Annona montana Extracts on Differentiation in murine 3T3L1 Cells

This exploratory qualitative research project will focus on how diverse international and minority student-athletes face communication and identity challenges at home, in classes, and on teams. Research addressed the academic and identity formation challenges of student-athletes and explained that educators’ involvement in student-athletes’ athletic world might assist them to accommodate student athletes better (Jolly, 2008). Further research states that cross-cultural interpersonal conflict affect sport-team cohesiveness (Stura & Johnson, 2017) and that student-athletes might encounter a higher degree of stress (Rodriquez, 2014). The negotiation process of the athletic culture with the non-athletic academic culture will be analyzed. Communication challenges between peer-athletes as well as with coaches will be examined. Findings will be gathered by distributing surveys to international and minority student-athletes at FIU, followed by face-to-face interviews with a subset of surveyed athletes. Additionally, secondary literature sources are being reviewed. I hope to determine how the home, athletic, and academic environment plays into the overall identity formation of international and minority student-athletes. I aspire to pose strategies to bridge the gap between diverse athletes within their teams and between the athletic and academic environment; and to aid student-athletes to form a multi-faceted identity. I anticipate that international and minority student athletes construct and understand identity through overlapping spheres of influence including language, culture and athleticism that are all manifested and apparent in classes, on teams and within families. I further anticipate that there exists a communication barrier between peer-athletes, and between athletes and coaches due to different cultures and languages, as well as between athletes and non-athletic academic individuals due to biased views of each other’s groups. The project findings might assist all stakeholders, including coaches, advisors, and educators to integrate methods within their teaching and training to better engage student athletes and assist them to establish a sense of belonging

Cervical cancer screening: knowledge, health perception and attendance rate among Hong Kong Chinese women

Sharron SK Leung1, Ivy Leung21School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong; 2Quality Healthcare Medical Services, Hong KongPurpose: Cervical cancer screening has been consistently shown to be effective in reducing the incidence rate and mortality from cervical cancer. However, cervical screening attendance rates are still far from satisfactory in many countries. Strategies, health promotion and education programs need to be developed with clear evidence of the causes and factors relating to the low attendance rate. The study aims to assess the prediction of cervical screening attendance rate by Chinese women’s knowledge about cervical cancer and cervical screening as well as their perception of health.Patients and methods: A survey with self-reported questionnaires was conducted on 385 Chinese women recruited from a community clinic in Hong Kong. Participants were Chinese women, Hong Kong residents, aged 18–65 years, able to read Chinese or English, and were not pregnant.Results: Women aged 37 years or less, with at least tertiary education, who perceived having control over their own health and had better knowledge on risk factors, were more likely to attend cervical cancer screening. Many participants had adequate general knowledge but were unable to identify correct answers on the risk factors.Conclusion: Health promotion efforts need to focus on increasing women’s knowledge on risk factors and enhancing their perceived health control by providing more information on the link between screening and early detection with lower incidence rates and mortality from cervical cancer.Keywords: cervical screening attendance, cervical cancer, health perception and knowledge, perceived health control, Chines

Study protocol for "Moving bright, eating smart"- a phase 2 clinical trial on the acceptability and feasibility of a diet and physical activity intervention to prevent recurrence in colorectal cancer survivors

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer and cancer-killer in Hong Kong with an alarming increasing incidence in recent years. The latest World Cancer Research Fund report concluded that foods low in fibre, and high in red and processed meat cause colorectal cancer whereas physical activity protects againstcolon cancer. Yet, the influence of these lifestyle factors on cancer outcome is largely unknown even though cancer survivors are eager for lifestyle modifications. Observational studies suggested that low intake of a Western-pattern diet and high physical activity level reduced colorectal cancer mortality. The Theory of PlannedBehaviour and the Health Action Process Approach have guided the design of intervention models targeting a wide range of health-related behaviours.Methods/design: We aim to demonstrate the feasibility of two behavioural interventions intended to improve colorectal cancer outcome and which are designed to increase physical activity level and reduce consumption of a Western-pattern diet. This three year study will be a multicentre, randomised controlled trial in a 2x2 factorialdesign comparing the “Moving Bright, Eating Smart” (physical activity and diet) programme against usual care. Subjects will be recruited over a 12-month period, undertake intervention for 12 months and followed up for a further 12 months. Baseline, interim and three post-intervention assessments will be conducted. Two hundred and twenty-two colorectal cancer patients who completed curative treatment without evidence of recurrence will be recruited into the study. Primary outcome measure will be whether physical activity and dietary targets are met at the end of the 12-month intervention. Secondary outcome measures include the magnitude andmechanism of behavioural change, the degree and determinants of compliance, and the additional health benefits and side effects of the intervention.Discussion: The results of this study will establish the feasibility of targeting the two behaviours (diet and physical activity) and demonstrate the magnitude of behaviour change. The information will facilitate the design of a further larger phase III randomised controlled trial with colorectal cancer outcome as the study endpoint to determine whether this intervention model would reduce colorectal cancer recurrence and mortality

