The role of a Medical Examiner Service in an acute NHS hospital: Perspectives from doctors and next of kin.

A new Medical Examiner system was introduced in England and Wales in 2019 to scrutinise all non-coronial deaths. The three key roles of independent Medical Examiner scrutiny are to establish accurate causes of death, determine whether coronial referral is required and identify any care concerns. This is the first published service evaluation exploring the views of doctors and next of kin with whom Medical Examiner Services interact.

A meta-analysis and critical review of metacognitive accuracy in autism.

The ability to make accurate judgements about our own and others' mental states has been widely researched; however, it is unclear how these two abilities relate to each other. This is important given that there is evidence that autistic individuals can have difficulty with accurately judging others' mental states. Recent evidence suggests that some autistic individuals may also have difficulty accurately judging their own mental states.

The workload of a medical examiner service at an acute National Health Service hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic commenced in March 2020. In May 2019, a new Medical Examiner system was introduced to scrutinise deaths of patients dying within acute National Health Service Trusts. The Coronavirus Act 2020 which came into force in March 2020 modified certification of death requirements.

The athletic gut microbiota.

The microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract play a significant role in nutrient uptake, vitamin synthesis, energy harvest, inflammatory modulation, and host immune response, collectively contributing to human health. Important factors such as age, birth method, antibiotic use, and diet have been established as formative factors that shape the gut microbiota. Yet, less described is the role that exercise plays, particularly how associated factors and stressors, such as sport/exercise-specific diet, environment, and their interactions, may influence the gut microbiota.

International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Probiotics.

Position statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review of the mechanisms and use of probiotic supplementation to optimize the health, performance, and recovery of athletes. Based on the current available literature, the conclusions of the ISSN are as follows: 1)Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host (FAO/WHO).2)Probiotic administration has been linked to a multitude of health benefits, with gut and immune health being the most researched applications.

Probiotic Supplementation Has a Limited Effect on Circulating Immune and Inflammatory Markers in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: A main mechanism of action proposed for oral probiotic supplementation is immunomodulation, which is expected to impart health benefits in the host by influencing circulating immune and inflammatory factors. To date, the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation for immunomodulation in healthy adults without disease has not been evaluated in a systematic review.

Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplementation on circulating immune and inflammatory markers of healthy adults compared to placebo.

Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth is: Examining Metacognition in ASD Using Post-decision Wagering.

It has been argued that metacognition and mindreading rely on the same cognitive processes (Carruthers in The opacity of mind: an integrative theory of self-knowledge, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011). It is widely accepted that mindreading is diminished among individuals diagnosed with autism (Brunsdon and Happé in Autism 18(1):17-30, 2014), however, little is known about metacognition. This study examined metacognition in relation to mindreading and autism using post-decision wagering.

Interoception is Impaired in Children, But Not Adults, with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Interoception (the ability to sense what's going on inside one's body) is considered integral to many higher-order cognitive processes. Some have speculated that impaired interoception may underpin some features of ASD. Yet, in Experiment 1, we found no evidence of a between-group difference in either cardiac or respiratory interoceptive accuracy among 21 adults with ASD and 21 matched controls.

Do Heavier Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Have More Preserved Thoracic Kyphosis and Pulmonary Function?

Study Design: Retrospective.

Objectives: We aimed to determine if heavier patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) had more preserved thoracic kyphosis (TK), and as a result, more preserved pulmonary function.

Summary Of Background Data: Some believe that childhood weight is predictive of adult sagittal plane parameters, with heavier children having greater TK as adults.

Parenting a Child with Phenylketonuria (PKU): an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the Experience of Parents.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder which can cause neurological damage if left untreated. PKU is identified through newborn screening in developed countries, and treatment begins immediately to prevent these severe consequences. When a child is diagnosed, parents must assume immediate responsibility for the management of PKU and prevention of neurological damage.

Oral Supplementation with Baker's Yeast Beta Glucan Is Associated with Altered Monocytes, T Cells and Cytokines following a Bout of Strenuous Exercise.

Exercise and physical labor in extreme environmental conditions causes transient decreases in immune cell and cytokine concentrations, likely increasing the susceptibility to opportunistic infection. Baker's yeast beta glucan (BYBG) has been previously demonstrated to be an effective countermeasure in athletes, but its effectiveness in individuals of average fitness under similar physical stress is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if 10 days of oral supplementation with BYBG could modify previously observed suppression of monocytes, T cells, circulating and whole blood LPS-stimulated cytokines due to strenuous exercise.

Sedentary Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Risk: An Isotemporal Substitution Analysis.

Evidence suggests that time spent engaging in sedentary behaviors is associated with a greater risk of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. We investigated the cross-sectional associations of 6 unique sedentary tasks (watching television, using the computer, completing paperwork, reading, talking on the telephone, and sitting in a car) with cardiometabolic risk factors, and also examined the effect of replacing one type of sedentary behavior with another on the level of cardiometabolic risk. Participants consisted of 3,211 individuals from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study who visited the clinic between 2010 and 2011.

