Utility of QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube Test Compared with Tuberculin Skin Test in Diagnosing Tuberculosis in Indian Children with Malnutrition

This prospective cohort study was conducted to compare the accuracy of QuantiFERON®-TB (QFT) Gold In-Tube test and tuberculin skin test (TST) in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in predominantly bacille Calmette–Guerin-vaccinated children with a high incidence of malnutrition. The sensitivity of the QFT versus the TST was 69.6% versus 52.9% for WHO-defined TB, with specificity of 86% versus 78.3%, respectively. The concordance of the TST and QFT was 79% overall (κ = 0.430), 62.5% in those with WHO-defined TB and 85.7% in those without TB. Majority of the QFT+/TST − discordance was seen in children with TB, whereas majority of the TST+/QFT − discordance was seen in those without TB. The TST was more likely to be negative in children with moderate-to-severe malnutrition (P = 0.003) compared to the QFT, which was more likely to be positive in younger children. The significantly better performance of the QFT in malnourished children and those at younger ages supports its use for TB diagnosis in these subpopulations.     

Development of an IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine,AKS-452

AKS-452 is a biologically-engineered vaccine comprising an Fc fusion protein of the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein receptor binding domain antigen (Ag) and human IgG1 Fc (SP/RBD-Fc) in clinical development for the induction and augmentation of neutralizing IgG titers against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fc moiety is designed to enhance immunogenicity by increasing uptake via Fc-receptors (FcγR) on Ag-presenting cells (APCs) and prolonging exposure due to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) recycling. AKS-452 induced approximately 20-fold greater neutralizing IgG titers in mice relative to those induced by SP/RBD without the Fc moiety and induced comparable long-term neutralizing titers with a single dose vs. two doses. To further enhance immunogenicity, AKS-452 was evaluated in formulations containing a panel of adjuvants in which the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720, enhanced neutralizing IgG titers by approximately 7-fold after one and two doses in mice, including the neutralization of live SARS-CoV-2 virus infection of VERO-E6 cells. Furthermore, ISA 720-adjuvanted AKS-452 was immunogenic in rabbits and non-human primates (NHPs) and protected from infection and clinical symptoms with live SARS-CoV-2 virus in NHPs (USA-WA1/2020 viral strain) and the K18 human ACE2-trangenic (K18-huACE2-Tg) mouse (South African B.1.351 viral variant). These preclinical studies support the initiation of Phase I clinical studies with adjuvanted AKS-452 with the expectation that this room-temperature stable, Fc-fusion subunit vaccine can be rapidly and inexpensively manufactured to provide billions of doses per year especially in regions where the cold-chain is difficult to maintain.     

Egg Intake Has No Adverse Association With Blood Lipids Or Glucose In Adolescent Girls

Objective: Longitudinal data on cardiometabolic effects of egg intake during adolescence are lacking. The current analyses aim to evaluate the impact of usual adolescent egg consumption on lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance during late adolescence (age 17–20?years).

Methods: Data from 1392 girls, aged 9 to 10 at baseline and followed for 10?years, in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Growth and Health Study were used to examine the association between usual egg intake alone and in combination with other healthy lifestyle factors and late adolescent lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance, measured as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Diet was assessed using 3-day food records during eight examination cycles. Girls were classified according to usual weekly egg intake, ages 9–17?years:?<1 egg/wk (n?=?361), 1 to <3 eggs/wk (n?=?703), and ≥3 eggs/wk (n?=?328). Analysis of covariance modeling was used to control for confounding by other behavioral and biological risk factors.

Results: Girls with low, moderate, and high egg intakes had adjusted low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 99.7, 98.8, and 95.5 mg/dL, respectively (p?=?0.0778). In combination with higher intakes of fiber, dairy, or fruits and vegetables, these beneficial effects were stronger and statistically significant. There was no evidence that ≥3 eggs/wk had an adverse effect on lipids, glucose, or HOMA-IR. More active girls who consumed ≥3 eggs/wk had the lowest levels of insulin resistance.

Conclusion: These results suggest that eggs may be included as part of a healthy adolescent diet without adverse effects on glucose, lipid levels, or insulin resistance.     

理气中药组方对糖尿病大鼠胃排空延迟的作用

目的:观察理气中药经验组方对糖尿病大鼠胃排空延迟的干预作用。方法:雌雄各半成年SD大鼠110只,随机分为正常组(A组)、糖尿病中药组(B组)、糖尿病胃复安组(C组)、糖尿病组(D组)。A组、D组1次/d按10 mL/只予0.9%生理盐水灌胃,B组1次/d按8 mL/只予中药煎剂灌胃,C组1次/d按0.5 mg/只予胃复安片灌胃。喂养12周后,行13C胃排空实验及甲基橙水溶液胃排空实验,观察各组大鼠胃排空情况。结果:糖尿病大鼠胃排空较正常大鼠明显延迟(P0.01),糖尿病大鼠胃排空延迟模型制作成功。糖尿病中药组和糖尿病胃复安组大鼠胃排空较糖尿病组快(P0.01);糖尿病中药组大鼠胃排空较糖尿病胃复安组大鼠快(P0.05)。结论:常规喂养12周后糖尿病大鼠出现胃排空延迟。理气中药陈皮、枳实、木香、香附组方煎剂和胃复安均能促进糖尿病大鼠胃排空,理气中药组方煎剂的效果优于胃复安。     

Stress Testing Versus CT Angiography in Patients With Diabetes and Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

Background

The optimal noninvasive test (NIT) for patients with diabetes and stable symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown.

