"Available evidence supports the notion that physical activity can confer protection against the emergence of depression regardless of age and geographical region."

Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 25:appiajp201817111194. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17111194. [Epub ahead of print]

Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Schuch FB1, Vancampfort D1, Firth J1, Rosenbaum S1, Ward PB1, Silva ES1, Hallgren M1, Ponce De Leon A1, Dunn AL1, Deslandes AC1, Fleck MP1, Carvalho AF1, Stubbs B1.

Author information

1

From La Salle University, Canoas, Brazil; the School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy, and Dance and the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and University Psychiatric Center, Leuven-Kortenberg, Belgium; the NICM Health Research Institute, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia; the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales Sydney, Black Dog Institute, and Schizophrenia Research Unit, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, Australia; the Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm; the Department of Epidemiology, Social Medicine Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto; the Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London; and the Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The authors examined the prospective relationship between physical activity and incident depression and explored potential moderators.

METHOD:

Prospective cohort studies evaluating incident depression were searched from database inception through Oct. 18, 2017, on PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and SPORTDiscus. Demographic and clinical data, data on physical activity and depression assessments, and odds ratios, relative risks, and hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were extracted. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted, and the potential sources of heterogeneity were explored. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS:

A total of 49 unique prospective studies (N=266,939; median proportion of males across studies, 47%) were followed up for 1,837,794 person-years. Compared with people with low levels of physical activity, those with high levels had lower odds of developing depression (adjusted odds ratio=0.83, 95% CI=0.79, 0.88; I2=0.00). Furthermore, physical activity had a protective effect against the emergence of depression in youths (adjusted odds ratio=0.90, 95% CI=0.83, 0.98), in adults (adjusted odds ratio=0.78, 95% CI=0.70, 0.87), and in elderly persons (adjusted odds ratio=0.79, 95% CI=0.72, 0.86). Protective effects against depression were found across geographical regions, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.65 to 0.84 in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania, and against increased incidence of positive screen for depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio=0.84, 95% CI=0.79, 0.89) or major depression diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio=0.86, 95% CI=0.75, 0.98). No moderators were identified. Results were consistent for unadjusted odds ratios and for adjusted and unadjusted relative risks/hazard ratios. Overall study quality was moderate to high (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score, 6.3). Although significant publication bias was found, adjusting for this did not change the magnitude of the associations.

CONCLUSIONS:

Available evidence supports the notion that physical activity can confer protection against the emergence of depression regardless of age and geographical region.

Timeless. Al Jarreau - Mornin'

Al Jarreau - Mornin'

Front Oncol. 2018 Apr 3;8:91. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2018.00091. eCollection 2018.

New Perspectives on Diagnosis and Therapy of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Rossini M1, Rizzo P1, Bononi I1, Clementz A2, Ferrari R3,4, Martini F1, Tognon MG1.

Author information

1

Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathology, Oncology and Experimental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

2

Department of Natural Sciences and Geography, Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, IL, United States.

3

Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Internal Medicine and Cardiorespiratory, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

4

E.S. Health Science Foundation, GVM Care & Research, Maria Cecilia Hospital, Cotignola, Italy.

Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, but severe form of cancer, with an incidence that varies significantly within and among different countries around the world. It develops in about one to two persons per million of the general population, leading to thousands of deaths every year worldwide. To date, the MPM is mostly associated with occupational asbestos exposure. Asbestos represents the predominant etiological factor, with approximately 70% of cases of MPM with well-documented occupational exposure to asbestos, with the exposure time, on average greater than 40 years. Environmental exposure to asbestos is increasingly becoming recognized as a cause of mesothelioma, together with gene mutations. The possible roles of other cofactors, such as viral infection and radiation exposure, are still debated. MPM is a fatal tumor. This cancer arises during its early phase without clinical signs. Consequently, its diagnosis occurs at advanced stages. Standard clinical therapeutic approaches include surgery, chemo- and radiotherapies. Preclinical and clinical researches are making great strides in the field of this deadly disease, identifying new biomarkers and innovative therapeutic approaches. Among the newly identified markers and potential therapeutic targets, circulating microRNAs and the Notch pathway represent promising avenues that could result in the early detection of the tumor and novel therapeutic approaches.

