Perceptions, attitudes, and barriers to obesity management in Spain: Results from the spanish cohort of the international ACTION-IO observation study

The prevalence of obesity is rapidly rising in Spain. The Awareness, Care and Treatment in Obesity Management—An International Observation (ACTION-IO) study (NCT03584191) was an international cross-sectional survey conducted to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to obesity management for people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs); results from Spain are presented. In Spain, 1500 PwO (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 based on self-reported height and weight) and 306 HCPs (in direct patient care for ≥2 years) completed the survey. Fewer PwO (59%) than HCPs (93%) agreed that obesity is a chronic disease. Most PwO (80%) assumed complete responsibility for their own weight loss, whilst 19% of HCPs placed the responsibility on PwO. One-fifth of PwO stated they began struggling with weight before age 15. The mean delay in discussing weight for the first time with an HCP was 6 years. Only 24% of HCPs thought their patients were motivated to lose weight, whilst 45% of PwO reported being motivated. Of the 67% of PwO who had discussed their weight with an HCP in the last 5 years, 66% had been formally diagnosed with obesity. Our Spanish dataset reveals discrepancies in the perceptions and attitudes between PwO and HCPs, thus highlighting the need to improve education about obesity and its clinical management

Regulation of plant stem cell quiescence by a brassinosteroid signaling module

Referred to by: Josep Vilarrasa-Blasi, Mary-Paz González-García, David Frigola, Norma Fàbregas-Vallvé, Konstantinos G. Alexiou, Nuria López-Bigas, Susana Rivas, Alain Jauneau, Jan U. Lohmann, Philip N. Benfey, Marta Ibañes, Ana I. Caño-Delgado Regulation of Plant Stem Cell Quiescence by a Brassinosteroid Signaling Module Developmental Cell, Volume 33, Issue 2, 20 April 2015, Pages 238.The quiescent center (QC) maintains the activity of the surrounding stem cells within the root stem cell niche, yet specific molecular players sustaining the low rate of QC cell division remain poorly understood. Here, we identified a R2R3-MYB transcription factor, BRAVO (BRASSINOSTEROIDS AT VASCULAR AND ORGANIZING CENTER), acting as a cell-specific repressor of QC divisions in the primary root of Arabidopsis. Ectopic BRAVO expression restricts overall root growth and ceases root regeneration upon damage of the stem cells, demonstrating the role of BRAVO in counteracting Brassinosteroid (BR)-mediated cell division in the QC cells. Interestingly, BR-regulated transcription factor BES1 (BRI1-EMS SUPRESSOR 1) directly represses and physically interacts with BRAVO in vivo, creating a switch that modulates QC divisions at the root stem cell niche. Together, our results define a mechanism for BR-mediated regulation of stem cell quiescence in plants.J.V.-B. and N.F.-V. are funded by FI PhD fellowship from the Generalitat de Catalunya (GC) in the A.I.C.-D. laboratory. J.V.-B. received a short-term fellowship (BE1-00924) in the Lohmann (J.U.L.) laboratory supported by the SFB873 of the DFG. Research by D.F and M.I. is funded by FIS2012-37655-C02-02 by the Spanish Ministry de Economy and Competitiveness and 2009SGR14 from GC, and D.F. has a PhD fellowship (FPU-AP2009-3736). S.R. is funded by the Laboratoire d’Excellence (LABEX) TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41). M.-P.G.-G. received a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science in the Ana Caño (A.I.C.-D.) laboratory, and an HFSP short-term fellowship in the Benfey (P.N.B.) laboratory. P.N.B. is funded by NSF Arabidopsis 2010 grant. Work in the Ana Caño (A.I.C.-D.) laboratory is funded by a BIO2010/007 grant from the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science and a Marie-Curie Initial Training Network “BRAVISSIMO” (grant no. PITN-GA-2008-215118).Peer reviewe

Maternal and perinatal outcomes after bariatric surgery: a spanish multicenter study

The final publication is avaliable at Springer Link[Abstract] Background. Bariatric surgery (BS) has become more frequent among women of child-bearing age. Data regarding the underlying maternal and perinatal risks are scarce. The objective of this nationwide study is to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes after BS. Methods. We performed a retrospective observational study of 168 pregnancies in 112 women who underwent BS in 10 tertiary hospitals in Spain over a 15-year period. Maternal and perinatal outcomes, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy-associated hypertensive disorders (PAHD), pre-term birth cesarean deliveries, small and large for gestational age births (SGA, LGA), still births, and neonatal deaths, were evaluated. Results were further compared according to the type of BS performed: restrictive techniques (vertical-banded gastroplasty, sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric banding), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD). Results. GDM occurred in five (3 %) pregnancies and there were no cases of PAHD. Women whose pregnancies occurred before 1 year after BS had a higher pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) than those who got pregnant 1 year after BS (34.6 ± 7.7 vs 30.4 ± 5.3 kg/m2, p = 0.007). In pregnancies occurring during the first year after BS, a higher rate of stillbirths was observed compared to pregnancies occurring after this period of time (35.5 vs 16.8 %, p = 0.03). Women who underwent BPD delivered a higher rate of SGA babies than women with RYGB or restrictive procedures (34.8, 12.7, and 8.3 %, respectively). Conclusions. Pregnancy should be scheduled at least 1 year after BS. Malabsorptive procedures are associated to a higher rate of SGA births

Perceptions, attitudes, and barriers to obesity management in Spain: Results from the spanish cohort of the international ACTION-IO observation study

The prevalence of obesity is rapidly rising in Spain. The Awareness, Care and Treatment in Obesity Management—An International Observation (ACTION-IO) study (NCT03584191) was an international cross-sectional survey conducted to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and barriers to obesity management for people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs); results from Spain are presented. In Spain, 1500 PwO (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 based on self-reported height and weight) and 306 HCPs (in direct patient care for ≥2 years) completed the survey. Fewer PwO (59%) than HCPs (93%) agreed that obesity is a chronic disease. Most PwO (80%) assumed complete responsibility for their own weight loss, whilst 19% of HCPs placed the responsibility on PwO. One-fifth of PwO stated they began struggling with weight before age 15. The mean delay in discussing weight for the first time with an HCP was 6 years. Only 24% of HCPs thought their patients were motivated to lose weight, whilst 45% of PwO reported being motivated. Of the 67% of PwO who had discussed their weight with an HCP in the last 5 years, 66% had been formally diagnosed with obesity. Our Spanish dataset reveals discrepancies in the perceptions and attitudes between PwO and HCPs, thus highlighting the need to improve education about obesity and its clinical management