Association of Forced Vital Capacity with the Developmental Gene <i>NCOR2</i>

Background Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is an important predictor of all-cause mortality in the absence of chronic respiratory conditions. Epidemiological evidence highlights the role of early life factors on adult FVC, pointing to environmental exposures and genes affecting lung development as risk factors for low FVC later in life. Although highly heritable, a small number of genes have been found associated with FVC, and we aimed at identifying further genetic variants by focusing on lung development genes. Methods Per-allele effects of 24,728 SNPs in 403 genes involved in lung development were tested in 7,749 adults from three studies (NFBC1966, ECRHS, EGEA). The most significant SNP for the top 25 genes was followed-up in 46,103 adults (CHARGE and SpiroMeta consortia) and 5,062 chi

Genome-wide association analysis identifies six new loci associated with forced vital capacity

Forced vital capacity (FVC), a spirometric measure of pulmonary function, reflects lung volume and is used to diagnose and monitor lung diseases. We performed genome-wide association study meta-analysis of FVC in 52,253 individuals from 26 studies and followed up the top associations in 32,917 additional individuals of European ancestry. We found six new regions associated at genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10−8) with FVC in or near EFEMP1, BMP6, MIR129-2–HSD17B12, PRDM11, WWOX and KCNJ2. Two loci previously associated with spirometric measures (GSTCD and PTCH1) were related to FVC. Newly implicated regions were followed up in samples from African-American, Korean, Chinese and Hispanic individuals. We detected transcripts for all six newly implicated genes in human lung tissue. The new loci may inform mechanisms involved in lung development and the pathogenesis of restrictive lung disease

Healthy food procurement and nutrition standards in public facilities: Evidence synthesis and consensus policy recommendations

Introduction: Unhealthy foods are widely available in public settings across Canada, contributing to diet-related chronic diseases, such as obesity. This is a concern given that public facilities often provide a significant amount of food for consumption by vulnerable groups, including children and seniors. Healthy food procurement policies, which support procuring, distributing, selling, and/or serving healthier foods, have recently emerged as a promising strategy to counter this public health issue by increasing access to healthier foods. Although numerous Canadian health and scientific organizations have recommended such policies, they have not yet been broadly implemented in Canada. Methods: To inform further policy action on healthy food procurement in a Canadian context, we: (1) conducted an evidence synthesis to assess the impact of healthy food procurement policies on health outcomes and sales, intake, and availability of healthier food, and (2) hosted a consensus conference in September 2014. The consensus conference invited experts with public health/nutrition policy research expertise, as well as health services and food services practitioner experience, to review evidence, share experiences, and develop a consensus statement/recommendations on healthy food procurement in Canada. Results: Findings from the evidence synthesis and consensus recommendations for healthy food procurement in Canada are described. Specifically, we outline recommendations for governments, publicly funded institutions, decision-makers and professionals, citizens, and researchers. Conclusion: Implementation of healthy food procurement policies can increase Canadians\u27 access to healthier foods as part of a broader vision for food policy in Canada

Healthy food procurement and nutrition standards in public facilities: evidence synthesis and consensus policy recommendations

Introduction: Unhealthy foods are widely available in public settings across Canada, contributing to diet-related chronic diseases, such as obesity. This is a concern given that public facilities often provide a significant amount of food for consumption by vulnerable groups, including children and seniors. Healthy food procurement policies, which support procuring, distributing, selling, and/or serving healthier foods, have recently emerged as a promising strategy to counter this public health issue by increasing access to healthier foods. Although numerous Canadian health and scientific organizations have recommended such policies, they have not yet been broadly implemented in Canada. Methods: To inform further policy action on healthy food procurement in a Canadian context, we: (1) conducted an evidence synthesis to assess the impact of healthy food procurement policies on health outcomes and sales, intake, and availability of healthier food, and (2) hosted a consensus conference in September 2014. The consensus conference invited experts with public health/nutrition policy research expertise, as well as health services and food services practitioner experience, to review evidence, share experiences, and develop a consensus statement/recommendations on healthy food procurement in Canada. Results: Findings from the evidence synthesis and consensus recommendations for healthy food procurement in Canada are described. Specifically, we outline recommendations for governments, publicly funded institutions, decision-makers and professionals, citizens, and researchers. Conclusion: Implementation of healthy food procurement policies can increase Canadians’ access to healthier foods as part of a broader vision for food policy in Canada

Approvisionnement en aliments sains et normes nutritionnelles dans les établissements publics : synthèse des données probantes et recommandations stratégiques consensuelles

