Medical and Health News: Study

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Impact Of Eating Disorders On Native-Americans Revealed By New Study

Main Category: Eating Disorders
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
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Scientists in Connecticut have carried out one of the first psychological studies into eating disorders in Native American (NA) populations. The research, published in The International Journal of Eating Disorders, provides new insights into the extent to which Native American populations experience eating disorders, revealing that women are more likely to report behavioral symptoms then men, while challenging views that NA men and ethnically white men will experience different psychological symptoms.

The team, led by Professor Ruth Striegel-Moore from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, studied data taken from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health for over 10,000 men and women with a average age of 22. Of these, 236 women and 253 men were either Native American or Inuit.

Research into eating disorders in Native Americans has lagged behind research of other mental disorders, leaving many unanswered basic questions about prevalence in major demographic groups of populations indigenous to the US, including Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaskan Natives.

"Little is known about eating disorder symptoms in Native American populations for several reasons," said Striegel-Moore. "Even though the U.S. government recognizes over 500 NA tribes one of the biggest research challenges is to find an adequate sample size. Our aim was to examine prevalence of behavioral symptoms of eating disorders in a public access data base to get an initial estimate of the extent to which young NA adults experience such problems."

The team confirmed the theory that NA women were more likely than NA men to report behavioral symptoms of eating disorders, revealing that regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality, research consistently shows that women are more vulnerable to developing disordered eating behaviors or full syndrome eating disorders than men.

The team also found a parallel between NA women and ethnically white women when considering the prevalence of binge eating, purging and "ever having been diagnosed with an eating disorder."

"This commonality between NA and white women refutes the myth that eating disorders are problems that only affect white girls and women" said Striegel-Moore.

Finally the team found that there was no significant difference between NA men and ethnically white men, again demonstrating how the affects of eating disorders are not restricted by racial groups.

While this research was one of the first into the psychological effect of eating disorders in NA populations it can now lead to further, longer studies. The team's findings were based on 7 days which is shorter than similar studies conducted over 28 days. Further research will also be conducted into the attitudinal symptoms of eating disorders, compared to the behavioral symptoms being discussed in this paper.

"This research provides us with a first glimpse into the extent to which young adult NA populations experience behavioral symptoms of eating disorders," concluded Striegel-Moore. "In the eating disorder field this type of epidemiological study has lagged behind other research, but now we have a foundation to study the distribution of eating disorders and identify psychological risk factors in Native American populations."

Source:
Ben Norman
Wiley-Blackwell

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Study Examines Prevalence Of Eating Disorders Among Adolescents

Academic Journal
Main Category: Eating Disorders
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
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Eating disorders are prevalent in the general U.S. adolescent population and are associated with other psychiatric disorders, role impairment, and suicidality, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the July print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Although the lifetime prevalence estimates of eating disorders from population-based studies of adults are relatively low, their severity and dramatic effects have been repeatedly demonstrated through elevated rates of impairment, medical complications, other illnesses, death and suicide, according to background information in the article. Little is known about the prevalence or correlates of these disorders from population-based surveys of adolescents.

Sonja A. Swanson, Sc.M., of the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md., and colleagues examined eating disorders with data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents. The objectives of the study included determining the lifetime and 12-month prevalences of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED) and subthreshold eating disorders; examining their sociodemographic and clinical correlates and patterns of comorbidity with other mental disorders; and to describe the magnitude of role impairment, suicidal behavior, and service use associated with these disorders. Sufficient information was available to define subthreshold AN (SAN) and subthreshold BED (SBED) among those youths who did not meet criteria for AN, BN, or BED. The sample included face-to-face interviews with 10,123 adolescents ages 13 to 18 years.

The researchers found that lifetime prevalence rates of AN, BN, BED, SAN, and SBED were 0.3 percent, 0.9 percent, 1.6 percent, 0.8 percent, and 2.5 percent, respectively; and the 12-month prevalence rates of AN, BN, BED, and SBED were 0.2 percent, 0.6 percent, 0.9 percent, and 1.1 percent, respectively. Regarding lifetime prevalence estimates, there were no sex differences in the prevalence of AN or SBED, whereas BN, BED, and SAN were more prevalent in girls.

