Adolescents who Perceive their Diet as Healthy Consume More Fruits, Vegetables and Milk and Fewer Sweet Drinks

This study assessed whether adolescents’ perception of the healthfulness of their diet was related to dietary behaviors over the past week, controlling for demographic characteristics. Participants (n=391) completed an online survey on the frequency of specific dietary behaviors over the past week and the perceived healthfulness of their own diet compared to their peers’ diets. Mean intakes of juice, fruit, vegetables, milk, sugar-sweetened beverages, and diet beverages, were compared by perceived healthfulness of diet categories using analysis of covariance. Participants with higher perceived healthfulness of diet reported significantly higher mean fruit and vegetable intakes and a lower mean intake of sugar sweetened beverages over the past week than participants with the same or lower perceived healthfulness of diet (all p< 0.001). Participants who reported a higher perceived healthfulness of diet reported a significantly higher frequency of milk intake (p< 0.05) than those who reported the same perceived healthfulness of diet. Those with lower perceived healthfulness of diet reported higher mean frequencies of diet beverage intakes than those with higher perceived healthfulness (p<0.05). Further research should include qualitative studies with adolescents to explore how individuals rate their diets and how these perceptions influence dietary choices

The SeqWord Genome Browser: an online tool for the identification and visualization of atypical regions of bacterial genomes through oligonucleotide usage

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Data mining in large DNA sequences is a major challenge in microbial genomics and bioinformatics. Oligonucleotide usage (OU) patterns provide a wealth of information for large scale sequence analysis and visualization. The purpose of this research was to make OU statistical analysis available as a novel web-based tool for functional genomics and annotation. The tool is also available as a downloadable package.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The SeqWord Genome Browser (SWGB) was developed to visualize the natural compositional variation of DNA sequences. The applet is also used for identification of divergent genomic regions both in annotated sequences of bacterial chromosomes, plasmids, phages and viruses, and in raw DNA sequences prior to annotation by comparing local and global OU patterns. The applet allows fast and reliable identification of clusters of horizontally transferred genomic islands, large multi-domain genes and genes for ribosomal RNA. Within the majority of genomic fragments (also termed genomic core sequence), regions enriched with housekeeping genes, ribosomal proteins and the regions rich in pseudogenes or genetic vestiges may be contrasted.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The SWGB applet presents a range of comprehensive OU statistical parameters calculated for a range of bacterial species, plasmids and phages. It is available on the Internet at <url>http://www.bi.up.ac.za/SeqWord/mhhapplet.php</url>.</p

1987: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

THE MIND OF CHRIST Being the Abilene Christian University Annual Bible Lectures 1987 Published by A.C.U. Press 1634 Campus Court Abilene, Texas 7960

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy (kwestionariusz “Badź Aktywna w Ciąży”) to support physical activity among pregnant women in Poland

Introduction: Physical activity during pregnancy is established to derive clinically meaningful improvements in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum health outcomes. Evidence-based pre-screening tools have been developed to support the implementation of physical activity programmes, and enhance communication between health care providers, exercise professionals and pregnant women. The Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy (GAQ-P) and the Health Care Provider Consultation Form for Prenatal Physical Activity (HCPCF) empower pregnant women to identify whether they require additional counselling from their obstetric health care provider in terms of physical activity. However, these tools are not available in Polish. This work details the process taken to translate the GAQ-P and HCPCF into Polish. Material and Methods: We followed the translation process outlined by the Translation and Cultural Adaptation International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines between August 2022 and August 2023. We formed an expert group that included representatives of the Polish Society of Sports Medicine, The Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, practitioners, and scientists in physical activity during pregnancy. We implemented 9 of the 10 steps recommended by ISOPR in the translation process. At the Cognitive Debriefing stage, we collected opinions on the Polish version of GAQ-P and HCPCF from 70 stakeholders on the clarity and cultural appropriateness of the translation. Results and Conclusions: Target users have positively evaluated the Polish version of GAQ-P and HCPCF. Thanks to the ISPOR methodology, we obtained a trustworthy, evidence-based screening tools, which can reduce the barriers for most women to be physically active during pregnancy

Differential expression in humans of the viral entry receptor ACE2 compared with the short deltaACE2 isoform lacking SARS-CoV-2 binding sites.

