Introducing the idea of 'assumed shared food narratives' in the context of social networks: reflections from a qualitative study conducted in Nottingham, England.

This study explores the ways in which social networks might shape accounts about food practices. Drawing on insights from the work of Christakis and Fowler () whose claims about the linkages between obesity and social networks have been the subject of vigorous debate in the sociological literature, we present qualitative data from a study of women's' accounts of social networks and food practices, conducted in Nottingham, England. We tentatively suggest that whilst social networks in their broadest sense, might shape what was perceived to be normal and acceptable in relation to food practices (and provide everyday discursive resources which normalise practice), the relationship between the two is more complex than the linear relationship proposed by Christakis and Fowler. Here, we introduce the idea of assumed shared food narratives (ASFNs), which, we propose, sheds light on motive talk about food practices, and which also provide practical and discursive resources to actors seeking to protect and defend against 'untoward' behaviour, in the context of public health messages around food and eating. We suggest that understanding ASFNs and the ways in which they are embedded in social networks represents a novel way of understanding food and eating practices from a sociological perspective.

The role of social networks in the development of overweight and obesity among adults: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Although it is increasingly acknowledged that social networks are important to our understanding ofoverweight and obesity, there is limited understanding about the processes by which such networks shapetheir progression. This paper reports the findings of a scoping review of the literature that sought to identify the key processes through which social networks are understood to influence the development of overweight and obesity. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted. Forty five papers were included in the final review, the findings of which were synthesised to provide an overview of the main processes through which networks have been understood to influence the development of overweight and obesity. RESULTS: Included papers addressed a wide range of research questions framed around six types of networks: a paired network (one's spouse or intimate partner); friends and family (including work colleagues and people within social clubs); ephemeral networks in shared public spaces (such as fellow shoppers in a supermarket or diners in a restaurant); people living within the same geographical region; peers (including co-workers, fellow students, fellow participants in a weight loss programme); and cultural groups (often related toethnicity). As individuals are embedded in many of these different types of social networks at any one time, the pathways of influence from social networks to the development of patterns of overweight and obesity are likely to be complex and interrelated. Included papers addressed a diverse set of issues: body weight trends over time; body size norms or preferences; weight loss and management; physical activity patterns; and dietary patterns. DISCUSSION: Three inter-related processes were identified: social contagion (whereby the network in which people are embedded influences their weight or weight influencing behaviours), social capital (whereby sense of belonging and social support influence weight or weight influencing behaviours), and social selection (whereby a person's network might develop according to his or her weight). CONCLUSIONS: The findings have important implications for understanding about methods to target the spread of obesity, indicating that much greater attention needs to be paid to the social context in which people make decisions about their weight and weight influencing behaviours.

Development of a Real-time Force-based Algorithm for Infusion Failure Detection.

BACKGROUND: Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is a common treatment option for people with diabetes (PWD), but insulin infusion failures pose a significant challenge, leading to hyperglycemia, diabetes burnout, and increased hospitalizations. Current CSII pumps' occlusion alarm systems are limited in detecting infusion failures; therefore, a more effective detection method is needed. METHODS: We conducted five preclinical animal studies to collect data on infusion failures, utilizing both insulin and non-insulin boluses. Data were captured using in-line pressure and flow rate sensors, with additional force data from CSII pumps' onboard sensors in one study. A novel classifier model was developed using this dataset, aimed at detecting different types of infusion failures through direct utilization of force sensor data. Performance was compared against various occlusion alarm thresholds from commercially available CSII pumps. RESULTS: The testing dataset included 251 boluses. The Bagging classifier model showed the highest performance metrics among the models tested, exhibiting high accuracy (96%), sensitivity (94%), and specificity (98%), with lower false-positive and false-negative rate compared with traditional occlusion alarm pressure thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Our study developed a novel non-threshold classifier that outperforms current occlusion alarm systems in CSII pumps in detecting infusion failures. This advancement has the potential to reduce the risk of hyperglycemia and hospitalizations due to undetected infusion failures, offering a more reliable and effective CSII therapy for PWD. Further studies involving human participants are recommended to validate these findings and assess the classifier's performance in a real-world setting.

