Changes in Body Mass, Body Composition, Physical Activity and Nutrition from the First to the Fourth Academic Year in University Students

Background: The transition to university life is a critical time of change, often accompanied by the adoption of negative lifestyle habits, including an unhealthy diet and a decrease in physical activity. Lifestyle changes during university may result in a positive energy balance and a decrease in diet quality, which can lead to weight gain, a percent body fat in the overweight/obesity range, and increased cardiometabolic disease risk over time. The purpose of the current study was to investigate changes in body mass and composition from 1st to 4th year among university students, and to assess whether changes in physical activity and dietary intake were related to observed changes in body mass and composition. Methods: Thirty-eight participants completed food frequency and activity questionnaires and had their body mass measured and body composition assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. These measurements were obtained at the beginning (fall) and end (spring) of 1st year and the end (spring) of 4th year. Results: During the 1st year, body mass and percent fat increased by 3.2 kg and 2.1%, respectively (P<0.01), while daily energy intake was maintained and daily energy expenditure decreased (-435.2 kcal/day, P<0.01). Between the end of the 1st year and the end of the 4th year, students continued to increase their body mass, but this increase was smaller (+2.2 kg, P=0.05) than the change occurring during the 1st year. Additionally, percent fat and energy intake did not change while energy expenditure increased from the end of 1st year to the end of 4th year (+208.6 kcal/day, P<0.01). Conclusions: Increases in percent body fat during university occurred only during the 1st year. However, students were not able to reverse these gains by the end of the 4th year

Venezuela's Acción democrática; its origins and growth.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityThe concurrence of certain social, political and economic factors in the history of Venezuela have given rise to conditions favorable to the formation of a new political party which derives its strength from the working classes, the middle classes and the intellectual element of the country. This movement has as its primary objectives the improvement of the general welfare of the Venezuelan people and the securing of individual and political freedom for all, regardless of political party affiliations. [TRUNCATED

Characteristics of Disease Transmission, Geography and Risk in an Urban Population with Endemic HIV

INTRODUCTION : Prior research suggests that sexually transmitted disease is not uniformly distributed throughout populations and geographic areas. Several studies of the geography of STI and HIV revealed a consistent core-like distribution of certain infections, such as gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS. These studies further theorized that the conditions that precipitate endemic STI and HIV are not bound to populations, but strongly influenced by network-level features of social groups. METHODS : Two geographic areas in Atlanta, GA were compared – one set of 5 zipcodes in which HIV was highly endemic, and another set of 5 zipcodes in which HIV was only moderately endemic. Two hypotheses were tested in the study area. First, risk variables were selected and composited into a variable representing compound risk, or the presence of multiple risk factors in a single individual, and the distribution of compound risk across the two geographic areas was compared. Second, the correlation between social distance (as geodesic length) and geographic distance (as distance between the centroid of connected individuals) was compared across the two geographic areas. RESULTS : Compound risk was far more prevalent in the high HIV area than in the moderate HIV area (OR: 3.549; 95% CI: 2.438 -- 5.165), even after controlling for potential confounders. A breakdown of the individual risk variables indicates that involvement in sex work (OR: 2.279; 95% CI: 1.549 – 3.354), history of injection drug use (OR: 4.377; 95% CI: 2.35 – 8.152), and having any disease status disparity (OR: 1.511; 95% CI: 1.113 – 2.086) were each significantly more prevalent in the high HIV area than the moderate HIV area, even when stratifying by gender. The examination of the correlation between social distance and geographic distance revealed markedly different correlations in the two geographic areas. For residents of the high HIV area, the Pearson’s correlation score (CC: 0.17175; 95% CI: 0.154887 – 0.188492) was significantly higher than in the moderate HIV area (CC: 0.07021; 95% CI: 0.050822 – 0.08954). CONCLUSION : Areas of high HIV endemicity are associated with at least two of the characteristics described by Rothenberg (2005) : a higher prevalence of individual compound risk than observed in low or moderate HIV areas, and a higher correlation between geodesic and geographic distance than observed in low or moderate HIV areas. If the observed higher correlation is true and can be replicated in other study locations and with other demographic groups, then it may be useful to examine whether areas exhibiting a similar correlation are host to higher than expected rates of HIV. The compound risk finding is in line with the kinds of behavior-oriented HIV/STI risk studies that have been historically emphasized, while the difference correlation between geographic and geodesic distance suggests that behavioral factors do not provide a complete explanation for observed differences in endemicity

