Dietary total antioxidant capacity and current asthma in Spanish schoolchildren: a case control–control study

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and current asthma in a group of Spanish schoolchildren. A total of 78 Spanish schoolchildren (26 asthmatic and 52 healthy controls) were randomly selected from a cohort of 564 children (9–12 years of age). The weight and height of all subjects were recorded. A questionnaire, completed by the subjects' parents, was used to obtain personal and health information. Current asthma was established when children had ever had asthma, they had been diagnosed with asthma by a physician, and they had been treated with medications at some time in the previous 12 months. Food intake was monitored using a 3-day food record. All consumed foods were converted into energy and nutrients. Dietary TAC was evaluated using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. The TAC measured using all the assays was significantly lower in children with asthma than in children without this condition (2.95 (2.10–3.75)?mmol Fe(II)/day vs. 3.70 (3.08–4.49)?mmol Fe(II)/day, p?<?0.01; 1.50 (1.06–2.05)?mmol Trolox equivalents/day vs. 2.10 (1.40–2.65)?mmol Trolox equivalents/day, p?<?0.05; and 1.60 (1.08–2.00)?mmol Trolox equivalents/day vs. 1.85 (1.50–2.68)?mmol Trolox equivalents/day, p?<?0.05 for FRAP, TEAC, and TRAP, respectively). After adjusting for energy intake, children with FRAP values higher than 3.5 mmol Fe(II)/day (p50) and TEAC values higher than 1.9 mmol Trolox equivalents/day (p50) had 22.6 and 35.0 %, respectively, lower likelihood of suffering asthma episodes than children with lower values. When logistic regression analysis was performed separately for children with nonsmoker and smoker (at least one) parents, the association between dietary TAC and asthma was only observed in the nonsmoker group (OR?=?0.257, 95 % CI?=?0.107–0.618, p?=?0.002 for FRAP; OR?=?0.212, 95 % CI?=?0.069–0.639, p?=?0.006 for TEAC; and OR?=?0.264, 95 % CI?=?0.091–0.769, p?=?0.015 for TRAP assay). Conclusion: Dietary TAC may have a favorable role in asthma in children and, specially, in those with nonsmoker parents.     

Gait in the water: a comparison between young and elderly subjects

Purpose. To find differences, if any, between young and elderly people who walked in a pool.

Method. Twenty young subjects (mean age 23.8 years, SD 3.6) and 20 elderly subjects (mean age 66.8, SD 3.8) were enrolled in a cross-sectional design study. Gait parameters were assessed by means of underwater video recording. Analysis of the playback allowed the assessment of speed, stance and swing duration with the aid of a digital clock with a 0.04% resolution. Length of step was also measured. Two-tail Student's t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were applied.

Results. The mean speed was 1482 meters per hour (SD 207) in the younger population and 1366 meters per hour (SD 336) in the elderly. The mean stance duration was 1.60 s (SD 0.26) in the younger population and 1.59 s (SD 0.34) in the elderly. The mean swing duration was 1.16 s (0.22) in the younger population and 1.02 s (SD 0.26) in the elderly. The mean step length was 0.41 m (SD 0.05) in the younger population and 0.37 (SD 0.09) in the elderly. None of the differences was statistically significant.

Conclusions. Gait in elderly people who walk in the water retains characteristics that are typical of younger participants. Hydrotherapy is therefore a suitable intervention for old people who are in a good state of fitness.     

Relation between genetic markers of drug resistance and susceptibility profile of clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains

The main goal of this work is to clarify the predictive value of known genetic markers of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones. The correlation between the presence of certain genetic markers and susceptibility of N. gonorrhoeae isolates to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones has been analyzed by means of statistical methods. Susceptibility testing with penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones was performed by the agar dilution method. N. gonorrhoeae genomic DNA was isolated. The presence of bla(TEM-1) and tet(M) genes was analyzed by PCR. A novel method of polymorphism discovery based on a minisequencing reaction followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was applied for the analysis of chromosomal N. gonorrhoeae genes involved in antimicrobial resistance development. Clinical N. gonorrhoeae isolates (n = 464) were collected. Susceptibility levels to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones were found to be 25.9%, 35.9%, and 54.1%, respectively. Among the 19 N. gonorrhoeae isolates with penicillin MICs of > or =4 microg/ml, the bla(TEM-1) gene was detected in 12. The Tet(M) determinant was found in 4 of 12 N. gonorrhoeae isolates with tetracycline MICs of > or =16 microg/ml. The chromosomal genetic markers of penicillin and tetracycline resistance were detected especially in isolates with penicillin MICs of 0.25 to 2.0 microg/ml and tetracycline MICs of 0.5 to 4 microg/ml. Mutations in GyrA and ParC were found in 208 of 211 quinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae isolates. This work is the first representative molecular research of the N. gonorrhoeae population in Russia. Information about the prevalence of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the positive predictive value of certain genetic determinants is given. The positive predictive values of the analyzed genetic markers were found to be different for fluoroquinolones (90.3%), penicillin (91.1%), and tetracycline (81.9%).     

