The weight loss industry has come under fire from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in recent years due to consumer claims that many firms, marketing weight loss products, are using advertisements in an attempt to deceive consumers. Illegitimate weight loss claims have created so much concern that a White Paper call-to-action to investigate misleading weight loss advertisements has been filed. Despite recent interest, little attention has been garnered concerning the understanding of why consumers respond to potentially misleading weight loss claims. Intuitively, an understanding of why consumers fall prey to weight loss claims may aid academics, practitioners, and policy makers as they make important decisions relative to the weight loss industry and its practices. This study fills that void by applying a theory of visceral influences (TVI) to the context of weight loss advertising. Loewenstein's TVI was developed to aid in explaining why consumers make decisions contrary to their long-term self-interest. Visceral influences are drive states that have a direct hedonic impact, have an effect on the relative desirability of various goods and activities, and consequently, have a strong influence over the decisions consumers make. Common visceral cues (cues associated with any reward linked to a visceral factor) include proximity of reward, vividness of reward, and visual priming. To adequately test TVI in the context of weight loss advertising, a two step approach was used. First, advertiser intent was assessed through content analysis of weight loss advertisements. Second, composite advertisements were created from the content analysis to assess subject response to visceral cues common in weight loss advertising. MANOVA results show that the presence of visceral cues affected subjects' thoughts, buying impulse, affective reaction, intentions, and product evaluation. This research makes the following contributions. First, it addresses an area of public policy where there is a need for research to shape future legislation. Second, it provides an initial empirical examination of the effects of visceral cues on subjects' providing a foundation for further application and theory building. Third, it reveals that visceral cues effects are moderated by an individual's level of involvement with a reward.

The leishmaniase is a serious public health problem in the world, demanding effective measures for its control and treatment. The patient's immune response in visceral leishmaniasis has a fundamental role in the prognosis of this infection inflammation, which can be fatal if untreated. So that chemotherapy can result in healing, it is important that the immune system is able and necessary stimulus to the development of appropriate cytokine profile and disease resistance to fighting agent.Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels serum of patients on the adjuvant action of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) in the chemotherapy of human visceral leishmaniasis, made with pentavalent antimony. From an intervention study, clinical trial, blinded, randomized, 60 patients were investigated at the University Hospital with the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. These patients were divided into two groups of 30: Study Group - which made use of pentavalent antimony standard dose supplemented with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and the control group - which only used a standard dose of antimony. This study was approved by the ethics committee in search of UFS under CAAE 0151.0.107.000-07 number. The patients selected randomly and were assessed for clinical and laboratory parameters. To evaluate the rate of the patients were performed serum levels of cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-12p40 and of molecule sCD40L before, during and after treatment using the Luminex 100 analyzer. The results suggest that the addition of NAC to conventional therapy improves the immune response of patients, especially in lowering serum levels of IL-10, IL-12p40 and elevated sDC40L. This study showed that although both groups had healed up on the last day of treatment, the study group developed a response indicative of early healing, sugesting that the NAC has acted in a manner adjunct to pentavalent antimony, being also proposed the use of the sCD40L molecule as a prognostic marker for visceral leishmaniasis. / Para que a quimioterapia possa resultar em cura, é importante que o sistema imune tenha condições e estímulos necessários ao desenvolvimento do perfil de citocinas adequado à resistência à doença e ao combate do agente etiológico. Estudos demonstram que o N-acetil-L-cisteína (NAC), uma substância antioxidante, contriubi para a imunoregulação de determinadas doenças. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os níveis séricos dos pacientes quanto à ação adjuvante do N-acetil-L-cisteína (NAC) na quimioterapia da leishmaniose visceral humana, feita com antimônio pentavalente. A partir de um estudo de intervenção, tipo ensaio clínico, cego, randomizado, foram investigados 60 pacientes do Hospital Universitário com diagnóstico positivo para leishmaniose visceral aguda. Esses pacientes foram distribuídos em dois grupos de 30: Grupo Estudo que fez uso do antimônio pentavalente dose padrão complementado com o N-acetil-L-cisteína (NAC) e o Grupo Controle - que fez uso apenas do antimônio dose padrão. Este trabalho foi aprovado pelo comitê de ética em pesquisa da UFS sob número CAAE 0151.0.107.000-07. Os pacientes selecionados e randomizados foram avaliados quanto aos parâmetros laboratoriais. Para avaliar as taxas de citocinas dos pacientes, foram realizadas dosagens dos níveis séricos de IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-12p40 e IL-12p70, sendo também dosada a molécula sCD40L antes, durante e após o tratamento, com uso do analisador LUMINEX 100. Os resultados sugerem que a adição do NAC ao tratamento convencional melhora as taxas das citocinas dos pacientes, sobretudo a diminuição dos níveis séricos de IL-10, IL-12p40 e na elevação de sDC40L. Este estudo mostrou que, apesar de ambos os grupos apresentarem-se curados no último dia do tratamento, o grupo estudo desenvolveu uma resposta indicativa de cura mais precocemente, sugerindo que o NAC tenha atuado de forma adjuvante ao antimônio pentavalente, sendo proposto ainda o uso da molecula sCD40L como um marcador prognóstico para a leishmaniose visceral.

