PURPOSE: To examine whether there is an association between early menarche and factors including BMI and dietary intake of calcium, phosphorus, total fat, fiber, and fatty acids, using data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).METHODS: Secondary analysis of NHANES III (2001-2002) interview and examination data on a total of 640 subjects, aged between 12 and 16 years, who had not used hormonal contraception prior to menarche. Early menarche was defined as the first period occurring prior to age 12. Nutritional information was taken from the individual foods files on the interview sections of the NHANES III data.RESULTS. We found negative associations between early menarche and daily tetradecanoic acid intake (p-value = .0263), White (non-Hispanic) race/ethnicity (p-value = .0025), and subject age of 12 (p-value = .0058) and 13 (p-value = .0025). Higher BMI acted as a significant effect modifier favoring early menarche among non-Hispanic Black participants. No association was found between early menarche and intake of calcium, phosphorus, total fat, free fatty acids other than tetradecanoic, or fiber.CONCLUSIONS. Dietary intake of one saturated fatty acid, tetradecanoic (myristic), was found to predict early menarche, as were age and race/ethnicity. Further investigation is warranted into dietary intake of myristic acid and its relationship to reproductive development. Higher BMI's effect of strengthening the association between Black, non-Hispanic race and early menarche supports the need for targeting public health education on nutrition and exercise on this minority group.

Midlife women are vulnerable to developing obesity. Both sleep timing and negative emotion are risk factors, yet limited research has explored their role on weight outcomes in this population. The current investigation explored the association of sleep timing (i.e., mean sleep time, sleep time variability) and obesity (i.e., BMI, waist circumference) in midlife women, considering emotional pathways (i.e., depressive symptoms, anger) that might mediate this association. PROCESS parallel mediation models assessed direct and indirect pathways. In follow-up analyses, sleep duration was explored as an indirect pathway linking sleep timing to obesity. Results demonstrated that sleep timing does not directly predict obesity. Emotion was also not a significant indirect pathway. Conversely, sleep duration emerged as an indirect link in the sleep timing and obesity association. Future work is needed to further disentangle the impact of sleep on weight in midlife women using prospective, well-controlled studies, implementing daily assessments of sleep behavior.

Les rapports scientifiques l’attestent, la progression de l’obésité serait irrémédiable. Elle ferait peser sur la santé des individus des risques considérables et menacerait de faire imploser notre système de santé. Ce constat alarmant, a conduit les autorités publiques à prendre le problème à bras le corps. Par sa place centrale dans le dispositif des soins, il est demandé à l’hôpital de s’organiser pour répondre à ce véritable tsunami sanitaire. Or, la réalité hospitalière offre un étonnant contraste. La maladie semble apparemment invisible dans les services de soins. Dans le domaine des pathologies reliées aux troubles du comportement alimentaire, l’obésité ne serait pas « première ». Elle serait plutôt une maladie « secondaire ». En dehors des Centres Hospitaliers Universitaires, ou des centres spécialisés, elle ne concernerait en définitive que très peu d’établissements hospitaliers. Mais, dans ces établissements où l’obésité a été visibilisée, le modèle hospitalier actuel polarisé sur la rationalité des soins, les progrès scientifiques et la performance médicale autour de plateaux techniques imposants, est bousculé. Dans un contexte d’intensification du travail hospitalier et de changement des modes de financement, la prise en charge de l’obésité impose à ces institutions d’engager une réflexion sur les pratiques professionnelles en s’ouvrant à l’environnement hospitalier. De nouvelles formes de coopération apparaissent avec des acteurs locaux qui assurent aux sujets obèses le maintien des liens sociaux et qui participent à la prévention du développement de la maladie. / Scientific reports indicate that the progression of obesity is irremediable. It represents a considerable health risk for individuals and threatens our health system with collapse. This alarming fact has led the public authorities to tackle the problem head-on. In view of their central position in the care system, hospital is required to organize in order to respond to this veritable healthcare tsunami. The situation of hospital does, however, offer an astonishing contrast. The illness appears to be invisible in the healthcare services. In the field of eating disorders, obesity is not in the foreground. It is a “secondary” disease. Outside university hospitals, or specialized centers, it is only of concern to very few hospitals. In those establishments in which obesity has been given a high profile, though, the current hospital model, focused on rational healthcare, scientific progress and medical performance involving impressive technical platforms, is being shaken up. In a scenario of increased hospital work and of changes in funding mechanisms, dealing with obesity obliges these institutions to reflect on professional practices, opening up to their environment. New forms of cooperation are created with local agents who ensure the maintenance of social connections for obese patients and who help to prevent the disease from developing.

