Factors associated with medication adherence in school-aged children with asthma

Adherence to preventive asthma treatment is poor, particularly in children, yet the factors associated with adherence in this age group are not well understood. Adherence was monitored electronically over 6 months in school-aged children who attended a regional emergency department in New Zealand for an asthma exacerbation and were prescribed twice-daily inhaled corticosteroids. Participants completed questionnaires including assessment of family demographics, asthma responsibility and learning style. Multivariable analysis of factors associated with adherence was conducted. 101 children (mean (range) age 8.9 (6-15) years, 51% male) participated. Median (interquartile range) preventer adherence was 30% (17-48%) of prescribed. Four explanatory factors were identified: female sex (+12% adherence), Asian ethnicity (+19% adherence), living in a smaller household (-3.0% adherence per person in the household), and younger age at diagnosis (+2.7% for every younger year of diagnosis) (all p<0.02). In school-aged children attending the emergency department for asthma, males and non-Asian ethnic groups were at high risk for poor inhaled corticosteroid adherence and may benefit most from intervention. Four factors explained a small proportion of adherence behaviour indicating the difficulty in identifying adherence barriers. Further research is recommended in other similar populations

Osteosarcopenia later in life: Prevalence and associated risk factors

Background and aims: The identification of risk factors for osteosarcopenia in older adults is important for planning preventative strategies in clinical practice. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with osteosarcopenia in older adults using different diagnostic criteria. / Methods: The sample included 171 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 79.4 ± 5.9 years and mean body mass index of 25.67 ± 4.70 kg/m2. We analyzed sociodemographic, biomarkers, lifestyle, and health condition data from participants of the “Projeto Idosos - Goiânia” cohort study. The outcome osteosarcopenia was defined as the simultaneous occurrence of sarcopenia and osteopenia. Osteopenia was diagnosed by low lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Sarcopenia was diagnosed using handgrip dynamometry and appendicular skeletal mass index assessed by DEXA following the criteria of the two European consensuses on sarcopenia (2010 and 2018). Two osteosarcopenia outcome variables were evaluated: OsteoSarc1 and OsteoSarc2 using the 2010 and 2018 European sarcopenia consensus criteria, respectively. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the prevalence ratios (PRs). / Results: The prevalence of OsteoSarc1 and OsteoSarc2 were 12.8% and 7.2%, respectively, with no significant gender differences. OsteoSarc1 was associated with low potassium (PR: 3.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10–10.43) and malnutrition (PR: 3.84, 95% CI: 1.78–8.30). OsteoSarc2 was associated with being ≥80 years (PR: 7.64, 95% CI: 1.57–37.07), >4 years of education (PR: 3.25, 95% CI: 1.03–10.22), alcohol consumption (PR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.01–5.77), low potassium (PR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.45–6.87), low serum vitamin D (PR: 4.47, 95% CI: 1.68–11.88), and malnutrition (PR: 5.00, 95% CI: 1.06–23.51). / Conclusions: OsteoSarc1 had a higher prevalence. The risk factors associated with the two outcomes were malnutrition and potassium level, as well as other risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and low vitamin D level. These findings may contribute to the prevention or treatment of this health condition in older adults

Drivers of archaeal ammonia-oxidizing communities in soil

Soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are highly abundant and play an important role in the nitrogen cycle. In addition, AOA have a significant impact on soil quality. Nitrite produced by AOA and further oxidized to nitrate can cause nitrogen loss from soils, surface and groundwater contamination, and water eutrophication. The AOA discovered to date are classified in the phylum Thaumarchaeota. Only a few archaeal genomes are available in databases. As a result, AOA genes are not well annotated, and it is difficult to mine and identify archaeal genes within metagenomic libraries. Nevertheless, 16S rRNA and comparative analysis of ammonia monooxygenase sequences show that soils can vary greatly in the relative abundance of AOA. In some soils, AOA can comprise more than 10% of the total prokaryotic community. In other soils, AOA comprise less than 0.5% of the community. Many approaches have been used to measure the abundance and diversity of this group including DGGE, T-RFLP, q-PCR, and DNA sequencing. AOA have been studied across different soil types and various ecosystems from the Antarctic dry valleys to the tropical forests of South America to the soils near Mount Everest. Different studies have identified multiple soil factors that trigger the abundance of AOA. These factors include pH, concentration of available ammonia, organic matter content, moisture content, nitrogen content, clay content, as well as other triggers. Land use management appears to have a major effect on the abundance of AOA in soil, which may be the result of nitrogen fertilizer used in agricultural soils. This review summarizes the published results on this topic and suggests future work that will increase our understanding of how soil management and edaphoclimatic factors influence AOA

Influence of acute pancreatitis on the in vitro responsiveness of rat mesenteric and pulmonary arteries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease characterized by local tissue injury and systemic inflammatory response leading to massive nitric oxide (NO) production and haemodynamic disturbances. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the vascular reactivity of pulmonary and mesenteric artery rings from rats submitted to experimental pancreatitis.</p> <p>Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: saline (SAL); tauracholate (TAU) and phospholipase A₂(PLA₂). Pancreatitis was induced by administration of TAU or PLA₂from <it>Naja mocambique mocambique </it>into the common bile duct of rats, and after 4 h of duct injection the animals were sacrificed. Concentration-response curves to acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and phenylephrine (PHE) in isolated mesenteric and pulmonary arteries were obtained. Potency (pEC₅₀) and maximal responses (E_MAX) were determined. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In mesenteric rings, the potency for ACh was significantly decreased from animals treated with TAU (about 4.2-fold) or PLA₂(about 6.9-fold) compared to saline group without changes in the maximal responses. Neither pEC₅₀nor E_MAXvalues for Ach were altered in pulmonary rings in any group. Similarly, the pEC₅₀and the E_MAXvalues for SNP were not changed in both preparations in any group. The potency for PHE was significantly decreased in rat mesenteric and pulmonary rings from TAU group compared to SAL group (about 2.2- and 2.69-fold, for mesenteric and pulmonary rings, respectively). No changes were seen in the E_MAXfor PHE. The nitrite/nitrate (NO_x^-) levels were markedly increased in animals submitted to acute pancreatitis as compared to SAL group, approximately 76 and 68% in TAU and PLA₂protocol, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Acute pancreatitis provoked deleterious effects in endothelium-dependent relaxing response for ACh in mesenteric rings that were strongly associated with high plasma NO_x^-levels as consequence of intense inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the subsensitivity of contractile response to PHE in both mesenteric and pulmonary rings might be due to the complications of this pathological condition in the early stage of pancreatitis.</p

