Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by changes in appetite and body weight as well as blunted reward sensitivity (‘anhedonia’). However, it is not well understood which mechanisms are driving changes in reward sensitivity, specifically regarding food. Here, we used a sample of 117 participants (54 patients with MDD and 63 healthy control participants [HCPs]) who completed a food cue reactivity task with ratings of wanting and liking for 60 food and 20 non-food items. To evaluate which components of the food may contribute to altered ratings in depression, we tested for associations with macronutrients of the depicted items. In line with previous studies, we found reduced ratings of food wanting (p = .003) but not liking (p = .23) in patients with MDD compared to matched HCPs. Adding macronutrient composition to the models of wanting and liking substantially improved their fit (ps < .001). Compared to carbohydrate-rich foods, patients with MDD reported lower liking and wanting ratings for high-fat and high-protein foods. Moreover, patients with MDD showed weaker correlations in their preferences for carbohydrate- versus fat- or protein-rich foods (ps < .001), pointing to potential disturbances in metabolic signaling. To conclude, our results suggest that depression-related alterations in food reward ratings are more specific to the macronutrient composition of the food than previously anticipated, hinting at disturbances in gut–brain signaling. These findings raise the intriguing question of whether interventions targeting the gut could help normalize aberrant reward signals for foods rich in fat or protein.

The crystal structure of single crystals of kaolinite from Keokuk, Iowa, was refined using data measured at the microfocus X-ray beamline at the ESRF, Grenoble, France (λ = 0.6883, T = room temperature). The volume of the crystals was 8 and 0.8 μm3, respectively. Unit-cell parameters are: a = 5.154(9) Å, b = 8.942(4) Å, c = 7.401(10) Å, α = 91.69(9)°, β = 104.61(5)°, γ = 89.82(4)°. Space group Cl is consistent with the observed data. All non-hydrogen atoms were independently refined with anisotropic displacement parameters. The positions and isotropic displacement parameters for the three interlayer H atoms were refined also. The position of the intralayer H was found by difference-Fourier methods, although refinement was not possible. Difference-Fourier maps suggested large anisotropic displacement vectors of this intralayer H, however, no evidence for a second maximum was found. The diffraction patterns show diffuse scattering in streaks parallel to [001]* through hkl reflections with hk ≠ 0, which is caused by stacking faults. No twinning was observed for either of the two crystals.

Dicarbonyl compounds are highly reactive precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGE), produced endogenously, present in certain foods and formed during food processing. AGE contribute to the development of adverse metabolic outcomes, but health effects of dietary dicarbonyls are largely unexplored. We investigated associations between three dietary dicarbonyl compounds, methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO) and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), and body weight changes in European adults. Dicarbonyl intakes were estimated using food composition database from 263 095 European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of Smoking, Eating Out of Home in Relation to Anthropometry participants with two body weight assessments (median follow-up time = 5·4 years). Associations between dicarbonyls and 5-year body-weight changes were estimated using mixed linear regression models. Stratified analyses by sex, age and baseline BMI were performed. Risk of becoming overweight/obese was assessed using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression. MGO intake was associated with 5-year body-weight gain of 0·089 kg (per 1-sd increase, 95 % CI 0·072, 0·107). 3-DG was inversely associated with body-weight change (–0·076 kg, −0·094, −0·058). No significant association was observed for GO (0·018 kg, −0·002, 0·037). In stratified analyses, GO was associated with body-weight gain among women and older participants (above median of 52·4 years). MGO was associated with higher body-weight gain among older participants. 3-DG was inversely associated with body-weight gain among younger and normal-weight participants. MGO was associated with a higher risk of becoming overweight/obese, while inverse associations were observed for 3-DG. No associations were observed for GO with overweight/obesity. Dietary dicarbonyls are inconsistently associated with body weight change among European adults. Further research is needed to clarify the role of these food components in overweight and obesity, their underlying mechanisms and potential public health implications.

Several studies have shown that finishing bulls kept in housing systems with fully slatted concrete floors are impaired in their lying behaviour and locomotion due to the hardness and slipperiness of the ground. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of floor quality (straw-bedded lying area, rubber-coated slats, concrete slats) on the lying behaviour of finishing bulls. The floor type did not influence the total lying duration, but the number of lying bouts and the number of short standing periods decreased with increasing hardness of the floor in the lying area. In addition, bulls showed more interrupted lying-down and standing-up movements on concrete and rubber-coated slats than on straw bedding. On the other hand, atypical lying-down and standing-up instances, slipping and falling were reduced on rubber-coated slats and on straw bedding compared to concrete slats. Displacements of lying animals were observed more often on rubber-coated slats than on concrete slats or straw bedding. In conclusion, rubber-coated slats improve traction on the ground but are not able to provide as soft a lying area as straw bedding. Rubber coating can thus serve to improve welfare for finishing bulls kept on concrete slats but cannot be considered equivalent to straw bedding.

