Unhealthy dieting leads to higher weight in teens, study says

1. The study researched how consisted dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors (smoking cigarettes, vomiting, usage of laxatives, etc.) during teen years ultimately ended in an increase in BMI across the board as opposed to those who did not diet.

2. The University of Minnesota's Institutional Review Board Human Subjects Committee completely approved of the Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) study.

3. The sponsor of this project was interested in knowing whether or not those who dieted would “benefit” by not over eating and keeping down weight, or if dieting and other unhealthy behaviors that were practiced in a casual matter, along with binge eating during certain periods, ended up hurting more than helping.

4. The methodology involved included a study conducted in 3 waves of surveys. The first in ’98-99, then ’03-04 and finally ’08-’09. The study was conducted on residents of metro Minneapolis, 1,902 people (who responded at all three times; 819 males and 1,083 females). The surveys asked questions involving what methods of dieting each individual used, how often did they diet from “Never” to “>10 a year,” took measured the participant’s BMI in the first wave and the majority self-reported their BMI during the final wave.

5. The results are shown in a clear manner. Those who dieted more and conducted in unhealthy weight control behaviors ended up gaining a higher BMI over the 10 year time span as opposed to those who didn’t diet or opted out for healthier lifestyle changes.

6. The graphs are broken down in a very clear and concise manner. Everything is explained and there are footnotes that go with all the graphs.

Authors: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D. Melanie Wall, Ph.D. Mary Story, Ph.D. Amber R. Standish, B.S.

Article title: Dieting and Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors During Adolescence: Associations With 10-Year Changes in Body Mass Index

Top of Form

Publication: Journal of Adolescent Health

Published: 27 June 2011

LINK: http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X%2811%2900176-5/abstract

An inverse relationship between cancer (certain forms) and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, etc)

1. This study was conducted by a group of medical professionals (physicians, scientists, medical scientists, and epidemiologists) at Washington University School of Medicine.

2. Research was funded by several institutions - major institutions include NIH (National Institutes of Health), the National Heart/Lung/and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

3. The implications of this finding are immense. At the macroscopic level there are two extremes: certain forms of cancer at one end, and neurodegenerative diseases (ND) at the other. At the microscopic level, this would suggest certain forms of cancer and ND share a common pathway. Too far one way results in cancer, too far the other way results in ND. Such statistical information provides a foundation for scientific research. Scientists can look for a common mechanism in the pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegeneration. This information would also be beneficial to pharmaceutical companies (the opportunity to treat two diseases with one drug target), the American Medical Association, government, and insurance companies, as the incidence of these diseases are expected to increase with the aging U.S. population and improved life expectancy.

4. Methods:

• Used population-based sampling to avoid convince sampling from a particular area.


• Avoided reporting error by using hospital records


• Sample size = 3,020


• Demographics – patients were separated by race


• Used a different form of dementia (vascular dementia - VaD) that is not neurodegenerative. It was found that VaD does not protect against cancer. This suggests certain forms of cancer are associated with neurodegeneration, not dementia per se. Additionally VaD was used as a control to ensure people with cancer were not reported as free of Alzheimer’s because physicians neglected to look for Alzheimer’s (since people with cancer were reported as having dementia, non neurodegenerative in origin, the inverse association between certain forms of cancer and Alzheimer’s holds).
  

5. Easy to understand stats for the news paper article. For the scientific study, results are a bit difficult to interpret without a background in statistics or epidemiology.
6. No graphs provided.

News article: http://www.highlighthealth.com/research/alzheimers-disease-may-protect-against-cancer-and-vice-versa/

Scientific study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2809029/

Roe CM, Fitzpatrick AL, Xiong C, Sieh W, Kuller L, Miller JP, Williams MM, Kopan R, Behrens MI, Morris JC. 2010. Cancer linked to Alzheimer disease but not vascular dementia. Neurology. 74 (2):106-112

30.2 percent of 23-year-olds been arrested for an offense other than a minor traffic violation.

1)Robert Brame, a professor of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina, Shawn Bushway, a criminologist at the State University at Albany

2) the bureau of labor statistics

3) they would want to make the number lower to make things seem better in the country?

4. Yes 7,335 participants were nationally representative and ranged in age from 12 to 16 when they were enrolled in the survey in 1996. The first interviews were conducted in 1997. Follow-up interviews have been carried out annually since then.

5. Yes

6. no graphs

2011 Survey of Health Care Consumers

1. The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

2. The sponsor of this survey is undisclosed.

3. I believe that the sponsor could be looking for disapproval with current health care systems. They want to show that the current health care plans need to be changed.

4. I was unable to find any information on the methodology of this survey, which could show weakness in its validity.

5. The information is laid out very clearly. The table of contents allows you to easily navigate and find specific information on the topic. Also, every graph and number is backed up by at least a paragraph describing it.

