The Weight of Words: How Word Choice Impacts the Perception of Weight Stigma in Various Settings

Weight stigma is the systematic stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people based on their weight (Link & Phelan, 2001). Weight stigma has been extensively researched as a function of the setting of an interaction or the language used to describe people with high weight status, but few existing studies investigate weight stigma as a function of both of these factors. The present study examined the effects of different interaction settings and weight descriptors on perceptions of weight stigma and characteristics of a person with high weight status. Participants (n = 115) were college students who self-selected to complete the survey for extra credit in an introductory psychology course. The study used vignettes and original survey questions. Eight total vignettes were written comparing the use of four descriptors (“obese�, “overweight�, “fat�, “heavy�) in two interaction settings (medical and social) and participants were randomly assigned to one condition. “Fat� was significantly less appropriate to use in the medical setting than the other three descriptors. Although no significant differences were found between descriptor appropriateness in the social setting, “fat� was again rated as least appropriate to use. No significant differences were found in the suitability of adjectives used to describe the vignette character. These results indicate that “fat� is a generally unacceptable term to use when describing someone with a high weight status, and care should be taken when discussing someone’s weight status in any setting

Selection for Higher Gene Copy Number after Different Types of Plant Gene Duplications

The evolutionary origins of the multitude of duplicate genes in the plant genomes are still incompletely understood. To gain an appreciation of the potential selective forces acting on these duplicates, we phylogenetically inferred the set of metabolic gene families from 10 flowering plant (angiosperm) genomes. We then compared the metabolic fluxes for these families, predicted using the Arabidopsis thaliana and Sorghum bicolor metabolic networks, with the families' duplication propensities. For duplications produced by both small scale (small-scale duplications) and genome duplication (whole-genome duplications), there is a significant association between the flux and the tendency to duplicate. Following this global analysis, we made a more fine-scale study of the selective constraints observed on plant sodium and phosphate transporters. We find that the different duplication mechanisms give rise to differing selective constraints. However, the exact nature of this pattern varies between the gene families, and we argue that the duplication mechanism alone does not define a duplicated gene's subsequent evolutionary trajectory. Collectively, our results argue for the interplay of history, function, and selection in shaping the duplicate gene evolution in plants

The Weight of Words: How Word Choice Impacts the Perception of Weight Stigma in Various Settings

"Weight stigma is the systematic stereotyping , prejudice , and discrimination against people based on their weight (Link & Phelan , 2001). Weight stigma has been extensively researched as a function of the setting of an interaction or the language used to describe people with high weight status , but few existing studies investigate weight stigma as a function of both of these factors. The present study examined the effects of different interaction settings and weight descriptors on perceptions of weight stigma and characteristics of a person with high weight status. Participants (n = 115) were college students who self-selected to complete the survey for extra credit in an introductory psychology course. The study used vignettes and original survey questions. Eight total vignettes were written comparing the use of four descriptors (""obese€ , ""overweight€ , ""fat€ , ""heavy€) in two interaction settings (medical and social) and participants were randomly assigned to one condition. ""Fat€ was significantly less appropriate to use in the medical setting than the other three descriptors. Although no significant differences were found between descriptor appropriateness in the social setting , ""fat€ was again rated as least appropriate to use. No significant differences were found in the suitability of adjectives used to describe the vignette character. These results indicate that ""fat€ is a generally unacceptable term to use when describing someone with a high weight status , and care should be taken when discussing someone's weight status in any setting.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Physical Activity Behavioural Modification Tele-Coaching Intervention in Lung Transplant Recipients

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in pulmonary function following lung transplantation (LTx), physical activity levels remain significantly lower than the general population. To date, there is little research investigating interventions to improve daily physical activity in LTx recipients. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, 12-weeks physical activity tele-coaching (TC) intervention in LTx recipients. METHODS: Lung transplant recipients within 2 months of hospital discharge were recruited and randomised (1:1) to TC or usual care (UC). TC consists of a pedometer and smartphone app, allowing transmission of activity data to a platform that provides feedback, activity goals, education, and contact with the researcher as required. Recruitment and retention, occurrence of adverse events, intervention acceptability and usage were used to assess feasibility. RESULTS: Key criteria for progressing to a larger study were met. Of the 15 patients eligible, 14 were recruited and randomised to TC or UC and 12 completed (67% male; mean ± SD age; 58 ± 7 years; COPD n = 4, ILD n = 6, CF n = 1, PH n = 1): TC (n = 7) and UC (n = 5). TC was well accepted by patients, with 86% indicating that they enjoyed taking part. Usage of the pedometer was excellent, with all patients wearing it for over 90% of days and rating the pedometer and telephone contact as the most vital aspects. There were no adverse events related to the intervention. After 12 weeks, only TC displayed improvements in accelerometry steps/day (by 3475 ± 3422; p = .036) and movement intensity (by 153 ± 166 VMU; p = .019), whereas both TC and UC groups exhibited clinically important changes in physical SF-36 scores (by 11 ± 14 and 7 ± 9 points, respectively). CONCLUSION: TC appears to be a feasible, safe, and well-accepted intervention in LTx