The majority of respondents with an eating disorder met criteria for at least 1 other lifetime DSM-IV disorder (classification of mental disorders) assessed in this study across the lifetime, with 55.2 percent, 88.0 percent, 83.5 percent, 79.8 percent, and 70.1 percent of adolescents with AN, BN, BED, SAN, and SBED, respectively, endorsing 1 or more co-existing psychiatric disorders. Among adolescents with 12-month AN, BN, BED, and SBED, 97.1 percent, 78.0 percent, 62.6 percent, and 34.6 percent, respectively, reported impairment in the past 12 months; 24.2 percent, 10.7 percent, 8.7 percent, and 2.8 percent, respectively, reported severe impairment. Eating disorders were most strongly associated with social impairment. Nearly all of those with AN (88.9 percent) reported social impairment, and 19.6 percent reported severe social impairment associated with their eating disorder. Lifetime suicidality was associated with all subtypes of eating disorders.

Although the majority of adolescents with an eating disorder sought some form of treatment, only a minority received treatment specifically for their eating or weight problems.

"... this study provides key information concerning the epidemiology of eating disorders in the U.S. adolescent population. The prevalence of these disorders is higher than previously expected in this age range, and the patterns of comorbidity, role impairment, and suicidality indicate that eating disorders represent a major public health concern. Finally, these findings support the nosological distinction [classification of diseases] between the major subtypes of eating disorders as well as the importance of inclusion of the full spectrum of eating behaviors in estimating the magnitude and correlates of eating disorders in the U.S. population," the authors conclude.

Arch Gen Psychiatry. Published online March 7, 2011. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.22.

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Major EU Project To Study The Health Of Migrants From North Africa

Main Category: Public Health
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The Centre for Primary Health Care Research aims to improve the conditions for immigrants to the EU through research and by providing recommendations for health policy measures. The CPF will coordinate the Swedish contribution to a major EU project that has received EUR 2 million to study the health of migrants from North Africa.

"We are pleased to have been entrusted with the coordination of the Swedish contribution to such a complex, exciting and important EU project, which puts the health and quality of life of North African migrants in focus", says Jan Sundquist, Director of the Centre for Primary Health Care Research (CPF), a research centre operated jointly by Lund University and Region Skåne.

Human health is complex, even in a single population. For migrants, whose life situation is always influenced by both their host country and their country of origin, the picture is even more complicated.

"It is therefore important to map health, diseases and use of health care services for immigrants and to compare the data with that for the native population. However, such analyses would be incomplete if the same parameters were not also studied in the country of origin", says Jan Sundquist.

The project, which is called EU and North African Migrants: Health and Health Systems (EUNAM), has assembled a team of experts from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, France, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden, whose combined experience covers all health aspects of the migration cycle. The group will look at the health situation both in the North African partner countries of Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, from which a large number of immigrants to the EU come, and for migrants living in Europe.

France, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden are not only recipients of North African migrants, but also have a large number of immigrants from other regions. This allows comparisons to be made between different migrant groups.

"Collectively, the group of experts has a lot of experience of disease prevention work and has access to material and registers containing information on population health and disease patterns and the effects these have on the health care system", says Jan Sundquist.

A lot of the data that will be used in the study has already been compiled by the participating countries. The participants will have access to these unique sources of data.

"We have a good starting point from which to be able to deliver research-based evaluations and recommendations for scientific and health policy measures that will improve conditions for immigrants to the EU", concludes Jan Sundquist.

Source:
Jan Sundquist
Lund University

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Clinical Study Demonstrates LDL Particles Are More Strongly Associated With Cardiovascular Events Than LDL Cholesterol

Main Category: Cholesterol
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
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LipoScience, Inc., a highly innovative diagnostic company that is advancing patient care by developing high value proprietary blood tests using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology, announced publication of a clinical study in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology demonstrating that in many people, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) is a less accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than LDL particle number.

"Additional studies should be conducted to estimate the potential value of this information for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the general population."

LDL cholesterol is transported in spherical LDL particles. High levels of LDL particles are a proven cause of plaque buildup in the arteries, which in turn leads to heart attacks and other CVD events. Clinicians historically have used the LDL cholesterol level, the amount of cholesterol carried within LDL particles, to determine how much treatment, if any, a patient needs. Controlling LDL levels with diet, exercise and LDL-lowering drugs is thus a primary focus of CVD prevention efforts.

