Evolution of infant feeding practices in children from 9 to 24 months,considering complementary feeding indicators and food processing: Results from the Brazilian cohort of the MAL‐ED study

Infant feeding practices impact children''s nutritional and health status, influencing growth and development. This study aimed to analyse the evolution of infant feeding practices from 9 to 24 months of age, considering infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators and food processing. The infant feeding practices in children from the Brazilian site of the MAL‐ED study were evaluated at 9 (n = 193), 15 (n = 182) and 24 months (n = 164) using 24‐h dietary recalls. IYCF indicators were evaluated, and the extent of food processing was evaluated, using the NOVA classification. Breastfeeding declined significantly over time, from 77.6% at 9 months to 45.1% at 24 months. Although dietary diversity did not significantly change during the study period (80.5% at 24 months), the minimum acceptable diet significantly increased from 67.9% to 76.1% at 24 months (p < 0.0005). All the studied children consumed sweetened beverages from 9 months. Unhealthy food consumption and zero vegetable or fruit consumption significantly increased over time (p < 0.0005). Unprocessed food consumption decreased from 9 to 24 months of age (p < 0.0005), while ultra‐processed food consumption increased (p < 0.0005) during the study period. Logistic regressions showed that, at 9 months, breastfed children presented a lower risk for ultra‐processed food consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.13–0.77); and children reaching the minimum acceptable diet presented more risk for ultra‐processed food consumption (OR = 2.31; 95% CI = 1.01–5.27). In conclusion, data showed a reduction in the quality of infant feeding practices over the first 2 years of life, with a decrease in breastfeeding and an increase in the consumption of unhealthy and ultra‐processed foods.     

Long-term real-world outcomes in retinal vein occlusions: How close are we to the trials?

Purpose:To assess and analyze the visual outcomes of patients with retinal vein occlusions in a real-world setting with a long-term follow-up of more than 5 years.Methods:Retrospective analysis of 56 patients having retinal vein occlusions from a tertiary eye center, with a mean follow-up of 7 years was performed. Primary outcome measures were mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and final visit (≥5 years), proportion of patients having BCVA better than 20/40 and worse than 20/200, and mean number of injections. Secondary outcome measures were change in central macular thickness (CMT), development of subsequent retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in same eye or the other eye, and development of neovascular complications.Results:The mean change in letter score was + 11.84 in branch RVO (BRVO), +7.14 in non-ischemic central RVO (CRVO), and −9.5 in ischemic CRVO at 1 year, which changed to + 8.57, −5 and − 24, respectively, at the end of follow-up. CMT had improved from 506 ± 98.8 µm, 576.44 ± 149 µm, and 618 ± 178.27 µm, respectively, at baseline to 267 ± 94 µm, 345.20 ± 122.61 µm, and 265.50 ± 107.75 µm, respectively, in BRVO, non-ischemic, and ischemic hemi RVO (HRVO)/CRVO groups. The total mean number of injections given in BRVO, non-ischemic CRVO, and ischemic CRVO groups were 4.6, 6.6, and 4.1, respectively. None of the patients with BRVO developed neovascular glaucoma (NVG). Non-ischemic to ischemic HRVO/CRVO conversion was noted in 4/11 eyes at a mean duration of 12.6 months. NVG was noted in 7/9 eyes (77.8%) in initial ischemic CRVO/HRVO group and 3/4 (75%) converted eyes.Conclusion:Patients with BRVO have good visual outcomes with anti-VEGF, while in CRVO results may vary considerably owing to patient compliance and treatment burden on long-term follow-up in a real-world setting.     