Higher milk intake has been associated with a lower stroke risk, but not with risk of CHD. Residual confounding or reverse causation cannot be excluded. Therefore, we estimated the causal association of milk consumption with stroke and CHD risk through instrumental variable (IV) and gene-outcome analyses. IV analysis included 29 328 participants (4611 stroke; 9828 CHD) of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-CVD (eight European countries) and European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands (EPIC-NL) case-cohort studies. rs4988235, a lactase persistence (LP) SNP which enables digestion of lactose in adulthood was used as genetic instrument. Intake of milk was first regressed on rs4988235 in a linear regression model. Next, associations of genetically predicted milk consumption with stroke and CHD were estimated using Prentice-weighted Cox regression. Gene-outcome analysis included 777 024 participants (50 804 cases) from MEGASTROKE (including EPIC-CVD), UK Biobank and EPIC-NL for stroke, and 483 966 participants (61 612 cases) from CARDIoGRAM, UK Biobank, EPIC-CVD and EPIC-NL for CHD. In IV analyses, each additional LP allele was associated with a higher intake of milk in EPIC-CVD (β = 13·7 g/d; 95 % CI 8·4, 19·1) and EPIC-NL (36·8 g/d; 95 % CI 20·0, 53·5). Genetically predicted milk intake was not associated with stroke (HR per 25 g/d 1·05; 95 % CI 0·94, 1·16) or CHD (1·02; 95 % CI 0·96, 1·08). In gene-outcome analyses, there was no association of rs4988235 with risk of stroke (OR 1·02; 95 % CI 0·99, 1·05) or CHD (OR 0·99; 95 % CI 0·95, 1·03). Current Mendelian randomisation analysis does not provide evidence for a causal inverse relationship between milk consumption and stroke or CHD risk.

We present an overview of the Middle Ages Galaxy Properties with Integral Field Spectroscopy (MAGPI) survey, a Large Program on the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. MAGPI is designed to study the physical drivers of galaxy transformation at a lookback time of 3–4 Gyr, during which the dynamical, morphological, and chemical properties of galaxies are predicted to evolve significantly. The survey uses new medium-deep adaptive optics aided Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of fields selected from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, providing a wealth of publicly available ancillary multi-wavelength data. With these data, MAGPI will map the kinematic and chemical properties of stars and ionised gas for a sample of 60 massive (${>}7 \times 10^{10} {\mathrm{M}}_\odot$) central galaxies at $0.25 < z <0.35$ in a representative range of environments (isolated, groups and clusters). The spatial resolution delivered by MUSE with Ground Layer Adaptive Optics ($0.6-0.8$ arcsec FWHM) will facilitate a direct comparison with Integral Field Spectroscopy surveys of the nearby Universe, such as SAMI and MaNGA, and at higher redshifts using adaptive optics, for example, SINS. In addition to the primary (central) galaxy sample, MAGPI will deliver resolved and unresolved spectra for as many as 150 satellite galaxies at $0.25 < z <0.35$, as well as hundreds of emission-line sources at $z < 6$. This paper outlines the science goals, survey design, and observing strategy of MAGPI. We also present a first look at the MAGPI data, and the theoretical framework to which MAGPI data will be compared using the current generation of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations including EAGLE, Magneticum, HORIZON-AGN, and Illustris-TNG. Our results show that cosmological hydrodynamical simulations make discrepant predictions in the spatially resolved properties of galaxies at $z\approx 0.3$. MAGPI observations will place new constraints and allow for tangible improvements in galaxy formation theory.

