Determinants of Intima-Media Thickness in the Young: The ALSPAC Study

ObjectivesThis study characterized the determinants of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in a large (n > 4,000) longitudinal cohort of healthy young people age 9 to 21 years.BackgroundGreater cIMT is commonly used in the young as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, but its evolution at this age is still poorly understood.MethodsAssociations between cardiovascular risk factors and cIMT were investigated in both longitudinal (ages 9 to 17 years) and cross-sectional (ages 17 and 21 years) analyses, with the latter also related to other measures of carotid structure and stress. Additional use of ultra-high frequency ultrasound in the radial artery at age 21 years allowed investigation of the distinct layers (i.e., intima or media) that may underlie observed differences.ResultsFat-free mass (FFM) and systolic blood pressure were the only modifiable risk factors positively associated with cIMT (e.g., mean difference in cIMT per 1-SD increase in FFM at age 17: 0.007 mm: 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.004 to 0.010; p < 0.001), whereas fat mass was negatively associated with cIMT (difference: ?0.0032; 95% CI: 0.004 to ?0.001; p = 0.001). Similar results were obtained when investigating cumulative exposure to these factors throughout adolescence. An increase in cIMT maintained circumferential wall stress in the face of increased mean arterial pressure when increases in body mass were attributable to increased FFM, but not fat mass. Risk factor?associated differences in the radial artery occurred in the media alone, and there was little evidence of a relationship between intimal thickness and any risk factor.ConclusionsSubtle changes in cIMT in the young may predominantly involve the media and represent physiological adaptations as opposed to subclinical atherosclerosis. Other vascular measures may be more appropriate for the identification of arterial disease before adulthood.     

Using big data from probabilistic genotyping to solve crime

Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA) has been using STRmix™ software to deconvolute all reported DNA mixtures since 2012. Almost a decade of deconvolutions had led to a substantial repository of analysed profile data that can be interrogated to observe trends in case type, location or occurrence. In addition, deconvolutions can be compared in order to identify common DNA donors and reveal new intelligence information in cases where DNA profiling has previously provided no investigative information. As a proof of concept all samples deconvoluted as part of criminal casework (suspect or no-suspect) were interrogated and compared to each other using the mixture-to-mixture comparison feature in STRmix™. Within the Adelaide region there were 32 groups of cases that had evidence samples linked by a common DNA donor with LR > 1 million which was in addition to direct links and mixture searching links identified previously. These groups of cases can then be interrogated to reveal additional information to inform Police intelligence gathering. Our paper reports on the findings of this proof-of-concept study.     

Genotoxic Effects of Cylindrospermopsin,Microcystin-LR and Their Binary Mixture in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2) Cell Line

Simultaneous occurrence of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and microcystin-LR (MCLR) has been reported in the aquatic environment and thus human exposure to such mixtures is possible. As data on the combined effects of CYN/MCLR are scarce, we aimed to investigate the adverse effects related to genotoxic activities induced by CYN (0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 µg/mL) and MCLR (1 µg/mL) as single compounds and their combinations in HepG2 cells after 24 and 72 h exposure. CYN and CYN/MCLR induced DNA double-strand breaks after 72 h exposure, while cell cycle analysis revealed that CYN and CYN/MCLR arrested HepG2 cells in G0/G1 phase. Moreover, CYN and the combination with MCLR upregulated CYP1A1 and target genes involved in DNA-damage response (CDKN1A, GADD45A). Altogether, the results showed that after 72 h exposure genotoxic activity of CYN/MCLR mixture was comparable to the one of pure CYN. On the contrary, MCLR (1 µg/mL) had no effect on the viability of cells and had no influence on cell division. It did not induce DNA damage and did not deregulate studied genes after prolonged exposure. The outcomes of the study confirm the importance of investigating the combined effects of several toxins as the effects can differ from those induced by single compounds.     

Corrigendum to “Probiotic mixture VSL#3: An overview of basic and clinical studies in chronic diseases”

Correction to: Cheng FS, Pan D, Chang B, Jiang M, Sang LX. Probiotic mixture VSL#3: An overview of basic and clinical studies in chronic diseases. World J Clin Cases 2020; 8: 1361-1384. We are the team of Min Jiang and Li-Xuan Sang from the First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University. Now we solemnly declare that the studies mentioned in this article[1] evaluated the probiotic formulation known as VSL#3 before January 31, 2016. The probiotic formulation is now commonly referred to as De Simone Formulation. In addition, the product currently known as VSL#3 is not the same as De Simone Formulation. De Simone Formulation is now available as Visbiome in the United States and Vivomixx in Europe.     

