Inverse association between adiposity and telomere length: The Fels Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between telomere length and adiposity, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to conventional anthropometric proxies including body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 309 non-Hispanic white participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study aged 8 to 80 yr (52% female) was included. Average telomere length was measured by quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Telomere length was negatively correlated with age (r = -0.32, P < 0.0001) and had numerous significant correlations with established cardiovascular disease risk factors including waist circumference (r = -0.33), apolipoprotein B (r = -0.26), systolic blood pressure (r = -0.28), and fasting serum glucose (r = -0.15); all P < 0.0025. In backward selection linear regression models of telomere length, adiposity measures were consistently retained in the best models; BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, total body fat, and visceral adipose tissue volume were all inversely associated with telomere length at the nominal P < 0.05 level or lower, independent of age, sex, systolic blood pressure, and fasting serum lipid, lipoprotein, and glucose concentrations. The negative association of BMI with telomere length was stronger among younger than older participants (P for interaction, 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher total and abdominal adiposity have lower telomere length, a marker of cellular senescence, suggesting obesity may hasten the aging process. Longitudinal studies are required to establish the causal association of early life adiposity with biological aging.

Positive effects of the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment on delays in accessing care for postpartum and postabortion hemorrhage in Egypt and Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) ameliorates the effects of delays in transport to and treatment at hospitals for women with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and postabortion hemorrhage (PAH) and investigated the effects of NASG use on timing of delivery of interventions in-hospital. METHODS: Pre/post studies of the NASG were conducted at hospitals in Cairo (n = 349 women), Assuit (n = 274), Southern Nigeria (n = 57), and Northern Nigeria (n = 124). In post-hoc analyses, comparisons of delays were conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and associations of delays with extreme adverse outcomes (EAO, mortality or severe morbidity) were examined using chi-square tests, odds ratios (ORs), and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Median minutes from hemorrhage start to study admission differed by site, ranging from 15 minutes in Cairo to 225 minutes in Northern Nigeria (p < 0.001). Median minutes from study admission to blood transfusion ranged from 30 minutes in Cairo to 209 minutes in Southern Nigeria (p < 0.001). Twenty percent of women with ≥60 minutes between hemorrhage start and study admission experienced an EAO without the NASG compared with only 6% with the NASG (χ(2) = 13.71, p < 0.001). In-hospital delays in receiving intravenous (IV) fluids and blood were more common in the NASG phase. CONCLUSIONS: Women with PPH or PAH in Egypt and Nigeria often face delays in reaching emergency obstetrical care facilities and delays in receiving definitive therapies after arrival. Our results indicate that the NASG can reduce the impact of these delays. Stabilization does not replace treatment, however, and delays in fluid/blood administration with NASG use must be avoided.

Obstetric hemorrhage and shock management: using the low technology Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment in Nigerian and Egyptian tertiary care facilities.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally. The Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG) is a low-technology, first-aid compression device which, when added to standard hypovolemic shock protocols, may improve outcomes for women with hypovolemic shock secondary to obstetric hemorrhage in tertiary facilities in low-resource settings. METHODS: This study employed a pre-intervention/intervention design in four facilities in Nigeria and two in Egypt. Primary outcomes were measured mean and median blood loss, severe end-organ failure morbidity (renal failure, pulmonary failure, cardiac failure, or CNS dysfunctions), mortality, and emergency hysterectomy for 1442 women with ≥750 mL blood loss and at least one sign of hemodynamic instability. Comparisons of outcomes by study phase were assessed with rank sum tests, relative risks (RR), number needed to treat for benefit (NNTb), and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Women in the NASG phase (n = 835) were in worse condition on study entry, 38.5% with mean arterial pressure <60 mmHg vs. 29.9% in the pre-intervention phase (p = 0.001). Despite this, negative outcomes were significantly reduced in the NASG phase: mean measured blood loss decreased from 444 mL to 240 mL (p < 0.001), maternal mortality decreased from 6.3% to 3.5% (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.89), severe morbidities from 3.7% to 0.7% (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.50), and emergency hysterectomy from 8.9% to 4.0% (RR 0.44, 0.23-0.86). In multiple logistic regression, there was a 55% reduced odds of mortality during the NASG phase (aOR 0.45, 0.27-0.77). The NNTb to prevent either mortality or severe morbidity was 18 (12-36). CONCLUSION: Adding the NASG to standard shock and hemorrhage management may significantly improve maternal outcomes from hypovolemic shock secondary to obstetric hemorrhage at tertiary care facilities in low-resource settings.

