Recruitment of faculty members in academic departments shapes the department for decades in research and teaching arenas. A diverse department is beneficial for all students as representation of underrepresented minority groups in the professoriate can inspire a greater diversity of students to pursue higher levels of education or research-focused careers. Increased diversity benefits research directly as diverse teams have been shown to have better ideas and outcomes. In 2020, our department had lower gender diversity than expected based on the pool of qualified personnel in Canada. Therefore, we altered our hiring process, primarily by redacting applications, for recruitment into entry-level tenure-track faculty positions. This resulted in the increased hiring of women (17% to 80%) with no substantial change in hiring of racially diverse individuals (50% to 40%). Overall, combined with retirements, the percentage of women faculty in the department went from 25% to 50% and the percentage of racialized faculty went from 38% to 44%. Thus, our intervention was successful in increasing the diversity of our department within a short timeframe. Our experience could provide other departments with a template for making substantive change, even in the absence of internal expertise in the area.

Pulses are dry leguminous crops consisting of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas. They are a broad category of food that are often aggregated when their contribution to healthy dietary patterns are disseminated. However, the different genera and varieties of pulses vary in composition and are consumed in different amounts, largely dictated by geographic region and ethnicity. Given the number of pulse-derived components, including fibre, that have the capacity to alter the composition of the gut microbiome, the objective of this study was to systematically review dietary pulses and pulse-derived ingredients as a broader food group, to determine their effect on gut microbiota in humans. Major scientific databases were used to conduct the search, which spanned from 1990 until February 2019. The search strategy identified 2,444 articles and five studies were included in this analysis. Two studies used whole pulses (chickpeas and pinto beans), one study used cooked navy bean powder, and the two remaining studies used pulse-derived fibre (lupin or yellow pea hulls). Although inconsistent, some studies demonstrated that whole pulses (pinto beans and chickpeas), cooked navy bean powder, and pulse-derived fibre (lupin kernel fibre), did impose changes to the microbiota that inhabit the human large intestine. However, there was considerable variability concerning the methodologies and endpoints used to decipher the observed effects on the abundance, diversity, and/or richness of specific microbiota or the microbiome. More extensive human studies that directly link the effects of specific types of pulses on the gastrointestinal microbial environment to health outcomes in the host are required.

Pulses are dry leguminous crops consisting of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas. They are a broad category of food that are often aggregated when their contribution to healthy dietary patterns are disseminated. However, the different genera and varieties of pulses vary in composition and are consumed in different amounts, largely dictated by geographic region and ethnicity. Given the number of pulse-derived components, including fibre, that have the capacity to alter the composition of the gut microbiome, the objective of this study was to systematically review dietary pulses and pulse-derived ingredients as a broader food group, to determine their effect on gut microbiota in humans. Major scientific databases were used to conduct the search, which spanned from 1990 until February 2019. The search strategy identified 2,444 articles and five studies were included in this analysis. Two studies used whole pulses (chickpeas and pinto beans), one study used cooked navy bean powder, and the two remaining studies used pulse-derived fibre (lupin or yellow pea hulls). Although inconsistent, some studies demonstrated that whole pulses (pinto beans and chickpeas), cooked navy bean powder, and pulse-derived fibre (lupin kernel fibre), did impose changes to the microbiota that inhabit the human large intestine. However, there was considerable variability concerning the methodologies and endpoints used to decipher the observed effects on the abundance, diversity, and/or richness of specific microbiota or the microbiome. More extensive human studies that directly link the effects of specific types of pulses on the gastrointestinal microbial environment to health outcomes in the host are required.

