The Jewish Influence on Tango

The Reflective Essay relates a research journey that begins with an ID 1 course assignment and incorporates the author’s interest in musical genres, a Facebook conversation with a filmmaker, the discovery of a printed source in Spanish, and research in secondary sources in Honnold/Mudd Library. In the course of her research, the author found many similarities between tango and klezmer. These similarities lie in subtleties of chord changes and cadences that reveal Jewish and Latin interactions and draw attention to an extremely rich yet under-recognized cultural exchange

The Real World of Interdependence of Governments and Corporations: What We Know vs. What We Teach

Once we better understand this interdependence, we can more carefully ask how the public and private sectors can and should collaborate, for what purposes, and to whose benefit. The real world political questions are not whether it will be done or how such things could happen. A more constructive real world politics will focus on how we will manage the interdependence of governments and corporations, and whose interests and values will be served by policy choices about the patterns and practices of collaboration. If we organize our public life around these questions in 2020, American politics will be much more productive and satisfying

Vitamin A Deficiency after Gastric Bypass Surgery: An Underreported Postoperative Complication

Introduction. Few data are available on vitamin A deficiency in the gastric bypass population. Methods. We performed a retrospective chart review of gastric bypass patients (n = 69, 74% female). The relationship between serum vitamin A concentration and markers of protein metabolism at 6-weeks and 1-year post-operative were assessed. Results. The average weight loss at 6-weeks and 1-year following surgery was 20.1 ± 9.1 kg and 44.1 ± 17.1 kg, respectively. At 6 weeks and 1 year after surgery, 35% and 18% of patients were vitamin A deficient, (<325 mcg/L). Similarly, 34% and 19% had low pre-albumin levels (<18 mg/dL), at these time intervals. Vitamin A directly correlated with pre-albumin levels at 6 weeks (r = 0.67, P < 0.001) and 1-year (r = 0.67,  P < 0.0001). There was no correlation between the roux limb length measurement and pre-albumin or vitamin A serum concentrations at these post-operative follow-ups. Vitamin A levels and markers of liver function testing were also unrelated. Conclusion. Vitamin A deficiency is common after bariatric surgery and is associated with a low serum concentration of pre-albumin. This fat-soluble vitamin should be measured in patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery and deficiency should be suspected in those with evidence of protein-calorie malnutrition

Anemia and associated clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure due to reduced left ventricular systolic function.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is associated with decreased functional capacity, reduced quality of life, and worsened outcomes among patients with heart failure (HF) due to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF). We sought to evaluate the independent effect of anemia on clinical outcomes among those with HFREF. HYPOTHESIS: Anemia is associated with cardiovascular events in patients with heart failure. METHODS: The HF-ACTION trial was a prospective, randomized trial of exercise therapy vs usual care in 2331 patients with HFREF. Patients with New York Heart Association class II to IV HF and left ventricular ejection fractions of ≤ 35% were recruited. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured up to 1 year prior to entry and was stratified by quintile. Anemia was defined as baseline Hb/dL and/dL in men and women, respectively. Hemoglobin was assessed in 2 models: a global prediction model that had been previously developed, and a modified model including variables associated with anemia and the studied outcomes. RESULTS: Hemoglobin was available at baseline in 1763 subjects (76% of total study population); their median age was 59.0 years, 73% were male, and 62% were Caucasian. The prevalence of anemia was 515/1763 (29%). Older age, female sex, African American race, diabetes, hypertension, and lower estimated glomerular filtration rates were all more frequent in lower Hb quintiles. Over a median follow-up of 30 months, the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or all-cause hospitalization occurred in 78% of those with anemia and 64% in those without (P \u3c 0.001). The secondary outcomes of all-cause mortality alone,cardiovascular (CV) mortality or CV hospitalization, and CV mortality or HF hospitalization occurred in 23% vs 15%, 67% vs 54%, and 44 vs 29%, respectively (P \u3c 0.001). Heart failure hospitalizations occurred in 36% vs 22%, and urgent outpatient visits for HF exacerbations occurred in 67% and 55%, respectively (P \u3c 0.001). For the global model, there was an association observed for anemia and all-cause mortality or hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.32, P = 0.04), but other outcomes were not significant at P \u3c 0.05. In the modified model, the adjusted HR for anemia and the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or all-cause hospitalization was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.10-1.42, P \u3c 0.001). There were independent associations between anemia and all-cause death (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.87-1.42, P = 0.38), CV death or CV hospitalization (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01-1.33, P = 0.035), and CV death and HF hospitalization (HR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06-1.51, P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Anemia modestly is associated with increased rates of death, hospitalization, and HF exacerbation in patients with chronic HFREF. After adjusting for other important covariates, anemia is independently associated with an excess hazard for all-cause mortality and all-cause hospitalization. Anemia is also associated with combinations of CV death and CV/HF hospitalizations as composite endpoints

