Dietary advice for muscularity, leanness and weight control in Men's Health magazine: a content analysis

Background: The dietary content of advice in men’s lifestyle magazines has not been closely scrutinised. Methods: We carried out an analysis of such content in all 2009 issues (n = 11) of Men’s Health (MH) focusing on muscularity, leanness and weight control. Results: Promotion of a mesomorphic body image underpinned advice to affect muscle building and control weight. Diet advice was underpinned by a strong pseudo-scientific discourse, with citation of expert sources widely used to legitimise the information. Frequently multiple dietary components were advocated within one article e.g. fat, omega-3 fatty acids, thiamine, zinc and high-glycaemic index foods. Furthermore advice would cover numerous nutritional effects, e.g. strengthening bones, reducing stress and boosting testosterone, with little contextualisation. The emphasis on attainment of a mesomorphic body image permitted promotion of slimming diets. Advice to increase calorie and protein intake to augment muscle mass was frequent (183 and 262 references, respectively). Such an anabolic diet was advised in various ways, including consumption of traditional protein foods (217 references) and sports foods (107 references), thereby replicating muscle magazines’ support for nutritional supplements. Although advice to increase consumption of red meat was common (52 references), fish and non-flesh sources of protein (eggs, nuts & pulses, and soy products) together exceeded red meat in number of recommendations (206 references). Advice widely asserted micronutrients and phytochemicals from plant food (161 references) as being important in muscle building. This emphasis diverges from stereotypical gender-based food consumption patterns. Dietary advice for control of body weight largely replicated that of muscularity, with strong endorsement to consume fruits and vegetables (59 references), diets rich in nuts and pulses and fish (66 references), as well as specific micronutrients and phytochemicals (62 references). Notably there was emphasis on fat-burning, good fats and consumption of single foods, with relatively little mention of dietary restriction. Conclusions: Despite the widespread use of scientific information to endorse dietary advice, the content, format and scientific basis of dietary content of MH leaves much to be desired. The dietary advice as provided may not be conducive to public health

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Identificación molecular de un nematodo parásito de la babosa plaga Derocera reticulatum (müller 1774)

Th e morphomemetric methods of identifi cation of very closely related species of nematodes are very diffi cult to recognize, in addition to being a very arduous work developed by experts. Molecular advances are methods allowing the verifi cation of morfometric analysis. Th ey have facilitated the identifi cation of some very complex species that could not be characterized before. To very closely related nematode species, techniques of molecular biology like extraction, amplifi cation and sequentiation of DNA that are used to recognize the genus of the nematode in question, can be applied and standardized. Th e nematode of interest to this work possesses potentials of a biocontroller. Emerging from these results, Caenorhabditis sp. was isolated, multiplied and identifi ed on the molecular level as a nematode parasite of Deroceras reticulatum, a slimy plague for the cultivations of the Savannah of Bogotá.Los métodos morfométricos para identifi cación de especies de nematodo muy cercanas son sumamente difíciles de reconocer, además de ser un trabajo muy arduo y desarrollado por expertos. Los avances moleculares son métodos que permiten comprobar los análisis morfométricos y han facilitado la identifi cación de algunas especies muy complejas que anteriormente no se habían podido caracterizar. A especies de nematodos relacionadas muy cercanamente, pero con ecología muy diversa, se les puede aplicar y estandarizar técnicas de biología molecular como extracción, amplifi cación y secuenciación de ADN, que son utilizadas para conocer el género del nemátodo de interés. El nemátodo de interés de este trabajo tiene potencial biocontrolador, y a partir de estos resultados se aisló, multiplicó e identifi có molecularmente a Caenorhabditis sp. como un nematodo parásito de Deroceras reticulatum, babosa plaga de los cultivos de la Sabana de Bogotá

Stakeholder engagement in food and health innovation research programming - key learnings and policy recommendations from the INPROFOOD project

