Strategies men use to cope with stress caused by severe obesity : a qualitative study

This qualitative study sought to explore and describe the coping strategies obese men use, as well as the lived experience of being obese. A phenomenological approach, symbolic interactionism and life course perspectives were used as theoretical points of departure. Experiences of being obese were described through three individual, in-depth, unstructured interviews. Emotion-focused coping strategies like blaming, denial and reappraisal, as well as avoidance were used while problem-focused coping strategies consisted of physical activity, weight loss diets and wearing appropriate clothes. Cognitive appraisals gave rise to certain emotions and feelings that their self and well-being were at risk and need to be dealt with. Along the life course they developed a specific coping trajectory. Identification of coping strategies and better awareness of the lived experience of obese men may enhance the knowledge of professionals, family members as well as parents who need to support them. It also provided tools to help vulnerable obese people deal with the consequences of stigma associated with it.http://http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JP/JP-00-0-000-000-2010-Web/JP-00-0-000-000-2009-1-Cover.htmam2016Consumer Scienc

An efficient strategy for evaluating new non-invasive screening tests for colorectal cancer: the guiding principles.

New screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) are rapidly emerging. Conducting trials with mortality reduction as the end point supporting their adoption is challenging. We re-examined the principles underlying evaluation of new non-invasive tests in view of technological developments and identification of new biomarkers. A formal consensus approach involving a multidisciplinary expert panel revised eight previously established principles. Twelve newly stated principles emerged. Effectiveness of a new test can be evaluated by comparison with a proven comparator non-invasive test. The faecal immunochemical test is now considered the appropriate comparator, while colonoscopy remains the diagnostic standard. For a new test to be able to meet differing screening goals and regulatory requirements, flexibility to adjust its positivity threshold is desirable. A rigorous and efficient four-phased approach is proposed, commencing with small studies assessing the test's ability to discriminate between CRC and non-cancer states (phase I), followed by prospective estimation of accuracy across the continuum of neoplastic lesions in neoplasia-enriched populations (phase II). If these show promise, a provisional test positivity threshold is set before evaluation in typical screening populations. Phase III prospective studies determine single round intention-to-screen programme outcomes and confirm the test positivity threshold. Phase IV studies involve evaluation over repeated screening rounds with monitoring for missed lesions. Phases III and IV findings will provide the real-world data required to model test impact on CRC mortality and incidence. New non-invasive tests can be efficiently evaluated by a rigorous phased comparative approach, generating data from unbiased populations that inform predictions of their health impact

Framing the concept of satellite remote sensing essential biodiversity variables: challenges and future directions

Although satellite-based variables have for long been expected to be key components to a unified and global biodiversity monitoring strategy, a definitive and agreed list of these variables still remains elusive. The growth of interest in biodiversity variables observable from space has been partly underpinned by the development of the essential biodiversity variable (EBV) framework by the Group on Earth Observations – Biodiversity Observation Network, which itself was guided by the process of identifying essential climate variables. This contribution aims to advance the development of a global biodiversity monitoring strategy by updating the previously published definition of EBV, providing a definition of satellite remote sensing (SRS) EBVs and introducing a set of principles that are believed to be necessary if ecologists and space agencies are to agree on a list of EBVs that can be routinely monitored from space. Progress toward the identification of SRS-EBVs will require a clear understanding of what makes a biodiversity variable essential, as well as agreement on who the users of the SRS-EBVs are. Technological and algorithmic developments are rapidly expanding the set of opportunities for SRS in monitoring biodiversity, and so the list of SRS-EBVs is likely to evolve over time. This means that a clear and common platform for data providers, ecologists, environmental managers, policy makers and remote sensing experts to interact and share ideas needs to be identified to support long-term coordinated actions

Evaluation of satellite-derived burned area products for the fynbos, a Mediterranean shrubland

Fire is a critical ecological process in the fynbos of the south-western area of South Africa, as it is for all dwarf Mediterranean shrublands. We evaluated the potential of current publicly available MODIS burned area products to contribute to an accurate fire history of the fynbos. To this end, we compared the Meraka Institute's MODIS burned area product, based on the Giglio algorithm (termed the 'WAMIS' product) as well as the standard MODIS MCD45A1 burned area product, based on the Roy algorithm, with comprehensive manager-mapped fire boundary data. We used standard inventory accuracy assessment (number and size of individual burn scars) and confusion matrix techniques. Results showed promise for both burned area products, depending on the intended use. The MCD45A1 had low errors of commission (8.1-19.1%) and high consumer's accuracy (80.9-91.9%), but relatively common errors of omission, making it useful for studies that need to identify burned pixels with a high degree of certainty. However, the WAMIS product generally had low errors of omission (12.2-43.8%) and greater producer's accuracy (56.2-87.6%), making it a useful tool for supplementing manager-mapped fire records, especially for fynbos remnants occurring outside protected areas. © 2012 IAWF

q-GRID: A New Method To Calculate Lattice and Interaction Energies for Molecular Crystals from Electron Densities

