Haemoglobin mass and running time trial performance after recombinant human erythropoietin administration in trained men

<p>Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) increases haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) and maximal oxygen uptake (v˙ O2 max).</p> <p>Purpose: This study defined the time course of changes in Hbmass, v˙ O2 max as well as running time trial performance following 4 weeks of rHuEpo administration to determine whether the laboratory observations would translate into actual improvements in running performance in the field.</p> <p>Methods: 19 trained men received rHuEpo injections of 50 IUNkg21 body mass every two days for 4 weeks. Hbmass was determined weekly using the optimized carbon monoxide rebreathing method until 4 weeks after administration. v˙ O2 max and 3,000 m time trial performance were measured pre, post administration and at the end of the study.</p> <p>Results: Relative to baseline, running performance significantly improved by ,6% after administration (10:3061:07 min:sec vs. 11:0861:15 min:sec, p,0.001) and remained significantly enhanced by ,3% 4 weeks after administration (10:4661:13 min:sec, p,0.001), while v˙ O2 max was also significantly increased post administration (60.765.8 mLNmin21Nkg21 vs. 56.066.2 mLNmin21Nkg21, p,0.001) and remained significantly increased 4 weeks after rHuEpo (58.065.6 mLNmin21Nkg21, p = 0.021). Hbmass was significantly increased at the end of administration compared to baseline (15.261.5 gNkg21 vs. 12.761.2 gNkg21, p,0.001). The rate of decrease in Hbmass toward baseline values post rHuEpo was similar to that of the increase during administration (20.53 gNkg21Nwk21, 95% confidence interval (CI) (20.68, 20.38) vs. 0.54 gNkg21Nwk21, CI (0.46, 0.63)) but Hbmass was still significantly elevated 4 weeks after administration compared to baseline (13.761.1 gNkg21, p<0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion: Running performance was improved following 4 weeks of rHuEpo and remained elevated 4 weeks after administration compared to baseline. These field performance effects coincided with rHuEpo-induced elevated v˙ O2 max and Hbmass.</p&gt

Risk of Kaposi's sarcoma and of other cancers in Italian renal transplant patients

A follow-up study of 1844 renal transplant patients in Italy showed a 113-fold increased risk for Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi's sarcoma risk was higher in persons born in southern than in northern Italy. Significant increases were also observed for cancers of the lip, liver, kidney and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Risk of cardiovascular events and death associated with initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors compared with DPP-4 inhibitors:an analysis from the CVD-REAL 2 multinational cohort study

Background Cardiovascular outcome trials have shown cardiovascular benefit with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes, whereas dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have not shown an effect. We aimed to address knowledge gaps regarding the comparative effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitor use in clinical practice (with DPP-4 inhibitor use as an active comparator) across a range of cardiovascular risks and in diverse geographical settings. Methods In this comparative cohort study, we used data from clinical practice from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, European, and North American regions to assess the risk of cardiovascular events and death in adult patients with type 2 diabetes newly initiated on SGLT2 inhibitors compared with those newly initiated on DPP-4 inhibitors. De-identified health records were used to select patients who were initiated on these drug classes between Dec 1, 2012, and May 1, 2016, with follow-up until Dec 31, 2014, to Nov 30, 2017 (full range; dates varied by country). Non-parsimonious propensity scores for SGLT2 inhibitor initiation were developed for each country and patients who were initiated on an SGLT2 inhibitor were matched with those who were initiated on a DPP-4 inhibitor in a 1:1 ratio. Outcomes assessed were hospitalisation for heart failure, all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by country and then pooled in a weighted meta-analysis. Findings Following propensity score matching, 193 124 new users of SGLT2 inhibitors and 193 124 new users of DPP-4 inhibitors were included in the study population. Participants had a mean age of 58 years (SD 12.2), 170 335 (44.1%) of 386 248 were women, and 111933 (30.1%) of 372 262 had established cardiovascular disease. Initiation of an SGLT2 inhibitor versus a DPP-4 inhibitor was associated with substantially lower risks of hospitalisation for heart failure (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0. 61-0. 77; p Interpretation In this large, international, observational study, initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors versus DPP-4 inhibitors was associated with lower risks of heart failure, death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, providing further support for the cardiovascular benefits associated with use of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes. Copyright (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Lower Risk of Heart Failure and Death in Patients Initiated on Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors Versus Other Glucose-Lowering DrugsClinical Perspective: The CVD-REAL Study (Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors)