H.K. Al Khatib, W.L. Hall, A. Creedon, E. Ooi, T. Masri, S.V. Harding, L. McGowan, J. Darzi* and G.K. Pot* Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London SE1 9NH, U.K., Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, U.K. and Department of Health and Life, Virje Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is unknown whether short sleep duration causatively contributes to weight gain. Studies investigating effects of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) on energy balance components report conflicting findings. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of human intervention studies assessing the effects of PSD on energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE).SUBJECTS/METHODS: EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus were searched. Differences in EI and total EE following PSD compared with a control condition were generated using the inverse variance method with random-effects models. Secondary outcomes included macronutrient distribution and resting metabolic rate. Heterogeneity was quantified with the I-2-statistic.RESULTS: Seventeen studies (n = 496) were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review, and 11 studies (n = 172) provided sufficient data to be included in meta-analyses. EI was significantly increased by 385 kcal (95% confidence interval: 252, 517; P < 0.00001) following PSD compared with the control condition. We found no significant change in total EE or resting metabolic rate as a result of PSD. The observed increase in EI was accompanied by significantly higher fat and lower protein intakes, but no effect on carbohydrate intake.CONCLUSIONS: The pooled effects of the studies with extractable data indicated that PSD resulted in increased EI with no effect on EE, leading to a net positive energy balance, which in the long term may contribute to weight gain.

One of the most recent food trends is the quest for products that provide sustained energy'; a term that is garnering considerable attention within the marketplace. Often, sustained energy' health claims are based on a food's post-prandial glycaemic response. However, are generalised health claims regarding sustained energy' valid when only supported by glycaemic response data? Without context, the short answer is: probably not. Health claims that link sustained energy to a glycaemic response, or any other attribute of a food or diet, require context to ensure that the public correctly interprets and experiences the claimed effect and is not misled in their quest for healthy foods that impose the desired physiological benefit.

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ORCTL3 is a member of a group of genes, the so-called anticancer genes, that cause tumour-specific cell death. We show that this activity is triggered in isogenic renal cells upon their transformation independently of the cells' proliferation status. For its cell death effect ORCTL3 targets the enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) in fatty acid metabolism. This is caused by transmembrane domains 3 and 4, which are more efficacious in vitro than a low molecular weight drug against SCD1, and critically depend on their expression level. SCD1 is found upregulated upon renal cell transformation indicating that its activity, while not impacting proliferation, represents a critical bottleneck for tumourigenesis. An adenovirus expressing ORCTL3 leads to growth inhibition of renal tumours in vivo and to substantial destruction of patients' kidney tumour cells ex vivo. Our results indicate fatty acid metabolism as a target for tumour-specific apoptosis in renal tumours and suggest ORCTL3 as a means to accomplish this.

Platycodins, a group of saponin glycosides from Platycodon grandiflorum, are believed to possess anti-obesity and cholesterol-lowering properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether dietary platycodins affect plasma, hepatic, or fecal cholesterol concentrations, as well as cholesterol absorption and fractional synthesis rates in a dose-dependent manner. Golden Syrian hamsters (n= 45) were fed atherogenic (0.25% cholesterol) diets enriched with platycodins in the forms of either aqueous extracts (containing 0.3% to 0.5% of platycodins of diet mass) or crude saponins fractions (containing 0.9% to 1.0% of platycodins of diet mass) for 28 d. [3, 4](-13)C-cholesterol and (2)H2O tracers were administered on days 26 and 28 to assess cholesterol absorption and biosynthesis, respectively. After platycodin intervention, total cholesterol concentrations in plasma and liver were reduced (P < 0.05) by 13% to 28% and 41% to 79%, respectively, whereas cholesterol concentrations in feces were increased (P < 0.05) up to 2.5-fold compared to controls. Platycodin feeding increased (P < 0.001) cholesterol absorption up to 60%, but not cholesterol synthesis. These results suggest that platycodin-enriched diets can lower circulating and whole body cholesterol contents, and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases through mechanisms independent from cholesterol absorption or synthesis.

