Does short-term fasting promote changes in state body image?

Fasting, or going a significant amount of time without food, is a predictor of eating pathology in at-risk samples. The current study examined whether acute changes in body image occur after an episode of fasting in college students. Furthermore, it evaluated whether individual difference variables might inform the relationship between fasting and shifts in body image.

Segregation of seizure traits in C57 black mouse substrains using the repeated-flurothyl model.

Identifying the genetic basis of epilepsy in humans is difficult due to its complexity, thereby underlying the need for preclinical models with specific aspects of seizure susceptibility that are tractable to genetic analyses. In the repeated-flurothyl model, mice are given 8 flurothyl-induced seizures, once per day (the induction phase), followed by a 28-day rest period (incubation phase) and final flurothyl challenge. This paradigm allows for the tracking of multiple phenotypes including: initial generalized seizure threshold, decreases in generalized seizure threshold with repeated flurothyl exposures, and changes in the complexity of seizures over time.

Emerging roles for native Orai Ca2+ channels in cardiovascular disease.

Orai proteins form highly calcium (Ca(2+))-selective channels located in the plasma membrane of both nonexcitable and excitable cells, where they make important contributions to many cellular processes. The well-characterized Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) current is mediated by Orai1 multimers and is activated, upon depletion of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive stores, by direct interaction of Orai1 with the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) sensor, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1). This pathway is known as capacitative Ca(2+) entry or store-operated Ca(2+) entry.

FcγR-driven release of IL-6 by macrophages requires NOX2-dependent production of reactive oxygen species.

Activation of the FcγR via antigen containing immune complexes can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species, which are potent signal transducing molecules. However, whether ROS contribute to FcγR signaling has not been studied extensively. We set out to elucidate the role of NADPH oxidase-generated ROS in macrophage activation following FcγR engagement using antigen-containing immune complexes.

Expanded use of sense codons is regulated by modified cytidines in tRNA.

Codon use among the three domains of life is not confined to the universal genetic code. With only 22 tRNA genes in mammalian mitochondria, exceptions from the universal code are necessary for proper translation. A particularly interesting deviation is the decoding of the isoleucine AUA codon as methionine by the one mitochondrial-encoded tRNA(Met).

Racial and ethnic differences in outcomes in older patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Little is known as to whether long-term outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) vary by race/ethnicity. Using the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry linked with Medicare claims data set, we examined whether 30-day and 1-year outcomes differed by race/ethnicity among older patients with AIS.

Methods And Results: We analyzed 200 900 patients with AIS >65 years of age (170 694 non-Hispanic whites, 85.

American Society of Clinical Oncology National Census of Oncology Practices: preliminary report.

In response to reports of increasing financial and administrative burdens on oncology practices and a lack of systematic information related to these issues, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) leadership started an effort to collect key practice-level data from all oncology practices in the United States. The result of the effort is the ASCO National Census of Oncology Practices (Census) launched in June 2012. The initial Census work involved compiling an inventory of oncology practices from existing lists of oncology physicians in the United States.

Plasmonics-based detection of H(2) and CO: discrimination between reducing gases facilitated by material control.

Monitoring emissions in high-temperature-combustion applications is very important for regulating the discharge of gases such as NO(2) and CO as well as unburnt fuel into the environment. This work reports the detection of H(2) and CO gases by employing a metal-metal oxide nanocomposite (gold-yttria stabilized zirconia (Au-YSZ)) film fabricated through layer-by-layer physical vapor deposition (PVD). The change in the peak position of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was monitored as a function of time and gas concentration.

Integrating substance abuse treatment into HIV care: missed opportunities in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

Background: Untreated substance use disorders (SUD) among HIV patients contribute to worse HIV care outcomes and increased HIV transmission. Although there are clinical and policy recommendations for integrated SUD and HIV treatment, payment issues including complex funding streams are a barrier.

Objectives: We assessed the availability of guideline-concordant medication-assisted therapies to treat alcohol, tobacco, and opioid dependence on state-administered AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), an important source of drug coverage for low-income HIV patients.

Cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from stressful tasks following a mindfulness analog in college students with a family history of hypertension.

Objectives: Ninety-seven (97) undergraduates with a family history of hypertension participated in a study that evaluated the effects of a brief mindfulness-induction on cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to two stressors.

Materials And Methods: Participants were randomized to either a mindfulness-induction or control condition and were then exposed to the cold pressor task (CPT) followed by the mirror-tracing task (MT). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured at baseline and postinduction, as well as during and immediately following each stressor.

Plasmonic-based sensing using an array of Au-metal oxide thin films.

