Assessment of bone age in prepubertal healthy Korean children: Comparison among the Korean standard bone age chart, Greulich-Pyle method, and Tanner-Whitehouse method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim Jeong Rye; Lee, Young Seok; Yu, Jee Suk

2015-01-01

To compare the reliability of the Greulich-Pyle (GP) method, Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) method and Korean standard bone age chart (KS) in the evaluation of bone age of prepubertal healthy Korean children. Left hand-wrist radiographs of 212 prepubertal healthy Korean children aged 7 to 12 years, obtained for the evaluation of the traumatic injury in emergency department, were analyzed by two observers. Bone age was estimated using the GP method, TW3 method and KS, and was calculated in months. The correlation between bone age measured by each method and chronological age of each child was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, scatterplot. The three methods were compared using one-way analysis of variance. Significant correlations were found between chronological age and bone age estimated by all three methods in whole group and in each gender (R2 ranged from 0.87 to 0.9, p < 0.01). Although bone age estimated by KS was slightly closer to chronological age than those estimated by the GP and TW3 methods, the difference between three methods was not statistically significant (p > 0.01). The KS, GP, and TW3 methods show good reliability in the evaluation of bone age of prepubertal healthy Korean children without significant difference between them. Any are useful for evaluation of bone age in prepubertal healthy Korean children.

Evaluating fMRI methods for assessing hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Baciu, Monica; Juphard, Alexandra; Cousin, Emilie; Bas, Jean François Le

2005-08-01

We evaluated two methods for quantifying the hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects, by using a rhyme detection (deciding whether couple of words rhyme) and a word fluency (generating words starting with a given letter) task. One of methods called "flip method" (FM) was based on the direct statistical comparison between hemispheres' activity. The second one, the classical lateralization indices method (LIM), was based on calculating lateralization indices by taking into account the number of activated pixels within hemispheres. The main difference between methods is the statistical assessment of the inter-hemispheric difference: while FM shows if the difference between hemispheres' activity is statistically significant, LIM shows only that if there is a difference between hemispheres. The robustness of LIM and FM was assessed by calculating correlation coefficients between LIs obtained with each of these methods and manual lateralization indices MLI obtained with Edinburgh inventory. Our results showed significant correlation between LIs provided by each method and the MIL, suggesting that both methods are robust for quantifying hemispheric dominance for language in healthy subjects. In the present study we also evaluated the effect of spatial normalization, smoothing and "clustering" (NSC) on the intra-hemispheric location of activated regions and inter-hemispheric asymmetry of the activation. Our results have shown that NSC did not affect the hemispheric specialization but increased the value of the inter-hemispheric difference.

Evaluating fMRI methods for assessing hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baciu, Monica; Juphard, Alexandra; Cousin, Emilie; Bas, Jean Francois Le

2005-01-01

We evaluated two methods for quantifying the hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects, by using a rhyme detection (deciding whether couple of words rhyme) and a word fluency (generating words starting with a given letter) task. One of methods called 'flip method' (FM) was based on the direct statistical comparison between hemispheres' activity. The second one, the classical lateralization indices method (LIM), was based on calculating lateralization indices by taking into account the number of activated pixels within hemispheres. The main difference between methods is the statistical assessment of the inter-hemispheric difference: while FM shows if the difference between hemispheres' activity is statistically significant, LIM shows only that if there is a difference between hemispheres. The robustness of LIM and FM was assessed by calculating correlation coefficients between LIs obtained with each of these methods and manual lateralization indices MLI obtained with Edinburgh inventory. Our results showed significant correlation between LIs provided by each method and the MIL, suggesting that both methods are robust for quantifying hemispheric dominance for language in healthy subjects. In the present study we also evaluated the effect of spatial normalization, smoothing and 'clustering' (NSC) on the intra-hemispheric location of activated regions and inter-hemispheric asymmetry of the activation. Our results have shown that NSC did not affect the hemispheric specialization but increased the value of the inter-hemispheric difference

Effects of 2 wk of GH administration on 24-h indirect calorimetry in young, healthy, lean men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Mette; Morthorst, Rikke; Larsson, Benny

2005-01-01

The present study was designed as a randomized, double-blind placebo (Plc)-controlled study to determine the effect of 2 wk of growth hormone administration (GH-adm.) on energy expenditure (EE) and substrate oxidation in healthy humans. Sixteen young healthy men were divided into two groups....... The study consisted of two 24-h measurements (indirect calorimetry), separated by 2 wk of either Plc or GH injections (6 IU/day). At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the measured anthropometric, hormonal, or metabolic parameters, neither did the parameters...... change over time in the Plc group. GH-adm. resulted in a 4.4% increase in 24-h EE (P

Evaluating fMRI methods for assessing hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baciu, Monica [Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, UMR 5105 CNRS, Universite Pierre Mendes-France, F38040 Grenoble Cedex 09 (France)]. E-mail: mbaciu@upmf-grenoble.fr; Juphard, Alexandra [Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, UMR 5105 CNRS, Universite Pierre Mendes-France, F38040 Grenoble Cedex 09 (France); Cousin, Emilie [Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, UMR 5105 CNRS, Universite Pierre Mendes-France, F38040 Grenoble Cedex 09 (France); Bas, Jean Francois Le [Unite IRM, CHU Grenoble (France)

2005-08-01

We evaluated two methods for quantifying the hemispheric language dominance in healthy subjects, by using a rhyme detection (deciding whether couple of words rhyme) and a word fluency (generating words starting with a given letter) task. One of methods called 'flip method' (FM) was based on the direct statistical comparison between hemispheres' activity. The second one, the classical lateralization indices method (LIM), was based on calculating lateralization indices by taking into account the number of activated pixels within hemispheres. The main difference between methods is the statistical assessment of the inter-hemispheric difference: while FM shows if the difference between hemispheres' activity is statistically significant, LIM shows only that if there is a difference between hemispheres. The robustness of LIM and FM was assessed by calculating correlation coefficients between LIs obtained with each of these methods and manual lateralization indices MLI obtained with Edinburgh inventory. Our results showed significant correlation between LIs provided by each method and the MIL, suggesting that both methods are robust for quantifying hemispheric dominance for language in healthy subjects. In the present study we also evaluated the effect of spatial normalization, smoothing and 'clustering' (NSC) on the intra-hemispheric location of activated regions and inter-hemispheric asymmetry of the activation. Our results have shown that NSC did not affect the hemispheric specialization but increased the value of the inter-hemispheric difference.

Lactic acid bacterium and yeast microbiotas of sixteen French traditional sourdoughs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lhomme, Emilie; Lattanzi, Anna; Dousset, Xavier; Minervini, Fabio; De Angelis, Maria; Lacaze, Guylaine; Onno, Bernard; Gobbetti, Marco

2015-12-23

Sixteen sourdoughs (FS1-FS16) used for the manufacture of traditional French breads were characterized by strongly acid conditions (median value of pH 3.5). The concentration of free amino acids (FAA) was highly variable, due to different proteolytic activity of flour used for back slopping and of dominant microorganisms. Median value of cell density of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was 9.2 log CFU/g. The ratio between LAB and yeasts ranged from 10,000:1 to 10:1. According to the culture-dependent method and 16S metagenetics, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis was the dominant species in French sourdoughs. FS5 and FS15, propagated according to protocols including one back slopping step at 14 °C, were the only exceptions. High positive correlations were found between L. sanfranciscensis, temperature of back slopping and FAA. The results of this study highlighted the broad adaptability of L. sanfranciscensis to very acid sourdough. Besides species frequently encountered (e.g., Lactobacillus parabrevis/Lactobacillus hammesii, Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides), first Lactobacillus xiangfangensis (FS5) and Lactobacillus diolivorans (FS15) were found in sourdough. As determined by RAPD-PCR analyses, the sourdough samples showed a different number of strains, ranging from 5 (FS9, FS11 and FS15) to 12 (FS1 and FS13), meaning a highly variable bacterial diversity. Cluster analysis showed that different sourdoughs, especially when propagated in the same bakery, may harbor similar strains. Except for L. plantarum (FS5) and Ln. mesenteroides (FS3), all the dominant species were detected by both 16S metagenetics and culture-dependent method. Yeast diversity was lower than LAB. Except for FS4 (solely dominated by Kazachstania servazzii), yeast microbiota of French sourdoughs was dominated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Strains isolated in this study could be a useful base for developing new basic researches on physiology, metabolism, and intraspecific diversity of L

Proceedings of the first ERDA statistical symposium, Los Alamos, NM, November 3--5, 1975. [Sixteen papers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicholson, W L; Harris, J L [eds.

1976-03-01

The First ERDA Statistical Symposium was organized to provide a means for communication among ERDA statisticians, and the sixteen papers presented at the meeting are given. Topics include techniques of numerical analysis used for accelerators, nuclear reactors, skewness and kurtosis statistics, radiochemical spectral analysis, quality control, and other statistics problems. Nine of the papers were previously announced in Nuclear Science Abstracts (NSA), while the remaining seven were abstracted for ERDA Energy Research Abstracts (ERA) and INIS Atomindex. (PMA)

Sixteen Years of International Co-operation. The OECD/NEA Co-operative Programme on Decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menon, S.; Valencia, L.

2002-01-01

The Co-operative Programme on Decommissioning under the administration of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has recently completed sixteen years of operation. The Programme, which is essentially an information exchange programme between decommissioning projects, came into being in 1985. It has grown from an initial 10 decommissioning projects from 7 countries to 39 projects from 14 countries today. From purely information exchange to start with, the Programme has, in later years, been functioning as a voice for the collective expression of views of the implementers of nuclear decommissioning. During the first sixteen years of the operation of the Co-operative Programme, nuclear decommissioning has grown from local specialist activities within projects to a competitive commercial industry. By the dismantling and release from regulatory control of over a dozen diverse nuclear facilities, the Programme has been able to demonstrate in practice, that nuclear decommissioning can be performed safely both for the workers and the public, and that this can be done at reasonable costs in an environmentally friendly fashion. During the recent years, discussions and work within the Co-operative Programme, specially within some of the Task Groups, have had/are having effects and repercussions not just in the field of nuclear decommissioning, but can possibly affect activities and regulations in other industries. This paper describes how the Programme and its activities and procedures have evolved over the years and indicate the directions of developments in the organization and execution of decommissioning projects. Finally, it gives a brief overview of the achievements of the Cooperative Programme and visualizes future developments in the field of nuclear decommissioning

Differentiation of involved and uninvolved psoriatic skin from healthy skin using noninvasive visual, colorimeter and evaporimeter methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Pershing, L K; Bakhtian, S; Wright, E D; Rallis, T M

1995-08-01

Uninvolved skin of psoriasis may not be entirely normal. The object was to characterize healthy, uninvolved psoriatic skin and lesional skin by biophysical methods. Involved and uninvolved psoriatic and age-gender matched healthy skin was measured objectively with a colorimeter and evaporimeter and subjectively with visual assessment in 14 subjects. Visual assessment of erythema (E), scaling (S) and induration (I) as well as the target lesion score at the involved psoriatic skin sites were significantly elevated (puninvolved psoriatic skin >healthy skin (pcolorimeter L* and a* scale values at uninvolved psoriatic skin sites were lower and higher (pcolorimeter description (L*× b*)/a* significantly differentiated healthy skin from both involved and uninvolved psoriatic skin. These collective data highlight that even visually appearing uninvolved psoriatic skin is compromised compared with healthy skin. These objective, noninvasive but differential capabilities of the colorimeter and evaporimeter will aid in the mechanistic quantification of new psoriatic drug therapies and in conjuction with biochemical studies, add to understanding of the multifactorial pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Transcutaneous oximetry measurements of the leg: comparing different measuring equipment and establishing values in healthy young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinks, Tobias P; Blake, Denise F; Young, Derelle A; Thistlethwaite, Ken; Vangaveti, Venkat N

2017-06-01

Transcutaneous oximetry measurement (TCOM) is a non-invasive method of determining oxygen tension at the skin level using heated electrodes. To compare TCOM values generated by different machines and to establish lower limb TCOM values in a cohort of healthy individuals younger than 40 years of age. Sixteen healthy, non-smoking volunteers aged 18 to 39 years were recruited. TCOM was obtained at six locations on the lower leg and foot using three different Radiometer machines. Measurements were taken with subjects lying supine, breathing air. Except for one sensor site, there were no statistical differences in measurements obtained by the different TCOM machines. There was no statistical difference in measurements comparing left and right legs. Room air TCOM values for the different lower leg sites were (mean (SD) in mmHg): lateral leg 61.5 (9.2); lateral ankle 61.1 (9.7); medial ankle 59.1 (10.8); foot, first and second toe 63.4 (10.6); foot, fifth toe 59.9 (13.2) and plantar foot 74.1 (8.8). The overall mean TCOM value for the lower limb was 61 (10.8; 95% confidence intervals 60.05-62.0) mmHg. Lower-leg TCOM measurements using different Radiometer TCOM machines were comparable. Hypoxia has been defined as lower-leg TCOM values of less than 40 mmHg in non-diabetic patients and this is supported by our measurements. The majority (96.9%) of the lower leg TCOM values in healthy young adults are above the hypoxic threshold.

A note on discriminating equally optimal semi-Latin squares for sixteen treatments in blocks of size four

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chigbu, P.E.

2004-08-01

A semi-Latin square for sixteen treatments in blocks of size four is like a 4x4 Latin square except that there exist four treatments in each cell and each of the sixteen treatments occurs once in each row and once in each column. In the literature, three of this class of squares has been found to be A-, D- and E-optimal while an analytic approach has been adopted to further distinguish these optimal ones with the view of identifying the best for experimentation. With this analytic approach the 'best' square was identified - however, it neither provided a common basis for the discrimination of the three squares nor the further classification of the other two good squares. In this paper, therefore, a numerical approach, which basically involves the computation of the generalized inverses of the information matrices of these squares, is adopted. Each of the generalized inverses satisfies the Moore-Penrose inverse properties. Thereafter, a square is considered most preferable among others if it has the maximum number of minimum variance of simple treatment contrasts as well as the minimum number of distinct pairwise treatment variances. Above all, a mini-league table for the three squares is ascertained. (author)

The Comparison of Haemophilus Influenza in the Throat of Healthy Infants with Different Feeding Methods

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A Kazemi

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Haemophilus influenza (HI is the most commonly found pathogenic bacteria in pediatric otitis media and lower respiratory tract infections. Bacterial attachment to pharyngeal cells and proliferation may be necessary for infection. In the presence of human milk, attachment of HI to pharyngeal cells and colonization may be inhibited. To evaluate the protecting role of breast milk, we investigated the incidence of HI isolated from the throat of healthy infants with different feeding methods. Methods: Between August 2002 and March 2003, 210 healthy infants (70 purely breast-fed, 70 purely formula-fed, 70 mixed-fed, aged 1-6 months were enrolled into the study and a throat culture was taken in all of them. The incidence of HI was evaluated using Haemophilus Test Agar Bose (HTAB plates. Results: The incidence of HI in purely breast-fed, mixed-fed and purely formula-fed infants was 2.9%, 42.9% and 75.7% respectively (P = 0.000. The mean age and weight of cases in the three groups were not statistically different. Conclusion: These data suggest that human milk protects the throat of healthy infants from HI colonization especially in purely breast-fed cases. Keywords: Breast milk, Haemophilus influenza, Throat culture

Cognitive Improvement and Brain Changes after Real-Time Functional MRI Neurofeedback Training in Healthy Elderly and Prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease

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Christian Hohenfeld

2017-08-01

Full Text Available BackgroundCognitive decline is characteristic for Alzheimer’s disease (AD and also for healthy ageing. As a proof-of-concept study, we examined whether this decline can be counteracted using real-time fMRI neurofeedback training. Visuospatial memory and the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG were targeted.MethodsSixteen healthy elderly subjects (mean age 63.5 years, SD = 6.663 and 10 patients with prodromal AD (mean age 66.2 years, SD = 8.930 completed the experiment. Four additional healthy subjects formed a sham-feedback condition to validate the paradigm. The protocol spanned five examination days (T1–T5. T1 contained a neuropsychological pre-test, the encoding of a real-world footpath, and an anatomical MRI scan of the brain. T2–T4 included the fMRI neurofeedback training paradigm, in which subjects learned to enhance activation of the left PHG while recalling the path encoded on T1. At T5, the neuropsychological post-test and another anatomical MRI brain scan were performed. The neuropsychological battery included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; the Visual and Verbal Memory Test (VVM; subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS; the Visual Patterns Test; and Trail Making Tests (TMT A and B.ResultsHealthy elderly and patients with prodromal AD showed improved visuospatial memory performance after neurofeedback training. Healthy subjects also performed better in a working-memory task (WMS backward digit-span and in the MoCA. Both groups were able to elicit parahippocampal activation during training, but no significant changes in brain activation were found over the course of the training. However, Granger-causality-analysis revealed changes in cerebral connectivity over the course of the training, involving the parahippocampus and identifying the precuneus as main driver of activation in both groups. Voxel-based morphometry showed increases in grey matter volumes in the precuneus and frontal cortex. Neither cognitive

Methods and Management of the Healthy Brain Study: A Large Multisite Qualitative Research Project

Science.gov (United States)

Laditka, Sarah B.; Corwin, Sara J.; Laditka, James N.; Liu, Rui; Friedman, Daniela B.; Mathews, Anna E.; Wilcox, Sara

2009-01-01

Purpose of the study: To describe processes used in the Healthy Brain project to manage data collection, coding, and data distribution in a large qualitative project, conducted by researchers at 9 universities in 9 states. Design and Methods: Project management protocols included: (a) managing audiotapes and surveys to ensure data confidentiality,…

Concepts, features, and design of a sixteen-to-four beam combiner for ILSE [Induction Linac Systems Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Judd, D.L.; Celata, C.; Close, E.; Faltens, A.; Hahn, K.; La Mon, K.; Lee, E.P.; Smith, L.; Thur, W.

1989-03-01

Sixteen intense parallel ion beams are to be transversely combined into four by dispersionless double bends. Emittance growth due to electrostatic energy redistribution and to the geometry is evaluated. Most bending elements are electric, and alternate with AG electrostatic quadrupoles similar to those upstream. The final elements are magnetic, combining focusing and ''unbending''. Electrode shapes and pulsed-current arrays (having very small clearances), and mechanical and electric features of the combiner, and described. 1 ref., 7 figs

Differences in gluten metabolism among healthy volunteers, coeliac disease patients and first-degree relatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Caminero, Alberto; Nistal, Esther; Herrán, Alexandra R; Pérez-Andrés, Jénifer; Ferrero, Miguel A; Vaquero Ayala, Luis; Vivas, Santiago; Ruiz de Morales, José M G; Albillos, Silvia M; Casqueiro, Francisco Javier

2015-10-28

Coeliac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy resulting from exposure to gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. Gluten proteins are partially digested by human proteases generating immunogenic peptides that cause inflammation in patients carrying HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 genes. Although intestinal dysbiosis has been associated with patients with CD, bacterial metabolism of gluten has not been studied in depth thus far. The aim of this study was to analyse the metabolic activity of intestinal bacteria associated with gluten intake in healthy individuals, CD patients and first-degree relatives of CD patients. Faecal samples belonging to twenty-two untreated CD patients, twenty treated CD patients, sixteen healthy volunteers on normal diet, eleven healthy volunteers on gluten-free diet (GFD), seventy-one relatives of CD patients on normal diet and sixty-nine relatives on GFD were tested for several proteolytic activities, cultivable bacteria involved in gluten metabolism, SCFA and the amount of gluten in faeces. We detected faecal peptidasic activity against the gluten-derived peptide 33-mer. CD patients showed differences in faecal glutenasic activity (FGA), faecal tryptic activity (FTA), SCFA and faecal gluten content with respect to healthy volunteers. Alterations in specific bacterial groups metabolising gluten such as Clostridium or Lactobacillus were reported in CD patients. Relatives showed similar parameters to CD patients (SCFA) and healthy volunteers (FTA and FGA). Our data support the fact that commensal microbial activity is an important factor in the metabolism of gluten proteins and that this activity is altered in CD patients.

An Intervention to Increase Availability of Healthy Foods and Beverages in New York City Hospitals: The Healthy Hospital Food Initiative, 2010-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Alyssa; Krepp, Erica M; Johnson Curtis, Christine; Lederer, Ashley

2016-06-09

Hospitals serve millions of meals and snacks each year; however, hospital food is often unhealthy. Hospitals are ideal settings for modeling healthy eating, but few programs have sought to improve nutrition in all venues where food is served. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene created the Healthy Hospital Food Initiative (HHFI) to improve the healthfulness of food served in hospitals. The HHFI built on prior work implementing mandatory nutrition standards for patient meals and vending in public hospitals. Public hospitals joined the HHFI by voluntarily adopting standards for cafeterias and cafés. Private hospitals joined by implementing nutrition standards for patient meals, food and beverage vending machines, and cafeterias and cafés. Hospitals were recruited from 2010 through 2014 and provided technical assistance from health department staff. Implementation in each of the 4 areas was monitored through on-site assessments and menu review. Twenty-eight hospital cafeterias and cafés were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the HHFI to assess changes. Sixteen public hospitals and 24 private hospitals joined the HHFI. Most (n = 18) private hospitals implemented standards in at least 2 areas. In cafeterias, most hospitals introduced a healthy value meal (n = 19), removed unhealthy items from the entrance and checkout (n = 18), increased whole grains to at least half of all grains served (n = 17), and reduced calories in pastries and desserts (n = 15). Most New York City hospitals joined the HHFI and voluntarily adopted rigorous nutrition standards. Partnerships between hospitals and local government are feasible and can lead to significant improvements in hospital food environments.

Healthy lifestyle in teachers

OpenAIRE

Pirzadeh, Asiyeh; Sharifirad, Gholamreza; Kamran, Aziz

2012-01-01

Introduction: The role of individual healthy behaviors like physical activity, nutrition and stress management on reduction of rate of disease mortality and morbidity is well known. The aim of this study is to determine healthy life style in teachers employed in district No.4 in Isfahan, Iran, in 2010. Materials and Methods: The participants of this cross-sectional study were 96 teachers in district No. 4, selected via random sampling method. The data collection was performed using a question...

Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from healthy dogs in Nsukka, Nigeria

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Kennedy F. Chah

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The occurrence, resistance phenotype and molecular mechanisms of resistance of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from groin swabs of 109 clinically healthy dogs in Nsukka, Nigeria were investigated. The groin swab samples were cultured on mannitol salt agar supplemented with 10 µgof cloxacillin. Sixteen methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MRCoNS, all harbouring the mecA gene were isolated from 14 (12.8% of the 109 dogs studied. The MRCoNS isolated were: S. sciuri subspecies rodentium, S. lentus, S. haemolyticus, and S. simulans with S. sciuri subspecies rodentium (62.5% being the predominant species. Thirteen (81.3% of the MRCoNS were resistant to tetracycline while 12 (75% and 10 (62.5% were resistant to kanamycin and trimthoprim-sulphamethoxazole respectively. None of the isolates was resistant to fusidic acid, linezolid and vancomycin. Thirteen (81.3% of the MRCoNS were multi-drug resistance (MDR. Other antimicrobial genes detected were: blaZ, tet(K, tet(M, tet(L, erm(B, lnu(A, aacA-aphD, aphA3, str, dfr(G, cat pC221,and cat pC223. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci are common colonizers of healthy dogs in Nigeria with a major species detected being S. sciuri subsp. rodentium.

Consumer perceptions of beef healthiness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Van Wezemael, Lynn; Verbeke, Wim; Dutra de Barcellos, Marcia

2010-01-01

of beef consumed. Focus group participants were not in favour of improving beef healthiness during processing, but rather focussed on appropriate consumption behaviour and preparation methods. CONCLUSIONS: The individual responsibility for health implies that consumers should be able to make correct......BACKGROUND: Consumer perception of the healthiness of beef is an important determinant of beef consumption. However, little is known about how consumers perceive the healthiness of beef. The aim of this study is to shed light on the associations between beef and health. METHODS: Eight focus group...... as well as negative effects of beef consumption on their health. Labelled, branded, fresh and lean beef were perceived as signalling healthful beef, in contrast with further processed and packaged beef. Consumers felt that their individual choices could make a difference with respect to the healthiness...

Sleep deprivation increases blood pressure in healthy normotensive elderly and attenuates the blood pressure response to orthostatic challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Robillard, Rébecca; Lanfranchi, Paola A; Prince, François; Filipini, Daniel; Carrier, Julie

2011-03-01

To determine how aging affects the impact of sleep deprivation on blood pressure at rest and under orthostatic challenge. Subjects underwent a night of sleep and 24.5 h of sleep deprivation in a crossover counterbalanced design. Sleep laboratory. Sixteen healthy normotensive men and women: 8 young adults (mean 24 years [SD 3.1], range 20-28 years) and 8 elderly adults (mean 64.1 years [SD 3.4], range 60-69 years). Sleep deprivation. Brachial cuff arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured in semi-recumbent and upright positions. These measurements were compared across homeostatic sleep pressure conditions and age groups. Sleep deprivation induced a significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in elderly but not young adults. Moreover, sleep deprivation attenuated the systolic blood pressure orthostatic response in both age groups. Our results suggest that sleep deprivation alters the regulatory mechanisms of blood pressure and might increase the risk of hypertension in healthy normotensive elderly.

Determination of Consumers'Preferences for Conventional, Healthy and Organic Cucumbers in Isfahan City Using Choice Experiment Method

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A. Sandoghi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Continuing growth in human population and consumptionmeans that the global demand for food will increase for at least another 40 years and that the world needs 70-100% more food by 2050. Environmental issues such as climate change, depletion of naturalresources and biodiversity loss increasingly threaten the welfare ofhuman civilization. Confronting these threats requires, among otherthings, behavioral changes in citizens, governments and companies.Farmers and other producers are responding to consumer concerns about pesticides by creating new marketing opportunities for products grown with environmentally sound practices. Environmental economists are increasingly interested in better understanding of how people cognitively organize their beliefs and attitudes towards environmental change in order to identify key motives and barriers that stimulate or prevent action.The purpose of the presentinvestigation is to evaluate the consumers’ preferences and factors affecting their choice for conventional, healthy and organic cucumbers in Isfahan, Iran. Materials and Methods: Data were collected on a sample of 230consumers in 2013 by using the proportionate stratification samplingmethod through face-to-face interviews based on a comprehensive structured questionnaire. Before the survey, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were initially evaluated in a pre-test study, respectively, by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO criteria. Individual preferences were uncovered in choice experiment method (CEM by a contingent ranking experiment. In a contingent ranking experiment, respondents are required to rank a set of alternative options, characterized by a number of attributes, which are offered at different levels across the options.Data were analyzed by multinomial logit models. The approach consists of modeling utility, that isto say the net benefit a consumer obtains from selecting a

Whole-Body Cryostimulation as an Effective Method of Reducing Oxidative Stress in Healthy Men.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanek, Agata; Sieroń-Stołtny, Karolina; Romuk, Ewa; Cholewka, Armand; Wielkoszyński, Tomasz; Cieślar, Grzegorz; Kwiatek, Sebastian; Sieroń, Aleksander; Kawczyk-Krupka, Aleksandra

2016-01-01

Whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) is the therapeutic exposure of the total human body (without underwear) to a very low temperature (below -100°C) for 120-180 s. Currently, WBC is used more frequently not only in the treatment of patients suffering from various diseases, but also by healthy people as a wellness method. The aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of WBC procedures on oxidative stress parameters in healthy men. The study involved 32 healthy male subjects who were randomly divided into 2 groups: 16 men exposed to WBC procedures with subsequent kinesiotherapy (WBC group) and 16 men exposed only to kinesiotherapy procedures (KT group). Depending on the group, the subjects were exposed to 10 daily WBC procedures lasting 3 min, with a subsequent 60-min of kinesiotherapy, or exclusively to kinesiotherapy. In subjects from both groups, a day before the beginning of a cycle of treatment and a day after its completion, the level of selected indicators of oxidative stress and non-enzymatic antioxidants, as well as the activity of antioxidant enzymes in serum, plasma and erythrocyte lysates were determined. In the WBC group subjects, we recorded a statistically significant decrease in the concentrations of most of the parameters of oxidative stress with an accompanying increase in plasma concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants (total antioxidant status and uric acid). We recorded no significant changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (plasma total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and its isoenzymes SOD-Mn and SOD-ZnCu, erythrocyte catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase). The results we obtained confirmed that WBC decreases oxidative stress in healthy men.

Methods Matter: Teacher-Trainee Perspectives on Language Teaching Methods in a South Korean TESOL Certificate Program

Science.gov (United States)

Jobbitt, Todd

2014-01-01

The purpose of this survey was to ascertain Korean teacher-trainees' perspectives on the awareness, likability, perceived usefulness and prospective application of varied language teaching methods that they had been taught in a sixteen-week language teaching methodology course. What did the students think about these methods? Will students…

Promoting Healthy Development among Adolescent Girls: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the HERstory Program

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Emily MacFarlane

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The Leadership Program’s HERstory is a school-based, universal, preventative intervention designed to promote healthy youth development among adolescent girls by increasing their connections to pro-social peers and to school and community while developing social-emotional skills that serve as protective factors. In this school-year-long program, a facilitator implements three program phases: group development activities in Community Building, self-reflective Writing Workshop exercises, and a final Creative Output project, an ethnographic theater production or literary journal developed from participants’ Writing Workshop responses. The current mixed-methods study presents early evidence of program effectiveness based on focus groups and school record data review at two NYC public schools during the 2010-2011 school year. Participants reported improvements in key areas targeted by HERstory, including peer connectedness, academic achievement, and a range of protective factors including future orientation and goal setting. Results suggest this program approach may be suitable promoting healthy adolescent development for girls.

Healthy Places for Healthy People

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Describes the Healthy Places for Healthy People technical assistance program that helps communities create walkable, healthy, economically vibrant places by engaging with local health care facility partners

Crystal and molecular structures of sixteen charge-assisted hydrogen bond-mediated diisopropylammonium salts from different carboxylic acids

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhihao; Hu, Kaikai; Jin, Shouwen; Ding, Aihua; Wang, Yining; Dong, Lingfeng; Gao, Xingjun; Wang, Daqi

2017-10-01

Cocrystallization of the commonly available organic amine, diisopropylamine, with a series of carboxylic acids gave a total of sixteen molecular salts with the compositions: diisopropylaminium 2-methyl-2-phenoxypropanate [(Hdpa)+ · (mpa-), mpa- = 2-methyl-2-phenoxypropanoate] (1), diisopropylaminium 2-methyl-2-(naphthalen-2-yloxy)-propionate [(Hdpa)+ · (npa-), npa- = 2-methyl-2-(naphthalen-2-yloxy)-propionate] (2), diisopropylaminium indole-3-acetate [(Hdpa)+ · (iaa-), iaa- = indole-3-acetate] (3), diisopropylaminium 4-chlorophenoxyacetate [(Hdpa)+ · (cpa-), cpa- = 4-chlorophenoxyacetate] (4), diisopropylaminium 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate [(Hdpa)+ · (dcpa-), dcpa- = 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate] (5), diisopropylaminium 4-hydroxybenzoate [(Hdpa)+ · (hba-), hba- = 4-hydroxybenzoate] (6), diisopropylaminium 4-aminobenzoate [(Hdpa)+ · (aba-), aba- = 4-aminobenzoate] (7), tetra(diisopropylaminium) tetra(1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate) trihydrate [(Hdpa)44+ · (2-hnpa)44- · 3H2O, 2-hnpa = 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate] (8), diisopropylaminium 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate [(Hdpa)+ · (3-hnpa-), 3-hnpa- = 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate] (9), diisopropylaminium 5-bromosalicylate [(Hdpa)+ · (bsa-), bsa- = 5-bromosalicylate] (10), diisopropylaminium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate [(Hdpa)+ · (dna-), dna- = 3,5-dinitrobenzoate] (11), diisopropylaminium 3,5-dinitrosalicylate [(Hdpa)+ · (3,5-dns-), 3,5-dns- = 3,5-dinitrosalicylate] (12), tetra(diisopropylaminium) bis(m-phthalate) monohydrate [(Hdpa+)4 · (mpta2-)2 · H2O, mpta2- = m-phthalate] (13), bis(diisopropylaminium) dihydrogen 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylate [(Hdpa+)2 · (H2Bta2-), H2Bta2- = dihydrogen 1,2,3,4-butane tetracarboxylate] (14), bis(diisopropylaminium) mucate [(Hdpa+)2 · (muc2-), muc2- = mucate] (15), and diisopropylaminium hydrogen 1,2-phenylenediacetate [(Hdpa) · (Hpda-), Hpda- = hydrogen 1,2-phenylenediacetate] (16). The sixteen salts have been characterised by XRD technique, IR, and elemental analysis, and the melting points of all the

The serotonin-1A receptor distribution in healthy men and women measured by PET and [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stein, Patrycja; Savli, Markus; Fink, Martin; Spindelegger, Christoph; Moser, Ulrike; Kasper, Siegfried; Lanzenberger, Rupert; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Dudczak, Robert; Kletter, Kurt; Mitterhauser, Markus; Mien, Leonhard-Key

2008-01-01

The higher prevalence rates of depression and anxiety disorders in women compared to men have been associated with sexual dimorphisms in the serotonergic system. The present positron emission tomography (PET) study investigated the influence of sex on the major inhibitory serotonergic receptor subtype, the serotonin-1A (5-HT 1A ) receptor. Sixteen healthy women and 16 healthy men were measured using PET and the highly specific radioligand [carbonyl- 11 C]WAY-100635. Effects of age or gonadal hormones were excluded by restricting the inclusion criteria to young adults and by controlling for menstrual cycle phase. The 5-HT 1A receptor BP ND was quantified using (1) the 'gold standard' manual delineation approach with ten regions of interest (ROIs) and (2) a newly developed delineation method using a PET template normalized to the Montreal Neurologic Institute space with 45 ROIs based on automated anatomical labeling. The 5-HT 1A receptor BP ND was found equally distributed in men and women applying both the manual delineation method and the automated delineation approach. Women had lower mean BP ND values in every region investigated, with a borderline significant sex difference in the hypothalamus (p=0.012, uncorrected). There was a high intersubject variability of the 5-HT 1A receptor BP ND within both sexes compared to the small mean differences between men and women. To conclude, when measured in the follicular phase, women do not differ from men in the 5-HT 1A receptor binding. To explain the higher prevalence of affective disorders in women, further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between hormonal status and the 5-HT 1A receptor expression. (orig.)

Pricing Strategies to Encourage Availability, Purchase, and Consumption of Healthy Foods and Beverages: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Trude, Angela Cristina Bizzotto; Kim, Hyunju

2017-01-01

Introduction Food pricing policies to promote healthy diets, such as taxes, price manipulations, and food subsidies, have been tested in different settings. However, little consensus exists about the effect of these policies on the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods, on what foods consumers buy, or on the impact of food purchases on consumer health outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of studies of the effect of food-pricing interventions on retail sales and on consumer purchasing and consumption of healthy foods and beverages. Methods We used MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Library to conduct a systematic search for peer-reviewed articles related to studies of food pricing policies. We selected articles that were published in English from January 2000 through December 2016 on the following types of studies: 1) real-world experimental studies (randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and natural experiments); 2) population studies of people or retail stores in middle-income and high-income countries; 3) pricing interventions alone or in combination with other strategies (price promotions, coupons, taxes, or cash-back rebates), excluding studies of vending-machine or online sales; and 4) outcomes studies at the retail (stocking, sales) and consumer (purchasing, consumption) levels. We selected 65 articles representing 30 studies for review. Results Sixteen pricing intervention studies that sought to improve access to healthy food and beverage options reported increased stocking and sales of promoted food items. Most studies (n = 23) reported improvement in the purchasing and consumption of healthy foods or beverages or decreased purchasing and consumption of unhealthy foods or beverages. Most studies assessed promotions of fresh fruits and vegetables (n = 20); however, these foods may be hard to source, have high perishability, and raise concerns about safety and handling. Few of the

Influence of extraction methods on the hepatotoxicity of Azadirachta ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The influence of extraction methods: Cold aqueous (CA) hot aqueous (HA) and alcoholic extraction (AE) methods on the hepatotoxic effect of Azadirachta indica bark extract (ABC) was investigated using albino rats. A total of forty eight rats were divided into three groups of sixteen rats equally for the extraction methods.

[Sixteen Cases of Colon Stenting as a Bridge to Surgery(BTS)for Obstructive Colorectal Cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuka, Ryo; Saito, Shuji; Hirayama, Ryouichi; Miura, Yasuaki; Sasaki, Kazunori; Miyajima, Ayako; Kuwamoto, Nobutsuna; Kataoka, Ryoko; Shindo, Yukito; Fujita, Rikiya

2017-11-01

Colonic stent insertion is widely used as a bridge to surgery(BTS)for obstructive colorectal cancer. Stenting can shorten hospitalization and decrease complication and colostomy rates in comparison with emergency surgery. We investigated patients who underwent colonic stent insertion for BTS in our hospital. Sixteen patients(8 men, 8 women) with a colorectal obstruction score of 0 or 1 who underwent colonic stent insertion as a BTS between April 2015 and April 2017 period were investigated. Mean patient age was 68.2(45-94)years. Technical success was obtained in all patients, and clinical success in 14(87%). Total colonoscopy was possible via stent in 10 patients. Nine patients were temporarily discharged from the hospital, and median time to operation was 18(2-43)days. Laparoscopic resection was performed in 14 patients, and anastomotic leakage was a postoperative complication in 1 patient. Colostomy was performed in only 1 patient with anastomotic leakage. Good results were obtained with careful patient selection and safe colonic stent insertion.

[Construction of a physiological aging scale for healthy people based on a modified Delphi method].

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Yao; Zhou, Xuan; Deng, Pengfei; Liao, Xiong; Wu, Lei; Zhou, Jianming; Huang, Helang

2016-04-01

To build a physiological aging scale for healthy people.
 We collected age-related physiologic items through literature screening and expert interview. Two rounds of Delphi were implemented. The importance, feasibility and the degree of authority for the physiological index system were graded. Using analytic hierarchy process, we determined the weight of dimensions and items.
 Using Delphy mothod, 17 physiological and other professional experts offered the results as follow: coefficient of expert authorities Cr was 0.86±0.03, coordination coefficients for the first and second round were 0.264(χ2=229.691, Paging scale for healthy people included 3 dimensions, namely physical form, feeling movement and functional status. Each dimension had 8 items. The weight coefficients for the 3 dimensions were 0.54, 0.16, and 0.30, respectively. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.893, the reliability was 0.796, and the variance of the common factor was 58.17%.
 The improved Delphi method or physiological aging scale is satisfied, which can provide reference for the evaluation of aging.

Perception of adolescents on healthy eating.

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Silva, Dayanne Caroline de Assis; Frazão, Iracema da Silva; Osório, Mônica Maria; Vasconcelos, Maria Gorete Lucena de

2015-11-01

The objective in this article is to analyze how adolescents at a school in the interior of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, perceive healthy eating. A descriptive and exploratory study was undertaken, based on the qualitative method. Forty adolescents between 10 and 14 years of age were investigated, using a semistructured interview. The interviews were analyzed using the software Alceste, which evidenced two thematic axes: Eating practices, divided in two classes (routine eating diary and Eating at weekends); and Education practices, consisting of four classes (Factors interfering in and facilitating the maintenance of healthy eating, Role of the school in the education process for healthy eating, Knowledge on healthy eating, The family and the promotion of healthy eating). Although the interviewed adolescents are familiar with healthy eating, they do not always put it in practice, due to the multiple factors that interfere in their preferred diet. The school and the family play a fundamental role in encouraging healthy eating. The school needs to accomplish eating education practices that encourage the consumption of locally produced foods.

Differentiating between axonal damage and demyelination in healthy aging by combining diffusion-tensor imaging and diffusion-weighted spectroscopy in the human corpus callosum at 7 T.

Science.gov (United States)

Branzoli, Francesca; Ercan, Ece; Valabrègue, Romain; Wood, Emily T; Buijs, Mathijs; Webb, Andrew; Ronen, Itamar

2016-11-01

Diffusion-tensor imaging and single voxel diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used at 7T to explore in vivo age-related microstructural changes in the corpus callosum. Sixteen healthy elderly (age range 60-71 years) and 13 healthy younger controls (age range 23-32 years) were included in the study. In healthy elderly, we found lower water fractional anisotropy and higher water mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity in the corpus callosum, indicating the onset of demyelination processes with healthy aging. These changes were not associated with a concomitant significant difference in the cytosolic diffusivity of the intra-axonal metabolite N-acetylaspartate (p = 0.12), the latter representing a pure measure of intra-axonal integrity. It was concluded that the possible intra-axonal changes associated with normal aging processes are below the detection level of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy in our experiment (e.g., smaller than 10%) in the age range investigated. Lower axial diffusivity of total creatine was observed in the elderly group (p = 0.058), possibly linked to a dysfunction in the energy metabolism associated with a deficit in myelin synthesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of adjusted subpixel method (ASM) in HRCT measurements of the bronchi in bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mincewicz, Grzegorz; Rumiński, Jacek; Krzykowski, Grzegorz

2012-01-01

Background: Recently, we described a model system which included corrections of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) bronchial measurements based on the adjusted subpixel method (ASM). Objective: To verify the clinical application of ASM by comparing bronchial measurements obtained by means of the traditional eye-driven method, subpixel method alone and ASM in a group comprised of bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals. Methods: The study included 30 bronchial asthma patients and the control group comprised of 20 volunteers with no symptoms of asthma. The lowest internal and external diameters of the bronchial cross-sections (ID and ED) and their derivative parameters were determined in HRCT scans using: (1) traditional eye-driven method, (2) subpixel technique, and (3) ASM. Results: In the case of the eye-driven method, lower ID values along with lower bronchial lumen area and its percentage ratio to total bronchial area were basic parameters that differed between asthma patients and healthy controls. In the case of the subpixel method and ASM, both groups were not significantly different in terms of ID. Significant differences were observed in values of ED and total bronchial area with both parameters being significantly higher in asthma patients. Compared to ASM, the eye-driven method overstated the values of ID and ED by about 30% and 10% respectively, while understating bronchial wall thickness by about 18%. Conclusions: Results obtained in this study suggest that the traditional eye-driven method of HRCT-based measurement of bronchial tree components probably overstates the degree of bronchial patency in asthma patients.

A review of the use of mobile phone text messaging in clinical and healthy behaviour interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Jin; Hollin, Ilene; Kachnowski, Stan

2011-01-01

We reviewed the literature on the use of text messaging for clinical and healthy behaviour interventions. Electronic databases were searched in December 2009 using keywords related to text messaging and health interventions. The final review included 24 articles. Of those, seven covered medication adherence, eight discussed clinical management and nine reported on health-related behaviour modification. Sixteen were randomized controlled trials (RCT), five were non-controlled pre-post comparison studies and three were feasibility pilots not reporting a behavioural outcome. The frequency of messaging ranged from multiple messages daily to one message per month. Among the 16 RCTs, 10 reported significant improvement with interventions and six reported differences suggesting positive trends. Text messaging received good acceptance and showed early efficacy in most studies. However, the evidence base is compromised by methodological limitations and is not yet conclusive.

TRIGLYCERIDE COMPOSITION OF SIXTEEN STRAINS OF MARINE DIATOM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lily M.G. Panggabean

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Trigliceride or triacylglicerol (TAG composition in crude oil of sixteen strain of marine diatom has been detected by spectra analyses on an Electrospray - Ion Trap – Mass Spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS HCT Bruker-Daltonic GmbH instrument with AgNO3 used as coordination ionization agent. Biomass samples of each microalga strain were taken from early and late stationary cultures in f/2 enriched seawater and algal oils were extracted according to Bligh and Dyer. Results from spectra analysis showed that P-Pt-P (C16:0-C16:1-C16:0 were distinguished in TAG from diatom strains Chaetoceros sp.1, Chaetoceros sp.2, Thalasiossira sp.1, Thalasiossira sp.2, Thalasiossira sp.3, Navicula sp. 1, Navicula sp. 2, Navicula sp. 3, Navicula sp. 4, Nitzschia sp. 2 and Amphora sp. In contrast, TAGs in Melosira sp. included P-P-P (C16:0-C16:0-C16:0 and P-P-O (C16:0-C16:0-C18:1 were identified. TAGs from Chaetoceros sp. were the most varies among samples, i.e. P-Pt-P (C16:0-C16:1-C16:0, A-P-M (C20:4-C16:0-C14:0, P-Pt-Lt (C16:0-C16:1-C18:3, P-Pt-A (C16:0-C16:1-C20:4, D-P-P (C22:6-C16:0-C16:0, A-Ln-P (C20:4-C18:2-C16:0. Various TAGs were also detected in Nitzschia sp.2, i.e. P-Pt-M (C16:0-C16:1-C14:0, P-Pt-P (C16:0-C16:1-C16:0, P-Pt-S (C16:0-C16:1-C18:0, P-Pt-A (C16:0-C16:1-C20:4. TAGs composition in Skeletonema strains that similar to those in Nitzschia sp.1 has longer carbon, i.e. P-P-O (C16:0-C16:0-C18:1, P-O-O (C16:0-C18:1-C18:1 and O-O-O (C18:1-C18:1-C18:1. TAGs with longer carbon chain and more double bond including highly unsaturated fatty acid C20:4 were increased with culture age in diatoms Chaetoceros sp.1, Chaetoceros sp.2, Thalasiossira sp.2, Navicula sp.1 and Nitzschia sp. 2.Keywords: diatom, TAG, ESI-IT-MS, f/2, early and late stationary

Sleep in Healthy Black and White Adolescents

OpenAIRE

Matthews, Karen A.; Hall, Martica; Dahl, Ronald E.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Inadequate sleep among adolescents has negative consequences for self-regulation, emotional well-being, and risk behaviors. Using multiple assessment methods, we evaluated the adequacy of sleep among healthy adolescents from a lower socioeconomic community and expected differences by race. METHODS: A total of 250 healthy high school students enrolled in public school (mean age: 15.7 years; 57% black, 54% female) from families of low to middle class according to the ...

Developing a Healthy Web-Based Cookbook for Pediatric Cancer Patients and Survivors: Rationale and Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Raber, Margaret

2015-01-01

Background Obesity has been a growing problem among children and adolescents in the United States for a number of decades. Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are more susceptible to the downstream health consequences of obesity such as cardiovascular disease, endocrine issues, and risk of cancer recurrence due to late effects of treatment and suboptimal dietary and physical activity habits. Objective The objective of this study was to document the development of a Web-based cookbook of healthy recipes and nutrition resources to help enable pediatric cancer patients and survivors to lead healthier lifestyles. Methods The Web-based cookbook, named “@TheTable”, was created by a committee of researchers, a registered dietitian, patients and family members, a hospital chef, and community advisors and donors. Recipes were collected from several sources including recipe contests and social media. We incorporated advice from current patients, parents, and CCS. Results Over 400 recipes, searchable by several categories and with accompanying nutritional information, are currently available on the website. In addition to healthy recipes, social media functionality and cooking videos are integrated into the website. The website also features nutrition information resources including nutrition and cooking tip sheets available on several subjects. Conclusions The “@TheTable” website is a unique resource for promoting healthy lifestyles spanning pediatric oncology prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Through evaluations of the website’s current and future use, as well as incorporation into interventions designed to promote energy balance, we will continue to adapt and build this unique resource to serve cancer patients, survivors, and the general public. PMID:25840596

Rationale, design and methods of the HEALTHY study nutrition intervention component.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, B; Mobley, C; Stadler, D D; Hartstein, J; Virus, A; Volpe, S L; El ghormli, L; Staten, M A; Bridgman, J; McCormick, S

2009-08-01

The HEALTHY study was a randomized, controlled, multicenter and middle school-based, multifaceted intervention designed to reduce risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. The study randomized 42 middle schools to intervention or control, and followed students from the sixth to the eighth grades. Here we describe the design of the HEALTHY nutrition intervention component that was developed to modify the total school food environment, defined to include the following: federal breakfast, lunch, after school snack and supper programs; a la carte venues, including snack bars and school stores; vending machines; fundraisers; and classroom parties and celebrations. Study staff implemented the intervention using core and toolbox strategies to achieve and maintain the following five intervention goals: (1) lower the average fat content of foods, (2) increase the availability and variety of fruits and vegetables, (3) limit the portion sizes and energy content of dessert and snack foods, (4) eliminate whole and 2% milk and all added sugar beverages, with the exception of low fat or nonfat flavored milk, and limit 100% fruit juice to breakfast in small portions and (5) increase the availability of higher fiber grain-based foods and legumes. Other nutrition intervention component elements were taste tests, cafeteria enhancements, cafeteria line messages and other messages about healthy eating, cafeteria learning laboratory (CLL) activities, twice-yearly training of food service staff, weekly meetings with food service managers, incentives for food service departments, and twice yearly local meetings and three national summits with district food service directors. Strengths of the intervention design were the integration of nutrition with the other HEALTHY intervention components (physical education, behavior change and communications), and the collaboration and rapport between the nutrition intervention study staff members and food service personnel at both school

Application of adjusted subpixel method (ASM) in HRCT measurements of the bronchi in bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Mincewicz, Grzegorz; Rumiński, Jacek; Krzykowski, Grzegorz

2012-02-01

Recently, we described a model system which included corrections of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) bronchial measurements based on the adjusted subpixel method (ASM). To verify the clinical application of ASM by comparing bronchial measurements obtained by means of the traditional eye-driven method, subpixel method alone and ASM in a group comprised of bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals. The study included 30 bronchial asthma patients and the control group comprised of 20 volunteers with no symptoms of asthma. The lowest internal and external diameters of the bronchial cross-sections (ID and ED) and their derivative parameters were determined in HRCT scans using: (1) traditional eye-driven method, (2) subpixel technique, and (3) ASM. In the case of the eye-driven method, lower ID values along with lower bronchial lumen area and its percentage ratio to total bronchial area were basic parameters that differed between asthma patients and healthy controls. In the case of the subpixel method and ASM, both groups were not significantly different in terms of ID. Significant differences were observed in values of ED and total bronchial area with both parameters being significantly higher in asthma patients. Compared to ASM, the eye-driven method overstated the values of ID and ED by about 30% and 10% respectively, while understating bronchial wall thickness by about 18%. Results obtained in this study suggest that the traditional eye-driven method of HRCT-based measurement of bronchial tree components probably overstates the degree of bronchial patency in asthma patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eating for the better: a social marketing review (2000-2012).

Science.gov (United States)

Carins, Julia E; Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn R

2014-07-01

The present study sought to identify both the ingredients for success and the potential impediments to social marketing effectiveness for healthy eating behaviour, focusing on studies conducted over the last 10 years. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken examining seventeen databases to identify studies reporting the use of social marketing to address healthy eating. Thirty-four empirical studies were analysed to examine the effectiveness of social marketing interventions to improve healthy eating behaviour using Andreasen's (2002) social marketing benchmark criteria. Statistical analysis was undertaken to quantitatively evaluate whether effectiveness varied between study categories (subsets). Healthy eating empirical studies published from 2000 onwards. Empirical studies that self-identified as social marketing. Sixteen social marketing studies (subset 1) were identified in the review. These were systematic studies which sought to change behaviour through tailored solutions (e.g. use of marketing tools beyond communication was clearly evident) that delivered value to the target audience. For these sixteen studies, the mean number of criteria identified was five. Six studies met all six criteria. Positive change to healthy eating behaviour was found in fourteen of sixteen studies. The sixteen studies that met the definition of social marketing used significantly more of Andreasen's (2002) criteria and were more effective in achieving behavioural change than the eighteen studies in subset 2. Social marketing is an involved process and it is important that studies identifying as social marketing adopt social marketing benchmark criteria. Social marketing when employed to its full extent offers the potential to change healthy eating.

Patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies are not more asymmetrical than healthy controls on timed performance of upper limb tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.C. Artilheiro

Full Text Available This study aimed to investigate possible asymmetries and relationships between performance of dominant and non-dominant upper limbs (UL in patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD, to compare UL performance of patients and healthy subjects and to investigate the relationship between timed performance of UL and age, motor function and muscle strength in DMD/BMD patients. Sixteen patients with DMD and 3 with BMD were evaluated with Jebsen-Taylor Test (timed performance, Vignos scale and Dimension 3 of Motor Function Measure (motor function, and Medical Research Council scale (muscle strength on a single session. ANOVA showed no asymmetry between dominant and non-dominant UL, except in the writing subtest, in patients and in healthy controls. There were relationships between dominant and non-dominant UL performances. Correlations between timed performance, motor function and muscle strength were found, but age was not correlated with these variables. These findings may reduce the assessment time, prevent fatigue and provide more accurate clinical reasoning involving UL in DMD/BMD treatment.

The serotonin-1A receptor distribution in healthy men and women measured by PET and [carbonyl-{sup 11}C]WAY-100635

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stein, Patrycja; Savli, Markus; Fink, Martin; Spindelegger, Christoph; Moser, Ulrike; Kasper, Siegfried; Lanzenberger, Rupert [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Vienna (Austria); Wadsak, Wolfgang; Dudczak, Robert; Kletter, Kurt [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vienna (Austria); Mitterhauser, Markus; Mien, Leonhard-Key [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vienna (Austria); University of Vienna, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Vienna (Austria)

2008-12-15

The higher prevalence rates of depression and anxiety disorders in women compared to men have been associated with sexual dimorphisms in the serotonergic system. The present positron emission tomography (PET) study investigated the influence of sex on the major inhibitory serotonergic receptor subtype, the serotonin-1A (5-HT{sub 1A}) receptor. Sixteen healthy women and 16 healthy men were measured using PET and the highly specific radioligand [carbonyl-{sup 11}C]WAY-100635. Effects of age or gonadal hormones were excluded by restricting the inclusion criteria to young adults and by controlling for menstrual cycle phase. The 5-HT{sub 1A} receptor BP{sub ND} was quantified using (1) the 'gold standard' manual delineation approach with ten regions of interest (ROIs) and (2) a newly developed delineation method using a PET template normalized to the Montreal Neurologic Institute space with 45 ROIs based on automated anatomical labeling. The 5-HT{sub 1A} receptor BP{sub ND} was found equally distributed in men and women applying both the manual delineation method and the automated delineation approach. Women had lower mean BP{sub ND} values in every region investigated, with a borderline significant sex difference in the hypothalamus (p=0.012, uncorrected). There was a high intersubject variability of the 5-HT{sub 1A} receptor BP{sub ND} within both sexes compared to the small mean differences between men and women. To conclude, when measured in the follicular phase, women do not differ from men in the 5-HT{sub 1A} receptor binding. To explain the higher prevalence of affective disorders in women, further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between hormonal status and the 5-HT{sub 1A} receptor expression. (orig.)

Sixteen weeks of resistance training can decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome in healthy postmenopausal women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Conceição MS

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Miguel Soares Conceição,1 Valéria Bonganha,1 Felipe Cassaro Vechin,2 Ricardo Paes de Barros Berton,1 Manoel Emílio Lixandrão,1 Felipe Romano Damas Nogueira,1 Giovana Vergínia de Souza,1 Mara Patricia Traina Chacon-Mikahil,1 Cleiton Augusto Libardi2 1Exercise Physiology Laboratory, School of Physical Education, State University of Campinas, Campinas, 2Laboratory of Neuromuscular Adaptation to Strength Training, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Background: The postmenopausal phase has been considered an aggravating factor for developing metabolic syndrome. Notwithstanding, no studies have as yet investigated the effects of resistance training on metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. Thus, the purpose of this study was to verify whether resistance training could reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. Methods: Twenty postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to a resistance training protocol (n = 10, 53.40 ± 3.95 years, 64.58 ± 9.22 kg or a control group (n = 10, 53.0 ± 5.7 years, 64.03 ± 5.03 kg. In the resistance training protocol, ten exercises were performed, with 3 × 8–10 maximal repetitions three times per week, and the load was increased every week. Two-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate specific metabolic syndrome Z-score, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, waist circumference, blood pressure, strength, and body composition. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The main results demonstrated a significant decrease of metabolic syndrome Z-score when the postmenopausal women performed resistance training (P = 0.0162. Moreover, we observed decreases in fasting blood glucose for the resistance training group (P = 0.001, and also significant improvements in lean body mass (P = 0.042, 2.46%, reduction of body fat percentage (P = 0.001, −6.75% and noticeable increases in

Comparison of anaerobic threshold determined by visual and mathematical methods in healthy women.

