Low aerobic mitochondrial energy metabolism in poorly- or undifferentiated neuroblastoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) has been associated with carcinogenesis in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. In the present study we investigated components of the oxidative phosphorylation system in human neuroblastoma tissue samples.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Spectrophotometric measurements, immunohistochemical analysis and Western blot analysis were used to characterize the aerobic mitochondrial energy metabolism in neuroblastomas (NB).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to mitochondrial citrate synthase, SDH activity was severely reduced in NB (n = 14) versus kidney tissue. However no pathogenic mutations could be identified in any of the four subunits of SDH. Furthermore, no genetic alterations could be identified in the two novel SDH assembly factors SDHAF1 and SDH5. Alterations in genes encoding nfs-1, frataxin and isd-11 that could lead to a diminished SDH activity have not been detected in NB.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Because downregulation of other complexes of the oxidative phosphorylation system was also observed, a more generalized reduction of mitochondrial respiration seems to be present in neuroblastoma in contrast to the single enzyme defect found in hereditary pheochromocytomas.</p

The effect of systemic antibiotics on clinical and patient‐reported outcome measures of oral implant therapy with simultaneous guided bone regeneration

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Objectives: The aim of the present superiority study was to determine the effect of systemic antibiotics primarily on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and post-surgical complications in patients undergoing oral implant therapy with simultaneous guided bone regeneration (GBR). Materials and Methods: A total of 236 medically and periodontally healthy patients received oral implants with simultaneous GBR at seven centres. Pre-operative antibiotics of 2 g amoxicillin were prescribed to the test group 1 hr prior to surgery and 500 mg thrice daily on days 1–3 after surgery. The control group was given a placebo. Group allocation was performed randomly. Primary outcome variables were PROMs recorded as visual analogue scale scores assessed on days 1–7 and 14 on pain, swelling, haematoma and bleeding. Post-operative complications as secondary outcome variables were examined at 1, 2, 4 and 12 weeks from surgery. Chi-square tests and repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed for statistical evaluation. Results: No statistically significant differences (p >.05) between the two groups were detected for the evaluated PROMs. The same was noted with respect to post-surgical complications. Four implants were lost—three in the test group and one in the control group. Conclusion: In this trial, systemic antibiotics did not provide additional benefits to PROMs, nor the prevention of post-surgical complications in medically and periodontally healthy patients undergoing oral implant therapy with simultaneous GBR. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are still required to support the clinical outcomes of this study.This study has been supported by a research grant of the ITI Foundation (ITI Grant‐No: No. 962_2013). Further, we want to thank the Geistlich AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland, for providing bone substitutes and collagen membranes (Bio‐Oss® and Bio‐Gide®); Medochemie Limassol, Cyprus, for providing the study medication; and the Straumann AG (Basel, Switzerland) for granting a 50% discount on all the implant materials used in the presented study. The co‐operation of the staff of the centres involved in the study is highly appreciated: (1) Peking University, School of Stomatology, Beijing PR China (2) Medical University Graz, University Clinic of Dental Medicine & Oral Health, Department of Oral Surgery and Orthodontics, Graz Austria (3) Griffith University, Gold Coast, School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Queensland, Australia (4) The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Dentistry, Hong Kong SAR PR China (5) University of Iceland, Faculty of Odontology, Reykjavik, Iceland (6) Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Department of Implant Dentistry, Shanghai PR China (7) National Dental Centre Singapore, SingaporePeer Reviewe

Social circumstances and cultural beliefs influence maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and child feeding practices in South Africa:

Maternal and child undernutrition remain prevalent in developing countries with 45 and 11% of child deaths linked to poor nutrition and suboptimal breastfeeding, respectively. This also has adverse effects on child growth and development. The study determined maternal dietary diversity, breastfeeding and, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and identified reasons for such behavior in five rural communities in South Africa, in the context of cultural beliefs and social aspects

Quality Evaluation of Ready-To-Eat Garri Made from Cassava Mash and Mango Fruit Mesocarp Blends

Garri is a popular, easy to prepare, storable and low cost staple food made from cassava roots, but lacks the right balance of nutrients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of incorporating mango fruit mesocarp flour as a supplement on the functional, physicochemical and sensory properties of garri. Four blend ratios and codes of 100:0 (C100M0G), 90:10 (C90M10G), 80:20 (C80M20G) and 70:30 (C70M30G) were developed for cassava mash and mango fruit mesocarp flour respectively. The proximate composition, vitamin and elemental composition, functional properties and sensory attributes of the samples were analysed using standard methods. Results from this study revealed that increase in mango fruit mesocarp flour supplementation in the garri increased the protein (1.01 to 1.42%), fat (negligible increase), ash (0.47 to 1.28%), carbohydrate (82.99 to 87.15%), Vitamin A (3.00 to 160.66 µg/100g), Vitamin C (10.23 to 33.34 mg/100g), calcium (0.43 to 1.04%), potassium (0.07 to 0.28%), sodium (0.05 to 0.22%) contents as well as sensory attributes whose values ranged from 5.7 to 7.9 on a 9 point hedonic scale; while decreasing the moisture (12.60 to 7.85%) and crude fibre (2.93 to 2.30%) contents in addition to the bulk density (0.66 to 0.51 g/ml), water absorption capacity (2.11 to 1.30 g/g) and swelling capacity (1.09 to 0.78 g/g). Therefore, adding mango fruit mesocarp flour as supplement has the ability to enhance the macro- and micro-nutrient content, functional properties and sensory characteristics of garri. Sensory evaluation revealed that C70M30G was the most preferred blend formulation