The main objective of my thesis was evaluate the two-month motion reduction program by determining changes in body fat of fitness clients. The study included a total of 61 persons from that 29 men and 32 women. Used were basic anthropometric methods - calliperation method and calculation of percent body fat according to Pařízková, bioelectric impedance BIA, calculating the percentage of body fat according to Deurenberg and BMI. The study foresees reduction program success (reduction in body weight, body fat and BMI values for all participants of the investigation file), the possibility of using regression equations establishing the percentage of body fat in terms of fitness, improvement of physical and mental well-being of clients and increasing the motivation for the next sport activities. Keywords: body fat, %fat Pařízková, %fat Deurenberg, BIA, BMI

The theoretical part of this thesis aims to summarize the knowledge of anthropological measurements, national anthropological research, and scoliosis from the available sources of information. The research part of the thesis consists in measurements of height, weight and Adams' angle of 540 primary school pupils in Hoštka and Štětí. The resulting data are compared with national anthropological research of 2001. The measured values are further statistically analyzed and confronted with the data in scientific literature. Key words: anthropological measurements, growth spurt, BMI, scoliosis, Adams' angle

The prevalence of obesity has doubled over the past 25 years in the United States, particularly in North Carolina. Obesity is influenced by biological, social, and environmental factors; its prevalence has been found to be higher among African American women and other racial ethnic minorities. Guided by the social ecological model, the purpose of this cross sectional study was to examine the relationship of the psycho-social, psycho-behavioral factors, and body mass index levels (BMI) in African American women living in North Carolina versus their Hispanic American and European American counterparts. A logistic regression model using secondary data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System revealed a significant association in income levels, house hold size, dietary intake, physical activity, and increased BMI levels in African American women. African American women were significantly more likely to be obese (r = 0.93 p > 0.05) compared to European American and Hispanic American women. The association of each variable to BMI assessed for African American women was as follows: income (r = 0.46, p = 0.001), dietary intake (r = 0.-17, p = 0.04), household size (r = 0.57, p = 0.001), physical activity (r = -0.16, p = 0.05), depression (r = 0.37, p = 0.001), and alcohol consumption (r = 0.39, p = 0.001). A culturally sensitive weight loss model addressing the psycho-behavioral and psychosocial risk factors that negatively influence BMI and subsequently obesity is warranted for African American women living in North Carolina to promote social change and decrease the incidence of obesity in this ethnic group.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy of antibody producing plasmablasts/plasma cells. MM is characterized by extensive genetic and clonal heterogeneity, which have hampered the attempts to identify a common underlying mechanism for disease establishment and development of appropriate treatment regimes. This thesis is focused on understanding the role of epigenetic regulation of gene expression mediated by the polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 (PRC1 and 2) in MM and their impact on disease biology and therapy. In paper I the genome-wide distribution of two histone methylation marks; H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 were studied in plasma cells isolated from newly diagnosed MM patients or age-matched normal donors. We were able to define targets of H3K27me3, H3K4me3 and bivalent (carry both marks) which are, when compared to normal individuals, unique to MM patients. The presence of H3K27me3 correlated with silencing of MM unique H3K27me3 targets in MM patients at advanced stages of the disease. Notably, the expression pattern of H3K27me3-marked genes correlated with poor patient survival. We also showed that inhibition of the PRC2 enzymatic subunit EZH2 using highly selective inhibitors (GSK343 and UNC1999) demonstrated anti-myeloma activity using relevant in vitro models of MM. These data suggest an important role for gene repression mediated by PRC2 in MM, and highlights the PRC2 component EZH2 as a potential therapeutic target in MM. In paper II we further explored the therapeutic potential of UNC1999, a highly selective inhibitor of EZH2 in MM. We showed that EZH2 inhibition by UNC1999 downregulated important MM oncogenes; IRF-4, XBP-1, BLIMP-1and c-MYC. These oncogenes have been previously shown to be crucial for disease establishment, growth and progression. We found that EZH2 inhibition reactivated the expression of microRNAs genes previously found to be underexpressed in MM and which possess potential tumor suppressor functions. Among the reactivated microRNAs we identified miR-125a-3p and miR-320c as predicted negative regulators of the MM-associated oncogenes. Notably, we defined miR-125a-3p and miR-320c as targets of EZH2 and H3K27me3 in MM cell lines and patients samples.  These findings described for the first time PRC2/EZH2/H3K27me3 as regulators of microRNA with tumor suppressor functions in MM. This further strengthens the oncogenic features of EZH2 and its potential as a therapeutic target in MM. In paper III we evaluated the therapeutic potential of targeting PRC1 in MM using the recently developed chemical PTC-209; an inhibitor targeting the BMI-1 subunit of PRC1. Using MM cell lines and primary cells isolated from newly diagnosed or relapsed MM patients, we found that PTC-209 has a potent anti-MM activity. We showed, for the first time in MM, that PTC-209 anti-MM effects were mediated by on-target effects i.e. downregulation of BMI-1 protein and the associated repressive histone mark H2AK119ub, but that other subunits of the PRC1 complex were not affected. We showed that PTC-209 reduced MM cell viability via significant induction of apoptosis. More importantly, we demonstrated that PTC-209 shows synergistic anti-MM activity with other epigenetic inhibitors targeting EZH2 (UNC1999) and BET-bromodomains (JQ1). This work highlights the potential use of BMI-1 and PRC1 as potential therapeutic targets in MM alone or in combination with other anti-MM agents including epigenetic inhibitors.