Adverse events related to topical drug treatments for acne vulgaris

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Acne vulgaris is a widespread skin disease. Topical therapy is a standard treatment for mild to moderate acne. Given the complex pathophysiology of acne, various agents with complementary action are nowadays frequently combined to increase the efficacy of therapy.

Area covered: This review focus on safety profile of topical agents used for the treatment of acne vulgaris, including topical retinoids, benzyl peroxide, azelaic acid, topical antibiotic, and combined agents. Data from clinical trials but also metanalyses, systematic reviews, and other secondary analyses are presented.

Expert opinion: In general, topical agents used for acne vulgaris have a favorable safety profile. The most commonly reported AEs were associated with local skin irritation, usually mild to moderate in intensity, intermittent, and rarely led to the cessation of therapy. Irritative potential seems to be highest for BPO and topical retinoids. Due to the possibility of development of Cutibacterium acnes resistance, topical antibiotics should not be used in monotherapy but as a part of combination therapy. In female adolescent and adults of childbearing potential, topical retinoids should be used with caution, because they are contraindicated in pregnant females (FDA Pregnancy category) C (adapalene, tretinoin) and X (tazarotene).     

心衰宁合剂质量控制研究*

目的建立心衰宁合剂的质量标准。方法采用薄层色谱法(TLC)对处方中的红参、黄芪、丹参进行定性鉴别;用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)测定心衰宁合剂中人参皂苷Rb1的含量。结果薄层图谱斑点清晰,阴性对照无干扰;人参皂苷Rb1在1.095～5.475 μg呈良好的线性关系,平均回收率为 97.3%,RSD为1.98%。结论建立的方法简便,准确,重复性好,精密度高,可用于心衰宁合剂的质量控制。     

痤疮型SAPHO综合征一例诊治分析及文献复习

SAPHO综合征是一组罕见的以皮肤和/或骨与关节炎性病变为主要临床表现的异质性疾病,其典型皮肤表现包括无菌性脓疱病及重度痤疮,此外还涉及化脓性汗腺炎、寻常型银屑病等,部分患者皮肤表现也可缺失。现代医学对本病的亚型分类尚未得到公认,各种亚型在治疗上是否应区别对待也未达成共识。既往中医药诊治SAPHO综合征的病例报道极少,尤其缺乏对痤疮型病例的治疗探讨。本文报道1例患者以“面部炎性丘疹、结节、囊肿3年,右臀区、右髋疼痛2周”为主诉于2017-04-27入住中国中医科学院西苑医院风湿病科,诊断为痤疮型SAPHO综合征,采用中医药治疗有效,揭示本型以湿热毒瘀为本,筋脉拘挛为标,临证应注意清热解毒药物、解痉止痛药物、入心经药物及藤类药物的使用,并结合文献研究探讨本病亚型分类的必要性与可行性。     

Forensic molecular biomarkers for mixture analysis

The deconvolution of DNA mixtures has gathered the attention of forensic DNA scientists for over two decades. To enhance mixture deconvolution capabilities, a new generation of sensitive DNA-typing approaches has been recently proposed. In this review, we describe novel, forensically relevant multi-SNP loci (i.e., microhaplotypes or microhaps), compound markers (i.e., DIP-STRs, SNP-STRs and DIP-SNPs) and lineage markers (i.e., rapidly mutating Y chromosome STRs) that improve the deconvolution of two and more than two-person mixtures typed using conventional STR, binary and non-binary loci. We explore the features and applications of these emerging molecular biomarkers with respect to their ability to forensically detect same-or-opposite sex donors. Finally, we discuss the impact of initial massively parallel sequencing (MPS) investigations of STR, microhaplotype and SNP/indel assays for DNA mixture profiling.     

芥子气－路易氏剂混合毒剂中毒特点及救治措施

糜烂性毒剂是现存化学武器的主要填充战剂,也是日本遗弃在华化学武器（简称日遗化武）的主要战剂。除常见的以单一战剂填充化学武器之外,为了能在寒区和高纬度地区使用而发展的芥子气－路易氏剂混合毒剂（简称芥路混合剂）是一种特殊而重要的战剂。该文就芥路混合剂中毒的毒理学、应急处置、临床救治等进行了介绍。