Systemic oxidative stress in children with cystic fibrosis with bacterial infection including Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

IntroductionOxidative stress (OS) occurs in cystic fibrosis (CF).ObjectiveThe objective of this work is to evaluate the influence of bacterial infection on biomarkers of OS (catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidade [GPx], reduced glutathione [GSH]), markers of oxidative damage (protein carbonyls [PC], thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS]), together with the nutritional status and lung function in children with CF.MethodsCross‐sectional study including CF group (CFG, n = 55) and control group (CG, n = 31), median age: 3.89 and 4.62 years, respectively. CFG was distributed into CFG negative bacteriology (CFGB−, n = 27) or CFG positive bacteriology (CFGB+, n = 28), and CFG negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CFGPa−, n = 36) or CFG positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CFGPa+, n = 19).ResultsCompared with CG, CFG (P = .034) and CFGB+ (P = .042) had lower body mass index‐for‐age z‐score; forced expiratory volume in the first second was lower in CFGB+ and CFGPa+ (both P < .001). After adjusting for confounders and compared with CG: CFG showed higher TBARS (P ≤ .001) and PC (P = .048), and lower CAT (P = .004) and GPx (P = .003); the increase in PC levels was observed in CFGB+ (P = .011) and CFGPa+ (P = .001) but not in CFGB− (P = .510) and CFGPa− (P = .460).ConclusionsThese results indicate a systemic OS in children with CF. The presence of bacterial infection particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa seems to be determinant to exacerbate the oxidative damage to proteins, in which PC may be a useful biomarker of OS in CF.     

Checklists for Assessing Skills of Children With Type 1 Diabetes on Insulin Injection Technique

Background:School-aged children often participate in type 1 diabetes (T1D) self-care tasks. Despite widespread discussion about the importance of developing self-care skills in childhood, few explain how the health care team should assess the skills of children with T1D when performing insulin injections.Objective:We sought to assess content validity evidence in two checklists regarding injection technique performed by children.Methods:Two checklists were designed based on a systematic review of the insulin injection technique. Experts in pediatric diabetes, health literacy, and diabetes education assessed the checklists regarding their clarity, objectivity, and relevance. Content validity was assessed using the content validity ratio (CVR).Results:Eleven providers (72% nurses or physicians, professional experience 19.4 ± 10.1 years, 45% of specialists in endocrinology, and 18% in pediatrics) participated in the assessment. Experts considered items containing the word homogeneity inappropriate. Items related to the needle insertion angle and the skin fold did not reach the CVR critical value. The final version of the checklist for syringe injection comprised 22 items with CVR = 0.91, and the checklist for pen injection comprised 18 items with CVR = 0.87.Conclusions:The checklists presented clear, objective, and relevant content that assesses the skills of children with T1D for insulin injection. The checklists formally present the order of the technique and all the steps for insulin injection and allow a quantitative assessment of the operational skills of children. The developed instruments offer providers the possibility of continuous assessment of the progress of the pediatric clientele until they reach independence in diabetes self-care.     

Cervico-cephalalgiaphobia: a subtype of phobia in patients with cervicogenic headache and neck pain? A pilot study

Objectives: The term ‘cephalalgiaphobia’ was introduced in the mid-1980s and defined as fear of migraine (attacks). We hypothesized that a specific subtype of cephalalgiaphobia affects patients with cervicogenic headache (CEH). This study aimed to: (1) define the term ‘cervico-cephalalgiaphobia’; (2) develop a set of indicators for phobia relevant to patients with CEH; and (3) apply this set to a practice test in order to estimate the frequency of cervico-cephalalgiaphobia in the Dutch primary care practice of manual physical therapy.

Methods: A systematic approach was used to develop a definition and potential indicators for cervico-cephalalgiaphobia. An expert group appraised the definition and the set of indicators (score per indicator: never; sometimes; often/always). An invitation to participate in the practice test was sent to Dutch manual physical therapy practices (n?=?56) representing 134 manual physical therapists (MPTs). The cut-off point for percentages of scores for coverage of the indicators was set at ≥?60%.

Results: The expert group agreed with the proposed definition of cervico-cephalalgiaphobia. A set of eight indicators for cervico-cephalalgiaphobia was selected from 10 initial indicators. Thirty-six MPTs provided data from 46 patients diagnosed with CEH. The coverage of ‘often/always’ was substantial for the indicators, ‘Short-term positive results in previous manual physical therapeutic treatment’, ‘Shorter interval between treatment sessions’, ‘Fear of “locked facet joints” of the neck’, ‘More frequent manipulation’, and ‘Fear of increase in headaches’. Coverage was also substantial for ‘never’ regarding ‘Long-term positive results in previous manual physical therapeutic treatment’. ‘Confirmation of “locked facet joints” of the cervical spine by MPT as a cause for increase of CEH’ scored ‘often/always’ in all patients. Coverage for ‘Increased use of medication with insufficient effect’ was substantial, scoring as ‘sometimes’ in 39 (84.8%) patients.