A comparative study of the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment for the treatment of obstetric hemorrhage in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) can improve maternal outcome. METHODS: Women were enrolled in a pre-intervention phase (n=83) and an intervention phase (n=86) at a referral facility in Katsina, Nigeria, from November 2006 to November 2007. Entry criteria were obstetric hemorrhage (>or=750 mL) and a clinical sign of shock (systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg or pulse >100 beats per minute). To determine differences in demographics, condition on study entry, treatment, and outcome, t tests and chi(2) tests were used. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated for the primary outcome, mortality. RESULTS: Mean measured blood loss in the intervention phase was 73.5+/-93.9 mL, compared with 340.4+/-248.2 mL pre-intervention (P<0.001). Maternal mortality was lower in the intervention phase than in the pre-intervention phase (7 [8.1%]) vs 21 [25.3%]) (RR 0.32; 95% CI, 0.14-0.72). CONCLUSION: The NASG showed potential for reducing blood loss and maternal mortality caused by obstetric hemorrhage-related shock.

Anti-shock garment in postpartum haemorrhage.

The non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) is a first-aid device that reverses hypovolaemic shock and decreases obstetric haemorrhage. It consists of articulated neoprene segments that close tightly with Velcro, shunting blood from the lower body to the core organs, elevating blood pressure and increasing preload and cardiac output. This chapter describes the controversial history of the predecessors of NASG, pneumatic anti-shock garments (PASGs), relates case studies of PASG for obstetric haemorrhage, compares pneumatic and non-pneumatic devices and posits why the NASG is more appropriate for low-resource settings. This chapter discusses the only evidence available about NASGs for obstetric haemorrhage - two pre-post pilot trials and three case series - and describes recently initiated randomized cluster trials in Africa. Instructions and an algorithm for ASGs in haemorrhage and shock management are included. Much remains unknown about the NASG, a promising intervention for obstetric haemorrhage management.

Trends in national and state-level obesity in the USA after correction for self-report bias: analysis of health surveys.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify population-level bias in self-reported weight and height as a function of age, sex, and the mode of self-report, and to estimate unbiased trends in national and state level obesity in the USA. DESIGN: Statistical analysis of repeated cross-sectional health examination surveys (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES]) and health surveys (the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS]) in the USA. SETTING: The 50 states of the USA and the District of Columbia. RESULTS: In the USA, on average, women underreported their weight, but men did not. Young and middle-aged (<65 years) adult men over-reported their height more than women of the same age. In older age groups, over-reporting of height was similar in men and women. Population-level bias in self-reported weight was larger in telephone interviews (BRFSS) than in-person interviews (NHANES). Except in older adults, height was over-reported more often in telephone interviews than in-person interviews. Using corrected weight and height in the year 2000, Mississippi (30%) and Texas (31%) [corrected] had the highest prevalence of obesity for men; Texas (37%), Louisiana (37%), Mississippi (37%), District of Columbia (37%), Alabama (37%), and South Carolina (36%) for women. CONCLUSIONS: Population-level bias in self-reported weight and height is larger in telephone interviews than in-person interviews. Telephone interviews are a low-cost method for regular, nationally- and sub-nationally representative monitoring of obesity. It is possible to obtain corrected estimates of trends and geographical distributions of obesity from telephone interviews by using systematic analysis which measure weight and height from an independent sample of the same population.