Symptomatic hypogammaglobulinemia in infancy and childhood – clinical outcome and in vitro immune responses

Background  

Symptomatic hypogammaglobulinemia in infancy and childhood (SHIC), may be an early manifestation of a primary immunodeficiency or a maturational delay in the normal production of immunoglobulins (Ig). We aimed to evaluate the natural course of SHIC and correlate in vitro lymphoproliferative and secretory responses with recovery of immunoglobulin values and clinical resolution.     

DNA stability and lipid peroxidation in vitamin E–deficient rats in vivo and colon cells in vitro

Summary Background Fruit and vegetable consumption protects against cancer. This is attributed in part to antioxidants such as vitamin E combating oxidative DNA damage. Anthocyanins are found in significant concentrations in the human diet. However, it remains to be established whether they are bioactive in vivo. Aim To investigate the consequence both of vitamin E deficiency on oxidative damage to DNA and lipids and the cytoprotective effect of nutritionally relevant levels of cyanidin–3–glycoside both in vivo in rats and in vitro in human colonocytes. Methods Male Rowett Hooded Lister rats were fed a diet containing less than 0.5 mg/kg vitamin E or a vitamin E supplemented control diet containing 100 mg d–tocopherol acetate/kg. Half of the controls and vitamin E–deficient rats received cyanidin–3–glycoside (100 mg/kg). After 12 weeks endogenous DNA stability in rat lymphocytes (strand breaks and oxidised bases) and response to oxidative stress ex vivo (H₂O₂; 200 µM) was measured by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). Tissue levels of 8–oxo–7,8–dihydro–2–deoxyguanosine (8–Oxo–dG) were measured by HPLC with EC detection. D–tocopherol and lipid peroxidation products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS) were measured by HPLC. Rat plasma pyruvate kinase and the production of reactive oxygen by phagocytes were detected spectrophotometrically and by flow cytometry respectively. Immortalised human colon epithelial cells (HCEC) were preincubated in vitro with the anthocyanins cyanidin and cyanidin–3–glycoside and the flavonol quercetin (all 50 µM) before exposure to H₂O₂ (200 µM). DNA damage was measured by SCGE as above. Results Plasma and liver d–tocopherol declined progressively over 12 weeks in rats made vitamin E deficient. Lipid peroxidation was increased significantly in plasma, liver and red cells. Reactive oxygen levels in phagocytes and plasma pyruvate kinase were increased. Vitamin E deficiency did not affect DNA stability in rat lymphocytes, liver or colon. Cyanidin–3–glycoside did not alter lipid peroxidation or DNA damage in rats. However, it was chemoprotective against DNA damage in human colonocytes.DNA strand breakage was decreased 38.8 ± 2.2 % after pretreatment with anthocyanin. Conclusion while it is accepted that vitamin E alters lipid oxidation in vivo, its role in maintaining DNA stability remains unclear. Moreover, whereas cyanidin–3–glycoside protects against oxidative DNA damage in vitro, at nutritionally relevant concentrations it is ineffective against oxidative stress in vivo.     

In fitness and health? A prospective study of changes in marital status and fitness in men and women

The authors examined the prospective associations between marital status transitions and changes in fitness in men and women. Between 1987 and 2005, a total of 8,871 adults (6,900 men) aged 45.6 (standard deviation, 9.1) years were examined at the Cooper Clinic, Dallas, Texas; the median follow-up was ～3 years. Marital transition categories (from single to married, married to divorced, divorced to remarried) were derived from self-reported marital status at baseline and follow-up. Fitness (maximal oxygen consumption) was assessed by a maximal treadmill test. Analyses were adjusted for baseline levels and changes in body mass index, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and major chronic diseases. Compared with the corresponding "control" groups (remaining single, married, or divorced), transitioning from being single to married was associated with a reduction in fitness in women (P = 0.03); divorce was associated with an increase in fitness in men (P = 0.04); and remarriage was associated with a reduction in fitness in men (P = 0.05). The authors conclude that the transitions to being married (from single to married or from divorced to remarried) are associated with a modest reduction, while divorce is associated with a modest increase in fitness levels in men. Study results suggest that these patterns may be different in women, but further research is required to confirm this.     

