Future analytical plan The feasibility and the interrelationship of the different stress measurements (questionnaires, cortisol in different biological samples, HRV) will be studied. This will be done using regression analyses corrected for age and sex, a hierarchical Nilotinib Bcr-Abl inhibitor linear model for salivary cortisol (to model the diurnal pattern of cortisol) and a triad analysis allowing to compare more than two measurements at the same time (to examine which method may most accurately indicate true childhood stress) [58]. Secondly, regression models stratified for gender and corrected for age can verify the mutual relationships between stress and lifestyle related factors (sleep, diet and physical activity). Also, the possible mediation effect of psychological eating behavior in the stress-diet relationship will be tested.

To reduce multicollinearity and complexity, principal component analysis will be executed on the stress questionnaires and lifestyle related factors. Finally, the association between stress and obesity will be tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally (with repeated measures analysis). For this purpose, regression analyses will be executed correcting for the lifestyle related factors. Moreover, using mediation analyses the effect of lifestyle related factors on the stress versus body composition relationship will be examined. For a mediation effect, the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable should be significantly reduced after controlling for the mediator. This indirect effect will be formally tested with bootstrapping in SPSS [59] or in the more advanced Mplus software.

In all above-mentioned analyses, body composition parameters will be examined as continuous variables, such as body fat percentages, fat free mass percentages, BMI z-scores etc., instead of comparing obese versus non-obese groups. Results Participation rate Table 1 presents, the consent- and drop-out-percentage, as well as the number of cases valid for data-analysis for each measurement module that took place at baseline and first follow-up. In the baseline and first follow-up survey, participation proportions of 68.7% (N=523/761) and 65.8% (N=418/635) were obtained, respectively. Willingness to participate from baseline to first follow-up (i.e. consent percentage) was 71.3% (N=453/635). Table 1 Participation numbers, separately for baseline survey (2010) and first follow-up (2011) of ChiBS in Aalter, Belgium Socio-demographic characteristics Table 2 shows the children��s and parental socio-demographic characteristics of participants with a baseline Anacetrapib assessment of the stress questionnaires (ChiBS participants) compared to non-participating children in the ChiBS study.

25 kcal/mol. This can be one of the possible conformations of the S3b-S4 pair when there is no transmembrane potential (the zero-potential state). Indeed, the crystal structures show the presence of E107 of S3b facing S4 at the vicinity of R123 and H109 is diametrically on the other side.[6�C8] Figure 3 Role of dipolar and side chain charges in the stability of the S3b-S4 pairs. (a) Potential Z-VAD-FMK energy profile of the system of charges on S3b-S4 vs. the relative translational distance between S3b and S4 along the helix axis, in presence (solid symbol) and … On neutralizing E107 of S3b for all possible rotational positions of S4, the total energy becomes positive and the profile almost flattens out [Figure 3a], i.e.

, the net energy of aggregation of S3b-S4 changes from attractive to repulsive, while [Figure 3b] on neutralizing the other charges, the negative (attractive) energy varied. Hence, E107 is the prime candidate in keeping S3b-S4 ��-helices together behaving like a single ��paddle�� unit.[9] Considering the minimum energy profile position at x = 9.0 and �� =120��, the effect of different charges on the stabilization of S3b-S4 pair was studied. Through virtual mutagenesis, on neutralizing each charge one at a time, the energy profile changed [Figure 3b], implying that each charge (dipolar charge or charged residue) has a significant role in stabilization of the S3b-S4 pair. In the absence of the charged residues (R117, R120, R123, R126, and R133), the total energy has increased, and hence the system lost stability, while in the absence of H109, the energy stability was increased.

On neutralization of the C3 and N4 terminal charges, the potential energy profile was raised, while the absence of N3 and C4 charges lowered the minimum energy value. Therefore, the dipolar end charges, in spite of being weaker, have a substantial role in the stability of S3b-S4 helix pair, which is still unexplored experimentally. Figure 3c shows a comparative study of the potential energy contribution of individual charges in stabilizing the S3b-S4 ��-helix pair. Of all the charges, the contribution of the potential energy of Glutamic acid E107 of S3b is maximum, but all other charges also contribute to the stability. In particular, contribution of the dipolar terminal charges C3 is much greater than that of any of the positive Arginine residues of S4, while contribution of N4 is comparable to some of the Arginine residues of S4 ��-helix.

Experimental evidences favor a significant role played by the Arginine residues of S4 in the gating process[5], but the role of the dipolar charges and the Glutamic acid of S3b in KvAP, so far have not been taken into consideration. Our calculations show, however, that in reference to Brefeldin_A the stability of the S3b-S4 pair, the dipolar charges and the negative Glutamic acid cannot be ignored.