Canadian dietitians' approaches to counseling adult clients seeking weight-management advice.

This study describes Canadian dietitians' approaches to counseling adults seeking weight-management advice. Fifteen focus groups were conducted at seven sites across Canada. The participants, most of whom worked in clinical or private practice, discussed their approach to specific weight-management counseling scenarios, including women clients with and without associated risk factors (impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, family history of cardiovascular disease) and long histories of dieting. Results indicate that participants used a lifestyle approach for weight-management counseling, where the main goal was improved client health through healthful eating and increased physical activity. In contrast to clients' perceived weight loss goals, participants rarely included weight loss as a goal for clients with no additional chronic disease risk factors. For clients with risk factors, some participants advocated moderate weight loss, while others aimed for health at any size. Participants also discussed the importance of clients' psychological well-being, particularly in relation to feelings about food and body image. Individualized approaches to setting goals, gathering information, and giving advice/educating were identified as key counseling strategies. Further research to evaluate the effectiveness of dietitians' weight-management approaches and additional counseling training for dietitians will enhance practitioners' skills and confidence in this area.

Intranasal delivery of group B meningococcal native outer membrane vesicle vaccine induces local mucosal and serum bactericidal antibody responses in rabbits.

We have previously shown that intranasal immunization of mice with meningococcal native outer membrane vesicles (NOMV) induces both a good local mucosal antibody response and a good systemic bactericidal antibody response. However, in the intranasal mouse model, some of the NOMV entered the lung and caused an acute granulocytic response. We therefore developed an alternate animal model using the rabbit. This model reduces the probability of lung involvement and more closely mimics intranasal immunization of humans. Rabbits immunized intranasally with doses of 100 mug of NOMV in 0.5 ml of saline developed serum bactericidal antibody levels comparable to those of rabbits immunized intramuscularly with 25-mug doses, particularly when the primary intranasal immunization was given daily for 3 days. Intranasal immunization also induced a local mucosal response as evidenced by immunoglobulin A antibody in saliva, nasal washes, and lung lavage fluids. NOMV from a capsule-deficient mutant induced higher serum bactericidal antibody responses than NOMV from the encapsulated parent. Meningococcal NOMV could be administered intranasally at 400 mug with no pyrogenic activity, but as little as 0.03 mug/kg of body weight administered intravenously or 25 mug administered intramuscularly induced a pyrogenic response. These data indicate that the rabbit is a useful model for preclinical testing of intranasal meningococcal NOMV vaccines, and this immunization regimen produces a safe and substantial systemic and local mucosal antibody response.

GEOGRAPHIC POPULATION STRUCTURE AND SPECIES DIFFERENCES IN MITOCHONDRIAL DNA OF MOUTHBROODING MARINE CATFISHES (ARIIDAE) AND DEMERSAL SPAWNING TOADFISHES (BATRACHOIDIDAE).

Restriction-fragment length polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were used to evaluate population-genetic structure and matriarchal phylogeny in four species of marine fishes that lack a pelagic larval stage: the catfishes Arius felis and Bagre marinus, and the toadfishes Opsanus tau and O. beta. Thirteen informative restriction enzymes were used to assay mtDNAs from 134 specimens collected from Massachusetts to Louisiana. Considerable genotypic diversity was observed in each species. However, major mtDNA phylogenetic assemblages in catfish and toadfish (as identified in Wagner networks and UPGMA phenograms) exhibited contrasting patterns of geographic distribution: in catfish, distinct mtDNA clades were widespread, while such clades in toadfish tended to be geographically localized. By both the criteria of species' ranges and the geographic pattern of intraspecific mtDNA phylogeny, populations of marine catfish in the western Atlantic have had greater historical interconnectedness than have toadfish. Results are also compared to previously published mtDNA data in freshwater and other marine fishes. Although mtDNA differentiation among conspecific populations of continuously distributed marine fishes is usually lower than that among discontinuously distributed freshwater species inhabiting separate drainages, it is apparent that historical biogeographic factors can importantly influence genetic structure in marine as well as freshwater species.