Allogeneic blood transfusion in bilateral lung transplantation: impact on early function and mortality

Objectives: Blood transfusion is associated with higher morbidity and mortality after general cardiothoracic surgery but its impact within the transplant population is unclear. We investigated the profile of blood product transfusion in the bilateral lung transplant population and its impact on function and mortality. Methods: Three hundred and eleven adult patients who underwent bilateral lung transplant between 2003 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified according to pretransplant diagnoses and amount of blood products transfused within 24 h of transplant. All-cause mortality at the 1-year follow-up was analysed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: One hundred and seventy-four male patients and 137 female patients (mean age = 41.4 ± 14.0 years) underwent bilateral lung transplant using cardiopulmonary bypass for cystic fibrosis (48.9%), fibrotic lung disease (12.2%), emphysema (27.0%), bronchiectasis (5.8%), pulmonary hypertension (1.3%) and others (4.5%). The median number of red blood cells in the first 24 h was 3 (0–40) units, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) = 2 (0–26) units and platelets = 1 (0–7) units. The unadjusted all-cause mortality at the 1-year follow-up did not appear to be different between patient subgroups stratified by the median number of units of red blood cells (P = 0.827) or FFP transfused (P = 0.456). However, 1-year mortality was adversely affected when more than the median number of units of platelets was transfused (P = 0.010). Upon adjustment for confounding variables, 1-year mortality was noted to be greater among patients transfused more than the median unit of platelets (adjusted hazard ratios: 2.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.15–4.61, P = 0.019) and those with longer bypass times (P = 0.046). No significant difference in the number of units transfused was noted when patients were stratified by pretransplant diagnosis. Predicted lung function at 3 and 6 months was not significantly affected by greater blood product use. Conclusions: Unlike general cardiothoracic surgery, blood transfusion had no effect on all-cause mortality, whereas a greater administration of platelets was observed to be associated with higher adjusted 1-year mortality. Transfusion rates were not significantly influenced by pretransplant diagnoses. Interestingly, lung function at 3 and 6 months was similar for patients who received more blood product transfusion

