Publications

Abstract Objective To comprehensively examine the associations between changes in carbohydrate intake and weight change at four year intervals. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses’ Health Study (1986-2010), Nurses’ Health Study II (1991-2015), and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2014). Participants 136 432 men and women aged 65 years or younger and free of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disorders, gastric conditions, chronic kidney disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus before baseline. Main outcome measure Weight change within a four year period. Results The final analyses included 46 722 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, 67 186 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II, and 22 524 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. On average, participants gained 1.5 kg (5th to 95th centile −6.8 to 10.0) every four years, amounting to 8.8 kg on average over 24 years. Among men and women, increases in glycemic index and glycemic load were positively associated with weight gain. For example, a 100 g/day increase in starch or added sugar was associated with 1.5 kg and 0.9 kg greater weight gain over four years, respectively, whereas a 10 g/day increase in fiber was associated with 0.8 kg less weight gain. Increased carbohydrate intake from whole grains (0.4 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase), fruit (1.6 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase), and non-starchy vegetables (3.0 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase) was inversely associated with weight gain, whereas increased intake from refined grains (0.8 kg more weight gain per 100 g/day increase) and starchy vegetables (peas, corn, and potatoes) (2.6 kg more weight gain per 100 g/day increase) was positively associated with weight gain. In substitution analyses, replacing refined grains, starchy vegetables, and sugar sweetened beverages with equal servings of whole grains, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables was associated with less weight gain. The magnitude of these associations was stronger among participants with overweight or obesity compared with those with normal weight (P<0.001 for interaction). Most of these associations were also stronger among women. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight the potential importance of carbohydrate quality and source for long term weight management, especially for people with excessive body weight. Limiting added sugar, sugar sweetened beverages, refined grains, and starchy vegetables in favor of whole grains, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables may support efforts to control weight.

Four separate soft robotic fingers progressively curl to play notes on a keyboard. The finger-like actuators are made of a silicone elastomer molded from 3D printed parts by G. M. Whitesides and co-workers. On page 2163, these soft fingers are shown to be capable of bending fully in less than 50 ms, actuating over 1 million cycles, and bending along different paths based on their rate of pressurization.

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between maternal Hb levels during pregnancy and educational achievement of the offspring in later life. We analysed data obtained from the Northern Finnish Birth Cohort Study conducted in 1966, in which, data on mothers and offspring from pregnancy through to the age of 31 years were collected. The cohort comprised 11 656 individuals born from singleton births (51 % males and 49 % females). Maternal Hb levels were available from the third, seventh and ninth gestational months. Educational achievement was measured as school scores (range 4-10) taken at the ages of 14 (self-reported questionnaires) and 16 (school reports) years as well as the highest level of education at the age of 31 years. The present results showed a direct positive association between Hb levels and educational achievement in later life. After adjustment for sex, birth weight, birth month and a wide range of maternal factors (parity, smoking, mental status, whether pregnancy was wanted or not, education, social class and marital status), only maternal Hb levels that were measured at the ninth month were significantly associated with the offspring's school performance. If the levels were ≥ 110 g/l at all the three measurement points, offspring not only had better school scores at the ages of 14 and 16 years (β = 0·048, P = 0·04 and β = 0·68, P = 0·007, respectively), but also had an increased odds of having a higher level of education at the age of 31 years (OR = 1·14, P = 0·04). The present study suggests that low maternal Hb levels at the final stages of pregnancy are linked to the poorer educational achievement of the offspring. If our observation is confirmed, it would suggest that Fe prophylaxis even at fairly late stages of pregnancy may be beneficial for the subsequent health of the offspring. However, more studies are needed to fully establish the potential pathways and the clinical importance of the present findings.

The intrinsic properties and bonding of single phase carbon nitride thin films of stoichiometry C2N have been studied. C2N exhibits high electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity that are similar to the properties shown by diamondlike carbon (DLC) films. Electron energy loss spectroscopy studies how, however, that the carbon in C2N is sp2-hybridized rather than sp3-bonded carbon as in DLC. This carbon bonding in C2N film leads to a high thermal stability that makes C2N distinct from DLC and nitrogen doped DLCs, and thus an attractive candidate for applications.

We investigate the dynamics of fracture in drying films of colloidal silica. Water loss quenches the nanoparticle dispersions to form a liquid-saturated elastic network of particles that relieves drying-induced strain by cracking. These cracks display intriguing intermittent motion originating from the deformation of arrested crack tips and aging of the elastic network. The dynamics of a single crack exhibits a universal evolution, described by a balance of the driving elastic power with the sum of interfacial power and the viscous dissipation rate of flowing interstitial fluid.

