The frequency of weigh-ins, weight intentionality and management, and eating among female collegiate athletes.

Female athletes often experience sport-environment pressures about weight, eating, and body composition from within the sport environment. One pressure that may be particularly debilitating is being weighed as a requirement of sport participation. Using 414 female collegiate athletes from weight-sensitive sports, we examined the frequency of weigh-ins, weight intentionality, weight-management practices, and eating and nutritional behaviors. Of the 41% of athletes who were weighed, most were done by athletic trainers in private (82%) and prepared by using at least one weight management strategy (75%). In the entire sample, 22.8% ate <1500cal per day and 55% wanted to lose weight (approximately 5lb). The majority (78%) received their nutritional advice from qualified sources (e.g., dietitian). Although being weighed was not required for the majority of the athletes, and when mandated was done in a relatively healthy manner, sizable numbers of the athletes wanted to lose weight, ate less than needed for their sport, and received guidance on how to eat healthfully from unqualified sources. Additional research is needed with other sports to establish baseline data for these behaviors.

Functional characterization of insulin-like growth factors in an ancestral fish species, the Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorhynchus.

Observations from the present study provide the first characterization of the GH-IGF axis in Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorhynchus, an ancestral fish species. An initial characterization of steady-state IGF-I and IGF-II gene expression in multiple tissues was conducted using real-time RT-qPCR. Overall, the tissues had significantly different profiles of IGF-I gene expression, with the highest IGF-I expression observed in the liver. The highest IGF-II gene expression was also observed in the liver, with minimal or no detection in muscle. A comparison between IGF-I and IGF-II expression within individual tissues revealed higher levels of IGF-II than IGF-I mRNA in the spleen, stomach and trunk kidney, and higher levels of relative IGF-I mRNA expression in the intestine and muscle. The GH-IGF axis was further elucidated by observing the effects of exogenous GH on IGF-I and IGF-II expression in liver and muscle tissue. The results revealed a significant dose-dependent response of both hepatic IGF-I and IGF-II, and muscle IGF-I mRNA expression following rbGH administration. At the highest rbGH concentration (240µg/g BW), IGF-I mRNA levels in liver and muscle peaked significantly at 48h, indicating both hepatic and muscle IGF-I expression to be stimulated by GH. Hepatic IGF-II expression was also stimulated 48h following rbGH administration. Expression of IGF-II mRNA was not inducible in the muscle. Few studies have evaluated the effects of exogenous GH on IGF expression in ancestral vertebrate species, and as such, this research provides valuable insight into the evolution of the somatotropic axis in vertebrates.

Elucidating the roles of gut neuropeptides on channel catfish feed intake, glycemia, and hypothalamic NPY and POMC expression.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors modulate food intake and glycemia in vertebrates, in part through interactions with hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. The objective of this project was to elucidate the effects of ghrelin (GHRL), gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide (GLP), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), and peptide YY (PYY) on appetite, glycemia, and hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC in channel catfish. Catfish were injected intraperitoneally with a single peptide at concentrations of either 0 (control), 50, 100, or 200 ng/g body weight (BW), respectively. Fish were allowed to recover for 30 min, and then fed to satiation over 1 h. Feed intake was determined 1h post-feeding. Catfish injected with GHRL at 50 and 100 ng/g BW and GRP at 200 ng/g BW consumed significantly (P<0.05) less feed compared to controls. A tendency (P<0.1) to suppress feed intake was also observed in the 200 ng/g BW GHRL and PP treatments. PYY, CCK, and GLP had no effects on feed intake. Glycemia was not affected by GHRL, GRP, PP, and PYY treatments, but was suppressed by CCK. A tendency toward lower plasma glucose concentrations was observed in fish administered GLP at 50 ng/g BW. Hypothalamic NPY expression was highly variable and not significantly affected by treatment. POMC expression was also variable, but tended to be reduced by the highest concentration of CCK. These results provide new insight into the roles and regulation of gut neuropeptides in catfish appetite and glycemia.

Exogenous recombinant bovine growth hormone stimulates growth and hepatic IGF expression in shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorhynchus.

