Purpose
Acute exercise improves selective aspects of cognition such as executive functioning. Animal studies suggest that some effects are based on exercise-induced alterations in serotonin (5-HT) ...secretion. This study evaluates the impact of different aerobic exercise intensities on 5-HT serum levels as well as on executive functioning considering 5-HT as a potential mediator.
Methods
121 young adults (23.8 ± 3.6 years) were examined in a randomized controlled trial including three exercise intervention (35 min) groups (low intensity, 45 % of the maximal heart rate (HR
max
); moderate intensity, 65 % HR
max
; high intensity, 85 % HR
max
) and one control group. 5-HT levels and response inhibition (measured by a computerized Stroop test) were assessed pre- and post-intervention.
Results
There was a significant (
p
= 0.022) difference between groups regarding serum Δ5-HT levels. Post hoc tests indicated significant (
p
= 0.013) higher 5-HT serum levels for the high-intensity group compared to the control group while other groups did not differ significantly from each other. Serum Δ5-HT levels and exercise intensity were shown to be linearly associated through polynomial contrast analysis (
p
= 0.003). Furthermore, ANOVA revealed a significant difference for Stroop parameter reading (
p
= 0.030) and a tendency for reverse Stroop effect (
p
= 0.061). Correlation analysis showed that augmented 5-HT levels were associated with improved results in response inhibition.
Conclusions
This study indicates that intensive acute exercise increases serum 5-HT levels compared to a control group. These findings might be relevant for many other related research fields in exercise science, since 5-HT receptors are expressed on many different cell types including endothelia and immune cells.
Efforts to eradicate open defecation and improve sanitation access are unlikely to achieve health benefits unless interventions reduce microbial exposures. This study assessed human fecal ...contamination and pathogen exposures in rural India, and the effect of increased sanitation coverage on contamination and exposure rates. In a cross-sectional study of 60 villages of a cluster-randomized controlled sanitation trial in Odisha, India, human and domestic animal fecal contamination was measured in community tubewells and ponds (n = 301) and via exposure pathways in homes (n = 354), using Bacteroidales microbial source tracking fecal markers validated in India. Community water sources were further tested for diarrheal pathogens (rotavirus, adenovirus and Vibrio cholerae by quantitative PCR; pathogenic Escherichia coli by multiplex PCR; Cryptosporidium and Giardia by immunomagnetic separation and direct fluorescent antibody microscopy). Exposure pathways in intervention and control villages were compared and relationships with child diarrhea examined. Human fecal markers were rarely detected in tubewells (2.4%, 95%CI: 0.3–4.5%) and ponds (5.6%, 95%CI: 0.8–10.3%), compared to homes (35.4%, 95%CI: 30.4–40.4%). In tubewells, V. cholerae was the most frequently detected pathogen (19.8%, 95%CI: 14.4–25.2%), followed by Giardia (14.8%, 95%CI: 10.0–19.7%). In ponds, Giardia was most often detected (74.5%, 95%CI: 65.7–83.3%), followed by pathogenic E. coli (48.1%, 95%CI: 34.8–61.5%) and rotavirus (44.4%, 95%CI: 34.2–54.7%). At village-level, prevalence of fecal pathogen detection in community drinking water sources was associated with elevated prevalence of child diarrhea within 6 weeks of testing (RR 2.13, 95%CI: 1.25–3.63) while within homes, higher levels of human and animal fecal marker detection were associated with increased risks of subsequent child diarrhea (P = 0.044 and 0.013, respectively). There was no evidence that the intervention, which increased functional latrine coverage and use by 27 percentage points, reduced human fecal contamination in any tested pathway, nor the prevalence of pathogens in water sources. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that (1) improved sanitation alone may be insufficient and further interventions needed in the domestic domain to reduce widespread human and animal fecal contamination observed in homes, (2) pathogens detected in tubewells indicate these sources are microbiologically unsafe for drinking and were associated with child diarrhea, (3) domestic use of ponds heavily contaminated with multiple pathogens presents an under-recognized health risk, and (4) a 27 percentage point increase in improved sanitation access at village-level did not reduce detectable human fecal and pathogen contamination in this setting.
