Psychosocial predictors of eating habits among adults in their mid-30s: The Oslo Youth Study follow-up 1991–1999

BACKGROUND: The predictive value of the psychosocial constructs of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) on subsequent dietary habits has not been previously investigated in a multivariate approach that includes demographic factors and past dietary behaviour among adults. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent TPB constructs, including intention, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and perceived social norms, measured at age 25 predicted four eating behaviours (intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, total fat and added sugar) eight years later. METHODS: Two hundred and forty men and 279 women that participated in the Oslo Youth Study were followed from 1991 to 1999 (mean age 25 and 33 years, respectively). Questionnaires at baseline (1991) included the constructs of the TPB and dietary habits, and at follow-up (1999) questionnaires included demographic factors and diet. For the assessment of diet, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with a few food items was used at baseline while an extensive semi-quantitative FFQ was used at follow-up. RESULTS: Among men, attitudes, subjective norms and previous eating behaviour were significant predictors of fruit and vegetable intake, while education and past eating behaviour were predictive of whole grain intake in multivariate analyses predicting dietary intake at follow-up. For women, perceived behavioural control, perceived social norms and past behaviour were predictive of fruit and vegetable intake, while subjective norms, education and past eating behaviour were predictive of whole grain intake. For total fat intake, intention was predictive for men and perceived behavioural control for women. Household income and past consumption of sugar-rich foods were significant predictors of added sugar intake among men, while past intake of sugar-rich foods was a significant predictor of added sugar intake among women. CONCLUSION: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, all psychosocial factors assessed among young adults appeared predictive of one or more eating behaviours reported eight years later. Results point to the influence of psychosocial factors on future eating behaviours and the potential for interventions targeting such factors

Association between pregravid physical activity and family history of stroke and risk of stillbirth: Population-based cohort study

Objectives: To evaluate whether family history of disease and pregravid lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors are associated with subsequent stillbirth delivery. Design: Prepregnancy cohort study. Setting: Cohort Norway regional health surveys (1994–2003) linked to Medical Birth Registry of Norway for deliveries through 2012. Participants: 13 497 singleton births (> 22 weeks gestation) in 8478 women. Main outcome measure: Risk of stillbirth evaluated by Poisson regression. Results: Mean (SD) length of follow-up was 5.5 (3.5) years. In analyses adjusting for baseline age and length of follow-up, ≥3 hours of baseline past-year vigorous physical activity per week (resulting in shortness of breath/sweating) was associated with increased risk of stillbirth compared with 18.5 and <25 kg/m2). Vigorous activity of ≥3 hours per week (IRR of 4.50; 95% CI 1.72 to 11.79) and a family history of stroke (IRR of 3.81; 95% CI 1.31 to 11.07) were more strongly related to stillbirth risk among women with a normal BMI than that observed for all women combined. Established risk factors also associated with stillbirth risk. Conclusions: The study identified physical activity and family history of stroke as potential new risk factors for stillbirth delivery.publishedVersio

High-normal blood pressure in midlife is a stronger risk factor for incident hypertension 26 years later in women than men: the Hordaland Health Study

Purpose To identify modifiable risk factors in early midlife associated with incident hypertension 26 years later in women and men. Materials and methods We used data from 1025 women and 703 men in the community-based Hordaland Health Study examined at the mean age of 42 years (baseline) and after a 26-year follow-up. Patients with hypertension at baseline were excluded. Blood pressure (BP) was classified according to European guidelines. Factors associated with incident hypertension were identified in logistic regression analyses. Results At baseline, women had a lower average BP and a lower prevalence of high-normal BP (19% vs 37%, p < .05). Overall, 39% of women and 45% of men developed hypertension during follow-up (p < .05). Among those with high-normal BP at baseline, 72% of women and 58% of men developed hypertension (p < .01). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, high-normal BP at baseline was a stronger predictor of incident hypertension in women (odds ratio, OR 4.8, [95% confidence interval, CI 3.4–6.9]) than in men (OR 2.1, [95% CI 1.5–2.8]), p < .01 for sex interaction. A higher baseline body mass index (BMI) was associated with incident hypertension in both sexes. Conclusions High-normal BP in midlife is a stronger risk factor for developing hypertension 26 years later in women than in men, independent of BMI.publishedVersio

Pain Following Stroke: A Population-Based Follow-Up Study

Background and Purpose: Chronic pain is increasingly recognized as a consequence of stroke. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and pain types of new onset chronic pain (‘‘novel pain’’) in patients with stroke compared with a randomly selected reference group from the general population and to identify factors associated with pain development in stroke patients. Methods: In a population-based follow-up design, development of chronic pain after stroke was assessed by a questionnaire sent to consecutive stroke patients, registered in a Danish national stroke database, two years after their stroke. A randomly selected sex- and age-matched reference group from the same catchment area received a similar questionnaire about development of new types of chronic pain in the same time period. A total of 608 stroke patients and 519 reference subjects were included in the study. Results: Development of novel pain was reported by 39.0 % of stroke patients and 28.9 % of reference subjects (OR 1.57, CI 1.21-2.04), and was associated with low age and depression in a multivariate model. Daily intake of pain medication for novel pain was reported by 15.3 % and 9.4 % of the stroke and reference population, respectively. Novel headache, shoulder pain, pain from increased muscle stiffness, and other types of novel pain were more common in stroke patients, whereas joint pain was equally common in the two groups. Conclusions: Development of chronic pain is more common in stroke patients compared with sex- and age-matched reference subjects. Evaluation of post-stroke pain should be part of stroke follow-up

Limited Benefit of Fish Consumption on Risk of Hip Fracture among Men in the Community-Based Hordaland Health Study

