Impact of age, height, and body mass index on arterial diameters in infants and children: a model for predicting femoral artery diameters prior to cardiovascular procedures.

PURPOSE: To measure common femoral artery (CFA) diameters in infants and children referred for cardiac catheterization and investigate if CFA diameters can be predicted upon the basis of age, body mass index (BMI), and height. METHODS: CFA diameters were measured in 84 infants and children (50 boys; age range 1- 220 months) referred for diagnostic or therapeutic cardiac interventions. Sonographic measurements were made in a supine position utilizing a 7.5-MHz linear transducer; diameters were defined as the intima to intima distance. Age was described in months and height in centimeters. The Spearman correlation coefficient (rho) was used to test the similarity of diameters between sides; the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to analyze the influence of age, height, and BMI on CFA diameter. RESULTS: Diameters of the right and left CFA were similar (rho=0.951). Age and height were highly correlated (rho=0.956), but not BMI and height (rho=0.279). The best model was CFA diameter = -0.838 + 0.031 height + 0.046 BMI. Height was the most relevant determinant for CFA diameter (p<0.0001, 90% CI 0.027 to 0.036; BMI: p=0.093, 90% CI 0.001 to 0.090, and the intercept: p=0.032, 90% CI-1.475 to-0.200). CONCLUSIONS: Common femoral artery diameter can be sufficiently predicted from height and BMI of infants and children prior to femoral catheterization or surgical reconstruction.     

Global epidemiology of tuberculosis: prospects for control

The burden of tuberculosis (TB) is now very slowly decreasing globally. However, the rate of decline is too slow to reach all the epidemiological impact targets set for 2015. The prospects for reaching the TB elimination target set for 2050 are even bleaker. Implementation of the World Health Organization's Stop TB Strategy is currently lagging behind the envisioned scale-up pace, particularly with regard to TB/HIV collaborative activities and management of drug resistant TB. To ensure long-term TB control there is, first, a need to ensure that all components of the Stop TB Strategy are scaled up according to plans, with special attention to improved access for the poor. However, this may not be enough. Recent analyses suggest that the impact of current efforts to reduce TB incidence is less than expected and that improved diagnostic and curative efforts need to be combined with additional preventive efforts. New and more effective vaccines and drugs for preventive treatment would revolutionize TB control. A stronger focus on prevention would also entail more concerted actions to limit the impact of TB risk factors, including HIV/AIDS, smoking, malnutrition, alcoholism, diabetes, crowded living conditions, and indoor air pollution, which may all contribute a considerable proportion of the global TB burden.     

Ethanol-induced malfunction of neutrophils respiratory burst on patients suffering from alcohol dependence

Background: Polymorphonuclear, neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) play a major role in the control of infections, and people who abuse alcohol are susceptible to infections. Resistance against infections ensues intracellularly following initial phagocytosis of microorganisms with the oxygen‐dependent respiratory burst, the key enzyme of which is the respiratory burst oxidase, whereby oxygen radicals are produced for microbial destruction. To date there is insufficient information available in connection with the process of impaired defence against infection in patients suffering from alcohol dependence. Therefore, our investigation was carried out to determine the influence of alcohol exposition on the formation of oxygen radicals and the respiratory burst. Methods: 4.5 ml of whole blood was taken from 10 healthy adults and 10 patients suffering from alcohol dependence. An additional 3.5 ml of whole blood was taken from the alcoholic patients for determination of the blood alcohol concentration. The respiratory burst of PMN was tested using the Four‐Colour‐Continuous Flow Cytometer. Each experimental procedure consisted of 4 test samples [negative controls, Escherichia coli, FMLP‐supplement (N‐formyl‐l‐methionyl‐l‐leucyl‐l‐phenylalanin), PMA‐supplement (phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate)]. Differing concentrations of ethanol were also introduced to each of the tests performed (0.20 to 4.00 g/l). Results: Ethanol revealed a marked decrease of burst activity in those patients suffering from alcoholism with increased alcohol concentration. A dependence between the burst activity and the ethanol concentration was seen to be statistically significant. This effect was only evident after stimulation with E. coli and FMLP in those patients with alcohol dependence. Conclusion: The results presented in this study show an impairment in the function of PMN in those patients addicted to alcohol due to the decrease in burst activity. In view of the results of the different stimuli, the second‐messenger effects were not evident. A clarification of this phenomenon could well be assumed as an allosteric receptor effect on the burst oxidase, namely, a direct effect on the phagocytosis interaction between circulating granulocytes and causative organisms.     

The -250G>A promoter variant in hepatic lipase associates with elevated fasting serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol modulated by interaction with physical activity in a study of 16,156 Danish subjects

CONTEXT: Hepatic lipase plays a pivotal role in the metabolism of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein by involvement in reverse cholesterol transport and the formation of atherogenic small dense low-density lipoprotein. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to investigate the impact of variants in LIPC on metabolic traits and type 2 diabetes in a large sample of Danes. Because behavioral factors influence hepatic lipase activity, we furthermore examined possible gene-environment interactions in the population-based Inter99 study. DESIGN: The LIPC -250G>A (rs2070895) variant was genotyped in the Inter99 study (n = 6070), the Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People with Screen Detected Diabetes in Primary Care Denmark screening cohort of individuals with risk factors for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (n = 8662), and in additional type 2 diabetic patients (n = 1,064) and glucose-tolerant control subjects (n = 360). RESULTS: In the Inter99 study, the A allele of rs2070895 associated with a 0.057 mmol/liter [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.039-0.075] increase in fasting serum HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) (P = 8 x 10(-10)) supported by association in the Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People with Screen Detected Diabetes in Primary Care study [0.038 mmol/liter per allele (95% CI 0.024-0.053); P = 2 x 10(-7)). The allelic effect on HDL-c was modulated by interaction with self-reported physical activity (P(interaction) = 0.002) because vigorous physically active homozygous A-allele carriers had a 0.30 mmol/liter (95% CI 0.22-0.37) increase in HDL-c compared with homozygous G-allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS: We validate the association of LIPC promoter variation with fasting serum HDL-c and present data supporting an interaction with physical activity implying an increased effect on HDL-c in vigorous physically active subjects carrying the -250 A allele. This interaction may have potential implications for public health and disease prevention.     

