Evidence that carbohydrate-to-fat ratio and taste, but not energy density or NOVA level of processing, are determinants of food liking and food reward.

This virtual (online) study tested the common but largely untested assumptions that food energy density, level of processing (NOVA categories), and carbohydrate-to-fat (CF) ratio are key determinants of food reward. Individual participants (224 women and men, mean age 35 y, 53% with healthy weight, 43% with overweight or obesity) were randomised to one of three, within-subjects, study arms: energy density (32 foods), or level of processing (24 foods), or CF ratio (24 foods). They rated the foods for taste pleasantness (liking), desire to eat (food reward), and sweetness, saltiness, and flavour intensity (for analysis averaged as taste intensity). Against our hypotheses, there was not a positive relationship between liking or food reward and either energy density or level of processing. As hypothesised, foods combining more equal energy amounts of carbohydrate and fat (combo foods), and foods tasting more intense, scored higher on both liking and food reward. Further results were that CF ratio, taste intensity, and food fibre content (negatively), independent of energy density, accounted for 56% and 43% of the variance in liking and food reward, respectively. We interpret the results for CF ratio and fibre in terms of food energy-to-satiety ratio (ESR), where ESR for combo foods is high, and ESR for high-fibre foods is low. We suggest that the metric of ESR should be considered when designing future studies of effects of food composition on food reward, preference, and intake.

Objective model using only gender, age and medication list predicts in-hospital morbidity after elective surgery.

BACKGROUND.: Most current surgical risk models contain many variables: some of which may be esoteric, require a physician's assessment or must be obtained intraoperatively. Early preoperative risk stratification is essential to identify high risk, elective surgical patients for medical optimization and care coordination across the perioperative period. We sought to create a simple, patient-driven scoring system using: gender, age and list of medications to predict in-hospital postoperative morbidity. We hypothesized that certain medications would elevate risk, as indices of underlying conditions. METHODS.: Two Logistic regression models were created based on patient's gender, age, and medications: GAMMA (Gender, age and type of medications to predict in-hospital morbidity) and GAMMA-N (Gender, age and number of medications to predict in-hospital morbidity). A logistic regression models predicting in-hospital morbidity based on ASA score alone was also created (ASA-M). The predictive performance of these models was tested in a large surgical patient database. RESULTS.: Our GAMMA model predicts postoperative morbidity after perioperative care with high accuracy (c-statistic 0.819, Brier score 0.034). This result is similar to a model using only the ASA score (c-statistic 0.827, Brier score 0.033) and better than our GAMMA-N model (c-statistic 0.795, Brier score 0.050). CONCLUSIONS.: The combination of a patient's gender, age, and medication list provided reliable prediction of postoperative morbidity. Our model has the added benefit of increased objectivity, can be conducted preoperatively, and is amenable to patient-use as it requires only limited medical knowledge.

Glycemic index, glycemic load and glycemic response: An International Scientific Consensus Summit from the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The positive and negative health effects of dietary carbohydrates are of interest to both researchers and consumers. METHODS: International experts on carbohydrate research held a scientific summit in Stresa, Italy, in June 2013 to discuss controversies surrounding the utility of the glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and glycemic response (GR). RESULTS: The outcome was a scientific consensus statement which recognized the importance of postprandial glycemia in overall health, and the GI as a valid and reproducible method of classifying carbohydrate foods for this purpose. There was consensus that diets low in GI and GL were relevant to the prevention and management of diabetes and coronary heart disease, and probably obesity. Moderate to weak associations were observed for selected cancers. The group affirmed that diets low in GI and GL should always be considered in the context of diets otherwise understood as healthy, complementing additional ways of characterizing carbohydrate foods, such as fiber and whole grain content. Diets of low GI and GL were considered particularly important in individuals with insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes worldwide and the consistency of the scientific evidence reviewed, the expert panel confirmed an urgent need to communicate information on GI and GL to the general public and health professionals, through channels such as national dietary guidelines, food composition tables and food labels.

The Effects of Kernel Feeding by Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Commercial Hazelnuts.

