Healthier Ones Research Articles

The Relationship between Future Orientation, Regulatory Focus, and Need for Cognition and Healthy Menu Choices

The effect of nutritional information on healthier menu choices have been reflected in previous research and nutrition policy efforts. This study further examines the relationship between healthy menu choices and three consumer characteristics - Future Orientation, Regulatory Focus, and Need for Cognition. A experimental design was used with varying food types (burger sandwiches, sub sandwiches, and salad dressing) and the degree of nutritional information (no information, total calories only, and full nutrition information). It was found that having more nutritional information, and individuals with Future Orientation and Promotion Focus were associated with the choice of healthier menus. More specifically, those with high Consideration of Future Consequences and with Promotion Orientation switched their choices to the healthier ones with the provision of nutritional information.

Constitutive expression of cathepsin K in the human intervertebral disc: new insight into disc extracellular matrix remodeling via cathepsin K and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand

IntroductionCathepsin K is a recently discovered cysteine protease which cleaves the triple helical domains of type I to II collagen. It has been shown to be up-regulated in synovial tissue from osteoarthritic and rheumatoid patients, and is a component in normal and nonarthritic cartilage, where it increases with aging. Studies on heart valve development have recently shown that receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) acts during valve remodeling to promote cathepsin K expression. Since extracellular matrix remodeling is a critical component of disc structure and biomechanical function, we hypothesized that cathepsin K and RANKL may be present in the human intervertebral disc.MethodsStudies were performed following approval of the authors' Human Subjects Institutional Review Board. Six annulus specimens from healthier Thompson grade I to II discs, and 12 specimens from more degenerate grade III to IV discs were utilized in microarray analysis of RANKL and cathepsin K gene expression. Immunohistochemistry was also performed on 15 additional disc specimens to assess the presence of RANKL and cathepsin K.ResultsCathepsin K gene expression was significantly greater in more degenerated grade III to IV discs compared to healthier grade I to II discs (P = 0.001). RANKL was also identified with immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses. RANKL gene expression was also significantly greater in more degenerated discs compared to healthier ones (P = 0.0001). A significant linear positive correlation was identified between expression of cathepsin K and RANKL (r2 = 92.2; P < 0.0001).ConclusionsExtracellular matrix remodeling is a key element of disc biology. Our use of an appropriate antibody and gene expression studies showed that cathepsin K is indeed present in the human intervertebral disc. Immunolocalization and molecular analyses also confirmed that RANKL is present in the human disc. Expression of RANKL was found to be significantly greater in more degenerated compared to healthier discs (P = 0.0001). Cathepsin K gene expression levels showed a positive, significant correlation with RANKL expression. Based on these data, we propose that cathepsin K plays a significant role in disc matrix remodeling and in matrix degradation in the proinflammatory cytokine-rich microenvironment of the degenerating disc.

544 Sleep Patterns in a Portuguese Adolescent Population

Background and aims: Everybody recognizes the importance of good sleep habits, but this is not an easy issue to get the agreement of adolescents. The schedules are not the best and even the quality of sleep can be poor, with the consequences during daytime performances. Methods: An annonymous questionnaire was applied to 705 high school students of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Results: The median age is 16 years and 54% are females. At week, the median age that they go to bed is 23:00 and on the weekend is 1:00. They wake up at 7:20 (median) at the week and on the weekend at 10:00. Fifty-four percent recognize they don't sleep enough time at week, mainly because of television (35%), but 69% think they sleep enough on the weekend. Fifty-three percent recognize that their school performance could be better if they slept more and only 22% feel rarely or never sleepy during the day. Twenty-eight percent admit to suffer from insomnia. Fourteen percent admit to go out at night more than once a week and 57% more than once per weekend. Sixty percent have a television on the bedroom and 48% a computer. Only 7% sleep the SESTA at week and 11% on the weekend. Conclusions: We conclude that adolescents' sleeping patterns are not the healthier ones and it can influence their school performance, as they do admit it. The quality of the sleep can even be worsened by the presence of the television and the computer in the bedroom.

Affective Forecasting and Advance Care Planning

That sicker people evaluate quality of life in future health status more positively, compared to healthier people, is viewed as an instance of affective forecasting error and explained by Prospect Theory, which holds that two prospects (poor health vs death) are more distinguishable when they are imminent than when distant. In a sample of 230 elderly people, we tested whether life in nine health scenarios would be more acceptable to less healthy individuals than to healthier ones. An interaction between current health status and health scenario supported the relative acceptability of poor-health prospects to sicker individuals, confirming the hypothesis.

