Egg Intake Has No Adverse Association With Blood Lipids Or Glucose In Adolescent Girls

Objective: Longitudinal data on cardiometabolic effects of egg intake during adolescence are lacking. The current analyses aim to evaluate the impact of usual adolescent egg consumption on lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance during late adolescence (age 17–20?years).

Methods: Data from 1392 girls, aged 9 to 10 at baseline and followed for 10?years, in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Growth and Health Study were used to examine the association between usual egg intake alone and in combination with other healthy lifestyle factors and late adolescent lipid levels, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance, measured as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Diet was assessed using 3-day food records during eight examination cycles. Girls were classified according to usual weekly egg intake, ages 9–17?years:?<1 egg/wk (n?=?361), 1 to <3 eggs/wk (n?=?703), and ≥3 eggs/wk (n?=?328). Analysis of covariance modeling was used to control for confounding by other behavioral and biological risk factors.

Results: Girls with low, moderate, and high egg intakes had adjusted low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 99.7, 98.8, and 95.5 mg/dL, respectively (p?=?0.0778). In combination with higher intakes of fiber, dairy, or fruits and vegetables, these beneficial effects were stronger and statistically significant. There was no evidence that ≥3 eggs/wk had an adverse effect on lipids, glucose, or HOMA-IR. More active girls who consumed ≥3 eggs/wk had the lowest levels of insulin resistance.

Conclusion: These results suggest that eggs may be included as part of a healthy adolescent diet without adverse effects on glucose, lipid levels, or insulin resistance.     

Penicillium piceum infection: diagnosis and successful treatment in chronic granulomatous disease.

Infections due to Penicillium species other than P.marneffei are rare. We identified a boy with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) with a pulmonary nodule and adjacent rib osteomyelitis caused by Penicillium piceum. The only sign of infection was an elevated sedimentation rate. P. piceum was isolated by fine needle aspirate and from excised infected tissues. Surgical removal and one year of voriconazole treatment were very well tolerated and led to complete recovery. Microbiological, microscopic and molecular studies support the fungal diagnosis. P. piceum should be considered as a relevant pathogen in immunocompromised patients.     

Intrathecal Ziconotide in the Treatment of Chronic Nonmalignant Pain: A Randomized,Double‐Blind,Placebo‐Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective. The safety and efficacy of intrathecal (IT) ziconotide was studied in a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. Materials and Methods. Patients (169 ziconotide, 86 placebo) with severe chronic nonmalignant pain unresponsive to conventional therapy and a visual analog scale of pain intensity (VASPI score) ≥ 50 mm were treated over a 6‐day period in an inpatient hospital setting. Initial starting dose was 0.4 µg/hour and was titrated to analgesia or intolerance (maximum dose 7.0 µg/hour). The starting and maximum doses were reduced to 0.1 µg/hour and 2.4 µg/hour, respectively, due to adverse events (AEs). Results. The mean percent reduction in VASPI score from baseline was 31.2% and 6.0% for ziconotide‐ and placebo‐treated patients, respectively (p ≤ 0.001). During the initial titration phase, a significantly greater percentage of patients in the ziconotide group compared to the placebo group reported AEs, including abnormal gait, amblyopia, dizziness, nausea, nystagmus, pain, urinary retention, and vomiting. Conclusion. Ziconotide provided significant analgesia in patients for whom conventional therapy failed. However, there was a considerable incidence of ziconotide‐associated AEs due to the rapid titration and high doses administered.