Lifestyle Adaptations Research Articles

0482: Predictors of maintaining cardiac rehabilitation’s benefits after a year for a coronary patient

Prognosis of coronary heart disease depends on correction of cardiovascular risk factors and long-term maintenance. Little data exist on the relationship between the patient’s profile and durable adhesion to the new learned behaviors in cardiac rehabilitation. The aim of our study was to investigate predictors of maintaining the cardiac rehabilitation program benefits at one year. From November 2012 to December 2013, 127 patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation after a coronary event were included. One year after the end of the program, four main goals (smoking cessation, body mass index <25, regular physical activity and professional recovery) were collected. We analyzed their relationship with clinical and socio-demographic data. Smoking cessation was significantly associated with regular physical activity.Body mass index <25 was significantly associated with absence of diabetes (p=0.016) and dyslipidemia (p=0.005).Regular physical activity was significantly associated with BMI lower (28,8 vs27, p=0.046).Professional recovery was significantly associated with Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction >55% (p=0.037), dyspnea NHYA 1 (p=0.015) and better functional abilities at the end of rehabilitation cycle (8.1 mets vs 6.4 mets, p<0,001) and one year later (7,4 mets vs 5,1 mets p=0.001). LVEF preserved, low degree of dyspnea, functional abilities >6 METs appear as positive prognostic factors for professional recovery.Our study highlights the constant interaction between correction of cardiovascular risk factors and adaptation of lifestyle (physical activity, diet). Patients with many cardiovascular risk factors fail in achieving or maintaining the goals acquired during cardiac rehabilitation program, since several simultaneous changes in behavior are recquired. Because of the chronic and multifactorial nature of coronary artery disease, new personnalized monitoring strategies should be thoughtful, to ensure personalized care.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or “Systemic Immune Disorder” (SID)?

It is the opinion of the authors that the disease called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or fibromyalgia, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is primarily due to a disorder of the immune system and should rather be called “systemic immune disorder”. This disorder probably results from external factors such as inadequate stress adaptation, or a (retro)-viral infection deregulating the function of the memory T-lymphocytes in persons who are predisposed because of genetic or epigenetic alterations. Chronic inflammation with overproduction of cytokines, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species causes mitochondrial dysfunction with metabolic disturbance resulting in muscular and cerebral signs and symptoms. The reference treatment consisting of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and graded exercising (GET) considers CFS to be a somatoform disease, but was proven ineffective. Causal therapy should be directed toward restoring T-cell function and is now under assessment. Organ-directed treatment aims at improving stress tolerance, at reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and at optimizing mitochondrial function by means of nutriceutical food supplementation. Symptomatic treatment uses antidepressants, sedatives and pain killers. Experimental treatments interfere with the immune system or attempt to activate brain metabolism, and need further assessment. Adverse effects of long-term medication must be avoided. In the opinion of the authors an acceptable therapeutic result can commonly be attained by combining meditation, such as mindfulness, adaptation of lifestyle and nutrition, with complementary food supplementation using nutriceuticals and plant extracts.

Wearable Sensors and Healthcare Informatics Solutions in Non- Communicable Diseases (Ncds) Prevention and Management in Africa

Safe and cost-effective wearable sensors and healthcare informatics solutions hold great promises and opportunities in tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden. This paper highlights the future opportunities of wearable sensors and healthcare informatics consolidation platforms implementation, uptake capabilities and needs in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and management in Africa. Establishing digital wearable technology policy and frameworks requires robust political commitment and financial investment in research and development towards real time, safe and effective prevention and management programs and tools. Leveraging on it added-value in strengthening health systems inefficiencies and low-cost care delivery is imperative in promoting predictive and preventive lifestyle mitigation an adaptation solutions to millions at risk or suffering from chronic illnesses. Also, in promoting participatory patient- professionals-health providers’ relationship and cooperation, monitoring and tracking of medication adherence to pathophysiological disease progression. Furthermore, digital wearable sensors offer another opportunity in generating data, information and knowledge in promoting evidence- based and practical lifestyle adaptations and other health / fitness mitigation programs in revamping the rising NCDs challenges in most vulnerable populations in Afri

A good patient? How notions of ‘a good patient’ affect patient-nurse relationships and ART adherence in Zimbabwe

