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Bullying victimization among adolescents is a major public health concern. However, multicountry studies investigating temporal trends of bullying victimization among adolescents are scarce, especially from a global perspective. Thus, we aimed to examine the temporal trends of bullying victimization among school-going adolescents between 2003 and 2017 in 29 countries from Africa (n = 5), Asia (n = 18), and the Americas (n = 6). Data on 191,228 students aged 12–15 years [mean (standard deviation) age 13.7 (1.0) years; 48.9% boys] who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey were analyzed. Bullying victimization was based on self-report and referred to being bullied at least once in the past 30 days. The prevalence (95% confidence interval) of bullying victimization was calculated for each survey. Crude linear trends in bullying victimization were examined by linear regression models. The mean prevalence of bullying victimization across all surveys was 39.4%. There was a large variation in the trends of bullying victimization across countries with a significant increasing and decreasing trend being observed in 6 and 13 countries, respectively. Myanmar, Egypt, and the Philippines showed the sharpest increase. The decrease was modest in most countries which showed a decreasing trend. The remaining countries showed stable trends (n = 10) but some countries such as Seychelles showed consistently high prevalence over time (i.e., ≥ 50%). Decreasing trends of bullying victimization were more common than increasing or stable trends in our study including adolescents from 29 countries. However, a high prevalence of bullying was observed in most countries, and thus, further global efforts to combat bullying victimization are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines recommend applying theory within complex interventions to explain how behaviour change occurs. Guidelines endorse self-management of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and osteoarthritis (OA), but evidence for its effectiveness is weak. Objective This literature review aimed to determine the use of behaviour change theory and techniques within randomised controlled trials of group-based self-management programmes for chronic musculoskeletal pain, specifically CLBP and OA. Methods A two-phase search strategy of electronic databases was used to identify systematic reviews and studies relevant to this area. Articles were coded for their use of behaviour change theory, and the number of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) was identified using a 93-item taxonomy, Taxonomy (v1). Results 25 articles of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which only three reported having based their intervention on theory, and all used Social Cognitive Theory. A total of 33 BCTs were coded across all articles with the most commonly identified techniques being ‘ instruction on how to perform the behaviour ’, ‘ demonstration of the behaviour ’, ‘ behavioural practice ’, ‘ credible source ’, ‘ graded tasks ’ and ‘ body changes ’. Conclusion Results demonstrate that theoretically driven research within group based self-management programmes for chronic musculoskeletal pain is lacking, or is poorly reported. Future research that follows recommended guidelines regarding the use of theory in study design and reporting is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To systematically review the evidence examining effects of walking interventions on pain and self-reported function in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Data Sources Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, PEDro, Sport Discus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched from January 1980 to March 2014. Study Selection Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials in adults with chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, or fibromyalgia comparing walking interventions to a nonexercise or nonwalking exercise control group. Data Extraction Data were independently extracted using a standardized form. Methodological quality was assessed using the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force system. Data Synthesis Twenty-six studies (2384 participants) were included, and suitable data from 17 studies were pooled for meta-analysis, with a random effects model used to calculate between-group mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Data were analyzed according to the duration of follow-up (short-term, ≤8wk postrandomization; medium-term, >2mo to 12mo; long-term, >12mo). Interventions were associated with small to moderate improvements in pain at short-term (mean difference , −5.31; 95% CI, −8.06 to −2.56) and medium-term (mean difference, −7.92; 95% CI, −12.37 to −3.48) follow-up. Improvements in function were observed at short-term (mean difference, −6.47; 95% CI, −12.00 to −0.95), medium-term (mean difference, −9.31; 95% CI, −14.00 to −4.61), and long-term (mean difference, −5.22; 95% CI, −7.21 to −3.23) follow-up. Conclusions Evidence of fair methodological quality suggests that walking is associated with significant improvements in outcome compared with control interventions but longer-term effectiveness is uncertain. With the use of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force system, walking can be recommended as an effective form of exercise or activity for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain