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A study of the backgrounds of 21 men convicted of murders committed before they were 18 and 21 men convicted of non-violent robbery as a juvenile showed that the men who committed murder were more likely to have had harsh treatment from their parents and were often thrown out of school.

Dietary fiber has well-established beneficial effects on laxation. Many fibers have been developed with positive sensory properties and 2 such fibers are polydextrose (PDX) and soluble corn fiber (SCF), which can be added to many commercially produced products. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study comparing the laxative effects of PDX and SCF at a dose of 20 g/d with a low fiber control (LFC) eaten daily as a muffin and cereal in 36 healthy men and women. Each treatment period was 10 d with a 2-wk washout period between. Participants collected fecal samples during the last 5 d of each treatment and completed food diaries and gastrointestinal tolerance questionnaires on d 1, 2, and 10 of each treatment period. Five-day fecal wet weight was higher after the PDX and SCF treatments than the LFC treatment (P ≤ 0.0007). The number of stools per day and daily fecal output also were significantly greater during the PDX treatment compared with the LFC treatment. The whole gut transit time did not differ among treatments. The PDX treatment resulted in a softer stool (P = 0.002) than the SCF and LFC treatments. Fecal pH was lowered by the PDX treatment (P = 0.02), whereas SCF tended to lower it compared with the LFC treatment (P = 0.07). When the participants consumed PDX and SCF, they reported significantly more flatulence and borborygmi compared with when they consumed the LFC. Consumption of PDX and SCF at a dose of 20 g/d results in a mild laxative effect with nominal gastrointestinal tolerance issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The link between the state of energy balance and reproductive function is well known. Thus, signals denoting negative energy balance and the accompanying hyperphagic drive are likely to be factors in the suppression of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) activity. We have previously found that appetite-regulating systems, such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the arcuate nucleus (ARH) and orexin in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), send fiber projections that come in close apposition with GnRH neurons. Furthermore, the appropriate receptors, NPY Y5 and OR-1, respectively, are coexpressed on GnRH neurons, providing neuroanatomical evidence for a direct link between the NPY and orexin systems and GnRH neurons. Therefore, these orexigenic neuropeptide systems are potential candidates that convey information about energy balance to GnRH neurons. The current studies focused on melanin concentrating hormone (MCH), another orexigenic neuropeptide system located in the LHA that is sensitive to energy balance. The results showed that MCH fiber projections came in close apposition with approximately 85–90% of GnRH cell bodies throughout the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamic area in the rat. In addition, the MCH receptor (MCHR1) was coexpressed on about 50–55% of GnRH neurons. These findings present evidence for a possible direct neuroanatomical pathway by which MCH may play a role in the regulation of GnRH neuronal function. Thus, MCH is another potential signal that may serve to integrate energy balance and reproductive function. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Relationships of sugar intakes with indicators of metabolic syndrome are important concerns for public health and safety. For individuals, dietary intake data for fructose and other sugars are limited. Method: Descriptive statistics. The data from 25,506 subjects, aged 12–80yr, contained in the NHANES 1999–2006 databases were analyzed for sugar intakes and health parameters. Results: Dietary fructose was almost always consumed with other sugars. On average, fructose provided 37% of total simple sugar intake and 9% of energy intake. In more than 97% of individuals studied, fructose caloric contribution was lower than that of non-fructose sugars. Fructose and non-fructose sugar intakes had no positive association with blood concentrations of TG, HDL cholesterol, glycohemoglobin, uric acid, blood pressure, waist circumference, and BMI in the adults studied (aged 19 to 80yr, n =17,749). Conclusion: Daily fructose intakes with the American diet averaged approximately 37% of total sugars and 9% of daily energy. Fructose was rarely consumed solely or in excess over non-fructose sugars. Fructose and non-fructose sugar ordinary consumption was not positively associated with indicators of metabolic syndrome, uric acid and BMI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]