Categorization of low cardiorespiratory fitness using obesity indices in non-smoking Singaporean women

Objective: To revisit cut‐off values of BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist‐to‐stature ratio (WSR) based on their association with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). The derived cut‐off points were compared with current values (BMI, 25.0 kg/m²; WC, 80 cm) as recommended by the World Health Organization. Research Methods and Procedures: Anthropometric indices were measured in a cross sectional study of 358 Singaporean female employees of a large tertiary hospital (63% Singaporean Chinese, 28% Malays, and 9% Indians). CRF was determined by the 1‐mile walk test. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to determine cut‐off points. Results: The cut‐off points for BMI, WC, and WSR were 23.6 kg/m², 75.3 cm, and 0.48, respectively. The areas under the curve of BMI, WC, and WSR were 0.68, 0.74, and 0.74, respectively. For a given BMI, women with low CRF had higher WSR compared with women with high CRF. Discussion: These findings provide convergent evidence that the cut‐off points for Singaporean women were lower than the World Health Organization's criteria but were in good agreement with those reported for Asians.     

A Public Sentiment Index for Ecosystem Management

Although ecosystem-based management can lead to sustainable resource use, its successful implementation depends on stakeholders’ acceptance. A framework to integrate scientific knowledge about the ecosystems with stakeholders’ preferences is therefore needed. We propose here a ‘Public Sentiment Index,’ or PSI, as an integration framework that combines an ecosystem model (Ecopath with Ecosim; EwE) with a public choice model (the damage schedule). Using Chesapeake Bay as a case study, we demonstrate the development of the PSI, based on judgments of Bay stakeholders, including ‘watermen’ (commercial fishers), seafood wholesalers and retailers, recreational fishers, representatives from non-governmental organizations, scientists and managers on a range of Bay ecosystems. The high PSI for Chesapeake Bay suggests a consensus amongst Bay stakeholders who, understanding the need for restoring the Bay ecosystem, may accept difficult policy choices and support their implementation.     

Trends of selected malformations in relation to folic acid recommendations and fortification: an international assessment

BACKGROUND: Two crucial issues relative to the benefits and impact of folic acid in the prevention of birth defects are whether supplementation recommendations alone, without fortification, are effective in reducing the population-wide rates of neural tube defects (NTDs), and whether such policies can reduce the occurrence of other birth defects. Using data from 15 registries, we assessed rates and trends of 14 major defects, including NTDs, in areas with official recommendations or fortification to assess the effectiveness of recommendations and fortification on a wide range of major birth defects. METHODS: We evaluated surveillance data through 2003 on major birth defects from population-based registries from Europe, North America, and Australia. All included ascertainment of pregnancy terminations (where legal). Trends before and after policies or fortification were assessed via Poisson regression and were compared via rate ratios. RESULTS: Significant changes in trends were seen for NTDs in areas with fortification but not in areas with supplementation recommendations alone. For other major birth defects, there was an overall lack of major trend changes after recommendations or fortification. However, some significant declines were observed for select birth defects in individual areas. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations alone remain an ineffective approach in translating the known protective effect of folic acid in population-wide decline in NTD rates. Fortification appears to be effective in reducing NTDs. The effect on other birth defects remains unclear.     

复合益生菌制剂"海生元"长期毒性试验研究

目的：观察及评价复合益生菌制剂“海生元”(HSP)的长期用药安全性。方法：以正常健康Wistar大鼠为受试对象,HSY及其核心成分M9、T9菌株为受试物,改良TPY和生理盐水(NS)为对照物,用M9、T9、HSY三种受试物的最大耐受剂量(分别为成人每日用量的125倍、200倍、500倍)口服给药4个月,给药前后及恢复期满(3周后)分别测定受试大鼠的体重、血液学及血生化指标、脏器系数并做病理学检查。结果：长期口服M9、T9及HSY,大鼠的外观、活动、食欲、大便、毛发等无明显异常变化。在给药的4个月内,除极少数指标外,三种受试物对大鼠的体重增长、外周血象、血液生化学指标、脏器系数及各组织器官的病理形态均未见有显著影响,与对照组基本一致。结论：HSY及其核心成分M9和T9菌株毒性极低,经口服长期应用是十分安全的。     

Lifestyle Intervention According to General Recommendations Improves Glucose Tolerance

Objective: Changing dietary and physical activity habits has the potential to postpone or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. However, it needs to be assessed whether moderate interventions, in agreement with current guidelines for the general population, are effective. We evaluated the impact of a 2‐year combined diet and physical activity intervention program on glucose tolerance in Dutch subjects at increased risk for developing diabetes. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects with glucose intolerance were randomly assigned to either the lifestyle intervention group (INT) or control group (CON). The INT received regular dietary advice and was stimulated to increase their physical activity. The CON received a brief leaflet about healthy diet and increased physical activity. Primary outcome measure was the change in glucose tolerance. Results: In total, 88 subjects completed 2 years of intervention (40 subjects in the INT, 48 subjects in the CON, mean BMI 29.4 kg/m²). Subjects in the INT reduced their body weight, waist circumference, and (saturated) fat intake and improved their aerobic capacity. Two‐hour plasma glucose concentration declined from 8.7 to 8.0 mM in the INT and rose from 8.6 to 9.4 mM in the CON (p < 0.01). Subjects adherent to both the diet and exercise intervention showed the largest reduction in 2‐hour glucose levels. Discussion: Our results showed that a lifestyle intervention program according to general recommendations improves glucose tolerance, even in a less obese and more physical active population. Furthermore, our results underscore the importance of combining diet and physical activity to improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.     

