Impact Of Maternal Demographics On Infant Feeding Habits In American Samoa

Obesity and overweight prevalence in American Samoan adults are among the highest in the world, and levels are also high and increasing in children and infants. Obesity levels are believed to be due ultimately to the dramatic changes in lifestyle and diet over the past half century. A shift away from breastfeeding and to early introduction of formula and solid foods feeding is a dietary habit effected in this change, and can potentially influence a child\u27s future body size and other health outcomes. As decisions about infant feeding are associated with certain maternal demographics in other populations, this study specifically looked at how American Samoan mothers\u27 biological and socio-demographic characteristics influenced how they fed their child and their child\u27s BMI in American Samoa. 160 mothers of infants 0-12 months were recruited at the Tafuna Health Center Well Baby Clinic for this cross sectional study. Investigator-administered surveys collected information on maternal characteristics, their child\u27s feeding behaviors, and their child\u27s size. Most mothers in the sample stopped exclusively breastfeeding and started formula feeding by the first four weeks of the child\u27s life. Single mothers compared to mothers with a partner, unemployed compared to employed mothers, and overweight compared to normal weight or obese mothers were more likely to have a longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Years of education and parity were also positively associated with duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Single mothers compared to mothers with a partner, overweight mothers compared to normal or obese mothers, and mothers with more years of education compared to those with less than a high school education were also more likely to introduce formula later in the child\u27s life. There was no relationship between duration of exclusive breastfeeding, duration of any breastfeeding, initiation of formula or initiation of solid foods and the infant\u27s body size. While future interventions targeting infant feeding can be aimed towards these maternal groups, general early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding and early introduction of formula in this sample show that universal maternal education efforts may be the key to changing infant feeding practices in American Samoa

Consensus standards for acquisition, measurement, and reporting of intravascular optical coherence tomography studies

Objectives: The purpose of this document is to make the output of the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IWG-IVOCT) Standardization and Validation available to medical and scientific communities, through a peer-reviewed publication, in the interest of improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis, including coronary artery disease. Background: Intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) is a catheter-based modality that acquires images at a resolution of ∼10 μm, enabling visualization of blood vessel wall microstructure in vivo at an unprecedented level of detail. IVOCT devices are now commercially available worldwide, there is an active user base, and the interest in using this technology is growing. Incorporation of IVOCT in research and daily clinical practice can be facilitated by the development of uniform terminology and consensus-based standards on use of the technology, interpretation of the images, and reporting of IVOCT results. Methods: The IWG-IVOCT, comprising more than 260 academic and industry members from Asia, Europe, and the United States, formed in 2008 and convened on the topic of IVOCT standardization through a series of 9 national and international meetings. Results: Knowledge and recommendations from this group on key areas within the IVOCT field were assembled to generate this consensus document, authored by the Writing Committee, composed of academicians who have participated in meetings and/or writing of the text. Conclusions: This document may be broadly used as a standard reference regarding the current state of the IVOCT imaging modality, intended for researchers and clinicians who use IVOCT and analyze IVOCT data

Observation of Cytoskeletal Proteins in Symbiotic and Aposymbiotic Aiptasia pallida

Symbiosis between dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium and cnidarians provides benefits for both organisms. Normally cnidarian cells host the Symbiodinium intracellularly and previous studies have shown that host cells alter their shape and actin cytoskeleton to accommodate algae. In addition, upregulation of ERM expression in Acropora palmate coral larvae during the onset of symbiosis has previously been described. In other systems, the phosphorylated activated form of ERM, p-ERM, has been shown to bind the protein actin to the plasma membrane and has been implicated in changes in cell shape. To determine whether the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida demonstrated similar changes, levels of ERM, p-ERM, and actin were analyzed in symbiotic and aposymbiotic Aiptasia semi-quantitatively by Western Blot, using the ubiquitously expressed protein tubulin as the control. Immunofluorescence was also used to observe p-ERM in these two conditions. By these methods, it was found that aposymbiotic Aiptasia contained higher levels of p-ERM; however, levels of ERM and actin remained the same. These results have helped identify characteristics that differentiate Aiptasia that do and do not have Symbiodinium

Assessing the Impact of a Community-Based Nutrition Education Program in the Haven Free Clinic

Abstract Background The Haven clinic is a volunteer and student-run clinic serving low-income residents of the Fair Haven community in New Haven, CT. The Advancing Nutrition and Dietary Outcomes (ANDO) program is a one-on-one counseling program for patients at risk for chronic disease. This project aimed to evaluate the ANDO program for efficacy and patient satisfaction. Methods Two main data collection methods were used to assess the efficacy and patient satisfaction with ANDO, resulting in a mixed methods analysis. A baseline survey instrument measured patient skills, knowledge and attitudes about healthy eating and physical activity. Key informant interviews gauged these same topics as well as satisfaction with the program. Results Survey results revealed a strongly positive attitude towards improving diet and increasing physical activity as ways of overcoming chronic disease. Surveys also illustrated the lack of knowledge and skills of patients to make those lifestyle changes on their own. Interviews with patients who have gone through at least one module of ANDO revealed strong satisfaction with the program, though some suggestions for improvement were made. Conclusions The ANDO program is a strong patient-focused program that reaches a portion of the target population in the Fair Haven community. Patients who enroll are satisfied with the program and offer suggestions for continued strength of the program including group sessions and consistent counselors. Evaluation team recommendations include producing a thorough program manual for more program consistency, administering pre- and post-program surveys with future patients, and conducting an evaluability assessment prior to future evaluation endeavors.https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysph_pbchrr/1002/thumbnail.jp

Consensus standards for acquisition, measurement, and reporting of intravascular optical coherence tomography studies: a report from the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Standardization and Validation

The purpose of this document is to make the output of the International Working Group for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IWG-IVOCT) Standardization and Validation available to medical and scientific communities, through a peer-reviewed publication, in the interest of improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis, including coronary artery disease

Optimization of coronary optical coherence tomography imaging using the attenuation-compensated technique: a validation study.

PURPOSE To optimize conventional coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) images using the attenuation-compensated technique to improve identification of plaques and the external elastic lamina (EEL) contour. METHOD The attenuation-compensated technique was optimized via manipulating contrast exponent C, and compression exponent N, to achieve an optimal contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This was applied to 60 human coronary lesions (38 native and 22 stented) ex vivo conventional coronary OCT images acquired from heart autopsies of 10 patients and matching histology was available as reference. Three independent reviewers assessed the conventional and attenuation-compensated OCT images blindly for plaque characteristics and EEL detection. Conventional OCT and compensated OCT assessment were compared against histology. RESULTS Using an optimized algorithm, the attenuation-compensated OCT images had a 2-fold improvement in contrast between different tissues in both stented and non-stented epicardial coronaries (P <0.05). Overall sensitivity and specificity for plaque classification increased from 84 to 89% and from 92 to 94%, respectively, with substantial agreement among the three reviewers (Fleiss' Kappa k, 0.72 and 0.71, respectively). Furthermore, operators were 2.5 times more likely to identify the EEL contour in the attenuation-compensated OCT images (k = 0.72) than in the conventional OCT images (k = 0.36). CONCLUSION The attenuation-compensated technique can be retrospectively applied to conventional OCT images and improves the detection of plaque characteristics and the EEL contour. This approach could complement conventional OCT imaging in the evaluation of plaque characteristics and quantify plaque burden in the clinical setting