Evaluation of take-home exposure and risk associated with the handling of clothing contaminated with chrysotile asbestos.

The potential for para-occupational (or take-home) exposures from contaminated clothing has been recognized for the past 60 years. To better characterize the take-home asbestos exposure pathway, a study was performed to measure the relationship between airborne chrysotile concentrations in the workplace, the contamination of work clothing, and take-home exposures and risks. The study included air sampling during two activities: (1) contamination of work clothing by airborne chrysotile (i.

Lipidomics: potential role in risk prediction and therapeutic monitoring for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Lipidomics has developed rapidly over the past decade to the point where clinical application may soon be possible. Developments including high throughput technologies enable the simultaneous quantification of several hundred lipid species, thereby providing a global assessment of lipid metabolism. Given the key role of lipids in the pathophysiology of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, lipidomics has the potential to: i) Significantly improve prediction of future disease risk, ii) Inform on mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, iii) Identify patient groups responsive to particular therapies and iv) More closely monitor response to therapy.

Promoting physical activity among older people in primary care using peer mentors.

Introduction: The home-based Otago Exercise Programme has been shown to increase sustained physical-activity levels in older people recruited through primary care, when supported by health professionals. The ProAct65+ trial is testing this programme using volunteer peer mentors to support behaviour change. This qualitative study explored how these peer mentors experienced their role.

Triglyceride-to-high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio is an index of heart disease mortality and of incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in men.

Background: High triglyceride (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) impart risk for heart disease. This study examines the relationships of TG/HDL-C ratio to mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease (CHD), or cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Subjects And Methods: Survival analysis was done in 39,447 men grouped by TG/HDL-C ratio cut point of 3.

Aquatic aerobic exercise for children with cerebral palsy: a pilot intervention study.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a14-week aquatic exercise program on gross motor function and walking endurance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The secondary purpose was to evaluate changes in functional strength, aerobic capacity and balance.

Method: A prospective time series group design consisting of four measurement sessions (two baseline, one post intervention, and 1-month follow-up) was used.

Specific plasma lipid classes and phospholipid fatty acids indicative of dairy food consumption associate with insulin sensitivity.

Background: Reports have suggested that the consumption of dairy foods may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes on the basis of evidence of raised circulating ruminant fatty acids.

Objective: We determined whether certain phospholipid species and fatty acids that are associated with full-fat dairy consumption may also be linked to diminished insulin resistance.

Design: Four variables of insulin resistance and sensitivity were defined from oral-glucose-tolerance tests in 86 overweight and obese subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity assessment in primary care: the Rapid Assessment Disuse Index (RADI) study.

Background: The emerging evidence of the effects of sedentary time on health outcomes suggests a need to better measure this exposure. Healthcare settings, however, are not equipped with a tool that can quickly assess the sedentary habits of their patient population. The purpose of this study was to validate a tool for rapidly quantifying and tracking the sedentary time and low levels of daily lifestyle physical activity among primary care patients.

Inclusion of plasma lipid species improves classification of individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Background: A significant proportion of individuals with diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance have fasting plasma glucose less than 6.1 mmol/L and so are not identified with fasting plasma glucose measurements. In this study, we sought to evaluate the utility of plasma lipids to improve on fasting plasma glucose and other standard risk factors for the identification of type 2 diabetes or those at increased risk (impaired glucose tolerance).

Plasma lipid profiling shows similar associations with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

The relationship between lipid metabolism with prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance) and type 2 diabetes mellitus is poorly defined. We hypothesized that a lipidomic analysis of plasma lipids might improve the understanding of this relationship. We performed lipidomic analysis measuring 259 individual lipid species, including sphingolipids, phospholipids, glycerolipids and cholesterol esters, on fasting plasma from 117 type 2 diabetes, 64 prediabetes and 170 normal glucose tolerant participants in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) then validated our findings on 1076 individuals from the San Antonio Family Heart Study (SAFHS).

Outcomes following cardiac surgery in patients with preoperative renal dialysis.

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was that whether patients who are dependent on chronic dialysis have higher morbidity and mortality rates than the general population when undergoing cardiac surgery. These patients often require surgery in view of their heightened risk of cardiac disease.

Framework for integration of informal waste management sector with the formal sector in Pakistan.

Historically, waste pickers around the globe have utilised urban solid waste as a principal source of livelihood. Formal waste management sectors usually perceive the informal waste collection/recycling networks as backward, unhygienic and generally incompatible with modern waste management systems. It is proposed here that through careful planning and administration, these seemingly troublesome informal networks can be integrated into formal waste management systems in developing countries, providing mutual benefits.

Understanding the independent and joint associations of the home and workplace built environments on cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index.

This observational study examined the associations of built environment features around the home and workplace with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) based on a treadmill test and body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)). The study included 8,857 adults aged 20-88 years who completed a preventive medical examination in 2000-2007 while living in 12 Texas counties. Analyses examining workplace neighborhood characteristics included a subset of 4,734 participants.

Plasma dihydroceramide species associate with waist circumference in Mexican American families.