6. The graphs used in this study are histograms, and they are very clear with all of the information needed to understand what the graphs are trying to say.

Keckley, Paul H., and Sheryl Coughlin. "2011 Survey of Health Care Consumers Global Report." Web. 1 Sept. 2012. .

BBC NEWSC ARTICLE

6 January 2012 Last updated at 19:55 ET

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Restricted embryo growth 'predicts miscarriage risk'

The study looked at the growth of embryos up to the age of 12 weeks old

Continue reading the main story

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The growth of an embryo during the early stages of pregnancy is linked to its risk of miscarriage, says a University of Nottingham study.

Scientists found that 78% of single-baby pregnancies which ended in miscarriage were in the smallest 5% of embryos.

Researchers measured the length of more than 500 single and twin embryos during the first trimester.

An expert said the study added to our knowledge of miscarriage risk.

The research was presented at the British Fertility Society annual meeting in Leeds.

The Nottingham researchers tracked the growth of 247 single and 264 twin embryos conceived through IVF, because this allowed them to know the embryos' precise gestational age.

For each embryo, the distance from the top of the embryo's head to the bottom of its buttocks (the crown-rump length), was measured once during the first trimester using an ultrasound scan.

The pregnancy was then monitored until birth.

Poor growth

Using the measurements, the researchers discovered that poor growth in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy was a good predictor of miscarriage.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We also need to look at blood supply to the embryo and whatever genes are passed on from the father too.”

Dr Raj MathurConsultant gynaecologist

They calculated that 77.8% of single embryo pregnancies that miscarried were growth restricted, while 98.1% of single embryo pregnancies that did not miscarry were not growth restricted.

This was not the case in twin pregnancies, however, where only 28.6% of pregnancies that miscarried were growth restricted.

Ninety-eight per cent of twin pregnancies that did not miscarry were not growth restricted.

Dr Shyamaly Sur, who led the research, said the findings should help to identify pregnancies at risk of miscarriage.

"There are various reasons why some embryos show restricted growth in the early stages of pregnancy. It could be down to an abnormality in the foetus or something in the environment of the womb."

Underlying causes

"More research is now needed to investigate the relationship between growth and the underlying causes of miscarriage in more detail.

"We are focusing on how blood flow to the womb lining and embryo quality influence conception rates and subsequent miscarriage."

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

There is something else going on with twin embryos. We need more research in this area”

Dr Shyamaly SurUniversity of Nottingham

Dr Raj Mathur, consultant gynaecologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, said it was a very good study which made biological sense.

But he said there were other factors to consider when looking at miscarriage risk.

"We also need to consider the woman's health history, look at the picture of the whole woman.

"This study adds to our knowledge about risk but we also need to look at blood supply to the embryo and whatever genes are passed on from the father too."

The study also found that twin embryos grew at the same rate as single embryos during the first trimester, which was not expected.

"There is something else going on with twin embryos. We need more research in this area. It could be that twins grow normally and then miscarry."

Dr Sur said the research seemed to suggest that embryo growth patterns were similar in non-IVF pregnancies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16441820

Economy Making Car Owners Delay Vehicle Maintenance

1. Consumer Reports did this survey.

2. The sponsor of the research is undisclosed.

3. I believe the interest in this surveys results is to let everyone know that they should not wait to fix little car problems. Even though the economy is rough, not fixing a small problem could create an even bigger problem. This article is important for car owners to see so that they know to not make a mistake in waiting till a better time comes along for them and their wallet.

4. This was a telephone survey that took place in November. The survey was from about 1,700 people. The article also stated that the sampling error was plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

5. The results in this article were pretty clear; however there was no graph or chart shown in this article, which could have made the article better.

6. No graphs were used in this article.

Jensen, Cheryl. "Survey Suggests Tough Economy Claiming Another Victim: Regular Car

Maintenance."NYTimes.com. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. .

Potential link between child abuse and mental illnesses?

Reference: Reuters, Thomson. "Child abuse changes the brain, study finds." MSNBC 12/05/11. .

This study was led by Eamon McCrory of the University College London. This article does not directly say who sponsored this research, but the study was published in the journal Current Biology. A sponsor (such as a scientific journal) would want to prove the link between child abuse and mental impacts (such as the development of depression) because they can provide hard evidence that this social behavior is wrong and has noticeable ill effects. With solid evidence, people will be more likely to advocate support for children who are abused and be willing to find ways to prevent it. This study used a sample size of 43 children. There was a control group of 20 children that was compared to a test group of 23. While the children were exposed to faces with different emotional expressions, their brains were scanned using an fMRI. The results show that the children who were exposed to violence showed increase brain activity in response to angry faces. Comparing this study to previous studies, researchers found the same brain patterns in the children exposed to domestic violence as soldiers who were exposed to violence in war. No graphs are used in this study.