Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Social Patterning In Adiposity In Adolescence: Prospective Observations From The Chinese Birth Cohort ‘‘Children Of 1997’’, L. L. Hui, Gabriel M. Leung, C. Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Introduction: Low early life socio-economic position is more strongly associated with adiposity among women than men. We examined whether the sex difference of social patterning in general and central adiposity exists before adulthood.

Methods: In Hong Kong’s “Children of 1997” birth cohort, we used multivariable regression to examine the association of parental education, a marker of early life socio-economic position, with body mass index (BMI) (n = 7252, 88% follow-up) and waist-height ratio (n = 5636, 68% follow- up), at 14 years.

Results: Parental education of Grade 9 or below, compared to Grade 12 or above, was associated with higher …

Burnout Is Associated With A Depressive Cognitive Style, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

We examined whether burnout is associated with a depressive cognitive style, understood as a combination of dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. A total of 1386 U.S. public school teachers were included—1063 women (M_age: 42.73, SD_age = 11.36) and 323 men (M_age: 44.60, SD_age = 11.42). Burnout was assessed with the Shirom–Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM). Dysfunctional attitudes were measured with the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale Short Form, ruminative responses with the Ruminative Responses Scale, and pessimistic attributions with the Depressive Attributions Questionnaire. For comparative purposes, depression was assessed using the 9-item depression module of the …

Monitoring Prevalence, Treatment, And Control Of Metabolic Conditions In New York City Adults Using 2013 Primary Care Electronic Health Records: A Surveillance Validation Study, Lorna E. Thorpe, Katharine H. Mcveigh, Sharon Perlman, Pui Y. Chan, Katherine Bartley, Lauren Schreibstein, Jesica Rodriguez-Lopez, Remle Newton-Dame

Publications and Research

Introduction: Electronic health records (EHRs) can potentially extend chronic disease surveillance, but few EHR-based initiatives tracking population-based metrics have been validated for accuracy. We designed a new EHR-based population health surveillance system for New York City (NYC) known as NYC Macroscope. This report is the third in a 3-part series describing the development and validation of that system. The first report describes governance and technical infrastructure underlying the NYC Macroscope. The second report describes validation methods and presents validation results for estimates of obesity, smoking, depression and influenza vaccination. In this third paper we present validation findings for metabolic indicators …

Oil & Gas Drilling In National Parks, Elizabeth Ann Glass Geltman

Publications and Research

While a great deal of public attention addresses the Halliburton loophole of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Bureau of Land Management efforts to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public lands, less attention has been paid to the National Park Service “9B Regulations,” which provide a national regulatory framework governing the exercise of nonfederal oil and gas rights in national parks. This article begins with a review of law pertaining to oil and gas drilling in national parks. The article examines the tension in striking a balance between environmental protection, conservation of national lands and achieving energy independence, including National …

Burnout’S Prevalence Estimations: A House Of Cards?, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Elmariah et al. (2016) found that 65% of the internal medicine residents who were assessed suffered from burnout. We have 3 concerns about the conclusion. First, the authors used a cutoff score on a burnout measure that is problematic because (a) it is devoid of theoretical or clinical grounding and (b) burnout items were formatted in an unorthodox manner, and (c) including residents who responded "neutral" to a symptom item among those identified as burned out. Second, the authors identified as burned out residents who worked on the night float rotation although the data suggest otherwise. Third information on symptom …

On The Dead End Of Current Research On Burnout's Prevalence, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Dimou et al. (2016) concluded that >50% of surgeons experience burnout. For three reasons, we think that such conclusions are unwarranted. First, there are no consensual or binding diagnostic criteria for burnout. Second, recent research (e.g., Bianchi, Schonfeld, & Laurent, 2015) suggests that burnout is actually a depressive syndrome. Finally, we note that researchers’ recommendations about stress-reducing organizational changes often remain incantatory because they insufficiently consider the economic issues and macrosocial power relationships that can hamper the recommendations’ implementation. Current practices in burnout research have led to an accumulation of results, the clinical meaning of which is obscure.

