scholarly journals The Sirenic Links between Diabetes, Obesity, and Bladder Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 11150
Author(s):  
Emily Gill ◽  
Gurimaan Sandhu ◽  
Douglas G. Ward ◽  
Claire M. Perks ◽  
Richard T. Bryan

There is considerable evidence of a positive association between the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity with bladder cancer (BCa), with the link between T2DM and obesity having already been established. There also appear to be potential associations between Pleckstrin homology domain containing S1 (PLEKHS1) and the Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) axis. Seven literature searches were carried out to investigate the backgrounds of these potential links. PLEKHS1 is a candidate biomarker in BCa, with mutations that are easily detectable in urine and increased expression seemingly associated with worse disease states. PLEKHS1 has also been implicated as a potential mediator for the onset of T2DM in people with obesity. The substantial evidence of the involvement of IGF in BCa, the role of the IGF axis in obesity and T2DM, and the global prevalence of T2DM and obesity suggest there is scope for investigating the links between these components. Preliminary findings on the relationship between PLEKHS1 and the IGF axis signal possible associations with BCa progression. This indicates that PLEKHS1 plays a role in the pathogenesis of BCa that may be mediated by members of the IGF axis. Further detailed research is needed to establish the relationship between PLEKHS1 and the IGF axis in BCa and determine how these phenomena overlap with T2DM and obesity.

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052098390
Author(s):  
Jiahui Qu ◽  
Li Lei ◽  
Xingchao Wang ◽  
Xiaochun Xie ◽  
Pengcheng Wang

Previous studies have found some risk factors of cyberbullying. However, little is known about how mother phubbing may influence adolescent cyberbullying, and the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. “Phubbing,” which is a portmanteau of “phone” and “subbing,” refers to snubbing other people and focus on smartphones in social interactions. This study examined whether mother phubbing, which refers to being phubbed by one’s mother, would be positively related to adolescent cyberbullying, whether perceived mother acceptance would mediate the relationship between mother phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying, and whether emotional stability would moderate the pathways between mother phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 4,213 Chinese senior high school students (mean age 16.41 years, SD = 0.77, 53% were female). Participants completed measurements regarding mother phubbing, cyberbullying, perceived mother acceptance, and emotional stability. The results indicated that mother phubbing was positively related to cyberbullying, which was mediated by perceived mother acceptance. Further, moderated mediation analyses showed that emotional stability moderated the direct path between mother phubbing and cyberbullying and the indirect path between mother phubbing and perceived mother acceptance. This study highlighted the harmful impact of mother phubbing on adolescents by showing a positive association between mother phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying, as well as the underlying mechanisms between mother phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910452110058
Author(s):  
Sayyeda Taskeen Zahra ◽  
Sadia Saleem ◽  
Halima Khurshid

This research aims to determine the mediating role of social deficits in self-criticism and aggression using a sample of 695 adolescents (girls = 49%, boys = 51%), aged 12 to 19 years ( M = 14.97, SD = 1.30) from an urbanized city of Pakistan. Interpersonal Difficulties Scale, Self-Criticism Scale, and Aggressive Behavior Scale were used in the present study. Results indicated a significant positive association of social deficits with self-criticism and aggression ( p < .001). Furthermore, findings also suggested a significant positive association between self-criticism and aggression. Mediation analysis revealed that self-criticism partially mediated the relationship between social deficits and aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of the expression and manifestation of self-criticism, social deficits, and aggression in adolescents in collectivistic cultures.


Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Lindsay P. Galway ◽  
Thomas Beery ◽  
Chris Buse ◽  
Maya K. Gislason

Despite widespread calls to action from the scientific community and beyond, a concerning climate action gap exists. This paper aims to enhance our understanding of the role of connectedness to nature in promoting individual-level climate action in a unique setting where climate research and action are lacking: Canada’s Provincial North. To begin to understand possible pathways, we also examined whether climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends mediate the relationship between connectedness to nature and climate action. We used data collected via postal surveys in two Provincial North communities, Thunder Bay (Ontario), and Prince George (British Columbia) (n = 628). Results show that connectedness to nature has a direct positive association with individual-level climate action, controlling for gender and education. Results of parallel mediation analyses further show that connectedness to nature is indirectly associated with individual-level climate action, mediated by both climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends. Finally, results suggest that climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends serially mediate the relationship between connectedness to nature and with individual-level climate action. These findings are relevant for climate change engagement and action, especially across Canada’s Provincial North, but also in similar settings characterized by marginalization, heightened vulnerability to climate change, urban islands within vast rural and remote landscapes, and economies and social identities tied to resource extraction. Drawing on these findings, we argue that cultivating stronger connections with nature in the places where people live, learn, work, and play is an important and currently underutilized leverage point for promoting individual-level climate action. This study therefore adds to the current and increasingly relevant calls for (re-)connecting with nature that have been made by others across a range of disciplinary and sectoral divides.