Science.gov (United States)

Higa, M N; Silva, E; Neves, V F C; Catai, A M; Gallo, L; Silva de Sá, M F

2007-04-01

Several methods are used to estimate anaerobic threshold (AT) during exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare AT obtained by a graphic visual method for the estimate of ventilatory and metabolic variables (gold standard), to a bi-segmental linear regression mathematical model of Hinkley's algorithm applied to heart rate (HR) and carbon dioxide output (VCO2) data. Thirteen young (24 +/- 2.63 years old) and 16 postmenopausal (57 +/- 4.79 years old) healthy and sedentary women were submitted to a continuous ergospirometric incremental test on an electromagnetic braking cycloergometer with 10 to 20 W/min increases until physical exhaustion. The ventilatory variables were recorded breath-to-breath and HR was obtained beat-to-beat over real time. Data were analyzed by the nonparametric Friedman test and Spearman correlation test with the level of significance set at 5%. Power output (W), HR (bpm), oxygen uptake (VO2; mL kg(-1) min(-1)), VO2 (mL/min), VCO2 (mL/min), and minute ventilation (VE; L/min) data observed at the AT level were similar for both methods and groups studied (P > 0.05). The VO2 (mL kg(-1) min(-1)) data showed significant correlation (P automatic, non-invasive and objective AT measurement.

Elements of healthy death: a thematic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Estebsari, Fatemeh; Taghdisi, Mohammad Hossein; Mostafaei, Davood; Rahimi, Zahra

2017-01-01

Background: Death is a natural and frightening phenomenon, which is inevitable. Previous studies on death, which presented a negative and tedious image of this process, are now being revised and directed towards acceptable death and good death. One of the proposed terms about death and dying is "healthy death", which encourages dealing with death positively and leading a lively and happy life until the last moment. This study aimed to explain the views of Iranians about the elements of healthy death. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted for 12 months in two general hospitals in Tehran (capital of Iran), using the thematic analysis method. After conducting 23 in-depth interviews with 21 participants, transcription of content, and data immersion and analysis, themes, as the smallest meaningful units were extracted, encoded and classified. Results: One main category of healthy death with 10 subthemes, including dying at the right time, dying without hassle, dying without cost, dying without dependency and control, peaceful death, not having difficulty at dying, not dying alone and dying at home, inspired death, preplanned death, and presence of a clergyman or a priest, were extracted as the elements of healthy death from the perspective of the participants in this study. Conclusion: The study findings well explained the elements of healthy death. Paying attention to the conditions and factors causing healthy death by professionals and providing and facilitating quality services for patients in the end stage of life make it possible for patients to experience a healthy death.

Healthy lifestyle in teachers.

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Pirzadeh, Asiyeh; Sharifirad, Gholamreza; Kamran, Aziz

2012-01-01

The role of individual healthy behaviors like physical activity, nutrition and stress management on reduction of rate of disease mortality and morbidity is well known. The aim of this study is to determine healthy life style in teachers employed in district No.4 in Isfahan, Iran, in 2010. The participants of this cross-sectional study were 96 teachers in district No. 4, selected via random sampling method. The data collection was performed using a questionnaire including demographic healthy lifestyle questions. Analysis of the data was performed through Software SPSS version 18. The mean age of the subjects was 40.26 ± 6.05 years and, BMI mean was 25.08 ± 3.20. 96.8% of them were married and 3.1% also were single. 1% of the teachers had a weak lifestyle, 13.5%had moderate, 85.4% had a good lifestyle. In terms of nutrition, 2% of the teachers had a weak lifestyle, 23% moderate, 74% good. 76% in terms of physical activity, 29.2% smoking and 21.9% stress had a weak lifestyle. According to the results, planning for teachers in school for receiving information about healthy lifestyle is important.

Promotion of a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand by participatory methods.

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Krungkraiwong, Sudthida; Itani, Toru; Amornratanapaichit, Ratanaporn

2006-01-01

The major problems of small enterprises include unfavourable working conditions and environment that affect safety and health of workers. The WISE (Work Improvement in Small Enterprises) methodology developed by the ILO has been widely applied to improve occupational safety and health in small enterprises in Thailand. The participatory methods building on local good practices and focusing on practicable improvements have proven effective in controlling the occupational hazards in these enterprises at their sources. As a result of applying the methods in small-scale industries, the frequency of occupational accidents was reduced and the working environment actually improved in the cases studied. The results prove that the participatory approach taken by the WISE activities is a useful and effective tool to make owner/managers and workers in small enterprises voluntarily improve their own working conditions and environment. In promoting a healthy work life at small enterprises in Thailand, it is important to further develop and spread the approach.

Diabetes Diet: Create Your Healthy-Eating Plan

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... methods works for you: The plate method. The American Diabetes Association offers a simple seven-step method of meal ... complications. Diabetes meal plans and a healthy diet. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/ ...

Pedagogical terms of forming of healthy method of life of modern pupils

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Odarchenko V.I.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The questions of conditioning forming of healthy method of life of pupils of general educational educational establishments are probed. In an experiment 156 pupils took part in age from 6 to 17 years. It is set that the characteristic feature of bodily condition of health of pupils is a result of the protracted unfavorable influence of socio-economic, ecological and pedagogical factors. An idea speaks out, that search of the new going near organization of an educational educate process at school it is necessary to send educations to humanizing. It will provide creation of optimum terms for spiritual growth of personality, valuable realization of psychophysical possibilities, maintainance and strengthening of health. It is well-proven that realization of the personality oriented approach taking into account basic valeological principles positively influences on the process of education of responsible attitude toward an own health as to the greatest individual and public value.

Yoga's potential for promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among young adults: a mixed-methods study.

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Watts, Allison W; Rydell, Sarah A; Eisenberg, Marla E; Laska, Melissa N; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2018-05-02

A regular yoga practice may have benefits for young adult health, however, there is limited evidence available to guide yoga interventions targeting weight-related health. The present study explored the relationship between participation in yoga, healthy eating behaviors and physical activity among young adults. The present mixed-methods study used data collected as part of wave 4 of Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults), a population-based cohort study in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Young adults (n = 1820) completed the Project EAT survey and a food frequency questionnaire, and a subset who reported practicing yoga additionally participated in semi-structured interviews (n = 46). Analyses of survey data were used to examine cross-sectional associations between the frequency of yoga practice, dietary behaviors (servings of fruits and vegetables (FV), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and snack foods and frequency of fast food consumption), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Thematic analysis of interview discussions further explored yoga's perceived influence on eating and activity behaviors among interview participants. Regular yoga practice was associated with more servings of FV, fewer servings of SSBs and snack foods, less frequent fast food consumption, and more hours of MVPA. Interviews revealed that yoga supported healthy eating through motivation to eat healthfully, greater mindfulness, management of emotional eating, more healthy food cravings, and the influence of the yoga community. Yoga supported physical activity through activity as part of yoga practice, motivation to do other forms of activity, increased capacity to be active, and by complementing an active lifestyle. Young adult yoga practitioners reported healthier eating behaviors and higher levels of physical activity than non-practitioners. Yoga should be investigated as an intervention for young adult health promotion and healthy weight management.

The relationship between mentoring on healthy behaviors and well-being among Israeli youth in boarding schools: a mixed-methods study.

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Agmon, Maayan; Zlotnick, Cheryl; Finkelstein, Anat

2015-02-15

Although 10% of Israeli youth live in boarding schools, few studies, except for those focusing on mental health, have examined the well-being of this population subgroup. Thus, the aims of this study were to explore: (1) the prevalence rates of five aspects of well-being (i.e., healthy habits, avoidance of risky behaviors, peer relationships, adult relationships, and school environment) in youth residing at Israeli boarding schools; (2) the relationships between youth well-being and youth perception of their mentor; and (3) the different subgroups of youth with higher rates of risky and healthy behaviors. This study used a mixed-methods approach including a quantitative survey of youth (n = 158) to examine the association between youth behaviors and perception of their mentor; and a qualitative study consisting of interviews (n = 15) with boarding school staff to better understand the context of these findings. Greater proportions of boarding school youth, who had positive perceptions of their mentor (the significant adult or parent surrogate), believed both that their teachers thought they were good students (p boarding school had very similar healthy habits compared to other youth living in Israel; however, youth in the general population, compared to those in the boarding schools, were eating more sweets (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.02-1.90) and engaging in higher levels of television use (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.97-3.54). Mentors, the significant adult for youth living in residential education environments, have a major influence on school performance, the major focus of their work; mentors had no impact on healthy behaviors. Overall, there were many similarities in healthy behaviors between youth at boarding schools and youth in the general population; however, the differences in healthy habits seemed related to policies governing the boarding schools as well as its structural elements.

Healthy Family 2009: Assuring Healthy Aging

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... Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Healthy Family 2009 Assuring Healthy Aging Past Issues / Winter 2009 ... for steady, modest loss. Seek emotional support from family and friends. Expect setbacks; forgive yourself. Make physical ...

Effect of the Health Tourism weight loss programme on body composition and health outcomes in healthy and excess-weight adults.

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Sagayama, Hiroyuki; Shizuma, Kayoko; Toguchi, Makiko; Mizuhara, Hiroji; Machida, Yukiko; Yamada, Yosuke; Ebine, Naoyuki; Higaki, Yasuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2018-05-01

Excess weight loss while minimising fat-free mass (FFM) loss is important for health. Travel is a particular period at risk for weight gain and for which the effects of a short-term intensive weight loss programme have not been studied. Therefore, we studied the effect of a novel, 1-week supervised health travel programme combining high volume, low-to-moderate intensity exercise and energy intake restriction on weight, body composition and health outcomes in adults. Weight was also monitored for 12 weeks after the programme. In all, thirty-six subjects (nineteen men, seventeen women) consisting of sixteen excess-weight (BMI: 27·1 (sd 1·7) kg/m2) and twenty healthy-weight (BMI: 22·3 (sd 1·8) kg/m2) individuals participated. Subjects performed 1 h of slow-paced intermittent jogging three times per d and other leisure activities, whereas consuming only provided foods without water restriction. Body mass significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention in excess-weight and healthy-weight individuals (-3·5 (sd 1·5) and -3·5 (sd 1·3) %, respectively; PTourism weight loss programme's results indicate that it is a viable option.

Effect of the Pilates method on physical conditioning of healthy subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Campos, Renata R; Dias, Josilainne M; Pereira, Ligia M; Obara, Karen; Barreto, Maria S; Silva, Mariana F; Mazuquin, Bruno F; Christofaro, Diego G; Fernandes, Romulo A; Iversen, Maura D; Cardoso, Jefferson R

2016-01-01

Physical conditioning consists of a variety of health-related attributes and Pilates exercises are described as a form of this conditioning. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the effect of the Pilates method on health and ability outcome of the physical conditioning of healthy individuals. The search was performed in the following databases: Medline, Cinahl, Embase, Lilacs, Scielo, Web of Science, PEDro, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register Library, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar. (1950-2014). Included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effects of the Pilates method on healthy subjects. Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Pilates improved abdominal muscular endurance when compared with no exercises (mean difference [MD]=9.53%; 95% CI: 2.41, 16.43; P=0.009), however, there was no difference in flexibility (MD=4.97; 95% CI: -0.53, 10.47; P=0.08). Some positive effects (up to 6 months) of the Pilates practice were found in some RCTs' results as follows: Improvement of dynamic balance, quality of life and back muscle flexibility. The results indicate the Pilates exercises performed on the mat or apparatus 2 to 3 times a week, for 5 to 12 weeks, improves abdominal muscular endurance (on average, 10 more abdominals curls in 1-minute sit-up test) for both genders, when compared to no exercises.

Heart rate variability in healthy population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alamgir, M.; Hussain, M.M.

2010-01-01

Background: Heart rate variability has been considered as an indicator of autonomic status. Little work has been done on heart rate variability in normal healthy volunteers. We aimed at evolving the reference values of heart rate variability in our healthy population. Methods: Twenty-four hour holter monitoring of 37 healthy individuals was done using Holter ECG recorder 'Life card CF' from 'Reynolds Medical'. Heart rate variability in both time and frequency domains was analysed with 'Reynolds Medical Pathfinder Digital/700'. Results: The heart rate variability in normal healthy volunteers of our population was found in time domain using standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of average NN intervals (SDANN), and Square root of the mean squared differences of successive NN intervals (RMSSD). Variation in heart rate variability indices was observed between local and foreign volunteers and RMSSD was found significantly increased (p<0.05) in local population. Conclusions: The values of heart rate variability (RMSSD) in healthy Pakistani volunteers were found increased compared to the foreign data reflecting parasympathetic dominance in our population. (author)

Renal oxygen content is increased in healthy subjects after angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Stein

2012-07-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The association between renal hypoxia and the development of renal injury is well established. However, no adequate method currently exists to non-invasively measure functional changes in renal oxygenation in normal and injured patients. METHOD: R2* quantification was performed using renal blood oxygen level-dependent properties. Five healthy normotensive women (50±5.3 years underwent magnetic resonance imaging in a 1.5T Signa Excite HDx scanner (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI. A multiple fast gradient-echo sequence was used to acquire R2*/T2* images (sixteen echoes from 2.1 ms/slice to 49.6 ms/slice in a single breath hold per location. The images were post-processed to generate R2* maps for quantification. Data were recorded before and at 30 minutes after the oral administration of an angiotensin II-converting enzyme inhibitor (captopril, 25 mg. The results were compared using an ANOVA for repeated measurements (mean + standard deviation followed by the Tukey test. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01545479. RESULTS: A significant difference (p<0.001 in renal oxygenation (R2* was observed in the cortex and medulla before and after captopril administration: right kidney, cortex = 11.08 ± 0.56ms, medulla = 17.21 ± 1.47ms and cortex = 10.30 ± 0.44ms, medulla = 16.06 ± 1.74ms, respectively; and left kidney, cortex= 11.79 ± 1.85ms, medulla = 17.03 ± 0.88ms and cortex = 10.89 ± 0.91ms, medulla = 16.43 ± 1.49ms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This result suggests that the technique efficiently measured alterations in renal blood oxygenation after angiotensin II-converting enzyme inhibition and that it may provide a new strategy for identifying the early stages of renal disease and perhaps new therapeutic targets.

Application of the 227Th/230Th method to dating Pleistocene carbonates and comparison with other dating methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gascoyne, M.

1985-01-01

The 227 Th/ 230 Th dating method is described in detail and its usefulness investigated by comparing ages of sixteen Pleistocene carbonates (mainly cave deposits) with those determined by the 231 Pa/ 235 U and 230 Th/ 234 U methods. The 227 Th/ 230 Th ages are found to be critically dependent on corrections for decay of 227 Th prior to alpha counting and ingrowth of daughter isotopes of 232 Th derived from clastic detritus. Of nineteen sets of ages determined for the sixteen samples, good agreement is found for only seven sets. Differences are attributed to low U content of some samples and the possibility of excess 227 Th in the calcite of samples younger than approx. 50 ky, possibly due to the coprecipitation of 231 Pa during formation. Calculated 'negative' 227 Th/ 230 Th ages may be a direct result of this process and the fact that unlike the other methods, the activity ratio is non-zero at zero age. Nevertheless, the 227 Th/ 230 Th is found to be a useful alternative dating technique for carbonates which are between approx. 50 and 300 ky, because no spiking is required. It also serves as a check for partial concordancy with ages dated by the other methods. (author)

Effects of Vojta method on trunk stability in healthy individuals.

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Ha, Sun-Young; Sung, Yun-Hee

2016-12-01

Vojta reflex locomotion is important to main upright posture through stimulation of breast zone to patient with cerebral palsy. However, application in other diseases is no investigated. So, we determined the effects of stimulation of the breast zone on trunk stability in healthy individuals. Fourteen young healthy adults (7 males and 7 females) voluntarily participated in this study. The subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group (breast zone) and control group (arbitrary point). All groups were stimulated for 5 min on the left and right sides, respectively, for a total 10 times. We used the thickness of the external oblique abdominal muscle (EO), the internal oblique abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA), and the rectus abdominis muscles, as well as the area of the diaphragm by using ultrasonography. In the experimental group, the thickness of the TrA significantly increased during stimulation ( P <0.05) while the thickness of the EO significantly decreased ( P <0.05). Also, the area of diaphragm in inspiration was significantly different ( P <0.05). Therefore, stimulation of the breast zone may be effective to improve trunk stability through activation of the TrA muscle and the diaphragm.

Sixteen Years of the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys: Calibration Update

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Grogin, Norman A.; ACS Instrument Team

2018-06-01

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) has been a workhorse HST imager for over sixteen years, subsequent to its Servicing Mission 3B installation in 2002. The once defunct ACS Wide Field Channel (WFC) has now been operating nearly twice as long (>9yrs) since its Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) repair than it had originally operated prior to its 2007 failure. Despite the accumulating radiation damage to the WFC CCDs during their long stay in low Earth orbit, ACS continues to be heavily exploited by the HST community as both a prime and a parallel detector.During past year, there have been two new releases of the CALACS image reduction pipeline that have incorporated several recent advancements in ACS calibration capabilities. We review these updates, along with the enhanced calibration reference files (superbiases, superdarks, etc.) associated with these CALACS releases. We also present results from long-term monitoring of WFC dark current and readout noise, and from new studies of detector performance from both WFC and the ACS Solar Blind Channel (SBC). Highlights include: 1) improved characterization of WFC post-flash LED illumination, including a low-level annual modulation of LED intensity; 2) comprehensive assessment of SBC dark current as a function of detector operating temperature, and of SBC operating temperature versus duration of use; and 3) an update to the WFC bad-pixel table resulting from a minor particulate-contamination event in May 2017.

Determination of plasma albumin concentration in healthy and diseased turtles: a comparison of protein electrophoresis and the bromcresol green dye-binding method.

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Müller, Kerstin; Brunnberg, Leo

2010-03-01

In reptile medicine, plasma chemistry analysis is widely used for the evaluation of an individual's health status. The standard method for the determination of plasma albumin concentration is protein electrophoresis combined with the determination of total protein concentration, but the bromcresol green (BCG) dye-binding method is also used. The reliability of the BCG method for the measurement of albumin concentration in reptiles is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the plasma albumin values of turtles obtained by protein electrophoresis and the BCG method. Between March 2008 and September 2008, heparinized plasma samples from 16 clinically healthy and 10 diseased turtles of different species were collected. Plasma albumin concentrations were measured by protein electrophoresis and by the BCG method. The results of the 2 methods were compared using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman plots. Albumin concentration measured by BCG was weakly correlated with the corresponding protein electrophoretic values in all turtles (r(s)=.610, Palbumin concentration measured with the 2 different methods differed significantly in all turtles (P=.009; Wilcoxon's test) and in healthy turtles (P=.005) but not in diseased animals (P=.241). In the Bland-Altman plot a systematic error was found between the 2 methods in diseased turtles. Measurement of albumin by the BCG dye-binding method may lead to inaccurate results for plasma albumin concentration, especially in ill turtles. Therefore, for health assessment in turtles, albumin should be measured by protein electrophoresis.

Eating Healthy

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... There is much we can do to promote healthy eating habits. Together we can prevent or delay onset of diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions and diseases. Benefits Helps maintain a healthy weight A healthy weight reduces risk of chronic ...

[Sixteen years of nursing education with diploma at the Semmelweis University].

Science.gov (United States)

Csóka, Mária

2006-06-25

Nowadays it is already known that medical sciences on their own cannot achieve spectacular improvement in the state of health of the population even with high-tech appliances. Health care professionals, who can aid individuals, families, and communities in optimizing their physical, mental and social functions, are also needed in the fields of basic provision and clinical-hospital provision and, to achieve this, they possess wider medical, nursing and social scientific expertise. The training of registered nurses was first launched in Hungary at the Postgraduate Medical Institute's Faculty of Health Care (nowadays Semmelweis University Faculty of Health Care) in 1989 as a correspondence, then in 1990 as a full-time program. This was the first step towards the realization of a better, high-standard, individualized nursing system. The aim is training health care professionals who are able to individually assess the needs of people under their care, define the problems, plan, execute and evaluate the nursing-caring process, and take part in nursing research. Besides the positive results of the follow-up examinations of graduate students, the fact cannot be neglected that since the introduction of the training, in the last 15 years it has not become clear to everyone, why the training of registered nurses is necessary, and what these "new-type" professionals can be used for. It is clear to everyone that for real teamwork the mutual appreciation of each other's work, maximum accord, the acceptance and honor of each other are indispensable. Still, all these cannot be expected from school qualification only, these can only be achieved with the continuous proof of aptitude and expertise. For the realistic judgement of registered nurses it is also needed that their nearest colleague, the physician should know in depths and accept the syllabus of the training. That is why the author of the article feels that the history of the first sixteen years of the accredited training

Healthy Cooking Techniques

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Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating Healthy-cooking techniques capture the flavor and nutrients of food without extra fat or salt. By Mayo Clinic Staff Healthy cooking doesn't mean that ...

Comparison of anaerobic threshold determined by visual and mathematical methods in healthy women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.N. Higa

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Several methods are used to estimate anaerobic threshold (AT during exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare AT obtained by a graphic visual method for the estimate of ventilatory and metabolic variables (gold standard, to a bi-segmental linear regression mathematical model of Hinkley's algorithm applied to heart rate (HR and carbon dioxide output (VCO2 data. Thirteen young (24 ± 2.63 years old and 16 postmenopausal (57 ± 4.79 years old healthy and sedentary women were submitted to a continuous ergospirometric incremental test on an electromagnetic braking cycloergometer with 10 to 20 W/min increases until physical exhaustion. The ventilatory variables were recorded breath-to-breath and HR was obtained beat-to-beat over real time. Data were analyzed by the nonparametric Friedman test and Spearman correlation test with the level of significance set at 5%. Power output (W, HR (bpm, oxygen uptake (VO2; mL kg-1 min-1, VO2 (mL/min, VCO2 (mL/min, and minute ventilation (VE; L/min data observed at the AT level were similar for both methods and groups studied (P > 0.05. The VO2 (mL kg-1 min-1 data showed significant correlation (P < 0.05 between the gold standard method and the mathematical model when applied to HR (r s = 0.75 and VCO2 (r s = 0.78 data for the subjects as a whole (N = 29. The proposed mathematical method for the detection of changes in response patterns of VCO2 and HR was adequate and promising for AT detection in young and middle-aged women, representing a semi-automatic, non-invasive and objective AT measurement.

Descriptive analysis of the masticatory and salivary functions and gustatory sensitivity in healthy children.

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Marquezin, Maria Carolina Salomé; Pedroni-Pereira, Aline; Araujo, Darlle Santos; Rosar, João Vicente; Barbosa, Taís S; Castelo, Paula Midori

2016-08-01

The objective of this study is to better understand salivary and masticatory characteristics, this study evaluated the relationship among salivary parameters, bite force (BF), masticatory performance (MP) and gustatory sensitivity in healthy children. The secondary outcome was to evaluate possible gender differences. One hundred and sixteen eutrophic subjects aged 7-11 years old were evaluated, caries-free and with no definite need of orthodontic treatment. Salivary flow rate and pH, total protein (TP), alpha-amylase (AMY), calcium (CA) and phosphate (PHO) concentrations were determined in stimulated (SS) and unstimulated saliva (US). BF and MP were evaluated using digital gnathodynamometer and fractional sieving method, respectively. Gustatory sensitivity was determined by detecting the four primary tastes (sweet, salty, sour and bitter) in three different concentrations. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney/t-test, Spearman correlation and multiple regression analysis, considering α = 0.05. Significant positive correlation between taste and age was observed. CA and PHO concentrations correlated negatively with salivary flow and pH; sweet taste scores correlated with AMY concentrations and bitter taste sensitivity correlated with US flow rate (p salivary, masticatory characteristics and gustatory sensitivity was observed. The regression analysis showed a weak relationship between the distribution of chewed particles among the different sieves and BF. The concentration of some analytes was influenced by salivary flow and pH. Age, saliva flow and AMY concentrations influenced gustatory sensitivity. In addition, salivary, masticatory and taste characteristics did not differ between genders, and only a weak relation between MP and BF was observed.

Retinal hemodynamic oxygen reactivity assessed by perfusion velocity, blood oximetry and vessel diameter measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klefter, Oliver Niels; Lauritsen, Anne Øberg; Larsen, Michael

2015-01-01

PURPOSE: To test the oxygen reactivity of a fundus photographic method of measuring macular perfusion velocity and to integrate macular perfusion velocities with measurements of retinal vessel diameters and blood oxygen saturation. METHODS: Sixteen eyes in 16 healthy volunteers were studied at two...... is a valid method for assessing macular perfusion. Results were consistent with previous observations of hyperoxic blood flow reduction using blue field entoptic and laser Doppler velocimetry. Retinal perfusion seemed to be regulated around individual set points according to blood glucose levels. Multimodal...

Is Mc Leod's Patent Pending Naturoptic Method for Restoring Healthy Vision Easy and Verifiable?

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Niemi, Paul; McLeod, David; McLeod, Roger

2006-10-01

RDM asserts that he and people he has trained can assign visual tasks from standard vision assessment charts, or better replacements, proceeding through incremental changes and such rapid improvements that healthy vision can be restored. Mc Leod predicts that in visual tasks with pupil diameter changes, wavelengths change proportionally. A longer, quasimonochromatic wavelength interval is coincident with foveal cones, and rods. A shorter, partially overlapping interval separately aligns with extrafoveal cones. Wavelengths follow the Airy disk radius formula. Niemi can evaluate if it is true that visual health merely requires triggering and facilitating the demands of possibly overridden feedback signals. The method and process are designed so that potential Naturopathic and other select graduate students should be able to self-fund their higher- level educations from preferential franchising arrangements of earnings while they are in certain programs.

ADOLESCENTS’ HEALTHY EATING

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Susanne

understanding of adolescent healthy eating. Based on this, the thesis presents three research questions which are investigated in three research papers. The research questions are: 1. Which roles do parents and adolescents have in healthy eating socialisation? 2. How does the social influence from parents...... and family members’ roles regarding healthy eating socialisation is underexposed, the study aimed at exploring adolescents’ and parents’ awareness of and involvement in healthy eating and investigated how they related it to their roles in the healthy eating socialisation taking place within the family...... or a cooperative one helping parents. Parents initiated dialogues with family members about healthy eating and felt responsible as role models often fulfilling the adolescents’ demands and acknowledging their help. The findings confirm that parents still have the upper hand, when it comes to healthy eating...

A Healthy Eating Education Program for Midwives to Investigate and Explore Their Knowledge, Understanding, and Confidence to Support Pregnant Women to Eat Healthily: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, Shwikar Mahmoud Etman; Steen, Mary P; Jayasekara, Rasika; Fleet, Julie-Anne

2018-05-25

Nutrition and healthy eating behaviors during pregnancy are vitally important for the health of a mother and her developing baby. However, some midwives have reported a lack of evidence-based nutrition knowledge for providing information about healthy eating to women during pregnancy. In this study, the aim is to design and evaluate a healthy eating education program to enhance midwives' knowledge, understanding, and confidence to support pregnant women in South Australia to make healthy eating choices. This mixed-methods study consists of two phases. The first phase, Phase 1, consists of an education program for midwives, "Healthy Eating in Pregnancy," to be delivered through a workshop or webinar. Each midwife will attend one workshop or webinar, which will be approximately two hours in length. This program will be evaluated through pre-, immediate-, and post-educational questionnaires utilizing a website specifically designed for this study. The participants will be midwives who are members of the Australian College of Midwives and the Australian Nursing and Midwives Federation, and users of social media (eg, Facebook and Twitter) residing and employed in South Australia. Phase 2 will consist of semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of midwives. These interviews will be undertaken to gain an in-depth understanding of midwives' views and how confident they feel educating pregnant women after receiving the healthy eating education. Interviews will be face-to-face or conducted by telephone with midwives who have participated in the healthy eating educational program. A systematic review has previously been undertaken to inform this study protocol. This paper describes and discusses the protocol for this mixed-methods study, which will be completed in April 2019. The results from the systematic review suggest that there is clear justification to undertake this mixed-methods study to investigate and explore midwives' knowledge, understanding and

Validation of the Monte Carlo criticality program KENO IV and the Hansen-Roach sixteen-energy-group-cross sections for high-assay uranium systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Handley, G.R.; Masters, L.C.; Stachowiak, R.V.

1981-01-01

Validation of the Monte Carlo criticality code, KENO IV, and the Hansen-Roach sixteen-energy-group cross sections was accomplished by calculating the effective neutron multiplication constant, k/sub eff/, of 29 experimentally critical assemblies which had uranium enrichments of 92.6% or higher in the uranium-235 isotope. The experiments were chosen so that a large variety of geometries and of neutron energy spectra were covered. Problems, calculating the k/sub eff/ of systems with high-uranium-concentration uranyl nitrate solution that were minimally reflected or unreflected, resulted in the separate examination of five cases

Evaluating metabolites in patients with major depressive disorder who received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and healthy controls using short echo MRSI at 7 Tesla.

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Li, Yan; Jakary, Angela; Gillung, Erin; Eisendrath, Stuart; Nelson, Sarah J; Mukherjee, Pratik; Luks, Tracy

2016-06-01

Our aim was to evaluate differences in metabolite levels between unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls, to assess changes in metabolites in patients after they completed an 8-week course of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and to exam the correlation between metabolites and depression severity. Sixteen patients with MDD and ten age- and gender-matched healthy controls were studied using 3D short echo-time (20 ms) magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at 7 Tesla. Relative metabolite ratios were estimated in five regions of interest corresponding to insula, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate, putamen, and thalamus. In all cases, MBCT reduced severity of depression. The ratio of total choline-containing compounds/total creatine (tCr) in the right caudate was significantly increased compared to that in healthy controls, while ratios of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/tCr in the left ACC, myo-inositol/tCr in the right insula, and glutathione/tCr in the left putamen were significantly decreased. At baseline, the severity of depression was negatively correlated with my-inositol/tCr in the left insula and putamen. The improvement in depression severity was significantly associated with changes in NAA/tCr in the left ACC. This study has successfully evaluated regional differences in metabolites for patients with MDD who received MBCT treatment and in controls using 7 Tesla MRSI.

Increased central common drive to ankle plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles during visually guided gait

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Peter; Jensen, Nicole Jacqueline; Terkildsen, Cecilie Ulbæk

2018-01-01

When we walk in a challenging environment, we use visual information to modify our gait and place our feet carefully on the ground. Here, we explored how central common drive to ankle muscles changes in relation to visually guided foot placement. Sixteen healthy adults aged 23 ± 5 years participa......When we walk in a challenging environment, we use visual information to modify our gait and place our feet carefully on the ground. Here, we explored how central common drive to ankle muscles changes in relation to visually guided foot placement. Sixteen healthy adults aged 23 ± 5 years...

Chapter Sixteen

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

2002-08-16

Aug 16, 2002 ... first year at the university, for several systemic and structural reasons, .... one of his monthly response sessions, “Forget mudslides, earthquakes, ... teacher at every level of the educational system in Nigeria. ... Failure to do.

A Novel Dietary Assessment Method to Measure a Healthy and Sustainable Diet Using the Mobile Food Record: Protocol and Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Harray, Amelia J; Boushey, Carol J; Pollard, Christina M; Delp, Edward J; Ahmad, Ziad; Dhaliwal, Satvinder S; Mukhtar, Syed Aqif; Kerr, Deborah A

2015-07-03

The world-wide rise in obesity parallels growing concerns of global warming and depleting natural resources. These issues are often considered separately but there may be considerable benefit to raising awareness of the impact of dietary behaviours and practices on the food supply. Australians have diets inconsistent with recommendations, typically low in fruit and vegetables and high in energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages (EDNP). These EDNP foods are often highly processed and packaged, negatively influencing both health and the environment. This paper describes a proposed dietary assessment method to measure healthy and sustainable dietary behaviours using 4-days of food and beverage images from the mobile food record (mFR) application. The mFR images will be assessed for serves of fruit and vegetables (including seasonality), dairy, eggs and red meat, poultry and fish, ultra-processed EDNP foods, individually packaged foods, and plate waste. A prediction model for a Healthy and Sustainable Diet Index will be developed and tested for validity and reliability. The use of the mFR to assess adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet is a novel and innovative approach to dietary assessment and will have application in population monitoring, guiding intervention development, educating consumers, health professionals and policy makers, and influencing dietary recommendations.

A Novel Dietary Assessment Method to Measure a Healthy and Sustainable Diet Using the Mobile Food Record: Protocol and Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia J. Harray

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The world-wide rise in obesity parallels growing concerns of global warming and depleting natural resources. These issues are often considered separately but there may be considerable benefit to raising awareness of the impact of dietary behaviours and practices on the food supply. Australians have diets inconsistent with recommendations, typically low in fruit and vegetables and high in energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages (EDNP. These EDNP foods are often highly processed and packaged, negatively influencing both health and the environment. This paper describes a proposed dietary assessment method to measure healthy and sustainable dietary behaviours using 4-days of food and beverage images from the mobile food record (mFR application. The mFR images will be assessed for serves of fruit and vegetables (including seasonality, dairy, eggs and red meat, poultry and fish, ultra-processed EDNP foods, individually packaged foods, and plate waste. A prediction model for a Healthy and Sustainable Diet Index will be developed and tested for validity and reliability. The use of the mFR to assess adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet is a novel and innovative approach to dietary assessment and will have application in population monitoring, guiding intervention development, educating consumers, health professionals and policy makers, and influencing dietary recommendations.

Oxidative Stress Parameters in Saliva and Its Association with Periodontal Disease and Types of Bacteria

OpenAIRE

Almerich-Silla, Jose Manuel; Montiel-Company, Jose María; Pastor, Sara; Serrano, Felipe; Puig-Silla, Miriam; Dasí, Francisco

2015-01-01

Objective. To determine the association between oxidative stress parameters with periodontal disease, bleeding, and the presence of different periodontal bacteria. Methods. A cross-sectional study in a sample of eighty-six patients, divided into three groups depending on their periodontal status. Thirty-three with chronic periodontitis, sixteen with gingivitis, and thirty-seven with periodontal healthy as control. Oxidative stress biomarkers (8-OHdG and MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAOC)...

Oxidative stress in hepatitis C infected end-stage renal disease subjects

OpenAIRE

Koylu Ahmet O; Aslan Mehmet; Bolukbas Filiz F; Bolukbas Cengiz; Horoz Mehmet; Selek Sahbettin; Erel Ozcan

2006-01-01

Abstract Background Both uremia and hepatitis C infection is associated with increased oxidative stress. In the present study, we aimed to find out whether hepatitis C infection has any impact on oxidative stress in hemodialysis subjects. Methods Sixteen hepatitis C (+) hemodialysis subjects, 24 hepatitis C negative hemodialysis subjects and 24 healthy subjects were included. Total antioxidant capacity, total peroxide level and oxidative stress index were determined in all subjects. Results T...

Swedish nurses encounter barriers when promoting healthy habits in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Ljungkrona-Falk, Lena; Brekke, Hilde; Nyholm, Maria

2014-12-01

To increase the understanding of difficulties in promoting healthy habits to parents, we explore barriers in health-care provision. The aim of this study is to describe nurses' perceived barriers when discussing with parents regarding healthy food habits, physical activity and their child's body weight. A mixed method approach was chosen. Nurses (n = 76) working at 29 different Child Health Care Centers' in an area in west Sweden were included in the study. Three focus group interviews were conducted and 17 nurses were selected according to maximum variation. Data were categorized and qualitative content analysis was the chosen analysis method. In the second method, data were obtained from a questionnaire distributed to all 76 nurses. The latent content was formulated into a theme: even with encouragement and support, the nurses perceive barriers of both an external and internal nature. The results identified four main barriers: experienced barriers in the workplace-internal and external; the nurse's own fear and uncertainty; perceived obstacles in nurse-parent interactions and modern society impedes parents' ability to promote healthy habits. The nurses' perceived barriers were confirmed by the results from 62 of the nurses who completed the questionnaire. Despite education and professional support, the health professionals perceived both external and internal barriers in promoting healthy habits to parents when implementing a new method of health promotion in primary care. Further qualitative studies are needed to gain deeper understanding of the perceived barriers when promoting healthy habits to parents. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

ECG Changes in Young Healthy Smokers: A Simple and Cost-Effective Method to Assess Cardiovascular Risk According to Pack-Years of Smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Nirmal Kumar; Jaiswal, Kapil Kumar; Meena, S R; Chandel, Rahul; Chittora, Saurabh; Goga, Prem Singh; Harish, H B; Sagar, Rajesh

2017-06-01

To document the prevalence of ECG abnormalities in young healthy smokers and compare ECG changes in smokers, young healthy non-smokers and amongst smokers with different pack years. This was a prospective case-control study consisting of 200 young healthy male and female individuals, 150 smokers and 50 non-smokers between ages 25-40 years, further categorized and compared according to age, sex and pack years of smoking. The ECG recordings were analyzed for different ECG parameters like heart rate, P-wave duration, P-wave amplitude, PR interval, QRS duration, RR-interval, ST-segment duration, QT interval and QTc interval. The results were compared using statistical tools. In present study abnormalities in ECG parameters were significantly more prevalent in smokers as compared to non-smokers (56.66 % Vs 6.00 %) (p non-invasive and cost effective it is potentially an effective and yet a simple method for cardiovascular risk evaluation in smokers. Furthermore, such ECG abnormalities may guide the clinician for risk evaluation in smokers and may be used to convince the smokers to quit smoking.

Novel lipoprotein density profiling in healthy dogs of various breeds, healthy miniature schnauzers, and miniature schnauzers with hyperlipidemia

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Despite the importance of abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism in clinical canine medicine, the fact that most previously used methods for lipoprotein profiling are rather laborious and time-consuming has been a major obstacle to the wide clinical application and use of lipoprotein profiling in this species. The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility of a continuous lipoprotein density profile (CLPDP) generated within a bismuth sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaBiEDTA) density gradient to characterize and compare the lipoprotein profiles of healthy dogs of various breeds, healthy Miniature Schnauzers, and Miniature Schnauzers with primary hypertriacylglycerolemia. A total of 35 healthy dogs of various breeds with serum triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesterol concentrations within their respective reference intervals were selected for use as a reference population. Thirty-one Miniature Schnauzers with serum TAG and cholesterol concentrations within their respective reference intervals and 31 Miniature Schnauzers with hypertriacylglyceridemia were also included in the study. Results The results suggest that CLPDP using NaBiEDTA provides unique diagnostic information in addition to measurements of serum TAG and cholesterol concentrations and that it is a useful screening method for dogs with suspected lipoprotein metabolism disorders. Using the detailed and continuous density distribution information provided by the CLPDP, important differences in lipoprotein profiles can be detected even among dogs that have serum TAG and cholesterol concentrations within the reference interval. Miniature Schnauzers with serum TAG and cholesterol concentrations within the reference interval had significantly different lipoprotein profiles than dogs of various other breeds. In addition, it was further established that specific lipoprotein fractions are associated with hypertriacylglyceridemia in Miniature Schnauzers. Conclusions The results of the

Healthy Sleep Habits

Science.gov (United States)

... Sleep Apnea Testing CPAP Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Sleep Habits Your behaviors during the day, and especially ... team at an AASM accredited sleep center . Quick Sleep Tips Follow these tips to establish healthy sleep ...

Thalassemia: Healthy Living

Science.gov (United States)

... Thalassemia” More What can a person living with thalassemia do to stay healthy? A healthy lifestyle is ... disorder”, as well as making healthy choices. Managing Thalassemia Thalassemia is a treatable disorder that can be ...

A graphical method for comparing nocturnal oxygen saturation profiles in individuals and populations: Application to healthy infants and preterm neonates.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Philip I; Dakin, Carolyn; Edwards, Bradley A; Wilson, Stephen J; MacLean, Joanna E

2018-05-01

Pulse-oximetry (SpO 2 ) allows the identification of important clinical physiology. However, summary statistics such as mean values and desaturation incidence do not capture the complexity of the information contained within continuous recordings. The aim of this study was to develop an objective method to quantify important SpO 2 characteristics; and assess its utility in healthy infant and preterm neonate cohorts. An algorithm was developed to calculate the desaturation incidence, depth, and duration. These variables are presented using three plots: SpO 2 cumulative-frequency relationship; desaturation-depth versus incidence; desaturation-duration versus incidence. This method was applied to two populations who underwent nocturnal pulse-oximetry: (1) thirty-four healthy term infants studied at 2-weeks, 3, 6, 12, and 24-months of age and (2) thirty-seven neonates born <26 weeks and studied at discharge from NICU (37-44 weeks post-conceptual age). The maturation in healthy infants was characterized by reduced desaturation index (27.2/h vs 3.3/h at 2-weeks and 24-months, P < 0.01), and increased percentage of desaturation events ≥6-s in duration (27.8% vs 43.2% at 2-weeks and 3-months, P < 0.01). Compared with term-infants, preterm infants had a greater desaturation incidence (54.8/h vs 27.2/h, P < 0.01), and these desaturations were deeper (52.9% vs 37.6% were ≥6% below baseline, P < 0.01). The incidence of longer desaturations (≥14-s) in preterm infants was correlated with healthcare utilization over the first 24-months (r = 0.63, P < 0.01). This tool allows the objective comparison of extended oximetry recordings between groups and for individuals; and serves as a basis for the development of reference ranges for populations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Memory consolidation of socially relevant stimuli during sleep in healthy children and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder: What you can see in their eyes.

Science.gov (United States)

Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Molzow, Ina; Förster, Alexandra; Siebenhühner, Nadine; Gesch, Maxime; Wiesner, Christian D; Baving, Lioba

2017-02-01

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display deficits in sleep-dependent memory consolidation, and being comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), results in deficits in face processing. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of sleep in recognizing faces in children with ADHD+ODD. Sixteen healthy children and 16 children diagnosed with ADHD+ODD participated in a sleep and a wake condition. During encoding (sleep condition at 8p.m.; wake condition at 8a.m.) pictures of faces were rated according to their emotional content; the retrieval session (12h after encoding session) contained a recognition task including pupillometry. Pupillometry and behavioral data revealed that healthy children benefited from sleep compared to wake with respect to face picture recognition; in contrast recognition performance in patients with ADHD+ODD was not improved after sleep compared to wake. It is discussed whether in patients with ADHD+ODD social stimuli are preferentially consolidated during daytime. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Healthy Cities projects].

Science.gov (United States)

Takano, Takehito

2002-05-01

This is a review article on "Healthy Cities". The Healthy Cities programme has been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle urban health and environmental issues in a broad way. It is a kind of comprehensive policy package to carry out individual projects and activities effectively and efficiently. Its key aspects include healthy public policy, vision sharing, high political commitment, establishment of structural organization, strategic health planning, intersectoral collaboration, community participation, setting approach, development of supportive environment for health, formation of city health profile, national and international networking, participatory research, periodic monitoring and evaluation, and mechanisms for sustainability of projects. The present paper covered the Healthy Cities concept and approaches, rapid urbanization in the world, developments of WHO Healthy Cities, Healthy Cities developments in the Western Pacific Region, the health promotion viewpoint, and roles of research.

Comparative clinical evaluation of glycosylated haemoglobin level in healthy and chronic periodontitis patients: A chairside diagnostic method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T S Srinivasa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective and Background: Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c level can consequently be interpreted as an average of the blood glucose present over the past 3-4 months. Periodontitis is associated with glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of HbA1c in healthy and periodontitis patients who were previously not diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 patients were selected for study and divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with a healthy periodontium, and Group 2 included patients suffering from chronic periodontitis. Finger stick blood was collected by special collection unit (A1CNOW +® Bayer Health Care, Tarrytown New York, USA, for estimating level of HbA1c. Result: Both groups showed similar HbA1c levels clinically with slight increase in levels in the test group, but was statistically significant (test - 5.66 ± 0.35%, control - 5.17 ± 0.3% P = 0.003. Conclusion: Indians are at a high-risk of developing periodontitis and diabetes. These data suggest a possible link between periodontitis and glycemic control in nondiabetic individuals, periodontal disease may be a potential contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Noninvasive assessment of extracellular and intracellular dehydration in healthy humans using the resistance-reactance-score graph method.

Science.gov (United States)

Heavens, Kristen R; Charkoudian, Nisha; O'Brien, Catherine; Kenefick, Robert W; Cheuvront, Samuel N

2016-03-01

Few dehydration assessment measures provide accurate information; most are based on reference change values and very few are diagnostically accurate from a single observation or measure. Bioelectrical impedance may lack the precision to detect common forms of dehydration in healthy individuals. Limitations in bioimpedance may be addressed by a unique resistance-reactance (RXc)-score graph method, which transforms vector components into z scores for use with any impedance analyzer in any population. We tested whether the RXc-score graph method provides accurate single or serial assessments of dehydration when compared with gold-standard measures of total body water by using stable isotope dilution (deuterium oxide) combined with body-weight changes. We retrospectively analyzed data from a previous study in which 9 healthy young men participated in 3 trials: euhydration (EUH), extracellular dehydration (ED; via a diuretic), and intracellular dehydration (ID; via exercise in the heat). Participants lost 4-5% of their body weight during the dehydration trials; volume loss was similar between trials (ID compared with ED group: 3.5 ± 0.8 compared with 3.0 ± 0.6 L; P > 0.05). Despite significant losses of body water, most RXc vector scores for ED and ID groups were classified as "normal" (within the 75% population tolerance ellipse). However, directional displacement of vectors was consistent with loss of volume in both ED and ID conditions compared with the EUH condition and tended to be longer in ED than in ID conditions (P = 0.054). We conclude that, whereas individual RXc-score graph values do not provide accurate detection of dehydration from single measurements, directional changes in vector values from serial measurements are consistent with fluid loss for both ED and ID conditions. The RXc-score graph method may therefore alert clinicians to changes in hydration state, which may bolster the interpretation of other recognized change measures of hydration. © 2016

Evaluation of a web-based lifestyle coach designed to maintain a healthy bodyweight

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kelders, Saskia Marion; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E.W.C.; Werkman, Andrea; Seydel, E.R.

2010-01-01

We evaluated a web-based intervention, the Healthy Weight Assistant (HWA), which was designed to help people with a healthy bodyweight, or those who are slightly overweight, to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Four evaluation methods were used: (1) pre- and post-test questionnaires; (2) real

The skin microbiome in healthy and allergic dogs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Rodrigues Hoffmann

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Changes in the microbial populations on the skin of animals have traditionally been evaluated using conventional microbiology techniques. The sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes has revealed that the human skin is inhabited by a highly diverse and variable microbiome that had previously not been demonstrated by culture-based methods. The goals of this study were to describe the microbiome inhabiting different areas of the canine skin, and to compare the skin microbiome of healthy and allergic dogs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: DNA extracted from superficial skin swabs from healthy (n = 12 and allergic dogs (n = 6 from different regions of haired skin and mucosal surfaces were used for 454-pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Principal coordinates analysis revealed clustering for the different skin sites across all dogs, with some mucosal sites and the perianal regions clustering separately from the haired skin sites. The rarefaction analysis revealed high individual variability between samples collected from healthy dogs and between the different skin sites. Higher species richness and microbial diversity were observed in the samples from haired skin when compared to mucosal surfaces or mucocutaneous junctions. In all examined regions, the most abundant phylum and family identified in the different regions of skin and mucosal surfaces were Proteobacteria and Oxalobacteriaceae. The skin of allergic dogs had lower species richness when compared to the healthy dogs. The allergic dogs had lower proportions of the Betaproteobacteria Ralstonia spp. when compared to the healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The study demonstrates that the skin of dogs is inhabited by much more rich and diverse microbial communities than previously thought using culture-based methods. Our sequence data reveal high individual variability between samples collected from different patients. Differences in species richness was also seen between

Healthy food trends -- flaxseeds

Science.gov (United States)

... seeds; Healthy food trends - linseeds; Healthy snacks - flaxseeds; Healthy diet - flaxseeds; Wellness - flaxseeds ... of nutrition and dietetics: dietary fatty acids for healthy adults. J Acad Nutr Diet . 2014;114(1):136-153. PMID: 24342605 www. ...

A "Global Radiosonde and tracked-balloon Archive on Sixteen Pressure levels" (GRASP) going back to 1905 – Part 2: homogeneity adjustments for pilot balloon and radiosonde wind data

OpenAIRE

L. Ramella Pralungo; L. Haimberger

2014-01-01

This paper describes the comprehensive homogenization of the "Global Radiosonde and tracked balloon Archive on Sixteen Pressure levels" (GRASP) wind records. Many of those records suffer from artificial shifts that need to be detected and adjusted before they are suitable for climate studies. Time series of departures between observations and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration 20th-century (NOAA-20CR) surface pressure only reanalysis have been calculated...

A Simple Predictive Method of Critical Flicker Detection for Human Healthy Precaution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goh Zai Peng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Interharmonics and flickers have an interrelationship between each other. Based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC flicker standard, the critical flicker frequency for a human eye is located at 8.8 Hz. Additionally, eye strains, headaches, and in the worst case seizures may happen due to the critical flicker. Therefore, this paper introduces a worthwhile research gap on the investigation of interrelationship between the amplitudes of the interharmonics and the critical flicker for 50 Hz power system. Consequently, the significant findings obtained in this paper are the amplitudes of two particular interharmonics are able to detect the critical flicker. In this paper, the aforementioned amplitudes are detected by adaptive linear neuron (ADALINE. After that, the critical flicker is detected by substituting the aforesaid amplitudes to the formulas that have been generated in this paper accordingly. Simulation and experimental works are conducted and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm which utilizes ADALINE is similar, as compared to typical Fluke power analyzer. In a nutshell, this simple predictive method for critical flicker detection has strong potential to be applied in any human crowded places (such as offices, shopping complexes, and stadiums for human healthy precaution purpose due to its simplicity.

Malassezia versus Candida in Healthy Dogs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sihelská Z.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The genera Malassezia and Candida include yeasts which are members of the normal mycobiota of the skin and mucosal sites of humans and other warm-blooded animals. These yeasts are associated with a variety of dermatological disorders and also systemic diseases in humans and other animals. This study confirms the occurrence of Malassezia and Candida species in healthy dogs. Samples were collected from different body sites: external ear canal, interdigital area, skin of the axilla and of the neck, and the oral and rectal mucosae. The isolates were identified using phenotypic methods (biochemical-physiological and morphological characteristics. The presence of yeasts were investigated in the specimens from 70 healthy dogs. Malassezia species were isolated in 44 dogs from which 84 Malassezia isolates were obtained. Only one Candida isolate was obtained from the dogs examined. It was found that Candida does not occur in dogs normally and Malassezia was the main colonizing yeast in healthy dogs.

Healthy Places

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

Every person has a stake in environmental public health. As the environment deteriorates, so does the physical and mental health of the people within it. Healthy places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their borders -- where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options. The CDC recognizes significant health issues and places that are vital in developing the Healthy Places program and provides examples in this report.

TRANSIT TIMING OBSERVATIONS FROM KEPLER. V. TRANSIT TIMING VARIATION CANDIDATES IN THE FIRST SIXTEEN MONTHS FROM POLYNOMIAL MODELS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ford, Eric B. [Astronomy Department, University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Sciences Center, Gainesville, FL 32111 (United States); Ragozzine, Darin; Holman, Matthew J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Rowe, Jason F.; Barclay, Thomas; Borucki, William J.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Kinemuchi, Karen; Koch, David G.; Lissauer, Jack J.; Still, Martin; Tenenbaum, Peter [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Steffen, Jason H. [Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, P.O. Box 500, MS 127, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Batalha, Natalie M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192 (United States); Fabrycky, Daniel C. [UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Gautier, Thomas N. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Ibrahim, Khadeejah A.; Uddin, Kamal [Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Kjeldsen, Hans, E-mail: eford@astro.ufl.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark); and others

2012-09-10

Transit timing variations provide a powerful tool for confirming and characterizing transiting planets, as well as detecting non-transiting planets. We report the results of an updated transit timing variation (TTV) analysis for 1481 planet candidates based on transit times measured during the first sixteen months of Kepler observations. We present 39 strong TTV candidates based on long-term trends (2.8% of suitable data sets). We present another 136 weaker TTV candidates (9.8% of suitable data sets) based on the excess scatter of TTV measurements about a linear ephemeris. We anticipate that several of these planet candidates could be confirmed and perhaps characterized with more detailed TTV analyses using publicly available Kepler observations. For many others, Kepler has observed a long-term TTV trend, but an extended Kepler mission will be required to characterize the system via TTVs. We find that the occurrence rate of planet candidates that show TTVs is significantly increased ({approx}68%) for planet candidates transiting stars with multiple transiting planet candidates when compared to planet candidates transiting stars with a single transiting planet candidate.

Cognitive biases and auditory verbal hallucinations in healthy and clinical individuals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Daalman, K.; Sommer, I. E. C.; Derks, E. M.; Peters, E. R.

2013-01-01

Background. Several cognitive biases are related to psychotic symptoms, including auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH). It remains unclear whether these biases differ in voice-hearers with and without a 'need-for-care'. Method. A total of 72 healthy controls, 72 healthy voice-hearers and 72 clinical

Healthy Living

Science.gov (United States)

... Health Menu Topics Environment & Health Healthy Living Pollution Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Science – How It Works The Natural World Games ... Lessons Topics Expand Environment & Health Healthy Living Pollution Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Science – How It Works The Natural World Games ...

School Lunch Quality Following Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Katherine; Bergman, Ethan A.; Englund, Tim; Ogan, Dana; Barbee, Mary

2016-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: This study investigates the effect of meal component changes by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) on school lunch quality and consumption in elementary school students, grade 2-5 before and after the HHFKA guidelines were implemented in July 2012 using the Healthy Eating Index. Methods: In Spring 2012, before…

Postural Stability and Functional Capacity in Recreational Athletes with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

OpenAIRE

SAKA, Tolga; YILDIZ, Yavuz; DENİZ, Ferhat

2009-01-01

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate postural stability and functional capacity in recreational athletes with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1 DM) and to compare them with healthy recreational athletes. Materials and Methods: Sixteen recreational athletes with T1 DM (21.4 ± 2.1 years of age, 174.3 ± 7 cm height, 64.5 ± 10.1 kg weight, 10.9 ± 5.3 body fat percentage [BFP]) and 19 healthy recreational athletes (21.9 ± 2.5 years of age, 173.1 ± 5.2 cm height, 66.1 ± 4 kg weight, 14.4 ± 1.5 B...

[Development of "assessment guideline of family power for healthy life"].

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, M; Shimanouchi, S; Kamei, T; Takagai, E; Hoshino, Y; Sugiyama, I

1997-12-01

The purpose of this study is to develop "assessment guideline of family power for healthy life" aiming at expanding self-care power of family in community nursing practice. The subjects of this study covered those families in one hundred and fifty six instances that we had seized as subject for nursing care and study. The method of this study had constructed assessment guideline inductively out of each case, and modified it by applying to cases of families with health problems and others. As a result, we had formed nine items of "family power for healthy life" and three items of "conditions influencing family power for healthy life" for "assessment guideline of family power for healthy life".

Pricing Strategies to Encourage Availability, Purchase, and Consumption of Healthy Foods and Beverages: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gittelsohn, Joel; Trude, Angela Cristina Bizzotto; Kim, Hyunju

2017-11-02

Food pricing policies to promote healthy diets, such as taxes, price manipulations, and food subsidies, have been tested in different settings. However, little consensus exists about the effect of these policies on the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods, on what foods consumers buy, or on the impact of food purchases on consumer health outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of studies of the effect of food-pricing interventions on retail sales and on consumer purchasing and consumption of healthy foods and beverages. We used MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Library to conduct a systematic search for peer-reviewed articles related to studies of food pricing policies. We selected articles that were published in English from January 2000 through December 2016 on the following types of studies: 1) real-world experimental studies (randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and natural experiments); 2) population studies of people or retail stores in middle-income and high-income countries; 3) pricing interventions alone or in combination with other strategies (price promotions, coupons, taxes, or cash-back rebates), excluding studies of vending-machine or online sales; and 4) outcomes studies at the retail (stocking, sales) and consumer (purchasing, consumption) levels. We selected 65 articles representing 30 studies for review. Sixteen pricing intervention studies that sought to improve access to healthy food and beverage options reported increased stocking and sales of promoted food items. Most studies (n = 23) reported improvement in the purchasing and consumption of healthy foods or beverages or decreased purchasing and consumption of unhealthy foods or beverages. Most studies assessed promotions of fresh fruits and vegetables (n = 20); however, these foods may be hard to source, have high perishability, and raise concerns about safety and handling. Few of the pricing studies we reviewed

Reported Motivations for and Locations of Healthy Eating among Georgia High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Gayathri S.; Bryan, Michael; Bayakly, Rana; Drenzek, Cherie; Merlo, Caitlin; Perry, Geraldine S.