Small-scale engineering: A new strategy for the production of monodisperse colloid particles with precise control of their size, shape, and composition has been developed. Highly monodisperse liquid droplets are formed by using a microfluidic device. The droplets are shaped in a microchannel (spheres, disks, and rods; see images) and solidified in situ by either polymerization or thermal setting.

'Post-exposure Bake (PEB)' published in 'Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology'

OBJECTIVES: Imidazole propionate (ImP), a microbiota metabolite from histidine, has been linked to cardiometabolic conditions in humans. The current study aimed to elucidate inter-relationships between histidine intake, gut microbial composition and functional potentials, circulating ImP levels, and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in U.S. adults. METHODS: A total of 896 fecal samples and 462 blood samples were collected from 298 healthy men in the Men's Lifestyle Validation Study. Multivariate Association with Linear Models 2 was used to analyze the associations between microbial features and plasma ImP levels. Associations between plasma ImP and CHD risk was examined using Cox proportional hazards regression models among 7,793 participants pooled from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), and NHSII with existing ImP measurements. RESULTS: The overall microbial composition was associated with plasma ImP levels (PERMANOVA p = 0.001). Multivariable taxa-wide association analysis identified 14 bacterial species, such as Ruminococcus Obeum, Clostridium clostridioforme, C. nexile, C. symbiosum and Gordonibacter pamelaeae, that were significantly (FDR P < 0.05) associated with plasma ImP levels. A non-parametric score was derived to summarize the abundance of the 14 species. Higher intake of red meat and histidine was significantly associated with higher ImP levels among participants with a higher ImP-Species Score (for red meat, P-inter = 0.04; for histidine, P-inter = 0.01), but not among others (P > 0.05). In the pooled cohort, compared with participants in the lowest ImP tertile, the relative risk (95% CI) of CHD was 2.06 (1.96, 2.43) among those in the highest ImP tertile (P- trend = 0.0001). Histidine consumption was not associated with CHD risk in the same study population. CONCLUSIONS: We identified multiple microbiota species that were associated with plasma ImP concentrations and collectively predicted stronger associations of histidine or red meat intake with ImP concentrations. Plasma ImP concentrations were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing CHD. These data emphasize the role of human gut microbiota in modulating the production of ImP through histidine intake. FUNDING SOURCES: The National Institutes of Health Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Centre.

Background: Olive oil intake is inversely associated with the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. However, it is unclear whether there is an association between olive oil intake and weight changes; because it is an energy-dense food concerns have been raised that high intake may contribute to weight gain. Therefore, we aimed to determine the associations between long-term changes in olive oil consumption and changes in weight. Methods: We examined data from 116,243 women and men from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS, 1990-2010), NHSII (1991-2015), and Health Professional Follow-up Study (HPFS, 1990-2014), who were free from chronic diseases at baseline. We applied multivariable linear regression models with robust variance estimators to assess the association of changes in olive oil intake within each 4-year interval with concurrent weight changes. Results across the three cohorts were pooled using inverse-variance weights. Results: At baseline, mean ± SD age was 54.8 ± 6.6 years in the NHS, 45.3 ± 8.0 years in the NHS2, and 53.9 ± 7.2 years in the HPFS. Mean body mass index was 25 kg/m2 at baseline across the three cohorts. The mean weight gain over each 4-year follow-up cycle was highest in the NHS2 (1.8; 95%CI -6.8 to 11.3 kg), followed by the NHS (1.0; 95%CI -6.8 to 9.1 kg), and lastly the HPFS (0.6; 95%CI -5.4 to 6.8 kg). Pooling across the cohorts after adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and set of dietary factors (fruits, vegetables, red and processed meat, sugar sweetened beverages, coffee, refined grains), each ½ Tablespoon (7 grams) serving per day increment in olive oil was associated with a slightly lower 4-year weight gain of -0.06 kg (95%CI -0.08 to -0.04 kg; p&lt;0.0001). This inverse association was observed in the three cohorts, with a greater magnitude of association in the NHS2 (-0.08; 95%CI -0.10 to -0.05 kg; p&lt;0.0001), followed by the HPFS (-0.07; 95%CI -0.12 to -0.02 kg; p=0.003) and lastly the NHS (-0.05; 95%CI -0.07 to -0.01 kg; p=0.02). Results were attenuated after adjustment for the Alternative Healthy Eating index (pooled -0.03; 95%CI -0.05 to -0.02; p=0.0003). Conclusions: Long-term habitual increase in olive oil consumption was not associated with increased weight gain in middle-aged and older adults.