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Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex auto-immune disease characterized by vascular damage, inflammation, fibrosis and calcinosis, where pulmonary involvement is the leading cause of mortality. Calciprotein particles (CPPs) are increasingly formed upon disbalance of the physiological mineral buffering system and induce pro-inflammatory effects. This exploratory study investigated whether functional indicators of the endogenous mineral buffering system are dysregulated in SSc and linked to disease activity. Methods: T50 (calciprotein crystallization test or serum calcification propensity) and hydrodynamic radius of secondary CPPs (CPP2) were determined in serum samples from 78 SSc patients and 44 controls without SSc, and were associated with disease activity markers of SSc. Results: T50 was reduced and CPP2 radius was increased in SSc patients as compared to controls, indicating a deranged mineral buffering system. This was accompanied by slightly higher serum phosphate and PTH levels in SSc patients, while iFGF23 was not significantly modified. Longitudinally, all parameters remained unchanged over time in SSc patients, only iFGF23 increased. While the modified Rodnan skin score showed some inconsistent correlations with mineral buffering indicators, their association was not independent of other factors. However, lower T50 was significantly correlated to reduced lung diffusion capacity and this association remained significant in a multivariate linear regression model. Conclusion: This study provides indications for a disturbed mineral buffering system in SSc. Increased serum calcification propensity (lower T50) is correlated with impaired lung diffusion capacity, suggesting a possible role of deranged mineral buffering in disease progression. Further studies are required to confirm these observations in larger cohorts and to investigate a putative functional relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exams often trigger avoidance motivation and a tendency to withdraw; instead, an approach-oriented motivational state would be more desirable, since this encourages an invigorated and persistent approach to tasks. This study investigated the role of academic self-concept on the activation of relative approach versus avoidance motivation during the course of an exam-like situation. In 62 university students (50 women), academic self-concept was assessed using self-ratings, and activation of approach versus avoidance motivation was assessed by using the electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry response. Academic self-concept proved to be an important moderator of motivational responses during the challenging situation. A more negative self-concept was related to sustained decrease in approach motivation, to rumination, and to worsened mood. In contrast, a positive self-concept was related to more positive mood and activation of approach motivation even beyond task completion. The findings have educational implications, for instance, for the design of exams and performance feedback.

LEDs simplify the personalization of lighting. However, research on the effects of personalizable lighting is in its infancy. The present study investigates the impact of personalizable workplace lighting on subjective parameters, cognition, and physiological stress while performing cognitive tests. In a cross-over design, 22 participants were randomly assigned to standard workplace lighting and lighting with adjustable illuminance and color temperature for two hours on two separate days. Subjective outcome measures were sleepiness, affect, and asthenopic complaints. We further assessed vigilance and three cognitive domains (task switching, working memory, and information processing) and derived heart rate variability parameters from an electrocardiogram. Some beneficial effects of personalizable lighting on cognitive performance were observed, although the overall results remain inconclusive. Standard and personalizable lighting did not differ in subjective ratings and physiological stress responses. Exploratory analysis of personalizable lighting revealed significant variation in self-selected workplace illuminances and limited variation in self-selected correlated color temperatures. Despite the preference for increased workplace illuminance under personalizable lighting, no visual impairment was observed compared to standard lighting. Personalizable workplace lighting is a promising new design feature to support individual visual and nonvisual lighting needs in daylight-deprived environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate how a change in body position with light‐intensity physical activity (PA) 'snacks' (LIPAS, alternate sitting and standing, walking or standing continuously) compared with uninterrupted prolonged sitting affects glucose metabolism and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in young adults with overweight and obesity. Materials and Methods: We conducted a four‐arm randomized controlled crossover trial. The following conditions were tested during an 8‐h simulated workday: uninterrupted prolonged sitting (SIT), alternate sitting and standing (SIT‐STAND; 2.5 h total), continuous standing (STAND), and continuous walking (1.0 mph; WALK). The primary outcome was to investigate how a change in body position (alternate sitting and standing, walking or standing continuously) compared with uninterrupted sitting affects mean 8‐h glucose metabolism. Secondary outcomes included the effects on 2‐h postprandial glucose concentrations, as well as on 8‐h/24‐h heart rate and HRV parameters, in the respective study arms. Capillary blood samples were drawn from an hyperemised earlobe in the fasted state and once every hour during each trial intervention by puncturing the earlobe with a lancet and collecting 20 μL of blood (Biosen S‐Line Lab+; EKF diagnostics, Barleben, Germany). HRV was assessed for 24 h including the 8‐h intervention phase, and a home phase by means of a Holter electrocardiogram. All participants received the same standardized non‐relativised breakfast and lunch during the four trial visits. Results: Seventeen individuals (eight women, mean age 23.4 ± 3.3 years, body mass index 29.7 ± 3.8 kg/m2, glycated haemoglobin level 34.8 ± 3.1 mmol/mol [5.4 ± 0.3%], body fat 31.8 ± 8.2%) completed all four trial arms. Compared with SIT (89.4 ± 6.8 mg/dL), 8‐h