2022 ◽  
pp. 875697282110631
Author(s):  
Shahida Mariam ◽  
Kausar Fiaz Khawaja ◽  
Muhammad Nawaz Qaisar ◽  
Farooq Ahmad

We examined the impact of knowledge-oriented leadership on project success via team cohesion and the moderating role of valuing people and project complexity on this relationship. We collected data from 121 project employees in Pakistan in a two-wave field survey at an interval of 15 days. The results showed a positive association between knowledge-oriented leadership and project success, and team cohesion partially mediated this relationship. Valuing people positively moderated the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership and team cohesion. Project complexity had a negative but insignificant moderating effect on project success. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-256
Author(s):  
Tuan Azma Fatiema Tuan Ibrahim ◽  
Hafiza Aishah Hashim ◽  
Akmalia Mohamad Ariff

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between ethical values and performance in the context of the banking sector in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Based on the philanthropic model, this study posits that firms undertaking zakat and charity are ethical firms. Zakat disclosure index (ZDI) and charity disclosure index (CDI) were constructed to measure ethical values. This study hypothesises that ethical values are positively associated with bank performance. Ethical values (i.e. CDI and ZDI) and financial performance data (i.e. return on assets) were collected from the disclosures made in the annual reports of 50 banks for a period of five years (2010-2014). Findings A positive association was found between zakat disclosure and bank performance. The results indicate that higher zakat disclosure is associated with greater bank performance. However, no relationship was found between charity disclosure and bank performance. Research limitations/implications Considering the limitation of the index used in this study, other dimensions such as corporate governance, sustainability, products and environment can be considered in the development of index to measure ethical values in future studies. Originality/value This study offers additional explanation on the relationship between ethical values and performance by examining the role of zakat disclosures that characterize the unique aspects of Malaysian companies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetta M. Motta ◽  
Christoph Grander ◽  
Martin Gögele ◽  
Luisa Foco ◽  
Vladimir Vukovic ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by triglyceride accumulation in the hepatocytes in the absence of alcohol overconsumption, commonly associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Both NAFLD and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are characterized by an altered microbiota composition, however the role of the microbiota in NAFLD and T2D is not well understood. To assess the relationship between alteration in the microbiota and NAFLD while dissecting the role of T2D, we established a nested study on T2D and non-T2D individuals within the Cooperative Health Research In South Tyrol (CHRIS) study, called the CHRIS-NAFLD study. Here, we present the study protocol along with baseline and follow-up characteristics of study participants. Methods Among the first 4979 CHRIS study participants, 227 individuals with T2D were identified and recalled, along with 227 age- and sex-matched non-T2D individuals. Participants underwent ultrasound and transient elastography examination to evaluate the presence of hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness. Additionally, sampling of saliva and faeces, biochemical measurements and clinical interviews were carried out. Results We recruited 173 T2D and 183 non-T2D participants (78% overall response rate). Hepatic steatosis was more common in T2D (63.7%) than non-T2D (36.3%) participants. T2D participants also had higher levels of liver stiffness (median 4.8 kPa, interquartile range (IQR) 3.7, 5.9) than non-T2D participants (median 3.9 kPa, IQR 3.3, 5.1). The non-invasive scoring systems like the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) suggests an increased liver fibrosis in T2D (mean − 0.55, standard deviation, SD, 1.30) than non-T2D participants (mean − 1.30, SD, 1.17). Discussion Given the comprehensive biochemical and clinical characterization of study participants, once the bioinformatics classification of the microbiota will be completed, the CHRIS-NAFLD study will become a useful resource to further our understanding of the relationship between microbiota, T2D and NAFLD.


Author(s):  
Ajay Patel ◽  
Austin Thompson ◽  
Lillian Abdelmalek ◽  
Beverley Adams-Huet ◽  
Ishwarlal Jialal

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important contributor to both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Although MetS affects one third of American adults, its pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Tyramine, a derivative of tyrosine, has been shown to act as a catecholamine releasing agent in the human body. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of tyramine as an early biomarker for nascent MetS without the confounding of T2DM, ASCVD or smoking. Patients and methods This was an exploratory study of 28 patients with nascent MetS and 20 matched controls carried out in 2018. Metabolites were evaluated from patient’s frozen early morning urine samples and were correlated with biomarkers of inflammation and adipokines. They were assayed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Western Metabolomics Center using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and standardized to urinary creatinine. All patients had normal hepatic and renal function. Results Tyramine concentrations were significantly reduced in patients with MetS compared to controls, p = 0.0009. In addition, tyramine was significantly inversely correlated with multiple biomarkers of inflammation and cardiometabolic risk factors such as RBP4, monocyte TLR-4 abundance and P38MAPKinase activity, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) (both systolic and diastolic). Conclusion In conclusion, low levels of tyramine could contribute to the proinflammatorty state of MetS.


Author(s):  
Gary E. Schwartz

Substantial research documents a positive association between religious practice and improved health and well-being. Research on the relationship between spirituality and health is less developed but also positive. Generally speaking, Western science and medicine explain these positive associations via psychological and social mechanisms rather than spiritual (or “metaphysical”) ones. However, contemporary theory and research in consciousness science, including research on near-death experiences and life after death, are pointing to a profound paradigm change in science, shifting from conventional materialist models of nature and the cosmos to postmaterialist models. This chapter introduces the reader to the emerging postmaterialist paradigm in science and considers some of its important implications for understanding and applying spirituality in integrative preventive medicine.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-423
Author(s):  
Farzan Yahya ◽  
Muhammad Rafiq

This study investigates the influence of greenfield investment and brownfield investment on renewable energy consumption along with the moderating effect of government effectiveness in 68 countries over the period 2013 to 2014. In order to evaluate more holistic view of the empirical model, we further divide our data into two sub-panels based on country risk. By applying the system-GMM technique to mitigate statistical biases including endogeneity, the empirical results show that brownfield and greenfield investment positively influences renewable energy consumption in global and low-risk panel. However, there is no statistically significant effect of brownfield investment and adverse effect of greenfield investment on renewable energy consumption in low-risk countries. Results also show that effective governments promote the use of renewable energy but it does not moderate the relationship between brownfield investment and renewable energy consumption. On the other hand, government effectiveness strengthens the positive association between greenfield investment and renewable energy consumption in global and low-risk panel, while weakens the negative link between these variables in high-risk countries. Policy implications of our results are also discussed.


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