Optimum support properties for protein separations by high-performance size exclusion chromatography

Optimum chromatographic properties of high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) of proteins, such as resolution, molecular weight accuracy and recovery, are obtained on packings and columns with tailor-made physical and chemical structures, employed at properly adjusted eluent compositions and operation conditions. SEC-theory suggests that a broad molecular weight fractionation range and high linearity of the log-linear calibration plot can be achieved by the use of two packings (10- and 80-nm pore size, characterized by a pore-size distribution (psd) equal to or less than 1 decade and by equal internal column porosity (p)), rather than a single 30- to 50-nm pore-size packing with a wide psd. Favourably high-phase ratios of (p)/(o)/ 1.0 for HPSEC columns were accomplished with a minimum interstitial column porosity (o) and a high value for the internal column porosity (p) (the specific pore volume, nu(p), multiplied by the packing density, varrho(p).) Ligands such as diol, N-acetoxyamino and oligomeric ether with a propyl- or propoxy-spacer bonded to the silica at the highest density appear to provide high mass recovery and bioactivity as well as chemical stability. Such packings, available in 3-5 mum particle size ranges of narrow distribution, packed into columns 6 mm i.d. and 500 mm in length, offer the best compromise with respect to resolution, speed and pressure drop. More careful studies are required to explain the effects of protein conformational changes and interconversions during elution on HPSEC columns.     

儿童体质发展情况分析

目的 对昆明市城区连续三年3~6岁学龄前儿童体质测试结果进行分析,寻找学龄前儿童体质发展中的不平衡点,为制定体格锻炼、全面提高学龄前儿童身体素质的相关措施提供建议。 方法 选取2017-2019年连续进行体质测定的昆明市城区幼儿园38所,采用SPSS 20.0统计软件对结果进行数据分析。相关指标包括:身高、体重、10米折返跑、立定跳远、网球掷远、双脚连续跳、坐位体前屈、走平衡木8个体质项目,以及年龄别身高、年龄别体重、身高别体重3个生长发育评价结果。 结果 2019年体质测定的优秀率从2018年的32.5%提高到35.7%(χ²=62.512,P<0.05)。坐位体前屈0分值比率从2018年的1.7%上升到2019年的3%;除10米折返跑外,其余五个项目5分值比率2019年较2018年上升了1.8%~8.8%。与正常儿童6个项目相比,身高低常儿童平均分低1.855分(t=-16.416,P<0.05),体重低常儿童平均分低1.856分(t=-17.346,P<0.05);体重超常儿童平均分低0.277分(t=-2.798,P<0.05),消瘦儿童平均分低0.917分(t=-6.073,P<0.05),肥胖儿童平均分低0.571分(t=-5.490,P<0.05);身高超常儿童平均分高0.812分(t=7.123,P<0.05),且这生长发育异常的儿童在6个体质项目表现中,大部分项目的低分(0~2分)比率高于正常儿童。 结论 重视儿童柔韧性、平衡性锻炼,加强对家长的健康教育及认识的提高,做好儿童健康管理,做到早期预防及治疗生长发育相关疾病,才能持续促进体质健康发展,保障儿童健康。     

2017—2019年北京某高校教职工健康体检结果分析

目的 掌握中国人民大学教职工的健康状况及变化趋势,为改善教职工的生命质量、提出合理的健康教育和促进策略提供数据支持。方法 将2017—2019年参加体检的中国人民大学的教职工(含离退休人员)纳入研究,对获得的体检资料进行分析,采用χ2趋势检验分析异常指标在2017—2019的变化趋势。结果 2017—2019年有效体检的教职工人数分别为6 082,6 088和6 507人,各年的平均年龄在44～45岁左右,其中女性多于男性。全体职工在2017—2019年3年间高血压检出率分别为16.29%、15.85%、20.01%;高血糖检出率分别为12.20%、17.34%、29.29%;尿酸偏高检出率分别为16.36%、20.28%、20.81%;心电图异常的检出率分别为14.24%、17.58%、19.43%,检出率均逐年递增;而血脂异常检出率分别为44.33%、32.29%、32.1%;血清谷丙转氨酶偏高的检出率分别为9.48%、7.62%、7.82%,检出率呈现降低趋势(P<0.05)。2017—2019年,在各个年龄组中高血糖检出率最低为2017年<35岁组(0.81%),最高为2019年≥60岁组(48.55%);尿酸偏高的检出率最低为2017年<35岁组(15.04%),最高为2018年≥60岁组(24.4%),均明显上升,血脂异常和谷丙转氨酶偏高的检出率在各个年龄组呈下降趋势(P<0.05),血脂异常检出率最低为2019年<35岁组(15.96%),最高为2017年50～59岁组(50.79%);谷丙转氨酶偏高检出率最低为2018年≥60岁组(7.62%),最高为2019年35～49组(12.08%)。校正了年份、年龄和性别后,高血压、高血糖、血脂异常、尿酸偏高、谷丙转氨酶偏高和心电图异常的检出率均随着BMI的升高而递增(P<0.05),各项指标在肥胖组的检出率分别为30.83%、33.7%、58.51%、45.67%、27.97%和21.0%。结论 2017—2019年本校教职工的健康状况不容乐观,高血压、高血糖、尿酸偏高和心电图异常的检出率均呈现上升的趋势,血脂异常的检出率呈现逐年下降,35岁以下教职工心电图异常检出率升高明显。     

