Risk factors associated with delayed methotrexate clearance and increased toxicity in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma

High‐dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX; 12 g/m²) is part of standard therapy for pediatric osteosarcoma (OS). Risk factors associated with MTX toxicity in children with OS are not well defined. We investigated the association between peak MTX levels (four‐hour) and delayed MTX clearance or treatment toxicity. Information was retrieved from electronic medical records of 33 OS patients treated with HD‐MTX at Texas Children's Hospital from 2008 to 2015. We found that the four‐hour MTX level did not contribute to toxicity or delayed MTX clearance. We demonstrated that certain demographic characteristics are associated with delayed clearance and increased toxicity.     

Associations Between Late Pregnancy Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Offspring Bone Mass: A Meta-Analysis of the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Systemic inflammation is associated with reduced bone mineral density and may be influenced by pro-inflammatory diets. We undertook an observational analysis of associations between late pregnancy energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) scores and offspring bone outcomes in childhood. E-DII scores (higher scores indicating pro-inflammatory diets) were derived from food frequency questionnaires in late pregnancy in two prospective mother-offspring cohorts: the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The mean (SD) offspring age at dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning was 9.2 (0.2) years. Linear regression was used to assess associations between E-DII and bone outcomes, adjusting for offspring sex and age at DXA and maternal age at childbirth, educational level, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), parity, physical activity level, and smoking in pregnancy. Associations were synthesized using fixed-effect meta-analysis. Beta coefficients represent the association per unit E-DII increment. In fully adjusted models (total n = 5910) late pregnancy E-DII was negatively associated with offspring whole body minus head bone area (BA: β = −3.68 [95% confidence interval −6.09, −1.27] cm²/unit), bone mineral content (BMC: β = −4.16 [95% CI −6.70, −1.62] g/unit), and areal bone mineral density (aBMD: β = −0.0012 [95% CI −0.0020, −0.0004] g.cm⁻²/unit), but there was only a weak association with BMC adjusted for BA (β = −0.48 [95% CI −1.11, 0.15] g/unit) at 9 years. Adjustment for child height partly or, for weight, fully attenuated the associations. Higher late pregnancy E-DII scores (representing a more pro-inflammatory diet) are negatively associated with offspring bone measures, supporting the importance of maternal and childhood diet on longitudinal offspring bone health. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

Association of HIV serostatus and metabolic syndrome with neurobehavioral disturbances

Journal of NeuroVirology - Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a constellation of related metabolic risk factors, is a common comorbidity associated with cognitive difficulty in people living with HIV...     

South African abortion attitudes from 2007-2016: the roles of religiosity and attitudes toward sexuality and gender equality

ABSTRACT

Abortion is legal in South Africa, but negative abortion attitudes remain common and are poorly understood. We used nationally representative South African Social Attitudes Survey data to analyze abortion attitudes in the case of fetal anomaly and in the case of poverty from 2007 to 2016 (n = 20,711; ages = 16+). We measured correlations between abortion attitudes and these important predictors: religiosity, attitudes about premarital sex, attitudes about preferential hiring and promotion of women, and attitudes toward family gender roles. Abortion acceptability for poverty increased over time (b = 0.05, p < .001), but not for fetal anomaly (b = ?0.008, p = .284). Highly religious South Africans reported lower abortion acceptability in both cases (Odds Ratio (OR)_anomaly = 0.85, p = .015; OR_poverty = 0.84, p = .02). Premarital sex acceptability strongly and positively predicted abortion acceptability (OR_anomaly = 2.63, p < .001; OR_poverty = 2.46, p < .001). Attitudes about preferential hiring and promotion of women were not associated with abortion attitudes, but favorable attitudes about working mothers were positively associated with abortion acceptability for fetal anomaly ((OR_anomaly = 1.09, p = .01; OR_poverty = 1.02, p = .641)). Results suggest negative abortion attitudes remain common in South Africa and are closely tied to religiosity, traditional ideologies about sexuality, and gender role expectations about motherhood.