An optical plasmonic-based sensing array has been developed and tested for the selective and sensitive detection of H(2), CO, and NO(2) at a temperature of 500 °C in an oxygen-containing background. The three-element sensing array used Au nanoparticles embedded in separate thin films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), CeO(2), and TiO(2). A peak in the absorbance spectrum due to a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on the Au nanoparticles was monitored for each film during gas exposures and showed a blue shift in the peak positions for the reducing gases, H(2) and CO, and a red shift for the oxidizing gas, NO(2).

Selective plasmonic gas sensing: H2, NO2, and CO spectral discrimination by a single Au-CeO2 nanocomposite film.

A Au-CeO(2) nanocomposite film has been investigated as a potential sensing element for high-temperature plasmonic sensing of H(2), CO, and NO(2) in an oxygen containing environment. The CeO(2) thin film was deposited by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and Au was implanted into the as-grown film at an elevated temperature followed by high temperature annealing to form well-defined Au nanoclusters. The Au-CeO(2) nanocomposite film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS).

An evaluation of the consequences of using short measures of the Big Five personality traits.

Researchers often use very abbreviated (e.g., 1-item, 2-item) measures of personality traits due to their convenience and ease of use as well as the belief that such measures can adequately capture an individual's personality.

Metabolic engineering of Chinese hamster ovary cells: towards a bioengineered heparin.

Heparin is the most widely used pharmaceutical to control blood coagulation in modern medicine. A health crisis that took place in 2008 led to a demand for production of heparin from non-animal sources. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, commonly used mammalian host cells for production of foreign pharmaceutical proteins in the biopharmaceutical industry, are capable of producing heparan sulfate (HS), a related polysaccharide naturally.

TOO MANY MEN? SEX RATIOS AND WOMEN'S PARTNERING BEHAVIOR IN CHINA.

The relative numbers of women and men are changing dramatically in China, but the consequences of these imbalanced sex ratios have received little attention. We merge data from the Chinese Health and Family Life Survey with community-level data from Chinese censuses to examine the relationship between cohort- and community-specific sex ratios and women's partnering behavior. Consistent with demographic-opportunity theory and sociocultural theory, we find that high sex ratios (indicating more men relative to women) are associated with an increased likelihood that women marry before age 25.

Prenatal Stress Alters Progestogens to Mediate Susceptibility to Sex-Typical, Stress-Sensitive Disorders, such as Drug Abuse: A Review.

Maternal-offspring interactions begin prior to birth. Experiences of the mother during gestation play a powerful role in determining the developmental programming of the central nervous system. In particular, stress during gestation alters developmental programming of the offspring resulting in susceptibility to sex-typical and stress-sensitive neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Anatomically-specific actions of oestrogen receptor in the developing female rat brain: effects of oestradiol and selective oestrogen receptor modulators on progestin receptor expression.

Steroid hormones largely exert their actions by activating nuclear receptors, which, as transcription factors, powerfully influence fundamental processes of neural development. Often, steroid receptor action demonstrates remarkable specificity under different developmental, anatomical or hormonal conditions. Yet, the mechanisms underlying such specificity are poorly understood.

Exploring actor-partner interdependence in family therapy: whose view (parent or adolescent) best predicts treatment progress?

Predictions of family therapy outcome consistently vary depending on which client rates the alliance. We used the actor-partner interdependence model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006) to test the interdependence of parents' and adolescents' ratings of alliance, session depth/value, and improvement-so-far after Sessions 3, 6, and 9. Initial analyses found trivial between-therapists variance; therefore, a 3-level hierarchical model partitioned the variance in these variables into between families, between family members, and between session components.

Comparison of outcomes for patients receiving drug-eluting versus bare metal stents for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

The outcomes for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) and bare metal stents (BMSs) have been compared in many studies for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. However, little is known about the relative outcomes for patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The aim of the present study was to compare the NSTEMI outcomes for PCI with DESs and BMSs.

Alliance in couple and family therapy.

Couple and family therapy (CFT) is challenging because multiple interacting working alliances develop simultaneously and are heavily influenced by preexisting family dynamics. An original meta-analysis of 24 published CFT alliance-retention/outcome studies (k = 17 family and 7 couple studies; N = 1,416 clients) showed a weighted aggregate r = .26, z = 8.

Evidence from Cameroon reveals differences in the genetic structure and histories of chimpanzee populations.

The history of the genus Pan is a topic of enduring interest. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often divided into subspecies, but the population structure and genetic history of chimpanzees across Africa remain unclear. Some population genetics studies have led to speculation that, until recently, this species constituted a single population with ongoing gene flow across its range, which resulted in a continuous gradient of allele frequencies.

Sticky Dollars: Inertia in the Evolution of Federal Allocations for HIV Care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

While substantial research examines the dynamics prompting policy adoption, few studies have assessed whether enacted policies are modified to meet distributional equity concerns. Past research suggests that important forces limit such adaptation, termed here "policy inertia." We examine whether block grant allocations to states from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program have evolved in response to major technological and political changes.