Physiological measures of mother–infant interactional synchrony

Mother–infant interactional synchrony has been hypothesized to be crucial for the development of many key neurodevelopmental behaviors in infants, including speech and language. Assessing synchrony is challenging because many interactive behaviors may be subtlety, if at all, observable in overt behaviors. Physiological measures, therefore, may provide valuable physiological/biological markers of mother–infant synchrony. We have developed a multilevel measurement platform to assess physiological synchrony, attention, and vocal congruency during dynamic face-to-face mother–infant interactions. The present investigation was designed to provide preliminary data on its application in a group of 10 mother–infant dyads (20 subjects) ranging in age from 7 to 8.5 months at the time of the experimentation. Respiratory kinematics, heart rate, and vocalization were recorded simultaneously from mothers and infants during nonstructured, face-to-face interactions. Novel statistical methods were used to identify reliable moments of synchrony from cross-correlated, mother–infant respiration and to tag infant attention from heart rate deceleration. Results revealed that attention, vocal contingency, and respiratory synchrony are temporally clustered within the dyad interaction. This temporal alignment is consistent with the notion that biological synchrony provides a supportive platform for infant attention and mother–infant contingent vocalization.     

Face–to–face interactions between mothers and female infants in wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus)

Once considered uniquely human, mother–infant face–to–face interactions (FF) were observed in a few captive primates. In these studies, FF were correlated to physical contact suggesting a mechanism mediating proximity between mother and infant, as is the case for humans. We investigated this hypothesis in wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) during the first year of life of eight female infants. Data were weekly focal-day videos of infants from which we recorded FF with mothers. We expected FF would increase with infants’ age (as time in contact with mothers decreased) and would more likely occur in the absence of physical contact between the dyad. There was no effect of age in the proportion of interaction time spent in FF, nor in types of FF. A quarter of FF episodes occurred in the absence of physical contact between the dyad, and in most of them physical contact was resumed following the FF. Contrary to predictions, the stability in the first year, mainly when mothers–female infants were in contact, indicates that FF act primarily promoting opportunities for affective communication and intuitive care. However, we found some supportive evidence for the hypothesis that FF regulate proximity between mother and infant, mainly in resume physical contact.     

Diagnosis and management of Non-IgE gastrointestinal allergies in breastfed infants—An EAACI Position Paper

It is well-established that food proteins, such as egg, soya, cow's milk and wheat, are detectable in breastmilk for many hours or days after ingestion. Exposure to these proteins is important to the process of developing tolerance but can also sometimes elicit IgE-mediated and non–IgE-mediated allergic symptoms in breastfed infants. Non–IgE-mediated allergy, outside of food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis and eosinophilic oesophagitis, is not well understood, leading to variations in the diagnosis and management thereof. A primary objective of the European Academy for Allergy and Clinical Immunology is to support breastfeeding in all infants, including those with food allergies. A Task Force was established, to explore the clinical spectrum of non–IgE-mediated allergies, and part of its objectives was to establish diagnosis and management of non–IgE-mediated allergies in breastfed infants. Eight questions were formulated using the Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) system and Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) criteria for data inclusion, and consensus was achieved on practice points through the Delphi method. This publication aims to provide a comprehensive overview on this topic with practice points for healthcare professionals.     

czcD gene from Bacillus megaterium and Microbacterium liquefaciens as a potential nickel–vanadium soil pollution biomarker

Metals are among the most prevalent pollutants released into the environment. For these reasons, the use of biomarkers for environmental monitoring of individuals and populations exposed to metal pollution has gained considerable attention, offering fast and sensitive detection of chemical stress in organisms. There are different metal resistance genes in bacteria that can be used as biomarkers, including cation diffusion facilitators carrying metal ions; the prototype is the cobalt–zinc–cadmium transporter (czcD). The present study reports the expression changes in the czcD gene in Bacillus megaterium and Microbacterium liquefaciens under nickel and vanadium exposure by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The nickel–vanadium-resistant strains of B. megaterium and M. liquefaciens used in this study were isolated from mine tailings in Guanajuato, Mexico. The czcD gene showed high expression under exposure to 200 ppm of Ni and 200 ppm of V during the logarithmic growth phase of M. liquefaciens in PHGII liquid media. In contrast, no changes were observed in B. megaterium during logarithmic and stationary growth, perhaps due to the gene having differential expression during the growth phases. The expression profiles obtained for czcD show the possibility of using this gene from M. liquefaciens as a biomarker of nickel and vanadium pollution in microorganisms.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma viride cooperative effect on biochemical,mineral content,and protein pattern of onion plants

The benefits of growth-stimulating microbes in crop production represent great opportunities for recent agricultural practices. Thus, the present investigation deals with examining whether arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi or Trichoderma viride application or their dual inoculation could improve the biochemical parameters and mineral and nutrient contents of onion plants (Allium cepa) under glasshouse conditions. The results evidenced that both AM fungi and T. viride are compatible with each other, and their combined use is effective, not only in improving the biochemical parameters, such as total soluble carbohydrates, protein contents, total free amino acids, acid, and alkaline phosphatases, but also in increasing mineral and nutrient contents (N, P, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Zn) in onion plants, in which an increase of 67%, 49%, and 112% was observed in shoot onion P content with AM, T. viride, and with their dual inoculation, respectively, as compared with the controlled ones. Also, AM fungal colonization percentage augmented greatly with T. viride inoculation. Moreover, the protein profile of onion leaves revealed the appearance of newly protein bands with AM and T. viride applications. Therefore, their applications improved onion plant development, which could be used to replace the expensive chemical fertilizers, thus increasing onion quality.     