Frequency and Detection of Insulin Infusion Site Failure in the Type 1 Diabetes Exchange Online Community.

Insulin infusion site (IIS) failures are a weakness in insulin pump therapy. We examined experience with IIS failures among U.S. individuals with diabetes on insulin pump through survey distributed to the T1D Exchange Online Community. Demographic factors, IIS characteristics, and diabetes-related perceptions were assessed by logistic regression to determine odds of higher (≥1 per month) or lower (<1 per month) reported IIS failure frequency. IIS failures were common; 41.4% reported ≥1 per month. IIS failure is usually detected through development of hyperglycemia rather than pump alarm. No assessed demographic factor or IIS characteristic was predictive; however, higher odds of ≥1 failure per month were associated with feelings of burnout (odds ratios [OR] 1.489 [1.024, 2.165]) and considering pump discontinuation (OR 2.233 [1.455, 3.427]). IIS failures are frequent and unpredictable, typically require hyperglycemia for detection, and are associated with negative perceptions. More should be done toward preventing IIS failures and/or detecting them sooner.

Smart home automation technology to support caring of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: an early intervention framework.

PURPOSE: Home automation technology comprising of Internet of Things and Smart gadgets is a rapidly growing industry that is projected to have a major scope for ageing-in-place and caregiving. This study examined the feasibility and cost-benefits of a personalized home automation intervention for care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) with emphasis on their safety and independence, and reduction of care burden. METHODS: A mixed method intervention study was conducted with five dyads each comprising of a caregiver and care recipient with ADRD. Each dyad received personalized home automation intervention with individualized goals centred on home safety, activity engagement, and caregiver-recipient connectivity. The goals were created and monitored using goal attainment scaling (GAS). The dyads were followed up after three months with a home visit and interview. Goal attainment scoring and thematic analysis of the interviews were conducted to examine the findings from the study. RESULTS: All dyads indicated positive goal attainment between pre and post intervention. Goals that were met were complimented by the categories of peace of mind, self-efficacy, and care recipient engagement, while unmet goals as well as complexities with the technology were elucidated under challenges. Overarching and conceptually linked themes from the study were unfamiliarity, value, and timing. CONCLUSION: Home automation technology has the potential to be adapted to promote independence and safety of individuals with ADRD while relieving care burden. Nonetheless, we propose an early intervention framework to overcome identified challenges and optimize the technology's usability and sustainability.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONHome automation involving Internet of Things and Smart gadgets has gained rapid popularity owing to the comfort and connectivity they provide to mainstream consumers.The technology has an emerging significance to ageing-in-place and care of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) as it can be adapted and implemented to enhance home safety and activity engagement of the care recipients while also strengthening their connectivity with the caregivers.Unfamiliarity with the technology compounded by the progression of ADRD can, however, be detrimental to its adoption.Individualized focus and early integration of the technology for caregiver-care recipient dyads can mitigate these challenges and optimize its usability and long-term value in relation to ageing-in-place and caregiver wellbeing.

Determinants of information communication and smart home automation technology adoption for aging-in-place.

Purpose ­: Smart home (SH) internet of things can promote home safety, health monitoring and independence of older adults to age-in-place. Despite its commercial growth, low adoption rates of the technology among aging consumers remain a major barrier. The purpose of this study is to examine SH technology ownership of older adults and its causal pathways with demographics, health and functioning, home safety and information communication technology (ICT) use. Design/methodology/approach ­: A survey on technology-mediated aging-in-place was completed by 447 respondents, 65 years and older. Structural equation modeling was used to underscore the causal pathways among demographics, health, independence and home safety, ICT and home automation technology adoption. Findings ­: The study found that ICT usability, home security and independence have a significant direct effect on SH ownership. Demographics had no significant direct effect, but its influence was mediated through ICT usability. With home safety as mediator, physical impairment, falls and accidents and independence had a significant association with SH ownership. Similarly, increased social support (mediated through home security) decreased the probability of SH automation ownership. Originality/value ­: The findings signify the perceived usefulness of SH automation as theorized in technology acceptance models.