"Maynard Ferguson" - The UNT One O'Clock Lab Band

"Maynard Ferguson" - The UNT One O'Clock Lab Band (Live, 1995)

"The Creation" - Texas A&M Singing Cadets

"The Creation" Texas A&M Singing Cadets Spring 2017

The song begins at 1:30.

Researchers uncover how obesity leads to cancer in epithelial cells

To investigate how obesity may affect this mechanism, lead author Yasuyuki Fujita and colleagues bred mice that expressed a cancer-inducing mutant protein called Ras.

Potentially cancerous cells that have been transformed by Ras are usually eliminated by epithelial cells.

As reported in the journal Cell Reports, the researchers fed the mice a high-fat diet, which led to severe obesity and resulted in suppression of the EDAC mechanism. This causes the Ras-transformed cells that remained in the tissue to grow.

Suppression of the defence mechanism was only observed in the intestine and pancreas and not in the lungs, a finding that supports previous studies reporting correlations between intestinal and pancreatic cancer, but not lung cancer.

Am J Bioeth. 2018 May;18(5):6-15. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2018.1445312.

Why Bioethics Should Be Concerned With Medically Unexplained Symptoms.

O'Leary D1.

Author information

1

a Georgetown University.

Abstract

Biomedical diagnostic science is a great deal less successful than we've been willing to acknowledge in bioethics, and this fact has far-reaching ethical implications. In this article I consider the surprising prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms, and the term's ambiguous meaning. Then I frame central questions that remain answered in this context with respect to informed consent, autonomy, and truth-telling. Finally, I show that while considerable attention in this area is given to making sure not to provide biological care to patients without a need, comparatively little is given to the competing, ethically central task of making sure never to obstruct access to biological care for those with diagnostically confusing biological conditions. I suggest this problem arises from confusion about the philosophical value of vagueness when it comes to the line between biological and psychosocial needs.

"...13% of the active duty military was classified as 'obese'. In 2001, the military obesity rate was just 6.5%."

Fit To Fight - Obesity spikes among active duty military

"That expense was part of the reason for the Health of the Force report that was published in 2015.

It found 13% of the active duty military was classified as 'obese'.

In 2001, the military obesity rate was just 6.5%."

"In the mid-twentieth century, women had an established position in British poetry—second place."

CLARIFY ME, PLEASE, GOD OF THE GALAXIES

IN PRAISE OF THE POETRY OF ELIZABETH JENNINGSby Dana GioiaMay 2018


"Finally, something more needs to be said about Jennings as a woman poet. She never portrayed herself as a feminist, but she wrote from an explicitly female perspective. There is no way to understand her career without seeing how her sex shaped her personal and public identities. She began writing at a time when being female was a grave disadvantage. In the mid-twentieth century, women had an established position in British poetry—second place. They were published but not taken too seriously. The world of letters assumed that men led literary culture. Female poets were typecast as minor lyrists, concerned with personal matters. Tradition assigned men the larger, public themes and more capacious style. These assumptions allowed critics to recognize the more traditional elements in Jennings’s work (her elegant lyricism and formal mastery) but miss or misjudge its bolder aspects (her sacramental imagination and lacerating psychological insight)."

"We’ve defined loneliness as a treatable human condition..."

Loneliness May Be a Bigger Public Health Threat Than Smoking or Obesity

Governments are just starting to confront the issue.

As more American health plans move to a managed care system -- one that pays for services based on quality instead of quantity -- CareMore’s Jain says it’s imperative that social isolation be integrated into health care. “We’ve defined loneliness as a treatable human condition, and up until now there just haven’t been payment models to encourage that,” he says. “But primary care doctors now have an obligation to address it.”

