Does metabolic compensation explain the majority of less-than-expected weight loss in obese adults during a short-term severe diet and exercise intervention?

Objective: We investigated to what extent changes in metabolic rate and composition of weight loss explained the less-than-expected weight loss in obese men and women during a diet-plus-exercise intervention. Design: 16 obese men and women (41 ± 9 years; BMI 39 ± 6 kg/m2) were investigated in energy balance before, after and twice during a 12-week VLED (565–650 kcal/day) plus exercise (aerobic plus resistance training) intervention. The relative energy deficit (EDef) from baseline requirements was severe (74-87%). Body composition was measured by deuterium dilution and DXA and resting metabolic rate (RMR) by indirect calorimetry. Fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were converted into energy equivalents using constants: 9.45 kcal/gFM and 1.13 kcal/gFFM. Predicted weight loss was calculated from the energy deficit using the '7700 kcal/kg rule'. Results: Changes in weight (-18.6 ± 5.0 kg), FM (-15.5 ± 4.3 kg), and FFM (-3.1 ± 1.9 kg) did not differ between genders. Measured weight loss was on average 67% of the predicted value, but ranged from 39 to 94%. Relative EDef was correlated with the decrease in RMR (R=0.70, P<0.01) and the decrease in RMR correlated with the difference between actual and expected weight loss (R=0.51, P<0.01). Changes in metabolic rate explained on average 67% of the less-than-expected weight loss, and variability in the proportion of weight lost as FM accounted for a further 5%. On average, after adjustment for changes in metabolic rate and body composition of weight lost, actual weight loss reached 90% of predicted values. Conclusion: Although weight loss was 33% lower than predicted at baseline from standard energy equivalents, the majority of this differential was explained by physiological variables. While lower-than-expected weight loss is often attributed to incomplete adherence to prescribed interventions, the influence of baseline calculation errors and metabolic down-regulation should not be discounted.

Is the unigram relevance model term independent? Classifying term dependencies in query expansion

This paper develops a framework for classifying term dependencies in query expansion with respect to the role terms play in structural linguistic associations. The framework is used to classify and compare the query expansion terms produced by the unigram and positional relevance models. As the unigram relevance model does not explicitly model term dependencies in its estimation process it is often thought to ignore dependencies that exist between words in natural language. The framework presented in this paper is underpinned by two types of linguistic association, namely syntagmatic and paradigmatic associations. It was found that syntagmatic associations were a more prevalent form of linguistic association used in query expansion. Paradoxically, it was the unigram model that exhibited this association more than the positional relevance model. This surprising finding has two potential implications for information retrieval models: (1) if linguistic associations underpin query expansion, then a probabilistic term dependence assumption based on position is inadequate for capturing them; (2) the unigram relevance model captures more term dependency information than its underlying theoretical model suggests, so its normative position as a baseline that ignores term dependencies should perhaps be reviewed.

Long term transmission planning to meet renewable energy targets in Australia

Australia is rich in renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Geographical diversity of these renewable resources combined with developing climate change policies poses a great challenge for the long term interconnection planning. Intermittency of wind and solar potentially driving the development of new transmission lines bring additional complexity to power system operations and planning. This paper provides an overview of generation and transmission planning studies in Australia to meet 20% renewable energy target by 2020. Appraisal of the effectiveness of dispersed energy storage, non schedulable peaking plants, wide area controls and demand management techniques to aid the penetration of renewables is presented in this paper

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of kidney disease

After more than 25 years of published investigation, including randomized controlled trials, the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of kidney disease remains unclear. In vitro and in vivo experimental studies support the efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on inflammatory pathways involved with the progression of kidney disease. Clinical investigations have focused predominantly on immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. More recently, lupus nephritis, polycystic kidney disease, and other glomerular diseases have been investigated. Clinical trials have shown conflicting results for the efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in IgA nephropathy, which may relate to varying doses, proportions of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, duration of therapy, and sample size of the study populations. Meta-analyses of clinical trials using omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in IgA nephropathy have been limited by the quality of available studies. However, guidelines suggest that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids should be considered in progressive IgA nephropathy. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decrease blood pressure, a known accelerant of kidney disease progression. Well-designed, adequately powered, randomized, controlled clinical trials are required to further investigate the potential benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the progression of kidney disease and patient survival.

