The Payoff of a Healthy Lifestyle while in College

This study analyzes the effect that an individual’s body mass index (BMI) has on their hourly compensation in their next job directly following attainment of their bachelor degree. This study uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth that started in 1997. This study aligned all the survey participants’ timeline of life events to be coordinated in such a way that bachelor degree attainment, regardless of year, is the common reference point. Sufficient observation of bachelor degree receipts was found in the year 2001 through 2007 resulting in a pooled data set across seven years. This study hypothesizes that individuals with an excessive BMI will have a negative effect on their hourly wage and an immaterial effect on those with a normal BMI. Furthermore, an individual with a low BMI could see a higher level of hourly wage. This study found that females have a negative wage implication as their BMI increases while no significant findings for men were found. This study opens up the significance that BMI and appearance have in a snapshot of human life

Low microsatellite variation in Aphanius fasciatus from the Tarquinia Salterns

1 - The Tarquinia Salterns (Latium, central Italy) provided the opportunity to analyse the impact of environmental stress on the genetic structure of the resident population of the killifish Aphanius fasciatus. Indeed, after the salt production ceased in 1997, the salterns have undergone habitat degradation due to lack of maintenance. The ecological restoration carried out from 2003 to 2006 reverted the environmental conditions to those of ten years before. 2 - The temporal variation of the gene pool of the population of A. fasciatus inhabiting the Tarquinia Salterns was investigated using microsatellite markers in samples collected in 1998 and 2003. The results obtained showed a low genetic variability and a genetic homogeneity of the population, which appears not divided in sub-demes. 3 - Microsatellites revealed a surprisingly low level of genetic variability when compared to allozyme data obtained in previous studies. This is likely due to a difference in the time of response of the two markers to environmental degradation. Microsatellites would lose genetic variability earlier and faster because of their usually high polymorphisms. Conversely, allozymes would be more resistant to genetic erosion, being moderately variable markers. 4 - Selection probably contributed in maintaining allozyme polymorphism, while microsatellites, being neutral markers, did not benefit from the action of selection and lost diversity earlier and more rapidly. Accordingly, the population appeared subdivided in distinct demes based on allozyme data but spatially homogeneous following microsatellites results

Meiobenthos and nematode assemblages from different deep-sea habitats of the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Much attention is currently devoted at upgrading our knowledge on biodiversity and functioning of deep water ecosystems. Information is constantly enriched by researchers, even from basins as the long-studied Mediterranean Sea. In such a perspective, we studied meiobenthic and nematode communities inhabiting muddy sediments from three different habitats at bathyal depths in the Strait of Sicily: a cold-water coral site (CS) in the Maltese Coral Province, a muddy bottom in the same area (MS), and a hydrocarbon imprinted pockmark site (PS) in the Gela Basin. The average meiofauna density at CS (1343 ind/10 cm2) and MS (1804 ind/10 cm2) is much higher than that reported in literature for similar habitats; it is also markedly more elevated than that recorded at PS (224 ind/10 cm2). Although nematodes of the three sites show different abundances, they share similar assemblage structure. Nematodes (avg. 86%) and copepods (avg. 9.3%) were the most abundant meiofaunal taxa at all sites followed by annelids, kinorhynchs and turbellarians. Nematodes were composed by 21 families and 46 genera, with Terschellingia, as most abundant genus (12.4%), followed by Microlaimus (11%), Daptonema (11%), Thalassomonhystera (10.8%), Acantholaimus (9.5%) and Sabatieria (8.7%). The genera Thalassomonhystera, Terschellingia, Microlaimus, Daptonema, Chromadorita, Sabatieria, and Anticoma display a dominance in at least one station. The taxonomic structure of meiofaunal communities of the studied sites is rather similar but differences in relative abundance are evident

