EARLY SIGNS OF HEART TROUBLE IN OBESE YOUTH FOUND

A study that used two-dimensional echocardiography to closely examine the hearts of 100 children and teens found physical and functional signs of future heart problems already developing in obese children

In the study, published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers from the University of Leipzig Heart Center in Leipzig, Germany, performed the echocardiograms on 61 obese children and 40 non-obese children ages 9 to 16. The two-dimensional echocardiogram uses ultrasound to provide cross sectional images of the beating heart as well as an assessment of blood flow through the valves and chambers of the heart. Researchers also conducted extensive blood chemistry analysis.

Researchers observed unique changes in the shape and function in the hearts of the obese children compared to the non-obese children in the study. In addition, obese children had significantly higher blood pressure and higher levels of LDL cholesterol, known as "bad" cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol, "good" cholesterol, was significantly lower. As a group, obese children also had a reduction in diastolic function, enlarged heart chambers signs of increased cardiac workload, and other unfavorable conditions.

"Children are ideal subjects to observe the effect of obesity on the heart," said the study's lead author Norman Mangner, M.D., of the Heart Center Leipzig. "This is because they are likely free of clinically relevant cardiovascular disease adults may suffer from."

Manger said additional studies are needed to determine if these changes are reversible with weight loss, and to determine the predictive value of these early cardiovascular changes.

TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS OWN IT

Don't get along with your boss? Your job performance may actually improve if the two of you can come to grips with the poor relationship.

A new study led by Michigan State University business scholars finds that workers are more motivated if they and their supervisors see eye-to-eye about a bad relationship than if they have different views about their relationship. The findings are published in the Academy of Management Journal.

"Seeing eye-to-eye about the employee-supervisor relationship is equally, if not more important than the actual quality of the relationship," said Fadel Matta, lead investigator on the study and a management researcher in MSU's Broad College of Business.

Past research suggests workers and their bosses often have differing views about the quality of their relationship. Matta and his fellow researchers set out to examine whether that affects actual work engagement, or motivation.

It does. According to the MSU-led study of 280 employees and their bosses, motivation suffered when an employee believed he or she had a good relationship with the boss but the boss saw it differently. The finding held when the flip side was true and the boss believed the relationship was good but the subordinate did not. The two were surveyed separately, meaning the boss did not necessarily know how the employee felt about him or her, and vice versa.

Interestingly, employee motivation was higher (and the employee was more apt to go above and beyond his or her basic job duties) when the worker and supervisor saw eye-to-eye about the relationship, even when it was poor.

The study examined a wide range of employees -- from cashiers to senior managers -- in a host of industries, including automotive, retail and financial services.

It's nearly impossible for a supervisor to have a good relationship with every employee -- there's only so much time and so many resources a boss can invest toward that goal -- but at the same time it's human inclination to want everyone to like you, Matta said.

Ultimately, it's important that supervisors and workers don't misrepresent how they feel about their relationship.

"Some people would say it's better to fake it, but our results indicate that the opposite is true," said Matta, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Management. "At the end of the day, it's better for everyone to know where they stand and how they feel about each other."