Sociocultural influences on dietary behavior and meal timing among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women at risk of endometrial cancer: a qualitative investigation.

PURPOSE: Determine sociocultural influences on dietary behavior, body image, weight loss, and perceptions of the cultural appropriateness of a meal-timing intervention design and menu among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) women at risk of endometrial cancer. METHODS: Six 90-min videoconference focus groups among NHPI women (n = 35) recruited by a community champion in Utah. Eligible women were aged ≥ 18 years at risk of endometrial cancer (i.e., BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, history of non-insulin-dependent diabetes or complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia) had a working cell phone capable of downloading a phone app, could use their cell phone during the day, and were not night-shift workers. Twelve semi-structured questions were posed during the focus groups. Using inductive qualitative methods based on Hatch's 9-step approach, de-identified transcript data were analyzed. RESULTS: Overarching themes included economic factors, cultural influences, meal choice and timing, and perceptions of health. Subthemes included affordability, waste avoidance, inundated schedules, and cultural influences. Perceptions of body size and weight loss were influenced by family, community, and social media, whose messages could be conflicting. Important intervention components included satisfying, convenient pre-made meals, while barriers included the need to cook for family members. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary interventions targeting metabolic health among NHPI women should consider the multitude of sociocultural and economic factors that influence food choices and meal timing in this population, including affordability, hectic schedules, and immigrant adjustment. Promoting the link between physical and mental well-being as opposed to weight loss is a key approach to reaching this population.

A review of structure-based biodegradation estimation methods.

Biodegradation, being the principal abatement process in the environment, is the most important parameter influencing the toxicity, persistence, and ultimate fate in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Biodegradation of an organic chemical in natural systems may be classified as primary (alteration of molecular integrity), ultimate (complete mineralization; i.e. conversion to inorganic compounds and/or normal metabolic processes), or acceptable (toxicity ameliorated). Most of the biodegradation correlations presented in the literature focus on the characterization of primary or ultimate, aerobic degradation. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is charged with determining the risks associated with the thousands of chemicals employed in commerce, an effort that is being facilitated through much research aimed at reliable structure-activity relationships (SAR) to predict biodegradation of chemicals in natural systems. To this end, models are needed to understand the mechanisms of biodegradation, to classify chemicals according to relative biodegradability, and to develop reliable biodegradation estimation methods for new chemicals. Frequently, published correlations associating molecular structure to biodegradation will attempt to quantify the degradability of a limited set of homologous chemicals. These correlations have been dubbed quantitative structure biodegradability relationships (QSBRs). More scarce and valuable to researchers are those models that predict the biodegradability of compounds possessing a wide variety of chemical structures. The latter may use any of several techniques and molecular descriptors to correlate biodegradability: QSBRs, pattern recognition, discriminant analysis, and principle component analysis (PCA), to name several. Generally, models either predict the propensity of a chemical to biodegrade using Boolean-type logic (i.e. whether a chemical will "readily biodegrade" or not), or else they quantify the degree of biodegradation by providing information such as rate constants. Such quantitative predictions of biodegradability come in a diversity of parameters, including half-lives, various biodegradation rates and rates constants, theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and others. In this paper, after describing the advantages and disadvantages of the various biodegradation estimation methods found in the literature, the best models are compared to conclude which provide the greatest utility for determining the biodegradability of chemicals with widely varying structures. The group contribution technique presented by Boethling et al. [Environmen. Sci. Technol. 28 (1994) 459] appears to be the most advantageous for use in broad screening for tendency to biodegrade. The model is simple to use, calculating a probability of biodegrading ranging from 0 (none) to 1 (certain), and has proven to be accurate for a wide range of chemical structures, as established by the large, high-quality data set (BIODEG evaluated biodegradation database, Syracuse Research Corporation, Merrill Lane, Syracuse, NY 13210) used to develop this correlation. The authors, therefore, recommend the method of Boethling et al. [Environ. Sci. Technol. 28 (1994) 459] for the initial screening of chemicals to aid in determining whether additional information is necessary to establish relative biodegradability. For readers with applications requiring more quantitative results, such as biodegradation rate constants, enough model details are presented in this paper to allow the reader to pick a suitable correlation, although the reader is cautioned to consult the original, primary reference for the complete method description, equations, and limitations.

