Out-of-home eating frequency, causal attribution of obesity and support to healthy eating policies from a cross-European survey

Background: The relation between the increased out-of-home food consumption and the rising of overweight and obesity prevalence rates has been widely assessed, and the a key role played by the catering sector in ensuring healthy food choices has been recognised. Governments’ healthy eating policies have a wide range of action, influencing consumer behavior, and the socioeconomic and  food environments, with specific actions for the catering sector. Information on the public support for these policies could help policy makers in planning decisions. This study aims to investigate the relationship of out-of-home eating frequency with beliefs about obesity causes, support to healthy eating policies, and with socio-demographic factors. Methods: Data on 3003 individuals from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland and United Kingdom, of both sexes, aged ≥16 years, were employed, from the European survey on policy preferences (Eatwell). Data were analysed through Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Out-of-home eating varied with gender, age, marital status, education, BMI, and by country. Convenience food consumption was positively associated with obesity attribution to genetics, and inversely associated with attribution to lack of willpower. Attributions of obesity to lack of time, and to lack of self-control were associated with increased likelihood to consume fast-food and ready-prepared food respectively. Out-of-home eating people expressed higher support for information-based prevention, and actions aimed at healthier out-of-home eating, and lower support for restrictions and regulations of the food supply environment. Conclusion: Future research on out-of-home food consumers and their support towards public interventions for the catering sector, could have important implications for effective strategies to promote healthy eating

Isolamento e caratterizzazione chimico-strutturale di metaboliti secondari dal genere Ononis e Seseli

In a continuation of our research on bioactive natural products form Seseli praecox we now focused on a population growing on the island of San Pietro (Sardinia). With respect to the population growing on limestone from Ogliastra (Sardinia) studied previously this population grows on weathered volcanic substrate and shows different morphological characteristics. Seseli sp. is a classical medicinal plant taxon and mentioned by Dioscorides as well as Galenos amongst other indications against orthopnea, chronic cough, uterine spasms and epilepsy. Orthopnea, a form of breathlessness caused by increased central and pulmonary blood volume has been associated with chronic heart failure. The phytochemical investigation of the extract obtained from the stems of S. praecox afforded five known khellactones, five furocumarines, two coumarins, two chromone, as well as falcarinol and falarindiol and a new natural compound 5-hydroxy-6-[3-(hydroxymethyl)-4-methyl-2-pentenyl]-7-methoxy-2-methyl-4-H-cromen-4-one. Khellactones are dihydroseselin type angular pyranocumarins and have been obtained from different Apiaceae species used in local medicine as well as food. Similar to the medicinal indications of Seseli sp., Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. is used against cardio-vascular and urological problems. Visnadine, a khellactone obtained from A. visnaga fruits was shown to inhibit Ca2+ channels ex vivo. According on these data, 5 khellactones are tested as potential inhibitors to the Ca2+ channel. Only Hyuganin D was active. Different papers suggest that pyranocoumarins could be a potential MDR reversing agent. In this thesis we remark that Hyuganin D showed ability to induces calcium transients reproducible and in the same time are able to inhibit P-gp in Rhodamine123 efflux assay in Pgp transfected MDCK cells with an effect similar to vinblastine. We are currently developing the cytotoxicity test. We have also investigated the secondary metabolites of Ononis natrix, a small shrub belongs to the family Legumynose (tribe Trifoleae). The infusion of its roots and flowers has been used for the treatment of some disturbances of the urinary tract, in fact have been reported to have diuretic and antirheumatic proprieties. Members of this genus has been also used in folk medicine for the treatment of jaundice, kidney stones and skins diseases. Compounds isolated from the genus Ononis have also show antibiotic, molluscicidal, antiviral activities. In this thesis we describe the isolation and determination of the structure of three new natural product: two dihydroisocoumarins(1-1[(6,8-dihydroxy-1-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-isochromen-3-yl)methyl]heptyl acetate 1-[(6,8-dihydroxy-1-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-isochromen3 yl)methyl]-5-oxoheptyl acetate) and 4-methoxyphenyl 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propanoate. Additionally we have isolated 12 know compounds (two flavones, four flavanones, a chalcone and six dihydrochalcones). All compounds were evaluated for their activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candidaalbicans. The most active compound against S.aureus is 2’,6’-dihydroxy-4’-methoxydihydrochalcone (2 μg). 2’,4’-dihydroxy-6’-methoxydihydrochalcone, 1-[(6,8- dihydroxy-1-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-isochromen-3-yl)methyl]heptyl acetate and 4-methoxyphenyl 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propanoate show a good activity against S. aureus(16 μg). Other compounds are less active than these. The most active compound against C. albicans is 7-hydroxy-8-methoxyflavone (8 μg) and 2’,4’-dihydroxy-6’-methoxy-dihydrochalcone show a good activity against C. albicans (16 μg)

Desequilíbrio externo e crescimento econômico: uma análise das principais contribuições teóricas e da experiência brasileira no período de 1968-2002

Crises de balanço de pagamentos e outras formas de desequilíbrio externo são restrições bastante relevantes ao crescimento econômico de longo prazo, sobretudo em economias caracterizadas por uma alta dependência do setor externo. Este trabalho busca analisar as relações entre o crescimento econômico e as restrições impostas pelo setor externo, tanto sob uma perspectiva teórica quanto de um ponto de vista empírico. No campo teórico, são expostas as diversas abordagens sobre o tema, enfatizando-se possíveis pontos comuns e eventuais discordâncias. No plano empírico, é realizada uma breve análise da economia brasileira no período 1968-2001, onde busca-se explorar as complexas relações entre o setor externo, a política econômica e o desempenho dos agregados macroeconômicos

