The relationship of circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 levels with pericardial fat: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Previous small studies have reported an association between circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels and pericardial fat volume in post-menopausal women and high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk patients. In this study, we investigated the relationship of FGF21 levels with pericardial fat volume in participants free of clinical CVD at baseline. We analysed data from 5765 men and women from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with both pericardial fat volume and plasma FGF21 levels measured at baseline. 4746 participants had pericardial fat volume measured in at least one follow-up exam. After adjusting for confounding factors, ln-transformed FGF21 levels were positively associated with pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055, p < 0.001). When assessing change in pericardial fat volume over a mean duration of 3.0 years using a linear mixed-effects model, higher baseline FGF21 levels were associated with higher pericardial fat volume at baseline (2.381 cm3 larger in pericardial fat volume per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels), but less pericardial fat accumulation over time (0.191 cm3/year lower per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels). Cross-sectionally, higher plasma FGF21 levels were significantly associated with higher pericardial fat volume, independent of traditional CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers. However, higher FGF21 levels tended to be associated with less pericardial fat accumulation over time. Nevertheless, such change in pericardial fat volume is very modest and could be due to measurement error. Further studies are needed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship of baseline FGF21 levels with pericardial fat accumulation

An investigation of the diet, exercise, sleep, BMI, and health outcomes of autistic adults.

BackgroundStudies of autistic children suggest that restricted eating, reduced physical activity, and sleep disorders are common; however, no studies attempt to broadly describe the diet, exercise, and sleep patterns of autistic adults or consider relationships between lifestyle behaviors and the widely reported increased risks of obesity and chronic conditions. To address this, the authors developed the largest study of lifestyle patterns of autistic adults and assessed their relationships to body mass index, health outcomes, and family history.MethodsWe administered an anonymized, online survey to n = 2386 adults (n = 1183 autistic) aged 16-90 years of age. We employed Fisher's exact tests and binomial logistic regression to describe diet, exercise, and sleep patterns; mediation of seizure disorders on sleep; body mass index (BMI); relationships of lifestyle factors to BMI, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetic conditions; and sex differences among autistic adults.ResultsAutistic adults, and particularly autistic females, exhibit unhealthy diet, exercise, and sleep patterns; they are also more likely to be underweight or obese. Limited sleep duration and high rates of sleep disturbances cannot be accounted for by epilepsy or seizure disorders. Lifestyle factors are positively related to higher risk of cardiovascular conditions among autistic males, even more than family history.LimitationsOur sample may not be representative of all autistic and non-autistic people, as it primarily comprised individuals who are white, female, have a high school education or higher, and reside in the UK. Our sampling methods may also exclude some individuals on the autism spectrum, and particularly those with moderate to severe intellectual disability. This is a cross-sectional sample that can test for relationships between factors (e.g., lifestyle factors and health outcomes) but cannot assess the direction of these relationships.ConclusionsAutistic adults are less likely to meet minimal health recommendations for diet, exercise, and sleep-and these unhealthy behaviors may relate to excess risk of cardiovascular conditions. Although the present study can only provide preliminary, correlational evidence, our findings suggest that diet, exercise, and sleep should be considered and further investigated as key targets for reducing the now widely reported and dramatically increased risks of health comorbidity and premature death among autistic individuals compared to others. Physicians should work cooperatively with patients to provide health education and develop individualized strategies for how to better manage challenges with diet, exercise, and sleep

An investigation of the diet, exercise, sleep, BMI, and health outcomes of autistic adults.

