Children Consumers: A recipe for obesity

Despite all of the advancements in public health during the last century in the United States, our children are still suffering from an epidemic that will take years off their lives and reduce the quality of their life dramatically. This epidemic is obesity. Childhood obesity rates have more then doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has tripled in children 6-11 years since the 1960s (IOM, 2005). It is affecting both boys and girls and all races in the United States, at this present time it is estimated that nine million children over the age of 6 are considered obese (I OM, 2006). Of all the abundant of variables that contribute to the rise of childhood obesity, one foctor that con be controlled through policy development is the message children receive through advertising and marketing directed towards them.Master of Public Healt

A systematic review of the physical health impacts from non-occupational exposure to wildfire smoke

Background: Climate change is likely to increase the threat of wildfires, and little is known about how wildfires affect health in exposed communities. A better understanding of the impacts of the resulting air pollution has important public health implications for the present day and the future. Method: We performed a systematic search to identify peer-reviewed scientific studies published since 1986 regarding impacts of wildfire smoke on health in exposed communities. We reviewed and synthesized the state of science of this issue including methods to estimate exposure, and identified limitations in current research. Results: We identified 61 epidemiological studies linking wildfire and human health in communities. The U.S. and Australia were the most frequently studied countries (18 studies on the U.S., 15 on Australia). Geographic scales ranged from a single small city (population about 55,000) to the entire globe. Most studies focused on areas close to fire events. Exposure was most commonly assessed with stationary air pollutant monitors (35 of 61 studies). Other methods included using satellite remote sensing and measurements from air samples collected during fires. Most studies compared risk of health outcomes between 1) periods with no fire events and periods during or after fire events, or 2) regions affected by wildfire smoke and unaffected regions. Daily pollution levels during or after wildfire in most studies exceeded U.S. EPA regulations. Levels of PM10, the most frequently studied pollutant, were 1.2 to 10 times higher due to wildfire smoke compared to non-fire periods and/or locations. Respiratory disease was the most frequently studied health condition, and had the most consistent results. Over 90% of these 45 studies reported that wildfire smoke was significantly associated with risk of respiratory morbidity.Conclusion: Exposure measurement is a key challenge in current literature on wildfire and human health. A limitation is the difficulty of estimating pollution specific to wildfires. New methods are needed to separate air pollution levels of wildfires from those from ambient sources, such as transportation. The majority of studies found that wildfire smoke was associated with increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children, the elderly and those with underlying chronic diseases appear to be susceptible. More studies on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity are needed. Further exploration with new methods could help ascertain the public health impacts of wildfires under climate change and guide mitigation policies

"Eating addiction", rather than "food addiction", better captures addictive-like eating behavior

Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved. This review has been compiled by scientists of the NeuroFAST consortium (The Integrated Neurobiology of Food Intake, Addiction and Stress; www.neurofast.eu), a research program that aims to reveal neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying habit-forming addictive processes related to the overconsumption of highly palatable food. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 245009.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Newfound Coding Potential of Transcripts Unveils Missing Members of Human Protein Communities

Recent proteogenomic approaches have led to the discovery that regions of the transcriptome previously annotated as non-coding regions [i.e., untranslated regions (UTRs), open reading frames overlapping annotated coding sequences in a different reading frame, and non-coding RNAs] frequently encode proteins, termed alternative proteins (altProts). This suggests that previously identified protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks are partially incomplete because altProts are not present in conventional protein databases. Here, we used the proteogenomic resource OpenProt and a combined spectrum- and peptide-centric analysis for the re-analysis of a high-throughput human network proteomics dataset, thereby revealing the presence of 261 altProts in the network. We found 19 genes encoding both an annotated (reference) and an alternative protein interacting with each other. Of the 117 altProts encoded by pseudogenes, 38 are direct interactors of reference proteins encoded by their respective parental genes. Finally, we experimentally validate several interactions involving altProts. These data improve the blueprints of the human PPI network and suggest functional roles for hundreds of altProts

Immediate neuroendocrine signaling after partial hepatectomy through acute portal hyperpressure and cholestasis.

