Purpose
Until now, only two prospective cohort studies have investigated dietary fiber intake in relation to risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but neither examined long-term fiber ...intake. Both studies reported that total fiber intake was associated with decreased COPD risk; however, results for specific fiber sources were inconsistent. Thus, we prospectively evaluated the association between baseline and long-term intake of dietary fiber and COPD risk in a population-based prospective cohort of 35,339 Swedish women.
Methods
Dietary fiber intake was assessed in 1987 and 1997 with a food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
During follow-up (2002–2014), 1557 COPD cases were identified via linkage to the Swedish National Patient Register. Long-term high dietary fiber intake (≥ 26.5 vs. < 17.6 g/day) was associated with a 30% (95% CI 17–41%) lower risk of COPD. For specific fiber sources, cereal (≥ 16.3 vs. < 9.4 g/day; HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.81) and fruit fiber (≥ 7.6 vs. < 2.6 g/day; HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.5–0.81), but not vegetable fiber intake (≥ 5.4 vs. < 2.2 g/day; HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.81–1.28) were associated with lower COPD risk. Current and ex-smokers with low long-term total fiber intake (< 17.6 g/day) compared to never smokers with high intake (
≥
26.5 g/day) had a 33-fold (95% CI 23.6–46.6) and tenfold (95% CI 7.0–16.3), respectively, higher risk of COPD.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that high fiber intake is a modifiable lifestyle factor which may decrease COPD risk primarily in current and ex-smokers.
Charmonium suppression in hot and dense nuclear matter has been argued to be a signature for the production of the quark gluon plasma (QGP). In order to search for this effect in heavy ion collisions ...one must have a clear understanding of all the factors that can contribute to such a suppression. These may include shadowing of the partons in a nuclear environment, breakup of a correlated
c
−
c
¯
pair as it traverses the nuclear fragment, suppression of feed-down from higher mass states as well as other initial state interactions. In order to disentangle these effects one must measure charmonium production rates in both proton+proton (p+p) and proton+nucleus (p+A) collisions. The p+p collisions serve as a baseline for searching for suppression compared to binary scaling predictions, allow one to quantify the amount of feed-down from higher states as well as serve as a tool to distinguish between different theoretical calculations for charmonium production mechanisms. In order to quantify nuclear effects it is also necessary to study charmonium production in p+A collisions where the temperature and density of the system are low compared to a heavy ion collision. These measurements allow one to determine the influence of nuclear shadowing and breakup in “cold” nuclear matter which can be extrapolated to heavy ion collisions in order to determine the amount anomalous suppression. Of course, extrapolations that rely on a model based technique depend heavily on the assumption of a production mechanism, a fact that reinforces the importance of the p+p measurements. The PHENIX and STAR experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory have measured charmonium production in p+p, d+Au, Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at
s
N
N
=
200
GeV
for both forward and mid rapidities. I will present a review of the latest measurements from both experiments with an emphasis on what we have and can still learned from them about charmonium production and suppression with these experimental apparatuses.
Our understanding of how comorbid diseases influence health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is limited and in need of improvement. The aim ...of this study was to examine the associations between comorbidities and HRQL as measured by the instruments EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT).
Information on patient characteristics, chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal impairment, musculoskeletal symptoms, osteoporosis, depression, and EQ-5D and CAT questionnaire results was collected from 373 patients with Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) <50% of predicted value from 27 secondary care respiratory units in Sweden. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regression models were performed using EQ-5D index, EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS), and CAT scores as response variables.
Having more comorbid conditions was associated with a worse HRQL as assessed by all instruments. Chronic bronchitis was significantly associated with a worse HRQL as assessed by EQ-5D index (adjusted regression coefficient 95% confidence interval -0.07 -0.13 to -0.02), EQ-5D VAS (-5.17 -9.42 to -0.92), and CAT (3.78 2.35 to 5.20). Musculoskeletal symptoms were significantly associated with worse EQ-5D index (-0.08 -0.14 to -0.02), osteoporosis with worse EQ-5D VAS (-4.65 -9.27 to -0.03), and depression with worse EQ-5D index (-0.10 -0.17 to -0.04). In stratification analyses, the associations of musculoskeletal symptoms, osteoporosis, and depression with HRQL were limited to female patients.