Physical activity for cancer survivors: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objective To systematically evaluate the effects of physical activity in adult patients after completion of main treatment related to cancer

Physical activity intervention in cancer survivors : a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Proffered paper session: Information, patients and the public/ Survivorship and end of life careBackground The aim was to systematically review all published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which tested the effect of a physical activity intervention in adult cancer survivors after the main cancer treatment. Method Relevant RCTs were located by: (1) systematic searching of electronic databases (PUBMED and Google Scholar) using cancer-related and exercise-related search terms; and (2) scanning the references of retrieved RCTs and relevant reviews. All relevant RCTs were retrieved and assessed to determine if they met the selection criteria. Data extraction was independently performed by two investigators and followed by a discussion to reach consensus. The main outcome measures were cancer outcome (survival and recurrence), quality of life (QoL), body composition and functional capacity. Results A total of 2,447 citations were identified of which 170 potentially relevant ones were examined in detail. Forty-five papers met the selection criteria of which 41 reported data on at least one relevant outcome. These encompassed 18 papers not included in previously published reviews. Twenty-six papers (63.4%) were on breast cancers and the remaining papers were on other cancers. There was a paucity of published data on the effects of physical activity interventions on cancer outcome. Various instruments were used to assess the other outcomes (QoL and functional capacity) limiting the pooling of data for meta-analysis. Estimates of the effects of physical activity interventions on QoL, body composition and functional capacity were determined. Potential determinants of the effect heterogeneity across studies were evaluated. Conclusion Moderately-strong-to-strong evidence was found for a positive effect of physical activity interventions on QoL of adult cancer survivors following main cancer treatment. Clinically meaningful associations were identified between such interventions and improved functional capacity. The observed heterogeneity in study design and outcome parameters highlighted the need for the development of a standardized protocol to facilitate meta-analysis on the effects of physical activity in cancer survivors. Acknowledgements This study has been supported by WCRF UK, WCRF International and WCRF Hong Kong

The Better-Than-Average Effect in Hong Kong and the United States: The Role of Personal Trait Importance and Cultural Trait Importance

People tend to make self-aggrandizing social comparisons on traits that are important to the self. However, existing research on the better-than-average effect (BTAE) and trait importance does not distinguish between personal trait importance (participants’ ratings of the importance of certain traits to themselves) and cultural trait importance (participants’ perceptions of the importance of the traits to the cultural group to which they belong). We demonstrated the utility of this distinction by examining the joint effects of personal importance and cultural importance on the BTAE among Hong Kong Chinese and American participants. Results showed that the BTAE was more pronounced for personally important traits among both Chinese and American participants. More important, the magnitude of the BTAE was smaller on culturally important traits among Chinese participants only. Chinese participants displayed the strongest BTAE on personally important and culturally unimportant traits, and the smallest BTAE on personally unimportant and culturally important ones. American participants showed the smallest BTAE on personally and culturally unimportant traits. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing personal trait importance and cultural trait importance in understanding the cultural effects on self-aggrandizing social comparisons. They further suggest that in cultures where people are expected to be modest in self-expression (e.g., Chinese culture), people would avoid claiming superiority on highly culturally important traits even when these traits are important to the self

Dietary and Physical Activity Interventions for Colorectal Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract There has been evidence on the protective effects of diets high in fiber and low in red and processed meat (RPM), and physical activity (PA) against colorectal cancer (CRC) development, but that against CRC recurrence has been limited. This study evaluated the efficacy of a behavioral program comprising dietary and PA interventions in improving Chinese CRC survivors’ lifestyle. A 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial of 223 CRC patients (82 females, mean age 65), randomly assigned to receive dietary, PA or both interventions, or usual care for 12 months, and assessed every 6 months for 24 months. Primary outcomes included two dietary and two PA targets. Secondary outcomes included changes in dietary consumptions and PA levels. Dietary interventions significantly increased the odds of achieving the targets of consuming less RPM at all time-points (OR 3.22–4.57, all p < 0.01) and refined grain (RG) at months 6 (OR 3.13, p = 0.002) and 24 (OR 2.19, p = 0.039), and reduced RPM (2.49–3.48 servings/week, all p < 0.01) and RG (0.31–0.5 servings/day, all p < 0.01) consumptions. Patients receiving PA interventions potentially spent more time on moderate-to-vigorous PA. This study demonstrated the efficacy of a behavioral program in improving dietary habits of Chinese CRC survivors

