The effects of a primary care low-carbohydrate, high-fat dietary educational intervention on laboratory and anthropometric data of patients with chronic disease: a retrospective cohort chart review.

BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate and high-fat (LCHF) diets are shown to have health benefits such as weight loss and improved cardiovascular health. Few studies, however, on LCHF diets have been completed in a real-world primary care setting over an extended period of time. OBJECTIVES: To examine the efficacy of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat dietary educational intervention delivered in a family practice setting on weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). A secondary objective was to determine whether compliance to the program had an effect on outcomes. METHODS: In this retrospective chart review, we collected laboratory and anthropometric data from an electronic medical record system for patients (n = 122) at least 19 years of age, who attended at least 2 LCHF educational sessions between January 2018 and May 2020. Pre-post mean differences of outcome were analysed using paired sample t-tests. Independent sample t-tests examined the effect of compliance on the outcomes. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions in weight (3.96 kg [P < 0.001]) and BMI (1.46 kg/m2 [P = 0.001]) were observed. Compared with patients who participated in ≤5 educational visits, patients who participated in >5 visits showed trends towards more clinically significant changes in weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, HbA1c, eGFR, and ACR. CONCLUSION: Improvements in weight and BMI indicate the utility of providing LCHF health promotion interventions in primary care settings. Greater compliance to LCHF interventions results in greater improvement in laboratory and anthropometric outcomes, including HbA1c.

Descriptive sensory analysis of heat-resistant milk chocolates.

Sensory attributes of six heat-resistant chocolates were compared with the standard chocolate using a trained sensory panel who were trained using the Sensory Spectrum method. The panel evaluated the chocolates using three tactile and ten oral attributes at 24, 29, and 38°C. The panel demonstrated consistent rating of the various samples. ANOVA showed that all of the 13 sensory attributes (Firmness to touch, Stickiness to fingers, Snap, Abrasiveness, Hardness with incisors, Fracturability, Cohesiveness of mass, Time to melt, Firmness with tongue, Adhesiveness to teeth, Number of particles, Oily mouthcoating, and Chocolate messiness) were significantly different across the samples. A higher degree of heat resistance was identified by the panelists for the low-fat gelatin and polyol samples at 38°C. Principal component analysis revealed two principal components; the first pricipal component described the variability due to temperature, and the second principal component described the variability brought about by the various technologies.

[Psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals in Austria]. / Psychiatrische und psychosomatische Tageskliniken in Österreich.

This paper on psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals in Austria first looks at the overall situation of Austrian day clinics then, in a second step, compares psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals. For this purpose, a questionnaire was developed and sent to all psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals in Austria. The first part consisted of closed questions and was used to gather and evaluate the categories: general conditions for treatment in day hospitals, tasks of day hospitals, therapeutic paradigms, indication and contraindication, diagnostics, day hospital organisation, interdisciplinary cooperation and the offering in day hospitals. The second section consisted of open questions which were used to gather and evaluate active factors, difficulties, specifics and requests for future treatment in day hospitals. The results show that there is a trend towards more day hospitals. Psychosomatic day hospitals are a rather new phenomenon. Furthermore, the distinction between psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals is important in order to offer patients distinguishable treatment options in future. The results show that psychiatric and psychosomatic day hospitals both have a strong focus on psychotherapy and both fulfill the active factors for psychotherapy by Grawe.

Perifollicular blood flow and pregnancy in superovulated intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles: an observational comparison of recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and urinary gonadotropins.

The group of patients who received urinary gonadotropins (n = 117) for follicular stimulation had a significantly higher incidence of high perifollicular blood flow compared with that of the group who received recombinant FSH (n = 114; 46.3% vs. 22.7%). The overall clinical pregnancy rate in patients stimulated with recombinant FSH was 10.91%, compared with 22.22% in the group stimulated with urinary gonadotropins.

Association between urinary tract infection and postmicturition wiping habit.

Urinary tract infections are common in pregnancy. In pregnancy urinary tract infections have an associated risk of premature labour. This study looks at the incidence of urinary tract infections and the method of perineal hygiene used after urination. Wiping back to front is associated with a greater risk of developing urinary tract infection than wiping front to back.

Brief report: Test-retest reliability of self-reported adolescent risk behaviour.

There is a paucity of test-retest reliability data for adolescent self-reports of a wide range of risk behaviours. Grade 8 and 11 students (N = 358) completed a questionnaire on two occasions between 10 and 14 days apart. It included items about use of various substances, violent behaviour, suicidality, and sexuality. Cohen's kappa was almost perfect for 1 item (kappa = 85.4%); in the substantial range (61-80%) for 4 items; and in the moderate range (41-60%) for 3 items. For the remaining 7 items, the percentage agreement was higher than 92.0%. The questionnaire thus demonstrates adequate test-retest reliability.

Substance use by adolescents in Cape Town: prevalence and correlates.

PURPOSE: The work reported in this paper was supported by grants from the World Health Organisation Programme on Substance Abuse, the United Nations Development Programme, the South African Medical Research Council, and the Medical Faculty Research Committee of the University of Cape Town.To document the prevalence rates for use of cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis among high school students in Cape Town, and to investigate whether use of these substances is associated with a set of hypothesized psychosocial correlates. METHODS: A multistage sampling procedure produced a sample of 2930 students in grades 8 and 11 at 39 high schools in Cape Town, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire contained items about whether the students had used various substances and that addressed the potential correlates of interest. We calculated prevalence rates with 95% confidence intervals and constructed a set of generalized estimating equations of use in the past month of cigarettes, alcohol, or cannabis on the hypothesized correlates. RESULTS: The prevalence rates for previous month (recent) use of cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis were 27%, 31%, and 7%, respectively. Rates were low for black females. Recent use of each of the substances was significantly associated with the number of days absent and the number of years lived in a city. Repeating a grade was significantly associated with previous month use of cigarettes and alcohol by colored (derived from Asian, European, and African ancestry) students and alcohol use by black grade 8 students (race classifications "colored" and "black" are as defined by the repealed population Registration Act of 1950). Not being raised by both parents was significantly associated with cigarette smoking by black and colored students, alcohol use by colored students, and cannabis use by female students. It was inversely associated with cigarette use by black students. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to identify the factors that protect black female adolescents from substance use. It is important to address demographic factors such as race classification and gender analytically if one is to avoid obscuring differences among groups.