"This paper provides additional evidence that measurement of lipoprotein particles in clinical practice might lead to better risk management and prevention of cardiovascular disease," said David C. Goff, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and an investigator in the study. "Additional studies should be conducted to estimate the potential value of this information for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the general population.

"In many patients, the standard cholesterol test may not be sufficient to adequately manage LDL levels. Patients who achieve recommended LDL-C goals may not have achieved correspondingly low LDL-P levels and as a consequence, may need further LDL lowering," said Dr. Goff.

Researchers analyzed blood samples obtained at study onset from 5,598 middle-aged men and women free of cardiovascular disease who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a prospective observational study initiated and overseen by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Participants were followed for a mean of 5.5 years for incident CVD events - including heart attack, coronary heart disease death, angina, stroke, stroke death or other artherosclerotic or CVD death.

Because the cholesterol content of LDL particles varies from person to person, there may be disagreement between LDL cholesterol and LDL particle levels. Of 319 total CVD events recorded, 159 occurred in persons with LDL cholesterol and LDL particle numbers that disagreed. The CVD risk of these individuals tracked with LDL particle number regardless of levels of LDL cholesterol. LDL particle levels were measured using LipoScience's NMR LipoProfile® test, a laboratory test that utilizes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to measure LDL and other lipoprotein particles. LDL particle information can help clinicians personalize and refine LDL treatment decisions, particularly to minimize residual risk in patients with low LDL cholesterol levels.

Source:
LipoScience, Inc.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Study Reveals That Pollen Also Appears Outside Flowering Season

Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma; Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 21 Mar 2011 - 1:00 PDT window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }());

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"There is of course a very close relationship between the moment at which pollen is released by plants and the data gathered by the traps used to measure these grains, but this is not always the case", Rafael Tormo, a botanist from the University of Extremadura and co-author of the paper, tells SINC.

His team found delays or advances of up to a week between the time when the pollen of allergenic grass species (from genuses such as Poa, Agrostis, Bromus and Avena) and cupressaceae (cypresses and Arizona pine) are present in the air and their flowering period.

According to the study, which has been published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, these differences are probably due to the phenomenon of "resuspension" of the grains, caused by the wind and by pollen being transported from distant sources.

"Now, for example, the Holm oaks in Extremadura have still not flowered, but those in Andalusia have done. If the wind blows from the south, the pollen traps in Extremadura will already be able to detect Holm oak pollen", explains Tormo, who highlights the importance of understanding the phenology of plant flowering in order to draw up precise pollen prognoses for people with allergies.

On the Iberian Peninsula and in the rest of Europe, the process of flowering moves from south to north, in such a way that the pollen traps "anticipate flowering" if the wind blows from the south. On the other hand, if the wind blows from the north they may record pollen from more northerly latitudes even if the pollination period in the region they are located in is already over.

Traps and field visits

In order to carry out the study, the scientists measured pollen levels from 2007, using an aerobiological trap in Badajoz. The team also travelled to parks and fields around the city in order to verify in situ that pollen was being released by plants, by shaking the male inflorescences and cones.

"Direct observation is a very useful tool for understanding which plants are in flower and assessing their abundance, providing valuable information to complement the data from the traps", says Tormo.

Despite the data from grasses and cypresses, the results of the study show that the flowering period does coincide with the data recorded by the traps for most tree species (Holm oaks, corks, olives and plane trees), as well as for herbaceous species such as plantains.

In the case of grassy species, it has additionally been observed that most of the airborne pollen comes from a few species within this family, such as Dactylis glomerata, Trisetum paniceum, Lolium rigidum, Phalaris minor and Vulpia geniculata.

The research group also has pollen traps in Plasencia (Cáceres) and Santa Eulalia (Badajoz), and it is planning to set up another in the south of Extremadura. "It is like weather data - the more stations you have and the greater the number of years of observations available, the more valuable the information is", the researcher concludes.

References:
Rafael Tormo, Inmaculada Silva, Angela Gonzalo, Alfonsa Moreno, Remedios Pérez y Santiago Fernández. "Phenological records as a complement to aerobiological data". International Journal of Biometeorology 55 (1): 51-65, 2011. DOI 10.1007/s00484-010-0308-2.

Source:
SINC
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

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