Spiritual practices are associated with improved weight management following bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that spirituality and religiosity may positively impact various health outcomes, but little is known about their role in supporting weight management efforts, particularly in the context of bariatric surgery. OBJECTIVE: This study examined spiritual practices and health-related behaviors of bariatric surgery patients 1-2 years postoperatively. SETTING: Large bariatric center in the Midwest of the United States. METHODS: Patients (n = 152) completed questionnaires 1-2 years postoperatively examining weight, physical activity, eating behaviors, and spiritual practices and experiences related to bariatric surgery. RESULTS: Participants were primarily married (59.2%), Caucasian (81.6%), and female (84.2%) who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (64.5%) or sleeve gastrectomy (32.9%) 17.3 months previously. Most participants (71%) believed their spirituality did or could impact weight loss after surgery. Practices including connecting with nature, art and music, meditation, yoga, and attending spiritual or religious-based activities were positively correlated with weight loss, healthy eating, or exercise participation. CONCLUSION: Findings provide preliminary evidence for the benefits of spirituality in bariatric patients making lifestyle changes after surgery.

Conocimiento y uso de métodos anticonceptivos de gestantes adolescentes y sus parejas / Knowledge about and use of contraceptive methods by pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners

Introducción: Colombia registra una de las mayores tasas de embarazo adolescente en Latinoamérica; este es un problema de salud pública que persiste a pesar de los esfuerzos para reducir las cifras de maternidad temprana. Estos embarazos no planeados son consecuencia principalmente de la falta de conocimiento y el uso inadecuado de métodos anticonceptivos. Objetivo: Describir el conocimiento y uso de los métodos anticonceptivos de una muestra de gestantes adolescentes y sus parejas, del municipio de Fusagasugá, Cundinamarca (Colombia). Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional de tipo descriptivo de corte transversal en el primer semestre del año 2018. Los participantes fueron 11 gestantes de 15 a 19 años y sus respectivas parejas entre 16 y 24 años, que cumplieron con los criterios establecidos. Se elaboró una encuesta para la recolección de información, validada por juicio de expertos y se procedió a la recolección de los datos. Resultados: La muestra obtenida fue de once gestantes adolescentes y su pareja. El conocimiento fue calificado como elevado en 31,81 por ciento, medio con 63,64 por ciento y bajo con 4,55 por ciento. Los hombres demostraron mejor conocimiento al evaluar los métodos de barrera y anticoncepción hormonal oral, en cambio, las mujeres conocían más sobre los dispositivos intrauterinos y métodos anticonceptivos naturales. Aunque 19 adolescentes (86,36 por ciento) estaban de acuerdo con el uso de anticoncepción, solo 4 de ellos se encontraban usando algún tipo de método al momento de la concepción. Conclusiones: Es importante fortalecer los conocimientos sobre métodos anticonceptivos y fomentar su uso según las características individuales de la població(AU)

Introduction: Colombia has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Latin America. This public health problem persists despite the efforts made to reduce early maternity figures. Most of these unplanned pregnancies are the result of poor knowledge about and improper use of contraceptive methods. Objective: Describe the knowledge about and use of contraceptive methods by a sample of pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners from the municipality of Fusagasugá, Cundinamarca (Colombia). Methods: A cross-sectional observational descriptive study was conducted in the first semester of 2018. The sample was 11 pregnant teenagers aged 15-19 years and their sexual partners, aged 16-24 years, all of whom met the inclusion criteria. A survey was developed to collect the information. Upon validation by experts, data collection was started. Results: The sample obtained was 11 pregnant teenagers and their sexual partners. Knowledge was ranked as high in 31.81 percent, medium in 63.64 percent and low in 4.55 percent. Men exhibited better knowledge about barrier methods and oral hormonal contraception, whereas women knew more about intrauterine devices and natural contraceptive methods. Although 19 teenagers (86.36 percent) agreed with the use of contraception, only four of them were using some sort of protection when conception occurred. Conclusions: It is important to broaden knowledge about contraceptive methods and foster their use according to the individual characteristics of the population(AU)

Quantitative assessment of the sensitivity of various commercial reverse transcriptases based on armored HIV RNA.

BACKGROUND: The in-vitro reverse transcription of RNA to its complementary DNA, catalyzed by the enzyme reverse transcriptase, is the most fundamental step in the quantitative RNA detection in genomic studies. As such, this step should be as analytically sensitive, efficient and reproducible as possible, especially when dealing with degraded or low copy RNA samples. While there are many reverse transcriptases in the market, all claiming to be highly sensitive, there is need for a systematic independent comparison of their applicability in quantification of rare RNA transcripts or low copy RNA, such as those obtained from archival tissues. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed RT-qPCR to assess the sensitivity and reproducibility of 11 commercially available reverse transcriptases in cDNA synthesis from low copy number RNA levels. As target RNA, we used a serially known number of Armored HIV RNA molecules, and observed that 9 enzymes we tested were consistently sensitive to ∼1,000 copies, seven of which were sensitive to ∼100 copies, while only 5 were sensitive to ∼10 RNA template copies across all replicates tested. Despite their demonstrated sensitivity, these five best performing enzymes (Accuscript, HIV-RT, M-MLV, Superscript III and Thermoscript) showed considerable variation in their reproducibility as well as their overall amplification efficiency. Accuscript and Superscript III were the most sensitive and consistent within runs, with Accuscript and Superscript II ranking as the most reproducible enzymes between assays. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We therefore recommend the use of Accuscript or Superscript III when dealing with low copy number RNA levels, and suggest purification of the RT reactions prior to downstream applications (eg qPCR) to augment detection. Although the results presented in this study were based on a viral RNA surrogate, and applied to nucleic acid lysates derived from archival formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue, their relative performance on RNA obtained from other tissue types may vary, and needs future evaluation.