Plos One
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Researchers and policy-makers are interested in the influence that food retailing around schools may have on child obesity risk. Most previous research comes from North America, uses data aggregated at the school-level and focuses on associations between fast food outlets and school obesity rates. This study examines associations between food retailing and BMI among a large sample of primary school students in Berkshire, England. By controlling for individual, school and home characteristics and stratifying results across the primary school years, we aimed to identify if the food environment around schools had an effect on BMI, independent of socio-economic variables. ⋯ We found little evidence to suggest that food retailing around schools influences student BMI. There is some evidence to suggest that fast food outlet densities in a child's home neighbourhood may have an effect on BMI, particularly among girls, but more research is needed to inform effective policies targeting the effects of the retail environment on child obesity.
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A low FEV1/FVC from post-bronchodilator spirometry is required to diagnose COPD. Both the FEV1 and the FVC can vary over time; therefore, individuals can be given a diagnosis of mild COPD at one visit, but have normal spirometry during the next appointment, even without an intervention. ⋯ Using FEV1/FEV6
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Studies on pulse oximetry screening for neonatal sepsis and respiratory disease in a middle-income country are lacking. Newborn screening for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) using pulse oximetry is an effective and life-saving strategy in developed countries. While most studies have reported false-positive results during CCHD screening, they have not elaborated on the detected disease types. We studied the effectiveness and outcomes of pulse oximetry newborn screening for non-cardiac hypoxemic diseases such as neonatal sepsis, respiratory diseases, and CCHD in a middle-income country. ⋯ ASD, atrial septal defect; CCHD, critical congenital heart disease; CRP, C-reactive protein; CXR, chest radiographs; NDI, neurodevelopment impairment; PPHN, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus; PFO, patent foramen ovale; TGA, transposition of great artery; TTN, transient tachypnoea of the newborn; VSD, ventricular septal defect.
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In the treatment of patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke, increasing evidence suggests the importance of measuring the volume of the irreversibly injured "ischemic core." The gold standard method for doing this in the clinical setting is diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI), but many authors suggest that maps of regional cerebral blood volume (CBV) derived from computed tomography perfusion imaging (CTP) can substitute for DWI. We sought to determine whether DWI and CTP-derived CBV maps are equivalent in measuring core volume. ⋯ CTP-derived CBV maps cannot reliably substitute for DWI in measuring core volume, or even establish which patients have DWI lesions.
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Diabetic patients present higher level of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation contributing to the development of vascular complications. While it has been suggested that this hematology/rheology parameter could bring additional prognostic information for the management of those patients, RBC aggregation screening is not included as a clinical practice. Most medical centers are not equipped to measure properly this parameter, although sedimentation tests can bring some indication. Here, we aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using ultrasound to assess in-vivo hyper-aggregation in type 2 diabetic patients. ⋯ RBC aggregation can be measured in-vivo in diabetic patients using ultrasound. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether the SFSAE method could help clinicians in the early management of vascular complications in this patient population.