Impact of California Children's Power Play! Campaign on Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity among Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students.

Purpose: Examine the impact of the Children's Power Play! Campaign on fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and physical activity (PA).

Design: Study design was a cluster randomized, controlled trial.

Setting: Forty-four low-resource public schools in San Diego County, California, were included in the study.

Diabetes Prevention and Weight Loss with a Fully Automated Behavioral Intervention by Email, Web, and Mobile Phone: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among Persons with Prediabetes.

Background: One-third of US adults, 86 million people, have prediabetes. Two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese and at risk for diabetes. Effective and affordable interventions are needed that can reach these 86 million, and others at high risk, to reduce their progression to diagnosed diabetes.

Exposure to Bovine Leukemia Virus Is Associated with Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Age, reproductive history, hormones, genetics, and lifestyle are known risk factors for breast cancer, but the agents that initiate cellular changes from normal to malignant are not understood. We previously detected bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a common oncogenic virus of cattle, in the breast epithelium of humans. The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of BLV DNA in human mammary epithelium is associated with breast cancer.

Pregnancy during adolescence has lasting adverse effects on blood lipids: a 10-year longitudinal study of black and white females.

Background: Primiparity has been associated with 3 to 4 mg/dL lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in black and white adult women that persist several years after delivery.

Objective: To examine the lasting effects of adolescent pregnancy on blood lipids, an early risk factor for future cardiometabolic diseases.

Design: The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Growth and Health Study is a multicenter prospective cohort that measured fasting blood lipids for 1013 (513 black, 500 white) participants at baseline (1987-1988) ages 9-10, and again at follow-up (1996-1997) ages 18-19.

Accuracy of multisensor activity monitors in normal versus high BMI African American children.

Background: Overweight children show different movement patterns during walking than normal-weight children, suggesting the accuracy of multisensory activity monitors may differ in these groups.

Methods: Eleven normal and 15 high BMI African American children walked at 2, 4, 5, and 6 km/h on a treadmill wearing the Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity (IDEEA) and SenseWear (SW). Accuracy was determined using indirect calorimetry and manually counted steps as references.

Relationship of insulin resistance to psychobehavioral characteristics of overweight and obese African American children.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of insulin resistance to positive as well as negative dimensions of the child's emotions, behavior and personality (hereafter referred to as "psychobehavioral characteristics") in a convenience sample of inner-city, overweight and obese, African American children.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on a sample of 127 children ages 9-12 yr old who were participating in a community-based, Type 2 diabetes prevention program. Psychobehavioral characteristics of children were assessed using both child and parent ratings derived from the Behavioral Assessment for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2).

Accelerometer response to physical activity intensity in normal-weight versus overweight African American children.

Background: Different movement efficiency in overweight children may affect accelerometer output data. The purpose was to investigate the ability of accelerometers to assess physical activity intensity and number of steps in normal-weight compared with overweight children.

Methods: Eleven normal-weight and 14 overweight African American children walked at 2, 4, 5, and 6 km/h on a treadmill wearing Lifecorder, ActiGraph, RT3, and Biotrainer.

California adults increase fruit and vegetable consumption from 1997-2007.

Objective: To determine whether fruit and vegetable consumption among California adults significantly increased from 1997-2007.

Design: Biennial telephone surveillance surveys of California adults' dietary practices.

Participants: California adults (n = 9,105 total all 6 surveys).

Insulin resistance and self-perceived scholastic competence in inner-city, overweight and obese, African American children.

Purpose: scholastic competence is a predictor of future achievement, yet there is little research about health factors that influence the development of self-perceived scholastic competence (SPSC). This study examined the relationship of insulin resistance and body fatness with SPSC in low-income, overweight and obese, African American children.

Methods: data were analyzed from a convenience sample of 9-10years old African American children (89 boys and 113 girls) enrolled in a type 2 diabetes prevention study.

Taking Action Together: a YMCA-based protocol to prevent type-2 diabetes in high-BMI inner-city African American children.

Background: Associated with a tripling in obesity since 1970, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children has risen 9-10 fold. There is a critical need of protocols for trials to prevent T2DM in children.

Methods/design: This protocol includes the theory, development, evaluation components and lessons learned from a novel YMCA-based T2DM prevention intervention designed specifically for high-BMI African American children from disadvantaged, inner-city neighborhoods of Oakland, California.

The utility of routine surveillance blood cultures in asymptomatic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Introduction: Surveillance blood cultures (BCs) are often obtained in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients for earlier detection of blood stream infections (BSI). The major aim of this study was to determine the utility of the current practice of obtaining surveillance blood cultures from asymptomatic transplant patients upon admission for the preparative regimen.

Methods: We conducted an 8-year retrospective study of all patients consecutively admitted to the hospital for a HSCT from 2000 to 2008.

Insulin resistance is improved in overweight African American boys but not in girls following a one-year multidisciplinary community intervention program.

Aim: To assess potential for effectiveness, in a non-randomized pilot study, of a community-based lifestyle intervention program to reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in overweight African American (AA) children.

