On the body of the consumer: performance‐seeking with wearables and health and fitness apps

Contributing to critical digital health research and the sociology of health consumption, this study investigates the phenomenon of self‐tracking and interpretation of consumer data via wearable technology and mobile fitness software applications (apps). It critically analyses qualitative data collected from members of running communities in the UK who are heavy users of apps and wearables. The study seeks to understand the meaning and practise of long‐term use of apps and wearables targeted at consumers interested in tracking fitness, and the collection of personal health information over time. The paper offers an interpretative perspective on runners as performance‐seeking fitness consumers engaged in long‐term self‐management of health. These consumers are driven by a profound motivation to visualise and embody a long‐term state of fitness. Participants were also hyper‐aware of advertising and promotional methods used to engage consumers. The findings raise concerns about the validity of personal fitness data, and how its collection promises improved personal health while visually promoting sought‐after fit bodies. Further research is required to understand the transformative impact of fitness‐tracking and how individuals negotiate personal classifications of health.     

PMS2 expression decrease causes severe problems in mismatch repair

PMS2 is one of the four susceptibility genes in Lynch syndrome (LS), the most common cancer syndrome in the world. Inherited mutations in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes, MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6, account for approximately 90% of LS, while a relatively small number of LS families segregate a PMS2 mutation. This and the low cancer penetrance in PMS2 families suggest that PMS2 is only a moderate or low‐risk susceptibility gene. We have previously shown that even a partial expression decrease in MLH1, MSH2, or MSH6 suggests that heterozygous LS mutation carriers have MMR malfunction in constitutive tissues. Whether and how PMS2 expression decrease affects the repair capability is not known. Here, we show that PMS2 knockdown cells retaining 19%, 33%, or 53% of PMS2 expression all have significantly reduced MMR efficiency. Surprisingly, the cells retaining expression levels comparable to PMS2 mutation carriers indicate the lowest repair efficiency.     

Neurohormone activation

Neurohormonal activation plays a significant role in left ventricular remodeling and progression of heart failure. Treatment strategies that antagonize the RAS and sympathetic nervous system can attenuate the left ventricular remodeling process. Natriuretic peptides, specifically BNP, are a marker of left ventricular dysfunction. With the progressive increase in the incidence and prevalence of heart failure, treatment approaches must focus on the underlying cause as well as on blocking the neurohormonal activation that leads to the remodeling process.     

Exorhodopsin and melanopsin systems in the pineal complex and brain at early developmental stages of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)

The complexity of the nonvisual photoreception systems in teleosts has just started to be appreciated, with colocalization of multiple photoreceptor types with unresolved functions. Here we describe an intricate expression pattern of melanopsins in early life stages of the marine flat fish Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), a period when the unpigmented brain is directly exposed to environmental photons. We show a refined and extensive expression of melanopsins in the halibut brain already at the time of hatching, long before the eyes are functional. We detect melanopsin in the habenula, suprachiasmatic nucleus, dorsal thalamus, and lateral tubular nucleus of first feeding larvae, suggesting conserved functions of the melanopsins in marine teleosts. The complex expression of melanopsins already at larval stages indicates the importance of nonvisual photoreception early in development. Most strikingly, we detect expression of both exorhodopsin and melanopsin in the pineal complex of halibut larvae. Double‐fluorescence labeling showed that two clusters of melanopsin‐positive cells are located lateral to the central rosette of exorhodopsin‐positive cells. The localization of different photopigments in the pineal complex suggests that two parallel photoreceptor systems may be active. Furthermore, the dispersed melanopsin‐positive cells in the spinal cord of halibut larvae at the time of hatching may be primary sensory cells or interneurons representing the first example of dispersed high‐order photoreceptor cells. The appearance of nonvisual opsins early in the development of halibut provides an alternative model for studying the evolution and functional significance of nonvisual opsins. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:4003–4022, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Developing attributes for discrete choice experiments in health: a systematic literature review and case study of alcohol misuse interventions

Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) become increasingly popular to value outcomes for health economic studies and gradually gain acceptance as an input into policy decisions. Developing attributes is a key aspect for the design of DCEs, as their results may misguide decision-makers if they are based on an inappropriate set of attributes. However, the area lacks guidance, and current health-related DCE studies vary considerably in their methods of attribute development, with the consequent danger of providing an unreliable input for policy decisions. The aim of this article is to inform the progress toward a more systematic approach to attribute development for DCE studies in health. A systematic review of the published health-related DCE literature was conducted to lay the foundations for a generic framework which was tested in a case study of alcohol misuse interventions. Four stages of a general attribute development process emerged: (i) raw data collection; (ii) data reduction; (iii) removing inappropriate attributes; and (iv) wording. The case study compared and contrasted a qualitative and mixed-methods approach for the development of attributes for DCEs in the area of alcohol misuse interventions. This article provides a reference point for the design of future DCE experiments in health.