Validation of Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Knowledge scale among young adults

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the most effective intervention to improve child health. Young adults, both genders play an important role in society supporting breastfeeding as they will be stepping towards parenthood in the near future. Bringing awareness and busting the myths among them is essential. This study aimed to develop a Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Knowledge scale based on a conceptual framework that reflected the knowledge of young adults and evaluates its validity and reliability. Methodology:  Development of the questionnaire for Conceptual framework and item generation was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, other sources and expert opinion. The type of measurement was structured as a 5-point Likert scale. The Lawshe technique to assess the content validity ratio. A cross-sectional survey in graduation colleges situated in Mangalagiri or within the radius of 30 km of Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India was conducted in 2020. 1400 Adult males and females aged 20-25 years and perusing full-time graduation course were recruited. For each item in the Gender Friendly Breastfeeding Awareness scale, we assessed individual item characteristics and item-test correlation. To check to construct validity, we performed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Expert panel retained 23 items from initially 30 items. The content validity index score for the each of 23-items in the scale was more than 0.80. A four-factor structure perfectly fitted the data and illustrated 54 percent of the variation in knowledge of breastfeeding. Four stages of CFA were completed. The chi-square = 860.534 was significantly above the 0.01 level.  Cronbach's a = 0.787 based on standardized items reflected the overall internal consistency of the gender-friendly breastfeeding awareness scale. Conclusion: Gender-friendly breastfeeding knowledge scale is a valid and reliable tool, it is recommended that this scale be used in communities, educational institutions, and in relevant research to assess breastfeeding knowledge among young adults of both genders, thereby promoting breastfeeding practices in the future

Patient Attitudes and Participation in Hand Co-Washing in an Outpatient Clinic Before and After a Prompt

Despite recent national emphasis, outpatient hand washing can be less than optimal. We tested a new approach involving both patient and physician hand washing. The study consisted of 384 questionnaires, 184 from phase 1 and 200 from phase 2. Patients stated doctors washed their hands 96.6% before examining them pre-intervention and 99.5% of the time post-intervention. Patients endorsed the importance of hand washing 98.7% of the time. “Co-washing” may offer a process to increase the practice of hand washing and decrease infection risk

Symposium on Obesity and Asthma-November 2006

L’asthme et l’obésité sont fréquemment associés et l’obésité est considérée comme un facteur impliqué tant dans l’augmentation de la sévérité que dans le développement de l’asthme. Ce document est un compte-rendu des présentations effectuées dans le cadre d’un symposium du Réseau en santé respiratoire du Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec qui a eu lieu à Montréal le 2 novembre 2006, en collaboration avec le McGill University – Strauss Severe Asthma Program, l’Université Laval (Québec) et l’Université de Montréal. Au cours de cette rencontre, divers aspects de la relation entre obésité et asthme ont été abordés, en regard des modèles animaux, des influences génétiques, hormonales et physiologiques, de l’influence des comorbidités (ex : syndrome d’apnée du sommeil), de l’épidémiologie, des aspects cliniques et psychologiques et, enfin, du traitement de l’asthme chez la personne obèse.Asthma and obesity are frequently associated, and obesity has been considered a factor contributing to both an increase in severity of asthma and to its development. The present document summarizes the proceedings of a symposium held in Montreal, Quebec, on November 2, 2006, under the auspices of the Réseau en santé respiratoire du Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec in collaboration with the McGill University - Strauss Severe Asthma Program, Université Laval (Quebec City) and Université de Montréal. It includes an overview of the various aspects of the relationships between asthma and obesity with regard to animal models; genetic, hormonal and physiological determinants; influence of comorbidities (eg, sleep apnea syndrome); epidemiology; clinical and psychological features; and management of asthma in the obese population

Isoprostanes-Biomarkers of Lipid Peroxidation: Their Utility in Evaluating Oxidative Stress and Analysis