Sturgeon are a unique fish for physiological research as they are long-lived, slow-growing, and late-maturing. Furthermore, sturgeon growth hormones appear to share greater structural and molecular similarity with mammalian somatotropins than teleostean somatotropins. In this study, changes in insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-II mRNA expression and corresponding whole-body growth and composition following 6 weeks of bi-weekly recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH) administration in shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorhynchus were evaluated. Fish were injected intraperitoneally with 240 µg rbGH/g body weight or a sesame oil sham. Hepatic IGF-I and IGF-II mRNA abundance was significantly higher (P≤0.02) in rbGH-treated fish, as were length (P<0.001) and weight gain (P<0.001). In addition, proximate whole-body analysis demonstrated a significant (P<0.05) increase in protein composition of rbGH-treated fish versus sham-treated fish. There were no significant differences in whole-body moisture, lipid, or ash between the two treatments. These results demonstrate functional roles for GH and IGFs in the promotion of lean growth within this ancient fish species and support the view that the functional effects of GH on hepatic IGF-I expression and somatic growth are conserved from chondostrean to teleostean fishes.

To Weigh or Not to Weigh? Relation to Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors Among Female Collegiate Athletes.

Female athletes have been identified as a subpopulation at heightened risk for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, particularly due to weight pressures in their environment. Using a sample of 414 NCAA Division-I female collegiate athletes, we examined the relations of required team weigh-ins or self-weighing on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Through a series of multivariate analyses, we determined that team weighs were unrelated significantly to all outcome measures. Self-weighing, however, differentiated the athletes' scores on internalization, body satisfaction, dietary restraint, negative affect, and bulimic symptomatology; athletes who self-weighed three or more times a week (sometimes 1-2 times per week) reported significantly higher levels of pathology across all measures. Mandatory team-conducted weigh-ins appear to not be a salient pressure for female gymnasts and swimmer/divers, although the frequency of their self-weighing may represent a level of self-monitoring that is associated with greater endorsement of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors.

Independent positive association of plasma ß-carotene concentrations with adiponectin among non-diabetic obese subjects.

PURPOSE: Many epidemiological studies find an inverse correlation between carotenoids intake or carotenoids plasma concentrations and body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome in the general population. However, it is not clear whether these relationships occur in obese population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 108 obese non-diabetic patients. RESULTS: There was an inverse correlation between plasma levels of pro-vitamin A carotenoids (α-carotene, ß-carotene and ß-cryptoxanthin) and both BMI and insulin resistance (estimated by the HOMA-IR). No correlation between plasma concentrations of lycopene or lutein/zeaxanthin and BMI or insulin resistance was found. The inverse association between the three pro-vitamin A carotenoids and HOMA-IR disappeared after adjustment for BMI and waist circumference. Interestingly, we identified a positive association between concentrations of ß-carotene and adiponectin in plasma that was independent of sex, age, smoking status, BMI and waist circumference. To our knowledge, such association has never been described in obese patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the existence of a favourable effect of ß-carotene on insulin sensitivity in obese individuals that could involve a positive regulation of adiponectin, either directly or via its pro-vitamin A activity. The demonstration of the potential benefits of ß-carotene towards insulin sensitivity would open the way to dietary strategies to prevent metabolic syndrome.

Weight pressures in sport: examining the factor structure and incremental validity of the weight pressures in sport - females.

Due to pressures within the sport environment, such as from coaches, teammates, uniforms and judges, female athletes may develop unhealthy eating practices to lose weight or change their body size/shape to become more competitive and meet societal and sport-related physique ideals. However, up until the development of the Weight Pressures in Sport for Females (WPS-F; Reel, SooHoo, Petrie, Greenleaf, & Carter, 2010) there was no way to quantify sport-specific weight pressures with female athletes. In this study, the psychometric properties of the scale were further examined using a sample of 414 female collegiate athletes. Sample 1 [n=207; M=19.27 years; SD=1.16] and Sample 2 [n=207; M=19.19 years; SD=1.66] participants were of a similar age and were used for exploratory and confirmatory analyses respectively. A two factor structure was confirmed and it was established that the scale was unique from general sociocultural pressures that all women experience, predicting female athletes' internalization, body dissatisfaction, dietary intent, and bulimic symptomatology. Specifically, the following factors, Coach and Sport Pressures about Weight (Factor 1) and Pressures Regarding Appearance and Performance (Factor 2), were found to have strong internal consistency and the emerging reliable and valid WPS-F has practical implications for screening and identifying weight-related sport pressures within female athletes. WPS-F can also serve to educate sport professionals about environmental pressures so that disordered eating and body image disturbances can be prevented.

Psychosocial correlates of bulimic symptoms among NCAA division-I female collegiate gymnasts and swimmers/divers.

