Effects of Pistachio Consumption in a Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention on Weight Change, Cardiometabolic Factors, and Dietary Intake.

Epidemiological studies have linked regular nut consumption with lower body mass index and reduced likelihood of weight gain in adulthood. Nuts can displace other foods in the diet, and thus, promote a healthier dietary pattern. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pistachio nut consumption in overweight/obese adults. This randomized controlled study enrolled non-diabetic overweight/obese adults (n = 100) assigned to a 4-month behavioral weight loss intervention only group (controls) or also prescribed 1.5 oz/day (42 g/day) of pistachios (pistachio group). Outcomes were change in body weight, cardiometabolic factors, and dietary intake. Percent weight change was similar in the two groups (-5.1 [0.5] (mean [SE])% in the control group and -4.9 [0.6]% in the pistachio group, and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were reduced in both groups (time effect p ≤ 0.05). The pistachio group (but not the control group) exhibited a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (time effect p = 0.01). Plasma alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein concentrations increased significantly in the pistachio group (time effect p < 0.05). Pistachio consumption was associated with increased dietary fiber intake and decreased consumption of sweets. Regular consumption of pistachios was associated with a comparable degree of weight loss, and similar reductions in BMI and waist circumference, in overweight/obese men and women compared to controls, and favorable changes in the diet, in the context of a behavioral weight loss intervention.

Challenges in detection and treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam is ranked 14(th) among 27 countries with high burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In 2009, the Vietnamese government issued a policy on MDR-TB called Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) to enhance and scale up diagnosis and treatment services for MDR-TB. Here we assess the PMDT performance in 2013 to determine the challenges to the successful identification and enrollment for treatment of MDR-TB in Vietnam. METHODS: In 35 provinces implementing PMDT, we quantified the number of MDR-TB presumptive patients tested for MDR-TB by Xpert MTB/RIF and the number of MDR-TB patients started on second-line treatment. In addition, existing reports and documents related to MDR-TB policies and guidelines in Vietnam were reviewed, supplemented with focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with MDR-TB key staff members. RESULTS: 5,668 (31.2 %) of estimated 18,165 MDR-TB presumptive cases were tested by Xpert MTB/RIF and second-line treatment was provided to 948 out of 5100 (18.7 %) of MDR-TB patients. Those tested for MDR-TB were 340/3224 (10.5 %) of TB-HIV co-infected patients and 290/2214 (13.1 %) of patients who remained sputum smear-positive after 2 and 3 months of category I TB regimen. Qualitative findings revealed the following challenges to detection and enrollment of MDR-TB in Vietnam: insufficient TB screening capacity at district hospitals where TB units were not available and poor communication and implementation of policy changes. Instructions for policy changes were not always received, and training was inconsistent between training courses. The private sector did not adequately report MDR-TB cases to the NTP. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of MDR-TB patients diagnosed and enrolled for second-line treatment is less than 20 % of the estimated total. The low enrollment is largely due to the fact that many patients at risk are missed for MDR-TB screening. In order to detect more MDR-TB cases, Vietnam should intensify case finding of MDR-TB by a comprehensive strategy to screen for MDR-TB among new cases rather than targeting previously treated cases, in particular those with HIV co-infection and contacts of MDR-TB patients, and should engage the private sector in PMDT.