Acceptability and feasibility of screening with a pediatric care provider-led social determinants of health identification tool.

BACKGROUND: Complex social determinants of health may not be easily recognized by health care providers and pose a unique challenge in the vulnerable pediatric population where patients may not be able to advocate for themselves. The goal of this study was to examine the acceptability and feasibility of health care providers using an integrated brief pediatric screening tool in primary care and hospital settings. METHODS: The framework of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Pediatric Intermed tools was used to inform the selection of items for the 9-item Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths-Pediatric Complexity Indicator (CANS-PCI). The tool consisted of three domains: biological, psychological, and social. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care providers in pediatric medical facilities in Ottawa, Canada. A low inference and iterative thematic synthesis approach was used to analyze the qualitative interview data specific to acceptability and feasibility. RESULTS: Thirteen health care providers participated in interviews. Six overarching themes were identified: acceptability, logistics, feasibility, pros/cons, risk, and privacy. Overall, participants agreed that a routine, trained provider-led pediatric tool for the screening of social determinants of health is important (n = 10, 76.9%), acceptable (n = 11; 84.6%), and feasible (n = 7, 53.8%). INTERPRETATION: Though the importance of social determinants of health are widely recognized, there are limited systematic methods of assessing, describing, and communicating amongst health care providers about the biomedical and psychosocial complexities of pediatric patients. Based on this study's findings, implementation of a brief provider-led screening tool into pediatric care practices may contribute to this gap.

Impacts of Eccentric Resistance Exercise on DNA Methylation of Candidate Genes for Inflammatory Cytokines in Skeletal Muscle and Leukocytes of Healthy Males.

Physical inactivity and a poor diet increase systemic inflammation, while chronic inflammation can be reduced through exercise and nutritional interventions. The mechanisms underlying the impacts of lifestyle interventions on inflammation remain to be fully explained; however, epigenetic modifications may be critical. The purpose of our study was to investigate the impacts of eccentric resistance exercise and fatty acid supplementation on DNA methylation and mRNA expression of TNF and IL6 in skeletal muscle and leukocytes. Eight non-resistance exercise-trained males completed three bouts of isokinetic eccentric contractions of the knee extensors. The first bout occurred at baseline, the second occurred following a three-week supplementation of either omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid or extra virgin olive oil and the final bout occurred after eight-weeks of eccentric resistance training and supplementation. Acute exercise decreased skeletal muscle TNF DNA methylation by 5% (p = 0.031), whereas IL6 DNA methylation increased by 3% (p = 0.01). Leukocyte DNA methylation was unchanged following exercise (p > 0.05); however, three hours post-exercise the TNF DNA methylation decreased by 2% (p = 0.004). In skeletal muscle, increased TNF and IL6 mRNA expression levels were identified immediately post-exercise (p < 0.027); however, the leukocyte mRNA expression was unchanged. Associations between DNA methylation and markers of exercise performance, inflammation and muscle damage were identified (p < 0.05). Acute eccentric resistance exercise is sufficient to induce tissue-specific DNA methylation modifications to TNF and IL6; however, neither eccentric training nor supplementation was sufficient to further modify the DNA methylation.

Characterization of extracellular redox enzyme concentrations in response to exercise in humans.

Redox enzymes modulate intracellular redox balance and are secreted in response to cellular oxidative stress, potentially modulating systemic inflammation. Both aerobic and resistance exercise are known to cause acute systemic oxidative stress and inflammation; however, how redox enzyme concentrations alter in extracellular fluids following bouts of either type of exercise is unknown. Recreationally active men (n = 26, mean ± SD: age 28 ± 8 yr) took part in either: 1) two separate energy-matched cycling bouts: one of moderate intensity (MOD) and a bout of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) or 2) an eccentric-based resistance exercise protocol (RES). Alterations in plasma (study 1) and serum (study 2) peroxiredoxin (PRDX)-2, PRDX-4, superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD3), thioredoxin (TRX-1), TRX-reductase and interleukin (IL)-6 were assessed before and at various timepoints after exercise. There was a significant increase in SOD3 (+1.5 ng/mL) and PRDX-4 (+5.9 ng/mL) concentration following HIIE only, peaking at 30- and 60-min post-exercise respectively. TRX-R decreased immediately and 60 min following HIIE (-7.3 ng/mL) and MOD (-8.6 ng/mL), respectively. In non-resistance trained men, no significant changes in redox enzyme concentrations were observed up to 48 h following RES, despite significant muscle damage. IL-6 concentration increased in response to all trials, however there was no significant relationship between absolute or exercise-induced changes in redox enzyme concentrations. These results collectively suggest that HIIE, but not MOD or RES increase the extracellular concentration of PRDX-4 and SOD3. Exercise-induced changes in redox enzyme concentrations do not appear to directly relate to systemic changes in IL-6 concentration.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Two studies were conducted to characterize changes in redox enzyme concentrations after single bouts of exercise to investigate the emerging association between extracellular redox enzymes and inflammation. We provide evidence that SOD3 and PRDX-4 concentration increased following high-intensity aerobic but not eccentric-based resistance exercise. Changes were not associated with IL-6. The results provide a platform to investigate the utility of SOD3 and PRDX-4 as biomarkers of oxidative stress following exercise.

Impact of aerobic exercise and fatty acid supplementation on global and gene-specific DNA methylation.

Lifestyle interventions, including exercise and dietary supplementation, can modify DNA methylation and exert health benefits; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we investigated the impact of acute aerobic exercise and the supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on global and gene-specific (PPARGC1A, IL6 and TNF) DNA methylation, and DNMT mRNA expression in leukocytes of disease-free individuals. Eight trained male cyclists completed an exercise test before and after a four-week supplementation of n-3 PUFA and EVOO in a double-blind, randomised, repeated measures design. Exercise triggered global hypomethylation (Pre 79.2%; Post 78.7%; p = 0.008), alongside, hypomethylation (Pre 6.9%; Post 6.3%; p < 0.001) and increased mRNA expression of PPARGC1A (p < 0.001). Associations between PPARGC1A methylation and exercise performance were also detected. An interaction between supplement and trial was detected for a single CpG of IL6 indicating increased DNA methylation following n-3 PUFA and decreased methylation following EVOO (p = 0.038). Global and gene-specific DNA methylation associated with markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. The supplementation of EVOO reduced DNMT1 mRNA expression compared to n-3 PUFA supplementation (p = 0.048), whereas, DNMT3a (p = 0.018) and DNMT3b (p = 0.046) mRNA expression were decreased following exercise. In conclusion, we demonstrate that acute exercise and dietary supplementation of n-3 PUFAs and EVOO induce DNA methylation changes in leukocytes, potentially via the modulation of DNMT mRNA expression. Future studies are required to further elucidate the impact of lifestyle interventions on DNA methylation.