Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention combining a smartphone app and smart band on body composition in an overweight and obese population: Randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT 3 study)

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is currently among the supporting elements that may contribute to an improvement in health markers by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles. mHealth interventions have been widely reported to achieve greater weight loss than other approaches, but their effect on body composition remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the short-term (3 months) effectiveness of a mobile app and a smart band for losing weight and changing body composition in sedentary Spanish adults who are overweight or obese. Methods: A randomized controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted involving the participation of 440 subjects from primary care centers, with 231 subjects in the intervention group (IG; counselling with smartphone app and smart band) and 209 in the control group (CG; counselling only). Both groups were counselled about healthy diet and physical activity. For the 3-month intervention period, the IG was trained to use a smartphone app that involved self-monitoring and tailored feedback, as well as a smart band that recorded daily physical activity (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi). Body composition was measured using the InBody 230 bioimpedance device (InBody Co., Ltd), and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mHealth intervention produced a greater loss of body weight (–1.97 kg, 95% CI –2.39 to –1.54) relative to standard counselling at 3 months (–1.13 kg, 95% CI –1.56 to –0.69). Comparing groups, the IG achieved a weight loss of 0.84 kg more than the CG at 3 months. The IG showed a decrease in body fat mass (BFM; –1.84 kg, 95% CI –2.48 to –1.20), percentage of body fat (PBF; –1.22%, 95% CI –1.82% to 0.62%), and BMI (–0.77 kg/m2, 95% CI –0.96 to 0.57). No significant changes were observed in any of these parameters in men; among women, there was a significant decrease in BMI in the IG compared with the CG. When subjects were grouped according to baseline BMI, the overweight group experienced a change in BFM of –1.18 kg (95% CI –2.30 to –0.06) and BMI of –0.47 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.80 to –0.13), whereas the obese group only experienced a change in BMI of –0.53 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.86 to –0.19). When the data were analyzed according to physical activity, the moderate-vigorous physical activity group showed significant changes in BFM of –1.03 kg (95% CI –1.74 to –0.33), PBF of –0.76% (95% CI –1.32% to –0.20%), and BMI of –0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.83 to –0.19). Conclusions: The results from this multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial study show that compared with standard counselling alone, adding a self-reported app and a smart band obtained beneficial results in terms of weight loss and a reduction in BFM and PBF in female subjects with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 and a moderate-vigorous physical activity level. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that this profile benefits more than others from this intervention and to investigate modifications of this intervention to achieve a global effect

School-based interventions modestly increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness but are least effective for youth who need them most: an individual participant pooled analysis of 20 controlled trials

Objectives: To determine if subpopulations of students benefit equally from school-based physical activity interventions in terms of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity. To examine if physical activity intensity mediates improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness.Design: Pooled analysis of individual participant data from controlled trials that assessed the impact of school-based physical activity interventions on cardiorespiratory fitness and device-measured physical activity.Participants: Data for 6621 children and adolescents aged 4–18 years from 20 trials were included.Main outcome measures: Peak oxygen consumption (VO2Peak mL/kg/min) and minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity.Results: Interventions modestly improved students’ cardiorespiratory fitness by 0.47 mL/kg/min (95% CI 0.33 to 0.61), but the effects were not distributed equally across subpopulations. Girls and older students benefited less than boys and younger students, respectively. Students with lower levels of initial fitness, and those with higher levels of baseline physical activity benefitted more than those who were initially fitter and less active, respectively. Interventions had a modest positive effect on physical activity with approximately one additional minute per day of both moderate and vigorous physical activity. Changes in vigorous, but not moderate intensity, physical activity explained a small amount (~5%) of the intervention effect on cardiorespiratory fitness.Conclusions: Future interventions should include targeted strategies to address the needs of girls and older students. Interventions may also be improved by promoting more vigorous intensity physical activity. Interventions could mitigate declining youth cardiorespiratory fitness, increase physical activity and promote cardiovascular health if they can be delivered equitably and their effects sustained at the population level

Development of a luminex-based DIVA assay for serological detection of african horse sickness virus in horses

International audienceAfrican horse sickness (AHS) is considered a fatal re-emergent vector-borne disease of horses. In the absence of any effective treatment for AHS, vaccination remains the most effective form of disease control. The new generation of vaccines, such as one based on purified, inactivated AHS virus (AHSV, serotype 4), which does not induce antibodies against non-structural protein 3 (NS3), enables the development of diagnostic methods that differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA assays). As detecting AHS in AHSV-free countries may lead to restrictions on international animal movements and thereby cause significant economic damage, these DIVA assays are crucial for reducing movement restrictions. In this article, we describe a Luminex-based multiplex assay for DIVA diagnosis of AHS, and we validate it in a duplex format to detect antibodies against structural protein 7 (VP7) and NS3 in serum samples from horses vaccinated with inactivated AHSV4 vaccine or infected with a live virus of the same serotype. Results of the Luminex-based assay for detecting anti-NS3 antibodies showed good positive correlation with results from an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Thus, the Luminex-based technique described here may allow multiplex DIVA antibody detection in a single sample in less than 2h, and it may prove adaptable for the development of robust, multiplex serological assays