16 INDUCTION OF FOLLICULAR TURNOVER TO IMPROVE FERTILITY IN DAIRY COWS EXPOSED TO SUMMER HEAT STRESS

The reduced conception rate of high-lactating cows during the hot season is a well-documented phenomenon. Previous studies have provided evidence of the ovarian follicle and the susceptibility of its enclosed oocyte to thermal stress, suggesting that heat-shock-induced disruption of follicular and oocyte function is involved in the mechanism underlying the reduced fertility. Evaporative cooling improves summer fertility to some extent. However, there is a compelling need to find additional ways to improve fertility further during the hot season. In the current study, we hypothesized that induction of consecutive follicular waves by administration of GnRH + PGF2α would improve fertility, with the aim of removing damaged follicles and enhancing the emergence of healthier ones. The study was conducted from July to November (2006 to 2007) on healthy, cyclic cows yielding an average of 43.6 kg of milk day–1 in 2 commercial herds exposed to an efficient cooling systems. Control cows (C; n = 187) were artificially inseminated (AI) after estrus around Days 80 to 90 postpartum. Treated cows (T; n = 195) were hormonally treated to induce consecutive follicular cycles, beginning with an injection of GnRH (1.5 mL, Gonabreed) to induce ovulation and followed by injection of PGF2α (2.5 mL, Estromat) 7 days later to regress the corpora lutea. In this manner, 3 successive 9-day follicular waves were induced. Cows manifesting estrus (determined by pedometric monitoring, Afimilk, Kibbutz Afikim, Israel) following the third PGF2α injection were inseminated, and pregnancy was determined 44 days post-AI. Statistical analysis (logistic regression, SAS) was performed, taking into account the following parameters: season, milk level, body condition score (BCS), somatic-cell count, and number of lactations. Overall, the GnRH-PGF2α treatment resulted in a slight increase in conception rate (27 and 32% for C v. T, respectively; NS). Conception rate was higher in cows exhibiting estrus within 5 days after the third PGF2α injection than in those exhibiting estrus later (41 v. 31%, respectively). The most prominent effect was associated with the number of lactations: treatment did not affect the conception of multiparous cows, but a significantly higher conception rate was noted for first-calf heifers (37 and 53% for C v. T, respectively; P &lt; 0.05). A similar pattern was noted for cows yielding less than 40 kg of milk day–1 (36 and 51% for C v. T, respectively; NS), but not in those yielding more than 40 kg of milk day–1. Numerically, but not significantly, higher conception rates were noted for T cows with high BCS at parturition (+15%) or at peak lactation (+13%), and in cows with a low somatic cell count (+10%) relative to the C group. Interestingly, there was no treatment × season (summer v. fall) interaction. Taken together, the combination of hormonal treatment-induced follicular turnover and efficient cooling appears to improve summer and autumn fertility, mainly in first-calf heifers.

Current health and preferences for life-prolonging treatments: An application of prospect theory to end-of-life decision making

As a substantial body of research attests, the acceptability of life-prolonging treatment (e.g., tube feeding) tends to be greater among people in worse health than among healthier ones. Because a decision for or against a life-prolonging treatment represents a choice between two prospects—life (usually in poor health) and death—we propose a decision model, Prospect Theory, as a theoretical account of this phenomenon. Prospect Theory postulates that pairs of distant prospects are less distinguishable than pairs of closer ones. Thus, to healthy individuals, the prospects of death and life in poor health would both be remote, and therefore, the distinction between them, small. To less healthy individuals, however, the difference between the same pairs of prospects would appear greater, and therefore, life-prolonging treatment may be more acceptable. In a cross-sectional study of 304 community-dwelling people, aged 60 years and over in the Philadelphia area, USA, preferences for 4 life-prolonging treatments in 9 health scenarios were examined in relation to participants’ current health, operationalized as number of deficits in physical functioning. As predicted, less healthy people expressed stronger preferences for all life-prolonging treatments compared with healthier ones, with differences greatest in the worse-health scenarios. Preferences also varied by health scenario, with any treatment preferred in the better health scenarios. Treatment preferences did not differ by type of treatment, depressed mood or any demographic characteristic except race, with African-Americans expressing stronger treatment preferences. Implications for advance care planning are discussed.

The dilemma of patient responsibility for lifestyle change: Perceptions among primary care physicians and nurses

Objective. To explore physicians’ and nurses’ views on patient and professional roles in the management of lifestyle-related diseases and their risk factors. Design. A questionnaire study with a focus on adult obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking. Setting. Healthcare centres in Päijät-Häme hospital district, Finland. Subjects. Physicians and nurses working in primary healthcare (n =220). Main outcome measures. Perceptions of barriers to treatment of lifestyle-related conditions, perceptions of patients’ responsibilities in self-care, experiences of awkwardness in intervening in obesity and smoking, perceptions of rushed schedules, and perceptions of health professionals’ roles and own competence in lifestyle counselling. Results. A majority agreed that a major barrier to the treatment of lifestyle-related conditions is patients’ unwillingness to change their habits. Patients’ insufficient knowledge was considered as such a barrier less often. Self-care was actively encouraged. Although a majority of both physicians and nurses agreed that providing information, and motivating and supporting patients in lifestyle change are part of their tasks, only slightly more than one half estimated that they have sufficient skills in lifestyle counselling. Among nurses, those with less professional experience more often reported having sufficient skills than those with more experience. Two-thirds of the respondents reported that they had been able to help many patients to change their lifestyles into healthier ones. Conclusions. The primary care professionals experienced a dilemma in patients’ role in the treatment of lifestyle-related diseases: the patient was recognized as central in disease management but also, if reluctant to change, a major potential barrier to treatment.

Inside the crisis: An empirical analysis of banking systems in distress

Using aggregate and bank-level data for several countries, the paper studies what happens to the banking system following a banking crisis. Crises are not accompanied by a significant decline in aggregate bank deposits relative to GDP, although depositors leave weaker banks for stronger ones. Credit slows substantially, but the credit-to-GDP ratio is higher after the crisis. Output recovery begins in the second year after the crisis while credit still stagnates. Banks, including healthier ones, reallocate their asset portfolio away from loans, suggesting a lack of loan demand or collateral. Banks also improve their cost efficiency.

Against “Genetic Dis-Enhancement”

Most parents would do anything within their reach for their children, including genetic modification. Some parents may want taller or faster children, smarter or healthier ones. And some parents may want children that aremore comfortable in their family setting. Under special circumstances, would it be wrong for deaf or blind parents to genetically modify and select deaf or blind children?Are there good reasons not to genetically modify children in such ways? Would not prohibitions against such modifications infringe on the liberty and autonomy of prospective parents? Martin Harvey argues against such genetic dis-enhancements on a variety of moral grounds, employing the backing of a variety of traditional moral theories including deontological, teleological. and consequential arguments.