Psycho-social factors related to obesity and their associations with socioeconomic characteristics: the RECORD study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe the main psycho-social factors related to obesity in an adult population and to develop a unified construct (psycho-social profiles), to explore the associations between socioeconomic characteristics and these psycho-social profiles. METHODS: In its second wave, the RECORD Study assessed 6460 participants aged 30-79 years living in the Paris region between 2011 and 2014. Factor analyses followed by cluster analysis were applied to identify psycho-social profiles related to obesity. The two psycho-social profiles were adverse profile-negative body image, underestimation of the impact of weight in quality of life, low weight-related self-efficacy, and weight-related external locus of control; and favorable profile-positive body image, high self-efficacy, and internal locus of control. The relationship between three socioeconomic dimensions-current socioeconomic status, childhood socioeconomic status, and neighborhood education status-and psycho-social profiles was assessed through binomial logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, depression, living alone, and weight status. RESULTS: Contrary to hypotheses, there were no associations between socioeconomic characteristics and obesity-related psycho-social profiles after adjustment for body mass index. Depressive symptoms (OR 2.21, 95% CI 2.70, 4.04) and being female (3.31, 95% CI 2.70, 4.40) were associated with an adverse psycho-social profile. CONCLUSIONS: Psycho-social profiles could help to understand the multifactorial nature of the determinants of obesity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Does computed tomography-based muscle density predict muscle function and health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of low-density (lipid-rich) muscle measured by computed tomography (CT) with skeletal muscle function and health-related quality of life in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). METHODS: Seventeen patients and 10 healthy controls underwent CT of the midthigh to quantify high- (30-100 HU) and low-density (0-29 HU) skeletal muscle areas. Anthropometric measures, body composition, physical activity level, health-related quality of life, skeletal muscle strength, endurance, and fatigue were assessed. Patients were compared against controls. The relationship of anthropometric, body composition, and disease variables with measures of muscle function were examined using Spearman's test on the patient group. Linear regression was used to assess the age- and disease-adjusted relationship of muscle quality to physical function and muscle strength. RESULTS: Patients had higher body fat percentage (P = 0.042), trunk fat mass (P = 0.042), android:gynoid fat (P = 0.033), and midthigh low-density muscle/total muscle area (P < 0.001) compared to controls. Midthigh low-density muscle/total muscle area was negatively correlated with self-reported physical function, strength, and endurance (the Short Form 36 [SF-36] health survey physical functioning [P = 0.004], manual muscle testing [P = 0.020], knee maximal voluntary isometric contraction/thigh mineral-free lean mass [P < 0.001], and the endurance step test [P < 0.001]), suggesting that muscle quality impacts function in IIM. Using multiple linear regression adjusted for age, global disease damage, and total fat mass, poor muscle quality as measured by midthigh low-density muscle/total muscle area was negatively associated with SF-36 physical functioning (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Midthigh low-density muscle/total muscle area is a good predictor of muscle strength, endurance, and health-related quality of life as it pertains to physical functioning in patients with IIMs.

Physical impairment in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies is associated with the American College of Rheumatology functional status measure.

The goals of this study were to assess the predictive value of chart-abstracted American College of Rheumatology functional status (ACR-FS) with patient-reported ACR-FS and to relate it with measures of muscle function in a single-institution cohort of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Demographic and clinical data of 102 patients with IIMs regularly followed in the Rheumatology and Neurology Clinics at the University of Kentucky Medical Center between 2006 and 2012 were obtained through retrospective chart review. Clinical and functional status evaluation, muscle performance testing, and body composition measures were performed on a subset of 21 patients. ACR-FS was obtained by both chart abstraction and direct patient report. Spearman's correlations were used to examine the relationship of ACR-FS derived from chart abstraction with direct patient report, as well as the relationship of measures of physical function and body composition with ACR-FS. ACR-FS derived from chart abstraction was significantly correlated with ACR-FS derived from direct patient report (ρ = 0.78, p < 0.001). ACR-FS derived from chart abstraction was also significantly correlated with patient-reported physical function (ρ = -0.71, p < 0.001) and physical activity (ρ = -0.58, p < 0.05), manual muscle testing (ρ = -0.66, p < 0.01), and skeletal muscle endurance as measured by the functional index-2 test (shoulder flexion ρ = -0.62, p < 0.01; hip flexion ρ = -0.65, p < 0.0; heel lift ρ = -0.67, p < 0.01; and toe lift ρ = -0.68, p < 0.01). The ACR-FS is a simple measure of disability that can be used in chart abstraction studies involving IIM patients. We have demonstrated that ACR-FS correlates well with muscle performance tests of strength and endurance.

Holistic processing of faces as measured by the Thatcher illusion is intact in autism spectrum disorders.

