Similarities between parents and their adopted children

As shown in 7,230 parent-child pairs (6,726 biological and 504 adoptive), adoptive parents and their adopted children tend to resemble each other in height, weight and fatfolds to an extent paralleling height, weight and fatfold resemblances of natural (biological) parents and their children. Accordingly, the magnitudes of parent-child resemblances commonly given may not be indicative of the extent of heritability of stature, weight and subcutaneous fat.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37570/1/1330450318_ftp.pd

Validity, practical utility, and reliability of the activPAL in preschool children

<p>Purpose: With the increasing global prevalence of childhood obesity, it is important to have appropriate measurement tools for investigating factors (e.g. sedentary time) contributing to positive energy balance in early childhood. For pre-school children, single unit monitors such as the activPALTM are promising. However, validation is required as activity patterns differ from adults.</p> <p>Methods: Thirty pre-school children participated in a validation study. Children were videoed for one hour undertaking usual nursery activity while wearing an activPALTM. Video (criterion method) was analyzed on a second-by-second basis to categorise posture and activity. This was compared with the corresponding activPALTM output. In a subsequent sub-study investigating practical utility and reliability, 20 children wore an activPALTM for seven consecutive 24-hour periods.</p> <p>Results: A total of 97,750 seconds of direct observation from 30 children were categorized as sit/lie (46%), stand (35%), walk (16%); with 3% of time in nonsit/lie/upright postures (e.g. crawl/crouch/kneel-up). Sensitivity for the overall total time matched seconds detected as activPALTM ‘sit/lie’ was 86.7%, specificity 97.1%, and positive predictive value (PPV) 96.3%. For individual children, the median (interquartile range) sensitivity for activPALTM sit/lie was 92.8% (76.1-97.4), specificity 97.3% (94.9-99.2), PPV 97.0% (91.5-99.1). The activPALTM underestimated total time spent sitting (mean difference -4.4%, p<0.01), and overestimated time standing (mean difference 7.1%, p<0.01). There was no difference in overall % time categorised as ‘walk’ (p=0.2). The monitors were well tolerated by children during a seven day period of free-living activity. In the reliability study, at least five days of monitoring were required to obtain an intraclass correlation coefficient of ≥0.8 for time spent sit/lie according to activPALTM output.</p> <p>Conclusion: The activPAL had acceptable validity, practical utility, and reliability for the measurement of posture and activity during freeliving activities in pre-school children.</p&gt

Choice of activity-intensity classification thresholds impacts upon accelerometer-assessed physical activity-health relationships in children

It is unknown whether using different published thresholds (PTs) for classifying physical activity (PA) impacts upon activity-health relationships. This study explored whether relationships between PA (sedentary [SED], light PA [LPA], moderate PA [MPA], moderate-to-vigorous PA, vigorous PA [VPA]) and health markers differed in children when classified using three different PTs

Predicting prescribed magnification

Aim: To determine the best method of estimating the optimum magnification needed by visually impaired patients. Methods: The magnification of low vision aids prescribed to 187 presbyopic visually impaired patients for reading newspapers or books was compared with logMAR distance and near acuity (at 25 cm) and magnification predicted by +4 D step near additions. Results: Distance letter (r = 0.58) and near word visual acuity (r = 0.67) were strongly correlated to the prescribed magnification as were predictive formulae based on these measures. Prediction using the effect of proximal magnification resulted in a similar correlation (r = 0.67) and prediction was poorer in those who did not benefit from proximal magnification. The difference between prescribed and predicted magnification was found to be unrelated to the condition causing visual impairment (F = 2.57, p = 0.08), the central visual field status (F = 0.57, p = 0.57) and patient psychology (F = 0.44, p = 0.51), but was higher in those prescribed stand magnifiers than high near additions (F = 5.99, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The magnification necessary to perform normal visual tasks can be predicted in the majority of cases using visual acuity measures, although measuring the effect of proximal magnification demonstrates the effect of stronger glasses and identifies those in whom prescribed magnification is more difficult to predict