Weight Stigma Affects Men Too, Reports The Obesity Society

Results showed approximately 40% of men reported experiencing weight

stigma. Men reporting weight stigma were younger, less likely to be

married, had higher BMIs, and were more likely to have tried to lose

weight in the past year relative to men not reporting weight stigma.

Also, verbal mistreatment was the most common form of weight stigma

which came from peers, family members, and strangers.

Lead author of the study Mary Himmelstein, PhD, said, "These data show

that men are experiencing similar rates of weight stigma relative to

women, which suggests it's important to understand and examine

potential gender differences in consequences of weight stigma."

Additionally, in an upcoming editorial published in Obesity, Rebecca

L. Pearl, PhD, and Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, examine Dr. Himmelstein's

study. "This finding challenges the notion that men are not affected

by weight stigma and rightfully highlights the need to include them

more fully in research on this problem," they said. Overall, more

research is needed in weight stigma in men.

F1000Res. 2018 Feb 1;7:133. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.13848.1. eCollection 2018.

Hubris and Sciences.

Diamandis EP1, Bouras N2.

Author information

1

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

2

King's College London , Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience , London, UK.

Abstract

There has been an increasing awareness of the importance of leadership and decision making, including scientists and academics, over recent times. By whom and how decisions are made can have serious implications across all levels of society. Several people have been successful in their life and have been inflicted by excessive pride and self-confidence. There are times when the manifestations of such behaviours demonstrate noticeable signs of narcissism and on extreme cases, hubris. Hubris is an old concept originated from the Greek mythology.  The risk of hubris affects politicians, leaders in business, scientists, academia, the military, entertainers, athletes and doctors (among many others). Power, especially absolute and unchecked power, is intoxicating and is manifested behaviourally in a variety of ways, ranging from amplified cognitive functions to lack of inhibition, poor judgment, extreme narcissism, deviant behaviour, and even cruelty. Hubristic behaviour of overconfidence, extreme pride together with an unwillingness to disregard advice makes powerful people in leadership positions to over-reach themselves with negative consequences for themselves and others. As the dangerous consequences of hubristic behaviours become more apparent and well described it is imperative that individuals, organisations and governments act to prevent such phenomena. Responsible leaders, including acclaimed scientists should exercise greater humility to the complexity and inherent uncertainty of their activities and strive to seek out and challenge hubristic behaviours.

From the Comments: "Anybody listening 2018 ?" #DiscoLives

From the Comments:  "Anybody listening 2018 ?"

Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer

Australian public hospitals cannot meet rising demand for obesity care, experts warn

"Thousands of people who may benefit from specialist healthcare are currently not having their needs addressed by the public health system," said Dr Atlantis, of Western Sydney University.

Tomaso Albinoni - Adagio 

Andrew G. Nicholson, Ming S. Tsao, William D. Travis, Deepa T. Patil, Francoise Galateau-Salle, Mirella Marino, Sanja Dacic, Mary Beth Beasley, Kelly J. Butnor, Yasushi Yatabe, Harvey I. Pass, Valerie W. Rusch, Frank C. Detterbeck, Hisao Asamura, Thomas W. Rice, Ramon Rami-Porta, and for the Members of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Staging and Prognostic Factors and Pathology Committees (2018) Eighth Edition Staging of Thoracic Malignancies: Implications for the Reporting Pathologist. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: May 2018, Vol. 142, No. 5, pp. 645-661.

