Appraisal of Clinical Care Practices for Child Obesity Treatment. Part I: Interventions.

The objective of this technical report is to provide clinicians with evidence-based, actionable information upon which to make assessment and treatment decisions for children and adolescents with obesity. In addition, this report will provide an evidence base to inform clinical practice guidelines for the management and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. To this end, the goal of this report was to identify all relevant studies to answer 2 overarching key questions: (KQ1) "What are clinically based, effective treatments for obesity?" and (KQ2) "What is the risk of comorbidities among children with obesity?" See Appendix 1 for the conceptual framework and a priori key questions.

Appraisal of Clinical Care Practices for Child Obesity Treatment. Part II: Comorbidities.

The objective of this technical report is to provide clinicians with actionable evidence-based information upon which to make treatment decisions. In addition, this report will provide an evidence base on which to inform clinical practice guidelines for the management and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. To this end, the goal of this report was to identify all relevant studies to answer 2 overarching key questions: (KQ1) "What are effective clinically based treatments for obesity?" and (KQ2) "What is the risk of comorbidities among children with obesity?" See Appendix 1 for the conceptual framework and a priori Key Questions.

The mediating effects of barriers to vaccination on the relationship between race/ethnicity and influenza vaccination status in a rural Southeastern Louisiana medical center.

Introduction: Persistent disparities in influenza vaccination rates exist between racial/ethnic minorities and Whites. The mechanisms that define this relationship are under-researched.

Methods: Surveys assessing barriers to vaccination were administered to outpatients in a rural medical center in Southeastern Louisiana.

Insufficient Sleep Syndrome: A Blind Spot in Our Vision of Healthy Sleep.

Chronic sleep deficiency (CSD) poses a threat to physical health, mental well-being, and social functioning. The concept of behaviorally induced CSD has not changed much since it was first introduced four decades ago. Behaviorally induced CSD is currently referred to as insufficient sleep syndrome (ISS).

Assessing influenza vaccination coverage and predictors in persons living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana, June 2002-June 2013.

Background: Despite the burden of disease and increased risk of influenza-associated morbidity and mortality among PLWHA, influenza vaccination has been understudied in this population.

Methods: We built an 11-year cohort of HIV-infected adults from medical records of PLWHA seeking care within the Louisiana State University medical system from June 2002-June 2013. Influenza vaccination uptake among PLWHA was calculated overall and for each medical facility for each influenza season.

Complement in Reproductive White Adipose Tissue Characterizes the Obese Preeclamptic-Like BPH/5 Mouse Prior to and During Pregnancy.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by abnormal placental development with an unknown etiology. To better understand which women will develop PE, a number of maternal risk factors have been identified, including obesity. Visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) contains inflammatory mediators that may contribute to PE.

Brain response to food cues varying in portion size is associated with individual differences in the portion size effect in children.

Large portions promote intake of energy dense foods (i.e., the portion size effect--PSE), but the neurobiological drivers of this effect are not known.

No evidence for metabolic adaptation in thermic effect of food by dietary protein.

Objective: Determine whether prolonged consumption of high- or low-protein diets modifies the thermogenic response to a standard meal.

Methods: Twenty-four healthy individuals were randomized to overfeeding diets containing low (5%, n = 8), normal (15%, n = 9), or high (25%, n = 7) protein for 56 days while inpatients. The thermic effect of food (TEF) was measured over 4 h by indirect calorimetry following a standard meal (20% of energy, 20% protein) or a meal that matched the study diet ("study meal").

Lifestyle factors and ghrelin: critical review and implications for weight loss maintenance.

Ghrelin, the only known appetite-stimulating hormone in humans, may be one factor involved in increased appetite, cravings and food intake following weight loss. Innovative strategies for suppressing ghrelin and decreasing appetite during weight loss maintenance are needed. Recent research has highlighted relationships between ghrelin, stress and lifestyle factors.

Analysis of circadian pattern reveals tissue-specific alternative transcription in leptin signaling pathway.

Background: It has been previously reported that most mammalian genes display a circadian oscillation in their baseline expression. Consequently, the phase and amplitude of each component of a signal transduction cascade has downstream consequences.

Results: Here, we report our analysis of alternative transcripts in the leptin signaling pathway which is responsible for the systemic regulation of macronutrient storage and energy balance.

Permutation test for periodicity in short time series data.

Background: Periodic processes, such as the circadian rhythm, are important factors modulating and coordinating transcription of genes governing key metabolic pathways. Theoretically, even small fluctuations in the orchestration of circadian gene expression patterns among different tissues may result in functional asynchrony, at the organism level, and may contribute to a wide range of pathologic disorders. Identification of circadian expression pattern in time series data is important, but equally challenging.

Circadian clocks are resounding in peripheral tissues.

Circadian rhythms are prevalent in most organisms. Even the smallest disturbances in the orchestration of circadian gene expression patterns among different tissues can result in functional asynchrony, at the organism level, and may to contribute to a wide range of physiologic disorders. It has been reported that as many as 5%-10% of transcribed genes in peripheral tissues follow a circadian expression pattern.

Impact of altering DSM-IV criteria for anorexia and bulimia nervosa on the base rates of eating disorder diagnoses.

The diagnostic criteria used to define eating disorders have been the focus of debate for many years. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of altering DSM-IV diagnostic criteria upon the base rates of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Five controversial criteria were systematically modified and the impact of these changes on base rates of full-syndrome and partial-syndrome eating disorders was assessed in 193 patients referred to two specialty eating disorder clinics.

Development of in-vitro-derived bovine embryos cultured in 5% CO2 in air or in 5% O2, 5% CO2 and 90% N2.

To evaluate the effects of a three gas mixture of 5% O2, 5% CO2 and 90% N2 (OCN) on preimplantation embryo development, bovine in-vitro fertilization (IVF) oocytes were cultured in a defined medium (mBECM) with various supplements either under 5% CO2 in air or under OCN. When cultured in mBECM alone, embryo development was significantly stimulated in OCN compared to 5% CO2 in air (experiment 1). In the OCN atmosphere, blastocyst formation was further increased after addition of fetal bovine serum (FBS; 10%) or FBS + cumulus granulosa cells (CGC) to mBECM.

Improved development of in vitro-derived bovine embryos by use of a nitric oxide scavenger in a cumulus-granulosa cell coculture system.

This study was conducted to examine the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) affects prehatching development of bovine oocytes fertilized in vitro. In experiment 1, inseminated oocytes were cultured in a cumulus-granulosa cell (CG) coculture system to which 0.008 or 0.