DIetary ASSessment (DIASS) Study: Design of an Evaluation Study to Assess Validity,Usability and Perceived Burden of an Innovative Dietary Assessment Methodology

During recent years, the integration of technology has substantially improved self-reported dietary assessment methods, such as food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), food records, and 24-h recalls. To further reduce measurement error, additional innovations are urgently needed. Memory-related measurement error is one of the aspects that warrants attention, which is where new smartphone technologies and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches provide a unique opportunity. In this article, we describe the DIASS study, which was designed to evaluate an innovative 2-h recall (2hR) smartphone-based methodology, against traditional 24-h recalls, FFQ, and biomarkers, to assess both actual and habitual dietary intake. It is hypothesized that a 2-h reporting window decreases reliance on memory and reporting burden, and increases data accuracy. We included 215 men (28%) and women (72%), with a mean ± SD age of 39 ± 19 years and a mean ± SD BMI of 23.8 ± 4.0. Most participants were highly educated (58%). Response rates for the various dietary assessment methods were >90%. Besides the evaluation of the accuracy, usability, and perceived burden of the 2hR methodology, the study set-up also allows for (further) evaluation of the other administrated dietary assessment tools.     

Phosphorylation of proteoglycans from human articular cartilage

Previous studies have shown that sulfated proteoglycans from human articular and epiphyseal cartilage were phosphorylated. These macromolecules contribute to the stiffness and resiliency of this tissue. We demonstrate here that the phosphate moieties are an integral part of proteoglycan subunits. Specifically, evidence is presented which indicates that proteoglycan monomers contain 3 to 4 phosphate moieties per core protein and that these appear to exist as phosphoserine residues. Furthermore, the data illustrate that human articular cartilage also contains more than 20 different phospho-proteins, some of which are closely associated with proteoglycan aggregates. Proteoglycan subunits were purified from extracts of articular cartilage or from media fractions which had been used to label tissue specimens with ³²P-orthophosphate. Chemical and radiographic analyses revealed that the phosphate concentration with respect to sulfate and uronic acid content remained constant when purified proteoglycan monomers were subjected to equilibrium ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography. That the phosphate moieties were bound to proteoglycan monomers via monoester linkages was indicated by the release of ³²P-orthophosphate from proteoglycan subunits incubated under mild alkaline conditions or reacted with acid or alkaline phosphatases. Identification of serine residues in the core protein as the sites of phosphorylation was made by autoradiography of thin layer plates on which hydrolyzed samples of purified ³²P-proteoglycan sub-units had been subjected to 2-dimensional electrophoresis/chromatography. Quantification of 3 to 4 phosphate moieties per core protein of 200,000 daltons was made by chemical analysis of inorganic phosphate released from proteoglycans by acid hydrolysis.     

Persistent cognitive deficits in community-treated alcoholic men and women volunteering for research: limited contribution from psychiatric comorbidity

OBJECTIVE: The contribution of psychiatric comorbidity to cognitive status was assessed in a sample of treatment-seeking alcoholics who met criteria to participate in studies of effects of chronic alcohol misuse on brain structure and cognition. METHOD: Alcoholic men (n = 43) and women (n = 21) who responded to notices about a research study were screened, clinically assessed and administered Wechsler Memory and Intelligence tests after 3 months of sobriety, on average. Cognitive performance was compared with that of an age-matched sample of healthy controls (n = 51). RESULTS: As a group, the alcoholics achieved significantly lower scores than controls on summary indices of the Wechsler Memory and Adult Intelligence Scales and showed greater decline from estimated premorbid intelligence levels than controls. Almost 60% of the alcoholics had at least one additional psychiatric (mood or anxiety) or past substance-dependence comorbidity. There were no marked sex differences in patterns of comorbidity. Comorbid alcoholics were younger, had consumed less alcohol over their lifetime and performed between noncomorbid alcoholics and controls on all tests. CONCLUSIONS: Mood and anxiety comorbidity did not necessarily compound poor cognitive test performance associated with chronic alcohol misuse. While unexpected, this finding suggests that, in this sample, poorer cognitive performance was more a function of alcoholism per se than nonalcoholic comorbidity.     

Microbiological and clinical effects of chlorhexidine enclosed in fixtures of 3I-Titamed implants

This double-blind study used a split-mouth design to investigate the microbiological and clinical effects of 0.2% chlorhexidine enclosed in fixtures. Twelve patients had 46 fixtures implanted. At second-stage surgery, a microbiological sample (baseline sample) of the inner parts of the fixtures was taken. Then, a 0.2% chlorhexidine solution was applied into the inner space of 23 fixtures (test group), and in 23 fixtures saline was applied (control group). Abutments were installed and gingival index, plaque index and crevicular fluid flow were monitored weekly. After 6 weeks, a second microbiological sample of the inner part of the fixtures was taken. At baseline, viable bacteria were detected within 46% of the fixtures. After weeks, bacteria were found in 87% of the fixtures. The numbers of bacteria in the control group were significantly higher than those in the test group. The results indicate that, after first-stage surgery, contamination of the inner spaces of the fixtures is commonplace. Application of a 0.2% chlorhexidine solution at second-stage surgery inhibits growth or acquisition of bacteria in the fixtures. In both test and control groups, the crevicular fluid flow as well as the gingival index decreased during the experimental period. At 4, 5, and 6 weeks after chlorhexidine application, these values in the test group appeared lower, but did not attain statistical significance.     