2017-01-01

Background: Understanding how youth perceive eating healthy foods can inform programs and policies that aim to improve healthy eating. We assessed the reasons for and the most common locations of eating healthy foods among Georgia's (GA) high school (HS) students. Methods: Using the 2013 GA HS Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we examined motivations…

The relative price of healthy and less healthy foods available in Australian school canteens.

Science.gov (United States)

Billich, Natassja; Adderley, Marijke; Ford, Laura; Keeton, Isabel; Palermo, Claire; Peeters, Anna; Woods, Julie; Backholer, Kathryn

2018-04-12

School canteens have an important role in modelling a healthy food environment. Price is a strong predictor of food and beverage choice. This study compared the relative price of healthy and less healthy lunch and snack items sold within Australian school canteens. A convenience sample of online canteen menus from five Australian states were selected (100 primary and 100 secondary schools). State-specific canteen guidelines were used to classify menu items into 'green' (eat most), 'amber' (select carefully) and 'red' (not recommended in schools). The price of the cheapest 'healthy' lunch (vegetable-based 'green') and snack ('green' fruit) item was compared to the cheapest 'less healthy' ('amber/red') lunch and snack item, respectively, using an un-paired t-test. The relative price of the 'healthy' items and the 'less healthy' items was calculated to determine the proportion of schools that sold the 'less healthy' item cheaper. The mean cost of the 'healthy' lunch items was greater than the 'less healthy' lunch items for both primary (AUD $0.70 greater) and secondary schools ($0.50 greater; p snack was cheaper than the 'healthy' snack. These proportions were greatest for primary schools located in more, compared to less, disadvantaged areas. The relative price of foods sold within Australian school canteens appears to favour less healthy foods. School canteen healthy food policies should consider the price of foods sold.

Healthy Weight

Science.gov (United States)

... such diets limit your nutritional intake, can be unhealthy, and tend to fail in the long run. The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn't about short-term dietary changes. It's about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and ...

Impact of the Healthy Foods North nutrition intervention program on Inuit and Inuvialuit food consumption and preparation methods in Canadian Arctic communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolahdooz, Fariba; Pakseresht, Mohammadreza; Mead, Erin; Beck, Lindsay; Corriveau, André; Sharma, Sangita

2014-07-04

The 12-month Healthy Foods North intervention program was developed to improve diet among Inuit and Inuvialuit living in Arctic Canada and assess the impact of the intervention established for the communities. A quasi-experimental study randomly selected men and women (≥19 years of age) in six remote communities in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Validated quantitative food frequency and adult impact questionnaires were used. Four communities received the intervention and two communities served as delayed intervention controls. Pre- and post-intervention changes in frequency of/total intake of de-promoted food groups and healthiness of cooking methods were determined. The impact of the intervention was assessed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Post-intervention data were analysed in the intervention (n = 221) and control (n = 111) communities, with participant retention rates of 91% for Nunavut and 83% for the Northwest Territories. There was a significant decrease in de-promoted foods, such as high fat meats (-27.9 g) and high fat dairy products (-19.8 g) among intervention communities (all p ≤ 0.05). The use of healthier preparation methods significantly increased (14.7%) in intervention communities relative to control communities. This study highlights the importance of using a community-based, multi-institutional nutrition intervention program to decrease the consumption of unhealthy foods and the use of unhealthy food preparation methods.

Have a Healthy Pregnancy

Science.gov (United States)

... important that you: Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Eat healthy foods and get enough folic acid. Stay active. Take ... Learn more: Pregnant? Don’t Smoke! Quit Smoking Alcohol Use in Pregnancy Next ... 7 of 11 sections Take Action: Eat Healthy and Stay Active Eat healthy foods. Making healthy food choices during pregnancy can help ...

Four-Quadrant Facial Function in Dysphagic Patients after Stroke and in Healthy Controls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary Hägg

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to examine any motility disturbance in any quadrant of the face other than the quadrant innervated by the lower facial nerve contralateral to the cortical lesion after stroke. Thirty-one stroke-afflicted patients with subjective dysphagia, consecutively referred to a swallowing centre, were investigated with a facial activity test (FAT in all four facial quadrants and with a swallowing capacity test (SCT. Fifteen healthy adult participants served as FAT controls. Sixteen patients were judged to have a central facial palsy (FP according to the referring physician, but all 31 patients had a pathological FAT in the lower quadrant contralateral to the cortical lesion. Simultaneous pathology in all four quadrants was observed in 52% of stroke-afflicted patients with dysphagia; some pathology in the left or right upper quadrant was observed in 74%. Dysfunction in multiple facial quadrants was independent of the time interval between stroke and study inclusion. All patients except two had a pathological SCT. All the controls had normal activity in all facial quadrants. In summary the majority of poststroke patients with dysphagia have subclinical orofacial motor dysfunction in three or four facial quadrants as assessed with a FAT. However, whether subclinical orofacial motor dysfunction can be present in stroke-afflicted patients without dysphagia is unknown.

Blood pressure and pulse rate of apparently healthy adults on land ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Blood pressure and pulse rate of apparently healthy adults on land and in water: A comparative study. AI Bello, BOA Adegoke, OA Abass, O Addo. Abstract. Objective: The study compared cardiovascular parameters of apparently healthy adults in erect standing posture on land and whilst immersed in water at rest. Methods: ...

Empowerment for healthy nutrition in German communities: a study framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandstetter, Susanne; Curbach, Janina; Lindacher, Verena; Rueter, Jana; Warrelmann, Berit; Loss, Julika

2017-06-01

Empowerment is seen as a key strategy for sustainable health promotion efforts. However, there is only limited research on how to link the empowerment approach to the promotion of healthy eating, which is a major current public health issue. The article presents the development of a study framework for implementing and evaluating an empowerment intervention for healthy nutrition. This framework was created for a community intervention study meaning to involve elderly citizens in Bavaria, Germany. The study protocol was developed in an iterative process basing on (i) literature reviews on the topics empowerment in relation to healthy nutrition and mixed-methods evaluation, (ii) workshops with empowerment and public health experts and (iii) consultations with local community representatives. Through these measures we identified good practice criteria as well as specific challenges of integrating empowerment and healthy nutrition, e.g. engaging people in healthy nutrition, reconciling participants' nutrition preferences with public health nutrition priorities and evaluating bottom-up activities in the community. Consequences for the study design were deducted from the literature and the consultations, e.g. practical recommendations as to how power could be gradually assigned to group members. A qualitative mixed-method evaluation design was chosen to capture emergent empowerment processes. The study framework presented here is the first on empowerment and nutrition to provide explicit guidance on how empowerment may be applied to healthy nutrition and implemented and evaluated in the community context. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Consumers' practical understanding of healthy food choices: a fake food experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mötteli, Sonja; Keller, Carmen; Siegrist, Michael; Barbey, Jana; Bucher, Tamara

2016-08-01

Little is known about laypeople's practical understanding of a healthy diet, although this is important to successfully promote healthy eating. The present study is the first to experimentally examine how consumers define healthy and balanced food choices for an entire day compared with normal choices and compared with dietary guidelines. We used an extensive fake food buffet (FFB) with 179 foods commonly consumed in the Swiss diet. The FFB is a validated method to investigate food choice behaviour in a well-controlled laboratory setting. People from the general population in Switzerland (n 187; 51·9 % females), aged between 18 and 65 years, were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the control group, the participants were instructed to serve themselves foods they would eat on a normal day, whereas in the 'healthy' group they were instructed to choose foods representing a healthy diet. Participants chose significantly more healthy foods, with 4·5 g more dietary fibre, 2 % more protein and 2 % less SFA in the 'healthy' group compared with the control group. However, in both experimental conditions, participants served themselves foods containing twice as much sugar and salt than recommended by dietary guidelines. The results suggest that laypeople lack knowledge about the recommended portion sizes and the amounts of critical nutrients in processed food, which has important implications for communicating dietary guidelines. Furthermore, the energy of the food served was substantially correlated with the energy needs of the participants, demonstrating the potential of the fake food buffet method.

Healthy food trends - kale

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy food trends - borecole; Healthy snacks - kale; Weight loss - kale; Healthy diet - kale; Wellness - kale ... Kale is full of vitamins and minerals, including: Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin K If you take ...

Attentional neural networks impairment in healthy aging

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vazquez-Marrufo, Manuel; Luisa Benitez, Maria; Rodriguez-Gomez, Guillermo; Galvao-Carmona, Alejandro; Fernandez-Del Olmo, Aaron; Vaquero-Casares, Encarnacion

2011-01-01

Introduction. Diverse evidences have shown that the process of natural aging causes a decline in different cognitive functions, including among them the attentional process. Aim. To determine how the healthy aging affects to the different attentional networks. Subjects and methods. Two groups: young

Nutritional Cognitive Neuroscience: Innovations for Healthy Brain Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Karolina Zamroziewicz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Nutritional cognitive neuroscience is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to understand nutrition’s impact on cognition and brain health across the life span. Research in this burgeoning field demonstrates that many aspects of nutrition – from entire diets to specific nutrients – affect brain structure and function, and therefore have profound implications for understanding the nature of healthy brain aging. The aim of this Focused Review is to examine recent advances in nutritional cognitive neuroscience, with an emphasis on methods that enable discovery of nutrient biomarkers that predict healthy brain aging. We propose an integrative framework that calls for the synthesis of research in nutritional epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience, incorporating: (i methods for the precise characterization of nutritional health based on the analysis of nutrient biomarker patterns, along with (ii modern indices of brain health derived from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. By integrating cutting-edge techniques from nutritional epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience, nutritional cognitive neuroscience will continue to advance our understanding of the beneficial effects of nutrition on the aging brain and establish effective nutritional interventions to promote healthy brain aging.

Human milk composition differs in healthy mothers and mothers with celiac disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olivares, M.; Albrecht, S.; Palma, de G.; Desamparados Ferrer, M.; Castillejo, G.; Schols, H.A.; Sanz, Y.

2015-01-01

Purpose To investigate whether breast-milk composition and microbiota differ in healthy mothers and mothers with celiac disease (CD) to ultimately contribute to identify additional factors determining CD risk. Methods Breast-milk samples from healthy mothers (n = 12) and mothers with CD (n = 12)

Quantitative assessment of global and regional air trappings using non-rigid registration and regional specific volume change of inspiratory/expiratory CT scans: Studies on healthy volunteers and asthmatics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Eun Sol; Seo, Joon Beom; Lee, Hyun Joo; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Sang Min; Oh, Sang Young; Kim, Nam Kug

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare air trapping in healthy volunteers with asthmatics using pulmonary function test and quantitative data, such as specific volume change from paired inspiratory CT and registered expiratory CT. Sixteen healthy volunteers and 9 asthmatics underwent paired inspiratory/expiratory CT. DeltaSV, which represents the ratio of air fraction released after exhalation, was measured with paired inspiratory and anatomically registered expiratory CT scans. Air trapping indexes, DeltaSV0.4 and DeltaSV0.5, were defined as volume fraction of lung below 0.4 and 0.5 DeltaSV, respectively. To assess the gravity effect of air-trapping, DeltaSV values of anterior and posterior lung at three different levels were measured and DeltaSV ratio of anterior lung to posterior lung was calculated. Color-coded DeltaSV map of the whole lung was generated and visually assessed. Mean DeltaSV, DeltaSV0.4, and DeltaSV0.5 were compared between healthy volunteers and asthmatics. In asthmatics, correlation between air trapping indexes and clinical parameters were assessed. Mean DeltaSV, DeltaSV0.4, and DeltaSV0.5 in asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteer group (all p < 0.05). DeltaSV values in posterior lung in asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteer group (p = 0.049). In asthmatics, air trapping indexes, such as DeltaSV0.5 and DeltaSV0.4, showed negative strong correlation with FEF25-75, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC. DeltaSV map of asthmatics showed abnormal geographic pattern in 5 patients (55.6%) and disappearance of anterior-posterior gradient in 3 patients (33.3%). Quantitative assessment of DeltaSV (the ratio of air fraction released after exhalation) shows the difference in extent of air trapping between health volunteers and asthmatics.

Quantitative assessment of global and regional air trappings using non-rigid registration and regional specific volume change of inspiratory/expiratory CT scans: Studies on healthy volunteers and asthmatics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eun Sol; Seo, Joon Beom; Lee, Hyun Joo; Chae, Eun Jin; Lee, Sang Min; Oh, Sang Young; Kim, Nam Kug [Dept. of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

The purpose of this study was to compare air trapping in healthy volunteers with asthmatics using pulmonary function test and quantitative data, such as specific volume change from paired inspiratory CT and registered expiratory CT. Sixteen healthy volunteers and 9 asthmatics underwent paired inspiratory/expiratory CT. DeltaSV, which represents the ratio of air fraction released after exhalation, was measured with paired inspiratory and anatomically registered expiratory CT scans. Air trapping indexes, DeltaSV0.4 and DeltaSV0.5, were defined as volume fraction of lung below 0.4 and 0.5 DeltaSV, respectively. To assess the gravity effect of air-trapping, DeltaSV values of anterior and posterior lung at three different levels were measured and DeltaSV ratio of anterior lung to posterior lung was calculated. Color-coded DeltaSV map of the whole lung was generated and visually assessed. Mean DeltaSV, DeltaSV0.4, and DeltaSV0.5 were compared between healthy volunteers and asthmatics. In asthmatics, correlation between air trapping indexes and clinical parameters were assessed. Mean DeltaSV, DeltaSV0.4, and DeltaSV0.5 in asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteer group (all p < 0.05). DeltaSV values in posterior lung in asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteer group (p = 0.049). In asthmatics, air trapping indexes, such as DeltaSV0.5 and DeltaSV0.4, showed negative strong correlation with FEF25-75, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC. DeltaSV map of asthmatics showed abnormal geographic pattern in 5 patients (55.6%) and disappearance of anterior-posterior gradient in 3 patients (33.3%). Quantitative assessment of DeltaSV (the ratio of air fraction released after exhalation) shows the difference in extent of air trapping between health volunteers and asthmatics.

Healthy Places

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2007-04-10

Every person has a stake in environmental public health. As the environment deteriorates, so does the physical and mental health of the people within it. Healthy places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their borders -- where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options. The CDC recognizes significant health issues and places that are vital in developing the Healthy Places program and provides examples in this report.  Created: 4/10/2007 by CDC National Center for Environmental Health.   Date Released: 4/13/2007.

Strategies of Market Development of for Healthy Food Products in Hamadan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

vahid Azizi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted at the aim of determining development strategies for marketing healthy food products. The study data was collected by conducting field survey and compeleting a questionnaire. Using simple random sampling, about 400 Hamedan citizens were selected in 2013. The data analysis was conducted by ordinal Logit model with method of maximum Likelihood. According to the results, 32 percent of people do not tend to shopping healthy food products, 34.3 percent of people ignored shopping of healthy food products, 33.8 percent of them tend to shopping of healthy food products. The results of estimating the ordinal Logit model presented that strategies such as cognition indicators, environment lover, Advertising and Information, Education, Supportive and monitoring facilities, structural and Service facilities and economic indicator should be considered as marketing strategies to develop healthy food products. In order to develop the healthy food market, the long term programs in the three sectors of products, consumption and marketing should be considered from specific purposes.

Healthy Pets and People

Science.gov (United States)

... prevent the spread of germs between pets and people. Keep pets and their supplies out of the kitchen, and ... a local wildlife rehabilitation facility. More Information Healthy Pets Healthy People Clean Hands Save Lives! Stay Healthy at Animal ...

Influence of school architecture and design on healthy eating: a review of the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Frerichs, Leah; Brittin, Jeri; Sorensen, Dina; Trowbridge, Matthew J; Yaroch, Amy L; Siahpush, Mohammad; Tibbits, Melissa; Huang, Terry T-K

2015-04-01

We examined evidence regarding the influence of school physical environment on healthy-eating outcomes. We applied a systems perspective to examine multiple disciplines' theoretical frameworks and used a mixed-methods systematic narrative review method, considering both qualitative and quantitative sources (published through March 2014) for inclusion. We developed a causal loop diagram from 102 sources identified. We found evidence of the influence of many aspects of a school's physical environment on healthy-eating outcomes. The causal loop diagram highlights multilevel and interrelated factors and elucidates the specific roles of design and architecture in encouraging healthy eating within schools. Our review highlighted the gaps in current evidence and identified areas of research needed to refine and expand school architecture and design strategies for addressing healthy eating.

Healthy eating in persons with serious mental illnesses: understanding and barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barre, Laura K; Ferron, Joelle C; Davis, Kristin E; Whitley, Rob

2011-01-01

To explore the understanding of a healthy diet and the barriers to healthy eating in persons with serious mental illnesses. In-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews about health behaviors were conducted in 31 individuals with serious mental illnesses. Participants were recruited from a mental health center in Chicago, Illinois, and ranged in age from 30 to 61 years old. Most participants described healthy eating as consuming fruits and vegetables, using low fat cooking methods, and limiting sweets, sodas, fast food, and/or junk food. Internal barriers to nutritional change included negative perceptions of healthy eating, the decreased taste and satiation of healthy foods, difficulty changing familiar eating habits, eating for comfort, and the prioritization of mental health. External barriers were the reduced availability and inconvenience of healthy foods, social pressures, and psychiatric medication side effects. This study revealed several modifiable barriers to healthy eating. Interventions that addressed these could aid in improving the diet and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease in this population. Recommendations are to provide healthy eating education that is individualized, emphasizes the health consequences of poor eating, and provides opportunities to prepare and taste healthy foods. Family and friends should be included in all educational efforts. At community mental health centers and group homes, only healthy foods should be offered. Lastly, practitioners should encourage eating a healthy diet, inquire about eating in response to emotions, and explore the impact of psychiatric medications on eating behaviors.

Microbiology of middle meatus in healthy individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariante, Afonso Ravanello

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The nasosinusal microbiology of healthy individuals is not much documented. Its knowledge allows to determine the nasosinusal colonizing agents and to monitor the patterns of bacterial resistance. Objective: To evaluate the microbiology of the middle meatus in healthy individuals and to compare it with that of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Method: 61 healthy individuals were included. The samples were collected under endoscopic view and Gram stained with leucocytes count and aerobic, anaerobic and fungus cultures. 114 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis formed the control group. Results: In healthy individuals 58 microorganisms were isolated. The most frequent ones were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium. Fungi were cultivated in 10%. There were rare or no white blood cells in all samples. There was penicillin resistance in 75% of the Staphylococcus aureus and 69% of the coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. As for oxacillin, 100% of Staphylococcus aureus and 92% of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were sensitive. In the control group 158 microorganisms were cultivated. The most common ones were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Gram-negatives represented 26% of the aerobics. 73% of the samples with positive cultures presented a few or many white blood cells. Conclusion: Rare or no white blood cell, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium were more frequent in healthy individuals and Streptococcus pneumoniae, anaerobics and oxacillin resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Gram-negative were more frequent in the control group.

Movement Discordance between Healthy and Non-Healthy US Adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann M Swartz

Full Text Available Physical activity is known to significantly impact cardiometabolic health. Accelerometer data, as a measure of physical activity, can be used to objectively identify a disparity in movement (movement discordance between healthy and unhealthy adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the Movement Discordance between healthy and unhealthy adults in a large US population sample.Demographic, health and accelerometer data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 cohorts were used for this study. Participants were classified as either having a "normal" or "abnormal" value for each cardiometabolic health parameter examined, based on published criteria. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine significance of each abnormal health parameter (risk factor in its unique effect on the accelerometer counts, controlling for age and gender. Average accelerometer counts per minute (cpm by gender and age categories were estimated separately for the groups of normal and abnormal cardiometabolic risk.Average cpm for those with healthy levels of each individual cardiometabolic health parameter range from 296 cpm (for C reactive protein to 337 cpm (for waist circumference, while average cpm for those with abnormal levels of each individual cardiometabolic health parameter range from 216 cpm (for insulin to 291 cpm (for LDL-cholesterol. After controlling for age and gender, waist circumference, HbA1c, Insulin, Homocysteine, and HDL-Cholesterol were the cardiometabolic health parameters that showed significant, unique and independent effects on cpm. Overall, individuals who have abnormal values for all significant cardiometabolic health parameters ("unhealthy" averaged 267 cpm (SE = 15 cpm, while the healthy sample of this study averaged 428 cpm (SE = 10 cpm. The difference in cpm between the unhealthy and healthy groups is similar between males and females. Further, for both males and females, the

Family members’ roles in healthy-eating socialization based on a healthy-eating intervention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Susanne; Grønhøj, Alice; Bech-Larsen, Tino

2012-01-01

Purpose - Healthy-eating socialization is often described as a bi-directional process, but there are only few studies on children and parent’s roles in the process. This paper investigates children and parents’ accounts of awareness and involvement in healthy eating and how they relate it to thei......Purpose - Healthy-eating socialization is often described as a bi-directional process, but there are only few studies on children and parent’s roles in the process. This paper investigates children and parents’ accounts of awareness and involvement in healthy eating and how they relate...... it to their roles in healthy-eating socialization. Design/methodology/approach - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 families three months after a healthy-eating intervention involving dietary advice and SMS feedback. The interviews were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. Findings...... or a cooperative strategy helping the parents. Parents initiated dialogues with family members about healthy eating and felt responsible as role models often honouring the children’s demands and help. Research limitations/implications - Findings provide a concrete empirical account of the socialization process...

Antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and phylogenetic characteristics of Escherichia coli isolates from clinically healthy swine.

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Khin Khin; Koowattananukul, Chailai; Chansong, Nisit; Chuanchuen, Rungtip

2012-11-01

A total of 344 commensal Escherichia coli isolates from clinically healthy pigs were examined for antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, class 1 integrons, resistance genes, virulence gene profile, and phylogenetic groups. The majority of E. coli isolates were resistant to tetracycline (96.2%) and ampicillin (91.6%). Up to 98% were multidrug resistant. Seventy-three percent of the isolates carried class 1 integrons. Inserted-gene cassette arrays in variable regions included incomplete sat, aadA22, aadA1, dfrA12-aadA2, and sat-psp-aadA2, of which the aadA2 gene cassette was most prevalent (42.9%). Horizontal transfer was detected in eight E. coli isolates carrying class 1 integrons with dfrA12-aadA2 gene cassette array. Sixteen resistance genes were identified among the E. coli isolates with corresponding resistance phenotype. Ten virulence genes (including elt, estA, estB, astA, faeG, fasA, fedA, eaeA, paa, and sepA) were detected, of which fasA was most commonly found (98.3%). Most of the E. coli isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B1. Significantly positive associations were observed between some virulence genes and some resistance phenotypes and genotypes (p antimicrobial resistance-encoding genes and virulence determinants.

Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements in healthy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Methods. We measured the blood pressures of 650 healthy, randomly ... In addition, blood pressure measurement should be a part of the routine clinical examination of children. ... familial risk factors.2 ... common cause of elevated blood pressure in children.4 They ... sphygmomanometer (Accoson, hospital model BS 274,.

Breed differences in natriuretic peptides in healthy dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sjöstrand, K.; Wess, G.; Ljungvall, I.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Measurement of plasma concentration of natriuretic peptides (NPs) is suggested to be of value in diagnosis of cardiac disease in dogs, but many factors other than cardiac status may influence their concentrations. Dog breed potentially is 1 such factor. OBJECTIVE: To investigate breed...... variation in plasma concentrations of pro-atrial natriuretic peptide 31-67 (proANP 31-67) and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: 535 healthy, privately owned dogs of 9 breeds were examined at 5 centers as part of the European Union (EU) LUPA project. METHODS: Absence...... the median concentration in Doberman Pinschers. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Considerable interbreed variation in plasma NP concentrations was found in healthy dogs. Intrabreed variation was large in several breeds, especially for NT-proBNP. Additional studies are needed to establish breed...

Financial Performance of Pension Companies Operating in Turkey with Topsis Analysis Method

OpenAIRE

Gulsun Isseveroglu; Ozan Sezer

2015-01-01

In this study, financial performances of the companies were analyzed by TOPSIS method via using financial tables of the sixteen pension and life-pension companies. Firstly, financial ratios which are one of the important indicators for the financial power of companies were determined and calculated for each company separately. Calculated ratios converted to demonstrate of company performance unique point by using TOPSIS method. Companies have sorted according to their calculated performance s...

Optimizing Tailored Health Promotion for Older Adults : Understanding Their Perspectives on Healthy Living

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marcus-Varwijk, Anne Esther; Koopmans, Marg; Visscher, Tommy L S; Seidell, Jacob C; Slaets, Joris P J; Smits, Carolien H M

2017-01-01

Objective: This study explores older adults' perspectives on healthy living, and their interactions with professionals regarding healthy living. This perspective is necessary for health professionals when they engage in tailored health promotion in their daily work routines. Method: In a qualitative

Gender differences in brain regional homogeneity of healthy subjects after normal sleep and after sleep deprivation: a resting-state fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Xi-Jian; Gong, Hong-Han; Wang, Yi-Xiang; Zhou, Fu-Qing; Min, You-Jiang; Zhao, Feng; Wang, Si-Yong; Liu, Bi-Xia; Xiao, Xiang-Zuo

2012-06-01

To explore the gender differences of brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) in healthy subjects during the resting-state, after normal sleep, and after sleep deprivation (SD) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the ReHo method. Sixteen healthy subjects (eight males and eight females) each underwent the resting-state fMRI exams twice, i.e., once after normal sleep and again after 24h's SD. According to the gender and sleep, 16 subjects were all measured twice and divided into four groups: the male control group (MC), female control group (FC), male SD group (MSD), and female SD group (FSD). The ReHo method was used to calculate and analyze the data, SPM5 software was used to perform a two-sample T-test and a two-pair T-test with a P value right paracentral lobule (BA3/6), but in no obviously lower regions. Compared with the FC, the FSD showed significantly higher ReHo in bilateral parietal lobes (BA2/3), bilateral vision-related regions of occipital lobes (BA17/18/19), right frontal lobe (BA4/6), and lower ReHo in the right frontal lobe. Compared with the FC, the MC showed significantly higher ReHo in the left occipital lobe (BA18/19), and left temporal lobe (BA21), left frontal lobe, and lower ReHo in the right insula and in the left parietal lobe. Compared with the FSD, the MSD showed significantly higher ReHo in the left cerebellum posterior lobe (uvula/declive of vermis), left parietal lobe, and bilateral frontal lobes, and lower ReHo in the right occipital lobe (BA17) and right frontal lobe (BA4). The differences of brain activity in the resting state can be widely found not only between the control and SD group in a same gender group, but also between the male group and female group. Thus, we should take the gender differences into consideration in future fMRI studies, especially the treatment of brain-related diseases (e.g., depression). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Are there healthy obese?

Science.gov (United States)

Griera Borrás, José Luis; Contreras Gilbert, José

2014-01-01

It is currently postulated that not all obese individuals have to be considered as pathological subjects. From 10% to 20% of obese people studied do not show the metabolic changes common in obese patients. The term "healthy obese" has been coined to refer to these patients and differentiate them from the larger and more common group of pathological obese subjects. However, the definition of "healthy obese" is not clear. Use of "healthy obese" as a synonym for obese without metabolic complications is risky. Clinical markers such as insulin resistance are used to identify this pathology. It is not clear that healthy obese subjects have lower morbidity and mortality than pathologically obese patients. According to some authors, healthy obese would represent an early stage in evolution towards pathological obesity. There is no agreement as to the need to treat healthy obese subjects. Copyright © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Healthy Buildings, Healthy People - A Vision for the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Buildings, Healthy People lays out a blueprint by which agencies and individuals across the country, and around the world, can focus their efforts towards improvements in the indoor environment and health.

Red wine intake but not other alcoholic beverages increases total antioxidant capacity and improves pro-inflammatory profile after an oral fat diet in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, A; Cachofeiro, V; Millán, J; Lahera, V; Nieto, M L; Martín, R; Bello, E; Alvarez-Sala, L A

2015-12-01

Different alcoholic beverages exert different effects on inflammation and oxidative stress but these results are controversial and scanty in some aspects. We analyze the effect of different alcoholic beverages after a fat-enriched diet on lipid profile, inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in healthy people in a controlled environment. We have performed a cross-over design in five different weeks. Sixteen healthy volunteers have received the same oral fat-enriched diet (1486kcal/m(2)) and a daily total amount of 16g/m(2) of alcohol, of different beverages (red wine, vodka, brandy or rum) and equivalent caloric intakes as sugar with water in the control group. We have measured the levels of serum lipids, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL-6), soluble phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Red wine intake was associated with decreased of mean concentrations of hsCRP, TNFα and IL-6 induced by fat-enriched diet (p<0.05); nevertheless, sPLA2 concentrations were not significantly modified. After a fat-enriched diet added with red wine, TAC increased as compared to the same diet supplemented with rum, brandy, vodka or the control (water with sugar) (p<0.05). Moderate red wine intake, but not other alcoholic beverages, decreased pro-inflammatory factors and increased total antioxidant capacity despite a fat-enriched diet intake in healthy young volunteers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.

Sixteen-Day Bedrest Significantly Increases Plasma Colloid Osmotic Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Hargens, Alan R.; Hsieh, S. T.; Murthy, G.; Ballard, R. E.; Convertino, V. A.; Wade, Charles E. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Upon exposure to microgravity, astronauts lose up to 10% of their total plasma volume, which may contribute to orthostatic intolerance after space flight. Because plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) is a primary factor maintaining plasma volume, our objective was to measure time course changes in COP during microgravity simulated by 6 deg. head-down tilt (HDT). Seven healthy male subjects (30-55 years of age) were placed in HDT for 16 days. For the purpose of another study, three of the seven subjects were chosen to exercise on a cycle ergometer on day 16. Blood samples were drawn immediately before bedrest on day 14 of bedrest, 18-24 hours following exercise while all subjects were still in HDT and 1 hour following bedrest termination. Plasma COP was measured in all 20 microliter EDTA-treated samples using an osmometer fitted with a PM 30 membrane. Data were analyzed with paired and unpaired t-tests. Plasma COP on day 14 of bedrest (29.9 +/- 0.69 mmHg) was significantly higher (p less than 0.005) than the control, pre-bedrest value (23.1 +/- 0.76 mmHg). At one hour of upright recovery after HDT, plasma COP remained significantly elevated (exercise: 26.9 +/- 0.87 mmHg; no exercise: 26.3 +/- 0.85 mmHg). Additionally, exercise had no significant effect on plasma COP 18-24 hours following exercise (exercise: 27.8 +/- 1.09 mmHg; no exercise: 27.1 +/- 0.78 mmHg). Our results demonstrate that plasma COP increases significantly with microgravity simulated by HDT. However, preliminary results indicate exercise during HDT does not significantly affect plasma COP.

The perceived healthiness of functional foods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bech-Larsen, Tino; Grunert, Klaus G.

2003-01-01

Functional foods presumably enable the consumer to lead a healthier life without changing eating habits. Whether consumers accept this proposition or not is potentially influenced by their perceptions of the healthiness of the processing methods, enrichment components, food-types, and health claims...... used in the production and marketing of functional foods. Because consumers may perceive functional enrichment as interfering with nature, cultural values pertaining to man's manipulation of nature may also influence consumer acceptance of functional foods. The purpose of the study described here...... is to clarify to which extent Danish, Finnish and American consumers' perceptions of the healthiness of functional foods are explained by the factors mentioned above. The general results indicate that values pertaining to man's manipulation of nature is only modestly related to the acceptance of functional...

Can School Organic Food Policy Promote Healthy Behaviors in Danish Children?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Chen

in initiatives which promote healthy foods and physical activity. Concurrently, municipalities and other public bodies increasingly recognize their responsibility to support sustainable food production methods, such as organic agriculture, by choosing this kind of foods in public institutions. The question...... therefore arises whether these two trends - healthier eating strategies for youth, and increased public consumption of organic food, interact. This paper investigates the interrelation between the two trends: healthy eating and organic consumption. In Denmark, public schools are utilised for public organic...... explored the attitudes, policies/intentions and actions in relation to organic and healthy foods served in the schools. Results indicate that organic food intervention strategies can be supportive for strategies to increase the healthiness of school eating patterns....

Suitability of the line intersect method for sampling hardwood logging residues

Science.gov (United States)

A. Jeff Martin

1976-01-01

The line intersect method of sampling logging residues was tested in Appalachian hardwoods and was found to provide unbiased estimates of the volume of residue in cubic feet per acre. Thirty-two chains of sample line were established on each of sixteen 1-acre plots on cutover areas in a variety of conditions. Estimates from these samples were then compared to actual...

Identification and assessment of markers of biotin status in healthy adults

Science.gov (United States)

Eng, Wei Kay; Giraud, David; Schlegel, Vicki L.; Wang, Dong; Lee, Bo Hyun; Zempleni, Janos

2016-01-01

Human biotin requirements are unknown and the identification of reliable markers of biotin status is necessary to fill this knowledge gap. Here, we used an outpatient feeding protocol to create states of biotin deficiency, sufficiency and supplementation in sixteen healthy men and women. A total of twenty possible markers of biotin status were assessed, including the abundance of biotinylated carboxylases in lymphocytes, the expression of genes from biotin metabolism and the urinary excretion of biotin and organic acids. Only the abundance of biotinylated 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (holo-MCC) and propionyl-CoA carboxylase (holo-PCC) allowed for distinguishing biotin-deficient and biotin-sufficient individuals. The urinary excretion of biotin reliably identified biotin-supplemented subjects, but did not distinguish between biotin-depleted and biotin-sufficient individuals. The urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid detected some biotin-deficient subjects, but produced a meaningful number of false-negative results and did not distinguish between biotin-sufficient and biotin-supplemented individuals. None of the other organic acids that were tested were useful markers of biotin status. Likewise, the abundance of mRNA coding for biotin transporters, holocarboxylase synthetase and biotin-dependent carboxylases in lymphocytes were not different among the treatment groups. Generally, datasets were characterised by variations that exceeded those seen in studies in cell cultures. We conclude that holo-MCC and holo-PCC are the most reliable, single markers of biotin status tested in the present study. PMID:23302490

Temporal changes in clinic and ambulatory blood pressure during cyclic post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, M B; Rasmussen, Verner; Jensen, Gorm Boje

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Post-menopausal hormone replacement (HRT) might protect against cardiovascular disease, possibly by arterial vasodilation and reduced blood pressure. Progestogens are needed to avoid endometrial disease but vascular effects are controversial. The objective was to assess temporal changes...... in blood pressure (BP) by two measurement techniques during a cyclic hormone replacement regimen. DESIGN AND METHODS: Sixteen healthy and normotensive post-menopausal women (age 55 +/- 3 years) were studied in a placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study, and were randomized to 17beta-oestradiol plus...

Adolescents' Perceptions of Healthy Eating and Communication about Healthy Eating

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Kara; Prendergast, Gerard; Gronhoj, Alice; Bech-Larsen, Tino

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore Chinese adolescents' perceptions of healthy eating, their perceptions of various socializing agents shaping their eating habits, and their opinions about various regulatory measures which might be imposed to encourage healthy eating. Design/methodology/approach: Four focus group interview sessions…

Healthy worker effect in hairdressing apprentices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bregnhøj, Anne; Søsted, Heidi; Menné, Torkil

2011-01-01

potential healthy worker effect. Methods. During the first 2 weeks of training, 382 hairdressing apprentices were enrolled in this study. All apprentices completed a self-administered questionnaire, including previously validated questions regarding, for example, previous and present hand eczema, eczema...... and by 11.9% of the controls (p worker effect, as there was a lower reported incidence of hand eczema and eczema...

Healthy Watersheds Protection

Science.gov (United States)

... for restoring areas with degraded water quality, as well as protecting healthy waters from emerging problems before expensive damages occur. ... exclusively on restoring impaired waters, EPA created the Healthy ... more emphasis to proactively protecting high quality waters, following the ...

A Comparison of Recruitment Methods for an mHealth Intervention Targeting Mothers: Lessons from the Growing Healthy Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Laws, Rachel A; Litterbach, Eloise-Kate V; Denney-Wilson, Elizabeth A; Russell, Catherine G; Taki, Sarah; Ong, Kok-Leong; Elliott, Rosalind M; Lymer, Sharyn J; Campbell, Karen J

2016-09-15

Mobile health (mHealth) programs hold great promise for increasing the reach of public health interventions. However, mHealth is a relatively new field of research, presenting unique challenges for researchers. A key challenge is understanding the relative effectiveness and cost of various methods of recruitment to mHealth programs. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare the effectiveness of various methods of recruitment to an mHealth intervention targeting healthy infant feeding practices, and (2) explore factors influencing practitioner referral to the intervention. The Growing healthy study used a quasi-experimental design with an mHealth intervention group and a concurrent nonrandomized comparison group. Eligibility criteria included: expectant parents (>30 weeks of gestation) or parents with an infant mobile phone, ≥18 years old, and living in Australia. Recruitment to the mHealth program consisted of: (1) practitioner-led recruitment through Maternal and Child Health nurses, midwives, and nurses in general practice; (2) face-to-face recruitment by researchers; and (3) online recruitment. Participants' baseline surveys provided information regarding how participants heard about the study, and their sociodemographic details. Costs per participant recruited were calculated by taking into account direct advertising costs and researcher time/travel costs. Practitioner feedback relating to the recruitment process was obtained through a follow-up survey and qualitative interviews. A total of 300 participants were recruited to the mHealth intervention. The cost per participant recruited was lowest for online recruitment (AUD $14) and highest for practice nurse recruitment (AUD $586). Just over half of the intervention group (50.3%, 151/300) were recruited online over a 22-week period compared to practitioner recruitment (29.3%, 88/300 over 46 weeks) and face-to-face recruitment by researchers (7.3%, 22/300 over 18 weeks). No significant differences were

Michigan: Healthy Homes-Healthy Business Project (A Former EPA CARE Project)

Science.gov (United States)

The Healthy Homes-Healthy Business project is a recipient of a Level II CARE cooperative agreement. The communities of focus for this CARE level II project are the adjacent neighborhoods of Southwest Detroit and South Dearborn.

Empowering a healthy practice environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kushner, Jodi; Ruffin, Tasha

2015-03-01

This article provides frontline nurses a tool kit so they can advocate a healthy practice environment. The healthy nurse, healthy work hours, job satisfaction, adequate sleep, power naps at work, and balancing family/work are discussed. The overweight nurse, nurse fatigue, compassion fatigue, shift work sleep disorder, and role strain are discussed as barriers to a healthy practice environment. Case reports with analysis and recommendations are discussed to overcome these barriers. Resources are presented for frontline nurses to develop a tool kit for transforming their environment to a healthy practice environment and to empower them to become healthy nurses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel noninvasive method for measuring fatigability of the quadriceps muscle in noncooperating healthy subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Jesper Brøndum; Rose, Martin Høyer; Møller, Kirsten

2015-01-01

days, nonvoluntary isometric contractions (twitch and tetanic) of the quadriceps femoris muscle evoked by transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation were recorded in twelve healthy adults. For tetanic contractions, the Fatigue Index (ratio of peak torque values) and the slope of the regression line...... of peak torque values were primary outcome measures. For twitch contractions, maximum peak torque and rise time were calculated. Relative (intraclass correlation, ICC3.1) and absolute (standard error of measurement, SEM) reliability were assessed and minimum detectable change was calculated using a 95...... fatigability of the quadriceps muscle produces reliable results in healthy subjects and may provide valuable data on quantitative changes in muscle working capacity and treatment effects in patients who are incapable of producing voluntary muscle contractions....

Selective method for identification and quantification of Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis BB-12 (BB-12) from the gastrointestinal tract of healthy volunteers ingesting a combination probiotic of BB-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG.

Science.gov (United States)

Poutsiaka, D D; Mahoney, I J; McDermott, L A; Stern, L L; Thorpe, C M; Kane, A V; Baez-Giangreco, C; McKinney, J; Davidson, L E; Leyva, R; Goldin, B; Snydman, D R

2017-05-01

To develop a novel validated method for the isolation of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12 (BB-12) from faecal specimens and apply it to studies of BB-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) recovered from the healthy human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A novel method for isolating and enumerating BB-12 was developed based on its morphologic features of growth on tetracycline-containing agar. The method identified BB-12 correctly from spiked stool close to 100% of the time as validated by PCR confirmation of identity, and resulted in 97-104% recovery of BB-12. The method was then applied in a study of the recovery of BB-12 and LGG from the GI tract of healthy humans consuming ProNutrients ® Probiotic powder sachet containing BB-12 and LGG. Viable BB-12 and LGG were recovered from stool after 21 days of probiotic ingestion compared to baseline. In contrast, no organisms were recovered 21 days after baseline in the nonsupplemented control group. We demonstrated recovery of viable BB-12, using a validated novel method specific for the isolation of BB-12, and LGG from the GI tract of healthy humans who consumed the probiotic supplement. This method will enable more detailed and specific studies of BB-12 in probiotic supplements, including when in combination with LGG. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Comparison of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Griess reagent-spectroscopic methods for the measurement of nitrate in serum from healthy individuals in the Nordic countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Tine Lise; Nilsen, Valentina; Andersen, Dag Olav; Francis, George; Rustad, Pål; Mansoor, Mohammad Azam

2008-12-01

Bioavailability of NO can be estimated by measuring the concentration of nitrate (NO(3)) in serum. However, the methods used for the measurement NO(3) in plasma or serum show a great degree of variation. Therefore, we compared two analytical methods for the measurement of NO(3) in serum. The concentration of NO(3) in 600 serum samples collected from healthy individuals was determined by the HPLC and by the Griess reagent-spectroscopic method. The concentration of NO(3) in the samples was 29.4+/-16.1 micromol/L and 26.2+/-14.0 micromol/L (mean+/-SD) measured by HPLC and Griess reagent-spectroscopic method respectively (pHPLC method.

Comparative optimism about healthy eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Sproesser, Gudrun; Klusmann, Verena; Schupp, Harald T; Renner, Britta

2015-07-01

The present study investigated people's perception of their own as compared to their peers' healthy eating and related these perceptions to actual healthy eating, BMI, and subsequent healthy eating behavior. Data were collected within the framework of the longitudinal cohort study Konstanz Life Study (T1: N = 770; T2: N = 510). Our results demonstrated an optimistic bias on the group level. Specifically, people rated their own eating behavior as healthier on average than that of their average peers. This comparative optimism occurred even when actual healthy eating was unfavorable and BMI was high. However, it increased with actual healthy eating behavior. Importantly, optimistic perceptions were positively related to the intention to eat healthily and healthy eating six months later. Hence, the results suggest that an optimistic comparative view of one's own healthy eating is grounded in reality and boosts rather than deters subsequent health behavior. This implies that there might not be a need to reduce optimistic perceptions of healthy eating behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HEROs: Design of a Mixed-Methods Formative Research Phase for an Ecocultural Intervention to Promote Healthy Eating and Activity Behaviors in Rural Families With Preschoolers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellows, Laura L; McCloskey, Morgan; Clark, Lauren; Thompson, Darcy A; Bekelman, Traci A; Chamberlin, Barbara; Johnson, Susan L

2018-04-10

To describe the mixed-methods formative research phase in the development of the Healthy Environments Study (HEROs), a technology-based, interactive family intervention to promote healthy eating and activity behaviors for young children in the home environment. A mixed-method iterative approach, using ecocultural theory as a framework, will guide the development of both quantitative and qualitative formative research assessments. Rural eastern Colorado. Low-income families (n = 200) with preschool-aged children enrolled at 6 Head Start/preschool centers. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies will garner insights into 4 key topic areas: (1) food behaviors and environments (Remote Food Photography Method, parent focus group, and survey), (2) physical activity behaviors and environments (parent interview and survey), (3) mobile device use (parent survey and interview), and (4) daily life (ecocultural family interview and teacher/staff group discussions). Results will be interpreted in combination to allow for a holistic understanding of participant behaviors, beliefs, attitudes and values related to each of the 4 topic areas. Collectively, outcomes will provide a comprehensive picture of preschoolers' daily life and inform intervention design and strategies to enhance preschoolers' eating and activity behaviors in the home environment. Copyright © 2018 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between the three kinds of healthy habits and the metabolic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Takashi; Fukumoto, Tsutomu; Ito, Kyoko; Hasegawa, Yasutaka; Osaki, Takanobu

2009-08-01

In 2005, the diagnostic criteria for Japan-specific metabolic syndrome were published. The representative health habits are Breslow's seven healthy practices, Morimoto's eight items and Ikeda's six healthy habits. We investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome related with life-style strongly among these three sets of healthy habit. Cross-sectional study was conducted for the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by practicing these healthy habits. 20,776 Japanese individuals visited the Health Science Center at Jikei University Hospital in Japan for medical check-ups. Subjects were divided into 8 groups based on gender and age (females in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, and males in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s). Participants completed a simple, self-administered lifestyle questionnaire based on the three sets of healthy habits. Subjects were divided into three groups (poor, moderate and favorable) according to each of the healthy habit criteria. Significant differences were observed among 10 groups for Breslow's seven healthy practices, 4 groups for Morimoto's eight items, and 13 groups for Ikeda's six healthy habits. Ikeda's six healthy habits showed the most significant differences among the three sets of habits. Among the three methods tested, to practice more Ikeda's healthy habits were the most useful for metabolic syndrome. © 2009 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity . Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total plasma magnesium in healthy and critically ill foals.

Science.gov (United States)

Mariella, J; Isani, G; Andreani, G; Freccero, F; Carpenè, E; Castagnetti, C

2016-01-15

Abnormalities in total Mg (tMg) concentration in plasma and/or serum are common in critically ill humans, and the association with increased mortality has been documented in several clinical studies in adults and newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Abnormalities in tMg were studied in hospitalized dogs, cats, and adult horses. Newborn foals were scarcely studied with regard to Mg concentration. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare two analytical methods for the determination of tMg in plasma: the automated colorimetric method and the atomic absorption spectrometry; (2) to measure plasma tMg in healthy foals during the first 72 hours after birth and in sick foals during the first 72 hours of hospitalization; (3) to compare total plasma Mg concentration among healthy foals, foals affected by perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS), prematurity and/or dismaturity, and sepsis; (4) to evaluate tMg plasma concentration in surviving and non-surviving foals. One hundred seventeen foals were included in the study: 20 healthy and 97 sick foals. The automated method used in clinical practice probably overestimates plasma tMg. Due to its higher sensitivity and specificity, the atomic absorption spectrometry should be considered the method of choice from an analytical point of view, but requires an instrumentation not easily available in any laboratory and specific technical skills and competencies. Plasma tMg in healthy foals were included in the range 0.52 to 1.01 mmol/L and did not show any time-dependent change during the first 72 hours of life. In sick foals, tMg evaluated at T0 was statistically higher than tMg measured at subsequent times. Foals affected by PAS had a tMg at T0 significantly higher (P tMg measured at T0 in non-surviving than in surviving foals. Plasma tMg could be a useful parameter for the diagnosis of PAS and the formulation of the prognosis in critically ill foals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Painful stimulation and transient blocking of nerve transduction due to local anesthesia evoke perceptual distortions of the face in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Skyt, Ina; Dagsdóttir, Lilja; Vase, Lene; Baad-Hansen, Lene; Castrillon, Eduardo; Roepstorff, Andreas; Jensen, Troels Staehelin; Svensson, Peter

2015-04-01

Anecdotally, orofacial pain patients sometimes report that the painful face area feels "swollen." Because there are no clinical signs of swelling, such illusions may represent perceptual distortions. In this study, we examine whether nociceptive stimulation can lead to perceptual distortion of the face in a way similar to that of local anesthesia. Sixteen healthy participants received injections of .4 mL hypertonic saline to induce short-term nociceptive stimulation, .4 mL mepivacaine (local anesthetic) to transiently block nerve transduction, and .4 mL isotonic saline as a control condition. Injections were administered in both the infraorbital and the mental nerve regions. Perceptual distortions were conceptualized as perceived changes in magnitude of the injected areas and the lips, and they were measured using 1) a verbal subjective rating scale and 2) a warping procedure. Prior to the study, participants filled in several psychological questionnaires. This study shows that both nociceptive stimulation (P blocking of nerve transduction (P face. A test-retest experiment including 9 new healthy subjects supported the results. Perceptual distortions were positively correlated with the psychological variable of dissociation in several conditions (P face is important to understand the possible implications of perceptual distortions in orofacial pain disorders (and possibly other chronic pain states). Such information may ultimately open up new avenues of treatment for persistent orofacial pain. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consumer lay theories on healthy nutrition: A Q methodology application in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarar, Nadine; Orth, Ulrich R

2018-01-01

Food is an important driver of individual health, and an important subject in public policy and health intervention research. Viewpoints on what constitutes healthy nutrition, however, are manifold and highly subjective in nature, suggesting there is no one-size-fits-all behavioral change intervention. This research explores fundamental lay theories regarding healthy nutrition with consumers in Germany. The study aimed at identifying and characterizing distinct groups of consumers based on similarities and differences in the lay theories individuals hold by means of Q methodology. Thirty German consumers ranked a Q set of 63 statements representing a vast spectrum of individual opinions and beliefs on healthy nutrition into a quasi-normal distribution. Factor analysis identified four major lay theories on healthy nutrition: (1) "Healthy is what tastes good, in moderation", (2) "Healthy nutrition is expensive and inconvenient", (3) "Healthy is everything that makes me slim and pretty", and (4) "Only home-made, organic, and vegetarian food is healthy". Consensus existed among the theories about the question of whom to trust regarding nutritional information and the low relevance of information from official sources. Disagreement existed concerning the overall importance of healthy nutrition in day-to-day lives and whether food healthiness is related to organic or conventional production methods. The findings underscore that specific consumer groups should be engaged separately when intervening in healthy nutrition issues. Implications for public policies and intervention strategies are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accuracy and Precision of a Plane Wave Vector Flow Imaging Method in the Healthy Carotid Artery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jonas; Villagómez Hoyos, Carlos Armando; Traberg, Marie Sand

2018-01-01

The objective of the study described here was to investigate the accuracy and precision of a plane wave 2-D vector flow imaging (VFI) method in laminar and complex blood flow conditions in the healthy carotid artery. The approach was to study (i) the accuracy for complex flow by comparing...... of laminar flow in vivo. The precision in vivo was calculated as the mean standard deviation (SD) of estimates aligned to the heart cycle and was highest in the center of the common carotid artery (SD = 3.6% for velocity magnitudes and 4.5° for angles) and lowest in the external branch and for vortices (SD...... the velocity field from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to VFI estimates obtained from the scan of an anthropomorphic flow phantom and from an in vivo scan; (ii) the accuracy for laminar unidirectional flow in vivo by comparing peak systolic velocities from VFI with magnetic resonance...

A statistical method to calculate blood contamination in the measurement of salivary hormones in healthy women.

Science.gov (United States)

Behr, Guilherme A; Patel, Jay P; Coote, Marg; Moreira, Jose C F; Gelain, Daniel P; Steiner, Meir; Frey, Benicio N

2017-05-01

Previous studies have reported that salivary concentrations of certain hormones correlate with their respective serum levels. However, most of these studies did not control for potential blood contamination in saliva. In the present study we developed a statistical method to test the amount of blood contamination that needs to be avoided in saliva samples for the following hormones: cortisol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and oxytocin. Saliva and serum samples were collected from 38 healthy, medication-free women (mean age=33.8±7.3yr.; range=19-45). Serum and salivary hormonal levels and the amount of transferrin in saliva samples were determined using enzyme immunoassays. Salivary transferrin levels did not correlate with salivary cortisol or estradiol (up to 3mg/dl), but they were positively correlated with salivary testosterone, progesterone and oxytocin (phormones in order to determine the level of blood contamination that might affect specific hormonal salivary concentrations. Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An exploratory study of the outdoor recreation participation of families who have a child under sixteen

Science.gov (United States)

Bob Du Lee; Alan Graefe; Robert Burns

2007-01-01

Family recreation has been recognized as an effective way to nurture family customs and promote healthy youth development. In particular, outdoor-based recreation that includes inherent challenges often offers opportunities for a family to grow together and promotes family cohesion and youth development. Building on earlier research, this study attempts to further...

Cardiovascular risk after preeclampsia : The effect of communicating risk factors on intended healthy behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bokslag, Anouk; Kroeze, Willemieke; de Groot, Christianne J.M.; Teunissen, Pim W.

Objective: We studied the effect of communicating cardiovascular risk factors on intended healthy behavior in women with a history of preeclampsia or uncomplicated pregnancy. Methods: Intention for healthy behavior was assessed before and after cardiovascular risk assessment. Changes were calculated

Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Healthy Exercise, Eating, and Lifestyle Program for Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Cochrane, Thomas; Davey, Rachel C.

2017-01-01

BAckground: Reversing decline in physical fitness and increase in excess body weight in school children are considered major public health challenges. We evaluated a proposed model to integrate a screening and healthy exercise, eating, and lifestyle program (HEELP) into primary schools in Canberra, Australia. Objectives were: (1) to establish body…

Barriers to healthy-lifestyle participation in stroke: consumer participation in secondary prevention design.

Science.gov (United States)

Lennon, Olive C; Doody, Catherine; Ni Choisdealbh, Cliodhna; Blake, Catherine

2013-12-01

The aim of the study was to explore community-dwelling stroke patients' perceived barriers to healthy-lifestyle participation for secondary disease prevention, as well as their preferred means for risk-reduction information dissemination and motivators to participation in healthy-lifestyle interventions. Four focus groups (5-6 stroke survivors per group) were defined from community support groups. Key questions addressed barriers to healthy-lifestyle adoption, preferred methods for receiving information and factors that would engage participants in a risk-reduction programme. Groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed for thematic content using a framework approach. Twenty-two participants, 12 men, 10 women, mean age 71.4 (53-87) years, were included in the study. Three overarching themes emerged as barriers to healthy-lifestyle participation: physical, mental and environmental. Exercise participation difficulties spread across all three themes; healthy eating and smoking cessation concentrated in environmental and mental dimensions. Talks (discussions) were noted as participants' preferred method of information provision. Risk-reduction programmes considered attractive were stroke specific, convenient and delivered by healthcare professionals and involved both social and exercise components. Many stroke patients appear unable to adopt healthy-lifestyle changes through advice alone because of physical, mental and environmental barriers. Risk-reduction programmes including interactive education should be specifically tailored to address barriers currently experienced and extend beyond the stroke survivor to others in their environment who influence lifestyle choices.