Quantitative measures of health policy implementation determinants and outcomes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Public policy has tremendous impacts on population health. While policy development has been extensively studied, policy implementation research is newer and relies largely on qualitative methods. Quantitative measures are needed to disentangle differential impacts of policy implementation determinants (i.e., barriers and facilitators) and outcomes to ensure intended benefits are realized. Implementation outcomes include acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, compliance/fidelity, feasibility, penetration, sustainability, and costs. This systematic review identified quantitative measures that are used to assess health policy implementation determinants and outcomes and evaluated the quality of these measures. METHODS: Three frameworks guided the review: Implementation Outcomes Framework (Proctor et al.), Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (Damschroder et al.), and Policy Implementation Determinants Framework (Bullock et al.). Six databases were searched: Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, PAIS, ERIC, and Worldwide Political. Searches were limited to English language, peer-reviewed journal articles published January 1995 to April 2019. Search terms addressed four levels: health, public policy, implementation, and measurement. Empirical studies of public policies addressing physical or behavioral health with quantitative self-report or archival measures of policy implementation with at least two items assessing implementation outcomes or determinants were included. Consensus scoring of the Psychometric and Pragmatic Evidence Rating Scale assessed the quality of measures. RESULTS: Database searches yielded 8417 non-duplicate studies, with 870 (10.3%) undergoing full-text screening, yielding 66 studies. From the included studies, 70 unique measures were identified to quantitatively assess implementation outcomes and/or determinants. Acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, and compliance were the most commonly measured implementation outcomes. Common determinants in the identified measures were organizational culture, implementation climate, and readiness for implementation, each aspects of the internal setting. Pragmatic quality ranged from adequate to good, with most measures freely available, brief, and at high school reading level. Few psychometric properties were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Well-tested quantitative measures of implementation internal settings were under-utilized in policy studies. Further development and testing of external context measures are warranted. This review is intended to stimulate measure development and high-quality assessment of health policy implementation outcomes and determinants to help practitioners and researchers spread evidence-informed policies to improve population health. REGISTRATION: Not registered

Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with hard and light intensity physical activity but not time spent sedentary in 10–14 year old schoolchildren: the HAPPY study

Sedentary behaviour is a major risk factor for developing chronic diseases and is associated with low cardiorespiratory fitness in adults. It remains unclear how sedentary behaviour and different physical activity subcomponents are related to cardiorespiratory fitness in children. The purpose of this study was to assess how sedentary behaviour and different physical activity subcomponents are associated with 10–14 year-old schoolchildren's cardiorespiratory fitness

Global analyses of TetR family transcriptional regulators in mycobacteria indicates conservation across species and diversity in regulated functions

BACKGROUND: Mycobacteria inhabit diverse niches and display high metabolic versatility. They can colonise both humans and animals and are also able to survive in the environment. In order to succeed, response to environmental cues via transcriptional regulation is required. In this study we focused on the TetR family of transcriptional regulators (TFTRs) in mycobacteria. RESULTS: We used InterPro to classify the entire complement of transcriptional regulators in 10 mycobacterial species and these analyses showed that TFTRs are the most abundant family of regulators in all species. We identified those TFTRs that are conserved across all species analysed and those that are unique to the pathogens included in the analysis. We examined genomic contexts of 663 of the conserved TFTRs and observed that the majority of TFTRs are separated by 200 bp or less from divergently oriented genes. Analyses of divergent genes indicated that the TFTRs control diverse biochemical functions not limited to efflux pumps. TFTRs typically bind to palindromic motifs and we identified 11 highly significant novel motifs in the upstream regions of divergently oriented TFTRs. The C-terminal ligand binding domain from the TFTR complement in M. tuberculosis showed great diversity in amino acid sequence but with an overall architecture common to other TFTRs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that mycobacteria depend on TFTRs for the transcriptional control of a number of metabolic functions yet the physiological role of the majority of these regulators remain unknown. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1696-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Luminous Red Galaxy Clustering at z~0.7 - First Results using AAOmega