亚慢性硝酸钇暴露对雌性大鼠学习记忆能力的影响

目的：观察稀土化合物硝酸钇[Y（NO₃）₃]亚慢性（90 d）暴露对大鼠学习记忆能力的影响，并探究其可能的机制，为全面评估稀土元素钇的健康风险提供科学依据。方法：选用刚离乳（PND21）SD雌性大鼠，根据质量随机分为4组，分别为对照组（ddH₂O），Y（NO₃）₃低剂量组[10 mg/（kg·d）]、中剂量组[40 mg/（kg·d）]和高剂量组[160 mg/（kg·d）]，每组15只。连续灌胃受试物90 d后进行旷场实验、高架十字迷宫实验、转棒实验、Morris水迷宫实验。水迷宫检测后，每组取5只雌鼠心脏原位灌注，进行脑组织病理学检查。每组剩余10只雌鼠摘取脑组织，紫外分光光度计检测雌鼠大脑皮质和海马中谷氨酸（Glu）的含量；Western blot检测海马组织中N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸（NMDA）受体蛋白表达情况。结果：与对照组相比，硝酸钇90 d暴露后，转棒实验中160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠在棒时间、在棒圈数、掉落速度明显升高（P<0.05）。在Morris水迷宫定位航向实验第4天时，40、160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠逃避潜伏期明显降低（P<0.05）；Morris水迷宫空间探索实验中，40 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠穿越平台次数、目标象限游泳时间明显增加（P<0.05）；160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组穿越平台次数、进入目标象限次数、目标象限游泳时间明显增加（P<0.05）；160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠东北、东南、西南象限的逃避潜伏期明显低于西北象限的逃避潜伏期（P<0.05）。160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠海马中Glu含量和NMDA受体NR1含量均明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。40和160 mg/（kg·d）剂量组大鼠海马中NMDA受体NR2A含量明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。结论：硝酸钇亚慢性（90 d）暴露可以引起雌性大鼠空间学习记忆能力增强；硝酸钇可能通过降低海马组织神经元细胞外Glu含量，抑制NMDA受体激活，增强雌性大鼠的空间学习记忆能力。     

Cell integrity indicators assessed by bioelectrical impedance: A systematic review of studies involving athletes

IntroductionBioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been used to evaluate cellular health and integrity through bioelectrical indicators. In the sporting context, monitoring these indicators can be useful to assess the quality and vitality of cells and body tissues.ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review was to investigate indicators of cellular health and integrity evaluated by BIA in athletes.MethodsSearches were performed in December 2017 in the Lilacs, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.ResultsThe searches retrieved 31 articles (30 involving professional athletes and one involving university athletes). In longitudinal studies (n = 15), the bioelectrical parameters directly associated with cellular health and integrity were extracellular water (ECW), phase angle (PA), BIA vector analysis (BIVA), crude reactance data (Xc), resistance (R), and ECW/BCM ratio. Regarding the findings of cross-sectional studies (n = 16), the investigated parameters (ECW, PA, BIVA, Z, BCM, and ECW/BCM) were directly associated with gender, age, sports performance level, modality, and game position.ConclusionsIn the included studies, the cellular health and integrity indicators were: Z, Xc, R, total water, intracellular water, ECW, PA, BIVA, BCM, and ECW/BCM.     

Normative values of the motor competence assessment (MCA) from 3 to 23 years of age

ObjectivesGrowing evidence of the importance of motor competence for developing a healthy lifestyle has been established in the last decade. Nonetheless, no single instrument or observation tool have been able to fully measure this construct, particularly because most were built for the diagnosis of children in risk for motor impairment; are limited to a few years of the developmental span; lack objectivity in the assessment protocols; or do not include the locomotor, stability, and manipulative components. This led to the difficulty of comparing researches, and longitudinally follow children into adulthood. Recently, a novel proposal to assess motor competence was presented - the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA) - and this study aims to present the MCA normative data from 3-to-23 years.Design and methodsTwo thousand and eighty-seven participants (1102 boys) between 3 and 23 years of age were evaluated in the MCA (standing long jump, 10 m shuttle run, throwing velocity, kicking velocity, lateral jumps, shifting platforms). Results for each test were introduced in the LMS Chartmaker 2.3. The best model for test and sex was used, resulting in normative curves and percentile values.ResultsFinal norms showed a good fit to the instrument developmental expectations, allowing to differentiate and classify performances along the age interval.ConclusionsThe MCA age- and sex- normative values allow to assess motor competence from childhood to early adulthood. Future directions will include obtaining a total MCA score and the normative scores for the MCA components (stability, locomotion, object control), and to expand the norms to adulthood and old age.