. In vivo pretreatment with Methyl-GBB (20 mg·kg-1) attenuated the infarct size by 45% and improved 24 h survival of rats by 20-30%. Conclusions and Implications Reduction of L-carnitine and long-chain acylcarnitine content by the inhibition of OCTN2 represents an effective strategy to protect the heart against ischaemia-reperfusion-induced damage. Methyl-GBB treatment exerted cardioprotective effects and increased survival by limiting long-chain fatty acid oxidation and facilitating glucose metabolism.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Integrating the marginalized : a neuropsychosocial perspective of autism spectrum disorders in American society

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communicative deficits, and repetitive behaviors, and generally onset before three years of age. ASDs have come more and more into the public consciousness since the 1980s because diagnosis rates have sharply risen (2012 CDC estimates place prevalence at 1 child per 88). Despite the dramatic increase in societal awareness of ASDs, societal understanding of their biology and psychology has lagged. Examining ASDs through biological, neuropsychological, and sociocultural perspectives will facilitate a more complete understanding of what ASDs are, where they come from, and how society can better integrate affected individuals in the future.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.

Effect of Chronic Pain on Prospective Memory Performance

Chronic pain is among the most widespread and disabling conditions worldwide. In the United States, approximately 50 million people suffer from chronic pain, and nearly half that number experience daily chronic pain. Diagnostic testing, treatments, and operations related to chronic pain cost Americans over $600 billion annually. Prospective memory, the process by which people remember to perform an action in the future after a delay, appears to be affected by the experience of pain, especially when a prospective memory task is more cognitively demanding. While self-report studies of individuals with chronic pain suggest that pain adversely affects both their retrospective and prospective memory, there is scant literature investigating this relationship with more objective methods. Similarly, few studies have been conducted that examine the role of subjective ratings of sleep on prospective memory performance. The current study administered an online prospective memory task paradigm to participants with and without chronic pain to address whether prospective memory performance differs by pain status. The sample consisted of 188 adults residing in the United States with a mean age of 31.16 years (SE = .65). Of these, 95 participants were coded as being in the pain group, and 93 were coded as being in the no-pain group. The pain group performed significantly poorer on the prospective memory task and exhibited significantly worse sleep functioning scores than the no-pain group. However, sleep functioning neither significantly mediated nor moderated the relationship between pain group status and prospective memory performance. These findings suggest that chronic pain is associated with impairments in prospective memory and poorer sleep functioning, although further experimental research is necessary to establish causal relationships between pain and prospective memory