Correlation of Proteinuria with Podocyte Foot Process Effacement in IgA Nephropathy: An Ultrastructural Study

Background: Proteinuria is an uncommon clinical manifestation of IgA nephropathy and is usually seen in cases with severe lesions like endocapillary proliferation. However, it is occasionally seen even with cases with mild glomerular manifestations and may even be of nephrotic range.

Predictor: Podocyte foot process effacement.

Outcome: Severity of proteinuria.

Measurements: Podocyte foot process effacement was measured. Morphometric analysis was performed on transmission electron microscope images using a computerized digital photomicrograph system (BioWizard 4.2 Image analysis software, New Delhi, India). Proteinuria was measured quantitatively assigned into five grades.

Results: It was found that as the extent of proteinuria increased, the effacement ratio also increased, and this was most significant between “no” proteinuria and the rest of the categories.

Conclusion: Nephrotic presentation in IgA nephropathy is a known phenomenon and in certain cases may show near normal glomerular morphology with severe foot process effacement on EM being the only significant finding to explain the proteinuria. Proteinuria in these cases shows a significant correlation with degree of foot process effacement. Renal biopsy is important in these cases because they are known to have a better prognosis and are usually steroid responsive.     

Systematic overview of neuroanatomical differences in ADHD: Definitive evidence

Objectives: This article seeks to identify neuroanatomical differences in ADHD through an overview of systematic reviews that report encephalic differences compared to a control group in volume, area, activation likelihood or chemical composition.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search using Cochrane guidelines and PRISMA criteria in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects.

Results: Results revealed broad encephalic involvement that includes a functional frontal and cingulate hypoactivation and structural differences in corpus callosum, cerebellum and basal nuclei.

Conclusions: ADHD symptoms might be due to a multi-network unbalanced functioning hypothesis.     

Secular trends in cranial morphological traits: a socioeconomic perspective of change and sexual dimorphism in North Americans 1849–1960

Background: The human body has undergone significant changes in stature and other areas, which reflect secular trends associated with socioeconomics.

Aim: To analyse cranial morphological traits for deciphering if they are subject to secular trends.

Subjects and methods: Two documented skeletal collections were sampled for a total of 525 individuals from 1849–1960. Cranial morphological traits were scored and input into time series statistics (logistic regression).

Results: In females, nuchal crests have enlarged, while glabella has decreased. In males, supraorbital margins have dulled, while glabella decreased. Sexual dimorphism increased in supraorbital margins.

Conclusion: The patterns in the data here reflect those found in other areas of the skeleton, namely height, as regards to secular trends. These findings can be extended to stature and cranial changes that parallel socioeconomic trends during the Industrial Revolution, antebellum period and after.     

Lyophilized Turkey herpesvirus (HVT): Stability of vaccine and minimum protective dose

The research reported showed that:

the stability of cell‐free HVT vaccine, lyophilized and sealed under vacuum, is very high: after one year at 4°‐6°C and after 10 days at 37°C the titre decreased only about 0.4 log₁₀;

the stability of the vaccine, when reconstituted for use in the diluent (sucrose‐phosphate buffer), is high (80%) for at least 2 hours;

the degree of protection, found in 3 tests, was about 90% with an inoculum of 20 to 100 pfu, and the PD₅₀ was 4.9 pfu of virus per chick.     

Isometric torso muscle endurance profiles in adolescents aged 15–18: normative values for age and gender differences

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish normative values for torso muscle endurance in adolescents aged 15–18 years. It was hypothesized that torso endurance profiles of adolescents differs between males and females and between adolescents and adults.

Background: Decreased torso muscle endurance has been identified as a potential personal risk factor for low back pain development in both adolescents and later years together with being detrimental for athletic performance.

Design: Measurement of torso muscle endurance, established through four tests performed in random order in a healthy adolescent population.

Setting: High school in Novi Sad, Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia.

Methods: Two hundred and ninety-four adolescents from one high school (178 males and 116 females) were grouped into four age strata. Selected isometric torso muscle endurance tests were: Biering-Sørensen test for extensor endurance; Flexor endurance test; right and left Side Bridge tests. The mean, ratio, standard deviation and 25th, 50th and 75th percentile scores were determined for each gender/age strata.

Results and conclusion: Males had higher lateral torso endurance than females. Adolescents in general demonstrate their peak lifetime endurance as they appear more endurable than children and comparable adult groups. These data of endurance times, their ratios and percentiles in healthy normal subjects form a database bridging existing data for children and adults that may be useful for guiding training and rehabilitation.     

