Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Riboflavin and riboflavin-derived cofactors in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND Thyroid hormones, riboflavin, riboflavin cofactors, and organic acids were assessed in girls with anorexia nervosa. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the effect of malnutrition and low thyroid hormone concentrations on erythrocyte and plasma riboflavin metabolism and their relation with urinary organic acid excretion. DESIGN Seventeen adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa [body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 14.8 +/- 2.2] and 17 age-matched, healthy girls (control subjects; BMI: 20.5 +/- 2.2) took part in the feeding study. Erythrocyte and plasma riboflavin as well as riboflavin cofactors (flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide) were assessed by HPLC, whereas urinary organic acids were assessed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS Anorectic patients who began a feeding program had higher erythrocyte riboflavin (3.5 +/- 2.2 compared with <0.1 nmol/mol hemoglobin; P < 0.001), lower plasma flavin adenine dinucleotide (57.8 +/- 18.5 compared with 78.5 +/- 54.3 nmol/L; P < 0.05), and higher urinary ethylmalonic acid (7.12 +/- 4.39 compared with 1.3 +/- 2.8 micromol/mmol creatinine; P < 0.001) and isovalerylglycine (7.65 +/- 4.78 compared with 3.8 +/- 0.9 micromol/mmol creatinine; P < 0.05) concentrations than did control subjects. Triiodothyronine concentrations were low and negatively correlated with plasma riboflavin concentrations (r = -0.69, P < 0.01). Not all patients showed improvements in these biochemical indexes after 30 d of refeeding. CONCLUSIONS The low triiodothyronine concentrations observed in anorexia nervosa could alter the extent of riboflavin conversion into cofactors, thus leading to high erythrocyte riboflavin concentrations, low plasma flavin adenine dinucleotide concentrations, and high rates of ethylmalonic acid and isovalerylglycine excretion.
Twenty-four-hour endocrine and metabolic profiles following consumption of high-fructose corn syrup-, sucrose-, fructose-, and glucose-sweetened beverages with meals.

BACKGROUND We have reported that, compared with glucose-sweetened beverages, consuming fructose-sweetened beverages with meals results in lower 24-h circulating glucose, insulin, and leptin concentrations and elevated triacylglycerol (TG). However, pure fructose and glucose are not commonly used as sweeteners. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has replaced sucrose as the predominant sweetener in beverages in the United States. OBJECTIVE We compared the metabolic/endocrine effects of HFCS with sucrose and, in a subset of subjects, with pure fructose and glucose. DESIGN Thirty-four men and women consumed 3 isocaloric meals with either sucrose- or HFCS-sweetened beverages, and blood samples were collected over 24 h. Eight of the male subjects were also studied when fructose- or glucose-sweetened beverages were consumed. RESULTS In 34 subjects, 24-h glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and TG profiles were similar between days that sucrose or HFCS was consumed. Postprandial TG excursions after HFCS or sucrose were larger in men than in women. In the men in whom the effects of 4 sweeteners were compared, the 24-h glucose and insulin responses induced by HFCS and sucrose were intermediate between the lower responses during consumption of fructose and the higher responses during glucose. Unexpectedly, postprandial TG profiles after HFCS or sucrose were not intermediate but comparably high as after pure fructose. CONCLUSIONS Sucrose and HFCS do not have substantially different short-term endocrine/metabolic effects. In male subjects, short-term consumption of sucrose and HFCS resulted in postprandial TG responses comparable to those induced by fructose.
Relation of body composition, parental overweight, pubertal stage, and race-ethnicity to energy expenditure among premenarcheal girls.

