Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women Through a Lifestyle Change Intervention

Background: The impact of a 6-month lifestyle change intervention on cardiovascular risk factors in obese, sedentary, postmenopausal women was examined. A secondary aim of this investigation was to determine whether the addition of self-control skills training to an empirically supported lifestyle change intervention would result in greater cardiovascular risk reduction. Methods: Forty-four women were randomly assigned to receive either a lifestyle change or a lifestyle change with self-control skills intervention. Pretreatment and posttreatment weight loss, body composition, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, diet, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, and psychosocial functioning were assessed. Also, at 1-year posttreatment, weight loss, body composition, self-reported physical activity, and psychosocial functioning were assessed. Results: The women significantly increased their physical activity (+39.6%) and cardiorespiratory fitness (+13.5%) and reduced their body weight (-6.5%), fat mass (-7.4%), body fat (-2.4%), BP (SBP -6.2%, DBP -9.2%), total cholesterol (-7.4%), triglycerides (-16.5%), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (9.1%) and improved their diet (p \u3c 0.05). At the 1-year follow-up, women had regained approximately 63% of their posttreatment weight loss (p \u3c 0.05), but had maintained their previous increases in physical activity. Additionally, there were no significant changes in fat free mass, body fat, anxiety, or depression between the end of treatment and 1-year posttreatment. The addition of self-control skills training did not significantly improve cardiovascular risk reduction. Conclusions: Lifestyle change interventions may be an effective means for reducing cardiovascular risk in obese, sedentary, postmenopausal women. However, greater attention should be devoted to the maintenance of these positive lifestyle changes

A strategy to identify housekeeping genes suitable for analysis in breast cancer diseases

Standard curve and serial dilutions for nHKGs and tHKGs. The x axis represents the dilution series (1:800, 1:400, 1:200 and 1:100) and the y axis represents the mean of CT for each gene. The correlation coefficient r is given for each gene inside parentheses. (PDF 53 kb

Single nucleotide polymorphisms from Theobroma cacao expressed sequence tags associated with witches' broom disease in cacao

In order to increase the efficiency of cacao tree resistance to witches¿ broom disease, which is caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa (Tricholomataceae), we looked for molecular markers that could help in the selection of resistant cacao genotypes. Among the different markers useful for developing marker-assisted selection, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) constitute the most common type of sequence difference between alleles and can be easily detected by in silico analysis from expressed sequence tag libraries. We report the first detection and analysis of SNPs from cacao-M. perniciosa interaction expressed sequence tags, using bioinformatics. Selection based on analysis of these SNPs should be useful for developing cacao varieties resistant to this devastating disease. (Résumé d'auteur

Reduced masticatory function is related to lower satellite cell numbers in masseter muscle

The physiology of masseter muscles is known to change in response to functional demands, but the effect on the satellite cell (SC) population is not known. In this study, the hypothesis is tested that a decreased functional demand of the masseter muscle causes a reduction of SCs. To this end, twelve 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were put on a soft diet (SD, n = 6) or a hard diet (HD, n = 6) and sacrificed after 14 days. Paraffin sections of the superficial masseter and the m. digastricus (control muscle) were stained with haematoxylin and eosin for tissue survey and with anti-myosin heavy chain (MHC) for slow and fast fibres. Frozen sections of both muscles were double-stained for collagen type IV and Pax7. Slow MHC fibres were equally distributed in the m. digastricus but only localized in a small area of the m. masseter. No differences between HD or SD for the m. digastricus were found. The m. masseter had more SCs per fibre in HD than in SD (0.093 ± 0.007 and 0.081 ± 0.008, respectively; P = 0.027). The m. masseter had more fibres per surface area than the m. digastricus in rats with an SD group (758.1 ± 101.6 and 568.4±85.6, P = 0.047) and a HD group (737.7 ± 32.6 and 592.2 ± 82.2; P = 0.007). The m. digastricus had more SCs per fibre than the m. masseter in the SD group (0.094 ± 0.01 and 0.081 ± 0.008; P = 0.039). These results suggest that reduced masseter muscle function is related to a lower number of SCs. Reduced muscle function might decrease microdamage and hence the requirement of SCs in the muscle fibre

An Ecological Momentary Assessment of Lapse Occurrences in Dieters

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the factors related to dietary lapse occurrence in a community sample of dieters. Methods: An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology, via mobile phone-based diaries, was employed to record dietary lapse occurrences in a group of dieters (N = 80; M age  = 41.21 ± 15.60 years; M BMI = 30.78 ± 7.26) over 7 days. Results: Analyses indicated that lapses were positively associated with the strength of dietary temptation, presence of others, coping responses, and the environment (exposure to food cues) in which the dieters were in; lapses were more likely to occur in the evening and were negatively associated with the use of coping mechanisms. Additionally, lapse occurrence was found to mediate the relationships among the above predictors of lapse and the self-efficacy to resist future dietary temptations. Conclusions: Results provide an insight into the occurrence of lapses in dieters and have implications for interventions focusing on weight loss maintenance and relapse prevention

Suicide Mortality, Suicidal Ideation and Psychological Problems in Dutch Anaesthesiologists

Previous studies reveal an elevated suicide rate for anaesthesiologists. We sought to examine anaesthesiologist suicide mortality and its underlying explanatory factors. Two studies were conducted in order to establish the suicide mortality figures among Dutch anaesthesiologists and to investigate life events, workrelated stress, psychological problems and alcohol- and drug abuse in relation to suicidal ideation. The results suggest that suicide mortality in anaesthesiologists in The Netherlands is elevated, and comparable to that in other Western countries, but small numbers prevent robust testing of this difference. Anaesthesiologists are more likely than the general population to experience sleeping problems and suicidal ideation; male anaesthesiologists are more likely to suffer from depression. The prevalence of suicide among this population may be related to a high prevalence of psychological problems, in addition to the knowledge and availability of means. Areas of suicide prevention among this group are discussed.Security and Global Affair