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 as a potential biomarker in psoriasis

To discover novel biomarkers of psoriasis, a target‐specific antibody array screening of serum samples from psoriasis patients was initially performed. The results revealed that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR‐3) was significantly elevated in the sera of psoriasis patients, compared to healthy controls. Next, ELISA validation studies in a larger cohort of psoriasis patients (N = 73) were conducted, which confirmed that serum VEGFR‐3 was indeed significantly increased in patients with psoriasis compared to healthy controls (P < 0.001). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that serum VEGFR‐3 exhibited potential in distinguishing healthy controls from psoriasis patients: area under the curve = 0.85, P < 0.001. In addition, serum levels of VEGFR‐3 were correlated with Psoriasis Area Severity Index scores (R = 0.32, P = 0.008) in psoriasis patients. Interestingly, serum VEGFR‐3 levels were significantly elevated in psoriatic arthritis compared to non‐psoriatic arthritis (P = 0.026). A pilot longitudinal study demonstrated that serum levels of VEGFR‐3 could reflect disease progression in psoriasis. Collectively, serum VEGFR‐3 may have a clinical value in monitoring disease activity of psoriasis.     

Clinical and microbiological profile of diabetic foot ulcer patients in a tertiary care hospital

Aim

To evaluate the clinical and microbiological profile of diabetic foot ulcer patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital.

Association of IL‐1β +3954 C/T and IL‐10‐1082 G/A Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) constitutes the major cause of death due to infectious diseases. Cytokines play a major role in defence against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Polymorphisms in the genes encoding various cytokines have been associated with tuberculosis susceptibility. Household contacts (HHC) are at increased risk of developing the disease. In this study, we examined the association of IL‐1β and IL‐10 cytokine gene polymorphisms with risk of developing tuberculosis in TB patients, their HHC and healthy controls (HC) using JavaStat and SPSS. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analyses were performed to explore the potential gene–gene interactions. The genotype and allele frequencies of IL‐1β +3954C/T polymorphism did not vary significantly between TB patients and HC. GG (P < 0.005, OR = 0.219 and 95% CI = 0.059–0.735) and GA (P < 0.0001, OR = 2.938 and 95% CI = 1.526–5.696) genotypes of IL‐10‐1082 G/A polymorphism were found to be significantly associated with patients versus HC. HHC with CC (P < 0.03, OR = 1.833 and 95% CI = 1.1–3.35) genotype in IL‐1β and GA (P < 0.0001, OR = 4.612 and 95% CI = 2.225–9.702) genotype in IL‐10 were at increased risk of developing tuberculosis. MDR tests revealed high‐risk genotypes in IL‐1β and IL‐10 based on the association model. Our results demonstrate that the polymorphisms of IL‐1β and IL‐10 genes may be valuable markers to predict the risk for the development of TB in household contacts.     

Quantitative differences in CD45 expression unmask functions for CD45 in B-cell development, tolerance, and survival

The receptor-like tyrosine phosphatase CD45 positively regulates antigen receptor signaling by dephosphorylating the inhibitory tyrosine of the src family kinases. CD45-deficient mice fail to fully unmask the role of CD45 in B cells because of the expression of a partially redundant tyrosine phosphatase, CD148. However, mice that are doubly deficient in CD45 and CD148 exhibit a very early block in B-cell development, thereby obscuring later roles for CD45. To overcome these limitations, here we take advantage of an allelic series of mice in which CD45 expression is titrated broadly (0-180%). Although high expression of CD45 inhibits T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling, we show that CD45 plays a purely positive regulatory role during B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling. In concert with exaggerated BCR signaling, increasing CD45 expression drives enhanced receptor editing in the bone marrow and profound loss of follicular and marginal zone B cells in the spleen. In the context of the IgHEL/sHEL model of B-cell tolerance, such high CD45 expression transforms anergy into deletion. Unexpectedly, elimination of the autoantigen sHEL in this model system in order to block clonal deletion fails to rescue survival of mature B cells. Rather, high CD45 expression reduces B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFFR) expression and inhibits B-cell activating factor (BAFF)-induced B-cell survival in a cell-intrinsic manner. Taken together, our findings reveal how CD45 function diverges in T cells and B cells, as well as how autoreactive B cells are censored as they transit development.