SPARC, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein containing the follistatin module, is expressed by astrocytes in synaptic enriched regions of the adult brain

Although extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins play important roles in neural development, their levels are generally believed to decrease in the adult brain. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that the anti-adhesive ECM glycoprotein SPARC/osteonectin, which contains a follistatin ‘module’, is expressed in the adult rabbit nervous system. In the cerebellum, SPARC is present in Bergmann glia, with a strong signal along their radial fibres. SPARC, while enriched in membrane fractions, is not a transmembrane protein. In the hippocampus, colocalization of SPARC is observed in cells which express the astrocytic marker GFAP. The expression of SPARC by a subset of astrocytes, particularly in synaptic enriched areas, suggests a continuing role for the ECM in the adult brain.     

Serological diagnosis of infection by Shigella dysenteriae-1 in patients with bacillary dysentery

A total of 192 samples of serum from 113 Sri Lankan patients with clinical dysentery was examined for antibodies of the IgM class to the lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Shigella dysenteriae-1 and Escherichia coli O157:H7. By means of ELISA and immunoblotting, 59 patients were found to have serum antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1 only. Four samples from one patient were found to contain serum antibodies to the LPSs of both S. dysenteriae-1 and E. coli 0157: H7. Antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1 were also detected in 16 samples from 25 children, from Sri Lanka, with no previous history of dysentery; one of these children also had antibodies to the LPS of E. coli 0157: H7. Analysis of 16 samples from apparently healthy children in the U.K. showed that only one serum contained antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1. This patient had a history of recent travel to Pakistan. The isolation of S. dysenteriae-1 remains the preferred test for the diagnosis of bacillary dysentery. The use of serology as a means of providing evidence of infection with S. dysenteriae-1, however may prove to be a useful adjunct to cultural techniques but needs to be validated in an area where this organism is endemic.     

COVID-19 and Infant Hospitalizations for Seasonal Respiratory Virus Infections,New Zealand, 2020

In March 2020, a national elimination strategy for coronavirus disease was introduced in New Zealand. Since then, hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infection among infants <2 years of age and cases of respiratory syncytial or influenza virus infection have dramatically decreased. These findings indicate additional benefits of coronavirus disease control strategies.     

Method to estimate relative transmission efficiencies of Anopheles species (Diptera: Culicidae) in human malaria transmission.

A mathematical expression was derived to estimate the relative malaria transmission efficiency of an anopheline species with respect to a standard well-characterized species for which all vector parameters can be sufficiently determined. The method is particularly useful in situations where multiple anopheline species contribute to human malaria transmission and requires the estimation of the man-biting rate, the sporozoite rate, and the human malaria incidence. Under stable conditions of vector abundance, the average sporozoite rate in a species during a transmission season would by itself reflect its relative transmission efficiency. This "efficiency" then was used to calculate the "effective human-biting rate"; i.e., the human-biting rate of that species if it were to have ecological properties identical to those of the standard species. The standard well-characterized species then could be used with the effective human-biting rate of all species to quantify transmission, thus overcoming the need to measure vector parameters for all anopheline species contributing to transmission. An expression also was derived to calculate the relative contribution made by each species to malaria transmission. The usefulness of this method was illustrated using entomological and epidemiological data from Kataragama, Sri Lanka.     

Microstructure,mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg–Dy–Gd–Zr alloys for medical applications

In previous investigations, a Mg–10Dy (wt.%) alloy with a good combination of corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility showed great potential for use as a biodegradable implant material. However, the mechanical properties of Mg–10Dy alloy are not satisfactory. In order to allow the tailoring of mechanical properties required for various medical applications, four Mg–10(Dy + Gd)–0.2Zr (wt.%) alloys were investigated with respect to microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties. With the increase in Gd content, the number of second-phase particles increased in the as-cast alloys, and the age-hardening response increased at 200 °C. The yield strength increased, while the ductility reduced, especially for peak-aged alloys with the addition of Gd. Additionally, with increasing Gd content, the corrosion rate increased in the as-cast condition owing to the galvanic effect, but all the alloys had a similar corrosion rate (～0.5 mm year^?1) in solution-treated and aged condition.     

Obesity, regional body fat distribution, and the metabolic syndrome in older men and women

BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome is a disorder that includes dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension and is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We determined whether patterns of regional fat deposition are associated with metabolic syndrome in older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed that included a random, population-based, volunteer sample of Medicare-eligible adults within the general communities of Pittsburgh, Pa, and Memphis, Tenn. The subjects consisted of 3035 men and women aged 70 to 79 years, of whom 41.7% were black. Metabolic syndrome was defined by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, including serum triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, glucose level, blood pressure, and waist circumference. Visceral, subcutaneous abdominal, intermuscular, and subcutaneous thigh adipose tissue was measured by computed tomography. RESULTS: Visceral adipose tissue was associated with the metabolic syndrome in men who were of normal weight (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 2.1, 1.6-2.9), overweight (1.8, 1.5-2.1), and obese (1.2, 1.0-1.5), and in women who were of normal weight (3.3, 2.4-4.6), overweight (2.4, 2.0-3.0), and obese (1.7, 1.4-2.1), adjusting for race. Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue was associated with the metabolic syndrome only in normal-weight men (1.3, 1.1-1.7). Intermuscular adipose tissue was associated with the metabolic syndrome in normal-weight (2.3, 1.6-3.5) and overweight (1.2, 1.1-1.4) men. In contrast, subcutaneous thigh adipose tissue was inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome in obese men (0.9, 0.8-1.0) and women (0.9, 0.9-1.0). CONCLUSION: In addition to general obesity, the distribution of body fat is independently associated with the metabolic syndrome in older men and women, particularly among those of normal body weight.     

RNAi-Mediated β-Catenin Inhibition Promotes T Cell Infiltration and Antitumor Activity in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Blockade

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Physical Functioning,Mental Health,and Quality of Life in Different Congenital Heart Defects: Comparative Analysis in 3538 Patients From 15 Countries

BackgroundWe compared physical functioning, mental health, and quality of life (QoL) of patients with different subtypes of congenital heart disease (CHD) in a large international sample and investigated the role of functional class in explaining the variance in outcomes across heart defects.MethodsIn the cross-sectional Assessment of Patterns of Patient-Reported Outcome in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease-International Study (APPROACH-IS), we enrolled 4028 adult patients with CHD from 15 countries. Diagnostic groups with at least 50 patients were included in these analyses, yielding a sample of 3538 patients (median age: 32 years; 52% women). Physical functioning, mental health, and QoL were measured with the SF-12 health status survey, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), linear analog scale (LAS) and Satisfaction with Life Scale, respectively. Functional class was assessed using the patient-reported New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Multivariable general linear mixed models were applied to assess the relationship between the type of CHD and patient-reported outcomes, adjusted for patient characteristics, and with country as random effect.ResultsPatients with coarctation of the aorta and those with isolated aortic valve disease reported the best physical functioning, mental health, and QoL. Patients with cyanotic heart disease or Eisenmenger syndrome had worst outcomes. The differences were statistically significant, above and beyond other patient characteristics. However, the explained variances were small (0.6% to 4.1%) and decreased further when functional status was added to the models (0.4% to 0.9%).ConclusionsSome types of CHD predict worse patient-reported outcomes. However, it appears that it is the functional status associated with the heart defect rather than the heart defect itself that shapes the outcomes.