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Purpose . This project examined potential changes in health behaviors following wellness coaching. Design . In a single cohort study design, wellness coaching participants were recruited in 2011, data were collected through July 2012, and were analyzed through December 2013. Items in the study questionnaire used requested information about 11 health behaviors, self-efficacy for eating, and goal-setting skills. Setting . Worksite wellness center. Participants . One-hundred employee wellness center members with an average age of 42 years; 90% were female and most were overweight or obese. Intervention . Twelve weeks of in-person, one-on-one wellness coaching. Method . Participants completed study questionnaires when they started wellness coaching (baseline), after 12 weeks of wellness coaching, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results . From baseline to week 12, these 100 wellness coaching participants improved their self-reported health behaviors (11 domains, 0- to 10-point scale) from an average of 6.4 to 7.7 (p < .001), eating self-efficacy from an average of 112 to 142 (on a 0- to 180-point scale; p < .001), and goal-setting skills from an average of 49 to 55 (on a 16- to 80-point scale; p < .001). Conclusion . These results suggest that participants improved their current health behaviors and learned skills for continued healthy living. Future studies that use randomized controlled trials are needed to establish causality for wellness coaching.

Objective: To learn more about the potential psychosocial benefits of wellness coaching. Although wellness coaching is increasing in popularity, there are few published outcome studies., Patients and Methods: In a single-cohort study design, 100 employees who completed the 12-week wellness coaching program were of a mean age of 42 years, 90% were women, and most were overweight or obese. Three areas of psychosocial functioning were assessed: quality of life (QOL; 5 domains and overall), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and perceived stress level (Perceived Stress Scale-10). Participants were recruited from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011; data were collected up to July 31, 2012, and were analyzed from August 1, 2012, through October 31, 2013., Results: These 100 wellness coaching completers exhibited significant improvements in all 5 domains of QOL and overall QOL (P<.0001), reduced their level of depressive symptoms (P<.0001), and reduced their perceived stress level (P<.001) after 12 weeks of in-person wellness coaching, and they maintained these improvements at the 24-week follow-up., Conclusion: In this single-arm cohort study (level 2b evidence), participating in wellness coaching was associated with improvement in 3 key areas of psychosocial functioning: QOL, mood, and perceived stress level. The results from this single prospective cohort study suggest that these areas of functioning improve after participating in wellness coaching; however, randomized clinical trials involving large samples of diverse individuals are needed to establish level 1 evidence for wellness coaching., (Copyright © 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To identify client priorities prior to wellness coaching, and examine motivational improvements for health behaviors on follow-up., Methods: Clients completed a wellness questionnaire at baseline (before coaching) and at a 3-month follow-up. Overall, 177 participants (92% female, average age 42.9 (SD 11.2) years) were included in the analysis. Clients indicated priorities for coaching, and levels of importance, confidence, and readiness to change within each domain were compared between baseline and follow-up., Results: Participants identified weight management as their top priority and successfully reduced their BMI. Participants also demonstrated significant improvements in motivation and confidence in most health behavior domains., Conclusions: These results provide further support for the effectiveness of wellness coaching for weight management and for improving motivational readiness for behavior change.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is an issue that affects 350 million people worldwide. Traditional approaches have been to identify depressive symptoms in datasets, but recently, research is beginning to explore the association between psychosocial factors such as those on the quality of life scale and mental well-being, which will lead to earlier diagnosis and prediction of MDD. In this research, an ensemble binary classifier is proposed to analyse health survey data against ground truth from the SF-20 Quality of Life scales. The classifier aims to improve the performance of machine learning techniques on large datasets and identify depressed cases based on associations between items on the QoL scale and mental illness by increasing predictive performance. On the experimental evaluation on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the classifier demonstrated an F1 score of 0.976 in the prediction, without any incorrectly identified depression instances. Only about 4% of instances had been mistakenly classified into depressed cases, with a significant accuracy of 95.4% comparing to the result from PHQ-9 mental screen inventory. The presented ensemble binary classifier performed comparably better than each baseline algorithm in all measures and all experiments. We trained the ensemble model on the processed NHANES dataset, tested and evaluated the results of its performance against mental screen inventory and discussed the comparable predictions. Finally, we provided future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes development of a theory to guide nurses promoting perinatal weight self-management behaviors. The Coaching for Childbearing Health (CoaCH) Model was developed through synthesis of the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory with Transitions Theory, following Walker and Avant's process of theory synthesis. Qualitative data were integrated to provide perinatal context. The CoaCH Model is composed of context factors that shape a nurse coaching intervention, supporting patients' self-management efforts. Sustained engagement in weight self-management behaviors will impact the long-term health of both