Publications by authors named "Thornton L"

Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) are serious psychiatric disorders with an estimated 3.3 million healthy life-years lost worldwide yearly. Understanding the course of illness, diagnostic transitions and remission, and their associated genetic correlates could inform both ED etiology and treatment.

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Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a polygenic, severe metabopsychiatric disorder with poorly understood aetiology. Eight significant loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability was estimated to be ~ 11-17, yet causal variants remain elusive. It is therefore important to define the full spectrum of genetic variants in the wider regions surrounding these significantly associated loci.

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Children's dietary quality is suboptimal, increasing the risk of numerous chronic illnesses. Salad bars (SBs) have potential to enhance children's nutritional intake within the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); yet, empirical support is lacking. To address this gap, we evaluated the impact of school salad bars on dietary quality and energy intake at lunch.

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Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths worldwide and significantly impacted people with eating disorders, exacerbating symptoms and limiting access to care. This study examined the association between COVID-19 death-related loss-defined as the death of a family member, friend, or acquaintance due to COVID-19-and mental health among people with preexisting eating disorders in the United States (US), the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Method: Participants with a history of eating disorders completed a baseline survey early in the pandemic (US: N = 511; Netherlands: N = 510; Sweden: N = 982) and monthly (US, the Netherlands) or biannual (Sweden) follow-ups from April 2020 to May 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and body mass index (BMI) among children and adults while considering genetic predisposition to obesity.
  • By analyzing data from a sizable population-based cohort, the researchers found that children with higher polygenic risk for obesity are more affected by socioeconomic disadvantage.
  • Hypothetical interventions to reduce this disadvantage could significantly lower rates of adolescent overweight/obesity, especially among those with high genetic risk, suggesting that addressing childhood disadvantage may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention.
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Intervention: Health4Life: a school-based eHealth intervention targeting multiple health behaviour change (MHBC).

Research Question: Does Health4Life impact secondary outcomes of self-reported intentions regarding six lifestyle behaviours in adolescents (alcohol use, tobacco smoking, screentime, physical activity, discretionary beverage consumption, and sleep)?

Methods: We implemented a cluster randomized controlled trial within secondary schools across three Australian states. Schools were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either the Health4Life intervention, which consisted of a six-module, web-based program and accompanying smartphone app, or an active control (standard health education).

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This Virtual Issue of the International Journal of Eating Disorders honors the legacy of the late Dr. Michael Strober in the eating disorders and child psychiatry fields. Having served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Eating Disorders from 1983 to 2012, Dr.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study is the first large-scale examination of rare copy number variants (CNVs) in anorexia nervosa (AN), involving data from 7,414 AN cases and 5,044 controls to explore their potential genetic links to the disorder.
  • - The researchers investigated both well-known syndromic CNVs and those associated with other diseases but found no significant links between these variants and AN; however, they identified 21 potential CNV regions that may play a role in AN risk, particularly in areas related to metabolic and neurodevelopmental factors.
  • - Ultimately, the findings suggest that rare CNVs have a limited impact on the development of AN, aligning it with other psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, and indicate that
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Background: Digital, or eHealth, interventions are highly promising approaches to help adolescents improve their health behaviours and reduce their risk of chronic disease. However, they often have low uptake and retention. There is also a paucity of high-quality research into the predictors of eHealth engagement, and a lack of studies that have systematically evaluated existing engagement strategies in adolescent populations.

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This study aimed to examine the efficacy of school-based e-cigarette preventive interventions via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and clinical trial registries for studies published between January 2000 and June 2023 using keywords for e-cigarettes, adolescents, and school. Of 1566 double-screened records, 11 met the criteria of targeting adolescents, evaluating an e-cigarette preventive intervention, being conducted in a secondary school, using a randomized controlled trial (RCT), cluster RCT, or quasi-experimental design, and comparing an intervention to a control.

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Disordered eating (DE) is associated with elevated cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors, yet little is known about this association in non-Western countries. We examined the association between DE characteristics and CMR and tested the potential mediating role of BMI. This cross-sectional study included 2005 Chinese women (aged 18-50 years) from the 2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey.

