For K-12 students, obesity has been linked to student educational achievements. The study objective was to determine whether academic performance in university students is correlated with BMI. Students from two consecutive academic years (Jan-May 2013 and Jan-May 2014) were given an optional class survey in May, as extra credit. Of the 452 students that completed the survey, 204 females and 75 males (N = 279; 73% female and 27% male) consented to participate in the study. The number of correct answers to problem-solving questions (PSQs) and the overall final grade for the class were compared to the calculated BMI using linear regression with a Pearson's R correlation and unpaired t-tests. BMI was significantly negatively correlated with student's final grades (P = 0.001 Pearson's r = - 0.190) and PSQs were positively correlated with final grades (P < 0.001; Pearson's r = 0.357). Our findings show a correlation between healthy body weight and improved academic performance. Further, the data suggest that future research in the area of body weight, diet, and exercise and any correlations of these with academic performance in college students are warranted.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are, arguably, the enigma of the RNA transcriptome. Even though there are more annotated ncRNAs (25,967) compared to mRNAs (19,827), we know far less about each of the genes that produce ncRNA, especially in terms of their regulation, molecular functions, and interactions. Further, we are only beginning to understand the role of differential regulation or function of ncRNAs caused by genetic and epigenetic perturbations, such as single nucleotide variants (SNV), deletions, insertions, and histone/DNA modifications. The 22 papers in this Special Issue describe the emerging roles of ncRNAs in neurological, cardiovascular, immune, and hepatic systems, to name a few, as well as in diseases such as cancer, Prader–Willi Syndrome, cardiac arrhythmias, and diabetes. As we begin to understand the function and regulation of this class of RNAs, strategies targeting ncRNAs could lead to improved therapeutic interventions for some conditions.

Mechanisms controlling body weight involve gene regulation through the activation of signal transduction pathways. The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signal transduction pathway is the mechanism primarily used by leptin in the hypothalamus. The transcription factor nescient helix-loop-helix 2 (Nhlh2) is a downstream target of leptin signaling and is expressed in proopiomelanocortin arcuate neurons. Proopiomelanocortin is cleaved by prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) to produce peptides that regulate the body’s response to energy availability. Previous studies show that the PC1/3 promoter contains STAT3 sites mediating leptin-induced PC1/3 expression, and that Nhlh2 is required for hypothalamic PC1/3 expression because Nhlh2 knockout mice have reduced PC1/3 mRNA levels. Studies herein reveal that leptin-induced PC1/3 gene expression is abrogated in N2KO mice, and that in a hypothalamic cell line both STAT3 and Nhlh2 are required for the full transcriptional response of a PC1/3 reporter gene after leptin stimulation. Furthermore, it is shown that Nhlh2 binds to E-box motifs found adjacent to STAT3 sites in the PC1/3 promoter both in vitro and in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Finally, two different protein-protein interaction assays confirm the presence of a STAT3:Nhlh2 heterodimer on the PC1/3 promoter. The Nhlh2:STAT3 heterodimer may be an important transcriptional regulator of other hypothalamic genes in the leptin signaling pathway. These data confirm Nhlh2 as an integral element of the Janus kinase/STAT signaling pathway and are the first to demonstrate coordinated control of PC1/3 transcription by Nhlh2 and STAT3 after leptin stimulation.

The Small Nucleolar Host Gene 14 (SNHG14) is a host gene for small non-coding RNAs, including the SNORD116 small nucleolar C/D box RNA encoding locus. Large deletions of the SNHG14 locus, as well as microdeletions of the SNORD116 locus, lead to the neurodevelopmental genetic disorder Prader–Willi syndrome. This review will focus on the SNHG14 gene, its expression patterns, its role in human cancer, and the possibility that single nucleotide variants within the locus contribute to human phenotypes in the general population. This review will also include new in silico data analyses of the SNHG14 locus and new in situ RNA expression patterns of the Snhg14 RNA in mouse midbrain and hindbrain regions.

In mice, targeted deletion of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, nescient helix-loop-helix 2 (Nhlh2), leads to adult-onset obesity and reduced physical activity. We propose the novel hypothesis that transcriptional activity by Nhlh2 (NHLH2 in humans) controls either the ability or the motivation for exercise.