Food and Mood: Exploring the determinants of food choices and the effects of food consumption on mood among women in Inner London.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between food and mood against the backdrop of increased mental health and nutrition cognizance within public health and scientific discourses. Mood was defined as encompassing positive or negative affect. Methodology: A constructionist qualitative approach underpinned this study. Convenience sampling in two faith-based settings was utilised for recruiting participants, who were aged 19-80 (median,48) years. In total 22 Christian women were included in the research, eighteen were in focus groups and four were in individual semi structured interviews. All were church-attending women in inner London. A thematic analysis was carried out, resulting in four central themes relating to food choice and food-induced mood states. Findings: Women identified a number of internal and external factors as influencing their food choices and the effect of food intake on their moods. Food choice was influenced by mood; mood was influenced by food choice. Low mood was associated with unhealthy food consumption, apparent addiction to certain foods and overeating. Improved mood was associated with more healthy eating and eating in social and familial settings. Discussion: Findings indicate food and mood are interconnected through a complex web of factors, as women respond to individual, environmental, cultural and social cues. Targeting socio-cultural and environmental influences and developing supportive public health services, via faith-based or community-based institutions could help to support more women in their struggle to manage the food and mood continuum. Successful implementation of health policies that recognise the psychological and social determinants of food choice and the effect of food consumption on mood, is essential, as is as more research into life-cycle causal factors linking food choice to moo

Evaluation of liquid methane storage and transfer problems in supersonic aircraft

Evaluation of liquid methane storage and transfer problems for future supersonic aircraft cryogenic fuel requirement

Integrated washland management for flood defence and biodiversity

A combination of reform of agricultural policy, changing priorities in the countryside, growing commitment to protect and enhance biodiversity, and concerns about increased flood risk in lowlands have drawn attention to the potential contribution that managed washlands can make to deliver benefits to biodiversity and flood management. In this context, and with funding from Defra and English Nature, the study reported here1 set out to determine the scope for simultaneously achieving flood management and biodiversity objectives, and how this might be achieved in practice. The broad purpose is to inform policy on washland creation and management, including mechanisms for implementation if deemed appropriate

NASA technology utilization survey on composite materials

NASA and NASA-funded contractor contributions to the field of composite materials are surveyed. Existing and potential non-aerospace applications of the newer composite materials are emphasized. Economic factors for selection of a composite for a particular application are weight savings, performance (high strength, high elastic modulus, low coefficient of expansion, heat resistance, corrosion resistance,), longer service life, and reduced maintenance. Applications for composites in agriculture, chemical and petrochemical industries, construction, consumer goods, machinery, power generation and distribution, transportation, biomedicine, and safety are presented. With the continuing trend toward further cost reductions, composites warrant consideration in a wide range of non-aerospace applications. Composite materials discussed include filamentary reinforced materials, laminates, multiphase alloys, solid multiphase lubricants, and multiphase ceramics. New processes developed to aid in fabrication of composites are given

High Prevalence of Microvascular Complications in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes and Newly Diagnosed Celiac Disease

