A quantitative synthesis study on body mass index and associated factors among adult men and women in Switzerland

Excess weight is caused by multiple factors and has increased sharply in Switzerland since the 1990s. Its consequences represent a major challenge for Switzerland, both in terms of health and the economy. Until now, there has been no cross-dataset overview study on excess weight in adults in Switzerland. Therefore, our aim was to conduct the first synthesis on excess weight in Switzerland. We included all existing nationwide Swiss studies (eight total), which included information on body mass index (BMI). Mixed multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between different socio-demographic, lifestyle cofactors and the World Health Organization (WHO) categories for BMI. Along with lifestyle factors, socio-demographic factors were among the strongest determinants of BMI. In addition, self-rated health status was significantly lower for underweight, pre-obese and obese men and women than for normal weight persons. The present study is the first to synthesise all nationwide evidence on the importance of several socio-demographic and lifestyle factors as risk factors for excess weight. In particular, the highlighted importance of lifestyle factors for excess weight opens up the opportunity for further public health interventions

A quantitative synthesis study on body mass index and associated factors among adult men and women in Switzerland.

Excess weight is caused by multiple factors and has increased sharply in Switzerland since the 1990s. Its consequences represent a major challenge for Switzerland, both in terms of health and the economy. Until now, there has been no cross-dataset overview study on excess weight in adults in Switzerland. Therefore, our aim was to conduct the first synthesis on excess weight in Switzerland. We included all existing nationwide Swiss studies (eight total), which included information on body mass index (BMI). Mixed multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between different socio-demographic, lifestyle cofactors and the World Health Organization (WHO) categories for BMI. Along with lifestyle factors, socio-demographic factors were among the strongest determinants of BMI. In addition, self-rated health status was significantly lower for underweight, pre-obese and obese men and women than for normal weight persons. The present study is the first to synthesise all nationwide evidence on the importance of several socio-demographic and lifestyle factors as risk factors for excess weight. In particular, the highlighted importance of lifestyle factors for excess weight opens up the opportunity for further public health interventions

Das Gewicht der Schweiz: Eine quantitative Synthesestudie zum Body Mass Index und Bauchumfang sowie den damit verbundenen Kofaktoren bei erwachsenen Männern und Frauen in der Schweiz