Tools for healthy tribes: improving access to healthy foods in Indian country.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischhacker, Sheila; Byrd, Randi R; Ramachandran, Gowri; Vu, Maihan; Ries, Amy; Bell, Ronny A; Evenson, Kelly R

2012-09-01

There is growing recognition that policymakers can promote access to healthy, affordable foods within neighborhoods, schools, childcare centers, and workplaces. Despite the disproportionate risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes among American Indian children and adults, comparatively little attention has been focused on the opportunities tribal policymakers have to implement policies or resolutions to promote access to healthy, affordable foods. This paper presents an approach for integrating formative research into an action-oriented strategy of developing and disseminating tribally led environmental and policy strategies to promote access to and consumption of healthy, affordable foods. This paper explains how the American Indian Healthy Eating Project evolved through five phases and discusses each phase's essential steps involved, outcomes derived, and lessons learned. Using community-based participatory research and informed by the Social Cognitive Theory and ecologic frameworks, the American Indian Healthy Eating Project was started in fall 2008 and has evolved through five phases: (1) starting the conversation; (2) conducting multidisciplinary formative research; (3) strengthening partnerships and tailoring policy options; (4) disseminating community-generated ideas; and (5) accelerating action while fostering sustainability. Collectively, these phases helped develop and disseminate Tools for Healthy Tribes-a toolkit used to raise awareness among participating tribal policymakers of their opportunities to improve access to healthy, affordable foods. Formal and informal strategies can engage tribal leaders in the development of culturally appropriate and tribe-specific sustainable strategies to improve such access, as well as empower tribal leaders to leverage their authority toward raising a healthier generation of American Indian children. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthy Children, Healthy Lives: The Wellness Guide for Early Childhood Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Bergen, Sharon; Robertson, Rachel

2013-01-01

Early childhood is a critical time in human development. Understanding and supporting children's wellness early on can make the greatest impact on physical, social and emotional, and cognitive health throughout childhood and adulthood. "Healthy Children, Healthy Lives" provides a comprehensive collection of checklists and research ­based…

Recovery Responses to Maximal Exercise in Healthy-Weight Children and Children with Obesity

Science.gov (United States)

Easley, Elizabeth A.; Black, W. Scott; Bailey, Alison L.; Lennie, Terry A.; Sims, Wilma J.; Clasey, Jody L.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in heart rate recovery (HRRec) and oxygen consumption recovery (VO2 recovery) between young healthy-weight children and children with obesity following a maximal volitional graded exercise test (GXTmax). Method: Twenty healthy-weight children and 13 children with obesity completed body…

Virtual Visual Effect of Hospital Waiting Room on Pain Modulation in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Chronic Migraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina de Tommaso

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Environmental context has an important impact on health and well being. We aimed to test the effects of a visual distraction induced by classical hospital waiting room (RH versus an ideal room with a sea view (IH, both represented in virtual reality (VR, on subjective sensation and cortical responses induced by painful laser stimuli (LEPs in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic migraine (CM. Sixteen CM and 16 controls underwent 62 channels LEPs from the right hand, during a fully immersive VR experience, where two types of waiting rooms were simulated. The RH simulated a classical hospital waiting room while the IH represented a room with sea viewing. CM patients showed a reduction of laser pain rating and vertex LEPs during the IH vision. The sLORETA analysis confirmed that in CM patients the two VR simulations induced a different modulation of bilateral parietal cortical areas (precuneus and superior parietal lobe, and superior frontal and cingulate girus, in respect to controls. The architectural context may interfere with pain perception, depending upon the status of subject. Many variables may change patients’ outcome and support the use of VR technology to test the best conditions for their management.

Reference ranges of some haematological parameters in healthy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The haematological values of populations differ due to numerous factors. It is essential to establish the normal haematological values in every population to ensure appropriate interpretation of results in health and disease states. Materials and Methods: A total of 184 consenting apparently healthy adults (62 ...

European multicentre database of healthy controls for [123I]FP-CIT SPECT (ENC-DAT): age-related effects, gender differences and evaluation of different methods of analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varrone, Andrea; Dickson, John C.; Tossici-Bolt, Livia; Sera, Terez; Asenbaum, Susanne; Booij, Jan; Kapucu, Ozlem L.; Kluge, Andreas; Knudsen, Gitte M.; Koulibaly, Pierre Malick; Nobili, Flavio; Pagani, Marco; Sabri, Osama; Borght, Thierry vander; Laere, Koen van; Tatsch, Klaus

2013-01-01

Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with [ 123 I]FP-CIT (DaTSCAN) is an established diagnostic tool in parkinsonism and dementia. Although qualitative assessment criteria are available, DAT quantification is important for research and for completion of a diagnostic evaluation. One critical aspect of quantification is the availability of normative data, considering possible age and gender effects on DAT availability. The aim of the European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) study was to generate a large database of [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls. SPECT data from 139 healthy controls (74 men, 65 women; age range 20 - 83 years, mean 53 years) acquired in 13 different centres were included. Images were reconstructed using the ordered-subset expectation-maximization algorithm without correction (NOACSC), with attenuation correction (AC), and with both attenuation and scatter correction using the triple-energy window method (ACSC). Region-of-interest analysis was performed using the BRASS software (caudate and putamen), and the Southampton method (striatum). The outcome measure was the specific binding ratio (SBR). A significant effect of age on SBR was found for all data. Gender had a significant effect on SBR in the caudate and putamen for the NOACSC and AC data, and only in the left caudate for the ACSC data (BRASS method). Significant effects of age and gender on striatal SBR were observed for all data analysed with the Southampton method. Overall, there was a significant age-related decline in SBR of between 4 % and 6.7 % per decade. This study provides a large database of [ 123 I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls across a wide age range and with balanced gender representation. Higher DAT availability was found in women than in men. An average age-related decline in DAT availability of 5.5 % per decade was found for both genders, in agreement with previous reports. The data collected in this study may serve as a reference database for

Essential actions for caterers to promote healthy eating out among European consumers: results from a participatory stakeholder analysis in the HECTOR project.

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Lachat, Carl; Naska, Androniki; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Engeset, Dagrun; Fairgrieve, Alastair; Marques, Helena Ávila; Kolsteren, Patrick

2011-02-01

To identify and assess actions by which the catering sector could be engaged in strategies for healthier eating out in Europe. A SWOT analysis was used to assess the participation of the catering sector in actions for healthier eating out. Caterers subsequently shortlisted essential actions to overcome threats and weaknesses the sector may face when engaging in implementing these actions. Analysis undertaken in the European Union-supported HECTOR project on 'Eating Out: Habits, Determinants and Recommendations for Consumers and the European Catering Sector'. Thirty-eight participants from sixteen European countries reflecting a broad multi-stakeholder panel on eating out in Europe. The catering sector possesses strengths that allow direct involvement in health promotion strategies and could well capitalise on the opportunities offered. A focus on healthy eating may necessitate business re-orientations. The sector was perceived as being relatively weak in terms of its dependency on the supply of ingredients and lack of financial means, technical capacity, know-how and human resources. To foster participation in strategies for healthier eating out, caterers noted that guidelines should be simple, food-based and tailored to local culture. The focus could be on seasonal foods, traditional options and alternative dishes rather than just on 'healthy eating'. Small-to-medium-sized enterprises have specific concerns and needs that should be considered in the implementation of such strategies. The study highlights a number of possible policy actions that could be instrumental in improving dietary intake in Europe through healthier eating out.

Aim For a Healthy Weight

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... out of your control, you can make positive lifestyle changes to lose weight and to maintain a healthy weight. These include a healthy eating plan and being more physically active. Take the Challenge When it comes to aiming for a healthy ...

The present state of research into plasma heating and injection methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-12-01

The advantages and disadvantages recognized by the Advisory Group on Heating and injection for twelve plasma heating and injection methods currently under investigation in Europe are related. The heating and injection requirements of four reference reactor designs are previously defined. The problems which arise when one attempts to extrapolate existing work towards the reactor goal are emphasized. Two refuelling methods not directly linked with the heating problem are discussed. The experiments in operation or under construction in Europe in which each method is investigated are listed. Sixteen working papers which served as a basis for the Advisory Group discussion and which cover all the heating and injection methods examined are included

Come On! Using intervention mapping to help healthy pregnant women achieve healthy weight gain.

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Merkx, Astrid; Ausems, Marlein; de Vries, Raymond; Nieuwenhuijze, Marianne J

2017-06-01

Gaining too much or too little weight in pregnancy (according to Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines) negatively affects both mother and child, but many women find it difficult to manage their gestational weight gain (GWG). Here we describe the use of the intervention mapping protocol to design 'Come On!', an intervention to promote adequate GWG among healthy pregnant women. We used the six steps of intervention mapping: (i) needs assessment; (ii) formulation of change objectives; (iii) selection of theory-based methods and practical strategies; (iv) development of the intervention programme; (v) development of an adoption and implementation plan; and (vi) development of an evaluation plan. A consortium of users and related professionals guided the process of development. As a result of the needs assessment, two goals for the intervention were formulated: (i) helping healthy pregnant women to stay within the IOM guidelines for GWG; and (ii) getting midwives to adequately support the efforts of healthy pregnant women to gain weight within the IOM guidelines. To reach these goals, change objectives and determinants influencing the change objectives were formulated. Theories used were the Transtheoretical Model, Social Cognitive Theory and the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Practical strategies to use the theories were the foundation for the development of 'Come On!', a comprehensive programme that included a tailored Internet programme for pregnant women, training for midwives, an information card for midwives, and a scheduled discussion between the midwife and the pregnant woman during pregnancy. The programme was pre-tested and evaluated in an effect study.

Transformative Learning Factors to Enhance Integral Healthy Organizations

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Thavinpipatkul, Chanchai; Ratana-Ubol, Archanya; Charungkaittikul, Suwithida

2016-01-01

This article focuses on how organizations search for the key factors to develop integral changes and determine broader and higher transcendental learning skills in order to achieve healthy and sustainable organizational growth more effectively and efficiently. This study employed qualitative approaches. The research method used is an in-depth…

Use of fat mass and fat free mass standard deviation scores obtained using simple measurement methods in healthy children and patients: comparison with the reference 4-component model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel R Atherton

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Clinical application of body composition (BC measurements for individual children has been limited by lack of appropriate reference data. OBJECTIVES: (1 To compare fat mass (FM and fat free mass (FFM standard deviation scores (SDS generated using new body composition reference data and obtained using simple measurement methods in healthy children and patients with those obtained using the reference 4-component (4-C model; (2 To determine the extent to which scores from simple methods agree with those from the 4-C model in identification of abnormal body composition. DESIGN: FM SDS were calculated for 4-C model, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; GE Lunar Prodigy, BMI and skinfold thicknesses (SFT; and FFM SDS for 4CM, DXA and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA; height(2/Z in 927 subjects aged 3.8-22.0 y (211 healthy, 716 patients. RESULTS: DXA was the most accurate method for both FM and FFM SDS in healthy subjects and patients (mean bias (limits of agreement FM SDS 0.03 (± 0.62; FFM SDS -0.04 (± 0.72, and provided best agreement with the 4-C model in identifying abnormal BC (SDS ≤-2 or ≥ 2. BMI and SFTs were reasonable predictors of abnormal FM SDS, but poor in providing an absolute value. BIA was comparable to DXA for FFM SDS and in identifying abnormal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: DXA may be used both for research and clinically to determine FM and FFM SDS. BIA may be used to assess FFM SDS in place of DXA. BMI and SFTs can be used to measure adiposity for groups but not individuals. The performance of simpler techniques in monitoring longitudinal BC changes requires investigation. Ultimately, the most appropriate method should be determined by its predictive value for clinical outcome.

Use of fat mass and fat free mass standard deviation scores obtained using simple measurement methods in healthy children and patients: comparison with the reference 4-component model.

Science.gov (United States)

Atherton, Rachel R; Williams, Jane E; Wells, Jonathan C K; Fewtrell, Mary S

2013-01-01

Clinical application of body composition (BC) measurements for individual children has been limited by lack of appropriate reference data. (1) To compare fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) standard deviation scores (SDS) generated using new body composition reference data and obtained using simple measurement methods in healthy children and patients with those obtained using the reference 4-component (4-C) model; (2) To determine the extent to which scores from simple methods agree with those from the 4-C model in identification of abnormal body composition. FM SDS were calculated for 4-C model, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; GE Lunar Prodigy), BMI and skinfold thicknesses (SFT); and FFM SDS for 4CM, DXA and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA; height(2)/Z)) in 927 subjects aged 3.8-22.0 y (211 healthy, 716 patients). DXA was the most accurate method for both FM and FFM SDS in healthy subjects and patients (mean bias (limits of agreement) FM SDS 0.03 (± 0.62); FFM SDS -0.04 (± 0.72)), and provided best agreement with the 4-C model in identifying abnormal BC (SDS ≤-2 or ≥ 2). BMI and SFTs were reasonable predictors of abnormal FM SDS, but poor in providing an absolute value. BIA was comparable to DXA for FFM SDS and in identifying abnormal subjects. DXA may be used both for research and clinically to determine FM and FFM SDS. BIA may be used to assess FFM SDS in place of DXA. BMI and SFTs can be used to measure adiposity for groups but not individuals. The performance of simpler techniques in monitoring longitudinal BC changes requires investigation. Ultimately, the most appropriate method should be determined by its predictive value for clinical outcome.

Healthy Start - Départ Santé: A pilot study of a multilevel intervention to increase physical activity, fundamental movement skills and healthy eating in rural childcare centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Froehlich Chow, Amanda; Leis, Anne; Humbert, Louise; Muhajarine, Nazeem; Engler-Stringer, Rachel

2016-10-20

In order to improve healthy behaviours among rural children in their early years, a physical activity and healthy eating intervention (Healthy Start - Départ Santé) was implemented in rural childcare centres throughout Saskatchewan. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a multimodal physical activity and healthy eating intervention on educators' provision of opportunities for children to improve their physical activity levels, fundamental movement skills and healthy eating behaviours. Six childcare centres (three Francophone and three Anglophone) located in five different rural and semi-rural communities in Saskatchewan participated in this intervention. A total of 69 children with a mean age of 4 years 9 months, and 19 female early childhood educators. Guided by an ecological framework, we implemented a population health controlled intervention, using a wait list control design (48 weeks delayed intervention), and evaluated its impact in rural childcare centres. Mixed methods were employed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Overall, educators felt that the intervention supported the provision of physical activity and healthy eating opportunities for children. Increases in children's physical activity levels were reported following the intervention. The lessons learned in this study can be used to improve the Healthy Start - Départ Santé intervention so that its implementation can be effectively expanded to childcare centres within and outside Saskatchewan, in turn, supporting the healthy development of early years (0-5) children in the province and beyond.

Kalijodo transformation in establishment of healthy environment in Jakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Sutanto, Erik; Junadi, Purnawan

2018-03-01

A good city setting can create a healthy environment. One of the structuring of cities that can create a healthy environment is the development of public space like Green Open Space (RTH) and Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA) such as in Kalijodo, Jakarta, Indonesia. The objective of building a public space in Kalijodo is to restore the functioning of the green zone in the area that previously used for housing residents and prostitution businesses to increase public space in Jakarta. The purpose of this study is to describe the formation of a healthy environment and the impact felt by users of this public space. The research method used in this research is descriptive qualitative with a phenomenological approach through interview, observation and documentation. There are three types of community activities in the public sphere, such as sports, children’s playground, and relaxation. The results show that the decline in crime rates and the presence of facilities and infrastructure in time to establish a healthy environment. The construction of facilities in the public spaces changes the image of Kalijodo from the previous place that has a negative image then turned into a positive image because the environment of Kalijodo became healthy. We also find that this changing image creates a positive spirit of the surrounding community and people are generally healthier and happier.

Emg Signal Analysis of Healthy and Neuropathic Individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Ashutosh; Sayed, Tabassum; Garg, Ridhi; Shreyam, Richa

2017-08-01

Electromyography is a method to evaluate levels of muscle activity. When a muscle contracts, an action potential is generated and this circulates along the muscular fibers. In electromyography, electrodes are connected to the skin and the electrical activity of muscles is measured and graph is plotted. The surface EMG signals picked up during the muscular activity are interfaced with a system. The EMG signals from individual suffering from Neuropathy and healthy individual, so obtained, are processed and analyzed using signal processing techniques. This project includes the investigation and interpretation of EMG signals of healthy and Neuropathic individuals using MATLAB. The prospective use of this study is in developing the prosthetic device for the people with Neuropathic disability.

Parenting Role's Tasks as Parents of Healthy and Disabled Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azade Riyahi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background The purpose of this study was to determine how to do parenting role's tasks as parents of healthy and disabled children younger than 7 years old in Iran (Arak. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study, the parenting role tasks questionnaire was completed for 120 parents of healthy children and 120 parents of disabled children with at least one child with disability and the parents were selected by convenience sampling method. T-test, Mann-Whitney test and analysis of variances was used to compare the scores between parents of healthy and disabled children based on studied variables including child age, parent age, child gender, parent education, family economic status, history of trauma and seizure in children was applied to perform the role of parents. Results: There was a significant difference of parent role in both groups of parents. There was observed a significant relationship between role of healthy children's parents and age of child (r=0.21, P=0.016, but not observed in disabled children's parents. In healthy children, there was no significant correlation between parent's role and maternal age. In contrast, in disabled children, there was found a significant difference (P= 0.04 with correlation coefficient of -0.18 representing the inverse relationship. Moreover, no relationship was found between history of seizure and performance of parenting role's tasks in the group of disabled children (P>0.05. Conclusion The performance of tasks of parenting role in two groups of parents of healthy children and disabled ones in four areas of primary care, education, leisure and improving cognitive level had significant difference. This difference in the area of improving the cognitive level was higher. Due to complications of disability, parents of these children pay more attention to other areas of care except of improving cognitive level. Therefore presence of disabled child has negative effect on the balance of the

Midlife Healthy-Diet Index and Late-Life Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjo H. Eskelinen

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Aim: To study long-term effects of dietary patterns on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD. Methods: Of 525 subjects randomly selected from population-based cohorts surveyed at midlife, a total of 385 (73% subjects were re-examined 14 years later in the CAIDE study. A healthy-diet index (range 0–17 was constructed including both healthy and unhealthy dietary components. Results: Persons with a healthy diet (healthy-diet index >8 points had a decreased risk of dementia (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.02–0.85 and AD (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01–0.89 compared with persons with an unhealthy diet (0–8 points, adjusting for several possible confounders. Conclusions: Healthy diet at midlife is associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD in late life. These findings highlight the importance of dietary patterns and may make more effective measures for dementia/AD prevention or postponement possible.

ERICA: prevalence of healthy eating habits among Brazilian adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Barufaldi, Laura Augusta; Abreu, Gabriela de Azevedo; Oliveira, Juliana Souza; dos Santos, Debora França; Fujimori, Elizabeth; Vasconcelos, Sandra Mary Lima; de Vasconcelos, Francisco de Assis Guedes; Tavares, Bruno Mendes

2016-02-01

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of eating habits considered healthy in adolescents according to sex, age, education level of the mother, school type, session of study, and geographic region. METHODS The assessed data come from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national and school-based study. Adolescents of 1,247 schools of 124 Brazilian municipalities were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with a section on aspects related to eating behaviors. The following eating behaviors were considered healthy: consuming breakfast, drinking water, and having meals accompanied by parents or legal guardians. All prevalence estimates were presented proportionally, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in healthy eating habits prevalences according to other variables. The module survey of the Stata program version 13.0 was used to analyze complex data. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents (72.9% of the eligible students). Of these, 55.2% were female, average age being 14.6 years (SD = 1.6). Among Brazilian adolescents, approximately half of them showed healthy eating habits when consuming breakfast, drinking five or more glasses of water a day, and having meals with parents or legal guardians. All analyzed healthy eating habits showed statistically significant differences by sex, age, type of school, session of study, or geographic region . CONCLUSIONS We suggest that specific actions of intersectoral approach are implemented for the dissemination of the benefits of healthy eating habits. Older female adolescents (15 to 17 years old) who studied in public schools, resided in the Southeast region, and whose mothers had lower education levels, should be the focus of these actions since they present lower frequencies concerning the evaluated healthy habits.

Maintaining Healthy Skin -- Part 1

Science.gov (United States)

... with no breaks in the surface. It is warm (not hot or red) and neither dry and flaky nor moist and wrinkled. Healthy skin is a mirror of a healthy body. How to take care of your skin NUTRITION: To keep your skin healthy, eat a well- ...

Biliary clearance of bromosulfophthalein in healthy and ketotic Holstein cows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danijela Kirovski

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Ketosis is a metabolic disorder closely associated with liver lipidosis. Numerous tests have been developed to detect hepatic dysfunction in dairy cows. Bromosulfophthalein (BSP clearance is established as a sensitive index of hepatic function. The objective of this study was to examine the difference of biliary excretion of BSP between ketotic and healthy Holstein cows and to correlate this excretion with other indicators of liver dysfunction. Twenty puerperal Holstein cows divided in two groups (10 cows each were involved in the study. The first group included healthy and the second group ketotic cows. Blood samples were taken 10 days after parturition. Concentrations of total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, Ca, P, total lipids, urea and glucose were determined. Immediately after blood sampling, BSP test was performed. Blood samples were taken 5 and 45 minutes after injection, and the percentage of retained pigment in the sample obtained at minute 45 was calculated. Blood albumin and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in healthy then ketotic cows. Total bilirubin concentration was significantly higher in ketotic than healthy cows. BSP excretion was significantly higher in ketotic compared to healthy cows. There was a significant positive correlation between BSP values and total bilirubin concentrartions in both healthy and ketotic cows and a significant negative correlation between BSP values and glucose concentrartions in both healthy and ketotic cows. In conclusion, biliary clearance of BSP may be used as a reliable method for the detection of hepatic dysfunction associated with clinical symptoms of ketosis in dairy cows.

Developing a healthy web-based cookbook for pediatric cancer patients and survivors: rationale and methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rhea; Raber, Margaret; Chandra, Joya

2015-03-31

Obesity has been a growing problem among children and adolescents in the United States for a number of decades. Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are more susceptible to the downstream health consequences of obesity such as cardiovascular disease, endocrine issues, and risk of cancer recurrence due to late effects of treatment and suboptimal dietary and physical activity habits. The objective of this study was to document the development of a Web-based cookbook of healthy recipes and nutrition resources to help enable pediatric cancer patients and survivors to lead healthier lifestyles. The Web-based cookbook, named "@TheTable", was created by a committee of researchers, a registered dietitian, patients and family members, a hospital chef, and community advisors and donors. Recipes were collected from several sources including recipe contests and social media. We incorporated advice from current patients, parents, and CCS. Over 400 recipes, searchable by several categories and with accompanying nutritional information, are currently available on the website. In addition to healthy recipes, social media functionality and cooking videos are integrated into the website. The website also features nutrition information resources including nutrition and cooking tip sheets available on several subjects. The "@TheTable" website is a unique resource for promoting healthy lifestyles spanning pediatric oncology prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Through evaluations of the website's current and future use, as well as incorporation into interventions designed to promote energy balance, we will continue to adapt and build this unique resource to serve cancer patients, survivors, and the general public.

Effects of a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy on healthy-eating behaviors among Taiwanese college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chia-Kuei; Liao, Li-Ling; Lai, I-Ju; Chang, Li-Chun

2017-11-14

Unhealthy eating behaviors contribute to obesity and chronic illness. This study examined the relative contributions of a healthy-eater self-schema (a self-conception as a healthy eater) and nutrition literacy on healthy-eating behaviors and whether nutrition literacy was a mediator among Taiwanese college students. A total of 1216 undergraduate students from six universities in Taiwan participated in the study from April to June 2016. Healthy-eating behaviors, nutrition literacy, healthy-eater self-schema and known determinants of eating behaviors (e.g. nutrition-related information, health status, nutrition knowledge needs, sex, year in college and residence) were measured by a self-report questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analysis were conducted with the known determinants of eating behaviors as covariates. Results showed that a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy explained 9% and 12% of the variance in healthy-eating behaviors, respectively, and both had unique effects on healthy-eating behaviors. The effect of a healthy-eater self-schema on healthy-eating behaviors was partially mediated through nutrition literacy. Findings suggest that both a healthy-eater self-schema and nutrition literacy should be considered when promoting healthy-eating behaviors. Additionally, nutrition literacy interventions should be tailored to the healthy-eater self-schema status and emphasize the personal relevance of being a healthy-eater to improve the intervention's effectiveness. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multicenter R2* mapping in the healthy brain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ropele, Stefan; Wattjes, Mike P; Langkammer, Christian

2014-01-01

structures. METHODS: R2* mapping was performed in 81 healthy subjects in seven centers using different 3 T systems. R2* was calculated from a dual-echo gradient echo sequence and was assessed in several deep gray matter structures. The inter-scanner and inter-subject variability of R2* was calculated...

Does environmental friendliness equal healthiness? Swiss consumers' perception of protein products.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazzarini, Gianna A; Zimmermann, Jasmin; Visschers, Vivianne H M; Siegrist, Michael

2016-10-01

Food production and consumption have major impacts on the environment. At the same time, changes in human diets worldwide are increasingly leading to health problems. Both issues are highly influenced by consumers' everyday food choices and could be addressed by reducing consumption of meat and other animal products. To promote sustainable food consumption, we need to know how consumers perceive the environmental friendliness and healthiness of food products, on which criteria they base their evaluations of environmental friendliness and healthiness, and how their estimations relate to life cycle assessments and nutrient profiling. We presented 30 protein products, which varied in provenance, production methods, and processing, to 85 participants from Switzerland. They were asked to sort the products once according to their perceived environmental friendliness and once according to their perceived healthiness. The mean distances between the products were compared to the products' life cycle assessments and nutrient profiles. The results showed that perceived environmental friendliness and healthiness are highly correlated. The main predictors of the products' perceived environmental friendliness were product category, presence of an organic label, and provenance; and for perceived healthiness, these predictors were product category, fat content, processing, and presence of an organic label. Environmental friendliness and healthiness estimations were significantly correlated to the life cycle assessments and the nutrient profiles of the products, respectively. Hence, to promote healthy and environmentally friendly food choices, motivators related to environmental friendliness and healthiness could be used in synergy. Awareness about meat's environmental impact should be increased and better information is needed for consumers to make an accurate environmental impact and healthiness assessments of protein products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Healthy school environments].

Science.gov (United States)

Quintero-Corzo, Josefina; Munévar-Molina, Raúl A; Munévar-Quintero, Fabio I

2015-04-01

Objective To determine factors that characterizes school environments and their relationship with student learning, welfare and health. Method This is a case study supported by a comprehensive qualitative paradigm applied to classroom ecology. The fieldwork was carried out in six public schools for students in economic strata one and two that use computers in virtual classrooms. The information was collected through field journals, film recordings, observation, and recordings of interviews. The information was analyzed by categories in open general and focused cycles. Results The virtual era has enriched the debate about the importance of the environment in pedagogical processes. Nonetheless, the emergence of new diseases is a risk which students are exposed to. Pollution and overcrowding factors prevail in traditional classroom activities, while in the computer rooms the environment is healthier. Hence the need to incorporate these issues into the curriculum reforms and action plans to guide healthy living of schoolchildren and their families. Despite budget constraints, innovative ideas and projects were found. Schools have developed free preventive and corrective strategies such as workshops, talks and lectures by invited specialists, trainees, and students writing theses. They have also introduced controlled Internet access. Conclusion The educational community understands that the concept of health is at the heart of a comprehensive concept of education. In addition, classroom ecology has determining implications for learning and living together in pleasant and healthy environments that are incorporated into institutional educational projects.

Healthy Swimming/Recreational Water

Science.gov (United States)

... Medical Professionals En Español Publications, Data, & Statistics Healthy Swimming Resources Health Promotion Materials Find Your State Training & ... Announcements Outbreak Response Toolkits CDC at Work: Healthy Swimming Fast Facts Index of Water-Related Topics Model ...

Tips for Healthy Voices

Science.gov (United States)

... prevent voice problems and maintain a healthy voice: Drink water (stay well hydrated): Keeping your body well hydrated by drinking plenty of water each day (6-8 glasses) is essential to maintaining a healthy voice. The ...

Impact of metabolic, hemodynamic and inflammatory factors on target organ damage in healthy subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blicher, M.; Kruger, R.; Olesen, Thomas Bastholm

2015-01-01

Objective: We wanted to test the impact of metabolic, hemodynamic and inflammatory factors on target organ damage (TOD) defined as cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, arterioclerosis and microvascular damage. Design and method: In a population based cohort study of 2115 healthy subjects (1049...... associated to hypertrophy, arteriosclerosis and microvascular damage in healthy subjects....

Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in the differentiation of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and healthy individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado, Ana Lúcia Farias de Azevedo; Carvalho, Luciana de; Oliveira, Ana Claudia; Santos, Virgínia Nascimento dos; Vieira, Jose Gilberto; Parise, Edison Roberto

2010-01-01

Due to its good correlation to glycemic clamp, HOMA-IR has been widely utilized as insulin resistance index in clinical and epidemiological studies involving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease carriers. However, values used for this parameter have shown large variability. To identify the HOMA-IR cut value that best distinguishes non-diabetic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients from a control group. One hundred sixteen non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients were studied, diagnosed by clinical, biochemical, and liver image or biopsy criteria, and 88 healthy individuals, without any liver disease and testing for oral glucose tolerance within normality. These groups did not differ in age and gender. All were submitted to oral glucose tolerance test and blood samples were collected for glucose and insulin measurements by immunofluorometric method. HOMA-IR was calculated according to the formula: fasting insulin (microU/L) x fasting glucose (nmol/L)/22.5. NAFLD patients showed higher insulin, glycemia, and HOMA-IR values than control group, even when excluding glucose intolerant and diabetes mellitus patients by their glycemic curves. HOMA-IR 75th percentile for control group was 1.78 and the best area under the curve index was obtained for HOMA-IR values of 2.0 [AUC= 0.840 (0.781-0.899 CI 95%), sensitivity (Se): 85%, specificity (Sp): 83%] while value 2.5 showed best specificity without important loss in sensitivity [AUC=0,831 (0.773-0.888) Se = 72%, Sp = 94%]. HOMA-IR values above or equal to 2.0 or 2.5 show enhanced diagnostic value in distinguishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease carriers from control group individuals.

Using multivariate machine learning methods and structural MRI to classify childhood onset schizophrenia and healthy controls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deanna eGreenstein

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Multivariate machine learning methods can be used to classify groups of schizophrenia patients and controls using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. However, machine learning methods to date have not been extended beyond classification and contemporaneously applied in a meaningful way to clinical measures. We hypothesized that brain measures would classify groups, and that increased likelihood of being classified as a patient using regional brain measures would be positively related to illness severity, developmental delays and genetic risk. Methods: Using 74 anatomic brain MRI sub regions and Random Forest, we classified 98 COS patients and 99 age, sex, and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. We also used Random Forest to determine the likelihood of being classified as a schizophrenia patient based on MRI measures. We then explored relationships between brain-based probability of illness and symptoms, premorbid development, and presence of copy number variation associated with schizophrenia. Results: Brain regions jointly classified COS and control groups with 73.7% accuracy. Greater brain-based probability of illness was associated with worse functioning (p= 0.0004 and fewer developmental delays (p=0.02. Presence of copy number variation (CNV was associated with lower probability of being classified as schizophrenia (p=0.001. The regions that were most important in classifying groups included left temporal lobes, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal regions, and left medial parietal lobes. Conclusions: Schizophrenia and control groups can be well classified using Random Forest and anatomic brain measures, and brain-based probability of illness has a positive relationship with illness severity and a negative relationship with developmental delays/problems and CNV-based risk.

Testicular volume of healthy term neonates: Determination of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Subjects and Methods: This was a hospital.based, cross.sectional and descriptive study. Eight hundred and eleven apparently healthy term Igbo male neonates within the first 3 days of life were studied. The TV was measured with Prader Orchidometer (ZKL.135.H), ESP Model. Smoothed centiles (3.97th percentile values) ...

Healthy Lifestyle of Czech University Students

OpenAIRE

Marholdová, Lucie

2013-01-01

The thesis deals with the healthy lifestyle of Czech university students. The main objectives are to map the healthy lifestyle of Czech university students, especially to find out whether they follow the principles of healthy lifestyle, to find out their knowledge concerning this issue, to find out if there are any obstacles to follow the healthy lifestyle and to find out whether they know any projects supporting health and healthy lifestyle. In the theoretical part of the thesis the basic te...

Utility-driven evidence for healthy cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Leeuw, Evelyne; Skovgaard, Thomas

2005-01-01

The question whether the WHO Healthy Cities project 'works' has been asked ever since a number of novel ideas and actions related to community health, health promotion and healthy public policy in the mid 1980s came together in the Healthy Cities Movement initiated by the World Health Organization....... The question, however, has become more urgent since we have entered an era in which the drive for 'evidence' seems all-pervasive. The article explores the nature of evidence, review available evidence on Healthy Cities accomplishments, and discusses whether enough evidence has been accumulated on different...... performances within the realm of Healthy Cities. A main point of reference is the European Healthy Cities Project (E-HCP). Building on the information gathered through documentary research on the topic, it is concluded that there is fair evidence that Healthy Cities works. However, the future holds great...

Effect of Fresh Orange Juice Intake on Physiological Characteristics in Healthy Volunteers

OpenAIRE

Asgary, Sedigheh; Keshvari, Mahtab; Afshani, Mohammad Reza; Amiri, Masoud; Laher, Ismail; Javanmard, Shaghayegh Haghjooy

2014-01-01

Background. Impaired endothelial function is a predictor of cardiovascular events. Orange juice (OJ) is rich in dietary flavonoids and could inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. We examined the effects of commercial (COJ) and fresh orange juice (FOJ) on endothelial function and physiological characteristics in healthy humans. Materials and Methods. Twenty-two healthy volunteers years were enrolled in a single blind randomized crossover controlled trial. The two groups consumed...

"Healthy Eating - Healthy Action": evaluating New Zealand's obesity prevention strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanuvasa Ausaga

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background New Zealand rates of obesity and overweight have increased since the 1980s, particularly among indigenous Māori people, Pacific people and those living in areas of high deprivation. New Zealand's response to the obesity epidemic has been The Healthy Eating-Healthy Action: Oranga Kai - Oranga Pumau (HEHA Strategy ('the Strategy', launched in 2003. Because the HEHA Strategy explicitly recognises the importance of evaluation and the need to create an evidence base to support future initiatives, the Ministry of Health has commissioned a Consortium of researchers to evaluate the Strategy as a whole. Methods This paper discusses the Consortium's approach to evaluating the HEHA Strategy. It includes an outline of the conceptual framework underpinning the evaluation, and describes the critical components of the evaluation which are: judging to what extent stakeholders were engaged in the process of the strategy implementation and to what extent their feedback was incorporated in to future iterations of the Strategy (continuous improvement, to what extent the programmes, policies, and initiatives implemented span the target populations and priority areas, whether there have been any population changes in nutrition and/or physical activity outcomes or behaviours relating to those outcomes, and to what extent HEHA Strategy and spending can be considered value for money. Discussion This paper outlines our approach to evaluating a complex national health promotion strategy. Not only does the Evaluation have the potential to identify interventions that could be adopted internationally, but also the development of the Evaluation design can inform other complex evaluations.

Indicators of the relative availability of healthy versus unhealthy foods in supermarkets: a validation study

OpenAIRE

Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Mackenzie, Tara; Mhurchu, Cliona Ni

2017-01-01

Background In-store availability of healthy and unhealthy foods may influence consumer purchases. Methods used to measure food availability, however, vary widely. A simple, valid, and reliable indicator to collect comparable data on in-store food availability is needed. Methods Cumulative linear shelf length of and variety within 22 healthy and 28 unhealthy food groups, determined based on a comparison of three nutrient profiling systems, were measured in 15 New Zealand supermarkets. Inter-ra...

Ugly bugs in healthy guts! Carriage of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing commensal Enterobacteriaceae in the intestine of healthy Nepalese adults

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Maharjan A

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Anjila Maharjan,1 Anjeela Bhetwal,1 Shreena Shakya,1 Deepa Satyal,1 Shashikala Shah,1 Govardhan Joshi,1,2 Puspa Raj Khanal,1 Narayan Prasad Parajuli1,3 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Kathmandu Center for Genomics and Research Laboratory (KCGRL, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Department of Clinical Laboratory Services, Manmohan Memorial Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal Background: Fecal carriage of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae is one of the important risk factors for infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this report, we examined the prevalence of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing common enterobacterial strains colonizing the intestinal tract of apparently healthy adults in Kathmandu, Nepal.Methods: During a 6-month period (February–July 2016, a total of 510 stool specimens were obtained from apparently healthy students of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal. Stool specimens were cultured, and the most common enterobacterial isolates (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests according to the standard microbiologic guidelines. Multidrug-resistant isolates were selected for ESBL confirmation by combined disk test and E-test methods. Molecular characterization of plasmid-borne ESBL genes was performed by using specific primers of cefotaximase Munich (CTX-M, sulfhydryl variant (SHV, and temoniera (TEM by polymerase chain reaction.Results: Among 510 bacterial strains, E. coli (432, 84.71% was the predominant organism followed by Klebsiella oxytoca (48, 9.41% and K. pneumoniae (30, 5.88%. ESBLs were isolated in 9.8% of the total isolates including K. oxytoca (29.17%, E. coli (7.87%, and K. pneumoniae (6.67%. Among ESBLs, bla-TEM was the predominant type (92% followed by bla-CTX-M (60% and bla-SHV (4%.Conclusion

Acute oral intake of a higenamine-based dietary supplement increases circulating free fatty acids and energy expenditure in human subjects

OpenAIRE

Lee, Sang-Rok; Schriefer, JohnHenry M; Gunnels, Trint A; Harvey, Innocence C; Bloomer, Richard J

2013-01-01

Background Higenamine, also known as norcoclaurine, is an herbal constituent thought to act as a beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonist—possibly stimulating lipolysis. It was the purpose of this study to determine the impact of a higenamine-based dietary supplement on plasma free fatty acids and energy expenditure following acute oral ingestion. Methods Sixteen healthy subjects (8 men; 26.1 ± 2.5 yrs; 8 women 22.4 ± 3.1 yrs) ingested a dietary supplement containing a combination of higenamine, ca...

The effect of sauna bathing on lipid profile in young, physically active, male subjects

OpenAIRE

Dorota Gryka; Wanda Pilch; Marta Szarek; Zbigniew Szygula; Łukasz Tota

2014-01-01

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate effects of Finnish sauna bathing on lipid profile in healthy, young men. Material and Methods: Sixteen male subjects (20–23 years) were subjected to 10 sauna bathing sessions in a Finnish sauna every 1 or 2 days. The mean sauna temperature was 90±2°C, while humidity was 5–16%. Each session consisted of three 15-minute parts and a 2-minute cool-down between them. The following measurements were taken before and after the sauna sessions: body mas...

Comparing Personality Traits , Coping Strategies, and Attributional Styles of Opioid-Dependent Patients and Healthy People

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Afsaneh Moradi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study is carried on to compare personality traits, coping strategies, and attributional styles of opiate-dependent patients and healthy people. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sctional and comparative research, three scales Eysenk Personality Questionaire RS (EPQ-RS, Coping Response Inventory (CRI, and Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ are used to measure the mentioned variables on 158 people (78 opiate-dependent patient and 80 healthy people selected by accessible sampling method. Research data were examined on the basis of T-test for independent groups and logistic regression. Results: Results of T-test showed that there were significant differences between healthy and patient group in Coping Response Inventory and Personality Traits Subscale(except Lying subscale and attribution styles for negative events (P<0.001. Logistic regression results showed that all of these variables which entered in model, are able to predict distinction one group from other patient group and healthy one in a meaningful way(P<0.001. Conclusion: opiate-dependent patients when they face problems significantly use problem-solving strategies, social support seeking, and cognitive evaluation significantly less than healthy group and use physical inhibition and emotional inhibition significantly more than the healthy group. Also, drug-dependent patients in terms of tendency to Neuroticism, psychoticism and introversion were significantly higher than the healthy group, and they had more pessimistic attributional style towards negative events. On the other hand it became apparent that some aspects of personality characteristics, coping strategies, and attributional style considerably were able to distinguish healthy people from opiate-dependent patients.

Make Celebrations Fun, Healthy, and Active: 10 Tips to Creating Healthy, Active Events

Science.gov (United States)

United States Department of Agriculture 10 tips Nutrition Education Series MyPlate MyWins Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Make celebrations fun, healthy, and active Eating healthy and being physically active can be a ...

Perception of urge-to-cough and dyspnea in healthy smokers with decreased cough reflex sensitivity

OpenAIRE

Kanezaki, Masashi; Ebihara, Satoru; Nikkuni, Etsuhiro; Gui, Peijun; Suda, Chihiro; Ebihara, Takae; Yamasaki, Miyako; Kohzuki, Masahiro

2010-01-01

Background Although cigarette smoking has been implicated as an important risk factor for the development of respiratory symptoms, the perceptional aspects of two symptoms in smokers have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we simultaneously evaluated the cough reflex sensitivity, the cognition of urge-to-cough and perception of dyspnea in both healthy smokers and non-smokers. Methods Fourteen male healthy never-smokers and 14 age-matched male healthy current-smokers were recruited via publ...

Cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder, unaffected siblings, and healthy controls

OpenAIRE

Vasconcelos-Moreno, Mirela P.; Bücker, Joana; Bürke, Kelen P.; Czepielewski, Leticia; Santos, Barbara T.; Fijtman, Adam; Passos, Ives C.; Kunz, Mauricio; Bonnín, Caterina del Mar; Vieta i Pascual, Eduard, 1963-; Kapczinski, Flávio; Rosa, Adriane R.; Kauer-Sant'Anna, Marcia

2016-01-01

Objective: To assess cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), in unaffected siblings, and in healthy controls. Methods: Subjects were patients with BD (n=36), unaffected siblings (n=35), and healthy controls (n=44). Psychosocial functioning was accessed using the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). A sub-group of patients with BD (n=21), unaffected siblings (n=14), and healthy controls (n=22) also underwent a battery of neuropsychologic...

[Healthy eating: implementation of a practice-oriented training program].

Science.gov (United States)

Kulakova, E N; Nastausheva, T L; Usacheva, E A

2016-01-01

Health professionals need to have current knowledge and skills in nutrition. The knowledge and skills have to be acquired in programs of continuing medical education, but also in undergraduate medical education. The main purpose of this work was to develop and implement a practice-oriented training program in nutrition and healthy eating for medical students. The subject named "Nutrition" was implemented into second-year medical curriculum. We defined a theoretical framework and terms such as nutrition, healthy eating, and evidence-based nutrition. In order to get learning outcomes we constructed a method of patients counseling and training "Individual food pyramid". The making of "Individual food pyramid" is a key integrate element of the program. It helps to memorize, understand and apply the basic principles of healthy eating in real life contexts. The final program consists of two sections: "General Nutrition" and "Special Nutrition". The most important intended learning outcome is student's lifestyle improvement. The program is practice-oriented and outcome-based.

A systematic review of types of healthy eating interventions in preschools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Mette Vang; Husby, Sofie; Skov, Laurits Rohden

2014-01-01

Background With the worldwide levels of obesity new venues for promotion of healthy eating habits are necessary. Considering children's eating habits are founded during their preschool years early educational establishments are a promising place for making health promoting interventions. Methods...... This systematic review evaluates different types of healthy eating interventions attempting to prevent obesity among 3 to 6 year-olds in preschools, kindergartens and day care facilities. Studies that included single interventions, educational interventions and/or multicomponent interventions were eligible...

Compatibility and Marital Satisfaction in Disabled Couples Compared to Healthy Ones

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Azam Abed

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of current study was the evaluation and comparison of compatibility and marital satisfaction between handicapped couples and healthy ones. Methods: In this study, 50 handicapped couples and 50 healthy couples were examined with Enrich’s marital satisfaction questionnaire and Bell’s adjustment questionnaire. The data were analyzed, using SPSS 15, correlation tests and ANOVA. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between handicapped and healthy couples in compatibility and marital satisfaction. Discussion: It is concluded that people who were handicapped before their marriage and those who decided to marry them were suitably aware of the issue, therefore accepting a handicapped person was not so hard. What is important in marital compatibility is accepting a partner.

Population pharmacokinetics of olprinone in healthy male volunteers

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Kunisawa T

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Takayuki Kunisawa,1 Hidefumi Kasai,2 Makoto Suda,2 Manabu Yoshimura,3 Ami Sugawara,3 Yuki Izumi,3 Takafumi Iida,3 Atsushi Kurosawa,3 Hiroshi Iwasaki3 1Surgical Operation Department, Asahikawa Medical University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan; 2Clinical Study Management Division, Bell Medical Solutions Inc, Tokyo, Japan; 3Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Hokkaido, Japan Background: Olprinone decreases the cardiac preload and/or afterload because of its vasodilatory effect and increases myocardial contractility by inhibiting phosphodiesterase III. Purpose: The objective of this study was to characterize the population pharmacokinetics of olprinone after a single continuous infusion in healthy male volunteers. Methods: We used 500 plasma concentration data points collected from nine healthy male volunteers for the study. The population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using the nonlinear mixed effect model (NONMEM® software. Results: The time course of plasma concentration of olprinone was best described using a two-compartment model. The final pharmacokinetic parameters were total clearance (7.37 mL/minute/kg, distribution volume of the central compartment (134 mL/kg, intercompartmental clearance (7.75 mL/minute/kg, and distribution volume of the peripheral compartment (275 mL/kg. The interindividual variability in the total clearance was 12.4%, and the residual error variability (exponential and additive were 22.2% and 0.129 (standard deviation. The final pharmacokinetic model was assessed using a bootstrap method and visual predictive check. Conclusion: We developed a population pharmacokinetic model of olprinone in healthy male adults. The bootstrap method and visual predictive check showed that this model was appropriate. Our results might be used to develop the population pharmacokinetic model in patients. Keywords: phosphodiesterase III inhibitor, men, pharmacokinetic model

Coagulation profiles of healthy Andalusian donkeys are different than those of healthy horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, F J; Perez-Ecija, R A; Monreal, L; Estepa, J C

2011-01-01

Coagulation disorders are frequently diagnosed, especially in hospitalized equidae, and result in increased morbidity and mortality. However, hemostatic reference intervals have not been established for donkeys yet. To determine whether the most common coagulation parameters used in equine practice are different between healthy donkeys and horses. Thirty-eight healthy donkeys and 29 healthy horses. Blood samples were collected to assess both coagulation and fibrinolytic systems by determination of platelet count, fibrinogen concentration, clotting times (prothrombin time [PT] and activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT]), fibrin degradation products (FDP) and D-Dimer concentrations. PT and aPTT in donkeys were significantly (P donkeys than in horses. The coagulation parameters most commonly determined in equine practice are different in donkeys compared with horses. Thus, the use of normal reference ranges reported previously for healthy horses in donkeys might lead to a misdiagnosis of coagulopathy in healthy donkeys, and unnecessary treatments in sick donkeys. This is the first report of normal coagulation profile results in donkeys, and further studies are warranted to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of the differences observed between donkeys and horses. Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Nutrition labelling, marketing techniques, nutrition claims and health claims on chip and biscuit packages from sixteen countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayhew, Alexandra J; Lock, Karen; Kelishadi, Roya; Swaminathan, Sumathi; Marcilio, Claudia S; Iqbal, Romaina; Dehghan, Mahshid; Yusuf, Salim; Chow, Clara K

2016-04-01

Food packages were objectively assessed to explore differences in nutrition labelling, selected promotional marketing techniques and health and nutrition claims between countries, in comparison to national regulations. Cross-sectional. Chip and sweet biscuit packages were collected from sixteen countries at different levels of economic development in the EPOCH (Environmental Profile of a Community's Health) study between 2008 and 2010. Seven hundred and thirty-seven food packages were systematically evaluated for nutrition labelling, selected promotional marketing techniques relevant to nutrition and health, and health and nutrition claims. We compared pack labelling in countries with labelling regulations, with voluntary regulations and no regulations. Overall 86 % of the packages had nutrition labels, 30 % had health or nutrition claims and 87 % displayed selected marketing techniques. On average, each package displayed two marketing techniques and one health or nutrition claim. In countries with mandatory nutrition labelling a greater proportion of packages displayed nutrition labels, had more of the seven required nutrients present, more total nutrients listed and higher readability compared with those with voluntary or no regulations. Countries with no health or nutrition claim regulations had fewer claims per package compared with countries with regulations. Nutrition label regulations were associated with increased prevalence and quality of nutrition labels. Health and nutrition claim regulations were unexpectedly associated with increased use of claims, suggesting that current regulations may not have the desired effect of protecting consumers. Of concern, lack of regulation was associated with increased promotional marketing techniques directed at children and misleadingly promoting broad concepts of health.

Testing of leachability and persistence of sixteen pesticides in three agricultural soils of a semiarid Mediterranean region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garrido, I.; Vela, N.; Fenoll, J.; Navarro, G.; Pérez-Lucas, G.; Navarro, S.

2015-07-01

Leaching, the movement of water and chemicals into deeper soil layers and groundwater is a subject of worldwide interest because a high percentage of drinking water is extracted from groundwater. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential leaching and persistence of sixteen pesticides (one fungicide, three nematicides/insecticides, and twelve herbicides) for three Mediterranean agricultural soils with similar texture (clay loam) but different organic matter content (1.2-3.1%). Adsorption was studied in batch experiments and leaching was tested using disturbed soil columns (40 cm length × 4 cm i.d.). Degradation studies were carried out during 120 days under laboratory conditions. Mobility experiments showed that pesticides can be grouped according to their potential leaching. Thus, pesticides showing medium leachability were included in group 1 (referred as G1) while those with high leachability were termed as G2. The differences observed in the leachability can be attributed to the different organic carbon (OC) content in the soils (0.7-1.8%). Values of log KOC were higher in the order: soil C > soil B > soil A, which agrees with the OC content in each soil. The calculated half-lives ranged from 4.2 days for carbofuran in soil A to 330 days for prometon in soil C. As a general rule, when higher OC content in the soil the greater persistence of the pesticide was observed as a consequence of the increased adsorption. The first order kinetics model satisfactorily explains the disappearance of the studied pesticides in the soil. (Author)

Prevalence and risk factors For vitamin D deficiency among healthy infants in Sacramento, California

Science.gov (United States)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the vitamin D status of healthy infants 6-18 months of age in Sacramento, CA. Patients and Methods: This was a one-year, cross-sectional study among a convenience sample of healthy infants seen at routine “well child” or follow-up appointments at t...

Improved Processing and Marketing of Healthy Fish Products in ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Improved Processing and Marketing of Healthy Fish Products in Inland Fisheries in Malawi (CultiAF). This project aims ... They will test different pre-drying methods: -no pre-drying treatment -parboiling -smoking -brining Solar dryer and business model testing Researchers will assess the solar dryers' economic performance.

The Influence of Package Attributes on Consumer Perception at the Market With Healthy Food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamila Ježovičová

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper provides findings about how packaging of healthy foods is perceived by consumers. The primary data were collected by eye-tracking using the SMI RED 250. This investigation analyzed 12 healthy products and it was completed by 50 respondents. This method was supplemented with in-depth interviews with the same respondents who participated in the eye-tracking research. A questionnaire survey (n = 261 was also a part of the research. Based on these two methods, real and declared consumer behavior can be recognized and the differences between these behaviors can be identified. The main interest was to determine which package attributes of healthy foods are the most interesting according to consumers. The research shows that the most attention in terms of information is devoted to nutritional value, food composition and also country of origin. Furthermore, the attention was focused on the most suitable packaging materials for various kinds of products as well as colors used on the packaging of these foods. The results provide valuable information to create an attractive and effective packaging of healthy products.

The COPE healthy lifestyles TEEN randomized controlled trial with culturally diverse high school adolescents: Baseline characteristics and methods

Science.gov (United States)

Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek; Kelly, Stephanie; Jacobson, Diana; Belyea, Michael; Shaibi, Gabriel; Small, Leigh; O’Haver, Judith; Marsiglia, Flavio Francisco

2014-01-01

Obesity and mental health disorders remain significant public health problems in adolescents. Substantial health disparities exist with minority youth experiencing higher rates of these problems. Schools are an outstanding venue to provide teens with skills needed to improve their physical and mental health, and academic performance. In this paper, the authors describe the design, intervention, methods and baseline data for a randomized controlled trial with 779 culturally diverse high-school adolescents in the southwest United States. Aims for this prevention study include testing the efficacy of the COPE TEEN program versus an attention control program on the adolescents’ healthy lifestyle behaviors, Body Mass Index (BMI) and BMI%, mental health, social skills and academic performance immediately following the intervention programs, and at six and 12 months post interventions. Baseline findings indicate that greater than 40% of the sample is either overweight (n = 148, 19.00%) or obese (n = 182, 23.36%). The predominant ethnicity represented is Hispanic (n = 526, 67.52%). At baseline, 15.79%(n = 123) of the students had above average scores on the Beck Youth Inventory Depression subscale indicating mildly (n = 52, 6.68%), moderately (n = 47, 6.03%), or extremely (n = 24, 3.08%) elevated scores (see 1). Anxiety scores were slightly higher with 21.56% (n = 168) reporting responses suggesting mildly (n = 81, 10.40%), moderately (n = 58, 7.45%) or extremely (n = 29, 3.72%) elevated scores. If the efficacy of the COPE TEEN program is supported, it will offer schools a curriculum that can be easily incorporated into high school health courses to improve adolescent healthy lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial outcomes and academic performance. PMID:23748156

Healthy human gut phageome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manrique, Pilar; Bolduc, Benjamin; Walk, Seth T.; Oost, van der John; Vos, de Willem M.; Young, Mark J.

2016-01-01

The role of bacteriophages in influencing the structure and function of the healthy human gut microbiome is unknown. With few exceptions, previous studies have found a high level of heterogeneity in bacteriophages from healthy individuals. To better estimate and identify the shared phageome of

A personalized healthy workplace

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmer, Justin

2017-01-01

In February 2017, seven partners signed a contract to collaborate on a project called the Healthy Workplace. Measuremen, Menzis, Health2Work, ENGIE, Planon, and Hanzehogeschool Groningen are dedicated to make the regular workplace a healthy workplace. Health is of primary importance for both the

Magnetic Resonance Elastography: Measurement of Hepatic Stiffness Using Different Direct Inverse Problem Reconstruction Methods in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Liver Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Shigeyoshi; Tanaka, Keiko; Hashido, Takashi

2016-02-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the mean hepatic stiffness values obtained by the application of two different direct inverse problem reconstruction methods to magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Thirteen healthy men (23.2±2.1 years) and 16 patients with liver diseases (78.9±4.3 years; 12 men and 4 women) were examined for this study using a 3.0 T-MRI. The healthy volunteers underwent three consecutive scans, two 70-Hz waveform and a 50-Hz waveform scans. On the other hand, the patients with liver disease underwent scanning using the 70-Hz waveform only. The MRE data for each subject was processed twice for calculation of the mean hepatic stiffness (Pa), once using the multiscale direct inversion (MSDI) and once using the multimodel direct inversion (MMDI). There were no significant differences in the mean stiffness values among the scans obtained with two 70-Hz and different waveforms. However, the mean stiffness values obtained with the MSDI technique (with mask: 2895.3±255.8 Pa, without mask: 2940.6±265.4 Pa) were larger than those obtained with the MMDI technique (with mask: 2614.0±242.1 Pa, without mask: 2699.2±273.5 Pa). The reproducibility of measurements obtained using the two techniques was high for both the healthy volunteers [intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs): 0.840-0.953] and the patients (ICC: 0.830-0.995). These results suggest that knowledge of the characteristics of different direct inversion algorithms is important for longitudinal liver stiffness assessments such as the comparison of different scanners and evaluation of the response to fibrosis therapy.

Posture and movement in healthy preterm infants in supine position in and outside the nest

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ferrari, F.; Bertoncelli, N.; Gallo, C.; Roversi, M. F.; Guerra, M. P.; Ranzi, A.; Madders-Algra, M.

Objective: To evaluate whether lying in a nest affects the posture and spontaneous movements of healthy preterm infants. Method: 10 healthy preterm infants underwent serial video recording in the supine position, when lying in a nest and outside it, at three ages: 30-33 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA)

Automatic and manual segmentation of healthy retinas using high-definition optical coherence tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Golbaz, Isabelle; Ahlers, Christian; Goesseringer, Nina; Stock, Geraldine; Geitzenauer, Wolfgang; Prünte, Christian; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula Margarethe

2011-03-01

This study compared automatic- and manual segmentation modalities in the retina of healthy eyes using high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT). Twenty retinas in 20 healthy individuals were examined using an HD-OCT system (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.). Three-dimensional imaging was performed with an axial resolution of 6 μm at a maximum scanning speed of 25,000 A-scans/second. Volumes of 6 × 6 × 2 mm were scanned. Scans were analysed using a matlab-based algorithm and a manual segmentation software system (3D-Doctor). The volume values calculated by the two methods were compared. Statistical analysis revealed a high correlation between automatic and manual modes of segmentation. The automatic mode of measuring retinal volume and the corresponding three-dimensional images provided similar results to the manual segmentation procedure. Both methods were able to visualize retinal and subretinal features accurately. This study compared two methods of assessing retinal volume using HD-OCT scans in healthy retinas. Both methods were able to provide realistic volumetric data when applied to raster scan sets. Manual segmentation methods represent an adequate tool with which to control automated processes and to identify clinically relevant structures, whereas automatic procedures will be needed to obtain data in larger patient populations. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Acta Ophthalmol.