Objective: Waist circumference (WC), the clinical marker of central obesity, is gaining popularity as a screening tool for type 2 diabetes (T2D). While there is epidemiologic evidence favoring the WC-T2D association, its biological substantiation is generally weak. Our objective was to determine the independent association of plasma lipid repertoire with WC.

The role of genotoxicity in asbestos-induced mesothelioma: an explanation for the differences in carcinogenic potential among fiber types.

The mechanism(s) underlying asbestos toxicity associated with the pathogenesis of mesothelioma has been a challenge to unravel for more than 60 years. A significant amount of research has focused on the characteristics of different fiber types and their potential to induce mesothelioma. These mechanistic studies of fiber toxicity have proceeded along two lines: those demonstrating biochemical mechanisms by which fibers induce disease and those investigating human susceptibility.

Plasma lipid profiling in a large population-based cohort.

We have performed plasma lipid profiling using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry on a population cohort of more than 1,000 individuals. From 10 μl of plasma we were able to acquire comparative measures of 312 lipids across 23 lipid classes and subclasses including sphingolipids, phospholipids, glycerolipids, and cholesterol esters (CEs) in 20 min. Using linear and logistic regression, we identified statistically significant associations of lipid classes, subclasses, and individual lipid species with anthropometric and physiological measures.

Plasma lipidomic profile signature of hypertension in Mexican American families: specific role of diacylglycerols.

Both as a component of metabolic syndrome and as an independent entity, hypertension poses a continued challenge with regard to its diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment. Previous studies have documented connections between hypertension and indicators of lipid metabolism. Novel technologies, such as plasma lipidomic profiling, promise a better understanding of disorders in which there is a derangement of the lipid metabolism.

Effects of low-fat or full-fat fermented and non-fermented dairy foods on selected cardiovascular biomarkers in overweight adults.

The association between consumption of full-fat dairy foods and CVD may depend partly on the nature of products and may not apply to low-fat dairy foods. Increased circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers after consumption of dairy product-rich meals suggest an association with CVD. In the present study, we tested the effects of low-fat and full-fat dairy diets on biomarkers associated with inflammation, oxidative stress or atherogenesis and on plasma lipid classes.

The DcpS inhibitor RG3039 improves survival, function and motor unit pathologies in two SMA mouse models.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by insufficient levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein due to the functional loss of the SMN1 gene and the inability of its paralog, SMN2, to fully compensate due to reduced exon 7 splicing efficiency. Since SMA patients have at least one copy of SMN2, drug discovery campaigns have sought to identify SMN2 inducers. C5-substituted quinazolines increase SMN2 promoter activity in cell-based assays and a derivative, RG3039, has progressed to clinical testing.

Family history of chronic disease and meeting public health guidelines for physical activity: the cooper center longitudinal study.

We aimed to assess whether a family history of coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer is linked to meeting public health guidelines for health-promoting physical activity. To achieve this objective, we analyzed data on 29,513 adults who came to the Cooper Clinic (Dallas, Texas) between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2010, for a preventive medicine visit. Patients completed a comprehensive medical survey including information on family medical history, physical activity, and other lifestyle behaviors.

A comparative analysis between site-based and centralized ratings and patient self-ratings in a clinical trial of Major Depressive Disorder.

We compared scores from three different ratings methods in a clinical trial of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR16) was compared to site-based clinician and centralized (site-independent) ratings of the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDSc30). An extracted QIDSc16 was used for a matched comparison with the QIDS-SR16.

Effectiveness of general practice-based physical activity promotion for older adults: systematic review.

Aim: To review the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for adults aged 50 and above, delivered through general practice.

Background: Physical activity has beneficial effects on the common disorders of later life. General practice is a potentially important setting for promotion of physical activity among older adults, but the effectiveness of such interventions is presently unknown.

The influence of adjuvant therapy on cardiorespiratory fitness in early-stage breast cancer seven years after diagnosis: the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.

We examined cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels in early stage breast cancer patients and determined whether CRF differs as a function of adjuvant therapy regimen. A total of 180 early breast cancer patients representing three treatment groups (surgery only, single-, and multi-modality adjuvant therapy) in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) were studied. A non-cancer control group (n = 180) matched by sex, age, and date of the CCLS visit was included.

Variability in associations of phosphatidylcholine molecular species with metabolic syndrome in Mexican-American families.

Plasma lipidomic studies using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy offer detailed insights into metabolic processes. Taking the example of the most abundant plasma lipid class (phosphatidylcholines) we used the rich phenotypic and lipidomic data from the ongoing San Antonio Family Heart Study of large extended Mexican-American families to assess the variability of association of the plasma phosphatidylcholine species with metabolic syndrome. Using robust statistical analytical methods, our study made two important observations.

Postprandial metabolism of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in humans.

The study of the metabolism of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3) in humans has been limited by the unavailability of pure DPA and the fact that DPA is found in combination with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) in natural products. In this double blind cross over study, pure DPA and EPA were incorporated in meals served to healthy female volunteers. Mass spectrometric methods were used to study the chylomicron lipidomics.