Immune hemolytic anemia associated with teicoplanin

BACKGROUND: Several drugs can cause immune hemolytic anemia. Here a patient who developed hemolytic anemia after treatment with teicoplanin is described. CASE REPORT: Owing to a two-vessel disease, a 68-year-old white man underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. He was readmitted for superficial sternal wound infection and sternal instability. Rewiring was required and worsening anemia characterized the course after the reoperation. Drugs used in the second admission were gentamycin, teicoplanin, paracetamol, and codeine. They were considered as a possible cause of drug-induced hemolytic anemia. RESULTS: The DAT was positive for complement and IgG. Autoanti-e was identified in the patient's undiluted serum sample. The eluate was reactive with all RBCs tested only after adding teicoplanin; when diluted 1:4, anti-e specificity was observed in the presence of teicoplanin. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of immune hemolytic anemia owing to teicoplanin.     

Effects of thyroid hormone withdrawal on natriuretic peptides during radioactive iodine therapy in female patients with differentiated thyroid cancer

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effects of thyroid hormone withdrawal on N-terminal prohormone forms of atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) during radioiodine therapy in female patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Methods: Serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), NT-proANP and NT-proBNP were measured in 51 female patients with DTC (48.7?±?4.2 years) at three time-points: day of radioiodine therapy (t1 – under acute hypothyroidism), 5 days after radioiodine (t2 – under acute hypothyroidism) and 3 months after radioiodine (t3 – under TSH suppression). Thirty healthy euthyroid women served as controls (42.8?±?5.6 years).

Results: At t1/t2/t3, median NT-proANP was 5.2/1.7/487?pmol/L vs. 297.7?pmol/L in control group (p?p?p?r?=?0.38, p?=?0.005), NT-proANP/NT-proBNP ratios (r?=?0.47, p?=?0.001), heart rate (r?=?0.39, p?=?0.005), and negatively with mean arterial blood pressure (r?=??0.58, p?Conclusions: Our results indicate that NT-proANP reflects more accurately direct thyroid hormone effects than NT-proBNP. Thyroid hormone-dependent hemodynamic effects seem to be overlapped on the direct stimulatory effect of thyroid hormones on NT-proANP secretion by cardiac myocytes.     

Saturday-morning television: do sponsors promote high-risk behavior for burn injury?

Television has become an important tool for learning and socialization in children. Although television violence has been associated with adverse effects, data on depiction of fire and burn injury are lacking. We sought to determine whether Saturday-morning television programming, viewed primarily by children, depicts fire and burn injury as safe or without consequence, thus potentially increasing the incidence of burn injury in children. This was a prospective observational study. Saturday-morning children's television programs were videotaped from 7 AM to 11 AM for eight different television networks during a 6-month period. Tapes were scored for scenes depicting fire or smoke by independent observers. Recorded items included show category, scene type, gender target, context of fire, and outcome after exposure to flame. Fire events were documented during programs and their associated commercials. A total of 108 hours of children's programs, 16 hours per network, were recorded. Scenes depicting fire or smoke were identified 1960 times, with 39% of events occurring during the program itself and 61% in commercials. Fire was depicted as either safe or without consequence in 64% of incidents. Action adventure stories accounted for 56% of flame depictions. Overall, one incident involving flame and fire was portrayed for each 3 minutes of television programming. Saturday-morning television programming frequently depicts fire as safe, empowering, or exciting. The incidence of flame use in programming varies between stations but is most prevalent in action/adventure stories. Television commercials, although brief, provide the majority of the misinformation regarding fire. Medical professional societies should alert the public to this potential hazard and recommend responsible portrayal of fire in children's television programming.