BackgroundStudies of autistic children suggest that restricted eating, reduced physical activity, and sleep disorders are common; however, no studies attempt to broadly describe the diet, exercise, and sleep patterns of autistic adults or consider relationships between lifestyle behaviors and the widely reported increased risks of obesity and chronic conditions. To address this, the authors developed the largest study of lifestyle patterns of autistic adults and assessed their relationships to body mass index, health outcomes, and family history.MethodsWe administered an anonymized, online survey to n = 2386 adults (n = 1183 autistic) aged 16-90 years of age. We employed Fisher's exact tests and binomial logistic regression to describe diet, exercise, and sleep patterns; mediation of seizure disorders on sleep; body mass index (BMI); relationships of lifestyle factors to BMI, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetic conditions; and sex differences among autistic adults.ResultsAutistic adults, and particularly autistic females, exhibit unhealthy diet, exercise, and sleep patterns; they are also more likely to be underweight or obese. Limited sleep duration and high rates of sleep disturbances cannot be accounted for by epilepsy or seizure disorders. Lifestyle factors are positively related to higher risk of cardiovascular conditions among autistic males, even more than family history.LimitationsOur sample may not be representative of all autistic and non-autistic people, as it primarily comprised individuals who are white, female, have a high school education or higher, and reside in the UK. Our sampling methods may also exclude some individuals on the autism spectrum, and particularly those with moderate to severe intellectual disability. This is a cross-sectional sample that can test for relationships between factors (e.g., lifestyle factors and health outcomes) but cannot assess the direction of these relationships.ConclusionsAutistic adults are less likely to meet minimal health recommendations for diet, exercise, and sleep-and these unhealthy behaviors may relate to excess risk of cardiovascular conditions. Although the present study can only provide preliminary, correlational evidence, our findings suggest that diet, exercise, and sleep should be considered and further investigated as key targets for reducing the now widely reported and dramatically increased risks of health comorbidity and premature death among autistic individuals compared to others. Physicians should work cooperatively with patients to provide health education and develop individualized strategies for how to better manage challenges with diet, exercise, and sleep

Perceived partner responsiveness, daily negative affect reactivity, and all-cause mortality:A 20-year longitudinal study

Objective This study tested longitudinal associations between absolute levels of perceived partner responsiveness (PPR; how much people perceive that their romantic partners understand, care for, and appreciate them), daily negative affect reactivity and positive affect reactivity, and all-cause mortality in a sample of 1,208 adults for three waves of data collection spanning 20 years. We also tested whether longitudinal changes in PPR predicted mortality via affect reactivity. Methods Data were taken from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. PPR was assessed at waves 1 and 2, affect reactivity to stressors was assessed by daily diary reports at wave 2, and mortality status was obtained at wave 3. Results Mediation analyses revealed absolute levels of PPR at wave 1 predicted wave 3 mortality via wave 2 affective reactivity in the predicted direction, but this did not remain robust when statistically accounting for covariates (e.g., marital risk, neuroticism), beta = .004, 95% confidence interval = -.03 to .04. However, wave 1-2 PPR change predicted negative affect (but not positive affect) reactivity to daily stressors at wave 2, which then predicted mortality risk a decade later (wave 3); these results held when adjusting for relevant demographic, health, and psychosocial covariates, beta = -.04, 95% confidence interval = -.09 to -.002. Conclusions These findings are among the first to provide direct evidence of psychological mechanisms underlying the links between intimate relationships and mortality and have implications for research aiming to develop interventions that increase or maintain responsiveness in relationships over time

An Examination of the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Neurological Functioning

Clinical perfectionism is the rigid pursuit of high standards, interfering with functioning. Little research has explored neural patterns in clinical perfectionism. The present study explores neural correlates of clinical perfectionism, before and after receiving ten 50-minute, weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as compared to low-perfectionist controls, in specific cortical structures: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Participants in the perfectionist condition (n = 43) were from a randomized controlled trial evaluating ACT for clinical perfectionism and low-perfectionist controls were undergraduate students (n = 12). Participants completed three tasks (editing a passage, mirror image tracing, circle tracing) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure neural activation. Results indicate that only the mirror image tracing task was associated with reduced HbT in the DLPFC and MPFC of the perfectionists whereas activation in the other tasks were relatively similar. There were no differences were observed in the right DLPFC, MPFC, and right IPL between the posttreatment perfectionist and non-perfectionist control groups. Our findings suggest an unclear relationship between neural activation and perfectionism

A Preliminary Investigation of the Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Neural Activation in Clinical Perfectionism

