Efficacy of Diet Reducing Incidence in Pregnant Women

Background: Hypertensive disorders affect up to 10% of pregnancies in the United States. An area of concern is management of pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders, leading to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Limited guidance is provided on managing hypertensive disorders from AHA and ACOG. Objectives: This integrative literature review aims to analyze two interventions, exercise and diet modification, to evaluate the efficacy in reduction of diagnosis of pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Methods: A literature search through health science databases (CINAHL, PubMED, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library) was conducted, incorporating search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: Seven articles were included in the final analysis: 3 articles from CINAHL, 2 articles from PubMed, and 2 articles from Cochrane Library. One article that addressed exercise as the primary intervention suggested a 25% reduction in gestation hypertension disorders, whereas three articles that addressed diet modification as the primary intervention suggested reduced cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension disorders. When paired, each intervention was less efficacious. Limitations: A small sample size of articles limits the results of this study as well as limited quantity of exercise-only intervention articles. Conclusion: Diet appears to be a more sustainable, patient-friendly intervention that effectively reduces gestation hypertension cases in pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Further investigation should include the efficacy of the different types of diets. With this, a proper diet recommendation can be prescribed to patients to ensure a healthy pregnancy

Tree Diet: Reducing the Treewidth to Unlock FPT Algorithms in RNA Bioinformatics

Hard graph problems are ubiquitous in Bioinformatics, inspiring the design of specialized Fixed-Parameter Tractable algorithms, many of which rely on a combination of tree-decomposition and dynamic programming. The time/space complexities of such approaches hinge critically on low values for the treewidth tw of the input graph. In order to extend their scope of applicability, we introduce the Tree-Diet problem, i.e. the removal of a minimal set of edges such that a given tree-decomposition can be slimmed down to a prescribed treewidth tw\u27. Our rationale is that the time gained thanks to a smaller treewidth in a parameterized algorithm compensates the extra post-processing needed to take deleted edges into account. Our core result is an FPT dynamic programming algorithm for Tree-Diet, using 2^{O(tw)}n time and space. We complement this result with parameterized complexity lower-bounds for stronger variants (e.g., NP-hardness when tw\u27 or tw-tw\u27 is constant). We propose a prototype implementation for our approach which we apply on difficult instances of selected RNA-based problems: RNA design, sequence-structure alignment, and search of pseudoknotted RNAs in genomes, revealing very encouraging results. This work paves the way for a wider adoption of tree-decomposition-based algorithms in Bioinformatics

Use of behaviour change techniques in lifestyle change interventions for people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review

Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience more health problems and have different lifestyle change needs, compared with the general population. Aims: To improve lifestyle change interventions for people with ID, this review examined how behaviour change techniques (BCTs) were applied in interventions aimed at physical activity, nutrition or physical activity and nutrition, and described their quality. Methods and procedures: After a broad search and detailed selection process, 45 studies were included in the review. For coding BCTs, the CALO-RE taxonomy was used. To assess the quality of the interventions, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used. Extracted data included general study characteristics and intervention characteristics. Outcomes and results: All interventions used BCTs, although theory-driven BCTs were rarely used. The most frequently used BCTs were ‘provide information on consequences of behaviour in general’ and ‘plan social support/social change’. Most studies were of low quality and a theoretical framework was often missing. Conclusion and implications: This review shows that BCTs are frequently applied in lifestyle change interventions. To further improve effectiveness, these lifestyle change interventions could benefit from using a theoretical framework, a detailed intervention description and an appropriate and reliable intervention design which is tailored to people with ID

