Text messaging and brief phone calls for weight loss in overweight and obese English- and Spanish-speaking adults: A 1-year, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND:Weight loss interventions based solely on text messaging (short message service [SMS]) have been shown to be modestly effective for short periods of time and in some populations, but limited evidence is available for positive longer-term outcomes and for efficacy in Hispanic populations. Also, little is known about the comparative efficacy of weight loss interventions that use SMS coupled with brief, technology-mediated contact with health coaches, an important issue when considering the scalability and cost of interventions. We examined the efficacy of a 1-year intervention designed to reduce weight among overweight and obese English- and Spanish-speaking adults via SMS alone (ConTxt) or in combination with brief, monthly health-coaching calls. ConTxt offered 2-4 SMS/day that were personalized, tailored, and interactive. Content was theory- and evidence-based and focused on reducing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure. Monthly health-coaching calls (5-10 minutes' duration) focused on goal-setting, identifying barriers to achieving goals, and self-monitoring. METHODS AND FINDINGS:English- and Spanish-speaking adults were recruited from October 2011 to March 2013. A total of 298 overweight (body mass index [BMI] 27.0 to 39.9 kg/m2) adults (aged 21-60 years; 77% female; 41% Hispanic; 21% primarily Spanish speaking; 44% college graduates or higher; 22% unemployed) were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either ConTxt only (n = 101), ConTxt plus health-coaching calls (n = 96), or standard print materials on weight reduction (control group, n = 101). We used computer-based permuted-block randomization with block sizes of three or six, stratified by sex and Spanish-speaking status. Participants, study staff, and investigators were masked until the intervention was assigned. The primary outcome was objectively measured percent of weight loss from baseline at 12 months. Differences between groups were evaluated using linear mixed-effects regression within an intention-to-treat framework. A total of 261 (87.2%) and 253 (84.9%) participants completed 6- and 12-month visits, respectively. Loss to follow-up did not differ by study group. Mean (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) percent weight loss at 12 months was -0.61 (-1.99 to 0.77) in the control group, -1.68 (-3.08 to -0.27) in ConTxt only, and -3.63 (-5.05 to -2.81) in ConTxt plus health-coaching calls. At 12 months, mean (95% CI) percent weight loss, adjusted for baseline BMI, was significantly different between ConTxt plus health-coaching calls and the control group (-3.0 [-4.99 to -1.04], p = 0.003) but not between the ConTxt-only and the control group (-1.07 [-3.05 to 0.92], p = 0.291). Differences between ConTxt plus health-coaching calls and ConTxt only were not significant (-1.95 [-3.96 to 0.06], p = 0.057). These findings were consistent across other weight-related secondary outcomes, including changes in absolute weight, BMI, and percent body fat at 12 months. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that Spanish speakers responded more favorably to ConTxt plus health-coaching calls than English speakers (Spanish contrast: -7.90 [-11.94 to -3.86], p < 0.001; English contrast: -1.82 [-4.03 to 0.39], p = 0.107). Limitations include the unblinded delivery of the intervention and recruitment of a predominantly female sample from a single site. CONCLUSIONS:A 1-year intervention that delivered theory- and evidence-based weight loss content via daily personalized, tailored, and interactive SMS was most effective when combined with brief, monthly phone calls. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01171586

Indications for thyroid FNA and pre-FNA requirements: A synopsis of the National Cancer Institute Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration State of the Science Conference

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored the NCI Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) State of the Science Conference on October 22–23, 2007 in Bethesda, MD. The 2-day meeting was accompanied by a permanent informational website and several on-line discussions between May 1 and December 15, 2007 ( http://thyroidfna.cancer.gov ). This document summarizes the indications for performing an FNA of a nodule discovered by physical examination or an imaging study; the indications for using ultrasound versus palpation for guidance when performing a thyroid FNA; the issues surrounding informed consent for thyroid FNA; and the information required on a requisition form that accompanies a thyroid FNA specimen. ( http://thyroidfna.cancer.gov/pages/info/agenda/ ) Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:390–399. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58658/1/20827_ftp.pd

Heparanase deglycanation of syndecan-1 is required for binding of the epithelial-restricted prosecretory mitogen lacritin

Cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans are carbohydrate-rich regulators of cell migratory, mitogenic, secretory, and inflammatory activity that bind and present soluble heparin-binding growth factors (e.g., fibroblast growth factor, Wnt, Hh, transforming growth factor β, amphiregulin, and hepatocyte growth factor) to their respective signaling receptors. We demonstrate that the deglycanated core protein of syndecan-1 (SDC1) and not HS chains nor SDC2 or -4, appears to target the epithelial selective prosecretory mitogen lacritin. An important and novel step in this mechanism is that binding necessitates prior partial or complete removal of HS chains by endogenous heparanase. This limits lacritin activity to sites where heparanase appears to predominate, such as sites of exocrine cell migration, secretion, renewal, and inflammation. Binding is mutually specified by lacritin's C-terminal mitogenic domain and SDC1's N terminus. Heparanase modification of the latter transforms a widely expressed HS proteoglycan into a highly selective surface-binding protein. This novel example of cell specification through extracellular modification of an HS proteoglycan has broad implications in development, homeostasis, and disease

IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) FP7 European Research Project, Deliverable 3.2: Surveillance Impact Report

External research report produced for the European Commission as part of the FP7 IRISS project: Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Socieities, containing European case studies on the varying formats of neighbourhood watch, including the cultural and historical factors which may influence the creation of neighbourhood watch groups in the first instance. Overview of neighbourhood watch in the United Kingdom and analysis of the changing role of the police in relation to community policing and the impact which this has had on the primary purpose of neighbourhood watch organisations.This deliverable was written as part of the IRISS project which received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 285593. Additional co-authors: Alessia Ceresa, Chiara Fonio, Walter Peissl, Robert Rothman, Jaro Sterbik Lamina, Ivan Szekely, Beatrix Vissy, Wolfgang Bonß, Daniel Fischer, Gemma Galdon Clavell, Reinhard Kreissl, Alexander Neumann, Nils Zurawsk

The Effect of Locally Delivered Controlledâ Release Doxycycline or Scaling and Root Planing on Periodontal Maintenance Patients Over 9 Months

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142157/1/jper0022.pd

Duke Surgery Patient Safety: an open-source application for anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss surgical events

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that 4% of hospitalized patients suffer from an adverse event caused by the medical treatment administered. Some institutions have created systems to encourage medical workers to report these adverse events. However, these systems often prove to be inadequate and/or ineffective for reviewing the data collected and improving the outcomes in patient safety. OBJECTIVE: To describe the Web-application Duke Surgery Patient Safety, designed for the anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss events as well as scheduled reporting to surgeons and hospital administration. SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE: DSPS was developed primarily using Java language running on a Tomcat server and with MySQL database as its backend. RESULTS: Formal and field usability tests were used to aid in development of DSPS. Extensive experience with DSPS at our institution indicate that DSPS is easy to learn and use, has good speed, provides needed functionality, and is well received by both adverse-event reporters and administrators. DISCUSSION: This is the first description of an open-source application for reporting patient safety, which allows the distribution of the application to other institutions in addition for its ability to adapt to the needs of different departments. DSPS provides a mechanism for anonymous reporting of adverse events and helps to administer Patient Safety initiatives. CONCLUSION: The modifiable framework of DSPS allows adherence to evolving national data standards. The open-source design of DSPS permits surgical departments with existing reporting mechanisms to integrate them with DSPS. The DSPS application is distributed under the GNU General Public License

Tamoxifen Dose Escalation in Patients With Diminished CYP2D6 Activity Normalizes Endoxifen Concentrations Without Increasing Toxicity

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139937/1/onco0795-sup-0002.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139937/2/onco0795-sup-0001.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139937/3/onco0795.pd

Atomic Resonance and Scattering

Contains reports on nine research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant PHY79-09743)National Science Foundation (Grant PHY82-10486)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-83-K-0003)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-79-C-0183)National Bureau of Standards (Grant NB83-NAHA-4058)National Science Foundation (Grant CHE79-02967-A04)National Science Foundation (Grant PHY83-07172)Joint Services Electronics Program (Grant DAAG29-83-K-0003

Diagnostic Accuracy of Fine Needle Biopsy for Metastatic Melanoma and Its Implications for Patient Management

The use of fine needle biopsy (FNB) for the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma can lead to the early removal and treatment of metastases, reduce the frequency of unnecessary surgery, and facilitate the staging of patients enrolled in clinical trials of adjuvant therapies. In this study, the accuracy of FNB for the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma was investigated. A retrospective cohort study was performed with 2204 consecutive FNBs performed on 1416 patients known or suspected to have metastatic melanoma. Almost three-quarters (1582) of these FNBs were verified by either histopathologic diagnosis following surgical resection or clinical follow-up. FNB for metastatic melanoma was found to have an overall sensitivity of 92.1% and a specificity of 99.2%, with 69 false-negative and 5 false-positive findings identified. The sensitivity of the procedure was found to be influenced by six factors. The use of immunostains, reporting of the specimen by a cytopathologist who had reported >500 cases, lesions located in the skin and subcutis, and patients with ulcerated primary melanomas were factors associated with a significant improvement in the sensitivity of the test. However, FNBs performed in masses located in lymph nodes of the axilla and FNBs that required more than one needle pass to obtain a sample were far more likely to result in false-negative results. FNB is a rapid, accurate, and clinically useful technique for the assessment of disease status in patients with suspected metastatic melanoma

Two Multiâ Center Studies Evaluating Locally Delivered Doxycycline Hyclate, Placebo Control, Oral Hygiene, and Scaling and Root Planing in the Treatment of Periodontitis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142011/1/jper0490.pd