BackgroundWhile patient-provider interactions are commonly understood as mutually constructed relationships, the role of patient behaviour, participation in interactions, and characteristics, particularly ideals surrounding notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ patients, are under-examined. This article examines social representations of ‘a good patient’ and how these representations affect patient-healthcare provider relationships and antiretroviral treatment (ART) for people living with HIV.MethodsUsing thematic network analysis, we examined interview and focus group transcripts involving 25 healthcare staff, 48 ART users, and 31 carers of HIV positive children, as well as field notes from over 100 h of ethnographic observation at health centres in rural Zimbabwe.ResultsCharacteristics of a good patient include obedience, patience, politeness, listening, enthusiasm for treatment, intelligence, physical cleanliness, honesty, gratitude and lifestyle adaptations (taking pills correctly and coming to the clinic when told). As healthcare workers may decide to punish patients who do not live up the ‘good patient persona’, many patients seek to perform within the confines of the ‘good patient persona’ to access good care and ensure continued access to ART.DiscussionThe notion of a ‘good ART patient’ can have positive effects on patient health outcomes. It is one of the only arenas of the clinic experience that ART patients can influence in their favour. However, for people not conforming to the norms of the ‘good patient persona’, the productive and health-enabling patient-nurse relationship may break down and be detrimental to the patient.ConclusionWe conclude that policy makers need to take heed of the social representations that govern patient-nurse relationships and their role in facilitating or undermining ART adherence.

Carboniferous platyceratid gastropods from Western Australia and a possible alternative lifestyle adaptation

Cook, A.G. & Jell, P.A., September 2015. Carboniferous platyceratid gastropods from Western Australia and a possible alternative lifestyle adaptation. Alcheringa 40, XX–XX. ISSN 0311-5518Platyceratid gastropods, common and in many cases abundant as elements of middle Palaeozoic gastropod faunas worldwide, are rare or absent in Australian Devonian faunas. In Australia, the earliest abundant platyceratids occur in the Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) echinoderm-rich Septimus Limestone and Enga Sandstone in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin, Western Australia. Four taxa, each with significant morphological plasticity, are recognized. In Platyceras (Platyceras) tubulosus (de Koninck, 1883), three rows of long radially arranged spines and common pentameral symmetry of re-entrants on the aperture suggest an alternative possibility that a relationship between echinoderms and platyceratids developed, and that this may be with archaeocidaroids that are commonly preserved with the gastropods. Similarly in the singly spinose Platyceras (Platyceras) emmemmjae sp. nov., re-entrants suggest an echinoderm relationship. It is proposed that an echinoderm–Platyceras relationship possibly developed in Australia only after a suitable echinoid host had evolved allowing an alternative way for a gameto- or coprophagous habit to be exploited fully.Alex G Cook [alex.Cook@y7mail.com] and Peter A. Jell [p.jell@uq.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.

Correlation between cardiac autonomic modulation in response to orthostatic stress and indicators of quality of life, physical capacity, and physical activity in healthy individuals.

Increased heart rate variability (HRV) at rest is frequently associated to maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), physical activity, and markers of quality of life (QoL). However, the HRV has not been observed during physical exercise or orthostatic (ORT) challenge. This study investigated the associations of HRV changes (ΔHRV) from rest at supine (SUP) to ORT positions with (VO2max), physical activity level, and QoL in young adults. Cardiac autonomic modulation was assessed by spectral analysis of R-R time series measured from SUP to ORT positions in 15 healthy volunteers (26 ± 7 years). Questionnaires were applied for evaluation of QoL (SF-36 score), to estimate (VO2max), and to quantify physical activity (Baecke Sport Score). All HRV indices at SUP, but not ORT, strongly correlated to QoL, estimated (VO2max), and physical activity. The ΔHRV from SUP to ORT showed significant correlations with all questionnaire scores (r = 0.52-0.61 for low frequency and r = -0.61 to -0.65 for high frequency, p ≤ 0.05). Higher vagal activity at rest and greater changes in adrenergic and parasympathetic modulation from SUP to ORT were detected in the volunteers exhibiting higher scores of QoL, estimated (VO2max), and physical activity. Taken together, the level of neural adaptations from resting SUP position to active standing, and physical activity and QoL questionnaires seem to be a simple approach to understand the physiological and lifestyle adaptations to exercise that may be applied to a large sample of subjects in almost any sports facilities at a low cost.