Measuring and mapping disparities in access to fresh fruits and vegetables in Montréal

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate disparities in access to healthy food in Montreal, focusing on the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables (F/V) as an indicator. METHOD: F/V selling area was measured in all food retail stores and public markets offering more than 75 square feet of fresh fruits and vegetables. An accessibility index was elaborated, taking into account motorization rates and the total surface of these fresh foods for sale within an easily accessible zone. The extent of that zone was determined differently for motorized (3 km) and non-motorized (500 m) consumers. Measures were calculated and georeferenced at the level of "Dissemination Areas" according to the 2001 Census. RESULTS: In general, access to healthy foods is quite good for consumers who shop by car. But 40% of the population have poor access to fruits and vegetables within a walkable distance from home. No relationship is observed between median income in dissemination areas and food supply. CONCLUSION: Improved access to healthy food by non-motorized consumers is needed in many areas of Montreal. Implications of differential access to fresh fruits and vegetables for health and environmental sustainability are discussed.     

A generation apart? Gender-related experiences and health in women in early and late mid-life

There have been a number of critiques in the last few years of the prevailing paradigm of research on gender and health, which dominated in the latter part of the 20th century. One such criticism has centred on the a historic and decontextualised way in which much evidence for gender differences has been used. In this paper we aim to show that, even within a relatively confined geographical locale over a relatively short period of time, there have been substantial changes in gender relations which are likely to have affected the experience, opportunities, and attitudes of women born in the early 1930s and early 1950s. We illustrate this using data from a study of inequalities in health in Scotland, which includes unusually rich longitudinal data on gender, including occupancy and experience of gender-related roles, attitudinal data on gender equality, and measures of gender role orientation (GRO). These are related to various dimensions of health and health behaviour. The data show substantial differences in the experiences of two generations of women, who are just 20 years apart in age, and a lack of consistency between measures of GRO and health. Whilst on the one hand these data suggest the importance of taking more account of the broader (social, historical or political) context, the analysis also highlights the methodological problems posed.     

New horizons in genetics and nutrition

From the emergence of the genus “homo” over 2 million years age,until the agricultrural revolution of roughly 10. 000 years age our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, so the adaptive pressures inherent in that environmental niche have exerted defining influence on human genetic make up. The portion of our genome that determines basic anatomy and physiology has remained relatively unchanged over the past 40. 000 years.     

Vulnerability and sexual risks: Vagos and vaguitas in a low income town in Perú

Young people constitute a priority for sexual health research, policy and planning. Many studies, however, regard youth as a homogeneous group defined by developmental stages and their problems as inherent rather than factors resulting from structural vulnerability. Ethnographic data from this study provided strong evidence of the inappropriateness, in prevention interventions, of the concept of 'young people' as a group defined only by age and gender. When incorporating social resources and support into the analysis, specific segments of youth with diverse sexual practices and health seeking behaviours emerge. Thus, although most young people in urban areas show a similar level of HIV/STI knowledge, their exposure to risk varies according to their living conditions. Two population segments - "street guys" and "fast girls" - identified as vulnerable for sexual risk, are characterized. Both groups hang out on the streets, and most are involved in using alcohol and drugs, and/or practicing transactional sex. This study provided evidence for the need of various approaches according to level of poverty and social vulnerability in order to develop more effective HIV/AIDS and STI prevention programs to meet the needs of young men and women in low-income areas.     

Sex- and age-specific trends in mortality from suicide and undetermined death in Germany 1991–2002

Background  

Over the last decade, significant downward linear time trends in suicide mortality were observed in most Western countries. To date, it is not established whether those favourable time trends developed homogeneously for sex and age groups and how they were affected by the number of undetermined deaths.     

