Effect of Severe Protein-Energy Malnutrition on Circulating Thyroid Hormones

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is one of the most common health problems among Bangladeshi children. PEM is known to induce a wide variety of metabolic disorders and some of which may be mediated through alteration of endocrine functions. Both short-term and long-term alterations in nutritional state affect various aspects of thyroid hormone economy, especially peripheral hormone metabolism. Chronic malnutrition is associated with a decreased serum T3 concentration. Serum T4 levels also tend to be slightly decreased because of a modest decrease in iodothyronine binding protein. TSH concentrations and their response to exogenous TRH are usually normal. To identify the effects of severe protein energy malnutrition on circulating iodothyronines especially circulating T3 & T4 and to determine the level of TSH in severe PEM. To compare the levels of thyroid hormones before and after recovery from severe PEM and to identify any correlation with mortality and morbidity. A prospective cross-sectional comparative study was performed in Nutrition block, Department of Pediatrics, Chittagong Medical College Hospital from 01 Dec 2007 to 30 Nov 2008. Patient admitted to nutrition block with severe PEM were included in the study. The levels of T4, T3 and TSH measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. TSH was measured by using Immunoradiometric Assay Kit, IMK-432 produced by Beijing Atom Hitech Co. Ltd, China. T3 and T4 were measured by using Radioimmunoassay Kit (PR), IMK-422 and IMK-419 respectively produced by Beijing Atom Hitech Co. Ltd, China. Data were presented as the percentage of total number of observation. SPSS- Version 15.0 was used for the analysis of data. Student’s t-test, Z-test, χ-square test and Pearson’s correlation test were used for statistical significance. ‘p’ value of < 0.05 were used as the  minimum level of significance. The effect of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in the children on serum levels of total thyroxine (TT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3) and thyrotropin (TSH) were evaluated. There were 50 children aged 6 to 60 months in the malnutrition group and 22 healthy age and sex matched controls. Serum TT4 and TT3 were all reduced in the malnutrition group. This decrease in TT3 was more significant (p<0.001) in severe malnutrition than in mild PEM. Serum TSH levels in the malnutrition and control groups were similar. These results suggest that the children remained euthyroid and represent an adaptive response to protein energy malnutrition. The results of the above mentioned studies clearly demonstrate that thyroid functions are adversely affected in severe PEM. This was evidenced by reductions in T3 & T4 levels in comparison to control group. Keywords: Protein Energy Malnutrition; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Thyrotropin

Study of genetic variation of some eggplant cultivars through RAPD-PCR molecular markers and its relatedness to phomopsis blight disease reaction

Disease susceptibility and genetic variability in 10 eggplant genotypes were studied after inoculating Phomopsis vexans under confined field conditions. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess genetic variation and relationships among eggplant genotypes. The disease index of leaves ranged 0.208-13.79%, while fruit infection ranged 2.15-42.76%. Two varieties, Dohazari G and Laffa S, were found to be susceptible, 6 were moderately resistant, 1 was moderately susceptible, and BAU Begun-1 was resistant to P. vexans. Amplification of genomic DNA by using 3 RAPD primers produced 20 bands: 14 (70%) were polymorphic and 6 (30%) were monomorphic. The highest intra-variety similarity indices values were found in ISD 006, Ishurdi L, Jessore L, and BAU Begun-1 (100%), while the lowest was in Dohazari G (90%). The lowest genetic distance (0.0513) and the highest genetic identity (0.9500) were observed between the ISD 006 and Ishurdi L combinations. A comparatively higher genetic distance (0.3724) and the lowest genetic identity (0.6891) were observed between the ISD 006 and Dohazari G combinations. A dendogram was constructed based on Nei’s genetic distance, which produced 2 main clusters of the genotypes - Cluster I: ISD 006, Ishurdi L, Marich begun L, BAU Begun-1, Marich begun S, and Chega and Cluster 2: Laffa S, Dohazari G, Jessore L, and Singhnath. Genetic variation and its relationship with disease susceptibility were assessed using RAPD markers, to develop disease-resistant varieties and improve eggplant crops

What’s sex got to do with it? A family-based investigation of growing up heterosexual during the twentieth century

This paper explores findings from a cross-generational study of the making of heterosexual relationships in East Yorkshire, which has interviewed women and men within extended families. Using a feminist perspective, it examines the relationship between heterosexuality and adulthood, focussing on sexual attraction, courtship, first kisses, first love and first sex, as mediated within family relationships, and at different historical moments. In this way, the contemporary experiences of young people growing up are compared and contrasted with those of mid-lifers and older adults who formed heterosexual relationships within the context of the changing social and sexual mores of the 1960s/1970s, and the upheavals of World War Two

Crowded kitchens: The 'democratisation' of domesticity?