Change in self-rated general health is associated with perceived illness burden: a 1-year follow up of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

BackgroundDiabetic patients’ lifestyle adaptations to improve glycaemic control are not always followed by improvements in self-rated general health (SRH). The perceived impact of diabetes on patients’ daily lives may influence changes in their SRH. This paper examines the association of illness severity, treatment, behavioural, and coping-related factors with changes in SRH from diagnosis of type 2 diabetes until one year later, in a population-based sample of 599 patients aged 40 years or over who were treated in general practice.MethodsChange in SRH was estimated by a cumulative probit model with the inclusion of covariates related to SRH (e.g. illness severity at diagnosis, behaviour, treatment, and the perceived impact of diabetes on patients’ daily lives one year later).ResultsAt diagnosis, 11.6% of patients reported very good, 35.1% good, 44.6% fair and 8.5% poor SRH. Physical inactivity, many diabetes-related symptoms, and cardiovascular disease were related to lower SRH ratings. On average SRH improved by 0.46 (95% CI: 0.37; 0.55) during the first year after diagnosis without inclusion of covariates. Mental and practical illness burden was the only factor associated with change in SRH, independent of patients’ diabetes severity and medical treatment (p = 0.03, multivariate analysis). Compared to otherwise similar patients without illness burden, increase in SRH was marginally smaller among patients who expressed minor illness burden, but much smaller among patients with more pronounced illness burden.ConclusionsMuch as one would expect, many patients increased their SRH during the first year after diabetes diagnosis. This increase in SRH was not associated with indicators of illness severity or factors reflecting socio-demographic circumstances, but patients experiencing illness burden had a smaller increase than those who reported no illness burden. We suggest that during the diabetes consultation, general practitioners explore further how patients manage their illness burden. We further suggest that diabetes guidelines extend their current focus on clinical and social aspects of diabetes to include questions on patient’s perceived illness burden and SRH.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1790-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bone Microstructure of the Stereospondyl Lydekkerina Huxleyi Reveals Adaptive Strategies to the Harsh Post Permian‐Extinction Environment

The small-bodied stereospondyl Lydekkerina huxleyi, dominated the amphibian fauna of the South African Lower Triassic. Even though the anatomy of this amphibian has been well described, its growth strategies and lifestyle habits have remained controversial. Previous studies attributed the relative uniformity in skull sizes to a predominance of subadult and adult specimens recovered in the fossil record. Anatomical and taphonomic data suggested that the relatively small body-size of this genus, as compared to its Permo-Triassic relatives, could be linked to a shortened, rapid developmental period as an adaptation to maintain successful breeding populations under harsh environmental conditions. Moreover, Lydekkerina's habitat has been hypothesized to be either aquatic or mainly terrestrial. The current study, utilizes bone microstructure to reassess previous hypotheses pertaining to the biology and ecology of Lydekkerina. Various skeletal elements of different-sized specimens are analyzed to understand its growth dynamics, intraskeletal variability, and lifestyle adaptations. Bone histology revealed that our sample comprises individuals at different ontogenetic stages i.e., juveniles to mature individuals. Our results show that these amphibians, despite exhibiting plasticity in growth, experienced an overall faster growth during early ontogeny (thereby attaining sexual maturity sooner), as compared to most other temnospondyls. The microanatomy of the long bones with their thick bone walls and distinctive medullary cavity suggests that Lydekkerina may have been amphibious with a tendency to be more terrestrial. Our study concludes that Lydekkerina employed a peculiar growth strategy and lifestyle adaptations, which enabled it to endure the harsh, dry conditions of the Early Triassic.

Genome Sequence of Phlebopus portentosus Strain PP33, a Cultivated Bolete.

Phlebopus portentosus can form fruiting bodies, both independently as a saprophyte and in association with plants as an ectomycorrhizal symbiont. It thus offers an excellent model from which to examine the genetic basis of lifestyle adaptations and transitions for mushrooms. This paper reports the genome sequence of a homokaryotic strain of P. portentosus, PP33.

Living gluten-free: adherence, knowledge, lifestyle adaptations and feelings towards a gluten-free diet.

