Consumption patterns of sweet drinks in a population of Australian children and adolescents (2003–2008)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intake of sweet drinks has previously been associated with the development of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the consumption pattern of sweet drinks in a population of children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on 1,604 children and adolescents (4–18 years) from the comparison groups of two quasi-experimental intervention studies from Victoria, Australia were analysed<it>.</it> Sweet drink consumption (soft drink and fruit juice/cordial) was assessed as one day’s intake and typical intake over the last week or month at two time points between 2003 and 2008 (mean time between measurement: 2.2 years).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Assessed using dietary recalls, more than 70% of the children and adolescents consumed sweet drinks, with no difference between age groups (p = 0.28). The median intake among consumers was 500 ml and almost a third consumed more than 750 ml per day. More children and adolescents consumed fruit juice/cordial (69%) than soft drink (33%) (p < 0.0001) and in larger volumes (median intake fruit juice/cordial: 500 ml and soft drink: 375 ml). Secular changes in sweet drink consumption were observed with a lower proportion of children and adolescents consuming sweet drinks at time 2 compared to time 1 (significant for age group 8 to <10 years, p = 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The proportion of Australian children and adolescents from the state of Victoria consuming sweet drinks has been stable or decreasing, although a high proportion of this sample consumed sweet drinks, especially fruit juice/cordial at both time points.</p

UFSRAT:Ultra-fast shape recognition with atom types -The discovery of novel bioactive small molecular scaffolds for FKBP12 and 11βHSD1

MOTIVATION:Using molecular similarity to discover bioactive small molecules with novel chemical scaffolds can be computationally demanding. We describe Ultra-fast Shape Recognition with Atom Types (UFSRAT), an efficient algorithm that considers both the 3D distribution (shape) and electrostatics of atoms to score and retrieve molecules capable of making similar interactions to those of the supplied query. RESULTS:Computational optimization and pre-calculation of molecular descriptors enables a query molecule to be run against a database containing 3.8 million molecules and results returned in under 10 seconds on modest hardware. UFSRAT has been used in pipelines to identify bioactive molecules for two clinically relevant drug targets; FK506-Binding Protein 12 and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. In the case of FK506-Binding Protein 12, UFSRAT was used as the first step in a structure-based virtual screening pipeline, yielding many actives, of which the most active shows a KD, app of 281 µM and contains a substructure present in the query compound. Success was also achieved running solely the UFSRAT technique to identify new actives for 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, for which the most active displays an IC50 of 67 nM in a cell based assay and contains a substructure radically different to the query. This demonstrates the valuable ability of the UFSRAT algorithm to perform scaffold hops. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION:A web-based implementation of the algorithm is freely available at http://opus.bch.ed.ac.uk/ufsrat/

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Toward the development of advocacy training curricula for pediatric residents: a national delphi study

BACKGROUND: Training in child advocacy is now required in pediatric residency program curricula. No national consensus exists regarding the content of such advocacy training. OBJECTIVE: To identify an operational definition of advocacy, as well as knowledge, skills, and attitude objectives for advocacy training in pediatric residency programs. METHODS: Professionals experienced in pediatric advocacy and training (n = 53) were invited to participate in a sequence of surveys to define the content of a pediatric residency advocacy curriculum that would result in acquisition of appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to advocacy for children. Three rounds of surveys were distributed, collected, and analyzed using a modified Delphi technique, in which the results from an antecedent survey were used to refine responses in a subsequent survey. RESULTS: Participants (n = 36), comprising a group of experienced leaders with diverse training and experience in child advocacy and resident education, created a consensus definition for advocacy. They initially identified 179 possible objectives for advocacy curricula. Through the iterative process of the Delphi technique, 32 of those objectives were identified as necessary for inclusion in a child advocacy curriculum for pediatric residents. CONCLUSIONS: Using a modified Delphi technique, a group of experienced leaders in pediatric advocacy were able to reach consensus on an operational definition of child advocacy and a set of objectives for a resident advocacy curriculum. Programs may use these findings to assist in developing an advocacy curriculum based on their own faculty assets and community resources

Participant satisfaction with dementia prevention research: Results from Home-Based Assessment trial.

