Role Of Weight Research Articles

Does taste preference predict weight regain after bariatric surgery?

While bariatric surgery is well established as a means of inducing sustained weight loss, the rate of weight loss typically declines after a year, and weight regain has been observed. Preoperative taste preferences have been suspected to play a role in weight regain, possibly by influencing post-operative dietary practices. We sought to investigate the association between preoperative taste preferences and weight regain following bariatric surgery. Patients who underwent bariatric surgery with at least 2years of follow-up were included. Demographics and weight were collected in follow-up visits; while patient recall of preoperative taste preference was assessed, using a multiple-choice question in the study survey administered at least 6months post-surgery. Weight regain was calculated as weight at 2years minus weight at 1 year post-surgery, with weight regain denoted by positive values and weight loss by negative. Linear regression models were utilized to study associations between weight regain and preoperative taste preferences with and without adjusting for demographic factors and surgery type. Patients undergoing RYGB had less weight regain (- 4.5kg, p = 0.033) compared to patients undergoing VSG. Compared to patients with no preferences, patients with sweet food or salty food preferences had 5.5kg (p = 0.038) and 6.1kg (p = 0.048) weight regain, respectively, at 2years post-surgery. After adjustment, patients with salty food preference had 6.8kg (p = 0.027) weight regain compared to patients with no preferences. Preoperative salty taste preference was associated with weight regain at 2years post-surgery in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Findings of this project might have implications for predicting long-term weight loss maintenance for patients with known preoperative taste preferences. Our study suggests that patients with preoperative salty taste preference may need further post-operative psychosocial support and resources to prevent weight regain and to ensure healthy and sufficient weight loss.

Is weight regain after bariatric surgery associated with psychiatric comorbidity? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bariatric surgery has been recognized as the gold standard treatment for severe obesity. Although postbariatric surgery patients usually achieve and maintain substantial weight loss, a group of individuals may exhibit weight regain. Several factors are proposed to weight regain, including psychiatric comorbidity. The objective of the study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationship between psychiatric comorbidity and weight regain. A systematic review through PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and PsycINFO was performed, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). After a stepwise selection, 13 articles were included in the qualitative analysis and 5 were included for a meta-analysis. Women was majority in most of the studies (87.6%), and a bypass procedure was the bariatric intervention most evaluated (66.8%), followed by gastric banding (32.1%) and sleeve (1.1%). Higher rates of postbariatric surgery eating psychopathology were reported in patients with weight regain. However, the association between general psychopathology and weight regain was not consistent across the studies. In the meta-analysis, the odds of eating psychopathology in the weight regain group was higher compared with the nonweight regain group (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.54-3.15). Postbariatric surgery eating psychopathology seems to play an important role in weight regain.

795-P: Effect of Protein Intake (PI) on Postprandial Glycemia in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Dietary PI contributes to PPH in T1D patients. Current recommendations are to increase insulin dose for mixed meals containing ≥ 40 gm of protein, and consider insulin dosing for pure-protein meals containing ≥75 gm of protein. There are no studies to date that investigate this effect specifically in children and in relation to body weight. Our aim was to explore the role of weight and other demographic factors in the relationship between PI and PPH in children with T1D, hypothesizing that the protein amount that causes PPH in children with T1D is weight based. We conducted a self-controlled, prospective study, in children with T1D who were given Whey protein isolate drinks (carbohydrate and fat free) of varying protein amounts (0, 12.5, 25, 37.5, 50, and 62.5 gm) on 6 different nights based on a protocol approved by UHIRB. The glucose levels were monitored with the participants’ personal continuous glucose monitors for 5 hours post PI. PPH was defined as glucose elevations ≥ 50 mg/dL above baseline. Thirty-eight subjects were recruited and 11 subjects (6 females, 5 males) completed the intervention. Subjects had a mean (SD) age of 11.6 (3.5) years, diabetes duration of 6.1 (4.7) years, HbA1c of 7.2 (0.8) %. BMI %ile ranged from 8th to 87th. PPH was detected at 5 hours post PI in 1/11, 5/11, 6/10, 6/9, 5/9, and 8/9 subjects after receiving 0, 12.5, 25, 37.5, 50, and 62.5 gm, respectively. There were no significant correlations between the rise in glucose and body weight, however for those with BMI %ile > 50% (n=8), BMI %ile was strongly correlated with change in glucose for doses 37.5 (all rs > 0.85, all p <0.01) and 50 gm (all rs > 0.64, all p <0.08) for all times. The correlation was somewhat less for 62.5 gm (all rs > 0.52). This suggests that the protein amount associated with PPH in children with TID is less than the threshold (75 gm) found in previous studies mainly consisting of adults. Disclosure D. Dalle: None. S.G. Shahmirian: None. M. O'Riordan: None. T.N. Zimmerman: Research Support; Spouse/Partner; Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc. Speaker's Bureau; Spouse/Partner; Merck Foundation. J.R. Wood: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc.