Trophectoderm biopsy protocols can affect clinical outcomes: time to focus on the blastocyst biopsy technique.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two different blastocyst biopsy protocols. DESIGN: Retrospective single-center cohort study. SETTINGS: Private in vitro fertilization center. PATIENT(S): The study included 1,670 frozen-thawed embryo transfers (FETs) with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Survival rate (SR) after thawing, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), ongoing implantation rate (IR), and live birth rate (LBR). RESULT(S): Eight hundred thirty-five FETs with PGT-A cycles including only embryos biopsied in the sequential blastocyst hatching and biopsy protocol paired with the ablation of one-fourth of the zona pellucida (ZP) were matched with 835 FETs with PGT-A cycles including only embryos biopsied in the day 3 prehatching protocol by female age (±1 year), number of embryos transferred, use of gestational carrier or egg donor, and day of blastocyst transfer. Only FETs with euploid blastocysts graded no lower than 4BB were included, and cycles with fewer than five oocytes were excluded. SR after thawing, CPR, ongoing IR, and LBR were significantly higher in the FET cycles with the embryos biopsied in the sequential hatching and biopsy protocol. Four cases of monozygotic twin pregnancies were reported with the day 3 prehatching protocol and none with the sequential hatching and biopsy protocol. CONCLUSION(S): Our results show, for the first time, that using different blastocyst biopsy protocols can affect clinical outcomes. Because the study was retrospective, our findings should be validated in a prospective trial.

Profiles and Predictors of Smart Home Technology Adoption by Older Adults.

The commercial popularity of smart home (SH) technology has broadened the scope of aging-in-place and home health occupational therapy. The objective of this article is to examine ownership of SH technology by older adults, their readiness to adopt SH technology, and identify the client factors relating to the adoption. A survey of older adults aged 60 and above living in the community was conducted. Respondents (N = 445) who were women; in the age group of 60 to 70 years; living in a two-level home, with a body function impairment; with a fall history; and experienced in information and communication technology (ICT) were significantly likely to be "brisk adopters" of SH (p < .05). Stepwise regression model identified marital status, home security, and overall ICT ownership as the predictors of SH ownership, whereas being female, concern over home security, and perceived independence contributed to SH readiness (p < .05). Consideration of the identified client profiles, health, and personal factors will strengthen SH integration for aging-in-place.

Prospective, randomized trial comparing cetrorelix acetate and ganirelix acetate in a programmed, flexible protocol for premature luteinizing hormone surge prevention in assisted reproductive technologies.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and efficacy of single-dose cetrorelix acetate (3 mg) and daily ganirelix acetate (0.25 mg) in the inhibition of premature LH surge in women undergoing cycle-programmed ovarian stimulation before Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). DESIGN: Prospective, open-label, randomized, comparative study. SETTING: Sixteen ART centers in the United States. PATIENT(S): One hundred eighty-five infertile patients undergoing ART. INTERVENTION(S): Single injection of cetrorelix (3 mg SC) or daily dose of ganirelix (0.25 mg SC) was administered when the lead follicle was > or =14 mm. Daily cetrorelix (0.25 mg) was administered if the criteria for hCG administration were not met 4 days after receiving 3 mg of cetrorelix. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Percentage of patients who did not have a premature LH surge, defined as LH <10 IU/L on the day of hCG administration. The IVF and embryo transfer (ET) outcomes were assessed. RESULT(S): No patient in either treatment group had a premature LH surge. There were no statistically significant differences between treatments for any IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or ET outcomes, including pregnancy rate (PR). However, cetrorelix required significantly fewer injections than ganirelix. Similar safety profiles were observed. CONCLUSION(S): Cetrorelix and ganirelix effectively prevented LH surges in oral contraceptive (OC) pill-programmed, flexible protocols, with similar safety profiles and PRs; however, cetrorelix required significantly fewer injections, increasing patient convenience.