Takeaway food consumption, diet quality and abdominal obesity in young adults

Background - Takeaway food consumption is associated with a higher BMI and poorer diet quality in the USA but little is known about the association in Australians.Objective - To examine if takeaway food consumption is associated with abdominal obesity and poorer diet quality in young Australian adults.Design - A national sample of 1,277 men and 1,585 women aged 26-36 completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographic and lifestyle factors, a 127 item food frequency questionnaire, and usual frequency of fruit, vegetable and takeaway food consumption. Dietary intake was compared with the dietary recommendations of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. A pedometer was worn for seven days. Waist circumference was measured and moderate abdominal obesity was defined as &ge;94 cm for men and &ge;80 cm for women. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using log binomial regression with eating takeaway food once a week or less as the reference group.Outcomes - Consumption of takeaway food twice a week or more was reported by more men (37.9%) than women (17.7%). Participants eating takeaway food at least twice a week were less likely to meet the guidelines for vegetables (P&lt;0.05 men and women), fruit (P&lt;0.001 men and women), dairy (P&lt;0.01 men and women), extra foods (P=0.001 men and women), breads and cereals (P&lt;0.05 men only), lean meats and alternatives (P&lt;0.05 women only) and overall met significantly fewer dietary guidelines (P&lt;0.001 men and women) than participants eating takeaway less than twice per week. After adjusting for confounding variables (age, physical activity, TV viewing, and employment status) consuming takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with a 31% higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in men (PR 1.31; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.61) and a 25% higher prevalence in women (PR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.50).Conclusion - Eating takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with poorer diet quality and a higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in both young men and young women.<br /

Depression and Insulin Resistance: Cross-sectional associations in young adults

OBJECTIVE - To examine the association between depressive disorder and insulin resistance in a sample of young adults using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to ascertain depression status. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Cross-sectional data were collected on 1,732 participants aged between 26 and 36 years. Insulin resistance was derived from blood chemistry measures of fasting insulin and glucose using the homeostatis model assessment method. Those identified with mild, moderate or severe depression were classified as having depressive disorder. RESULTS - The 12 month prevalence of depressive disorder was 5.4% among men and 11.7% among women. In unadjusted models mean insulin resistance was 17.2% (95% CI 0.7-36.0%, P = 0.04) higher in men and 11.4%(1.5-22.0%, P=0.02) higher in women with depressive disorder. After adjustment for behavioral and dietary factors, the increased level of insulin resistance associated with depressive disorder was 13.2% (-3.1 to 32.3%, P = 0.12) in men and 6.1% (-4.1 to 17.4%, P - 0.25) in women. Waist circumference was identified as a mediator in the relationship between depression and insulin resistance, reducing the β coefficient in the fully adjusted models in men by 38% and in women by 42%. CONCLUSIONS - A positive association was found between depressive disorder and insulin resistance in this population-based sample of young adult men and women. The association seemed to be mediated partially by waist circumference

Impact of overweight and obesity on life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years and lifetime costs in the adult population of Ghana

Introduction: Prior studies have revealed the increasing prevalence of obesity and its associated health effects among ageing adults in resource poor countries. However, no study has examined the long-term and economic impact of overweight and obesity in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, we quantified the long-term impact of overweight and obesity on life expectancy (LE), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and total direct healthcare costs. Methods: A Markov simulation model projected health and economic outcomes associated with three categories of body mass index (BMI): healthy weight (18.5≤BMI 2) in simulated adult cohorts over a 50-year time horizon from age fifty. Costs were estimated from government and patient perspectives, discounted 3% annually and reported in 2017 US$. Mortality rates from Ghanaian lifetables were adjusted by BMI-specific all-cause mortality HRs. Published input data were used from the 2014/2015 Ghana WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health data. Internal and external validity were assessed. Results: From age 50 years, average (95$619 (95% CI: 616 to 622), US$1298 (95$2057 (95% CI: 2043 to 2071) for healthy weight, overweight and obesity, respectively. QALYs and costs were lower in males. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity have substantial health and economic impacts, hence the urgent need for cost-effective preventive strategies in the Ghanaian population

An eating pattern characterised by skipped or delayed breakfast is associated with mood disorders among an Australian adult cohort