Introduction : Les aliments malsains sont facilement accessibles dans les lieux publics au Canada, ce qui favorise les maladies chroniques liées au régime alimentaire, comme l’obésité. Cette réalité est préoccupante, car les établissements publics servent souvent une grande quantité d’aliments destinés à des groupes vulnérables, tels que les enfants et les personnes âgées. L’adoption de politiques sur l’approvisionnement en aliments sains, qui soutiennent l’achat, la distribution, la vente ou l’offre d’aliments plus sains, apparaît depuis peu comme une stratégie prometteuse pour contrer ce problème de santé publique, en rendant plus accessibles les aliments sains. De telles politiques n’ont cependant pas encore été adoptées à grande échelle au Canada, malgré les recommandations de nombreuses organisations canadiennes à vocation scientifique et du domaine de la santé. Méthodologie : Afin d’étayer la prise de mesures stratégiques qui favoriseront l’approvisionnement en aliments sains au Canada, nous avons, en premier lieu, réalisé une synthèse des données probantes en vue d’évaluer les répercussions des politiques sur l’approvisionnement en aliments du point de vue des résultats sur la santé, ainsi que des ventes, de la consommation et de l’offre d’aliments plus sains. En second lieu, nous avons tenu une conférence de consensus en septembre 2014. Cette conférence, qui a réuni des experts en recherche sur la santé publique et les politiques nutritionnelles, ainsi que des professionnels de la santé et des services alimentaires, a permis l’étude des données probantes, la mise en commun des expériences et l’élaboration d’un énoncé de consensus et de recommandations sur l’approvisionnement en aliments sains au Canada. Résultats : Cet article expose les constatations de la synthèse des données probantes et les recommandations consensuelles sur l’approvisionnement en aliments sains au Canada. Plus précisément, nous décrivons les recommandations qui s’adressent aux gouvernements, aux établissements publics, aux décideurs et aux professionnels, aux citoyens et aux chercheurs. Conclusion : La mise en oeuvre de politiques sur l’approvisionnement en aliments sains, dans le cadre d'une politique alimentaire globale au Canada, peut accroître l’accès des Canadiens à des aliments plus sains

Pornography, women and feminism: between pleasure and politics

This article draws on a qualitative research study which set out to explore women’s experiences and views of pornography within the broader context of conflicting feminist positions on pornography. The research methodology posed an implicit criticism of the kind of ‘findings’ familiar from mainstream psychological research: semi-structured interviews were conducted with women from diverse backgrounds in the UK, and feminist theory and discourse analysis were used to inform interpretation of their accounts. Although the question of feminism was not explicitly raised by the interviewer, it emerged as a recurrent theme in interviews, with interviewees suggesting that the feminist anti-porn stance in particular has influenced their perspective on pornography. Their accounts show that women’s experiences are variegated, individual and complex, and that discourses of pornography and feminism may be negotiated in unpredictable ways

A Systematically Derived Exposure Assessment Instrument for Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

BackgroundChronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (CHP) is an immune-mediated interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by inhalational exposure to environmental antigens, resulting in parenchymal fibrosis. By definition, a diagnosis of CHP assumes a history of antigen exposure, but only half of all patients eventually diagnosed with CHP will have a causative antigen identified. Individual clinician variation in eliciting a history of antigen exposure may affect the frequency and confidence of CHP diagnosis.MethodsA list of potential causative exposures were derived from a systematic review of the literature. A Delphi method was applied to an international panel of ILD experts to obtain consensus regarding technique for the elicitation of exposure to antigens relevant to a diagnosis of CHP. The consensus threshold was set at 80%&nbsp;agreement, and median&nbsp;≤ 2, interquartile range&nbsp;= 0 on a 5-point Likert scale (1, strongly agree; 2, tend to agree; 3, neither agree nor disagree; 4, disagree; 5, strongly disagree).ResultsIn two rounds, 36/40 experts participated. Experts agreed on 18 exposure items to ask every patient with suspected CHP. Themes included CHP inducing exposures, features that contribute to an exposure's relevance, and quantification of a relevant exposure. Based on the results from the literature review and Delphi process, a CHP exposure assessment instrument was derived. Using cognitive interviews, the instrument was revised by patients with ILD for readability and usability.ConclusionsThis Delphi survey provides items that ILD experts agree are important to ask in all patients presenting with suspected CHP and provides basis for a systematically derived CHP exposure assessment instrument. Clinical utility of this exposure assessment instrument may be affected by different local prevalence patterns of exposures. Ongoing research is required to clinically validate these items and consider their impact in more geographically diverse settings