Acute consumption of pecans decreases angiopoietin-like protein-3 in healthy males: a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trials

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL)-3 and -4 regulate lipid metabolism, but the effect of tree nuts of varying fatty acid composition on post-meal responses is unknown. The purpose of the study was to conduct a secondary analysis of two studies on ANGPTL3 and -4 responses to meals containing different tree nuts. We hypothesized that the pecan-containing meal would mitigate postprandial rises in ANGPTL3 compared to the traditional meal without nuts in males, but not females. In addition, we hypothesized that there would be no other differences between any other treatments in ANGPTL3 or -4 responses. The two studies were double-blind, randomized crossover trials. Twenty-two adults (10=male, 12=female) completed study 1, which compared meals containing pecans vs. no nuts (control), and thirty adults (14=male, 16=female) completed study 2, which compared meals containing black walnuts, English walnuts (EW), or no nuts (control). Blood was collected at fasting, 30, 60, 120, and 180min postprandially. In study 1, ANGPTL3 was suppressed more in pecan vs. control in males (iAUC: -579.4±219.4 vs. -128.4±87.1pg/mL/3h, P<.05). In study 2, there was no difference in ANGPTL3 between black walnuts vs. EW, but ANGPTL3 was suppressed more in control vs. black walnuts in females only (iAUC: -196.4±138.4 vs. 102.1±90.1pg/mL/3h, P<.05). There were no differences in ANGPTL4 between treatments. In conclusion, adding pecans to a meal decreased ANGPTL3 in males, but not females. These data highlight the importance of investigating the impact of nutrients and sex on postprandial ANGPTL3 ad -4 responses to better understand their ability to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.     

Animal models of asthma: Innovative methods of lung research and new pharmacological targets

Allergic diseases like bronchial asthma are increasing in societies with western lifestyle. In the last years substantial progress was made in the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and explanations like the hygiene hypothesis were developed. However the exact mechanisms of the physiological and immunological events in the lung leading to bronchial asthma are still not fully understood. Therefore, animal models of asthma have been established and improved to study the complex cellular interactions in vivo. Since mice became the most frequently used animal species the methods for detecting lung physiology, e.g. lung function measurements were adapted to the small size of the murine lung. Laser-dissection and precision cut lung slices have become common techniques to get a view into distinct lung compartments and cells. In addition genomic and proteomic approaches are now used widely. On the other hand a major conclusion of the workshop stated that more than one species is necessary in research and for pharmacological screening in asthma and COPD. The resulting new understanding in the mechanisms of asthma pathogenesis has lead to a rapid identification of novel pharmaceutical targets for treatment of the disease.     

Vulvovaginal candidiasis among symptomatic women of childbearing age attended at a Medical Analysis Laboratory in Franceville,Gabon

BackgroundVulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common lower genital tract infections in women; this unpleasant and extremely embarrassing pathology is one of the main reasons for gynaecological consultation. In Gabon, the prevalence of VVC remains poorly described even though VVC is known to be the leading gynaecological condition in several countries. This retrospective cross-sectional study sought to assess the prevalence of VVC among symptomatic women in southeastern Gabon.MethodsClinical samples were collected from patients suspected to have VVC during a 2-year period (from January 2016 to December 2017). Gram staining of vaginal smears provided indications of vaginal flora and confirmed the presence of yeast. Sabouraud-chloramphenicol and chromID Candida media were used to isolate yeast, and species identification was performed using morphological tests and the Vitek 2 Compact automated system.ResultsFor the 873 patients included in this study, the prevalence of VVC was 28.52%. Eleven Candida species were identified, with greater representation of Candida albicans (82.73%) than of Non C. albicans candida (NCAC) (17.27%), which were distributed as follows: Candida famata (4.02%), Candida spp. (3.61%), Candida rugosa (3.21%), Candida lipolytica (1.61%), Candida parapsilosis (1.61%), Candida glabrata (1.21%), Candida tropicalis (0.80%), Candida krusei (0.40%), Candida dubliniensis (0.40%), and Candida sphaerica (0.40%).ConclusionThis study offers the first estimation of VVC among Gabonese women in childbearing age with the symptoms. It showed that VVC is very common in Gabon. C. albicans as the most commonly represented species.     

胎龄小于34周早产儿分娩时挤压脐带断脐方式的研究

目的 分析胎龄＜34周早产儿不同断脐方式下血红蛋白、胆红素及相关并发症差异,为早产分娩行挤压脐带断脐法(UCM)提供临床依据。方法 回顾性分析115例经阴道分娩的胎龄＜34周的早产儿,根据断脐方式分为UCM组(n=59)和立即断脐(ICC)组(n=56),比较两组早产儿娩出后血红蛋白变化趋势和输血量、住院期间经皮胆红素值及光疗时间以及颅内出血、早产儿视网膜病变、支气管肺发育不良和坏死性小肠结肠炎的发生率。结果 UCM组出生后1 h内、出生后1周左右和出院前血红蛋白显著高于ICC组(t=2.246、2.123、1.886,P＜0.05),住院期间ICC组早产儿输血次数及每人次输血量显著多于UCM组(χ²=2.145,t=2.160,P＜0.05)。两组经皮胆红素达峰时间均为3～6 d,UCM组经皮胆红素值显著高于ICC组(t=2.231、2.654、2.686、2.038,P＜0.05),两组光疗时长差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。早产儿住院期间发生颅内出血、视网膜病变、支气管肺发育不良及坏死性小肠结肠炎等并发症两组间差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。结论 与正常断脐相比,挤压脐带可增加胎龄＜34周早产儿的血容量和血红蛋白量,减少住院期间输血次数及输血量,且不增加患儿病理性黄疸和并发症的风险,可作为胎龄＜34周早产儿首选的断脐方法。     