BackgroundMeal timing may influence food choices, neurobiology and psychological states. Our exploratory study examined if time-of-day eating patterns were associated with mood disorders among adults.MethodsDuring 2004–2006 (age 26–36 years) and 2009–2011 (follow-up, age 31–41 years), N = 1304 participants reported 24-h food and beverage intake. Time-of-day eating patterns were derived by principal components analysis. At follow-up, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview measured lifetime mood disorder. Log binomial and adjacent categories log-link regression were used to examine bidirectional associations between eating patterns and mood disorder. Covariates included sex, age, marital status, social support, education, work schedule, body mass index and smoking.ResultsThree patterns were derived at each time-point: Grazing (intake spread across the day), Traditional (highest intakes reflected breakfast, lunch and dinner), and Late (skipped/delayed breakfast with higher evening intakes). Compared to those in the lowest third of the respective pattern at baseline and follow-up, during the 5-year follow-up, those in the highest third of the Late pattern at both time-points had a higher prevalence of mood disorder [prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–3.48], and those in the highest third of the Traditional pattern at both time-points had a lower prevalence of first onset mood disorder (PR = 0.31; 95% CI 0.11–0.87). Participants who experienced a mood disorder during follow-up had a 1.07 higher relative risk of being in a higher Late pattern score category at follow-up than those without mood disorder (95% CI 1.00–1.14).ConclusionsNon-traditional eating patterns, particularly skipped or delayed breakfast, may be associated with mood disorders.</p

Toward shared decision-making in degenerative cervical myelopathy: Protocol for a mixed methods study

Health care decisions are a critical determinant in the evolution of chronic illness. In shared decision-making (SDM), patients and clinicians work collaboratively to reach evidence-based health decisions that align with individual circumstances, values, and preferences. This personalized approach to clinical care likely has substantial benefits in the oversight of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), a type of nontraumatic spinal cord injury. Its chronicity, heterogeneous clinical presentation, complex management, and variable disease course engenders an imperative for a patient-centric approach that accounts for each patient's unique needs and priorities. Inadequate patient knowledge about the condition and an incomplete understanding of the critical decision points that arise during the course of care currently hinder the fruitful participation of health care providers and patients in SDM. This study protocol presents the rationale for deploying SDM for DCM and delineates the groundwork required to achieve this. The study's primary outcome is the development of a comprehensive checklist to be implemented upon diagnosis that provides patients with essential information necessary to support their informed decision-making. This is known as a core information set (CIS). The secondary outcome is the creation of a detailed process map that provides a diagrammatic representation of the global care workflows and cognitive processes involved in DCM care. Characterizing the critical decision points along a patient's journey will allow for an effective exploration of SDM tools for routine clinical practice to enhance patient-centered care and improve clinical outcomes. Both CISs and process maps are coproduced iteratively through a collaborative process involving the input and consensus of key stakeholders. This will be facilitated by Myelopathy.org, a global DCM charity, through its Research Objectives and Common Data Elements for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy community. To develop the CIS, a 3-round, web-based Delphi process will be used, starting with a baseline list of information items derived from a recent scoping review of educational materials in DCM, patient interviews, and a qualitative survey of professionals. A priori criteria for achieving consensus are specified. The process map will be developed iteratively using semistructured interviews with patients and professionals and validated by key stakeholders. Recruitment for the Delphi consensus study began in April 2023. The pilot-testing of process map interview participants started simultaneously, with the formulation of an initial baseline map underway. This protocol marks the first attempt to provide a starting point for investigating SDM in DCM. The primary work centers on developing an educational tool for use in diagnosis to enable enhanced onward decision-making. The wider objective is to aid stakeholders in developing SDM tools by identifying critical decision junctures in DCM care. Through these approaches, we aim to provide an exhaustive launchpad for formulating SDM tools in the wider DCM community. DERR1-10.2196/46809. [Abstract copyright: ©Irina Sangeorzan, Grazia Antonacci, Anne Martin, Ben Grodzinski, Carl M Zipser, Rory K J Murphy, Panoraia Andriopoulou, Chad E Cook, David B Anderson, James Guest, Julio C Furlan, Mark R N Kotter, Timothy F Boerger, Iwan Sadler, Elizabeth A Roberts, Helen Wood, Christine Fraser, Michael G Fehlings, Vishal Kumar, Josephine Jung, James Milligan, Aria Nouri, Allan R Martin, Tammy Blizzard, Luiz Roberto Vialle, Lindsay Tetreault, Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan, Anna MacDowall, Esther Martin-Moore, Martin Burwood, Lianne Wood, Abdul Lalkhen, Manabu Ito, Nicky Wilson, Caroline Treanor, Sheila Dugan, Benjamin M Davies. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 09.10.2023.