Burnout-Depression Overlap: A Study Of New Zealand Schoolteachers, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Mayor, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We examined the overlap of burnout with depression in a sample of 184 New Zealand schoolteachers. Burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated with each other (r = .73; disattenuated correlation: .82) and moderately correlated with dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. All the participants with high frequencies of burnout symptoms were identified as clinically depressed. Suicidal ideation was reported by 36% of those participants. Three groups of teachers emerged from a two-step cluster analysis: “low burnout-depression,” “medium burnout-depression,” and “high burnout-depression.” The correlation between the affective-cognitive and somatic symptoms of depression was similar in strength to the burnout-depression …

Combining Body Mass And Shape Indices In Clinical Practice, Jesse C. Krakauer, Nir Y. Krakauer

Publications and Research

We present preliminary clinical experience with combined consideration of the commonly used BMI (body mass index) and the newly developed ABSI (a body shape index) using a point of care anthropometric calculator for comparisons of index values and associated relative risks to population normals. In a series of 282 patients, BMI and ABSI were close to being independently distributed, supporting the value of considering both indices. Three selected cases illustrate scenarios where assessment of ABSI together with BMI could inform patient care and counseling. These data suggest that combined assessment of BMI and ABSI may prove useful in clinical practice.

Modulation Of Gamma And Alpha Spinal Motor Neurons Activity By Trans-Spinal Direct Current Stimulation: Effects On Reflexive Actions And Locomotor Activity, Zaghloul Ahmed

Publications and Research

Spontaneous and evoked spinal activities interact to set the characteristics of emergent motor responses. Gamma motor neurons have feedforward and feedback functions in motor control, which are crucial for transforming motor commands into action. Meanwhile, the intrinsic excitability and functional connectivity of alpha motor neurons determine the accuracy of actions. In this study, we investigated the effects of trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) on spontaneous and cortically evoked activity of well-isolated single units of gamma and alpha motor neurons in mice. We also investigated the effects of tsDCS on reflexive and locomotor actions. In general, motor neurons showed increased responses …

Knowledge-Based Tweet Classification For Disease Sentiment Monitoring, Xiang Ji, Soon Ae Chun, James Geller

Publications and Research

Disease monitoring and tracking is of tremendous value, not only for containing the spread of contagious diseases but also for avoiding unnecessary public concerns and even panic. In this chapter, we present a near real-time sentiment analysis service of public health-related tweets. Traditionally, it is impossible for humans to effectively measure the degree of public health concerns due to limited resources and significant time delays. To solve this problem, we have developed a computational intelligence approach for Epidemic Sentiment Monitoring System (ESMOS) to automatically analyze the disease sentiments and gauge the Measure of Concern (MOC) expressed by Twitter users. More …

Brief Optogenetic Inhibition Of Dopamine Neurons Mimics Endogenous Negative Reward Prediction Errors, Chun Yun Chang, Guillem R. Esber, Yasmin Marrero-Garcia, Hau-Jie Yau, Antonello Bonci, Geoffrey Schoenbaum

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

An Advertisement Analysis Of Alcohol Products In Popular Women’S Magazines, M Dottington Fullwood, Jennifer Mongiovi, Grace Hillyer, Corey H. Basch, Danna Ethan, Rodney Hammond

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Gastrointestinal Safety, Chemotherapeutic Potential, And Classic Pharmacological Profile Of Nosh-Naproxen (Avt-219) A Dual No- And H2s-Releasing Hybrid, Mitali Chattopadhyay, Ravinder Kodela, Pascale L. Duvalsaint, Khosrow Kashfi

Publications and Research

Naproxen (NAP) is a potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with a favorable cardiovascular profile. However, its long-term use may lead to serious gastrointestinal and renal side effects. NOSH- (nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide) releasing naproxen (NOSH-NAP, AVT-219) belongs to a new class of anti-inflammatory agents designed to overcome these limitations. We compared the gastrointestinal safety, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, and antiplatelet properties of AVT-219 to that of NAP in preclinical animal models. We also evaluated its anticancer effects in 11 human cancer cell (HCC) lines of six different tissue origins and in a chemotherapeutic xenograft mouse model of colon cancer. AVT-219: …