The instruments EQ-5D and CAT complement each other and emerge as useful for assessing HRQL in patients with COPD. Chronic bronchitis, musculoskeletal symptoms, osteoporosis, and depression were associated with worse HRQL. We conclude that comorbid conditions, in particular chronic bronchitis, depression, osteoporosis, and musculoskeletal symptoms, should be taken into account in the clinical management of patients with severe COPD.
Travel patterns among different socio-economic groups in Sweden are investigated. It is shown that elderly persons, persons with low incomes and women in general do not travel extensively. ...Middle-aged persons, persons with high incomes and men travel much farther. Cars are the dominant transportation mode for all population groups. Aeroplanes are used mostly by high-income earners and men, while public transportation is mostly used by young people and women. Energy consumption for the different travel patterns differs substantially. Men with high incomes consume the most energy, with 94 000 MJ during one year, while elderly women consume 12 000 MJ. When compared to a calculated sustainable level of energy consumption for travel, most population groups are in excess. The level for sustainable energy consumption is calculated based on an assumed global potential for renewable energy of 360 EJ per year, divided equally among the global population. A certain share of this energy potential is supposed to be used for travelling. A scenario for 2020 is presented in which vehicle energy efficiency has increased and travel patterns have changed from what they are today. Sustainability can only be reached when both travel patterns and vehicle technology have changed radically. Differences in energy consumption for travel due to age and gender are likely to remain in the future. Scientific knowledge from the social domains seems to be important for devising efficient strategies for a sustainable society. Current focus on policy measures has been mainly on technical issues.
The purpose of the present work was to investigate how members of the public perceived survivors of brain injury. A 20-item list of attributes that could be used to describe characteristics of ...survivors of brain injury were given to 323 participants. One hundred and sixty-nine psychology students and 154 members of the public agreed to take part in the study. The effects of group (student and public), gender and socioeconomic status (low, moderate and high) on the attributes were assessed. Multivariate analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups with students holding more positive perceptions on 15 out of the 20 attributes. No effects of gender or socioeconomic status were found. The research suggests that members of the public hold less positive views on survivors of brain injury in respect to intellectual competency, ability to care and trustworthiness when compared to students.
In this retrospective study from one institution, we performed a clinicopathological study of a cohort of patients with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) confined to the central ...nervous system. We also identified a comparison cohort of patients with de novo primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system. We performed a detailed morphologic review, evaluated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by in situ hybridization, and interpreted a panel of immunohistochemical stains in a subset of cases including Hans classification markers (CD10, BCL6, MUM1), p53, CD30, Myc, and BCL2. All 17 of the posttransplant and none of 11 de novo cases were EBV positive (P < .005). Morphologic patterns identified in the PTLD cases were monomorphic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma pattern (10 patients) and “T-cell–rich” pattern (7 patients). The monomorphic posttransplant cases were more likely to be Myc negative (P = .015) and CD30 positive (P < .005) than the de novo cases, and showed a similarly low rate of p53 positivity by immunohistochemistry. No prognostic factors for overall survival were identified. Central nervous system PTLD is EBV positive, typically lacks p53 and Myc expression by immunohistochemistry, and can present with numerous background T lymphocytes.
•A retrospective series of B-cell PTLD isolated to the central nervous system is presented.•All PTLD cases were EBV+, and most were CD30 positive and Myc and p53 IHC negative.•Isolated central nervous system monomorphic PTLD can present with numerous background T cells.
The purpose of this commentary is to highlight the challenges encountered when conducting research with young offenders. This is drawn from the first-hand experience of 3 researchers working on ...separate projects within this environment. Young offenders present as a complex clinical population with high levels of illiteracy, substance abuse, and mental health issues. Significant planning is therefore required before working with this group. Consideration must be given to the heterogeneity of prison populations alongside the potential limitations of datacollection methods, in particular, reliance on self-report. The capacity of young offenders to comprehend and effectively engage with research is also of concern, posing issues of both a practical and ethical nature. The absence of a consistent "research culture" within prison environments poses further practical challenges, potentially also placing significant burden on both researchers and prison resources. The challenges discussed in this article may help inform future studies in the area and emphasize the need for greater critical reflection among researchers conducting work of this type.
