The majority of adults in the UK and US are overweight or obese due to multiple factors including excess energy intake. Training people to inhibit simple motor responses (key presses) to high-energy density food pictures reduces intake in laboratory studies. We examined whether online response inhibition training reduced real-world food consumption and weight in a community sample of adults who were predominantly overweight or obese (N = 83). Participants were allocated in a randomised, double-blind design to receive four 10-min sessions of either active or control go/no-go training in which either high-energy density snack foods (active) or non-food stimuli (control) were associated with no-go signals. Participants' weight, energy intake (calculated from 24-h food diaries), daily snacking frequency and subjective food evaluations were measured for one week pre- and post-intervention. Participants also provided self-reported weight and monthly snacking frequency at pre-intervention screening, and one month and six months after completing the study. Participants in the active relative to control condition showed significant weight loss, reductions in daily energy intake and a reduction in rated liking of high-energy density (no-go) foods from the pre-to post-intervention week. There were no changes in self-reported daily snacking frequency. At longer-term follow-up, the active group showed significant reductions in self-reported weight at six months, whilst both groups reported significantly less snacking at one- and six-months. Excellent rates of adherence (97%) and positive feedback about the training suggest that this intervention is acceptable and has the potential to improve public health by reducing energy intake and overweight.

. The mechanical properties of human adipose tissues and their relationships to the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 305: E1427-E1435, 2013. First published October 8, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00111.2013.-Adipose tissue (AT) expansion in obesity is characterized by cellular growth and continuous extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling with increased fibrillar collagen deposition. It is hypothesized that the matrix can inhibit cellular expansion and lipid storage. Therefore, it is important to fully characterize the ECM's biomechanical properties and its interactions with cells. In this study, we characterize and compare the mechanical properties of human subcutaneous and omental tissues, which have different physiological functions. AT was obtained from 44 subjects undergoing surgery. Force/extension and stress/relaxation data were obtained. The effects of osmotic challenge were measured to investigate the cellular contribution to tissue mechanics. Tissue structure and its response to tensile strain were determined using nonlinear microscopy. AT showed nonlinear stress/strain characteristics of up to a 30% strain. Comparing paired subcutaneous and omental samples (n ϭ 19), the moduli were lower in subcutaneous: initial 1.6 Ϯ 0.8 (means Ϯ SD) and 2.9 Ϯ 1.5 kPa (P ϭ 0.001), final 11.7 Ϯ 6.4 and 32 Ϯ 15.6 kPa (P Ͻ 0.001), respectively. The energy dissipation density was lower in subcutaneous AT (n ϭ 13): 0.1 Ϯ 0.1 and 0.3 Ϯ 0.2 kPa, respectively (P ϭ 0.006). Stress/relaxation followed a two-exponential time course. When the incubation medium was exchanged for deionized water in specimens held at 30% strain, force decreased by 31%, and the final modulus increased significantly. Nonlinear microscopy revealed collagen and elastin networks in close proximity to adipocytes and a larger-scale network of larger fiber bundles. There was considerable microscale heterogeneity in the response to strain in both cells and matrix fibers. These results suggest that subcutaneous AT has greater capacity for expansion and recovery from mechanical deformation than omental AT.

DNA polymerase delta, whose catalytic subunit is encoded by POLD1, is responsible for lagging strand DNA synthesis during DNA replication1. It achieves this with high fidelity due to its intrinsic 3′ to 5′ exonuclease activity, which confers proofreading ability. Missense mutations in the exonuclease domain of POLD1 have recently been shown to predispose to colorectal and endometrial cancer2. Here we report a recurring heterozygous single amino acid deletion at the polymerase active site of POLD1 that abolishes DNA polymerase activity but only mildly impairs 3′ to 5′ exonuclease activity. This mutation causes a distinct multisystem disorder that includes subcutaneous lipodystrophy, deafness, mandibular hypoplasia and hypogonadism in males. This suggests that perturbation of function of the ubiquitously expressed POLD1 polymerase has surprisingly tissue-specific effects in man, and argues for an important role for POLD1 function in adipose tissue homeostasis.

Aims/hypothesis Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived secretory factor that is specifically produced in adipocytes. It exerts effects on energy homeostasis via peripheral and central mechanisms. However, it is not clear whether adiponectin crosses the blood-brain barrier in humans. In serum, adiponectin circulates in several different complexes, each of which has distinct functions. Here, we wanted to test whether adiponectin can be found in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and whether specific adiponectin complexes are enriched in CSF compared with peripheral serum samples. We also wanted to establish whether there is a sex-related difference with regard to the distribution of adiponectin oligomers in CSF. Materials and methods We studied 22 subjects (11 men, 11 women) in this study. Their average BMI was 28.0± 4.7 kg/m 2 ; average age was 70±7 years. Results Analysis of total adiponectin revealed that adiponectin protein is present in human CSF at approximately 0.1% of serum concentration. The distribution of adiponectin oligomers differs considerably in CSF from that of serum within matched samples from the same patients. Only the adiponectin trimeric and low-molecular-mass hexameric complexes are found in CSF, with a bias towards the trimeric form in most patients. Male subjects have a higher CSF: serum ratio of total adiponectin (p<0.05; n=20) and have slightly higher trimer levels in serum and CSF than female subjects. Conclusions/interpretation We conclude that the adiponectin trimer is the predominant oligomer in human CSF.

In summary, our findings show both the presence of adiponectin and resistin in human CSF, with no effect of insulin resistance on CSF levels. The CSF entry of adiponectin and leptin in women appears to be impaired in obesity.