the birthing person and the child. This model is a testable framework for future perinatal health promotion efforts., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The high prevalence of stress at the workplace has been well documented; however, few studies have investigated the efficacy of worksite resiliency programs. Therefore, the objective of this project was to examine the impact of a worksite resilience training program on improving resiliency and health behaviors in healthcare employees. Methods: Between 2012 and 2016, 137 adult wellness center members of a healthcare institution participating in a singlearm cohort study of a 12-week resiliency training program were assessed at baseline, end of intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Statistically significant (p ≤ .01) improvements were seen at the end of the intervention and extending to 3 months follow-up for resiliency, perceived stress, anxiety level, quality of life, and health behaviors. Conclusions: These results support the premise that worksite programs designed to improve resiliency in healthcare employees have efficacy in improving resiliency, quality of life and health behaviors. Given the importance of stress and burnout in healthcare employees, future randomized studies are warranted to determine more clearly the impacts of this type of resiliency intervention for improving the wellness of healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Few studies have evaluated exercise interventions for smokers with depression or other psychiatric comorbidities. This pilot study evaluated the potential role of supervised vigorous exercise as a smoking cessation intervention for depressed females.Methods: Thirty adult women with moderate-severe depressive symptoms were enrolled and randomly assigned to 12 weeks of thrice weekly, in person sessions of vigorous intensity supervised exercise at a YMCA setting (EX; n = 15) or health education (HE; n = 15). All participants received behavioral smoking cessation counseling and nicotine patch therapy. Assessments were done in person at baseline, at the end of 12 weeks of treatment, and at 6 months post-target quit date. Primary end points were exercise adherence (proportion of 36 sessions attended) and biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence at Week 12. Biomarkers of inflammation were explored for differences between treatment groups and between women who smoked and those abstinent at Week 12.Results: Treatment adherence was high for both groups (72% for EX and 66% for HE; p = .55). The Week 12 smoking abstinence rate was higher for EX than HE (11/15 [73%] vs. 5/15 [33%]; p = .028), but no significant differences emerged at 6-month follow-up. Interleukin-6 levels increased more for those smoking than women abstinent at Week 12 (p = .040).Conclusions: Vigorous intensity supervised exercise is feasible and enhances short-term smoking cessation among depressed female smokers. Innovative and cost-effective strategies to bolster long-term exercise adherence and smoking cessation need evaluation in this population. Inflammatory biomarkers could be examined in future research as mediators of treatment efficacy.Implications: This preliminary study found that vigorous intensity supervised exercise is feasible and enhances short-term smoking cessation among depressed female smokers. This research addressed an important gap in the field. Despite decades of research examining exercise interventions for smoking cessation, few studies were done among depressed smokers or those with comorbid psychiatric disorders. A novel finding was increases in levels of a pro-inflammatory biomarker observed among women who smoked at the end of the intervention compared to those who did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coaching is proposed to raise a patient's awareness and responsibility for their health behaviour change by transforming the professional-patient relationship. Objective: To review the scientific literature on how coaching can assist in weight loss and improve a patient's state of health. Methodology: An integrative literature search was performed using PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, and Scientific Electronic Library Online. We selected articles that were published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish over the last 10 years. Data analysis was performed using a validated data collection instrument. Results: Among the 289 articles identified in the search, 276 were excluded because they did not address the leading research question, their full texts were not available on the Internet, or they were duplicate publications. Therefore, for the analysis, we selected 13 articles that we classified as randomized clinical studies (46.15%; n=6), cohort studies (30.76%; n=4), crosssectional studies (7.69%; n=1), case studies (7.69%; n=1), and review articles (7.69%; n=1). Joint intervention (combined in-person and telecoaching sessions) constituted the majority of session types. The use of technical coaching was superior in reducing anthropometric measurements and increasing the levels of motivation and personal satisfaction compared with formal health education alone. Conclusion: Coaching is an efficient, cost-effective method for combining formal education and treatment of health in the weight-loss process. Additional randomized studies are needed to demonstrate its effectiveness with respect to chronic disease indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a significant public health problem and innovative treatments are needed. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of a combined treatment of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and lorcaserin on weight loss, health quality of life (QOL) measures, and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Forty-five overweight and obese adult participants with a body mass index (BMI) >26.9 and <40 were randomized to receive LLLT, lorcaserin, or a combination of the two therapies. All study participants received treatment for 3 months and were followed for 3 months post-treatment. Participants were recruited from June 2014 through September 2014. Results: The majority of the 44 participants accrued to this study were female (84%) with an average age of 43. 