Breastfeeding and the risk of dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim To synthesise the current evidence for the associations between breastfeeding and dental caries, with respect to specific windows of early childhood caries risk. Methods Systematic review, meta-analyses and narrative synthesis following searches of PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE databases. Results Sixty-three papers included. Children exposed to longer versus shorter duration of breastfeeding up to age 12 months (more versus less breastfeeding), had a reduced risk of caries (OR 0.50; 95%CI 0.25, 0.99, I2 86.8%). Children breastfed > 12 months had an increased riskof caries when compared with children breastfed 12 months, those fed nocturnally or more frequently had afurther increased caries risk (five studies, OR 7.14; 3.14, 16.23, I2 77.1%). There was a lack of studies on children aged > 12 months simultaneously assessing caries risk in breastfed, bottle-fed and children not bottle or breastfed, alongside specific breastfeeding practices, consuming sweet drinks and foods, and oral hygiene practices limiting our ability to tease out the risks attributable to each. Conclusion Breastfeeding in infancy may protect against dental caries. Further research needed to understand the increased risk of caries in children breastfed after 12 month

Prediction models for the development of COPD: A systematic review

Early identification of people at risk of developing COPD is crucial for implementing preventive strategies. We aimed to systematically review and assess the performance of all published models that predicted development of COPD. A search was conducted to identify studies that developed a prediction model for COPD development. The Checklist for Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies was followed when extracting data and appraising the selected studies. Of the 4,481 records identified, 30 articles were selected for full-text review, and only four of these were eligible to be included in the review. The only consistent predictor across all four models was a measure of smoking. Sex and age were used in most models; however, other factors varied widely. Two of the models had good ability to discriminate between people who were correctly or incorrectly classified as at risk of developing COPD. Overall none of the models were particularly useful in accurately predicting future risk of COPD, nor were they good at ruling out future risk of COPD. Further studies are needed to develop new prediction models and robustly validate them in external cohorts

Description et évaluation d'un réseau d'épidémiosurveillance des pathologies porcines mis en place dans un district du Nord Vietnam

Background and objective: Early menarche is increasing in prevalence worldwide, prompting clinical andpublic health interest on its links with pulmonary function. We aimed to investigate the relationship betweenearly menarche and lung function in middle age.Methods: The population-based Tasmanian LongitudinalHealth Study (born 1961; n = 8583), was initiated in 1968.The 5th Decade follow-up data (mean age: 45 years)included age at menarche and complex lung function testing. The 6th Decade follow-up (age: 53 years) repeated spirometry and gas transfer factor. Multiple linear regressionand mediation analyses were performed to determine theassociation between age at menarche and adult lung function and investigate biological pathways, including the proportion mediated by adult-attained height.Results: Girls reporting an early menarche (Conclusion:Early menarche was associated withreduced adult lung function. This is the first study toinvestigate post-BD outcomes and quantify the partialrole of adult height in this association

Residential greenness is differentially associated with childhood allergic rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization in seven birth cohorts

Background The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is high, but the role of environmental factors remains unclear. We examined cohort‐specific and combined associations of residential greenness with allergic rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization based on individual data from Swedish (BAMSE), Australian (MACS), Dutch (PIAMA), Canadian (CAPPS and SAGE), and German (GINIplus and LISAplus) birth cohorts (n = 13 016). Methods Allergic rhinitis (doctor diagnosis/symptoms) and aeroallergen sensitization were assessed in children aged 6–8 years in six cohorts and 10–12 years in five cohorts. Residential greenness was defined as the mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in a 500‐m buffer around the home address at the time of health assessment. Cohort‐specific associations per 0.2 unit increase in NDVI were assessed using logistic regression models and combined in a random‐effects meta‐analysis. Results Greenness in a 500‐m buffer was positively associated with allergic rhinitis at 6–8 years in BAMSE (odds ratio = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [1.13, 1.79]) and GINI/LISA South (1.69 [1.19, 2.41]) but inversely associated in GINI/LISA North (0.61 [0.36, 1.01]) and PIAMA (0.67 [0.47, 0.95]). Effect estimates in CAPPS and SAGE were also conflicting but not significant (0.63 [0.32, 1.24] and 1.31 [0.81, 2.12], respectively). All meta‐analyses were nonsignificant. Results were similar for aeroallergen sensitization at 6–8 years and both outcomes at 10–12 years. Stratification by NO2 concentrations, population density, an urban vs rural marker, and moving did not reveal consistent trends within subgroups. Conclusion Although residential greenness appears to be associated with childhood allergic rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization, the effect direction varies by location

Protein levels, air pollution and vitamin D deficiency: links with allergy

This study provides novel insights into mechanisms of traffic-related air pollution-induced allergy by down-regulation via complement regulators (CFI, PROS1 and PLG) and its interaction with vitamin D deficiency via the complement inhibitor PLG https://bit.ly/3x0jYOw

Accelerating the development of biological nitrification inhibition as a viable nitrous oxide mitigation strategy in grazed livestock systems

