Sodium Consumption: An Individual's Choice?

Excess intake of dietary salt is estimated to be one of the leading risks to health worldwide. Major national and international health organizations, along with many governments around the world, have called for reductions in the consumption of dietary salt. This paper discusses behavioural and population interventions as mechanisms to reduce dietary salt. In developed countries, salt added during food processing is the dominant source of salt and largely outside of the direct control of individuals. Population-based interventions have the potential to improve health and to be cost saving for these countries. In developing economies, where salt added in cooking and at the table is the dominant source, interventions based on education and behaviour change have been estimated to be highly cost effective. Regardless, countries with either developed or developing economies can benefit from the integration of both population and behavioural change interventions

A brief mindfulness-based intervention reduces eating disorder symptoms and improves eating self-efficacy and emotion regulation among adults seeking bariatric surgery

Background Up to 64% of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery-seeking adults report eating disorder (ED) symptoms (i.e., binge eating, emotional eating, addictive-like eating, and grazing) that can interfere with surgery outcomes. Well-designed pre-surgical interventions targeting eating behaviours may reduce ED symptoms and protect against suboptimal surgery outcomes. Objectives Provide proof-of-concept data to inform the design and optimization of a pre-surgical mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for ED symptoms. Evaluate whether the MBI produces meaningful improvements in ED symptoms and clarify the mechanisms-of-action by which the MBI impacts ED symptoms. Methods Twenty-one pre-surgical patients with obesity and ED symptoms referred to a MBI completed self-report measures of addictive-like eating, binge eating, emotional eating, grazing, mindful eating, eating self-efficacy, and emotion regulation pre-(T1) and post-(T2) MBI. Results Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed improvements in binge eating symptoms (F (1,20) = 30.38, ηp2 = .60, p < .001) and grazing (F (1,20) = 7.57, ηp2 = .28, p = .012), pre- to post-MBI. Adjusting for multiple comparisons, no significant improvements were found for addictive-like eating or emotional eating. Eating self-efficacy (F (1,20) = 29.70, ηp2 = .60, p < .001) and emotion regulation (F (1,20) = 7.18, ηp2 = .26, p = .014) improved, while mindful eating decreased (F (1,20) = 16.25, ηp2 = .45, p = .001), following the MBI. Bivariate correlations found associations between improvements in the mechanism of eating self-efficacy and improvements in the ED symptom of grazing pre- to post-MBI (r = 0.46, p < .05).  As well, improvements in emotion regulation were associated with positive changes in binge and emotional eating and grazing (r = 0.55, p < .001, r = 0.66, p < .001, r = 0.61, p < .05, respectively). Conclusions After participating in the MBI binge eating, grazing, eating self-efficacy, and emotion regulation abilities improved. Further work is needed to understand and mitigate deterioration in mindful eating. Moreover, acceptability and feasibility of the MBI should be assessed prior to testing the MBI in a large-scale efficacy trial. Future research should assess the the impact of this intervention on post-surgery weight-loss, weight-loss maintenance, and maintenance of improvements in ED symptoms

Associations among salivary cortisol, melatonin, catecholamines, sleep quality and stress in women with breast cancer and healthy controls

Dysregulations in several biological systems in breast cancer patients have been reported, including abnormalities in endocrine and sympathetic nervous system indices, as well as psychological disturbances and sleep disorders. The purpose of this exploratory study was to compare women with breast cancer to healthy control women on measures of salivary cortisol, urinary catecholamines, overnight urinary melatonin, and self-reported sleep quality, symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and mood disturbance, to determine if discernable patterns of dysregulations across systems were apparent. Thirty-three women were tested in each group, with an average age of approximately 52 years, primarily Caucasian and welleducated. Forty percent of the women with breast cancer had stage 2 disease and they were an average of 1.36 years post-diagnosis. Women with breast cancer had significantly higher levels of disturbance on all the psychological indices, but there were no differences between groups on any of the biological measures, with the exception that the control women had higher dopamine values than the participants with breast cancer. None of the psychological scores were correlated with the biological measures. These results are consistent with other studies of early-stage breast cancer and highlight the importance of considering disease characteristics when investigating endocrine and sympathetic nervous system functioning. KEY WORDS: breast cancer; cortisol; melatonin; catecholamines; stress; depression; anxiety. Women with breast cancer have been documented to have dysregulation in several important circadian systems, including hormonal, sleep and autonomic rhythm

