897 research outputs found
Professionalism and leadership in medical education: how do they differ and how are they related?
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Genetic variation underlying common hereditary hyperbilirubinaemia (Gilbert's syndrome) and respiratory health in the 1946 British birth cohort
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bilirubin has potent antioxidant properties in vitro and raised serum levels have been associated with lower rates of respiratory disease. The enzyme uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase polypeptide 1A1 (UGT1A1) is solely responsible for clearing bilirubin from the blood and homozygosity for seven thymine-adenine (TA) repeats in the TATA box regulatory element of the UGT1A1 gene underlies a mild hereditary unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (Gilbert's syndrome). Our aim was to investigate whether this genetic variation is associated with differences in respiratory health. METHODS: The relationship between the promoter genotype underlying Gilbert's syndrome (UGT1A1 rs8175347 [TA]7/7) and respiratory outcomes assessed at ages 43, 53, and 60-64 were examined in 2190 members of the 1946 British birth cohort. RESULTS: The (TA)7/7 genotype, present in 9% of the cohort, was associated with higher forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). The relationship was strongest for heavy smokers (⩾20 cigarettes per day) at age 53 with mean FEV1 409 ml higher (191 to 627; p<0.001) and mean FVC 530 ml higher (95% CI 262-798; p<0.001) for UGT1A1 (TA)7/7 Gilbert's syndrome participants than for all others, indicating a protection from the pulmonary consequences of heavy smoking. The odds of respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, self-reported asthma, or prescription of respiratory drugs) were half in those with Gilbert's syndrome genotype (odds ratio 0.49 [95% CI 0.39-0.74]; p<0.001) compared to those without this genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Genetically raised unconjugated serum bilirubin is associated with higher adult respiratory function and protection from respiratory disease
Run, Jump, Throw and Catch: How proficient are children attending English schools at the Fundamental Motor Skills identified as key within the school curriculum?
This study examined proficiency levels in fundamental motor skills (FMS) in children within Key Stage 1 and 2 of the English school system. Four hundred and ninety-two children aged 6–9 Years old (245 boys, 247 girls) from school Years Two (n = 130), Three (n = 154) and Four (n = 208) participated in this study. FMS for the run, jump, throw and catch were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development – 2. The proportion of children who achieved mastery or near mastery of the skills was determined. For the whole sample, 18.5% (n = 91) did not achieve mastery in any of the four skills. A similar proportion (18.7%, n = 92) achieved mastery in all four of the FMS examined in this study. The proportion of children achieving mastery of all four skills was lower for Year Two children (0%) compared to children in years Three (24%) and Four (25%). More boys (25.7%) achieved mastery in all four of the FMS compared to girls (11.7%). Individual behavioural components in skill performance were also examined. The results of the present study highlight that less than one-fifth of children aged 6–9 years old have mastered the four key FMS identified by the physical education (PE) curriculum despite having the developmental potential to become fundamentally competent by six years of age. Fostering positive trajectories of FMS development presents a challenge for PE specialists given the association between FMS mastery in childhood and physical activity, weight status and health.N/
Relative blocking in posets
Poset-theoretic generalizations of set-theoretic committee constructions are
presented. The structure of the corresponding subposets is described. Sequences
of irreducible fractions associated to the principal order ideals of finite
bounded posets are considered and those related to the Boolean lattices are
explored; it is shown that such sequences inherit all the familiar properties
of the Farey sequences.Comment: 29 pages. Corrected version of original publication which is
available at http://www.springerlink.com, see Corrigendu
Restrictive ID policies: implications for health equity
We wish to thank Synod Community Services for their critical work to develop, support, and implement a local government-issued ID in Washtenaw County, MI. We also thank Yousef Rabhi of the Michigan House of Representatives and Janelle Fa'aola of the Washtenaw ID Task Force, Lawrence Kestenbaum of the Washtenaw County Clerk's Office, Sherriff Jerry Clayton of the Washtenaw County Sherriff's Office, and the Washtenaw ID Task Force for their tireless commitment to developing and supporting the successful implementation of the Washtenaw ID. Additionally, we thank Vicenta Vargas and Skye Hillier for their contributions to the Washtenaw ID evaluation. We thank the Curtis Center for Research and Evaluation at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan, and the University of California-Irvine Department of Chicano/Latino Studies and Program in Public Health for their support of the Washtenaw ID community-academic research partnership. Finally, we thank the reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. (Curtis Center for Research and Evaluation at the University of Michigan School of Social Work; National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan; University of California-Irvine Department of Chicano/Latino Studies; Program in Public Health)https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10903-017-0579-3.pdfPublished versio
Should physical activity recommendations be ethnicity-specific? Evidence from a cross-sectional study of south Asian and European men
Background
Expert bodies and health organisations recommend that adults undertake at least 150 min.week−1 of moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA). However, the underpinning data largely emanate from studies of populations of European descent. It is unclear whether this level of activity is appropriate for other ethnic groups, particularly South Asians, who have increased cardio-metabolic disease risk compared to Europeans. The aim of this study was to explore the level of MPA required in South Asians to confer a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile to that observed in Europeans undertaking the currently recommended MPA level of 150 min.week−1.<p></p>
