Motivations for participation in weight loss clinical trials.

Males are under-represented in weight loss clinical trials, usually comprising fewer than one-quarter of participants. Our study aimed to investigate people's motivations for participating in weight loss trials and determine any relationship with gender. Eighty individuals from an existing registry for weight loss trials were contacted, of whom 24 (9 males, 15 females) agreed to participate in a 20-min semi-structured interview around their expectations and motivations for volunteering. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed in Zoom. A transcript of each interview was uploaded into NVivo for preliminary thematic analysis. Improved health was a common motivation for pursuing weight loss in all subjects regardless of gender. Male recruitment to weight loss trials was often influenced by advice from a healthcare professional to lose weight for the prevention of obesity-related comorbidities, whereas family and aesthetic expectations (e.g., clothes and fashion) were key elements of female participation. Identification of gender differences in motivations for volunteering in weight loss trials will help improve tailoring of recruitment strategies and interventions to enhance male participation in the future.

Differences in weight loss outcomes for males and females on a low-carbohydrate diet: A systematic review.

It has been widely demonstrated that there are a broad range of individual responses to all weight management regimens, often masked by reports of the mean. Identifying features of responders and non-responders to weight loss regimens enables a more tailored approach to the provision of weight management advice. Low-carbohydrate diets are currently popular, and anecdote suggests that males are more successful at losing weight using this approach. This is feasible given the physiological and socio-psychological differences between the genders. We analysed the extent and variation in weight change for males and females separately through a systematic search for all low-carbohydrate diet trials published since 1985. Very few studies compared weight loss outcomes by gender and, of those that did, most lacked supporting data. The majority of studies reported no gender difference but when a gender difference was found, males were more frequently reported as losing more weight than females on a low-carbohydrate diet. The lack of gender stratification in weight loss trials is concerning, as there are a range of gender-based factors that affect weight loss outcomes. This study highlights the importance of examining weight change for males and females separately, since as failure to do so may mask any potential differences, which, if detected, could assist with better weight loss outcomes.

Spred negatively regulates lens growth by modulating epithelial cell proliferation and fiber differentiation.

Spred, like Sprouty (Spry) and also Sef proteins, have been identified as important regulators of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-mediated MAPK/ERK-signaling in various developmental systems, controlling cellular processes such as proliferation, migration and differentiation. Spreds are widely expressed during early embryogenesis, and in the eye lens, become more localised in the lens epithelium with later development, overlapping with other antagonists including Spry. Given the synexpression of Spreds and Spry in lens, in order to gain a better understanding of their specific roles in regulating growth factor mediated-signaling and cell behavior, we established and characterised lines of transgenic mice overexpressing Spred1 or Spred2, specifically in the lens. This overexpression of Spreds resulted in a small lens phenotype during ocular morphogenesis, retarding its growth by compromising epithelial cell proliferation and fiber differentiation. These in situ findings were shown to be dependent on the ability of Spreds to suppress MAPK-signaling, in particular FGF-induced ERK1/2-signaling in lens cells. This was validated in vitro using lens epithelial explants, that highlighted the overlapping role of Spreds with Spry2, but not Spry1. This study provides insights into the putative function of Spreds and Spry in situ, some overlapping and some distinct, and their importance in regulating lens cell proliferation and fiber differentiation contributing to lens and eye growth.