BACKGROUND Previous studies assessed the influence of parental weight status, sexual maturation, race-ethnicity, and energy expenditure among children, but few examined these issues comprehensively. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine whether differences in energy expenditure among premenarcheal girls are related to the pubertal stage and the race-ethnicity of the girls or to the weight status of their parents. DESIGN We measured the body composition and the energy expenditure of 196 nonobese girls enrolled in a longitudinal study. Total body water was measured by the isotopic dilution of (18)O water. We measured resting metabolic rate with the use of indirect calorimetry and daily energy expenditure by the doubly labeled water method. We used established criteria to determine sexual maturation. Parental weight status was based on body mass index. RESULTS Resting metabolic rate was higher among girls with >or=1 overweight parent than among girls with 2 normal-weight parents. Total energy expenditure was also higher among girls with >or=1 overweight parent, but these results were of borderline significance. We found no effect of pubertal stage on resting metabolic rate. Nonresting energy expenditure was significantly lower among pubertal girls than among prepubertal girls. After adjustments for age and body composition, we noted that resting metabolic rate, nonresting energy expenditure, and total energy expenditure were all significantly lower among black girls than among white girls. CONCLUSIONS Differences in resting metabolic rate and total energy expenditure among premenarcheal girls were associated with parental weight status and the girls' race-ethnicity, whereas differences in nonresting energy expenditure were associated with pubertal stage and race-ethnicity. Whether the observed differences in energy expenditure persist after puberty and predict weight gain during puberty awaits the results of longitudinal analyses.
Severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with subclinical cerebro-cardiovascular atherosclerosis risk in Korean men

Background No studies have reported the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and concurrent cerebral artery and coronary artery atherosclerosis simultaneously. We aimed at determining whether NAFLD, as assessed by ultrasound, is associated with subclinical cerebro-cardio vascular atherosclerosis (CCVA) by multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT), and high resolution—magnetic resonance angiography (HR-MRA). This cross-sectional study included men in the general Korean population aged 20–70 years. Results A total of 1,652 men participated in the study (normal, n = 835; mild-to-moderate NAFLD, n = 512; severe NAFLD, n = 305). The risk of subclinical CCVA was positively associated with age (odds ratio [OR] 1.068; 1.054–1.081, p < 0.001), body mass index (OR 1.120; 1.08 0–1.162, p < 0.001), hepatic enzyme levels (OR 1.012; 1.001–1.023, p = 0.027; OR 1.006; 1.001–1.012, p = 0.036), fasting glucose (OR 1.021; 1.015–1.027, p < 0.001), triglycerides (OR 1.002; 1.000–1.003, p = 0.016), hypertension (OR 2.836; 2.268–3.546, p < 0.001), and diabetes (OR 2.911; 2.137–3.964, p < 0.001). Also, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was inversely associated with subclinical CCVA (OR 0.974; 0.965–0.982, p < 0.001). Compared with normal controls, the OR for subclinical CCVA after full adjustment was 1.46 in the mild-to-moderate NAFLD group (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10 to 1.93) and 2.04 in the severe NAFLD group (95% CI: 1.44 to 2.89). Conclusions Our data show that NAFLD is common among Korean men, and NAFLD severity on ultrasonography is associated with subclinical CCVA, as assessed by MDCT, and HR-MRA.
Wire-Fed Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Glass Parts

This paper presents a new technique for additive manufacturing of transparent glass. In this process, transparent glass is wire-fed into a laser generated melt pool, which solidifies as the work piece is moved relative to a stationary laser beam. The key parameters are identified in terms of their effects on the morphology and transparency of printed walls. The relationship between these parameters is studied experimentally. It is demonstrated that the process parameters strongly affect the morphology and proper selection of the scan speed, feed rate and laser power can produce optimum results. A key advantage of this process relative to powder bed techniques is the ability to form optically transparent parts. The process parameters also determine the transmissivity of the final sample. The transmissivity is measured experimentally for builds with different process parameters. © 2015 ASME
Pattern‐information fMRI: New questions which it opens up and challenges which face it

Recent years have seen a strong growth of interest in multivariate approaches for analysing brain activity patterns. The primary goal of these approaches is to reveal the information represented in neuronal population codes. Here, we review how these methods have been used to relate neural activity patterns both to stimulus input and to behavioural output and how they might help to explain individual differences in behavioural performance. We examine the neuroscientific interpretation of different types of pattern‐information analysis and highlight current challenges and promising future directions for this emerging field. The open challenges that we discuss are as follows: inferring the causal role of pattern information, seeking diagnostic power for functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) at the level of individuals, determining whether observed patterns have real functional significance, finding the structure underlying high‐dimensional activation spaces and relating one person's neural patterns to another's. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 20, 31–41, 2010
Effect of vitamin A status at the end of term pregnancy on the saturation of retinol binding protein with retinol.