Re: "Job Strain And The Cortisol Diurnal Cycle In Mesa: Accounting For Between- And Within-Day Variability, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Rudolph et al. (2016) examined the association between job strain and cortisol profile. Several potential confounders were considered, including sociodemographic characteristics, income-wealth index, financial strain, physical health, physical activity, and medication use. No relationship between job strain and the cortisol awakening response was observed. We have 4 comments on the methods used in the study. First, although the authors related the modifications in cortisol profiles to job strain, they did not assess and statistically control for a number of nonoccupational strain factors (e.g., family- or couple-related chronic stress). Second, depressive symptoms and disorders were not considered in the study. Depression …

Burnout And Depression: Label-Related Stigma, Help-Seeking, And Syndrome Overlap, Renzo Bianchi, Jay Verkuilen, Romain Brisson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We investigated whether burnout and depression differed in terms of public stigma and help-seeking attitudes and behaviors. Secondarily, we examined the overlap of burnout and depressive symptoms. A total of 1046 French schoolteachers responded to an Internet survey in November–December 2015. The survey included measures of public stigma, help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, burnout and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, neuroticism, extraversion, history of anxiety or depressive disorder, social desirability, and sociodemographic variables.The burnout label appeared to be less stigmatizing than the depression label. In either case, however, fewer than 1% of the participants exhibited stigma scores signaling agreement with the proposed …

Non-Nad-Like Poly(Adp-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Inhibitors Effectively Eliminate Cancer In Vivo, Colin Thomas, Yingbiao Ji, Niraj Lodhi, Elena Kotova, Aaron Dan Pinnola, Konstantin Golovine, Peter Makhov, Kate Pechenkina, Vladimir Kolenko, Alexei V. Tulin

Publications and Research

The clinical potential of PARP-1 inhibitors has been recognized N10 years ago, prompting intensive research on their pharmacological application in several branches of medicine, particularly in oncology. However, natural or acquired resistance of tumors to known PARP-1 inhibitors poses a serious problemfor their clinical implementation. Present study aims to reignite clinical interest to PARP-1 inhibitors by introducing a new method of identifying highly potent inhibitors and presenting the largest known collection of structurally diverse inhibitors. The majority of PARP-1 inhibitors known to date have been developed as NAD competitors. NAD is utilized by many enzymes other than PARP-1, resulting in …

Within-Person Associations Between Daily Motivation And Self-Efficacy And Drinking Among Problem Drinkers In Treatment, Jon Morgenstern, Alexis Kuerbis, Jessica Houser, Frederick Muench, Sijing Shao, Hayley Treloar Padovano

Publications and Research

Gaining a better understanding of the change process holds promise to improve alcohol treatment. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) coupled with intensive longitudinal data (ILD) approaches have been proposed as promising methods that can advance change process research but have been used infrequently in AUD treatment research. The current study used these approaches to examine the within-person associations of motivation and self-efficacy and drinking among treatment seeking problem drinkers. Participants (N=96) received daily EMA surveys before, during, and after treatment for seven weeks spread over a nine month period. Multi-level modeling was used to test the within-person relationships between the change …

Cellmapper: Rapid And Accurate Inference Of Gene Expression In Difficult-To-Isolate Cell Types, Bradlee D. Nelms, Levi Waldron, Luis A. Barrera, Andrew W. Weflen, Jeremy A. Goettel, Guoji Guo, Robert K. Montgomery, Marian R. Neutra, David T. Breault, Scott B. Snapper, Stuart H. Orkin, Martha L. Bulyk, Curtis Huttenhower, Wayne I. Lencer

Publications and Research

We present a sensitive approach to predict genes expressed selectively in specific cell types, by searching publicly available expression data for genes with a similar expression profile to known cell-specific markers. Our method, CellMapper, strongly outperforms previous computational algorithms to predict cell type-specific expression, especially for rare and difficult-to-isolate cell types. Furthermore, CellMapper makes accurate predictions for human brain cell types that have never been isolated, and can be rapidly applied to diverse cell types from many tissues. We demonstrate a clinically relevant application to prioritize candidate genes in disease susceptibility loci identified by GWAS.

