Pelvic floor dysfunction and its impact on quality of life among female health care employees.

BACKGROUND: In today's fast-paced world, both men and women have to be equally competent to handle their responsibilities in order to look after their family members and children. In this pace of competency women tend to forget to take care of their own health and face many health issues, including pelvic floor dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the prevalence rate of pelvic floor dysfunction among the working women in regards to their age and body mass index as well as their quality of life. METHODS: One hundred sixty one post-partum working female participants from the medical fraternity were involved in this study after their consent was obtained. Pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed and their quality of life measured using King's health questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a strong correlation between the pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and its impact on the quality of life among the females with increasing age. Significant statistical significant difference of P(<0.0001) was noted. CONCLUSION: Pelvic floor dysfunction among females has a direct impact on their quality of life.

A Web-Based Photo-Alteration Intervention to Promote Sleep: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Receiving insufficient sleep has wide-ranging consequences for health and well-being. Although educational programs have been developed to promote sleep, these have had limited success in extending sleep duration. To address this gap, we developed a Web-based program emphasizing how physical appearances change with varying amounts of sleep. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) whether participants can detect changes in appearances as a function of sleep and (2) whether this intervention can alter habitual sleep patterns. METHODS: We conducted a 5-week, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial among 70 habitual short sleepers (healthy adults who reported having <7 hours of sleep routinely). Upon study enrollment, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either standard information or an appearance-based intervention. Both groups received educational materials about sleep, but those in the appearance group also viewed a website containing digitally edited photographs that showed how they would look with varying amounts of sleep. As the outcome variables, sleep duration was monitored objectively via actigraphy (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 1 and 4), and participants completed a measure of sleep hygiene (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 2, 4, and 5). For each outcome, we ran intention-to-treat analyses using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: In total, 35 participants were assigned to each group. Validating the intervention, participants in the appearance group (1) were able to identify what they looked like at baseline and (2) judged that they would look more attractive with a longer sleep duration (t26=10.35, P<.001). In turn, this translated to changes in sleep hygiene. Whereas participants in the appearance group showed improvements following the intervention (F1,107.99=9.05, P=.003), those in the information group did not (F1,84.7=0.19, P=.66). Finally, there was no significant effect of group nor interaction of group and time on actigraphy-measured sleep duration (smallest P=.26). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that an appearance-based intervention, while not sufficient as a stand-alone, could have an adjunctive role in sleep promotion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02491138; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02491138.

To Message or Browse? Exploring the Impact of Phone Use Patterns on Male Adolescents' Consumption of Palatable Snacks.

Surveys of mobile phone usage suggest that adolescents habitually use their phones while eating. In this study, we explored whether the manner in which one uses a mobile phone - to engage in a social or non-social activity - can affect appetite regulation. Participants were fifty male adolescents randomly assigned to engage in one of the following phone-based activities: (1) sending and receiving messages (social activity), or (2) reading a neutral article (non-social activity). When given the opportunity to snack, participants in the messaging group consumed more snacks that those who read the article. Our findings correspond to a large literature emphasizing social influences on food intake, and suggest that phone use patterns may predispose an individual to overeating.

Identification and characterization of DC-SIGN-binding glycoproteins in allergenic foods.

BACKGROUND: DC-SIGN (dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin) is a C-type lectin receptor expressed on macrophages and dendritic cells. DC-SIGN has high affinity for fucosylated glycans in several plant glycoproteins and pathogens. DC-SIGN is thought to be crucial for the development of allergic sensitization. However, the precise role of DC-SIGN in food allergy pathogenesis is not yet understood. OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize DC-SIGN-binding glycoproteins in a panel of allergenic and non-allergenic foods. METHODS: Fluorescent-labeled peanut and soy extracts were used to test protein binding to human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) by flow cytometry. DC-SIGN-blocking assays were performed by incubating DCs with food extracts followed by staining with anti-DC-SIGN antibody. Using a DC-SIGN-Fc chimera, food extracts were tested for binding by ELISA and autoradiography. IgE immunoblotting was performed with pooled sera from food-allergic subjects. DC activation and maturation were assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that peanut agglutinin, a minor peanut allergen, is a novel ligand for DC-SIGN. Peanut agglutinin activates DCs to induce the expression of costimulatory molecules in vitro. We present a comprehensive report on the characterization of DC-SIGN-binding proteins in common allergenic foods such as peanut, soy, tree nuts, egg, and milk. Foods that rarely induce allergy, such as pine nuts, chickpea, and corn, showed no binding to DC-SIGN. Several DC-SIGN-binding proteins show reactivity in serum IgE immunoblots. We have also identified novel non-IgE-binding proteins that interact with DC-SIGN; these proteins may be important for regulating immune responses to these foods.

Provision of total hip replacement for displaced intracapsular hip fracture and the outcomes: audit of local practice based on NICE guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures are becoming an increasing public health issue due to an ageing population (1). Total hip replacements (THR) produce better outcomes in certain patients who were functioning independently before the injury (2). We aimed to assess whether the management of intracapsular hip fracture is carried out in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) hip fracture guidance (1) and the outcomes with regards to performing THRs on those patients who fulfil the described criteria. METHOD: Data was collected retrospectively from the 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013 from all fractured neck of femur patients admitted to our hospital. RESULTS: Of the 382 patients fit for an operation, 78 (20.4%) met with the NICE hip fracture guidance for a total hip replacement. Of those eligible, 32 (41.0%) did receive a THR and 4 (2.8%) patients of the 142 not eligible for a total hip replacement also received a THR. DISCUSSIONS: Of those eligible for a THR, the patients who underwent that procedure had a significantly lower mortality rate compared to those who underwent a hemiarthroplasty (0% versus 19.6% at 1 year, p = 0.007). However, those who did not meet the NICE criteria but underwent a THR had the worst mortality rate (50% at 30 days and 1 year). The provision rate of THR in displaced intracapsular hip fracture is low at 41.0% for those who met the NICE criteria. The results suggest that the decision process when determining if a patient should undergo THR for a fractured neck of femur is multifactorial.

Evidence of pathway-specific basophil anergy induced by peanut oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic children.

BACKGROUND: In Westernized countries, over 1% of the population is allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, which carries a risk of severe allergic reactions. Several studies support the efficacy of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) for reducing the clinical sensitivity of affected individuals; however, the mechanisms of this effect are still being characterized. One mechanism that may contribute is the suppression of effector cells, such as basophils. Basophil anergy has been characterized in vitro as a pathway-specific hyporesponsiveness; however, this has not been demonstrated to occur in vivo. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hypothesis that basophil anergy occurs in vivo due to chronic allergen exposure in the setting of a clinical oral immunotherapy trial. METHODS: Samples of peripheral blood were obtained from subjects during a placebo-controlled clinical trial of peanut OIT. Basophil reactivity to in vitro stimulation with peanut allergen and controls was assessed by the upregulation of activation markers, CD63 and CD203c, measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The upregulation of CD63 following stimulation of the IgE receptor, either specifically with peanut allergen or non-specifically with anti-IgE antibody, was strongly suppressed by active OIT. However, OIT did not significantly suppress this response in basophils stimulated by the distinct fMLP receptor pathway. In the subset of subjects with egg sensitization, active peanut OIT also suppressed CD63 upregulation in response to stimulation with egg allergen. Allergen OIT also suppressed the upregulation of CD203c including in response to stimulation with IL-3 alone. CONCLUSION: Peanut OIT induces a hyporesponsive state in basophils that is consistent with pathway-specific anergy previously described in vitro. This suggests the hypothesis that effector cell anergy could contribute to clinical desensitization.