Antidepressant-like effects exerted by the intranasal administration of a glucagon-like peptide-2 derivative containing cell-penetrating peptides and a penetration-accelerating sequence in mice

The intracerebroventicular (i.c.v.) administration of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) to rodents was shown to have antidepressant-like effects in imipramine-resistant depression-model mice. In order to utilize GLP-2 as a clinical treatment tool for depression, we herein focused on the intranasal delivery that is non-invasive approach, because the i.c.v. administration is invasive and impractical. In the present study, we prepared a GLP-2 derivative containing cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) and a penetration accelerating sequence (PAS) (PAS-CPPs-GLP-2) for the intranasal (i.n.) administration. PAS-CPPs-GLP-2 (i.n.) exhibited antidepressant-like effects in the forced-swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in naïve mice as well as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) treated-mice. However, PAS-CPPs-GLP-2 (i.v.) and the GLP-2 derivative containing CPPs without a PAS (CPPs-GLP-2) (i.n.) did not affect the immobility time in the mouse FST. Moreover, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled PAS-CPPs-GLP-2 (i.n.), but not FITC-labeled CPPs-GLP-2 (i.n.) was distributed through the mouse brain after the FST session. These results suggest that PAS-CPPs-GLP-2 is effective for i.n. delivery to the brain, and may be useful in the clinical treatment of major depression.     

The role of the model in mate‐choice copying in female zebra finches

Previous studies have shown that zebra finch females copy the mate choice of other females by choosing a mate of the same phenotype as the one chosen by another female (model). Little is known about the influence of the model female on the mate choice of the observing female. Therefore, we investigated the role of the model female in mate‐choice copying by manipulating her phenotype. Test females could choose between an unadorned male and an artificially adorned male, that is, wearing a red feather on the forehead. During a 2h observation period, test females could observe a single male in one cage and a male–female pair in another cage. In treatment one, the single male was unadorned and both the male and the female of the pair (model female) were adorned. In treatment two, the single male was adorned, the male of the pair unadorned and the model female adorned. Afterwards, test females could again choose between two new males, one adorned and one unadorned. In treatment one, test females first showed no preference for one of the two males, but avoided adorned males after the observation period. In treatment two, test females lost an initial preference for unadorned males after the observation period. In both treatments, test females did not copy the mate choice of the adorned model female. Adorned model females seemed to have a negative influence on the attractiveness of their mates' phenotype. Test females might have recognised model females as females of a different phenotype within their species which are adapted to different environmental conditions, or even have recognised model females as a female of another species. Our study demonstrates the important role of the model female in the complex public information network in zebra finches.     

Persistent conditioned place preference to aggression experience in adult male sexually‐experienced CD‐1 mice

We recently developed a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure, commonly used to study rewarding drug effects, to demonstrate that dominant sexually‐experienced CD‐1 male mice form CPP to contexts previously associated with defeating subordinate male C57BL/6J mice. Here we further characterized conditioned and unconditioned aggression behavior in CD‐1 mice. In Exp. 1 we used CD‐1 mice that displayed a variable spectrum of unconditioned aggressive behavior toward younger subordinate C57BL/6J intruder mice. We then trained the CD‐1 mice in the CPP procedure where one context was intruder‐paired, while a different context was not. We then tested for aggression CPP 1 day after training. In Exp. 2, we tested CD‐1 mice for aggression CPP 1 day and 18 days after training. In Exp. 3–4, we trained the CD‐1 mice to lever‐press for palatable food and tested them for footshock punishment‐induced suppression of food‐reinforced responding. In Exp. 5, we characterized unconditioned aggression in hybrid CD‐1 × C57BL/6J D1‐Cre or D2‐Cre F1 generation crosses. Persistent aggression CPP was observed in CD‐1 mice that either immediately attacked C57BL/6J mice during all screening sessions or mice that gradually developed aggressive behavior during the screening phase. In contrast, CD‐1 mice that did not attack the C57BL/6J mice during screening did not develop CPP to contexts previously paired with C57BL/6J mice. The aggressive phenotype did not predict resistance to punishment‐induced suppression of food‐reinforced responding. CD‐1 × D1‐Cre or D2‐Cre F1 transgenic mice showed strong unconditioned aggression. Our study demonstrates that aggression experience causes persistent CPP and introduces transgenic mice for circuit studies of aggression.     

县级公立医院综合改革成效评估指标体系构建研究

在文献回顾确定评估维度的基础上,结合相关政策,确定原始指标体系,利用两轮专题小组讨论和两轮专家咨询法对指标进行筛选,最终确定一套由3个一级指标、14个二级指标组成的县级公立医院综合改革成效评估指标体系,在利用层次分析法确定指标权重。同时,对指标体系信度效度进行检验,证明所构建的指标体系能对县级公立医院综合改革成效作出合理的评估。     

医院成本核算制度设计、实施进展及其局限性分析

文章对医院财务、会计制度对医院成本核算的规范,以及公立医院改革政策文件对成本核算的要求进行了回顾,介绍了医院成本核算的实施进展,结合政府会计改革,分析了医院成本核算的局限性,包括科室成本核算结果难以同时满足医院内部管理和政府定价补偿需要;项目成本、病种成本核算缺乏操作指南和报表格式,建议做好医院成本核算与政府会计的衔接。