Study on the additive protective effect of PGLYRP3 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis Reuter 1963 on severity of DSS-induced colitis in Pglyrp3 knockout (Pglyrp3 −/−) and wild-type (WT) mice

Background and AimsPglyrp3 is a bactericidal innate immunity protein known to sustain the habitual gut microbiome and protect against experimental colitis. Intestinal inflammation and metaflammation are commonly associated with a marked reduction of commensal bifidobacteria. Whether Pglyrp3 and bifidobacteria interact synergistically or additively to alleviate metaflammation is unknown. We investigated the extent to which Pglyrp3 and bifidobacteria regulate metaflammation and gut bacterial dysbiosis in DSS-induced mouse models of intestinal inflammation.Material & Methods8–10 weeks old male mice were used. In both WT and Pglyrp3 ?/? experiments, the mice were randomly divided into three groups of 16 mice per group: (1) a control group receiving sterile tap water, (2) an experimental group receiving sterile tap water supplemented with only 5% DSS, and (3) an experimental group receiving sterile tap water supplemented with 5% DSS and 1 × 10⁹ CFU/ml of Bifidobacterium adolescentis (B.a.) for 7 days. Wild-type (WT) littermates of the respective gene (i.e. Pglyrp3) were used as controls throughout the study. Clinical signs of general health and inflammation were monitored daily. Faecal pellet samples were analysed by qRT-PCR for microbial composition. Histology of relevant organs was carried out on day 8. Metabolic parameters and liver inflammation were determined in serum samples.ResultsIntestinal inflammation in mice of group 2 were significantly increased compared to those of control group 1. There was a significant difference in mean scores for inflammation severity between DSS-treated WT and DSS-treated Pglyrp3 ?/? mice. Buildup of key serum metabolic markers (cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose) was set off by colonic inflammation. qRT-PCR quantification showed that DSS significantly decreased the Clostridium coccoides and Bifidobacterium cell counts while increasing those of Bacteroides group in both WT and Pglyrp3 ?/? mice. These manifestations of DSS-induced dysbiosis were significantly attenuated by feeding B.a. Both the local and systemic ill-being of the mice alleviated when they received B.a.DiscussionThis study shows that Pglyrp3 facilitates recognition of bifidobacterial cell wall-derived peptidoglycan, thus leading additively to a reduction of metaflammation through an increase in the number of bifidobacteria, which were able to mitigate intestinal immunopathology in the context of Pglyrp3 blockade.     

Method to quantify accuracy of position feedback signals of a three-dimensional two-photon laser-scanning microscope

Two-photon laser-scanning microscopy enables to record neuronal network activity in three-dimensional space while maintaining single-cellular resolution. One of the proposed approaches combines galvanometric x-y scanning with piezo-driven objective movements and employs hardware feedback signals for position monitoring. However, readily applicable methods to quantify the accuracy of those feedback signals are currently lacking. Here we provide techniques based on contact-free laser reflection and laser triangulation for the quantification of positioning accuracy of each spatial axis. We found that the lateral feedback signals are sufficiently accurate (defined as <2.5 µm) for a wide range of scan trajectories and frequencies. We further show that axial positioning accuracy does not only depend on objective acceleration and mass but also its geometry. We conclude that the introduced methods allow a reliable quantification of position feedback signals in a cost-efficient, easy-to-install manner and should be applicable for a wide range of two-photon laser scanning microscopes.OCIS codes: (180.6900) Three-dimensional microscopy, (180.4315) Nonlinear microscopy, (170.0180) Microscopy, (170.2520) Fluorescence microscopy, (180.2520) Fluorescence microscopy     

Total leisure noise exposure and its association with hearing loss among adolescents

Objective: To investigate total leisure noise exposure among adolescents and to assess its association with hearing. Design: Based on self-reported time spent on 19 leisure activities and associated mean sound pressure levels reported in the literature, total leisure noise exposure was evaluated and compared to noise at work limits (> 85 dB(A) = hazardous) in a cross-sectional survey. Tympanometry and pure-tone audiometry was performed in sound isolated rooms. Study sample: The study sample consists of 2143 pupils attending grade nine in any school in a German city 2009–2011 (mean age: 15.4 years; range: 13–19 years). Audiometric data were available for 1837 (85.8%) pupils (53.9% girls). Results: 41.9% of the 2143 adolescents who had provided self-reported data on leisure activities associated with noise exposure were estimated to be hazardously exposed to leisure time noise. The interaction of gender with total leisure time noise exposure was not significant. No association between leisure time noise exposure and audiometric notches could be detected. Conclusion: While hearing loss seems seldom in this age group, a high proportion of adolescents aged 15–16 years are exposed to noise levels during leisure time bearing long-term risks of hearing loss.