Waist circumference, abdominal obesity, and depression among overweight and obese U.S. adults: national health and nutrition examination survey 2005-2006

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity is associated with an increased risk of mental illness; however, evidence linking body mass index (BMI)-a measure of overall obesity, to mental illness is inconsistent. The objective of this study was to examine the association of depressive symptoms with waist circumference or abdominal obesity among overweight and obese U.S. adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional, nationally representative sample from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used. We analyzed the data from 2,439 U.S. adults (1,325 men and 1,114 nonpregnant women) aged ≥ 20 years who were either overweight or obese with BMI of ≥ 25.0 kg/m². Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference of > 102 cm for men and > 88 cm for women. Depressive symptoms (defined as having major depressive symptoms or moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms) were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 diagnostic algorithm. The prevalence and the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for having major depressive symptoms and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were estimated using logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After multivariate adjustment for demographics and lifestyle factors, waist circumference was significantly associated with both major depressive symptoms (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05) and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), and adults with abdominal obesity were significantly more likely to have major depressive symptoms (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.35-3.59) or have moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.34-4.90) than those without. These relationships persisted after further adjusting for coexistence of multiple chronic conditions and persisted in participants who were overweight (BMI: 25.0-< 30.0 kg/m²) when stratified analyses were conducted by BMI status.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Among overweight and obese U.S. adults, waist circumference or abdominal obesity was significantly associated with increased likelihoods of having major depressive symptoms or moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Thus, mental health status should be monitored and evaluated in adults with abdominal obesity, particularly in those who are overweight.</p

Data Privacy: Users’ Thoughts on Quantified Self Personal Data

The logging of personal data has been shown to offer many benefits for those wanting to, for example, get fitter, get stronger or get to know themselves better. In this chapter, we concentrate on the privacy values attributed to Quantified-Self (QS) data. Using evidence taken from research interviews, this chapter reviews privacy in relation to personal data and offers an empirical perspective on how QS users view and value the data they collect, and often display publically, as well as their attitudes towards the handling of their data by QS device manufacturers. We question appreciations of privacy in QS data and elaborate on how users value their QS privacy

Thermal water chemistry of Yellowstone National Park after 24 years of research

The collection, analysis, and interpretation of 24 years of thermal water chemistry data from Yellowstone National Park have led to substantial insights into the water-rock interactions here and implications for other geothermal areas. New sampling and analytical methods have been developed and tested for trace elements. Quantitative measurements were obtained for changes in redox species of S, Fe, As, Sb, and Hg during outflow of thermal waters in which biotic and abiotic reactions play important roles. Fluoride speciation calculations were confirmed with ion-selective electrode measurements. The fate of contaminants, especially As and F, from thermal features in major rivers revealed no significant attenuation during downstream transport. Continuous monitoring for heat flux using year-round conductivity measurements was established. Testing of the “Multiple Equilibria Geothermometer” was achieved with high-quality, long-term data from Ojo Caliente, a continuously flowing hot spring. Yellowstone continues to be an outstanding field laboratory for expanding our knowledge of thermal water-rock interactions

Geochemistry, toxicity, and sorption properties of contaminated sediments and pore waters from two reservoirs receiving acid mine drainage

Acid mine waters from the Iron Mountain Superfund Site, Shasta County, California, flow through Spring Creek Reservoir and into Keswick Reservoir on the Sacramento River. In Keswick Reservoir, the acid mine waters have neutralized on mixing with neutral-pH lake water, producing fine-grained, metalrich sediments. Sediment cores were collected during 1997 from both reservoirs for characterization and pore waters were extracted under anoxic conditions. Chemical composition, mineralogical identification, redox chemistry, sorption properties, and toxicity were determined on several samples. Metal concentrations in sediment ranged from 4 to 47 % for Fe, 200 to 4,800 mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram) for Cu, and 85 to 6,600 mg/kg for Zn. Pore waters ranged in pH from 4.7 to 6.7 and their Fe(II) concentration range was 10 to 2,000 mg/L (milligrams per liter). Although pore-water Zn concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 9 mg/L, Cu concentrations were less than 0.01 mg/L. Considerable reductive iron dissolution has occurred in the Keswick Reservoir sediments, but there is little or no indication of sulfate reduction. Adsorption and desorption experiments for Cu, Zn, and Cd on composite sediment samples demonstrated typical sorption behavior for metal ions on iron oxides, except that the adsorption edge is moved about one pH unit lower than expected compared to a hydrous ferric oxide substrate, but similar to that for a schwertmannite (ferric oxyhydroxysulfate) substrate. Schwertmannite was identified in the sediments by x-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Toxicity tests, using dilutions of Keswick sediment pore waters and Ceriodaphnia dubia as a test animal, demonstrated that iron is the causative agent for both acute and chronic toxicity with a minor contribution to toxicity from zinc

Serious adverse events in randomized psychosocial treatment studies: Safety or Arbitrary Edicts?

Human subjects protection policies developed for pharmaceutical trials are now being widely applied to psychosocial intervention studies. This study examined occurrences of serious adverse events (SAEs) reported in multicenter psychosocial trials of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. Substance abusing participants (N=1,687) were randomized to standard care or standard care plus either contingency management or motivational enhancement. Twelve percent of participants experienced one or more SAEs during the 27,198 person-weeks of follow-up. Of the 260 SAEs recorded, none were judged by the Data Safety Monitoring Board to be study related, and there were no significant differences between experimental and control conditions in SAE incidence rates. These data underscore the need to reconsider the rationale behind, and appropriate methods for, monitoring safety during psychosocial therapy trials