The Relationship between Multiple Health Behaviours and Brachial Artery Reactivity

Background. The effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle on endothelial function (EF) have only been examined separately. The relative contributions of these behaviours on EF have therefore not been compared. Purpose. To compare the relative associations between these four risk factors and brachial artery reactivity in the same sample. Methods. 328 patients referred for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) exercise stress tests completed a nuclear-medicine-based forearm hyperaemic reactivity test. Self-reported exercise behaviour, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption were collected and waist circumference was measured. Results. Adjusting for relevant covariates, logistic regression analyses revealed that waist circumference, abstinence from alcohol, and past smoking significantly predicted poor brachial artery reactivity while physical activity did not. Only waist circumference predicted continuous variations in EF. Conclusions. Central adiposity, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits but not physical activity are each independent predictors of poor brachial artery reactivity in patients with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease

Characterization of co-circulating swine influenza A viruses in North America and the identification of a novel H1 genetic clade with antigenic significance.

Multiple genetically and antigenically distinct hemagglutinin genes of the H1 and H3 influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes co-circulate in North American swine. This diversity has evolved by repeated transmission of IAVs from humans to swine and subsequent antigenic drift in swine. To understand the evolutionary dynamics of these diverse HA lineages in North American swine, we undertook a phylogenetic analysis of 1576 H1 and 607 H3 HA gene segments, as well as 834 N1 and 1293 N2 NA gene segments, and 2126 M gene segments. These data revealed yearly co-circulation of H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 viruses, with three HA clades representing the majority of the HA sequences: of the H1 viruses, 42% were classified as H1δ1 and 40.6% were classified as H1γ; and of the H3 viruses 53% were classified as cluster IV-A H3N2. We detected a genetically distinct minor clade consisting of 37 H1 viruses isolated between 2003 and 2013, which we classified as H1γ-2. We estimated that this clade circulated in swine since approximately 1995, but it was not detected in swine until 2003. Though this clade only represents 1.07% of swine H1 sequences reported over the past 10 years, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays demonstrated that representatives of this clade of viruses are antigenically distinct, and, when measured using antigenic cartography, were as many as 7 antigenic units from other H1γ viruses. Therefore vaccines against the contemporary H1γ viruses are not likely to cross-protect against γ-2 viruses. The long-term circulation of these γ-2 viruses suggests that minor populations of viruses may be underreported in the national dataset given the long branch lengths and gaps in detections. The identification of these γ-2 viruses demonstrates the need for robust surveillance to capture the full diversity IAVs in swine in the USA and the importance of antigenic drift in the diversification and emergence of new antigenic variants in swine, which complicates vaccine design.Funding was provided by USDA-ARS and USDA355 APHIS-VS by the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009. NSL was funded by USDA-ARS SCA agreement number 58-3625-2-103F and the EC FP7 award number 259949. TKA was funded by USDA ARS SCA agreement number 58-3625-4-070.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168170215000799

Rumination as a Mediator of Chronic Stress Effects on Hypertension: A Causal Model

Chronic stress has been linked to hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly specified. We suggest that chronic stress poses a risk for hypertension through repeated occurrence of acute stressors (often stemming from the chronic stress context) that cause activation of stress-mediating physiological systems. Previous models have often focused on the magnitude of the acute physiological response as a risk factor; we attempt to extend this to address the issue of duration of exposure. Key to our model is the notion that these acute stressors can emerge not only in response to stressors present in the environment, but also to mental representations of those (or other) stressors. Consequently, although the experience of any given stressor may be brief, a stressor often results in a constellation of negative cognitions and emotions that form a mental representation of the stressor. Ruminating about this mental representation of the stressful event can cause autonomic activation similar to that observed in response to the original incident, and may occur and persist long after the event itself has ended. Thus, rumination helps explain how chronic stress causes repeated (acute) activation of one's stress-mediating physiological systems, the effects of which accumulate over time, resulting in hypertension risk