•Application of Bacteroidales MST to evaluate improved sanitation impacts.•Widespread human and animal fecal contamination detected in homes.•Pathogens detected in drinking sources associated with subsequent child diarrhea.•Public ponds used domestically were heavily contaminated with multiple pathogens.•No decrease in human fecal or pathogen contamination from increased latrine coverage.
The worldwide increase in the incidence of obesity is a consequence of a positive energy balance, with energy intake exceeding expenditure. The signalling systems that underlie appetite control are ...complex, and the present review highlights our current understanding of key components of these systems. The pattern of eating in obesity ranges from over-eating associated with binge-eating disorder to the absence of binge-eating. The present review also examines evidence of defects in signalling that differentiate these sub-types. The signalling network underlying hunger, satiety and metabolic status includes the hormonal signals leptin and insulin from energy stores, and cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide-1, ghrelin and peptide YY3-36 from the gastrointestinal tract, as well as neuronal influences via the vagus nerve from the digestive tract. This information is routed to specific nuclei of the hypothalamus and brain stem, such as the arcuate nucleus and the solitary tract nucleus respectively, which in turn activate distinct neuronal networks. Of the numerous neuropeptides in the brain, neuropeptide Y, agouti gene-related peptide and orexin stimulate appetite, while melanocortins and alpha-melanocortin-stimulating hormone are involved in satiety. Of the many gastrointestinal peptides, ghrelin is the only appetite-stimulating hormone, whereas cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY3-36 promote satiety. Adipose tissue provides signals about energy storage levels to the brain through leptin, adiponectin and resistin. Binge-eating has been related to a dysfunction in the ghrelin signalling system. Moreover, changes in gastric capacity are observed, and as gastric capacity is increased, so satiety signals arising from gastric and post-gastric cues are reduced. Understanding the host of neuropeptides and peptide hormones through which hunger and satiety operate should lead to novel therapeutic approaches for obesity; potential therapeutic strategies are highlighted.
The role of ovarian steroids in both premenstrual dysphoria and perimenopausal depression has led to the suggestion that these conditions represent expressions of the same underlying disorder. ...Premenstrual mood symptoms were evaluated in women with perimenopause-related depression.
Self-reports and daily symptom ratings during one menstrual cycle were examined in 70 depressed perimenopausal women attending a menopause clinic and 35 nondepressed perimenopausal women.
Twenty-six percent of the depressed and 9% of the nondepressed women reported premenstrual symptoms. Thirty-one percent of the depressed and 20% of the nondepressed women met criteria for significant menses-related symptom cyclicity (at least a 30% increase in the average ratings of at least two of four measured negative mood symptoms in the premenstrual versus the postmenstrual week); 5 of these depressed women and none of the comparison subjects described premenstrual symptoms on self-reports. Finally, 21% of the depressed and 3% of the nondepressed women met criteria for premenstrual dysphoria (symptom cyclicity and at least moderate severity, with symptoms exceeding a minimum luteal symptom severity threshold of 2.5).
A higher-than-expected rate of menses-related symptom cyclicity and premenstrual dysphoria was observed in perimenopausal depressed women. However, neither menses-related symptom cyclicity nor premenstrual dysphoria was an invariant accompaniment of perimenopausal depression. Additionally, the rate of premenstrual dysphoria was not predicted by initial self-reports.
Blunt head trauma secondary to violent actions with various weapons is frequently a cause of injury in forensic casework; differing striking tools have varying degrees of injury capacity. The ...systematic approach used to examine a 19-year-old student who was beaten with a wooden teeball bat will be described. The assailant stopped beating the student when the teeball bat broke into two pieces. The surviving victim sustained bruises and a forehead laceration. The State’s Attorney assigned a forensic expert to examine whether the forces exerted on the victim’s head (leading to the fracture of the bat) were potentially life threatening (e.g. causing cranial bone fractures). Physical modeling was conducted using a pigskin-covered polyethylene end cap cushioned by cellulose that was connected to a piezoelectric force gauge. Experiments with teeball bats weighing 295–485 g demonstrated that 12–20 kN forces were necessary to cause a comparable bat fracture. In addition to physical testing, a computer-aided simulation was conducted, utilizing a finite-element (FE) method. In the FE approach, after selecting for wood properties, a virtual bat was swung against a hemisphere comprising two layers that represented bone and soft tissue. Employing this model, a 17.6 kN force was calculated, with the highest fracture probability points resembling the fracture patterns of the physically tested bats.