Age, gender and weight's role in pediatric sedations; ages 12 and under in the omfs clinic

Background: Pediatric caries are one of the most prevalent global diseases. The wide scope and training of OMFS put them in a position to treat these pediatric patients effectively and humanely. Not all pediatrics can be treated with local anesthesia, enteral sedation and/or nitrous oxide. Treating those patients in a hospital setting becomes cumbersome for a multitude of reasons. An OMFS is in a unique position to provide safe, predictable anesthesia which is efficient.

The weight of fatherhood: identifying mechanisms to explain paternal perinatal weight gain

ABSTRACTMen appear to gain weight during the transition to parenthood, and fathers are heavier than non-fathers. Paternal perinatal weight gain may set weight trajectories in midlife and have long-term health implications. Since men do not undergo the physical demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding, the specific mechanisms underlying weight gain in new fathers warrant investigation. This review aims to stimulate research on paternal perinatal weight gain by suggesting testable potential mechanisms that (1) show change across the transition to parenthood and (2) play a role in weight and body composition. We identify seven mechanisms, within three categories: behavioural mechanisms (sleep, physical activity, and diet), hormonal mechanisms (testosterone and cortisol), and psychological mechanisms (depression and stress). We also discuss direct effects of partner pregnancy influences (e.g., ‘couvade syndrome’) on men’s body weight. In presenting each mechanism, we discuss how it may be affected by the transition to parenthood, and then review its role in body composition and weight. Next, we describe bidirectional and interactive effects, discuss timing, and present three broad research questions to propel theoretical development.

On the role of weights rounding in applications of resampling based on pseudopopulations

Resampling methods are widely studied and increasingly employed in applied research and practice. When dealing with complex sampling designs, common resampling techniques require adjusting noninteger sampling weights in order to construct the so called “pseudopopulation” in order to perform the actual resampling. The practice of rounding, however, has been empirically shown to be harmful under general designs. In this paper, we present asymptotic results concerning, in particular, the practice of rounding resampling weights to the nearest integer, an approach that is commonly adopted by virtue of its reduced computational burden, as opposed to randomization‐based alternatives. We prove that such approach leads to nonconsistent estimation of the distribution function of the survey variable; we provide empirical evidence of the practical consequences of the nonconsistency when the point estimation of the variance of complex estimators is of interest.

T192. THE GUT MICROBIOME IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ANTIPSYCHOTIC INDUCED METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION

BackgroundAntipsychotic (AP) medications are the cornerstone of treatment for schizophrenia (SCZ), with off-label prescription rapidly increasing in youth and adolescent populations. However, APs have been associated with metabolic side effects including diabetes and obesity. Although several mechanisms have been proposed, the gut microbiome (GMB) has been suggested as a potential mediator of AP-induced metabolic side effects due to its role in weight and metabolic regulation; as well as emerging evidence demonstrating a shift in the microbiome of AP-treated animals and humans. The purpose of the current study is to 1) Investigate the GMB in SCZ patients compared to healthy individuals and 2) To examine the role of GMB in SCZ and AP-induced metabolic side effects.MethodsThree groups of 25 participants are being recruited. Group A: Long-term AP-treated patients (for at least 6 months) taking clozapine (CLZ). Group B: Healthy controls matched with Group A for BMI, age, sex, and smoking status. Group C: Treatment-naive SCZ patients starting an AP or patients newly switching to CLZ. Groups A and B will be assessed at a single time point (week 0) whereas Group C will be assessed prospectively at weeks 0, 3, and 12 with the same measures collected. The following clinical measures and metabolic indices are collected at baseline, and if applicable, at follow up visits: the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns (QEWP), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Power of Food Scale (POFS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Exercise/Physical Activity Evaluation, body mass index, oral glucose tolerance test, lipid profile, and serum clozapine levels. We also collect fecal samples for DNA extraction and microbiome sequencing. We are currently performing a baseline comparison across groups A, B, and C in order to evaluate intrinsic differences between schizophrenia and healthy controls, as well as, effects of new AP exposure versus chronic exposure. The difference between analytical groups (i.e. groups A, B, and C) at different time points (i.e. baseline, week 3 and 6) for variables such as BMI and metabolic parameters marker change are analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANCOVA, including significant covariates. The relationship between different measures, such as body weight and metabolic parameters, GMB composition (abundance of each species), and AIWG will be tested using Spearman’s correlation. Analysis of the Operational Taxonomic Unit network generated using QIIME will be further analyzed using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) method. This method uses LDA scores to estimate the effect size of differentially abundant taxa (at phyla, class or other levels) and ranks the relative difference of microbial taxa that discriminate groups with biological consistency and statistical significance. The GMB composition of within group weight gainers versus non-weight gainer will also be assessed in a subgroup of subjects using LEfSe.ResultsTo date, 17 patients enrolled (13 patients in group A (9 men, mean±SD age: 31.6 ± 5.1 years; BMI, 31.4 ± 5.5), two control in group B (1 men, mean±SD age: 29.0 ± 1.4 years; BMI, 30.3 ± 0.8), two in group C (1 men, mean±SD age: 30.0 ± 9.9 years; BMI, 25.8 ± 5.6)). Further analyses including GMB composition in each group are now being conducted. We are currently analyzing these individuals for their GMB composition and results will be presented at the SIRS meeting.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study to assess GMB sample in SCZ and investigate the association the GMB and AP-induced metabolic side effects. Our study has the potential to help to unravel the role of GMB in SCZ and AP response.

Interpersonal discrimination and markers of adiposity in longitudinal studies: a systematic review.

While the impact of interpersonal discrimination on mental health is well established, its effects on physical health outcomes have not been fully elucidated. This study systematically reviewed the literature on the prospective association between interpersonal discrimination and markers of adiposity. Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, SciELO, LILACS, Google Scholar, Capes/Brazil and ProQuest databases were used to retrieve relevant information in November 2016. The results from the 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria support an association between interpersonal self-reported discrimination and the outcomes. In general, the most consistent findings were for weight and body mass index (BMI) among women, i.e. high levels of self-reported discrimination were related to increased weight and BMI. Waist circumference (WC) showed a similar pattern of association with discrimination, in a positive direction, but an inverted U-shaped association was also found. Despite a few inverse associations between discrimination and markers of adiposity, none of the associations were statistically significant. Overall, markers of adiposity were consistently associated with discrimination, mainly through direct and nonlinear associations. This review provides evidence that self-reported discrimination can play an important role in weight, BMI and WC changes.

Dietary Intakes of Formula‐Fed Infants Consuming a Meat‐ or Dairy‐Based Complementary Diet: A Semi‐Controlled Feeding Trial