Objective: The implications of celiac disease (CD) in adult patients with type 1 diabetes are unknown, with respect to diabetes-related outcomes including glycemic control, lipids, microvascular complications, quality of life, and the effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD). We identified CD in adults with type 1 diabetes and investigated the effect of a GFD on diabetes-related complications. Research design and methods: This was a case-control study conducted at a U.K. teaching hospital. Patients with type 1 diabetes aged >16 years (n = 1,000) were assessed for CD. HbA1c, lipid profile, quality of life, retinopathy stage, nephropathy stage, and degree of neuropathy before and after 1 year on a GFD were assessed. Results: The prevalence of CD was 33 per 1,000 subjects (3.3% [95% CI 2.3–4.6]). At diagnosis of CD, adult type 1 diabetic patients had worse glycemic control (8.2 vs. 7.5%, P = 0.05), lower total cholesterol (4.1 vs. 4.9, P = 0.014), lower HDL cholesterol (1.1 vs. 1.6, P = 0.017), and a higher prevalence of retinopathy (58.3 vs. 25%, P = 0.02), nephropathy (41.6 vs. 4.2%, P = 0.009), and peripheral neuropathy (41.6 vs. 16.6%, P = 0.11). There was no difference in quality of life (P > 0.1). After 1 year on a GFD, only the lipid profile improved overall, but in adherent individuals HbA1c and markers for nephropathy improved. Conclusions: Adults with undetected CD and type 1 diabetes have worse glycemic control and a higher prevalence of retinopathy and nephropathy. Treatment with a GFD for 1 year is safe in adults with type 1 diabetes and does not have a negative impact on the quality of life. Long-term microvascular and neurologic complications are responsible for major morbidity and mortality in type 1 diabetes (1). Intensive glycemic control reduces these complications and improves quality of life (1). Even patients with good glycemic control have complications, suggesting that other factors increase the risk (2). Coexisting medical problems may be a confounding factor when managing glycemic control (2). The association between celiac disease (CD) and type 1 diabetes was recognized over 30 years ago, particularly by pediatricians. The prevalence of CD in patients with adult type 1 diabetes has been reported as 1.8–8.4% (3–6). Despite a large number of prevalence studies, other important clinical factors have not been well investigated, including glycemic control, quality of life, microvascular complications, cardiac risk factors, and bone mineral density. Investigations of the effect of CD on glycemic control have been conflicting, with some studies showing improvement (7) and some deterioration (4,8) and others showing no effect (9). The difficulty in interpreting these studies is that most involve pediatric populations and are small, retrospective, and uncontrolled, leaving this question unanswered. There have been no quality-of-life assessments before and after the diagnosis of CD to assess the impact of the diagnosis and a subsequent gluten-free diet (GFD) (3). Adapting to a GFD with the restrictions of a diabetic diet may negatively impact quality of life. Peripheral neuropathy affects up to 30% of patients with adult type 1 diabetes and is a major cause of morbidity (1). Neuropathy is associated with both type 1 diabetes and CD; therefore, patients with both conditions may have a higher prevalence (10,11). In gluten-sensitive neuropathy, the pathophysiological changes lie in the humoral immune response, and a GFD seems to be beneficial (12,13). There are no studies examining neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes and CD or the effect of a GFD. One study examined whether CD may contribute to autonomic neuropathy in a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes. They found no difference in the prevalence of positive antibodies in patients with and without autonomic neuropathy (14). Two previous studies have examined the effect of CD on diabetic nephropathy but were conflicting (15,16). There are currently no studies examining the prevalence of retinopathy in individuals with both type 1 diabetes and CD. Recent data in nondiabetic CD cohorts have shown a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, possibly attributed to lower cholesterol levels and a lower prevalence of hypertension (17). Reduced bone mineral density has been associated with both CD and type 1 diabetes, but there are little data on people with both conditions (18). The aim of our study was to identify undetected CD in adult patients with type 1 diabetes and investigate the effect on diabetes-related complications before and after a GFD

Constitutive regulation of the glutamate/aspartate transporter EAAT1 by Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II

Glutamate clearance by astrocytes is an essential part of normal excitatory neurotransmission. Failure to adapt or maintain low levels of glutamate in the central nervous system is associated with multiple acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. The primary excitatory amino acid transporters in human astrocytes are EAAT1 and EAAT2 (GLAST and GLT-1, respectively, in rodents). While the inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaMKII), a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine protein kinase, results in diminished glutamate uptake in cultured primary rodent astrocytes (Ashpole et al. 2013), the molecular mechanism underlying this regulation is unknown. Here, we use a heterologous expression model to explore CaMKII regulation of EAAT1 and EAAT2. In transiently transfected HEK293T cells, pharmacological inhibition of CaMKII (using KN-93 or tat-CN21) reduces [3 H]-glutamate uptake in EAAT1 without altering EAAT2-mediated glutamate uptake. While over-expressing the Thr287Asp mutant to enhance autonomous CaMKII activity had no effect on either EAAT1 or EAAT2-mediated glutamate uptake, over-expressing a dominant-negative version of CaMKII (Asp136Asn) diminished EAAT1 glutamate uptake. SPOTS peptide arrays and recombinant glutathione S-transferase-fusion proteins of the intracellular N- and C-termini of EAAT1 identified two potential phosphorylation sites at residues Thr26 and Thr37 in the N-terminus. Introducing an Ala (a non-phospho mimetic) at Thr37 diminished EAAT1-mediated glutamate uptake, suggesting that the phosphorylation state of this residue is important for constitutive EAAT1 function. Our study is the first to identify a glutamate transporter as a direct CaMKII substrate and suggests that CaMKII signaling is a critical driver of constitutive glutamate uptake by EAAT1

City of clones: Facsimiles and governance in Sao Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo is a megacity defined by formal and informal patterns of urbanization. Informally urbanized spaces are not absent of state intent, despite appearances. Grassroots-led social and spatial practices for survival, agency and self-governance contribute to the reproduction of urban political order in surprisingly unoriginal and routinely recognizable ways. This article argues that these unexceptional informal practices can be understood as ‘facsimiles’ of their formal institutional originals. Using the example of cloned cars the article shows that the facsimile and the original are the same in form and function. Facsimiles do not exist outside of political authority, but are a byproduct and a component of it. They are indistinguishable in their bureaucratic deployment, recognition and acceptance as part of social and spatial order. This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Sage via https://doi.org/10.1177/001139211665729