Doctor Scientiae / In utero exposure to teratogens, increasing urbanization, rapid nutritional transition from poverty to affluence, adoption of a Western-style diet and physical inactivity have contributed to the growing obesity epidemic in the low-income countries. To investigate the associations between in utero exposure to alcohol and nicotine on the growth and development of children aged five years from a low-income setting. These effects will be observed in children aged five years as a reduced pancreas and kidney size, higher aorta and carotid intima thickness as well as higher visceral abdominal adiposity measurements.

OBJECTIVE: The key objective of the present investigation was to compare associations between sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), waist circumference, and BMI to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), along with fasting glucose, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR, in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The study also analyzed the effect of multiple covariates on the anthropometric and glucose metabolism associations. METHODS: A cross-sectional design, including 3,582 subjects, was used. SAD was assessed using an abdominal caliper. All other data were collected following strict NHANES protocol. The OGTT was the primary variable used to index glucose metabolism. Fasting glucose, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR were also evaluated. RESULTS: Mean ± SE values were as follows: SAD: 22.3 ± 0.1 cm; waist circumference: 98.0 ± 0.4 cm; BMI: 28.6 ± 0.2 kg/m2; OGTT: 113.9 ± 1.0 mg/dL; fasting glucose: 99.6 ± 0.3 mg/dL; HbA1c: 5.4 ± 0.01%; HOMA-IR: 3.2 ± 0.1. SAD consistently emerged as the best predictor of all the indices of glucose metabolism, before and after adjusting for the covariates, and with the sample stratified by gender, race, or age. SAD was not a better predictor of OGTT among normal weight adults and non-Hispanic black adults. CONCLUSION: Obesity, especially abdominal obesity, is strongly related to glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes. In the present study, SAD was the best anthropometric predictor of glucose metabolism, notwithstanding the high correlations among SAD, waist circumference, and BMI. Due to the ease of taking a SAD measurement, we recommend that healthcare providers consider the use of this simple and inexpensive method to more precisely predict diabetes risk, especially among overweight and obese adults.

Title: The effect of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on dental caries and periodontitis in adults and the relationship between alcohol intake and visceral fat in the elderly. Objectives: The aim of my master thesis was to assess the influence of alcoholic beverages and cigarette smoking on the risk of dental caries and periodontitis in adults. Another aim was to assess the relationship between alcohol intake and visceral fat in the elderly. Methods: The thesis is carried out as two independent cross-sectional studies. In the first study, gender differences were tested using the non-parametric Kolmogorov- Smirnov test. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed in kg and cigarettes smoked in pcs and the risk of dental caries or periodontitis. In the second study, body composition analysis was performed using the electrical bioimpedance method. Two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the hypotheses. In addition, a dot plot depicting the relationship between the amount of alcohol and visceral fat was created. Results: A total of 18 respondents took part in the first study, a survey. The results showed a high statistically significant correlation between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the risk of dental...