BACKGROUND Vitamin A (retinol), which is required for normal fetal development and successful gestation, circulates in the blood bound to a specific protein, the retinol binding protein (RBP). Little is known about the transport and metabolism of this complex protein or about retinol status during normal human pregnancy. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess retinol status and transport modalities of retinol in well-nourished women with normal pregnancies, a population poorly investigated compared with pathologic and malnourished pregnant women. DESIGN The maternal blood and cord blood concentrations of retinol, vitamin E, beta-carotene, RBP, and transthyretin of pregnant French women at term (n = 27) were measured and compared with values from a nonpregnant control group (n = 27). In addition, holo-RBP (retinol bound), apo-RBP (retinol free), and total protein were assessed in both groups to enable the hemodilution occurring during pregnancy to be taken into consideration and to evaluate the extent of saturation of RBP with retinol. RESULTS Healthy pregnant women at term had normal serum circulatory amounts of retinol, vitamin E, binding proteins, and beta-carotene. However, they had less binding of retinol to RBP (holo-RBP: 49.9% in pregnant women, 54.0% in cord blood, and 77.5% in the control group). CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that retinol homeostasis and transport are modified during normal human pregnancy.
Dose-response trial of prophylactic zinc supplements, with or without copper, in young Ecuadorian children at risk of zinc deficiency.

BACKGROUND Multiple studies have shown the benefits of zinc supplementation among young children in high-risk populations. However, the optimal dose and safe upper level of zinc have not been determined. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to measure the effects of different doses of supplemental zinc on the plasma zinc concentration, morbidity, and growth of young children; to detect any adverse effects of 10 mg supplemental Zn on markers of copper or iron status; and to determine whether any adverse effects are alleviated by providing copper with zinc. DESIGN This randomized, double-masked, community-based intervention trial was conducted in 631 Ecuadorian children who were 12-30 mo old at baseline and who had initial length-for-age z scores <-1.3. Children received 1 of 5 daily supplements for 6 mo: 3, 7, or 10 mg Zn as zinc sulfate, 10 mg Zn + 0.5 mg Cu as copper sulfate, or placebo. RESULTS The change in plasma zinc concentration from baseline was positively related to the zinc dose (P < 0.001). Zinc supplementation, including doses as low as 3 mg/d, reduced the incidence of diarrhea by 21-42% (P < 0.01). There were no other significant group-wise differences. CONCLUSIONS Zinc supplementation with a dose as low as 3 mg/d increased plasma zinc concentrations and reduced diarrhea incidence in the study population. There were no observed adverse effects of 10 mg Zn/d on indicators of copper or iron status. The current tolerable upper level of zinc recommended by the Institute of Medicine should be reassessed for young children.
Barriers and enabling factors for work-site physical activity programs: a qualitative examination.

BACKGROUND Work sites offer a productive setting for physical activity (PA) promoting interventions. Still, PA participation remains low. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the reasoning behind commonly reported barriers and enabling factors to participation in PA programs in a work-site setting. METHODS Employees from a large city government were recruited to participate in focus groups, stratified by white- and blue-collar occupations. Responses from open-ended questions about factors influencing participation in PA programs were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Resulting data were analyzed with open and axial coding. RESULTS The sample consisted of 60 employees composing 9 focus groups. Although time was the most common barrier between both groups, white-collars workers responded that scheduling and work conflicts were the most common barrier concerning time. Blue-collar workers indicated shift work as their most common barrier. In addition, health was a significant enabling factor for both occupational categories. White-collar workers were much more concerned with appearances and were more highly motivated by weight loss and the hopefulness of quick results than were blue-collar workers. CONCLUSIONS These findings are important in the understanding of PA as it relates to the reasoning behind participation in work-site programs in regard to occupational status.
Peripheral inflammatory pain sensitisation is independent of mast cell activation in male mice

