Dietary aflatoxin exposure and impaired growth in young children from Benin and Togo: cross sectional study

Fetal and early childhood environment, including the nutritional status of the pregnant mother and the infant, are considered critical for growth and risk of disease in later life. Many people in developing coun­ tries are not only malnourished but also chronically exposed to high levels of toxic fungal metabolites (mycotoxins). One family of mycotoxins, the aflatoxins, are carcinogenic and immunotoxic and cause growth retardation in animals. Aflatoxins contaminate staple foods in West Africa, particularly maize and ground­ nuts, as a result of hot, humid storage conditions that promote fungal growth. High exposure to aflatoxins occurs throughout childhood in the region, suggest­ ing that growth and development could be critically affected.We assessed exposure to aflatoxins in relation to anthropometric measures in children in Benin and Togo

Contemporary roles of registries in clinical cardiology: Insights from Western and Eastern European countries

Despite substantial advances in the management of cardiovascular disease, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Globally, cardiovascular disease is expected to account for over 23 million deaths by the year 2030, mostly attributable to an increasing incidence in low and middle income countries. Within the World Health Organisation European Region, cardiovascular disease accounts for over 4 million deaths per year. However, this rate varies considerably between European countries with evidence from observational databases to suggest that mortality rates from cardiovascular disease are higher in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Finland and Malta

Frailty and acute coronary syndrome: A structured literature review

The health burden of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and frailty is high, but the impact of frailty on ACS treatment and outcomes is uncertain. In this structured literature review, we investigated the relationship between frailty, ACS treatment and outcomes. Between 2000 and 2016, we identified only a small number of primary research studies investigating frailty and ACS care (n = 10). Frailty was independently associated with increased mortality following ACS (adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratios for patients with frailty ranged from 1.54 to 5.39). Older people with frailty were significantly less likely to receive guideline-indicated ACS care, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (rates ranged from 6.7% to 43.7% vs. from 30.4% to 69.5%). Available data for PCI indicated a gap between treatment recommended by international guidelines and clinical practice. Further research is warranted in order to investigate methods for identifying frailty in the acute setting and opportunities for improving care among older people with frailty presenting with ACS

HTR4 gene structure and altered expression in the developing lung

Background: Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 (5-HT4R) gene (HTR4) associated with lung function. The aims of this study were to i) investigate the expression profile of HTR4 in adult and fetal lung tissue and cultured airway cells, ii) further define HTR4 gene structure and iii) explore the potential functional implications of key SNPs using a bioinformatic approach

Fretting of CoCrMo and Ti6Al4V Alloys in Modular Prostheses

Implantation of a total hip replacements (THR) is an effective intervention in the management of arthritis. Modularity at the taper junction of THR was introduced in order to improve the ease with which the surgeon could modify the length of the taper section and the overall length of the replacement. Cobalt chromium (Co–28Cr–6Mo) and titanium (Ti–6Al–4V) alloys are the most commonly used materials for the device. This study investigates the fretting behaviour of both CoCr–CoCr and CoCr–Ti couplings and analyses their damage mechanisms. A reciprocating tribometer ball on plate fretting contact was instrumented with in situ electrochemistry to characterise the damage inflicted by tribocorrosion on the two couplings. Fretting displacements amplitudes of 10, 25 and 50 mm at an initial contact pressure of 1 GPa were assessed. The results reveal larger metallic volume loss from the CoCr–CoCr alloy compared to the CoCr–Ti alloy, and the open circuit potential indicates a depassivation of the protective oxide layer at displacement amplitudes .25 mm. In conclusion, the damage mechanisms of CoCr–CoCr and CoCr–Ti fretting contacts were identified to be wear and fatigue dominated mechanisms respectively

Risk of myocardial infarction and stroke after acute infection or vaccination.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that chronic inflammation may promote atherosclerotic disease. We tested the hypothesis that acute infection and vaccination increase the short-term risk of vascular events. METHODS: We undertook within-person comparisons, using the case-series method, to study the risks of myocardial infarction and stroke after common vaccinations and naturally occurring infections. The study was based on the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database, which contains computerized medical records of more than 5 million patients. RESULTS: A total of 20,486 persons with a first myocardial infarction and 19,063 persons with a first stroke who received influenza vaccine were included in the analysis. There was no increase in the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke in the period after influenza, tetanus, or pneumococcal vaccination. However, the risks of both events were substantially higher after a diagnosis of systemic respiratory tract infection and were highest during the first three days (incidence ratio for myocardial infarction, 4.95; 95 percent confidence interval, 4.43 to 5.53; incidence ratio for stroke, 3.19; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.81 to 3.62). The risks then gradually fell during the following weeks. The risks were raised significantly but to a lesser degree after a diagnosis of urinary tract infection. The findings for recurrent myocardial infarctions and stroke were similar to those for first events. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for the concept that acute infections are associated with a transient increase in the risk of vascular events. By contrast, influenza, tetanus, and pneumococcal vaccinations do not produce a detectable increase in the risk of vascular events

3D virtual histology at the host/parasite interface: visualisation of the master manipulator, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, in the brain of its ant host

