Public Health Research Institute

About: Public Health Research Institute is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Randomized controlled trial. The organization has 4889 authors who have published 8149 publications receiving 276945 citations.

Depression, emotional eating and long-term weight changes: a population-based prospective study

Abstract: Emotional eating (i.e. eating in response to negative emotions) has been suggested to be one mechanism linking depression and subsequent development of obesity. However, studies have rarely examined this mediation effect in a prospective setting and its dependence on other factors linked to stress and its management. We used a population-based prospective cohort of adults and aimed to examine 1) whether emotional eating mediated the associations between depression and 7-year change in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and 2) whether gender, age, night sleep duration or physical activity moderated these associations. Participants were Finnish 25- to 74-year-olds who attended the DILGOM study at baseline in 2007 and follow-up in 2014. At baseline (n = 5024), height, weight and WC were measured in a health examination. At follow-up (n = 3735), height, weight and WC were based on measured or self-reported information. Depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale), emotional eating (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18), physical activity and night sleep duration were self-reported. Age- and gender-adjusted structural equation models with full information maximum likelihood estimator were used in the analyses. Depression and emotional eating were positively associated and they both predicted higher 7-year increase in BMI (R2 = 0.048) and WC (R2 = 0.045). The effects of depression on change in BMI and WC were mediated by emotional eating. Night sleep duration moderated the associations of emotional eating, while age moderated the associations of depression. More specifically, emotional eating predicted higher BMI (P = 0.007 for the interaction) and WC (P = 0.026, respectively) gain in shorter sleepers (7 h or less), but not in longer sleepers (9 h or more). Depression predicted higher BMI (P < 0.001 for the interaction) and WC (P = 0.065, respectively) increase in younger participants, but not in older participants. Our findings offer support for the hypothesis that emotional eating is one behavioural mechanism between depression and development of obesity and abdominal obesity. Moreover, adults with a combination of shorter night sleep duration and higher emotional eating may be particularly vulnerable to weight gain. Future research should examine the clinical significance of our observations by tailoring weight management programs according to these characteristics.

Costs of shoulder pain in primary care consulters: a prospective cohort study in The Netherlands

Abstract: Shoulder pain is common in primary care, and has an unfavourable outcome in many patients. Information on the costs associated with health care use and loss of productivity in patients with shoulder pain is very scarce. The objective of this study was to determine shoulder pain related costs during the 6 months after first consultation in general practice A prospective cohort study consisting of 587 patients with a new episode of shoulder pain was conducted with a follow-up period of 6 months. Data on costs were collected by means of a cost diary during 6 months. 84% of the patients completed all cost diaries. The mean consumption of direct health care and non-health related care was low. During 6 months after first consultation for shoulder pain, the mean total costs a patient generated were €689. Almost 50% of this total concerned indirect costs, caused by sick leave from paid work. A small proportion (12%) of the population generated 74% of the total costs. The total costs in the 6 months after first consultation for shoulder pain in primary care, mostly generated by a small part of the population, are not alarmingly high.

The competence transcription factor of Bacillus subtilis recognizes short A/T-rich sequences arranged in a unique, flexible pattern along the DNA helix

Abstract: The development of genetic competence in Bacillus subtilis is regulated by a complex signal transduction cascade, which leads to the synthesis of the competence transcription factor (CTF). Previous studies suggested that CTF is encoded by comK. ComK is required for the transcription of comK itself, as well as of the late competence genes encoding the DNA uptake machinery and of genes required for homologous recombination. Here, we used purified ComK to study its role in transcription and to determine the DNA recognition sequence for ComK. In vitro transcription from the comG promoter, which depends on ComK in vivo, was observed on the addition of purified ComK together with Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase, proving that ComK is CTF. To determine the DNA sequences involved in ComK recognition, footprinting analysis was performed with promoter fragments of the CTF-dependent genes: comC, comE, comF, comG, comK, and addAB. The ComK binding sites determined by DNase I protection experiments were unusually long, with average lengths of approximately 65 bp, and displayed only weak sequence similarities. Hydroxy-radical footprinting, performed with the addAB promoter, revealed a unique arrangement of four short A/T-rich sequences. Gel retardation experiments indicated that four molecules of ComK bound the addAB promoter and the dyad symmetrical arrangement of the four A/T-rich sequences implied that ComK functions as a tetramer composed of two dimers each recognizing the motif AAAAN5TTTT. Comparable A/T-rich sequences were identified in all six DNase I footprints and could be used to predict ComK targets in the B. subtilis genome. On the basis of the variability in distance between the ComK-dimer binding sites, ComK-regulated promoters could be divided into three classes, demonstrating a remarkable flexibility in the binding of ComK. The pattern of hydroxy-radical protections suggested that ComK binds at one face of the DNA helix through the minor groove. This inference was strengthened by the observation that minor groove binding drugs inhibited the binding of ComK.

Molecular cloning of heterologous chromosomal DNA by recombination between a plasmid vector and a homologous resident plasmid in Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract: The difficulty experienced in the shotgun cloning of chromosomal DNA on plasmid vectors in Bacillus subtilis is analyzed and an explanation for this difficulty is offered based on an inherent property of competent cells which imposes a requirement of plasmid multimers in transformation of plasmidfree recipients (Canosi et al., 1978). A stratagem which uses cloning by recombination between the vector and a resident homologous plasmid is tested and shown to be successful. Several recombinant plasmids are obtained containing Bacillus licheniformis DNA fragments which complement aromatic amino acid mutants of Bacillus subtilis. The yield of recombinant clones ranges from 6.7 to 210 per μg of chromosomal DNA, depending on the selection and the restriction endonuclease. The various trp clones obtained after cutting chromosomal DNA with BglII and BclI do not complement trpE and exhibit both orientations with respect to the vector. The location of several restriction endonuclease cleavage sites in the cloned trp fragments is presented, and their relationship to the genetic map of Bacillus licheniformis is described.