Impact of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Exercise Training-Induced Improvements in Insulin Action in Sedentary Overweight Adults

Exercise training (ET) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are both recognized influences on insulin action, but the influence of HRT on responses to ET has not been examined. In order to determine if HRT use provided additive benefits for the response of insulin action to ET, we evaluated the impact of HRT use on changes in insulin during the course of a randomized, controlled, aerobic ET intervention. Subjects at baseline were sedentary, dyslipidemic, and overweight. These individuals were randomized to six months of one of three aerobic ET interventions or continued physical inactivity. In 206 subjects, an insulin sensitivity index (SI) was obtained with a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test pre- and post-ET. Baseline and post-intervention fitness, regional adiposity, general adiposity, skeletal muscle biochemistry and histology, and serum lipoproteins were measured as other putative mediators influencing insulin action. Two-way analyses of variance were used to determine if gender or HRT use influenced responses to exercise training. Linear modeling was used to determine if predictors for response in SI differed by gender or HRT use. Women who used HRT (HRT+) demonstrated significantly greater improvements in SI with ET than women not using HRT (HRT-). In those HRT+ women, plasma triglyceride change best correlated with change in SI. For HRT- women, capillary density change, and for men, subcutaneous adiposity change, best correlated with change in SI. In summary, in an ET intervention, HRT use appears associated with more robust responses in insulin action. Also, relationships between ET induced changes in insulin action and potential mediators of change in insulin action are different for men, and for women on or off HRT. These findings have implications for the relative utility of ET for improving insulin action in middle-aged men and women, particularly in the setting of differences in HRT use. Address Originally published Metabolism, Vol. 57, No. 7, July 200

Community Pediatrics and Growing Kids South Burlington An assessment of collaboration between area pediatricians and integrated services for families of young children in South Burlington, VT

Background: It is widely accepted for pediatric and family medicine practitioners to use developmental screening tools for effective identification of children who require additional support. A recent study in Pediatrics reported that between 2002 and 2009, the percentage of pediatricians using standardized screening tools for developmental delay increased from 23.0% to 47.7%. While improvement was found, less than half of pediatricians used these tools. In addition, it is known that early intervention for children requiring extra support is essential for preventing further delay in reaching milestones. Practitioners’ use of screening tools and their collaboration with their community resources can contribute to better delivery of these services and aid in children meeting developmental milestones.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1070/thumbnail.jp

Chronic unpredictable stress regulates visceral adipocyte-mediated glucose metabolism and inflammatory circuits in male rats

Chronic psychological stress is a prominent risk factor involved in the pathogenesis of many complex diseases, including major depression, obesity, and type II diabetes. Visceral adipose tissue is a key endocrine organ involved in the regulation of insulin action and an important component in the development of insulin resistance. Here, we examined for the first time the changes on visceral adipose tissue physiology and on adipocyte-associated insulin sensitivity and function after chronic unpredictable stress in rats. Male rats were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress for 35 days. Total body and visceral fat was measured. Cytokines and activated intracellular kinase levels were determined using high-throughput multiplex assays. Adipocyte function was assessed via tritiated glucose uptake assay. Stressed rats showed no weight gain, and their fat/lean mass ratio increased dramatically compared to control animals. Stressed rats had significantly higher mesenteric fat content and epididymal fat pad weight and demonstrated reduced serum glucose clearing capacity following glucose challenge. Alterations in fat depot size were mainly due to changes in adipocyte numbers and not size. High-throughput molecular screening in adipocytes isolated from stressed rats revealed activation of intracellular inflammatory, glucose metabolism, and MAPK networks compared to controls, as well as significantly reduced glucose uptake capacity in response to insulin stimulation. Our study identifies the adipocyte as a key regulator of the effects of chronic stress on insulin resistance, and glucose metabolism, with important ramifications in the pathophysiology of several stress-related disease states

Thin-layer chromatographic separations of cycloketone 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones

Ten cycloketone 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones have been chromatographed by thin-layer techniques using Eastman Chromagram sheets coated with silica gel and developed with benzene in Eastman sandwich apparatus. Good separations of all test compounds from binary mixtures with the standard cyclohexanone 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone are reported as well as good separations of more complex mixtures of the test compounds. Lack of precision is noted despite a rigorous standardized procedure. Evidence is offered that chromagram sheets differ in adsorbent activity