Building on previous work concerning the gendered nature of domestic space, this article focuses on the kitchen as a key site in which gendered roles and responsibilities are experienced and contested. As men have begun to engage more frequently in cooking and other domestic practices (albeit selectively and often on their own terms), this article argues that kitchens have become ‘crowded’ spaces for women. Drawing on evidence from focus groups, interviews and ethnographic observation of kitchen practices in South Yorkshire (UK), we suggest that men's entry into the kitchen has facilitated the expression of a more diverse range of masculine subjectivities, while also creating new anxieties for women. Specifically, our evidence suggests that family meals may be experienced as a site of domestic conflict as well as a celebration of family life; that convenience and shortcuts can be embraced by women without incurring feelings of guilt and imperfection; that cooking is being embraced as a lifestyle choice by an increasing numbers of men who use it as an opportunity to demonstrate competence and skill, while women are more pragmatic; and that kitchens may be experienced as ‘uncanny’ spaces by women as men increasingly assert their presence in this domain. Our analysis confirms that while the relationship between domestic practices and gendered subjectivities is changing, this does not amount to a fundamental ‘democratisation’ of domesticity with significantly greater equality between men and women

Reconceptualizing power and gendered subjectivities in domestic cooking spaces

Drawing on evidence from the Global North and South, this paper explores the power dynamics of domestic kitchens in different geographical contexts. Noting the gendered nature of domesticity, it contrasts those perspectives which regard women’s primary responsibility for foodwork as inherently oppressive, with others which see kitchens and associated domestic spaces as sites of potential empowerment for women. The paper explores the complex, spatially-distributed, character of power surrounding domestic foodwork, decentring Anglo-American understandings of the relationship between gender, power and domestic space by foregrounding the experiences of a range of women from across the globe. The paper also examines the increasing role of men in domestic settings, particularly in the Global North, assessing the extent to which their engagement in cooking and other domestic practices may be challenging conventional understandings of the relationship between gender, power and space. Focusing on the spatial dynamics of the domestic kitchen, this paper advances a more nuanced understanding of the co-constitutive nature of the relationship between gender and power, including the instabilities and slippages that occur in the performance of various domestic foodwork tasks. The paper advocates future research on the boundaries of home, work and leisure, focusing on their significance in the constitution and transformation of male and female subjectivities

A thematic analysis of factors influencing recruitment to maternal and perinatal trials

Background: Recruitment of eligible participants remains one of the biggest challenges to successful completion of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Only one third of trials recruit on time, often requiring a lengthy extension to the recruitment period. We identified factors influencing recruitment success and potentially effective recruitment strategies. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1966 to December Week 2, 2006, the Cochrane Library Methodology Register in December 2006, and hand searched reference lists for studies of any design which focused on recruitment to maternal/perinatal trials, or if no studies of maternal or perinatal research could be identified, other areas of healthcare. Studies of nurses' and midwives' attitudes to research were included as none specifically about trials were located. We synthesised the data narratively, using a basic thematic analysis, with themes derived from the literature and after discussion between the authors. Results: Around half of the included papers (29/53) were specific to maternal and perinatal healthcare. Only one study was identified which focused on factors for maternal and perinatal clinicians and only seven studies considered recruitment strategies specific to perinatal research. Themes included: participant assessment of risk; recruitment process; participant understanding of research; patient characteristics; clinician attitudes to research and trials; protocol issues; and institutional or organisational issues. While no reliable evidence base for strategies to enhance recruitment was identified in any of the review studies, four maternal/perinatal primary studies suggest that specialised recruitment staff, mass mailings, physician referrals and strategies targeting minority women may increase recruitment. However these findings may only be applicable to the particular trials and settings studied. Conclusion: Although factors reported by both participants and clinicians which influence recruitment were quite consistent across the included studies, studies comparing different recruitment strategies were largely missing. Trials of different recruitment strategies could be embedded in large multicentre RCTs, with strategies tailored to the factors specific to the trial and institution.Rebecca L Tooher, Philippa F Middleton and Caroline A Crowthe

