Tweeting it off: characteristics of adults who tweet about a weight loss attempt.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe adults who use Twitter during a weight loss attempt and to compare the positive and negative social influences they experience from their offline friends, online friends, and family members.

Materials And Methods: Participants (N=100, 80% female, mean age=37.65, SD=8.

Structural and Functional Support in the Prediction of Smoking Cessation in Caregivers of Children with Asthma.

Caregivers of children with asthma smoke at rates similar to the general population. Research on the relative importance of structural or functional social support in smoking cessation has been mixed. Participants were smokers (N = 154) who were caregivers of children with asthma.

Isoniazid mediates the CYP2B6*6 genotype-dependent interaction between efavirenz and antituberculosis drug therapy through mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2A6.

Efavirenz is commonly used to treat patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis. Previous clinical studies have observed paradoxically elevated efavirenz plasma concentrations in patients with the CYP2B6*6/*6 genotype (but not the CYP2B6*1/*1 genotype) during coadministration with the commonly used four-drug antituberculosis therapy. This study sought to elucidate the mechanism underlying this genotype-dependent drug-drug interaction.

Late presentation to HIV/AIDS testing, treatment or continued care: clarifying the use of CD4 evaluation in the consensus definition.

Objectives: Late presentation to HIV/AIDS services compromises treatment outcomes and misses opportunities for biomedical and behavioural prevention. There has been significant heterogeneity in how the term 'late presentation' (LP) has been used in the literature. In 2011, a consensus definition was reached using CD4 counts to define and measure late presenters and, while it is useful for clinical care, the consensus definition has several important limitations that we discuss in this article.

Skeletal muscle atrophy in bioengineered skeletal muscle: a new model system.

Skeletal muscle atrophy has been well characterized in various animal models, and while certain pathways that lead to disuse atrophy and its associated functional deficits have been well studied, available drugs to counteract these deficiencies are limited. An ex vivo tissue-engineered skeletal muscle offers a unique opportunity to study skeletal muscle physiology in a controlled in vitro setting. Primary mouse myoblasts isolated from adult muscle were tissue engineered into bioartificial muscles (BAMs) containing hundreds of aligned postmitotic muscle fibers expressing sarcomeric proteins.

The impacts of AIDS movements on the policy responses to HIV/AIDS in Brazil and South Africa: a comparative analysis.

Brazil and South Africa were among the first countries profoundly impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and had similar rates of HIV infection in the early 1990s. Today, Brazil has less than 1% adult HIV prevalence, implemented treatment and prevention programmes early in the epidemic, and now has exemplary HIV/AIDS programmes. South Africa, by contrast, has HIV prevalence of 18% and was, until recently, infamous for its delayed and inappropriate response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Relationship between Smoking and Depression Post-Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The purpose of the current paper is to review research on the relationship between smoking cessation and depressed mood post-Acute Coronary Syndrome (Myocardial infarction or unstable angina; ACS). Emerging evidence regarding the effect of anhedonia-a specific subcomponent of mood disturbance characterized by reduced pleasure-on post-ACS outcomes is also discussed. There is strong evidence that depression prospectively predicts post-ACS relapse to smoking.

Family Sources of Sexual Health Information, Primary Messages, and Sexual Behavior of At-Risk, Urban Adolescents.

Background: Sources of sexual health information exert strong influence on adolescents' sexual behavior.

Purpose: The current study was undertaken to understand how family serve as sexual information sources, the messages adolescents recall from family, and how family learning experiences affect sexual behavior among at-risk adolescents.

Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 69 teens, ages 15-18 years, from an alternative high school and a juvenile correctional facility to capture adolescents' early sexual health learning experiences involving family and evaluate their association with teens' recent sexual behavior.

Meta-analysis of the association between cigarette smoking and incidence of Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Introduction: Previous studies have suggested a relationship between smoking and Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). The main objective of this study was to evaluate this potential association with a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Patients And Methods: A literature search was undertaken through December 2010 looking for observational studies evaluating the association between smoking and HL.

Low perceived risk and high HIV prevalence among a predominantly African American population participating in Philadelphia's Rapid HIV testing program.

African Americans are disproportionately infected with HIV/AIDS. Despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommending routine opt-out testing for HIV, most HIV screening is based on self-perceived HIV risks. Philadelphia launched a rapid HIV testing program in seven public health clinics in 2007.

Ecological momentary assessment of recommended postoperative eating and activity behaviors.

Background: Successful weight loss after bariatric surgery depends on the patient's adherence to prescribed eating and physical activity behaviors. However, few studies have assessed patients' adherence to the behavioral recommendations and most have used retrospective self-report measures. The present study is the first to use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via a palmtop computer to assess bariatric surgery patients' eating and activity behaviors in real-time in the natural environment.

Risk perception in smokers with children with asthma.

Objective: No studies have examined the relationship between caregiver beliefs about the risks of smoking to their own health and caregiver beliefs about the effect of their smoking on their child's health. In the current study, we investigated our proposed risk congruence hypothesis among caregivers who smoke. Specifically, we investigated whether caregivers' self-perceived risk of smoking is directly associated with their perception of the risks of smoking to their child.

Risk perception and smoking behavior in medically ill smokers: a prospective study.

Aims: To examine the influence of risk perception on intentions to quit smoking and post-treatment abstinence.

Design: Prospective and longitudinal.

Setting: United States.

Dose adjustment of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors during concurrent rifampicin-containing tuberculosis therapy: one size does not fit all.

Importance Of The Field: HIV/tuberculosis (TB) co-infection is common and associated with high mortality. Simultaneous highly active antiretroviral therapy during TB treatment is associated with substantial survival benefit but drug-drug interactions complicate NNRTI dosing.

Areas Covered In This Review: We reviewed the impact of rifampicin-containing TB therapy on the NNRTIs pharmacokinetics and clinical outcome.

Comparing psychosocial predictors of physical activity adoption and maintenance.

Background: Most health behavior models do not distinguish between determinants of behavior adoption and maintenance.

Purpose: This study compared psychosocial predictors of physical activity (PA) adoption and predictors of PA maintenance among 205 initially sedentary adults enrolled in a home-based PA promotion trial.

Methods: Psychosocial variables were measured at 6 months (at which point 107 participants remained inactive and 98 participants adopted regular PA) and used to predict 12-month PA status (an indicator of PA adoption among those inactive at 6 months and an indicator of PA maintenance among those active at 6 months).