Understanding and mitigating the impacts of major dietary changes on dairy cows

© 2019 Dr Victoria Marie RussoFour experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of major dietary changes on ruminal pH, ruminal fluid composition, eating behaviour, feed intake and milk production of dairy cows. The impacts of both diet composition and management strategies were evaluated. The initial experiment investigated the impact of early adaptation when instigating a complete dietary change from one forage to another at calving, as is common practice in Irish dairy farming. Three weeks prior to their expected calving date, 14 spring calving dairy cows were assigned to one of two treatments: pasture silage pre-partum followed by fresh cut perennial ryegrass (PRG) post-partum, or fresh PRG both pre and post-partum. There were no differences in dry matter intake (DMI), body condition score, energy balance or milk yield and composition between the treatments. The results of the initial experiment suggested that early adaptation to avoid a major dietary change at calving did not result in health or production benefits. This was speculated to be due to the similarities of the two diets, creating little challenge for the rumen to adapt. The second experiment focused on a more challenging dietary change, incorporating a large amount of concentrate into a forage-only diet. Thirty-two lactating dairy cows were initially fed 100% lucerne hay cubes, wheat was then gradually substituted in until it comprised 40% of total dry matter (DM) and lucerne hay cubes, the remainder. Wheat was substituted for lucerne cubes via one of four strategies, (1) in six small increments (each 6.7% of total DM) over 6 days; (2) in six small increments (each 6.7% of total DM) over 11 days; (3) in three large increments (each 13.3% of total DM) over 6 days; or (4) in three large increments (each 13.3% of total DM) over 11 days. The 6-day strategies are considered rapid for the dairy industry yet none of the treatments resulted in ruminal fluid pH values that would have compromised ruminal function, nor were there differences in DMI or energy corrected milk (ECM) yields. Furthermore, there were no differences between ruminal fluid volatile fatty acid (VFA), lactate or ammonia concentrations. It is speculated that the properties of the lucerne cubes helped the ruminal contents resist the pronounced declines in pH often seen with the fermentation of large amounts of wheat. These results suggested that changes to rumen function are driven not only by the characteristics of the concentrate being introduced but also by those of the forage. The third experiment aimed to investigate the role of forages in grain adaptation. Twenty-eight lactating dairy cows were fed either PRG hay or lucerne hay and wheat was gradually substituted for forage in three equal increments, over 6 or 11 days, until wheat made up 40% of DM (~ 8 kg DM/cow per day). The results varied significantly with forage type. Cows fed lucerne hay ate more, produced more ECM and had lower ruminal pH values. Furthermore, of the cows fed lucerne hay, those adapted to wheat in the shorter time frame (6 days) exhibited significantly lower mean ruminal pH values. Despite the ruminal pH of these cows declining to levels typically considered low, none of their other measured parameters indicated compromised fermentation or acidosis. Rather, it was these same cows that had the greatest ECM yields, producing an average of 1.5 kg ECM/cow per day more than their 11-day counterparts. The 6-day adaptation strategy allowed for a rapid increase in metabolisable energy, while the hay promoted adequate buffering within the rumen. No difference was seen between adaptation strategies when PRG hay was fed. This was due to the higher metabolisable energy concentration and lower intake of the PRG hay resulting in a less pronounced increase in metabolisable energy intake with the wheat substitution. The greater intakes of cows fed the lucerne hay likely contributed to their greater ECM yields and lower ruminal pH values. However, both forages allowed the rumen contents to resist the large declines in ruminal pH that are typically seen during rapid grain adaptation. The final experiment aimed to further evaluate the role that forage plays in ruminal, behavioural and production responses to the incorporation of large amounts of wheat grain into the diet. Sixteen dairy cows in early lactation were fed a forage only diet of either lucerne hay, PRG hay or one of two cultivars of fresh PRG pasture (cultivar Bealey or Base) for three weeks. The forage-only diet was then supplemented with crushed wheat grain at a rate of 8 kg DM/cow per day, with no adaptation period. Wheat comprised between 32 and 43% of total DMI and was fed over two meals, followed by forage, for one day only. Feeding fresh pasture resulted in lower ruminal pH values, with pH remaining below 6.0 for longer each day. Following supplementation of wheat, cows fed pasture exhibited ruminal fluid pH levels associated with sub-acute ruminal acidosis. Hay created a ruminal environment that was better able to cope with the influx of acid produced as wheat was digested. A combination of increased ruminating time and a decreased rate of fermentation are likely responsible for the higher ruminal fluid pH values. The ruminal environment of cows fed lucerne hay remained most stable throughout the grain challenge, with ruminal fluid spending the least amount of time below pH 6.0. Reducing the introductory time for concentrates into a dairy cow’s diet means an ability to rapidly increase the energy content of a diet, resulting in milk production benefits. However, this thesis highlights the importance of forage choice when determining introduction strategies. Traditional, gradual adaptation strategies must still be employed when feeding highly digestible fresh forages. However, more aggressive adaptation strategies can be implemented when hays are used as the base forage. In situations where high energy grains are substituted for a low energy, high fibre basal forage, rapid introduction can have milk production benefits over gradual strategies

Validation of a genetic risk score for atrial fibrillation: A prospective multicenter cohort study

<div><p>Background</p><p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia and is associated with an elevated risk of stroke. Improving the identification of patients with the highest risk for AF to enable appropriate surveillance and treatment, if necessary, is critical to reducing AF-associated morbidity and mortality. Multiple common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are unequivocally associated with the lifetime risk of AF. In the current study we aimed to prospectively validate an AF genetic risk score (GRS) in previously undiagnosed patients at risk for AF.</p><p>Methods and findings</p><p>Individuals 40 years of age or older with 1 clinical risk factor for AF, presenting with symptoms of AF, or with a first diagnosis of AF, were enrolled for genetic testing and ambulatory cardiac rhythm monitoring with an adhesive patch monitor or a long-term Holter monitor (mean wear time 10 days 21 hours and 13 days 18 hours, respectively). An AF event was the first diagnosis of AF by ECG, patch monitor, or long-term Holter monitor. The AF GRS was determined for each participant based on the weighted contribution of 12 genetic risk loci. Of 904 participants, 85 manifested AF. Their mean age was 66.2 (SD 11.8) years; 38% of participants were male. Participants in the highest quintile of AF GRS were more likely (odds ratio 3.11; 95% CI 1.27–7.58; <i>p =</i> 0.01) to have had an AF event than participants in the lowest quintile after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and prior myocardial infarction. Study limitations included an ethnically homogenous population, a restricted rhythm monitoring period, and the evolving discovery of SNPs associated with AF.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Prospective assessment of a GRS for AF identified participants with elevated risk of AF beyond established clinical criteria. Accordingly, a GRS for AF could be incorporated into overall risk assessment to better identify patients at the highest risk of developing AF, although further testing in larger populations is needed to confirm these findings.</p><p>Trial registration</p><p>ClinicalTrials.gov <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01970969" target="_blank">NCT01970969</a></p></div

Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with AF used for the determination of the AF GRS.

<p>Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with AF used for the determination of the AF GRS.</p