Physical activity, energy expenditure and their correlates in two cohorts of Swedish subjects between adolescence and early adulthood

OBJECTIVE: To assess physical activity and energy expenditure and to identify their correlates during adolescence and early adulthood. DESIGN: In a cohort study, total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) were assessed at 15 and 21 y from a 7-day activity diary and predicted BMR. The influences on TEE and PAL of body size, gender, sexual maturity, physical activity habits, sitting time, region, social conditions, employment, food habits, smoking and alcohol intake were examined in multivariate analyses.Subjects:71 male and 89 female subjects, living in two socioeconomically different regions of Sweden, a university region and an industrial region. SETTING: The university city of Uppsala and the industrial town of Trollh?ttan. RESULTS: At both 15 and 21 y, PAL and TEE were high, with gender, sitting time and physical activity habits as main correlates. At age 21 y, employment and the mother's educational level also appeared as significant correlates. The relations between the main variables and their correlates were more complex than at age 15 y, and the sitting time was reduced and the activity habits were changed. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction of daily sitting appears to be a major reason why high levels of physical activity and energy expenditure were maintained from 15 to 21 y of age in spite of changed and less frequent activity habits during this interval.     

Thoracic wall involvement by Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: CT evaluation

Thoracic computed tomographic (CT) scans of 250 patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent lymphoma revealed thoracic wall involvement in 24 patients (11 with Hodgkin disease, 13 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Thoracic wall involvement occurred without contiguous mediastinal or parenchymal involvement in 17 patients. Of these, 13 patients had masses beneath the pectoralis muscles or within the breast, and four had masses arising from the ribs. Five additional patients had mediastinal masses with thymic involvement and parasternal extension through the thoracic wall. Pulmonary parenchymal lymphoma with thoracic wall invasion was noted in the remaining two patients. In five of nine patients receiving radiation therapy, treatment plans were modified by CT demonstration of thoracic wall lymphoma.     

The diversity of dolichol-linked precursors to Asn-linked glycans likely results from secondary loss of sets of glycosyltransferases

The vast majority of eukaryotes (fungi, plants, animals, slime mold, and euglena) synthesize Asn-linked glycans (Alg) by means of a lipid-linked precursor dolichol-PP-GlcNAc2Man9Glc3. Knowledge of this pathway is important because defects in the glycosyltransferases (Alg1-Alg12 and others not yet identified), which make dolichol-PP-glycans, lead to numerous congenital disorders of glycosylation. Here we used bioinformatic and experimental methods to characterize Alg glycosyltransferases and dolichol-PP-glycans of diverse protists, including many human pathogens, with the following major conclusions. First, it is demonstrated that common ancestry is a useful method of predicting the Alg glycosyltransferase inventory of each eukaryote. Second, in the vast majority of cases, this inventory accurately predicts the dolichol-PP-glycans observed. Third, Alg glycosyltransferases are missing in sets from each organism (e.g., all of the glycosyltransferases that add glucose and mannose are absent from Giardia and Plasmodium). Fourth, dolichol-PP-GlcNAc2Man5 (present in Entamoeba and Trichomonas) and dolichol-PP- and N-linked GlcNAc2 (present in Giardia) have not been identified previously in wild-type organisms. Finally, the present diversity of protist and fungal dolichol-PP-linked glycans appears to result from secondary loss of glycosyltransferases from a common ancestor that contained the complete set of Alg glycosyltransferases.     

A rapid agglutination assay to detect anti-streptokinase antibodies

Background Streptokinase resistance may cause suboptimal thrombolytic therapy. Aim To develop a rapid latex-bead assay to detect streptokinase antibodies. Methods Sera were obtained from 16 patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (MI) before treatment with streptokinase and 1 and 6 months post treatment, and from 100 controls. Sera were assayed for anti-streptokinase antibodies using a functional streptokinase-neutralising assay. Results Streptokinase-neutralising activity was low in controls (54±5U/ml) and patients prior to treatment (101±18), increasing to 2,110±823 and 1,017±169 at 1 and 6 months (mean±SEM). The latex assay had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 93% for detecting individuals with >350U/ml of streptokinase resistance, which is sufficient to neutralise the drug clinically. Conclusions Estimation of streptokinase resistance using an enzyme immunoassay and a latex bead assay correlated well with serum neutralising activity. This assay can rapidly identify patients who have a high level of streptokinase-neutralising activity.     

Serum ferritin and transferrin receptor concentrations during the transition from adolescence to adulthood in a healthy Swedish population

Aim: As part of a longitudinal nutrition study of adolescents, changes in serum ferritin (s-Ft), serum transferrin receptors (s-TfR) and the TfR/Ft ratio from 15 to 21 y of age were studied in randomly selected Swedish adolescents. Methods: Blood samples from 60 males and 66 females were drawn at 15, 17 and 21 y of age. Results: In males, median s-Ft increased significantly from 33 mgrg l-1 at 15 y to 96 mgrg l-1 at 21 y, and in females, after a non-significant decrease at 17 y, from 27 at 15 y to 34mgrg l-1 at 21 y. Between 15 and 17 y, s-TfR increased significantly, in males from 5.9 to 7.7 mgrg l-1, and in females from 5.2 to 7.6 mgrg l-1, whereas s-TfR decreased significantly in both genders between 17 and 21 y. The log (TfR/Ft) ratio did not change in males between 15 and 17 y, but decreased significantly from 2.2plusmn0.3 to 1.8plusmn0.3 by the age of 21 y. In females, the TfR/Ft ratio increased significantly between 15 and 17 y, whereas a significant decrease was found by the age of 21 y. S-Ft lt12mgrg l-1 at 15, 17 and 21 y was 3, 2 and 2% in males, and in females 18, 26 and 21%, respectively. Conclusion: This study shows an increase in s-Ft and a decline in s-TfR in males, indicating increased iron stores. In females, s-Ft did not increase significantly, whereas s-TfR and the TfR/ Ft ratio decreased between 17 and 21 y, indicating that cellular iron needs were met.     

Bioabsorbable versus stainless steel screw fixation of the syndesmosis in pronation-lateral rotation ankle fractures: a prospective randomized trial

Thirty-two patients who had pronation-lateral rotation (PLR) fractures occurring four centimeters or more proximal to the ankle joint or lower if the talus was displaced greater than one centimeter laterally were enrolled in this study. Seventeen patients were randomized to fibular plate fixation with a 4.5 ml polylactic acid (PLA) bioabsorbable syndesmotic screw, and fifteen patients randomized to fibular plate fixation with a 4.5 mm stainless steel syndesmotic screw. All thirty-two patients had uncomplicated healing of their fibular fracture without loss of reduction. There was neither evidence of osteolysis nor sterile effusion in the patients who were treated with the PLA screw. There were no wound complications in either group. No difference in range of motion or subjective complaints was noted in either group. Use of the PLA syndesmotic screw at short-term follow-up was well tolerated and avoided the need for subsequent screw removal.