scholarly journals 418 Paternal Programming of Offspring Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 187-187
Author(s):  
Adam Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Metabolic Health ◽  
Adult Offspring ◽  
Offspring Health ◽  
Paternal Programming ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There is now a significant body of human and animal model data identifying common associations between perturbed development during gestation, disproportionate fetal growth and poor adult cardiovascular and metabolic health. Typically, these studies have focused on the impact of poor maternal health on offspring development and well-being. However, a growing evidence base now indicates that sub-optimal paternal factors (such as diet) can also program adult offspring ill-health. While the link between paternal health and offspring well-being is becoming established, attention is being focused on defining the underlying mechanism(s). Here, the father may influence post-fertilization development through two main pathways, the integrity and status of the sperm genome (including epigenome) and through components of the seminal plasma. We have used a mouse model of paternal low protein diet to study the impact sub-optimal nutrition has on the quality and epigenetic status of the sperm, embryonic development and fetal growth. We have also used our model to study the relative seminal plasma and sperm contributions to adult offspring cardiovascular and metabolic health. Our studied highlight the role of a father’s diet at the time of conception for the development and well-being of his offspring.

scholarly journals Paternal diet programs offspring health through sperm- and seminal plasma-specific pathways in mice

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (40) ◽  
pp. 10064-10069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Watkins ◽  
Irundika Dias ◽  
Heather Tsuro ◽  
Danielle Allen ◽  
Richard D. Emes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Semen Quality ◽  
Protein Diet ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Adult Offspring ◽  
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽  
Low Protein ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Offspring Health

The association between poor paternal diet, perturbed embryonic development, and adult offspring ill health represents a new focus for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains ill-defined. We have developed a mouse paternal low-protein diet (LPD) model to determine its impact on semen quality, maternal uterine physiology, and adult offspring health. We observed that sperm from LPD-fed male mice displayed global hypomethylation associated with reduced testicular expression of DNA methylation and folate-cycle regulators compared with normal protein diet (NPD) fed males. Furthermore, females mated with LPD males display blunted preimplantation uterine immunological, cell signaling, and vascular remodeling responses compared to controls. These data indicate paternal diet impacts on offspring health through both sperm genomic (epigenetic) and seminal plasma (maternal uterine environment) mechanisms. Extending our model, we defined sperm- and seminal plasma-specific effects on offspring health by combining artificial insemination with vasectomized male mating of dietary-manipulated males. All offspring derived from LPD sperm and/or seminal plasma became heavier with increased adiposity, glucose intolerance, perturbed hepatic gene expression symptomatic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and altered gut bacterial profiles. These data provide insight into programming mechanisms linking poor paternal diet with semen quality and offspring health.

Family interventions in psychosis

2020 ◽  
pp. 531-537
Author(s):  
Juliana Onwumere ◽  
Elizabeth Kuipers
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Family Interventions ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
The Impact

Families can play an important role in supporting individuals living with psychosis disorders and helping to facilitate their improved outcomes. This chapter, offered by Juliana Onwumere and Elizabeth Kuipers, provides an overview of the literature reporting on family involvement in the care of adults with lived experiences of psychosis, the impact of the caregiving role on carer well-being, and the predictive links between caregiving relationships and key patient outcomes including relapse. The chapter reports on the application of family interventions, the evidence base supporting its application and inclusion in treatment guidelines, and implementation issues.

Public Housing and Well-Being: Evaluation Frameworks to Influence Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 825-835
Author(s):  
Lara Rangiwhetu ◽  
Nevil Pierse ◽  
Elinor Chisholm ◽  
Philippa Howden-Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Change Models ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Background A robust evidence base is needed to develop sustainable cross-party solutions for public housing to promote well-being. The provision of public housing is politically contentious in New Zealand, as in many liberal democracies. Depending on the government, policies oscillate between encouraging sales of public housing stock and reducing investment and maintenance, and large-scale investment, provision, and regeneration of public housing. Aim We aimed to develop frameworks to evaluate the impact of public housing regeneration on tenant well-being at the apartment, complex, and community levels, and to inform future policies. Method Based on a systems approach and theory of change models, we developed a mixed methods quasi-experimental before-and-after outcomes evaluation frameworks, with control groups, for three public housing sites. This evaluation design had flexibility to accommodate real-world complexities, inherent in evaluating large-scale public health interventions, while maintaining scientific rigor to realize the full effects of interventions. Results Three evaluation frameworks for housing were developed. The evaluation at the apartment level confirmed proof of concept and viability of the framework and approach. This also showed that minor draught-stopping measures had a relatively big impact on indoor temperature and thermal comfort, which subsequently informed healthy housing standards. The complex and community-level evaluations are ongoing due to longer regeneration timeframes. Conclusion Public housing is one of central government’s larger social sector interventions, with Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities the largest Crown entity. Evaluating public housing policies is important to develop an evidence base to inform best practice, rational, decision-making policy for the public as well as the private sector.