ACE2 is a membrane protein that regulates the cardiovascular system. Additionally, ACE2 acts as a receptor for host cell infection by human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 that emerged as the cause of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and has brought unprecedented burden to economy and health. ACE2 binds the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 with high affinity and shows little variation in amino acid sequence meaning natural resistance is rare. The discovery of a novel short ACE2 isoform (deltaACE2) provides evidence for inter-individual differences in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and severity, and likelihood of developing subsequent 'Long COVID'. Critically, deltaACE2 loses SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding sites in the extracellular domain, and is predicted to confer reduced susceptibility to viral infection. We aimed to assess the differential expression of full-length ACE2 versus deltaACE2 in a panel of human tissues (kidney, heart, lung, and liver) that are implicated in COVID-19, and confirm ACE2 protein in these tissues. Using dual antibody staining, we show that deltaACE2 localises, and is enriched, in lung airway epithelia and bile duct epithelia in the liver. Finally, we also confirm that a fluorescently tagged SARS-CoV-2 spike protein monomer shows low binding at lung and bile duct epithelia where dACE2 is enriched.This research was funded in whole, or in part by: Wellcome Trust (WT107715/Z/15/Z, A.P.D., and J.J.M.); Wellcome Trust Programme in Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease (203814/Z/16/A, T.L.W., D.N.), Wellcome Trust Major Award (208363/Z/17/Z) for Imaging Core (G.S.); British Heart Foundation (FS/17/61/33473 A.P.D., R.G.C.M; TG/18/4/33770, A.P.D., J.J.M.; FS/18/46/33663, S.S.). Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Biomedical Resources Grant (University of Cambridge, Cardiovascular Theme, RG64226). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care

The Profumo affair in popular culture: The Keeler Affair (1963) and ‘the commercial exploitation of a public scandal’

This article demonstrates that the Profumo affair, which obsessed Britain for large parts of 1963, was not simply a political scandal, but was also an important cultural event. Focussing on the production of The Keeler Affair, a feature film that figured prominently in contemporary coverage of the scandal but which has been largely overlooked since, the article shows that this film emerged from a situation in which cultural entrepreneurs, many of them associated with the satire boom, sought to exploit the scandal for financial gain. Many Profumo-related cultural products found an audience, and thus formed an integral part of, and helped to shape public attitudes towards, the Profumo affair. However, these products did not go uncontested, and resistance to them, and especially to the idea that Keeler might benefit materially from her role in the scandal, speak to concerns about cultural mediations of sex, politics and humour in early-1960s Britain

Increased incidence of glucose disorders during pregnancy is not explained by pre-pregnancy obesity in London, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The increasing incidence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), gestational diabetes (GDM) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) during pregnancy was hypothesized to be associated with increases in pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). The aims were to 1) determine the prevalence of IGT/GDM/T2 D over a 10 year period; 2) examine the relationship between maternal overweight/obesity and IGT/GDM/T2D; and 3) examine the extent to which maternal metabolic complications impact maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data arose from a perinatal database which contains maternal characteristics and perinatal outcome for all singleton infants born in London, Canada between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009. Univariable and multivariable odds ratios (OR) were estimated using logistic regression with IGT/GDM/T2 D being the outcome of interest.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 36,597 women were included in the analyses. Population incidence of IGT, GDM and T2 D rose from 0.7%, 2.9% and 0.5% in 2000 to 1.2%, 4.2% and 0.9% in 2009. The univariable OR for IGT, GDM and T2 D were 1.65, 1.52 and 2.06, respectively, over the ten year period. After controlling for maternal age, parity and pre-pregnancy BMI the OR did not decrease. Although there was a positive relationship between pre-pregnancy BMI and prevalence of IGT/GDM/T2 D, this did not explain the time trends in the latter. Diagnosis of IGT/GDM/T2 D increased the risk of having an Apgar score <7 at 5 minutes, which was partially explained by gestational hypertension, high placental ratio, gestational age and large for gestational age babies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found a significant increase in the incidence of IGT/GDM/T2 D for the decade between 2000-2009 which was not explained by rising prevalence of maternal overweight/obesity.</p