Health Behaviors and Academic Performance Among Korean Adolescents

SummaryPurposeThis study aimed to examine the most prominent health-related behaviors impacting the academic performance of Korean adolescents.MethodsThe 2012 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey data were analyzed using an ordinal regression analysis after adjusting for general and other health behaviors.ResultsBefore adjustment, all health behaviors were significantly associated with academic performance. After adjustment for other health behaviors and confounding factors, only smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.98, 2.16), p < .001], alcohol consumption [OR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.18, 1.27), p < .001], and physical activity [OR = 1.09, 95% CI (1.06, 1.13), p < .001] were associated with lower academic performance, and engaging in a regular diet [OR = 0.65, 95% CI (0.65, 0.62), p < .001] was associated with higher academic performance.ConclusionsRegular diet, reducing smoking and alcohol drinking, and physical activity should be the target when designing health interventions for improving academic performance in Korean adolescents

Dietary patterns for adults with chronic kidney disease

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: This review will evaluate the benefits and harms of dietary patterns among adults with CKD (any stage including people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) treated with dialysis, transplantation or supportive care)

Measurement Units Used in Treatments to Reduce Weight and Obesity. Systematic Review

Existen diferentes tratamientos para reducir el sobrepeso y la obesidad; no obstante, los resultados de los tratamientos sobre la pérdida de peso tienen una expresión muy heterogénea. Objetivo: Determinar las unidades de medida más utilizadas en los tratamientos de pérdida de peso, mediante la revisión de artículos científicos. Método: Se ha realizado una revisión sistemática de los últimos 5 años en CINHAL, Proquest y Scopus. Se han seleccionado los artículos publicados en inglés, francés y español. Los criterios de inclusión han sido: artículos de tratamiento únicamente dietético del sobrepeso en humanos. Los criterios de exclusión: tratamientos no dietéticos, enfermedades metabólicas, menos de 50 pacientes y menos de 8 semanas de tratamiento. La revisión ha sido realizada por dos investigadores independientes. Resultados y discusión: De 854 artículos, sólo 61 cumplían con los criterios establecidos. Estos se agruparon en 5 subgrupos, según expresaban la pérdida, en kilos o en porcentajes. Los resultados muestran falta de homogeneidad en la expresión de dicha pérdida. Conclusiones: Existe una gran heterogeneidad en la expresión de los resultados de los tratamientos de pérdida de peso; la dieta es una de las herramientas menos usadas; el análisis de los ensayos clínicos de intervención refleja una alta calidad en los sujetos mayores de 18 años, destacando la carencia de este tipo de líneas de investigación en los menores de esa edad. Por ello, se deberían estandarizar las magnitudes de expresión del éxito de dichos tratamientos y aumentar las líneas de investigación sobre este tema.There are different parameters to express the loss of weight in the treatment of overweight and obesity: absolute loss, percentage of loss, decrease in BMI, etc. Objective: To determine the magnitudes more used in the bibliography in order to establish criteria for uniformity in the expression of those results. Methods: a systematic review of the last five years has made at Proquest, CINHAL, Scopus, with descriptors “body fat distribution” and “diet” and “diet, reducing” and “weight loss”. Articles published in English, French and Spanish were selected. Inclusion criteria were used: articles only dietary treatment of overweight in humans, and exclusion criteria: not dietary treatments, metabolic diseases, less than 50 patients and less than 8 weeks of treatment. Title, summary, methodology, results and discussion have been analysed by two researchers independently. Results and discussion: 854 items found, only 61 met the criteria. These were grouped into 5 subgroups, as they expressed the weight loss (weight or fat loss in kg; weight and fat loss in kg; weight or fat loss in %; weight loss in % and fat loss in kg or vice versa; weight and far loss in%). The results show a lack of homogeneity in the loss, being the percentage the most used expression. Conclusions: There is great heterogeneity in the expression of results of the treatments for weight loss; the diet is one of the least used tools; the analysis of clinical trials of intervention reflects a high quality in subjects older than 18 years, highlighting the lack of this type of research lines in children under 18 years. Therefore, it should standardize the magnitudes of expression of the success of these treatments and increase the lines of research on this topic