BACKGROUND:The limited literature suggests that dietary fiber intake from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is negatively associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) via fiber’s ...anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, we investigated the association between total fiber and fiber sources and risk of COPD in the population-based prospective Cohort of Swedish Men (45,058 men, ages 45–79 years) with no history of COPD at baseline.
METHODS:Dietary fiber intake was assessed with a self-administered questionnaire in 1997 and was energy adjusted using the residual method. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) adjusted for potential confounders.
RESULTS:During a mean follow-up of 13.1 years (1998–2012), 1,982 incident cases of COPD were ascertained via linkage to the Swedish health registers. A strong inverse association between total fiber intake (≥36.8 vs. <23.7 g/day) and COPD was observed in current smokers (hazard ratio HR = 0.54; 95% confidence interval CI = 0.43, 0.67) and ex-smokers (HR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.50, 0.78) but not in never smokers (HR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.60, 1.45; P interaction = 0.04). For cereal fiber, HRs for highest versus lowest quintile were 0.62 (95% CI = 0.51, 0.77; P trend < 0.001) in current smokers and 0.66 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.82; P trend < 0.001) in ex-smokers; for fruit fiber, the HR was 0.65 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.81; P trend < 0.001) in current smokers and 0.77 (95% CI = 0.61, 0.98; P trend = 0.17) in ex-smokers; and for vegetable fiber, it was 0.71 (95% CI = 0.57, 0.88; P trend = 0.003) in current smokers and 0.92 (95% CI = 0.71, 1.19; P trend = 0.48) in ex-smokers.
CONCLUSIONS:Our findings indicate that high fiber intake was inversely associated with COPD incidence in men who are current or ex-smokers.
Background: Access to mental health care is limited. Internet-based interventions (IBIs) may help bridge that gap by improving access especially for those who are unable to receive expert care. Aim: ...This review explores current research on the effectiveness of IBIs for depression and anxiety. Results: For depression, therapist-guided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) had larger effect sizes consistently across studies, ranging from 0.6 to 1.9; while stand-alone CBT (without therapist guidance) had a more modest effect size of 0.3-0.7. Even other interventions for depression (non-CBT/non-randomized controlled trial (RCT)) showed modestly high effect sizes (0.2-1.7). For anxiety disorders, studies showed robust effect sizes for therapist-assisted interventions with effect sizes of 0.7-1.7 (efficacy similar to face-to-face CBT) and stand-alone CBT studies also showed large effect sizes (0.6-1.7). Non-CBT/Non-RCT studies (only 3) also showed significant reduction in anxiety scores at the end of the interventions. Conclusion: IBIs for anxiety and depression appear to be effective in reducing symptomatology for both depression and anxiety, which were enhanced by the guidance of a therapist. Further research is needed to identify various predictive factors and the extent to which stand-alone Internet therapies may be effective in the future as well as effects for different patient populations.
ANBL-6, a myeloma cell line, proliferates in response to interleukin 6 (IL-6) stimulation, coculture with bone marrow stromal cells, and when harboring a constitutively active mutant N-ras gene. ...Eighteen samples, including 4 IL-6-treated, 3 mutant N-ras-transfected, 3 normal stroma-stimulated, 2 multiple myeloma (MM) stroma-stimulated, and 6 untreated controls were profiled using microarrays interrogating 12 626 genes. Global hierarchical clustering analysis distinguished at least 6 unique expression signatures. Notably, the different stimuli altered distinct functional gene programs. Class comparison analysis (P = .001) revealed 138 genes (54% involved in cell cycle) that distinguished IL-6-stimulated versus nontreated samples. Eighty-seven genes distinguished stroma-stimulated versus IL-6-treated samples (22% encoded for extracellular matrix ECM proteins). A total of 130 genes distinguished N-ras transfectants versus IL-6-treated samples (26% involved in metabolism). A total of 157 genes, 20% of these involved in signaling, distinguished N-ras from stroma-interacting samples. All 3 stimuli shared 347 genes, mostly of metabolic function. Genes that distinguished MM1 from MM4 clinical groups were induced at least by one treatment. Notably, only 3 genes (ETV5, DUSP6, and KIAA0735) are uniquely induced in mutant ras-containing cells. We have demonstrated gene expression patterns in myeloma cells that distinguish an intrinsic genetic transformation event and patterns derived from both soluble factors and cell contacts in the bone marrow microenvironment. (Blood. 2003;102:2581-2592)
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