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Twenty-two young men and women of the 49thMilitary Police Brigade of the California National Guard were participants of our nutrition education and health assessment program. The California National Guard has expressed concern of unsatisfactory physical and nutritional status of their personnel related to a nutrition knowledge deficit as evidenced by preliminary data of insufficient dietary intake and poor nutrition knowledge assessment scores. Our program was designed to implement a nutrition intervention including education and evaluate its effectiveness in reducing Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) risk factors, improving body composition, and providing educational lessons intended to alter lifestyle. Baseline data was quantified and analyzed for statistical significance. Participants reported consuming less than average daily recommended calories and variable macronutrient % of recommended values (%Recommended). DXA analysis revealed high %Body Fat (BF), positively correlated with high values of Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) in both sexes. Statistical analyses identify HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and waist circumference as significant predictive variables of VAT, after adjusting for age and sex. Follow-up data from two participants was collected but excluded from statistical analysis due to small sample size. Exploratory (stepwise regression) analysis considering several predictive variables reveals HDL-C is the most significant predictor of VAT (p=0.0011), when waist circumference is excluded from the model, after correcting for age and sex. Waist circumference was excluded with the consideration that waist may be a surrogate measure for VAT. HDL-C seems to be the variable most strongly associated with VAT and HDL-C explains 67% of the variability of VAT (RSquared=0.6741) in the fit model after correcting for age and sex. While the impact of high HDL-C on improved body composition and reduction of cardiometabolic risk factors is well supported by literature, the significance of HDL-C on VAT deposition presented in our findings provokes continued research.

Ce travail porte sur la mise au point des nanocochléates intégrant à la fois l’amphotéricine B (AmB) et la miltéfosine (hexadécylphosphocholine, HePC) dotés de propriétés adéquates pour une administration par voie orale pour le traitement de la leishmaniose viscérale. Notre premier axe de recherche a été l’étude des interactions de l’AmB et de l’HePC avec les monocouches de lipides de DOPS (dioleoyl phosphatidylsérine) et de Cho (cholestérol) dans le développement de nanocochléates chargés avec ces deux principes actifs. Les résultats expérimentaux nous ont permis de déterminer le rapport drogue/lipides optimal pour la formulation des nanocochléates : 9DOPS/1Cho/0,5AmB/0,5HePC et de confirmer que dans la formulation de nanocochléates, l’AmB et l’HePC sont incorporés de façon stable et se situent au sein des bicouches lipidiques entre des lipides, plutôt que dans la phase aqueuse entre les bicouches.Notre second axe de recherche a porté sur la formulation et la caractérisation des nanocochléates chargés en AmB et en HePC. Ces nanocochléates ont été formulés à partir des liposomes unilamellaires encapsulant ces deux principes actifs. Les paramètres expérimentaux majeurs (taille de liposomes, proportion DOPS/1Cho) ont été optimisés. Les propriétés physico-chimiques des nanocochléates, telles que la taille, la charge de surface, la morphologie, le rendement d'encapsulation, l’organisation des principes actifs et la stabilité pendant le stockage au cours de temps ont été étudiées. En vue d'une formulation orale, la libération des principes actifs in vitro ainsi que la stabilité des nanocochléates in vitro dans les milieux gastro-intestinaux ont également été étudiés d’après la Pharmacopée des Etats-Unis. Enfin, une étude in vivo préliminaire chez le rat portant sur la pharmacocinétique plasmatique d'AmB après administration orale de nanocochléates chargés en AmB avec ou sans HePC en comparaison avec l’Ambisome® et la Fungizone® a été entamée. Les résultats préliminaires ont démontré une absorption significative par voie orale de l’AmB.Ce travail a permis de développer des nanocochléates avec des propriétés appropriées pour une formulation contenant à la fois l’AmB et l’HePC administrable par voie orale. Néanmoins, des optimisations restent à réaliser avant d’envisager une application clinique. / The aim of this work was to formulate nanocochleates containing both Amphotericin B (AmB) and miltefosine (hexadecylphosphocholine, HePC) with properties suitable for administration by the oral route for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. The first part of this work was a fundamental study of the interactions between AmB and HePC and monolayers of dioleylphosphatidylserine (DOPS) with or without cholesterol (Cho), to provide a basis for the formulation of nanocochleates containing the two active molecules. The results allowed us to define the optimal proportions for the formulation of nanocochleates: 9DOPS/1Cho/0.5AmB/0.5HePC and to predict that AmB and HePC would be incorporated stably into the formulation and would be located between the lipids in the bilayers rather than in the aqueous phase between the bilayers. The second part of the work was the formulation and characterization of nanococheates containing both AmB and HePC. These were derived from unilamellar liposomes containing the two active molecules. The crucial experimental parameters (size of the liposomes, ratio of DOPS to Cho) were optimized. The physico-chemical properties of the nanocochleates, such as the size, surface charge, morphology, encapsulation yield, the organization of the active molecules and the stability during long-term storage were studied. Since the formulation was destined for the oral route, in-vitro drug release and the stability of the nanocochleates in simulated gastro-intestinal media were studied according to the recommendations of the US Pharmacopeia. Finally, a preliminary in-vivo study of the plasma pharmacokinetics of AmB after oral gavage to rats of nanocochleates contained AmB with or without HePC, in comparison with AmBisome and Fungizone, was carried out. A significant oral absorption of AmB was observed. This work has led to the formulation of nanocochleates containing AmB and HePC with appropriate properties for oral administration. However, further optimization is necessary before such particles will be suitable for clinical use.