Caregivers' perception of factors associated with a healthy diet among people with intellectual disability living in community residences: A Concept mapping method.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruud, Marte Pilskog; Raanaas, Ruth Kjærsti; Bjelland, Mona

2016-12-01

Many people with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in community-based residences have been found to have unhealthy diet and weight disturbances. In Norway, a majority of people with ID live in such residences. The aim of the study was to examine factors affecting the caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet among the residents. A concept mapping methodology was adopted, including group-based brainstorming, idea synthesising, sorting, rating and analysis of the results. Informants were caregivers in four different community residences for people with mild to moderate ID in the southeast of Norway. A total of 13 informants were recruited (12 females and 1 male), and 10 informants completed two sessions. Eight clusters were identified as affecting the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet: "Availability and accessibility", "Guidance and autonomy", "Competence among staff", "Planning and involvement", "Customization", "External conditions affecting staff", "Legislation, rules and structure" and "Everyday challenges", each including both barriers and facilitators. Multiple factors affect the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet. Caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet is complex. Availability and accessibility of healthy food is crucial, but a healthy diet also requires time and competence among the caregivers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Webinar: Healthy Schools, Healthy Students: Taking Action to Improve IAQ in Your School District

Science.gov (United States)

A page to register to view the first webinar in the IAQ Knowledge-to-Action Professional Training Webinar Series: Healthy Schools, Healthy Students: Taking Action to Improve IAQ in Your School District

The effectiveness of healthy meals at work on reaction time, mood and dietary intake: a randomised cross-over study in daytime and shift workers at an university hospital

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leedo, Eva; Beck, Anne Marie; Astrup, Arne

2017-01-01

Our dietary habits affect both cognitive performance and mood. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of increased availability of healthy meals and water at work on healthcare staff. The study used an 8-week randomised cross-over design. A total of sixty physicians, nurses and nursing...... assistants, including sixteen working on shifts, were recruited. The participants received a self-selected keyhole-labelled (Nordic nutrition label) lunch, snack and bottled water during each shift throughout the intervention period. Reaction time (Go/No-Go test), mood-related scores (POMS) and dietary....... The intervention had no effect on reaction time or any of the mood-related scores in the group as a whole. In shift-working participants, the intervention period resulted in a 31·1 % lower Fatigue-Inertia Score (P=0·003), a 15·3 % higher Vigour-Activity Score (P=0·041) and a 42·7 % lower Total Mood Disturbance...

Ataxia rating scales are age-dependent in healthy children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brandsma, Rick; Spits, Anne H.; Kuiper, Marieke J.; Lunsing, Roelinka J.; Burger, Huibert; Kremer, Hubertus P.; Sival, Deborah A.

AIM: To investigate ataxia rating scales in children for reliability and the effect of age and sex. METHOD: Three independent neuropaediatric observers cross-sectionally scored a set of paediatric ataxia rating scales in a group of 52 healthy children (26 males, 26 females) aged 4 to 16 years (mean

Association between osteocalcin and cognitive performance in healthy older adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bradburn, Steven; Mcphee, Jamie S.; Bagley, Liam; Sipila, Sarianna; Stenroth, Lauri; Narici, Marco Vincenzo; Pääsuke, Mati; Gapeyeva, Helena; Osborne, Gabrielle; Sassano, Lorraine; Meskers, Carel G.M.; Maier, Andrea B.; Hogrel, Jean Yves; Barnouin, Yoann; Butler-Browne, Gillian; Murgatroyd, Chris

2016-01-01

Introduction: cognitive deterioration and reductions of bone health coincide with increasing age. We examine the relationship between bone composition and plasma markers of bone remodelling with measures of cognitive performance in healthy adults. Methods: this cross-sectional study included 225 old

The joint action on healthy life years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robine, Jean-Marie; Cambois, Emmanuelle; Nusselder, Wilma

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Life expectancy has been increasing during the last century within the European Union (EU). To measure progress in population health it is no longer sufficient to focus on the duration of life but quality of life should be considered. Healthy Life Years (HLY) allow estimating...... the quality of the remaining years that a person is expected to live, in terms of being free of long-standing activity limitation. The Joint Action on Healthy Life Years (JA: EHLEIS) is a joint action of European Member States (MS) and the European Union aiming at analysing trends, patterns and differences...... in HLY, as well as in other Summary Measures of Population Health (SMPH) indicators, across the European member states. METHODS: The JA: EHLEIS consolidates existing information on life and health expectancy by maximising the European comparability; by analysing trends in HLY within the EU; by analysing...

Distinguishing rhythmic from non-rhythmic brain activity during rest in healthy neurocognitive aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Caplan, Jeremy B; Bottomley, Monica; Kang, Pardeep; Dixon, Roger A

2015-05-15

Rhythmic brain activity at low frequencies (healthy neurocognitive aging are mixed. Here we address two reasons conventional spectral analyses may have led to inconsistent results. First, spectral-power measures are compared to a baseline condition; when resting activity is the signal of interest, it is unclear what the baseline should be. Second, conventional methods do not clearly differentiate power due to rhythmic versus non-rhythmic activity. The Better OSCillation detection method (BOSC; Caplan et al., 2001; Whitten et al., 2011) avoids these problems by using the signal's own spectral characteristics as a reference to detect elevations in power lasting a few cycles. We recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signal during rest, alternating eyes open and closed, in healthy younger (18-25 years) and older (60-74 years) participants. Topographic plots suggested the conventional and BOSC analyses measured different sources of activity, particularly at frequencies, like delta (1-4Hz), at which rhythms are sporadic; topographies were more similar in the 8-12Hz alpha band. There was little theta-band activity meeting the BOSC method's criteria, suggesting prior findings of theta power in healthy aging may reflect non-rhythmic signal. In contrast, delta oscillations were present at higher levels than theta in both age groups. In summary, applying strict and standardized criteria for rhythmicity, slow rhythms appear present in the resting brain at delta and alpha, but not theta frequencies, and appear unchanged in healthy aging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Healthy Start Can Begin Now

Science.gov (United States)

A healthy pregnancy begins before you ever become pregnant. Give yourself the best chance for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby before you start down the road to motherhood. If you smoke, now’s a great time to quit.

Relationships between parents’ academic backgrounds and incomes and building students’ healthy eating habits

Science.gov (United States)

Hoque, Kazi Fardinul; A/P Thanabalan, Revethy

2018-01-01

Background Building healthy eating habit is essential for all people. School and family are the prime institutions to instill this habit during early age. This study is aimed at understanding the impact of family such as parents’ educations and incomes on building students’ healthy eating habits. Methods A survey on building students’ eating habits was conducted among primary school students of grade 4 (11 years) and 5 (12 years) from Kulim district, Malaysia. Data from 318 respondents were analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to find the present scenario of their knowledge, attitude and practices towards their eating habits while one-way ANOVA and independent sample t-test were used to find the differences between their practices based on students’ gender, parents’ educations and incomes. Results The study finds that the students have a good knowledge of types of healthy food but yet their preferences are towards the unhealthy food. Though the students’ gender and parents’ educations are not found significantly related to students’ knowledge, attitude and practices towards healthy eating habits, parents’ incomes have significant influence on promoting the healthy eating habit. Discussion Findings of this study can be useful to guide parents in healthy food choices and suggest them to be models to their children in building healthy eating habits. PMID:29736328

Effect of atopic skin stressors on natural moisturizing factors and cytokines in healthy adult epidermis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engebretsen, K A; Kezic, S; Jakasa, I

2018-01-01

: To explore the effect of selected exogenous skin stressors on NMF and skin cytokines levels in healthy adult epidermis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 40 healthy volunteers (18-49 years) were exposed to hard, soft, and chlorinated water, 0.5% SLS, house dust mite, cat allergen, staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB...... of various skin cytokines in healthy individuals. Our data highlight environmental factors that might play a role in AD pathophysiology, but needs confirmation in AD patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

Metric properties of the “prescribe healthy life” screening questionnaire to detect healthy behaviors: a cross-sectional pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Bully

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Feasible and valid assessment of healthy behaviors is the first step for integrating health promotion in routine primary care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of the “prescribe healthy life” screening questionnaire, a brief tool for detecting physical activity levels, consumption of fruit and vegetables, tobacco use and patients’ compliance with minimal recommendations. Methods An observational cross-sectional study to determine the reliability and validity of this questionnaire by means of mixed (qualitative and quantitative methods. Thirteen healthcare professionals designed the questionnaire. One hundred and twenty-six patients from three primary care health centers within Osakidetza (Basque Health Service, Spain filled in the “Prescribe Healthy Life” Screening Questionnaire and completed an accelerometry record, the PREDIMED Food Frequency Questionnaire and a co-oximetry as gold standards for physical activity, dietary intake and tobacco use, respectively. Correlations, sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios and test-retest reliability were calculated. Additionally, the feasibility and utility of the questionnaire were evaluated. Results Both reliability and concurrent validity for the consumption of fruit and vegetables (rspearman = 0.59, rspearman = 0.50 and tobacco use (rspearman = 0.76, r = 0.69 as their overall performance in the detection of unhealthy diet (accuracy = 76.8%, LR + = 3.1 and LR- = 0.31 and smokers (accuracy = 86.8%, LR + = 6.1 and LR- = 0.05 were good. Meanwhile, the reproducibility (0.38, the correlation between the minutes of physical activity (0.34 and LR+ (1.00 for detection of physical activity were low. On average the questionnaire was considered by patients easy to understand, easy to fill in, short (5–6 min and useful. Conclusion The “Prescribe Healthy Life” Screening

Healthy human gut phageome.

Science.gov (United States)

Manrique, Pilar; Bolduc, Benjamin; Walk, Seth T; van der Oost, John; de Vos, Willem M; Young, Mark J

2016-09-13

The role of bacteriophages in influencing the structure and function of the healthy human gut microbiome is unknown. With few exceptions, previous studies have found a high level of heterogeneity in bacteriophages from healthy individuals. To better estimate and identify the shared phageome of humans, we analyzed a deep DNA sequence dataset of active bacteriophages and available metagenomic datasets of the gut bacteriophage community from healthy individuals. We found 23 shared bacteriophages in more than one-half of 64 healthy individuals from around the world. These shared bacteriophages were found in a significantly smaller percentage of individuals with gastrointestinal/irritable bowel disease. A network analysis identified 44 bacteriophage groups of which 9 (20%) were shared in more than one-half of all 64 individuals. These results provide strong evidence of a healthy gut phageome (HGP) in humans. The bacteriophage community in the human gut is a mixture of three classes: a set of core bacteriophages shared among more than one-half of all people, a common set of bacteriophages found in 20-50% of individuals, and a set of bacteriophages that are either rarely shared or unique to a person. We propose that the core and common bacteriophage communities are globally distributed and comprise the HGP, which plays an important role in maintaining gut microbiome structure/function and thereby contributes significantly to human health.

Glycemic Response of some Local Nigerian Drinks in Healthy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Subjects and methods: The drinks investigated were oil Palm-Wine, Bottled Raphia wine, 'Kunu', 'Zobo' drink, and Plantain-Wine. The proximate composition of the drinks were determined and the amounts that will deliver 50g carbohydrate were administered to the subjects after an overnight fast. Sixty healthy subjects were ...

The growing price gap between more and less healthy foods: analysis of a novel longitudinal UK dataset.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas R V Jones

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: The UK government has noted the public health importance of food prices and the affordability of a healthy diet. Yet, methods for tracking change over time have not been established. We aimed to investigate the prices of more and less healthy foods over time using existing government data on national food prices and nutrition content. METHODS: We linked economic data for 94 foods and beverages in the UK Consumer Price Index to food and nutrient data from the UK Department of Health's National Diet and Nutrition Survey, producing a novel dataset across the period 2002-2012. Each item was assigned to a food group and also categorised as either "more healthy" or "less healthy" using a nutrient profiling model developed by the Food Standards Agency. We tested statistical significance using a t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation 2012 price/1000 kcal was £2.50 (0.29 for less healthy items and £7.49 (1.27 for more healthy items. The ANOVA results confirmed that all prices had risen over the period 2002-2012, but more healthy items rose faster than less healthy ones in absolute terms:£0.17 compared to £0.07/1000 kcal per year on average for more and less healthy items, respectively (p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Since 2002, more healthy foods and beverages have been consistently more expensive than less healthy ones, with a growing gap between them. This trend is likely to make healthier diets less affordable over time, which may have implications for individual food security and population health, and it may exacerbate social inequalities in health. The novel data linkage employed here could be used as the basis for routine food price monitoring to inform public health policy.

Nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthy population of Kashmir, India

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B A Fomda

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Nasal colonisation with community acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA is being increasingly reported, especially in places where people are in close contact and where hygiene is compromised. The aim of this study was to find out prevalence of methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA colonising anterior nares of healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: Nasal swabs of healthy subjects were collected aseptically and cultured using standard microbiological protocols. Antibiotic susceptibility was done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines. Methicillin resistance was detected by cefoxitin disc diffusion method and confirmed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC and amplification of mecA gene by PCR. Strain typing of MRSA strains was done by PFGE. Results: Out of 820 samples, S.aureus was isolated from 229 (27.92% subjects. Of the 229 isolates, 15 were methicillin resistant. All S. aureus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. Nasal carriage of MRSA was found to be 1.83% among healthy population. The isolates were found to be polyclonal by PFGE analysis. Conclusion: High prevalence of MRSA is a cause of concern and strategies to interrupt transmission should be implemented.

Healthy Aging with Go4Life

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... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Healthy Aging Healthy Aging with Go4Life ® Past Issues / Winter 2015 Table of ... is to make physical activity a cornerstone of healthy aging, for a simple reason. Being physically active is ...

Effects of an isocaloric healthy Nordic diet on ambulatory blood pressure in metabolic syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brader, Lea Johanne; Uusitupa, M; Dragsted, Lars Ove

2014-01-01

Background/objectives:Dietary pattern is central in the prevention of hypertension and blood pressure (BP)-related diseases. A diet based on healthy Nordic foods may have a favourable impact on BP. The objective was to clarify whether a Nordic alternative for a healthy food pattern would have...... beneficial effects on ambulatory BP in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS).Subjects/methods:In total, 37 subjects were randomized to either a healthy Nordic diet or a control diet. A healthy Nordic diet embraced whole grains, rapeseed oil, berries, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and low-fat dairy...... weeks of intervention.Results:After 12 weeks, ambulatory diastolic BP (-4.4 mm Hg; P=0.001) and mean arterial pressure (-4.2 mm Hg; P=0.006) were lowered by the healthy Nordic diet compared with the control diet, whereas changes in ambulatory systolic BP did not differ significantly between diets (-3...

Establishing the Basic Concepts of a Healthy Physical Education through an Expert Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Javier López Gutiérrez

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the basic knowledge needed by the sports practitioner who wishes to have a healthy physical education. To determine the necessary basic knowledge, we used a methodology of standard expertise, delving further into the subject by means of a semistructured interview. The interview was taped, transcribed and analyzed through the program Nudist NVivo. We have grouped the common responses emerging from the analysis into different categories, thus obtaining a total of 9 basic considerations which should be habitually transmitted to Physical Education students, so that they may achieve adequate self-management in the practice of physical activity.

The CT (Hounsfield unit) number of brain tissue in healthy infants. A new reliable method for detection of possible degenerative disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Boris, P; Bundgaard, F; Olsen, A

1987-01-01

It is difficult to correlate CT Hounsfield unit (H. U.) numbers from one CT investigation to another and from one CT scanner to another, especially when dealing with small changes in the brain substance, as in degenerative brain diseases in children. By subtracting the mean value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the mean value of grey and white matter, it is possible to remove most of the errors due, for example, to maladjustments, short and long-term drift, X-ray fan, and detector asymmetry. Measurements of white and grey matter using these methods showed CT H. U. numbers changing from 15 H. U. to 22 H. U. in white matter and 23 H. U. to 30 H. U. in grey matter in 86 healthy infants aged 0-5 years. In all measurements, the difference between grey and white matter was exactly 8 H. U. The method has proven to be highly accurate and reproducible.

Active and Healthy Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Stephen; Kovarik, Jessica; Leidy, Heather

2015-01-01

The Active and Healthy School Program (AHS) can be used to alter the culture and environment of a school to help children make healthier choices. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of AHS to increase physical activity while decreasing total screen time, increase healthy food choices, and improve knowledge about physical…

Validity of the Pediatric Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test to Determine Anaerobic Performance in Healthy Children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bongers, Bart C.; Werkman, Maarten S.; Blokland, Donna; Eijsermans, Maria J. C.; van der Torre, Patrick; Bartels, Bart; Verschuren, Olaf; Takken, Tim

Purpose: To determine criterion validity of the pediatric running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) as a nonsophisticated field test for evaluating anaerobic performance in healthy children and adolescents. Methods: Data from 65. healthy children (28 boys and 37 girls between 6 and 18 years of age,

Sonographic measurement of thymic size in healthy Korean neonates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Hyun Joo; Yoon, Dae Young; Han, Dae Hee; Han, Sang Wook; Kim, Ho Chul; Kim, Young Mook; Choi, Chul Soon; Bae, Sang Hoon

2001-01-01

To assess the variation in thymic size in healthy Korean neonates by sonography and to study the possible correlation to clinical variables. This study was made of 112 healthy Korean neonates (94 full-term and 18 preterm), at less than a week of age. The transverse diameter of the thymus was measured in a transverse scan and the largest sagittal area was assessed in a longitudinal scan. The thymic index was defined as the product of these two values. Then, this index was compared to clinical variables, such as sex, delivery method (spontaneous delivery vs cesarian section), body weight, height, body surface area, head circumference, chest circumference, gestational age, and maternal age in both full-term and preterm groups. The thymic index was 9.6 ± 3.1 (range 3.1-20.2) in full-term and 4.2 ± 2.4 (range 0.9-9.9) in preterm neonates, respectively. The thymic index was positively correlated to the body weight (R=0.550 in full-term, R=0.669 in preterm) and body surface area (R=0.540 in full-term, R=0.674 in preterm) in both full-term and preterm groups (p<0.01). There was no statistically significant correlation to sex, delivery method, height, head circumference, chest circumference, maternal age or gestational age. The thymic index in Healthy Korean neonates as measured by sonography is significantly correlated to the body weight and body surface area of the neonate.

Knowledge of healthy foods does not translate to healthy snack consumption among exercise science undergraduates.

Science.gov (United States)

McArthur, Laura H; Valentino, Antonette; Holbert, Donald

2017-06-01

This cross-sectional survey study compared the on- and off-campus snack choices and related correlates of convenience samples of exercise science (ES) ( n = 165, M = 45%, F = 55%) and non-exercise science (NES) ( n =160, M = 43%, F = 57%) undergraduates. The hypothesis posed was that knowledge of healthy foods will not translate to healthier snack consumption by the ES students, and that the snack choices and related correlates of ES and NES students will be similar. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires completed in classrooms (ES sample) and at high-traffic locations on-campus (NES sample). Chi-square and t-test analyses compared ES and NES students on snack correlates. Snacks consumed most often by the ES and NES students on-campus were health bars/squares ( n = 56 vs. n = 48) and savory snacks ( n = 55 vs. n = 71), and off-campus were savory snacks ( n = 60 vs. n = 71) and fruits ( n = 41 vs. n = 34). Over half of both samples believed their snack choices were a mix of unhealthy and healthy. Fruits were considered healthier snacks and chips less healthy by both samples, and fruits were the most often recommended snack. About 20% believed these choices would impact their health unfavorably, and about two thirds self-classified in the action stages for healthy snacking. Since knowledge about healthy food choices did not translate to healthy snack selection, these students would benefit from interventions that teach selection and preparation of healthy snacks on a restricted budget.

PH Measurements of the Brain Using Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (31PMRS) in Healthy Men – Comparison of Two Analysis Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cichocka, Monika; Kozub, Justyna; Urbanik, Andrzej

2015-01-01

Intracellular pH provides information on homeostatic mechanisms in neurons and glial cells. The aim of this study was to define pH of the brain of male volunteers using phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 31 PMRS) and to compare two methods of calculating this value. In this study, 35 healthy, young, male volunteers (mean age: 25 years) were examined by 31 PMRS in 1.5 T MR system (Signa Excite, GE). The FID CSI (Free Induction Decay Chemical Shift Imaging) sequence was used with the following parameters: TR=4000 ms, FA=90°, NEX=2. Volume of interest (VOI) was selected depending on the size of the volunteers’ brain (11–14 cm 3 , mean 11.53 cm 3 ). Raw data were analyzed using SAGE (GE) software. Based on the chemical shift of peaks in the 31 PMRS spectrum, intracellular pH was calculated using two equations. In both methods the mean pH was slightly alkaline (7.07 and 7.08). Results were compared with a t-test. Significant difference (p<0.05) was found between these two methods. The 31 PMRS method enables non-invasive in vivo measurements of pH. The choice of the calculation method is crucial for computing this value. Comparing the results obtained by different teams can be done in a fully credible way only if the calculations were performed using the same formula

European multicentre database of healthy controls for [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT (ENC-DAT): age-related effects, gender differences and evaluation of different methods of analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varrone, Andrea [Karolinska University Hospital, R5:02, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm (Sweden); Dickson, John C. [UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and University College, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Tossici-Bolt, Livia [University Hospitals Southampton NHS Trust, Department of Medical Physics, Southampton (United Kingdom); Sera, Terez [University of Szeged, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Euromedic Szeged, Szeged (Hungary); Asenbaum, Susanne [Medical University of Vienna, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vienna (Austria); Booij, Jan [University of Amsterdam, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kapucu, Ozlem L. [Gazi University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara (Turkey); Kluge, Andreas [ABX-CRO, Dresden (Germany); Knudsen, Gitte M. [Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen (Denmark); Koulibaly, Pierre Malick [University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nuclear Medicine Department, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Nice (France); Nobili, Flavio [University of Genoa, Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Genetics, Genoa (Italy); Pagani, Marco [Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome (Italy); Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Stockholm (Sweden); Sabri, Osama [University of Leipzig, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leipzig (Germany); Borght, Thierry vander [Universite Catholique de Louvain, Nuclear Medicine Division, Mont-Godinne Medical Center, Yvoir (Belgium); Laere, Koen van [University Hospital and K.U. Leuven, Nuclear Medicine, Leuven (Belgium); Tatsch, Klaus [Municipal Hospital of Karlsruhe Inc, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2013-02-15

Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT (DaTSCAN) is an established diagnostic tool in parkinsonism and dementia. Although qualitative assessment criteria are available, DAT quantification is important for research and for completion of a diagnostic evaluation. One critical aspect of quantification is the availability of normative data, considering possible age and gender effects on DAT availability. The aim of the European Normal Control Database of DaTSCAN (ENC-DAT) study was to generate a large database of [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls. SPECT data from 139 healthy controls (74 men, 65 women; age range 20 - 83 years, mean 53 years) acquired in 13 different centres were included. Images were reconstructed using the ordered-subset expectation-maximization algorithm without correction (NOACSC), with attenuation correction (AC), and with both attenuation and scatter correction using the triple-energy window method (ACSC). Region-of-interest analysis was performed using the BRASS software (caudate and putamen), and the Southampton method (striatum). The outcome measure was the specific binding ratio (SBR). A significant effect of age on SBR was found for all data. Gender had a significant effect on SBR in the caudate and putamen for the NOACSC and AC data, and only in the left caudate for the ACSC data (BRASS method). Significant effects of age and gender on striatal SBR were observed for all data analysed with the Southampton method. Overall, there was a significant age-related decline in SBR of between 4 % and 6.7 % per decade. This study provides a large database of [{sup 123}I]FP-CIT SPECT scans in healthy controls across a wide age range and with balanced gender representation. Higher DAT availability was found in women than in men. An average age-related decline in DAT availability of 5.5 % per decade was found for both genders, in agreement with previous reports. The data collected in this study may serve as a reference

Making Healthy Choices Easier

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldborg Hansen, Pelle; Skov, Laurits Rohden; Lund Skov, Katrine

2016-01-01

. However, integration and testing of the nudge approach as part of more comprehensive public health strategies aimed at making healthy choices easier is being threatened by inadequate understandings of its scientific character, relationship with regulation and its ethical implications. This article reviews...... working with or incorporating the nudge approach into programs or policies aimed at making healthy choices easier...

Corneal endothelial cell density and morphology in healthy Turkish eyes.

Science.gov (United States)

Arıcı, Ceyhun; Arslan, Osman Sevki; Dikkaya, Funda

2014-01-01

Purpose. To describe the normative values of corneal endothelial cell density, morphology, and central corneal thickness in healthy Turkish eyes. Methods. Specular microscopy was performed in 252 eyes of 126 healthy volunteers (M : F, 42 : 84). Parameters studied included mean endothelial cell density (MCD), mean cell area (MCA), coefficient of variation (CV) in cell size, percentage of hexagonal cells, and central corneal thickness (CCT). Results. The mean age of volunteers was 44.3 ± 13.5 (range, 20 to 70) years. There was a statistically significant decrease in MCD (P Filipino eyes and higher than that described in Indian, Thai, and Iranian eyes.

Health on impulse: when low self-control promotes healthy food choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmon, Stefanie J; Fennis, Bob M; de Ridder, Denise T D; Adriaanse, Marieke A; de Vet, Emely

2014-02-01

Food choices are often made mindlessly, when individuals are not able or willing to exert self-control. Under low self-control, individuals have difficulties to resist palatable but unhealthy food products. In contrast to previous research aiming to foster healthy choices by promoting high self-control, this study exploits situations of low self-control, by strategically using the tendency under these conditions to rely on heuristics (simple decision rules) as quick guides to action. More specifically, the authors associated healthy food products with the social proof heuristic (i.e., normative cues that convey majority endorsement for those products). One hundred seventy-seven students (119 men), with an average age of 20.47 years (SD = 2.25) participated in the experiment. This study used a 2 (low vs. high self-control) × 2 (social proof vs. no heuristic) × 2 (trade-off vs. control choice) design, with the latter as within-subjects factor. The dependent variable was the number of healthy food choices in a food-choice task. In line with previous studies, people made fewer healthy food choices under low self-control. However, this negative effect of low self-control on food choice was reversed when the healthy option was associated with the social proof heuristic. In that case, people made more healthy choices under conditions of low self-control. Low self-control may be even more beneficial for healthy food choices than high self-control in the presence of a heuristic. Exploiting situations of low self-control is a new and promising method to promote health on impulse. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Healthy Eating and Academic Achievement

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast highlights the evidence that supports the link between healthy eating and improved academic achievement. It also identifies a few actions to support a healthy school nutrition environment to improve academic achievement.

Relationships between Dietary Intake and Cognitive Function in Healthy Korean Children and Adolescents

OpenAIRE

Kim, Jin Young; Kang, Seung Wan

2017-01-01

Background It has long been theorized that a relatively robust dietary intake impacts cognitive function. The aim of the study was to explore dietary intake and cognitive function in healthy Korean children and adolescents. Methods Three hundred and seventeen healthy children with no previous diagnosis of neurologic or psychiatric disorders were evaluated (167 girls and 150 boys with a mean age of 11.8 ? 3.3 years). Analysis indicators including food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) consisting...

Healthy Habits Can Lengthen Life

Science.gov (United States)

... 2018 Print this issue Health Capsule Healthy Habits Can Lengthen Life Send us your comments Physical activity is one of five healthy lifestyle factors that can lower your risk for several diseases and lengthen ...

Healthy travel and the socio-economic structure of car commuting in Cambridge, UK: a mixed-methods analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Anna; Guell, Cornelia; Panter, Jenna; Jones, Natalia R; Ogilvie, David

2012-06-01

Car use is associated with substantial health and environmental costs but research in deprived populations indicates that car access may also promote psychosocial well-being within car-oriented environments. This mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) study examined this issue in a more affluent setting, investigating the socio-economic structure of car commuting in Cambridge, UK. Our analyses involved integrating self-reported questionnaire data from 1142 participants in the Commuting and Health in Cambridge study (collected in 2009) and in-depth interviews with 50 participants (collected 2009-2010). Even in Britain's leading 'cycling city', cars were a key resource in bridging the gap between individuals' desires and their circumstances. This applied both to long-term life goals such as home ownership and to shorter-term challenges such as illness. Yet car commuting was also subject to constraints, with rush hour traffic pushing drivers to start work earlier and with restrictions on, or charges for, workplace parking pushing drivers towards multimodal journeys (e.g. driving to a 'park-and-ride' site then walking). These patterns of car commuting were socio-economically structured in several ways. First, the gradient of housing costs made living near Cambridge more expensive, affecting who could 'afford' to cycle and perhaps making cycling the more salient local marker of Bourdieu's class distinction. Nevertheless, cars were generally affordable in this relatively affluent, highly-educated population, reducing the barrier which distance posed to labour-force participation. Finally, having the option of starting work early required flexible hours, a form of job control which in Britain is more common among higher occupational classes. Following a social model of disability, we conclude that socio-economic advantage can make car-oriented environments less disabling via both greater affluence and greater job control, and in ways manifested across the full socio

Agreement between arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide and saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen values obtained by direct arterial blood measurements versus noninvasive methods in conscious healthy and ill foals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, David M; Alcott, Cody J; Wang, Chong; Bornkamp, Jennifer L; Young, Jessica L; Sponseller, Brett A

2011-11-15

To determine agreement between indirect measurements of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PetCO(2)) and saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen as measured by pulse oximetry (SpO(2)) with direct measurements of PaCO(2) and calculated saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen in arterial blood (SaO(2)) in conscious healthy and ill foals. Validation study. 10 healthy and 21 ill neonatal foals. Arterial blood gas analysis was performed on healthy and ill foals examined at a veterinary teaching hospital to determine direct measurements of PaCO(2) and PaO(2) along with SaO(2). Concurrently, PetCO(2) was measured with a capnograph inserted into a naris, and SpO(2) was measured with a reflectance probe placed at the base of the tail. Paired values were compared by use of Pearson correlation coefficients, and level of agreement was assessed with the Bland-Altman method. Mean ± SD difference between PaCO(2) and PetCO(2) was 0.1 ± 5.0 mm Hg. There was significant strong correlation (r = 0.779) and good agreement between PaCO(2) and PetCO(2). Mean ± SD difference between SaO(2) and SpO(2) was 2.5 ± 3.5%. There was significant moderate correlation (r = 0.499) and acceptable agreement between SaO(2) and SpO(2). Both PetCO(2) obtained by use of nasal capnography and SpO(2) obtained with a reflectance probe are clinically applicable and accurate indirect methods of estimating and monitoring PaCO(2) and SaO(2) in neonatal foals. Indirect methods should not replace periodic direct measurement of corresponding parameters.

The impact of urban gardens on adequate and healthy food: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Mariana T; Ribeiro, Silvana M; Germani, Ana Claudia Camargo Gonçalves; Bógus, Cláudia M

2018-02-01

To examine the impacts on food and nutrition-related outcomes resulting from participation in urban gardens, especially on healthy food practices, healthy food access, and healthy food beliefs, knowledge and attitudes. The systematic review identified studies by searching the PubMed, ERIC, LILACS, Web of Science and Embase databases. An assessment of quality and bias risk of the studies was carried out and a narrative summary was produced. Studies published as original articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals in English, Spanish or Portuguese between 2005 and 2015 were included. The studies included were based on data from adult participants in urban gardens. Twenty-four studies were initially selected based on the eligibility criteria, twelve of which were included. There was important heterogeneity of settings, population and assessment methods. Assessment of quality and bias risk of the studies revealed the need for greater methodological rigour. Most studies investigated community gardens and employed a qualitative approach. The following were reported: greater fruit and vegetable consumption, better access to healthy foods, greater valuing of cooking, harvest sharing with family and friends, enhanced importance of organic production, and valuing of adequate and healthy food. Thematic patterns related to adequate and healthy food associated with participation in urban gardens were identified, revealing a positive impact on practices of adequate and healthy food and mainly on food perceptions.

Chocolate: A Heart-healthy Food? Show Me the Science!

Science.gov (United States)

Hannum, Sandra M.; Schmitz, Harold H.; Keen, Carl L.

2002-01-01

Cocoa and chocolate foods produced by appropriate methods can contribute significant amounts of heart-healthy flavanols to the diet. These flavanols may enhance cardiovascular health by delaying blood clotting, improving vascular endothelial function, and helping to moderate inflammation. The benefits of chocolate can be enjoyed without guilt as part of a healthful balanced diet.

Objective assessment of mastication predominance in healthy dentate subjects and patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamasaki, Y; Kuwatsuru, R; Tsukiyama, Y; Oki, K; Koyano, K

2016-08-01

We aimed to investigate mastication predominance in healthy dentate individuals and patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth using objective and subjective methods. The sample comprised 50 healthy dentate individuals (healthy dentate group) and 30 patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth (partially edentulous group). Subjects were asked to freely chew three kinds of test foods (peanuts, beef jerky and chewing gum). Electromyographic activity of the bilateral masseter muscles was recorded. The chewing side (right side or left side) was judged by the level of root mean square electromyographic amplitude. Mastication predominance was then objectively assessed using the mastication predominant score and the mastication predominant index. Self-awareness of mastication predominance was evaluated using a modified visual analogue scale. Mastication predominance scores of the healthy dentate and partially edentulous groups for each test food were analysed. There was a significant difference in the distribution of the mastication predominant index between the two groups (P mastication predominant score was weakly correlated with self-awareness of mastication predominance in the healthy dentate group, whereas strong correlation was observed in the partially edentulous group (P mastication predominance and were more aware of mastication predominance than healthy dentate individuals. Our findings suggest that an objective evaluation of mastication predominance is more precise than a subjective method. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mass spectrometric quantification of salivary metanephrines-A study in healthy subjects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osinga, Thamara E.; Horst-Schrivers, van der Anouk N. A.; van Faassen, Martijn; Kerstens, Michiel N.; Dullaart, Robin P. F.; Pacak, Karel; Links, Thera P.; Kema, Ido P.

Background: Determination of metanephrine (MN), normetanephrine (NMN), and 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) in saliva may offer potential diagnostic advantages in diagnosing pheochromocytoma. Methods: In this preliminary study, we determined metanephrine concentrations in saliva of healthy subjects and the

Reaching Perinatal Women Online: The Healthy You, Healthy Baby Website and App

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lydia Hearn

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Overwhelming evidence reveals the close link between unwarranted weight gain among childbearing women and childhood adiposity. Yet current barriers limit the capacity of perinatal health care providers (PHCPs to offer healthy lifestyle counselling. In response, today’s Internet savvy women are turning to online resources to access health information, with the potential of revolutionising health services by enabling PHCPs to guide women to appropriate online resources. This paper presents the findings of a project designed to develop an online resource to promote healthy lifestyles during the perinatal period. The methodology involved focus groups and interviews with perinatal women and PHCPs to determine what online information was needed, in what form, and how best it should be presented. The outcome was the development of the Healthy You, Healthy Baby website and smartphone app. This clinically-endorsed, interactive online resource provides perinatal women with a personalised tool to track their weight, diet, physical activity, emotional wellbeing, and sleep patterns based on the developmental stage of their child with links to quality-assured information. One year since the launch of the online resource, data indicates it provides a low-cost intervention delivered across most geographic and socioeconomic strata without additional demands on health service staff.

Nutrition and Healthy Eating: Caffeine

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating By Mayo Clinic Staff If you're like most adults, caffeine is a part of ... US adults: 2001-2010. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015;101:1081. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for ...

Indicators of healthy reproduction program in Isfahan province in 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Manzouri

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background & aim: Healthy reproduction program help individuals maintain their health and improve family and community health by enabling them to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the healthy reproduction program in Isfahan province. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. 9600 married women aged 15-49 years enrolled study according to multi stage clustered stratified random sampling. Data collection was done via developed standard questionnaire by experts of ministry of health and medical education. Samples were been questioned by 177 trained health providers in their home. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 16 software using descriptive statistic. Results: Total coverage of contraceptive method use (modern and traditional was 89.5% and modern contraceptive method coverage was 67.8%. The most and the least common used methods of contraception were condom (22% and a-month contraceptive injection (0.6%.The most common cause of non-use contraceptive method was suspicious to pregnancy and pregnancy. The percentage of changing method over a year ago was 23.Unintended pregnancy and unmet need were 18% and 6.5%, respectively. Correct consumption of oral contraceptive pills and awareness of emergency contraception method were 57% and 52%, respectively.73.5% of women aged 15-49 years used governmental health care services and satisfaction rate was more than 90%. Conclusion: To decrease unwanted pregnancy and increase women’s knowledge about correct use of oral contraceptive and emergency contraceptive method, health care provider should pay special attention to contraceptive counseling to clients.

Making Healthy Choices at Fast Food Restaurants

Science.gov (United States)

... Conditions Prevention and Wellness Staying Healthy Healthy Living Travel Occupational Health First Aid and Injury Prevention Crisis Situations Pets and Animals myhealthfinder Food and Nutrition Healthy Food Choices Weight Loss and ...

Does a short self-compassion intervention for students increase healthy self-regulation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dundas, Ingrid; Binder, Per Einar; Hansen, Tia G.B.

2017-01-01

negative self-directed thinking; as well as for self-compassion, anxiety and depression. Concluding, a short self-compassion course seems an effective method of increasing self-compassion and perceived control over one's life for university students, as well as increasing mental health.......The primary aim of this study was to examine the effects of a two-week self-compassion course on healthy self-regulation (personal growth self-efficacy and healthy impulse control) and unhealthy self-regulation (self-judgment and habitual negative self-directed thinking) in university students. We...... also examined the effects on self-compassion, anxiety and depression. Students (N = 158, 85% women, mean age = 25 years) were randomized to an intervention group and a waiting-list control group in a multi-baseline randomized control trial. Healthy self-control was measured by the Personal Growth...

Maintaining Healthy Skin -- Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

... and SCI • Depression and SCI • Taking Care of Pressure Sores • Maintaining Healthy Skin (Part I) • Maintaining Healthy Skin ( ... For information on establishing skin tolerance, see our “Pressure Sores” pamphlet.) Pressure releases in a wheelchair can be ...

76 FR 12719 - Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program; Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools; Safe Schools/Healthy...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-08

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program; Office of Safe and Drug- Free Schools; Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program; Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84... priorities, requirements, and definitions under the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) program. Since...

Monitoring the Affordability of Healthy Eating: A Case Study of 10 Years of the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket

OpenAIRE

Williams, Peter

2010-01-01

Healthy food baskets have been used around the world for a variety of purposes, including: examining the difference in cost between healthy and unhealthy food; mapping the availability of healthy foods in different locations; calculating the minimum cost of an adequate diet for social policy planning; developing educational material on low cost eating and examining trends on food costs over time. In Australia, the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket was developed in 2000 to monitor trends in the af...

Sweet sixteen for ANLS

Science.gov (United States)

Pellerin, Luc; Magistretti, Pierre J

2012-01-01

Since its introduction 16 years ago, the astrocyte–neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) model has profoundly modified our understanding of neuroenergetics by bringing a cellular and molecular resolution. Praised or disputed, the concept has never ceased to attract attention, leading to critical advances and unexpected insights. Here, we summarize recent experimental evidence further supporting the main tenets of the model. Thus, evidence for distinct metabolic phenotypes between neurons (mainly oxidative) and astrocytes (mainly glycolytic) have been provided by genomics and classical metabolic approaches. Moreover, it has become clear that astrocytes act as a syncytium to distribute energy substrates such as lactate to active neurones. Glycogen, the main energy reserve located in astrocytes, is used as a lactate source to sustain glutamatergic neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. Lactate is also emerging as a neuroprotective agent as well as a key signal to regulate blood flow. Characterization of monocarboxylate transporter regulation indicates a possible involvement in synaptic plasticity and memory. Finally, several modeling studies captured the implications of such findings for many brain functions. The ANLS model now represents a useful, experimentally based framework to better understand the coupling between neuronal activity and energetics as it relates to neuronal plasticity, neurodegeneration, and functional brain imaging. PMID:22027938

Catalase activity in healthy and inflamed pulp tissues of permanent teeth in young people.

Science.gov (United States)

Topcu, Kmc; Kırıcı, D Ö; Evcil, M S

2016-01-01

To evaluate catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) activity in healthy and inflamed dental pulp of young patient's teeth and to investigate if an active defense system oxidizing agents is present as a response to bacterial invasion. Twenty young patients between 15 and 25 ages, who were diagnosed to be healthy, were the source of the pulp tissue. The situation of the dental pulps was evaluated using clinical and radiographic assessments. The patients were divided two groups from healthy, and inflamed pulp tissues were obtained; each participant provided one pulp tissue specimens. The specimens were collected during endodontic treatment or by longitudinally grooving and splitting the teeth (if extracted). Catalase activity was determined through spectrophotometric methods and an independent sample t-test assessed the significance of differences between the groups. There was statistically a difference between healthy pulp tissue and inflamed pulp tissue (P catalase activity of healthy group was significantly lower than inflamed pulp groups. The present study has shown that a significant increase in catalase activity is determined in inflamed dental pulps, which is due to pulpitis in comparison to healthy dental pulp.

Healthy Buildings '88

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berglund, B.; Lindvall, T.; Maansson, L.G.

1988-06-01

The Healthy Buildings '88 Conference focuses on the technical solutions and functional requirements contributing to Healthy Buildings for people to live and work in. The main object of the Conference is to give architects, consultants, real-estate owners and manufacturers of building materials recommendations on choice of materials and choice of systems and on how to combine materials and systems. The program includes overview lectures, plenary symposia with invited speakers, workshops, poster presentations and an exhibition of scientific, educational and technical material. One part of the conference is devoted to the problem of radon in residential buildings

Sustainable healthy eating behaviour of young adults: towards a novel methodological approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuzanna Pieniak

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Food, nutrition and health policy makers are poised with two pertinent issues more than any other: obesity and climate change. Consumer research has focused primarily on specific areas of sustainable food, such as organic food, local or traditional food, meat substitution and/or reduction. More holistic view of sustainable healthy eating behaviour has received less attention, albeit that more research is emerging in this area. Methods/design This study protocol that aims to investigate young consumers’ attitudes and behaviour towards sustainable and healthy eating by applying a multidisciplinary approach, taking into account economical, marketing, public health and environmental related issues. In order to achieve this goal, consumers’ reactions on interactive tailored informational messages about sustainable from social, environmental and economical point of view, as well as healthy eating behaviour in a group of young adults will be investigated using randomized controlled trial. To undertake the objective, the empirical research is divided into three studies: 1 Qualitative longitudinal research to explore openness to adopting sustainable healthy eating behaviour; 2 Qualitative research with the objective to develop a sustainable healthy eating behaviour index; and 3 Randomised controlled trial to describe consumers’ reactions on interactive tailored messages about sustainable healthy eating in young consumers. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first randomised controlled trial to test the young adults reactions to interactive tailor made messages on sustainable healthy eating using mobile smartphone app. Mobile applications designed to deliver intervention offer new possibilities to influence young adults behaviour in relation to diet and sustainability. Therefore, the study will provide valuable insights into drivers of change towards more environmentally sustainable and healthy eating behaviours. Trial

African Americans’ Access to Healthy Food Options in South Los Angeles Restaurants

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, LaVonna Blair; Sloane, David C.; Nascimento, Lori Miller; Diamant, Allison L.; Guinyard, Joyce Jones; Yancey, Antronette K.; Flynn, Gwendolyn

2005-01-01

Objectives. We examined availability and food options at restaurants in less affluent (target area) and more affluent (comparison area) areas of Los Angeles County to compare residents’ access to healthy meals prepared and purchased away from home. We also considered environmental prompts that encourage the purchase of various foods. Methods. We designed an instrument to assess the availability, quality, and preparation of food in restaurants. We also assessed advertisements and promotions, cleanliness, and service for each restaurant. We assessed 659 restaurants: 348 in the target area and 311 in the comparison area. Results. The nutritional resource environment in our target area makes it challenging for residents to eat healthy away from home. Poorer neighborhoods with a higher proportion of African American residents have fewer healthy options available, both in food selections and in food preparation; restaurants in these neighborhoods heavily promote unhealthy food options to residents. Conclusions. Environment is important in understanding health status: support for the healthy lifestyle associated with lower risks for disease is difficult in poorer communities with a higher proportion of African American residents. PMID:15798128

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies: A Compendium of Program Ideas for Serving Low-Income Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Washington, DC.

The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies survey conducted in spring 1985 drew responses from over 1,500 programs active in maternal and child health efforts directed toward low-income women and their families. The executive summary of this report identifies the major goals, common strategies, and needs of program respondents. Chapter 1 summarizes a…

The longitudinal relation between smoking and muscle strength in healthy adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, Maarten O; Hoekstra, T.; Twisk, Jos W R

2012-01-01

AIM: To assess longitudinally whether smoking tobacco is related to muscle strength in healthy adults and to assess the influence of lifestyle covariates on this relation. METHODS: Data were obtained from the observational Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study, with four repeated

Effects of bathing on cerebral blood flow in healthy volunteers. Using Patlak plot method with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Hiromi; Yorizumi, Kouji

1997-01-01

We studied the effects of bathing in warm water on cerebral blood flow (CBF). Seven healthy male volunteers were subjected to experiments. The subjects were bathed in warm water at 39degC for 20 minutes in a sitting position immersed up to the neck. Each subject received two CBF examinations: one under normal conditions and the other after taking a bath mentioned above. There was an interval of at least seven days between the two examinations. To measure CBF, we used the Patlak plot method with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (99m-Tc ECD). To examine CBF after bathing, 99m-Tc ECD was injected within 10 minutes after bathing. Brain perfusion index (BPI) and regional CBF (rCBF) were used as indexes for evaluating CBF. The body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide pressure, and hematocrit were also measured. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used for statistical analyses. The following were observed: BPI increased significantly after bathing (p<0.05). rCBF in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the frontal lobe, tended to increase after bathing (p<0.05). No definite changes were observed in the cerebellar cortex, caudate nucleus, or thalamus. The body temperature and pulse increased significantly after bathing. No definite changes were observed in blood pressure, arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide pressure, or hematocrit. From the above, we conclude that bathing in warm water causes the cerebral blood flow to increase in healthy subjects. (author)

Evaluation of a web-based lifestyle coach designed to maintain a healthy bodyweight.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelders, Saskia M; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E W C; Werkman, Andrea; Seydel, Erwin R

2010-01-01

We evaluated a web-based intervention, the Healthy Weight Assistant (HWA), which was designed to help people with a healthy bodyweight, or those who are slightly overweight, to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Four evaluation methods were used: (1) pre- and post-test questionnaires; (2) real time usability-tests; (3) log-file analysis; (4) qualitative analysis of forum posts, email messages and free-text responses in the questionnaires. A total of 703 respondents received access to the HWA. Six weeks after receiving access, 431 respondents completed a second questionnaire. The enthusiastic responses showed that many people were interested in using an interactive online application to support achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The preliminary results suggest that improvements with respect to motivation may lead to large effects, yet require only small changes in the design of the HWA. Sending automatic tailored reminders may enhance motivation to keep using the application. Motivation to change behaviour may be enhanced by emphasizing goal setting and visualizing progress.

College Students' Motivation to Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Science.gov (United States)

Furia, Andrea C.; Lee, Rebecca E.; Strother, Myra L.; Huang, Terry T-K.

2009-01-01

Objectives: To develop and refine a scale of motivational factors related to healthy weight achievement and maintenance and to examine differences by gender and weight status. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 300 university students aged 18-24 years. Results: Factor analysis yielded 6 factors--Intrinsic (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73): affective…

Comparing Sexual Function and Quality of Life in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Healthy Women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vida Shafti

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders that is associated with different metabolic, reproductive and psychological consequences. The main aim of this study was to compare the sexual function and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and healthy women.Materials and methods: This is a causal-comparative study in which 129 women with polycystic ovary syndrome were qualified as the research group. The control group consisted of 125 healthy women. The sampling method was convenient and was done using Rotterdam criteria. Women of both research and control groups responded to the FSFI and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires. Data were analyzed with SPSS software using MANOVA.Results: According to findings, all of quality of life subscales except environment domain were significantly lower in research group than healthy group (p < 0.01, but none of sexual function subscales were significantly different between two groups (p > 0.05.Conclusion: Women with PCOS in term of some quality of life parameters have lower performance than healthy women. Therefore, it seems to be essential to increase awareness about symptoms and psychological consequences and referring process in order to take advantage of the advisory services. 

Classification and Extraction of Resting State Networks Using Healthy and Epilepsy fMRI Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svyatoslav Vergun

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have significantly expanded the field’s understanding of functional brain activity of healthy and patient populations. Resting state (rs- fMRI, which does not require subjects to perform a task, eliminating confounds of task difficulty, allows examination of neural activity and offers valuable functional mapping information. The purpose of this work was to develop an automatic resting state network (RNS labeling method which offers value in clinical workflow during rs-fMRI mapping by organizing and quickly labeling spatial maps into functional networks. Here independent component analysis (ICA and machine learning were applied to rs-fMRI data with the goal of developing a method for the clinically oriented task of extracting and classifying spatial maps into auditory, visual, default-mode, sensorimotor and executive control resting state networks from 23 epilepsy patients (and for general comparison, separately for 30 healthy subjects. ICA revealed distinct and consistent functional network components across patients and healthy subjects. Network classification was successful, achieving 88% accuracy for epilepsy patients with a naïve Bayes algorithm (and 90% accuracy for healthy subjects with a perceptron. The method’s utility to researchers and clinicians is the provided RSN spatial maps and their functional labeling which offer complementary functional information to clinicians’ expert interpretation.

Methylphenidate as a cognitive enhancer in healthy young people

Science.gov (United States)

Batistela, Silmara; Bueno, Orlando Francisco Amodeo; Vaz, Leonardo José; Galduróz, José Carlos Fernandes

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The so-called cognitive enhancers have been widely and increasingly used by healthy individuals who seek improvements in cognitive performance despite having no pathologies. One drug used for this purpose is methylphenidate, a first-line drug for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the effect of acute administration of varying doses of methylphenidate (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and placebo) on a wide range of cognitive functions in healthy young people. Methods: A total of 36 young university students and graduates participated in the study. The participants underwent tests of attention and of episodic, and working memory. Results: No differences in performance were observed on any of the tests. There was a dose-dependent (40 mg > placebo) effect on self-reported wellbeing. Conclusions: According to the recent literature, psychostimulant medications, such as methylphenidate, improve performance when cognitive processes are below an optimal level, which was not the case for the subjects of the present study. We suggest the impression that methylphenidate enhances cognitive performance in healthy young people, justifying its use, may be due to improvements in subjective wellbeing promoted by the drug. PMID:29213444

To be an affordable healthy house, case study Medan

Science.gov (United States)

Silitonga, Shanty

2018-03-01

House has a paramount meaning in human life. Provision of adequate housing will be able to improve the quality of life. Provision of an affordable house is a major step to fulfilling the needs of houses in the big city. Medan has built a lot of affordable houses, and mostly it takes place in the suburbs. Although the affordable house is for low-income people, it must be worthy of its physical condition, affordable in the budget and healthy for its users. House often saw only as physical alone, the provision of a house only to achieve solely in quantity regardless its quality. This study aims to examine the condition of affordable houses in the suburbs of Medan. The research method used qualitative descriptive, using indicator according to affordable healthy house standard according to the regulation in Indonesia and other related theories. This study took place in Medan by taking three areas in the suburbs of Medan. The results show that most affordable houses in the suburbs of Medan are unhealthy. There are several design recommendations for the houses to meet the affordable healthy house category; the most important is the addition of ventilation and window holes.

The toilet sanitation management to meet healthy house standards

Science.gov (United States)

Studyanto, Anung B.; Musfiroh, Mujahidatul; Sholahuddin

2018-03-01

To increase the community participation in the toilet sanitation management at house to making a house according the healthy house standart. The toilet sanitation management is becoming complex with increasing population growth, and limited land for sanitation. The community participation determines the success of the toilet sanitation management and improving the health status of the community. This study used an observation method for the availability of latrines according the healthy house criteria, spatial layout and pit layout that meet health and safety standards. Spatial and layout include bathroom area, type of material used for wall and floor bathroom, type of latrine, distance the waste storage distance with water source, and sewerage. The respondents in this study are the people who live in Jaten Village taken by accidental sampling. The number of respondents in this study were 15 respondents.This study shows that all respondents (100%) already have toilet and 8 respondents (53%) have a good toilet sanitation management. Respondents have provided latrines as an effort to manage household waste and according the healthy house standart. The latrine spatial plan has been well implemented, but the latrine layout plan has not been properly.

The Role of School Design in Shaping Healthy Eating-Related Attitudes, Practices, and Behaviors among School Staff

Science.gov (United States)

Frerichs, Leah; Brittin, Jeri; Intolubbe-Chmil, Loren; Trowbridge, Matthew; Sorensen, Dina; Huang, Terry T.-K.

2016-01-01

Background: Schools have increasing responsibility to address healthy eating, but physical barriers influence their ability to adopt and sustain recommended strategies. We took advantage of a natural experiment to investigate the role of the physical environment in shaping healthy eating attitudes and practices among school staff members. Methods:…

Healthy meals on the menu

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thunström, Linda; Nordström, Leif Jonas; Shogren, Jason

2016-01-01

Menu labelling of meals prepared away from home is a policy designed to help consumers make healthier food choices. In this paper we use a field experiment in Sweden to examine if a restaurant benefits from introducing a meal labelled as healthy on its menu by experiencing an overall increase...... in sales. We cannot reject the hypothesis that sales are the same before and after the introduction of a meal labelled as healthy on the menu, i.e. our data does not support the idea that restaurants increase their sales from supplying a meal labelled as healthy....

Comparison of Emotion Recognition and Mind Reading Abilities in Opium Abusers and Healthy Matched Individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vahid Nejati

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The purpose of this study is to compare the emotion recognition and mind reading in opium abusers and healthy individuals. Method: In this causative-comparative study, with a non probability sampling method, 30 opium abusers compared with 30 healthy individuals that were matched in sex and education. Neurocognitive tests of reading mind from eyes and emotion recognition from face were used for evaluation. Independent T-Test was used for analysis. Findings: The results showed that opium abusers had significantly lower abilities in mind reading than healthy matched individuals. Also opium abusers had significantly lower performance in recognition of emotional experience of happy, sad and angry faces. Conclusion: Based on weak performance of mind reading and emotion recognition in addicts, it is advised that social cognition evaluation considered in drug abusers evaluation. Future interventional study could propose social cognition rehabilitation programs for addicts.

Healthy Schools

Science.gov (United States)

... Nutrition Facts School Meals Smart Snacks Celebrations & Rewards Food and Beverage Marketing Water Access Healthy Eating Learning Opportunities Staff ... Services Acute & Emergency Care Care Coordination Chronic Disease Management Family Engagement Chronic ... Allergies Oral Health Local School Wellness Policy Whole ...

A Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Evaluation of Two Brands of Enalapril 20 mg Tablets in Healthy Human Volunteers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wael Abu Dayyih

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Enalapril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor used for treatment of hypertension and chronic heart disease. Enalaprilat is its active metabolite responsible for the activity. This study aimed to develop and validate a method for enalapril and enalaprilat analysis and to determine the bioequivalence of two tablet formulae of enalapril. LC-MS/MS bioanalytical method was developed and validated and then applied to evaluate the bioavailability of two enalapril formulae. Antihyperglycemic sitagliptin was used as internal standard (IS. The method was accurate for the within- and between-days analysis, and precise CV% was 85% and the LOD was 0.907 and 0.910 ng/ml for enalapril and enalaprilat, respectively, and LLOQ was 1 ng/ml. The pharmacokinetic parameters Cmax, tmax, AUC0–72, and AUC0–∞ values of enalapril and enalaprilat of the two formulae were calculated and nonsignificant differences were found. A linearity, specific, accurate, and precise method was developed and applied for the analysis of enalapril and enalaprilat in human plasma after oral administration of two formulae of enalapril 20 mg tablets in healthy volunteers. Depending on the statistical analysis it was concluded that the two enalapril formulae were bioequivalent.