© 2015 British Nutrition Foundation.Europe recognises the need for technological innovation along with the importance of bridging the gap between science and society. The European Commission has developed a strategy to foster public engagement and a sustained two-way dialogue between science and civil society, and has set up a framework for Responsible Research and Innovation. The EU-funded project INPROFOOD aimed to find new ways to establish dialogue and mutual learning among stakeholders meant to inform subsequent work and future initiatives towards Responsible Research and Innovation. More specifically, INPROFOOD aimed to: (1) increase understanding of the landscapes of food and health innovation research programming; (2) adapt, test and evaluate the application of different stakeholder engagement methods to the area of food and health innovation research programming, which included European Awareness Scenario Workshops, PlayDecide games and an Open Space conference; and (3) to develop an action plan to progress towards Responsible Research and Innovation in this domain. The latter entailed a so-called Mobilisation and Mutual Learning Action Plan, which lays down a concrete framework for inclusive stakeholder involvement at different stages of the research and innovation process, with tangible key actions in five priority areas

Stakeholder engagement in food and health innovation research programming - key learnings and policy recommendations from the INPROFOOD project

© 2015 British Nutrition Foundation.Europe recognises the need for technological innovation along with the importance of bridging the gap between science and society. The European Commission has developed a strategy to foster public engagement and a sustained two-way dialogue between science and civil society, and has set up a framework for Responsible Research and Innovation. The EU-funded project INPROFOOD aimed to find new ways to establish dialogue and mutual learning among stakeholders meant to inform subsequent work and future initiatives towards Responsible Research and Innovation. More specifically, INPROFOOD aimed to: (1) increase understanding of the landscapes of food and health innovation research programming; (2) adapt, test and evaluate the application of different stakeholder engagement methods to the area of food and health innovation research programming, which included European Awareness Scenario Workshops, PlayDecide games and an Open Space conference; and (3) to develop an action plan to progress towards Responsible Research and Innovation in this domain. The latter entailed a so-called Mobilisation and Mutual Learning Action Plan, which lays down a concrete framework for inclusive stakeholder involvement at different stages of the research and innovation process, with tangible key actions in five priority areas

Geography and Quality of Life in Argentine Regions: Socioeconomic and Environmental Inequalities

One of the major attributes of the quality of life(QOL) concept is its intrinsic interdisciplinarycharacter. Therefore, in the last decades, qualityof life studies have arisen in a wide range ofscientific disciplines. In this context, the fundamentalperspective of the role that geographyplays in QOL research seems to be precise:Based on the geographer?s expertise, to studythe spatial variations and distribution of particular,relevant components and processes, and tosubsequently synthesize the acquired knowledge.In this work, we deepen and update a quality of life index, that we have been developing with the highest level of spatial disaggregation possible for Argentina since the 1980s: 511 departments of the 23 Argentine provinces and 15 communes of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (526 units in total). We processed and incorporated into the Geographic Information System (GIS) the latest census information available (October 2010), vital statistics and fieldwork, as well as the survey of other data sources throughout the territory. The quality of life index contemplates two dimensions: socioeconomic and environmental. The first one encompasses indicators related to education, health, and housing, while the environmental dimension, includes those linked to environmental problems, as well as those associated with landscape and the “socially constructed” amenities. The results obtained show that the socioeconomic and environmental differences of the Argentine population are of significant magnitude. A sort of “latitudinal” pattern is observed, traversed by a series of differentiations of another nature, associated with urban scale, centrality and accessibility, and public policies.Fil: Velázquez, Guillermo Ángel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Instituto de Geografía, Historia y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Geografía, Historia y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Celemin, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Instituto de Geografía, Historia y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Geografía, Historia y Ciencias Sociales; Argentin

Ciclones em Superfície nas Latitudes Austrais: Parte I - Revisão Bibliográfica

Resumo Com o objetivo de organizar o conhecimento sinótico sobre ciclones em superfície em latitudes austrais, este trabalho (o primeiro de um conjunto de dois) apresenta uma síntese das principais características de quatro tipos de ciclones: extratropical do tipo Bjerknes e Solberg, extratropical do tipo Shapiro e Keyser, tropical e subtropical. Ao longo do texto são apresentados modelos conceituais bem como os mecanismos de ciclogênese, intensificação e ciclólise de cada tipo de ciclone. As principais diferenças entre os quatros tipos de ciclones em superfície estão nas estruturas horizontais e verticais dos campos de temperatura e vorticidade relativa