Assessing the prevalence and potential drivers of food insecurity and the relationship with mental wellbeing in UK university students: A cross-sectional study.

Food insecurity (FI) among university students in the United States has been associated with poor mental wellbeing, but very little is known about the relationship between FI and mental wellbeing in the UK university population. Here we examined the prevalence of FI, determined potential drivers for it and its relationship with mental wellbeing and coping ability. Students studying at UK universities (n = 289) completed an online self-reported questionnaire to obtain socio-economic characteristics including financial status, FI status (Household Food Insecurity Access scale), mental wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and coping ability (coping flexibility scale).

Active vitamin D increases myogenic differentiation in C2C12 cells via a vitamin D response element on the myogenin promoter.

Skeletal muscle development during embryogenesis depends on proliferation of myoblasts followed by differentiation into myotubes/multinucleated myofibers. Vitamin D (VD) has been shown to affect these processes, but there is conflicting evidence within the current literature on the exact nature of these effects due to a lack of time course data. With 20%-40% of pregnant women worldwide being VD deficient, it is crucial that a clearer understanding of the impact of VD on myogenesis is gained.

A Comparison of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Hepatoma Cell Lines to Model the Effects of Fatty Acids, Fructose and Glucose on Liver Cell Lipid Accumulation.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) begins with lipid accumulation within hepatocytes, but the relative contributions of different macronutrients is still unclear. We investigated the impact of fatty acids, glucose and fructose on lipid accumulation in primary human hepatocytes (PHH) and three different cell lines: HepG2 (human hepatoblastoma−derived cell line), Huh7 (human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line) and McA-RH7777 (McA, rat hepatocellular carcinoma cell line). Cells were treated for 48 h with fatty acids (0 or 200 μM), glucose (5 mM or 11 mM) and fructose (0 mM, 2 mM or 8 mM).

Effects of Biologically Active Vitamin D on Myogenesis: A Systematic Review.

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency is associated with muscle weakness. A reduction in the incidence of falls in the elderly following VD supplementation and identification of the VD receptor within muscle cells suggests a direct effect of VD on muscle, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here we systematically searched the literature to identify effects of active VD [1,25(OH)2D3] on skeletal muscle myogenesis , with no restriction on year of publication.

Could consumption of yam () or its extract be beneficial in controlling glycaemia: a systematic review.

Yam () and its associated extracts have been shown to possess a variety of biological activities and identified as beneficial in the control of glycaemia in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective was to conduct a systematic search of the literature to investigate whether yam and its extract can improve glycaemia and whether the consumption of yam could be beneficial for managing T2DM. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and the Population, Invention, Comparison and Outcome framework, three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched using a key term strategy.

Rare sugars: metabolic impacts and mechanisms of action: a scoping review.

Food manufacturers are under increasing pressure to limit the amount of free sugars in their products. Many have reformulated products to replace sucrose, glucose and fructose with alternative sweeteners, but some of these have been associated with additional health concerns. Rare sugars are ‘monosaccharides and their derivatives that hardly exist in nature’, and there is increasing evidence that they could have health benefits.

Photoperiodic changes in adiposity increase sensitivity of female Siberian hamsters to systemic VGF derived peptide TLQP-21.

TLQP-21, a peptide encoded by the highly conserved vgf gene, is expressed in neuroendocrine cells and has been the most prominent VGF-derived peptide studied in relation to control of energy balance. The recent discovery that TLQP-21 is the natural agonist for the complement 3a receptor 1 (C3aR1) has revived interest in this peptide as a potential drug target for obesity. We have investigated its function in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), a rodent that displays natural seasonal changes in body weight and adiposity as an adaptation to survive winter.

Correction: Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Antenatal weight management: Diet, physical activity, and gestational weight gain in early pregnancy.

Objective: to investigate women's physical activity levels, diet and gestational weight gain, and their experiences and motivations of behavior change.