A gluten-free diet (GFD) requires tremendous dedication, involving substantive changes to diet and lifestyle that may have a significant impact upon quality of life. The present study aimed io assess dietary adherence, knowledge of a GFD, and the emotional and lifestyle impact of a GFD. Community dwelling adults following a GFD completed a questionnaire with items related to reasons for avoiding gluten, diagnostic testing, GFD adherence, knowledge and sources of information about a GFD, the Work and Social Adjustment Scale, and the effect of a GFD diet on lifestyle, feelings and behaviours. Strict GFD adherence among the 222 coeliac disease (CD) patients was 56%. Non-CD individuals (n=38) were more likely to intentionally ingest gluten (odds ratio=3.7; 95% confidence interval=1.4-9.4). The adverse impact of a GFD was modest but most pronounced in the social domain. Eating shifted from the public to the domestic sphere and there were feelings of social isolation. Affective responses reflected resilience because acceptance and relief were experienced more commonly than anxiety or anger. Non-CD respondents were less knowledgeable and less likely to consult health professionals. They experienced less anger and depression and greater pleasure in eating than CD respondents. The findings obtained in the present suggest there is good potential for positive adaptation to the demands of a GFD; nevertheless, there is a measurable degree of social impairment that merits further study. The GFD may be a viable treatment option for conditions other than CD; however, education strategies regarding the need for diagnostic testing to exclude CD are required.

Single-cell genomics of a rare environmental alphaproteobacterium provides unique insights into Rickettsiaceae evolution.

The bacterial family Rickettsiaceae includes a group of well-known etiological agents of many human and vertebrate diseases, including epidemic typhus-causing pathogen Rickettsia prowazekii. Owing to their medical relevance, rickettsiae have attracted a great deal of attention and their host-pathogen interactions have been thoroughly investigated. All known members display obligate intracellular lifestyles, and the best-studied genera, Rickettsia and Orientia, include species that are hosted by terrestrial arthropods. Their obligate intracellular lifestyle and host adaptation is reflected in the small size of their genomes, a general feature shared with all other families of the Rickettsiales. Yet, despite that the Rickettsiaceae and other Rickettsiales families have been extensively studied for decades, many details of the origin and evolution of their obligate host-association remain elusive. Here we report the discovery and single-cell sequencing of 'Candidatus Arcanobacter lacustris', a rare environmental alphaproteobacterium that was sampled from Damariscotta Lake that represents a deeply rooting sister lineage of the Rickettsiaceae. Intriguingly, phylogenomic and comparative analysis of the partial 'Candidatus Arcanobacter lacustris' genome revealed the presence chemotaxis genes and vertically inherited flagellar genes, a novelty in sequenced Rickettsiaceae, as well as several host-associated features. This finding suggests that the ancestor of the Rickettsiaceae might have had a facultative intracellular lifestyle. Our study underlines the efficacy of single-cell genomics for studying microbial diversity and evolution in general, and for rare microbial cells in particular.

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Embedded Nature of Obesity in Primary Care Visits

s / Can J Diabetes 39 (2015) S38eS74 S53 quantitative and qualitative data. Factors leading to discontinuation were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Qualitative data was analyzed using constant comparative methodology. The response rate was 59% with a 40.3% completion rate. Surgical complications (3.6 0.2) and post-operative lifestyle adaptations (3.6 0.2) were identified as 2 key factors leading to program discontinuation, with 41% and 36% of subjects rating them as ‘most concerned’, respectively. Thematic analysis uncovered 11 major themes related to patient self-removal after program orientation. Several additional themes emerged in the qualitative analysis including perceived suitability for the surgery, family impact, communication with the family physician and orientation structure and delivery. As one of the first studies looking at the barriers to bariatric surgery in a pre-operative setting, the results offer new insight to patients’ self-removal after attending the program orientation. This helps to identify changes needed in the pre-operative process of the bariatric program.

Challenges and Facilitators to Interdisciplinary Weight Management Collaboration in Primary Care

s / Can J Diabetes 39 (2015) S38eS74 S53 quantitative and qualitative data. Factors leading to discontinuation were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Qualitative data was analyzed using constant comparative methodology. The response rate was 59% with a 40.3% completion rate. Surgical complications (3.6 0.2) and post-operative lifestyle adaptations (3.6 0.2) were identified as 2 key factors leading to program discontinuation, with 41% and 36% of subjects rating them as ‘most concerned’, respectively. Thematic analysis uncovered 11 major themes related to patient self-removal after program orientation. Several additional themes emerged in the qualitative analysis including perceived suitability for the surgery, family impact, communication with the family physician and orientation structure and delivery. As one of the first studies looking at the barriers to bariatric surgery in a pre-operative setting, the results offer new insight to patients’ self-removal after attending the program orientation. This helps to identify changes needed in the pre-operative process of the bariatric program.