mean glucose was lower in all other conditions (p < 0.05) and this was statistically significant compared with WALK (86.3 ± 5.2 mg/dL; p = 0.034). Two‐hour postprandial glucose after breakfast was approximately 7% lower for WALK compared with SIT (p = 0.002). Furthermore, significant time × condition effects on HRV parameters favouring light‐intensity walking were observed (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Replacement and interruption of prolonged sitting with light‐intensity walking showed a significant blood glucose‐lowering effect and improved HRV during an 8‐h work environment in young adults with overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The excessive cardiovascular mortality of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) could be linked to mineral stress, the biological consequence of calcium-phosphate nanoparticle exposure. This study investigated whether zinc is associated with mineral stress markers in CKD. Methods Z inc and T50 (serum calcification propensity) as well as hydrodynamic radius of secondary calciprotein particles (CPP2) were measured in blood donors and CKD patients with/out dialysis. Results Serum zinc concentrations and T50 were reduced, while CPP2 radius was increased in CKD patients. Serum zinc levels positively correlated with T50 and inversely correlated with CPP2 radius. In a hierarchical linear regression model, T50 was associated with age, calcium, phosphate, magnesium and albumin. Addition of zinc significantly improved prediction of the model, confirming an additional contribution of zinc to T50. Similar observations were made for the association of zinc and CPP2 radius, but spiking experiments indicated that zinc may stronger modify T50 than CPP2 radius. Also, urinary zinc excretion was increased in patients with kidney disease and correlated to T50 and CPP2 radius. S erum zinc further correlated with markers of arterial stiffness in blood donors and CKD patients, but these associations did not remain significant in a multivariate linear regression model. Conclusions Reduced serum zinc levels in CKD appear directly linked to lower T50 and associated with larger CPP2 radius. Further studies on the associations of zinc and mineral stress as well as putative therapeutic benefits of zinc supplementation are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedentary behavior (SB) is an essential risk factor for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Though certain levels of physical activity (PA) may attenuate the detrimental effects of SB, the inflammatory and cardiometabolic responses involved are still not fully understood. The focus of this secondary outcome analysis was to describe how light-intensity PA snacks (LIPASs, alternate sitting and standing, walking or standing continuously) compared with uninterrupted prolonged sitting affect inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk markers. Seventeen young adults with overweight and obesity participated in this study (eight females, 23.4 ± 3.3 years, body mass index (BMI) 29.7 ± 3.8 kg/m2, glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) 5.4 ± 0.3%, body fat 31.8 ± 8.2%). Participants were randomly assigned to the following conditions which were tested during an 8 h simulated workday: uninterrupted prolonged sitting (SIT), alternate sitting and standing (SIT-STAND, 2.5 h total standing time), continuous standing (STAND), and continuous walking (1.6 km/h; WALK). Each condition also included a standardized non-relativized breakfast and lunch. Venous blood samples were obtained in a fasted state at baseline (T0), 1 h after lunch (T1) and 8 h after baseline (T2). Inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk markers included interleukin-6 (IL-6), c-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), visceral fat area (VFA), triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, two lipid ratio measures, TG/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C, albumin, amylase (pancreatic), total protein, uric acid, and urea. We found significant changes in a broad range of certain inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk markers during the intervention phase for IL-6 (p = 0.014), TG (p = 0.012), TC (p = 0.017), HDL-C (p = 0.020), LDL-C (p = 0.021), albumin (p = 0.003), total protein (p = 0.021), and uric acid (p = 0.040) in favor of light-intensity walking compared with uninterrupted prolonged sitting, alternate sitting and standing, and continuous standing. We found no significant changes in CRP (p = 0.529), creatinine (p = 0.199), TyG (p = 0.331), and the lipid ratios TG/HDL-C (p = 0.793) and TC/HDL-C (p = 0.221) in response to the PA snack. During a simulated 8 h work environment replacement and interruption of prolonged sitting with light-intensity walking, significant positive effects on certain inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk markers were found in young adults with overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although divergent thinking ability in different domains may largely rely on the same basic executive functions, domain-specific functions may also be important, in particular when it comes to more real-life creativity demands. This study investigated if functional executive control of emotion-laden representations may be specifically relevant in cognitive reappraisal, which implies being creative in an affective context. In a sample of 88 healthy individuals, the relation between the participants' inventiveness in generating positive reappraisals of adverse events (Reappraisal Inventiveness Test) and in generating novel ideas without emotional component (conventional divergent thinking test) to their executive functioning in tasks without (Mittenecker Pointing Test) and with emotional contribution (humor processing task) was studied. In line with hybrid models of creative thinking, poorer basic inhibition skills were found to be associated with poorer fluency performance in both divergent thinking tasks. Relations applied more specifically to reappraisal inventiveness when it came to executive processes with a more prominent emotional component. Creative performance in both tasks may have been hampered by time limits. The results support the notion that, in addition to basic executive functioning, more specific cognitive control functions are implicated in more real-life creative performance, according to related domain-specific demands.