Gender Differences in the Relationships between Perceived Stress,Eating Behaviors,Sleep, Dietary Risk,and Body Mass Index

Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic among university students, and the high levels of stress reported by this population could contribute to this issue. Singular relationships between perceived stress; engagement in restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep; dietary risk; and body mass index (BMI) have been reported in the current body of literature; however, these constructs interact with each other, and the complex relationships among them are infrequently examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the complex relationships between these constructs using mediation and moderation analyses stratified by gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study, enrolling university students from the United States (U.S.), the Netherlands, South Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Ghana, and China, was conducted between October 2020 and January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived stress; maladaptive eating behaviors including restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep duration and quality; dietary risk; and BMI were assessed using validated questionnaires, which were distributed through an online platform. Results: A total of 1392 students completed the online survey (379 male, 973 female, and 40 who self-identified as “other”). Uncontrolled and emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary risk for both males and females; higher sleep quality weakened this relationship among female students but not males. Emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and BMI for both males and females, but higher sleep quality weakened this relationship only among females. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that students in higher education are likely to benefit from interventions to reduce uncontrolled and emotional eating. Programs that improve sleep quality, especially during highly stressful periods, may be helpful.     

The Role of GJD2(Cx36) in Refractive Error Development

Refractive errors are common eye disorders characterized by a mismatch between the focal power of the eye and its axial length. An increased axial length is a common cause of the refractive error myopia (nearsightedness). The substantial increase in myopia prevalence over the last decades has raised public health concerns because myopia can lead to severe ocular complications later in life. Genomewide association studies (GWAS) have made considerable contributions to the understanding of the genetic architecture of refractive errors. Among the hundreds of genetic variants identified, common variants near the gap junction delta-2 (GJD2) gene have consistently been reported as one of the top hits. GJD2 encodes the connexin 36 (Cx36) protein, which forms gap junction channels and is highly expressed in the neural retina. In this review, we provide current evidence that links GJD2(Cx36) to the development of myopia. We summarize the gap junctional communication in the eye and the specific role of GJD2(Cx36) in retinal processing of visual signals. Finally, we discuss the pathways involving dopamine and gap junction phosphorylation and coupling as potential mechanisms that may explain the role of GJD2(Cx36) in refractive error development.     

Delinquency and drug use among adolescents and emerging adults: The role of aggression,impulsivity, empathy,and cognitive distortions

Risk behaviors are well known to be higher in adolescents and emerging adults. Drug use and delinquency present several common predictive factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the contribution of individual factors (aggression, impulsivity, empathy, and cognitive distortions) to delinquent behaviors, alcohol use and cannabis consumption among adolescents and emerging adults. Participants were between 15 and 25 years of age (M = 18.64 years, SD = 2.61); 325 were adolescents (15–18 years of age, M = 16.56, SD = 1.11, 56.31% of women) and 283 were emerging adults (19–25 years, M = 21.03, SD = 1.62, 50.88% of women). They completed self-report validated questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses showed that all individual factors significantly predicted delinquency. Impulsivity and empathy significantly predicted alcohol use. Concerning cannabis use, impulsivity is the only significantly associated predictor. Moderation analysis showed that specific associations were stronger in adolescents, whereas others were stronger in emerging adults. All these variables explained 69% of the variance of delinquency, 31% of the variance of alcohol use, and 18% of the variance of cannabis use. This model demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit criteria. These results may have implications for prevention and intervention.     

Telaprevir- and boceprevir-based tritherapies in real practice for F3-F4 pretreated hepatitis C virus patients

AIM:To assess,in a routine practice setting,the sus-tained virologic response(SVR) to telaprevir(TPV) or boceprevir(BOC) in hepatitis C virus(HCV) nullresponders or relapsers with severe liver fibrosis.METHODS:One hundred twenty-five patients were treated prospectively for 48 wk with TPV or BOC + pegylated-interferon(peg-INF) α2a + ribavirin(PR) according to standard treatment schedules without randomization.These patients were treated in routine practice settings in 10 public or private health care centers,and the data were prospectively collected.Only patients with severe liver fibrosis(Metavir scores of F3 or F4 upon liver biopsy or liver stiffness assessed by elastography),genotype 1 HCV and who were null-responders or relapsers to prior PR combination therapy were included in this study.RESULTS:The Metavir fibrosis scores were F3 in 35(28%) and F4 in 90(72%) of the patients.In total,62.9% of the patients were null-responders and 37.1% relapsers to the previous PR therapy.The overall SVR rate at 24 wk post-treatment withdrawal was 59.8%.The SVR was 65.9% in the TPV group and 44.1% in the BOC group.Independent predictive factors of an SVR included a response to previous treatment,relapsers vs null-responders [OR = 3.9;(1.4,10.6),P = 0.0084],a rapid virological response(RVR) [OR 6.9(2.6,18.2),P = 0.001] and liver stiffness lower than 21.3 kPa [OR = 8.2(2.3,29.5),P = 0.001].During treatment,63 patients(50.8%) had at least one severe adverse event(SAE) of grade 3 or 4.A multivariate analysis identified two factors associated with SAEs:female gender [OR = 2.4(1.1,5.6),P = 0.037] and a platelet count below 150 × 103/ mm3 [OR = 5.3(2.3,12.4),P ≤ 0.001].CONCLUSION:More than half of these difficult-to-treat patients achieved an SVR and had SAEs in an actual practice setting.The SVR rate was influenced by the response to previous PR treatment,the RVR and liver stiffness.