Treatment Adherence and Psychological Wellbeing in Maternal Carers of Children with Phenylketonuria (PKU).

Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disorder, causes cognitive impairment unless treated with a strict, protein-restricted diet, but few studies have examined the relationship between treatment compliance and parental wellbeing. In the present study, 46 primary caregivers of children with PKU completed measures of psychological distress, parenting stress (related to caring for a child with an illness), resilience, perceived social support and child dependency. Treatment adherence was assessed using the proportion of blood phenylalanine concentrations within target range in the preceding year.

Baker's yeast beta glucan supplementation increases salivary IgA and decreases cold/flu symptomatic days after intense exercise.

Strenuous exercise, such as running a marathon, is known to suppress mucosal immunity for up to 24 hr, which can increase the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and reduced performance capacity (Allgrove JE, Geneen L, Latif S, Gleeson M. Influence of a fed or fasted state on the s-IgA response to prolonged cycling in active men and women. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.

Obese Mexican American children have elevated MCP-1, TNF-α, monocyte concentration, and dyslipidemia.

Background And Objective: Obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic disease. The prevalence of obesity is especially high among Mexican American children. Peripheral blood monocytes are altered with obesity contributing to elevated systemic inflammation and increased risk of chronic disease.

A one-year school-based diet/exercise intervention improves non-traditional disease biomarkers in Mexican-American children.

School-based interventions are an effective way to treat childhood obesity. The purpose of the present study was to biologically validate an established school-based intervention designed to reduce standardised body mass index (zBMI) over a period of 12 months. This intervention focused on a subset of Mexican-American children who were participating in a larger clinical weight loss study.

Aged mice have increased inflammatory monocyte concentration and altered expression of cell-surface functional receptors.

The expression of monocyte cell-surface receptors represents one index of immune dysfunction, which is common with aging. Although mouse models of aging are prevalent, monocyte subset assessment is rare. Our purpose was to compare cell receptor expression on classic (CD115+/Gr-1 high) and non-classic (CD115+/Gr-1 low) monocytes from 80- or 20-week-old CD-1 mice.

Effects of exercise on weight loss and monocytes in obese mice.

Obesity causes innate immune dysfunction, contributing to increased disease risk. Weight loss from a combination of caloric restriction and exercise is the most effective treatment of obesity. We compared forced and voluntary exercise as weight-loss treatments in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and assessed the effects of weight loss on monocyte concentration and cell-surface expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, CD80, and CD86.

Comparison of blood monocytes and adipose tissue macrophages in a mouse model diet-induced weight gain.

Diet-induced weight gain causes changes in adipose tissue that alter blood monocytes and adipose tissue macrophages, increasing disease risk. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 24 wk of diet-induced weight gain on the percentages of blood monocytes and adipose tissue macrophages as well as the cell-surface expression of toll-like receptors 2 and 4 and leptin receptor, which are associated with inflammation and homing to adipose tissue. Crl:CD1(ICR) male mice were assigned to either a diet-induced weight gain (60% of calories from fat; n = 12) or control (10% of calories from fat; n = 13) group.

Role of high-fat diet in regulation of gene expression of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters.

Aim: Our aim is to investigate the molecular mechanism of regulation of gene expression of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transporters in diet-induced obesity.

Main Methods: Adult male CD1 mice were fed diets containing 60% kcal fat (HFD) or 10% kcal fat (LFD) for 14 weeks. RNA levels of hepatic DMEs, transporters and their regulatory nuclear receptors (NRs) were analyzed by real-time PCR.

Designing Online Learning Modules in Kinesiology.

Online-learning environment can substantially improve student learning and retention of key health concepts. In this case report, we describe our approach for the design of online learning modules to teach concepts in an undergraduate health science/kinesiology curriculum. This report describes our use of these concepts in two lower division and one upper division college courses at a major university in Texas.

Defining a longitudinal survival model to examine forced treadmill running as a countermeasure for diet-induced weight gain.

Diet-induced weight gain increases disease risk via disruption of the innate immune system. Flow cytometry is commonly used to assess the immune system; however, in mice such measurements traditionally require terminal procedures and tissue collection to generate sufficient sample. The present study refined an existing flow cytometry method to reduce the number of mice needed to longitudinally measure monocytes.

Longitudinal, Diet-induced Weight Gain is Associated with Increased Blood Monocytes and Reduced TLR4 Expression.

Excessive weight gain increases systemic inflammation resulting in increased disease risk. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) reportedly mediates increases in inflammation; however, its role in obesity-induced inflammation has not been fully evaluated. The purpose of this study was to determine the longitudinal effect of diet-induced weight gain on blood monocyte concentration and cell-surface TLR4 expression.