Body image,body dissatisfaction and weight status in children from Emilia-Romagna (Italy): comparison between immigrant and native-born

Background: Cross-sectional study among immigrant and native children from Emilia-Romagna (Italy).

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to examine the relative contribution of weight status, ethnicity and sex on body dissatisfaction in a sample of children from Emilia-Romagna (Italy).

Subjects and methods: Primary school children (226 immigrants and 1206 Italians) aged 6–11 years were measured: immigrant children were divided into Asians, Africans, Latin Americans and East Europeans. Height and weight were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. Body image perception was assessed using Body Silhouette Charts. A body dissatisfaction score (BDS) was derived by subtracting the "ideal self" from the "self" score.

Results: Weight status disorders were higher in immigrants than in native-born males; Italian females had higher prevalence of underweight and overweight and lower prevalence of obesity than immigrants peers. BDS rose with the increase of weight status categories.

Conclusions: Awareness of body image size and increasing body dissatisfaction with higher weight status is established in childhood, regardless of ethnicity and gender.     

ALK protein expression in pulmonary adenocarcinoma of Tunisian patients

Background. It is now necessary to determine ALK status in order to use targeted therapy. Aim: herein, we assess immunohistochemical profile of ALK protein in a series of Tunisian patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Materials and Methods. ALK protein expression was studied applying the D5F3 antibody with a fully automated Ventana CDx technique on a series of 19 patients.

Results. Positive ALK expression was found in one case (5.2%) corresponding to a papillary adenocarcinoma which showed a strong granular and homogenous cytoplasmic staining. The patient was a 30-years-old woman.

Conclusion. The frequency of positive ALK expression based on immunohistochemistry in our series was similar to that reported in the world literature.     

Next generation sequencing: an application in forensic sciences?

Context: Over the last few decades, advances in sequencing have improved greatly. One of the most important achievements of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is to produce millions of sequence reads in a short period of time, and to produce large sequences of DNA in fragments of any size. Libraries can be generated from whole genomes or any DNA or RNA region of interest without the need to know its sequence beforehand. This allows for looking for variations and facilitating genetic identification.

Objectives: A deep analysis of current NGS technologies and their application, especially in forensics, including a discussion about the pros and cons of these technologies in genetic identification.

Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus electronic databases was performed for the period of December 2012 to June 2015.

Results: In the forensic field, one of the main problems is the limited amount of sample available, as well as its degraded state. If the amount of DNA input required for preparing NGS libraries continues to decrease, nearly any sample could be sequenced; therefore, the maximum information from any biological remains could be obtained. Additionally, microbiome typification could be an interesting application to study for crime scene characterisation.

Conclusions: NGS technologies are going to be crucial for DNA human typing in cases like mass disasters or other events where forensic specimens and samples are compromised and degraded. With the use of NGS it will be possible to achieve the simultaneous analysis of the standard autosomal DNA (STRs and SNPs), mitochondrial DNA, and X and Y chromosomal markers.     

Biomarkers in sarcoidosis

Introduction: Numerous biomarkers have been evaluated for the diagnosis, assessment of disease activity, prognosis, and response to treatment in sarcoidosis. In this report, we discuss the clinical and research utility of several biomarkers used to evaluate sarcoidosis.

Areas covered: The sarcoidosis biomarkers discussed include serologic tests, imaging studies, identification of inflammatory cells and genetic analyses. Literature was obtained from medical databases including PubMed and Web of Science.

Expert commentary: Most of the biomarkers examined in sarcoidosis are not adequately specific or sensitive to be used in isolation to make clinical decisions. However, several sarcoidosis biomarkers have an important role in the clinical management of sarcoidosis when they are coupled with clinical data including the results of other biomarkers.     

Allergen immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis: current use and future trends

Introduction: Type-1 allergies are among the most chronic common diseases of humans. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only causative and disease-modifying treatment option besides allergen avoidance. Severe systemic adverse allergic reactions may be induced by every AIT treatment. Different approaches have been used to provide safer AIT preparations to lower or even totally overcome this risk.

Areas covered: A structured literature recherche in Medline and Pubmed under inclusion of national and international guidelines and Cochrane meta-analyses has been performed aiming at reviewing clinical use of such approaches in AIT.