US Food and Drug Administration Analysis of Patient-Reported Diarrhea and Its Impact on Function and Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Treatment for Breast Cancer

ObjectivesMany trials conclude “no clinically meaningful detriment” to health-related quality of life (HRQL) or function between arms, even when notable differential toxicity is observed. Mean change from baseline analyses of function or HRQL can possibly obscure important change in subgroups experiencing symptomatic toxicity. We evaluate the impact of diarrhea, a key treatment arm toxicity, on patient-reported HRQL and functioning in clinical trials submitted to US Food and Drug Administration.MethodsThis study used 4 randomized, breast cancer trials (adjuvant to late-line metastatic) as case examples. Diarrhea, physical functioning (PF), and global health status and quality of life (GHS/QoL) from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 were analyzed at baseline and approximately 3 and 6 months.ResultsGenerally, patients reporting very much diarrhea at months 3 and 6 had worse PF (9-19 points lower) and GHS/QoL (16-19 points lower) than patients reporting no diarrhea regardless of treatment arm. In the change from baseline analysis, patients reporting very much diarrhea also experienced a greater decrease in PF (6-13 points) and GHS/QoL (6-16 points) versus patients reporting no diarrhea in both arms.ConclusionsIn trials with moderate to large differences in symptomatic toxicity by arm, reporting “no meaningful difference in functioning and HRQL between arms” based on mean change from baseline analysis is insufficient and may obscure important impacts on subgroups experiencing symptomatic adverse events. Additional exploratory analyses with simple data visualizations evaluating functioning or HRQL in patient subgroups experiencing expected symptomatic toxicities can further inform the safety and tolerability of an investigational agent.     

Three-Year Follow-Up of the POIBA Intervention on Childhood Obesity: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Childhood obesity has increased worldwide over the past four decades. This quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent and multilevel school-based intervention (POIBA) at 3 years of follow-up. The nutrition intervention focused on food groups, food pyramid, nutrients, portions, and balanced menus. In total, 3624 children participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements and information on food frequency and behavior, physical activity, and daily screen use were collected in the intervention (IG) and comparison group (CG). Positive unadjusted changes toward adherence to recommendations were found for water, meat, sweets, and fried potato consumption, proper breakfast, not having dinner in front of the TV, out-of-school physical activity, and daily screen use. Three scores were used to calculate the proportion of children making more than one change to improve healthy habits regarding physical activity (global Activity score), nutrition (global Nutrition score), and both (global score). Students exposed to the intervention had a significantly better global Activity score (16.2% IG vs. 11.9% CG; p = 0.012) and Global score (63.9% IG vs. 58.5% CG; p = 0.025). Intervention effects on obesity incidence at 3-year follow-up lost significance but maintained the positive trend. In conclusion, school-based interventions including a family component could be useful to address the childhood obesity problem.     

Sarcopenia Risk Evaluation in a Sample of Hospitalized Elderly Men and Women: Combined Use of the Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment (MSRA) and the SARC-F

Background: SARC-F and Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment (MSRA) questionnaires have been proposed as screening tools to identify patients at risk of sarcopenia. The aim of this study is to test the use of SARC-F and MSRA, alone and combined, as a pre-screening tool for sarcopenia in geriatric inpatients. Methods: 152 subjects, 94 men and 58 women, aged 70 to 94, underwent muscle mass evaluation by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), muscle strength evaluation by handgrip, and completed the MSRA, SARC-F and Activity of daily living (ADL) questionnaires. Results: 66 subjects (43.4%) were classified as sarcopenic according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) criteria. The 7-item SARC-F and MRSA and 5-item MSRA showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.666 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.542–0.789), 0.730 (95% CI: 0.617–0.842) and 0.710 (95% CI: 0.593–0.827), respectively. The optimal cut-off points for sarcopenia detection were determined for each questionnaire using the Youden index method. The newly calculated cut-off points were ≤25 and ≤40 for MSRA 7- and 5-items, respectively. The ideal cut-off for the SARC-F was a score ≥3. Applying this new cut-off in our study population, sensitivity and specificity of the 7-item MSRA were 0.757 and 0.651, and 0.688 and 0.679 for the 5-item MSRA, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of SARC-F were 0.524 and 0.765, respectively. The combined use of the 7-item SARC-F and MSRA improved the accuracy in sarcopenia diagnosis, with a specificity and sensitivity of 1.00 and 0.636. Conclusion: 7-item SARC-F and MSRA may be co-administered in hospital wards as an easy, feasible, first-line tool to identify sarcopenic subjects.     