This position paper summarizes the current understanding of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) to identify research needs for accelerating the development of BNI as a N2O mitigation strategy for grazed livestock systems. We propose that the initial research focus should be on the systematic screening of agronomically desirable plants for their BNI potency and N2O reduction potential. This requires the development of in situ screening methods that can be combined with reliable N2O emission measurements and microbial and metabolomic analyses to confirm the selective inhibition of nitrification. As BNI-induced reductions in N2O emissions can occur by directly inhibiting nitrification, or via indirect effects on other N transformations, it is also important to measure gross N transformation rates to disentangle these direct and indirect effects. However, an equally important challenge will be to discern the apparent influence of soil N fertility status on the release of BNIs, particularly for more intensively managed grazing systems

Putative resistance gene markers associated with quantitative trait loci for fire blight resistance in Malus 'Robusta 5' accessions

Background Breeding of fire blight resistant scions and rootstocks is a goal of several international apple breeding programs, as options are limited for management of this destructive disease caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia amylovora. A broad, large-effect quantitative trait locus (QTL) for fire blight resistance has been reported on linkage group 3 of Malus ‘Robusta 5’. In this study we identified candidate gene markers for fire blight resistance by integrating further genetic mapping studies with bioinformatics analysis of transcript profiling data and genome sequence databases. Results When several defined E.amylovora strains were used to inoculate three progenies from 62 international breeding programs, all with ‘Robusta 5’ as a common parent, two distinct QTLs were detected on linkage group 3, where only one had previously been mapped. In the New Zealand population, the proximal QTL co-located with SNP markers for a leucine-rich repeat, receptor-like protein (MxdRLP1) candidate resistance gene and a closely linked class 3 peroxidase gene. While the QTL detected in the German population was approximately 6 cM distal to this, directly below a SNP marker for a heat shock 90 family protein (HSP90). In the US population, the position of the LOD score peak on linkage group 3 was dependent upon the pathogen strains used for inoculation. One of the five MxdRLP1 alleles identified in fire blight resistant and susceptible cultivars was genetically associated with resistance and used to develop a high resolution melting PCR marker. A resistance QTL detected on linkage group 7 of the US population co-located with another HSP90 gene-family member and a WRKY transcription factor previously associated with fire blight resistance. However, this QTL was not observed in the New Zealand or German populations. Conclusions The results suggest that the upper region of ‘Robusta 5’ 76 linkage group 3 contains multiple genes contributing to fire blight resistance and that their contributions to resistance can vary depending upon pathogen virulence and other factors. Candidate gene mapping has proved a useful aid in defining these QTLs and developing markers for marker-assisted breeding of fire blight resistance

Residential greenspace and lung function decline over 20 years in a prospective cohort: the ECRHS study

Background The few studies that have examined associations between greenspace and lung function in adulthood have yielded conflicting results and none have examined whether the rate of lung function decline is affected. Objective We explored the association between residential greenspace and change in lung function over 20 years in 5559 adults from 22 centers in 11 countries participating in the population-based, international European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Methods Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured by spirometry when participants were approximately 35 (1990–1994), 44 (1999–2003), and 55 (2010–2014) years old. Greenness was assessed as the mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in 500 m, 300 m, and 100 m circular buffers around the residential addresses at the time of lung function measurement. Green spaces were defined as the presence of agricultural, natural, or urban green spaces in a circular 300 m buffer. Associations of these greenspace parameters with the rate of lung function change were assessed using adjusted linear mixed effects regression models with random intercepts for subjects nested within centers. Sensitivity analyses considered air pollution exposures. Results A 0.2-increase (average interquartile range) in NDVI in the 500 m buffer was consistently associated with a faster decline in FVC (−1.25 mL/year [95% confidence interval: −2.18 to −0.33]). These associations were especially pronounced in females and those living in areas with low PM10 levels. We found no consistent associations with FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC ratio. Residing near forests or urban green spaces was associated with a faster decline in FEV1, while agricultural land and forests were related to a greater decline in FVC. Conclusions More residential greenspace was not associated with better lung function in middle-aged European adults. Instead, we observed slight but consistent declines in lung function parameters. The potentially detrimental association requires verification in future studies

A complicated prosthetic valve endocarditis due to methicillin resistant Staphylococci treated with linezolid and ciprofloxacin: a case report

Abstract Background Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a rare disease with significant mortality and morbidity. With the emerging resistance and adverse effect profile of vancomycin which is the standard treatment, there is a compelling necessity of an effective alternative for vancomycin. Linezolid is proved as such an agent for infections caused by MRSA in other sites. However to-date the evidence for successful use of linezolid for MRSA prosthetic valve endocarditis is limited only for few case studies. We here present the third case reported as effective treatment of PVE by MRSA with linezolid and probably the first case reported with successful treatment with linezolid in a patient with multiple complications who is a candidate for surgery in standard guidelines. Case presentation A 45 years old male from Kandy Sri Lanka, who had undergone prosthetic valve replacement 10 years back, presented with prosthetic mitral valve endocarditis caused by MRSA. He failed to respond to vancomycin and cotrimoxazole while sustaining cerebral haemorrhages, as well as life threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Treatment with intravenous linezolid and ciprofloxacin resulted in a complete response with disappearance of the vegetations and sterilization of blood cultures. Conclusions Linezolid can be considered as a good option for treating PVE by MRSA infections who are not responding to vancomycin and may negate the need for a surgery in patients awaiting an early surgery. Further studies including randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy of linezolid in PVE due to MRSA