The effects of dietary fibre type on satiety-related hormones and voluntary food intake in dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosch, G.; Verbrugghe, A.; Hesta, M.; Holst, J.J.; Poel, van der A.F.B.; Janssens, G.P.J.; Hendriks, W.H.

2009-01-01

Depending on type and inclusion level, dietary fibre may increase and maintain satiety and postpone the onset of hunger. This 7-week study evaluated the effect of fibre fermentability on physiological satiety-related metabolites and voluntary food intake (VFI) in dogs. Sixteen healthy adult dogs

Altitude acclimatization and blood volume: effects of exogenous erythrocyte volume expansion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sawka, M N; Young, Jette Feveile; Rock, P B

1996-01-01

blood oxygen content alters erythropoietin responses during altitude acclimatization, and 4) mechanisms responsible for plasma loss at altitude. Sixteen healthy men had a series of hematologic measurements made at sea level, on the first and ninth days of altitude (4,300 m) residence, and after...

Effects of artificial dawn on sleep inertia, skin temperature, and the awakening cortisol response

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Werken, Maan; Gimenez, Marina C.; de Vries, Bonnie; Beersma, Domien G. M.; van Someren, Eus J. W.; Gordijn, Marijke C. M.

P>The effect of artificial dawn during the last 30 min of sleep on subsequent dissipation of sleep inertia was investigated, including possible involvement of cortisol and thermoregulatory processes. Sixteen healthy subjects who reported difficulty with waking up participated in random order in a

Healthy children, healthy nation — tackling the obesity problem ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-04-26

Apr 26, 2016 ... ... restricting sales of unhealthy food and drink in the vicinity of schools, and ... Read the full story of change: Caribbean health: Healthy children, ... the Caribbean by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, ...

Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular and kidney disease in Brazilian healthy preschool children

OpenAIRE

da Silva, Adriana C?ndida; de Sousa Tavares, Marcelo; Penido, Maria Goretti Moreira Guimar?es

2016-01-01

AIM To investigate the prevalence of nutritional parameters of risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and kidney diseases in healthy preschool children. METHODS This is an observational cross-sectional study with 60 healthy children, of both genders, aged two to six years old and 56 mothers, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Preschool children and their families with regular activities at public schools were invited to paticipate in the study. The following characteristics were assessed...

Demographic Variables and Selective, Sustained Attention and Planning through Cognitive Tasks among Healthy Adults

OpenAIRE

Afsaneh Zarghi; Zali; A; Tehranidost; M; Mohammad Reza Zarindast; Ashrafi; F; Doroodgar; Khodadadi

2011-01-01

Introduction: Cognitive tasks are considered to be applicable and appropriate in assessing cognitive domains. The purpose of our study is to determine the relationship existence between variables of age, sex and education with selective, sustained attention and planning abilities by means of computerized cognitive tasks among healthy adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented during 6 months from June to November, 2010 on 84 healthy adults (42 male and 42 female). The whole part...

Endostatin concentration in plasma of healthy human volunteers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, I.; Malik, M.O.; Khan, M.J.; Fatima, S.; Habib, S.H.

2017-01-01

Angiogenesis is involved in many cardiovascular and cancerous diseases, including atherosclerosis and is controlled by a fine balance between angiogenic and angiostatic mediators. Endostatin is one of the main angiostatic mediators, and inhibits angiogenesis and prevents progression of atherosclerosis. The available literature shows a broad range of concentrations in relatively small samples of healthy controls and is calculated by using different techniques. This study was aimed to determine the basal endostatin concentration in plasma of healthy volunteers, to fully understand its physiological role. Methods: Fifty healthy adult volunteers were recruited to the study. Participants were advised not to participate in any physical activity on the day before the blood sampling. The volunteers' physical activity, height, weight, heart rate and blood pressure were recorded. The samples were analysed for plasma endostatin concentration, using ELISA. The participants were divided by gender and ethnic groups to calculate any difference. Results: Endostatin and other variables were normally distributed. Most of the participants had a moderate level of physical activity with no gender related difference (p=0.370). The mean value for plasma endostatin in all samples was 105+-12 ng/ml with range of 81-132 ng/ml. For males, it was 107+-13 ng/ml, while for females; 102+-12 ng/ml. There were no significant gender or ethnicity related differences in endostatin concentration. Moreover, endostatin was not significantly related with any anthropometric and physical variable. Conclusion: This study gives endostatin levels in normal healthy people and show no gender and ethnicity related differences in endostatin levels. Endostatin was not related with any anthropometric and physical variable. (author)

Distribution of Malassezia species on the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and healthy volunteers assessed by conventional and molecular identification methods.

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Jagielski, Tomasz; Rup, Elżbieta; Ziółkowska, Aleksandra; Roeske, Katarzyna; Macura, Anna B; Bielecki, Jacek

2014-03-07

The Malassezia yeasts which belong to the physiological microflora of human skin have also been implicated in several dermatological disorders, including pityriasis versicolor (PV), atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis (PS). The Malassezia genus has repeatedly been revised and it now accommodates 14 species, all but one being lipid-dependent species. The traditional, phenotype-based identification schemes of Malassezia species are fraught with interpretative ambiguities and inconsistencies, and are thus increasingly being supplemented or replaced by DNA typing methods. The aim of this study was to explore the species composition of Malassezia microflora on the skin of healthy volunteers and patients with AD and PS. Species characterization was performed by conventional, culture-based methods and subsequently molecular techniques: PCR-RFLP and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1/2 regions and the D1/D2 domains of the 26S rRNA gene. The Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. Malassezia sympodialis was the predominant species, having been cultured from 29 (82.9%) skin samples collected from 17 out of 18 subjects under the study. Whereas AD patients yielded exclusively M. sympodialis isolates, M. furfur isolates were observed only in PS patients. The isolation of M. sympodialis was statistically more frequent among AD patients and healthy volunteers than among PS patients (P < 0.03). Whether this mirrors any predilection of particular Malassezia species for certain clinical conditions needs to be further evaluated. The overall concordance between phenotypic and molecular methods was quite high (65%), with the discordant results being rather due to the presence of multiple species in a single culture (co-colonization) than true misidentification. All Malassezia isolates were susceptible to cyclopiroxolamine and azole drugs, with M. furfur isolates being somewhat more drug tolerant than other Malassezia species

Is dietary pattern of schizophrenia patients different from healthy subjects?

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Amani Reza

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There are limited findings about dietary patterns and food preferences among patients suffering from schizophrenia. The main objective of this study was therefore to compare the nutritional pattern of schizophrenia patients with that of matched healthy subjects. Methods The dietary pattern of 30 hospitalized 16–67 years old schizophrenic patients (11 female was compared with that of 30 healthy age and sex matched individuals as control group. Subjects' anthropometric measurements including weight, height and body mass index (BMI, semi-quantitative food frequency (FFQ, medical and food history questionnaires were also collected and FFQs were then scored using Food Guide Pyramid to obtain the dietary scores. Percent body fat (%BF was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA method. Results Female patients had more %BF and lower dietary pattern scores than that of their controls (32 ± 3.6 vs 27.7 ± 4.6 percent and 43.2 ± 11.9 vs 54.5 ± 10.7 points; respectively, p Conclusion Schizophrenia patients have poor nutritional patterns. In particular, female patients have more percent body fat and lower dietary pattern scores compared with their healthy controls. All patients used to consume more fats and sweet drinks frequently. The findings of this study suggest that schizophrenia patients need specific medical nutrition therapies through limiting dietary fats and sugars intakes and weight control. Whether obesity is the consequence of disease, dietary preference or medications used remains to be cleared.

Formative Evaluation to Increase Availability of Healthy Snacks and Beverages in Stores Near Schools in Two Rural Oregon Counties, 2013

OpenAIRE

Izumi, Betty T.; Findholt, Nancy E.; Pickus, Hayley A.

2015-01-01

Introduction Children living in rural areas are at greater risk for obesity than their urban counterparts. Differences in healthy food access may contribute to this disparity. Most healthy food access initiatives target stores in urban areas. We conducted a formative evaluation to increase availability of healthy snacks and beverages in food stores near schools in rural Oregon. Methods We assessed availability of healthy snacks and beverages in food stores (n = 15) using the SNACZ (Students N...

Healthy lifestyle: Perceptions and attitudes of students (the results of a focus group research

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Zh V Puzanova

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of the research conducted in December 2013 at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia with the method of focus groups. The study aimed at identification not only the differences in understanding healthy lifestyles among students and their attitudes to a healthy lifestyle, but also its components, obstacles for the realization and opportunities to overcome them. The focus group research was just another stage of the project aimed at studying health and healthy lifestyles as values and the characteristics of the formation and manifestation of a health-preserving behavior. Despite many opportunities to motivate a health-preserving behavior among students, we still see obstacles for its formation due to both social and cultural characteristics. The study revealed that the value of health at this stage of life is rather declarative: only a small percentage of respondents are fully aware of the necessity of a health-preserving behavior and do really adopt a healthy lifestyle. The basic factors influencing the formation of the healthy lifestyle among the youth are the family, social environment and mass media. The respondents, in particular, confirm the significant impact of their social circle on the commitment to the bad habits as well as to healthy hobbies. The main factors hindering the healthy lifestyles among students include lack of free time, welfare, Internet addiction, lack of sufficient motivation and self-organization.

Healthy School Communities in Canada

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Bassett-Gunter, Rebecca; Yessis, Jennifer; Manske, Steve; Gleddie, Doug

2016-01-01

Background and context: Healthy school communities aim to optimise student health and educational achievement. Various models, terms and resources have been used to describe healthy school communities. Policy makers and practitioners have reported confusion around many of the key concepts involved because of the varying models and terms.…

A collocation finite element method with prior matrix condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutcliffe, W.J.

1977-01-01

For thin shells with general loading, sixteen degrees of freedom have been used for a previous finite element solution procedure using a Collocation method instead of the usual variational based procedures. Although the number of elements required was relatively small, nevertheless the final matrix for the simultaneous solution of all unknowns could become large for a complex compound structure. The purpose of the present paper is to demonstrate a method of reducing the final matrix size, so allowing solution for large structures with comparatively small computer storage requirements while retaining the accuracy given by high order displacement functions. Collocation points, a number are equilibrium conditions which must be satisfied independently of the overall compatibility of forces and deflections for a complete structure. (Auth.)

Empowerment for Healthy Cities and communities in Korea.

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Moon, Ji Young; Nam, Eun Woo; Dhakal, Sarita

2014-10-01

The Healthy Cities project started in 1998 in Korea. Around the world, public health and healthy cities are becoming bigger and bigger priorities. Capacity mapping is an important tool for improving a country's health status. This study aims to review the initiation of the Korean "Healthy City" project. Korea follows a bottom-up approach for the development of Healthy City policies and has implemented plans accordingly. Korea has created a unique program through Healthy Cities; it has developed a Healthy City act, indicators for evaluating the program, a health impact assessment program, an award system, and a domestic networking system.

Ugly bugs in healthy guts! Carriage of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing commensal Enterobacteriaceae in the intestine of healthy Nepalese adults.

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Maharjan, Anjila; Bhetwal, Anjeela; Shakya, Shreena; Satyal, Deepa; Shah, Shashikala; Joshi, Govardhan; Khanal, Puspa Raj; Parajuli, Narayan Prasad

2018-01-01

Fecal carriage of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae is one of the important risk factors for infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this report, we examined the prevalence of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing common enterobacterial strains colonizing the intestinal tract of apparently healthy adults in Kathmandu, Nepal. During a 6-month period (February-July 2016), a total of 510 stool specimens were obtained from apparently healthy students of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal. Stool specimens were cultured, and the most common enterobacterial isolates ( Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species) were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests according to the standard microbiologic guidelines. Multidrug-resistant isolates were selected for ESBL confirmation by combined disk test and E-test methods. Molecular characterization of plasmid-borne ESBL genes was performed by using specific primers of cefotaximase Munich (CTX-M), sulfhydryl variant (SHV), and temoniera (TEM) by polymerase chain reaction. Among 510 bacterial strains, E. coli (432, 84.71%) was the predominant organism followed by Klebsiella oxytoca (48, 9.41%) and K. pneumoniae (30, 5.88%). ESBLs were isolated in 9.8% of the total isolates including K. oxytoca (29.17%), E. coli (7.87%), and K. pneumoniae (6.67%). Among ESBLs, bla -TEM was the predominant type (92%) followed by bla -CTX-M (60%) and bla -SHV (4%). Multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing enterobacterial commensal strains among healthy individuals are of serious concern. Persistent carriage of ESBL organisms in healthy individuals suggests the possibility of sustained ESBL carriage among the diseased and hospitalized patients. We recommend similar types of epidemiologic surveys in larger communities and in hospital settings to ascertain the extent of ESBL resistance.

The Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index: an instrument to measure adherence to the Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

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van Lee Linde

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The objective was to develop an index based on the Dutch Guidelines for a healthy Diet of 2006 that reflects dietary quality and to apply it to the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS to examine the associations with micronutrient intakes. Methods A total of 749 men and women, aged 19–30 years, contributed two 24-hour recalls and additional questionnaires in the DNFCS of 2003. The Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index includes ten components representing the ten Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet. Per component the score ranges between zero and ten, resulting in a total score between zero (no adherence and 100 (complete adherence. Results The mean ± SD of the DHD-index was 60.4 ± 11.5 for women and 57.8 ± 10.8 for men (P for difference = 0.002. Each component score increased across the sex-specific quintiles of the DHD-index. An inverse association was observed between the sex-specific quintiles of the DHD-index and total energy intake. Calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E intake decreased with increasing DHD-index, an inverse association which disappeared after energy adjustment. Vitamin C showed a positive association across quintiles, also when adjusted for energy. For folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, and vitamin B6 a positive association emerged after adjustment for energy. Conclusions The DHD-index is capable of ranking participants according to their adherence to the Dutch Guidelines for a Healthy Diet by reflecting variation in nine out of ten components that constitute the index when based on two 24-hour recalls. Furthermore, the index showed to be a good measure of nutrient density of diets.

Enhancing a sustainable healthy working life: design of a clustered randomized controlled trial

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Koolhaas Wendy

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To improve a sustainable healthy working life, we have developed the intervention 'Staying healthy at work', which endeavours to enhance work participation of employees aged 45 years and older by increasing their problem-solving capacity and stimulating their awareness of their role and responsibility towards a healthy working life. This research study aims to evaluate the process and the effectiveness of the intervention compared with care as usual. Methods/design The study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial design (randomized at the supervisor level, with a 1-year follow-up. Workers aged 45 years and older have been enrolled in the study. Workers in the intervention group are receiving the intervention 'Staying healthy at work'. The main focus of the intervention is to promote a healthy working life of ageing workers by: (1 changing workers awareness and behaviour, by emphasizing their own decisive role in attaining goals; (2 improving the supervisors' ability to support workers in taking the necessary action, by means of enhancing knowledge and competence; and (3 enhancing the use of the human resource professionals and the occupational health tools available within the organization. The supervisors in the intervention group have been trained how to present themselves as a source of support for the worker. Workers in the control group are receiving care as usual; supervisors in the control group have not participated in the training. Measurements have been taken at baseline and will be followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome measures are vitality, work ability and productivity. The secondary outcomes measures include fatigue, job strain, work attitude, self-efficacy and work engagement. A process evaluation will be conducted at both the supervisor and the worker levels, and satisfaction with the content of the intervention will be assessed. Discussion The intervention 'Staying healthy at work' has the

Adolescents’ Responses to a School-Based Prevention Program Promoting Healthy Eating at School

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Roel C. J. Hermans

2017-11-01

Full Text Available BackgroundTo improve the effectiveness of school-based programs that aim to promote adolescents’ healthy food choices, it is essential to understand the views and behaviors of the target group. This study aimed to get a better understanding of adolescents’ food and health perceptions and their willingness to be involved in a specific school-based prevention program, i.e., the Dutch “Healthy School Canteen Program.”MethodsThis study used a mixed-methods research design. First, seven semi-structured focus groups were conducted using a selective sample of 42 Dutch adolescents (25 girls, 17 boys, aged 13–16 years. Second, an online survey among 133 adolescent respondents (72 girls, 61 boys, aged 12–19 years using snowball sampling was conducted. Content analysis was performed to make inferences about the focus group discussions, whereas statistical analyses were conducted to analyze the survey data.ResultsFindings from the group discussions indicated that healthy eating was only an issue of importance when adolescents perceived negative physical changes (e.g., with regard to looks or physical performance. Adolescents also indicated that they clearly wanted to make their own food and beverage choices at school. The quantitative data indicated that taste, price, and variety were seen as the most important aspects of a healthy food assortment (mean scores 8.1, 7.8, and 7.7 on a 10-point scale, respectively. In general, a majority of the adolescents (64% expressed that students should be involved in the organization of a healthy food environment in schools. At the same time, however, adolescents were not willing to participate themselves. This was mostly because they were skeptical about their ideas being heard and put into action by their schools.ConclusionSchool-based prevention programs, such as the Healthy School Program, should take into account that adolescents have a low risk perception of unhealthy eating and are seeking food

Predictors of healthy ageing: public health policy targets.

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Sowa, Agnieszka; Tobiasz-Adamczyk, Beata; Topór-Mądry, Roman; Poscia, Andrea; la Milia, Daniele Ignazio

2016-09-05

The public health policy agenda oriented towards healthy ageing becomes the highest priority for the European countries. The article discusses the healthy ageing concept and its possible determinants with an aim to identify behavioral patterns related to healthy ageing in selected European countries. The healthy ageing is assessed based on a composite indicator of self-assessed health, functional capabilities and life meaningfulness. The logistic regression models are used to assess the impact of the healthy lifestyle index, psycho-social index and socio-economic status on the probability of healthy ageing (i.e. being healthy at older age). The lifestyle and psychosocial indexes are created as a sum of behaviors that might be important for healthy ageing. Models are analyzed for three age groups of older people: 60-67, 68-79 and 80+ as well as for three groups of countries representing Western, Southern and Central-Eastern Europe. The lifestyle index covering vigorous and moderate physical activity, consumption of vegetables and fruits, regular consumption of meals and adequate consumption of liquids is positively related to healthy ageing, increasing the likelihood of being healthy at older age with each of the items specified in the index. The score of the index is found to be significantly higher (on average by 1 point for men and 1.1 for women) for individuals ageing healthily. The psychosocial index covering employment, outdoor social participation, indoor activities and life satisfaction is also found to be significantly related to health increasing the likelihood of healthy ageing with each point of the index score. There is an educational gradient in healthy ageing in the population below the age of 68 and in Southern and Central-Eastern European countries. In Western European countries, income is positively related to healthy ageing for females. Stimulation physical activity and adequate nutrition are crucial domains for a well-defined public health policy

Prepare Healthy Foods with Toddlers

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Izumi-Taylor, Satomi; Rike, Cheryl

2011-01-01

Toddlers--from about 16 to 36 months--can learn a variety of skills as they prepare food and follow recipes in developmentally appropriate ways. Early childhood teachers are encouraged to support young children's healthy eating habits by offering simple food preparation experiences. When toddlers--and preschoolers--safely prepare healthy snacks,…

[IMPORTANCE OF SHEAR WAVE ELASTOGRAPHY OF LIVERS IN PRACTICALLY HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN].

Science.gov (United States)

Sariyeva, E; Salahova, S; Bayramov, N

2017-01-01

Pulse-wave elastography (SWE) that is one of the mostly used methods in the recent years holds important place in assessment of liver fibrosis. However there is no exact information on the results of liver elastography in healthy pregnant women in the world literature. The aim of the study was to investigate theSWE parameters of liver elastography in practically healthy pregnant women. The subject of the research was 50 practically healthy pregnant women within 18-45 years old (mean age 27.7±0.7). The pregnant women with genital and extragenital diseases were not included to the research. The research work was executed in the II Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Azerbaijan Medical University. SWE of liver in pregnant women was conducted in the I Department of Surgical Diseases of Azerbaijan Medical University through Supersonic Aixplorer Multi Wave device presented by the Scientific Development Foundation under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic. The obtained tissue hardness indicators are assessed under METAVIR scale. The results of the research showed that the measures of liver in practically healthy pregnant women are normal, edges flat, its echogenicity mainly normal, echostructure of its parenchyma homogenous, hardness was F0-F1 (normal) under METAVIR scale, fibrosis not observed. The obtained results were processed by variational (power average, percentile distribution) and correlation (ρ-Spearman) analyzes using the statistical package SPSS-20. A statistical study of the distribution of liver density in healthy women showed that the average density was 4,43±0,01 with 95% confidence interval (4,23 - 4,63). The histogram of distribution of liver density in practically healthy women belongs to the family of normal distributions with coefficients of variation coefficient (16.3%), asymmetry (-0.861±0.337) and excess (-0.068±0.662). Correlation analysis in healthy women did not reveal a reliable relationship between age and liver density (ρ=0

Parental Translation into Practice of Healthy Eating and Active Play Messages and the Impact on Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study

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Alyssa Huxtable

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Childhood obesity is a significant health issue worldwide. Modifiable risk factors in early childhood relate to child healthy eating and active play, and are influenced by parents. The aim of the study was two-fold. Firstly, to determine the weight status of children aged between birth and 3.5 years in a rural and remote area of Australia. Secondly, to explore the relationship between child weight status and translation of advice on healthy eating and active play provided to parents by local, nurse-led, Maternal Child Health (MCH services. Measured anthropometric data (n = 438 were provided by MCH services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two MCH nurses and 15 parents. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was calculated. Local childhood overweight/obesity prevalence was lower than the national average at age 3.5 years (11.38%; 20%. Parents identified the MCH service as a key source of healthy eating and active play advice and reported mostly following recommendations but struggling with screen time and fussy eating recommendations. We observed a relaxation in parent attitudes towards healthy child behaviours which coincided with a trend towards obesity from 12 months (p < 0.001. MCH services provide useful and effective advice to parents but ongoing support is required to prevent obesity later in childhood.

Story Processing Ability in Cognitively Healthy Younger and Older Adults

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Wright, Heather Harris; Capilouto, Gilson J.; Srinivasan, Cidambi; Fergadiotis, Gerasimos

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among measures of comprehension and production for stories depicted in wordless pictures books and measures of memory and attention for 2 age groups. Method: Sixty cognitively healthy adults participated. They consisted of two groups--young adults (20-29 years of age) and older…

Alterations in fecal microbiota composition by probiotic supplementation in healthy adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Nadja B; Bryrup, Thomas; Allin, Kristine H

2016-01-01

as assessed by high-throughput molecular approaches in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of healthy adults. METHODS: The survey of peer-reviewed papers was performed on 17 August 2015 by a literature search through PubMed, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Science. Additional papers were identified by checking...

Healthy Aging Promotion through Neuroscientific Information-Based Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Seinfeld, Sofia; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V

2015-09-28

To ensure the well-being of a rapidly growing elderly population, it is fundamental to find strategies to foster healthy brain aging. With this intention, we designed a program of scientific-based lectures aimed at dissemination by established neuroscientists about brain function, brain plasticity and how lifestyle influences the brain. We also carried out a pilot study on the impact of the lectures on attendees. The objective was to provide information to elderly people in order to encourage them to identify unhealthy and healthy daily habits, and more importantly, to promote behavioral changes towards healthy brain aging. Here we report on our experience. In order to determine the impact of the lectures in the daily routine of the attendees, we asked them to fill out questionnaires. Preliminary results indicate that neuroscientific information-based strategies can be a useful method to have a positive impact on the lives of elderly, increase their awareness on how to improve brain function and promote positive lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, based on self-reported data, we also found that through this strategy it is possible to promote behavioral changes related to nutrition, sleep, and realization of physical and cognitively stimulating activities. Finally, based on the results obtained, the importance of promoting self-efficacy and the empowerment of the older populations is highlighted.

Healthy Aging Promotion through Neuroscientific Information-Based Strategies

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Sofia Seinfeld

2015-09-01

Full Text Available To ensure the well-being of a rapidly growing elderly population, it is fundamental to find strategies to foster healthy brain aging. With this intention, we designed a program of scientific-based lectures aimed at dissemination by established neuroscientists about brain function, brain plasticity and how lifestyle influences the brain. We also carried out a pilot study on the impact of the lectures on attendees. The objective was to provide information to elderly people in order to encourage them to identify unhealthy and healthy daily habits, and more importantly, to promote behavioral changes towards healthy brain aging. Here we report on our experience. In order to determine the impact of the lectures in the daily routine of the attendees, we asked them to fill out questionnaires. Preliminary results indicate that neuroscientific information-based strategies can be a useful method to have a positive impact on the lives of elderly, increase their awareness on how to improve brain function and promote positive lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, based on self-reported data, we also found that through this strategy it is possible to promote behavioral changes related to nutrition, sleep, and realization of physical and cognitively stimulating activities. Finally, based on the results obtained, the importance of promoting self-efficacy and the empowerment of the older populations is highlighted.

Authentic leadership, organizational culture, and healthy work environments.

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Shirey, Maria R

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to showcase the relationship among authentic leadership, organizational culture, and healthy work environments using a stress and coping lens. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to determine what situations contribute to nurse manager stress, what coping strategies they utilize, what health outcomes they report, and what decision-making processes they follow to address stressful situations in their roles. A purposive sample of 21 nurse managers employed at 3 US acute care hospitals completed a demographic questionnaire and 14-question interview incorporating components of the Critical Decision Method. A secondary analysis of the data was conducted to identify differences in nurse manager narratives based upon differences in the organizational cultures where the managers worked. Of the 21 nurse managers studied, differences were evident in the organizational cultures reported. Nurse managers working in the positive organizational cultures (n = 12) generally worked in healthy work environments and engaged in more authentic leadership behaviors. Conversely, nurse managers working in the negative organizational cultures (n = 9) worked in unhealthy work environments and reported less optimism and more challenges engaging in authentic leadership practices. Organizational culture and leadership matter in creating and sustaining healthy work environments. Nurse managers play a pivotal role in creating these environments, yet they need supportive structures and resources to more effectively execute their roles.

Quantitative Analysis of Swallowing Function Between Dysphagia Patients and Healthy Subjects Using High-Resolution Manometry

OpenAIRE

Park, Chul-Hyun; Kim, Don-Kyu; Lee, Yong-Taek; Yi, Youbin; Lee, Jung-Sang; Kim, Kunwoo; Park, Jung Ho; Yoon, Kyung Jae

2017-01-01

Objective To compare swallowing function between healthy subjects and patients with pharyngeal dysphagia using high resolution manometry (HRM) and to evaluate the usefulness of HRM for detecting pharyngeal dysphagia. Methods Seventy-five patients with dysphagia and 28 healthy subjects were included in this study. Diagnosis of dysphagia was confirmed by a videofluoroscopy. HRM was performed to measure pressure and timing information at the velopharynx (VP), tongue base (TB), and upper esophage...

Comparison between Decision Tree and Genetic Programming to distinguish healthy from stroke postural sway patterns.

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Marrega, Luiz H G; Silva, Simone M; Manffra, Elisangela F; Nievola, Julio C

2015-01-01

Maintaining balance is a motor task of crucial importance for humans to perform their daily activities safely and independently. Studies in the field of Artificial Intelligence have considered different classification methods in order to distinguish healthy subjects from patients with certain motor disorders based on their postural strategies during the balance control. The main purpose of this paper is to compare the performance between Decision Tree (DT) and Genetic Programming (GP) - both classification methods of easy interpretation by health professionals - to distinguish postural sway patterns produced by healthy and stroke individuals based on 16 widely used posturographic variables. For this purpose, we used a posturographic dataset of time-series of center-of-pressure displacements derived from 19 stroke patients and 19 healthy matched subjects in three quiet standing tasks of balance control. Then, DT and GP models were trained and tested under two different experiments where accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were adopted as performance metrics. The DT method has performed statistically significant (P < 0.05) better in both cases, showing for example an accuracy of 72.8% against 69.2% from GP in the second experiment of this paper.

Healthy eating design guidelines for school architecture.

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Huang, Terry T-K; Sorensen, Dina; Davis, Steven; Frerichs, Leah; Brittin, Jeri; Celentano, Joseph; Callahan, Kelly; Trowbridge, Matthew J

2013-01-01

We developed a new tool, Healthy Eating Design Guidelines for School Architecture, to provide practitioners in architecture and public health with a practical set of spatially organized and theory-based strategies for making school environments more conducive to learning about and practicing healthy eating by optimizing physical resources and learning spaces. The design guidelines, developed through multidisciplinary collaboration, cover 10 domains of the school food environment (eg, cafeteria, kitchen, garden) and 5 core healthy eating design principles. A school redesign project in Dillwyn, Virginia, used the tool to improve the schools' ability to adopt a healthy nutrition curriculum and promote healthy eating. The new tool, now in a pilot version, is expected to evolve as its components are tested and evaluated through public health and design research.

A Formative Evaluation of Healthy Habits, Healthy U: A Collaborative School-Based Cancer Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Alicia; Spear, Caile; Pritchard, Mary; George, Kayla; Young, Kyle; Smith, Carrie

2017-01-01

Purpose: Healthy Habits, Healthy U (HHHU) is a two-day school-based primary prevention cancer education program that uses interactive classroom presentations designed to help students learn how to reduce their cancer risks. HHHU is a collaboration between a local cancer hospital, school district and university. HHHU incorporates real cancerous and…

Attentional bias modification encourages healthy eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakoschke, Naomi; Kemps, Eva; Tiggemann, Marika

2014-01-01

The continual exposure to unhealthy food cues in the environment encourages poor dietary habits, in particular consuming too much fat and sugar, and not enough fruit and vegetables. According to Berridge's (2009) model of food reward, unhealthy eating is a behavioural response to biased attentional processing. The present study used an established attentional bias modification paradigm to discourage the consumption of unhealthy food and instead promote healthy eating. Participants were 146 undergraduate women who were randomly assigned to two groups: one was trained to direct their attention toward pictures of healthy food ('attend healthy' group) and the other toward unhealthy food ('attend unhealthy' group). It was found that participants trained to attend to healthy food cues demonstrated an increased attentional bias for such cues and ate relatively more of the healthy than unhealthy snacks compared to the 'attend unhealthy' group. Theoretically, the results support the postulated link between biased attentional processing and consumption (Berridge, 2009). At a practical level, they offer potential scope for interventions that focus on eating well. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Comparison of Defense Mechanism Styles and Personality Characteristics in Addicts and Healthy Individuals

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Mohsen Ahmadi

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of this study was to comprise of psychological defense mechanism styles and personality characteristics in addicts and healthy individuals. Method: In this causal-comparative study, 70 addicts person (with an average age of 37.29±9.81and the age range 23 to 58 years were selected via accessible sampling method of clinics and Hamadan’s addicted self-representing center during the Autumn of 2011, The number of 70 relatives of these people that demographic variables were matched as possible with the comparison group were selected. Both groups were asked to respond to the defense mechanism style and Eysenk personality Questionnaires. Results: The result of this study showed that the scores mean of addicts were higher than healthy people on immature defense mechanism style, neourotism, and neurotic and extraversion personality characteristics and lower than in mature defense style variables. Conclusion: Based on the result of this study there was a significant difference between addict individuals and healthy people in defense mechanism and personality characteristics.

Healthy People 2020 Tobacco Use Objectives

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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Healthy People 2020 Tobacco Use Objectives. Healthy People...

Characteristics of a Healthy Family.

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Lin, Phylis Lan

The reason for studying the characteristics of a healthy family is to encourage and strengthen the family and to move toward an enriched family life by using the characteristics as bench marks. Six characteristics are discussed as the essence of a healthy family: (1) commitment; (2) togetherness; (3) appreciation; (4) good communication; (5)…

Healthy living

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... living URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002393.htm Healthy living To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Good health habits can allow you to avoid illness and improve your quality of life. The following steps will help you ...

Evaluating Preschool Children Knowledge about Healthy Lifestyle: Preliminary Examination of the Healthy Lifestyle Evaluation Instrument

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Grammatikopoulos, Vasilis; Konstantinidou, Elisavet; Tsigilis, Nikolaos; Zachopoulou, Evridiki; Tsangaridou, Niki; Liukkonen, Jarmo

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of preschool children about healthy lifestyle behavior. The innovation was that the instrument was designed to get direct evidence about healthy lifestyle from children aged 4-6 years old. Usually, children knowledge is estimated indirectly (parents, teachers), but the…

Catalase activity in healthy and inflamed pulp tissues of permanent ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aim: To evaluate catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) activity in healthy and inflamed dental pulp of young patient's teeth and to investigate if an active defense system oxidizing agents is present as a response to bacterial invasion. Materials and Methods: Twenty young patients between 15 and 25 ages, who were diagnosed to be ...

Laryngeal Aerodynamics in Healthy Older Adults and Adults with Parkinson's Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Matheron, Deborah; Stathopoulos, Elaine T.; Huber, Jessica E.; Sussman, Joan E.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The present study compared laryngeal aerodynamic function of healthy older adults (HOA) to adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) while speaking at a comfortable and increased vocal intensity. Method: Laryngeal aerodynamic measures (subglottal pressure, peak-to-peak flow, minimum flow, and open quotient [OQ]) were compared between HOAs and…

Healthy Food Procurement Policies and Their Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Niebylski, Mark L.; Lu, Tammy; Campbell, Norm R. C.; Arcand, Joanne; Schermel, Alyssa; Hua, Diane; Yeates, Karen E.; Tobe, Sheldon W.; Twohig, Patrick A.; L’Abbé, Mary R.; Liu, Peter P.

2014-01-01

Unhealthy eating is the leading risk for death and disability globally. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for population health interventions. One of the proposed interventions is to ensure healthy foods are available by implementing healthy food procurement policies. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence base assessing the impact of such policies. A comprehensive review was conducted by searching PubMed and Medline for policies that had been implemented and evaluated the impact of food purchases, food consumption, and behaviors towards healthy foods. Thirty-four studies were identified and found to be effective at increasing the availability and purchases of healthy food and decreasing purchases of unhealthy food. Most policies also had other components such as education, price reductions, and health interventions. The multiple gaps in research identified by this review suggest that additional research and ongoing evaluation of food procurement programs is required. Implementation of healthy food procurement policies in schools, worksites, hospitals, care homes, correctional facilities, government institutions, and remote communities increase markers of healthy eating. Prior or simultaneous implementation of ancillary education about healthy eating, and rationale for the policy may be critical success factors and additional research is needed. PMID:24595213

Healthy lifestyle and Czech consumers

OpenAIRE

Kubešová, Jana

2011-01-01

This thesis is focused on healthy lifestyle. It concentrates specifically on impact on human health and which lifestyle lives Czech population. This work summarizes the principles of helathy lifestyle and reveals lifestyles of Czech people with market segmentation and MML-TGI data in the practical part. This can help firms in targeting and addressing people within healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Eating and Academic Achievement

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-12-09

This podcast highlights the evidence that supports the link between healthy eating and improved academic achievement. It also identifies a few actions to support a healthy school nutrition environment to improve academic achievement.  Created: 12/9/2014 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 12/9/2014.

DNA-based culture-independent analysis detects the presence of group a streptococcus in throat samples from healthy adults in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulkarni, Tejaswini; Aikawa, Chihiro; Nozawa, Takashi; Murase, Kazunori; Maruyama, Fumito; Nakagawa, Ichiro

2016-10-11

Group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) causes a range of mild to severe infections in humans. It can also colonize healthy persons asymptomatically. Therefore, it is important to study GAS carriage in healthy populations, as carriage of it might lead to subsequent disease manifestation, clonal spread in the community, and/or diversification of the organism. Throat swab culture is the gold standard method for GAS detection. Advanced culture-independent methods provide rapid and efficient detection of microorganisms directly from clinical samples. We investigated the presence of GAS in throat swab samples from healthy adults in Japan using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Two throat swab samples were collected from 148 healthy volunteers. One was cultured on selective medium, while total DNA extracted from the other was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified with two GAS-specific primer pairs: one was a newly designed 16S rRNA-specific primer pair, the other a previously described V-Na + -ATPase primer pair. Although only 5 (3.4 %) of the 148 samples were GAS-positive by the culture-dependent method, 146 (98.6 %) were positive for the presence of GAS DNA by the culture-independent method. To obtain serotype information by emm typing, we performed nested PCR using newly designed emm primers. We detected the four different emm types in 25 (16.9 %) samples, and these differed from the common emm types associated with GAS associated diseases in Japan. The different emm types detected in the healthy volunteers indicate that the presence of unique emm types might be associated with GAS carriage. Our results suggest that culture-independent methods should be considered for profiling GAS in the healthy hosts, with a view to obtaining better understanding of these organisms. The GAS-specific primers (16S rRNA and V-Na + -ATPase) used in this study can be used to estimate the maximum potential GAS carriage in people.

Perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Adolescents in Seven Arab Countries: A Cross-Cultural Study

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Abdulrahman O. Musaiger

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To highlight the perceived personal, social, and environmental barriers to healthy eating and physical activity among Arab adolescents. Method. A multistage stratified sampling method was used to select 4698 students aged 15–18 years (2240 males and 2458 females from public schools. Seven Arab counties were included in the study, namely, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Self-reported questionnaire was used to list the barriers to healthy eating and physical activity facing these adolescents. Results. It was found that lack of information on healthy eating, lack of motivation to eat a healthy diet, and not having time to prepare or eat healthy food were the main barriers to healthy eating among both genders. For physical activity, the main barriers selected were lack of motivation to do physical activity, less support from teachers, and lack of time to do physical activity. In general, females faced more barriers to physical activity than males in all countries included. There were significant differences between males and females within each country and among countries for most barriers. Conclusion. Intervention programmes to combat obesity and other chronic noncommunicable diseases in the Arab world should include solutions to overcome the barriers to weight maintenance, particularly the sociocultural barriers to practising physical activity.

Healthy diet: Health impact, prevalence, correlates, and interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

de Ridder, Denise; Kroese, Floor; Evers, Catharine; Adriaanse, Marieke; Gillebaart, Marleen

2017-08-01

To discuss healthy diet from a psychological perspective by considering definitions of healthy diet in terms of consumer understanding; the health effects of specific dietary elements in terms of overweight and (chronic) illness; the prevalence of healthy diet; the psychological and environmental determinants of healthy diet; and the psychological interventions that have been designed to promote healthy diet. A systematic review of the psychological literature on healthy diet. Our findings suggest that consumers have a relatively poor understanding of a healthy diet. The literature also demonstrates that there is poor evidence on the health protective effects of single foods or nutrients. We further show that low SES is the single consistent risk factor for not adhering to a healthy diet. Our review of the literature on determinants demonstrates that intentions, habits, self-regulatory skills, and the social and physical environment are the most important determinants of a healthy diet, which are in turn amenable to change by intervention strategies with varying levels of effectiveness. Educational interventions generally show a limited effect on practising a healthy diet whereas interventions targeting habitual behaviour and/or the physical environment seem more promising. In view of the large number of people who are concerned about their diets and make attempts to change their dietary patterns, we conclude that it is crucial to gain a better understanding of both the automatic and environmental influences that are responsible for people not acting upon their good intentions for diet change.

Process Evaluation of Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls: A Church-Based Health Intervention Program in Baltimore City

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H. Echo; Lee, Matthew; Hart, Adante; Summers, Amber C.; Steeves, Elizabeth Anderson; Gittelsohn, Joel

2013-01-01

Soaring obesity rates in the United States demand comprehensive health intervention strategies that simultaneously address dietary patterns, physical activity, psychosocial factors and the food environment. Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls (HBHS) is a church-based, community-participatory, cluster-randomized health intervention trial conducted in…

Monitoring the Affordability of Healthy Eating: A Case Study of 10 Years of the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket

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Peter Williams

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Healthy food baskets have been used around the world for a variety of purposes, including: examining the difference in cost between healthy and unhealthy food; mapping the availability of healthy foods in different locations; calculating the minimum cost of an adequate diet for social policy planning; developing educational material on low cost eating and examining trends on food costs over time. In Australia, the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket was developed in 2000 to monitor trends in the affordability of healthy food compared to average weekly wages and social welfare benefits for the unemployed. It consists of 57 items selected to meet the nutritional requirements of a reference family of five. Bi-annual costing from 2000–2009 has shown that the basket costs have increased by 38.4% in the 10-year period, but that affordability has remained relatively constant at around 30% of average household incomes.

Monitoring the affordability of healthy eating: a case study of 10 years of the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Peter

2010-11-01

Healthy food baskets have been used around the world for a variety of purposes, including: examining the difference in cost between healthy and unhealthy food; mapping the availability of healthy foods in different locations; calculating the minimum cost of an adequate diet for social policy planning; developing educational material on low cost eating and examining trends on food costs over time. In Australia, the Illawarra Healthy Food Basket was developed in 2000 to monitor trends in the affordability of healthy food compared to average weekly wages and social welfare benefits for the unemployed. It consists of 57 items selected to meet the nutritional requirements of a reference family of five. Bi-annual costing from 2000-2009 has shown that the basket costs have increased by 38.4% in the 10-year period, but that affordability has remained relatively constant at around 30% of average household incomes.

MRI estimation of total renal volume demonstrates significant association with healthy donor weight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, Emil I.; Kelly, Sarah A.; Edye, Michael; Mitty, Harold A.; Bromberg, Jonathan S.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to correlate total renal volume (TRV) calculations, obtained through the voxel-count method and ellipsoid formula with various physical characteristics. Materials and methods: MRI reports and physical examination from 210 healthy kidney donors (420 kidneys), on whom renal volumes were obtained using the voxel-count method, were retrospectively reviewed. These values along with ones obtained through a more traditional method (ellipsoid formula) were correlated with subject height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), and age. Results: TRV correlated strongly with body weight (r = 0.7) and to a lesser degree with height, age, or BMI (r = 0.5, -0.2, 0.3, respectively). The left kidney volume was greater than the right, on average (p < 0.001). The ellipsoid formula method over-estimated renal volume by 17% on average which was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Body weight was the physical characteristic which demonstrated the strongest correlation with renal volume in healthy subjects. Given this finding, a formula was derived for estimating the TRV for a given patient based on the his or her weight: TRV = 2.96 x weight (kg) + 113 ± 64.

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of the metacarpophalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis, early unclassified polyarthritis, and healthy controls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klarlund, Mette; Østergaard, Mikkel; Rostrup, Egill

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To introduce dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an indicator of inflammatory activity in the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or early unclassified polyarthritis, and to compare the results with a healthy control group. MATERIALS...... AND METHODS: We examined 42 RA and 23 early unclassified polyarthritis patients, and 12 healthy controls in a cross-sectional study. Dynamic MRI (repeated FLASH-MR images after injection of a contrast agent) was performed through the 2nd to the 5th MCP joint. Two methods for identification of the enhancing...

Methylphenidate as a cognitive enhancer in healthy young people

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Silmara Batistela

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The so-called cognitive enhancers have been widely and increasingly used by healthy individuals who seek improvements in cognitive performance despite having no pathologies. One drug used for this purpose is methylphenidate, a first-line drug for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the effect of acute administration of varying doses of methylphenidate (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and placebo on a wide range of cognitive functions in healthy young people. Methods: A total of 36 young university students and graduates participated in the study. The participants underwent tests of attention and of episodic, and working memory. Results: No differences in performance were observed on any of the tests. There was a dose-dependent (40 mg > placebo effect on self-reported wellbeing. Conclusions: According to the recent literature, psychostimulant medications, such as methylphenidate, improve performance when cognitive processes are below an optimal level, which was not the case for the subjects of the present study. We suggest the impression that methylphenidate enhances cognitive performance in healthy young people, justifying its use, may be due to improvements in subjective wellbeing promoted by the drug.

Cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder, unaffected siblings, and healthy controls

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Mirela P. Vasconcelos-Moreno

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder (BD, in unaffected siblings, and in healthy controls. Methods: Subjects were patients with BD (n=36, unaffected siblings (n=35, and healthy controls (n=44. Psychosocial functioning was accessed using the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST. A sub-group of patients with BD (n=21, unaffected siblings (n=14, and healthy controls (n=22 also underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests: California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT, Stroop Color and Word Test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST. Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance or the chi-square test; multivariate analysis of covariance was used to examine differences in neuropsychological variables. Results: Patients with BD showed higher FAST total scores (23.90±11.35 than healthy controls (5.86±5.47; p < 0.001 and siblings (12.60±11.83; p 0.001. Siblings and healthy controls also showed statistically significant differences in FAST total scores (p = 0.008. Patients performed worse than healthy controls on all CVLT sub-tests (p < 0.030 and in the number of correctly completed categories on WCST (p = 0.030. Siblings did not differ from healthy controls in cognitive tests. Conclusion: Unaffected siblings of patients with BD may show poorer functional performance compared to healthy controls. FAST scores may contribute to the development of markers of vulnerability and endophenotypic traits in at-risk populations.

Healthy Pregnancies. Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids: A Series on Maternal and Child Health in Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2011

2011-01-01

A woman's behaviors during pregnancy can have a significant influence on her baby's healthy development. Women who smoke or drink alcohol during pregnancy, go without prenatal care or suffer from poor nutrition are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and their babies are at increased risk for developing a number…

Role of Landlords in Creating Healthy Homes: Section 8 Landlord Perspectives on Healthy Housing Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Polletta, Valerie L; Reid, Margaret; Barros, Eugene; Duarte, Catherine; Donaher, Kevin; Wensley, Howard; Wolff, Lisa

2017-11-01

This article presents qualitative research findings of Section 8 landlord perceptions regarding healthy housing practices to inform landlord-focused initiatives. Approach or Design: Five focus groups were conducted with landlords. Boston, Massachusetts. Section 8 landlords participated in focus groups (n = 39). Focus group transcripts were coded for key themes using a grounded theory approach. Landlords' primary challenges to creating a healthy housing environment included tenant behavior, financial burden, and policy enforcement; tenant safety and cost savings were seen as primary benefits. Landlords play a critical role in implementing healthy housing practices. Several opportunities exist to reduce barriers and capitalize on perceived benefits of implementing these practices, including increasing access to educational and financial resources.

Twelve-Month Effects of the COPE Healthy Lifestyles TEEN Program on Overweight and Depressive Symptoms in High School Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Melnyk, Bernadette M.; Jacobson, Diana; Kelly, Stephanie A.; Belyea, Michael J.; Shaibi, Gabriel Q.; Small, Leigh; O'Haver, Judith A.; Marsiglia, Flavio F.

2015-01-01

Background: We evaluated the 12-month effects of the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition) program versus an attention control program (Healthy Teens) on overweight/obesity and depressive symptoms in high school adolescents. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled…

Dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of delavirdine in combination with amprenavir in healthy volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Justesen, Ulrik S; Klitgaard, Niels A; Brosen, Kim

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To investigate different dose combinations of amprenavir and delavirdine in order to assess an optimal dose suitable for clinical use. METHODS: This was a prospective, open-label, controlled, three-period, multiple-dose study with nine healthy volunteers. The volunteers received three...

Prevalence of Oral Human Papilloma Virus in Healthy Individuals in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran

OpenAIRE

SEIFI, Sharareh; ASVADI KERMANI, Iraj; DOLATKHAH, Roya; ASVADI KERMANI, Atabak; SAKHINIA, Ebrahim; ASGARZADEH, Mohammad; DASTGIRI, Saeed; EBRAHIMI, Ayoub; ASGHARI HAGGI, Arezou; NADRI, Mahsa; ASVADI KERMANI, Touraj

2013-01-01

Background: Human papilloma virus causes benign and malignant abnormalities in different part of the body. The link between high risk types of HPV and some anogenital and aerodigestive tract cancer is well established. Oral HPV infection plays a role in developing oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. We studied the prevalence of oral HPV in healthy individuals and its relative risk factors. Methods: Saliva samples of 114 healthy subjects were collected for HPV DNA analysis. Volunteers compl...

Growing Healthy Kids: A School Enrichment Nutrition Education Program to Promote Healthy Behaviors for Children

Science.gov (United States)

Vierregger, Alyssa; Hall, Johnna; Sehi, Natalie; Abbott, Mary; Wobig, Karen; Albrecht, Julie A.; Anderson-Knott, Mindy; Koszewski, Wanda

2015-01-01

The Growing Healthy Kids Program is a school-based nutrition education program that teaches students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade about healthy eating, physical activity, and how their body uses food. Pre- and post-knowledge data is collected from the students to measure changes in nutrition knowledge. In the first 2 years of the program,…

Population pharmacokinetics of adefovir dipivoxil tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jihan; Zhang, Yaping; Huang, Xiaohui; Li, Lujin; Li, Yunfei; Wang, Kun; Yang, Juan; He, Yingchun; Lv, Yinghua; Zheng, Qingshan

2014-01-01

To develop a population pharmacokinetic model of adefovir dipivoxil in healthy volunteers and evaluate the effect of individual factors on the pharmacokinetics of adefovir dipivoxil. Plasma concentration data collected from 32 healthy Chinese subjects in a Phase I clinical study was pooled. Subjects received a single oral dose of 10 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg adefovir dipivoxil, or multiple doses of 10 mg once a day for 9 days. Plasma concentrations of adefovir dipivoxil were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric method. A nonlinear mixed-effect model was used to analyze the plasma concentration data of adefovir dipivoxil in healthy volunteers and to calculate the relevant parameters as well as inter- and intra-individual variability. The time course of adefovir dipivoxil concentration is best described by a first-order absorption and first-order elimination two-compartment model with lag time. The final estimate of total body clearance (CL) is 56.9 L/h and 78.7 L/h for single and multiple dosing regimen, respectively; the volume distribution of the central compartment (V2) is 106 L; inter-compartmental clearance (Q) is 220 L/h; volume distribution of the peripheral compartment (V3) is 498 L and 800 L for single and multiple dosing regimen, respectively; absorption rate is 0.509 h-1; and lag time is 0.315 hours. The inter-individual variabilities of CL and V2 were 22.4% and 58.9%, respectively. The proportional error of residual variability is 14.1% and the additive error is 0.30 ng/L. The final pharmacokinetic model was evaluated using a bootstrap method. A nonlinear mixed effect model for oral adefovir dipivoxil formulations was developed in healthy Chinese subjects. A multiple dosing regimen may significantly increase the body clearance and volume distribution of the peripheral compartment compared to a single dosing regimen. *These authors contribute equally to this work.

Getting healthier : creating interactive cooking tools for kids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spermon, M.; Bruns, M.; Zampollo, F.; Smith, C.

2012-01-01

Cooking lessons are believed to be the basis for a healthy lifestyle for both children and adults. However, while children learn their eating habits during childhood, most people only learn to cook from the age of sixteen onwards. Therefore, it is suggested that people should learn to cook during

The promotion of oral health within the Healthy School context in England: a qualitative research study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harris Rebecca V

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Healthy Schools programmes may assist schools in improving the oral health of children through advocating a common risk factor approach to health promotion and by more explicit consideration of oral health. The objectives of this study were to gain a broad contextual understanding of issues around the delivery of oral health promotion as part of Healthy Schools programmes and to investigate the barriers and drivers to the incorporation of oral health promoting activities in schools taking this holistic approach to health promotion. Methods Semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out with coordinators of Healthy Schools programmes in the Northwest of England. Interview transcripts were coded using a framework derived from themes in the interview schedule. Results All 22 Healthy Schools coordinators participated and all reported some engagement of their Healthy Schools scheme with oral health promotion. The degree of this engagement depended on factors such as historical patterns of working, partnerships, resources and priorities. Primary schools were reported to have engaged more fully with both Healthy Schools programmes and aspects of oral health promotion than secondary schools. Participants identified healthy eating interventions as the most appropriate means to promote oral health in schools. Partners with expertise in oral health were key in supporting Healthy Schools programmes to promote oral health. Conclusion Healthy Schools programmes are supporting the promotion of oral health although the extent to which this is happening is variable. Structures should be put in place to ensure that the engagement of Healthy Schools with oral health is fully supported.

Healthy Checkout Lines: A Study in Urban Supermarkets.

Science.gov (United States)

Adjoian, Tamar; Dannefer, Rachel; Willingham, Craig; Brathwaite, Chantelle; Franklin, Sharraine

2017-09-01

To understand the impact of healthy checkouts in Bronx, New York City supermarkets. Consumer purchasing behavior was observed for 2 weeks in 2015. Three supermarkets in the South Bronx. A total of 2,131 adult shoppers (aged ≥18 years) who paid for their groceries at 1 of the selected study checkout lines. Two checkout lines were selected per store; 1 was converted to a healthy checkout and the other remained as it was (standard checkout). Data collectors observed consumer behavior at each line and recorded items purchased from checkout areas. Percentage of customers who purchase items from the checkout area; quantity and price of healthy and unhealthy items purchased from the healthy and standard checkout lines. Measures were analyzed by study condition using chi-square and t tests; significance was determined at α = .05. Only 4.0% of customers bought anything from the checkout area. A higher proportion of customers using the healthy vs standard checkout line bought healthy items (56.5% vs 20.5%; P < .001). When healthier products were available, the proportion of healthy purchases increased. Findings contribute to limited research on effectiveness of healthy checkouts in supermarkets. Similar interventions should expect an increase in healthy purchases from the checkout area, but limited overall impact. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oxidative stress and inflammation in renal patients and healthy subjects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana M Lee

Full Text Available The first goal of this study was to measure the oxidative stress (OS and relate it to lipoprotein variables in 35 renal patients before dialysis (CKD, 37 on hemodialysis (HD and 63 healthy subjects. The method for OS was based on the ratio of cholesteryl esters (CE containing C18/C16 fatty acids (R2 measured by gas chromatography (GC which is a simple, direct, rapid and reliable procedure. The second goal was to investigate and identify a triacylglycerol peak on GC, referred to as TG48 (48 represents the sum of the three fatty acids carbon chain lengths which was markedly increased in renal patients compared to healthy controls. We measured TG48 in patients and controls. Mass spectrometry (MS and MS twice in tandem were used to analyze the fatty acid composition of TG48. MS showed that TG48 was abundant in saturated fatty acids (SFAs that were known for their pro-inflammatory property. TG48 was significantly and inversely correlated with OS. Renal patients were characterized by higher OS and inflammation than healthy subjects. Inflammation correlated strongly with TG, VLDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo C-III and apoC-III bound to apoB-containing lipoproteins, but not with either total cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol.In conclusion, we have discovered a new inflammatory factor, TG48. It is characterized with TG rich in saturated fatty acids. Renal patients have increased TG48 than healthy controls.

On the normative model of a healthy lifestyle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riza Akhmedzakievich Kasimov

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The formation of a healthy lifestyle among the educational process subjects is one of the main functions of health-saving educational space. This function can be implemented effectively only if the executive bodies in the sphere of education, other agencies, the public and the subjects of the educational process take active part in this process. Such cooperation requires a common understanding in the issues to promote health of all pedagogical process participants, but to date the concept “healthy lifestyle” has not been clearly defined and the effective and optimized pedagogical models for its formation, according to the cross-cutting principle, have not been elaborated. The article analyzes different points of view on this issue. A healthy lifestyle is considered as a complex pedagogical technology to create health culture. Taking into account the scholars’ attitudes to the concept “healthy lifestyle” the author identifies three main components of a healthy lifestyle: health culture, health-saving activity and conditions that ensure a healthy lifestyle. The article argues that health saving needs of a person predetermine his/her health-saving activities. It reveals the main strategic sub-components of a healthy lifestyle: physical, environmental, medical, psychological and spiritual-moral activities. The work presents the normative model of a healthy lifestyle and its structure. It defines a healthy lifestyle as a model of health-saving behavior model. The author proves that the proposed normative model of a healthy lifestyle can be successfully used for the formation of health-saving educational space on the principles of inter-sectoral collaboration

Contrast sensitivity measured by two different test methods in healthy, young adults with normal visual acuity.