A practice theory approach to primary school physical activity: opportunities and challenges for intervention

A significant body of critical scholarship exists problematizing the dominant behavioural-individualist approaches to public health policy and intervention, and practice theories have been noted for their potential in providing an alternative. Children’s physical activity in primary school settings continues to be a major area of attention in public health, yet no critical examination of a practice theory approach exists in this context. This paper addresses this gap by applying the prevalent three-elements model of practices to the case of children’s school-based physical activity. Drawing on focus group, interview and observation data from pupils, staff and parents at one primary school setting in England, our analysis highlights; first, how the configurations of (a) physical resources (e.g. playground space and equipment), (b) practical know-how (e.g. a skilled understanding of performing the activity), and (c) the socio-cultural significance of practices (e.g. the values and meanings of the activity) impact how, and whether children’s physical activity happens, and is sustained or interrupted; and second, by showing how physically active practices are contingent on being simultaneously in harmony or conflict with other routinized practices of the school day. We conclude that the three-elements model offers a helpful framework for understanding school physical activity which de-centres the individual, but that there are challenges in using this analysis to support primary schools as they attempt to enable physically active practices more effectively. Further research is required to develop and evaluate a practice theory approach to promoting children’s physical activity

Barriers and facilitators of effective self-management in asthma: systematic review and thematic synthesis of patient and healthcare professional views

Self-management is an established, effective approach to controlling asthma, recommended in guidelines. However, promotion, uptake and use among patients and health-care professionals remain low. Many barriers and facilitators to effective self-management have 25 been reported, and views and beliefs of patients and health care professionals have been explored in qualitative studies. We conducted a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research into self-management in patients, carers and health care professionals regarding self-management of asthma, to identify perceived barriers and facilitators associated with reduced effectiveness of asthma self-management interventions. Electronic databases and guidelines were searched systematically for qualitative literature that explored factors relevant to facilitators and barriers to uptake, adherence, or outcomes of self-management in patients with asthma. Thematic synthesis of the 56 included studies identified 11 themes: 1) partnership between patient and health care professional; 2) issues around medication; 3) education about asthma and its management; 4) health beliefs; 5) self-management interventions; 6) co-morbidities 7) mood disorders and anxiety; 8) social support; 9) non-pharmacological methods; 10) access to healthcare; 11) professional factors. From this, perceived barriers and facilitators were identified at the level of individuals with asthma (and carers), and health-care professionals. Future work addressing the concerns and beliefs of adults, adolescents and children (and carers) with asthma, effective communication and partnership, tailored support and education (including for ethnic minorities and at risk groups), and telehealthcare may improve how self-management is recommended by professionals and used by patients. Ultimately, this may achieve better outcomes for people with asthma

The 2018 Global Research Expedition on Altitude-related Chronic Health (REACH) to Cerro de Pasco, Peru: An Experimental Overview

In 2016, the international research team - Global Research Expedition onAltitude-related Chronic Health (REACH) - was established and executed a high altituderesearch expedition to Nepal. The team consists of ~45 students, principal investigatorsand physicians with the common objective of conducting experiments focused on highaltitude adaptation in lowlanders, and highlanders with lifelong exposure to high altitude.In 2018, Global REACH traveled to Peru where we performed a series of experiments inthe Andean highlanders. The experimental objectives, organization and characteristics,and key cohort data from Global REACH's latest research expedition are outlined herein.Herein, fifteen major studies are described that aimed to elucidate the physiologicaldifferences in high altitude acclimatization between lowlanders (n=30) and Andean bornhighlanders with (n=22) and without (n=45) Excessive Erythrocytosis (EE). Afterbaseline testing in Kelowna, BC, Canada (344m), Global REACH travelled to Lima, Peru(~80 m), and then ascended by automobile to Cerro de Pasco, Peru (~4300m) whereexperiments were conducted over 25 days. The core studies focused on elucidating themechanism(s) governing cerebral and peripheral vascular function, cardiopulmonaryregulation, exercise performance, and autonomic control. Despite encountering seriouslogistical challenges, each of the proposed studies were completed at both sea level andhigh altitude amounting to ~780 study sessions and >3000 hrs of experimental testing.Participant demographics and data related to acid-base balance and exercise capacityare presented. The collective findings will contribute to our understanding of howlowlanders and Andean highlanders have adapted under high altitude stress