Socioenvironmental conditions and nutritional status in urban and rural schoolchildren

We analyzed the nutritional status of urban and rural schoolchildren from Mendoza (Argentina), but avoided rural and urban categorization by generating subpopulations as a function of their socioenvironmental characteristics. We transformed weight and height data into z‐scores using the CDC/NCHS growth charts; defined underweight, stunting, and wasting by z‐scores of less than −2 SD; and calculated overweight and obesity, according to the cutoff proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Socioenvironmental characteristics included housing, public services, parental resources, and farming practices; we processed these variables by categorical principal‐component analysis. The two first axes defined four subgroups of schoolchildren: three of these were associated with urban characteristics, while the remaining subgroup was considered rural. Nutritional status differed across groups, whereas overweight was similar among the groups and obesity higher in urban middle‐income children. Urban differences were manifested mainly as underweight, but rural children exhibited the greatest stunting and wasting. Thus, the negative effects of environment on nutritional status in children are not restricted to poor periurban and rural areas, though these are indeed unfavorable environments for growth: some urban families provide children with sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to expose them to obesity. By contrast, the more affluent urban families would appear to have greater possibilities for allowing their children to adopt a healthy life‐style. Although the causes of differences in nutritional status between middle‐ and high‐income urban groups are not clear, these determinants probably involve economic as well as educational influences. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

小藤铃儿草的生物碱成分

自小藤铃儿草Dactylicapnos torulosa(Hook.f ct Thomas.)Hutchins中分得六个单体,通过UV,IR,MS,~1HNMR和~(13)CNMR解析,鉴定了四个,其中一个为新化合物,命名为紫金龙碱(zijinlongine,Ⅰ),其他三个为已知化合物:氯化1-甲氧基小檗碱(1-methoxylberberium chloride,Ⅱ),氯化三乙基苯胺(triethylphcnylamium chloride,Ⅲ)和异紫堇定(isocorydine,Ⅳ)。Ⅱ和Ⅲ系首次从植物中得到。     

The effect of 13-cis retinoic acid on hematopoiesis in human long-term bone marrow culture

The modulatory effect of 13-cis retinoic acid (RA) on the growth, differentiation and function of hematopoietic cells in human long-term cultures was studied. RA (5 X 10(-8) M) induced enhancement of myeloid progenitor cell growth in the non-adherent layer throughout 6 weeks of incubation while it did not affect the number of myeloid progenitors in the adherent layer. The vitamin did not alter the differentiation pattern of colony forming unit-culture (CFU-C). The addition of RA to cultures for 5 weeks did not alter the cellular composition of the adherent layer. Prolonged exposure of hematopoietic cells to RA did not affect the functional activity of neutrophils and macrophages, i.e. the cells were active in phagocytosing Candida albicans (CA).     

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ increases anxiety-related behavior and circulating levels of corticosterone during neophobic tests of anxiety.

Intracranial administration of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) increases circulating concentrations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and corticosterone in unstressed rats, and elevates the responsiveness of these hormones during mild stress. Furthermore, N/OFQ and its cognate receptor are both abundant in a variety of limbic nuclei, and stress exposure decreases neuronal N/OFQ content in forebrain neurons. In light of these and other findings, we examined the potential involvement of N/OFQ in regulation of anxiety-related behaviors in rats. In the open field, elevated plus maze, and dark-light neophobic tests, intracerebroventricular N/OFQ (1.0 pmole-1.0 nmole) increased the expression of anxiety-related behaviors. Specifically, N/OFQ increased the latency to enter, decreased the number of entries into, and decreased the time spent in the exposed or brightly lit environments of all three tests. N/OFQ also enhanced thigmotactic responses in the open field test. The effects of diazepam and of the benzodiazepine inverse agonist FG 7142 were also assessed in independent groups of rats. In all three tests, the behavioral effects of N/OFQ resembled the anxiogenic actions of FG 7142, and contrasted with the anxiolytic actions of diazepam. N/OFQ administration also increased circulating concentrations of corticosterone during anxiety testing, in comparison with the concentrations in vehicle-treated controls. We conclude that N/OFQ administration is anxiogenic, and elevates responsiveness of the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis during neophobic tests of anxiety. This supports the possibility that N/OFQ neurotransmission participates in processing of emotionally-salient and stressful stimuli, and suggests that normal functioning of the N/OFQ system may be important in physiological and psychological well-being.     

Survival analysis of one-stage exchange of infected unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a single-center study with minimum 3 years follow-up

Purpose

The rates of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) are increasing yet little data exists regarding management of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) after UKA, particularly utilizing one-stage revision. The aim of this study was to determine the septic and all-cause revision-free survival of UKA PJIs treated with one-stage revision, as well as functional outcomes and risk factors for failure.

Methods

A retrospective review of one-stage septic revisions with a hinged or rotating hinged implant between 2000 and 2015 at a single institution was performed. Results of 15 patients with a minimum of 3-year follow-up (mean = 93 months; range 37–217) were evaluated by means of infection control, survivorship, patient reported functional score and possible causal factors for a re-revision. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were used.

Results

After a mean of 8 years of follow-up infection control rate was 93.3%, the survivorship free of any reoperation, including both septic and aseptic causes, was 80% at 5 years and 64.2% at ten years and average Lysholm score was 72.7 ± 21.3 (33–100).

Conclusion

One-stage revision for PJI of UKA using a hinged knee design has excellent infection-free survival at mid to long-term follow-up. Likewise, patient reported functional outcomes are promising. However, one-third of patients required aseptic reoperation and aseptic loosening was the dominant etiology.

     

Significant Impact of Coffee Consumption on MR-Based Measures of Cardiac Function in a Population-Based Cohort Study without Manifest Cardiovascular Disease

Subclinical effects of coffee consumption (CC) with regard to metabolic, cardiac, and neurological complications were evaluated using a whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. A blended approach was used to estimate habitual CC in a population-based study cohort without a history of cardiovascular disease. Associations of CC with MRI markers of gray matter volume, white matter hyperintensities, cerebral microhemorrhages, total and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), hepatic proton density fat fraction, early/late diastolic filling rate, end-diastolic/-systolic and stroke volume, ejection fraction, peak ejection rate, and myocardial mass were evaluated by linear regression. In our analysis with 132 women and 168 men, CC was positively associated with MR-based cardiac function parameters including late diastolic filling rate, stroke volume (p < 0.01 each), and ejection fraction (p < 0.05) when adjusting for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, cholesterol, and alcohol consumption. CC was inversely associated with VAT independent of demographic variables and cardiovascular risk factors (p < 0.05), but this association did not remain significant after additional adjustment for alcohol consumption. CC was not significantly associated with potential neurodegeneration. We found a significant positive and independent association between CC and MRI-based systolic and diastolic cardiac function. CC was also inversely associated with VAT but not independent of alcohol consumption.