Effect of exercise intensity and volume on persistence of insulin sensitivity during training cessation

Effect of exercise intensity and volume on persistence of insulin sensitivity during training cessation. J Appl Physiol 106: 1079â 1085, 2009. First published February 5, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.91262.2008. The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise prescriptions differing in volume or intensity also differ in their ability to retain insulin sensitivity during an ensuing period of training cessation. Sedentary, overweight/obese subjects were assigned to one of three 8-mo exercise programs: 1) low volume/moderate intensity [equivalent of 12 miles/wk, 1,200 kcal/wk at 40-55% peak O2 consumption (VO2peak), 200 min exercise/wk], 2) low volume/vigorous intensity (12 miles/wk, 1,200 kcal/wk at 65-80% VO2peak, 125 min/wk), and 3) high volume/vigorous intensity (20 miles/wk, 2,000 kcal/wk at 65-80% VO2peak, 200 min/wk). Insulin sensitivity (intravenous glucose tolerance test, SI) was measured when subjects were sedentary and at 16-24 h and 15 days after the final training bout. SI increased with training compared with the sedentary condition (P less than or equal to 0.05) at 16-24 h with all of the exercise prescriptions. SI decreased to sedentary, pretraining values after 15 days of training cessation in the low-volume/vigorous-intensity group. In contrast, at 15 days SI was significantly elevated compared with sedentary (P less than or equal to 0.05) in the prescriptions utilizing 200 min/wk (low volume/moderate intensity, high volume/vigorous intensity). In the high-volume/vigorous-intensity group, indexes of muscle mitochondrial density followed a pattern paralleling insulin action by being elevated at 15 days compared with pretraining; this trend was not evident in the low-volume/moderateintensity group. These findings suggest that in overweight/obese subjects a relatively chronic persistence of enhanced insulin action may be obtained with endurance-oriented exercise training; this persistence, however, is dependent on the characteristics of the exercise training performed

The 1945 Purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: How World War II Changed Racing History and Culture

The Indianapolis 500 did not occur from 1942 to 1945 because of World War II. And due to war efforts to conserve fuel and a suspension of all auto racing activities, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner of the time, Eddie Rickenbacker, let the track deteriorate. The racetrack began to crumble, the infield became overgrown, stands began to fall apart, and many people thought that was the end for the legendary race course, and so to the Indianapolis 500. This thesis explores how the future of the track and race were secured through the efforts of two men, Wilbur Shaw and Tony Hulman. Shaw was a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, who was able to get wealthy businessman, Hulman, involved in buying the course. Through the efforts of these two men, the race course was saved and repaired, improved even, and the Indianapolis 500 was given the green light to continue in 1946. These men were not only able to build the track back up to its former glory, but make it something much more, and by so doing, they also created their own culture around racing. Not only does the reopening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway depict the rise in entertainment following World War II, but it also shows the rise in the popularity of race culture, especially in the Indianapolis community. Since 1946, the Indianapolis 500 has brought hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway annually

Community Conservation in Madagascar: Aligning Local Livelihoods and Biodiversity Protection

The management of natural resources in developing countries is of utmost importance as both high levels of biodiversity and local livelihoods often hang in the balance. The debate in conservation spheres often centers on \u27fortress\u27 versus \u27community-based\u27 conservation approaches, one emphasizing nature preservation and the other emphasizing the needs and empowerment of local communities in resource management. This study evaluates the management approach of a rainforest in northeast Madagascar, asking: how effectively does the COMATSA Sud protected area management system both preserve critical forest cover and provide for the local community? This research employs a mixed-methods approach, using interviews and focus groups with local residents in the study area combined with a random forest remote sensing analysis of Planet imagery to classify the landscape and analyze forest cover. Results suggest that the system is not successful in supporting community livelihoods or preserving forest cover due to a misalignment between the theoretical management model and the reality on the ground. Furthermore, while the management system does not provide economic benefits to the local community, the forest serves as an important safety net when economic difficulties arise. Results also show that the community is open to a more comprehensive management scheme conditional on the incorporation of complementary livelihood support into the system. These findings suggest ways forward for community-based conservation, emphasizing the importance of reforming older institutions to align with contemporary landscapes and local communities’ needs