New allergen preparations may include allergoids, recombinant allergens (recA) and modified recombinant allergens (recA) in subcutaneous as well as in mucosal immunotherapies (application e.g. using bronchial, nasal, oral and sublingual application) with sublingual being the established mucosal application route and new ways of application like intralymphatic and epicutaneous immunotherapy.

Expert commentary: Immune-modifying agents like Virus-like particles and CpG-motifs, adjuvants like MPL and aluminum hydroxide are evaluated and found to increase and direct the immunological response toward immunological tolerance.

New forms of allergen extracts can improve safety and efficacy of AIT and may change our way of performing allergen immunotherapy in the future.     

Systemic immune activation in HIV and potential therapeutic options

Context: Advancement in HIV treatment has evolved over the last two decades with the discovery of new drugs and approaches. Studies have demonstrated that HIV-infected individuals have elevated immune activation even during effective antiretroviral therapy. Persistently elevated immune activation has been one of the main obstacles against developing an effective approach for curing HIV.

Objective: This review examines the mechanism of microbial translocation in HIV-infected individuals and currently investigated potential therapeutic approaches.

Methods: We searched PubMed and Medline for peer-reviwed articles and recent HIV/AIDS conference abstracts and papers. Narrative review method was used since the objectives of the study were mechanism of microbial translocation and mechanism of action of multiple drugs against it.

Results: Microbial translocation occurs as a result of the disruption of epithelial barrier and immunological dysfunction within the intestinal tract due to defective tight junctions, loss of T_H17 type CD4⁺ T cells, impaired liver architecture, and depletion of intestinal myelomonocytic cells. Potent and effective way to intervene microbial translocation is to target the mechanism of actions involved in microbial translocation by restoration of beneficial microbiata with supplemental probiotics/prebiotics, increased clearance of microbial products from systemic circulation with targeted antibodies and restoration of intestinal integrity with antibiotics.

Conclusions: Number of promising drug molecules against microbial translocation are currently under various stages of trials and the results of these trials will hopefully contribute significantly toward effective therapeutic intervention. However, studies also need to explore the effect of combination drugs to abrogate microbial translocation.     

Sleep Differences by Race in Preschool Children: The Roles of Parenting Behaviors and Socioeconomic Status

Background and Objective: This study aimed to examine whether socioeconomic variables (SES) and parenting behaviors mediate differences in sleep problems between Black and White preschool-aged children.

Method: Parents of 191 preschool-aged children (53% male; 77% White) completed questionnaires regarding SES and sleep behaviors. Parenting behaviors and SES were analyzed as mediators of differences in sleep problems between Black and White children.

Results: Parent behaviors related to bedtime routine and independence mediated the relationship between race and parent-reported bedtime difficulty, parent confidence managing sleep, and sleep onset latency. SES mediated the relationship between race and sleep onset latency.

Conclusions: Sleep differences between Black and White preschool children were primarily mediated by parent behaviors rather than socioeconomic variables. Results may reflect differences in cultural practices and provide important information for treatment and parent-directed intervention regarding improving sleep in young children.     

Modelling foetal growth in a bi-ethnic sample: results from the Born in Bradford (BiB) birth cohort

Background: Attempts to explain the increased risk for metabolic disorders observed in South Asians have focused on the “South Asian” phenotype at birth and subsequent post-natal growth, with little research on pre-natal growth.

Aim: To identify whether divergent growth patterns exist for foetal weight, head (HC) and abdominal circumferences (AC) in a sample of Pakistani and White British foetuses.

Subjects and methods: Models were based on 5553 (weight), 5154 (HC) and 5099 (AC) foetuses from the Born in Bradford birth cohort. Fractional polynomials and mixed effects models were employed to determine growth patterns from ～15 weeks of gestation-birth.

Results: Pakistani foetuses were significantly smaller and lighter as early as 20 weeks. However, there was no ethnic difference in the growth patterns of weight and HC. For AC, Pakistani foetuses displayed a trend for reduced growth in the final trimester.

Conclusion: As the pattern of weight and HC growth was not significantly different during the period under investigation, the mechanism culminating in the reduced Pakistani size at birth may act earlier in gestation. Reduced AC growth in Pakistanis may represent reduced growth of the visceral organs, with consequences for post-natal liver metabolism and renal function.     

Parturition lines in modern human wisdom tooth roots: do they exist,can they be characterized and are they useful for retrospective determination of age at first reproduction and/or inter-birth intervals?