IntroductionLittle is known about factors affecting motivation and satisfaction of participants in dementia prevention trials.MethodsA Research Satisfaction Survey was administered to 422 nondemented older adults who participated in the Home-Based Assessment trial.ResultsOverall satisfaction was high, with means of all individual items near to above a value of 3 on a scale from 1 (worst) to 4 (best). Greater satisfaction was associated with staff-administered interviews versus automated technologies. The most liked aspects of research participation were volunteerism, opportunity to challenge and improve mental function, and positive interactions with staff. The least liked aspect was repetitiveness of the assessments. Participants requested more contact with staff and other older adults and more feedback on performance.DiscussionOlder adults' participation in research was primarily motivated by altruism. Methodologies that facilitate human contact, encourage feedback and novelty of tasks should be incorporated into future trial design

Phase 1 Trial of Concurrent Gemcitabine and Cisplatin with Image Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Locoregionally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma

PurposeThe use of concurrent doublet chemotherapy with radiation for locoregionally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is limited by gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity. By reducing radiation dose to bowel and bone marrow, image guided intensity modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) may improve chemotherapy tolerance. The goal of this study was to determine whether IG-IMRT could lead to improved tolerance to concurrent cisplatin and gemcitabine for LACC.Methods and materialsWe conducted an open-label, nonrandomized, prospective phase 1 dose escalation trial at a tertiary academic cancer center (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01554410). We enrolled patients with stage IB-IVA cervical cancer, with either an intact cervix or posthysterectomy with residual/recurrent pelvic or paraortic nodal involvement, undergoing radical pelvic or extended field chemoradiation therapy. Treatment consisted of chemoradiation with IG-IMRT (45-47.6 Gy, 25-28 fractions to the pelvis ± paraortic nodes with simultaneous nodal boost to 53.2-59.4 Gy, 28 fractions) plus 5 cycles of concurrent weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m2 with escalating doses of gemcitabine (50, 75, 100, or 125 mg/m2). Cohorts were separated preregistration according to whether the patient received pelvic or extended field IG-IMRT and whether gemcitabine followed (CG) or preceded (GC) cisplatin delivery. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) events were monitored up to 30 days after chemoradiation therapy. The primary endpoint was maximum tolerated dose (MTD) resulting in DLT probability ≤20%.ResultsBetween February 2011 and June 2019, 35 patients were registered. Overall, 7 patients (20.0%) experienced DLTs. For the pelvic field cohort, the estimated MTD was 100 mg/m2 with GC sequencing, which is higher than the previously reported MTD for this regimen. The extended field cohort was closed after 2 of 3 patients experienced a DLT at the first dose level.ConclusionsIG-IMRT can permit higher doses of concurrent gemcitabine with cisplatin and pelvic radiation for LACC. However, acute toxicity remains a factor with this regimen, depending on radiation volume and chemotherapy sequencing

A randomized clinical trial to evaluate home-based assessment of people over 75&nbsp;years old.

IntroductionThere is an unmet need for effective methods for conducting dementia prevention trials.MethodsHome-based assessment study compared feasibility and efficiency, ability to capture change over time using in-home instruments, and ability to predict cognitive conversion using predefined triggers in a randomized clinical trial in (1) mail-in questionnaire/live telephone interviews, (2) automated telephone/interactive voice recognition, and (3) internet-based computer Kiosk technologies. Primary endpoint was defined as cognitive conversion.ResultsAnalysis followed a modified intent-to-treat principle. Dropout rates were low and similar across technologies but participants in Kiosk were more likely to dropout earlier. Staff resources needed were higher in Kiosk. In-home instruments distinguished conversion and stable groups. Cognitively stable group showed improvement in cognitive measures. Triggering was associated with higher likelihood of conversion but statistically significant only in mail-in questionnaire/live telephone interviews.DiscussionRelatively low efficiency of internet-based assessment compared with testing by live-assessors has implications for internet-based recruitment and assessment efforts currently proposed for diverse populations

A randomized clinical trial to evaluate home-based assessment of people over 75 years old.

IntroductionThere is an unmet need for effective methods for conducting dementia prevention trials.MethodsHome-based assessment study compared feasibility and efficiency, ability to capture change over time using in-home instruments, and ability to predict cognitive conversion using predefined triggers in a randomized clinical trial in (1) mail-in questionnaire/live telephone interviews, (2) automated telephone/interactive voice recognition, and (3) internet-based computer Kiosk technologies. Primary endpoint was defined as cognitive conversion.ResultsAnalysis followed a modified intent-to-treat principle. Dropout rates were low and similar across technologies but participants in Kiosk were more likely to dropout earlier. Staff resources needed were higher in Kiosk. In-home instruments distinguished conversion and stable groups. Cognitively stable group showed improvement in cognitive measures. Triggering was associated with higher likelihood of conversion but statistically significant only in mail-in questionnaire/live telephone interviews.DiscussionRelatively low efficiency of internet-based assessment compared with testing by live-assessors has implications for internet-based recruitment and assessment efforts currently proposed for diverse populations