This study evaluated the changes in body composition, glycogen tissue reserves, visceral organ growth, and small intestine morphology in the young pig. A total of 96 crossbred pigs were euthanized at birth (pre-suckle), days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 14 postpartum, weaning at day 21, and days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 14, 28, and 42 post-weaning. Body composition of the pig had increasing dry matter and fat, decreasing ash, calcium and phosphorus, and relatively static protein percentage over the course of the study. Liver and muscle glycogen was greatest at birth. Following birth and weaning there was a distinct decrease in the amount of liver glycogen, while there was only a clear decrease in muscle glycogen at birth. Absolute measures of the visceral organs increased in a variety of manners (linear, quadratic and/or cubic); relative measures of visceral organs responded in different manners to increasing age. In the suckling period, villous height, villous height:crypt depth ratio, and goblet cell count was greater than in the post-weaning period. Crypt depth continued to increase through the entire study. Villi measurements of the middle and distal portion of the small intestine taken via scanning electron microscope, revealed different responses to increasing age, but numerically, villi width increased, villi density, enterocyte width, and microvilli density decreased, and microvilli diameter was relatively static. Villi, on average, increased the absorptive area of the small intestine 18 fold and microvilli increased the surface area on average 400 fold. This study provided a vast amount of biometric information on the development of the young pig from birth to 42 d post weaning.

Weight loss has been shown to significantly improve Adipose tissue (AT) function, however changes in AT gene expression profiles particularly in visceral AT (VAT) have not been systematically studied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that extensive weight loss in response to bariatric surgery (BS) causes AT gene expression changes, which may affect energy and lipid metabolism, inflammation and secretory function of AT. We assessed gene expression changes by whole genome expression chips in AT samples obtained from six morbidly obese individuals, who underwent a two step BS strategy with sleeve gastrectomy as initial and a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass as second step surgery after 12 ± 2 months. Global gene expression differences in VAT and subcutaneous (S)AT were analyzed through the use of genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) for adipocytes. Significantly altered gene expressions were PCR-validated in 16 individuals, which also underwent a two-step surgery intervention. We found increased expression of cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector a (CIDEA), involved in formation of lipid droplets in both fat depots in response to significant weight loss. We observed that expression of the genes associated with metabolic reactions involved in NAD+, glutathione and branched chain amino acid metabolism are significantly increased in AT depots after surgery-induced weight loss.