REVIEW ARTICLE

Eighth Edition Staging of Thoracic Malignancies: Implications for the Reporting Pathologist

Andrew G. Nicholson, DM; Ming S. Tsao, MD; William D. Travis, MD; Deepa T. Patil, MD; Francoise Galateau-Salle, MD; Mirella Marino, MD; Sanja Dacic, MD; Mary Beth Beasley, MD; Kelly J. Butnor, MD; Yasushi Yatabe, MD, PhD; Harvey I. Pass, MD; Valerie W. Rusch, MD; Frank C. Detterbeck, MD; Hisao Asamura, MD; Thomas W. Rice, MD; Ramon Rami-Porta, MDfor the Members of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Staging and Prognostic Factors and Pathology Committees

From the Department of Histopathology, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom (Dr Nicholson); the Department of Pathology, The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Tsao); the Department of Pathology (Dr Travis) and the Thoracic Service, Department of Surgery (Dr Rusch), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; the Departments of Pathology (Dr Patil) and Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (Dr Rice), Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio; the Departement de Biopathologie, Cancer Center Leon Bernard, Lyon, France (Dr Galateau-Salle); the Department of Pathology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy (Dr Marino); the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Dacic); the Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York (Dr Beasley); the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington (Dr Butnor); the Department of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan (Dr Yatabe); the Department of Thoracic Surgery, New York University, New York, New York (Dr Pass); the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (Dr Detterbeck); the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan (Dr Asamura); and the Thoracic Surgery Service, Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa, University of Barcelona, and CIBERES Lung Cancer Group, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain (Dr Rami-Porta).

The authors have no relevant financial interest in the products or companies described in this article.

Reprints: Andrew G. Nicholson, DM, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, Histopathology, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, United Kingdom (email: a.nicholson@rbht.nhs.uk).

Context The Staging and Prognostic Factors Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, in conjunction with the International Mesothelioma Interest Group, the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group, and the Worldwide Esophageal Cancer Collaboration, developed proposals for the 8th edition of their respective tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging classification systems.

Objective To review these changes and discuss issues for the reporting pathologist.

Data Sources Proposals were based on international databases of lung (N = 94 708), with an external validation using the US National Cancer Database; mesothelioma (N = 3519); thymic epithelial tumors (10 808); and epithelial cancers of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction (N = 22 654).

Conclusions These proposals have been mostly accepted by the Union for International Cancer Control and the American Joint Committee on Cancer and incorporated into their respective staging manuals (2017). The Union for International Cancer Control recommended implementation beginning in January 2017; however, the American Joint Committee on Cancer has deferred deployment of the eighth TNM until January 1, 2018, to ensure appropriate infrastructure for data collection. This manuscript summarizes the updated staging of thoracic malignancies, specifically highlighting changes from the 7th edition that are relevant to pathologic staging. Histopathologists should become familiar with, and start to incorporate, the 8th edition staging in their daily reporting of thoracic cancers henceforth.

"About a third of people aged two to 19 are considered overweight or obese..."

Childhood obesity

About a third of people aged two to 19 are considered overweight or obese, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says.

Can J Psychiatry. 2018 Jan 1:706743718766052. doi: 10.1177/0706743718766052. [Epub ahead of print]

Critical Issues in Men's Mental Health.

Bilsker D1, Fogarty AS2, Wakefield MA3.

Author information

1

1 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.

2

2 Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

3

3 Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract

This narrative review highlights key issues in men's mental health and identifies approaches to research, policy and practice that respond to men's styles of coping. Issues discussed are: 1) the high incidence of male suicide (80% of suicide deaths in Canada, with a peak in the mid-50 s age group) accompanied by low public awareness; 2) the perplexing nature of male depression, manifesting in forms that are poorly recognised by current diagnostic approaches and thus poorly treated; 3) the risky use of alcohol among men, again common and taking a huge toll on mental and physical health; 4) the characteristic ways in which men manage psychological suffering, the coping strengths to be recognised, and the gaps to be addressed; 5) the underutilization of mental health services by men, and the implication for clinical outcomes; and 6) male-specific approaches to service provision designed to improve men's accessing of care, with an emphasis on Canadian programs. The main conclusion is that a high proportion of men in Western society have acquired psychological coping strategies that are often dysfunctional. There is a need for men to learn more adaptive coping approaches long before they reach a crisis point. Recommendations are made to address men's mental health through: healthcare policy that facilitates access; research on tailoring interventions to men; population-level initiatives to improve the capacity of men to cope with psychological distress; and clinical practice that is sensitive to the expression of mental health problems in men and that responds in a relevant manner.