The paper by Abidia et al.1Abidia A. Laden G. Kuhan G. Johnson B.F. Wilkinson A.R. Renwick P.M. Masson E.A. McCollum P.T. The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in ischaemic diabetic lower extremity ulcers: a double-blind randomised-controlled trial.Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2003; 25: 513-518Google Scholar is interesting and contributes to the evidence supporting the use of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in the management of diabetic foot ulcers. Overall, the study was well constructed, and sought to control a number of variables that have been overlooked in the past; for example, the exclusion of patients requiring vascular surgical reconstruction and also the inclusion of an adequate period of careful, expert wound dressing prior to HBO treatment. We recognise in our practice that simply having patients attend our unit for regular dressings can aid the healing of these problem wounds. It is refreshing to have a study with such a comprehensive follow-up period, but we would like to draw attention to the lack of significance in the number of healed wounds at earlier time points. Interestingly, the difference only becomes significant when there is a recurrence of a previously healed ulcer in the control group. In addition, we feel that the use of the median as a measure of central tendency is misleading and inappropriate in this case. From the data given, the mean reduction in ulcer size in the treatment group cannot be more than 91.5% at the 6 week time point and not more than 61.5% after 6 months, compared with the reported median of 100%. It is stated in the paper that the data was analysed on an intention to treat basis. Those patients who did not complete the study do not appear to have been included in the results. For such a small data set it would not have been unreasonable to include the raw data. We would also question the adequacy of hyperbaric air as a control treatment and disagree with the suggestion that 50% oxygen is insufficient to produce a clinical effect. As discussed by the authors, a larger study would further contribute to the body of evidence supporting this treatment. We suggest using either normobaric air or, under hyperbaric conditions, an oxygen partial pressure equivalent to normobaric air as the control group. This would enhance the difference between groups and markedly increase the power of the study. In addition, the outcome would be more directly relevant to the traditional management of the diabetic foot. We appreciate that the logistical problems associated with this type of study are great, but we feel that the use of a true control/sham group is within reach and would add much more strength to research in the hyperbaric field.

OBJECTIVES:To test whether iron supplementation affects hematologic, biochemical, and developmental status in term breast-fed infants.STUDY DESIGN:Term breast-fed infants (n=77) were randomly selected to receive either 7.5 mg per day of elemental iron as ferrous sulfate or placebo from 1 to 6 months of age. Investigators and families were unaware of group assignment. Complete blood count and ferritin, red cell superoxide dismutase, catalase, plasma ferric reducing antioxidant power, and zinc and copper levels were analyzed at 1, 3.5, 6, and 12 months of age. Bayley mental and psychomotor developmental indexes (MDI and PDI) and visual acuity (with the use of Teller acuity cards) were assessed from 12 to 18 months of age. Analysis performed by analysis of variance and t tests was by intention to treat.RESULTS:Iron supplementation resulted in higher hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume at 6 months of age and significantly higher visual acuity and PDI at 13 months of age (100+/-12 vs 93+/-9 [+/-SD]). Treatment and placebo groups did not differ in anthropometric indexes, compliance, biochemical status, or demographic characteristics.CONCLUSIONS:Iron supplementation of breast-fed infants appears safe and might have beneficial hematologic and developmental effects for some infants.

AbstractThe major chlorophyll a/b light harvesting complex (LHCII) of mesophyll chloroplasts is normally assembled late during chloroplast morphogenesis. LHCII occurs at greatly reduced levels in bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize. In order to understand the normal regulatory mechanisms we are examining nuclear maize mutants that alter either (1) the assembly timing or (2) the steady state level of LHCII in mature mesophyll thylakoids. We have found a delayed greening mutant, v24 (on chromosome arm 2L), that unmasks a second unlinked locus, Mof*, that can mediate LHCII assembly timing. The polypeptides of LHCII are encoded by the nuclear multigene cab family. We find that two alleles at Mof* regulate the steady state level of cab mRNA in parallel to their effect on LHCII assembly timing: The genotype Mof*‐1 Mof*‐1 v24 v24 corresponds to reduced cab mRNA and late LHCII assembly timing, while Mof*‐2 Mof*‐2 v24 v24 corresponds to reduced cab mRNA and late LHCII assembly timing. A second group of mutations (Oy‐700, pg11 and pg12 reduces LHCII levels in mesophyll thylakoids. This is the first report that pg11 and pg12) reduce the LHCII of mesophyll thylakoids. The basis of pg11 and pg12 is unknown. Mutations at the Oy locus block the chlorophyll biosynthetic enzyme, protopor‐phyrin IX Mg‐chelatase. Heterozygotes of the codominant mutation Oy‐700 with the normal allele (Oy) have reduced LHCII. We have defined genetic backgrounds that suppress and those that do not suppress the Oy‐700 Oy phenotype under certain conditions: (1) reduced light intensities (200 μE cm−2 sec−1) and/or (2) plant maturity.