A Randomized Trial of a Diet and Exercise Intervention for Overweight and Obese Women from Economically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Sisters Taking Action for Real Success (STARS)

Background - Lower socioeconomic status at both the individual and neighborhood level is associated with increased health risks. Weight loss can reduce this risk, but few high quality weight loss studies target this population. Objectives - STARS tests a culturally-appropriate, group-based behavioral and social support intervention on body weight and waist circumference in women from financially disadvantaged neighborhoods. Design - A stratified (by BMI) randomized trial. Randomization to group was generated by a random numbers table with allocation concealment by opaque envelopes. Methods - Participants 25-50 years who had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and a waist circumference ≥ 88 cm were recruited from 18 census tracts in Columbia, SC with high rates of poverty between November 2008 and November 2010. All participants received a dietary and exercise counseling session. Intervention participants then receive 16 theoretically-based and tailored weekly group sessions followed by 8 weeks of telephone maintenance counseling. Control participants receive 16 weekly health education mailings. Measurements correspond to baseline, post-group intervention, and post-telephone counseling, and for intervention participants, after a 12-week no-contact period. Measurement staff was blinded to group assignment. Results - Participants (N=155; n=80 intervention, n=75 minimal intervention control) were primarily African American (86.5%) and averaged 38.9 years with a mean BMI of 40.1 kg/m2 and waist circumference of 115.4 cm. Food insecurity was reported by 43% of participants. Summary - STARS targeted an underserved population with an innovative, tailored, and theoretically-grounded, group-based intervention followed by telephone maintenance. If effective, the approach has the potential to be feasible and cost-effective for community delivery

Differential expression of exosomal microRNAs in prefrontal cortices of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients

Exosomes are cellular secretory vesicles containing microRNAs (miRNAs). Once secreted, exosomes are able to attach to recipient cells and release miRNAs potentially modulating the function of the recipient cell. We hypothesized that exosomal miRNA expression in brains of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) might differ from controls, reflecting either disease-specific or common aberrations in SZ and BD patients. The sources of the analyzed samples included McLean 66 Cohort Collection (Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center), BrainNet Europe II (BNE, a consortium of 18 brain banks across Europe) and Boston Medical Center (BMC). Exosomal miRNAs from frozen postmortem prefrontal cortices with well-preserved RNA were isolated and submitted to profiling by Luminex FLEXMAP 3D microfluidic device. Multiple statistical analyses of microarray data suggested that certain exosomal miRNAs were differentially expressed in SZ and BD subjects in comparison to controls. RT-PCR validation confirmed that two miRNAs, miR-497 in SZ samples and miR-29c in BD samples, have significantly increased expression when compared to control samples. These results warrant future studies to evaluate the potential of exosome-derived miRNAs to serve as biomarkers of SZ and BD

Five-year atmospheric corrosion of cu, cr and ni weathering steels in a wide range of environments

This work considers fourteen weathering steels manufactured by adding Cu, Cr and Ni alloying elements to extra mild steel. The steels were exposed for up to 5 years in different atmospheres. The atmospheric corrosion resistance of the steels was evaluated and the rust layers formed were characterised by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The addition of Ni, particularly at 3.0 wt%, leads to a notable increase in corrosion resistance. The rusts formed contain lepidocrocite, goethite and spinel phases. X-ray diffraction also detected small amounts of kornelite (industrial atmosphere) and akaganeite (marine atmosphere)