9 years (range 22 to 64 years). Most participants (93% LLLT alone, 87% LLLT + lorcaserin) completed at least 80% of the LLLT treatments. From baseline to end of treatment, significant reductions in waist circumference were noted for each treatment group (-2.3 ± 4.1 cm, -6.0 ± 7.3 cm, and -4.0 ± 5.5 cm for LLLT, lorcaserin and combination respectively); however, the reduction in body weight was only significant in those receiving lorcaserin and combination treatment (-0.4 ± 1.5 kg, -1.3 ± 1.2 kg and -1.3 ± 1.3 kg). No significant differences were noted between the groups. Self-reported satisfaction was higher in the lorcaserin versus the LLLT group. Conclusion: This small pilot demonstrates that when combined with behavioral intervention, Lorcaserin and LLLT may be effective components of a comprehensive approach to the treatment of overweight and obesity in the clinical setting. Further studies with larger sample size and longer duration of treatment and follow-up are needed to further address efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the impact of a worksite wellness champions program on the workplace culture of health and wellness. It discusses on the development of such wellness program at an integrated healthcare organization, the development of the program led by two worksite wellness professionals and findings on the benefits from the participation in wellness champion activities such as increased overall health and wellness, change in lifestyle habits and improved work atmosphere.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of iDose4 hybrid iterative reconstruction algorithm (Philips Healthcare, Cleveland, OH) on radiation dose and image quality in chest-abdomen-pelvis (CAP) CT scanning of adult patients. Methods: CAP CT examinations were performed on 99 patients with the use of the "old standard" protocol performing filtered back projection reconstruction algorithm (FBP protocol) and on 84 patients with the use of iDose4 protocol on a 64-multidetector CT. Patients were subdivided into three weight groups (Group 1, 41-60 kg; Group 2, 61-90 kg; and Group 3, >90kg). Volume CT dose index and dose length product (DLP) were recorded, while effective dose was calculated from DLP measurements. Objective image noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated. Two radiologists reviewed images to evaluate image quality. Results: Compared with the FBP protocol, there was an overall 46.5% significant decrease in effective dose with the use of iDose4 protocol. Conclusion: Objective image quality was higher in iDose4 images than in FBP images. Subjective image noise, sharpness, contrast and diagnostic confidence scores tended to be better for iDose4 protocol at the decreased radiation exposure level. Artefacts were minor for both protocols. Advances in knowledge: Our results suggest that the iterative acquisition protocol provides great potential for reducing radiation exposure and maintaining or improving image quality in CAP CT examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the use of 1-methyl-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model in treating parkinsonian syndrome on horses. It mentions that the said treatment will lessen the effects of poisoning cause by ingestion of yellow star thistle, which affects the brain of the horses. Moreover, it features the insights of Fred Mettler, professor in laboratory of experimental neurology at Columbia University in New York City regarding the study.

Abstract. The purpose of the present study was to compare scintimammography using technetium-99m hexakis 2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) with that using [sup 99m]Tc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HMDP) in the detection of breast cancer and its axillary lesions. The study population comprised 50 consecutive females with breast cancer who were scheduled for surgery. All patients underwent scintimammography with [sup 99m]Tc-MIBI and [sup 99m]Tc-HMDP. The images were acquired 5 min (early) and 2 h (delayed) after injection of each radiopharmaceutical. Regions of interest were placed over the breast tumour (T), the axillary lesion (A) and the normal ipsilateral breast tissue (N). The two count ratios were calculated, i.e. the tumour to normal breast tissue ratio (T/N) and the axillary lymph node to normal breast tissue ratio (A/N). For the breast tumours, using [sup 99m]Tc-MIBI the positive rate was 86% (43/50) for the early and 72% (36/50) for the delayed images. The corresponding values using [sup 99m]Tc-HMDP were 72% (36/50) and 40% (20/50), respectively. Histopathological examination revealed metastatic lymph node involvement in 22 patients. For the axillary lesions, using [sup 99m]Tc-MIBI the positive rate was 72.7% (16/22) for the early and 54.5% (12/22) for the delayed images. Using [sup 99m]Tc-HMDP, the positive rate was only 18.2% (4/22) for the early and 4.5% (1/22) for the delayed images. Using [sup 99m]Tc-MIBI, the mean T/N (+/-SD) ratios on early and delayed images were 2.69+/-1.64 and 2.03+/-1.16, respectively, and the mean A/N... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criticizes the United States Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiment's recommendations ruling out apology or compensation. Ethical evaluation of US government-funded radiation experiments; Construction of ethical loopholes; History of informed consent standards in human subject research.

Quantifying radiation-induced cancer risks associated with radiological examinations is not easy, which has resulted in much controversy. We can clarify the situation by distinguishing between higher dose examinations, such as CT, positron emission tomography-CT or fluoroscopically guided interventions, and lower dose "conventional" X-ray examinations. For higher dose examinations, the epidemiological data, from atomic bomb survivors exposed to low doses and from direct epidemiological studies of paediatric CT, are reasonably consistent, suggesting that we do have a reasonable quantitative understanding of the individual risks: in summary, very small but unlikely to be zero. For lower dose examinations, we have very little data, and the situation is much less certain, however, the collective dose from these lower dose examinations is comparatively unimportant from a public health perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]