Impaired face perception in autism spectrum disorders is thought to reflect a perceptual style characterized by componential rather than configural processing of faces. This study investigated face processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders using the Thatcher illusion, a perceptual phenomenon exhibiting 'inversion effects' that characterize typical face processing. While previous studies used a limited range of face orientations, we measured perception of normality/grotesqueness of faces at seven orientations ranging from upright to inverted to allow for a detailed comparison of both reaction time and error by orientation profiles. We found that, like their typically developing peers, adolescents with autism spectrum disorders show strong inversion effects whereby reaction times were longer and error rates greater at inverted when compared to upright orientations. Additionally, the adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, like their peers in the typically developing group, show a marked nonlinearity in the error by orientation profile. Error is roughly constant out to 90° and then increases steeply, indicating a sudden shift from configural to local processing that reflects experience with faces in their typical orientations. These findings agree with recent reports that face perception is qualitatively similar in autistic and neurotypical groups.

Inversion effects in the perception of the moving human form: a comparison of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing adolescents.

The "body inversion effect" refers to superior recognition of upright than inverted images of the human body and indicates typical configural processing. Previous research by Reed et al. using static images of the human body shows that people with autism fail to demonstrate this effect. Using a novel task in which adults, adolescents with autism, and typically developing adolescents judged whether walking stick figures-created from biological motion recordings and shown at seven orientations between 0° and 180°-were normal or distorted, this study shows clear effects of stimulus inversion. Reaction times and "inverse efficiency" increased with orientation for normal but not distorted walkers, and sensitivity declined with rotation from upright for all groups. Notably, the effect of stimulus inversion was equally detrimental to both groups of adolescents suggesting intact configural processing of the body in motion in autism spectrum disorder.

Synthesis of asymmetric supramolecular compounds using a Ni(0) catalysed homo-coupling approach.

The synthesis and characterisation of a series of dinuclear ruthenium and osmium polypyridyl metal complexes based on the bridging ligands [5-(5'-bipyridin-2',2''-yl)-3-(pyridin-2-yl)]-1,2,4-triazole (Hpytr-bipy), 2,2'-bis(pyridin-2''yl)-5,5'-bis(pyridin-3''-yl) (bipy-bipy) and 5,5'-bis(pyridin-2''-yl)-3,3'-bis(1,2,4-triazole) (Hpytr-Hpytr) are reported. The dinuclear complexes have been synthesised via a Ni(0) catalysed cross-coupling reaction from brominated precursors. With this approach a mixture of three products is obtained, which are separated by chromatographic methods. The compounds obtained are characterised by elemental analysis, (1)H NMR, absorption and emission spectroscopy. The synthetic approach developed offers a new route to asymmetric multinuclear supramolecular structures that is complimentary to the complexes as ligands/complexes as metal approaches.

Spectroelectrochemical properties of homo- and heteroleptic ruthenium and osmium binuclear complexes: intercomponent communication as a function of energy differences between HOMO levels of bridge and metal centres.

A series of binuclear ruthenium and osmium complexes [(bipy)(2)Ru(qpy)Ru(bipy)(2)](4+) (1), [(bipy)(2)Os(qpy)Os(bipy)(2)](4+) (2), [(bipy)(2)Ru(pytr-bipy)Ru(bipy)(2)](3+) (3), [(bipy)(2)Ru(pytr-bipy)Os(bipy)(2)](3+) (4), [(bipy)(2)Os(pytr-bipy)Ru(bipy)(2)](3+)(5) and [(bipy)(2)Os(bpbt)Os(bipy)(2)](2+) (6) {bipy = 2,2'-bipyridyl; qpy = 2,2':5',5'':2'',2'''-quaterpyridyl; pytr-bipy = 3-(2,2'-bipyrid-6-yl)-5-(pyrid-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazolato, and bpbt = 5,5'-bis-(pyrid-2''-yl)-3,3'-bis-1,2,4-triazolato} are reported. Analysis of the electrochemical data focuses on structural factors and on determining the extent of electronic communication between the metal centres in the mixed valence oxidation state. Intervalence charge transfer (IT) bands could be identified in the spectra of the complexes 4 and 6 only. Analysis of their spectroelectrochemical data leads to the conclusion that the IT is superexchange mediated through the HOMO of the bridging ligand.

Confirmation of the R653Q polymorphism of the trifunctional C1-synthase enzyme as a maternal risk for neural tube defects in the Irish population.

The risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) is known to have a significant genetic component that could act through either the NTD patient and/or maternal genotype. The success of folic acid supplementation in NTD prevention has focused attention on polymorphisms within folate-related genes. We previously identified the 1958G>A (R653Q) polymorphism of the trifunctional enzyme MTHFD1 (methylenetetrahydrofolate-dehydrogenase, methenyltetrahydrofolate-cyclohydrolase, formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase; often referred to as 'C1 synthase') as a maternal risk for NTDs, but this association remains to be verified in a separate study to rule out a chance finding. To exclude this possibility, we genotyped an independent sample of mothers with a history of an NTD-affected pregnancy derived from the same Irish population. In this sample there was a significant excess of 1958AA homozygote mothers of NTD cases (n=245) compared to controls (n=770). The direction and magnitude of risk (odds ratio 1.49 (1.07-2.09), P=0.019) is consistent with our earlier finding. Sequencing of the MTHFD1 gene revealed that this association is not being driven by another common variant within the coding region. We have established that the MTHFD1 1958G>A polymorphism has a significant role in influencing a mother's risk of having an NTD-affected pregnancy in the Irish population.