Clinical perfectionism is associated with various cognitive processes including performance monitoring and emotion regulation. This exploratory study analyzed neurological data from a randomized controlled trial for clinical perfectionism that compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to a waitlist control. The objective was to assess the effect of ACT on neural activation. Twenty-nine participants underwent a functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment during which they completed behavioral tasks designed to elicit error detection and error generation at pre- and posttreatment. The hemodynamic response function (HRF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and right inferior parietal lobe was analyzed using mixed effects models. In all areas, we found reductions or smaller increases in the total HRF for experimental tasks from pre- to posttreatment in the ACT condition compared to the waitlist condition. Decreases in total oxygenated hemoglobin are consistent with diminished recruitment of neurons in response to previously emotionally salient stimuli, possibly representing greater cognitive processing efficiency. Our preliminary findings tentatively support the processes of change posited by the theory underlying ACT and highlight the need for more precise methodology in neurological assessment to adequately evaluate how treatment affects neurological function. Limitations include lack of an active comparison condition and behavioral data

Acolhimento na Atenção Básica: Navegações e Mergulhos nos Discursos e Práticas Produzidos no Cotidiano de uma Unidade de Saúde da Família.

RESUMO HOFFMANN, Catharina. Acolhimento na Atenção Básica: navegações e mergulhos nos discursos e práticas produzidos no cotidiano de uma Unidade de Saúde da Família. Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Maristela Dalbello Araújo. Vitória/ES: PPGPSI/UFES, 2009. 167f. Dissertação de Mestrado. Esta pesquisa abrange os processos de produção de saúde, tendo como objeto de estudo os discursos e práticas de saúde relacionados ao acolhimento. O contexto de análise é a Atenção Básica do município de Vitória/ES e o campo de pesquisa, o cotidiano da Unidade de Saúde da Família da Ilha do Príncipe. O estudo utilizou como referência os aportes teóricos da Análise Institucional e da Saúde Coletiva. Buscou-se analisar o modo como os trabalhadores fazem acolhimento no cotidiano do serviço, além de escutar as concepções e os discursos produzidos a respeito, na relação com suas práticas cotidianas, o que inclui os processos de trabalho e as interações com os usuários. Para isso, utilizou-se a Cartografia como estratégia metodológica. Os dados foram produzidos no período de fevereiro a setembro de 2008, por meio de observação, diário de campo e entrevistas realizadas com usuários e trabalhadores da USF. Os resultados produzidos expressam que o processo de trabalho e sua gestão são fragmentados e burocratizantes. Há intenção dos trabalhadores de rever os processos de trabalho, entretanto, isto encontra obstáculos na prática. No tocante ao acolhimento, a exigência que os trabalhadores sofrem para que atendam a uma certa produtividade é um aspecto que compromete a qualidade da relação entre as equipes e destas com o usuário, afetando o atendimento às necessidades destes e a própria oferta de ações de saúde. As necessidades que os trabalhadores esperam acolher estão circunscritas à doença ou sintoma manifesto fisicamente. Demonstrou-se que ir ao serviço para conversar constitui-se em uma demanda valorizada pelos usuários, sendo acolhida por alguns trabalhadores. Evidenciou-se que a comunicação nas equipes é restrita às discussões de questões administrativas e procedimentos. A hierarquização entre os níveis de formação contribui para entender o acolhimento como uma atividade ou procedimento que é atribuição de uma categoria específica (auxiliares de enfermagem), a qual supõe-se, tem capacidade técnica para fazê-lo no ato de recepção do usuário. Constatou-se que as ações de saúde não são pactuadas com os usuários, de modo que o PSF não garante o acolhimento. Porém, os tensionamentos nas relações cotidianas entre trabalhador e usuário favorecem a problematização do acolhimento como ação que pode ultrapassar a recepção. Fica evidente a necessidade de reorganização dos processos de trabalho e de se engendrar subjetividades por uma humanização que valorize os processos de singularização, de modo a se promover uma real democracia no acesso à saúde, na qualidade da assistência e na garantia dos princípios do SUS. Palavras-chave: acolhimento; processos de trabalho em saúde; produção de subjetividade; relação trabalhador-usuário