Validation of ELISA for the detection of African horse sickness virus antigens and antibodies

The mortality rate in susceptible populations of horses during an epizootic of African horse sickness (AHS) may be in excess of 90%. Rapid and reliable assays are therefore essential for the confirmation of clinical diagnoses and to enable control strategies to be implemented without undue delay. One of the major objectives of a recent European Union funded project was the validation of newly developed diagnostic assays which are rapid, sensitive, highly reproducible and inexpensive, for the detection of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) antigens and antibodies. The Laboratorio de Sanidad y Produccion Animal (LSPA) in Algete, Spain was charged with the responsibility of co-ordinating and supplying samples of viruses and antisera to the participating laboratories in Spain, France and the United Kingdom. The panels comprised 76 antigen samples for assay by indirect sandwich ELISAs and 53 serum samples for antibody detection by either indirect or competitive ELISAs. Results generated by ELISA for each laboratory were analysed in LSPA in terms of their relative sensitivities and specificities. There was a good agreement between the ELISAs used for either antigen or antibody detection. The participating groups agreed that any field sample giving a doubtful result would always be retested by ELISA and an alternative assay

Summary of workshop findings for porcine T-lymphocyte antigens

Fifty-four mAb preselected in the first round of the first porcine CD workshop for their possible reactivity with T-lymphocyte specific antigens and/or activation antigens were further analysed in a second round. PBMC, thymocytes and nylon-wool purified T lymphocytes derived from peripheral blood, mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen served as target cells for flow cytometric analyses. For the classification of activation antigens several experiments were performed with activated, mitogen-stimulated T lymphocytes and long-term T-lymphocyte cultures. Out of the 54 mAb, 35 mAb could be distributed to six different CD clusters and two swine workshop clusters (SWC). Five mAb could be distributed to the porcine CD2, four mAb to the CD4. Six mAb seemed to recognize the porcine CD5 and two mAb the porcine CD6 analogue. Six mAb were directed against the porcine CD8, whereas two different epitopes could be defined. One mAb was directed against the porcine CD25 analogue. Nine mAb could be clustered to the SWC1, defining an antigen on T lymphocytes and cells of the myeloic linage. Two mAb with high T-cell specificity were clustered to the SWC2. © 1994

Analyses of monoclonal antibodies reactive with porcine CD5

Among all monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) analyzed in the first porcine CD workshop, six mAbs showed reactivity to the porcine CD5 antigen (workshop mAbs 067, 068, 069, 070, 071 and 119). Because of lack of immunoprecipitation studies for five (067, 068, 069, 070 and 071) out of the six mAbs, only one mAb (119) could be definitely characterized as mAb against the monomeric 63 kDa porcine CD5 antigen. The five other mAbs included in this cluster are characterized by an identical labelling pattern in FCM and competition of the CD5 epitope recognized by mAb 119. These mAbs were allocated to the wCD5 subcluster. © 1994

Analysis of monoclonal antibodies reactive with the porcine CD2 antigen

As result of the First International Swine CD Workshop, six monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (numbers 014, 023, 024, 057, 128, and 130) clustered closely to the internal standard anti-porcine CD2 mAb, MSA4. Despite the close clustering, the cluster was split into two subgroups. To further characterize the relationship between these mAbs, they were used in flow cytometry to inhibit binding of MSA4 to porcine lymphocytes. mAbs 014 (1038-8-31), 023 (MAC83), 024 (MAC80), 057 (PG168), and 128 (MSA4) completely inhibited the binding of MSA4, mAb 130 (MSA2) failed to inhibit MSA4 binding. On dual parameter flow cytometry comparing MSA2 with MSA4, all MSA2+ cells were MSA4+, two thirds of the MSA4+ cells were MSA2-. We conclude that five of the mAbs bind to the same or a closely related epitope on porcine lymphocytes. mAb 130 appears to have aberrantly clustered with the CD2 group of mAb. © 1994

Analysis of monoclonal antibodies reactive with the porcine CD4 antigen

As result of the First International Swine CD Workshop, four monoclonal antibodies (mAb) (#002, 054, 118, and 127) clustered closely to the internal standard anti-porcine CD4 mAb, 74-12-4. To further characterize the relationship between these mAb, they were used in flow cytometry to inhibit binding of 74-12-4 to porcine lymphocytes. mAb #002 (74-12-4) and #054 (PT90) completely inhibited, while mAb #127 (10.2H2) and #118 (b38c6) partially inhibited (57% and 77% respectively), the binding of 74-12-4. Furthermore, none of the mAbs bound to a 74-12-4 negative strain of pigs. We conclude that the four mAb bind to the same, or a closely related, epitope on porcine lymphocytes. © 1994