Design: analysis of cross-sectional data collected during a longitudinal, cohort study examining physiological, psychological, sociodemographic, and self-reported behavioural measures relating to bodyweight.

Setting: women recruited from routine antenatal clinics at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain.

VGF (non-acronymic) was first highlighted to have a role in energy homeostasis through experiments involving dietary manipulation in mice. Fasting increased VGF mRNA in the Arc and levels were subsequently reduced upon refeeding. This anabolic role for VGF was supported by observations in a VGF null (VGF-/-) mouse and in the diet-induced and gold-thioglucose obese mice.

Thyroid hormone and vitamin D regulate VGF expression and promoter activity.

The Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) survives winter by decreasing food intake and catabolizing abdominal fat reserves, resulting in a sustained, profound loss of body weight. Hypothalamic tanycytes are pivotal for this process. In these cells, short-winter photoperiods upregulate deiodinase 3, an enzyme that regulates thyroid hormone availability, and downregulate genes encoding components of retinoic acid (RA) uptake and signaling.

The use of a viral 2A sequence for the simultaneous over-expression of both the vgf gene and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) in vitro and in vivo.

Introduction: The viral 2A sequence has become an attractive alternative to the traditional internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) for simultaneous over-expression of two genes and in combination with recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) has been used to manipulate gene expression in vitro.

New Method: To develop a rAAV construct in combination with the viral 2A sequence to allow long-term over-expression of the vgf gene and fluorescent marker gene for tracking of the transfected neurones in vivo.

Results: Transient transfection of the AAV plasmid containing the vgf gene, viral 2A sequence and eGFP into SH-SY5Y cells resulted in eGFP fluorescence comparable to a commercially available reporter construct.

Neuroendocrine Role for VGF.

The vgf gene (non-acronymic) is highly conserved and was identified on the basis of its rapid induction in vitro by nerve growth factor, although can also be induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial-derived growth factor. The VGF gene gives rise to a 68 kDa precursor polypeptide, which is induced robustly, relatively selectively and is synthesized exclusively in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. Post-translational processing by neuroendocrine specific prohormone convertases in these cells results in the production of a number of smaller peptides.

Effects of manipulating hypothalamic triiodothyronine concentrations on seasonal body weight and torpor cycles in Siberian hamsters.

Siberian hamsters display photoperiodically regulated annual cycles in body weight, appetite, and reproduction. Previous studies have revealed a profound up-regulation of type 3 deiodinase (DIO3) mRNA in the ventral ependyma of the hypothalamus associated with hypophagia and weight loss in short-day photoperiods. DIO3 reduces the local availability of T(3), so the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that decreased hypothalamic T(3) availability underlies the short-day-induced catabolic state.

Histaminergic regulation of seasonal metabolic rhythms in Siberian hamsters.

We investigated whether histaminergic tone contributes to the seasonal catabolic state in Siberian hamsters by determining the effect of ablation of histaminergic neurons on food intake, metabolic rate and body weight. A ribosomal toxin (saporin) conjugated to orexin-B was infused into the ventral tuberomammillary region of the hypothalamus, since most histaminergic neurons express orexin receptors. This caused not only 75-80% loss of histaminergic neurons in the posterior hypothalamus, but also some loss of other orexin-receptor expressing cells e.

Effects of photoperiod on daily locomotor activity, energy expenditure, and feeding behavior in a seasonal mammal.

The objective of this study was to determine whether the previously observed effects of photoperiod on body weight in Siberian hamsters were due to changes in the daily patterns of locomotor activity, energy expenditure, and/or feeding behavior. Adult males were monitored through a seasonal cycle using an automated comprehensive laboratory animal monitoring system (CLAMS). Exposure to a short-day photoperiod (SD; 8:16-h light-dark cycle) induced a significant decline in body weight, and oxygen consumption (Vo(2)), carbon dioxide production (Vco(2)), and heat production all decreased reaching a nadir by 16 wk of SD.