The Physical Activity And Redesigned Community Spaces (Parcs) Study: Protocol Of A Natural Experiment To Investigate The Impact Of Citywide Park Redesign And Renovation, Terry T. K. Huang, Katarzyna E. Wyka, Emily Ferris, Jennifer Gardner, Kelly R. Evenson, Devanshi Tripathi, Gabriel Martinez Soto, Matthew S. Cato, Jon Moon, Julia Wagner, Joan M. Dorn, Diane J. Catellier, Lorna E. Thorpe

Publications and Research

Background: The built environment plays a critical role in promoting physical activity and health. The association between parks, as a key attribute of the built environment, and physical activity, however, remains inconclusive. This project leverages a natural experiment opportunity to assess the impact of the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), a citywide park redesign and renovation effort in New York City, on physical activity, park usage, psychosocial and mental health, and community wellbeing.

Methods: The project will use a longitudinal design with matched controls. Thirty intervention park neighborhoods are socio-demographically matched to 20 control park neighborhoods. The study will investigate whether …

Hot And Cold Executive Functions In Pure Opioid Users Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Effects Of Methadone Dose, Treatment Duration, And Time Between Last Methadone Administration And Testing, Usha Barahmand, E. Tavakolian, A. Khazaee, K. Mohammadi

Publications and Research

Context: Methadone maintenance is a standard treatment for opiate‑dependent individuals. However, deficits in cognitive functioning have been associated with this treatment.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the dose and treatment duration‑related effects of methadone on executive functions.

Setting and Design: Pure male opioid users with no considerable history of other drug abuse, undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) were recruited from a major government‑run de‑addiction center.

Methods: Hot executive functions including decision‑making and emotion recognition were assessed using the Iowa gambling task and Ekman faces test, whereas cold executive functions including working memory (WM), cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition were …

Ethics Pertaining To The Legalities Of Male Routine Infant Circumcision And Surrogate Consent To Non-Therapeutic Surgery, Jason A. Domashevskiy, Artem V. Domashevskiy

Publications and Research

Circumcision is the most contentious surgery performed in the world today. Approximately 38% of the world male population has been circumcised, mostly during the neonatal and prepubescent periods. Circumcision in regularly practiced ubiquitously throughout the Islamic countries, Israel, and the United States; the US is only country who regularly circumcises its boys for a non-religious reason. No world health body advocates circumcision prior to adulthood. Routine Infant Circumcision (RIC) violates the United Nations Policy on Genital Integrity, the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors, and the rules for surrogate consent to surgery. Studies have shown no benefits to circumcision during the …

Burnout In Firefighters: A Word On Methodology, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

At least three methodological problems affect the study by Katsavouni et al. (2016). First, there are currently no diagnostic criteria for burnout, neither in the DSM-5, nor in the ICD-10. Second, one extremely important variable was omitted from this study of firefighters, namely, depression. Third, the authors did not control for relevant nonoccupational factors such as stressors occurring outside of work.

Job Stress, Inflammation, And Atherosclerosis: A Reflection, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Stress in general has been associated with inflammation and atherosclerosis (Sapolsky, 2004; Slavich and Irwin, 2014). The accumulation of inadequately controlled studies has become a concern (Bianchi, 2016; Schonfeld & Bianchi, 2016). Stronger efforts should be made to take into account both empirically identified and theoretically likely confounders in this research field. Assessing the contribution of job-related factors to given outcomes without simultaneously considering the role of relevant non-job factors is unwarranted. Results from inadequately controlled studies can lead to our making ineffective, or even counter-productive, decisions in terms of public health policies.

The “Burnout” Construct: An Inhibitor Of Public Health Action?, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The prevention and treatment of the “burnout syndrome” within the critical care community is an important objective of the Moss et al. Burnout in the occupational area is based on the idea that burnout is especially common in individuals who care for critically ill patients. We think that the authors’ observations and recommendations are diminished by the fact that studies of burnout’s prevalence are methodologically problematic. The current definition and use of the burnout construct may in fact be detrimental to public health decision making.