but should be supplemented with strategies aimed at maintaining participation. Further work is required for examining effects on important health-related outcomes in this population in robustly designed studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to explore maternal energy balance, incorporating free living physical activity and sedentary behaviour, in uncomplicated pregnancies at risk of macrosomia. Methods: a parallel-group cross-sectional analysis was conducted in healthy pregnant women predicted to deliver infants weighing ⩾4000 g (study group) or <4000 g (control group). Women were recruited in a 1:1 ratio from antenatal clinics in Northern Ireland. Women wore a SenseWear® Body Media Pro3 physical activity armband and completed a food diary for four consecutive days in the third trimester. Physical activity was measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks (METs) where 1 MET=1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed using the General Linear Model to adjust for potential confounders. Findings: of the 112 women recruited, 100 complete datasets were available for analysis. There was no significant difference in energy balance between the two groups. Intensity of free living physical activity (average METs) of women predicted to deliver macrosomic infants (n=50) was significantly lower than that of women in the control group (n=50) (1.3 (0.2) METs (mean, standard deviation) versus 1.2 (0.2) METs; difference in means -0.1 METs (95% confidence interval: -0.19, -0.01); p=0.021). Women predicted to deliver macrosomic infants also spent significantly more time in sedentary behaviour (⩽1 MET) than the control group (16.1 (2.8) hours versus 13.8 (4.3) hours; 2.0 hours (0.3, 3.7), p=0.020). Key conclusions and implications for practice: although there was no association between predicted fetal macrosomia and energy balance, those women predicted to deliver a macrosomic infant exhibited increased sedentary behaviour and reduced physical activity in the third trimester of pregnancy. Professionals caring for women during pregnancy have an important role in promoting and supporting more active lifestyles amongst women who are predicted to deliver a macrosomic infant given the known associated risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To determine the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of physiotherapy for sleep disturbance in chronic low back pain (CLBP) (≥12wks). Design: Randomized controlled trial with evaluations at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Setting: Outpatient physiotherapy department in an academic teaching hospital. Participants: Participants with CLBP were randomly assigned to a walking program (n=20; mean age ± SD, 46.4±13.8y), supervised exercise class (n=20; mean age ± SD, 41.3±11.9y), or usual physiotherapy (n=20; mean age ± SD, 47.1±14.3y). The 3-month evaluation was completed by 44 participants (73%), and 42 (70%) participants completed the 6-month evaluation. Interventions: Participants received a physiotherapy-delivered 8-week walking program, an 8-week group supervised exercise class (1 class/wk), or 1-to-1 usual physiotherapy (advice, manual therapy, and exercise). Main Outcome Measures: Sleep was assessed by the self-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Diary, and objective actigraphy. Results: Groups were comparable at baseline. Most (95%, n=57) of the participants had sleep disturbance. The acceptability of actigraphy was excellent at baseline (58 of 60 participants), but dropped at 3 months (26 of 44 participants). There were improvements on the PSQI and ISI in all groups at 3 and 6 months, with predominantly medium effect sizes (Cohen d=0.2–0.5). Conclusions: The high prevalence of sleep disturbance indicated the feasibility of good recruitment in future trials. The PSQI would be a suitable screening tool and outcome measure alongside an objective nonobtrusive sleep outcome measure. The effectiveness of physiotherapy for sleep disturbance in CLBP warrants investigation in a fully powered randomized controlled trial. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Financial incentives have been advocated by the UK and U.S. governments to encourage adoption of healthy lifestyles. However, evidence to support the use of incentives for changing physical activity (PA) behavior is sparse. Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of financial incentives to increase PA in adults in the workplace. Design: Two-arm quasi-experimental design. Setting/participants: Employees (n=406) in a workplace setting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. Intervention: Using a loyalty card to collect points and earn rewards, participants (n=199) in the Incentive Group monitored their PA levels and received financial incentives (retail vouchers) for minutes of PA completed over the course of a 12-week intervention period. Participants (n=207) in the comparison group used their loyalty card to self-monitor their PA levels but were not able to earn points or obtain incentives (No Incentive Group). Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was minutes of PA objectively measured using a novel PA tracking system at baseline (April 2011); Week 6 (June 2011); and Week 12 (July 2011). Other outcomes, including a self-report measure of PA, were collected at baseline, Week 12, and 6 months (October 2011). Data were analyzed in June 2012. Results: No significant differences between groups were found for primary or secondary outcomes at the 12-week and 6-month assessments. Participants in the Incentive Group recorded 17.52 minutes of PA/week (95% CI=12.49, 22.56) compared to 16.63 minutes/week (95% CI=11.76, 21.51) in the No Incentive Group at Week 12 (p=0.59). At 6 months, participants in the Incentive Group recorded 26.18 minutes of PA/week (95% CI=20.06, 32.29) compared to 24.00 minutes/week (95% CI=17.45, 30.54) in the No Incentive Group (p=0.45). Conclusions: Financial incentives did not encourage participants to undertake more PA than self-monitoring PA. This study contributes to the evidence base and has important implications for increasing participation in physical activity and fostering links with the business sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health benefits of physical activity have gained interest as an intervention tool for mental health. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the effects of interventions with physical activity components on measures of anxiety, depression and stress in young people. A systematic search was carried out across nine electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, British Education Index, Child Development and Adolescent Studies, CENTRAL, Embase, SportDiscus and Psychinfo). Inclusion criteria were studies that used physical activity components with anxiety, depression and stress outcomes in a target population aged 10–19 years. Intervention effects (mean differences) were calculated with a random-effects model. A risk of bias assessment was conducted. A total of 13 studies depicting 11 RCT and 2 Cluster RCT's with 1928 participants were included. 11 studies were eligible for meta-analyses. The meta-analyses for anxiety demonstrated no difference between groups at follow-up (SMD 0.04; 95% CI -0.20, 0.28; I2 = 55%) or when measured as change from baseline (SMD -0.33; 95% CI -0.68, 0.03; I2 = 0%). Similarly, no difference in depression was demonstrated between groups at follow-up (SMD 0.09; 95% CI -0.20, 0.40; I2 = 72%) or when measured as change from baseline (SMD -0.11; 95% CI -0.29, 0.07; I2 = 0%). The meta-analyses showed no overall affect and included studies had high risk of bias and heterogeneity therefore results should be viewed tentatively. The ability of physical activity components within interventions to produce meaningful change in anxiety, depression and stress outcomes in adolescents remains unclear as the results of the meta-analyses showed no overall affect. Therefore more conclusive studies should be conducted in the future. • A majority of the studies included examined depression, with less available information on adolescent anxiety and stress. • The meta-analyses showed no overall affect and included studies had high levels of heterogeneity. • Future research should explore the most suitable approach for physical-activity-based mental health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the cross-sectional association between physical activity levels with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and positive mental well-being in a sample of the UK public social distancing owing to COVID-19. This paper presents pre-planned interim analyses of data from a cross-sectional epidemiological study. Levels of physical activity during COVID-I9 social distancing were self-reported. Mental health was measured using the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory. Mental wellbeing was measured using The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Participants also reported on sociodemographic and clinical data. The association between physical activity and mental health was studied using regression models. 902 adults were included in this study (63.8% of women and 50.1% of people aged 35–64 years). After adjusting for covariates, there was a negative association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day in hours and poor mental health (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80–0.97). Similar findings were obtained for moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms, moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms and poor mental wellbeing. In the present sample of UK adults social distancing owing to COVID-19 those who were physically active have better overall mental health. Owing, to the cross-sectional design of the present study the direction of the association cannot be inferred. • We investigated the association between physical activity and mental health in the UK public during COVID-19 "lockdown". • In this sample of UK adults those who were physically active had better overall mental health. • Owing, to the cross-sectional design of the present study the direction of the association cannot be inferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the association between sedentary behavior (SB) and wish to die (WTD; i.e., feeling that one would be better off dead or wishing for one's own death), and the extent to which this can be explained by sleep problems, depression, anxiety, loneliness, perceived stress, and social network in a nationally representative sample of adults aged ≥50 years from Ireland. Cross-sectional data from Wave 1 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing 2009–2011 were analyzed. WTD was defined as answering affirmatively to the question "In the last month, have you felt that you would rather be dead?" SB was used as a continuous variable (hours/day), and also as a categorical (< or ≥8 h/day) variable. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Data on 8163 adults aged ≥50 years were analyzed [mean (SD) age 63.6 (9.1) years; 48.0% males]. Overall, ≥8 (vs. <8) hours/day of SB was associated with a significant 2.04 (95%CI = 1.50–2.76) times higher odds for WTD, while a 1-h increase in SB per day was associated with 1.11 (95%CI = 1.06–1.16) times higher odds for WTD. Mediation analysis showed that sleep problems, depression, loneliness, perceived stress, and social network explained a modest proportion of the association between SB and WTD (mediated percentage 9.3%–14.8%). The present cross-sectional study found that increasing or higher levels of SB is positively associated with WTD. Addressing the identified potential mediators may reduce WTD among people who are sedentary. However, future longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to make concrete recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity has increased in recent decades, but values differ significantly among countries. Owing to the improvement of living standards, a higher frequency of leisure-time physical activity is expected in Western countries such as Spain, but there is a lack of research involving large, representative samples during a prolonged temporal frame to confirm this tendency.Methods: Individual representative data from the 1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2011, and 2017 rounds of the Spanish National Health Survey were used. Statistical analyses were conducted from April 9, 2020 to May 5, 2020.Results: A total of 114,813 participants (aged 43.9 [SD=16.7] years, 51.8% women) were included in the study. Crude linear trends in regular monthly and weekly leisure-time physical activity were estimated together using linear regression models across the survey years, which also served to estimate the regression coefficients (β) and 95% CIs for every year change. All age groups experienced significantly increased prevalence of regular leisure-time physical activity-either several times a month or several times a week-over time (p<0.001 for trend). Participants aged 16-17 years had the highest increase in the annual prevalence of regular leisure-time physical activity (β=0.8, 95% CI=0.7, 1.0). Additional adjusted multivariable logistic regression confirmed these trends.Conclusions: This study shows an increase in regular leisure-time physical activity among the adult Spanish population during the period from 1987 to 2017. Younger participants consistently presented higher prevalence levels than older participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Data on 4471 individuals aged ≥50 years from Ireland were analyzed. • Dynapenic abdominal obesity increased the risk of disability in activities of daily living at 4-year follow-up. • This association was significant among men but not women. Sex differences in the longitudinal relationship between dynapenic abdominal obesity, i.e., impairment in muscle strength and high waist circumference, and disability in activities of daily living have not been investigated to date. Therefore, we aimed to examine sex differences in the longitudinal association between dynapenic abdominal obesity at baseline and the onset of disability in activities of daily living during a four-year follow-up period among Irish adults aged ≥50 years. Data from Wave 1 (2009–2011) and Wave 3 (2014–2015) of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing survey were analyzed. Dynapenia was defined as handgrip strength of <26 kg for men and <16 kg for women. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference of >88 cm for women and >102 cm for men. Dynapenic abdominal obesity was defined as having both dynapenia and abdominal obesity. Disability was defined as having difficulty with at least one of six activities of daily living (dressing, walking, bathing, eating, getting in or out of bed, using the toilet). Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess associations. Data on 4471 individuals aged ≥50 years and free of disability at baseline were analyzed [mean (SD) age 62.3 (8.6) years; 48.3 % males]. In the overall sample, compared to no dynapenia and no abdominal obesity, dynapenic abdominal obesity was associated with 2.15 (95%CI = 1.17–3.93) times higher odds for incident disability at 4-year follow-up. This association was significant among men (OR = 3.78; 95%CI = 1.70–8.38) but not among women (OR = 1.34; 95%CI = 0.60–2.98). Interventions to prevent or address dynapenic abdominal obesity may aid in the prevention of disability, especially among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the association between multimorbidity (i.e., two or more chronic conditions) and sleep problems in the general adult populations of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, we aimed to assess this association among adults from 46 LMICs, and to quantify the extent to which anxiety, depression, stress, and pain explain this association.Methods: Cross-sectional, predominantly nationally representative, community-based data from the World Health Survey were analyzed. Nine chronic physical conditions (angina, arthritis, asthma, chronic back pain, diabetes, edentulism, hearing problems, tuberculosis, visual impairment) were assessed. To be included in the analysis, sleep problems had to have been experienced in the past 30 days and to have been severe or extreme; they included difficulties falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night or waking up too early in the morning. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were conducted to explore the associations.Results: Data on 237,023 individuals aged ≥18 years [mean (SD) age 38.4 (16.0) years; 49.2% men] were analyzed. Compared with no chronic conditions, having 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 conditions was associated with 2.39 (95%CI=2.14, 2.66), 4.13 (95%CI=3.62, 4.71), 5.70 (95%CI=4.86, 6.69), and 9.99 (95%CI=8.18, 12.19) times higher odds for sleep problems. Pain (24.0%) explained the largest proportion of the association between multimorbidity and sleep problems, followed by anxiety (21.0%), depression (11.2%), and stress (10.4%).Conclusions: Multimorbidity was associated with a substantially increased odds for sleep problems in adults from 46 LMICs. Future studies should assess whether addressing factors such as pain, anxiety, depression, and stress in people with multimorbidity can lead to improvement in sleep in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide in young people aged 15–19 years. However, little is known about the correlates of multiple suicide attempts in adolescents, especially from a global perspective. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association of putative physical, behavioral, and social correlates with multiple suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12–15 years from 61 countries. Data from the Global school-based Student Health Survey (2009–2017) were analyzed. Multiple suicide attempts was classified as having attempted suicide at least twice in the past 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the potential correlates. Data on 162,994 adolescents [mean (SD) age 13.8 (0.9) years; 50.8% boys] were analyzed. The overall prevalence of multiple suicide attempts was 4.4% [range 1.2% (Laos) to 13.8% (Ghana)]. Among those who had attempted suicide at least once in the past 12 months, in the overall sample, food insecurity, smoking, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, amphetamine use, sedentary behavior, sexual intercourse, sleep problems, loneliness, no close friends, and bullying victimization were all independently associated with higher odds for multiple suicide attempts although some regional differences were observed. Our study results indicate potential target factors that could be addressed amongst those who had attempted suicide in the past to reduce future suicide attempts and possibly completed suicides. Furthermore, it is possible that region-specific interventions are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a global health issue, and modifiable behavioural factors need to be identified in childhood to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of diet and physical activity on bone density of children aged 5–7 years participating in the Belfast Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Family study. Pregnant women were recruited to the Belfast centre of the HAPO study at 24–32 weeks gestation. Offspring were followed up at 5–7 years as part of the Belfast HAPO Family Study. Heel bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) were measured and calculated, respectively. Physical activity in the offspring was measured by accelerometery and dietary intakes were measured using a 4-day food diary. Results from 793 offspring were analysed. Mean age of the offspring ± standard deviation was 6.4 ± 0.5 years. A mean of 48.3 ± 22.4 min each day was spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Median (interquartile range) dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes were 844 (662–1073) mg/day and 1.7 (1.1–2.5) μg/day, respectively. Neither dietary vitamin D nor calcium intakes were significantly associated with offspring heel BMD or BMAD in multiple regression. However, controlling for confounders, a 30-min greater MVPA was associated with significantly larger heel BMD (0.018 g/cm2 in boys and 0.010 g/cm2 in girls) and BMAD (0.005 g/cm3 in boys and 0.003 g/cm3 in girls). Physical activity was associated with better BMD and BMAD in 5–7-year-old children. Dietary calcium and vitamin D were not predictive of BMD and BMAD. • The aim was to explore the influence of diet and physical activity on bone mineral density (BMD) of children aged 5-7 years. • Neither dietary vitamin D/calcium intakes were significantly associated with child heel BMD or BMAD in multiple regression. • Physical activity was associated with better BMD and BMAD in 5–7-year-old children. • More research is needed regarding blood concentrations of vitamin D and calcium to determine association with BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walking is the most common form of moderate-intensity physical activity among adults, is widely accessible and especially appealing to obese people. Most often policy makers are interested in valuing the effect on walking of changes in some characteristics of a neighbourhood, the demand response for walking, of infrastructure changes. A positive demand response to improvements in the walking environment could help meet the public health target of 150 min of at least moderate-intensity physical activity per week. We model walking in an individual's local neighbourhood as a ‘weak complement’ to the characteristics of the neighbourhood itself. Walking is affected by neighbourhood characteristics, substitutes, and individual's characteristics, including their opportunity cost of time. Using compensating variation, we assess the economic