Response to LPS in female offspring from sows treated with cortisol during pregnancy

Prenatal stress has been shown to program responsiveness of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) and behavior in offspring. In pig husbandry, sows are exposed to stressful conditions during gestation. Previously, cortisol treatment of pregnant sows has been shown to alter stress responsiveness and immunological parameters in their piglets. In the present study, we explored whether cortisol treatment of pregnant sows affects the offspring's response to an inflammatory stimulus. Sows were treated orally with cortisol either during the first, second, or third period of gestation, or received a placebo during this period. At 8 weeks of age, female offspring were injected intravenously with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Offspring of sows that received cortisol during the first and third period of gestation showed a higher fever response to LPS. Cortisol treatment of sows during gestation did not affect offspring's response to LPS with regard to their cortisol response. LPS-induced sickness behavior, which was measured as the latency time in a human approach test, appeared to recover more quickly in offspring from sows that received cortisol during the second period of gestation. These results suggest that prenatal cortisol exposure programs responsiveness to inflammatory stimuli in female piglets.     

Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause,cardiovascular and cancer mortality,and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis

Purpose: To estimate the strength and shape of the dose–response relationship between sedentary behaviour and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D), adjusted for physical activity (PA). Data Sources: Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar (through September-2016); reference lists. Study Selection: Prospective studies reporting associations between total daily sedentary time or TV viewing time, and ≥?one outcome of interest. Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers extracted data, study quality was assessed; corresponding authors were approached where needed. Data Synthesis: Thirty-four studies (1,331,468 unique participants; good study quality) covering 8 exposure-outcome combinations were included. For total sedentary behaviour, the PA-adjusted relationship was non-linear for all-cause mortality (RR per 1 h/day: were 1.01 (1.00–1.01)?≤?8 h/day; 1.04 (1.03–1.05)?>?8 h/day of exposure), and for CVD mortality (1.01 (0.99–1.02)?≤?6 h/day; 1.04 (1.03–1.04)?>?6 h/day). The association was linear (1.01 (1.00–1.01)) with T2D and non-significant with cancer mortality. Stronger PA-adjusted associations were found for TV viewing (h/day); non-linear for all-cause mortality (1.03 (1.01–1.04)?≤?3.5 h/day; 1.06 (1.05–1.08)?>?3.5 h/day) and for CVD mortality (1.02 (0.99–1.04)?≤?4 h/day; 1.08 (1.05–1.12)?>?4 h/day). Associations with cancer mortality (1.03 (1.02–1.04)) and T2D were linear (1.09 (1.07–1.12)). Conclusions: Independent of PA, total sitting and TV viewing time are associated with greater risk for several major chronic disease outcomes. For all-cause and CVD mortality, a threshold of 6–8 h/day of total sitting and 3–4 h/day of TV viewing was identified, above which the risk is increased.     

Tolerance and safety evaluation of N,N-dimethylglycine, a naturally occurring organic compound, as a feed additive in broiler diets

N,N-Dimethylglycine (DMG) is a tertiary amino acid that naturally occurs as an intermediate metabolite in choline-to-glycine metabolism. The objective of the present trial was to evaluate tolerance, safety and bioaccumulation of dietary DMG in broilers when supplemented at 1 g and 10 g Na-DMG/kg. A feeding trial was conducted using 480 1-d-old broiler chicks that were randomly allocated to twenty-four pens and fed one of three test diets added with 0, 1 or 10 g Na-DMG/kg during a 39 d growth period. Production performance was recorded to assess tolerance and efficacy of the supplement. At the end of the trial, toxicity was evaluated by means of haematology, plasma biochemistry and histopathology of liver, kidney and heart (n 12), whereas bioaccumulation was assessed on breast meat, liver, blood, kidney and adipose tissue (n 8). Carcass traits were similar between the control and 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed groups (P>0·05), but the feed:gain ratio was significantly improved at 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed compared with the control or the 10-fold dose (P=0·008). Histological examinations showed no pathological effects and results of haematology and plasma biochemistry revealed similar values between the test groups (P>0·05). Bioaccumulation occurred at the 10-fold dose, but the resulting DMG content in breast meat was comparable with, for instance, wheat bran and much lower than uncooked spinach. In conclusion, DMG at 1 g Na-DMG/kg improved the feed:gain ratio in broilers without DMG being accumulated in consumer parts. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with DMG up to 10 g Na-DMG/kg did not induce toxicity or impaired performance in broilers.     

GAVeCeLT* consensus statement on the correct use of totally implantable venous access devices for diagnostic radiology procedures

The use of totally implantable venous access devices in radiology may be associated with complications such as occlusion of the system (because of the high density of some contrast), infection (if the port is not handled in aseptic conditions, using proper barrier protections), and mechanical complications due to the high-pressure administration of contrast by automatic injectors (so-called power injector), including extravasation of contrast media into the soft tissues, subintimal venous or myocardial injection, or serious damage to the device itself (breakage of the external connections, dislocation of the non-coring needle, or breakage of the catheter). The last problem - i.e., the damage of the device from a power injection - is not an unjustified fear, but a reality. A warning by the US Food and Drug Administration of July 2004 reports around 250 complications of this kind, referring to both port and central venous catheters and peripherally inserted central catheter systems, which occurred over a period of several years; in all cases, the damage occurred during the injection of contrast material by means of power injectors for computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging procedures. Though the risk associated with the use of ports in radiodiagnostics is thus clear, it has been suggested that administration of the contrast material via the port may have some advantage in terms of image quality, increased comfort for the patient, and maybe more accurate reproducibility of the patient's own follow-up exams. This contention needs to be supported by evidence. Also, since many cancer patients who need frequent computed tomography studies already have totally implantable systems, it would seem reasonable to try to define how and when such systems may safely be used. The purpose of this consensus statement is to define recommendations based on the best available evidence, for the safe use of implantable ports in radiodiagnostics.     

The influence of clinical assessment (including age) and geriatric assessment on treatment decisions in older patients with cancer

ObjectivesThe aim of this prospective study in older patients with cancer was to evaluate how clinical assessment (including age) determines the physician's treatment decisions, and how geriatric assessment (GA) further influences these decisions.Patients and MethodsPatients aged ≥ 70 years old with cancer were included if a new therapy was considered. All patients underwent a GA and results were communicated to the treating physician. After the final treatment decision, a predefined questionnaire was completed by the physician.ResultsIn total, 937 patients with median age of 76 years old were included. A total of 902 (96.3%) questionnaires were completed by the treating physicians. In 381/902 patients (42.2%) clinical assessment led to a different treatment decision compared to younger patients without co-morbidities. This difference was most prominent for chemotherapy/targeted therapy decisions. In 505/902 cases (56%) the treating physician consulted GA results before the final treatment decision. In these patients, the treatment decision was influenced by clinical assessment in 44.2%. In 31/505 patients (6.1%) the GA further influenced treatment, mostly concerning chemotherapy/targeted therapy. In eight patients GA influenced the physician to choose a more aggressive chemotherapy.ConclusionsPhysicians use different treatment regimens in older versus younger patients, based on clinical assessment, including age. GA results further influence treatment decisions in a minority of patients and may trigger the use of less aggressive as well as more aggressive treatments. GA information is not always utilized by oncologists, indicating the need for better education and sensitization.     

Widespread and diffuse pattern of metastatses at 123I-MIBG scans correlates with MYCN single copy tumors in neuroblastoma

Tijdschrift voor Kindergeneeskunde -