Reduction in cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) was recently reported with the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT-2i) empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We compared HHF and death in patients newly initiated on any SGLT-2i versus other glucose-lowering drugs in 6 countries to determine if these benefits are seen in real-world practice and across SGLT-2i class

The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2002

Called for by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, this is the first biennial report on the condition of coral reefs. It is the scientific baseline for subsequent reports on the health of U.S. coral reef ecosystems that are to be used by NOAA and others to evaluate the efficacy of coral reef conservation and management practices. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service led the development of this report. It was authored by 38 experts and supported by 79 contributors from government agencies and non-governmental organizations across the nation and internationally. Over 100 Task Force members and other notable scientists have reviewed this document

Murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains of bacteria and archaea—a comparative view

The cell wall, a major barrier protecting cells from their environment, is an essential compartment of both bacteria and archaea. It protects the organism from internal turgor pressure and gives a defined shape to the cell. The cell wall serves also as an anchoring surface for various proteins and acts as an adhesion platform for bacteriophages. The walls of bacteria and archaea are mostly composed of murein and pseudomurein, respectively. Cell wall binding domains play a crucial role in the non-covalent attachment of proteins to cell walls. Here, we give an overview of the similarities and differences in the biochemical and functional properties of the two major murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains, i.e., the Lysin Motif (LysM) domain (Pfam PF01476) and the pseudomurein binding (PMB) domain (Pfam PF09373) of bacteria and archaea, respectively

Reduction of Natural Killer but Not Effector CD8 T Lymphoyctes in Three Consecutive Cases of Severe/Lethal H1N1/09 Influenza A Virus Infection

Background: The cause of severe disease in some patients infected with pandemic influenza A virus is unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: We present the cellular immunology profile in the blood, and detailed clinical (and postmortem) findings of three patients with rapidly progressive infection, including a pregnant patient who died. The striking finding is of reduction in natural killer (NK) cells but preservation of activated effector CD8 T lymphocytes; with viraemia in the patient who had no NK cells. Comparison with control groups suggests that the reduction of NK cells is unique to these severely ill patients. Conclusion/Significance: Our report shows markedly reduced NK cells in the three patients that we sampled and raises the hypothesis that NK may have a more significant role than T lymphocytes in controlling viral burden when the host is confronted with a new influenza A virus subtype

Air temperature variations and gradients along the coast and fjords of western Spitsbergen

Daily temperature measurements from six meteorological stations along the coast and fjords of western Spitsbergen have been digitized and quality controlled in a Norwegian, Russian and Polish collaboration. Complete daily data series have been reconstructed back to 1948 for all of the stations. One of the station’s monthly temperature series has previously been extended back to 1898 and is included in this study. The long-term series show large temperature variability on western Spitsbergen with colder periods in the 1910s and 1960s and warmer periods in the 1930s, 1950s and in the 21st century. The most recent years are the warmest ones in the instrumental records. There is a positive and statistically significant trend in the annual times series for all of the stations; however, the strongest warming is seen in winter and spring. For the period 1979-2015, the linear trends range from 1.0 to 1.38°C/decade for the annual series and from 2.0 to 2.38°C/decade in winter. Threshold statistics demonstrate a decrease in the number of cold days per year and an increase in the number of warm days. A decreasing inter-annual variability is observed. In winter, spring and autumn, the stations in the northernmost areas of west Spitsbergen and in the innermost parts of Isfjorden are the coldest ones. In summer, however, the southernmost station is the coldest one