We present a new method to calculate lattice and intermolecular interaction energies for molecular crystals from electron densities obtained within the crystalline environment: <i>q</i>-GRID. The electron density is partitioned over a grid, and each grid point is assigned to a specific molecule. Intermolecular interaction energies are calculated as a sum of Coulomb interactions between grid points and nuclei of pairs of molecules and analytical dispersion and repulsion contributions. An advantage of this method is that the interactions within a molecule are automatically excluded. After a description of the new method and the computational setup, three test cases representing different classes of molecular crystals are presented: anthracene, isonicotinamide, and dl-methionine. For the polymorphic compounds, <i>q</i>-GRID is able to obtain the correct ranking of the polymorphic stability. Calculated lattice energies, as a sum of intermolecular interactions, are in good agreement with sublimation enthalpies. The code of <i>q</i>-GRID is made publicly available

Gecombineerde visus- en gehoorbeperking: naar schatting bij 30.000-35.000 55-plussers in Nederland

Design Combination of studies in the general population and in relevant subpopulations. Method Eight databases derived from recent studies on older persons with vision and hearing data on Dutch subjects aged 55 years or over were selected for further analysis. The measurement methods included self-reports, clinical measurements and observations. The prevalences of DSI were calculated for the general population, the non-institutionalised population, and subgroups such as older people in nursing homes and homes for the elderly. The calculated prevalences were extrapolated to the overall Dutch population. Results For the non-institutionalised population of 55 years and older, the prevalences of acquired DSI in two different data sets were 0.4 (95 CI: 0.2-0.6) and 0.6 (95 CI: 0.3-0.8), respectively. Among the inhabitants of homes for the elderly these percentages were 5.4 (95 CI: 0.9-9.9) and 5.5 (95 CI: 3.8-7.2), and in nursing homes they were 12.7 (95 CI: 9.7-15.7) and 16.7 (95 CI: 14.6-18.8). Acquired DSI was most common in persons 85 years of age and older. It was estimated that the number of people aged 55 years and over with acquired DSI in the Netherlands is 30,000 to 35,000. Conclusion DSI is particularly a problem of the oldest old. An integrated approach to the visual and hearing problems of these subjects is essential

Evaluation of the bioequivalence of tablets and capsules containing the novel anticancer agent R115777 (Zarnestra) in patients with advanced solid tumors

R 115777 (Zarnestra) is a novel anticancer agent, currently undergoing phase III clinical testing. An open, cross-over trial was performed in 24 patients with solid tumors to compare the bioavailability of a new tablet formulation with the standard capsule formulation. Both dosage forms were administered once daily in doses of 300 or 400 mg. Patients received R115777 as a capsule on day 1 and as a tablet on day 2, or vice versa. Blood samples were drawn up to 24 hours after drug intake and R115777 levels were measured using a validated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The following pharmacokinetic parameters were determined and compared for the two formulations: time to maximal plasma concentration (Tmax), half-life (t1/2), maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve at twenty-four hours (AUC24h). For the latter two parameters, 90% classical confidence intervals of the ratio tablet/capsule were calculated after a log-transformation, using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). For t1/2 and Tmax, no statistically significant differences were found between tablet and capsule. The point estimates of the ratio's of the log-normalized Cmax and AUG24h were 0.94 and 0.92, respectively, and the 90% confidence intervals were 0.81-1.09 and 0.83-1.03, which is within the critical range for bioequivalence of 0.80-1.25. In conclusion, the established pharmacokinetic parameters demonstrate that the capsule and tablet formulations of R115777 are interchangeable

Tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency causes progressive encephalopathy and dopa-nonresponsive dystonia.

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Recessively inherited deficiency of TH was recently identified and incorporated into recent concepts of genetic dystonias as the cause of recessive Dopa-responsive dystonia or Segawa's syndrome in analogy to dominantly inherited GTP cyclohydrolase I deficiency. We report four patients with TH deficiency and two with GTP cyclohydrolase I deficiency. Patients with TH deficiency suffer from progressive infantile encephalopathy dominated by motor retardation similar to a primary neuromuscular disorder, fluctuating extrapyramidal, and ocular and vegetative symptoms. Intellectual functions are mostly compromised. Prenatally disturbed brain development and postnatal growth failure were observed. Treatment with levodopa ameliorates but usually does not normalize symptoms. Compared with patients with dominantly inherited GTP cyclohydrolase I deficiency, catecholaminergic neurotransmission is severely and constantly impaired in TH deficiency. In most patients, this results not in predominating dystonia, a largely nondegenerative condition, but in a progressive often lethal neurometabolic disorder, which can be improved but not cured by L-dopa. Investigations of neurotransmitter defects by specific cerebrospinal fluid determinations should be included in the diagnostic evaluation of children with progressive infantile encephalopathy