Discussion: Cervico-cephalalgiaphobia was defined and a set of eight indicators formulated based on the literature and clinical expertise. The practice test provides valuable information on the frequency of indicators for cervico-cephalalgiaphobia in the Dutch manual physical therapy practice, suggesting that cervico-cephalalgiaphobia is common in patients with CEH.     

Intoxication caused by new psychostimulants: analytical methods to disclose acute and chronic use of benzofurans and ethylphenidate

International Journal of Legal Medicine - The acute and chronic toxicity of several new psychoactive substances (NPS) is unknown, and only little information is available on the pharmacology and...     

Immunosuppressive Compounds Exhibit Particular Effects on Functional Properties of Human Anti-Aspergillus TH1 Cells

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are at high risk for invasive aspergillosis. Whereas adoptive immunotherapy transferring donor-derived anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells has been shown to be beneficial for HSCT recipients suffering from invasive aspergillosis, little is known about the impact of commonly used immunosuppressants on the functional properties of anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells. Anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells were coincubated with different concentrations of methylprednisolone, cyclosporine (CsA), mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active component of mycophenolate mofetil, and rapamycin. Immunosuppressants were tested in concentrations reflecting common target levels in serum and in significantly lower and higher concentrations. Apoptosis of anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells, as well as proliferation and production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and CD154 upon restimulation, was evaluated in the presence and absence of immunosuppressive compounds. All dosages of CsA, MPA, and methylprednisolone significantly decreased the number of viable anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells in the cell culture, which was due partly to an impaired proliferative capacity of the cells and partly to an increased rate of apoptosis. In addition, CsA significantly decreased the number of IFN-γ-producing cells and had the highest impact of all immunosuppressants on IFN-γ levels in the supernatant. CsA also significantly decreased the expression of CD154 by anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells. Variant dosages of immunosuppressants exhibit particular effects on essential functional properties of anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells. Our findings may have an important impact on the design of clinical trials evaluating the therapeutic benefit of anti-Aspergillus T_H1 cells in allogeneic HSCT recipients suffering from invasive aspergillosis.     

Optimization of production of chlamydospores of the nematode-trapping fungus Duddingtonia flagrans in solid culture media

The large-scale production of nematophagous fungi as agents of biological control is one of the main challenges to be commercially used. In order to improve growth of microorganism in a culture medium, the addition of growth inducer is common. At the moment, the action of their addition in the mycelia growth and sporulation rate of nematophagous fungi is not known. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the sporulation rate of Duddingtonia flagrans by adding two growth inducers, meso-inositol and Tween 80, both at 0.5 % in a traditional culture medium Sabouraud glucose agar (SGA) and also in a traditional culture medium enriched with wheat flour and milk powder. From a traditional sterile culture of D. flagrans, four groups were made: SGA; Sabouraud glucose agar–meso-inositol 0.5 %; Sabouraud glucose agar–Tween 80 0.5 %; and Sabouraud glucose agar-enriched (SGA-E). These media were placed at a constant temperature of 27 °C for 4 weeks. Following this, chlamydospores were gently rinsed off with sterile water and counted using a Neubauer haematocytometer to estimate the number of chlamydospores per millilitre of water. The addition of meso-inositol 0.5 % to SGA promoted a significant increase (p?<?0.05) in chlamydospore production obtaining an average of 51,715,000 chlamydospores per Petri dish. The highest chlamydospore concentration was observed in the SGA-E in comparison with SGA (p?<?0.01) obtaining an average of 208,760,000 chlamydospores. The aim of this study was to obtain basic knowledge regarding the effect of enriched culture medium and growth-inducing meso-inositol and Tween 80 on mycelial growth and production of chlamydospores.     

Effects of cereal bar containing polydextrose on subjective feelings of appetite and energy intake in overweight adults over 15 d

The effects of 15?d polydextrose (16.7?g) consumption on energy intake (EI) and appetite feelings were investigated. Overweight adults consumed a polydextrose-bar or a control-bar matched in energy content as a midmorning snack for 15 consecutive days in a single-blind, randomised, crossover design. The two 15-d intervention periods were separated by a 15-d washout period. On the day 1 and the day 15 of each intervention period, energy intake (primary outcome) and appetite feelings (secondary outcome) were assessed. There were not significant main effects of the day, type of bar, or their interaction for EI (at lunchtime test meal, at rest of the day, or at total daily) or subjective feelings (hunger, desire to eat, fullness, and prospective food consumption) during the satiation and satiety periods. The results showed the consumption of polydextrose-bar during 15?d did not significantly affect energy intake and subjective feelings of appetite in overweight adults.