Sex steroids and bone density in premenopausal and perimenopausal women.

Bone density begins to decline in women before menopause, and the degree of bone loss is variable. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on the entry data of a 5-yr prospective study of risk factors for osteoporosis to determine the correlation of bone density with serum sex steroid concentrations and body weight. We studied 292 healthy white women, aged 35-50 yr, who were menstruating regularly or had had menses in the past 12 months. Blood samples were drawn in the early follicular phase for estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Free levels of E2 (FE2) and T (FT) were calculated based on total T and E2, SHBG, and albumin levels. Women were classified as premenopausal (FSH, less than 12 U/L) and perimenopausal (FSH greater than or equal to 12 U/L; n = 46; 16%). Bone density was measured by dual photon absorptiometry of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and hip and by single photon absorptiometry of the wrist. Perimenopausal women were older than premenopausal women (45.5 +/- 3.5 and 41.0 +/- 3.9 yr, respectively), but did not differ in height or weight. While bone density did not correlate with age in each group, perimenopausal women had significantly lower bone density at the L2-L4 and femoral neck (L2-L4, 1.18 +/- 0.14 in perimenopausal and 1.24 +/- 0.12 g/cm2 in premenopausal women; femur, 0.84 +/- 0.11 in perimenopausal and 0.90 +/- 0.11 g/cm2 in premenopausal women; P less than 0.005). Body weight showed the strongest positive correlation with bone density. Log FT, percent FT, and FE2 percent correlated positively with bone density, even after controlling for weight. Log SHBG was negatively correlated with bone density in premenopausal women at the hip and wrist after controlling for weight. FSH was inversely correlated with bone density, and E2 and T were lower in perimenopausal than premenopausal women. These data suggest that women who are still menstruating may have relative deficiencies in both E2 and T, with reduced bone densities as a consequence.

Alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes and osteocalcin in serum of normal subjects.

Clinical laboratory tests are increasingly being used to evaluate individuals for osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. Serum bone alkaline phosphatase (AP) [EC 3.1.3.1, orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase (alkaline optimum)] and osteocalcin are used to assess osteoblastic activity. Although methods for assessing relative amounts of AP isoenzymes continuously appear in the literature, no single method is satisfactory for quantification. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with densitometric scanning combined with two-point heat inactivation was used to obtain quantitative values for AP isoenzymes. Serum bone AP concentrations correlated positively and significantly with serum osteocalcin concentrations obtained by radioimmunoassay for women. Men had significantly higher total alkaline phosphatase and bone AP than women, whereas liver AP concentrations did not differ between the two groups. Bone AP correlated negatively and significantly with age in men, but not women. Osteocalcin concentrations tended to be higher in men, but not significantly.

Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls and lipemia on serum analytes.

Twelve serum analytes [triglycerides, cholesterol, total and conjugated bilirubin, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alkaline phosphatase (AP), gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), beta-glucuronidase (beta-glu), alanine aminopeptidase (AAP), and 5'-nucleotidase (5'nuc)] were measured to investigate their correlation with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT). The relationship between serum lipids, lipophilic toxicants, and the analytes was also evaluated. The beta-glu, 5'nuc, triglycerides, cholesterol, and total bilirubin correlated positively and significantly with log concentrations of serum total PCBs and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE), a metabolite of DDT. The more highly chlorinated PCBs (Aroclor 1260) had significant, positive correlations with several serum analytes, but the less chlorinated PCBs (Aroclor 1242) correlated significantly and negatively only with HDL-cholesterol. Triglyceride- and cholesterol-rich lipoproteins were added to serum to determine the effects of lipids on these assays. Several were spuriously elevated. AP and beta-glu were not affected by lipoprotein addition with the methods used in this study. AAP was increased significantly only at triglyceride concentrations exceeding 400 mg/dl. Lipoproteins may be elevated because of deranged lipid metabolism in response to PCBs, or PCBs may be elevated because elevated lipoproteins are present, as in familial triglyceridemia, a relatively common dyslipoproteinemia. Because this relationship is not well understood with respect to cause and effect, we propose the further use in epidemiological investigations of assay methods that are little affected by blood lipids yet are correlated with PCB concentrations. Congener-specific quantification of PCBs would help elucidate the effects of PCBs on assays used to monitor health effects.