L-Glutamine Supplementation Enhances Strength and Power of Knee Muscles and Improves Glycemia Control and Plasma Redox Balance in Exercising Elderly Women

We investigated the effects of oral L-glutamine (Gln) supplementation, associated or not with physical exercises, in control of glycemia, oxidative stress, and strength/power of knee muscles in elderly women. Physically active (n = 21) and sedentary (n = 23) elderly women aged 60 to 80 years were enrolled in the study. Plasma levels of D-fructosamine, insulin, reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione, iron, uric acid, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) (lipoperoxidation product), as well as knee extensor/flexor muscle torque peak and average power (isokinetic test), were assessed pre- and post-supplementation with Gln or placebo (30 days). Higher plasma D-fructosamine, insulin, and iron levels, and lower strength/power of knee muscles were found pre-supplementation in the NPE group than in the PE group. Post-supplementation, Gln subgroups showed higher levels of GSH, GSSG, and torque peak, besides lower D-fructosamine than pre-supplementation values. Higher muscle average power and plasma uric acid levels were reported in the PE + Gln group, whereas lower insulin levels were found in the NPE + Gln than pre-supplementation values. TBARs levels were diminished post-supplementation in all groups. Gln supplementation, mainly when associated with physical exercises, improves strength and power of knee muscles and glycemia control, besides boosting plasma antioxidant capacity of elderly women.     

Social Distancing in Chronic Migraine during the COVID-19 Outbreak: Results from a Multicenter Observational Study

Background: The restrictions taken to control the rapid spread of COVID-19 resulted in a sudden, unprecedented change in people’s lifestyle, leading to negative consequences on general health. This study aimed to estimate the impact of such changes on migraine severity during 2020 March–May lockdown. Methods: Patients affected by migraine with or without aura, diagnosed by expert physicians, completed a detailed interview comprehensive of: assessment of migraine characteristics; measure of physical activity (PA) levels; measure of the intake frequency of main Italian foods; the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire investigating sleep disorders. Results: We included 261 patients with a mean age of 44.5 ± 12.3 years. During social distancing, 72 patients (28%) reported a headache worsening, 86 (33%) an improvement, and 103 (39%) a stable headache frequency. A significant decrease of the PA levels during COVID-19 quarantine in the whole study sample was observed (median total metabolic equivalent task (METs) decreased from 1170 to 510; p < 0.001). Additionally, a significant difference was reported on median ISI scores (from 7 to 8; p < 0.001), which were increased in patients who presented a stable or worsening headache. Conclusions: Our study confirmed that the restrictions taken during the pandemic have affected the practice of PA levels and sleep quality in migraine. Hence, PA and sleep quality should be assessed to find strategies for an improvement in quality of life.     

25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Prepubertal Overweight and Obese Children

Childhood obesity has become a major global health problem. Vitamin D deficiency and poor cardiorespiratory fitness are highly prevalent in children with overweight or obesity, but little is known about their relationships. In this study, we aimed to analyze the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and cardiorespiratory fitness parameters in prepubertal obese and overweight children. A cross-sectional design with a sample of 57 prepubertal children, aged 9–11 years, with overweight or obesity was used. The fasting concentration of 25(OH)D was analyzed with a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Fat and lean body masses were determined by using DXA. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max) was measured with the maximal treadmill test. A total of 68.4% of the sample had sufficient levels of 25(OH)D. As expected, their cardiorespiratory fitness was poor compared with that of normal-weight children, but 60% of the group exceeded the median obesity-specific reference values. No differences were found between the sexes for relative VO_2max or 25(OH)D levels. Moreover, no correlations were found between 25(OH)D and body composition or cardiorespiratory parameters for sex or vitamin D groups. Vitamin D status seems not to be directly related to body composition or cardiorespiratory fitness in prepubertal overweight or obese children.     

Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyles of Health Sciences University Students in Spain: A Longitudinal Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted daily activities worldwide. University students may have experienced substantial changes in daily living as a result of restrictions on university attendance. The return to normalcy may take a long time, and understanding the influence that shifts in daily routines have had on the lifestyles of university students may inform approaches to support overall well-being. We analyzed changes in the lifestyles of students enrolled at a health sciences university during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study took place at the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing in the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and the final sample consisted of 113 nursing students, 109 medical students, and 45 physiotherapy students. Our results demonstrate changes in lifestyles of university students during the pandemic. MedDiet adherence scores and the percentage of students with high adherence increased during the pandemic. This increase was due to the increased consumption of vegetables and nuts. In terms of physical activity, the practice of moderate and intense physical activity was maintained. These results provide important information for both public health authorities and educational institutions to guide strategies to maintain the well-being of students and enhance opportunities for young adults to lead a healthy lifestyle.