Burnout And Depression: Two Entities Or One, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the overlap in burnout and depression. Method: The sample comprised 1,386 schoolteachers (mean age = 43; mean years taught = 15; 77% women) from 18 different U.S. states. We assessed burnout, using the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure, and depression, using the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire. Results: Treated dimensionally, burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated (.77; disattenuated correlation, .84). Burnout and depressive symptoms were similarly correlated with each of 3 stress-related factors, stressful life events, job adversity, and workplace support. In categorical analyses, 86% of the teachers identified as …

Working Memory And Interference Control In Children With Specific Language Impairment, Klara Marton, Naomi Eichorn, Luca Campanelli, Lilla Zakarias

Publications and Research

Language and communication disorders are often associated with deficits in working memory (WM) and interference control. WM studies involving children with specific language impairment (SLI) have traditionally been framed using either resource theories or decay accounts, particularly Baddeley's model. Although significant interference problems in children with SLI are apparent in error analysis data from WM and language tasks, interference theories and paradigms have not been widely used in the SLI literature. A primary goal of the present paper is to provide an overview of interference deficits in children with SLI. Review of the extant literature on interference control shows deficits …

Burnout And Depression In Psychiatric Residents, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent, Pierre Vandel, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Kealy et al. (2016) found that 21% of psychiatric residents were suffering symptoms of burnout. A number of problems call that finding into question. First, the writers used a one-item measure to assess burnout. Second, mounting evidence suggests that burnout is a depressive syndrome. Third, unresolvable job stress is related to depression. Given burnout's overlap with depression and the diagnostic blur around burnout, research on the impact of job stress should connect with depression, which is nosologically well characterized and diagnosable using clinically validated instruments.

Burnout And Depression: Label-Related Stigma, Help-Seeking, And Syndrome Overlap, Renzo Bianchi, Jay Verkuilen, Romain Brisson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We investigated whether burnout and depression differed in terms of public stigma and help-seeking attitudes and behaviors. Secondarily, we examined the overlap of burnout and depressive symptoms. A total of 1046 French schoolteachers responded to an Internet survey in November–December 2015. The survey included measures of public stigma, help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, burnout and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, neuroticism, extraversion, history of anxiety or depressive disorder, social desirability, and socio-demographic variables. The burnout label appeared to be less stigmatizing than the depression label. In either case, however, fewer than 1% of the participants exhibited …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Videoconferencing Smoking Cessation Intervention For Korean American Women: Preliminary Findings, Sun S. Kim, Somporn Sitthisongkram, Kunsook Bernstein, Hua Fang, Won S. Choi, Douglas Ziedonis

Publications and Research

Introduction: Korean women are reluctant to pursue in-person smoking cessation treatment due to stigma attached to women smokers and prefer treatment such as telephone and online smoking cessation programs that they can access secretively at home. However, there is some evidence that face-to-face interaction is the most helpful intervention component for them to quit smoking.

Methods: This study is a pilot clinical trial that examined the acceptability and feasibility of a videoconferencing smoking cessation intervention for Korean American women and compared its preliminary efficacy with a telephone-based intervention. Women of Korean ethnicity were recruited nationwide in the United States and …

Factors Associated With Providers’ Perceptions Of Mental Health Care In Santa Luzia’S Family Health Strategy, Brazil, Angela R. Ghesquiere, Rogerio M. Pinto, Rahbel Rahman, Anya Y. Spector

Publications and Research

Brazil has a unique mental health care system, characterized by universal coverage delivered by interdisciplinary teams both in the community and in specialized centros de atenção psicossocial (CAPS—psychosocial care centers). Provision of patient-centered mental health care is an important principle of Brazilian mental health care, but this topic has not been well-studied. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of 151 community health workers (CHWs), nurses, and physicians in Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Chi-squares, t-tests and multivariate regression analyses examined differences in socio-demographics, caseload, engagement in evidence-based practices (EBPs), and transdisciplinary collaboration between providers who reported providing high …