Halyomorpha halys Stål, the brown marmorated stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive pest with established populations in Oregon. The generalist feeding habits of H. halys suggest it has the potential to be a pest of many specialty crops grown in Oregon, including hazelnuts, Corylus avellana L. The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize the damage to developing hazelnut kernels resulting from feeding by H. halys adults, 2) determine how the timing of feeding during kernel development influences damage to kernels, and 3) determine if hazelnut shell thickness has an effect on feeding frequency on kernels. Adult brown marmorated stink bugs were allowed to feed on developing nuts for 1-wk periods from initial kernel development (spring) until harvest (fall). Developing nuts not exposed to feeding by H. halys served as a control treatment. The degree of damage and diagnostic symptoms corresponded with the hazelnut kernels' physiological development. Our results demonstrated that when H. halys fed on hazelnuts before kernel expansion, development of the kernels could cease, resulting in empty shells. When stink bugs fed during kernel expansion, kernels appeared malformed. When stink bugs fed on mature nuts the kernels exhibited corky, necrotic areas. Although significant differences in shell thickness were observed among the cultivars, no significant differences occurred in the proportions of damaged kernels based on field tests and laboratory choice tests. The results of these studies demonstrated that commercial hazelnuts are susceptible to damage caused by the feeding of H. halys throughout the entire period of kernel development.

A genetic map of the mouse with 4,006 simple sequence length polymorphisms.

We have constructed a genetic map of the mouse genome containing 4,006 simple sequence length polymorphisms (SSLPs). The map provides an average spacing of 0.35 centiMorgans (cM) between markers, corresponding to about 750 kb. Approximately 90% of the genome lies within 1.1 cM of a marker and 99% lies within 2.2 cM. The markers have an average polymorphism rate of 50% in crosses between laboratory strains. The markers are distributed in a relatively uniform fashion across the genome, although some deviations from randomness can be detected. In particular, there is a significant underrepresentation of markers on the X chromosome. This map represents the two-thirds point toward our goal of developing a mouse genetic map containing 6,000 SSLPs.

Prospective associations of dietary insulin demand, glycemic index, and glycemic load during puberty with body composition in young adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Puberty is a so-called critical period for overweight development and is characterized by physiological insulin resistance during mid-puberty. This study addressed the hypothesis that habitual consumption of a diet inducing higher levels of postprandial glycemia or insulinemia during puberty may have an unfavorable effect on the body composition in young adulthood. METHODS: Multivariate regression analysis was performed on 262 participants of the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study with at least two 3-day weighed dietary records during puberty (baseline: girls 9-14 years; boys 10-15 years) and anthropometric measurements in young adulthood (18-25 years). A published dietary glycemic index was assigned to each carbohydrate-containing food. Similarly, each food was assigned a food insulin index (insulinemic response to a 1 MJ portion of food relative to 1 MJ of glucose) using 121 values measured at Sydney University. RESULTS: Dietary glycemic index or glycemic load during puberty was not related to body composition in young adulthood. In contrast, a higher dietary insulin index and a higher dietary insulin load during puberty were associated with higher levels of percentage of body fat (%BF) in young adulthood, even after adjustment for early life, socioeconomic and nutritional factors; %BF in energy-adjusted tertiles of dietary insulin index were 22.9 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 21.6, 24.1), 24.5 (23.2, 25.7), 24.7 (23.5, 25.9) %, P (for trend)=0.01; %BF in energy-adjusted tertiles of dietary insulin load were 22.8 (95% CI: 21.5, 24.0), 24.5 (23.2, 25.7), 24.8 (23.6, 26.0) %, P (for trend)=0.01. Adjustment for baseline %BF attenuated these relationships (P (for trend)=0.1 and=0.08, respectively). Dietary insulin demand was not related to body mass index. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a prospective adverse influence of dietary insulin demand during puberty on %BF in young adulthood. Postprandial increases in insulinemia rather than increases in glycemia appear to be implicated in an unfavorable development of body composition.

Absolute stability of axisymmetric perturbations in strongly magnetized collisionless axisymmetric accretion disk plasmas.

This Letter presents a kinetic description of low-frequency and long-wavelength axisymmetric electromagnetic perturbations in nonrelativistic, strongly magnetized, and gravitationally bound axisymmetric accretion-disk plasmas in the collisionless regime. The analysis, carried out within the framework of the Vlasov-Maxwell description, relies on stationary kinetic solutions which allow for the simultaneous treatment of nonuniform fluid fields, stationary accretion flows, and temperature anisotropies. It is demonstrated that these stationary configurations are actually stable against axisymmetric kinetic instabilities of this type. As a fundamental consequence, this rules out the possibility of having the axisymmetric magnetorotational or thermal instabilities to arise in these systems.

