Correlation between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate variability among young overweight adults.

Objective: Cardiac autonomic function assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive, quantitative, and reliable marker of measurement. An altered cardiac autonomic function among overweight individuals predisposes them to a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The present study aims to determine the correlation between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate variability among young overweight adults. Methods: A total of 45 participants (23 men and 22 women) were enrolled in the cross-sectional study with inclusion criteria as follows: aged between 18-30 years, body mass index (kg/m2) between 25-29.9 kg/m2, and without any known or diagnosed medical condition. Physical activity level and cardiorespiratory fitness were measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and Bruce treadmill protocol test, respectively. Cardiac autonomic function was measured using a 5-min short-term heart rate variability recording. The time and frequency domain measures of HRV were used for analysis. Results: The mean age of study participants was 22.53 ± 1.58 years and mean body mass index was 27.38 ± 1.51 kg/m2. Among young overweight adults, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity were not correlated with Root mean square of successive RR interval differences, Percentage of successive RR intervals that differ by more than 50 ms, and Ratio of LF [ms2]/HF [ms2]. Conclusion: The study found no correlation between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness with heart rate variability among young overweight individuals.

The Single Cigarette Economy in India--a Back of the Envelope Survey to Estimate its Magnitude.

BACKGROUND: Sale of single cigarettes is an important factor for early experimentation, initiation and persistence of tobacco use and a vital factor in the smoking epidemic in India as it is globally. Single cigarettes also promote the sale of illicit cigarettes and neutralises the effect of pack warnings and effective taxation, making tobacco more accessible and affordable to minors. This is the first study to our knowledge which estimates the size of the single stick market in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In February 2014, a 10 jurisdiction survey was conducted across India to estimate the sale of cigarettes in packs and sticks, by brands and price over a full business day. RESULTS: We estimate that nearly 75% of all cigarettes are sold as single sticks annually, which translates to nearly half a billion US dollars or 30 percent of the India's excise revenues from all cigarettes. This is the price which the consumers pay but is not captured through tax and therefore pervades into an informal economy. CONCLUSIONS: Tracking the retail price of single cigarettes is an efficient way to determine the willingness to pay by cigarette smokers and is a possible method to determine the tax rates in the absence of any other rationale.

Risk factors for CKD in persons with kidney stones: a case-control study in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

BACKGROUND: Kidney stones are associated with increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, risk factors in the general community are poorly defined. STUDY DESIGN: A nested case-control study was performed in residents of Olmsted County, MN, who presented with a kidney stone at the Mayo Clinic in 1980-1994 to contrast patients with kidney stones who developed CKD with a group that did not. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Participants were selected from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, an electronic linkage system among health care providers in Olmsted County, MN. Cases were identified by diagnostic code for CKD and confirmed to have an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Controls were matched 2:1 to cases for age, sex, date of first kidney stone, and length of medical record. PREDICTOR: Charts were abstracted to characterize stone disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, ileal conduit, symptomatic stones, type and number of stones, urinary tract infections, number and type of surgical procedures, and medical therapy. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS: Kidney stone patients with CKD were compared with matched stone patients without CKD. RESULTS: There were 53 cases and 106 controls with a mean age of 57 years at first stone event and 59% men. In kidney stone patients, cases with CKD were significantly more likely (P < 0.05) than controls to have had a history of diabetes (41.5% vs 17.0%), hypertension (71.7% vs 49.1%), frequent urinary tract infections (22.6% vs 6.6%), struvite stones (7.5% vs 0%), and allopurinol use (32.1% vs 4.7%) based on univariate analysis. LIMITATIONS: Potential limitations include limited statistical power to detect associations, incomplete data from 24-hour urine studies, and that stone composition was not always available. CONCLUSION: As in the general population, hypertension and diabetes are associated with increased risk of CKD in patients with kidney stones. However, other unique predictors were identified in patients with kidney stones that increased the possibility of CKD. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the nature of these associations.

Reporting bias and other biases affecting systematic reviews and meta-analyses: a methodological commentary.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses often occupy the top of the hierarchy of evidence in support of evidence-based clinical practice. These studies commonly inform the formulation of clinical guidelines. Bias can intrude at several levels during the conduct of systematic reviews. The effect these various biases, in particular reporting bias, have on pooled estimates and review inferences are potentially significant. In this review, we describe several forms of selection and reporting biases that may occur during the conduct of a systematic review, how these biases might affect a review and what steps could help minimize their influence on review inferences. Specifically, we support calls for prospective international trial registration and open access to trial protocols as two potential solutions that may improve the methodological quality of systematic reviews and the validity of their results.