Safety and tolerability of sitagliptin in clinical studies: a pooled analysis of data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a previous pooled analysis of 12 double-blind clinical studies that included data on 6,139 patients with type 2 diabetes, treatment with sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, was shown to be generally well tolerated compared with treatment with control agents. As clinical development of sitagliptin continues, additional studies have been completed, and more patients have been exposed to sitagliptin. The purpose of the present analysis is to update the safety and tolerability assessment of sitagliptin by pooling data from 19 double-blind clinical studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present analysis included data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes who received either sitagliptin 100 mg/day (N = 5,429; sitagliptin group) or a comparator agent (placebo or an active comparator) (N = 4,817; non-exposed group). The 19 studies from which this pooled population was drawn represent the double-blind, randomized studies that included patients treated with the usual clinical dose of sitagliptin (100 mg/day) for between 12 weeks and 2 years and for which results were available as of July 2009. These 19 studies assessed sitagliptin taken as monotherapy, initial combination therapy with metformin or pioglitazone, or as add-on combination therapy with other antihyperglycemic agents (metformin, pioglitazone, a sulfonylurea ± metformin, insulin ± metformin, or rosiglitazone + metformin). Patients in the non-exposed group were taking placebo, metformin, pioglitazone, a sulfonylurea ± metformin, insulin ± metformin, or rosiglitazone + metformin. The analysis used patient-level data from each study to evaluate between-group differences in the exposure-adjusted incidence rates of adverse events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Summary measures of overall adverse events were similar in the sitagliptin and non-exposed groups, except for an increased incidence of drug-related adverse events in the non-exposed group. Incidence rates of specific adverse events were also generally similar between the two groups, except for increased incidence rates of hypoglycemia, related to the greater use of a sulfonylurea, and diarrhea, related to the greater use of metformin, in the non-exposed group and constipation in the sitagliptin group. Treatment with sitagliptin was not associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this updated pooled safety analysis of data from 10,246 patients with type 2 diabetes, sitagliptin 100 mg/day was generally well tolerated in clinical trials of up to 2 years in duration.</p

HIV Prevention Via Mobile Messaging for Men Who Have Sex With Men (M-Cubed): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be the predominately impacted risk group in the United States HIV epidemic and are a priority group for risk reduction in national strategic goals for HIV prevention. Modeling studies have demonstrated that a comprehensive package of status-tailored HIV prevention and care interventions have the potential to substantially reduce new infections among MSM. However, uptake of basic prevention services, including HIV testing, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, condom distribution, condom-compatible lubricant distribution, and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is suboptimal. Further, stronger public health strategies are needed to promote engagement in HIV care and viral load suppression among MSM living with HIV. Mobile health (mHealth) tools can help inform and encourage MSM regarding HIV prevention, care, and treatment, especially among men who lack access to conventional medical services. This protocol details the design and procedures of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a novel mHealth intervention that comprises a comprehensive HIV prevention app and brief, tailored text- and video-based messages that are systematically presented to participants based on the participants’ HIV status and level of HIV acquisition risk. Objective: The objective of the RCT was to test the efficacy of the Mobile Messaging for Men (M-Cubed, or M3) app among at least 1200 MSM in Atlanta, Detroit, and New York. The goal was to determine its ability to increase HIV testing (HIV-negative men), STI testing (all men), condom use for anal sex (all men), evaluation for PrEP eligibility, uptake of PrEP (higher risk HIV-negative men), engagement in HIV care (men living with HIV), and uptake of and adherence to antiretroviral medications (men living with HIV). A unique benefit of this approach is the HIV serostatus-inclusiveness of the intervention, which includes both HIV-negative and HIV-positive MSM. Methods: MSM were recruited through online and venue-based approaches in Atlanta, Detroit, and New York City. Men who were eligible and consented were randomized to the intervention (immediate access to the M3 app for a period of three months) or to the waitlist-control (delayed access) group. Outcomes were evaluated immediately post intervention or control period, and again three and six months after the intervention period. Main outcomes will be reported as period prevalence ratios or hazards,depending on the outcome. Where appropriate, serostatus/risk-specific outcomes will be evaluated in relevant subgroups. Men randomized to the control condition were offered the opportunity to use (and evaluate) the M3 app for a three-month period after the final RCT outcome assessment. Results: M3 enrollment began in January 2018 and concluded in November 2018. A total of 1229 MSM were enrolled. Datacollection was completed in September 2019.Conclusions: This RCT of the M3 mobile app seeks to determine the effects of an HIV serostatus–inclusive intervention on the use of multiple HIV prevention and care-related outcomes among MSM. A strength of the design is that it incorporates a large sample and broad range of MSM with differing prevention needs in three cities with high prevalence of HIV among MSM