Actical Accelerometry Cut-points for Quantifying Levels of Exertion: Comparing Normal and Overweight Adults

Int J Exerc Sci 5(2) : 170-182, 2012. Weight, body fatness and ambulatory pattern all have the potential to affect accelerometer output and cause differences in output between overweight and normal-weight adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if Actical (Philips Respironics, Bend, OR) activity count cut-points for moderate and vigorous intensity exercise are different for overweight adults compared to normal-weight adults. Overweight adults with BMI \u3e25 kg/m² (n=29) and Normal-Weight adults (n=25) walked at 3.2 and 4.8 km∙h-1 and ran at 6.4 km∙h-1 on a treadmill while simultaneously wearing an Actical accelerometer and obtaining measurements of oxygen uptake. Counts per minute (counts∙min-1) were determined at 3 METS (moderate) and 6 METS (vigorous) using ROC curves. The counts∙min-1 at 3 METs was 1726 and 1923 counts∙min-1 for Overweight and Normal-Weight groups, respectively. The cut-points at 6 METs were 4117 and 4032 counts∙min-1 for Overweight and Normal-Weight groups, respectively. The differences between groups were not statistically significant (p\u3e0.73 for both). Correlations between BMI and counts∙min-1 were not significant (p\u3e0.05) at any speed for the Normal-Weight group but were significant at 3.2 and 4.8 km∙h-1 for the Overweight group. Although there appears to be some relationship between activity counts∙min-1 and BMI, the results suggest that similar cut-points may be used for normal weight and overweight adults. However, the greater variability in counts at each speed and lower ROC curve areas for overweight adults suggest that it is harder to classify the activity intensity of overweight subjects compared to normal weight subjects

Lifestyle-Related Determinants of Obesity Among Omani Children

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) z-scores and lifestyle-related factors including nutrition, physical activity, screen time and time spent sleeping in 6–10-year-old Omani children. Methods: This cross-sectional study included mother-child dyads that were recruited from five provinces in Oman. Children’s BMI measurements and questionnaires on nutrition intake, physical activity, screen time and time spent sleeping and a single-day dietary recall were collected. Results: A total of 197 dyads were included in this study. The children's mean age was 7.7 ± 1.6 years and 53% were female. In this study, 17.4% of the children were classified as overweight or obese. No significant relationship was found between the children's BMI z-scores and nutrition intake, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time or screen time (P ≥0.05). Increased time spent sleeping at night was positively associated with childhood obesity (P <0.05). Conclusion: The relationship between obesity and caloric intake, physical activity and screen time among children younger than 10 years seems to be moderated by certain factors that need to be investigated. Qualitative studies and questionnaires that are culturally sensitive are therefore needed.Keywords: Children; Pediatric Obesity; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physical Activity; Screen Time; Sleep; Oman

A Cluster Randomized Trial of Tailored Breastfeeding Support for Women with Gestational Diabetes

Background: Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their infants are at increased risk of developing metabolic disease; however, longer breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in these risks. We tested an intervention to increase breastfeeding duration among women with GDM

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes induce human microvascular endothelial cellular effects in an alveolar-capillary co-culture with small airway epithelial cells

Background Nanotechnology, particularly the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), is a rapidly growing discipline with implications for advancement in a variety of fields. A major route of exposure to MWCNT during both occupational and environmental contact is inhalation. While many studies showed adverse effects to the vascular endothelium upon MWCNT exposure, in vitro results often do not correlate with in vivo effects. This study aimed to determine if an alveolar-capillary co-culture model could determine changes in the vascular endothelium after epithelial exposure to MWCNT. Methods A co-culture system in which both human small airway epithelial cells and human microvascular endothelial cells were separated by a Transwell membrane so as to resemble an alveolar-capillary interaction was used. Following exposure of the epithelial layer to MWCNT, the effects to the endothelial barrier were determined. Results Exposure of the epithelial layer to MWCNT induced multiple changes in the endothelial cell barrier, including an increase in reactive oxygen species, actin rearrangement, loss of VE-cadherin at the cell surface, and an increase in endothelial angiogenic ability. Overall increases in secreted VEGFA, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 protein levels, as well as increases in intracellular phospho-NF-κB, phospho-Stat3, and phospho-p38 MAPK, were also noted in HMVEC after epithelial exposure. Conclusion The co-culture system identified that alveolar-capillary exposure to MWCNT induced multiple changes to the underlying endothelium, potentially through cell signaling mediators derived from MWCNT-exposed epithelial cells. Therefore, the co-culture system appears to be a relevant in vitromethod to study the pulmonary toxicity of MWCNT