Treating obesity seriously: when recommendations for lifestyle change confront biological adaptations

Many clinicians are not adequately aware of the reasons that individuals with obesity struggle to achieve and maintain weight loss,1 and this poor awareness precludes the provision of effective intervention.2 Irrespective of starting weight, caloric restriction triggers several biological adaptations designed to prevent starvation.3 These adaptations might be potent enough to undermine the long-term effectiveness of lifestyle modification in most individuals with obesity, particularly in an environment that promotes energy overconsumption.

Wearable Sensors for Healthier Pregnancies

Maternal and infant health is a global healthcare problem affecting developing and developed countries alike. Pregnancy complications increase the risk of maternal and infant death, and are associated with adverse outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth. Lifestyle modifications before and during pregnancy have been shown to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. This paper evaluates the use of wearable sensors as an enabling technology to motivate healthier lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy. Wearable sensors have been used to track health and lifestyle in general populations. Pregnancy is associated with hormonal, physiological and psychological adaptations that need to be taken into account when quantifying lifestyle, and there is to date no solution available to accurately measure lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy. The main challenges lay in developing algorithms and systems capable of dealing with physiological adaptations, lifestyle adaptations, and enabling longitudinal monitoring throughout pregnancy. Addressing these challenges will open new opportunities towards an integrated and personalized approach to behavior change interventions based on sensor data. Putting such solutions in the hands of consumers will unlock a crowdsourcing approach to quantifying known risk factors, discovering new markers for pregnancy complications, and to answering some of the fundamental questions that remain around adverse outcomes such as preterm birth.

Thermal specialization across large geographical scales predicts the resilience of mangrove crab populations to global warming

The broad prediction that ectotherms will be more vulnerable to climate change in the tropics than in temperate regions includes assumptions about centre/edge population effects that can only be tested by within‐species comparisons across wide latitudinal gradients. Here, we investigated the thermal vulnerability of two mangrove crab species, comparing populations at the centre (Kenya) and edge (South Africa) of their distributions. At the same time, we investigated the role of respiratory mode (water‐ versus air‐breathing) in determining the thermal tolerance in amphibious organisms. To do this, we compared the vulnerability to acute temperature fluctuations of two sympatric species with two different lifestyle adaptations: the free living Perisesarma guttatum and the burrowing Uca urvillei, both pivotal to the ecosystem functioning of mangroves. The results revealed the air‐breathing U. urvillei to be a thermal generalist with much higher thermal tolerances than P. guttatum. Importantly, however, we found that, while U. urvillei showed little difference between edge and centre populations, P. guttatum showed adaptation to local conditions. Equatorial populations had elevated tolerances to acute heat stress and mechanisms of partial thermoregulation, which make them less vulnerable to global warming than temperate conspecifics. The results reveal both the importance of respiratory mode to thermal tolerance and the unexpected potential for low latitude populations/species to endure a warming climate. The results also contribute to a conceptual model on the latitudinal thermal tolerance of these key species. This highlights the need for an integrated population‐level approach to predict the consequences of climate change.

The expression of three opsin genes from the compound eye of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is regulated by a circadian clock, light conditions and nutritional status.

Visual genes may become inactive in species that inhabit poor light environments, and the function and regulation of opsin components in nocturnal moths are interesting topics. In this study, we cloned the ultraviolet (UV), blue (BL) and long-wavelength-sensitive (LW) opsin genes from the compound eye of the cotton bollworm and then measured their mRNA levels using quantitative real-time PCR. The mRNA levels fluctuated over a daily cycle, which might be an adaptation of a nocturnal lifestyle, and were dependent on a circadian clock. Cycling of opsin mRNA levels was disturbed by constant light or constant darkness, and the UV opsin gene was up-regulated after light exposure. Furthermore, the opsin genes tended to be down-regulated upon starvation. Thus, this study illustrates that opsin gene expression is determined by multiple endogenous and exogenous factors and is adapted to the need for nocturnal vision, suggesting that color vision may play an important role in the sensory ecology of nocturnal moths.