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of the FFQ to describe reliable and valid dietary pattern (DP) scores. In a total of 134 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study aged 35–67 years, the FFQ was applied twice (baseline and after 1 year) to assess its reliability. Between November 1995 and March 1997, twelve 24-h dietary recalls (24HDR) as reference instrument were applied to assess the validity of the FFQ. Exploratory DP were derived by principal component analyses. Investigated predefined DP were the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and two Mediterranean diet indices. From dietary data of each FFQ, two exploratory DP were retained, but differed in highly loading food groups, resulting in moderate correlations (r 0·45–0·58). The predefined indices showed higher correlations between the FFQ (r(AHEI) 0·62, r(Mediterranean Diet Pyramid Index (MedPyr)) 0·62 and r(traditional Mediterranean Diet Score (tMDS)) 0·51). From 24HDR dietary data, one exploratory DP retained differed in composition to the first FFQ-based DP, but showed similarities to the second DP, reflected by a good correlation (r 0·70). The predefined DP correlated moderately (r 0·40–0·60). To conclude, long-term analyses on exploratory DP should be interpreted with caution, due to only moderate reliability. The validity differed extensively for the two exploratory DP. The investigated predefined DP showed a better reliability and a moderate validity, comparable to other studies. Within the two Mediterranean diet indices, the MedPyr performed better than the tMDs in this middle-aged, semi-urban German study population.

Work in psychiatry can be highly rewarding, interesting, and challenging in a positive sense. On the other hand, we are confronted with an array of psychosocial stressors. Caring for others lies at the heart of our profession: the focus is on the needs of patients. And rightly so. Nevertheless, this involves the risk that providers' own needs get out of sight.

This course provides a forum for openly discussing work-related stress and coping strategies. Participants will learn to recognise their own “warning signs” of excessive stress, as well as develop strategies to successfully handle stressful situations, based on their own practical experiences. The course further addresses consequences of stress, such as the risk to develop physical health problems or burnout. Instruments to gauge one's own burnout risk and stress coping pattern will be available for a self-assessment.

Early-life environmental and nutritional exposures are considered to contribute to the differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden. Among sub-Saharan African populations, the association between markers of early-life exposures such as leg length and sitting height and CVD risk is yet to be investigated. This study assessed the association between leg length, sitting height, and estimated 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk among Ghanaian-born populations in Europe and Ghana. We constructed sex-specific quintiles for sitting height and leg length for 3250 participants aged 40–70 years (mean age 52 years; men 39.6%; women 60.4%) in the cross-sectional multicenter Research on Diabetes and Obesity among African Migrants study. Ten-year risk of ASCVD was estimated using the Pooled Cohort Equations; risk ≥7.5% was defined as “elevated” CVD risk. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated to determine the associations between sitting height, leg length, and estimated 10-year ASCVD risk. For both men and women, mean sitting height and leg length were highest in Europe and lowest in rural Ghana. Sitting height was inversely associated with 10-year ASCVD risk among all women (PR for 1 standard deviation increase of sitting height: 0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.67, 0.85). Among men, an inverse association between sitting height and 10-year ASCVD risk was significant on adjustment for study site, adult, and parental education but attenuated when further adjusted for height. No association was found between leg length and estimated 10-year ASCVD risk. Early-life and childhood exposures that influence sitting height could be the important determinants of ASCVD risk in this adult population.

Prior research has established associations between neighbourhood poverty and cumulative biological risk (CBR). CBR is conceptualized as indicative of the effects of stress on biological functioning, and is linked with increased morbidity and mortality. Studies suggest that supportive social relationships may be health protective, and may erode under conditions of poverty. This study examines whether social relationships are inversely associated with CBR and whether associations between neighbourhood poverty and CBR are mediated through social relationships. Data were from a stratified probability sample community survey (n=919) of residents of Detroit, Michigan, USA (2002–2003) and from the 2000 US Census. The outcome variable, CBR, included anthropometric and clinical measures. Independent variables included four indicators of social relationships: social support, neighbourhood satisfaction, social cohesion and neighbourhood participation. Multilevel models were used to test both research questions, with neighbourhood poverty and social relationships included at the block group level, and social relationships also included at the individual level, to disentangle individual from neighbourhood effects. Findings suggest some associations between social relationships and CBR after accounting for neighbourhood poverty and individual characteristics. In models that accounted for all indicators of social relationships, individual-level social support was associated with greater CBR (β=0.12, p=0.04), while neighbourhood-level social support was marginally significantly protective of CBR (within-neighbourhood: β=−0.36, p=0.06; between-neighbourhood: β=−0.24, p=0.06). In contrast, individual-level neighbourhood satisfaction was protective of CBR (β=−0.10, p=0.02), with no within-neighbourhood (β=0.06, p=0.54) or between-neighbourhood association (β=−0.04, p=0.38). Results indicate no significant association between either social cohesion or neighbourhood participation and CBR. Associations between neighbourhood poverty and CBR were not mediated by social relationships. These findings suggest that neighbourhood-level social support and individual-level neighbourhood satisfaction may be health protective and that neighbourhood poverty, social support and neighbourhood satisfaction are associated with CBR through independent pathways.