ObjectiveHigh protein intake from infant formula has been associated with rapid weight gain and increased adiposity, but the effect of type of protein from complementary foods has not been prospectively evaluated. Previous research in adolescents and adults suggest that protein source might play an important role in weight and adiposity regulation. We tested the impact of a complementary diet with protein source from meats or dairy foods in formula‐fed infants.MethodsHealthy, term formula‐fed (breastfed ≤1 month) infants are recruited from metro Denver area. Participants were randomized to a meat‐based complementary diet group (MEAT), or a dairy‐based complementary diet group (DAIRY) from 6 to 12 months of age. Total protein intake (formula + meat or formula + dairy) goal is ~3 g/kg/d, with protein intake from meat or dairy being adjusted monthly based on body weight and formula consumption. Caregivers were provided an individualized diet plan of approximate daily amounts of study foods for the participants to consume. Protein‐based food (meat purees, infant yogurt, cheese, whey protein supplement) and a standard, cow‐milk based formula were provided. Intakes of formula, infant cereal, fruits and vegetables were ad libitum. Three‐day diet records were completed at 5, 10, and 12 months of age.ResultsTo date, 33 infants have completed the trial (17 MEAT, 16 DAIRY). There were no differences between groups for birth weight, gestational age or maternal BMI. At baseline (5 months), protein intake was comparable between the two feeding groups (MEAT: 1.9 ± 0.4 g/kg/d; DAIRY: 2.1 ± 0.4 g/kg/d, P = 0.45). Total protein intake increased during the intervention to 3.2±0.9 g/kg/d and 3.4±1.1 g/kg/d at 10 and 12 months of age, respectively (~15% of energy at both time points), without group difference. Formula provided >80% of total protein intake and meat‐ or dairy‐based complementary foods contributed to less than 5% at baseline. At 10 months, formula provided an average of 28% protein intake and meat‐ or dairy‐based foods provided an average of 65% for both groups. Caloric intake (kcal/kg/d) did not differ over time or between groups at baseline (MEAT: 85 ± 17, DAIRY: 96 ± 16), 10 months (MEAT: 86 ± 22; DAIRY: 90 ± 27), or 12 months (MEAT: 96 ± 25; DAIRY: 100 ± 24). Individual amino acid intakes between the two diet groups were also calculated. Leucine intake was comparable between groups at baseline (MEAT: 1.3 ± 0.3g/d; DAIRY: 1.5 ± 0.3 g/d). At 12 months, MEAT (3.5 ± 1.0 g/d) had a greater leucine intake compared with DAIRY (2.6 ± 0.5 g/d, group‐by‐time interaction P = 0.01). Similar patterns of intake occurred for isoleucine and valine.ConclusionsConsuming ~3g/kg/d of total protein with meat or dairy as the main source in solid foods is feasible in 6–12 months old formula‐fed infants. Protein source or increased quantity did not appear to alter total caloric intake but does alter profile of branch chain amino acids, which may have implications for growth and metabolic outcomes.Support or Funding InformationAmerican Heart AssociationColorado Clinical and Transnational Research Institute National Pork BoardNational Cattlemen's Beef Association Abbott Nutrition Leprino Foods

Internal disinhibition predicts 5-year weight regain in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR).

SummaryBackgroundMaintenance of weight loss remains elusive for most individuals. One potential innovative target is internal disinhibition (ID) or the tendency to eat in response to negative thoughts, feelings or physical sensations. Individuals high on ID do worse on average in standard behavioural treatment programmes, and recent studies suggest that disinhibition could play a significant role in weight regain.PurposeThe purpose of the current study was to examine whether ID was associated with weight change over 5 years of follow‐up in the National Weight Control Registry, a registry of individuals who have successfully lost weight and maintained it.MethodsFrom the National Weight Control Registry, 5,320 participants were examined across 5 years. Weight data were gathered annually. The disinhibition subscale of the Eating Inventory was used to calculate internal disinhibition and External Disinhibition (ED) and was collected at baseline, year 1, year 3 and year 5. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the weight loss maintained across follow‐up years 1 to 5 using ID and ED as baseline and prospective predictors.ResultsInternal disinhibition predicted weight regain in all analyses. ED interacted with ID, such that individuals who were high on ID showed greater weight regain if they were also higher on ED.ConclusionsThe ID scale could be a useful screening measure for risk of weight regain, given its brevity. Improved psychological coping could be a useful target for maintenance or booster interventions.

Body-Esteem Mediates The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety: The Moderating Roles of Weight and Gender

ABSTRACTThe prevalence of social anxiety during adolescence is high, and it is necessary that we increase our knowledge on the related factors that contribute to social anxiety. The present study sought to examine the relationships among self-esteem, body-esteem, and social anxiety among adolescent students, as well as to examine the mediating role of body-esteem between self-esteem and social anxiety, and to examine the moderating roles of weight and gender between body-esteem and self-esteem with social anxiety. The participants comprised 520 high-school students from eight high schools in Tehran city in District 11 of the Ministry of Education in 2012/13. Structural equation modelling showed that adolescents with poor self-esteem and poor body-esteem were more likely to show social anxiety. Body-esteem partially mediated between self-esteem and social anxiety. Weight and gender moderated between body-esteem and self-esteem with social anxiety. Our results highlight the roles of body-esteem and self-esteem as promising avenues for reducing social anxiety among adolescent students.

Role of weights in improving the efficiency of Kim and Warde's mixed randomized response model

ABSTARCTIn this paper we have suggested a class of unbiased estimators of πS, the proportion of respondents possessing a sensitive attribute A using mixed randomized response model. The variance of the proposed class of estimators has been obtained. In addition to Kim and Warde's (2005) estimator, several other acceptable estimators of πS have been identified from the proposed class for suitable weights. It has been shown that the newly identified estimators are more efficient than the Kim and Warde's (2005) estimator. Numerical illustrations and graphs are also given in support of the present study.

