Determinants of weight gain prevention in adult women

Although the prevalence of overweight and obesity has remained stable in recent years, weight management remains a challenge for a large sector of the population. Particularly during young adulthood, women are at increased risk for excess weight gain. Rather than focusing on the treatment of excess body weight through energy restriction, which has proven to be ineffective in facilitating long-term weight loss, an alternative and more robust approach may be to emphasize the improvement of health and lifestyle behaviors to aid in prevention of weight gain over time. A 1-year randomized controlled trial of weight gain prevention was conducted in a sample of premenopausal women to determine the effects of a weight gain prevention intervention that included nutrition education on body weight (BW) change and other health outcomes over one year. This trial also aimed to compare the delivery of nutrition education by a registered dietitian to a counselor. Women (n=87) were randomized to a control group (CON; n=29) or weight gain prevention intervention delivered by a registered dietitian (RDG; n=29) or counselor (CSG; n=29). Eighty-one women (meanSD, age: 31.4±8.1 y; BW: 76.1±19.0 kg; body mass index: 27.9±6.8 kg/m2) completed baseline testing and were included in intention-to-treat analyses (CON=26; RDG=26; CSG=29). During the intervention period, women in the RDG and CSG groups attended 16 weekly and 8 monthly 1-hour nutrition education sessions. Anthropometric, blood pressure, dietary intake, physical activity, biochemical markers of health, eating behaviors, health perceptions and mediators of behavior change data were collected and evaluated at baseline and every three months thereafter. All data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 22.0, 2013). The weight gain prevention intervention was successful in preventing weight gain over one year; however, BW change between the RDG, CSG and CON was not significantly different, and 62% of the original sample successfully prevented weight gain. Few differences were observed by group or over time using intention-to-treat analyses. Body fat percentage was significantly lower in the RDG compared to the CSG and CON at all time points (P0.01), resting heart rate (P>0.01), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P>0.01), macronutrient intake (P>0.01), food group servings (P>0.01), total energy expenditure (P>0.01) or biochemical markers of health (P>0.01). There were no significant effects of time for any anthropometric measurements (P>0.01), resting heart rate (P>0.01), diastolic blood pressure (P>0.01), dietary intake (P>0.01), total energy expenditure (P>0.01) or biochemical markers of health (all P>0.01). A cross-sectional examination of eating behaviors and grit, a non-cognitive personality trait, revealed that disinhibition was a significant predictor of BW and body mass index (BMI). Significant associations between grit and cognitive eating restraint (CER; r=0.23, P<0.05), disinhibition (r=–0.47, P<0.01), hunger (r=–0.19, P=0.05), BW (r=–0.24, P<0.05) and BMI (r=–0.23, P<0.05) were found. Over time, baseline grit did not predict BW change, but it was negatively associated with BW and BMI at month 12 (r=-0.25, P<0.05; r=-0.23, P<0.05). Disinhibition was the only predictor of month 12 BW, and women who successfully prevented weight gain had significantly lower levels of disinhibition at baseline (P<0.05) and significantly increased CER over the intervention (P<0.05). Though the current weight gain prevention found no significant effects of nutrition education on weight gain prevention over time, a large proportion of individuals were able to maintain BW during the study interval. Further, disinhibition and changes in CER were related to successful weight gain prevention. Future interventions that address additional indicators of health and explore strategies to increase CER and manage disinhibition in order to facilitate prevention of weight gain over time are needed.

Evaluation of Type-Specific Real-Time PCR Assays Using the LightCycler and J.B.A.I.D.S. for Detection of Adenoviruses in Species HAdV-C

Sporadically, HAdVs from species HAdV-C are detected in acute respiratory disease outbreaks. To rapidly type these viruses, we designed real-time PCR assays that detect and discriminate between adenovirus types HAdV-C1, -C2, -C5, and -C6. Sixteen clinical isolates from the California Department of Public Health were used to validate the new assays. Type-specific TaqMan real-time PCR assays were designed and used independently to successfully identify 16 representative specimens. The lower limit of detection for our LightCycler singleplex real-time PCR assays were calculated to be 100, 100, 100, and 50 genomic copies per reaction for HAdV-C1, HAdV-C2, HAdV-C5 and HAdV-C6, respectively. The results for the singleplex J.B.A.I.D.S. assays were similar. Our assays did not cross-react with other adenoviruses outside of species HAdV-C, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, or respiratory disease causing bacteria. These assays have the potential to be useful as diagnostic tools for species HAdV-C infection

Co-infections of Adenovirus Species in Previously Vaccinated Patients

Adenoviral infections associated with respiratory illness in military trainees involve multiple co-infecting species and serotypes

Molecular identification of adenoviruses associated with respiratory infection in Egypt from 2003 to 2010.

BACKGROUND: Human adenoviruses of species B, C, and E (HAdV-B, -C, -E) are frequent causative agents of acute respiratory infections worldwide. As part of a surveillance program aimed at identifying the etiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Egypt, we characterized 105 adenovirus isolates from clinical samples collected between 2003 and 2010. METHODS: Identification of the isolates as HAdV was accomplished by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and confirmed by a set of species and type specific polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RESULTS: Of the 105 isolates, 42% were identified as belonging to HAdV-B, 60% as HAdV-C, and 1% as HAdV-E. We identified a total of six co-infections by PCR, of which five were HAdV-B/HAdV-C co-infections, and one was a co-infection of two HAdV-C types: HAdV-5/HAdV-6. Molecular typing by PCR enabled the identification of eight genotypes of human adenoviruses; HAdV-3 (n = 22), HAdV-7 (n = 14), HAdV-11 (n = 8), HAdV-1 (n = 22), HAdV-2 (20), HAdV-5 (n = 15), HAdV-6 (n = 3) and HAdV-4 (n = 1). The most abundant species in the characterized collection of isolates was HAdV-C, which is concordant with existing data for worldwide epidemiology of HAdV respiratory infections. CONCLUSIONS: We identified three species, HAdV-B, -C and -E, among patients with ILI over the course of 7 years in Egypt, with at least eight diverse types circulating

Genome sequences of Human Adenovirus 14 isolates from mild respiratory cases and a fatal pneumonia, isolated during 2006-2007 epidemics in North America

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human adenovirus 14 (HAdV-14) is a recognized causative agent of epidemic febrile respiratory illness (FRI). Last reported in Eurasia in 1963, this virus has since been conspicuously absent in broad surveys, and was never isolated in North America despite inclusion of specific tests for this serotype in surveillance methods. In 2006 and 2007, this virus suddenly emerged in North America, causing high attack rate epidemics of FRI and, in some cases, severe pneumonias and occasional fatalities. Some outbreaks have been relatively mild, with low rates of progression beyond uncomplicated FRI, while other outbreaks have involved high rates of more serious outcomes.</p> <p>Methodology and Findings</p> <p>In this paper we present the complete genomic sequence of this emerging pathogen, and compare genomic sequences of isolates from both mild and severe outbreaks. We also compare the genome sequences of the recent isolates with those of the prototype HAdV-14 that circulated in Eurasia 30 years ago and the closely related sequence of HAdV-11a, which has been circulating in southeast Asia.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data suggest that the currently circulating strain of HAdV-14 is closely related to the historically recognized prototype throughout its genome, though it does display a couple of potentially functional mutations in the fiber knob and E1A genes. There are no polymorphisms that suggest an obvious explanation for the divergence in severity between outbreak events, suggesting that differences in outcome are more likely environmental or host determined rather than viral genetics.</p

Inference of Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence among Diverse Group A Streptococcus Strains Using emm Sequencing and Multilocus Genotyping Methods

typing (direct sequencing of the genomic segment coding for the antigenic portion of the M protein) or by multilocus genotyping methods. Phenotype analysis, including critical AbR typing, is generally achieved by much slower and more laborious direct culture-based methods. type and the associated AbR and virulence phenotypes. types

Identifying Influenza Viruses with Resequencing Microarrays

Resequencing microarrays rapidly identify influenza viruses

Single Assay for Simultaneous Detection and Differential Identification of Human and Avian Influenza Virus Types, Subtypes, and Emergent Variants

For more than four decades the cause of most type A influenza virus infections of humans has been attributed to only two viral subtypes, A/H1N1 or A/H3N2. In contrast, avian and other vertebrate species are a reservoir of type A influenza virus genome diversity, hosting strains representing at least 120 of 144 combinations of 16 viral hemagglutinin and 9 viral neuraminidase subtypes. Viral genome segment reassortments and mutations emerging within this reservoir may spawn new influenza virus strains as imminent epidemic or pandemic threats to human health and poultry production. Traditional methods to detect and differentiate influenza virus subtypes are either time-consuming and labor-intensive (culture-based) or remarkably insensitive (antibody-based). Molecular diagnostic assays based upon reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) have short assay cycle time, and high analytical sensitivity and specificity. However, none of these diagnostic tests determine viral gene nucleotide sequences to distinguish strains and variants of a detected pathogen from one specimen to the next. Decision-quality, strain- and variant-specific pathogen gene sequence information may be critical for public health, infection control, surveillance, epidemiology, or medical/veterinary treatment planning. The Resequencing Pathogen Microarray (RPM-Flu) is a robust, highly multiplexed and target gene sequencing-based alternative to both traditional culture- or biomarker-based diagnostic tests. RPM-Flu is a single, simultaneous differential diagnostic assay for all subtype combinations of type A influenza viruses and for 30 other viral and bacterial pathogens that may cause influenza-like illness. These other pathogen targets of RPM-Flu may co-infect and compound the morbidity and/or mortality of patients with influenza. The informative specificity of a single RPM-Flu test represents specimen-specific viral gene sequences as determinants of virus type, A/HN subtype, virulence, host-range, and resistance to antiviral agents