#GreatestGeneration - After 73 years, a World War II veteran returns to the Queen Mary

After 73 years, a World War II veteran returns to the Queen Mary

He also had photos of soldiers lying in bunks, standing by railings mingling with each other. He remembered “standing forever” waiting in food lines. Nothing changes in the Army.

Barta joined the Army in 1943 as a medic specializing in X-ray work.  His unit, the 117th Medical Unit, was eventually deployed to a 1,000-bed hospital in Bristol, England. During the bombings in London, many badly burned British citizens were also treated at the hospital. X-ray technicians often worked around the clock.

Ann Sci. 2018 Apr 20:1-23. doi: 10.1080/00033790.2018.1460691. [Epub ahead of print]

Vaunting the independent amateur: Scientific American and the representation of lay scientists.

Johnston SF1.

Author information

1

a College of Social Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Studies , University of Glasgow , Dumfries , UK.

Abstract

This paper traces how media representations encouraged enthusiasts, youth and skilled volunteers to participate actively in science and technology during the twentieth century. It assesses how distinctive discourses about scientific amateurs positioned them with respect to professionals in shifting political and cultural environments. In particular, the account assesses the seminal role of a periodical, Scientific American magazine, in shaping and championing an enduring vision of autonomous scientific enthusiasms. Between the 1920s and 1970s, editors Albert G. Ingalls and Clair L. Stong shepherded generations of adult 'amateur scientists'. Their columns and books popularized a vision of independent non-professional research that celebrated the frugal ingenuity and skills of inveterate tinkerers. Some of these attributes have found more recent expression in present-day 'maker culture'. The topic consequently is relevant to the historiography of scientific practice, science popularization and science education. Its focus on independent non-professionals highlights political dimensions of agency and autonomy that have often been implicit for such historical (and contemporary) actors. The paper argues that the Scientific American template of adult scientific amateurism contrasted with other representations: those promoted by earlier periodicals and by a science education organization, Science Service, and by the national demands for recruiting scientific labour during and after the Second World War. The evidence indicates that advocates of the alternative models had distinctive goals and adapted their narrative tactics to reach their intended audiences, which typically were conceived as young persons requiring instruction or mentoring. By contrast, the monthly Scientific American columns established a long-lived and stable image of the independent lay scientist.

Br Med Bull. 2018 Mar 28. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldy007. [Epub ahead of print]

Conscientious objection in medicine: accommodation versus professionalism and the public good.

Schuklenk U1.

Author information

1

Department of Philosophy, Queen's University, John Watson Hall 309, Bader Lane, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

In recent years questions have arisen about the moral justification for the accommodation of health care professionals who refuse, on conscience grounds as opposed to professional grounds, to provide particular professional services to eligible patients who request that kind of service.

SOURCE OF DATA:

Literature review.

AREAS OF DISAGREEMENT:

Central to concerns about the accommodation claims of conscientious objectors is that health care professionals volunteer to join their professions that typically they are the monopoly providers of such services and that a health care professional's refusal to provide professional services on grounds that are not professional judgements amounts to unprofessional conduct. Defenders of conscientious objection maintain that in a liberal society respect for a professional's conscience is of sufficient importance that conscientious objectors ought to be accommodated. To deny conscientious objectors accommodation would reduce diversity in the health care professions, it would deny objectors unfairly equality of opportunity, and it would constitute a serious threat to the moral integrity of conscientious objectors.

GROWING POINTS:

The legal literature on the subject is growing due to the impossibility of satisfactory compromises.

Children the growth industry for knee reconstructions

ACL injuries commonly occur in sporting activities when an ­individual attempts to change ­direction at speed.

They are painful, debilitating and increase the risk of osteo­arthritis later in life.