International audienceBACKGROUND & AIMS: Early neuroendocrine pathways contribute to liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH). We investigated one of these pathways involving acute cholestasis, immediate portal hyperpressure, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion. METHODS: Surgical procedure (PH, Portal vein stenosis (PVS), bile duct ligation (BDL), spinal cord lesion (SCL)) and treatments (capsaicin, bile acids (BA), oleanolic acid (OA)) were performed on rats and/or wild type or TGR5 (GPBAR1) knock-out mice. In these models, the activation of AVP-secreting supraoptic nuclei (SON) was analyzed, as well as plasma BA, AVP, and portal vein pressure (PVP). Plasma BA, AVP, and PVP were also determined in human living donors for liver transplantation. RESULTS: Acute cholestasis (mimicked by BDL or BA injection) as well as portal hyperpressure (mimicked by PVS) independently activated SON and AVP secretion. BA accumulated in the brain after PH or BDL, and TGR5 was expressed in SON. SON activation was mimicked by the TGR5 agonist OA and inhibited in TGR5 KO mice after BDL. An afferent nerve pathway also contributed to post-PH AVP secretion, as capsaicin treatment or SCL resulted in a weaker SON activation after PH. CONCLUSIONS: After PH in rodents, acute cholestasis and portal hypertension, via the nervous and endocrine routes, stimulate the secretion of AVP that may protect the liver against shear stress and bile acids overload. Data in living donors suggest that this pathway may also operate in humans

Perspectives of wheelchair users with chronic spinal cord injury following a walking program using a wearable robotic exoskeleton

To examine the perspectives of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (WUSCI) regarding their participation in a 16-week walking program using a wearable robotic exoskeleton (WRE); and explore concerns and expectations regarding potential use of this device and intervention in the context of a home or community-based adapted physical activity program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a narrative research, 3 weeks post-intervention. Thematic analysis resulted in 6 themes and 21 subthemes. Seven men and 4 women aged between 32 and 72 years were interviewed; 8 of them had a complete SCI. After the walking program, WUSCI reported positive psychological aspects (having fun and motivation) and experiencing improvements in physical aspects (strength, endurance, balance and flexibility, blood circulation and intestinal transit). The structural aspects of the WRE device were acceptable in a lab with research personnel (appearance, size, weight, and comfort). Participants had concerns about safety on uneven surfaces, and possibility of falling. They expressed the desire to use the WRE for more life habits than just walking. This is the first study in which WUSCI report that the WRE should be implemented in initial rehabilitation. Lack of availability for community use after rehabilitation remains a concern. Participation in a walking training program using a wearable robotic exoskeleton, 1-3 times weekly over several weeks, may be well tolerated and provide physical and psychological benefits for wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries.Using a robotic exoskeleton during initial rehabilitation may be well received and help with regaining strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility as well as promoting blood circulation and intestinal transit.The use of the wearable robotic exoskeleton always needs supervision of a clinician for walking and can’t be used independently by wheelchair users; there is no possibility for hands free for household tasks (e.g., washing floors, accessing cupboards or reaching shelves, using stairs), and for recreation (e.g., exercising, taking walks, cultural activities, concerts). Participation in a walking training program using a wearable robotic exoskeleton, 1-3 times weekly over several weeks, may be well tolerated and provide physical and psychological benefits for wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries. Using a robotic exoskeleton during initial rehabilitation may be well received and help with regaining strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility as well as promoting blood circulation and intestinal transit. The use of the wearable robotic exoskeleton always needs supervision of a clinician for walking and can’t be used independently by wheelchair users; there is no possibility for hands free for household tasks (e.g., washing floors, accessing cupboards or reaching shelves, using stairs), and for recreation (e.g., exercising, taking walks, cultural activities, concerts).</p