Fine Mapping of the NRG1 Hirschsprung's Disease Locus

The primary pathology of Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR, colon aganglionosis) is the absence of ganglia in variable lengths of the hindgut, resulting in functional obstruction. HSCR is attributed to a failure of migration of the enteric ganglion precursors along the developing gut. RET is a key regulator of the development of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the major HSCR-causing gene. Yet the reduced penetrance of RET DNA HSCR-associated variants together with the phenotypic variability suggest the involvement of additional genes in the disease. Through a genome-wide association study, we uncovered a ∼350 kb HSCR-associated region encompassing part of the neuregulin-1 gene (NRG1). To identify the causal NRG1 variants contributing to HSCR, we genotyped 243 SNPs variants on 343 ethnic Chinese HSCR patients and 359 controls. Genotype analysis coupled with imputation narrowed down the HSCR-associated region to 21 kb, with four of the most associated SNPs (rs10088313, rs10094655, rs4624987, and rs3884552) mapping to the NRG1 promoter. We investigated whether there was correlation between the genotype at the rs10088313 locus and the amount of NRG1 expressed in human gut tissues (40 patients and 21 controls) and found differences in expression as a function of genotype. We also found significant differences in NRG1 expression levels between diseased and control individuals bearing the same rs10088313 risk genotype. This indicates that the effects of NRG1 common variants are likely to depend on other alleles or epigenetic factors present in the patients and would account for the variability in the genetic predisposition to HSCR

Global and national Burden of diseases and injuries among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2013

Importance The literature focuses on mortality among children younger than 5 years. Comparable information on nonfatal health outcomes among these children and the fatal and nonfatal burden of diseases and injuries among older children and adolescents is scarce. Objective To determine levels and trends in the fatal and nonfatal burden of diseases and injuries among younger children (aged <5 years), older children (aged 5-9 years), and adolescents (aged 10-19 years) between 1990 and 2013 in 188 countries from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 study. Evidence Review Data from vital registration, verbal autopsy studies, maternal and child death surveillance, and other sources covering 14 244 site-years (ie, years of cause of death data by geography) from 1980 through 2013 were used to estimate cause-specific mortality. Data from 35 620 epidemiological sources were used to estimate the prevalence of the diseases and sequelae in the GBD 2013 study. Cause-specific mortality for most causes was estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble Model strategy. For some infectious diseases (eg, HIV infection/AIDS, measles, hepatitis B) where the disease process is complex or the cause of death data were insufficient or unavailable, we used natural history models. For most nonfatal health outcomes, DisMod-MR 2.0, a Bayesian metaregression tool, was used to meta-analyze the epidemiological data to generate prevalence estimates. Findings Of the 7.7 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 7.4-8.1) million deaths among children and adolescents globally in 2013, 6.28 million occurred among younger children, 0.48 million among older children, and 0.97 million among adolescents. In 2013, the leading causes of death were lower respiratory tract infections among younger children (905 059 deaths; 95% UI, 810 304-998 125), diarrheal diseases among older children (38 325 deaths; 95% UI, 30 365-47 678), and road injuries among adolescents (115 186 deaths; 95% UI, 105 185-124 870). Iron deficiency anemia was the leading cause of years lived with disability among children and adolescents, affecting 619 (95% UI, 618-621) million in 2013. Large between-country variations exist in mortality from leading causes among children and adolescents. Countries with rapid declines in all-cause mortality between 1990 and 2013 also experienced large declines in most leading causes of death, whereas countries with the slowest declines had stagnant or increasing trends in the leading causes of death. In 2013, Nigeria had a 12% global share of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections and a 38% global share of deaths from malaria. India had 33% of the world’s deaths from neonatal encephalopathy. Half of the world’s diarrheal deaths among children and adolescents occurred in just 5 countries: India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. Conclusions and Relevance Understanding the levels and trends of the leading causes of death and disability among children and adolescents is critical to guide investment and inform policies. Monitoring these trends over time is also key to understanding where interventions are having an impact. Proven interventions exist to prevent or treat the leading causes of unnecessary death and disability among children and adolescents. The findings presented here show that these are underused and give guidance to policy makers in countries where more attention is needed