System Architecture for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services

Final project for INST490 (Spring 2018). University of Maryland, College Park.This design-oriented, community service project has the potential to improve productivity in Montgomery County's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by providing a central standardized management system. The project goal is to evaluate and assess existing cloudbased data storage systems for a future developer to implement. Client: Noune Sekhpossian, [email protected] DHHS collects ongoing data to regulate whether its programs are following through with actions and results. It is important to frontline staff and to their managers, administrators, commissions, and elected officials. DHHS collects numerous metrics from its more than 130 direct service programs and its 700 contracted service providers. To improve productivity of DHHS staff, the team will design a way to more easily access and track performance measures and reports. The new system will be a cloud-based storage system that is archivable and compatible with industry-standard browsers. This storage system will provide adequate security and tools to perform any analysis or filtering DHHS may need. The proposed project will include an evaluation and assessment of existing cloud-based data storage systems that a future developer (e.g., MIM capstone students) will use as a first step in implementing the cloud-based system. The final document will be one component of a system synthesis that will include comprehensive cloud-based data storage, as well as user interface (UI) and business intelligence (BI) solutions for DHHS performance metrics.Montgomery Count

Female image in time of exception

The article is based on the concepts of time and representation - studied by Roger Chartier, on narratives, as discourses for the permanece of the memory (ies) and the construction of the cultural history of a certain group -, it aims to associate them to the curatorial propositions of the exhibition Radical Women: Latin American Art 1960-1985, an exhibition of feminine artistic creations resistant to military dictatorships that oppressed Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century.O artigo parte dos conceitos de tempo e representação – estudados por Roger Chartier, com análises sobre a importância das narrativas, enquanto discursos empregados na fixação da(s) memória(s) e a construção da história cultural de um determinado grupo -, para associá-los às proposições curatoriais da exposição Mulheres Radicais: arte latino-americana 1960-1985, uma mostra de criações artísticas femininas resistentes às ditaduras militares que oprimiram a América Latina durante a segunda metade do século XX.El artículo parte de los conceptos de tiempo y representación - estudiados por Roger Chartier, con análisis sobre la importancia de las narrativas, como discursos empleados en la fijación de la(s) memoria(s) y la construcción de la historia cultural de un determinado grupo-, para asociarla a las proposiciones curatoriales de la exposición Mujeres Radicales: arte latinoamericano 1960- 1985, una muestra de creaciones artísticas femeninas resistentes a las dictaduras militares que oprimieron a América Latina durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX

Increased Osteoprotegerin Levels in Cushing's Syndrome Are Associated with an Adverse Cardiovascular Risk Profile

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Left and right atrioventricular coupling index in patients with beta-thalassemia major

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship of left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) and right atrioventricular coupling index (RACI) with demographics, clinical data, cardiovascular magnetic resonance fndings, and cardiac complications (heart failure, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension) in a cohort of patients with beta-thalassemia major (β-TM). We evaluated 292 β-TM patients (151 females, 36.72±11.76 years) consecutively enrolled in the Extension-Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia (E-MIOT) project. Moreover, we assessed 32 sex- and agematched healthy controls (12 females, mean age 40.78±14.35 years). LACI was determined by calculating the ratio of the left atrium end-diastolic volume to the left ventricle end-diastolic volume, while RACI was defned by calculating the ratio of the right atrium end-diastolic volume to the right ventricle end-diastolic volume. Compared to healthy control, β-TM demonstrated increased LACI (22.99±13.58% vs. 16.05±5.28%; p<0.0001) and RACI (27.84±10.30% vs. 17.06±5.03%; p<0.0001). Aging, diabetes, splenectomy, and the presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) showed a signifcant positive association with both LACI and RACI. In stepwise regression analysis, the presence of LGE was found to be an independent predictor of both impaired LACI and RACI (β coefcient=0.244, p<0.0001 and β coefcient=0.218, p=0.003; respectively). LACI and RACI were not correlated with myocardial iron overload. Patients with cardiac complications had signifcantly higher LACI and RACI than patients without cardiac complications. In patients with β-TM, LACI and RACI were signifcantly associated with the presence of LV LGE. In addition, patients with cardiac complications had impaired LACI and RACI

Embryo-uterine interaction coordinates mouse embryogenesis during implantation

Embryo implantation into the uterus marks a key transition in mammalian development. In mice, implantation is mediated by the trophoblast and is accompanied by a morphological transition from the blastocyst to the egg cylinder. However, the roles of trophoblast‐uterine interactions in embryo morphogenesis during implantation are poorly understood due to inaccessibility in utero and the remaining challenges to recapitulate it ex vivo from the blastocyst. Here, we engineer a uterus‐like microenvironment to recapitulate peri‐implantation development of the whole mouse embryo ex vivo and reveal essential roles of the physical embryo‐uterine interaction. We demonstrate that adhesion between the trophoblast and the uterine matrix is required for in utero‐like transition of the blastocyst to the egg cylinder. Modeling the implanting embryo as a wetting droplet links embryo shape dynamics to the underlying changes in trophoblast adhesion and suggests that the adhesion‐mediated tension release facilitates egg cylinder formation. Light‐sheet live imaging and the experimental control of the engineered uterine geometry and trophoblast velocity uncovers the coordination between trophoblast motility and embryo growth, where the trophoblast delineates space for embryo morphogenesis