Correlates of 15-Year Maintenance of Physical Activity in Middle-Aged Women

Background

Interventions to increase sustained physical activity are needed and should be based on proven theories.

Purpose

To gain a better understanding of the correlates of sustained physical activity in midlife women, we used longitudinal epidemiologic data to investigate links between sustained physical activity and constructs advocated by three basic behavioral and social science theories: (1) self-determination, (2) social cognitive, and (3) social networks. A random sample of 90 midlife women, stratified by level of physical activity over 15 years, was selected from the Chicago cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Methods

Using data on self-reported physical activity collected over 15 years, women were categorized into consistently active, sporadically active, and sedentary. New data were collected on theory-relevant constructs, i.e., autonomous motivation (assessed by the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire) and self-efficacy (assessed by the Self-Efficacy and Exercise Habits Survey). Every SWAN woman identified a close female friend who also completed the physical activity questionnaire.

Results

SWAN women with higher autonomous motivation (p?=?0.002) and higher self-efficacy (p?<?0.001) were more likely to be consistently physically active in analyses adjusted for age, race, and socioeconomic status. Sixty-one percent of SWAN women with a history of consistent physical activity had a friend who is currently highly active, versus 38 and 23 % for sporadically active and sedentary women, respectively (test for trend p?=?0.008).

Conclusion

In midlife women, constructs advocated by basic behavioral and social science theories were consistent with long-term patterns of physical activity behavior. Special focus should be given to these basic theories in the design of interventions to promote sustained physical activity in mid-life women.     

Atypical chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontocerebellar perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS), primary angiitis of the CNS mimicking CLIPPERS or overlap syndrome? A case report

A novel type of encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) in 2010 and few additional patients were reported since then. Partially due to its unknown aetiology and a lack of pathognomonic features some have suggested that CLIPPERS may not represent a distinct disease, but rather a syndrome with different underlying aetiologies. Here we report a 49-year-old German female who presented with a number of clinical and paraclinical features described as typical for CLIPPERS, while additionally showing symptoms and findings compatible with primary angiitis of the CNS (PACNS). This case may establish a previously unnoted link between two poorly understood autoimmune conditions of the CNS.     

Oligodendroglial lineage cells express nuclear p57kip2 in multiple sclerosis lesions

Impaired remyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS) might be due to the failure of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) to differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes. Animal experimental data have shown that p57kip2 inhibits oligodendroglial differentiation, indicating that this factor could contribute to remyelination failure. This study investigates oligodendroglial p57kip2 expression and its association with remyelination in MS lesions. To analyze the potential association of p57kip2 expression with human oligodendroglial maturation, double immunofluorescence staining was performed on brain tissue from 30 MS patients and 20 controls. Anti‐p57kip2 antibody was combined with either anti‐Nogo‐A to label mature oligodendrocytes or anti‐Olig2 antibodies to identify immature OPCs. We evaluated MS lesions with or without remyelination, the periplaque white matter (PPWM) as well as control white matter (WM). p57kip2‐expressing cells were assessed and correlated with the extent of remyelination. Most Nogo‐A‐positive oligodendrocytes (range, 87–98%) and all Olig2^strong‐positive OPCs expressed p57kip2 in MS lesions, in the PPWM and in control WM. p57kip2 expression in oligodendrocytes and OPCs were similar in MS lesions with remyelination compared to MS lesions lacking remyelination. Interestingly, all oligodendroglial lineage cells showed nuclear p57kip2 expression only, with mature oligodendrocytes expressing p57kip2 at low or intermediate levels and OPCs featuring strong expression levels, indicating that this factor may be dynamically expressed during maturation processes. Therefore, p57kip2 appears to be widely expressed in the human oligodendroglial lineage, and potential beneficial effects on remyelination in the MS brain are not based on subcellular p57kip2 localization shifts, as suggested by previous animal experiments. GLIA 2013;61:1250–1260     

Autonomic hypoactivity in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the influence of methylphenidate

Objectives. This study investigates an overall autonomic hypoactivity reflecting hypoarousal as important aetiological factor in ADHD at baseline during rest and in response towards stimuli. In addition, effects of methylphenidate (MPH) are examined. We further assessed whether this hypoarousal is a stable characteristic or ameliorated by arousing emotional stimuli. Methods. Boys with ADHD were examined with (n = 35) or without MPH (n = 45) and compared with healthy boys (n = 22) regarding skin conductance level (SCL) during rest and skin conductance responses (SCRs) as well as valence and arousal ratings in response to positive, neutral, and negative pictures. Results. ADHD children without MPH were characterized by reduced baseline SCL and overall reduced SCRs. ADHD children with MPH never differed from control children. All groups displayed normal valence and arousal ratings of the stimuli and enhanced SCRs to emotional in comparison to neutral pictures. Conclusions. This is the first study to unravel (1) a general autonomic hypoactivity in ADHD children at baseline and in response to low arousing neutral and highly arousing emotional stimuli, and (2) hints that MPH normalizes this hypoactivity. Results contribute to the understanding of ADHD aetiology and MPH functionality, and are consistent with the cognitive-energetic model of ADHD.     

EAACI position paper on diet diversity in pregnancy,infancy and childhood: Novel concepts and implications for studies in allergy and asthma

To fully understand the role of diet diversity on allergy outcomes and to set standards for conducting research in this field, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Task Force on Diet and Immunomodulation has systematically explored the association between diet diversity and allergy outcomes. In addition, a detailed narrative review of information on diet quality and diet patterns as they pertain to allergic outcomes is presented. Overall, we recommend that infants of any risk category for allergic disease should have a diverse diet, given no evidence of harm and some potential association of benefit in the prevention of particular allergic outcomes. In order to harmonize methods for future data collection and reporting, the task force members propose relevant definitions and important factors for consideration, when measuring diet diversity in the context of allergy. Consensus was achieved on practice points through the Delphi method. It is hoped that the definitions and considerations described herein will also enable better comparison of future studies and improve mechanistic studies and pathway analysis to understand how diet diversity modulates allergic outcomes.     

Protein Quality in Perspective: A Review of Protein Quality Metrics and Their Applications

For design of healthy and sustainable diets and food systems, it is important to consider not only the quantity but also the quality of nutrients. This is particularly important for proteins, given the large variability in amino acid composition and digestibility between dietary proteins. This article reviews measurements and metrics in relation to protein quality, but also their application. Protein quality methods based on concentrations and digestibility of individual amino acids are preferred, because they do not only allow ranking of proteins, but also assessment of complementarity of protein sources, although this should be considered only at a meal level and not a diet level. Measurements based on ileal digestibility are preferred over those on faecal digestibility to overcome the risk of overestimation of protein quality. Integration of protein quality on a dietary level should also be done based on measurements on an individual amino acid basis. Effects of processing, which is applied to all foods, should be considered as it can also affect protein quality through effects on digestibility and amino acid modification. Overall, protein quality data are crucial for integration into healthy and sustainable diets, but care is needed in data selection, interpretation and integration.