Implantação de grupos operativos na Estratégia Saúde da Família de Presidente Bernardes

A Atenção Básica à Saúde apresenta como uma de suas diretrizes estimular a participação popular, visando sua autonomia e capacidade de autocuidado. Para tal, as ações de prevenção e promoção da saúde são essenciais, especialmente as atividades de grupos operativos. Por ocasião do diagnóstico situacional, observou-se que a Unidade Básica de Saúde prestava atendimento somente de demanda espontânea e de visitas domiciliares e inexistiam grupos operativos, apesar da necessidade educativa de usuários portadores de doenças crônico-degenerativas, mães participantes da puericultura e gestantes. Portanto, este trabalho objetiva elaborar um plano de intervenção para a implantação de grupos operativos voltados para usuários do hiperdia, pré-natal e puericultura, na Estratégia de Saúde da Família Anjos da Saúde do Município de Presidente Bernardes. Foram realizadas uma série de atividades de educação dentro dos grupos operativos criados. A partir dos resultados, pode ser observada mudança satisfatória com a presença de grande parte dos pacientes cadastrados nos grupos operativos, inclusive com relatos de satisfação por parte dos presentes. No Pré-Natal, os grupos operativos fomentaram uma melhor participação das gestantes nas consultas, proporcionando uma assistência clínica mais periódica e humanizada, a aprendizagem da técnica correta de amamentação e a obtenção de orientações gerais. Com o grupo operativo de mães, devido à maior sensibilização sobre os benefícios da puericultura, as crianças passaram a ter acompanhamento do seu crescimento e desenvolvimento de forma seriada e programada, e não mais compareciam à unidade somente se houvesse alguma queixa clínica. No Hiperdia, com a realização do grupo operativo, observou-se maior articulação das atividades de promoção e prevenção de doenças, melhor controle dos níveis pressóricos e da glicemia, bem como melhoria da qualidade de vida. Assim, conclui-se que a implantação dos grupos operativos foi de suma importância para a efetivação dos programas de prevenção e promoção da saúde, devendo estar atrelada à participação efetiva de todos os profissionais da rede para realizar ações integrais e não fragmentadas

Relationship between antidepressant therapy and risk for cardiovascular events in patients with and without cardiovascular disease

Objective: The American Heart Association has endorsed depression as a cardiac risk factor and recommends screening as part of routine practice. This has been met with controversy due to inconsistencies in the data linking depression treatment to better cardiovascular outcomes. Our objective was to prospectively assess the association between depression treatment (defined as being prescribed antidepressant medication) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients referred for exercise stress tests. Methods: 2385 consecutive patients presenting for myocardial perfusion exercise stress tests underwent a sociodemographic, medical, and psychiatric interview (PRIME-MD) and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). History of CVD and antidepressant use was self-reported and verified via chart review. Participants followed over an 8.8 year follow-up, and information regarding MACE incidence (including cardiac mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, revascularization procedures, cerebrovascular events) was obtained from provincial administrative databases. Results: 8% (n=190) of the sample were taking antidepressants at baseline, 41% (n=916) had a history of CVD, and 38.7% (n=921) had depression according to the PRIME-MD or BDI. Antidepressant treatment was associated with a 30% reduced risk of MACE (HR=0.697; 95%CI=0.504-0.964; p=.029). A 46% reduction in risk was associated with antidepressant treatment among those without CVD (HR=0.542; 95%CI=0.299-0.981; p=.043). In depressed patients, a 33% reduction in risk of MACE associated with antidepressant use was seen (adjusted HR=0.674; 95%CI=0.440-1.033; p=.07). Conclusions: Antidepressants may be cardio-protective among patients presenting for stress testing independent of risk factors including CVD and depression. Results support treating depression with antidepressants in this population to reduce risk of MACE