Integrated diagnostics: proceedings from the 9th biennial symposium of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology.

The International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology held its 9th biennial meeting in August 2011. The focus of the programme was integrated diagnostics and massive computing. Participants discussed the opportunities, challenges, and consequences for the discipline of radiology that will likely arise from the integration of diagnostic technologies. Diagnostic technologies are increasing in scope, including advanced imaging techniques, new molecular imaging agents, and sophisticated point-of-use devices. Advanced information technology (IT), which is increasingly influencing the practice of medicine, will aid clinical communication and the development of "population images" that represent the phenotype of particular diseases, which will aid the development of diagnostic algorithms. Integrated diagnostics offer increased operational efficiency and benefits to patients through quicker and more accurate diagnoses. As physicians with the most expertise in IT, radiologists are well placed to take the lead in introducing IT solutions and cloud computing to promote integrated diagnostics. To achieve this, radiologists must adapt to include quantitative data on biomarkers in their reports. Radiologists must also increase their role as participating physicians, collaborating with other medical specialties, not only to avoid being sidelined by other specialties but also to better prepare as leaders in the selection and sequence of diagnostic procedures. Key Points • New diagnostic technologies are yielding unprecedented amounts of diagnostic information.• Advanced IT/cloud computing will aid integration and analysis of diagnostic data.• Better diagnostic algorithms will lead to faster diagnosis and more rapid treatment.

Dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, insulin index, fiber and whole-grain intake in relation to risk of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin may play a role in prostate cancer tumorigenesis. Postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses of foods depend importantly on the carbohydrate quality and quantity, represented by glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), fiber and whole-grain content, but are also influenced by intake of protein and other characteristics. The recently developed insulin index (II) quantifies the postprandial insulin secretion, also taking into account these additional characteristics. METHODS: We investigated the association between dietary GI, GL, II, fiber, and whole grains and risk of total prostate cancer (n = 5,112) and subgroups of prostate cancer as defined by stage or grade in 49,934 male participants of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Dietary GI, GL, II, or fiber was not associated with risk of total or subgroups of prostate cancer. We observed a positive association between dietary intake of whole grains and total prostate cancer (HR highest versus lowest quintile 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.24), which was attenuated after restriction to PSA-screened participants (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.91-1.17). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that long-term exposure to a diet with a high insulin response does not affect prostate cancer incidence.

Multichannel detection in high-performance liquid chromatography.

A linear photodiode array has been used as the photodetector element in a new ultraviolet-visible detection system for high-performance liquid chromatography. This array allows simultaneous acquisition of light intensity data at all wavelengths between 190 and 600 nanometers. By use of a computer network concept in the electronics, this detection system can process eight different chromatographic signals simultaneously in real time and acquire spectra manually or automatically. Detector response times are variable and can be as low as 0.040 second, and bandwidth selection is variable from 4 to 400 nanometers. These characteristics permit fast chromatographic techniques and user-selectable signal-to-noise ratio enhancement. Spectra can be acquired in 10 milliseconds, permitting qualitative characterization at several different points on a single peak without destroying chromatographic signal integrity. Examples illustrate applications in fast high-performance liquid chromatography peak purity determination, and postanalysis data reduction.

A genetic linkage map of the mouse: current applications and future prospects.

Technological advances have made possible the development of high-resolution genetic linkage maps for the mouse. These maps in turn offer exciting prospects for understanding mammalian genome evolution through comparative mapping, for developing mouse models of human disease, and for identifying the function of all genes in the organism.

Flash decaging of tyrosine sidechains in an ion channel.

A nonsense codon suppression technique was employed to incorporate ortho-nitrobenzyl tyrosine, "caged tyrosine," in place of tyrosine at any of three positions (93, 127, or 198) in the alpha subunit of the muscle nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The ortho-nitrobenzyl group was then removed by 1 ms flashes at 300-350 nm to yield tyrosine itself while macroscopic currents were recorded during steady ACh exposure. Responses to multiple flashes showed (1) that each flash decages up to 17% of the tyrosines and (2) that two tyrosines must be decaged per receptor for a response. The conductance relaxations showed multiple kinetic components; rate constants (<0.1 s(-1) to 10(3) s(-1)) depended on pH and the site of incorporation, and relative amplitudes depended on the number of prior flashes. This method, which is potentially quite general, (1) provides a time-resolved assay for the behavior of a protein when a mutant sidechain is abruptly changed to the wild-type residue and (2) will also allow for selective decaging of sidechains that are candidates for covalent modification (such as phosphorylation) in specific proteins in intact cells.