Abstract The immune and sensory systems are known for their close proximity and interaction. Indeed, in a variety of pain states, a myriad of different immune cells are activated and recruited, playing a key role in neuronal sensitisation. During inflammatory pain it is thought that mast cells (MC) are one of the immune cell types involved in this process, but so far the evidence outlining their direct effect on neuronal cells remains unclear. To clarify whether MC are involved in inflammatory pain states, we used a transgenic mouse line (Mctp5Cre-iDTR) in which MC could be depleted in an inducible manner by administration of diphtheria toxin. Our results show that ablation of MC in male mice did not result in any change in mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity in the CFA model of inflammatory pain. Similarly, edema and temperature triggered by CFA inflammation at the injection site remained identical in MC depleted mice compared with their littermate controls. In addition, we show that Mctp5Cre-iDTR mice display normal levels of mechanical hypersensitivity after local injection of nerve growth factor (NGF), a factor well characterised to produce peripheral sensitisation and for being upregulated upon injury and inflammation. We also demonstrate that NGF treatment in vitro does not lead to an increased level of tumor necrosis factor-&agr; in bone marrow-derived MC. Furthermore, our qRT-PCR data reveal that MC express negligible levels of NGF receptors, thereby explaining the lack of response to NGF. Together, our data suggest that MC do not play a direct role in peripheral sensitisation during inflammatory conditions.
Chronic feeding of a low boron diet adversely affects reproduction and development in Xenopus laevis.

The aims of this work were as follows: 1) to determine whether a purified diet currently used for studies with rats was acceptable for reproductive studies in frogs; and 2) to determine whether frogs are sensitive to a deficit of boron (B) in the diet. Adult Xenopus laevis were fed a nonpurified beef liver and lung (BLL) diet (310 microg B/kg), a purified diet supplemented with boron (+B; 1850 microg B/kg), or a purified diet low in boron (-B; 45 microg B/kg) for 120 d. Frogs fed the BLL and +B diets produced 11.3 and 12.2% necrotic eggs, respectively. Abnormal gastrulation occurred in <4% of the fertilized eggs in both groups, and 96-h larval survival exceeded 75% in both groups. In contrast, frogs fed the -B diet for 120 d produced a high proportion of necrotic eggs (54%). Fertilized embryos from the -B diet-fed frogs showed a high frequency of abnormal gastrulation (26.8%), and >80% of the embryos died before 96 h of development. Mean embryo cell counts at X. laevis developmental stage 7.5 (mid-blastula) were significantly lower in the -B embryos than in the BLL or +B embryos. BLL and -B embryos grown in low boron culture media had a high frequency of malformations compared with embryos grown in boron-supplemented media. These studies show that a purified diet that has been used in rodent studies was acceptable for reproduction studies in X. laevis. This work also demonstrates that a diet low in boron markedly impairs normal reproductive function in adult X. laevis, and that administration of the low boron diet results in an increase in both incidence and severity of adverse effects. In addition, these studies demonstrate the usefulness of the X. laevis model in nutrition studies.
Providing Social Services in a New Immigrant Settlement City: A Qualitative Inquiry

Nationally, a new trend in migration has included the settlement of Latina/o immigrants in cities without an established community of Latinas/os. Social services become even more salient in this context in the absence of informal social networks of support. This study, guided by social ecological theory, advances our limited understanding of social services in new immigrant settlement destinations by elucidating contextual and structural factors endemic to the social service delivery process in these new immigrant destinations. Twenty-nine social service providers who work with Latina/o immigrants in Baltimore were interviewed and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill, Thompson, & Nutt Williams, 1997) methods were used to analyze data through consensus and the use of multiple data “auditors. ” Findings extend our understanding of the context of social services in a new immigrant settlement city by identifying qualitative factors related to the new immigrant settlement, organization and work, community, and client level that impact access and quality of services. A theoretically driven conceptual framework adapted from the Structural Environmental conceptual framework (Organista, 2007) is also proposed to explain the transactional interconnectedness among structural-, environmental-, and client-level factors in the social service delivery process.
Genetic and environmental influences on children's food neophobia.