Inledning: Hälsoprofilbedömning™ (HPB) är en tvärvetenskaplig metod med förankring i såväl medicin, fysiologi och beteendevetenskap. Resultat från gjorda Hälsoprofilbedömningar åren 2011-2014 har möjliggjort skapandet av HPI Databas, som innehöll ca 100 000 tillgängliga HPB vilket bildade grunden för statistisk analys av ett antal hälsovariabler. Syfte och frågeställningar: Studien hade två huvudsakliga syften. Det ena var att undersöka vilka som deltagit i HPB, hur dessa deltagare skiljde sig från det svenska folket (utifrån selekterade bakgrunds- och hälsovariabler) och om HPI Databas kan anses vara representativ för det svenska folket. Fråga 1 sökte därför besvara huruvida deltagarna i HPI Databas skiljde sig från det svenska folket utifrån 12 variabler fördelade på 4 kategorier. Det andra syftet var att undersöka sambandet mellan hälsovanor och hälsoupplevelser respektive hälsodata. Fråga 2 och 3 berörde därför vilka statistiska samband som förelåg mellan några hälsovanor (motion, kost, rökning) och hälsoupplevelser (upplevd stress, trötthet och hälsa) respektive hälsodata (BMI, O2 ml·kg-1·min-1, midjeomfång, blodtryck) inom HPI Databas. Metod: Design: Tvärsnittsstudie. Resultat baserades på statistiska jämförelser samt analyser av kvantifierade hälsovariabler. Studieobjektet var HPI Databas (2011-2014). I studiens första del (Frågeställning 1) användes olika jämförelseunderlag som ansågs vara representativa för det svenska folket. För denna del selekterades specifika frågor och variabler från HPI Databas för att kunna jämföra med respektive underlag. För frågeställning 2 och 3 användes olika former av regressionsanalys som statistisk metod. Resultat: Fråga 1: Deltagarna i HPI Databas skilde sig signifikant från jämförelseunderlaget genom mindre rökning, mindre upplevd stress, högre upplevd hälsa, lägre blodtryck och högre O2 ml·kg-1·min-1. . Däremot hade dessa deltagare signifikant högre BMI och större midjeomfång. Variablerna motion, kost och upplevd trötthet bedömdes ej vara jämförbara. Fråga 2 och 3: Hälsosamma motions- och kostvanor uppvisade överlag positiva korrelationer med positiva hälsoupplevelser och hälsodata. Kostvanor uppvisade starkast koppling till BMI och midjeomfång, medan motionsvanor korrelerade starkast med O2 ml·kg-1·min-1. Bägge uppvisade små, men signifikanta, samband med (lägre) blodtryck. Rökning var en svårtolkad variabel, med flera tvetydiga fynd som kan bero på rökningens effekter på nervsystemet. Konklusion: Det gick ej att avgöra huruvida HPI Databas kan anses vara representativ för det svenska folket. Signifikanta samband förelåg mellan motions- respektive kostvanor och hälsoupplevelser samt hälsodata. Samband relaterade till rökning var överlag tvetydiga. / Introduction: Health Profile Assessment™ (HPB) is an interdisciplinary method with roots in several scientific disciplines; medicine, physiology and behavioral science. Data from HPBs conducted during the years 2011-2014 have enabled the creation of HPI Databas (Database), a database that (at the time of this study) contained approximately 100 000 HPBs. Purpose and Issues: This study had two main purposes. The first was to examine the group of people who've participated in HPB during this period of time, how these participants differed from the Swedish population and if HPI Databas can be considered representative of the Swedish population: Issue 1 sought to answer if and how HPI Databas differed from the Swedish population on the basis of 12 variables divided into 4 categories. The second purpose was to investigate the relationship between health habits, health experiences and health data: Issues 2 and 3 sought to investigate the statistical relationships between a few selected health habits (exercise, diet, smoking), health experiences (perceived stress, fatigue, health) and health data (BMI, O2 ml·kg-1·min-1, waist circumference, blood pressure) within HPI Databas. Method: The chosen method for this study was a cross-sectional design and was based on statistical comparisons and analyzes of quantified health variables. The studied object was HPI Databas. The study's first part used varying sources for comparison that were considered to be representative of the Swedish population. For this part specific questions were selected and cut-offs for each variable were specified in order to make the variables comparable. For issues 2 and 3 different types of regression analysis were selected as the statistical method. Results: Issue 1: Participants from HPI Databas smoked less than the average Swedish citizen, perceived less stress and better overall health, had lower blood pressure and better O2 ml·kg-1·min-1. However, their BMI and waist circumference were greater than average. Exercise, dietary habits and perceived fatigue proved to be non-comparable. Issues 2 and 3: Healthy exercise and dietary habits showed overall positive correlation with positive health experiences and health data. Dietary habits showed the strongest connection to BMI and waist circumference, while exercise habits had the strongest connection to O2 ml·kg-1·min-1. Both correlated with (lower) blood pressure. Smoking proved to be a difficult variable to interpret, with several equivocal findings that may stem from how smoking affects the nervous system. Conclusion: It is unclear whether or not HPI Databas is representative of the Swedish population. Significant relationships were found between exercise- and dietary habits, and health experiences and health data. Relationships related to smoking were equivocal overall.