Hip fractures have a high prevalence worldwide. Few studies have investigated whether fish consumption is associated with risk of hip fractures. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of fish intake on the subsequent risk of a hip fracture because of the low number of studies on this topic. A community-based prospective cohort study of 2865 men and women from Hordaland county in Norway, born between 1925–1927 and enrolled in the study in 1997–1999. Information on hip fracture cases was extracted from hospital records until 31 December 2009. Baseline information on the intake of fish was obtained from a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models with death as a competing risk were used to evaluate the association of fish intake with risk of hip fracture. During a mean (SD) follow-up time of 9.6 (2.7) years, 226 hip fractures (72 in men, 154 in women) were observed. The mean (SD) fish intake was 48 (25) g/1000 kcal. The association between fish intake and risk of hip fracture was not linear and displayed a threshold, with low intake of fish being associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in men (HR (Hazard Ratio) = 1.84, 95% CI 1.10, 3.08). In this community-based prospective study of men and women, a low intake of fish was associated with the risk of a hip fracture in men.publishedVersio

Tryptophan catabolites as metabolic markers of vitamin B-6 status evaluated in cohorts of healthy adults and cardiovascular patients

Background Vitamin B-6 status is routinely measured as pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) in plasma. Low concentrations of PLP are associated with rheumatic, cardiovascular, and neoplastic diseases. We have previously shown that vitamin B-6 status affects the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway of tryptophan (Trp) catabolism. Objective This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the use of Kyns as potential markers of functional vitamin B-6 status across 2 large cohorts. Methods We measured circulating concentrations of the first 6 metabolites in the Trp catabolic pathway by LC–MS-MS in the community-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK; n = 7017) and cardiovascular patient–based Western Norway Coronary Angiography Cohort (WECAC; n = 4161). Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of plasma PLP with Kyns were estimated using linear and nonlinear regression–based methods. Results 3′-Hydroxykynurenine (HK), a substrate, and all 4 products formed directly by the PLP-dependent enzymes kynurenine transaminase and kynureninase contributed to the explanation of circulating PLP in multivariable-adjusted regression models. The construct HK:(kynurenic acid + xanthurenic acid + 3′-hydroxyanthranilic acid + anthranilic acid), termed HK ratio (HKr), was related to plasma PLP with standardized regression coefficients (95% CIs) of −0.47 (−0.49, −0.45) and −0.46 (−0.49, −0.43) in HUSK and WECAC, respectively. Across strata of cohort and sex, HKr was 1.3- to 2.7-fold more sensitive, but also 1.7- to 2.9-fold more specific to changes in PLP than a previously proposed marker, HK:xanthurenic acid. Notably, the association was strongest at PLP concentrations < ∼20 nmol/L, a recognized threshold for vitamin B-6 deficiency. Finally, PLP and HKr demonstrated highly sex-specific and corroborating associations with age. Conclusions The results demonstrate that by combining 5 metabolites in the Kyn pathway into a simple index, HKr, a sensitive and specific indicator of intracellular vitamin B-6 status is obtained. The data also underscore the merit of evaluating alterations in Kyn metabolism when investigating vitamin B-6 and health.acceptedVersio

Stage 1 hypertension, sex, and acute coronary syndromes during midlife: the Hordaland Health Study

Aims Hypertension has been suggested as a stronger risk factor for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in women than men. Whether this also applies to stage 1 hypertension [blood pressure (BP) 130–139/80–89 mmHg] is not known. Methods and results We tested associations of stage 1 hypertension with ACS in 12 329 participants in the Hordaland Health Study (mean baseline age 41 years, 52% women). Participants were grouped by baseline BP category: Normotension (BP < 130/80 mmHg), stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension (BP ≥140/90 mmHg). ACS was defined as hospitalization or death due to myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris during 16 years of follow-up. At baseline, a lower proportion of women than men had stage 1 and 2 hypertension, respectively (25 vs. 35% and 14 vs. 31%, P < 0.001). During follow-up, 1.4% of women and 5.7% of men experienced incident ACS (P < 0.001). Adjusted for diabetes, smoking, body mass index, cholesterol, and physical activity, stage 1 hypertension was associated with higher risk of ACS in women [hazard ratio (HR) 2.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32–3.60], while the association was non-significant in men (HR 1.30, 95% CI 0.98–1.71). After additional adjustment for systolic and diastolic BP, respectively, stage 1 diastolic hypertension was associated with ACS in women (HR 2.79 [95% CI 1.62-4.82]), but not in men (HR 1.24 [95% CI 0.95-1.62]), while stage 1 systolic hypertension was not associated with ACS in either sex. Conclusion Among subjects in their early 40s, stage 1 hypertension was a stronger risk factor for ACS during midlife in women than in men.publishedVersio

Development and use of Ontologies Inside the Neuroscience Information Framework: A Practical Approach

An initiative of the NIH Blueprint for neuroscience research, the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF) project advances neuroscience by enabling discovery and access to public research data and tools worldwide through an open source, semantically enhanced search portal. One of the critical components for the overall NIF system, the NIF Standardized Ontologies (NIFSTD), provides an extensive collection of standard neuroscience concepts along with their synonyms and relationships. The knowledge models defined in the NIFSTD ontologies enable an effective concept-based search over heterogeneous types of web-accessible information entities in NIF’s production system. NIFSTD covers major domains in neuroscience, including diseases, brain anatomy, cell types, sub-cellular anatomy, small molecules, techniques, and resource descriptors. Since the first production release in 2008, NIF has grown significantly in content and functionality, particularly with respect to the ontologies and ontology-based services that drive the NIF system. We present here on the structure, design principles, community engagement, and the current state of NIFSTD ontologies