Selective age-related changes in neuronal markers and smooth muscle reactivity in cerebrovascular beds of Fischer 344 rats

Choline accumulation, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activities were measured simultaneously in various cerebrovascular beds and brain areas from Fischer 344 rats aged 4.5 and 22 months. A slight (25%) but not significant decrease in choline accumulation was observed concomitantly with a significant increase (187%, p<0.05) in ChAT activity in the major cerebral arteries of the 22-month-old rats. In small cortical pial vessels and selected brain regions, cholinergic and GABAergic biochemical markers remain unaltered in aged rats. The vasomotor reactivity of the basilar artery was investigated in rats of 4.5, 12, 22 and 30 months of age. In the 22-month-old rats, maximal responses to 5-hydroxytryptamine (−25%, not significant) and prostaglandin F₂ (−30%, p<0.05 by ANOVA) were less intense as compared to other age-groups despite preserved contractile responses to dopamine, uridine triphosphate or a depolarizing concentration of K⁺. Relaxations induced by histamine, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, adenosine and somatostatin were strictly comparable among the different age-groups. The sensitivity of the basilar artery to all vasoactive agents failed to demonstrate any correlation with age. Our study suggests that cerebrovascular cholinergic and GABAergic markers undergo minor and selective changes with increasing age. Further, basilar artery vasomotor functions appeared relatively spared by the aging process despite age-related selective decreases in contractile responses to 5-hydroxytryptamine and prostaglandin F₂.     

Recovery of choline acetyltransferase activity without sprouting of the residual acetylcholine innervation in adult rat cerebral cortex after lesion of the nucleus basalis

In view of the divergent literature concerning the long-term effects of ibotenic acid lesions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) on the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in adult rat cerebral cortex, we have critically reassessed the issue of an eventual recovery of this enzymatic activity by sprouting of the residual acetylcholine (ACh) innervation. At short (1 week) and long survival time (3 months) after unilateral ibotenic acid lesion, ChAT activity was biochemically measured in the ipsi and contralateral fronto-parietal cortex of several rats in which the extent of ACh neuronal loss in NBM was also estimated by counts of ChAT-immunostained cell bodies on the lesioned vs. non-lesioned side. In other lesioned rats, particular attention was paid to the distribution of the residual cortical ACh (ChAT-immunostained) innervation, and that of immunostained vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) axon terminals known to belong in part to intrinsic cortical ACh neurons which co-localize this peptide. One week after NBM lesion, profound decreases of ipsilateral cortical ChAT activity were tightly correlated with the extent of ACh cell body loss in the nucleus. A significant recovery of cortical ChAT activity could be documented after 3 months, despite persistence of NBM cell body losses as severe as after 1 week. At both survival times, the number of ChAT-immunostained axons was markedly reduced throughtout the ipsilateral fronto-parietal cortex, demonstrating that most ACh fibers of extrinsic origin had been permanently removed. This result also indicated that the long-term recovery of ChAT activity had occurred without sprouting of the residual ACh innervation. The laminar distribution and number of VIP-immunostained terminals remained the same on the lesioned and intact side and comparable to normal, ruling out an extensive sprouting of intrinsic ACh/VIP or VIP alone fibers. The return to a near normal cortical ChAT activity in severely ACh-denervated cortex suggested that the intrinsic ACh innervation was primarily responsible for this recovery.     

Validation of capillary glucose measurements to detect glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general population

BACKGROUND: The use of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) has been recommended to diagnose type 2 diabetes, but an OGTT with venous blood sampling may not be feasible in the screening phase preceding large epidemiological studies. We have conducted a population-based screening in 2715 men and women and evaluated the diagnostic validity of capillary plasma glucose concentration measurements versus venous plasma glucose concentration measurements in a subset of 350 subjects. METHODS: During a single OGTT, glucose concentrations were measured in venous plasma as well as in capillary plasma. RESULTS: Based on the 1999 WHO criteria for venous glucose concentrations, the study population (n=350) yielded 97 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 77 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and 176 subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Sensitivity and specificity to diagnose type 2 diabetes mellitus by capillary plasma were 84% and 98%, respectively. Consistent classification by either venous or capillary plasma glucose measurements was 78% (kappa=0.65, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Capillary glucose measurements are suitable for use in epidemiological studies to diagnose and detect type 2 diabetes and normal glucose tolerance. Use of capillary measurements can result in cost-effective inclusion schemes in epidemiological studies.     

Religious involvement,social support,and health among African-American women on the east side of detroit

BACKGROUND: A significant body of research suggests that religious involvement is related to better mental and physical health. Religion or spirituality was identified as an important health protective factor by women participating in the East Side Village Health Worker Partnership (ESVHWP), a community-based participatory research initiative on Detroit's east side. However, relatively little research to date has examined the mechanisms through which religion may exert a positive effect on health. OBJECTIVE: The research presented here examines the direct effects of different forms of religious involvement on health, and the mediating effects of social support received in the church as a potential mechanism that may account for observed relationships between church attendance and health. DESIGN: This study involved a random sample household survey of 679 African-American women living on the east side of Detroit, conducted as part of the ESVHWP. MAIN RESULTS: Results of multivariate analyses show that respondents who pray less often report a greater number of depressive symptoms, and that faith, as an important source of strength in one's daily life, is positively associated with chronic conditions such as asthma or arthritis. Tests of the mediating effect of social support in the church indicated that social support received from church members mediates the positive relationship between church attendance and specific indicators of health. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that one of the major ways religious involvement benefits health is through expanding an individual's social connections. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.