Mapping changes in the obesity stigma discourse through Obesity Canada: a content analysis

BackgroundStigmatization of persons living with obesity is an important public health issue. In 2015, Obesity Canada adopted person-first language in all internal documentation produced by the organization, and, from 2017, required all authors to use person-first language in abstract submissions to Obesity Canada hosted conferences. The impact of this intentional shift in strategic focus is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a content analysis of proceedings at conferences hosted by Obesity Canada to identify whether or how constructs related to weight bias and obesity stigma have changed over time.MethodsOf 1790 abstracts accepted to conferences between 2008–2019, we excluded 353 abstracts that featured animal or cellular models, leaving 1437 abstracts that were reviewed for the presence of five constructs of interest and if they changed over time: 1) use of person-first versus use of disease-first terminology, 2) incorporation of lived experience of obesity, 3) weight bias and stigma, 4) aggressive or alarmist framing and 5) obesity framed as a modifiable risk factor versus as a disease. We calculated and analyzed through linear regression: 1) the overall frequency of use of each construct over time as a proportion of the total number of abstracts reviewed, and 2) the ratio of abstracts where the construct appeared at least once based on the total number of abstracts.ResultsWe found a significant positive correlation between use of person-first language in abstracts and time (R2 = 0.51, p < 0.01 for frequency, R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05 for ratio) and a corresponding negative correlation for the use of disease-first terminology (R2 = 0.48, p = 0.01 for frequency, R2 = 0.75, p < 0.001 for ratio). There was a significant positive correlation between mentions of weight bias and time (R2 = 0.53 and 0.57, p < 0.01 for frequency and ratio respectively).ConclusionUse of person-first language and attention to weight bias increased, while disease-first terminology decreased in accepted abstracts over the past 11 years since Obesity Canada began hosting conferences and particularly since more explicit actions for expectations to use person-first language were put in place in 2015 and 2017.     

应用Ilizarov外固定器治疗儿童马蹄内翻足12例

1临床资料1997-10/2003-5采用Ilizarov外固定器结合足部小手术矫正足部畸形12例(12足),男9例,女3例,年龄3.3～9.2岁,平均5.5岁.其中先天性者8例(均为僵硬型,其他手术方法治疗后复发),神经源性3例(系脑脊膜膨出引起),外伤性者1例(烧伤引起).手术前根据患儿年龄、患足畸形程度、大小及X线片形态结构特点,选择合适的Ilizarov外固定器.     

Nasal inflammation and chronic ear disease in Australian Aboriginal children

Objective : Chronic middle ear disease is common in Aboriginal children, and may be linked to nasal inflammation and Eustachian tube dysfunction. The pattern of nasal inflammation is unknown. The study reported here was performed to define the role of allergy and infection in causing nasal inflammation in Aboriginal children with chronic middle ear disease.
Methodology : Thirty-one Aboriginal children aged between 3 and 7 years underwent clinical assessment, audiometry and allergy skin tests. Nasal swabs for bacterial culture and cytology were performed during the winter and again in spring to identify any seasonal variation. A randomized trial of nasal beclomethasone for 8 weeks was conducted in children with abnormal tympanometry to identify the effect of therapy upon nasal cytology.
Results : Twenty-six of the 31 children had abnormal tympanograms. Average hearing levels were reduced in nine children. Pathogenic organisms were isolated from most children: Streptococcus pneumoniae (82%), Haemophilus influenzae (79%), Moraxella catarrhalis (39%) and Staphylococcus aureus (29%). Eight of the 31 children (26%) were atopic. Nasal cytology disclosed a marked neutrophil infiltrate (80% of cells) during the winter, which fell significantly in spring to 52% of cells. Only two subjects had nasal eosinophilia of >10%. There was no effect of beclomethasone on nasal cytology.
Conclusions : Chronic ear disease in Aboriginal children is associated with nasal inflammation, neutrophil infiltration and the presence of bacteria. These features suggest respiratory infection as the main cause of chronic nasal inflammation in Aboriginal children with middle ear disease. There is a seasonal variation in the severity of the nasal infiltrate, consistent with increased infections during winter. Despite a high prevalence of atopy, allergic nasal disease was uncommon.     

Rapid quantitation of mixed red cell populations using flow cytometry

Methods are described for the identification and quantitation of mixed red cell populations using flow cytometry. Antibodies specific for a wide range of blood group antigens have been used and examples are given in which these analyses have proved to be of clinical use. These examples include monitoring of erythropoiesis following engraftment in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients and the detection of chimaeric states months or years after transplantation. The techniques involved are fast, simple and inexpensive.     

The metabolism of thioamides by the supernatant fraction of rat liver homogenate

α-Phenyl-α-(2-pyridyl) thioacetamide (SC 15396; antigastrin) is metabolized by the supernatant fraction of rat liver homogenate to give two metabolites. The major metabolite has been identified as α-phenyl-α-(2-pyridyl)acetonitrile. Three other thioamides, analogues of SC 15396 also give the corresponding nitriles in these conditions.     

The effects of bromocriptine on pre-synaptic and post-synaptic α-adrenoceptors in the mouse vas deferens

Noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) contracted the mouse vas deferens and reduced the responses to low frequency nerve stimulation (0·1 Hz). The relative potencies of antagonists suggested that these effects were due to stimulation of post-synaptic and pre-synaptic α-adrenoceptors respectively. Bromocriptine produced a non-competitive antagonism of contractile responses to NA (pD 2 ′ = 7·6) and DA (pD 2 ′ = 8·0) but had no effect on responses to carbachol. Bromocriptine also reduced single twitch responses of the vas to low frequency field stimulation (0·1 Hz), but did not affect stimulation at higher frequencies (1·20Hz). Yohimbine selectively and rapidly reversed the inhibiting effects of bromocriptine on single twitches, although they could not easily be reversed by washing. Bromocriptine produced a yohimbine-reversible reduction in the stimulated overflow of tritium from vasa previously loaded with ³H-NA. Thus the mouse vas deferens does not appear to contain specific DA receptors and the results suggest that bromocriptine acts as a pre-synaptic α-adrenoceptor agonist and post-synaptic α-adrenoceptor antagonist in this tissue.