Science.gov (United States)

Koefoed, Vilhelm F; Baste, Valborg; Roumes, Corinne; Høvding, Gunnar

2015-03-01

This study reports contrast sensitivity (CS) reference values obtained by two different test methods in a strictly selected population of healthy, young adults with normal uncorrected visual acuity. Based on these results, the index of contrast sensitivity (ICS) is calculated, aiming to establish ICS reference values for this population and to evaluate the possible usefulness of ICS as a tool to compare the degree of agreement between different CS test methods. Military recruits with best eye uncorrected visual acuity 0.00 LogMAR or better, normal colour vision and age 18-25 years were included in a study to record contrast sensitivity using Optec 6500 (FACT) at spatial frequencies of 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd in photopic and mesopic light and CSV-1000E at spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd in photopic light. Index of contrast sensitivity was calculated based on data from the three tests, and the Bland-Altman technique was used to analyse the agreement between ICS obtained by the different test methods. A total of 180 recruits were included. Contrast sensitivity frequency data for all tests were highly skewed with a marked ceiling effect for the photopic tests. The median ICS for Optec 6500 at 85 cd/m2 was -0.15 (95% percentile 0.45), compared with -0.00 (95% percentile 1.62) for Optec at 3 cd/m2 and 0.30 (95% percentile 1.20) FOR CSV-1000E. The mean difference between ICSFACT 85 and ICSCSV was -0.43 (95% CI -0.56 to -0.30, p<0.00) with limits of agreement (LoA) within -2.10 and 1.22. The regression line on the difference of average was near to zero (R2=0.03). The results provide reference CS and ICS values in a young, adult population with normal visual acuity. The agreement between the photopic tests indicated that they may be used interchangeably. There was little agreement between the mesopic and photopic tests. The mesopic test seemed best suited to differentiate between candidates and may therefore possibly be useful for medical selection purposes. �

A gender-based approach to developing a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight intervention for diverse Utah women.

Science.gov (United States)

Simonsen, Sara E; Digre, Kathleen B; Ralls, Brenda; Mukundente, Valentine; Davis, France A; Rickard, Sylvia; Tavake-Pasi, Fahina; Napia, Eru Ed; Aiono, Heather; Chirpich, Meghan; Stark, Louisa A; Sunada, Grant; Keen, Kassy; Johnston, Leanne; Frost, Caren J; Varner, Michael W; Alder, Stephen C

2015-08-01

Utah women from some cultural minority groups have higher overweight/obesity rates than the overall population. We utilized a gender-based mixed methods approach to learn about the underlying social, cultural and gender issues that contribute to the increased obesity risk among these women and to inform intervention development. A literature review and analysis of Utah's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data informed the development of a focus group guide. Focus groups were conducted with five groups of women: African immigrants from Burundi and Rwanda, African Americans, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Hispanics/Latinas, and Pacific Islanders. Six common themes emerged: (1) health is multidimensional and interventions must address health in this manner; (2) limited resources and time influence health behaviors; (3) norms about healthy weight vary, with certain communities showing more preference to heavier women; (4) women and men have important but different influences on healthy lifestyle practices within households; (5) women have an influential role on the health of families; and (6) opportunities exist within each group to improve health. Seeking insights from these five groups of women helped to identify common and distinct cultural and gender themes related to obesity, which can be used to help elucidate core obesity determinants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE TEACHER’S HEALTHY LIFESTYLE FORMATION IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Елена Владимировна Лопуга

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to representation of results of experimental work on formation of a healthy lifestyle of teachers with a various pedagogical experience in the conditions of professional development.Purpose: to analyse dynamics of formation of components of a healthy lifestyle and changes of levels of dominance of the relation to health and a healthy lifestyle in groups of teachers where the developed model of advanced training courses was applied.Methodology: express assessment of individual level of own health, testing of teachers, practical training on formation of an optimum motive stereotype, development of complexes of various exercises, development of methods of increase of a resistance to stress; reflexive activity of participants of the courses.Results: statistically significant growth of level of the relation to health at the vast majority of respondents, irrespective of qualification category and the official status.Practical implications: professional development of the various experts who are engaged in training of adults, and also future educators carrying out vocational training, health care and social protection.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-9-78

Development of a screening method for the determination of total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water and wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riggin, R.; Strup, P.; Billets, S.

1983-01-01

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent an important class of organic compounds from an environmental standpoint, due to known human carcinogenicity of some members. Consequently, there is a great need for monitoring the PAH concentration of a variety of media, including water and industrial wastewater. Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) developed a sensitive analytical method, designated Test Method 610, for the determination of priority pollutant PAHs in aqueous industrial discharges. This method employs reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) and fluorescence detection to determine all sixteen priority pollutant PAHs in a single chromatographic separation

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder as an outlier detection problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kempfner, Jacob; Sørensen, Gertrud Laura; Nikolic, M.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder is a strong early marker of Parkinson's disease and is characterized by REM sleep without atonia and/or dream enactment. Because these measures are subject to individual interpretation, there is consequently need...... for quantitative methods to establish objective criteria. This study proposes a semiautomatic algorithm for the early detection of Parkinson's disease. This is achieved by distinguishing between normal REM sleep and REM sleep without atonia by considering muscle activity as an outlier detection problem. METHODS......: Sixteen healthy control subjects, 16 subjects with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder, and 16 subjects with periodic limb movement disorder were enrolled. Different combinations of five surface electromyographic channels, including the EOG, were tested. A muscle activity score was automatically...

Strengthening community leadership: evaluation findings from the california healthy cities and communities program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kegler, Michelle C; Norton, Barbara L; Aronson, Robert E

2008-04-01

Collaborative approaches to community health improvement such as healthy cities and communities have the potential to strengthen community capacity through leadership development. The healthy cities and communities process orients existing local leadership to new community problem-solving strategies and draws out leadership abilities among residents not previously engaged in civic life. In an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program, leadership development was one of several outcomes assessed at the civic-participation level of the social ecology. Data collection methods included focus groups and surveys, semistructured interviews with coordinators and community leaders, and review of program documents. Findings suggest that the CHCC program enhanced capacity by expanding new leadership opportunities through coalition participation, program implementation, and civic leadership roles related to spin-off organizations and broader collaborative structures. Communities in rural regions were particularly successful in achieving significant leadership outcomes.

Effect of sildenafil on gastric emptying and postprandial frequency of antral contractions in healthy humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, J L; Søndergaard, S B; Fuglsang, S

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: Sildenafil is known to block phosphodiesterase type 5, which degrades nitric oxide-stimulated cyclic guanosine monophosphate, thereby relaxing smooth muscle cells in various organs. The effect of sildenafil on gastric motor function after a meal was investigated in healthy humans....... METHODS: Ten healthy male volunteers (21-28 years) participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study. In random order and on two separate days each volunteer ingested either 50 mg sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer, New York, N.Y., USA) or placebo. A gamma camera technique was used to measure......: A single dose of 50 mg sildenafil does not change gastric emptying or postprandial frequency of antral contractions in healthy volunteers....

Quantification of MRI measured myocardial perfusion reserve in healthy humans: A comparison with positron emission tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fritz-Hansen, T.; Hove, J.D.; Kofoed, K.F.

2008-01-01

Purpose: To validate a noninvasive quantitative MRI technique, the K-i perfusion method, for myocardial perfusion in humans using N-13-ammonia PET as a reference method. Materials and Methods: Ten healthy males (64 +/- 8 years) were examined with combined PET and MRI perfusion imaging at rest and...

Evaluating aging in cats: How to determine what is healthy and what is disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellows, Jan; Center, Sharon; Daristotle, Leighann; Estrada, Amara H; Flickinger, Elizabeth A; Horwitz, Debra F; Lascelles, B Duncan X; Lepine, Allan; Perea, Sally; Scherk, Margie; Shoveller, Anna K

2016-07-01

Many of the changes that occur with aging are not considered pathologic and do not negatively affect overall wellness or quality of life. Ruling out disease is essential, however, when attempting to determine whether an aged cat can be considered 'healthy'. A clear understanding of the normal and abnormal changes that are associated with aging in cats can help practitioners make decisions regarding medical management, feeding interventions and additional testing procedures for their aged patients. It can be difficult to determine if a cat is displaying changes that are appropriate for age. For example, healthy aged cats may have hematologic or serum biochemistry changes that differ from those of the general feline population. Assessment of behavioral health and cognitive changes, as well as auditory, olfactory and visual changes, can also be challenging in the aged patient. This is the second of two review articles in a Special Issue devoted to feline healthy aging. The goals of the project culminating in these publications included developing a working definition for healthy aging in feline patients and identifying clinical methods that can be used to accurately classify healthy aged cats. This second review proposes criteria for assessing 'healthy aged cats'. There is a paucity of research in feline aging. The authors draw on expert opinion and available data in both the cat and other species. © The Author(s) 2016.

CAN EDUCATION THROUGH POSTER IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF PRESCHOOLERS ABOUT HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? IHHP-HHPC

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Roya Kelishadi

2010-12-01

Full Text Available AbstractINTRODUCTION: Lifelong behavior and risk factors of chronic diseases extend from earlylife to adulthood. It seems that dietary habits and unhealthy food consumption, as well aspassive smoking play an important role in the development of such diseases. Multiplestudies have shown that healthy lifestyle education in preschool children improves theirknowledge, attitude and practice about healthy lifestyle. This study was conducted toevaluate the effect of lifestyle education with educational posters in daycare centers onpreschool children.METHODS: In an interventional study, 250 preschool children were selected via 2-stagerandom cluster sampling and taught tips on healthy lifestyle via educational posters. Theirknowledge on healthy lifestyle was assessed before and after (1 week and 3 monthseducation via a picture-questionnaire, and their practice and behavior were assessed beforeand after education via their favorite choice of snack in daycare centers. Collected datawere analyzed using SPSS13 by paired t-test and Man Whitney test.RESULTS: The knowledge and practice scores of the studied subjects improvedsignificantly one week after intervention compared with baseline, and persisted until the thirdmonth after education.DISCUSSION: Healthy lifestyle education via poster for preschool children can significantlyimprove their knowledge and practice towards healthy lifestyle.Keywords • Healthy life style • Education • Preschool children

Testing the price and affordability of healthy and current (unhealthy diets and the potential impacts of policy change in Australia

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Amanda J. Lee

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Price and affordability of foods are important determinants of health. Targeted food pricing policies may help improve population diets. However, methods producing comparable data to inform relevant policy decisions are lacking in Australia and globally. The objective was to develop and pilot standardised methods to assess the price, relative price and affordability of healthy (recommended and current (unhealthy diets and test impacts of a potential policy change. Methods Methods followed the optimal approach proposed by INFORMAS using recent Australian dietary intake data and guidelines. Draft healthy and current (unhealthy diet baskets were developed for five household structures. Food prices were collected in stores in a high and low SES location in Brisbane, Australia. Diet prices were calculated and compared with household incomes, and with potential changes to the Australian Taxation System. Wilcoxen-signed rank tests were used to compare differences in price. Results The draft tools and protocols were deemed acceptable at household level, but methods could be refined. All households spend more on current (unhealthy diets than required to purchase healthy (recommended diets, with the majority (53–64 % of the food budget being spent on ‘discretionary’ choices, including take-away foods and alcohol. A healthy diet presently costs between 20–31 % of disposable income of low income households, but would become unaffordable for these families under proposed changes to expand the GST to apply to all foods in Australia. Conclusions Results confirmed that diet pricing methods providing meaningful, comparable data to inform potential fiscal and health policy actions can be developed, but draft tools should be refined. Results suggest that healthy diets can be more affordable than current (unhealthy diets in Australia, but other factors may be as important as price in determining food choices.

Healthy building environments for ageing adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kort, Helianthe S.M.

2017-01-01

A healthy building environment, when looking from a gerontechnology perspective, should facilitate ageing adults' functioning, self-esteem, and prosperity. Creating healthy environments is becoming more and more relevant in society. Older adults tend to stay more indoors when compared to younger

The effect of light touch on balance control during overground walking in healthy young adults

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AR Oates

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Balance control is essential for safe walking. Adding haptic input through light touch may improve walking balance; however, evidence is limited. This research investigated the effect of added haptic input through light touch in healthy young adults during challenging walking conditions. Sixteen individuals walked normally, in tandem, and on a compliant, low-lying balance beam with and without light touch on a railing. Three-dimensional kinematic data were captured to compute stride velocity (m/s, relative time spent in double support (%DS, a medial-lateral margin of stability (MOSML and its variance (MOSMLCV, as well as a symmetry index (SI for the MOSML. Muscle activity was evaluated by integrating electromyography signals for the soleus, tibialis anterior, and gluteus medius muscles bilaterally. Adding haptic input decreased stride velocity, increased the %DS, had no effect on the MOSML magnitude, decreased the MOSMLCV, had no effect on the SI, and increased activity of most muscles examined during normal walking. During tandem walking, stride velocity and the MOSMLCV decreased, while %DS, MOSML magnitude, SI, and muscle activity did not change with light touch. When walking on a low-lying, compliant balance beam, light touch had no effect on walking velocity, MOSML magnitude, or muscle activity; however, the %DS increased and the MOSMLCV and SI decreased when lightly touching a railing while walking on the balance beam. The decreases in the MOSMLCV with light touch across all walking conditions suggest that adding haptic input through light touch on a railing may improve balance control during walking through reduced variability.

Mediterranean Diet: Choose This Heart-Healthy Diet Option

Science.gov (United States)

... Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is a healthy eating plan based on typical ... Mediterranean-style cooking. Here's how to adopt the Mediterranean diet. By Mayo Clinic Staff If you're looking ...

THE IMPACT OF PILATES EXERCISES ON THE POSTURAL ALIGNMENT OF HEALTHY ADULTS

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Bruna Krawczky

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Exercises of Pilates method have been widely used to improve postural alignment. There is strong evidence favoring their use in improving flexibility and balance, as well as some evidence of improvement in muscle strength. However, the benefits related to posture are not well established. Objective: To investigate in healthy adults, the impact of the Pilates method in the postural alignment through some angles in the sagittal plane and the occurrence of pain before and after an exercise session, and after the completion of a 16-session program. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study of pre and post-intervention type. Healthy adults (n = 37 interested in starting Pilates were evaluated for acute effects on posture after a Pilates session (n = 37 and after a 16-session program, for a period of 10 weeks (n = 13. Using the postural assessment software (SAPO, six angles were analyzed: head horizontal alignment (HHA, pelvis horizontal alignment (PHA, hip angle (HA, vertical alignment of the body (VAB, thoracic kyphosis (TK, and lumbar lordosis (LL. The occurrence of pain was investigated to control adverse effects. Results: Statistically significant (p<0.05 differences found after one session include increased HHA (left view, decreased VAB (left view and TK (both side views. After 16 sessions, we observed an increase of HHA, and a decrease of TK, LL (both side views and HA (right view. All the differences point to an improvement of postural alignment. A significant reduction of prevalence of pain was verified after the first session (40.5% vs. 13.5%; p=0.004 and after the full program (30.8% vs. 15.3%; p=0.02. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the Pilates method has a positive impact on postural alignment in healthy adults, besides being a safe exercise.

Effects of combined physical education and nutritional programs on schoolchildren's healthy habits.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallotta, Maria Chiara; Iazzoni, Sara; Emerenziani, Gian Pietro; Meucci, Marco; Migliaccio, Silvia; Guidetti, Laura; Baldari, Carlo

2016-01-01

Background. A multidisciplinary approach seems to be effective in creating healthy habits in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three 5-month combined physical education (PE) and nutritional interventions on body composition, physical activity (PA) level, sedentary time and eating habits of schoolchildren. Methods. Anthropometric data, weekly PA level, sedentary time and eating habits of 230 healthy students were analysed using a repeated-measures ANOVA with Group (experimental group 1 vs experimental group 2 vs control group), Adiposity Status (under fat vs normal fat vs obese), and Time (pre vs post) as factors. Results. Body fat mass percentage increased after intervention (18.92 ± 8.61% vs 19.40 ± 8.51%) in all groups. The weekly PA level significantly increased after intervention in both experimental groups. Sedentary time significantly decreased after the intervention period (565.70 ± 252.93 vs 492.10 ± 230.97 min/week, p healthy habits through life.

Stroller running: Energetic and kinematic changes across pushing methods.

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Alcantara, Ryan S; Wall-Scheffler, Cara M

2017-01-01

Running with a stroller provides an opportunity for parents to exercise near their child and counteract health declines experienced during early parenthood. Understanding biomechanical and physiological changes that occur when stroller running is needed to evaluate its health impact, yet the effects of stroller running have not been clearly presented. Here, three commonly used stroller pushing methods were investigated to detect potential changes in energetic cost and lower-limb kinematics. Sixteen individuals (M/F: 10/6) ran at self-selected speeds for 800m under three stroller conditions (2-Hands, 1-Hand, and Push/Chase) and an independent running control. A significant decrease in speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (ppushing method had a significant effect on speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (ppushing technique influences stroller running speed and kinematics. These findings suggest specific fitness effects may be achieved through the implementation of different pushing methods.

Healthy kids out of school: using mixed methods to develop principles for promoting healthy eating and physical activity in out-of-school settings in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Sliwa, Sarah A; Sharma, Shanti; Dietz, William H; Dolan, Peter R; Nelson, Miriam E; Newman, Molly B; Rockeymoore, Maya; Economos, Christina D

2014-12-31

Widespread practices supporting availability of healthful foods, beverages, and physical activity in out-of-school-time (OST) settings would further obesity prevention efforts. The objective of this article was to describe principles to guide policy development in support of healthy eating and physical activity practices in out-of-school settings to promote obesity prevention. The Institute of Medicine's L.E.A.D. framework (Locate Evidence, Evaluate it, Assemble it, and Inform Decisions) was used to identify practices relevant to children's healthful eating in most OST settings: 1) locate and evaluate information from a national survey of children's perceptions of healthful-food access; published research, reports, policies and guidelines; and roundtables with OST organizations' administrators; 2) assemble information to prioritize actionable practices; and 3) inform programmatic direction. Three evidence-informed guiding principles for short-duration OST resulted: 1) drink right: choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages; 2) move more: boost movement and physical activity in all programs; and 3) snack smart: fuel up on fruits and vegetables. Healthy Kids Out of School was launched to support the dissemination and implementation of these guiding principles in short-duration OST settings, complementing efforts in other OST settings to shift norms around eating and physical activity.

Effect of enforced physical inactivity induced by 60-day of bed rest on hepatic markers of NAFLD in healthy normal-weight women.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudwill, Floriane; Bergouignan, Audrey; Gastebois, Caroline; Gauquelin-Koch, Guillemette; Lefai, Etienne; Blanc, Stéphane; Simon, Chantal

2015-06-01

Physical inactivity leads to a cluster of metabolic disorders that have been associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. We tested whether physical inactivity increases hepatic biomarkers of NAFLDs. Sixteen normal-weight healthy women (body mass index = 21.2 ± 0.5 kg/m(2) ) were studied under controlled energy balance conditions during a previous 60-day bed rest with (n = 8) or without (n = 8) a combined aerobic/resistive exercise protocol. Stored samples were retrospectively used to measure plasma hepatic markers, i.e. steatosis-related alanine and aspartate transaminases, cytokeratin 18 and angiopoietin-like 3, at baseline, after 30 and 60 days of bed rest. Fasting insulin and triglycerides were measured at baseline and after 30 days of bed rest. Two indexes were calculated, one combining alanine and aspartate transaminase and cytokeratin 18 and another cytokeratin 18, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and aspartate aminotransferase. Sixty days of bed rest increased all hepatic markers (P inactive conditions. Physical inactivity increases, independent of fat mass, hepatic markers of steatosis and steatohepatitis. Regular exercise can limit these physical inactivity-induced metabolic alterations. Future studies need to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A pilot study to compare two types of heat-stabilized rice bran in modifying compositions of intestinal microbiota among healthy Chinese adults

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Winnie K.W. So

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a rice bran dietary intervention for healthy Chinese adults, and its effects on the participants’ gut microbiome. Sixteen participants were randomized into two groups (Groups A and B, each consuming a different brand of rice bran. The feasibility of the intervention was assessed by the retention rate, and participants’ compliance to the study. Its acceptability was evaluated by participant satisfaction with the study. Changes in the microbiota profile of their stool samples were analyzed through metagenomic sequencing. High retention (81% and compliance rates (88.0% and 93.8% were observed. Most agreed the rice bran they consumed was palatable. A decrease in the intestinal abundance of Firmicutes (P = 0.01, and an increase in that of Bacteroidetes (P = 0.02, was reported in the stool samples of the participants post-intervention. Interestingly, the fecal abundance of certain propionate producers (Veillonellaceae was increased post-intervention (P < 0.01, while that of butyrate producers (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was decreased (P = 0.01. Our data show that the intervention was feasible and acceptable to the participants, and could result in changes in the composition of intestinal microbiota that maintains intestinal health in Chinese adults.

Interdisciplinary Research on Healthy Aging: Introduction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willekens, F.J.; Carey, James; Li, Qiang

2018-01-01

Background: This is an introduction to a Special Collection of Demographic Research on Interdisciplinary Research on Healthy Aging. The collection is an outcome of an international conference in China on biodemography and multistate modeling in healthy aging research. Causal analysis is the common

Youth Can! Grow Healthy: A Formative Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Program

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Andrew Carberry

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a formative evaluation of an afterschool program that combined positive youth development and school garden curricula. Novel approaches were used to teach elementary school children about gardening and nutrition, and to engage them in advocacy for healthy community physical activity and nutrition environments. The youth development curriculum included sessions on team building, community pride, healthy eating, physical activity, and advocacy. Photovoice methods were used to allow participants to assess their community and communicate findings with community leaders. The school garden curriculum included nutrition and gardening lessons. Formative evaluation was conducted for each session. Themes of the evaluation were: successful methods for engaging youth, issues in the social environment, and implications for program management. Evaluation results are discussed in relationship to relevant youth development literature to provide recommendations that will strengthen future programs.

Prolonged use of Kinesiotaping does not enhance functional performance and joint proprioception in healthy young males : Randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Magalhães, Igor; Bottaro, Martim; Freitas, João R.; Carmo, Jake; Matheus, João P.C.; Carregaro, Rodrigo Luiz

2016-01-01

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of continuous (48-hour) use of Kinesiotaping (KT) on functional and proprioceptive performance in healthy, physically active men. Method: Twenty-six healthy, physically active men (21.8±2.2 years old) were randomly allocated into two

Transient Elastographic Values of Healthy Volunteers in a Tertiary Care Hospital

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Bhupendra Kumar Basnet

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction:Transient elastography is a very promising non invasive procedure to determine liver stiffness for diagnosis of fibrosis in various chronic liver diseases. However, studies on normal values of liver stiffness in apparently healthy subjects are still few. We aimed to determine liver stiffness values in healthy Nepalese volunteers. Methods:Transient elastography (FibroScanR, Echosens, Paris, France was performed to find out liver stiffness values in 45 apparently healthy volunteers after explaining study protocol. Complete medical examination with routine laboratory tests was performed. Subjects with normal liver biochemistries and normal liver ultrasonography were taken for analysis. Results:Mean liver stiffness value of study subjects was 4.24±0.70 kPa. Liver stiffness value was found higher in males than in females (4.32±0.74 vs 4.07±0.61 kPa, respectively, P=0.26 but not statistically significant. Similarly, comparison between age and liver stiffness also showed positive correlation (r=0.211 but not statistically significant (P=0.164 Conclusions: Our study showed that the mean liver stiffness value was 4.24±0.70 kPa in our population and influence of age, gender and body mass index were not significant. Keywords: chronic liver disease; FibroScanR; healthy volunteers; liver stiffness valve; transient elastography.

Healthy Skin Matters

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... skin. If you’re helping out in the kitchen, make sure you use hot pads or wear ... in humans, plants, and animals, while others are essential for a healthy life. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) ( ...

Motivations for Healthy Lifestyle in Railroad Employees

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Iztok Ostan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to present the results of a survey of railroad employees’ motivation for a healthy lifestyle. For this purpose a specific questionnaire was developed. The study was performed on 245 Slovene railroad workers (168 of them blue-collar ones. The great majority (66.9% were found to be overweight or obese (BMI 25 or more, with no significant difference between blue- and white-collar workers. The great majority of them were in general aware of having unhealthy nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle. Most of the employees felt the need to improve (at least in part their nutrition (74.7% and lifestyle (78.0%; the majority (67.8% also declared that they could adopt a healthier lifestyle despite the constraints of everyday life and work conditions; however, 57.6% said that they had been already putting considerable effort into a healthier nutrition and lifestyle. Thus the effort needed to overcome constraints toward a healthier lifestyle seems to be the key problem: the majority (54.3% would rather choose walking than running or other intensive forms of exercise; they are not ready to do it for more than one hour per day (60%, and they are not ready to give up permanently food that they like and that is considered unhealthy. The differences in motivations for a healthy lifestyle between blue- and white-collar workers were not significant at the 0.05 level. Further research in this field is needed; however, it seems that the methods of efficient marginal modifications of lifestyle are required. KEYWORDS human resources management, railroad, blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, healthy lifestyle, motivations

Salivary IgA concentration in diabetic patients compared to healthy controls

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Farimah Sardari

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The alterations in salivary flow rate and its compositions could affect the development, symptoms, and severity of oral changes in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration of salivary IgA in type I in comparison with type II diabetic patients and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 25 patients with type I diabetes, 25 patients with type II diabetes, and 25 control subjects (12 subjects for the type I and 13 subjects for the type II were enrolled. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected by spitting method and the concentration of salivary IgA was measured byenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA method. Results: The mean of salivary IgA in type I diabetic patients was 148.3 ± 38.7 μg/ml and in their controls was 65.8 ± 17.4 μg/ml (P < 0.001. In type II diabetic patients the mean of salivary IgA was 67.3 ± 20.6 μg/ml and in their controls was 63.3 ± 15.2 μg/ml. There was no significant difference between patients with type II diabetes and controls (P = 0.54. The mean of salivary IgA in patients with type I diabetes was significantly higher than in patients with type II diabetes (148.3 ± 38.7 versus 67.3 ± 20.6 μg/ml, respectively, P < 0.001. Conclusions: Level of salivary IgA in type II diabetic patients in comparison with their healthy control did not show any significant difference, but in type I diabetic patients was higher than that of healthy controls and type II diabetic patients.

[The enantioselective pharmacokinetic study of desvenlafaxine sustained release tablet in Chinese healthy male volunteers after oral administration].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yin-xia; Du, Jiang-bo; Zhang, Yi-fan; Chen, Xiao-yan; Zhong, Da-fang

2015-04-01

A chiral LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous analysis of desvenlafaxine (DVS) enantiomers in human plasma was developed and applied to a pharmacokinetic study on 12 Chinese healthy volunteers. d6-Desvenlafaxine was used as internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on the Astec Chirobiotic V chiral column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.500-150 ng x mL(-1) for both enantiomers (r2 > 0.99). The method was successfully applied to a stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of 100 mg desvenlafaxine sustained release tablets on 12 Chinese healthy volunteers under fasting conditions. The results showed that the pharmacokinetic parameters were similar to both enantiomers in Chinese healthy volunteers. The AUC(0-t), and C(max) of the two enantiomers were about 1.5 times higher than those of blacks and whites reported in the literature.

Healthy diet : Health impact, prevalence, correlates, and interventions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Ridder, Denise; Kroese, Floor; Evers, Catharine; Adriaanse, Marieke; Gillebaart, Marleen

2017-01-01

Objective: To discuss healthy diet from a psychological perspective by considering definitions of healthy diet in terms of consumer understanding; the health effects of specific dietary elements in terms of overweight and (chronic) illness; the prevalence of healthy diet; the psychological and

Method for in-vivo NMR measurements in the human breast to screen for small breast cancer in an otherwise healthy breast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rollwitz, W.L.

1986-01-01

A method is described of conducting a noninvasive female breast cancer test comprising the steps of: (a) forming an inhomogeneous magnetic field between the poles of a magnet wherein the magnetic field defines a specific volume between the poles wherein the specific volume has a specified magnetic field intensity H/sub o/ for NMR testing and the specific volume extends outwardly to an edge defined by the outer edge of the female breast; (b) moving incrementally the specific volume from a beginning point toward an ending point to scan a breast between the pole pieces of the magnet and thereby move the specific volume through the breast the movement being with N examinations located along the breast at different locations wherein each specific volume has the defined thickness and outward extent; (c) periodically interrogating by a transmitted pulse from a coil into the breast portion located in the specific volume for NMR response wherein the NMR response is dependent on hydrogen in the water, and the water has two states, one state in cancer cells and the other state in healthy tissue, and the cancer cells provide a different NMR response compared with water in the healthy tissue, the step of interrogating including first and second NMR interrogations of specific breast volumes forming NMR responses; (d) wherein the magnetic field intensity in the specific volume and the pulse from the coil cause an NMR response from water in the body tissue making up the breast portion; and (e) determining cancer cell anomalies arising from cancer cells in the breast as indicated by comparison of the NMR water responses to form difference signals

HEALTHY study rationale, design and methods: Moderating risk of type 2 diabetes in multi-ethnic middle school students

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The HEALTHY primary prevention trial was designed and implemented in response to the growing numbers of children and adolescents being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The objective was to moderate risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Modifiable risk factors measured were indicators of adiposity and gly...

Adult height, dietary patterns, and healthy aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Wenjie; Hagan, Kaitlin A; Heianza, Yoriko; Sun, Qi; Rimm, Eric B; Qi, Lu

2017-08-01

Background: Adult height has shown directionally diverse associations with several age-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, decline in cognitive function, and mortality. Objective: We investigated the associations of adult height with healthy aging measured by a full spectrum of health outcomes, including incidence of chronic diseases, memory, physical functioning, and mental health, among populations who have survived to older age, and whether lifestyle factors modified such relations. Design: We included 52,135 women (mean age: 44.2 y) from the Nurses' Health Study without chronic diseases in 1980 and whose health status was available in 2012. Healthy aging was defined as being free of 11 major chronic diseases and having no reported impairment of subjective memory, physical impairment, or mental health limitations. Results: Of all eligible study participants, 6877 (13.2%) were classified as healthy agers. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, we observed an 8% (95% CI: 6%, 11%) decrease in the odds of healthy aging per SD (0.062 m) increase in height. Compared with the lowest category of height (≤1.57 m), the OR of achieving healthy aging in the highest category (≥1.70 m) was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.87; P -trend healthy aging ( P -interaction = 0.005), and among the individual dietary factors characterizing the prudent dietary pattern, fruit and vegetable intake showed the strongest effect modification ( P -interaction = 0.01). The association of greater height with reduced odds of healthy aging appeared to be more evident among women with higher adherence to the prudent dietary pattern rich in vegetable and fruit intake. Conclusions: Greater height was associated with a modest decrease in the likelihood of healthy aging. A prudent diet rich in fruit and vegetables might modify the relation. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

New, Patented Technique for Naturally Restoring Healthy Vision

Science.gov (United States)

Anganes, Andrew A.; McLeod, Roger David; Machado, Milena

2009-05-01

The patented NATUROPTIC METHOD FOR RESTORING HEALTHY VISION claims to be a novel teaching method for safely and naturally improving vision. It is a simple tutoring process designed to work quickly, requiring only a minimal number of sessions for improvement. We investigated these claims, implementing Naturoptics for safe recovery of vision, ourselves, over a period of time. Research was conducted at off campus locations, mentored by the creator of the Naturoptic Method. We assessed our initial visual acuity and subsequent progress, using standard Snellen Eye Charts. Our research is designed to document successive improvements in vision, and to assess our potential for teaching the method. Naturoptics' Board encourages work-study memorial awards for students. They are: ``The David Matthew McLeod Memorial Award,'' or ``The Kaan Balam Matagamon Memorial Award,'' with net earnings shared by the designees, academic entities, the American Indians in Science and Engineering Society, AISES, or charity. The Board requires awardees, students, and associated entities, to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Future perspective and healthy lifestyle choices in adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Tasdemir-Ozdes, Aylin; Strickland-Hughes, Carla M; Bluck, Susan; Ebner, Natalie C

2016-09-01

Regardless of age, making healthy lifestyle choices is prudent. Despite that, individuals of all ages sometimes have difficulty choosing the healthy option. We argue that individuals' view of the future and position in the life span affects their current lifestyle choices. We capture the multidimensionality of future thinking by assessing 3 types of future perspective. Younger and older men and women (N = 127) reported global future time perspective, future health perspective, and perceived importance of future health-related events. They also rated their likelihood of making healthy lifestyle choices. As predicted, older participants indicated greater intention to make healthy choices in their current life than did younger participants. Compared to younger participants, older participants reported shorter global future time perspective and anticipated worse future health but perceived future health-related events as more important. Having a positive view of one's future health and seeing future health-related events as important were related to greater intention to make healthy lifestyle choices, but greater global future time perspective was not directly related to healthy choices. However, follow-up analyses suggested that greater global future time perspective indirectly affected healthy choices via a more positive view of future health. None of these relations were moderated by age. Individuals' perspective on the future is shown to be an important multidimensional construct affecting everyday healthy lifestyle choices for both younger and older adults. Implications for encouraging healthy choices across the adult life span are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

iPad-assisted measurements of duration estimation in psychiatric patients and healthy control subjects.

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Irene Preuschoff

Full Text Available Handheld devices with touchscreen controls have become widespread in the general population. In this study, we examined the duration estimates (explicit timing made by patients in a major general hospital and healthy control subjects using a custom iPad application. We methodically assessed duration estimates using this novel device. We found that both psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients significantly overestimated time periods compared with healthy control subjects, who estimated elapsed time very precisely. The use of touchscreen-based methodologies can provide valuable information about patients.

Healthy universities: an example of a whole-system health-promoting setting.

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Newton, Joanne; Dooris, Mark; Wills, Jane

2016-03-01

The health-promoting settings approach is well established in health promotion, with organisational settings being understood as complex systems able to support human wellbeing and flourishing. Despite the reach and evident importance of higher education as a sector, 'healthy universities' has not received high-level international leadership comparable to many other settings programmes. This study explores how the concept of a healthy university is operationalised in two case study universities. Data collection methods included documentary analysis, observation field notes and semi-structured interviews with staff and students. Staff and students understood the characteristics of a healthy university to pertain to management processes relating to communication and to a respectful organisational ethos. Enhancers of health and wellbeing were feeling valued, being listened to, having skilled and supportive line managers and having a positive physical environment. Inhibitors of health and wellbeing were having a sense of powerlessness and a lack of care and concern. The concept of the healthy university has been slow to be adopted in contrast to initiatives such as healthy schools. In addition to challenges relating to lack of theorisation, paucity of evidence and difficulties in capturing the added value of whole-system working, this study suggests that this may be due to both their complex organisational structure and the diverse goals of higher education, which do not automatically privilege health and wellbeing. It also points to the need for a whole-university approach that pays attention to the complex interactions and interconnections between component parts and highlights how the organisation can function effectively as a social system. © The Author(s) 2015.

Factors That Influence Campus Dwelling University Students' Facility to Practice Healthy Living Guidelines.

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Walsh, Audrey; Taylor, Claudette; Brennick, Debbie

2017-01-01

Background Young adult university students living on campus are at an increased risk of developing lifestyle habits that encourage unintentional weight gain. Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify the individual and contextual factors that influence campus dwelling university students' facility to practice healthy living guidelines that reduce their risk of unintentional weight gain. Lifestyle practices included nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. Methods For seven days, 48 campus dwelling students recorded their activities and reflected on how closely they were able to follow recommended healthy living guidelines. Recorded data were supplemented by follow-up focus groups. All data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Students described multiple factors and conditions that influenced their facility to practice healthy living guidelines for nutrition, activity, and sleep. Many students' lifestyle practices put them at an increased risk of unintentional weight gain. Conclusions The campus environment challenges student's facility to practice healthy living guidelines. Nurses can intervene to build individual student capacity and to advocate for environmental polices that increase students' facility to choose lifestyle practices that promote health, lessen their risk of unintentional weight gain, and reduce their risk of developing chronic illness.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activity in healthy and diseased dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jessen, Lisbeth Rem; Wiinberg, Bo; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads

2010-01-01

Background: In people, increased thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) antigen has been associated with increased risk of thrombosis, and decreased TAFI may contribute to bleeding diathesis. TAFI activity in dogs has been described in experimental models, but not in dogs...... with spontaneous disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare TAFI activity in healthy dogs with TAFI activity in dogs with spontaneous disease. Methods: Plasma samples from 20 clinically healthy Beagles and from 35 dogs with various diseases were analyzed using a commercial chromogenic assay...... that measured TAFI activity relative to activity in standardized pooled human plasma. Results: Median TAFI activity for the 20 Beagles was 46.1% (range 32.2-70.8%) compared with 62.6% (29.1-250%) for the 35 diseased dogs, and 14/35 (40%) had TAFI activities >the upper limit for controls. The highest individual...

The acute (immediate) effects of reflexology on arterial compliance in healthy volunteers: A randomised study.

OpenAIRE

Rollinson, K; Jones, J; Scott, N; Megson, IL; Leslie, SJ

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Reflexology is a widely used complementary therapy. The effects of reflexology on the cardiovascular system are not well characterised. Arterial stiffness (compliance) is a marker of vascular health. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of reflexology on arterial compliance in healthy volunteers. METHODS: 12 healthy volunteers (1 male; 11 female; mean age 44.8 ± 10.8 yrs) received 10 min of reflexology on each foot in a single-blind randomised study. The main outcome measures ...

Evaluation of wet cupping therapy on the arterial and venous blood parameters in healthy Arabian horses

OpenAIRE

Turke Shawaf; Wael El-Deeb; Jamal Hussen; Mahmoud Hendi; Shahab Al-Bulushi

2018-01-01

Aim: Recently, the complementary therapies such as cupping and acupuncture are being used in veterinary medicine. This research was carried out to determine the effects of wet cupping therapy (Hijama) on the hematological and the biochemical parameters in the healthy Arabian horses for the first time. Materials and Methods: In this study, seven clinically healthy Arabian horses were randomly selected. Four points on the animal body were selected to perform the cupping therapy. Two points ...

Comparison of Plasma Neurosteroid and Prolactin Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia and Healthy Individuals

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Forough Riahi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The present study aimed to compare plasma levels of cortisol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, and prolactin in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals. Method. A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia disorder (69 men and 31 women and 190 healthy individuals (94 men and 96 women participated in this cross-sectional study. They were tested for hormone levels and completed demographic questionnaires. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA and one-way analysis of variance. Results. Serum testosterone level was significantly higher in men with schizophrenia than in healthy men. Women with schizophrenia had a significantly higher level of testosterone and lower level of prolactin compared to healthy women. There were no significant differences in hormone levels across various subtypes of schizophrenia. No significant differences also were observed in hormones levels in patients with first-episode schizophrenia disorder compared to those in patients with recurrent episodes. Conclusion. This study indicated that abnormal testosterone and prolactin levels might be associated with pathophysiology of schizophrenia disorder.

Carer Knowledge and Perceptions of Healthy Lifestyles for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

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Melville, Craig A.; Hamilton, Sarah; Miller, Susan; Boyle, Susan; Robinson, Nicola; Pert, Carol; Hankey, Catherine R.

2009-01-01

Background: Carers can have a significant impact supporting people with intellectual disabilities to make healthy lifestyle choices. This study examines carers' training needs on diet and physical activity. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken of the knowledge and perceptions of carers supporting adults with intellectual disabilities.…

Genome-Wide Association Study and Linkage Analysis of the Healthy Aging Index

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Minster, Ryan L; Sanders, Jason L; Singh, Jatinder

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The Healthy Aging Index (HAI) is a tool for measuring the extent of health and disease across multiple systems. METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study and a genome-wide linkage analysis to map quantitative trait loci associated with the HAI and a modified HAI weighted...

The Comparison of Alexithymia and Emotions Control among Substance Abusers and Healthy People

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M.J Bagyan Kouleh Marz

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare Alexithymia and emotional control among substance abusers and healthy people. Method: The research design was causal-comparative research design which is categorized as descriptive research method. The population included of all people who were referred to addiction treatment centers in Noor-Abad city (Delfan. The participants of the study comprised of 50 addicts under treatment and 50 healthy participants who were matched based on age, education level, social-economical status, and number of children selected by available sampling method. The alexithymia (TAS-20 and emotions control scales administered among both groups. Results: The results showed that there is a significant difference between addicts and non-addicts groups in terms of alexithymia and emotional control. In addition, difficulty in identifying of feelings, depression, anxiety and anger were the most important predictors of addiction severity. Conclusion: These results show that any difficulty in expressing emotions and disability in controlling of negative emotions (anger, depression, and anxiety are risk factors for substance abuse.

PROMOTING TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS AS HEALTHY DIET PRODUCTS

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Mihaela Teodora TARCZA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to propose a brief introspection in the literature review in an attempt to highlight the peculiarities of traditional foodstuffs that enable them to be promoted as the primary food for a healthy diet. The trend of healthy eating is gaining ground not only for experts and researchers, but also for consumers on a daily basis. Traditional foodstuffs are brought back into the consumers’ attention in a market full of highly-processed foodstuffs. Marketing specialists noticed the link between the two concepts and they elaborated promotional strategies for traditional foodstuffs, having the ‘healthy diet’ as insight. Throughout the paper we will present theoretical considerations such as the concept of ‘traditional food product’, ‘promotion’, and ‘healthy diet’ from a marketing perspective followed by several examples of traditional food products perceived as healthy, and lastly, we will highlight the benefits of promoting a healthy diet by consuming traditional food products.

Tear ferning test in healthy dogs.

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Oriá, Arianne P; Raposo, Ana Claudia S; Araújo, Nayone L L C; Lima, Felipe B; Masmali, Ali M

2017-11-07

To evaluate and compare three tear sampling methods using two grading scales for administering the tear ferning test (TFT) to healthy dogs. In total, 90 dogs (180 eyes) were subjected to tear sampling using millimetered strips, reused after the Schirmer tear test (STT) (Schirmer group, SG). Then, the dogs were subdivided into three groups according to sampling approach: micropipette (MPG), microcapillary (MCG), and Schirmer sample 2 (S2G). The collected tears were dried on a clean microscope glass slide at room temperature and humidity. The ferning patterns were observed under a polarized light microscope and classified according to the Rolando and Masmali grading scales. Although all three methods were feasible, the STT was easier to perform in clinical settings. Type I and Grade 1 were the most commonly observed (64.17% and 61.7%, respectively) regardless of collection method. There was no significant difference between the STT median values and the TFT classifications. The TFT is appropriate for dogs and can be performed using the three suggested sampling methods, with a higher frequency of Type I and Grade 1. Thus, it is possible to use both grading scales in the classification of tear ferning in dogs. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Neural Signaling of Food Healthiness Associated with Emotion Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Herwig, Uwe; Dhum, Matthias; Hittmeyer, Anna; Opialla, Sarah; Scherpiet, Sigrid; Keller, Carmen; Brühl, Annette B; Siegrist, Michael

2016-01-01

The ability to differentiate healthy from unhealthy foods is important in order to promote good health. Food, however, may have an emotional connotation, which could be inversely related to healthiness. The neurobiological background of differentiating healthy and unhealthy food and its relations to emotion processing are not yet well understood. We addressed the neural activations, particularly considering the single subject level, when one evaluates a food item to be of a higher, compared to a lower grade of healthiness with a particular view on emotion processing brain regions. Thirty-seven healthy subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while evaluating the healthiness of food presented as photographs with a subsequent rating on a visual analog scale. We compared individual evaluations of high and low healthiness of food items and also considered gender differences. We found increased activation when food was evaluated to be healthy in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precuneus in whole brain analyses. In ROI analyses, perceived and rated higher healthiness was associated with lower amygdala activity and higher ventral striatal and orbitofrontal cortex activity. Females exerted a higher activation in midbrain areas when rating food items as being healthy. Our results underline the close relationship between food and emotion processing, which makes sense considering evolutionary aspects. Actively evaluating and deciding whether food is healthy is accompanied by neural signaling associated with reward and self-relevance, which could promote salutary nutrition behavior. The involved brain regions may be amenable to mechanisms of emotion regulation in the context of psychotherapeutic regulation of food intake.

Comparative clinical evaluation of glycosylated haemoglobin level in healthy and chronic periodontitis patients: A chairside diagnostic method.

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Srinivasa, T S; Agrawal, Parul; Goyal, Pravesh; Farista, Sana; Sowmya, N K; Deonani, Sushmita

2015-01-01

Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level can consequently be interpreted as an average of the blood glucose present over the past 3-4 months. Periodontitis is associated with glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of HbA1c in healthy and periodontitis patients who were previously not diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. A total of 40 patients were selected for study and divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with a healthy periodontium, and Group 2 included patients suffering from chronic periodontitis. Finger stick blood was collected by special collection unit (A1CNOW+® Bayer Health Care, Tarrytown New York, USA), for estimating level of HbA1c. Both groups showed similar HbA1c levels clinically with slight increase in levels in the test group, but was statistically significant (test--5.66 ± 0.35%, control--5.17 ± 0.3% P = 0.003). Indians are at a high-risk of developing periodontitis and diabetes. These data suggest a possible link between periodontitis and glycemic control in nondiabetic individuals, periodontal disease may be a potential contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Consumer perceptions of beef healthiness: results from a qualitative study in four European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Wezemael, Lynn; Verbeke, Wim; de Barcellos, Marcia D; Scholderer, Joachim; Perez-Cueto, Federico

2010-06-15

Consumer perception of the healthiness of beef is an important determinant of beef consumption. However, little is known about how consumers perceive the healthiness of beef. The aim of this study is to shed light on the associations between beef and health. Eight focus group discussions were conducted in four European countries (France, UK, Germany, Spain), each consisting of seven to nine participants. A content analysis was performed on the transcripts of these discussions. Although beef was generally perceived as healthful, focus group participants expected positive as well as negative effects of beef consumption on their health. Labelled, branded, fresh and lean beef were perceived as signalling healthful beef, in contrast with further processed and packaged beef. Consumers felt that their individual choices could make a difference with respect to the healthiness of beef consumed. Focus group participants were not in favour of improving beef healthiness during processing, but rather focussed on appropriate consumption behaviour and preparation methods. The individual responsibility for health implies that consumers should be able to make correct judgements about how healthful their food is. However, the results of this study indicate that an accurate assessment of beef healthiness is not always straightforward. The presented results on consumer perceptions of beef healthiness provide insights into consumer decision making processes, which are important for the innovation and product differentiation in the European beef sector, as well as for public health policy decisions related to meat consumption in general and beef consumption in particular.

Healthy lifestyle behaviour among Ghanaian adults in the phase of a health policy change

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Dake Fidelia AA

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many countries have adopted health policies that are targeted at reducing the risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases. These policies promote a healthy population by encouraging people to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours. This paper examines healthy lifestyle behaviour among Ghanaian adults by comparing behaviours before and after the introduction of a national health policy. The paper also explores the socio-economic and demographic factors associated with healthy lifestyle behaviour. Method Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate regression techniques were employed on two nationally representative surveys (2003 World Health Survey (Ghana and 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey to arrive at the results. Results While the prevalence of some negative lifestyle behaviours like smoking has reduced others like alcohol consumption has increased. Relatively fewer people adhered to consuming the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable servings per day in 2008 compared to 2003. While more females (7.0% exhibited healthier lifestyles, more males (9.0% exhibited risky lifestyle behaviours after the introduction of the policy. Conclusion The improvement in healthy lifestyle behaviours among female adult Ghanaians will help promote healthy living and potentially lead to a reduction in the prevalence of obesity among Ghanaian women. The increase in risky lifestyle behaviour among adult male Ghanaians even after the introduction of the health policy could lead to an increase in the risk of non-communicable diseases among men and the resultant burden of disease on them and their families will push more people into poverty.

Testing the price and affordability of healthy and current (unhealthy) diets and the potential impacts of policy change in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Amanda J; Kane, Sarah; Ramsey, Rebecca; Good, Elizabeth; Dick, Mathew

2016-04-12

Price and affordability of foods are important determinants of health. Targeted food pricing policies may help improve population diets. However, methods producing comparable data to inform relevant policy decisions are lacking in Australia and globally. The objective was to develop and pilot standardised methods to assess the price, relative price and affordability of healthy (recommended) and current (unhealthy) diets and test impacts of a potential policy change. Methods followed the optimal approach proposed by INFORMAS using recent Australian dietary intake data and guidelines. Draft healthy and current (unhealthy) diet baskets were developed for five household structures. Food prices were collected in stores in a high and low SES location in Brisbane, Australia. Diet prices were calculated and compared with household incomes, and with potential changes to the Australian Taxation System. Wilcoxen-signed rank tests were used to compare differences in price. The draft tools and protocols were deemed acceptable at household level, but methods could be refined. All households spend more on current (unhealthy) diets than required to purchase healthy (recommended) diets, with the majority (53-64 %) of the food budget being spent on 'discretionary' choices, including take-away foods and alcohol. A healthy diet presently costs between 20-31 % of disposable income of low income households, but would become unaffordable for these families under proposed changes to expand the GST to apply to all foods in Australia. Results confirmed that diet pricing methods providing meaningful, comparable data to inform potential fiscal and health policy actions can be developed, but draft tools should be refined. Results suggest that healthy diets can be more affordable than current (unhealthy) diets in Australia, but other factors may be as important as price in determining food choices.

Fatal pneumonia following inoculation of healthy bighorn sheep with Pasteurella haemolytica from healthy domestic sheep.

Science.gov (United States)

Foreyt, W J; Snipes, K P; Kasten, R W

1994-04-01

In a series of three experiments, isolates of Pasteurella haemolytica biotype A, serotype 2, ribotype reference WSU-1, from healthy domestic sheep, were inoculated intratracheally into eight bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) and seven domestic sheep with doses of bacteria ranging from 5.3 x 10(8) to 8.6 x 10(11) colony forming units. Seven of eight inoculated bighorn sheep died from acute pneumonia within 48 hr of inoculation, whereas all seven domestic sheep inoculated with comparable or greater doses of bacteria remained healthy. One contact control bighorn sheep also died 6 days after its penmates received P. haemolytica. Three other noncontact control bighorn sheep remained healthy during the experiments. Pasteurella haemolytica biotype A, serotype 2, ribotype reference WSU-1 in the inocula was recovered from one or more tissues from all bighorns that died; whereas, it was not detected in any bighorn sheep before inoculation. Three different ribotypes of P. haemolytica A2 were recovered from bighorn sheep; however, only the ribotype reference WSU-1 in the domestic sheep-origin inoculum was recovered from all dead bighorn sheep, and was not recovered from bighorn sheep that survived the experiments. Thus, a relatively nonpathogenic and common isolate of P. haemolytica from healthy domestic sheep was lethal in bighorn sheep under experimental conditions.

Metaproteomics of saliva identifies human protein markers specific for individuals with periodontitis and dental caries compared to orally healthy controls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Belstrøm, Daniel; Jersie-Christensen, Rosa R; Lyon, David

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: The composition of the salivary microbiota has been reported to differentiate between patients with periodontitis, dental caries and orally healthy individuals. To identify characteristics of diseased and healthy saliva we thus wanted to compare saliva metaproteomes from patients...... with periodontitis and dental caries to healthy individuals. METHODS: Stimulated saliva samples were collected from 10 patients with periodontitis, 10 patients with dental caries and 10 orally healthy individuals. The proteins in the saliva samples were subjected to denaturing buffer and digested enzymatically...... and inflammatory markers in periodontitis and dental caries compared to healthy controls. Bacterial proteome profiles and functional annotation were very similar in health and disease. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of proteins related to the complement system and inflammation seems to correlate with oral disease...

The Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study: Design and methods1

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Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Story, Mary; Gurvich, Olga; Kubik, Martha Y.; Garwick, Ann; Dudovitz, Bonnie

2014-01-01

Background Informed and engaged parents and healthful home environments are essential for the health of youth. Although research has shown health benefits associated with family meals, to date, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been developed to examine the impact of a family meals intervention on behavioral and health outcomes. Methods/Design The Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study is a two-arm (intervention versus attention-only control) RCT being conducted in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Built on previous pilot research, HOME Plus aims to increase the frequency and healthfulness of family meals and snacks and reduce children’s sedentary behavior, particularly screen time, to promote healthier eating and activity behaviors and prevent obesity. HOME Plus is delivered to families in community settings. The program includes 10 monthly sessions focused on nutrition and activity education, meal planning and preparation skill development. In addition, five motivational goal-setting phone calls are conducted with parents. The primary outcome measure is age- and gender-adjusted child BMI-z score at post-intervention by treatment group. Secondary household-level outcomes include family meal frequency, home availability of healthful foods (fruits/vegetables) and unhealthful foods (high-fat/sugary snacks) and beverages (sugar-sweetened beverages), and the quality of foods served at meals and snacks. Secondary child outcomes include dietary intake of corresponding foods and beverages and screen time. Conclusions The HOME Plus RCT actively engages whole families of 8–12 year old children to promote healthier eating and activity behaviors and prevent obesity through promotion of family meals and snacks and limited media use. PMID:24480729

The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP)--an overview of and recommendations arising from the conceptualisation and development of an innovative approach to promoting healthy lifestyles for children and their families.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Jenny; Wyatt, Katrina

2015-01-20

Despite the rise in childhood obesity, there remains a paucity of evidence for effective interventions that engage children and parents sufficiently to make and sustain lifestyle behaviour change. The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) is a school-located obesity prevention programme, which has been developed with teachers, families and healthcare professionals. The underpinning assumption in the development of HeLP was to take a relational approach to changing behaviour, building relationships with the schools, children and their families to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyle choices. Thus, HeLP was conceptualised as a complex intervention within a complex system and developed as a dynamic, evolving set of processes to support and motivate children towards healthy behaviours. The delivery methods used are highly interactive and encourage identification with and ownership of the healthy lifestyle messages so that the children are motivated to take them home to their parents and effect change within the family. We have good evidence that HeLP engages schools and children such that they want to participate in the Programme. Results from an exploratory trial showed that the Programme is feasible and acceptable and has the potential to change behaviours and affect weight status. This paper presents an overview of and recommendations arising from the conceptualization; development and evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme as part of a special issue focusing on novel approaches to the global problem of childhood obesity.

Healthy Conflict Management

OpenAIRE

Brower, Naomi

2012-01-01

Without healthy conflict management skills, conflict can often escalate or intensify over time. This fact sheet gives tips on utilizing key negotiation skills to help individuals effectively address and cope with conflict and potentially build stronger relationships with others.

Association of Healthy Food Intake with Psychiatric Distress in Children and Adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV study

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Hoda Zahedi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Healthy dietary habits are known as a key factor for improving brain functions and cognitive ability in children and adolescents. The goal of this study was to evaluate the association of healthy food consumption with mental health in Iranian children and adolescents.Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from the fourth national school-based surveillance survey entitled CASPIAN-IV study. In this study, 14880 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years were selected by multistage, cluster sampling method from rural and urban areas. The students and their parents completed two sets of questionnaires. The psychiatric distress included depression, worry, insomnia, anxiety, aggression, confusion, and worthless and the violent behaviors comprised of physical fight, victim and bully. The healthy foods included fresh fruits, dried fruits, vegetables and dairy products.Results: The participants include 13,486 students from elementary, intermediate and high school degree. The prevalence of psychiatric distress was significantly higher among high school students, while violent behaviors were more prevalent in the middle school students. According to the multivariate model (model IV, the risk of psychiatric distress was significantly lower in students with daily consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables and milk. In addition, those with daily consumption of vegetables and milk had significantly lower risk for violent behaviors.Conclusion: Consumption of healthy foods may reduce the risk of psychiatric distress and violent behaviors. Therefore, in addition to its benefits, increasing healthy food consumption among children and adolescents can be useful in preventing mental health disorders.

Comparison of T wave alternans in patients with cardiomyopathy and healthy controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hira, A.; Khan, M. A.; Hayat, A.

