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Fitspiration (fitness inspiration) exposure on Instagram has been associated with body dissatisfaction, but minimal research has investigated interventions to protect against its negative effects. Values affirmation interventions, in which individuals reflect on a higher value to affirm their sense of personal worth, could be helpful in this context. This online study's aim was to examine the impact of a values affirmation intervention on body dissatisfaction and negative mood in women exposed to fitspiration images from Instagram. Participants consisted of 238 female college students (Age M = 19.89, SD = 1.25) in the U.S. who were randomized into three groups: Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration (described importance of top value and viewed fitspiration images), Control Intervention + Fitspiration (described their daily activities and viewed fitspiration images), and Travel (control—viewed travel images only). State body dissatisfaction and negative mood were completed pre- and post-exposure for all groups. Body dissatisfaction and negative mood significantly increased in the Control Intervention + Fitspiration, did not change in the Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration group, and decreased in the Travel group from pre-exposure to post-exposure. These findings suggest that a values affirmation intervention could partially protect college women from the negative effects of fitspiration exposure. • Viewing values affirmation + fitspiration did not change body dissatisfaction/mood. • Viewing control intervention + fitspiration worsened body dissatisfaction/mood. • Viewing travel images improved body dissatisfaction/mood. • Timing of the values affirmation and control intervention did not matter. • Values affirmation may protect against negative effects of fitspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprenylated benzoquinones 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (duroquinone), 2-chloro-1,4-benzoquinone (CBQ), 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DMBQ), 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (DCBQ), and 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMOBQ) were tested as putative antimetabolites of plastoquinone-9, a vital electron and proton carrier of oxygenic phototrophs. Duroquinone and CBQ were the most effective at inhibiting the growth of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 either in photomixotrophic or photoautotrophic conditions. Duroquinone, a close structural analog of the photosynthetic inhibitor methyl-plastoquinone-9, was found to possess genuine bactericidal activity towards Synechocystis at a concentration as low as 10 μM, while at the same concentration CBQ acted only as a mild bacteriostat. In contrast, only duroquinone displayed marked cytotoxicity in axenically-grown Arabidopsis, resulting in damages to photosystem II and hindered net CO 2 assimilation. Metabolite profiling targeted to photosynthetic cofactors and pigments indicated that in Arabidopsis duroquinone does not directly inhibit plastoquinone-9 biosynthesis. Taken together, these data indicate that duroquinone offers prospects as an algicide and herbicide. [Display omitted] • Duroquinone displays bactericide activity towards Synechocystis. • Duroquinone displays herbicide activity towards Arabidopsis. • Duroquinone could be a potent antimetabolite of the photosynthetic cofactor plastoquinone-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the impact of writing different types of comments in response to fitspiration (fitness inspiration) images on women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect. Women (N = 256) from the general population (age range: 18 to 49) were randomized to write one of three types of comments on the same fitspiration images: appearance (comment on the woman's appearance), functionality (comment on what the woman's body can do), or background (comment on the image background). Participants completed measures of state body dissatisfaction and negative affect pre- and post-exposure and measures of appearance comparison and functionality appreciation post-exposure. After controlling for pre-body dissatisfaction due to a baseline difference among groups, there was no difference among groups in body dissatisfaction at post-exposure. Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-exposure across all groups, but there was no difference by group or interaction by time and group. The background group reported lower state appearance comparison than the appearance group. There were no group differences in functionality appreciation. Our results suggest that commenting on image backgrounds might decrease appearance comparison relative to making appearance comments and that writing comments on appearance, functionality, or the background in response to fitspiration may be beneficial for mood. • An experiment comparing the impact of different fitspiration comments on women. • There was no difference among groups in body dissatisfaction at post-exposure. • Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-exposure across all groups. • The background group had lower appearance comparison than the appearance group. • There were no group differences in functionality appreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• General weight pressures were associated with body dissatisfaction. • These pressures were also associated with disordered eating via internalization. • Sport-specific pressures were not associated with body image or disordered eating. Female collegiate athletes are a high-risk group for disordered eating. Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) sociocultural model proposes that both general and sport-related weight pressures lead athletes to internalize unrealistic body ideals, ultimately resulting in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In this study, we used structural equation modeling to assess general and sport-specific weight pressures in relation to thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating among 212 female Division I college athletes. General weight pressures from parents, peers, and the media were associated with disordered eating indirectly via thin- and muscular-ideal internalization. In contrast, sport-specific weight pressures were not associated with disordered eating in the full model. After controlling for weight pressures and body ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction was also not associated with disordered eating. These findings suggest that female athletes are vulnerable to weight- and appearance-related pressures from outside the sport context and that the mechanisms underlying the development of disordered eating may differ between athletes and non-athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sex differences in clinical and experimental pain experiences are well documented. However, there has been little work investigating men''s and women''s experiences with common painful events. This study examined sex differences in the nature and intensity of common pain experiences. Participants (102 women and 85 men) completed the Prior Pain Experience Questionnaire, which is a 79-item assessment of an individual''s pain experience, recalled pain ratings, and imagined pain ratings. Analyses of variance were conducted to assess for sex differences in overall pain experience and pain ratings. Men and women did not have significant differences in the overall number of reported pain experiences or in the overall mean pain rating of those experiences. However, they differed in specific pain events experienced (eg, men experienced concussions more than women) and pain ratings (eg, women rated minor surgery as significantly more painful than men). Individuals who imagined pain events tended to rate them as equally or more painful than individuals who experienced those pain events. Perspective: Results of this study demonstrate that men and women have varying types of pain experiences without evidence that the overall pain experience differs between sexes. It was also found that imagined pain ratings are often worse than experienced pain ratings, lending support for the tendency of individuals to catastrophize. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Disordered eating and body dissatisfaction are common concerns among athletes. However, these variables have been minimally explored in male wrestlers. Sociocultural influences can impact drive for muscularity, body satisfaction, and disordered eating, but it is unclear which influences are most prominent in this population. The present study had two aims: 1) examine the nature of drive for muscularity, body satisfaction, and disordered eating in collegiate wrestlers, and 2) investigate which sociocultural influence (general, coach/teammate, sport appearance pressures) most strongly predicts drive for muscularity, body satisfaction, and disordered eating. This study was cross-sectional. Participants included 103 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I male collegiate wrestlers in the U.S. who completed surveys in season on sociocultural influences, drive for muscularity, body satisfaction, and disordered eating. Wrestlers had a high drive for muscularity and engaged in many unhealthy behaviors to lose weight; however, they had relatively high body satisfaction. Relative weight analyses showed that sport appearance pressures were the strongest predictor of drive for muscularity while general pressures were the strongest predictor of body satisfaction and restricting eating behaviors. Findings suggests that disordered eating needs to be addressed among wrestlers and potential influences to target. • Male wrestlers had a high drive for muscularity and high body satisfaction. • Male wrestlers engaged in many unhealthy behaviors to lose weight. • Sport appearance pressures were the strongest predictor of drive for muscularity. • General pressures were the strongest predictor of body satisfaction. • General pressures were the strongest predictor of restricting eating behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean eating (i.e., eating healthy foods largely from nature) has become a recent popular lifestyle trend. Orthorexia is the term used to describe a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating which causes significant impairment in one's life. The present study examined orthorexia symptoms in relation to sample characteristics, weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood in a general population sample in the United States. Participants included 217 adults who completed surveys on weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood via the data collection site, Prolific. Men had higher orthorexia symptoms than women. Across all participants, orthorexia was not related to weight/shape concerns but was related to higher weight-related restraint eating behaviors. Orthorexia was not related to stress or negative emotions; however, it was related to having higher well-being. Multiple regressions revealed how the main variables predicted orthorexia symptoms separately by gender. Routine restraint, emotional eating, stress, and well-being were significant predictors of orthorexia for men. Weight/shape concerns, routine restraint, stress, and negative emotion were significant predictors of orthorexia for women. As such, it appears that orthorexia symptomatology has both advantageous and disadvantageous associations and differentially affects men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) is a vital respiratory cofactor and liposoluble antioxidant. In plants, it is not known how the C-6 hydroxylation of demethoxyubiquinone, the penultimate step in ubiquinone biosynthesis, is catalyzed. The combination of cross-species gene network modeling along with mining of embryo-defective mutant databases of Arabidopsis thaliana identified the embryo lethal locus EMB2421 (At1g24340) as a top candidate for the missing plant demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase. In marked contrast with prototypical eukaryotic demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylases, the catalytic mechanism of which depends on a carboxylate-bridged di-iron domain, At1g24340 is homologous to FAD-dependent oxidoreductases that instead use NAD(P)H as an electron donor. Complementation assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli demonstrated that At1g24340 encodes a functional demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase and that the enzyme displays strict specificity for the C-6 position of the benzoquinone ring. Laser-scanning confocal microscopy also showed that GFP-tagged At1g24340 is targeted to mitochondria. Silencing of At1g24340 resulted in 40 to 74% decrease in ubiquinone content and de novo ubiquinone biosynthesis. Consistent with the role of At1g24340 as a benzenoid ring modification enzyme, this metabolic blockage could not be bypassed by supplementation with 4-hydroxybenzoate, the immediate precursor of ubiquinone's ring. Unlike in yeast, in Arabidopsis overexpression of demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase did not boost ubiquinone content. Phylogenetic reconstructions indicated that plant demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase is most closely related to prokaryotic monooxygenases that act on halogenated aromatics and likely descends from an event of horizontal gene transfer between a green alga and a bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viewing fitspiration (fitness inspiration) has been found to increase body dissatisfaction and negative affect; however, minimal research has examined how body dissatisfaction and related variables differ based on intentionality of fitspiration exposure. This study's aim was to examine differences in levels of weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion according to type of fitspiration exposure. Participants included 234 female undergraduate students who completed online questionnaires. We created three groups of fitspiration exposure based on their self-report of Instagram exposure: unexposed (neither view nor post fitspiration; n = 43), incidentally exposed (report seeing fitspiration content unintentionally; n = 119), and intentionally exposed (intentionally view and/or post fitspiration; n = 72). Weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion were significantly worse in the intentionally exposed group and incidentally exposed group compared to the unexposed group. These results suggest that exposure to fitspiration, regardless of intention, may be problematic and should be limited. • The majority of participants experienced incidental exposure to fitspiration. • Exposure to fitspiration was associated with worse functioning than no exposure. • Many participants reported negative and positive effects from viewing fitspiration. • Even incidental exposure to fitspiration is problematic and should be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) is a vital respiratory cofactor and liposoluble antioxidant. Studies have shown that plants derive approximately a quarter of 4-hydroxybenzoate, which serves as the direct ring precursor of ubiquinone, from the catabolism of kaempferol. Biochemical and genetic evidence suggests that the release of 4-hydroxybenzoate from kaempferol is catalyzed by heme-dependent peroxidases and that 3- O -glycosylations of kaempferol act as a negative regulator of this process. These findings not only represent an atypical instance of primary metabolite being derived from specialized metabolism but also raise the question as to whether ubiquinone contributes to the ROS scavenging and signaling functions already established for flavonols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]