Bigger and better? Scaling up and innovation in health aid

As the volume of health aid to developing countries increases and allocations shift toward specific disease burdens, issues of allocation efficiency become more important to the achievement of better health outcomes. This paper examines (1) whether health aid--traditional and innovative--corresponds to recipients' needs and priorities and (2) how the terms of aid affect its efficiency. We find that there is considerable scope for improvement through consolidation, improvement of terms, and increased attention to the efficient allocation of the marginal dollar of aid.     

Trends in tuberculosis incidence and their determinants in 134?countries

Objective

To determine whether differences in national trends in tuberculosis incidence are attributable to the variable success of control programmes or to biological, social and economic factors.

Methods

We used trends in case notifications as a measure of trends in incidence in 134 countries, from 1997 to 2006, and used regression analysis to explore the associations between these trends and 32 measures covering various aspects of development (1), the economy (6), the population (3), behavioural and biological risk factors (9), health services (6) and tuberculosis (TB) control (7).

Findings

The TB incidence rate changed annually within a range of ±10% over the study period in the 134 countries examined, and its average value declined in 93 countries. The rate was declining more quickly in countries that had a higher human development index, lower child mortality and access to improved sanitation. General development measures were also dominant explanatory variables within regions, though correlation with TB incidence trends varied geographically. The TB incidence rate was falling more quickly in countries with greater health expenditure (situated in central and eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean), high-income countries with lower immigration, and countries with lower child mortality and HIV infection rates (located in Latin America and the Caribbean). The intensity of TB control varied widely, and a possible causal link with TB incidence was found only in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the rate of detection of smear-positive cases showed a negative correlation with national incidence trends.

Conclusion

Although TB control programmes have averted millions of deaths, their effects on transmission and incidence rates are not yet widely detectable.     

The expression and meaning of TGF-β and TGIF in endometrosis

Objective To explore the role of TGF-βand TGIF in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Methods The expression of TGF-β and TGIF was detected by immunohistochemistry method in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of 30 cases with endometriosis (ec-topic endometrium group and eutopic endometrium group) and in the normal endometrium of 40 cases without endometriosis (control group). Result The expression of TGF -β in ectopic endometrium group was significantly higher than that in eutopic endometrium group and control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of TGF- βbetween eutopic endometrium group and control group(P > 0.05). The expression of TGIF in ectopic endometrium group was significantly lower than that in eutopic endometrium group and control group( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of TGIF between eutopic endometrium group and control group(P > 0.05). There were negative correlation between the expressions of TGF - β and TGIF in ectopic endometrium group and eutopic endome-trium group(rs= - 0.769, - 0.549, P < 0.05). Conclusion The abnormal expression of TGF-β and TGIF in ectopic endometrium of pa-tients with endometriosis may be associated with the genesis and progression of endometriosis.     

Gun utopias? Firearm access and ownership in Israel and Switzerland

The 2011 attempted assassination of a US representative renewed the national gun control debate. Gun advocates claim mass-casualty events are mitigated and deterred with three policies: (a) permissive gun laws, (b) widespread gun ownership, (c) and encouragement of armed civilians who can intercept shooters. They cite Switzerland and Israel as exemplars. We evaluate these claims with analysis of International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) data and translation of laws and original source material. Swiss and Israeli laws limit firearm ownership and require permit renewal one to four times annually. ICVS analysis finds the United States has more firearms per capita and per household than either country. Switzerland and Israel curtail off-duty soldiers' firearm access to prevent firearm deaths. Suicide among soldiers decreased by 40 per cent after the Israeli army's 2006 reforms. Compared with the United States, Switzerland and Israel have lower gun ownership and stricter gun laws, and their policies discourage personal gun ownership.     