In this study, we tested Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) model of bulimic symptoms in two independent samples of female collegiate swimmers/divers and gymnasts. Structural equation modeling revealed support for the model, although it also suggested additional pathways. Specifically, general societal pressures regarding weight and body were related to the internalization of those ideals and, subsequently, to increases in body dissatisfaction. Pressures from the sport environment regarding weight and appearance were associated with more body dissatisfaction and more restrictive eating. Body dissatisfaction was related to more feelings of sadness, anger, and fear among the athletes. Negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint were related directly to bulimic symptoms, accounting for 55-58% of its variance. These results suggest that general sociocultural pressures are influential, but weight and appearance pressures in the sport environment may be even more pervasive and negative for female athletes.

The Medi-RIVAGE study (Mediterranean Diet, Cardiovascular Risks and Gene Polymorphisms): rationale, recruitment, design, dietary intervention and baseline characteristics of participants.

OBJECTIVE: To report the rationale, recruitment, design, dietary intervention and baseline characteristics of participants in the Medi-RIVAGE study (Mediterranean Diet, Cardiovascular Risks and Gene Polymorphisms). DESIGN: A randomised, parallel trial comparing a new nutritional programme with a conventional programme. SETTING: Centre for Detection and Prevention of Arteriosclerosis, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France, and collaborating teams. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and twelve male and female volunteers with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. INTERVENTION: A Mediterranean-type diet characterised mainly by the quality of fatty acids, amount of fish, vegetable foodstuffs and fibre was proposed and compared with a usually prescribed, low-fat/cholesterol diet. Body mass index, fasting lipids and lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, glucose, insulin and homocysteine were the main outcome measures. Gene polymorphisms of interest were determined. RESULTS: Characteristics of men in the two arms were comparable with regard to sociodemographic variables, and clinical and biological cardiovascular risk factors. There were few differences between the groups of women (cholesterol-related parameters, P<0.05). There was no difference between arms in allelic distribution of the gene polymorphisms studied. Saturated fat and protein intakes were high while carbohydrate and fibre intakes were low, but with no difference between arms. Overall, the nutritional markers were comparable in both arms with few exceptions. Correlations between nutritional intakes and plasma nutrient levels ranged from 0.19 (beta-carotene) to 0.47 (folate). CONCLUSIONS: The comparability of the two arms is notable and warrants a low risk of biases. Current diet departs from the traditional Mediterranean one. The assessment of nutritional intake is validated by correlations obtained between dietary intake and relevant biomarkers. This will be important to estimate participant compliance and to analyse intervention data.

Sexual health innovations in undergraduate medical education.

Recent national and global initiatives have drawn attention to the importance of sexual health to individuals' well-being. These initiatives advocate enhancement of efforts to address this under-represented topic in health professions curricula. University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) has undertaken a comprehensive effort to develop an integrated curriculum in sexual health. The UMMS project draws upon the expertise of a multidisciplinary faculty of clinicians, basic scientists, a medical ethicist, and educators. This article describes the project's genesis and development at UMMS, and reports on three innovations in sexual health education implemented as part of this endeavor.

Enhancing free-recall rates of individuals with mental retardation.

Generative encoding contexts promote activation of multiple retrieval routes and have been shown to enhance free-recall rates of individuals without mental retardation. The present extension to individuals with mental retardation involved a comparison of two encoding conditions: (a) fade-in, initially presenting pictures out of focus then slowly fading them into focus, and (b) fade-out, presenting pictures clearly then slowly blurring them. Results indicated that free-recall rates were greater for the fade-in items for the individuals with mental retardation and CA-matched comparisons, but not for the MA-matched group. These findings demonstrate the utility of a generative encoding context that does not involve verbal instruction for individuals with and without mental retardation.

Tumor size on computed tomography scans: is one measurement enough?

BACKGROUND: Bidimensional tumor measurements are used routinely as surrogates for tumor volume. The purpose this study was to determine whether there is any added benefit in bidimensional or tridimensional measurements over a unidimensional measurement. METHODS: Sixty-nine colorectal hepatic metastases on 19 computed tomography scans (1-8 lesions per scan) from 9 patients were analyzed. Five patients contributed 2-4 scans each (mean, 3 scans). The standard volume of these lesions was determined by the "summation of areas" technique. The maximum axial dimension, the product of the greatest axial dimensions, and several volume estimates (based on the volumes of a sphere, an ellipsoid, and a cube) each were correlated with the standard volume. RESULTS: The maximum axial dimension and the product of the greatest axial dimensions correlated equally with tumor volume (correlation coefficient = 0.93). Surrogate measures based on the equations for a sphere and an ellipsoid underestimated tumor volume, whereas the equation for a cube overestimated volume. CONCLUSIONS: When reporting tumor size, there is no significant added benefit in reporting bidimensional or tridimensional measurements over the maximum axial dimension.