Methods
Seventy-five South Asian and 83 European men, aged 40–70, without cardiovascular disease or diabetes had fasted blood taken, blood pressure measured, physical activity assessed objectively (using accelerometry), and anthropometric measures made. Factor analysis was used to summarise measured risk biomarkers into underlying latent ‘factors’ for glycaemia, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and overall cardio-metabolic risk. Age-adjusted regression models were used to determine the equivalent level of MPA (in bouts of ≥10 minutes) in South Asians needed to elicit the same value in each factor as Europeans undertaking 150 min.week−1 MPA.<p></p>
Findings
For all factors, except blood pressure, equivalent MPA values in South Asians were significantly higher than 150 min.week−1; the equivalent MPA value for the overall cardio-metabolic risk factor was 266 (95% CI 185-347) min.week−1.<p></p>
Conclusions
South Asian men may need to undertake greater levels of MPA than Europeans to exhibit a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile, suggesting that a conceptual case can be made for ethnicity-specific physical activity guidance. Further study is needed to extend these findings to women and to replicate them prospectively in a larger cohort.<p></p>
Natural Islands for a 125 GeV Higgs in the scale-invariant NMSSM
We study whether a 125 GeV standard model-like Higgs boson can be
accommodated within the scale-invariant NMSSM in a way that is natural in all
respects, i.e., not only is the stop mass and hence its loop contribution to
Higgs mass of natural size, but we do not allow significant tuning of NMSSM
parameters as well. We pursue as much as possible an analytic approach which
gives clear insights on various ways to accommodate such a Higgs mass, while
conducting complementary numerical analyses. We consider both scenarios with
singlet-like state being heavier and lighter than SM-like Higgs. With A-terms
being small, we find for the NMSSM to be perturbative up to GUT scale, it is
not possible to get 125 GeV Higgs mass, which is true even if we tune
parameters of NMSSM. If we allow some of the couplings to become
non-perturbative below the GUT scale, then the non-tuned option implies that
the singlet self-coupling, kappa, is larger than the singlet-Higgs coupling,
lambda, which itself is order 1. This leads to a Landau pole for these
couplings close to the weak scale, in particular below ~10^4 TeV. In both the
perturbative and non-perturbative NMSSM, allowing large A_lambda, A_kappa gives
"more room" to accommodate a 125 GeV Higgs, but a tuning of these A-terms may
be needed. In our analysis we also conduct a careful study of the constraints
on the parameter space from requiring global stability of the desired vacuum
fitting a 125 GeV Higgs, which is complementary to existing literature. In
particular, as the singlet-Higgs coupling lambda increases, vacuum stability
becomes more serious of an issue.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures, references added, minor corrections to text and
figures, version to be published in JHE
Lower cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to increased insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in middle-aged South Asian compared with European men living in the UK
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to determine the extent to which increased insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in South Asian men, compared with white European men, living in the UK, was due to lower cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen uptake [[Formula: see text]]) and physical activity. METHODS: One hundred South Asian and 100 age- and BMI-matched European men without diagnosed diabetes, aged 40–70 years, had fasted blood taken for measurement of glucose concentration, HOMA-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)), plus other risk factors, and underwent assessment of physical activity (using accelerometry), [Formula: see text], body size and composition, and demographic and other lifestyle factors. For 13 South Asian and one European man, HbA(1c) levels were >6.5% (>48 mmol/mol), indicating potential undiagnosed diabetes; these men were excluded from the analyses. Linear regression models were used to determine the extent to which body size and composition, fitness and physical activity variables explained differences in HOMA(IR) and fasting glucose between South Asian and European men. RESULTS: HOMA(IR) and fasting glucose were 67% (p < 0.001) and 3% (p < 0.018) higher, respectively, in South Asians than Europeans. Lower [Formula: see text], lower physical activity and greater total adiposity in South Asians individually explained 68% (95% CI 45%, 91%), 29% (11%, 46%) and 52% (30%, 80%), respectively, and together explained 83% (50%, 119%) (all p < 0.001) of the ethnic difference in HOMA(IR). Lower [Formula: see text] and greater total adiposity, respectively, explained 61% (9%, 111%) and 39% (9%, 76%) (combined effect 63% [8%, 115%]; all p < 0.05) of the ethnic difference in fasting glucose. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Lower cardiorespiratory fitness is a key factor associated with the excess insulin resistance and fasting glycaemia in middle-aged South Asian, compared with European, men living in the UK. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-013-2969-y) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users
A precision study of the fine tuning in the DiracNMSSM
Recently the DiracNMSSM has been proposed as a possible solution to reduce
the fine tuning in supersymmetry. We determine the degree of fine tuning needed
in the DiracNMSSM with and without non-universal gaugino masses and compare it
with the fine tuning in the GNMSSM. To apply reasonable cuts on the allowed
parameter regions we perform a precise calculation of the Higgs mass. In
addition, we include the limits from direct SUSY searches and dark matter
abundance. We find that both models are comparable in terms of fine tuning,
with the minimal fine tuning in the GNMSSM slightly smaller.Comment: 20 pages + appendices, 10 figure
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