Role of leptin in female reproduction.

Reproductive function is dependent on energy resources. The role of weight, body composition, fat distribution and the effect of diet have been largely investigated in experimental female animals as well as in women. Any alteration in diet and/or weight may induce abnormalities in timing of sexual maturation and fertility. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in the fine coordination of energy balance and reproduction are largely unknown. The brain and hypothalamic structures receive endocrine and/or metabolic signals providing information on the nutritional status and the degree of fat stores. Adipose tissue acts both as a store of energy and as an active endocrine organ, secreting a large number of biologically important molecules termed adipokines. Adipokines have been shown to be involved in regulation of the reproductive functions. The first adipokine described was leptin. Extensive research over the last 10 years has shown that leptin is not only an adipose tissue-derived messenger of the amount of energy stores to the brain, but also a crucial hormone/cytokine for a number of diverse physiological processes, such as inflammation, angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, immune function, and most importantly, reproduction. Leptin plays an integral role in the normal physiology of the reproductive system with complex interactions at all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis. In addition, leptin is also produced by placenta, where it plays an important autocrine function. Observational studies have demonstrated that states of leptin excess, deficiency, or resistance can be associated with abnormal reproductive function. This review focuses on the leptin action in female reproduction.

Determination of Weights for Multiobjective Decision Making or Machine Learning

Decision-making processes in complex systems generally require the mechanisms to make the tradeoff among contradicting design criteria. When multiple objectives are involved in decision making or machine learning, a crucial step is to determine the weights of individual objectives to the system-level performance. Determining the weights of multiobjectives is an evaluation process, and it has been often treated as an optimization problem. However, our preliminary investigation has shown that existing methodologies in dealing with the weights of multiobjectives have some obvious limitations in the sense that the determination of weights is tackled as a single optimization problem, a result based on such an optimization is incomprehensive, and it can even be unreliable when the information about multiple objectives is incomplete such as an incompleteness caused by poor data. The constraints of weights are also discussed. Variable weights are natural in decision-making processes. Therefore, we are motivated to develop a systematic methodology in determining variable weights of multiobjectives. The roles of weights in an original multiobjective decision-making or machine-learning problem are analyzed, and the weights are determined with the aid of a modular neural network. The inconsistency issue of weights is particularly discussed.

Reduction of tablet weight variability by optimizing paddle speed in the forced feeder of a high-speed rotary tablet press

Context: Tableting is a complex process due to the large number of process parameters that can be varied. Knowledge and understanding of the influence of these parameters on the final product quality is of great importance for the industry, allowing economic efficiency and parametric release.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of paddle speeds and fill depth at different tableting speeds on the weight and weight variability of tablets.Materials and methods: Two excipients possessing different flow behavior, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate (DCP), were selected as model powders. Tablets were manufactured via a high-speed rotary tablet press using design of experiments (DoE). During each experiment also the volume of powder in the forced feeder was measured.Results and discussion: Analysis of the DoE revealed that paddle speeds are of minor importance for tablet weight but significantly affect volume of powder inside the feeder in case of powders with excellent flowability (DCP). The opposite effect of paddle speed was observed for fairly flowing powders (MCC). Tableting speed played a role in weight and weight variability, whereas changing fill depth exclusively influenced tablet weight.Conclusion: The DoE approach allowed predicting the optimum combination of process parameters leading to minimum tablet weight variability. Monte Carlo simulations allowed assessing the probability to exceed the acceptable response limits if factor settings were varied around their optimum. This multi-dimensional combination and interaction of input variables leading to response criteria with acceptable probability reflected the design space.