Investigating systematic review for multi-disciplinary research in the built environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-90
Author(s):  
Subhadarsini Parida ◽  
Kerry Brown
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powerful Means ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which a systematic review approach is transferable from medicine to multi-disciplinary studies in the built environment research. Design/methodology/approach Primarily a review paper, it focuses on specific steps in the systematic review to clarify and elaborate the elements for adapting an evidence base in the built environment studies particular to the impact of green building on employees’ health, well-being and productivity. Findings While research represents a potentially powerful means of reducing the gap between research and practice by applying tried and tested methods, the methodological rigour is debatable when a traditional systematic review approach is applied in the built environment studies involving multi-disciplinary research. Research limitations/implications The foundational contribution of this paper lies in providing methodological guidance and an alternative framework to advance the longstanding efforts in the built environment to bridge the practitioner and academic divide. Originality/value A systematic review approach in the built environment is rare. The method is unique in multi-disciplinary studies especially in green building studies. This paper adopts the systematic review protocols in this cross-disciplinary study involving health, management and built environment expertise.

scholarly journals Longitudinal access and exposure to green-blue spaces and individual-level mental health and well-being: protocol for a longitudinal, population-wide record-linked natural experiment

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e027289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Mizen ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Richard Fry ◽  
Ashley Akbari ◽  
Damon Berridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionStudies suggest that access and exposure to green-blue spaces (GBS) have beneficial impacts on mental health. However, the evidence base is limited with respect to longitudinal studies. The main aim of this longitudinal, population-wide, record-linked natural experiment, is to model the daily lived experience by linking GBS accessibility indices, residential GBS exposure and health data; to enable quantification of the impact of GBS on well-being and common mental health disorders, for a national population.Methods and analysisThis research will estimate the impact of neighbourhood GBS access, GBS exposure and visits to GBS on the risk of common mental health conditions and the opportunity for promoting subjective well-being (SWB); both key priorities for public health. We will use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to create quarterly household GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposure using digital map and satellite data for 1.4 million homes in Wales, UK (2008–2018). We will link the GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposures to individual-level mental health outcomes for 1.7 million people with general practitioner (GP) data and data from the National Survey for Wales (n=~12 000) on well-being in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We will examine if these associations are modified by multiple sociophysical variables, migration and socioeconomic disadvantage. Subgroup analyses will examine associations by different types of GBS. This longitudinal study will be augmented by cross-sectional research using survey data on self-reported visits to GBS and SWB.Ethics and disseminationAll data will be anonymised and linked within the privacy protecting SAIL Databank. We will be using anonymised data and therefore we are exempt from National Research Ethics Committee (NREC). An Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP) application (Project ID: 0562) to link these data has been approved.The research programme will be undertaken in close collaboration with public/patient involvement groups. A multistrategy programme of dissemination is planned with the academic community, policy-makers, practitioners and the public.

The Role of Non-Pharmacologic Approaches in the Management of Fibromyalgia

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (S16) ◽  
pp. 10-12
Author(s):  
David A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Patient Education ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Tender Point ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Benefit

The optimal management of fibromyalgia (FM) is comprised of both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches. This multidimensional approach is preferred given that FM is not only a pain condition, but involves a number of other symptoms as is reflected in the new clinical criteria being developed by Wolfe and colleagues. Proper management of FM should be informed through multidimensional assessment of the clinically relevant domains described previously in this supplement. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches work together to provide the broadest possible coverage of these domains, minimize the impact of each domain on functioning and well-being, and facilitate long-term adaptations to one's lifestyle.The use of nonpharmacologic strategies in the management of FM has varying levels of evidence. The strongest evidence currently exists for aerobic exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and for patient education or self-management. Moderate evidence exists for strength training, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and biofeedback modalities. Weaker evidence exists for manual massage therapy. Currently, there is no evidence of long-term benefit for tender point injections or flexibility exercise modalities, although these options may be beneficial in the short term. This article will focus on the three areas that have the strongest evidence base: patient education, exercise, and CBT.Educational programs are typically offered in the context of primary care or in specialty practices. In their simplest form, these programs try to dispel myths about FM and provide patients with the most up-to-date knowledge about the condition.