Residential property investment : assessing home ownership long term viability

Home purchase and ownership is seen by the majority of Australians as the basis for a sound investment strategy and to seciure their long term retirement goals. Although home ownership rates in Australia are in excess of 65% of the population, there have been doubts raised as to the effectiveness of purchasing a house as the main source of retirement income. The main issue with this approach is that the house has to be sold to gain access to these funds or the owners have to take out a reverse mortgage to access the capital tied up in their home, which can be more expensive than selling. This paper will carryout a detailed analysis of a number of investment options to determine the effectiveness of home purchase as a long term investment vehicle. This study has found that the long term investment in equities or managed superannuation funds can provide a greater retirement income than the purchase of a residential property for owner occupation

Corneal changes following short-term rigid contact lens wear

Purpose: The aim of this cross-over study was to investigate the changes in corneal thickness, anterior and posterior corneal topography, corneal refractive power and ocular wavefront aberrations, following the short term use of rigid contact lenses. Method: Fourteen participants wore 4 different types of contact lenses (RGP lenses of 9.5 mm and 10.5 mm diameter, and for comparison a PMMA lens of 9.5 mm diameter and a soft silicone hydrogel lens) on 4 different days for a period of 8 h on each day. Measures were collected before and after contact lens wear and additionally on a baseline day. Results: Anterior corneal curvature generally showed a flattening with both of the RGP lenses and a steepening with the PMMA lens. A significant negative correlation was found between the change in corneal swelling and central and peripheral posterior corneal curvature (all p ≤ 0.001). RGP contact lenses caused a significant decrease in corneal refractive power (hyperopic shift) of approximately 0.5 D. The PMMA contact lenses caused the greatest corneal swelling in both the central (27.92 ± 15.49 μm, p < 0.001) and peripheral (17.78 ± 12.11 μm, p = 0.001) corneal regions, a significant flattening of the posterior cornea and an increase in ocular aberrations (all p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The corneal swelling associated with RGP lenses was relatively minor, but there was slight central corneal flattening and a clinically significant hyperopic change in corneal refractive power after the first day of lens wear. The PMMA contact lenses resulted in significant corneal swelling and reduced optical performance of the cornea.

Effect of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) on the expression of Sox2, Oct-4 and c-Myc in human periodontal ligament cells during long-term culture

Recent studies demonstrated endogenous expression level of Sox2, Oct-4 and c-Myc is correlated with the pluripotency and successful induction of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Periondontal ligament cells (PDLCs)have multi-lineage diferentiation capability and ability to maintain undifferentiated stage, which makes PDLCs a suitable cell source for tissue repair and regeneration. To elucidate the effect of in vitro culture condition on the stemness potential of PDLCs, we explored the cell growth, proliferation, cell cycle, and the expression of Sox2, Oct-4 and c-Myc in PDLCs from passage 1 to 7 with or without the addition of recombinant human BMP4(rhBMP4). Our results revealed that BMP-4 promoted cell growth and proliferation, arrested PDLCs in S phase of cell cycle and upregulated PI value. It was revealed that without the addition of rhBMP4, the expression of Sox2, Oct-4 and c-Myc in PDLCs only maintained nucleus location until passage 3, then lost nucleus location subsequently. The mRNA expression in PDLCs further confirmed that the level of Sox2 and Oct-4 peaked at passage 3, then decreased afterwards, whereas c-Myc maintained consistently upregulation along passages. after the treatment with rhBMP4, the expression of Sox2, Oct-4 and c-Myc in PDLCs maintained nucleus location even at passage 7 and the mRNA expression of Sox2 and Oct-4 significantly upregulated at passage 5 and 7. These results demonstrated that addition of rhBMP-4 in the culture media could improve the current culture condition for PDLCs to maintain in an undifferentiated stage.

Capitalisation of interest on short term loan “irreconcilable with what is right”

Higher than usual rates of interest charged by lenders on short term loans is not of itself considered to be a penalty or evidence of unconscionable conduct. These types of lenders often charge higher rates to take account of increased losses from higher than usual defaults by borrowers.