Evidence for Placental HPV Infection in Both HIV Positive and Negative Women

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have previously been reported to infect epithelial trophoblast cells of the placenta. To investigate this possibility, 200 placental samples from Zambian women were separated into HIV+ and HIV− groups and tested for HPV by redundant primer PCR, using GP5+/GP6+ and CPI/CPII primer sets. Three HPV genotypes (HPV6, 16 and 90) were detected in placental samples. Whereas, 20 different HPV genotypes were detected in vaginal sampling of the same patients, suggesting that compartment specific sub-populations of HPV may exist. The incidence of HPV16 in placental samples was almost 2-fold greater in HIV+ women compared to HIV− (p = 0.0241). HPV16 L1 expression, detected by immunochemistry, was significantly higher in HIV+ than HIV− samples (p = 0.0231). HPV16 DNA was detected in the nuclei of trophoblast cells by in situ hybridization. Overall, these results suggest that HPVs infect the placenta and that HIV significantly influences these infections

Evidence for Placental HPV Infection in Both HIV Positive and Negative Women

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have previously been reported to infect epithelial trophoblast cells of the placenta. To investigate this possibility, 200 placental samples from Zambian women were separated into HIV+ and HIV− groups and tested for HPV by redundant primer PCR, using GP5+/GP6+ and CPI/CPII primer sets. Three HPV genotypes (HPV6, 16 and 90) were detected in placental samples. Whereas, 20 different HPV genotypes were detected in vaginal sampling of the same patients, suggesting that compartment specific sub-populations of HPV may exist. The incidence of HPV16 in placental samples was almost 2-fold greater in HIV+ women compared to HIV− (p = 0.0241). HPV16 L1 expression, detected by immunochemistry, was significantly higher in HIV+ than HIV− samples (p = 0.0231). HPV16 DNA was detected in the nuclei of trophoblast cells by in situ hybridization. Overall, these results suggest that HPVs infect the placenta and that HIV significantly influences these infections

Tympanic cholesterol granuloma and exclusive endoscopic approach

Objective: Background: Case Report: Conclusions: Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment Cholesterol granuloma is a histological entity containing cholesterol crystals surrounded by foreign-body giant cells and chronic inflammation. Tympanic cholesterol granuloma is a rare disease, while petrous bone cholesterol granuloma is more common. Surgery consists of elective management in most cases of CGs. There are several types of surgery described to treat cholesterol granuloma; however, a case treated by primary endoscopic ear surgery has not yet been described. The aim of this case report is to present the endoscopic characteristics of cholesterol granulomas and show how endoscopic ear surgery is possible in isolated and selected cases with this pathology. We report the case of a 65-year-old patient affected by a cholesterol granuloma of the middle ear, with progressive hearing impairment and fullness of the left ear. The granuloma was diagnosed via medical imaging using magnetic resonance imaging, which identified the typical high signal intensity in T1-and T2-weighted images. In this case, cholesterol granuloma was limited to the epitympanic and mesotympanic regions. For small cholesterol granulomas confined to the middle ear, a canal wall-up or wall-down tympanoplasty plus ventilation tube insertion are usually performed. In this case, primary endoscopic surgery was performed under general anaesthesia to remove the presumed cholesterol granuloma. It was completely removed by this approach, without facial nerve injuries or postoperative complications. The patient had no disease recurrence at clinical and radiological investigation at 1-year follow-up. An exclusive endoscopic approach to remove cholesterol granuloma is feasible. However, it should only be performed in selected cases

20S proteasome mediated degradation of DHFR: implications in neurodegenerative disorders

The 20S proteasome is responsible for the degradation of protein substrates implicated in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders, such as a-synuclein and tau protein. Here we show that the 20S proteasome isolated from bovine brain directly hydrolyzes, in vitro, the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, the DHFR susceptibility to proteolysis is enhanced by oxidative conditions induced by peroxynitrite, mimicking the oxidative environment typical of these disorders. The results obtained suggest that the folate metabolism may be impaired by an increased degradation of DHFR, mediated by the 20S proteasome

Rituximab for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a systematic review of observational studies