Taxing food: implications for public health nutrition

AIM: To set out a policy analysis of food taxes as a way of influencing food consumption and behaviour. DESIGN: The study draws on examples of food taxes from the developed world imposed at national and local levels. Studies were identified from a systemised search in six databases with criteria designed to identity articles of policy relevance. RESULTS: The dominant approach identified from the literature was the imposition of food taxes on food to raise general revenue, such as Value Added Tax in the European Union. Food taxes can be applied in various ways, ranging from attempts to directly influence behaviour to those which collect taxes for identified campaigns on healthy eating through to those applied within closed settings such as schools. There is a case for combining taxes of unhealthy foods with subsidies of healthy foods. The evidence from the literature concerning the use and impact of food taxes on food behaviour is not clear and those cases identified are mainly retrospective descriptions of the process. Many food taxes have been withdrawn after short periods of time due to industry lobbying. CONCLUSIONS FOR POLICY: Small taxes with the clear purpose of promoting the health of key groups, e.g. children, are more likely to receive public support. The focus of many tax initiatives is unclear; although they are generally aimed at consumers, another focus could be food manufacturers, using taxes and subsidies to encourage the production of healthier foods, which could have an effect at a population level. Further consideration needs to be given to this aspect of food taxes. Taxing food (and subsidies) can influence food behaviour within closed systems such as schools and the workplace

Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in gout

Gout, a rheumatic disease caused by crystals (crystal arthropathy), is a form of inflammatory arthritis causedby monosodium urate depositing in the synovial fluid and as time goes by outside the joints as well (inother tissues and organs).Gout attacks are sudden and often result from a dietary mistake. In 2015 theEuropean and American Rheumatological Associations (EULAR and ACR) published joint classificationcriteria for gout. The criteria involve gout-specific clinical symptoms, irregular results of laboratory testsand lesions visible in imaging tests. The “golden standard” of diagnostics still remains the presence of uricacid crystals in a sample of synovial fluid, the contents of the bursa and of the gouty tophus. The course oftreatment for patients with gout depends on the stage of the disease, but it comes down to implementingvarious forms of preventing hyperuricemia by modifying the patient’s lifestyle and diet, reducing risk factors(such as overweight and obesity) and pharmacological treatment, both in-between and during attacks

Empowering Newly Diagnosed Patients with Hypertension in Reducing Complications through Self-Managed Care

Background: High blood pressure affects millions of people, including children and adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in every 3 adults or approximately 75 million American adults are affected with high blood pressure. High blood pressure often does not cause any signs and symptoms, which is why it is also known as the “silent killer,” and many people are not aware that they have elevated blood pressure (AHA, 2017). If high blood pressure is not controlled, it can lead to other heart diseases such as stroke. It can also cause other health problems, which can affect the eyes and kidneys. Purpose of the Study: Individuals diagnosed with hypertension are at risk for developing complications due to a lack of knowledge and education on the importance and ways of managing their disease. The purpose of this project is to empower and educate newly diagnosed patients with hypertension on how to self-manage their disease to reduce complications. Lifestyle modifications such as exercise, adopting the dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) diet, reducing sodium intake, and medication adherence will all be included in the education. Methods: Patients that were diagnosed within the past five (5) years, can speak and read in English or have an immediate family member that lives with the patient and can speak or read in English will be encouraged to join in this evidence-based practice project. Patients and their caregivers will be educated through a self-care model with a focus on medication adherence and lifestyle modifications as recommended by AHA, ACC, and JNC-8 guidelines. Results: This evidenced-based project showed a significant decrease of 9.71 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (SBP) for those who adhere to taking their prescribed hypertensive medications. Those who followed the DASH diet showed an improvement in their SBP by 5.38 mmHg within six (6) months. Significance: Empowering patients with hypertension through self-managed care is essential in reducing complications. Adhering to lifestyle modifications such as the DASH diet, reducing sodium intake, and engaging in regular exercise, in addition to taking the prescribed hypertensive medications, are all significant factors in reducing the risk of high blood pressure. Increasing education, awareness, and counseling on managing their disease can lead to a reduction in SBP, which can eventually lead to a decrease in complications, mortality, and morbidity