Potentially preventable complications of urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia, and delirium in hospitalised dementia patients: Retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: To identify rates of potentially preventable complications for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort design using hospital discharge data for dementia patients, case matched on sex, age, comorbidity and surgical status on a 1 : 4 ratio to non-dementia patients. SETTING: Public hospital discharge data from the state of New South Wales, Australia for 2006/2007. PARTICIPANTS: 426 276 overnight hospital episodes for patients aged 50 and above (census sample). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of preventable complications, with episode-level risk adjustment for 12 complications that are known to be sensitive to nursing care. RESULTS: Controlling for age and comorbidities, surgical dementia patients had higher rates than non-dementia patients in seven of the 12 complications: urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, delirium, pneumonia, physiological and metabolic derangement (all at p<0.0001), sepsis and failure to rescue (at p<0.05). Medical dementia patients also had higher rates of these complications than did non-dementia patients. The highest rates and highest relative risk for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients, in both medical and surgical populations, were found in four common complications: urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia and delirium. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-dementia patients, hospitalised dementia patients have higher rates of potentially preventable complications that might be responsive to nursing interventions

A Church-Based Intervention to Change Attitudes about Physical Activity among Black Adolescent Girls: A Feasibility Study

To feasibility test a 12-week church-based physical activity intervention that was culturally sensitive, age- and gender specific directed at changing attitudes of Black adolescent girls to be more physically active

Interaction Between Allelic Variations in Vitamin D Receptor and Retinoid X Receptor Genes on Metabolic Traits

Low vitamin D status has been shown to be a risk factor for several metabolic traits such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The biological actions of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D, are mediated through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which heterodimerizes with retinoid X receptor, gamma (RXRG). Hence, we examined the potential interactions between the tagging polymorphisms in the VDR (22 tag SNPs) and RXRG (23 tag SNPs) genes on metabolic outcomes such as body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), high- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterols, serum triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and glycated haemoglobin in the 1958 British Birth Cohort (1958BC, up to n = 5,231). We used Multifactor- dimensionality reduction (MDR) program as a non-parametric test to examine for potential interactions between the VDR and RXRG gene polymorphisms in the 1958BC. We used the data from Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC66, up to n = 5,316) and Twins UK (up to n = 3,943) to replicate our initial findings from 1958BC

Effects of coal contamination on early life history processes of a reef-building coral, Acropora tenuis

Successful reproduction and larval dispersal are important for the persistence ofmarine invertebrate populations, and these early life history processes can be sensitive to marine pollution. Coal is emerging as a contaminant of interest due to the proximity of ports and shipping lanes to coral reefs. To assess the potential hazard of this contaminant, gametes, newly developedembryos, larvae and juveniles of the coral Acropora tenuis were exposed to a range of coal leachate, suspended coal, and coal smothering treatments. Fertilisation was the most sensitive reproductive process tested. Embryo survivorship decreased with increasing suspended coal concentrations and exposure duration, effects on larval settlement varied between treatments, while effects on juvenile survivorship were minimal. Leachate exposures had negligible effects on fertilisation and larval settlement. These results indicate that coral recruitment could be affected by spills that produce plumes of suspended coal particles which interact with gametes and embryos soon after spawning