Heterogeneity in Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome: anthropometric evidence.

Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome (WBS) has attracted a great deal of attention because of its genetic complexity. Individuals with WBS can be identified objectively by anthropometric analysis. Craniofacial anthropometry in conjunction with multivariate statistical analysis can be used to define patterns of variability that appear to relate to specific modes of inheritance that have been proposed for WBS. Our data on 19 affected individuals and their first-degree relatives indicate that the pattern of inheritance rather than the age of subjects may be responsible for the highly variable craniofacial phenotype found in individuals diagnosed with WBS.

Self-hypnosis training as an adjunctive treatment in the management of pain associated with sickle cell disease.

A cohort of patients with sickle cell disease, consisting of children, adolescents, and adults, who reported experiencing three or more episodes of vaso-occlusive pain the preceding year, were enrolled in a prospective two-period treatment protocol. Following a 4-month conventional treatment baseline phase, a supplemental cognitive-behavioral pain management program that centered on self-hypnosis was implemented over the next 18 months. Frequency of self-hypnosis group straining sessions began at once per week for the first 6 months, became biweekly for the next 6 months, and finally occurred once every third week for the remaining 6 months. Results indicate that the self-hypnosis intervention was associated with a significant reduction in pain days. Both the proportion of "bad sleep" nights and the use of pain medications also decreased significantly during the self-hypnosis treatment phase. However, participants continued to report disturbed sleep and to require medications on those days during which they did experience pain. Findings further suggest that the overall reduction in pain frequency was due to the elimination of less severe episodes of pain. Non-specific factors may have contributed to the efficacy of treatment. Nevertheless, the program clearly demonstrates that an adjunctive behavioral treatment for sickle cell pain, involving patient self-management and regular contact with a medical self-hypnosis team, can be beneficial in reducing recurrent, unpredictable episodes of pain in a patient population for whom few safe, cost-effective medical alternatives exist.

Prenatal diagnosis of a de novo trisomy 6q22.2-->6qter and monosomy 1pter-->1p36.3. Case report with a 2-year follow-up and a brief review of other prenatal cases of partial trisomy 6q.

We report a de novo trisom 6q22.2-->6qter and monosomy 1pter-->1p36.3 identified in amniocytes by GTG banding and FISH. While ultrasonography demonstrated malformations that did not suggest a specific chromosomal syndrome, a male infant with features consistent with trisomy 6q was born. He was followed up until 23 months, when he died after cardiac surgery. The only two other prenatal cases of trisomy 6q were compared with our patient. A literature review showed that trisomy 6q has not been reported in association with the anomalies seen by ultrasound in this case.

The effect of x-ray beam alignment on the performance of antiscatter grids.

While the qualitative effects of grid misalignment are known, we have quantified the effect of different degrees of grid misalignment on image contrast and patient exposure. Radiographs were made of a phantom consisting of five lead disks on top of a 15 cm block of lucite. Four 60 lines/cm grids, having grid ratios of 3:1, 4:1, 6:1, and 8:1 were used. When the tube was angled more than three degrees across the grid lines, the contrast improvement factor decreased substantially for all four grids, as much as 46% for an 8:1 grid with a 12 degrees misalignment. There was a concomitant decrease in film optical density, which if compensated for by an increase in patient exposure, would lead to a higher effective bucky factor. With the exception of the 3:1 grid, if the grid is misaligned by more than 6 degrees, higher signal-to-noise ratios can be attained by removing the grid and using the increased patient exposure to reduce noise.

Paraspinal muscle hematoma after electromyography.

There have been few reports of complications related to electromyography. Needle examination of certain muscles is sometimes avoided in patients taking anticoagulant agents, although no clear guidelines have been established. We describe a patient who was not receiving an anticoagulant and developed a large paraspinal muscle hematoma after routine electromyography. Subsequently, all patients who underwent paraspinal muscle electromyography and were diagnosed with radiculopathy at our institution over a 14-month period were reviewed. From this group, 17 patients were identified who had also underwent MRI of the appropriate spinal levels within 1 week after the needle examination. These images were reviewed for evidence of paraspinal muscle hematomas. Four small hematomas were identified in four different patients. None of these were radiologically significant compared with the large hematoma described in the case report. Radiologically apparent paraspinal hematomas after electromyography are an unusual complication of needle examination and do not appear to have any clinical significance. Nevertheless, the presence of these lesions justifies caution when considering electromyography of paraspinal and other deeper muscles in anticoagulated patients.