Objective To analyse the available evidence about the use of rituximab (RTX) and other biologic agents in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) patients and to provide useful findings to inform the design of future, reliable clinical trials. Methods A systematic review was performed. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane library databases on RTX, and an extensive literature search was conducted on other biologic agents. Results Forty-five papers pertinent to our questions were found: 16 retrospective cohort studies, 8 case series, 3 prospective cohort studies and 18 single case reports, for a total of 368 EGPA patients. More than 80% of evaluable patients achieved complete or partial remission with a tendency towards a higher rate of complete response in the pANCA-positive subgroup. Conclusion Although the majority of the evaluable EGPA patients treated with RTX appears to achieve complete remission, we strongly believe that a number of sources of heterogeneity impair a clear interpretation of results and limit their transferability in clinical practice. Differences in design, enrolment criteria, outcome definition and measurement make a comparison among data obtained from studies on RTX and other biologic agents unreliable

Mitochondrial myopathy and comorbid major depressive disorder. effectiveness of dTMS on gait and mood symptoms

Background: Mitochondrial myopathies (MMs) often present with leukoencephalopathy and psychiatric symptoms, which do not respond to or worsen with psychiatric drugs. Case report: A 67-year-old woman with a 10-year history of probable chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia, an MM, had drug-resistant, anxious-depressive symptoms. Since she had never had seizures, we proposed 20 sessions of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) for her depression. Surprisingly, besides the expected improvement of depression, we observed marked improvement of movement disorder that lasted as long as the patient was undergoing dTMS. She also improved her performance on neuropsychological tests of executive function and cognitive speed. Depressive symptom improvement was persistent, while anxiety symptoms recurred after the end of the sessions. Conclusions: dTMSmay be an alternative antidepressant strategy in patients withMMs, provided that they are free from seizures. The mechanism of improvement of motor disturbance may relate to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex stimulation and improved executive function and needs further investigation

Adherence in HIV-positive patients treated with single-tablet regimens and multi-pill regimens: findings from the COMPACT study

The use of Combination AntiRetroviral Therapy (cART) has decreased the morbidity and mortality of patients infected with HIV. However, adherence to cART remains crucial to prevent virological failure and disease progression. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to treatment among patients treated with Single Tablet Regimen (STR) or with multi-pill regimens based on Protease Inhibitors (PI), Non-Nucleoside Reverse-Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTI), or raltegravir (RAL). An observational retrospective cohort analysis based on administrative and clinical databases was conducted at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (Rome, Italy). HIV-positive patients treated with a cART between Jan 1st, 2008–Dec 31st, 2010 were included. Patients were followed-up for one year since the first prescription during the inclusion period or up to death or switch of at least one drug of the regimen. Adherence and selective non-adherence (days without backbone or 3rd drug) were calculated using pharmacy refill compliance [1]. cART regimens were classified based on number of daily pills (STR vs multi-pill regimen) and on type of third drug. Viral Load (VL) and CD4 cell counts at the end of the follow-up were evaluated. A total of 1,604 patients were analyzed, 70.0% male, age 45.0±8.7, 14.3% newly treated. Patients on STR were 159 (9.9%), PI 878 (54.7%), NNRTI 523 (32.6%), RAL 44 (2.7%). Presence of at least one AIDS-defining conditions (according to Centers for Disease Control classification) was 30% in the STR group, 34% PI, 26% NNRTI, 34% RAL (p=n.s.). Adherence was 80.4±14.7% for STR, 71.8±21.8% PI, 77.1±20.3% NNRTI, 74.0±22.4% RAL. Selective non-adherence was 5.5% (18 days) PI, 2.8% (8 days) NNRTI, 12.5% (43 days) RAL (Figure 1). At the end of the follow-up, VL/CD4 values were available among 709 patients (44%); CD4 count >500 cell/mm3 was observed among 61% of patients on STR, 44% PI, 48% NNRTI, 42% RAL and VL < 50 copies/ml was observed among 96% of patients on STR, 78% PI, 88% NNRTI, 87% RAL. Interruptions in cART refill remain a relevant problem across all cART regimens. Patients on STR displayed a higher adherence rate compared to multi-pill regimes (PI, NNRTI, and RAL), primarily due to lack of selective non-adherence. Patients on STR experienced also higher rates of VL < 50 and CD4 > 500. The use of an STR regimen appears an effective therapeutic option to avoid selective non-adherence and, consequently, to prevent virological failure and disease progression