Do social support and community engagement act as mechanisms in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and the mental health of mothers in Calgary,Canada? A mediation analysis

PurposeAccording to the social determinants of health framework, income inequality is a potential risk factor for adverse mental health. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms suspected to mediate this relationship. The current study addresses this gap through a mediation analysis to determine if social support and community engagement act as mediators linking neighbourhood income inequality to maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms within a cohort of new mothers living in the City of Calgary, Canada.MethodsData collected at three years postpartum from mothers belonging to the All Our Families (AOF) cohort were used in the current study. Maternal data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and linked to neighbourhood socioeconomic data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients derived from 2006 after-tax census data. Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the associations between income inequality and mental health symptoms, and to assess the potential direct and indirect mediating effects of maternal social support and community engagement.ResultsIncome inequality was not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (β = 0.32, 95%CI = −0.067, 0.70), anxiety symptoms (β = 0.11, 95%CI = −0.39, 0.60), or lower social support. Income inequality was not associated with community engagement. For the depression models, higher social support was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.13, 95%CI = −0.15, −0.097), while community engagement was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.059, 95%CI = −0.15, 0.27). Similarly, for the anxiety models, lower anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of social support (β = −0.17, 95%CI = −0.20, −0.13) but not with higher levels of community engagement (β = 0.14, 95%CI = −0.14, 0.41).ConclusionThe current study did not find clear evidence for social support or community engagement mediating the relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and maternal mental health. Future investigations should employ a broader longitudinal approach to capture changes in income inequality, potential mediators, and mental health symptomatology over time.     

Gender differences in genotypic distribution of endothelin-1 gene and endothelin receptor A gene in pulmonary hypertension associated with rheumatic mitral valve disease

IntroductionThe female gender is a risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, it is unknown whether females with rheumatic mitral valve disease are more predisposed to develop pulmonary hypertension compared to males.AimWe aimed to investigate whether there was a difference in genotypic distribution of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and endothelin receptor A (ET_A) genes between female and male patients of pulmonary hypertension associated with rheumatic mitral valve disease (PH-MVD).MethodsWe compared prevalence of ET-1 gene (Lys198Asn) and ET_A gene (His323His) polymorphisms according to gender in 123 PH-MVD subjects and 123 healthy controls.ResultsThe presence of mutant Asn/Asn and either mutant Asn/Asn or heterozygous Lys/Asn genotypes of Lys198Asn polymorphism when compared to Lys/Lys in females showed significant association with higher risk (odds ratio [OR] 4.5; p =0.007 and OR 2.39; p =0.02, respectively). The presence of heterozygous C/T and either mutant T/T or heterozygous C/T genotypes of His323His polymorphism when compared to wild C/C genotype in females showed a significant association with higher risk (OR 1.96; p =0.047 and OR 2.26; p =0.01, respectively). No significant difference was seen in genotypic frequencies in males between PH-MVD subjects and controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that mutant genotype Asn/Asn (p =0.007) and heterozygous genotype Lys/Asn of Lys198Asn polymorphism (p =0.018) were independent predictors of development of PH in females.ConclusionsET-1 and ET_A gene polymorphisms were more prevalent in females than males in PH-MVD signifying that females with rheumatic heart disease may be more susceptible to develop PH.     

Seroprevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among retrospective blood donors in Western Azerbaijan Regional Blood Transfusion Center,Iran: A ten-years evaluation

Transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) have been a public health challenge for the accessibility, quality and safety of blood transfusion. The present study aimed to consider the prevalence and the trends of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis across the ten years among retrospective blood donors. A retrospective investigation of blood donors’ data covering the period from 22 May 2009 to 22 May 2019 was done. Data was accumulated and analyzed from Blood Transfusion Center records, pertaining to all donors who were screened for various TTIs using respective immunological techniques. Out of the 682,171 screened donors in the 2009–2019 study period, 2470 (0.36 %) were infected with at least one infectious agent. The overall prevalence of HBV, HCV, HTLV-1, HIV and syphilis were 1700 (0.25 %), 184 (0.027 %), 335 (0.05 %), 4 (0.0.05 %) and 247 (0.036 %), respectively. The study showed male dominated donor pool (96.79 %) with higher prevalence (0.34 %) of TTIs compared to female donors (0.02 %) with 3.21 % population. Despite the low prevalence of TTIs in our study, HBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV have remained a big threat to safe blood transfusion in Iran. Strict adherence to selection criteria, algorithm of donor screening, use of highly sensitive and specific methods for detection of TTIs, regular consultation and health education programs, prevention and sanitization strategies to reduce the risk of TTIs are recommended to reduce the risk of TTIs and ensure the safety of blood transfusion for recipient.     