“The individuals at greatest risk are men aged 20 to 24 and women aged 15 to 19 (but) the rate of reconstruction is increasing most rapidly among boys and girls aged 5 to 14,” the researchers found.

Are older people a vulnerable group?

Bioethics. 2018 May;32(4):233-239. doi: 10.1111/bioe.12440.

Are older people a vulnerable group? Philosophical and bioethical perspectives on ageing and vulnerability.

Bozzaro C, Boldt J, Schweda M.

Abstract

The elderly are often considered a vulnerable group in public and academic bioethical debates and regulations. In this paper, we examine and challenge this assumption and its ethical implications. We begin by systematically delineating the different concepts of vulnerability commonly used in bioethics, before then examining whether these concepts can be applied to old age. We argue that old age should not, in and of itself, be used as a marker of vulnerability, since ageing is a process that can develop in a variety of different ways and is not always associated with particular experiences of vulnerability. We, therefore, turn to more fundamental phenomenological considerations in order to reconstruct from a first person perspective the intricate interconnections between the experiences of ageing and vulnerability. According to this account, ageing and old age are phenomena in which the basic anthropological vulnerability of human beings can manifest itself in an increased likelihood of harm and exploitation. Thus, we plead for a combined model of vulnerability that helps to avoid problems related to the current concepts of vulnerability. We conclude first that old age as such is not a sufficient criterion for being categorized as vulnerable in applied ethics, and second that reflections on ageing can help to develop a better understanding of the central role of vulnerability in human existence and in applied ethics.

"But advice columnists aren’t just hypocrites and narcissists..."

HOW THE ADVICE COLUMNIST CONQUERED AMERICA

AND WHY WE'RE UNIQUE IN OUR HANKERING FOR ADVICE

But advice columnists aren’t just hypocrites and narcissists, even if they do display those tendencies once in a while. They’re all well-intentioned people who tend to get in the way of their own noble instincts. Many of them are social reformers who upended the status quo, expanded rights for women and minorities, and proselytized greater acceptance for different ways of living. Dorothy Dix, for instance, was an advice columnist at the turn of the twentieth century who used her platform to legitimize household work, urging her readers to strike until their husbands offered them a living wage. The writers I profiled are all idealists, eager to change the world, or at least get people to change their behavior. They share a curiosity for giant moral and emotional questions and an instinct for controversy.

DOR protein deficiency favors the development of obesity

Mechanism leads to a less harmful form of obesity that is associated with the number rather than volume of fat cells

As described in previous work, DOR is a protein that actively participates in the autophagy processes through which cells "recycle" damaged or unrequired components in order to ensure optimum function. "Previous studies suggested that the lack of autophagy-related proteins prevented the generation of adipose tissue. However, in the case of the protein DOR, we have observed an increase in the amount of fat accumulated," explains Montserrat Romero, IRB Barcelona researcher and first author of the article, which describes the mechanism through which DOR regulates the transformation of precursor cells into adipose cells.

Maryland schools work to improve kids’ health as obesity hits poor the hardest

Obesity remains a major concern in America, according to the University of Minnesota, which found that 20 percent of adolescents and children were obese in the United States. Adults with severe obesity rose from 5.7 percent in 2007 – 2008 to 7.7 percent between 2015 and 2016.

Obesity rates also rose from 33.7 percent to 40 percent among American adults during this span. Chronic disease, associated with obesity, is on the rise, including diabetes, some forms of cancer and heart disease.

Adagio for Strings

The Latest: Barbara Bush procession arrives at Texas A&M

Barbara Bush will be laid to rest in a gated plot at her husband's presidential library at the university in College Station, Texas. The couple's daughter Robin is also buried there. She was 3 when she died of leukemia in 1953.

Hundreds of people are lining both sides of the street near where the procession with turn to enter campus.

Several dozen people are watching from a parking garage across the street from the university's football and baseball stadiums, which are draped in a large American flag and a Texas flag.

