A Step Toward Workplace Obesity Prevention: Evaluation of Weight Management Program for Hospital-based Health Care Providers

Background: Obesity is a worldwide problem. Healthy workplace and lifestyle are crucial in preventing obesity. A workplace weight management program could create a culture of health and facilitate weight control among health care providers. The present study aims to describe and evaluate the health outcomes of the interaction of professional practice and organizational infrastructure. Method: The hospital-based weight management program was an eight-week pilot randomized controlled study for obese health care providers. The primary outcomes were body weight and body mass index. The secondary outcomes included serum fasting glucose, fasting cholesterol, triglyceride, high- and low-density lipoprotein, body fat percentage, body mass, and quality of life. The RE-AIM framework was used to examine the intervention’s reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance at individual and organizational levels. Results: The program successfully attained the target population. Health care providers demonstrated short-term weight loss and decreased serum fasting cholesterol level after completing the program. The excellent retention rate (95%) of the study suggested that the participants were well-engaged in self-weight management. The program was implemented with adequate resource and support from the health organization. The organization may consider continuing the program in view of its long-term benefits to health care providers. Conclusion: Supportive organizational structure and culture enhanced professional practice and improved the health outcomes of the hospital-based weight management program participants

In vitro growth, acidogenicity and cariogenicity of predominant bacteria in root caries

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Power distance orientation alleviates the beneficial effects of empowering leadership on actors' work engagement via negative affect and sleep quality

Although many studies have explored the benefits of empowering leadership for followers, the beneficial effect of such behavior for actors who demonstrate empowering leadership has been overlooked. Applying conservation of resources theory, we propose and test a model that determines why and when empowering leadership benefits actors. We use an experience sampling survey to examine the effect of empowering leadership on actors’ daily work engagement. In particular, we focus on the moderating role of power distance orientation and the mediating roles of negative affect and sleep quality, which operate sequentially. The results based on responses from 160 supervisors in two Chinese organizations indicated that empowering leadership in the morning was negatively related to negative affect in the afternoon and positively related to sleep quality at night and next-day work engagement. The strength of this beneficial effect was moderated by power distance orientation, such that supervisors with a high degree of power distance orientation obtained fewer benefits from empowering leadership than those with a low degree of power distance orientation. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings for the leadership, affect, sleep, power distance, and conservation of resources literatures are discussed

Comparison of Mutation Patterns in Full-Genome A/H3N2 Influenza Sequences Obtained Directly from Clinical Samples and the Same Samples after a Single MDCK Passage

Human influenza viruses can be isolated efficiently from clinical samples using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. However, this process is known to induce mutations in the virus as it adapts to this non-human cell-line. We performed a systematic study to record the pattern of MDCK-induced mutations observed across the whole influenza A/H3N2 genome. Seventy-seven clinical samples collected from 2009-2011 were included in the study. Two full influenza genomes were obtained for each sample: one from virus obtained directly from the clinical sample and one from the matching isolate cultured in MDCK cells. Comparison of the full-genome sequences obtained from each of these sources showed that 42% of the 77 isolates had acquired at least one MDCK-induced mutation. The presence or absence of these mutations was independent of viral load or sample origin (in-patients versus out-patients). Notably, all the five hemagglutinin missense mutations were observed at the hemaggutinin 1 domain only, particularly within or proximal to the receptor binding sites and antigenic site of the virus. Furthermore, 23% of the 77 isolates had undergone a MDCK-induced missense mutation, D151G/N, in the neuraminidase segment. This mutation has been found to be associated with reduced drug sensitivity towards the neuraminidase inhibitors and increased viral receptor binding efficiency to host cells. In contrast, none of the neuraminidase sequences obtained directly from the clinical samples contained the D151G/N mutation, suggesting that this mutation may be an indicator of MDCK culture-induced changes. These D151 mutations can confound the interpretation of the hemagglutination inhibition assay and neuraminidase inhibitor resistance results when these are based on MDCK isolates. Such isolates are currently in routine use in the WHO influenza vaccine and drug-resistance surveillance programs. Potential data interpretation miscalls can therefore be avoided by careful exclusion of such D151 mutants after further sequence analysis.published_or_final_versio

Design of dry powder formulations of pH responsive peptide/plasmid DNA complexes for pulmonary delivery

Poster Presentation: no. 13PS50Respiratory diseases are substantial public health problems around the world. Recently, nucleic acid was developed as a potential therapeutic strategy to tackle a series of lung diseases. Delivery still poses one of the major challenges for their clinical application. pH responsive peptides containing either histidine or derivatives of 2,3-diaminopropionic acid (Dap) can mediate effective DNA transfection in lung epithelial cells with the latter remaining effective even in the presence of lung surfactant containing bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF), which make them promising vectors for delivering therapeutic nucleic acid to the airways .....published_or_final_versio

Knockdown of repressor activator protein 1 facilitated foam cell formation by augmenting cholesterol uptake

This journal issue including abstracts of 18th Annual Scientific Meeting Institute of Cardiovascular Science and MedicineAbstracts for Oral Presentation: no. OP-1OBJECTIVES: Repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1) is a telomere-associated protein with telomeric-regulating functions, but it also displays non-telomeric functions and regulates metabolism. The expression of Rap1 is enhanced in atherosclerotic plaques. Presence of foam cells is an indicator of plaque buildup. This study aims to investigate if Rap1 knockdown has an ...postprin

Genotypic diversity of oral Actinomyces naeslundii from children

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Prevalence analysis of Actinomyces in supragingival plaque of ethic Chinese children with/without early childhood caries

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Direct detection of Actinomyces spp. from infected root canals in a Chinese population: a study using PCR-based, oligonucleotide-DNA hybridization technique

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Progress and perspective of microneedle system for anti-cancer drug delivery

Transdermal drug delivery exhibited encouraging prospects, especially through superficial drug administration routes. However, only a few limited lipophilic drug molecules could cross the skin barrier, those are with low molecular weight and rational Log P value. Microneedles (MNs) can overcome these limitations to deliver numerous drugs into the dermal layer by piercing the outermost skin layer of the body. In the case of superficial cancer treatments, topical drug administration faces severely low transfer efficiency, and systemic treatments are always associated with side effects and premature drug degradation. MN-based systems have achieved excellent technical capabilities and been tested for pre-clinical chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy. In this review, we will focus on the features, progress, and opportunities of MNs in the anticancer drug delivery system. Then, we will discuss the strategies and advantages in these works and summarize challenges, perspectives, and translational potential for future applications