The role of statins in prevention and treatment of community acquired pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that statins may reduce the risk of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its complications. PURPOSE: Performed a systematic review to address the role of statins in the prevention or treatment of CAP. DATA SOURCE: Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus from inception through December 2011 were searched for randomized clinical trials, cohort and case-control studies. STUDY SELECTION: Two authors independently reviewed studies that examined the role of statins in CAP. DATA EXTRACTION: Data about study characteristics, adjusted effect-estimates and quality characteristics was extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eighteen studies corresponding to 21 effect-estimates (eight and 13 of which addressed the preventive and therapeutic roles of statins, respectively) were included. All studies were of good methodological quality. Random-effects meta-analyses of adjusted effect-estimates were used. Statins were associated with a lower risk of CAP, 0.84 (95% CI, 0.74-0.95), I(2) = 90.5% and a lower short-term mortality in patients with CAP, 0.68 (95% CI, 0.59-0.78), I(2) = 75.7%. Meta-regression did not identify sources of heterogeneity. A funnel plot suggested publication bias in the treatment group, which was adjusted by a novel regression method with a resultant effect-estimate of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.77-0.93). Sensitivity analyses using the rule-out approach showed that it is unlikely that the results were due to an unmeasured confounder. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis reveals a beneficial role of statins for the risk of development and mortality associated with CAP. However, the results constitute very low quality evidence as per the GRADE framework due to observational study design, heterogeneity and publication bias

Adherence to Accelerometer Protocols Among Women From Economically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Background: Objective measurement of physical activity with accelerometers is a challenging task in community-based intervention research. Challenges include distribution of and orientation to monitors, nonwear, incorrect placement, and loss of equipment. Data collection among participants from disadvantaged populations may be further hindered by factors such as transportation challenges, competing responsibilities, and cultural considerations. Methods: Research staff distributed accelerometers and provided an orientation that was tailored to the population group. General adherence strategies such as follow-up calls, daily diaries, verbal and written instructions, and incentives were accompanied by population-specific strategies such as assisting with transportation, reducing obstacles to wearing the accelerometer, tailoring the message to the participant population, and creating a nonjudgmental environment. Results: Sixty women asked to wear the Actigraph GT1M returned the accelerometer, and 57 of them provided sufficient data for analysis (at least 10 hours a day for a minimum of 4 days) resulting in 95% adherence to the protocol. Participants wore the accelerometers for an average of 5.98 days and 13.15 hours per day. Conclusions: The high accelerometer monitoring adherence among this group of economically disadvantaged women demonstrates that collection of high-quality, objective physical data from disadvantaged populations in field-based research is possible

Momento Económico (44)

En este número Temas de hoy, José Antonio Moreno 2. México, deuda externa y la nueva renegociación, Fausto Burgueño 3. Solución, negociación o confrontación. (La deuda externa de México), Alicia Cirón C. 5 Plan Brady: ¿solución a la crisis de la deuda?, Patricia Olave C. 7. La crisis de la deuda, Ricardo Reyes H., Aristeo Tovías G. y Javier Villarreal A. 11. Fondo Monetario Internacional: nueva carta de buenas intenciones, Emilio Romero Blanco 16. Indicadores económicos, México: Relaciones comerciales con el Exterior 19. El menú o la moratoria, poco espacio para negociar, Pedro Medina 21. Algunos rasgos de la política económica del 'nuevo' gobierno, Leticia Campos Aragón 23. Las vicisitudes del pacto, José Antonio Moreno 29. Los informales de la economía, Patricia Rodríguez 30

Disseminated cutaneous infection by human papilloma virus in a renal transplant patient