Imaging Features of Pulmonary Immune-related Adverse Events

Pulmonary immune-related adverse events represent rare but potentially severe side effects of immunotherapies. Diagnosis is often challenging, as symptoms and imaging features are not specific and may mimic other lung diseases, thus potentially delaying appropriate patient management. In this setting, an accurate imaging evaluation is essential for a prompt detection and correct management of these drug-induced lung diseases. The purpose of this article is to review the different types of pulmonary immune-related adverse events, describe their imaging characteristics on both high-resolution computed tomography and positron emission tomography/computed tomography and stress their underlying diagnostic challenge by presenting the mimickers.     

Extracellular vesicles: Their emerging roles in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases

Alveoli are the basic structure of the lungs, consisting of various types of parenchymal and bone marrow-derived cells including alveolar macrophages. These various types of cells have several important functions; thus, communication between these cells plays an important role in homeostasis as well as in the pathophysiology of diseases in the lungs. For a better understanding of the pathophysiology of lung diseases, researchers have isolated each type of lung cell to investigate the changes in their gene expressions, including their humoral factor or adhesion molecules, to reveal the intercellular communication among these cells. In particular, investigations during the past decade have focused on extracellular vesicles, which are lipid bilayer delimited vesicles released from a cell that can move among various cells and transfer substances, including microRNAs, mRNAs and proteins, thus, functioning as intercellular messengers. Extracellular vesicles can be classified into three general groups: apoptotic bodies, exosomes, and microparticles. Extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes and microparticles, are attracting increasing attention from pulmonologists as tools for understanding pathogenesis and disease diagnosis. Here, we review studies, including our own, on exosomes and microparticles and their roles in both lung homeostasis and the pathogenesis of lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive lung diseases, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This review also addresses the roles of extracellular vesicles in COVID-19, the current global public health crisis.     

免疫检查点抑制剂治疗少见突变非小细胞肺癌疗效的研究进展

驱动基因的发现及针对驱动基因的靶向治疗已显著提高了肺癌患者的生存质量和时间，但目前对于BRAF、HER2、MET、RET等少见驱动基因改变肺癌患者的靶向药物的选择仍然较少。近年来免疫检查点抑制剂在肺癌治疗中取得了一定的疗效，但因为少见驱动基因突变的肺癌患者本身样本量少，开展大规模临床随机对照试验尚存在一定的困难，目前此类患者接受免疫检查点抑制剂治疗的疗效情况仍不明确。本文将对目前已掌握的免疫检查点抑制剂治疗BRAF、HER2、MET、RET等少见驱动基因改变肺癌患者的临床研究结果进行综述，以期在一定程度上为临床工作提供一些依据和参考。     

缺氧诱导因子-1α参与肝纤维化形成机制研究进展

目的 肝纤维化是一种由于反复肝损伤而导致肝组织细胞外基质过多沉积导致的疾病。缺氧损伤为肝损伤的一部分,缺氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-1α)是响应缺氧应激的关键转录因子,在肝纤维化组织和活化的肝星状细胞(HSC)表达显著增加。目前,通过对大量HIF-1α依赖性基因和信号通路的研究,确认这些基因及其通路的变化参与肝纤维化发展过程,并可能在肝纤维化发生发展过程中起关键作用。本文综述了HIF-1α相关的信号通路参与肝纤维化发展的相关机制,并对上游影响HIF-1α合成和降解的相关信号通路进行了阐述,为其作为新型治疗靶点的可能潜力提供依据。     

小细胞肺癌患者外周血辅助性T细胞的表达情况及临床意义

目的研究小细胞肺癌(SCLC)患者外周血中辅助性T细胞1(Th1)、Th2、Th17及调节性T淋巴细胞(Treg)的表达情况,探讨其在SCLC进展中的作用。方法选择2016年1月至2018年4月本院收治的44例住院的SCLC患者(SCLC组)及24名健康者(对照组)作为研究对象。采用流式细胞法检测两组研究对象外周血中Th1、Th2、Th17及Treg细胞的表达情况,应用微量样本多指标流式蛋白定量技术(CBA)检测血清中的细胞因子IFN-γ、IL-17及IL-10的表达情况。结果SCLC组患者的外周血中Th1细胞、Th1/Th2、IFN-γ表达水平显著低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。SCLC组患者的外周血中Th2、Treg、Th17、Treg/Th17、IL-17、IL-10表达水平显著高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论SCLC患者外周血中Th1/Th2的降低、Treg/Th17的升高可能与SCLC的致病机理及预后密切相关,该结论将为SCLC的治疗提供新的思路。