2017-01-01

Objective: To compare T wave alternans in patients with cardiomyopathy and healthy controls. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology Rawalpindi, from Feb 2016 to Aug 2016. Material and Methods: Sixty patients with cardiomyopathy (any type) along with sixty healthy controls of matched age and gender were recruited through non-probability purposive sampling. Patients with diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, bundle branch block, systemic arterial hypertension and ongoing antiarrhythmic therapy were excluded from the study. DMS 300-4L Holters were used to obtain ambulatory ECG recordings. Cardio Scan premier 12 lux software was used for analysis of T wave alternans. Results: Total one twenty subjects were enrolled in the study. Cardiomyopathic patients with positive T wave alternans were 13 (21.7 percent) out of 60, while only 4 (6.7 percent) out of 60 healthy controls demonstrated positive T wave alternans. There was significant variation in frequency of patients with positive T wave alternans as compared to healthy controls with p-value of 0.02. In cases the mean value of T wave alternans was 55.10 µv ± 33.58 while 39.45 µv ± 13.53 in controls. The difference in mean value of T wave alternans between cases and controls was significant with p-value of 0.001. Conclusion: The frequency of patients with cardiomyopathy having positive T wave alternans was significantly higher as compared to the healthy controls. (author)

Less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently in large supermarket chains in Canada

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Monique Potvin Kent

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The majority of food expenditures are made in supermarkets and this environment influences our purchasing and food intake. Breakfast cereals are frequently marketed as healthy food choices. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of in–store promotions for cold breakfast cereals in Canadian supermarkets and to determine whether healthier or less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently. Methods Data was collected once per week over a four-week period from a convenience sample of the five largest Canadian supermarkets in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Data collection included the number of shelf facings, promotional displays, and the cost of cereals/100 g. The UK Nutrient Profiling Model was used to determine the healthfulness of each breakfast cereal. Results 29.8% (n = 67 of the 225 unique cereals were classified as healthier and 70.2% (n = 158 were classified as less healthy. Less healthy cereals were displayed at eye level, in the profitable middle shelves, 2.9 times more frequently than healthier cereals. There were 5.3 times more breakfast cereal shelf facings, 4.2 more end cap displays, 1.7 more mid-aisle displays and 3.3 more special pricing signage for less healthy cereals compared to healthier cereals. Less healthy cereals had a significantly higher average total number of shelf facings compared to healthier cereals (t = −4.28 (280.8, p < .001. Conclusions Breakfast cereal manufacturers need to consider reformulation of their breakfast cereals to improve their healthfulness and supermarkets need to increase the marketing of healthy breakfast cereals within their stores.

Perceived barriers to achieving a healthy weight: a qualitative study using focus groups at public and private schools in Guatemala City

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Luisa Madrigal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Overweight prevalence among Guatemalan girls is higher in public than in private schools. Little is known about adolescent girls’ perceptions of the right ways to achieve a healthy weight. This study examines public and private school adolescent girls’ perceptions of a “healthy weight,” and barriers and facilitators to achieving it. Methods We conducted 4 focus groups in public and private schools in Guatemala City with girls from 13 to 15 years old. The discussion guide included open-ended questions and activities aimed at examining perceptions of “healthy weight” and barriers and motivators to achieving it within the school environment. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data analyses followed established methods of content analysis. Results Twenty-eight girls (private school, n = 12; public school, n = 16 of ages ranging from 13.1 to 15.9 years (median, 14, IQR, 13.6–14.9 participated in the study. Girls identified images of thin and fit women as healthy. They cited healthy eating and physical activity as ways to achieve a healthy weight. Within the school environment, barriers to maintaining a healthy weight included a lack of healthy food options and the prioritization of sports for boys over girls. In public schools, facilities were less than optimal; in private schools, girls’ access to facilities was limited. Public school girls stated that their uniforms were inappropriate for exercising. Conclusion Our findings support the need to provide more healthy food options in Guatemalan schools. In addition, physical activity for girls should be promoted and facilities made available for their use.

Orchid Classification Disease Identification And Healthiness Prediction System

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K. W. V Sanjaya

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Floriculture has become one of Sri Lankas major foreign exchange ventures and it has grown substantially during the last few years. Currently we can find three major types of growers in floriculture. They are Large Commercial Ventures Middle Level growers and Village Level growers. Both Middle Level and Village level growers usually go for low cost cultivation with minimum advanced techniques sticking to conventional methods. Orchid cultivation is more pleasurable and profitable than any other floriculture ventures. As the orchid cultivation is so pleasurable we can introduce another group of growers who cultivate orchid in their home gardens for making their home gardens beautiful. But the problem is that most of these growers may not have the knowledge to identify the specie of the plants as there are a number of similar looking plants which are in different species. And also they may not have the knowledge about the orchid diseases. Because of that they may not be able to get the maximum outcome from their cultivations. So the aim of our project is to address the above mentioned issues by introducing a system which can identify orchid species amp diseases and predict the healthiness of the orchid plants. The only input to this system is an image of an orchid leaf and the system will provide the orchid specie name diseases if there any healthiness of the orchid plant and suggestions to overcome the issues associated with the orchid plant as the output. We identify the orchid species and diseases by extracting the features of orchid plant leaf in the input image using image processing technics and with the use of data mining technics we predict the healthiness of the orchid plant. So this system will be a great help for the people who love to grow orchids but dont have knowledge about the orchid species and diseases. And also they will be able to find the healthiness of their orchid plants.

Healthy publics: enabling cultures and environments for health

Science.gov (United States)

Hinchliffe, Stephen; Jackson, Mark A.; Wyatt, Katrina; Barlow, Anne E.; Barreto, Manuela; Clare, Linda; Depledge, Michael H.; Durie, Robin; Fleming, Lora E.; Groom, Nick; Morrissey, Karyn; Salisbury, Laura; Thomas, Felicity

2018-01-01

Despite extraordinary advances in biomedicine and associated gains in human health and well-being, a growing number of health and well-being related challenges have remained or emerged in recent years. These challenges are often ‘more than biomedical’ in complexion, being social, cultural and environmental in terms of their key drivers and determinants, and underline the necessity of a concerted policy focus on generating healthy societies. Despite the apparent agreement on this diagnosis, the means to produce change are seldom clear, even when the turn to health and well-being requires sizable shifts in our understandings of public health and research practices. This paper sets out a platform from which research approaches, methods and translational pathways for enabling health and well-being can be built. The term ‘healthy publics’ allows us to shift the focus of public health away from ‘the public’ or individuals as targets for intervention, and away from the view that culture acts as a barrier to efficient biomedical intervention, towards a greater recognition of the public struggles that are involved in raising health issues, questioning what counts as healthy and unhealthy and assembling the evidence and experience to change practices and outcomes. Creating the conditions for health and well-being, we argue, requires an engaged research process in which public experiments in building and repairing social and material relations are staged and sustained even if, and especially when, the fates of those publics remain fragile and buffeted by competing and often more powerful public formations. PMID:29862036

Metabolomic method: UPLC-q-ToF polar and non-polar metabolites in the healthy rat cerebellum using an in-vial dual extraction.

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Amera A Ebshiana

Full Text Available Unbiased metabolomic analysis of biological samples is a powerful and increasingly commonly utilised tool, especially for the analysis of bio-fluids to identify candidate biomarkers. To date however only a small number of metabolomic studies have been applied to studying the metabolite composition of tissue samples, this is due, in part to a number of technical challenges including scarcity of material and difficulty in extracting metabolites. The aim of this study was to develop a method for maximising the biological information obtained from small tissue samples by optimising sample preparation, LC-MS analysis and metabolite identification. Here we describe an in-vial dual extraction (IVDE method, with reversed phase and hydrophilic liquid interaction chromatography (HILIC which reproducibly measured over 4,000 metabolite features from as little as 3mg of brain tissue. The aqueous phase was analysed in positive and negative modes following HILIC separation in which 2,838 metabolite features were consistently measured including amino acids, sugars and purine bases. The non-aqueous phase was also analysed in positive and negative modes following reversed phase separation gradients respectively from which 1,183 metabolite features were consistently measured representing metabolites such as phosphatidylcholines, sphingolipids and triacylglycerides. The described metabolomics method includes a database for 200 metabolites, retention time, mass and relative intensity, and presents the basal metabolite composition for brain tissue in the healthy rat cerebellum.

Development and implementation of a local government survey to measure community supports for healthy eating and active living

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Latetia V Moore

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The ability to make healthy choices is influenced by where one lives, works, shops, and plays. Locally enacted policies and standards can influence these surroundings but little is known about the prevalence of such policies and standards that support healthier behaviors. In this paper, we describe the development of a survey questionnaire designed to capture local level policy supports for healthy eating and active living and findings and lessons learned from a 2012 pilot in two states, Minnesota and California, including respondent burden, survey sampling and administration methods, and survey item feasibility issues. A 38-item, web-based, self-administered survey and sampling frame were developed to assess the prevalence of 22 types of healthy eating and active living policies in a representative sample of local governments in the two states. The majority of respondents indicated the survey required minimal effort to complete with half taking <20 min to complete the survey. A non-response follow-up plan including emails and phone calls was required to achieve a 68% response rate (versus a 37% response rate for email only reminders. Local governments with larger residential populations reported having healthy eating and active living policies and standards more often than smaller governments. Policies that support active living were more common than those that support healthy eating and varied within the two states. The methods we developed are a feasible data collection tool for estimating the prevalence of municipal healthy eating and active living policies and standards at the state and national level.

Adolescents' perceptions of healthy eating and communication about healthy eating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chan, Kara; Prendergast, Gerard; Grønhøj, Alice

2009-01-01

/methodology/approach - Four focus group interview sessions were conducted with 22 eighth and ninth grade adolescents (aged 13 to 15) in Hong Kong. Findings - The participants perceived a balanced diet and regular meal times as the most important attributes of healthy eating. Participants were most likely to eat unhealthy...

Assessing the feasibility of the Healthy Life in Suriname Study: using advanced hemodynamics to evaluate cardiovascular risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aartman, Jet Q.; Diemer, Frederieke S.; Karamat, Fares A.; Bohte, Evelien; Baldew, Sergio M.; Jarbandhan, Ameerani V.; van Montfrans, Gert A.; Oehlers, Glenn P.; Brewster, Lizzy M.

2017-01-01

Objectives. To determine the feasibility of assessing population cardiovascular risk with advanced hemodynamics in the Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study. Methods. This was a preliminary study conducted in May - June 2012 using the Technical-Economic-Legal-Operational-Scheduling (TELOS) method

A method to determine density in wood samples using attenuation of 59.5 KeV gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinator, M.I.; Morales, J.R.; Aliaga, N.; Karsulovic, J.T.; Sanchez, J.; Leon, L.A.

1996-01-01

A nondestructive method to determine the density of wood samples is presented. The photon mass attenuation coefficient in samples of Pino Radiata was measured at 59.5 KeV with a radioactive source of Am-241. The value of 0.192 ± 0.002 cm 2 /g was obtained with a gamma spectroscopy system and later used on the determination of the mass density in sixteen samples of the same species. Comparison of these results with those of gravimetric method through a linear regression showed a slope of 1.001 and correlation factor of 0.94. (author)

Perancangan Interior Healthy Day Care Di Surabaya

OpenAIRE

Chandra, Shirley Vionita

2017-01-01

Healthy Day Care is a child care center which designed with priority of children's health that applied to all room elements which designed with healthy and attractive design that its application is done by making the formation, color, circulation space, lighting, which draw the attention of the child to can do their activities cheerfully but not excessive. Healthy Day Care is designed to solve the problem of any women who has some problems with her children, seeing the health of children toda...

The Comparison of Risky Decision Making in Opium Abuser and Healthy Matched Individuals

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Vahid Nejati

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: Risky decision making is one of the most basic mechanisms of impulsive and addictive behaviors. The purpose of present study was the comparison of risky decision making in opium abuser and healthy matched individuals. Method: In present cross sectional study, 50 opium abusers compared to 50 healthy who were matched on age and gender. Balloon Analogue Risk Taking Task was used for evaluation of risk taking in participant of both groups. Results: The results showed that opium abusers have had higher scores on number of plumbing balloon and exploded balloon in BART task than normal individuals. Conclusion: Opium abusers have higher risk taking than normal individuals.

Healthy eating habits protect against temptations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Pei-Ying; Wood, Wendy; Monterosso, John

2016-08-01

Can healthy food-choice habits protect people against temptations of consuming large portion sizes and unhealthy foods? In two studies, we show that the answer is yes, good habits serve this protective role, at least in contexts in which people are not deliberating and thus fall back on habitual responses. In the first study, participants trained with unhealthy habits to approach eating chocolate, but not those trained with healthy habits, succumbed to temptation and ate more chocolates when their self-control resources were depleted. Study 2 extended and clarified these findings by demonstrating the role of environmental cues in eliciting healthy habits when self-control resources are depleted. Participants who had been trained to choose carrots habitually to a pictorial stimulus (i.e., habit cue) subsequently resisted choosing M&Ms as long as the cue was present. This effect of habit cues on healthy food choices suggests the usefulness of manipulating such cues as a means of meeting self-regulatory goals such as portion control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family self-tailoring: Applying a systems approach to improving family healthy living behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Shirley M; Jones, Lenette; Alemi, Farrokh

2016-01-01

The adoption and maintenance of healthy living behaviors by individuals and families is a major challenge. We describe a new model of health behavior change, SystemCHANGE (SC), which focuses on the redesign of family daily routines using system improvement methods. In the SC intervention, families are taught a set of skills to engage in a series of small, family self-designed experiments to test ideas to change their daily routines. The family system-oriented changes brought about by these experiments build healthy living behaviors into family daily routines so that these new behaviors happen as a matter of course, despite wavering motivation, willpower, or personal effort on the part of individuals. Case stories of the use of SC to improve family healthy living behaviors are provided. Results of several pilot tests of SC indicate its potential effectiveness to change health living behaviors across numerous populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of combined physical education and nutritional programs on schoolchildren’s healthy habits

Science.gov (United States)

Gallotta, Maria Chiara; Iazzoni, Sara; Emerenziani, Gian Pietro; Meucci, Marco; Migliaccio, Silvia; Guidetti, Laura

2016-01-01

Background. A multidisciplinary approach seems to be effective in creating healthy habits in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three 5-month combined physical education (PE) and nutritional interventions on body composition, physical activity (PA) level, sedentary time and eating habits of schoolchildren. Methods. Anthropometric data, weekly PA level, sedentary time and eating habits of 230 healthy students were analysed using a repeated-measures ANOVA with Group (experimental group 1 vs experimental group 2 vs control group), Adiposity Status (under fat vs normal fat vs obese), and Time (pre vs post) as factors. Results. Body fat mass percentage increased after intervention (18.92 ± 8.61% vs 19.40 ± 8.51%) in all groups. The weekly PA level significantly increased after intervention in both experimental groups. Sedentary time significantly decreased after the intervention period (565.70 ± 252.93 vs 492.10 ± 230.97 min/week, p healthy habits through life. PMID:27077004

Memory for the 2008 Presidential election in healthy aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Science.gov (United States)

Waring, Jill D.; Seiger, Ashley N.; Solomon, Paul R.; Budson, Andrew E.; Kensinger, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Objective The present study examined memory accuracy and confidence for personal and public event details of the 2008 Presidential election in healthy older adults and those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Method Participants completed phone interviews within a week after the election and after a 10-month delay. Results MCI patients and healthy older adults had comparable emotional reactions to learning the outcome of the election, with most people finding it to be a positive experience. After the delay period, details about the election were better remembered by all participants than a less emotionally arousing comparison event. However, MCI patients had more difficulty than healthy older adults correctly recalling details of public information about the election, although often the MCI patients could recognize the correct details. Conclusion This is the first study to show that MCI patients’ memory can benefit from emotionally arousing positive events, complementing the literature demonstrating similar effects for negative events. PMID:24533684

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Vessel Density in Healthy, Glaucoma Suspect, and Glaucoma Eyes

Science.gov (United States)

Yarmohammadi, Adeleh; Zangwill, Linda M.; Diniz-Filho, Alberto; Suh, Min Hee; Manalastas, Patricia Isabel; Fatehee, Naeem; Yousefi, Siamak; Belghith, Akram; Saunders, Luke J.; Medeiros, Felipe A.; Huang, David; Weinreb, Robert N.

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) retinal vasculature measurements in healthy, glaucoma suspect, and glaucoma patients. Methods Two hundred sixty-one eyes of 164 healthy, glaucoma suspect, and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) participants from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study with good quality OCT-A images were included. Retinal vasculature information was summarized as a vessel density map and as vessel density (%), which is the proportion of flowing vessel area over the total area evaluated. Two vessel density measurements extracted from the RNFL were analyzed: (1) circumpapillary vessel density (cpVD) measured in a 750-μm-wide elliptical annulus around the disc and (2) whole image vessel density (wiVD) measured over the entire image. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results Age-adjusted mean vessel density was significantly lower in OAG eyes compared with glaucoma suspects and healthy eyes. (cpVD: 55.1 ± 7%, 60.3 ± 5%, and 64.2 ± 3%, respectively; P glaucoma and healthy eyes, the age-adjusted AUROC was highest for wiVD (0.94), followed by RNFL thickness (0.92) and cpVD (0.83). The AUROCs for differentiating between healthy and glaucoma suspect eyes were highest for wiVD (0.70), followed by cpVD (0.65) and RNFL thickness (0.65). Conclusions Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density had similar diagnostic accuracy to RNFL thickness measurements for differentiating between healthy and glaucoma eyes. These results suggest that OCT-A measurements reflect damage to tissues relevant to the pathophysiology of OAG. PMID:27409505

The effect of different public health interventions on longevity, morbidity, and years of healthy life

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Cai Liming

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Choosing cost-effective strategies for improving the health of the public is difficult because the relative effects of different types of interventions are not well understood. The benefits of one-shot interventions may be different from the benefits of interventions that permanently change the probability of getting sick, recovering, or dying. Here, we compare the benefits of such types of public health interventions. Methods We used multi-state life table methods to estimate the impact of five types of interventions on mortality, morbidity (years of life in fair or poor health, and years of healthy life (years in excellent, very good, or good health. Results A one-shot intervention that makes all the sick persons healthy at baseline would increase life expectancy by 3 months and increase years of healthy life by 6 months, in a cohort beginning at age 65. An equivalent amount of improvement can be obtained from an intervention that either decreases the probability of getting sick each year by 12%, increases the probability of a sick person recovering by 16%, decreases the probability that a sick person dies by 15%, or decreases the probability that a healthy person dies by 14%. Interventions aimed at keeping persons healthy increased longevity and years of healthy life, while decreasing morbidity and medical expenditures. Interventions focused on preventing mortality had a greater effect on longevity, but had higher future morbidity and medical expenditures. Results differed for older and younger cohorts and depended on the value to society of an additional year of sick life. Conclusion Interventions that promote health and prevent disease performed well, but other types of intervention were sometimes better. The value to society of interventions that increase longevity but also increase morbidity needs further research. More comprehensive screening and treatment of new Medicare enrollees might improve their health and

The reliability of three-dimensional scapular attitudes in healthy people and people with shoulder impingement syndrome

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Hébert Luc J

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Abnormal scapular displacements during arm elevation have been observed in people with shoulder impingement syndrome. These abnormal scapular displacements were evaluated using different methods and instruments allowing a 3-dimensional representation of the scapular kinematics. The validity and the intrasession reliability have been shown for the majority of these methods for healthy people. However, the intersession reliability on healthy people and people with impaired shoulders is not well documented. This measurement property needs to be assessed before using such methods in longitudinal comparative studies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the intra and intersession reliability of 3-dimensional scapular attitudes measured at different arm positions in healthy people and to explore the same measurement properties in people with shoulder impingement syndrome using the Optotrak Probing System. Methods Three-dimensional scapular attitudes were measured twice (test and retest interspaced by one week on fifteen healthy subjects (mean age 37.3 years and eight subjects with subacromial shoulder impingement syndrome (mean age 46.1 years in three arm positions (arm at rest, 70° of humerothoracic flexion and 90° of humerothoracic abduction using the Optotrak Probing System. Two different methods of calculation of 3-dimensional scapular attitudes were used: relative to the position of the scapula at rest and relative to the trunk. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC and standard error of measure (SEM were used to estimate intra and intersession reliability. Results For both groups, the reliability of the three-dimensional scapular attitudes for elevation positions was very good during the same session (ICCs from 0.84 to 0.99; SEM from 0.6° to 1.9° and good to very good between sessions (ICCs from 0.62 to 0.97; SEM from 1.2° to 4.2° when using the method of calculation relative to the trunk. Higher levels of

Metabolically Healthy Obesity and Ischemic Heart Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Louise; Netterstrom, Marie K.; Johansen, Nanna B.

2017-01-01

Context: Recent studies have suggested that a subgroup of obese individuals is not at increased risk of obesity-related complications. This subgroup has been referred to as metabolically healthy obese. Objective: To investigate whether obesity is a risk factor for development of ischemic heart...... risk factors (low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose). Metabolically healthy individuals were defined as having no metabolic risk factors, and metabolically unhealthy individuals were defined as having a minimum of one. Main Outcome...... Measures: IHD. Results: During follow-up, 323 participants developed IHD. Metabolically healthy obese men had increased risk of IHD compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight men [hazard ratio (HR), 3.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1 to 8.2)]. The corresponding results for women were less...

Comparison of Personality Trait, Negative Experienced Emotions and Coping Styles Between Healthy Women and Those Suffering From Cancer

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S Hamzeh

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Considering the importance of cancer as one of the main causes of mortality in the world and the role of various factors, including psychological ones in its onset. In this study we compared some of these factors such as personality traits, negative experienced emotions and coping styles in healthy women and those with cancer. Methods: In this study, 83 women with cancer(referred to Imam Khomeini hospital of Tehran in a one- month period and 85 healthy subjects(selected by using available sampling method and matched with the first group. Then Personality inventory of Eysenck and inventory type D(DS14 and Folkman and Lazarus coping styles on were studied in both groups. Data analysis was performed by T Hoteling test and multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA. Results: Two groups of women(cancer- healthy were significantly different for personality trait of extraversion, negative emotion experiences and emotional-oriented coping and problem-oriented coping. Conclusion: Women with cancer compared to healthy women experienced more negative emotions and had lower score in extraversion and used more emotion-oriented coping styles and less problem-oriented styles

Frontal assessment battery in a Brazilian sample of healthy controls: normative data

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Rogério Beato

2012-04-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To show data on the performance of healthy subjects in the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB, correlating with gender, age, education, and scores in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-five healthy individuals with mean age of 66.4±10.6 years-old were evaluated. Mean total FAB scores were established according to the educational level. RESULTS: Mean total FAB scores according to the educational level were 10.9±2.3, for one to three years; 12.8±2.7, for four to seven years; 13.8±2.2, for eight to 11 years; and 15.3±2.3, for 12 or more years. Total FAB scores correlated significantly with education (r=0.47; p<0.0001 and MMSE scores (r=0.39; p<0.0001. No correlation emerged between FAB scores, age, and gender. CONCLUSION: In this group of healthy subjects, the Brazilian version of the FAB proved to be influenced by the education level, but not by age and gender.

Safety Evaluation of Crocin (a constituent of saffron Tablets in Healthy Volunteers

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Amir Houshang Mohamadpour

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Crocin is the chemical ingredient primarily responsible for the color of saffron. It has different pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anticancer and memory improving activities. Crocin tablets were evaluated for short-term safety and tolerability in healthy adult volunteers. Materials and Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design consisting of one month treatment of crocin tablets. Volunteers who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into 2 groups of 22 each (males and females and received 20 mg crocin tablets or placebo. General measures of health were recorded during the study such as hematological, biochemical, hormonal and urinary parameters in pre and post-treatment periods. Results: No major adverse events were reported during the trial. Crocin tablets did not change the above parameters except that it decreased amylase, mixed white blood cells and PTT in healthy volunteers after one month. Conclusion: This clinical safety evaluation showed a relatively safe and normal profile for crocin in healthy volunteers at the given doses within the trial period.

Apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy donors and patients with laryngeal cancer after γ-irradiation in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlova, N.V.; Smirnova, S.G.; Zamulaeva, I.A.; Andreev, V.G.; Ryabchenko, N.I.; Saenko, A.S.

2001-01-01

Apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy donors and cancer patients after γ-radiation with different doses is studied by the flow cytometry method. Wide intra- and interindividual variabilities of the lymphocyte radiosensitivity by different donors are observed. The radiosensitivity does not depend on the subpopulation composition of the lymphocyte pool. The persons with very low and high lymphocyte radiosensitivities are found significantly more often among the cancer patients than among the healthy donors. One can suggest that this method is useful to define risk groups with regard to radiogenic neoplasms and prognosis of radiotherapy efficiency [ru

Hematology of healthy Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus)

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, J.W.; Harr, K.E.; Murphy, D.; Walsh, M.T.; Nolan, E.C.; Bonde, R.K.; Pate, M.G.; Deutsch, C.J.; Edwards, H.H.; Clapp, W.L.

2009-01-01

Background: Hematologic analysis is an important tool in evaluating the general health status of free-ranging manatees and in the diagnosis and monitoring of rehabilitating animals. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate diagnostically important hematologic analytes in healthy manatees (Trichechus manatus) and to assess variations with respect to location (free ranging vs captive), age class (small calves, large calves, subadults, and adults), and gender. Methods: Blood was collected from 55 free-ranging and 63 captive healthy manatees. Most analytes were measured using a CELL-DYN 3500R; automated reticulocytes were measured with an ADVIA 120. Standard manual methods were used for differential leukocyte counts, reticulocyte and Heinz body counts, and plasma protein and fibrinogen concentrations. Results: Rouleaux, slight polychromasia, stomatocytosis, and low numbers of schistocytes and nucleated RBCs (NRBCs) were seen often in stained blood films. Manual reticulocyte counts were higher than automated reticulocyte counts. Heinz bodies were present in erythrocytes of most manatees. Compared with free-ranging manatees, captive animals had slightly lower MCV, MCH, and eosinophil counts and slightly higher heterophil and NRBC counts, and fibrinogen concentration. Total leukocyte, heterophil, and monocyte counts tended to be lower in adults than in younger animals. Small calves tended to have higher reticulocyte counts and NRBC counts than older animals. Conclusions: Hematologic findings were generally similar between captive and free-ranging manatees. Higher manual reticulocyte counts suggest the ADVIA detects only reticulocytes containing large amounts of RNA. Higher reticulocyte and NRBC counts in young calves probably reflect an increased rate of erythropoiesis compared with older animals. ?? 2009 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies

Science.gov (United States)

Renfrew, Mary J; McCormick, Felicia M; Wade, Angela; Quinn, Beverley; Dowswell, Therese

2014-01-01

Background There is extensive evidence of important health risks for infants and mothers related to not breastfeeding. In 2003, the World Health Organization recommended infants be exclusively breastfed until six months of age, with breastfeeding continuing as an important part of the infant’s diet till at least two years of age. However, breastfeeding rates in many countries currently do not reflect this recommendation. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of support for breastfeeding mothers. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (3 October 2011). Selection criteria Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing extra support for healthy breastfeeding mothers of healthy term babies with usual maternity care. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Main results Of the 67 studies that we assessed as eligible for inclusion, 52 contributed outcome data to the review (56,451 mother-infant pairs) from 21 countries. All forms of extra support analysed together showed an increase in duration of ‘any breastfeeding’ (includes partial and exclusive breastfeeding) (risk ratio (RR) for stopping any breastfeeding before six months 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88 to 0.96). All forms of extra support together also had a positive effect on duration of exclusive breastfeeding (RR at six months 0.86, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.91; RR at four to six weeks 0.74, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.89). Extra support by both lay and professionals had a positive impact on breastfeeding outcomes. Maternal satisfaction was poorly reported. Authors’ conclusions All women should be offered support to breastfeed their babies to increase the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. Support is likely to be more effective in settings with high initiation rates, so efforts to increase the uptake of breastfeeding should be in place. Support may be offered either by

Reference values for serum leptin in healthy non-obese children and adolescents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lausten-Thomsen, Ulrik; Christiansen, Michael; Hedley, Paula Louise

2016-01-01

. Methods: A total of 1193 healthy, non-obese Danish schoolchildren (730 girls, 463 boys) aged 6–18 years (median 11.9) were examined by trained medical staff. Serum leptin and sOB-R concentrations in venous fasting blood samples were quantitated by immunoassay. Percentile curves of leptin, sOB-R, and free...

Healthy Lifestyle Changes and Academic Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Yvette Gail

2018-01-01

Many children in U.S. K-12 schools struggle with childhood obesity. A healthy lifestyle taught in a child's early years is essential for student learning, and it can set the pace for healthy choices to be made in adulthood. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore the experiences of parents in Montgomery County, Ohio, who…

Sales of healthy snacks and beverages following the implementation of healthy vending standards in City of Philadelphia vending machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Pharis, Meagan L; Colby, Lisa; Wagner, Amanda; Mallya, Giridhar

2018-02-01

We examined outcomes following the implementation of employer-wide vending standards, designed to increase healthy snack and beverage options, on the proportion of healthy v. less healthy sales, sales volume and revenue for snack and beverage vending machines. A single-arm evaluation of a policy utilizing monthly sales volume and revenue data provided by the contracted vendor during baseline, machine conversion and post-conversion time periods. Study time periods are full calendar years unless otherwise noted. Property owned or leased by the City of Philadelphia, USA. Approximately 250 vending machines over a 4-year period (2010-2013). At post-conversion, the proportion of sales attributable to healthy items was 40 % for snacks and 46 % for beverages. Healthy snack sales were 323 % higher (38·4 to 162·5 items sold per machine per month) and total snack sales were 17 % lower (486·8 to 402·1 items sold per machine per month). Healthy beverage sales were 33 % higher (68·2 to 90·6 items sold per machine per month) and there was no significant change in total beverage sales (213·2 to 209·6 items sold per machine per month). Revenue was 11 % lower for snacks ($US 468·30 to $US 415·70 per machine per month) and 21 % lower for beverages ($US 344·00 to $US 270·70 per machine per month). Sales of healthy vending items were significantly higher following the implementation of employer-wide vending standards for snack and beverage vending machines. Entities receiving revenue-based commission payments from vending machines should employ strategies to minimize potential revenue losses.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius colonization patterns and strain diversity in healthy dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paul, Narayan Chandra; Bärgman, Sofia Cathrine; Moodley, Arshnee

2012-01-01

This is the first large-scale study of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius colonization and diversity in healthy dogs where samples were collected over a long time and strains were identified by PCR according to the current taxonomy of the S. intermedius group and typed by a highly discriminatory...... method such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A cross-sectional study of nasal, oral, perineal and inguinal carriage in 119 healthy dogs was followed by a longitudinal study where oral and perineal carriage was examined in 16 dogs for 10 times over a period of 1 year. Altogether we collected...... 762 samples and 285 S. pseudintermedius isolates, 182 of which were typed by PFGE to determine spatial and temporal strain diversity within individual carriers. In the cross-sectional study, S. pseudintermedius was isolated from at least one body site in 82 (69%) of the 119 dogs. The most frequent...

Reference values for fasting serum resistin in healthy children and adolescents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lausten-Thomsen, Ulrik; Christiansen, Michael; Hedley, Paula Louise

2017-01-01

are needed for the risk stratification and interpretation of individual serum resistin concentrations. METHODS: A total of 1191 healthy, non-obese Danish schoolchildren (727 girls) aged 6-18years (median 11.9) were included. Fasting serum resistin concentrations were quantitated by Human Resistin ELISA...... in both boys (p=0.02) and girls (pFasting serum resistin concentrations differ between sexes...

Revision of the Agrilus adonis species-group (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilini with description of sixteen new species from southeastern Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduard Jendek

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The newly defined Agrilus adonis species-group comprising thirty taxa from Southeast Asia is revised based on the examination of type specimens. The taxonomic concept and distribution of all known taxa is reexamined for the first time since they were described. The complete commented bibliographic data are given for each name. The key to species is provided and complemented with illustration of habitus and genitalia. Images of all primary types are also included. The distribution of selected species is shown on maps. The following sixteen new species are described: Agrilus acrobeles sp. nov.; A. bunsu sp. nov.; A. cechovskyi sp. nov.; A. curiosus sp. nov.; A. garo sp. nov.; A. iban sp. nov.; A. jakli sp. nov.; A. kuchingi sp. nov.; A. lembik sp. nov.; A. meratus sp. nov.; A. orangulu sp. nov.; A. serratus sp. nov.; A. strbai sp. nov.; A. upsilon sp. nov.; A. vir sp. nov. and A. xiphos sp. nov.. The name emeritus Descarpentries & Villiers, 1963 is removed from the synonymy of Agrilus perlisensis Fisher 1936 and revalidated as the name for species A. emeritus Descarpentries & Villiers, 1963. Nine new synonyms are proposed: Agrilus adonis Deyrolle, 1864 (= A. perlisensis Fisher, 1936 syn. nov. = A. testor Kerremnas, 1900 syn. nov.; A. emeritus Descarpentries & Villiers, 1963 (= A. deuvei Baudon, 1965 syn. nov. = A. souvannavongsi Baudon, 1968 syn. nov.; A. famulus Kerremans, 1900 (= A. convergens Fisher, 1930 syn. nov. = A. japanensis Obenberger, 1935 syn. nov.; A. insularis Deyrolle, 1864 (= A. nigrocyaneus Deyrolle, 1864 syn. nov. = A. falsulus Obenberger, 1924 syn. nov.; A. malasicus Fisher, 1930 (=A. bettotanus Fisher, 1930 syn. nov.. Some of those names were already treated as invalid ones but in the synonymy of different species. Their taxonomic history is recognizable from commented references cited at each name.

Healthy work environment--a challenge?

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson von Vultée, Pia Hannele

2015-01-01

In Sweden, leave due to sickness was high during the 1990s. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency was able to decrease sick days in the period between 2000 and 2010 but sick days are rising again in Sweden, mostly due to psychological problems among women and partly due to their work environment. It is important to find methods to identify poor work settings to prevent absenteeism due to sickness. The paper aims to discuss these issues. The authors created a web questionnaire focusing on the organizational setting and its impact on employee wellbeing--reported as mental energy, work-related exhaustion and work satisfaction. The questionnaire measures good and poor work environment factors to help managers improve organizational settings. The questionnaire was validated qualitatively and quantitatively. It is possible to measure individual wellbeing in an organizational context at an early stage. The authors followed a company undergoing organizational change and identified groups at risk of developing illness. Managers uncertain about employee mental status can measure employee wellbeing easily and cost effectively to prevent illness. The authors created a method, statistically evaluated, to proactively identify good and poor work environments to promote healthy co-workers.

The effects of the preferential 5-HT2A agonist psilocybin on prepulse inhibition of startle in healthy human volunteers depend on interstimulus interval.

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Vollenweider, Franz X; Csomor, Philipp A; Knappe, Bernhard; Geyer, Mark A; Quednow, Boris B

2007-09-01

Schizophrenia patients exhibit impairments in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response. Hallucinogenic 5-HT(2A) receptor agonists are used for animal models of schizophrenia because they mimic some symptoms of schizophrenia in humans and induce PPI deficits in animals. Nevertheless, one report indicates that the 5-HT(2A) receptor agonist psilocybin increases PPI in healthy humans. Hence, we investigated these inconsistent results by assessing the dose-dependent effects of psilocybin on PPI in healthy humans. Sixteen subjects each received placebo or 115, 215, and 315 microg/kg of psilocybin at 4-week intervals in a randomized and counterbalanced order. PPI at 30-, 60-, 120-, 240-, and 2000-ms interstimulus intervals (ISIs) was measured 90 and 165 min after drug intake, coinciding with the peak and post-peak effects of psilocybin. The effects of psilocybin on psychopathological core dimensions and sustained attention were assessed by the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (5D-ASC) and the Frankfurt Attention Inventory (FAIR). Psilocybin dose-dependently reduced PPI at short (30 ms), had no effect at medium (60 ms), and increased PPI at long (120-2000 ms) ISIs, without affecting startle reactivity or habituation. Psilocybin dose-dependently impaired sustained attention and increased all 5D-ASC scores with exception of Auditory Alterations. Moreover, psilocybin-induced impairments in sustained attention performance were positively correlated with reduced PPI at the 30 ms ISI and not with the concomitant increases in PPI observed at long ISIs. These results confirm the psilocybin-induced increase in PPI at long ISIs and reveal that psilocybin also produces a decrease in PPI at short ISIs that is correlated with impaired attention and consistent with deficient PPI in schizophrenia.

The effect of mobile phone short messaging system on healthy food choices among Iranian postmenopausal women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdis Vakili

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Central adiposity and metabolic syndrome are quite common among postmenopausal women. Dietary diversity and healthy food choices have essential role in health and also in prevention of obesity. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of mobile phone short messaging system on healthy food choices among Iranian postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial in which 100 postmenopausal women aged 40-60 years were recruited and assigned to two groups (50 each in the intervention and control groups. Food frequency consumption was measured using a questionnaire. A total of 16 text messages including information about modification of food selection (healthy choices, benefits, methods, etc., were sent to participants in the intervention group during 4 months follow-up (1/week. The Chi-square and independent t-test used for data analysis. Ninety-two women completed the study. Results: The consumption of Vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.001. More women in the intervention group consumed fish after intervention (P = 0.02. The consumption of green leafy vegetables showed a nonsignificant increase in the intervention group. Conclusion: Using mobile phone short messaging system can improve the healthy food choices regarding Vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables and fish among postmenopausal women.

Radioisotope method for assessing skin blood pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarkowska, A.; Misiunia, P.; Woytowicz, A.; Olewinski, T.

1979-01-01

A method of measuring the skin blood pressure (SBP) evolved by Holstein and Lassen is described. The method is based on determination of the force of pressure causing blockade of Na 131 I clearance from the site of its intradermal injection. Using this method it was found that in the lower extremities in healthy subjects the SBP approached the diastolic pressure measured by the conventional method in the brachial artery. On the other hand in patients with obliterative arteriosclerosis and in Buerger's disease the SBP was considerably lower than the diastolic arterial pressure. The authors think that the method gives a good insight into the state of blood supply to the extremities in healthy subjects and in peripheral vascular failure. (author)

Neck Circumference as a Predictor of Adiposity among Healthy and Obese Children

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Nayera E. Hassan

2015-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Obesity, particularly in the upper part of body, is a major health problem. Because body mass index (BMI does not adequately describe regional adiposity, other indices of body fatness are being explored. OBJECTIVES: To determine if neck circumference is a valid measure of adiposity (fat distribution among group of Egyptian children. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This is a cross sectional study, included 50 obese subjects, aged 7 - 12 years recruited from Endocrine, obesity and Metabolism Pediatric Unit at Children Hospital, Cairo University and 50 healthy children, age and sex matched. All children were subjected to blood pressure assessment (systolic SBP and diastolic DBP, and anthropometric assessment (body weight, height, neck circumference (NC, waist (WC and hip (HC circumferences, and skin fold thicknesses at three sites: biceps, triceps and sub scapular. BMI [weight (kg/height (m2] was calculated. RESULTS: In healthy females, significant associations were detected between NC and SBP, DBP and all anthropometric measurements. However, in healthy males NC was not significantly associated with BMI, SBP and DBP. In the obese group; both sexes; insignificant association was found between NC and SBP, DBP, BMI and skinfold thickness. CONCLUSION: NC is related to fat distribution among normal healthy female children. However, this relation disappears with increasing adiposity. The results do not support the use of NC as a useful screening tool for childhood obesity.

[Training session on healthy environments: evaluation of an intervention for local stakeholders].

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Virginie; Rivard, Marie-Claude; Trudeau, François

2016-01-01

Around the world, various interventions have been developed to encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyles, particularly nutrition and physical activity. Physical, political, economic and socio-cultural environments have a major influence on individual attitudes in relation to healthy lifestyle. However, stakeholders with the greatest impact on improving these environments are not always well informed about the theory and their roles on the creation of environments favourable to healthy lifestyles. Various stakeholders from the province of Quebec were therefore invited to attend training sessions in order to prepare them to act on these four environments. 1) To describe the perceptions of the stakeholders who attended these sessions concerning the content and teaching methods and 2) to identify stakeholders’ changes of perceptions and practices following the training session. Twelve (12) focus groups and 52 individual interviews were conducted across Quebec with stakeholders who attended a training session. Our results indicate increased awareness of stakeholders on the importance of their role but also the need to more precisely target those aspects requiring increased awareness. A content better suited to the level of expertise is therefore proposed to maximize the benefits of these training sessions. Training sessions must be addressed to influential stakeholders with a limited knowledge on the subject, which is often the case for municipal decision-makers known to play a major role in promoting environments favourable to healthy eating and physical activity.

Expression of Pattern Recognition Receptors in Epithelial Cells Around Clinically Healthy Implants and Healthy Teeth.

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Calcaterra, Roberta; Di Girolamo, Michele; Mirisola, Concetta; Baggi, Luigi

2016-06-01

Gingival epithelial cells have a pivotal role in the recognition of microorganisms and damage-associated molecular pattern molecules and in the regulation of the immune response. The investigation of the behavior of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD) like receptors (NLRs) around a healthy implant may help to address the first step of periimplantitis pathogenesis. To investigate by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, the mRNA expressions of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6, TLR9, NOD1, NOD2, and NLRP3 from gingival epithelial cells of the sulcus around healthy implants and around healthy teeth. Two types of implant-abutment systems with tube-in-tube interface were tested. After 6 months of implant restoration, gingival epithelial cells were obtained from the gingival sulcus around the implants and around the adjacent teeth of 10 patients. Our results did not reach statistical significance among the mRNA expressions of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6, TLR9, NOD1, NOD2, and NLRP3 in epithelial cells around the implant versus around natural teeth. This study shows that the implant-abutment systems tested did not induce an immune response by the surrounding epithelial cells at 6 months since their positioning, as well as in the adjacent clincally healthy teeth.

The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP — An Overview of and Recommendations Arising from the Conceptualisation and Development of an Innovative Approach to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for Children and Their Families

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Jenny Lloyd

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the rise in childhood obesity, there remains a paucity of evidence for effective interventions that engage children and parents sufficiently to make and sustain lifestyle behaviour change. The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP is a school-located obesity prevention programme, which has been developed with teachers, families and healthcare professionals. The underpinning assumption in the development of HeLP was to take a relational approach to changing behaviour, building relationships with the schools, children and their families to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyle choices. Thus, HeLP was conceptualised as a complex intervention within a complex system and developed as a dynamic, evolving set of processes to support and motivate children towards healthy behaviours. The delivery methods used are highly interactive and encourage identification with and ownership of the healthy lifestyle messages so that the children are motivated to take them home to their parents and effect change within the family. We have good evidence that HeLP engages schools and children such that they want to participate in the Programme. Results from an exploratory trial showed that the Programme is feasible and acceptable and has the potential to change behaviours and affect weight status. This paper presents an overview of and recommendations arising from the conceptualization; development and evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme as part of a special issue focusing on novel approaches to the global problem of childhood obesity.

Global classification of human facial healthy skin using PLS discriminant analysis and clustering analysis.

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Guinot, C; Latreille, J; Tenenhaus, M; Malvy, D J

2001-04-01

Today's classifications of healthy skin are predominantly based on a very limited number of skin characteristics, such as skin oiliness or susceptibility to sun exposure. The aim of the present analysis was to set up a global classification of healthy facial skin, using mathematical models. This classification is based on clinical, biophysical skin characteristics and self-reported information related to the skin, as well as the results of a theoretical skin classification assessed separately for the frontal and the malar zones of the face. In order to maximize the predictive power of the models with a minimum of variables, the Partial Least Square (PLS) discriminant analysis method was used. The resulting PLS components were subjected to clustering analyses to identify the plausible number of clusters and to group the individuals according to their proximities. Using this approach, four PLS components could be constructed and six clusters were found relevant. So, from the 36 hypothetical combinations of the theoretical skin types classification, we tended to a strengthened six classes proposal. Our data suggest that the association of the PLS discriminant analysis and the clustering methods leads to a valid and simple way to classify healthy human skin and represents a potentially useful tool for cosmetic and dermatological research.

Comparison of protein profiles of beech bark disease-resistant or beech bark disease-susceptible American beech

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Mary E. Mason; Marek Krasowski; Judy Loo; Jennifer. Koch

2011-01-01

Proteomic analysis of beech bark proteins from trees resistant and susceptible to beech bark disease (BBD) was conducted. Sixteen trees from eight geographically isolated stands, 10 resistant (healthy) and 6 susceptible (diseased/infested) trees, were studied. The genetic complexity of the sample unit, the sampling across a wide geographic area, and the complexity of...

Healthy Buddies[TM] Reduces Body Mass Index Z-Score and Waist Circumference in Aboriginal Children Living in Remote Coastal Communities

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Ronsley, Rebecca; Lee, Andrew S.; Kuzeljevic, Boris; Panagiotopoulos, Constadina

2013-01-01

Background: Aboriginal children are at increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Healthy Buddies [TM]-First Nations (HB) is a curriculum-based, peer-led program promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and self-esteem. Methods: Although originally designed as a pilot pre-/post-analysis of 3 remote Aboriginal schools that requested and…

Adherence to a healthy Nordic food index and risk of myocardial infarction in middle-aged Danes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunge, V B; Andersen, I; Kyrø, C

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: For decades, the Mediterranean diet has been in focus regarding healthy eating as it has been associated with reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. Less interest has been given to health benefits of other regional diets. The aim of the present study was to assess whether...... adherence to a healthy Nordic food index was associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction (MI) among middle-aged Danes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data were obtained from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study of 57 053 men and women aged 50 − 64 years recruited between 1993 and 1997. The healthy.......55, 95% CI = 0.37, 0.82) relative to those scoring 0 points in the index (lowest score). A significantly lower MI risk was found per 1-point increment in the index in both men (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92, 0.99) and women (HR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88, 0.98). CONCLUSIONS: A healthy Nordic diet is associated...

Frequency of healthy eating habits among students of a public university in Northeastern Brazil

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Natanael de Jesus Silva

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the frequency of healthy eating habits among students of a public university in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional population-based study. The sample was randomly composed of 933 undergraduate students of both genders aged 18-35 years. The frequency of healthy eating habits was assessed based on the adherence to the 10 Steps to Healthy Eating proposed by Brazil’s Ministry of Health. The frequency of each step was measured through questions compiled from previous publications. Results: The steps to the healthy eating with the lowest frequencies of adherence were related to the practice of adding salt to prepared foods (18.6%, n=185 and to the consumption of fruits and vegetables (28.3%, n=281 and foods rich in fat (21.5%, n=213 and sugar (48.9%, n=486. However, there was an adequate consumption of beans (83.8%, n=832 and a prevalence of normal nutritional status of 69.6% (n=691 among the students. None of the interviewees followed all the steps to the healthy eating. The average adherence rate was at least 6 steps. Men and women presented different habits and food preferences. Conclusion: The university students presented a low frequency of healthy eating habits due to the high intake of food high in fat and sugar and mainly the low consumption of fruits and vegetables and the practice of adding salt to prepared foods. This may, in turn, predispose them to increased risks of morbidity and mortality from noncommunicable diseases.

Peer-led healthy lifestyle program in supportive housing: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

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Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Stefancic, Ana; O'Hara, Kathleen; El-Bassel, Nabila; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto; Luchsinger, José A; Gates, Lauren; Younge, Richard; Wall, Melanie; Weinstein, Lara; Palinkas, Lawrence A

2015-09-02

The risk for obesity is twice as high in people with serious mental illness (SMI) compared to the general population. Racial and ethnic minority status contribute additional health risks. The aim of this study is to describe the protocol of a Hybrid Trial Type 1 design that will test the effectiveness and examine the implementation of a peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention in supportive housing agencies serving diverse clients with serious mental illness who are overweight or obese. The Hybrid Trial Type 1 design will combine a randomized effectiveness trial with a mixed-methods implementation study. The effectiveness trial will test the health impacts of a peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention versus usual care in supportive housing agencies. The healthy lifestyle intervention is derived from the Group Lifestyle Balanced Program, lasts 12 months, and will be delivered by trained peer specialists. Repeated assessments will be conducted at baseline and at 6, 12, and 18 months post randomization. A mixed-methods (e.g., structured interviews, focus groups, surveys) implementation study will be conducted to examine multi-level implementation factors and processes that can inform the use of the healthy lifestyle intervention in routine practice, using data from agency directors, program managers, staff, and peer specialists before, during, and after the implementation of the effectiveness trial. This paper describes the use of a hybrid research design that blends effectiveness trial methodologies and implementation science rarely used when studying the physical health of people with SMI and can serve as a model for integrating implementation science and health disparities research. Rigorously testing effectiveness and exploring the implementation process are both necessary steps to establish the evidence for large-scale delivery of peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention to improve the physical health of racial/ethnic minorities with SMI. www

Effectiveness of a perceptual - proprioceptive training with virtual visual feedback in healthy subjects: a pilot study

OpenAIRE

Vando, Stefano; Unim, Brigid; Cassarino, Salvatore A; Padulo, Johnny; Masala, Daniele

2013-01-01

Background: the aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether proprioceptive-motor training using the Wii Balance Board (WBB) might improve postural sway in healthy subjects.Methods: twenty-five healthy subjects were trained for six weeks (two sessions per week) with 5 “video games”: Wii Fit Plus (WFP) program. Before and after training: Basic Balance, Single-leg Balance, Agility, Stability and Motion (lower limb: right-left and both leg) were measured using the Wii Balance Board.Results: t...

Conflict adaptation in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

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Abrahamse, Elger; Ruitenberg, Marit; Boddewyn, Sarah; Oreel, Edith; de Schryver, Maarten; Morrens, Manuel; van Dijck, Jean-Philippe

2017-11-01

Cognitive control impairments may contribute strongly to the overall cognitive deficits observed in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. In the current study we explore a specific cognitive control function referred to as conflict adaptation. Previous studies on conflict adaptation in schizophrenia showed equivocal results, and, moreover, were plagued by confounded research designs. Here we assessed for the first time conflict adaptation in schizophrenia with a design that avoided the major confounds of feature integration and stimulus-response contingency learning. Sixteen patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and sixteen healthy, matched controls performed a vocal Stroop task to determine the congruency sequence effect - a marker of conflict adaptation. A reliable congruency sequence effect was observed for both healthy controls and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. These findings indicate that schizophrenia is not necessarily accompanied by impaired conflict adaptation. As schizophrenia has been related to abnormal functioning in core conflict adaptation areas such as anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, further research is required to better understand the precise impact of such abnormal brain functioning at the behavioral level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors Related to Healthy Diet and Physical Activity in Hospital-Based Clinical Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Nancy M; Butler, Robert; Sorrell, Jeanne

2014-09-30

Hospitals often promote healthy lifestyles, but little is known about nurses' actual diet and physical activity. Greater understanding about these lifestyle choices for clinical nurses may improve existing hospital-based programs and/or create desirable services. This article discusses a study that considered diet and physical activity of clinical nurses, using elements of Pender's self-care theory as a conceptual framework. Study methods included a cross-sectional, correlational design and a convenience sample of 278 nurses who worked on units with 24 hours/day and seven days-per-week responsibilities. Participants completed diet and exercise questionnaires about perceptions of attitudes and opinions, barriers, diet benefits/exercise motivators, self-efficacy, and locus of control, and personal and work characteristics. Diet and activity categories were created. Study results demonstrated that over 50% of nurses had moderately healthy diets but were insufficiently active. Healthy diet and physical activity levels were associated with higher self-efficacy, more diet benefits and physical activity motivators, fewer perceived barriers, and confidence in body image. The article discussion and conclusion sections note areas for future research and suggest that focused interventions that address benefits, motivators, and self-efficacy may increase participation in hospital-based programs and enhance healthy lifestyle for hospital-based clinical nurses.

Ceramides and barrier function in healthy skin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jungerstedt, J; Hellgren, Lars; Drachmann, Tue

2010-01-01

Lipids in the stratum corneum are key components in the barrier function of the skin. Changes in lipid composition related to eczematous diseases are well known, but limited data are available on variations within healthy skin. The objective of the present study was to compare ceramide subgroups...... and ceramide/cholesterol ratios in young, old, male and female healthy skin. A total of 55 participants with healthy skin was included in the study. Lipid profiles were correlated with transepidermal water loss and with information on dry skin from a questionnaire including 16 people. No statistically...

The Associations between Pain Sensitivity and Knee Muscle Strength in Healthy Volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Marius; Klokker, Louise; Bartholdy, Cecilie

2013-01-01

lateralis, deltoid, and infrapatellar fat pad. Quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength was assessed isometrically at 60-degree knee flexion using a dynamometer. Associations between pain sensitivity and muscle strength were investigated using multiple regressions including age, gender, and body mass index...... as covariates. Results. Knee extension strength was associated with computer-controlled PPT on the vastus lateralis muscle. Computer-controlled PPTs were significantly correlated between sites (r > 0.72) and with cuff PPT (r > 0.4). Saline induced pain intensity and duration were correlated between sites (r > 0......Objectives. To investigate associations between muscle strength and pain sensitivity among healthy volunteers and associations between different pain sensitivity measures. Methods. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers (21 females) participated. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were obtained from 1...

Development and evaluation of a novel lossless image compression method (AIC: artificial intelligence compression method) using neural networks as artificial intelligence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukatsu, Hiroshi; Naganawa, Shinji; Yumura, Shinnichiro

2008-01-01

This study was aimed to validate the performance of a novel image compression method using a neural network to achieve a lossless compression. The encoding consists of the following blocks: a prediction block; a residual data calculation block; a transformation and quantization block; an organization and modification block; and an entropy encoding block. The predicted image is divided into four macro-blocks using the original image for teaching; and then redivided into sixteen sub-blocks. The predicted image is compared to the original image to create the residual image. The spatial and frequency data of the residual image are compared and transformed. Chest radiography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, radioisotope mammography, ultrasonography, and digital subtraction angiography images were compressed using the AIC lossless compression method; and the compression rates were calculated. The compression rates were around 15:1 for chest radiography and mammography, 12:1 for CT, and around 6:1 for other images. This method thus enables greater lossless compression than the conventional methods. This novel method should improve the efficiency of handling of the increasing volume of medical imaging data. (author)

Application of the holistic methods in analysis of organic milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anka Popović-Vranješ

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Organic farming has advantages in terms of environmental protection, biodiversity, soil quality, animal welfare and pesticide residues. Unlike conventional production “organic chain” means that healthy soil leads to healthy animal feed, leading to healthy cows with normal milk, which eventually leads to healthy consumers. Since this must be scientifically proven, there is an increasing need for scientific methods that will reveal the benefits of organic food. For this purpose holistic methods such as biocrystallization and methods of rising picture are introduced. Biocrystallization shows that organic milk is systematically more “balanced” and that there is more “ordered structure” and better “integration and coordination.” Previous studies using biocrystallization method were performed on the raw milk produced in different conditions, differently treated milk (heat treatment and homogenization and on butter. Pictures of biocrystallization are firstly visually assessed and then by the computer analysis of texture images, which are used to estimate the density of images. Rising picture method which normally works in parallel with biocrystallization can differentiate samples of Demeter, and organic milk from conventional production and milk treated differently during processing. Organic milk in relation to conventional shows better result in terms of impact on the health of consumers when using both the conventional and holistic methods.

The effect of light touch on balance control during overground walking in healthy young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Oates, A R; Unger, J; Arnold, C M; Fung, J; Lanovaz, J L

2017-12-01

Balance control is essential for safe walking. Adding haptic input through light touch may improve walking balance; however, evidence is limited. This research investigated the effect of added haptic input through light touch in healthy young adults during challenging walking conditions. Sixteen individuals walked normally, in tandem, and on a compliant, low-lying balance beam with and without light touch on a railing. Three-dimensional kinematic data were captured to compute stride velocity (m/s), relative time spent in double support (%DS), a medial-lateral margin of stability (MOS ML ) and its variance (MOS ML CV), as well as a symmetry index (SI) for the MOS ML . Muscle activity was evaluated by integrating electromyography signals for the soleus, tibialis anterior, and gluteus medius muscles bilaterally. Adding haptic input decreased stride velocity, increased the %DS, had no effect on the MOS ML magnitude, decreased the MOS ML CV, had no effect on the SI, and increased activity of most muscles examined during normal walking. During tandem walking, stride velocity and the MOS ML CV decreased, while %DS, MOS ML magnitude, SI, and muscle activity did not change with light touch. When walking on a low-lying, compliant balance beam, light touch had no effect on walking velocity, MOS ML magnitude, or muscle activity; however, the %DS increased and the MOS ML CV and SI decreased when lightly touching a railing while walking on the balance beam. The decreases in the MOS ML CV with light touch across all walking conditions suggest that adding haptic input through light touch on a railing may improve balance control during walking through reduced variability.