Inhibition of the release of arachidonic acid prevents the development of sarcolemmal membrane defects in cultured rat myocardial cells during adenosine triphosphate depletion.

Previous studies have suggested that phospholipid degradation is closely associated with the development of sarcolemmal membrane injury. This study was initiated to characterize the effects of synthetic inhibitors of phospholipase activities using a cultured myocardial cell model in which arachidonic acid is liberated after treatment with the metabolic inhibitor, iodoacetate. Pretreatment with a steroidal diamine (U26,384) blocked the degradation of labeled phosphatidylcholine and the release of arachidonic acid in cultured myocardial cells during ATP depletion. Inhibition of phospholipid degradation by U26,384 prevented the development of sarcolemmal membrane defects and the release of creatine kinase from the cultured myocardial cells during ATP depletion. Pretreatment with U26,384 had no significant effect on the extent of ATP depletion after iodoacetate treatment, which indicates that the activity of this compound could not be simply ascribed to a sparing effect on ATP concentration. These results support the hypothesis that the development of sarcolemmal membrane injury and the associated loss of cell viability are causally related to progressive phospholipid degradation. In addition, these studies indicate that the release of arachidonic acid during ATP depletion is associated with the net loss of the phosphatidylcholine molecule.

Estimation of the reproduction number of dengue fever from spatial epidemic data.

Dengue, a vector-borne disease, thrives in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. A retrospective analysis of the 2002 dengue epidemic in Colima located on the Mexican central Pacific coast is carried out. We estimate the reproduction number from spatial epidemic data at the level of municipalities using two different methods: (1) Using a standard dengue epidemic model and assuming pure exponential initial epidemic growth and (2) Fitting a more realistic epidemic model to the initial phase of the dengue epidemic curve. Using Method I, we estimate an overall mean reproduction number of 3.09 (95% CI: 2.34,3.84) as well as local reproduction numbers whose values range from 1.24 (1.15,1.33) to 4.22 (2.90,5.54). Using Method II, the overall mean reproduction number is estimated to be 2.0 (1.75,2.23) and local reproduction numbers ranging from 0.49 (0.0,1.0) to 3.30 (1.63,4.97). Method I systematically overestimates the reproduction number relative to the refined Method II, and hence it would overestimate the intensity of interventions required for containment. Moreover, optimal intervention with defined resources demands different levels of locally tailored mitigation. Local epidemic peaks occur between the 24th and 35th week of the year, and correlate positively with the final local epidemic sizes (rho=0.92, P-value<0.001). Moreover, final local epidemic sizes are found to be linearly related to the local population size (P-value<0.001). This observation supports a roughly constant number of female mosquitoes per person across urban and rural regions.

Submarine watch schedules: underway evaluation of rotating (contemporary) and compressed (alternative) schedules.

INTRODUCTION: With a desire to increase health, cognitive performance effectiveness, and quality of life for submarine watch-standers underway, we performed an evaluation comparing an alternative, compressed-work (ALT) schedule, designed to enhance circadian rhythm entrainment and sleep hygiene, to the contemporary submarine (SUB) forward rotating schedule, aboard the ballistic-missile submarine, USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730 Gold). METHODS: We assessed a compressed close-6 watch-schedule ("ALT") relative to the existing backward rotating 6-hr on, 12-hr off 18-hr watch schedule ("SUB") employed underway aboard submarines. We monitored 40 subjects' sleep, and temperature and salivary cortisol from 10 of the 40 for approximately two weeks on each respective schedule underway. RESULTS: The cortisol cosinor mesors (midline estimating statistic of rhythm), and amplitudes did not differ significantly between conditions. The temperature cosinor mesors, and the cosinor amplitude were not significantly different, while the cosine curve fit accounted for significantly more variance in the ALT condition than in the SUB condition. The SUB schedule garnered significantly more sleep (7.1 +/- 0.2 hours) than that of the ALTMID schedule (6.3 +/- 0.3 hours). Surveys revealed that 52% of respondents preferred the SUB schedule, 15% preferred the ALT, and 33% were either indifferent or submitted uninterpretable surveys. CONCLUSIONS: The ALT schedule was not superior to the existing SUB schedule by physiological or subjective measures and was incompatible to accommodating operational constraints.