Some parasites are able to manipulate the behaviour of their hosts to their own advantage. One of the most well-established textbook examples of host manipulation is that of the trematode Dicrocoelium dendriticum on ants, its second intermediate host. Infected ants harbour encysted metacercariae in the gaster and a non-encysted metacercaria in the suboesophageal ganglion (SOG); however, the mechanisms that D. dendriticum uses to manipulate the ant behaviour remain unknown, partly because of a lack of a proper and direct visualisation of the physical interface between the parasite and the ant brain tissue. Here we provide new insights into the potential mechanisms that this iconic manipulator uses to alter its host’s behaviour by characterising the interface between D. dendriticum and the ant tissues with the use of non-invasive micro-CT scanning. For the first time, we show that there is a physical contact between the parasite and the ant brain tissue at the anteriormost part of the SOG, including in a case of multiple brain infection where only the parasite lodged in the most anterior part of the SOG was in contact with the ant brain tissue. We demonstrate the potential of micro-CT to further understand other parasite/host systems in parasitological research.Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The singlet scalar as FIMP dark matter

The singlet scalar model is a minimal extension of the Standard Model that can explain the dark matter. We point out that in this model the dark matter constraint can be satisfied not only in the already considered WIMP regime but also, for much smaller couplings, in the Feebly Interacting Massive Particle (FIMP) regime. In it, dark matter particles are slowly produced in the early Universe but are never abundant enough to reach thermal equilibrium or annihilate among themselves. This alternative framework is as simple and predictive as the WIMP scenario but it gives rise to a completely different dark matter phenomenology. After reviewing the calculation of the dark matter relic density in the FIMP regime, we study in detail the evolution of the dark matter abundance in the early Universe and the predicted relic density as a function of the parameters of the model. A new dark matter compatible region of the singlet model is identified, featuring couplings of order 10^-11 to 10^-12 for singlet masses in the GeV to TeV range. As a consequence, no signals at direct or indirect detection experiments are expected. The relevance of this new viable region for the correct interpretation of recent experimental bounds is emphasized.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Should physical activity recommendations be ethnicity-specific? Evidence from a cross-sectional study of south Asian and European men

Background Expert bodies and health organisations recommend that adults undertake at least 150 min.week−1 of moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA). However, the underpinning data largely emanate from studies of populations of European descent. It is unclear whether this level of activity is appropriate for other ethnic groups, particularly South Asians, who have increased cardio-metabolic disease risk compared to Europeans. The aim of this study was to explore the level of MPA required in South Asians to confer a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile to that observed in Europeans undertaking the currently recommended MPA level of 150 min.week−1.<p></p> Methods Seventy-five South Asian and 83 European men, aged 40–70, without cardiovascular disease or diabetes had fasted blood taken, blood pressure measured, physical activity assessed objectively (using accelerometry), and anthropometric measures made. Factor analysis was used to summarise measured risk biomarkers into underlying latent ‘factors’ for glycaemia, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and overall cardio-metabolic risk. Age-adjusted regression models were used to determine the equivalent level of MPA (in bouts of ≥10 minutes) in South Asians needed to elicit the same value in each factor as Europeans undertaking 150 min.week−1 MPA.<p></p> Findings For all factors, except blood pressure, equivalent MPA values in South Asians were significantly higher than 150 min.week−1; the equivalent MPA value for the overall cardio-metabolic risk factor was 266 (95% CI 185-347) min.week−1.<p></p> Conclusions South Asian men may need to undertake greater levels of MPA than Europeans to exhibit a similar cardio-metabolic risk profile, suggesting that a conceptual case can be made for ethnicity-specific physical activity guidance. Further study is needed to extend these findings to women and to replicate them prospectively in a larger cohort.<p></p&gt

Long-term excess mortality associated with diabetes following acute myocardial infarction: a population-based cohort study

The long-term excess risk of death associated with diabetes following acute myocardial infarction is unknown. We determined the excess risk of death associated with diabetes among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) after adjustment for comorbidity, risk factors and cardiovascular treatments.Nationwide population-based cohort (STEMI n=281 259 and NSTEMI n=422 661) using data from the UK acute myocardial infarction registry, MINAP, between 1 January 2003 and 30 June 2013. Age, sex, calendar year and country-specific mortality rates for the populace of England and Wales (n=56.9 million) were matched to cases of STEMI and NSTEMI. Flexible parametric survival models were used to calculate excess mortality rate ratios (EMRR) after multivariable adjustment. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02591576).Over 1.94 million person-years follow-up including 120 568 (17.1%) patients with diabetes, there were 187 875 (26.7%) deaths. Overall, unadjusted (all cause) mortality was higher among patients with than without diabetes (35.8% vs 25.3%). After adjustment for age, sex and year of acute myocardial infarction, diabetes was associated with a 72% and 67% excess risk of death following STEMI (EMRR 1.72, 95% CI 1.66 to 1.79) and NSTEMI (1.67, 1.63 to 1.71). Diabetes remained significantly associated with substantial excess mortality despite cumulative adjustment for comorbidity (EMRR 1.52, 95% CI 1.46 to 1.58 vs 1.45, 1.42 to 1.49), risk factors (1.50, 1.44 to 1.57 vs 1.33, 1.30 to 1.36) and cardiovascular treatments (1.56, 1.49 to 1.63 vs 1.39, 1.36 to 1.43).At index acute myocardial infarction, diabetes was common and associated with significant long-term excess mortality, over and above the effects of comorbidities, risk factors and cardiovascular treatments