乳腺癌新辅助化疗后原发灶临床完全缓解对腋淋巴结转阴的预测作用

目的判断腋窝淋巴结阳性乳腺癌新辅助化疗(neoadjuvant chemotherapy,NAC)后原发灶临床完全缓解能否预测腋窝淋巴结病理转阴。方法 2016年10月~2019年10月收治的乳腺癌病人95例,淋巴结穿刺均阳性,临床分期T1-3,N1-2期,且均完成NAC后有腋窝淋巴结清扫(axillary lymph node dissection,ALND),评估NAC后磁共振(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)判断的原发灶临床完全缓解预测腋窝淋巴结病理转阴的效果。结果 95例病人NAC后原发灶临床完全缓解39例,完全缓解率41.1%(39/95),术后腋窝淋巴结病理完全缓解45例,完全缓解率47.4%(45/95)。原发灶MRI结果预测ALND结果的敏感性、特异性、阴性预测值及假阴性率分别为82.0%(95%CI:68.1%~91.0%),66.7%(95%CI:50.9%~79.6%),76.9%(95%CI:60.3%~88.3%),18.0%(95%CI:9.0%~31.9%)。分层分析显示,Her-2过表达型及三阴性病人原发灶MRI阴性预测值及假阴性率分别为95.8%(95%CI:76.9%~99.8%),7.1%(95%CI:0~14.9%)。结论淋巴结阳性乳腺癌NAC后原发灶临床完全缓解总体不能准确预测腋窝淋巴结病理转阴,但Her-2过表达型及三阴性乳腺癌具有很高的转阴预测价值。     

Consensus Statement on the Use of Bone Turnover Markers for Short-Term Monitoring of Osteoporosis Treatment in the Asia-Pacific Region

Osteoporosis is a major health issue. By 2050, a greater than 2-fold increase in patients number with hip fractures will occur in Asia representing 50% of all hip fractures worldwide. For the Asia-Pacific (AP) region, more efforts on controlling osteoporosis and the subsequent fractures are crucial. Bone mineral density (BMD) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is commonly used to diagnose osteoporosis and monitor osteoporosis treatment. However, the inconvenience, cost, limited availability of DXA and the delay in detection of BMD changes after treatment initiation support an important role for bone turnover markers (BTMs), as short-term tools to monitor therapy. With regards to low adherence rates of medical treatment of osteoporosis, the experts reached consensus on the use of BTMs for both raising awareness and short-term monitoring of osteoporosis treatment in the AP region. The experts endorse the use of BTMs, especially serum C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX) and serum procollagen type 1 N propeptide (P1NP), as short-term monitoring tools to help clinicians assess the responses to osteoporosis therapies and appropriately adjust treatment regimens earlier than BMD. Either the absolute values or the degree of change from baseline in BTMs can be used to monitor the potential efficacy of osteoporosis therapies. The use of BTMs can be incorporated in osteoporosis care programs, such as fracture liaison service (FLS), to improve patient adherence and treatment outcomes. Encouraging sufficient reimbursement from health care systems may facilitate widespread use of BTMs in clinical practice in the AP region.     

肝癌免疫治疗策略的进展与思考

中国是肝癌大国,全世界每年>50%的新发和死亡病例发生在中国。肝癌的化疗敏感性较低,以抗血管生成为主的靶向治疗是进展期肝癌的主要系统治疗手段,但能达到的有效率和生存延长作用十分有限。近年来,免疫检查点抑制剂在肝癌临床治疗中展现出较好疗效,正在改变肝癌治疗格局,但也面临诸多问题。如程序性死亡配体-1、肿瘤突变负荷、错配修复蛋白等临床常用生物标志物在肝癌的临床应用价值十分有限。与其他病因相关肝癌比较,中国乙型病毒性肝炎相关肝癌具有其独特的基因变异图谱,但基于分子分型的个体化治疗策略尚未建立。更加有效且多样化的系统治疗手段,可推动肝癌进入综合治疗新时代,相关诊断与治疗规范有待进一步探索和确立。笔者查阅相关文献,结合临床实践,探讨肝癌免疫治疗策略的进展与思考。     

中国国家出生队列建设背景和设计简介

随着生活行为方式、自然和社会环境的急剧变化,育龄人口生殖健康状况持续下降,快速增加的由辅助生殖技术（ART）孕育的子代的远期健康状况亟待评估。因此,妇幼保健和生殖健康相关研究关注的重点亟需从妊娠期、围产期的死亡和严重疾病表型逐渐向全生命周期和全疾病谱拓展。为了满足这样的研究需求,在我国12个省（自治区、直辖市）启动了中国国家出生队列（China National Birth Cohort）建设,计划以家庭为单位,招募3万个自然妊娠家庭和3万个ART家庭的人群,并对夫妻双方以及孕育的子代开展长期随访,收集夫妻和子代的环境暴露、生殖生育、精神心理、行为习惯等多方面暴露数据。同时采集外周血、尿液、脐血、卵泡液和精浆、精子等多种类型的生物样本。该出生队列对于我国妇幼健康和生殖医学研究具有极其重要支撑作用和深远影响。本文即是对国家出生队列的建设概况和基本设计做简要介绍。