Research Design: Sample of 165 9-11 year-old AA children with body mass index (BMI) >85th percentile were recruited from local recreational sites, schools and churches. Participants self-selected to attend one of two study sites, blinded to the specifics of the intervention administered at each site.

Maternal diet and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Objective: Intrauterine environmental factors, including maternal diet, may play an etiologic role in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a common childhood cancer. Expanding on previous findings from phase 1 of the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study (NCCLS), a population-based case-control study, we sought to further elucidate and replicate the relationships between maternal diet and ALL risk.

Methods: We matched 282 case-control sets of children (205 pairs and 77 triplets) from phases 1 and 2 of the NCCLS on sex, date of birth, mother's race, Hispanic racial/ethnic status, and county of residence at birth.

Longitudinal study of growth and adiposity in parous compared with nulligravid adolescents.

Objective: To examine the impact of pregnancy on adolescent growth and adiposity relative to nulligravidas of similar maturation stage.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: The multicenter National Heart, Lung and Blood Growth and Health Study with annual examinations from 1987-1988 through 1996-1997.

Using acupuncture for acute pain in hospitalized children.

Objective: Clinical study to determine the acceptability and feasibility of acupuncture for acute postoperative pain control in hospitalized children.

Design: Nonrandomized clinical trial.

Setting: A single, tertiary referral pediatric intensive care unit.

Baseline correlates of insulin resistance in inner city high-BMI African-American children.

To characterize the influence of diet-, physical activity-, and self-esteem-related factors on insulin resistance in 8- 10-year-old African-American (AA) children with BMI greater than the 85th percentile who were screened to participate in a community-based type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevention trial. In 165 subjects, fasting glucose- and insulin-derived values for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) assessed insulin resistance. Body fatness was calculated following bioelectrical impedance analysis, and fitness was measured using laps from a 20-m shuttle run.

Vitamin C in plasma is inversely related to blood pressure and change in blood pressure during the previous year in young Black and White women.

Background: The prevalence of hypertension and its contribution to cardiovascular disease risk makes it imperative to identify factors that may help prevent this disorder. Extensive biological and biochemical data suggest that plasma ascorbic acid may be such a factor. In this study we examined the association between plasma ascorbic acid concentration and blood pressure (BP) in young-adult women.

Vitamin C treatment reduces elevated C-reactive protein.

Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that predicts cardiovascular disease. Lowering elevated CRP with statins has reduced the incidence of cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether vitamin C or E could reduce CRP.

Unusual clustering of coefficients of variation in published articles from a medical biochemistry department in India.

A simple statistical method is described to test whether data are consistent with minimum statistical variability expected in a biological experiment. The method is applied to data presented in data tables in a subset of 84 articles among more than 200 published by 3 investigators in a small medical biochemistry department at a major university in India and to 29 "control" articles selected by key word PubMed searches. Major conclusions include: 1) unusual clustering of coefficients of variation (CVs) was observed for data from the majority of articles analyzed that were published by the 3 investigators from 2000-2007; unusual clustering was not observed for data from any of their articles examined that were published between 1992 and 1999; and 2) among a group of 29 control articles retrieved by PubMed key word, title, or title/abstract searches, unusually clustered CVs were observed in 3 articles.

Learner-centered nutrition education improves folate intake and food-related behaviors in nonpregnant, low-income women of childbearing age.

Background: Recent studies suggest low-income women of childbearing age may be at risk of suboptimal folate intake.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of learner-centered nutrition education on folate intake and food-related behaviors among nonpregnant, low-income women of childbearing age, compared to education unrelated to nutrition.

Design: Participants were randomly assigned by recruitment site to receive either the nutrition lesson or a control lesson about resource management.

Folate intake and food-related behaviors in nonpregnant, low-income women of childbearing age.

Information about folate intake among low-income women of childbearing age remains limited. This report presents results from a cross-sectional study of folate intake and food-related behaviors in a sample of low-income, nonpregnant women of childbearing age in California. One hundred fifty-seven nonpregnant, low-income ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The effect of vitamins C and E on biomarkers of oxidative stress depends on baseline level.

Oxidative stress is elevated in obesity, and may be a major mechanism for obesity-related diseases. Nonsmokers (n=396) were randomized to 1000 mg/day vitamin C, 800 IU/day vitamin E, or placebo, for 2 months. Treatment effect was examined in multiple regression analyses using an intention-to-treat approach.

Usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Dietary supplement use in the United States is prevalent and represents an important source of nutrition. However, little is known about individuals who routinely consume multiple dietary supplements. This study describes the dietary supplement usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users, and where possible makes comparisons to non-users and multivitamin/mineral supplement users.

Guidelines for wrist posture based on carpal tunnel pressure thresholds.

Objective: To develop work guidelines for wrist posture based on carpal tunnel pressure.

Background: Wrist posture is considered a risk factor for distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, and sustained wrist deviation from neutral at work may be associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the physiologic basis for wrist posture guidelines at work is limited.