Barbara Bush was ‘first lady of the greatest generation’

Meacham recalled her work bringing awareness to AIDS patients and in promoting literacy. He also said the wife of the 41st president and the mother of the 43rd was “candid and comforting, steadfast and straightforward, honest and loving.”

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2018 Apr 5;6:39. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00039. eCollection 2018.

Cyberbiosecurity: An Emerging New Discipline to Help Safeguard the Bioeconomy.

Murch RS1, So WK2, Buchholz WG3, Raman S1, Peccoud J4.

Author information

1

Virginia Tech - National Capital Region, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Arlington, VA, United States.

2

Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC, United States.

3

Biological Process Development Facility, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, United States.

4

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.

Abstract

Cyberbiosecurity is being proposed as a formal new enterprise which encompasses cybersecurity, cyber-physical security and biosecurity as applied to biological and biomedical-based systems. In recent years, an array of important meetings and public discussions, commentaries and publications have occurred that highlight numerous vulnerabilities. While necessary first steps, they do not provide a systematized structure for effectively promoting communication, education and training, elucidation and prioritization for analysis, research, development, test and evaluation and implementation of scientific, technological, standards of practice, policy, or even regulatory or legal considerations for protecting the bioeconomy. Further, experts in biosecurity and cybersecurity are generally not aware of each other's domains, expertise, perspectives, priorities, or where mutually supported opportunities exist for which positive outcomes could result. Creating, promoting and advancing a new discipline can assist with formal, beneficial and continuing engagements. Recent key activities and publications that inform the creation of Cyberbiosecurity are briefly reviewed, as is the expansion of Cyberbiosecurity to include biomanufacturing which is supported by a rigorous analysis of a biomanufacturing facility. Recommendations are provided to initialize Cyberbiosecurity and place it on a trajectory to establish a structured and sustainable discipline, forum and enterprise.

Ann Surg. 2018 Apr 19. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002745. [Epub ahead of print]

Surgery, Complications, and Quality of Life: A Longitudinal Cohort Study Exploring the Role of Psychosocial Factors.

Archer S1, Pinto A1, Vuik S2, Bicknell C2, Faiz O3, Byrne B1,4, Johnston M1, Skapinakis P5,6, Athanasiou T7, Vincent C8, Darzi A2.

Author information

1

Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK.

2

Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, UK.

3

St Mark's Hospital and Academic Institute, Middlesex, UK.

4

School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

5

Department of Psychiatry, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.

6

Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.

7

Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.

8

Department of Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether psychosocial factors moderate the relationship between surgical complications and quality of life (QoL).

BACKGROUND:

Patients who experience surgical complications have significantly worse postoperative QoL than patients with an uncomplicated recovery. Psychosocial factors, such as coping style and level of social support influence how people deal with stressful events, but it is unclear whether they affect QoL following a surgical complication. These findings can inform the development of appropriate interventions that support patients postoperatively.

METHODS:

This is a longitudinal cohort study; data were collected pre-op, 1 month post-op, 4 months post-op, and 12 months post-op. A total of 785 patients undergoing major elective gastrointestinal, vascular, or cardiothoracic surgery who were recruited from 28 National Health Service sites in England and Scotland took part in the study.

RESULTS:

Patients who experience major surgical complications report significantly reduced levels of physical and mental QoL (P < 0.05) but they make a full recovery over time. Findings indicate that a range of psychosocial factors such as the use of humor as a coping style and the level of health care professional support may moderate the impact of surgical complications on QoL.

CONCLUSIONS:

Surgical complications alongside other sociodemographic and psychosocial factors contribute to changes in QoL; the results from this exploratory study suggest that interventions that increase the availability of healthcare professional support and promote more effective coping strategies before surgery may be useful, particularly in the earlier stages of recovery where QoL is most severely compromised. However, these relationships should be further explored in longitudinal studies that include other types of surgery and employ rigorous recruitment and follow-up procedures.