Anemia and Micronutrient Status of Women of Childbearing Age and Children 6–59 Months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Little is known about the micronutrient status of women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is critical for the design of effective nutrition interventions. We recruited 744 mother-child pairs from South Kivu (SK) and Kongo Central (KC). We determined hemoglobin (Hb), serum zinc, vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), retinol binding protein (RBP), C-reactive protein, and α-1 acid glycoprotein concentrations. Anemia prevalence was determined using Hb adjusted for altitude alone and Hb adjusted for both altitude and ethnicity. Anemia prevalence was lower after Hb adjustment for altitude and ethnicity, compared to only altitude, among women (6% vs. 17% in SK; 10% vs. 32% in KC), children 6–23 months (26% vs. 59% in SK; 25% vs. 42% in KC), and children 24–59 months (14% vs. 35% in SK; 23% vs. 44% in KC), respectively. Iron deficiency was seemingly higher with sTfR as compared to inflammation-adjusted ferritin among women (18% vs. 4% in SK; 21% vs. 5% in KC), children 6–23 months (51% vs. 14% in SK; 74% vs. 10% in KC), and children 24–59 months (23% vs. 4% in SK; 58% vs. 1% in KC). Regardless of indicator, iron deficiency anemia (IDA) never exceeded 3% in women. In children, IDA reached almost 20% when sTfR was used but was only 10% with ferritin. Folate, B12, and vitamin A (RBP) deficiencies were all very low (<5%); RBP was 10% in children. The prevalence of anemia was unexpectedly low. Inflammation-adjusted zinc deficiency was high among women (52% in SK; 58% in KC), children 6–23 months (23% in SK; 20% in KC), and children 24–59 months (25% in SK; 27% in KC). The rate of biochemical zinc deficiency among Congolese women and children requires attention.     

Pyrroloacridine alkaloids from Plakortis quasiamphiaster: structures and bioactivity

A re-collection of Plakortis quasiamphiaster from Vanuatu in 2003 resulted in the isolation of three known compounds, plakinidine A (1) and amphiasterins B1 (6) and B2 (7). Also isolated was a new bis-oxygenated pyrroloacridine alkaloid, plakinidine E (8), with a unique O-substitution versus N-substitution at position C-12 in 1. The biological evaluation of the active compounds in two assays provided complementary data. Plakinidine A (1) exhibited cytotoxicity against human colon H-116 cells with an IC50 of 0.23 microg/mL, but there were no effects against the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae diploid homozygous deletion strain of topoisomerase I (top1Delta). By contrast, 8 was inactive against H-116 cells but was potent in the yeast halo screen.     

Inverse probability weighted estimating equations for randomized trials in transfusion medicine

Thrombocytopenia is a condition characterized by extremely low platelet counts, which puts patients at elevated risk of morbidity and mortality because of bleeding. Trials in transfusion medicine are routinely designed to assess the effect of experimental platelet products on patients’ platelet counts. In such trials, patients may receive multiple platelet transfusions over a predefined period of treatment, and a response is available from each such administration. The resulting data comprised multiple responses per patient, and although it is natural to want to use this data in testing for treatment effects, naive analyses of the multiple responses can yield biased estimates of the probability of response and associated treatment effects. These biases arise because only subsets of the patients randomized contribute response data on the second and subsequent administrations of therapy and the balance between treatment groups with respect to potential confounding factors is lost. We discuss the design and analysis issues involved in this setting and make recommendations for the design of future platelet transfusion trials. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gentiana scabra Bunge. Formula for Herpes Zoster: Biological Actions of Key Herbs and Systematic Review of Efficacy and Safety

This study reviewed the biological action of key herbs and evaluated systematically the efficacy and safety of oral Gentiana formula for herpes zoster (HZ). Experimental studies relevant to HZ were identified in PubMed. Randomized controlled trials using Gentiana formula for HZ were identified from nine English and Chinese databases. The primary outcome was evaluation of pain. Potential risk of bias was assessed. Meta‐analysis was conducted using mean difference or risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals. Key herbs Gentiana scabra Bunge, Gentiana triflora Pall, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, and Gardenia jasminoides Ellis have shown antiinflammatory actions through inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and pro‐inflammatory enzymes. Twenty‐six clinical studies, involving 2955 participants, were included. Modified Gentiana formula resolved pain earlier than pharmacotherapy when used alone or combined with topical Chinese herbal medicine. Incidence of postherpetic neuralgia was lower (risk ratio 0.14, 95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.74) with modified Gentiana formula plus topical Chinese herbal medicine. Mild adverse events were reported. Antiinflammatory actions of key herbs of Gentiana formula may explain clinical benefit in hastening pain relief and decreasing postherpetic neuralgia. Few adverse events were reported. Findings were limited by study quality and diversity in intervention and comparator dosage. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Disinfection of football protective equipment using chlorine dioxide produced by the ICA TriNova system

Backround  

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks have occurred in individuals engaged in athletic activities such as wrestling and football. Potential disease reduction interventions include the reduction or elimination of bacteria on common use items such as equipment. Chlorine dioxide has a long history of use as a disinfectant. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the ability of novel portable chlorine dioxide generation devices to eliminate bacteria contamination of helmets and pads used by individuals engaged in football.     

Eat for health: a nutrition and cancer control supermarket intervention

The growing evidence linking dietary patterns to the incidence and prevention of chronic disease has prompted a number of prominent health and scientific agencies to publish dietary guidelines for the public. Some dietary guidelines address specific diseases, such as cancer or heart disease; others focus on overall health promotion. This situation has created a demand for nutrition education and information programs for the public. Increasingly, supermarkets are seen as potential sites for effective consumer education. Eat for Health is a joint research study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Giant Food Inc., a regional supermarket chain in the Washington-Baltimore area. The study's goal was to test the feasibility of supermarkets as a site for consumer nutrition education. Eat for Health's educational focus was diet and cancer control issues in the context of dietary patterns that promote health. Particular attention was paid to reduction of fat intake and increases in consumption of dietary fiber from grains, vegetables, and fruits. Analysis of program results is currently underway; data should be available in early 1990.     

In vitro susceptibility of pathogenic Vibrio species to norfloxacin and six other antimicrobial agents.

The in vitro activity of norfloxacin and six other antimicrobial agents was tested against 93 vibrio strains representing the currently described pathogenic Vibrio species. Norfloxacin had excellent activity against all species, with the following MICs for 90% of the strains: 0.016 micrograms/ml for Vibrio cholerae (including tetracycline-resistant V. cholerae O1 strains), 0.25 micrograms/ml for V. parahaemolyticus, and 0.063 micrograms/ml for V. vulnificus.