Child Passenger Safety Needs and Resources in Michigan

This study was performed to characterize child passenger safety resources in Michigan and to analyze the impact of Michigan’s child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs), who are certified to instruct caregivers on how to correctly use child restraints. The objective was to provide OHSP with the information to guide equitable distribution of child passenger safety resources throughout Michigan. Analyses used existing data from the 2010 U.S. Census, the American Community Survey 2009-2013, Michigan State Police crash reports from 2010 through 2014, Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) lists of certified CPSTs and their locations from 2012 to 2015, OHSP records of child restraint system distribution, and child passenger safety checklist form data from Safe Kids Michigan. Counties were considered areas at risk (with greatest need for child passenger safety resources) based on a composite risk score that included population characteristics including minority race, Hispanic/non-English speaking, poverty, and low educational attainment and crash-related injuries or suboptimal child passenger restraint behaviors associated with a crash adjusted for the child population ≤9 years. Needs and resources were assessed for the 83 counties and 15 OHSP Traffic Safety Regions in Michigan. A survey of CPSTs in Michigan was conducted to gather data on the workforce characteristics. Results show that counties with the highest risk scores are concentrated in the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the counties with the largest number of CPSTs are in the Lower Peninsula. The total number of CPSTs in Michigan has been stable around 950, with 140 to 260 new CPSTs in a given year. Only Keweenaw, Alcona, and Montmorency counties had no CPSTs who reported living or working there. The majority of CPSTs self-identified as white race. Spanish was the most common non-English language spoken by CPSTs. The largest proportions of CPSTs worked in law enforcement, social work/health education, and healthcare. Of the CPSTs considered “high-activity”, most were both paid and volunteered for seat checks and many reported an affiliation with a Safe Kids Coalition. Car seat inspection (or fitting) stations and events were offered primarily in counties throughout the southern Lower Peninsula, with the largest number in metro Detroit and Kent counties. The number of children ≤9 years per CPST per county was lowest in Gogebic (166) and highest in Jackson (4618). Forty counties had 1,000 or more children per CPST and were distributed throughout the state. Data from 32,411 Safe Kids Michigan seat checks revealed that nearly half resulted in a change in restraint type, installation method, or location in the vehicle. Half of seat checks included the distribution of a child restraint system. The most services per child ≤9 years were provided in the following OHSP regions: Thumb Area, West Michigan, South Central, Traverse Bay Area, Huron Valley, and Upper Peninsula Regions. The fewest services per child ≤9 years were provided in the Northern Lower, Southwest, Oakland, and Macomb/St. Clair Regions. In conclusion, the child passenger safety needs are not evenly distributed throughout the state. There is wide variation in the current distribution of child passenger safety resources. Many counties with the most resources have a greater unmet need than lower-resourced counties due to the large total number of children and children considered at risk living within them.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136921/1/klinich 2016-19 report.docxDescription of klinich 2016-19 report.docx : Main articl

Bone and Mineral Metabolism in Children with Nephropathic Cystinosis Compared with other CKD Entities

Context: Children with nephropathic cystinosis (NC) show persistent hypophosphatemia, due to Fanconi syndrome, as well as mineral and bone disorders related to chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, systematic analyses are lacking. Objective: To compare biochemical parameters of bone and mineral metabolism between children with NC and controls across all stages of CKD. Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study. Setting: Hospital clinics. Patients: Forty-nine children with NC, 80 CKD controls of the same age and CKD stage. Main outcome measures: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), soluble Klotho, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP5b), sclerostin, osteoprotegerin (OPG), biochemical parameters related to mineral metabolism, and skeletal comorbidity. Results: Despite Fanconi syndrome medication, NC patients showed an 11-fold increased risk of short stature, bone deformities, and/or requirement for skeletal surgery compared with CKD controls. This was associated with a higher frequency of risk factors such as hypophosphatemia, hypocalcemia, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), metabolic acidosis, and a specific CKD stage-dependent pattern of bone marker alterations. Pretransplant NC patients in mild to moderate CKD showed a delayed increase or lacked an increase in FGF23 and sclerostin, and increased BAP, TRAP5b, and OPG concentrations compared with CKD controls. Post-transplant, BAP and OPG returned to normal, TRAP5b further increased, whereas FGF23 and PTH were less elevated compared with CKD controls and associated with higher serum phosphate. Conclusions: Patients with NC show more severe skeletal comorbidity associated with distinct CKD stage-dependent alterations of bone metabolism than CKD controls, suggesting impaired mineralization and increased bone resorption, which is only partially normalized after renal transplantation