The Effectiveness of Transition Interventions to Support Older Patients From Hospital to Home: A Systematic Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482096871
Author(s):  
Renee O’Donnell ◽  
Melissa Savaglio ◽  
Helen Skouteris ◽  
Jane Banaszak-Holl ◽  
Chris Moran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hospital Readmissions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Readmission Rates ◽  
Hospital Readmission Rates ◽  
Hospital To Home ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: Interventions supporting older adults’ transition from hospital to home can address geriatric needs. Yet this evidence base is fragmented. This review describes transitional interventions that provide pre- and post-discharge support for older adults and evaluates their implementation and effectiveness in improving health and well-being. Method: Articles were included if they examined the extent to which transitional interventions were effective in improving health and well-being outcomes and reducing hospital readmission rates among older adults. Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Four types of interventions were identified: education-based (10/20); goal-oriented (4/20); exercise (4/20); and social support interventions (2/20). Education and goal-oriented interventions were effective in improving health and well-being outcomes. The impact of interventions on mitigating hospital readmissions was inconclusive. Only five studies examined implementation. Discussion: Older adults transitioning from hospital to home would benefit from tailored education and goal-oriented interventions that promote their capacity for self-care.

Patient self-testing in chronic disease management

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice J. O’Kane
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Robust Evidence

AbstractChronic disease poses a major burden to patients and health care systems. This review considers how patient self-testing can contribute to the management of chronic disease. Self-testing can only confer benefit if it occurs in the context of an empowered patient who has the skills and training to translate test results into meaningful actions. The benefits may include improved clinical outcomes, greater patient convenience and improved psychological well-being; separately and together these may contribute to reduced costs of care. As self-testing may be expensive and burdensome to patients, it is important that its use in chronic disease is supported by a robust evidence base confirming its utility and efficacy. The design of studies to assess the impact of self-testing poses challenges for the researcher and the quality of evidence presented is often variable. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) provide more robust evidence than observational studies; the intervention under study is not just self-testing but includes the educational support to allow patients to use results effectively. This review discusses the evidence base relating to patient self-testing in diabetes, anticoagulant monitoring and in renal transplant patients and in particular highlights the impact of new technology developments such as flash glucose monitoring in diabetes.

scholarly journals “Don’t judge me”: narratives of living with FGM

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Recchia ◽  
Julie McGarry
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practice Development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to facilitate a participant led arts-based workshop for survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM) in order to explore their experiences and impact of FGM on health and wellbeing, and to use the artefacts to inform development of an e-learning resource. Design/methodology/approach The study utilised a creative narrative approach which included the sharing of personal stories, the creation of pottery models and the sharing of artefacts. A narrative approach was chosen as the methodology for the study as narratives are now well established within qualitative research as a meaningful way in which the voices of participants take precedence over those of the researcher. Six women who are living with FGM agreed to take part. Findings The composition of the workshop essentially encompassed two main strands: the creation of a persona and sharing artefacts. These are described in detail with supplementary images included wherever appropriate. The authors have not attempted to present the findings of the workshop from the perspective of the researcher but have rather enabled the findings to speak for themselves. Research limitations/implications There is a paucity of studies which have explored women’s experiences of living with FGM and the impact on health and well-being. The findings suggest that there is further scope for research and practice development which examines the impact of education on professional’s approaches to FGM. Originality/value This study and the wider focus towards the impact of FGM beyond the physical or procedural aspects of FGM offer a contribution to the evolving evidence base in this field.

The impact of lifestyle and socioeconomic parameters on body fat level in early childhood

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Łukasz Kryst ◽  
Magdalena Żegleń ◽  
Paulina Artymiak ◽  
Małgorzata Kowal ◽  
Agnieszka Woronkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Body Fat ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Metabolic Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fat Level ◽  
Lower Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the differences between selected lifestyle and socioeconomic parameters among preschool (3–7 years of age) children of differing adiposity status. The study was conducted from February to June 2018 in 20 randomly selected kindergartens in Kraków, Poland. Triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdominal and calf skinfold thicknesses were measured. The sum of all six skinfolds was calculated and the children were subsequently characterized by low (≤–1 SD [standard deviation]), normal (–1 to 1 SD) or high body fat (≥1 SD). Socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics were obtained using a questionnaire filled out by the children’s parents or legal guardians. Preschool children in the high adiposity category had, on average, fewer siblings and longer screen time; additionally, their parents had lower education and more often worked in manual jobs, in comparison to the children in the low and average adiposity categories. In conclusion, it was observed that children in different adiposity categories varied in terms of some socioeconomic as well as lifestyle characteristics. Knowledge regarding the influence that those factors can have on the metabolic health of children is essential for children’s present as well as future well-being. Moreover, it can help health care professionals and parents decide what intervention and/ or preventive measures should be undertaken to ensure the best possible outcomes, as the development of successful obesity prevention strategies should rely on evidence-based information. Nonetheless, future research examining the issue of factors influencing the metabolic health of children, as well as these outcomes later in life, is crucial. Well-planned studies including a large number of individuals, as well as longitudinal research, will be particularly beneficial in this regard.

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