BACKGROUND Food neophobia in children has been associated with a low intake of fruit, vegetables, and protein foods. The design of effective interventions to improve children's diets would be facilitated by a better understanding of the determinants of neophobia. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to quantify the contribution of genetic and environmental differences to variation in child food neophobia. DESIGN Parents of twins aged 8-11 y (n = 5390 pairs) completed questionnaires about their children's eating habits, including a measure of food neophobia. RESULTS The results showed that neophobia is highly heritable. The heritability estimate from model fitting was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.79). A further 22% of the variance was explained by nonshared environmental factors, with no influence of shared environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS Neophobia appears to be a heritable trait, but almost a quarter of the phenotypic variation is accounted for by nonshared environmental factors. An important aim for future research is the identification of influential aspects of the environment specific to individual children.
High prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in Guatemalan schoolchildren: associations with low plasma holotranscobalamin II and elevated serum methylmalonic acid and plasma homocysteine concentrations.

BACKGROUND Studies conducted in Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela have found high prevalences of low plasma cobalamin (vitamin B-12) concentrations in infants and children. It is not known whether these low cobalamin concentrations are accompanied by altered metabolic functions. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the prevalence of cobalamin deficiency in Guatemalan children by using sensitive and specific markers of deficiency. DESIGN Children (n = 553) were screened for low plasma cobalamin. Those with low plasma cobalamin (< 162 pmol/L) were matched by age, grade, and sex to those with marginal (162-221 pmol/L) and adequate (> 221 pmol/L) concentrations. In this matched subset (n = 180), additional biochemical indicators of cobalamin deficiency were measured. RESULTS Of the 553 children screened, 11% had low plasma cobalamin and an additional 22% had marginal concentrations. The prevalences of elevated serum methylmalonic acid (MMA), plasma homocysteine, or both were significantly higher in children with low and marginal plasma cobalamin than in children with adequate plasma cobalamin. Mean serum MMA was high in all groups compared with values reported in other populations. Mean plasma holotranscobalamin II concentrations were significantly lower in children with low rather than marginal or adequate plasma cobalamin. However, holotranscobalamin II was a less sensitive indicator of cobalamin depletion than was MMA. CONCLUSION Biochemical markers of cobalamin deficiency confirmed that the cobalamin status of children with low and marginal plasma cobalamin is inadequate to support normal metabolic function.
Phase angle from bioelectrical impedance analysis remains an independent predictive marker in HIV-infected patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral treatment.

BACKGROUND Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) reduces the risk of wasting in HIV infection and may alter the prognostic weight of wasting. The phase angle from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can be interpreted as a surrogate marker for the catabolic reaction to chronic HIV infection and opportunistic disease. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to assess the prognostic ability of the phase angle in HIV-infected patients in the era of HAART. DESIGN Two cross-sectional observation studies were conducted in 1996 and 1997 at a German university outpatient HIV clinic. In the 1996 and 1997 cohorts, HAART was prescribed to 17 of 212 and 168 of 257 patients at baseline and to 179 of 212 and 234 of 257 patients during observation, respectively. Whole-body BIA was assessed at 50 KHz. Time to clinical progression and survival were calculated by using Cox proportional hazard models with time-dependent covariates. Median observation times were 1000 and 515 d for the 1996 and 1997 cohorts, respectively. RESULTS Higher phase angle was associated with a lower relative mortality risk, adjusted for viral load and CD4(+) cell count, of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.30, 0.81) per degree in 1996 and of 0.33 (95% CI: 0.18, 0.61) in 1997. The influence of phase angle on time to clinical progression, adjusted for viral load and CD4(+) cell count, was not significant in 1996 but the relative risk was 0.58 (0.36, 0.83) in 1997. CONCLUSION Despite the favorable effects of HAART on the nutritional status of HIV-infected persons, low phase angle remains an independent adverse prognostic marker of clinical progression and survival.