Back to the future : prohibiting surrogacy for singles, same-sex and shorter-term heterosexual couples in Queensland

This article considers the regulatory position concerning altruistic surrogacy in Queensland, focusing on the intended changes to the current legal framework announced by the government in June 2012. The previous government had made significant progress by reforming surrogacy laws in 2010. However, that progress is at risk of being reversed. The proposed changes to the law would make it a criminal offence to enter into an altruistic surrogacy arrangement for certain individuals or couples. If enacted, the offence would only apply in altruistic surrogacy cases where the intended parent or parents are either single, in a same-sex relationship, or are in a heterosexual relationship of less than two years. Moreover, if enacted, the offence would apply extra-territorially. The authors argue that these changes represent a retrograde step for the law and urge the government to reconsider. This is based on the fact that they are out of step with current social attitudes, are contrary to the spirit of anti-discrimination laws, and that they are unjustified in terms of child welfare concerns.

Evaluation of primary epidermal lamellar density in the forefeet of near-term fetal Australian feral and domesticated horses

Objective: To investigate the density of the primary epidermal lamellae (PEL) around the solar circumference of the forefeet of near-term fetal feral and nonferal (ie, domesticated) horses. Sample: Left forefeet from near-term Australian feral (n = 14) and domesticated (4) horse fetuses. Procedures: Near-term feral horse fetuses were obtained from culled mares within 10 minutes of death; fetuses that had died in utero 2 weeks prior to anticipated birth date and were delivered from live Thoroughbred mares were also obtained. Following disarticulation at the carpus, the left forefoot of each fetus was frozen during dissection and data collection. In a standard section of each hoof, the stratum internum PEL density was calculated at the midline center (12 o'clock) and the medial and lateral break-over points (11 and 1 o'clock), toe quarters (10 and 2 o'clock), and quarters (4 and 6 o'clock). Values for matching lateral and medial zones were averaged and expressed as 1 density. Density differences at the 4 locations between the feral and domesticated horse feet were assessed by use of imaging software analysis. Results: In fetal domesticated horse feet, PEL density did not differ among the 4 locations. In fetal feral horse feet, PEL density differed significantly among locations, with a pattern of gradual reduction from the dorsal to the palmar aspect of the foot. The PEL density distribution differed significantly between fetal domesticated and feral horse feet. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Results indicated that PEL density distribution differs between fetal feral and domesticated horse feet, suggestive of an adaptation of feral horses to environment challenges.

Mid-gestation intra-amniotic infection with Ureaplasma parvum is resolved within spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) by term delivery: but caused chronic infection of fetal lungs and placentae

Background: Ureaplasma species in amniotic fluid at the time of second-trimester amniocentesis increases the risk of preterm birth, but most affected pregnancies continue to term (Gerber et al. J Infect Dis 2003). We aimed to model intra-amniotic (IA) ureaplasma infection in spiny mice, a species with a relatively long gestation (39 days) that allows investigation of the disposition and possible clearance of ureaplasmas in the feto-placental compartment. Method: Pregnant spiny mice received IA injections of U. parvum serovar 6 (10µL, 1x104 colony-forming-units in PBS) or 10B media (10µL; control) at 20 days (d) of gestation (term=39d). At 37d fetuses (n=3 ureaplasma, n=4 control) were surgically delivered and tissues were collected for; bacterial culture, ureaplasma mba and urease gene expression by PCR, tissue WBC counts and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining using anti-ureaplasma serovar 6 (rabbit) antiserum. Maternal and fetal plasma IgG was measured by Western blot. Results: Ureaplasmas were not detected by culture or PCR in fetal or maternal tissues but were visualized by IFA within placental and fetal lung tissues, in association with inflammatory changes and elevated WBC counts (p<0.0001). Anti-ureaplasma IgG was detected in maternal (2/2 tested) and fetal (1/2 tested) plasma but not in controls (0/3). Conclusions: IA injection of ureaplasmas in mid-gestation spiny mice caused persistent fetal lung and placental infection even though ureaplasmas were undetectable using standard culture or PCR techniques. This is consistent with resolution of IA infection, which may occur in human pregnancies that continue to term despite detection of ureaplasmas in mid-gestation.