Cardiovascular risk factors: Belgian target achievement

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of target achievement for key modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (dyslipidaemia, arterial hypertension, hyperglycaemia, smoking, and physical inactivity) in Belgium. Methods and results: This non-systematic review of Belgian data from four recent studies assessed the control of CVD risk factors in clinical settings: the European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and Management in Usual Daily Practice (EURIKA), the Optimal Type 2 Diabetes Management Including Benchmarking and Standard Treatment Study (OPTIMISE), the European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events Survey (EUROASPIRE III), and data from a general practice-based morbidity registration network (INTEGO). For each study, target achievement levels were evaluated using the guidelines that were applicable at the time of the study. The overall results show that the main CVD risk factors are poorly controlled in patients with established CVD and in patients at high CVD risk. Therapeutic targets may be incompletely reached because of the suboptimal implementation of European guidelines for CVD prevention in routine clinical practice (insufficient lifestyle and dietary adaptations; poor applications of drug therapy to control blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia) or the insufficient efficacy of the currently available treatments options in some patients. Conclusions: This review provides clear and updated evidence for non-target achievement for all major risk factors, with four different study designs and inclusion criteria, and highlights the need for more comprehensive and intensive application of European guidelines recommendations for CVD prevention in Belgium.

Compositions of fungal secretomes indicate a greater impact of phylogenetic history than lifestyle adaptation.

BackgroundSince the first fungal genome sequences became available, investigators have been employing comparative genomics to understand how fungi have evolved to occupy diverse ecological niches. The secretome, i.e. the entirety of all proteins secreted by an organism, is of particular importance, as by these proteins fungi acquire nutrients and communicate with their surroundings.ResultsIt is generally assumed that fungi with similar nutritional lifestyles have similar secretome compositions. In this study, we test this hypothesis by annotating and comparing the soluble secretomes, defined as the sets of proteins containing classical signal peptides but lacking transmembrane domains of fungi representing a broad diversity of nutritional lifestyles. Secretome size correlates with phylogeny and to a lesser extent with lifestyle. Plant pathogens and saprophytes have larger secretomes than animal pathogens. Small secreted cysteine-rich proteins (SSCPs), which may comprise many effectors important for the interaction of plant pathogens with their hosts, are defined here to have a mature length of ≤ 300 aa residues, at least four cysteines, and a total cysteine content of ≥5%. SSCPs are found enriched in the secretomes of the Pezizomycotina and Basidiomycota in comparison to Saccharomycotina. Relative SSCP content is noticeably higher in plant pathogens than in animal pathogens, while saprophytes were in between and closer to plant pathogens. Expansions and contractions of gene families and in the number of occurrences of functional domains are largely lineage specific, e.g. contraction of glycoside hydrolases in Saccharomycotina, and are only weakly correlated with lifestyle. However, within a given lifestyle a few general trends exist, such as the expansion of secreted family M14 metallopeptidases and chitin-binding proteins in plant pathogenic Pezizomycotina.ConclusionsWhile the secretomes of fungi with similar lifestyles share certain characteristics, the expansion and contraction of gene families is largely lineage specific, and not shared among all fungi of a given lifestyle.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-722) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

RISK FACTORS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract: Introduction: Alcoholism is the recent trend among college students. Peer pressure,stress,depression are some factors that drive these students to practice this social evil. Under intoxication,consequences are grave. Drunk and driving, road traffic accidents, legal issues, antisocial activities are some of them, that has proved alcoholism a public menace. Objective: To assess the risk factors and consequences of alcohol consumption among adolescents. Materials and Methods: A survey was carried out in the colleges under NITTE University. Students present at the day and time of visit were covered. A questionnaire was prepared comprising of a set of 14 questions covering the main objective of the survey. The students were asked to fill the questionnaire irrespective of their gender or whether they consume alcohol or not. Results: From the survey, we found that social gatherings and lifestyle adaptation are major factors that prompt students to consume alcohol. Peer pressure,stress and parents influence are other factors.The consequences observed are legal issues and family problems. But majority didn't seem to face any grave problems due to alcohol intoxication. Conclusions: According to our study, more than 55% of the subjects that consume alcohol do so due to peer pressure, academic stress and emotional stress. Also, more than quarter of those consuming alcohol are involved in road traffic accidents and other legal issues, as well as having familial problems.