Accuracy of predictive equations for resting energy expenditure (REE) in non-obese and obese Korean children and adolescents

Weight-controlling can be supported by a proper prescription of energy intake. The individual energy requirement is usually determined through resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical activity. Because REE contributes to 60-70% of daily energy expenditure, the assessment of REE is very important. REE is often predicted using various equations, which are usually based on the body weight, height, age, gender, and so on. The aim of this study is to validate the published predictive equations for resting energy expenditure in 76 normal weight and 52 obese Korean children and adolescents in the 7-18 years old age group. The open-circuit indirect calorimetry using a ventilated hood system was used to measure REE. Sixteen REE predictive equations were included, which were based on weight and/or height of children and adolescents, or which were commonly used in clinical settings despite its use based on adults. The accuracy of the equations was evaluated on bias, RMSPE, and percentage of accurate prediction. The means of age and height were not significantly different among the groups. Weight and BMI were significantly higher in obese group (64.0 kg, 25.9 kg/m2) than in the non-obese group (44.8 kg, 19.0 kg/m2). For the obese group, the Molnar, Mifflin, Liu, and Harris-Benedict equations provided the accurate predictions of > 70% (87%, 79% 77%, and 73%, respectively). On the other hand, for non-obese group, only the Molnar equation had a high level of accuracy (bias of 0.6%, RMSPE of 90.4 kcal/d, and accurate prediction of 72%). The accurate prediction of the Schofield (W/WH), WHO (W/WH), and Henry (W/WH) equations was less than 60% for all groups. Our results showed that the Molnar equation appears to be the most accurate and precise for both the non-obese and the obese groups. This equation might be useful for clinical professionals when calculating energy needs in Korean children and adolescents

Role of educational level in the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among rural Spanish women

BACKGROUND: The impact of obesity on health-related quality of life (HRQL) has been little explored in rural areas. The goal of this study is to ascertain the association between obesity and HRQL among Spanish women living in a rural area, and the influence of their educational level. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with personal interview of 1298 women (aged 18 to 60) randomly selected from the electoral rolls of 14 towns in Galicia, a region in the north-west of Spain. HRQL was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The association between body mass index (BMI) and suboptimal scores in the different HRQL dimensions was summarised using odds ratios (ORs), obtained from multivariate logistic regression models. Separate analyses were conducted for women who had finished their education younger than 16 years old and women with secondary education to assess differences in the relationship between BMI and HRQL according to educational level. RESULTS: Among women with primary or lower education, obesity was associated with a higher prevalence of suboptimal values in the following dimensions: Physical functioning (OR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.22-3.18); Role-physical (OR: 1.81; 95%CI: 1.04-3.14); General health (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.10-2.81); and Role-emotional (OR: 2.52; 95%CI: 1.27-5.03). In women with higher education, physical functioning was the only dimension associated with obesity (OR: 2.02: 95%CI 0.83-4.97). CONCLUSION: The impact of obesity on women's HRQL is greater among those with a lower educational level. This group registered higher prevalence of obesity and poorer self-perceived health.This study was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant 001/05).S