benefits of walking and how walking behaviour is affected by improvements to the neighbourhood. Using a sample of 1209 respondents surveyed over a 12 month period (Feb 2010–Jan 2011) in East Belfast, United Kingdom, we find that a policy that increased walkability and people's perception of access to shops and facilities would lead to an increase in walking of about 36 min/person/week, valued at £13.65/person/week. When focussing on inactive residents, a policy that improved the walkability of the area would lead to guidelines for physical activity being reached by only 12.8% of the population who are currently inactive. Additional interventions would therefore be needed to encourage inactive residents to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity, as it appears that interventions that improve the walkability of an area are particularly effective in increasing walking among already active citizens, and, among the inactive ones, the best response is found among healthier, younger and wealthier citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ability of muscles of old mice to recover force generation following substantial damage is severely impaired, particularly during the late phase of regeneration. This inability to recover successfully may be associated with the attenuated ability of muscles of old mice to produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) in response to stress since muscles of old mice overexpressing HSP70 recover successfully following damage. The capacity of mature mammalian skeletal muscle to regenerate following damage is due to the presence of undifferentiated mononuclear myogenic precursor cells (satellite cells) at the periphery of mature skeletal muscle fibres. HSP expression is under the primary transcriptional control of heat shock factors 1 and 2 (HSF1 and HSF2). The aim of this study was to examine the expression of heat shock factors 1 and 2 by western blotting in mouse-derived C2C12 myoblasts as an experimental model system for investigating skeletal muscle regeneration. Data demonstrated that the HSF2 content of myotubes was significantly increased during the early stages of regeneration. In contrast, the HSF1 content of myotubes remained relatively low until late during regeneration. Thus, abnormal activation of HSF1 may play a role in the defective regeneration seen in muscles of old mice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The limited available literature suggests that sleep problems are linked to an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, this association has been little studied to date in low-income settings. To investigate the association between sleep problems and MCI in a large sample of adults from six low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cross-sectional. Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). 32,715 individuals aged ≥50 years with preservation in functional abilities [age range 50–114 years; 51.7% females]. MCI was defined using the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association criteria. Sleep problems were assessed by the question "Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you have with sleeping, such as falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night or waking up too early in the morning?" and categorized as "None", "Mild", "Moderate", "Severe/Extreme". Multivariable logistic regression analysis and meta-analysis were conducted. Compared to no sleep problems, mild, moderate, and severe/extreme sleep problems were associated with significant 1.40, 1.83, and 2.69 times higher odds for MCI with similar associations being observed between age groups and sex. Severe/extreme sleep problems were positively associated with MCI (i.e., OR > 1) in the six countries studied with the overall estimate being OR = 1.80 (95% CI = 1.50–2.16), and a low level of between-country heterogeneity was observed (I 2 = 28.2%). Sleep problems were associated with higher odds for MCI. Interventions to improve sleep quality among middle-aged and older adults in LMICs may be an effective strategy in reducing risk of MCI and dementia. • 32,715 individuals aged ≥50 years with preservation in functional abilities • Sleep problems were associated with higher odds for mild cognitive impairment. • Interventions to improve sleep quality may be an effective strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Select lectins have powerful anti-viral properties that effectively neutralize HIV-1 by targeting the dense glycan shield on the virus. Here, we reveal the mechanism by which one of the most potent lectins, BanLec, achieves its inhibition. We identify that BanLec recognizes a subset of high-mannose glycans via bidentate interactions spanning the two binding sites present on each BanLec monomer that were previously considered separate carbohydrate recognition domains. We show that both sites are required for high-affinity glycan binding and virus neutralization. Unexpectedly we find that BanLec adopts a tetrameric stoichiometry in solution whereby the glycan-binding sites are positioned to optimally target glycosylated viral spikes. The tetrameric architecture, together with bidentate binding to individual glycans, leads to layers of multivalency that drive viral neutralization through enhanced avidity effects. These structural insights will prove useful in engineering successful lectin therapeutics targeting the dense glycan shield of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]