Environmentally Related Urbanization and Violence Potential

In contrast to historical examples in which urban increase is accompanied by the pull factors of wealth and development, post-industrialized sub-Saharan African urbanization patterns are characterized by a lack of economic growth, confounding experts. Simultaneously, African conflict scholars have observed a major geographical shift in African conflict onset, moving out of rural regions and into urban centers. Recognizing the effects of increasing climate variability and threatened agricultural livelihoods, this study hypothesizes perceived economic advantage in cities induces human movement with potential for over-urbanization dynamics that exacerbate civil unrest. To investigate, a Panarchy theoretical framework of nested adaptive cycles is used to construct a comprehensive multi-scalar model of environmental vulnerability, assessing topdown state-level factors as well as bottom-up sub-urban forces culminating at the municipal scale. A sixteen year time-series regression analysis (2000-2015) integrates these influences, confirming national composite measures of environmental vulnerability/adaptability and rural urban demographic transformation correlate strongly with a state’s likelihood of urban political violence. An out-of-sample validation comparing a geostatistical analysis of the model to observed georeferenced urban violence suggests the model is robust. The resulting state classifications of environmentally related urbanization and violence potential guide qualitative analysis. On this basis, identified patterns in governance, resources and human agency are consolidated into a framework of urban environmental vulnerability, revealing regime duration/consolidation, specifically at a threshold of fifteen years, and democratic polity reduce the likelihood of urban violence. Importantly, the structures, processes and norms of governance define the distribution of resource-driven national capacity—sharing resiliency at all scales or conserving it for the sake of the state, with major implications for household capacity and the likelihood of adaptive mobility. Additionally, democracies inherently encourage competition and contestation processes critical to adaptation and reorganization without dismantling the entire system; however, in “younger” democracies these dynamics typically align with higher mobility and lower levels of urban violence reflecting “healthy” function. Autocracies, on the other hand, stifle these processes and risk becoming too rigid, achieving urban stability where governance is well-established, but limiting overall adaptability to environmental impact and increasing vulnerability to crisis as revealed in destabilized autocracies where urban violence is most extreme

The Value Of Food: A Small Rural School Cafeteria Budget Case Study

This mixed-methods case study was used to examine a small school district in a rural setting that operates a child nutrition program without encroaching on the general fund, while still serving organic, made-from-scratch meals. Current research confirms that school districts are challenged to balance the requirements of the National School Lunch Program while maintaining quality. School lunch programs, particularly small rural ones, are operating at a deficit. This researcher addressed an important gap by providing a comprehensive account of a fiscally sound cafeteria budget in a rural area for a small school, serving 150 lunches per day. In this study, the researcher examined the characteristics that support a financially viable lunch program in a small rural school district. The primary research question for this study asked, “How can small, rural schools operate a nutrition program that is financially self-sustaining?” The supporting research questions were used to explore what factors or practices the nutrition director, administrator, and business manager of a small, rural school nutrition program perceived positively contribute to or impede the operation of a self-funding nutrition program. There were three participants in this single-site, case study: a district administrator, nutrition director, and business manager. In addition, data was collected from a survey, interviews, observation, and the following artifacts: wellness policy, lunch menus, production records, and the cafeteria budget. The data collected affirmed that the primary drivers of the success of this program are commitment to quality food, dedicated staff, a conscientious attitude towards waste and spending, and a well-designed and equipped onsite kitchen. The most prominent challenges to this self-sustaining program include lack of time, few vendors who deliver the desired ingredients, and difficulty finding and retaining qualified staff. Small, rural, lunch programs will have the best chance at success if they support dedicated staff, invest in an on-site kitchen, procure quality ingredients, prepare meals from scratch, and provide students with hands-on learning about the food system. Further research should include multicase studies of small rural cafeteria programs to identify benchmarks of operating expenses. These studies should include sites with viable budgets and sites that encroach on the general fund