MC1R variants increased the risk of sporadic cutaneous melanoma in darker-pigmented Caucasians: A pooled-analysis from the M-SKIP project.

The MC1R gene is a key regulator of skin pigmentation. We aimed to evaluate the association between MC1R variants and the risk of sporadic cutaneous melanoma (CM) within the M-SKIP project, an international pooled-analysis on MC1R, skin cancer and phenotypic characteristics. Data included 5,160 cases and 12,119 controls from 17 studies. We calculated a summary odds ratio (SOR) for the association of each of the nine most studied MC1R variants and of variants combined with CM by using random-effects models. Stratified analysis by phenotypic characteristics were also performed. Melanoma risk increased with presence of any of the main MC1R variants: the SOR for each variant ranged from 1.47 (95%CI: 1.17\u20131.84) for V60L to 2.74 (1.53\u20134.89) for D84E. Carriers of any MC1R variant had a 66% higher risk of developing melanoma compared with wild-type subjects (SOR; 95%CI: 1.66; 1.41\u20131.96) and the risk attributable to MC1R variants was 28%. When taking into account phenotypic characteristics, we found that MC1R-associated melanoma risk increased only for darker-pigmented Caucasians: SOR (95%CI) was 3.14 (2.06\u20134.80) for subjects with no freckles, no red hair and skin Type III/IV. Our study documents the important role of all the main MC1R variants in sporadic CM and suggests that they have a direct effect on melanoma risk, independently on the phenotypic characteristics of carriers. This is of particular importance for assessing preventive strategies, which may be directed to darker-pigmented Caucasians with MC1R variants as well as to lightly pigmented, fair-skinned subjects

The Tasmanian devil transcriptome reveals Schwann cell origins of a clonally transmissible cancer

The Tasmanian devil, a marsupial carnivore, is endangered because of the emergence of a transmissible cancer known as devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). This fatal cancer is clonally derived and is an allograft transmitted between devils by biting. We performed a large-scale genetic analysis of DFTD with microsatellite genotyping, a mitochondrial genome analysis, and deep sequencing of the DFTD transcriptome and microRNAs. These studies confirm that DFTD is a monophyletic clonally transmissible tumor and suggest that the disease is of Schwann cell origin. On the basis of these results, we have generated a diagnostic marker for DFTD and identify a suite of genes relevant to DFTD pathology and transmission. We provide a genomic data set for the Tasmanian devil that is applicable to cancer diagnosis, disease evolution, and conservation biology

Vitamin D supplementation and inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers in patients with knee osteoarthritis: post hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial

The aim of this study was to determine whether vitamin D supplementation and maintaining vitamin D sufficiency are associated with changesin inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and vitamin D deficiency. A total of 413 participants withsymptomatic knee OA and vitamin D deficiency were enrolled in a randomised, placebo-controlled trial and received 1·25 mg vitamin D3 orplacebo monthly for 24 months across two sites. In this post hoc analysis, 200 participants from one site (ninety-four from the placebo groupand 106 from the vitamin D group; mean age 63·1 (SD 7·3) years, 53·3% women) were randomly selected for measurement of serum levels ofinflammatory and metabolic biomarkers at baseline and 24 months using immunoassays. In addition, participants were classified into twogroups according to serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels at months 3 and 24: (1) not consistently sufficient (25(OH)D≤50 nmol/l ateither month 3 or 24, n 61), and (2) consistently sufficient (25(OH)D >50 nmol/l at both months 3 and 24, n 139). Compared with placebo,vitamin D supplementation had no significant effect on change in serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, leptin, adiponectin,resistin, adipsin and apelin. Being consistently vitamin D sufficient over 2 years was also not associated with changes in these biomarkerscompared with not being consistently sufficient. Vitamin D supplementation and maintaining vitamin D sufficiency did not alter serum levelsof inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers over 2 years in knee OA patients who were vitamin D insufficient, suggesting that they may notaffect systemic inflammation in knee OA patients