Weekly Roundup
Apr 8 – 14, 2024
The Weekly Roundup is an opportunity to recap a week in news and share recently discovered materials that might be of interest.
THE NUZZO LETTER IN THE NEWS
Woke Madness in Aussie Universities with James Nuzzo
The Victor Dalziel Newscast, 2024
ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
Mayo Clinic argues it has legal right to punish professors for voicing unpopular opinions
The College Fix, 2024
Embattled Harvard honesty professor accused of plagiarism
Science, 2024
Bad data from the FBI mislead about crime
Washington Examiner, 2024
Psychiatry Research, 2023
Abstract: Direct-to-consumer DNA tests provide information on ancestry and family relations. Their increased use in recent years has led many to discover that their presumed father is not their biological father, a non-paternity event (NPE). We aimed to explore and quantify the psychiatric effects of discovering one's father's identity was misattributed. We distributed questionnaires in a private online community of individuals who learned they were NPEs. Questionnaires included clinical scales assessing depressive, anxiety, and panic symptomatology as well as background and personal details regarding participants' NPE discovery and demography. A total of 731 people participated. Results demonstrated increased levels of depression, anxiety, and panic symptoms relative to controls. Multiple factors influenced such effects, including demographics, background information, family members' reactions, and personal reactions. We identified a worsening relationship or attitude toward the mother as a risk factor for worse mental health. The ability to openly discuss the discovery and acceptance of it were identified as protective factors. This is the first paper to explore the psychiatric sequelae of discovering misattributed paternity in a large cohort. This unique psychosocial stressor is likely to become more common as direct-to-consumer DNA tests gain popularity, requiring the attention of mental health professionals.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2024
Abstract: Introduction: Physical activity level has been identified as an important factor in the development and progression of various types of cancer. In this study, we determined the impact of a low versus high physical activity level on skeletal muscle, healthy prostate, and prostate tumor protein synthesis rates in vivo in prostate cancer patients. Methods: Thirty prostate cancer patients (age, 66 ± 5 yr; body mass index, 27.4 ± 2.9 kg·m -2 ) were randomized to a low (<4000 steps per day, n = 15) or high (>14,000 steps per day, n = 15) physical activity level for 7 d before their scheduled radical prostatectomy. Daily deuterium oxide administration was combined with the collection of plasma, skeletal muscle, nontumorous prostate, and prostate tumor tissue during the surgical procedure to determine tissue protein synthesis rates throughout the intervention period. Results: Daily step counts averaged 3610 ± 878 and 17,589 ± 4680 steps in patients subjected to the low and high physical activity levels, respectively ( P < 0.001). No differences were observed between tissue protein synthesis rates of skeletal muscle, healthy prostate, or prostate tumor between the low (1.47% ± 0.21%, 2.74% ± 0.70%, and 4.76% ± 1.23% per day, respectively) and high (1.42% ± 0.16%, 2.64% ± 0.58%, and 4.72% ± 0.80% per day, respectively) physical activity group (all P > 0.4). Tissue protein synthesis rates were nearly twofold higher in prostate tumor compared with nontumorous prostate tissue. Conclusions: A short-term high or low physical activity level does not modulate prostate or prostate tumor protein synthesis rates in vivo in prostate cancer patients. More studies on the impact of physical activity level on tumor protein synthesis rates and tumor progression are warranted to understand the potential impact of lifestyle interventions in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2023
Abstract: Background: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study is a longitudinal cohort study that started just over 25 years ago. This ground-breaking study tested specific hypotheses about the importance of weight, body composition, and weight-related health conditions for incident functional limitation in older adults. Methods: Narrative review with analysis of ancillary studies, career awards, publications, and citations. Results: Key findings of the study demonstrated the importance of body composition as a whole, both fat and lean mass, in the disablement pathway. The quality of the muscle in terms of its strength and its composition was found to be a critical feature in defining sarcopenia. Dietary patterns and especially protein intake, social factors, and cognition were found to be critical elements for functional limitation and disability. The study is highly cited and its assessments have been widely adopted in both observational studies and clinical trials. Its impact continues as a platform for collaboration and career development. Conclusions: The Health ABC provides a knowledge base for the prevention of disability and promotion of mobility in older adults.
RUBBISH BIN
How health system ‘designed by men, for men’ is failing women
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2024
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Salon, 2024
Fat Studies, 2024
Abstract: Fat social justice and fat liberation movements share language, symbols, and strategies with many other movements striving to fight discrimination and stigma, such as movements centered on race, gender, sexuality, and disability. These communities should be natural partners with fat activists in striving for intersectional liberation and in fighting existing structures of privilege. It is less clear, however, the degree to which fat activism and activists are welcome in spaces explicitly constructed to address comprehensive approaches to social justice. To address this question, we examine a setting specifically built to address issues of privilege, oppression, and discrimination: diversity, equity, and inclusion organizations at US colleges and universities. We compile a data set of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at 200 four-year colleges and universities in the US, with stratified samples to ensure inclusion across regions of the US, a broad variety of educational settings from large Research 1 institutions to small liberal arts colleges, and a subset of historically black colleges and universities. We examine whether and to what degree issues of fat social justice and liberation are included in university diversity and inclusion offices, websites, and materials. Findings show fat people, their experiences, and fat social justice issues are generally excluded in DEI spaces. We provide potential explanations for this exclusion and outline possible steps forward for those interested in fat social justice.
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