Isoprostanes (IsoPs) are key biomarkers for investigating the role of free radical generation in the pathogenesis of human disorders. To solve IsoPs-related problems with regard to isoprostanes, analytical tools are required. This paper reviews the problems and trends in this field focusing on the methodology for assaying biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples. A large amount of work has been done in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of IsoPs, but a standardized method has yet to emerge. The methodologies described differ, either in the sample preparation steps or in the detection techniques, or both. Requiring a number of chromatographic steps, the relevant extraction and purification procedures are often critical and time-consuming, and they lead to a substantial loss of target compounds. Recent data show that EBC is a promising non-invasive tool for the evaluation of different diseases. Two main analytical approaches have been adopted for IsoPs measurement: immunological methods and mass spectrometry. The methodologies for the extraction, purification and analysis of IsoPs in EBC samples are presented

Gene-Gene and Gene-Environmental Interactions of Childhood Asthma: A Multifactor Dimension Reduction Approach

Background: The importance of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on asthma is well documented in literature, but a systematic analysis on the interaction between various genetic and environmental factors is still lacking. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted a population-based, case-control study comprised of seventh-grade children from 14 Taiwanese communities. A total of 235 asthmatic cases and 1,310 non-asthmatic controls were selected for DNA collection and genotyping. We examined the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions between 17 singlenucleotide polymorphisms in antioxidative, inflammatory and obesity-related genes, and childhood asthma. Environmental exposures and disease status were obtained from parental questionnaires. The model-free and non-parametrical multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method was used for the analysis. A three-way gene-gene interaction was elucidated between the gene coding glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP1), the gene coding interleukin-4 receptor alpha chain (IL4Ra) and the gene coding insulin induced gene 2 (INSIG2) on the risk of lifetime asthma. The testing-balanced accuracy on asthma was 57.83 % with a cross-validation consistency of 10 out of 10. The interaction of preterm birth and indoor dampness had the highest training-balanced accuracy at 59.09%. Indoor dampness also interacted with many genes, including IL13, beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6). We also used likelihood ratio tests for interaction and chi-square tests to validate our results and all tests showed statistical significance

A Novel Role for the DNA Repair Enzyme 8-Oxoguanine DNA Glycosylase in Adipogenesis

Cells sustain constant oxidative stress from both exogenous and endogenous sources. When unmitigated by antioxidant defenses, reactive oxygen species damage cellular macromolecules, including DNA. Oxidative lesions in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA are repaired via the base excision repair (BER) pathway, initiated by DNA glycosylases. We have previously demonstrated that the BER glycosylase 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) plays a novel role in body weight maintenance and regulation of adiposity. Specifically, mice lacking OGG1 (Ogg1−/−) are prone to increased fat accumulation with age and consumption of hypercaloric diets. Conversely, transgenic animals with mitochondrially-targeted overexpression of OGG1 (Ogg1Tg) are resistant to age- and diet-induced obesity. Given these phenotypes of altered adiposity in the context of OGG1 genotype, we sought to determine if OGG1 plays a cell-intrinsic role in adipocyte maturation and lipid accumulation. Here, we report that preadipocytes from Ogg1−/− mice differentiate more efficiently and accumulate more lipids than those from wild-type animals. Conversely, OGG1 overexpression significantly blunts adipogenic differentiation and lipid accretion in both pre-adipocytes from Ogg1Tg mice, as well as in 3T3-L1 cells with adenovirus-mediated OGG1 overexpression. Mechanistically, changes in adipogenesis are accompanied by significant alterations in cellular PARylation, corresponding with OGG1 genotype. Specifically, deletion of OGG1 reduces protein PARylation, concomitant with increased adipogenic differentiation, while OGG1 overexpression significantly increases PARylation and blunts adipogenesis. Collectively, these data indicate a novel role for OGG1 in modulating adipocyte differentiation and lipid accretion. These findings have important implications to our knowledge of the fundamental process of adipocyte differentiation, as well as to our understanding of lipid-related diseases such as obesity