Background: Parturition lines have been described in the teeth of a number of animals, including primates, but never in modern humans. These accentuated lines in dentine are comprised of characteristic dark and light component zones.

Aim: The aim of this study was to review the physiology underlying these lines and to ask if parturition lines exist in the third molar tooth roots of mothers known to have had one or more children during their teenage years.

Methods: Brief retrospective oral medical obstetric histories were taken from four mothers and compared with histological estimates for the timing of accentuated markings visible in longitudinal ground sections of their wisdom teeth.

Results: Evidence of accentuated markings in M3 root dentine matched the age of the mother at the time their first child was born reasonably well. However, the dates calculated for inter-birth intervals did not match well.

Conclusions: Parturition lines corresponding to childbirth during the teenage years can exist in human M3 roots, but may not always do so. Without a written medical history it would not be possible to say with confidence that an accentuated line in M3 root dentine was caused by stress, illness or was a parturition line.     

The role of physical activity,body mass index and maturity status in body-related perceptions and self-esteem of adolescents

Background: Adolescence represents a transitional period which is marked by physical, social and psychological changes. Changes in body shape and physical activity especially alter and shape the psychological well-being of adolescents.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of physical activity level, body mass index and maturity status in body-related perception and self-esteem of 11–18 years old adolescents.

Subjects and methods: A total of 1012 adolescents participated in this study. The “Social Physique Anxiety Scale”, “Body Image Satisfaction Scale”, “Physical Self-Perception Profile for Children” and “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory” were administered. Physical activity level and body mass index were assessed using the “Physical Activity Questionnaire” and “Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer”, respectively.

Results: Regression analysis indicated that body mass index was the only predictor of perceived body attractiveness, social physique anxiety, body image satisfaction and self-esteem for female adolescents. For male adolescents, both physical activity and body mass index were correlated with perceived body attractiveness and social physique anxiety. Pubertal status were not correlated with self-esteem and body-related perceptions for both males and females adolescents.

Conclusion: In summary, body mass index and physical activity plays an important role in body-related perceptions and self-esteem of adolescents.     

Associations among facial masculinity,physical strength,fluctuating asymmetry and attractiveness in young men and women

Background: Studies of the process of human mate selection and attractiveness have assumed that selection favours morphological features that correlate with (genetic) quality. Degree of masculinity/femininity and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) may signal (genetic) quality, but what information they harboured and how they relate to fitness is still debated.

Aim: To study strength of associations between facial masculinity/femininity, facial FA, attractiveness and physical strength in humans.

Subjects and methods: Two-hundred young males and females were studied by measuring facial asymmetry and masculinity on the basis of frontal photographs. Attractiveness was determined on the basis of scores given by an anonymous panel, and physical strength using hand grip strength.

Results: Patterns differed markedly between males and females and analysis method used (univariate vs multivariate). Overall, no associations between FA and attractiveness, masculinity and physical strength were found. In females, but not males, masculinity and attractiveness correlated negatively and masculinity and physical strength correlated positively.

Conclusion: Further research into the differences between males and females in associations between facial morphology, attractiveness and physical strength is clearly needed. The use of a multivariate approach can increase our understanding of which regions of the face harbour specific information of hormone levels and perhaps behavioural traits.     

Body shape indices and cardiometabolic risk in adolescents

Background: “A Body Shape Index” (ABSI) is a recently proposed index that standardizes waist circumference for body mass index (BMI) and height using the scaling exponents 2/3 and 1/2, respectively, estimated from adults. Incidentally, waist-to-height ratio has been suggested as an indicator of cardiometabolic risk in adolescents.

Aims: This study aims to estimate the scaling exponents for standardizing waist circumference for BMI and height in Chinese adolescents and to estimate and compare the ability of various body shape indices in predicting cardiometabolic risk in adolescents.

Subjects and methods: Participants aged 10–17 years in the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey were analysed.

Results: The appropriate scaling exponents for standardizing waist circumference for BMI and height in this adolescent sample were 0.45 and 0.55, respectively. A new ABSI-adolescents was defined accordingly. Ignoring the age dependence in the scaling exponents would lead to confounded associations. The ABSI-adolescents and the waist-to-height ratio were more associated with glycated haemoglobin and pre-diabetes, but not blood pressure, than the BMI was.

Conclusion: The scaling exponent for standardizing waist circumference for BMI is age-dependent. Indices based on waist circumference adjusted for BMI are more associated with glycated haemoglobin than BMI in adolescents.