Synthetic Peptides Mimic gp75 from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in the Diagnosis of Paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic granulomatous disease, endemic in Latin America, caused by the thermal dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Although some fungal antigens have already been characterized and used for serological diagnosis, cross-reactions have been frequently observed. Thus, the examination of fungal forms in clinical specimens or isolation of P. brasiliensis by culture is still the most frequent method for the diagnosis of this mycosis. In this study, a random peptide phage display library was used to select mimotopes of P. brasiliensis, which were employed as antigens in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protective monoclonal antibody against experimental PCM (anti-gp75) was used as molecular target to screen a phage display library. That approach led to a synthetic peptide named P2, which was synthesized and tested against PCM patients’ sera to check whether it was recognized. There was significant recognition of P2 by sera of untreated PCM patients when compared with normal human sera. Sera from treated PCM group, patients with other mycosis or co-infected with HIV had much lower recognition of P2 than untreated patient group. The test showed a sensitivity of 100 and 94.59% of specificity in relation to human sera control. These data indicate a potential use of P2 as diagnostic tool in PCM. Its application for serological diagnosis of PCM may contribute to the development and standardization of simpler, faster and highly reproducible immunodiagnostic tests at low cost

Prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus fecal colonization among kidney transplant patients

BACKGROUND: End stage renal disease patients are at risk of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) infections. The first reports of VRE isolation were from hemodialysis patients. However, to date, VRE fecal colonization rates as well as associated risk factors in kidney transplant patients have not yet been established in prospective studies. METHODS: We collected one or two stool samples from 280 kidney transplant patients and analysed the prevalence of VRE and its associated risk factors. Patients were evaluated according to the post-transplant period: group 1, less than 30 days after transplantation (102 patients), group 2, one to 6 months after transplantation (73 patients) and group 3, more than 6 months after transplantation (105 patients). RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of fecal VRE colonization was 13.6% (38/280), respectively 13.7% for Group 1, 15.1% for group 2 and 12.4% for group 3. E. faecium and E. faecalis comprised 50% of all VRE isolates. No immunologic variables were clearly correlated with VRE colonization and no infections related to VRE colonization were reported. CONCLUSION: Fecal VRE colonization rates in kidney transplant patients were as high as those reported for other high-risk groups, such as critical care and hemodialysis patients. This high rate of VRE colonization observed in kidney transplant recipients may have clinical relevance in infectious complications

Seasonal Growth Rate of the Sponge Haliclona oculata (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida)

The interest in sponges has increased rapidly since the discovery of potential new pharmaceutical compounds produced by many sponges. A good method to produce these compounds by using aquaculture of sponges is not yet available, because there is insufficient knowledge about the nutritional needs of sponges. To gain more insight in the nutritional needs for growth, we studied the growth rate of Haliclona oculata in its natural environment and monitored environmental parameters in parallel. A stereo photogrammetry approach was used for measuring growth rates. Stereo pictures were taken and used to measure volumetric changes monthly during 1 year. Volumetric growth rate of Haliclona oculata showed a seasonal trend with the highest average specific growth rate measured in May: 0.012 ± 0.004 day−1. In our study a strong positive correlation (p < 0.01) was found for growth rate with temperature, algal biomass (measured as chlorophyll a), and carbon and nitrogen content in suspended particulate matter. A negative correlation (p < 0.05) was found for growth rate with salinity, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate. No correlation was found with dissolved organic carbon, suggesting that Haliclona oculata is more dependent on particulate organic carbon

Comparison of different methods involved in the planning of clinical crown lengthening surgery

There is little material in the literature that compares biological width measurements in periapical and bite-wings radiographs with clinical measurements. The purpose of this study was to compare measurements of biological width taken by three different methods which are frequently used for planning periodontal surgery - periapical radiograph, bite-wing radiograph and transperiodontal probing - with the trans-surgical measurements. Thirty-four sites from twenty-one subjects were analyzed. The intra-class correlation coefficients between measurements obtained trans-surgically (gold standard) and those obtained by transperiodontal probing, periapical radiography and bite-wing radiography were determined. Average measurements were compared using the Wilcoxon test at a significance level of 0.05. Also, the frequency distribution of differences between test measurements and the gold standard was calculated. The results showed that transperiodontal probing (mean 2.05 mm) was the most accurate measurement, as compared to the gold standard (mean 1.97 mm), with no statistically significant difference observed. On the other hand, periapical and bite-wing radiographic mean values (1.56 mm and 1.72 mm, respectively) were smaller than the gold standard, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). It was concluded that transperiodontal probing was the most accurate measurement, as compared to the gold standard, followed by that obtained with the bite-wing radiograph. The clinical relevance of these results could be that planning for crown lengthening surgery should, preferably, include transperiodontal probing