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Article Synopsis
  • Eating disorders (EDs) result in substantial health issues, impacting millions globally, and understanding their transitions and remission can enhance treatment and etiology efforts.* -
  • A study examined over 10,000 people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or EDNOS to assess diagnostic changes and periods of presumed remission, utilizing genetic data from polygenic scores (PGSs).* -
  • Results showed that most patients did not transition diagnoses but experienced remission, with various PGSs linked to these outcomes, indicating a significant genetic influence on ED progression and recovery.*
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Adolescence is a high-risk life stage for obesity. Digital strategies are needed to prevent and manage obesity among adolescents. We assessed if digital health interventions are contributing to disparities in obesity outcomes and assessed the adequacy of reporting of digital health equity criteria across four levels of influence within the digital environment.

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Purpose: This paper describes the development and characteristics of a multi-disciplinary spina bifida clinic in Qatar considering the recently revised and globally available Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida (GCPSB).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on individuals in Sidra's multidisciplinary spina bifida clinic database from January 2019 to June 2020. Their electronic health records were reviewed for demographics, as well as neurosurgical, urologic, rehabilitation, and orthopedic interventions.

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Objective: The Nine Item ARFID Scale (NIAS) is a widely used measure assessing symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Previous studies suggest that individuals with eating disorders driven by shape/weight concerns also have elevated scores on the NIAS. To further describe NIAS scores among individuals with diverse current and previous eating disorders, we characterized NIAS scores in a large sample of individuals with eating disorders and evaluated overlap in symptoms measured by the NIAS and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) version 6.

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Issue Addressed: While there has been an increased focus on how local governments can support the creation of healthy food environments through healthy public policy, little is known about how this is reflected in public health policy in regional areas. The aim of this study was to understand how improvements to the food environment are prioritised, implemented and evaluated by local governments in regional Victoria.

Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive approach, content analysis was undertaken of Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans and Council Plans from 10 regional local governments in Victoria, Australia.

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Article Synopsis
  • The HealthGap study focused on assessing cardiovascular risk among Indigenous Australians in Victoria by using linked administrative data.
  • A significant challenge was the varying geographic coverage of data sources, as state-level information related to risk factors was not fully aligned with cardiovascular outcomes from only three hospitals.
  • The analysis revealed that the spatial event distribution approach was the most effective in capturing events, identifying 82% overall, with 65% of those being Indigenous cases, although there were limitations regarding misclassification from nearby non-study hospitals.
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The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) is a widely used measure of callous-unemotional (CU) traits that may aid in the assessment of the diagnostic specifier "with limited prosocial emotions," which has been added to diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder. Though there is substantial support for use of the ICU total score, the scale's factor structure has been highly debated. Inconsistencies in past factor analyses may be largely attributed to failure to control for method variance due to item wording (i.

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  • Monitoring invasive species is crucial for managing their impact on native wildlife; this study focuses on the distribution and interactions of medium-large fauna in El Palmar National Park, Argentina.
  • The research involved using camera traps to record the presence of two exotic species (axis deer and wild boar) and seven native species over a three-year period, revealing high spatial overlap and activity patterns among them.
  • Findings indicated significant coexistence and potential competition, especially in winter, suggesting that exotic species may adapt their activity patterns to reduce direct competition with native fauna.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma, historically, has had a poor prognosis with very few systemic options. Furthermore, most patients at diagnosis are not surgical candidates. Therefore, locoregional therapy (LRT) has been widely used, with strong data supporting its use.

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Background: Mechanical ventilation, a lifesaving intervention in critical care, can lead to damage in the extracellular matrix (ECM), triggering inflammation and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), particularly in conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review discusses the detailed structure of the ECM in healthy and ARDS-affected lungs under mechanical ventilation, aiming to bridge the gap between experimental insights and clinical practice by offering a thorough understanding of lung ECM organization and the dynamics of its alteration during mechanical ventilation.

Main Text: Focusing on the clinical implications, we explore the potential of precise interventions targeting the ECM and cellular signaling pathways to mitigate lung damage, reduce inflammation, and ultimately improve outcomes for critically ill patients.

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Clinicians currently monitor pressure and volume at the airway opening, assuming that these observations relate closely to stresses and strains at the micro level. Indeed, this assumption forms the basis of current approaches to lung protective ventilation. Nonetheless, although the airway pressure applied under static conditions may be the same everywhere in healthy lungs, the stresses within a mechanically non-uniform ARDS lung are not.

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