How does gender influence the recognition of cardiovascular risk and adherence to self-care recommendations? : a study in polish primary care

Background: Studies have shown a correlation between gender and an ability to change lifestyle to reduce the risk of disease. However, the results of these studies are ambiguous, especially where a healthy lifestyle is concerned. Additionally, health behaviors are strongly modified by culture and the environment. Psychological factors also substantially affect engagement with disease-related lifestyle interventions. This study aimed to examine whether there are differences between men and women in the frequency of health care behavior for the purpose of reducing cardiovascular risk (CVR), as well as cognitive appraisal of this type of risk. We also aimed to identify the psychological predictors of engaging in recommended behavior for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease after providing information about this risk in men and women. Methods: A total of 134 consecutive eligible patients in a family practice entered a longitudinal study. At initial consultation, the individual’s CVR and associated health burden was examined, and preventive measures were recommended by the physician. Self-care behavior, cognitive appraisal of risk, and coping styles were then assessed using psychological questionnaires. Six months after the initial data collection, the frequency of subjects’ self-care behavior was examined. Results: We found an increase in health care behavior after providing information regarding the rate of CVR in both sexes; this increase was greater for women than for men. Women followed self-care guidelines more often than men, particularly for preventive measures and dietary advice. Women were more inclined to recognize their CVR as a challenge. Coping style, cognitive appraisal, age, level of health behaviors at baseline and CVR values accounted for 48% of the variance in adherence to self-care guidelines in women and it was 52% in men. In women, total risk of CVD values were most important, while in men, cognitive appraisal of harm/loss was most important. Conclusions: Different predictors of acquisition of health behavior are encountered in men and women. Our results suggest that gender-adjusted motivation models influencing the recognition process need to be considered to optimize compliance in patients with CVR

Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA and n-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectively. However, for these and many other composition parameters, for which meta-analyses found significant differences, heterogeneity was high, and this could be explained by differences between animal species/meat types. Evidence from controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for differences in FA profiles. Further studies are required to enable meta-analyses for a wider range of parameters (e.g. antioxidant, vitamin and mineral concentrations) and to improve both precision and consistency of results for FA profiles for all species. Potential impacts of composition differences on human health are discussed

Nowy, wspaniały i dostępny świat

Teaching science subjects is most often connoted with the transmission of information, facts and descriptions of phenomena – a well-established knowledge for students to acquire. During classes, there is usually no time for reflection on the nature of these subjects, and thus with their use to prepare the student for a slightly different world in which most of the information can be found on the web. Access to this information is immediate, but the quality varies greatly. Therefore, a young person should be equipped with the skills necessary to function consciously. Focusing attention on critical thinking, the application of the scientific method, or rather an attempt to shape “habitual” thinking according to the rules of this method, discussion of fake news, pseudoscience or scientific uncertainty seems to be extremely important. The publication attempts to indicate which skills can be developed in science classes with the verification and limitation of the content provided.Nauczanie przedmiotów przyrodniczych najczęściej kojarzy się z przekazywaniem informacji, faktów i opisów zjawisk – czyli ugruntowanej wiedzy do przyswojenia przez uczniów. Na zajęciach zwykle brakuje czasu na refleksje związane z naturą tych przedmiotów, a co za tym idzie z ich wykorzystaniem do przygotowania ucznia do trochę innego świata. Świata, w którym większość informacji znajdziemy w sieci. Dostęp do nich jest natychmiastowy, ale jakość bardzo różna. Należy więc wyposażyć młodego człowieka w umiejętności niezbędne do świadomego funkcjonowania. Skupienie uwagi na krytycznym myśleniu, stosowaniu metody naukowej, a właściwie próby ukształtowania „nawykowego” myślenia według reguł tej metody, dyskusji o fake newsach, pseudonauce czy niepewności naukowej wydaje się być niezwykle ważne. W publikacji podjęto próbę zasygnalizowania, które umiejętności można rozwijać na zajęciach z przedmiotów przyrodniczych przy weryfikacji i ograniczeniu przekazywanych treści

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

The Importance of Grey and Qualitative Literature in Developing Domestic Violence and Abuse and Child Maltreatment Core Outcome Sets: A Brief Report

Purpose: Core Outcome Sets (COS) are agreed sets of outcomes to be used in all trials that evaluate the effect of interventions. This report considers the added value of including grey and qualitative literature in a study to identify COSs of family-focused interventions for CM and DVA. / Methods: We identified outcomes of interventions for DVA or CM through systematically searching 12 academic databases and 86 organisation websites, leading to the inclusion of 485 full-text reports across 6 reviews. We developed a candidate outcome longlist comprising 347 extracted outcomes. / Results: We identified 87% (282/347) of candidate outcomes from the grey and qualitative literature, and 37% (127/347) from the trial literature. Of the candidate outcomes on the longlist, 22% (75/347) were identified solely from the grey or qualitative literature and 7% (26/347) from trial literature. Three of the eight outcomes in the final core outcome sets may have been missed if grey or qualitative literature had not been searched. / Conclusions: The qualitative and grey literature adds DVA and CM outcomes that are relevant to survivor perspectives but not reported in trials; this had an impact on the final COSs. It is important for COS developers to consider what they may be missing if they do not search the qualitative and grey literature

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)