http://www.biomedcentral.com/ The most accessed research articles published by BioMed Central 2009-10-21T00:00:00Z This is an RSS newsfeed from BioMed Central It is intended to be used with an RSS reader. For more information about RSS newsfeeds from BioMed Central, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/ The epidemiology of influenza swarms with incongruities, incongruities exhaustively detailed by the late British epidemiologist, Edgar Hope-Simpson. He was the first to propose a parsimonious theory explaining why influenza is, as Gregg said, "seemingly unmindful of traditional infectious disease behavioral patterns." Recent discoveries indicate vitamin D upregulates the endogenous antibiotics of innate immunity and suggest that the incongruities explored by Hope-Simpson may be secondary to the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency. We identify – and attempt to explain – nine influenza conundrums: (1) Why is influenza both seasonal and ubiquitous and where is the virus between epidemics? (2) Why are the epidemics so explosive? (3) Why do they end so abruptly? (4) What explains the frequent coincidental timing of epidemics in countries of similar latitude? (5) Why is the serial interval obscure? (6) Why is the secondary attack rate so low? (7) Why did epidemics in previous ages spread so rapidly, despite the lack of modern transport? (8) Why does experimental inoculation of seronegative humans fail to cause illness in all the volunteers? (9) Why has influenza mortality of the aged not declined as their vaccination rates increased? We review recent discoveries about vitamin D's effects on innate immunity, human studies attempting sick-to-well transmission, naturalistic reports of human transmission, studies of serial interval, secondary attack rates, and relevant animal studies. We hypothesize that two factors explain the nine conundrums: vitamin D's seasonal and population effects on innate immunity, and the presence of a subpopulation of "good infectors." If true, our revision of Edgar Hope-Simpson's theory has profound implications for the prevention of influenza. http://www.virologyj.com/content/5/1/29 John Cannell Michael Zasloff Cedric Garland Robert Scragg Edward Giovannucci Virology Journal 2008, 5:29 2008-02-25T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-29 Virology Journal 1743-422X 5 29 2008-02-25T00:00:00Z XML In recent years, the food and beverage industry in the US has viewed children and adolescents as a major market force. As a result, children and adolescents are now the target of intense and specialized food marketing and advertising efforts. Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Multiple techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are toddlers, to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior. These food marketing channels include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, the Internet, toys and products with brand logos, and youth-targeted promotions, such as cross-selling and tie-ins. Foods marketed to children are predominantly high in sugar and fat, and as such are inconsistent with national dietary recommendations. The purpose of this article is to examine the food advertising and marketing channels used to target children and adolescents in the US, the impact of food advertising on eating behavior, and current regulation and policies. http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/1/1/3 Mary Story Simone French International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2004, 1:3 2004-02-10T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1479-5868-1-3 International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 1479-5868 1 3 2004-02-10T00:00:00Z XML Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries. Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and 11% are obese. Overweight and obesity in childhood are known to have significant impact on both physical and psychological health. The mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes. Environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment play pivotal roles in the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide. In general, overweight and obesity are assumed to be the results of an increase in caloric and fat intake. On the other hand, there are supporting evidence that excessive sugar intake by soft drink, increased portion size, and steady decline in physical activity have been playing major roles in the rising rates of obesity all around the world. Consequently, both over-consumption of calories and reduced physical activity are involved in childhood obesity.Almost all researchers agree that prevention could be the key strategy for controlling the current epidemic of obesity. Prevention may include primary prevention of overweight or obesity, secondary prevention or prevention of weight regains following weight loss, and avoidance of more weight increase in obese persons unable to lose weight. Until now, most approaches have focused on changing the behaviour of individuals in diet and exercise. It seems, however, that these strategies have had little impact on the growing increase of the obesity epidemic. While about 50% of the adults are overweight and obese in many countries, it is difficult to reduce excessive weight once it becomes established. Children should therefore be considered the priority population for intervention strategies. Prevention may be achieved through a variety of interventions targeting built environment, physical activity, and diet. Some of these potential strategies for intervention in children can be implemented by targeting preschool institutions, schools or after-school care services as natural setting for influencing the diet and physical activity. All in all, there is an urgent need to initiate prevention and treatment of obesity in children. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/4/1/24 Mahshid Dehghan Noori Akhtar-Danesh Anwar Merchant Nutrition Journal 2005, 4:24 2005-09-02T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1475-2891-4-24 Nutrition Journal 1475-2891 4 24 2005-09-02T00:00:00Z XML Background: Previous studies have shown that children's nonnutritive sucking habits may lead to delayed development of their oral anatomy and functioning. However, these findings were inconsistent. We investigated associations between use of bottles, pacifiers, and other sucking behaviors with speech disorders in children attending three preschools in Punta Arenas (Patagonia), Chile. Methods: Information on infant feeding and sucking behaviors, age starting and stopping breast- and bottle-feeding, pacifier use, and other sucking behaviors, was collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by parents. Evaluation of speech problems was conducted at preschools with subsequent scoring by a licensed speech pathologist using age-normative standards. Results: A total of 128 three- to five-year olds were assessed, 46% girls and 54% boys. Children were breastfed for an average of 25.2 (SD 9.6) months and used a bottle 24.4 (SD 15.2) months. Fifty-three children (41.7%) had or currently used a pacifier for an average of 11.4 (SD 17.3) months; 23 children (18.3%) were reported to have sucked their fingers. Delayed use of a bottle until after 9 months appeared to be protective for subsequent speech disorders. There was less than a one-third lower relative odds of subsequent speech disorders for children with a delayed use of a bottle compared to children without a delayed use of a bottle (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10-0.98). A three-fold increase in relative odds of speech disorder was found for finger-sucking behavior (OR: 2.99, 95% CI: 1.10-8.00) and for use of a pacifier for 3 or more years (OR: 3.42, 95% CI: 1.08-10.81). Conclusion: The results suggest extended use of sucking outside of breastfeeding may have detrimental effects on speech development in young children. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/9/66 Clarita Barbosa Sandra Vasquez Mary Parada Juan Carlos Velez Gonzalez Chanaye Jackson N. David Yanez Bizu Gelaye Annette Fitzpatrick BMC Pediatrics 2009, 9:66 2009-10-21T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1471-2431-9-66 BMC Pediatrics 1471-2431 9 66 2009-10-21T00:00:00Z XML Targeted RNA-Seq combines next-generation sequencing with capture of sequences from a relevant subset of a transcriptome. When testing by capturing sequences from a tumor cDNA library by hybridization to oligonucleotide probes specific for 467 cancer-related genes, this method showed high selectivity, improved mutation detection enabling discovery of novel chimeric transcripts, and provided RNA expression data. Thus, targeted RNA-Seq produces an enhanced view of the molecular state of a set of 'high interest' genes. http://genomebiology.com/2009/10/10/R115 Joshua Levin Michael Berger Xian Adiconis Peter Rogov Alexandre Melnikov Timothy Fennell Chad Nusbaum Levi Garraway Andreas Gnirke Genome Biology 2009, 10:R115 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/gb-2009-10-10-r115 Genome Biology 1465-6906 10 R115 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z PDF Background: The ability to reduce inflammation in overweight and obese individuals may be valuable in preventing the progression to metabolic syndrome with associated risks for heart disease and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of multiple dosages of a proprietary Mangosteen Juice blend on indicators of inflammation and antioxidant levels in obese patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Methods: The study was an 8 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a pre-study 2 week washout period. The study included four groups including placebo and three difference doses of the test product, XanGo Juice™: 3, 6 or 9 oz twice daily. The primary outcome measure of this study was high-sensitivity (HS)-CRP. Secondary outcome measures included other biochemical indicators of inflammation, anthropomorphic measures and a safety evaluation. Results: One hundred twenty two (122) persons were screened for the study, 44 were randomized and 40 completed the study. HS-CRP measurements dropped after 8 weeks treatment compared to baseline in all 3 dose groups and increased in the placebo group. The changes from baseline were not significant but the comparison of change from baseline was significant for the 18 oz group when compared to placebo (p = 0.02). Other markers of inflammation (inflammatory cytokines) and a marker for lipid peroxidation (F2 isoprostane) did not show any significant differences when compared with placebo. There was a trend towards a decrease in BMI in the juice groups. There were no side effects reported in any of the groups and none of the laboratory or EKG safety assessments indicated clinically significant changes for any subject. Conclusion: In this pilot, dose-finding study, a proprietary mangosteen juice blend (XanGo Juice™) reduced CRP levels (increased change from baseline) compared to placebo for those taking the highest dose of 18 oz per day. Further studies with a larger population are required to confirm and further define the benefits of this juice. The juice was administered safely.Trial RegistrationISRCTN9300027 http://www.nutritionj.com/content/8/1/48 Jay Udani Betsy Singh Marilyn Barrett Vijay Singh Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:48 2009-10-20T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-48 Nutrition Journal 1475-2891 8 48 2009-10-20T00:00:00Z XML Small molecules that stabilize mutant proteins with high specificity can be used to treat protein misfolding and metabolic diseases: in a Q&A highlighting recent successes, Dagmar Ringe and Gregory Petsko explain how. http://jbiol.com/content/8/9/80 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:80 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol186 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 80 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z XML Signaling complexes typically consist of highly dynamic molecular ensembles that are challenging to study and to describe accurately. Conventional mechanical descriptions misrepresent this reality and can be actively counterproductive by misdirecting us away from investigating critical issues. http://jbiol.com/content/8/9/81 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:81 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol185 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 81 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z XML IntroductionThere is no consensus definition of acute renal failure (ARF) in critically ill patients. More than 30 different definitions have been used in the literature, creating much confusion and making comparisons difficult. Similarly, strong debate exists on the validity and clinical relevance of animal models of ARF; on choices of fluid management and of end-points for trials of new interventions in this field; and on how information technology can be used to assist this process. Accordingly, we sought to review the available evidence, make recommendations and delineate key questions for future studies. Methods: We undertook a systematic review of the literature using Medline and PubMed searches. We determined a list of key questions and convened a 2-day consensus conference to develop summary statements via a series of alternating breakout and plenary sessions. In these sessions, we identified supporting evidence and generated recommendations and/or directions for future research. Results: We found sufficient consensus on 47 questions to allow the development of recommendations. Importantly, we were able to develop a consensus definition for ARF. In some cases it was also possible to issue useful consensus recommendations for future investigations. We present a summary of the findings. (Full versions of the six workgroups' findings are available on the internet at http://www.ADQI.net) Conclusion: Despite limited data, broad areas of consensus exist for the physiological and clinical principles needed to guide the development of consensus recommendations for defining ARF, selection of animal models, methods of monitoring fluid therapy, choice of physiological and clinical end-points for trials, and the possible role of information technology. http://ccforum.com/content/8/4/R204 Rinaldo Bellomo Claudio Ronco John Kellum Ravindra Mehta Paul Palevski Critical Care 2004, 8:R204 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/cc2872 Critical Care 1364-8535 8 R204 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z XML No description available http://jbiol.com/content/8/9/79 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:79 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol187 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 79 2009-10-16T00:00:00Z XML