STUDENT NUMBER: 0301561E MASTERS OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF HUMANITIES-DISCIPLINE OF SPECIALISED EDUCATION / The purpose of this study was to examine whether: actual and ideal body mass index (BMI) scores, perception of a weight problem, racial identity, physical exercise, weight control behaviour and stage of pubertal development predict levels of global self-esteem in average academic achieving English speaking middle-class adolescent females. The sample consisted of 90 females, ranging in age from 13 years 3 months to 18 years 7 months who were attending Benoni High School. BMI was measured and desired BMI based on self-reported weight and height. Self-perception of having a weight problem was evaluated by one question: “Do you see yourself as having a weight problem?” Self-esteem was measured in two ways: firstly participants completed the Rosenburg Self-esteem Scale and secondly homeroom teachers were asked to give a score of global self-esteem. A significant association was found between global self-esteem and: a perceived weight problem, actual BMI and race. No significant association was found between global self-esteem and: weight control behaviour; physical exercise, age of menarcheal onset and ideal BMI. KEY WORDS Global self-esteem, adolescent females, BMI, racial identity, weight control behaviour, physical exercise and pubertal development

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maristela dos Reis Souza.pdf: 484726 bytes, checksum: cb8be85e00b93024a2c288ee4bf1df38 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Possessing a Body Mass Index (BMI) categorized as obese and taking care of physical appearance may be two irreconcilable characteristics among fat individuals. Therefore, the overall objective of this research is to understand what type of relation exists between the body weight of these individuals and the act of acquiring and wearing clothes. This research uses the concept of persona from Jungian Psychology to understand this issue in a psychological perspective. The methodology used involves semi-structured interviews and the measurement of the Body Mass Index of 40 males and 40 females, distributed between five BMI categories: normal range, overweight and obesity classes I, II and III. The data was analyzed by crossing the closed questions that stood out in terms of percentage with the verbalizations of the participants aimed at justifying their choices. We have found a linear relation between the BMI and the following variables: the feeling of exclusion, difficulty in finding clothes of adequate size and dissatisfaction with body weight. Worrying about body weight causes suffering not only in participants with obese BMI, but also in participants with normal BMI and overweight BMI / Possuir índice de massa corporal obesidade e ser cuidadoso com sua aparência física podem ser características pessoais inconciliáveis para os indivíduos gordos. Assim, o objetivo geral da pesquisa foi compreender qual é o tipo de relação existente entre o peso corporal dos indivíduos e a aquisição e uso de roupas. A pesquisa utiliza o conceito de persona provindo na Psicologia Junguiana a fim de compreender esta relação dentro do ponto de vista psicológico. O método da pesquisa consiste na entrevista semi-aberta e na mensuração do índice de massa corporal de 40 homens e 40 mulheres distribuídos entre cinco categorias do IMC: normal, sobrepeso, e obesidade classes I, II e III. Os dados foram analisados a partir do cruzamento entre as questões fechadas que mais destacaram percentualmente e o discurso emitido pelos participantes ao justificar sua escolha. Encontramos uma relação linear entre o IMC e as três variáveis: sentimento de exclusão, dificuldade para achar roupas de tamanhos adequados e insatisfação com o peso corporal. A preocupação com o peso corporal no ato de vestir-se gera sofrimento não só para os participantes com IMC obesidade, mas também para os participantes com IMC normal e IMC sobrepeso