Assigning glycemic index to foods in a recent Australian food composition database.

This paper describes the compilation of a special edition of the AUSNUT2011-2013 food composition database that includes glycemic index (GI) values. A 6-step, systematic methodology was used to assign GI to 5644 foods included in AUSNUT2011-2013. A total of 1752 (31%) foods were assigned a GI of 0 owing to low carbohydrate content; 363 (6%) had a direct match in 1 of the 4 data tables used; 1738 (31%) were assigned the GI of a 'closely related' food item; 1526 (27%) were assigned the weighted mean GI of ingredients; 205 (4%) were assigned the median GI of their corresponding food subgroup; 49 (<1%) were assigned a GI of 0 because they were not a significant source of carbohydrate in typical diets; and 5 (<1%) were assigned a default GI. We propose that this database should be used for all future Australian GI research until a subsequent version/update is compiled.

Hypoglycaemia in cystic fibrosis in the absence of diabetes: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycaemia in CF in the absence of diabetes or glucose lowering therapies is a phenomenon that is receiving growing attention in the literature. These episodes are sometimes symptomatic and likely have variable aetiologies. Our first aim was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine what is known about hypoglycaemia in CF. Our second aim was to assess evidence based guidelines for management strategies. METHODS: A comprehensive search of databases and guideline compiler entities was performed. Inclusion criteria were primary research articles and evidence based guidelines that referred to hypoglycaemia in CF in the absence of insulin treatment or other glucose lowering therapies. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies (four manuscripts and seven abstracts) and five evidence-based guidelines met the inclusion criteria. Prevalence rates of hypoglycaemia unrelated to diabetes varied between studies (7-69%). Hypoglycaemia was diagnosed during oral glucose tolerance testing or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Associations between hypoglycaemia and clinical parameters of BMI, lung function, liver disease and pancreatic insufficiency were measured in some studies. There was no unifying definition of hypoglycaemia in the absence of diabetes. Only two evidence based guidelines reported possible management strategies. CONCLUSION: The systematic review found limited data on this clinical problem and supports the need for high quality methodological studies that are able to describe the experience and the aetiology(ies) of hypoglycaemia in CF.

Glycaemic and insulin index of four common German breads.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: German-style breads are recommended as a lower glycaemic index (GI) alternative, yet little data is available. Our aim was to test the GI and insulin index (II) of four breads and rolls commonly consumed in Germany. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Four German bread products were tested for their GI and II in 12 healthy subjects according to the International Standard Organization guidelines. RESULTS: Only the wholemeal rye bread with visible intact grains and sunflower seeds was identified as low GI (GI=55). Both the wholemeal spelt wheat (GI=63) and the rye wheat sourdough bread (GI=62) were classified as medium GI, whereas soft pretzel was high GI (GI=80, P<0.05 compared with other products). The II of soft pretzels (II=102) was also highest and differed significantly from wholemeal rye (II=70) and rye sourdough bread (II=72) but not from wholemeal spelt wheat (II=77). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to popular belief, these German-style breads are medium to high GI, with the exception of the rye bread with intact grains and seeds. The results highlight the need to test, rather than 'guestimate', the GI of local products, and develop a broader range of low-GI breads.

Gamma-radiation-induced apoptosis in human colorectal adenoma and carcinoma cell lines can occur in the absence of wild type p53.

The tumour suppressor gene p53 codes for a transcription factor which is thought to play a critical role in the induction of G1 cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death (apoptosis) following DNA damage by ionizing radiation. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether a p53 independent radiation-induced apoptosis pathway exists in human colon epithelial cell lines. This report describes the induction, by gamma-radiation, of apoptosis in the colorectal adenoma cell line S/RG/C2, and in the colorectal carcinoma cell line PC/JW, both of which lack wild type p53. In addition, flow cytometry revealed that both cell lines failed to arrest in G1 after radiation. Thus, although loss of wild type p53 may abrogate G1 arrest, radiation-induced apoptosis can still occur in human colonic tumour cell lines through a p53 independent mechanism.