Übergewicht wird multifaktoriell verursacht und hat in der Schweiz seit den 1990er Jahren stark zugenommen. Eine breit abgestützte Untersuchung der involvierten Kofaktoren würde es ermöglichen, Risikofaktoren und damit auch Interventionsprogramme präziser als bisher zu definieren. Für die erwachsene Bevölkerung in der Schweiz wurden bisher die bestehenden gesamtschweizerischen bevölkerungsweiten Studien zu Übergewicht noch nie zusammengefasst in einer Synthesestudie ausgewertet. Wir haben alle uns bekannten gesamtschweizerischen und bevölkerungsbezogenen Studien aus den Bereichen Gesundheit, Ernährung und Wirtschaft zusammengetragen, die auch Informationen über den Body Mass Index (BMI) sowie wenn möglich auch zu Bauchumfang/Taillenumfang (Waist Circumference, WC) und Waist-to-Height-Ratio (WHtR) enthielten. Eingeschlossen wurden die Nationale Ernährungserhebung Schweiz (menuCH, 2014/2015), die Schweizerischen Gesundheitsbefragungen 2012 und 2017, das Swiss Household Panel 2013-2017, die Schweizer Erhebung über Einkommen & Lebensbedingungen (SILC, 2017), das Swiss Food Panel (2010 und 2017) sowie der Swiss Survey on Salt Intake (2010/2011). Wir haben die mehrheitlich repräsentativen Datensätze nicht gepoolt, sondern mittels mixed multinomial logistic Regressionsanalysen übergreifende Gesamteffekte geschätzt. Zusätzlich haben wir die anthropometrischen Monitoring-Daten der Stellungspflichtigen 2019 vergleichend hinzugezogen. Grundsätzlich sind von zehn erwachsenen Menschen in der Schweiz rund drei Personen (31.7 %) von Übergewicht und rund eine Person (11.2 %) von Adipositas betroffen. Die Analyse der acht bevölkerungsbasierten Studien zeigt, dass die Kofaktoren Geschlecht, Alter, Bildung, Körperhöhe, Sprachregion und körperliche Aktivität signifikant mit dem BMI zusammenhängen. Betrachtet man auch die Kofaktoren, welche nicht in allen Studien erhoben worden sind, dann finden sich weitere signifikante Assoziationen zu Stadt/Land, Nationalität, Fleischkonsum, Konsum von Süssgetränken, Einhalt der Empfehlungen zu körperlicher Aktivität, selbsteingeschätztem Gesundheitszustand und Schlafstörungen. Die Daten der Stellungspflichtigen für die Armee decken sich in der Aussagerichtung weitgehend mit diesem Bild: Der BMI der jungen Schweizer Männer 2019 ist assoziiert mit Alter, Körperhöhe, Sprachregionen, Stadt/Land, sozioökonomischem Berufsstatus, sozioökonomischem Nachbarschaftsindex, Blutdruck und Leistung im Sporttest. Die vergleichende Analyse zwischen BMI, WC und WHtR in den beiden populationsbasierten Studien menuCH und Swiss Salt Survey sowie bei den Stellungspflichtigen zeigt einerseits eine weitgehende Kongruenz zwischen den anthropometrischen Massen auf, anderseits aber auch den Mehrwert des WHtR, welcher den WC relativiert zur Körperhöhe und zu mehr akzentuierten Koeffizienten führt. Unsere Resultate zur Bedeutung der Körperhöhe als relevanter Kofaktor bestätigen, dass es sich beider Prävention von Übergewicht gleich mehrfach lohnt, bereits im Kindesalter anzusetzen: Einerseits wird dadurch ein günstiger kindlicher Gesundheitsstatus (Balance zwischen Ernährung, Bewegung und Gesundheit) gefördert, welcher sich auch auf das Wachstum auswirkt, andererseits werden damit früh gesundheitsrelevante Verhaltensmuster erlernt (Ernährung, Schlaf, Bewegung), was ebenfalls bis ins Erwachsenenleben nachwirkt. Dieser Ansatz ist ganz im Sinne des Life Course Approach to Health, wie er beispielweise auch in der NCD-Strategie des Bundesrates eingeflossen ist. Weiter haben sich in unseren Modellen die soziodemografischen Faktoren als besonders wichtig herausgestellt. Zukünftige Studien sollten Interaktionen zwischen soziodemografischen Faktoren, Lebensstilfaktoren und Gesundheitsfaktoren, welche für einzelne Datensätze gut dokumentiert sind, ebenfalls im Sinne einer Synthese über verschiedene Datensätze hinweg untersuchen. Unsere Ergebnisse schlagen vor, dabei ein besonderes Augenmerk auf Süssgetränke, Schlafstörungen und den selbsteingeschätzten Gesundheitszustand zu legen

Towards a common methodology for developing logistic tree mortality models based on ring-width data

Tree mortality is a key process shaping forest dynamics. Thus, there is a growing need for indicators of the likelihood of tree death. During the last decades, an increasing number of tree-ring based studies have aimed to derive growth-mortality functions, mostly using logistic models. The results of these studies, however, are difficult to compare and synthesize due to the diversity of approaches used for the sampling strategy (number and characteristics of ‘alive’ and ‘death’ observations), the type of explanatory growth variables included (level, trend, etc.), and the length of the time-window (number of years preceding the alive/death observation) that maximized the discrimination ability of each growth variable. Here, we assess the implications of key methodological decisions when developing tree-ring based growth-mortality relationships using logistic mixed-effects regression models. As examples we use published tree-ring datasets from Abies alba (13 different sites), Nothofagus dombeyi (one site) and Quercus petraea (one site). Our approach is based on a constant sampling size and aims at (1) assessing the dependency of growth-mortality relationships on the statistical sampling scheme used; (2) determining the type of explanatory growth variables that should be considered; and (3) identifying the best length of the time window used to calculate them. The performance of tree-ring based mortality models was reasonably high for all three species (Area Under the receiving operator characteristics Curve: AUC > 0.7). Growth level variables were the most important predictors of mortality probability for two species (A. alba, N. dombeyi), while growth-trend variables need to be considered for Q. petraea. In addition, the length of the time window used to calculate each growth variable was highly uncertain and depended on the sampling scheme, as some growth-mortality relationships varied with tree age. The present study accounts for the main sampling-related biases to determine reliable species-specific growth-mortality relationships. Our results highlight the importance of using a sampling strategy that is consistent with the research question. Moving towards a common methodology for developing reliable growth-mortality relationships is an important step towards improving our understanding of tree mortality across species and its representation in dynamic vegetation models

The association between frailty and MRI features of cerebral small vessel disease

Abstract: Frailty is a common syndrome in older individuals that is associated with poor cognitive outcome. The underlying brain correlates of frailty are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between frailty and MRI features of cerebral small vessel disease in a group of non-demented older individuals. We included 170 participants who were classified as frail (n = 30), pre-frail (n = 85) or non-frail (n = 55). The association of frailty and white matter hyperintensity volume and shape features, lacunar infarcts and cerebral perfusion was investigated by regression analyses adjusted for age and sex. Frail and pre-frail participants were older, more often female and showed higher white matter hyperintensity volume (0.69 [95%-CI 0.08 to 1.31], p = 0.03 respectively 0.43 [95%-CI: 0.04 to 0.82], p = 0.03) compared to non-frail participants. Frail participants showed a non-significant trend, and pre-frail participants showed a more complex shape of white matter hyperintensities (concavity index: 0.04 [95%-CI: 0.03 to 0.08], p = 0.03; fractal dimensions: 0.07 [95%-CI: 0.00 to 0.15], p = 0.05) compared to non-frail participants. No between group differences were found in gray matter perfusion or in the presence of lacunar infarcts. In conclusion, increased white matter hyperintensity volume and a more complex white matter hyperintensity shape may be structural brain correlates of the frailty phenotype

The structure of E. coli IgG-binding protein D suggests a general model for bending and binding in trimeric autotransporter adhesins

The Escherichia coli Ig-binding (Eib) proteins are trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) and receptors for IgG Fc. We present the structure of a large fragment of the passenger domain of EibD, the first TAA structure to have both a YadA-like head domain and the entire coiled-coil stalk. The stalk begins as a right-handed superhelix, but switches handedness halfway down. An unexpected β-minidomain joins the two and inserts a ∼120° rotation such that there is no net twist between the beginning and end of the stalk. This may be important in folding and autotransport. The surprisingly large cavities we found in EibD and other TAAs may explain how TAAs bend to bind their ligands. We identified how IgA and IgG bind and modeled the EibD-IgG Fc complex. We further show that EibD promotes autoagglutination and biofilm formation and forms a fibrillar layer covering the cell surface making zipper-like contacts between cells

Early-Warning Signals of Individual Tree Mortality Based on Annual Radial Growth

Tree mortality is a key driver of forest dynamics and its occurrence is projected to increase in the future due to climate change. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to death, we still lack robust indicators of mortality risk that could be applied at the individual tree scale. Here, we build on a previous contribution exploring the differences in growth level between trees that died and survived a given mortality event to assess whether changes in temporal autocorrelation, variance, and synchrony in time-series of annual radial growth data can be used as early warning signals of mortality risk. Taking advantage of a unique global ring-width database of 3065 dead trees and 4389 living trees growing together at 198 sites (belonging to 36 gymnosperm and angiosperm species), we analyzed temporal changes in autocorrelation, variance, and synchrony before tree death (diachronic analysis), and also compared these metrics between trees that died and trees that survived a given mortality event (synchronic analysis). Changes in autocorrelation were a poor indicator of mortality risk. However, we found a gradual increase in inter- annual growth variability and a decrease in growth synchrony in the last similar to 20 years before mortality of gymnosperms, irrespective of the cause of mortality. These changes could be associated with drought-induced alterations in carbon economy and allocation patterns. In angiosperms, we did not find any consistent changes in any metric. Such lack of any signal might be explained by the relatively high capacity of angiosperms to recover after a stress-induced growth decline. Our analysis provides a robust method for estimating early-warning signals of tree mortality based on annual growth data. In addition to the frequently reported decrease in growth rates, an increase in inter-annual growth variability and a decrease in growth synchrony may be powerful predictors of gymnosperm mortality risk, but not necessarily so for angiosperms.Peer reviewe

The fractured Moon: Production and saturation of porosity in the lunar highlands from impact cratering

We have analyzed the Bouguer anomaly (BA) of ~1200 complex craters in the lunar highlands from Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory observations. The BA of these craters is generally negative, though positive BA values are observed, particularly for smaller craters. Crater BA values scale inversely with crater diameter, quantifying how larger impacts produce more extensive fracturing and dilatant bulking. The Bouguer anomaly of craters larger than urn:x-wiley:00948276:media:grl53324:grl53324-math-0001 km in diameter is independent of crater size, indicating that there is a limiting depth to impact‐generated porosity, presumably from pore collapse associated with either overburden pressure or viscous flow. Impact‐generated porosity of the bulk lunar crust is likely in a state of equilibrium for craters smaller than ~30 km in diameter, consistent with an ~8 km thick lunar megaregolith, whereas the gravity signature of larger craters is still preserved and provides new insight into the cratering record of even the oldest lunar surfaces