We report on the AAT-AAOmega LRG Pilot observing run to establish the feasibility of a large spectroscopic survey using the new AAOmega instrument. We have selected Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) using single epoch SDSS riz-photometry to i<20.5 and z<20.2. We have observed in 3 fields including the COSMOS field and the COMBO-17 S11 field, obtaining a sample of ~600 redshift z>=0.5 LRGs. Exposure times varied from 1 - 4 hours to determine the minimum exposure for AAOmega to make an essentially complete LRG redshift survey in average conditions. We show that LRG redshifts to i<20.5 can measured in approximately 1.5hr exposures and present comparisons with 2SLAQ and COMBO-17 (photo-)redshifts. Crucially, the riz selection coupled with the 3-4 times improved AAOmega throughput is shown to extend the LRG mean redshift from z=0.55 for 2SLAQ to z=0.681+/- 0.005 for riz-selected LRGs. This extended range is vital for maximising the S/N for the detection of the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs). Furthermore, we show that the amplitude of LRG clustering is s_0 = 9.9+/-0.7 h^-1 Mpc, as high as that seen in the 2SLAQ LRG Survey. Consistent results for the real-space amplitude are found from projected and semi-projected correlation functions. This high clustering amplitude is consistent with a long-lived population whose bias evolves as predicted by a simple ``high-peaks'' model. We conclude that a redshift survey of 360 000 LRGs over 3000deg^2, with an effective volume some 4 times bigger than previously used to detect BAO with LRGs, is possible with AAOmega in 170 nights.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 8 tables, minor changes, matches published versio

Determination of the efficacy and side-effect profile of lower doses of intrathecal morphine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intrathecal (IT) morphine provides excellent post-operative analgesia, but causes multiple side effects including nausea and vomiting (PONV), pruritus and respiratory depression, particularly at higher doses. The lowest effective dose of spinal morphine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty is not known.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated the analgesic efficacy and side effect profile of 100 – 300 μg IT morphine in patients undergoing elective total knee replacement in this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Sixty patients over the age of 60 undergoing elective knee arthroplasty were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive spinal anaesthesia with 15 mg Bupivacaine and IT morphine in three groups: (i) 100 μg; (ii) 200 μg; and (iii) 300 μg.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both 200 μg and 300 μg IT morphine provided comparable levels of postoperative analgesia. However, patients that received 100 μg had greater pain postoperatively, with higher pain scores and a greater requirement for supplemental morphine. There were no differences between groups with regard to PONV, pruritus, sedation, respiratory depression or urinary retention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both 200 μg and 300 μg provided comparable postoperative analgesia, which was superior to that provided by 100 μg IT morphine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Based on these findings, we recommend that 200 μg IT morphine be used in these patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00695045</p

Jet production in charged current deep inelastic e⁺p scatteringat HERA

The production rates and substructure of jets have been studied in charged current deep inelastic e⁺p scattering for Q² > 200 GeV² with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 110.5 pb⁻¹. Inclusive jet cross sections are presented for jets with transverse energies E_{T}^{jet} > 5 GeV. Measurements of the mean subjet multiplicity, 〈n_{sbj}〉, of the inclusive jet sample are presented. Predictions based on parton-shower Monte Carlo models and next-to-leading-order QCD calculations are compared to the measurements. The value of α_{s} (M_{z}), determined from 〈n_{sbj}〉 at y_{cut} = 10⁻² for jets with 25 < E_{T}^{jet} < 119 GeV, is α_{s} (M_{z}) = 0.1202 ± 0.0052 (stat.)_{-0.0019}^{+0.0060} (syst.)_{-0.0053}^{+0.0065} (th.). The mean subjet multiplicity as a function of Q² is found to be consistent with that measured in NC DIS