Pre-treatment circulating leptin/ghrelin ratio as a non-invasive marker to identify patients likely to regain the lost weight after an energy restriction treatment

Leptin and ghrelin appear to play a role in weight regain after a successful weight loss. The pre-treatment plasma levels of leptin/ghrelin ratio (L/G) could have power to predict this clinically relevant issue in the obesity treatment. To evaluate the ability of the L/G as a non-invasive tool for the early discrimination of obese patients who are more likely to regain weight after an energy restriction program (regainers) from those who maintain the lost weight (non-regainers). Fasting leptin and ghrelin levels were evaluated in 88 overweight/obese patients who followed an 8-week hypocaloric diet program and were categorized as regainers (≥10% weight-lost regain) and non-regainers (<10% weight-lost regain) 6months (32weeks) after finishing the dietary treatment. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the L/G ratio and to establish a cut-off point to differentiate regainers from non-regainers. Regainers showed a statistically higher baseline (week 0) and after treatment (week 8) L/G ratio than non-regainers. The baseline L/G ratio was associated with an increased risk for weight regain (odds ratio 1.051; p=0.008). Using the area under the ROC curve (AUC), the L/G ratio significantly identified female (AUC=0.69; p=0.040) and male regainers (AUC=0.68; p=0.030). The maximum combination of sensitivity and specificity was shown at the cut-off point of 26.0 for women and 9.5 for men. The pre-intervention fasting leptin/ghrelin ratio could be a useful non-invasive approach to personalize obesity therapy and avoid unsuccessful treatment outcomes.

Construction of Composite Polymer Bipolar Plate for Pem Fuel Cell

Bipolar plates play the most significant role in weight, volume and corresponding costs of fuel cells. Initially, metallic and graphite materials had been used for production of bipolar plates due to their electrical conductivity characteristics. Later, these plates due to their deficiency such as corrosion, weight and production expenses were appropriately substituted by composite plates. This article presents results of a study on construction of bipolar plates using conductive polymeric composites. In the constructed composites, polypropylene was implement as polymer matrix and conductive carbon black and graphite as filler in order to supply the required electrical conductivity. The added fillers have been distributed in polypropylene by using an internal mixer. Then, bipolar plate specimens were prepared by molding of composite in hot press. The prepared specimens have been characterized to evaluate their specifications such as mechanical properties and their performance properties like thermal and electrical conductivities. The results of performed tests have shown a good performance on thermal conductivity greater than 10W/m.K, electrical conductivity higher than 50S/cm and high mechanical strength, flexural strength greater than 25MPa. The constructed composite plates were optimized and their weight in compare to similar metallic plates 80% and in contrast to graphite plates 40% were reduced. This method for production of bipolar plates is more economical as it reduces the cost of used materials and expenses of manufacturing operations.

The Role of Exercise and Physical Activity in Weight Loss and Maintenance

This review explores the role of physical activity (PA) and exercise training (ET) in the prevention of weight gain, initial weight loss, weight maintenance, and the obesity paradox. In particular, we will focus the discussion on the expected initial weight loss from different ET programs, and explore intensity/volume relationships. Based on the present literature, unless the overall volume of aerobic ET is very high, clinically significant weight loss is unlikely to occur. Also, ET also has an important role in weight regain after initial weight loss. Overall, aerobic ET programs consistent with public health recommendations may promote up to modest weight loss (~2kg), however the weight loss on an individual level is highly heterogeneous. Clinicians should educate their patients on reasonable expectations of weight loss based on their physical activity program and emphasize that numerous health benefits occur from PA programs in the absence of weight loss.

Role of weighting and long-range connections on the dynamics of front propagation

Percolation and non-equilibrium front propagation in a two-dimensional network modeling wildfire spread is studied. The model includes two long-range interactions; a deterministic and a probabilistic one induced by firebrand emis- sion. It includes also a time weighting process. Three weight-dependent regimes were found previously; dynamical, static, and non-propagative regime (12). In the absence of probabilistic interaction, the percolation threshold dependence on the weight does not depend on the deterministic interaction. The dynamical regime is found to belong to the dynamical perco- lation universality class and the static regime to the random deposition class. In the presence of probabilistic interactions, a minimum percolation threshold is found due to the scaling effects. The dynamical exponents belong to a new universality class.

Successful Use of Add - On Topiramate for Antipsychotic - Induced Weight Gain

Antipsychotic induced weight gain is the most common and distressing side effect. This also affects the compliance toward the treatment and hence the prognosis. Non - pharmacological interventions such as exercise and diet modifications alone might not be sufficient most of the times; also ensuring compliance toward this is difficult in patients with psychiatric illness. So, the role of weight - reducing drugs become important. In this case report, we describe the use of low - dose topiramate as a weight - reducing agent, in a patient with a bipolar affective disorder - mania with psychotic symptoms, who had significant risperidone - induced weight gain.