Residues of organochlorines in mallards and blue-winged teal collected in Colombia and Wisconsin, 1984–1989

We compared the seasonal concentrations of 12 organochlorine (OC) compounds in samples of breast muscle, associated skin, and subcutaneous fat of blue-winged teal (Anas discors) collected in Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia (1987–1988), and of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and blue-winged teal collected in Wisconsin (1984–1989). Although these species have similar feeding habits and overlapping breeding distributions, their winter ranges differ markedly. Most blue-winged teal winter in the Neotropics, whereas most mallards remain in the temperate regions of North America. A seasonal comparison of OC exposure in these species may help determine the geographic origins of contamination. All examined OCs were found to be below concentrations known to affect reproduction in waterfowl. DDE was most often detected in blue-winged teal and PCBs, in mallards. DDE exposure may have predominantly occurred outside of Wisconsin. The DDE concentration in blue-winged teal samples collected in Wisconsin in the spring (GM=0.406 g/g) were greater (P<0.001) than in the fall (GM=0.033 g/g) and greater than the concentrations in mallard samples from the spring (GM=0.058 g/g; P<0.001). Ciénaga Grande, however, was not a source of DDE contamination. The DDE concentrations in blue-winged teal samples from Ciénaga Grande did not differ between the spring (GM=0.037 g/g) and the fall (GM=0.039 g/g) and were lower (P<0.001) than the concentration in blue-winged teal samples from Wisconsin in the spring. In contrast, PCB contamination seemed to have occurred in Wisconsin and affected mostly mallards. PCBs were not detected in the samples from Colombia and were detected in only five (8.3%) of the blue-winged teal samples from Wisconsin (GM=0.025 g/g), however, those compounds were detected in 47% of the mallard samples collected in Wisconsin (GM=0.272 g/g). DDE and PCB concentrations were greater (P=0.0) in mallard samples collected from wetlands adjacent to Lake Michigan than in samples from inland wetlands.     

Maternal social and pyschological conditions and physical growth in low-income children in Piauí, Northeast Brazil

Prevalence of child undernutrition remains high in many developing countries. In settings with scarce resources, modifiable maternal social conditions may influence feeding and parenting practices, in turn affecting child growth. This study aims to quantify the association between maternal social support and depression to children's physical growth outcomes in Teresina, Piauí, northeast Brazil. Interviews were conducted with a random sample of 595 mothers of children 6-24 months old in four low-income sections of Teresina, Piauí. We collected data on sociodemographic factors, mothers' social support, mothers' depressive symptomatology, and child's weight and recumbent length. Weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ), height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) and weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) were calculated using the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Center SAS program based on the 2000 Centers for Disease Control reference growth curves. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the association between maternal social support and depression to child growth, adjusting for biological and socio-demographic variables. Interviewer and neighborhood variation was accounted for through the inclusion of random effects. In adjusted models, material support, measured by number of friends or family members available to mothers when needing food or milk, was related to 0.3 higher average WHZ and 0.2 higher average WAZ in their children. Maternal positive social interaction, which reflects engagement in leisure-time activities with others, was associated with 0.3 higher average WHZ. Mothers' affectionate support was related to 0.2 higher average children's WHZ and WAZ, whereas social support for resolving a conflict was associated with 0.2 lower average HAZ. Maternal depression was not associated with child growth. It is concluded that inadequate growth in children may be sensitive to maternal social support.     

Health and literacy in first- and second-generation Moroccan Berber women in the Netherlands: Ill literacy?

AIM: The present study was aimed at investigating the role of literacy and generation in the self-reported general health status of Moroccan Berber speaking women in the Netherlands. METHOD: Fifty women in our sample (N = 75) were first generation women, from which group 25 were literates and 25 illiterates. Another group of 25 literate women belonged to the second generation. The three groups were matched for demographic characteristics. Questionnaires were administered reflecting all concepts under study. We hypothesized that, within the first generation, illiterates compared with literates would report worse health. Our second hypothesis was that literates of the first generation compared with those of the second generation would have a similar health condition. RESULTS: After controlling for age, having a job, and having an employed partner, the first generation literates compared with the illiterates of the first generation indeed reported significantly better health. Additionally, we did not find any differences in health condition between both literate groups, even after controlling for age, number of children, and marital status. Health complaints that were most frequently reported by both groups, concerned pain in shoulders, back and head. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underline the importance of offering immigrants optimal access to opportunities and facilities that can improve their literacy and reading ability.