Low serum glycine strengthens the association between branched-chain amino acids and impaired insulin sensitivity assessed before and after weight loss in a population with pre-diabetes: The PREVIEW_NZ cohort.

Aim: Accumulation of circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) is a hallmark feature of impaired insulin sensitivity. As intracellular BCAA catabolism is dependent on glycine availability, we hypothesised that the concurrent measurement of circulating glycine and BCAA may yield a stronger association with markers of insulin sensitivity than either BCAA or glycine alone. This study therefore examined the correlative relationships of BCAA, BCAA and glycine together, plus glycine alone on insulin sensitivity-related markers before and after an 8-week low energy diet (LED) intervention.

Eating Disorder and Other Psychiatric Hospitalizations in New Zealand During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: An unprecedented rise in eating disorder presentations has been documented in several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored this phenomenon by analyzing nationwide psychiatric admissions over 5 years, controlling for demographic variables.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all hospitalizations in New Zealand with a primary psychiatric diagnosis from 2017 to 2021, using Poisson regression to calculate admission rates by diagnosis, before and during the pandemic.

Assessing general hospital doctors' attitudes toward psychiatric care in multicultural settings.

Objective: Psychiatric care in general hospitals depends on collaboration with non-psychiatrist doctors. The Doctors' Attitudes toward Collaborative Care for Mental Health (DACC-MH) is a two-factor scale designed to address this issue and validated in the UK in 2010. However, its applicability in contemporary, culturally diverse settings is unknown and therefore this study was aimed at determining its validity and consistency using data from our 2021 international study.

Comparison of acoustic particle acceleration detection capabilities in three shark species.

Behavioural studies have shown that sharks are capable of directional orientation to sound. However, only one previous experiment addresses the physiological mechanisms of directional hearing in sharks. Here, we used a directional shaker table in combination with the auditory evoked potential (AEP) technique to understand the broadscale directional hearing capabilities in the New Zealand carpet shark (Cephaloscyllium isabellum), rig shark (Mustelus lenticulatus) and school shark (Galeorhinus galeus).

Comparison of bilateral to unilateral total extra-peritoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) has become the treatment of choice in many centers for patients with inguinal hernia (IH). Our aim was to compare the morbidity outcomes of bilateral vs unilateral IH repair using the laparoscopic total extra-peritoneal (TEP) technique, to determine whether undertaking bilateral IH repair places patients at additional risk.

Methods: Manuscripts published up to the end of 2021 on PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched.