COMPARING MINDFULNESS-ENRICHED WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TO CURRENT STANDARD PRACTICES

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be effective for numerous diet-related conditions. Mindfulness skills have been theorized to be helpful in improving eating behaviors, and thereby weight management. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness-enriched weight management program to a standard weight loss program over the course of a 12-week intervention, and weight maintenance over six months. This was a two-group randomized experimental design. One group received a standard weight loss program, while the other group received the same program with an additional mindfulness component. Follow up assessments were conducted twice at three-month intervals. Fifty-three adults with a BMI between 28 and 45 kg/m2 enrolled. Both programs produced significant weight loss. However, the two groups were not significantly different at twelve weeks. Mindful eating scores and weight loss were significantly correlated in the mindful group (R=-0.358, p=0.044), but not the standard group (R=0.735, p=0.060). A change in mindful eating was correlated with weight loss in women (R=0.444, p=0.008), but not men (R=-0.833, p=0.167) in the entire sample. The differences in weight maintenance between the two groups were not significantly different at the two follow-up assessments. Additional exploration of mindfulness and weight control is needed

Toward Personalized Medicine: Does Genetic Diagnosis of Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Influence Patient Management?

A goal of personalized medicine is to provide increasingly sophisticated, individualized approaches to management and therapy for disease. Genetics is the engine that drives personalized medicine, holding the promise of therapeutics directed toward the unique needs of each patient. The 3(rd) International Conference on Cardiomyopathy in Children provided a forum to discuss the current status of personalized approaches to diagnosis, management, and therapy in the pediatric cardiomyopathy population. This review will focus on the importance of genetic diagnosis in this population as a necessary first step toward understanding the best approach to management and influencing disease outcome. The genetic heterogeneity of cardiomyopathy in children, the implications of specific genotypes, the ability to risk stratify based on genotype, and the impact on cascade screening in family members will be discussed

Skeletal Muscle PGC-1β Signaling is Sufficient to Drive an Endurance Exercise Phenotype and to Counteract Components of Detraining in Mice

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α and -1β serve as master transcriptional regulators of muscle mitochondrial functional capacity and are capable of enhancing muscle endurance when overexpressed in mice. We sought to determine whether muscle-specific transgenic overexpression of PGC-1β affects the detraining response following endurance training. First, we established and validated a mouse exercise-training-detraining protocol. Second, using multiple physiological and gene expression end points, we found that PGC-1β overexpression in skeletal muscle of sedentary mice fully recapitulated the training response. Lastly, PGC-1β overexpression during the detraining period resulted in partial prevention of the detraining response. Specifically, an increase in the plateau at which O2 uptake (V̇o2) did not change from baseline with increasing treadmill speed [peak V̇o2 (ΔV̇o2max)] was maintained in trained mice with PGC-1β overexpression in muscle 6 wk after cessation of training. However, other detraining responses, including changes in running performance and in situ half relaxation time (a measure of contractility), were not affected by PGC-1β overexpression. We conclude that while activation of muscle PGC-1β is sufficient to drive the complete endurance phenotype in sedentary mice, it only partially prevents the detraining response following exercise training, suggesting that the process of endurance detraining involves mechanisms beyond the reversal of muscle autonomous mechanisms involved in endurance fitness. In addition, the protocol described here should be useful for assessing early-stage proof-of-concept interventions in preclinical models of muscle disuse atrophy

Systèmes de soutien des réseaux sociaux scientifiques : Une exploration qualitative des catalyseurs et des obstacles aux nouvelles études en médecine universitaire

Introduction: As academia begins to incorporate modern communication technologies into its scholarly structures, there are both enablers and barriers which foster academics’ uptake of these innovations. Those who are early adopters of academic social media - whether it be for education, research-related networking, or knowledge translation - may therefore be best positioned to highlight both enablers and barriers within their work environments. Methods: The authors conducted a constructivist grounded theory study to discern what prominent practitioners of academic social media (e.g. Twitter) have encountered in their careers. Participants were recruited via a snowball sampling technique and invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Three investigators engaged in constant comparative analysis of incoming transcripts. To enhance rigour, we conducted an audit of the analysis and a participant member check. Results: Seventeen emerging influencers in the field of academic social media were recruited. After axial coding, the 30 enablers and 21 barriers to academic social media use were mapped to three spheres of influence: personal, institutional, and virtual. The investigators propose a framework that organizes these enablers and barriers around a tipping point where sustainability becomes possible. Conclusions: Multiple enablers and barriers were described to influence social media users within academic medicine. By organizing these facets into a personal, institutional, and virtual framework along a spectrum, we can begin to understand the underlying structures that potentiate the academic ecosystems in which social media and similar innovations may flourish.Introduction : Alors que le milieu universitaire commence à intégrer les technologies de communication modernes dans ses structures d’enseignement, il existe à la fois des facteurs favorables et des obstacles à l’adoption de ces innovations par les chercheurs. Les premiers adoptants des réseaux sociaux scientifiques, que ce soit dans un cadre éducatif, de réseautage lié à la recherche ou d’application des connaissances, sont sans doute les mieux placés pour mettre en évidence aussi bien les facteurs favorables que les facteurs défavorables présents dans leur environnement de travail. Méthodes : Les auteurs ont mené une étude selon la théorisatoin ancrée qui s’inscrit dans un courant constructiviste afin de cibler les éléments de l’expérience d’importants utilisateurs des réseaux sociaux scientifiques (p. ex. Twitter). Les participants ont été recrutés par échantillonnage en boule de neige et invités à des entretiens semi-structurés. Trois chercheurs ont analysé les transcriptions reçues selon la méthode de la comparaison constante. Par souci de rigueur, nous avons procédé à une vérification de l’analyse et à un contrôle des participants. Résultats : Dix-sept influenceurs émergents dans le domaine des réseaux sociaux scientifiques ont été recrutés. Après un codage axial, les 30 catalyseurs et les 21 obstacles à l’utilisation des réseaux sociaux scientifiques ont été mis en correspondance avec trois sphères d’influence : personnelle, institutionnelle et virtuelle. Les chercheurs proposent un cadre qui organise ces catalyseurs et ces obstacles autour d’un point de basculement où la durabilité devient possible. Conclusions : De multiples facilitateurs et obstacles ont été décrits pour influencer les utilisateurs de réseaux sociaux dans le domaine de la médecine universitaire. La classification de ces facteurs sur une échelle par type de cadre (personnel, institutionnel et virtuel) laisse entrevoir les structures sous-jacentes des écosystèmes universitaires qui sont propices au développement des réseaux sociaux et des innovations de ce type

Examining the Delivery Mode of Mental Practice in Reducing Hemiparesis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mental Practice (MP) is an effective intervention to address upper extremity (UE) hemiparesis post-stroke. However, parameters for the delivery mode of MP have not been defined. Therefore, this study\u27s purpose was to define delivery mode parameters by comparing the effectiveness of audio-guided and video-guided MP. Method: Eighteen participants, \u3c 1-month post-stroke, with UE hemiparesis were randomized to a MP, repetitive task practice (RTP) or control group. The MP groups performed audio-guided or video-guided MP, 5x/week. The RTP group physically performed the functional tasks. The control group received traditional stroke rehabilitation. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) were used to assess change in UE hemiparesis. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrated audio MP increased FMA-UE scores from pretest (Mdn = 34.0, Mean = 34.0, SD =9.56) to posttest (Mdn = 49.0, Mean = 49.6, SD =7.5), p = .042, r = .64. Similar improvement in FMA-UE scores was found with traditional therapy. Audio MP decreased WMFT time, pretest (Mdn = 10.5, Mean = 49.9, SD = 59.1) to posttest (Mdn = 4.1, Mean = 3.5, SD = 1.4), p =.043, r =.63. Conclusion: Audio MP and traditional therapy appear to decrease impairment and increase the functional abilities of the UE following stroke. Video MP and RTP does not have this effect

The Prevalence of Pulmonary and Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms and Spirometric Test Findings Among Newspaper Pressroom Workers Exposed to Solvents

To investigate the relationship between exposure to organic solvents and the presence of pulmonary and upper respiratory tract mucous membrane symptoms, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 215 newspaper pressroom workers who were occupationally exposed to organic solvent and lubricant mixtures. Thirty-four compositors, who were not occupationally exposed to the solvents or lubricants, served as controls. Pressroom workers and compositors underwent spirometric testing and were also asked about the presence of cough, phlegm, hemoptysis, dyspnea, wheezing, chest tightness, nose or throat irritation, eye irritation, and sinus trouble. The spirometric results did not significantly differ between the two groups. However, the pressroom workers were significantly more likely to report pulmonary or upper respiratory tract mucous membrane symptoms than were compositors (P \u3c 0.005). An exposure-response relationship could be demonstrated when comparing the number of solvents exposed with the total number of symptoms (P \u3c 0.001). Similarly, an exposure-response relationship could be demonstrated when comparing the frequency of use of each of the seven solvents with the total number of symptoms (P \u3c 0.002). Each of these findings was supported in a multivariable linear regression model that adjusted for potential confounders such as age, smoking history, and number of years in the industry. A high prevalence of these symptoms was reported even though the degree of exposure to solvents and lubricants was within the current permissible exposure limits

Dosage-Dependent Expression Variation Suppressed on the Drosophila Male X Chromosome.

DNA copy number variation is associated with many high phenotypic heterogeneity disorders. We systematically examined the impact of Drosophila melanogaster deletions on gene expression profiles to ask whether increased expression variability owing to reduced gene dose might underlie this phenotypic heterogeneity. Indeed, we found that one-dose genes have higher gene expression variability relative to two-dose genes. We then asked whether this increase in variability could be explained by intrinsic noise within cells due to stochastic biochemical events, or whether expression variability is due to extrinsic noise arising from more complex interactions. Our modeling showed that intrinsic gene expression noise averages at the organism level and thus cannot explain increased variation in one-dose gene expression. Interestingly, expression variability was related to the magnitude of expression compensation, suggesting that regulation, induced by gene dose reduction, is noisy. In a remarkable exception to this rule, the single X chromosome of males showed reduced expression variability, even compared with two-dose genes. Analysis of sex-transformed flies indicates that X expression variability is independent of the male differentiation program. Instead, we uncovered a correlation between occupancy of the chromatin-modifying protein encoded by males absent on the first (mof) and expression variability, linking noise suppression to the specialized X chromosome dosage compensation system. MOF occupancy on autosomes in both sexes also lowered transcriptional noise. Our results demonstrate that gene dose reduction can lead to heterogeneous responses, which are often noisy. This has implications for understanding gene network regulatory interactions and phenotypic heterogeneity. Additionally, chromatin modification appears to play a role in dampening transcriptional noise

Application of RAPD DNA fingerprinting in taxonomic identification of amphipods: a case-study with Gammarus species (Crustacea : Amphipoda)

In this study randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting is proposed for species identification of Gammarus, based on the electrophorestic position of amplified DNA bands. Three common marine amphipods of European estuaries-G. chevreuxi, G insensibilis and G. locusta were profiled using ten RAPD primers, accompanied by a careful morphological identification. Nine of these primers produced a very distinct species-specific RAPD profile, allowing unambiguous differentiation of amphipod species assayed. The RAPD fingerprints were here characterized by 8-12 amplicons for each primer. Each amplicon was visualized as a band of known molecular length, with characteristic band thickness mid density. A total of 78 diagnostic bands, based on the most robust and evident amplicons found for each primer and species, are proposed for identification of the Gammarus species analysed. These results allowed us to identify an unknown amphipod species from a previous study as G. insensibilis, only based on the RAPD fingerprint. One primer was sufficient for this identification. A taxonomic identification system integrating molecular and morphological tools is proposed for Gammarus.FCT-PRAXIS/P/BIA/10225/98FCT-BD/11575/97FCT-BD/21613/9

OH yields from the CH3CO+O-2 reaction using an internal standard

Laser flash photolysis of CH3C(O)OH at 248 nm was used to create equal zero time yields of CH3CO and OH. The absolute OH yield from the CH3CO + O2 (+M) reaction was determined by following the OH temporal profile using the zero time OH concentration as an internal standard. The OH yield from CH3CO + O2 (+M) was observed to decrease with increasing pressure with an extrapolated zero pressure yield close to unity (1.1 ± 0.2, quoted uncertainties correspond to 95% confidence limits). The results are in quantitative agreement with those obtained from 248 nm acetone photolysis in the presence of O2