Prokineticin 2 is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that potently inhibits food intake.

Objective: Prokineticin 2 (PK2) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide expressed in central nervous system areas known to be involved in food intake. We therefore hypothesized that PK2 plays a role in energy homeostasis.

Research Design And Methods: We investigated the effect of nutritional status on hypothalamic PK2 expression and effects of PK2 on the regulation of food intake by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of PK2 and anti-PK2 antibody.

The role of histamine 3 receptors in the control of food intake in a seasonal model of obesity: the Siberian hamster.

Siberian hamsters develop hypophagia and increase catabolism of fat reserves in response to short photoperiods resulting in a natural loss of body weight in winter. We previously found that histamine 3 receptor (H3R) mRNA in the posterior hypothalamus is significantly decreased in short photoperiods. We hypothesized that this lower expression of H3R might contribute to the winter hypophagic state, therefore we examined the effects of the H3R agonist imetit and inverse agonists clobenpropit and thioperamide on food intake.

Loss of prokineticin receptor 2 signaling predisposes mice to torpor.

The genes encoding prokineticin 2 polypeptide (Prok2) and its cognate receptor (Prokr2/Gpcr73l1) are widely expressed in both the suprachiasmatic nucleus and its hypothalamic targets, and this signaling pathway has been implicated in the circadian regulation of behavior and physiology. We have previously observed that the targeted null mutation of Prokr2 disrupts circadian coordination of cycles of locomotor activity and thermoregulation. We have now observed spontaneous but sporadic bouts of torpor in the majority of these transgenic mice lacking Prokr2 signaling.

Role of VGF-derived peptides in the control of food intake, body weight and reproduction.

VGF is a 68-kDa polypeptide synthesized in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. It is cleaved into a number of smaller peptides which are stored in dense core vesicles and are likely to be secreted products. The VGF gene is expressed abundantly in the brain, and in peripheral endocrine tissues including the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands and the pancreas but also in the gastrointestinal tract in both the myenteric plexus and in endocrine cells.

Hypothalamic thyroid hormone catabolism acts as a gatekeeper for the seasonal control of body weight and reproduction.

Seasonal adaptations in physiology exhibited by many animals involve an interface between biological timing and specific neuroendocrine systems, but the molecular basis of this interface is unknown. In this study of Siberian hamsters, we show that the availability of thyroid hormone within the hypothalamus is a key determinant of seasonal transitions. The expression of the gene encoding type III deiodinase (Dio3) and Dio3 activity in vivo (catabolism of T(4) and T(3)) is dynamically and temporally regulated by photoperiod, consistent with the loss of hypothalamic T(3) concentrations under short photoperiods.

VGF-derived peptide, TLQP-21, regulates food intake and body weight in Siberian hamsters.

The Siberian hamster survives winter by decreasing food intake and catabolizing abdominal fat reserves, resulting in a sustained, profound loss of body weight. VGF gene expression is photoperiodically regulated in the hypothalamus with significantly higher expression in lean Siberian hamsters. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of VGF in regulating these seasonal cycles by determining the effects of a VGF-derived peptide (TLQP-21) on food intake and body weight.

Chronic subcutaneous administration of kisspeptin-54 causes testicular degeneration in adult male rats.

The kisspeptins are KiSS-1 gene-derived peptides that signal through the G protein-coupled receptor-54 (GPR54) and have recently been shown to be critical regulators of reproduction. Acute intracerebroventricular or peripheral administration of kisspeptin stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. This effect is thought to be mediated via the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) system.

Neuromedin U partially mediates leptin-induced hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) stimulation and has a physiological role in the regulation of the HPA axis in the rat.

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide neuromedin U (NMU) or the adipostat hormone leptin increases plasma ACTH and corticosterone. The relationship between leptin and NMU in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is currently unknown. In this study, leptin (1 nm) significantly increased the release of CRH from ex vivo hypothalamic explants by 207 +/- 8.