The effect of Phentermine on weight loss in diabetic patients

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of short-term use of Phentermine on weight loss in subjects with diabetes compared to those without. STUDY DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study followed a group of individuals with obesity in a non-surgical weight management program who took Phentermine for an average of 3 continuous months. Of the 605 eligible patients who have started taking Phentermine between January 2015 and June 2015, 285 patients were included in the study. Patients taking other weight loss medications, patients with missing data [height, weight, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)], patients lost to follow up, and patients under the age of 21 or over 65 were excluded from the study. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome is percentage weight loss after an average of 3 months of continuous use of Phentermine. Clinical variables obtained from medical records included HbA1c level, home medications, labs, gender, age, first date of Phentermine prescription, date of Phentermine discontinuation, and weight at each visit. RESULTS: Most participants (91.58%) lost weight. Among those with a normal HbA1c level (HbA1c =5.7 and =6.5) (n=40) lost weight. The mean % weight loss for all participants (n=285) was 5.47% (SD=4.39). Those without diabetes or pre-diabetes had a mean % weight loss of 5.59% (SD=4.78); pre-diabetics lost 5.67% (SD=4.17) on average while diabetics lost 4.53 %(SD=3.06) of their total body weight (P-value for between group difference in percent weight loss=0.3413). The Bonferroni post hoc test also indicated that there was no significant difference in % weight loss between groups. CONCLUSION: Diabetic patients had a lower percentage weight loss compared to those with no diabetes or pre-diabetes after short-term use of continuous Phentermine. However, this finding did not provide statistical significance between the groups. Our finding also provided additional insight that the average age, months, and initial BMI between the groups were potential confounders in our study

Luncheon

Introductions: Forrest S. McCartney, General Chairma

Student Practice and Selected Teacher Behaviors in Elementary Physical Education (Effectiveness, Experimental Unit, Process-Product Study).

Eight preservice physical education teachers participated in this study to examine the effects of correct practice attempts, total practice attempts, and selected teacher behaviors on student achievement in a novel motor skill. Each teacher taught two 20-min lessons to 10 fourth graders. Four more and four less effective teachers were identified by cluster analysis using student posttest scores as the criterion. Eight teacher behaviors were observed and measured, four on frequency (cues, demonstration, knowledge of performance, encouragement) and four on duration (specific observation, general observation, management, instruction). Comparisons were made between the more and less effective teacher groups in two simple MANOVAs using either the teacher behaviors measured on duration or frequency as the dependent measures. Follow-up ANOVAs revealed only encouragement was significant favoring the more effective teachers. Although not significant, the more effective teachers averaged twice as many cues as the less effective teachers. Two separate teacher group x day ANOVAs with total trials and correct trials as dependent measures revealed that the students in the more effective teachers\u27 classes had significantly more correct practice trials than those in the less effective teachers\u27 classes. This is worth noting since Pearson r revealed significant relationships between student achievement and correct practice trials but not total practice trials. It appears that the quality of practice on this novel skill was a better indicator of learning than the total amount of practice

Institutional Factors Influencing Diary Farmers Participation in Formal and Informal Milk Markets in Maseru Urban, Lesotho, South Africa

The study was undertaken with the purpose of investigating institutional factors influencing participation in milk markets in Maseru urban. Out of 30 dairy farmers, 30 were selected using a survey method and data was collected using a structured questionnaires. The data generated was analysed using both descriptive statistics and logit model. Descriptive results show that dairy farmers use formal market channels more than informal market channels. Empirical results show that market information, membership in organization and collective action, government support and contractual agreements influence participation in formal markets while social capital, path dependency, delayed payments and distance to milk collection centres influence participation in the informal markets.

Institutional Factors Influencing Diary Farmers Participation in Formal and Informal Milk Markets in Maseru Urban, Lesotho, South Africa

The study was undertaken with the purpose of investigating institutional factors influencing participation in milk markets in Maseru urban. Out of 30 dairy farmers, 30 were selected using a survey method and data was collected using a structured questionnaires. The data generated was analysed using both descriptive statistics and logit model. Descriptive results show that dairy farmers use formal market channels more than informal market channels. Empirical results show that market information, membership in organization and collective action, government support and contractual agreements influence participation in formal markets while social capital, path dependency, delayed payments and distance to milk collection centres influence participation in the informal markets.

Photoprotective Properties of Eumelanin:Computational Insights into the Photophysics of a Catechol:Quinone Heterodimer Model System

Melanins are skin-centered molecular structures that block harmful UV radiation from the sun and help protect chromosomal DNA from UV damage. Understanding the photodynamics of the chromophores that make up eumelanin is therefore paramount. This manuscript presents a multi-reference computational study of the mechanisms responsible for the experimentally observed photostability of a melanin-relevant model heterodimer comprising a catechol (C)–benzoquinone (Q) pair. The present results validate a recently proposed photoinduced intermolecular transfer of an H atom from an OH moiety of C to a carbonyl-oxygen atom of the Q. Photoexcitation of the ground state C:Q heterodimer (which has a π-stacked “sandwich” structure) results in population of a locally excited ππ* state (on Q), which develops increasing charge-transfer (biradical) character as it evolves to a “hinged” minimum energy geometry and drives proton transfer (i.e., net H atom transfer) from C to Q. The study provides further insights into excited state decay mechanisms that could contribute to the photostability afforded by the bulk polymeric structure of eumelanin

Civic Participation and Other Interventions That Promote Children\u2019s Tolerance of Migrants

In this chapter, we begin by providing a definition of \u2018tolerance\u2019, illustrating the wide range of attributes associated with the concept in the literature. Second, we identify some key paths through which tolerance can develop at different stages of an individual\u2019s development. Through a literature review, we will track some of the factors that can increase tolerance toward migrants during early and late stages development. Finally, we will conclude by presenting an overview of methodological approaches that practitioners have at their disposal to promote tolerance toward migrants

Anti-Inflammatory properties of Salograviolide A purified from Lebanese plant Centaurea ainetensis

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Differential Cytokine Gene Expression According to Outcome in a Hamster Model of Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a widespread bacterial infection that is transmitted by soil or water contaminated by the urine of infected animals, or directly from these animals. It has highly diverse clinical presentations, making its differential diagnosis difficult. Though most cases are minor and self-resolving, there are also severe forms that include a sepsis pattern and multiple organ failure, and have possible fatal outcomes. Predictors of disease evolution and outcome are scarce, yet they would be very valuable to clinicians as well as to better decipher disease pathogenesis. In this study, we used a hamster model of leptospirosis to evaluate if immune genes were differentially expressed between individuals and if their expression levels could help forecast the outcome of the disease. We found that hamsters that later died from leptospirosis had significantly higher expression levels of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators compared to survivors. These results suggest that expression levels of these immune effectors might be helpful predictors of outcome in leptospirosis and that septic shock contributes to fatal leptospirosis

The Role of the Qur'an and Sunnah in Oral Health.

The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which the main texts in Islam, Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), contribute to understandings of oral health. The AHadith provide guidance for oral health-related behaviour but were written at a time when their symbolic meanings were perhaps vastly different to those of today. In gaining more insight into the ways Islamic HRB shape oral health-related practices and outcomes, if at all, we may be better placed to develop a more culturally sensitive and diverse dental public health and oral health promotion which takes into account religious dimensions, mediating factors, HRB and salutogenic mechanisms