Los pacientes sometidos a trasplantes de órgano sólido tienen mayor riesgo de desarrollar patologías ma- lignas e infecciosas en relación con la magnitud y el tiempo de la terapia inmunosupresora. Las infecciones cutáneas son una de las complicaciones más usuales en este tipo de pacientes, siendo las verrugas virales la presentación clínica más frecuente, causadas por el virus del papiloma humano, un virus ADN perteneciente a la familia de los Papillomaviridae , del cual existen cerca de 100 serotipos, algunos conocidos con alto potencial oncogénico, conun elevado riesgo de desarrollar malignidad a nivel anorrectal o cervical. Rara vez estas lesiones se manifiestan antes del primer año del trasplante y su frecuencia aumenta en relación directa a la antigüedad del trasplante, hasta afectar cerca del 80% de los pacientes tras el quinto año postrasplante. En general logran ser tratadas exitosamente con tratamientos convencionales, como crioterapia, curetaje y algu- nos compuestos tópicos como retinoides, imiquimod y, recientemente, se han descrito casos de tratamiento exitoso con cidofovir. Se describe un caso el cual fue refractario al tratamiento convencional y en que se plantean nuevas estrategias de manejo.47-51Patients undergoing solid organ transplants are at risk of developing malignant and infectious diseases related to the magnitude and timing of immunosuppressive therapy, Cutaneous infections are one of the most frequent complications in this patients, viral warts being the most common clinical presentation caused by the human papilloma virus, a DNA virus belonging to the family of the Papillomaviridae, there are at least 100 serotypes, some of these with high oncogenic potential, and that is the reason why these patients patients are at high risk of developing anogenitaltract or cervical malignancies. Rarely these lesions are manifested before the first year after transplantation and its frequency increases in direct proportion to the age of transplantation to affect about 80% of patients after the fifth year post transplant, in general fail to be successfully treated with conventional treatments such as cryotherapy, curettage and some compounds as topical retinoids, imiquimod and recently there have been reports of successful treatment with cidofovir

A Cross-Sectional Study of People with Epilepsy and Neurocysticercosis in Tanzania: Clinical Characteristics and Diagnostic Approaches.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a major cause of epilepsy in regions where pigs are free-ranging and hygiene is poor. Pork production is expected to increase in the next decade in sub-Saharan Africa, hence NCC will likely become more prevalent. In this study, people with epilepsy (PWE, n=212) were followed up 28.6 months after diagnosis of epilepsy. CT scans were performed, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of selected PWE were analysed. We compared the demographic data, clinical characteristics, and associated risk factors of PWE with and without NCC. PWE with NCC (n=35) were more likely to be older at first seizure (24.3 vs. 16.3 years, p=0.097), consumed more pork (97.1% vs. 73.6%, p=0.001), and were more often a member of the Iraqw tribe (94.3% vs. 67.8%, p=0.005) than PWE without NCC (n=177). PWE and NCC who were compliant with anti-epileptic medications had a significantly higher reduction of seizures (98.6% vs. 89.2%, p=0.046). Other characteristics such as gender, seizure frequency, compliance, past medical history, close contact with pigs, use of latrines and family history of seizures did not differ significantly between the two groups. The number of NCC lesions and active NCC lesions were significantly associated with a positive antibody result. The electroimmunotransfer blot, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was more sensitive than a commercial western blot, especially in PWE and cerebral calcifications. This is the first study to systematically compare the clinical characteristics of PWE due to NCC or other causes and to explore the utility of two different antibody tests for diagnosis of NCC in sub-Saharan Africa

Microstructural Development in a TRIP-780 Steel Joined by Friction Stir Welding (FSW): Quantitative Evaluations and Comparisons with EBSD Predictions

The present work describes the effect of FSW on the result microstructure in the stir zone (SZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal (BM) of a TRIP-780 steel. X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM) and EBSD were used for determinations retained austenite (RA) in the SZ, It was found that the amount of RA developed in SZ was relatively large, (approximately 11% to 15%). In addition, recrystallization and the formation of a grain texture were resolved using EBSD. During FSW, the SZ experienced severe plastic deformation which lead to an increase in the temperature and consequently grain recrystallization. Moreover, it was found that the recrystallized grain structure and relatively high martensite levels developed in the SZ lead to a significant drop in the mechanical properties of the steel. In addition, microhardness profiles of the welded regions indicated that the hardness in both the SZ and TMAZ were relatively elevated confirming the development of martensite in these regions. In particular, to evaluate the mechanical strength of the weld, lap shear tensile test was conducted; exhibited the fracture zone in the SZ with shear fracture with uniformly distributed elongation shear dimples