Computed tomography (CT) scan is the standard for assessment of femoral torsion. This observational study was conducted to evaluate the comparability of the EOS radiation dose scanning system (EOS ...imaging, Paris, France) and the CT scan in patients with suspected torsional malalignment of the femur.
Patients with suspected torsional malalignment of the femur were included in a study for surgical planning. The primary endpoint was to compare the 3-dimensional radiological (EOS) imaging system with the CT scan to determine femoral anteversion (AV) angle. Three independent raters performed measurements. Comparability of CT scan and EOS values was assessed by Pearson correlation, t test, interobserver reliability, and intraobserver reliability (Cronbach alpha).
About 34 femora were examined. Interobserver reliability/intraobserver reliability was 0.911 of 0.955 for EOS and 0.934 of 0.934 for CT scan. EOS system revealed an AV angle of 12.2° ± 10.0° (−15.0° to 32.0°). CT examinations showed an AV angle of 12.6° ± 9.2° (−3.2° to 35.6°). About 11 hips featured physiological AV, 14 hips showed decreased AV (<10°) or retroversion (<0°), and 9 hips showed increased AV (>20°). Overall, a strong Pearson correlation of τ = 0.855 and a highly significant correlation in the t test for both methods was seen. In patients with decreased AV, retroversion, or increased AV, Pearson correlation only resulted in a moderate/low correlation of τ = 0.495 and τ = 0.292. The t test showed no significant correlation at malrotation.
In torsional malalignment, EOS does not have correlation with CT measurements. In contrast to CT scan, EOS allows femoral torsion measurement independent of legs' positioning.
Abstract Objectives To explore current practices and opinions regarding hospital management of Parkinson disease (PD) patients in specialized PD Centers. Methods Fifty-one out of 54 National ...Parkinson Foundation (NPF) Centers worldwide completed an online survey regarding hospitalization of PD patients. Results Many Centers were concerned about the quality of PD-specific care provided to their patients when hospitalized. Primary concerns were adherence to the outpatient medication schedule and poor understanding by hospital staff of medications that worsen PD. Few Centers had a policy with their primary hospital that notified them when their patients were admitted. Rather, notification of hospitalization came often from the patient or a family member. Several Centers (29%) reported not finding out about a hospitalization until a routine clinic visit after discharge. Quick access to outpatient PD care following discharge was a problem in many Centers. Elective surgery, fall/fracture, infection, and mental status changes, were identified as common reasons for hospitalization. Conclusions There is a perceived need for PD specialists to be involved during hospitalization of their patients. Improvement in communication between hospitals and PD Centers is necessary so that hospital clinicians can take advantage of PD specialists’ expertise. Education of hospital staff and clinicians regarding management of PD, complications of PD, and medications to avoid in PD is critical. Most importantly, outpatient access to PD specialists needs to be improved, which may prevent unnecessary hospitalizations in these patients.
Hebrew kōl means “every,” “the whole,” “all.” However, a literal translation does not always make sense. I investigated cases where kōl does not express totality in the sense of “one hundred ...percent.” I present a collection of examples that show that kōl can also be used (1) to express variety, (2) as hyperbole, (3) in a way defined by the context, and (4) for stylistic reasons. I argue that kōl sometimes needs to be translated with expressions such as “all kinds of,” “all other,” “in unity,” or in other context-sensitive ways; where it is perceived as redundant or misleading, it may remain untranslated.
In the immediate post-liberation period, Eritrean intellectuals, with the concurrence of the state, showed deep interest in developing archaeological studies and an enhanced capacity to manage ...heritage resources. Through a focus on the National Museum, this article investigates the ensuing struggles for the control of history and heritage in Eritrea. Originally an initiative of ex-fighters who rendered liberation history in artistic form, the National Museum later came under the authority of the University of Asmara. While other museums involving those who survived displacement and conflict, such as the District Six Museum in Cape Town, often contest the expert authority of intellectuals and invite public participation, the National Museum became an instrument of the state that suppressed public participation. The struggle between the National Museum and the University provides penetrating insights into state hostility towards intellectuals and containment of public education using the media of archaeology and heritage studies, a conflict that prefigured state/university conflicts leading to the dismantling of the University of Asmara.
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