Immune checkpoint blockade and biomarkers of clinical response in non–small cell lung cancer

Immunotherapy with PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment for patients with NSCLC the last years with increased overall survival and in particular increased number of long-time survivors in patients with metastatic disease. It is now a treatment of choice for patients with distant metastases (stage IV) and in conjunction with chemoradiotherapy for patients with limited spread confined to the chest (stage III). PD-1 inhibition has been proven to be superior to standard chemotherapy, both as a single treatment and when combined with either chemotherapy or CTLA-4 inhibition. Despite the success of immunotherapy, the majority of patients do not respond or relapse within a short time frame. Biomarkers that would help to properly select patients with a high likelihood of clinical response to PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors are scarce and far from optimal, and only one (PD-L1 expression) has reached clinical practice. Thus for immunotherapy to be effective, the discovery and validation of additional biomarkers is critical for patient selection and prediction of clinical response. In this mini-review, we give an overview of current clinical management of NSCLC including treatment landscape with regard to immunotherapy, as well as discuss the current genetic and immune cell biomarker studies and their potential for introduction into clinical practice.     

Bacillus Calmette–Guérin strains with defined resistance mutations: a new tool for tuberculosis laboratory quality control

ObjectiveLaboratory quality control (QC) is essential to assess the reliability of tuberculosis diagnostic testing. To provide safe QC reagents for the detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we generated antibiotic-resistant mycobacterial strains of attenuated virulence (M. bovis bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG)).MethodsSeven mono-resistant BCG strains were developed by introducing resistance-conferring mutations into wild-type BCG strains. Mutations were confirmed by dideoxynucleotide sequencing. Phenotypic resistance was quantified by microbroth dilution to determine the MIC₉₀. The capacity of two commercial tests (GeneXpert TB/RIF and Genotype MTBDRplus) to detect resistance-conferring mutations was evaluated independently.ResultsOur panel included BCG strains with mutations in rpoB (S450L, I491F), katG (deletion at AA428), gyrA (D94G), rpsL (K43R) and Rv0678c (S63R). These mutations translated respectively into phenotypic resistance to rifampin (MIC ≥8 mg/L), isoniazid (MIC ≥8 mg/L), moxifloxacin (MIC 4 mg/L) and streptomycin (MIC ≥8 mg/L); the Rv0678c mutant showed decreased susceptibility to both clofazimine (MIC 4 mg/L) and bedaqualine (MIC 1 mg/L). GeneXpert (Cepheid) and Genotype MTBDRplus (Hain Lifesciences) both called the rpoB S450L strain rifampin-resistant and the I491F mutant rifampin-susceptible, as expected based on single nucleotide polymorphism positions. Likewise, MTBDRplus called the novel katG deletion mutant isoniazid susceptible despite phenotypic resistance.ConclusionBCG strains engineered to be mono-resistant to anti-tuberculosis drugs can be used as safe QC reagents for tuberculosis diagnostics and drug susceptibility testing.     

Identification of potential metabolic biomarkers in Yin deficiency syndrome using LC–MS

Yin and Yang are the two counter-balancing aspects in ancient Chinese philosophy. In traditional Chinese medicine, Yin deficiency syndrome (YDS) is a common sub-health state with complex causes. While the syndrome may be treated to various degrees of effectiveness with traditional Chinese medicine, efficient modern methods are yet to be developed for diagnosing and treating the YDS. Here we performed a metabolomics study on YDS in rats. Serum metabolites in rats were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS) method to identify potential biomarkers for YDS. The rats were divided randomly into the healthy control group, the untreated YDS group, and the anemarrhena treated YDS group. Compared with the control group, significant increase in the metabolites such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 5β-DHT, 4-imidazolone-5-propanoate, 4-(L-alanin-3-yl)-2-hydroxy-cis,cis-muconate 6-semialdehyde, and 5-(L-alanin-3-yl)-2-hydroxy-cis,cis-muconate 6-semialdehyde were observed in the serum of untreated YDS group, which returned to normal in the anemarrhena treated group. Therefore, these metabolites may serve as potential biomarkers for YDS, and may facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of YDS.     

Clinical Application of Iodine-125 Seed Brachytherapy Combined with Anti–PD-1 Antibodies in the Treatment of Lung Cancer

PurposeThe purpose of this case report was to investigate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of anti–programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 antibody combined with iodine (I)-125 seed brachytherapy in lung cancer treatment.MethodsThree patients with advanced PD-L1–positive non–small-cell lung cancer were treated first with I-125 seed brachytherapy and then with anti–PD-1 antibody. Clinical efficacy was evaluated with Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors.FindingsAll 3 patients had complete response or partial response. None of the 3 patients had reported obvious adverse events.ImplicationsEncouraging preliminary results provide important support for further clinical treatment of lung cancer using anti–PD-1 antibody combined with I-125 seed brachytherapy.