Probiotics, prematurity and neurodevelopment: Follow-up of a randomised trial

Objective: To determine the impact of one probiotics combination on the neurodevelopment of very preterm children at 2–5 years corrected gestational age (CA). Design: Follow-up study of survivors of a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of probiotic effects on late-onset sepsis in very preterm infants that found reduced necrotising enterocolitis. Setting: 10 tertiary perinatal centres in Australia and New Zealand. Patients: 1099 very preterm infants born <32 weeks’ gestation and weighing <1500 g. Intervention: Probiotics (Bifidobacterium infantis, Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis) or placebo administered from birth until discharge home or term CA, whichever came sooner. Main outcome measures: Major neurodevelopmental impairment comprised any of moderate/severe cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System score 2–5), motor impairment (Bayley-III Motor Composite Scale <–2SD or Movement Assessment Battery for Children <15th centile if ≫42 months’ CA), cognitive impairment (Bayley-III Composite Cognitive or Language Scales <–2SD or Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Full Scale Intelligence Quotient <–2SD if ≫42 months’ CA), blindness or deafness. Results: Outcome data were available for 735 (67%) participants, with 71 deaths and 664/1028 survivors assessed at a mean age of 30 months. Survival free of major neurodevelopmental impairment was comparable between groups (probiotics 281 (75.3%) vs placebo 271 (74.9%); relative risk 1.01 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.09)). Rates of deafness were lower in probiotic-treated children (0.6% vs 3.4%). Conclusion: Administration of the probiotics combination Bifidobacterium infantis, Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis to very preterm babies from soon after birth until discharge home or term CA did not adversely affect neurodevelopment or behaviour in early childhood

Gender role orientation is associated with health-related quality of life differently among African-American, Hispanic, and White youth

PurposeThis study examined the association between gender role orientation (GRO) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in youth, and how this relationship may differ between males and females as well as among African-American, White, and Hispanic individuals. GRO has been reported to influence serious health outcomes including cancer, heart disease, mental illness, and mortality rates. However, few studies have examined the link between GRO and health outcomes for children, even though gender identity is formed in childhood.MethodsData were examined from 4824 participants in the Healthy Passages™ project, a population-based survey of fifth-grade children in three US metropolitan areas. Children reported their own HRQOL using the PedsQL and degree of female, male, and androgynous GRO using the Children's Sex Role Inventory.ResultsBased on structural equations analysis, male GRO was positively associated with HRQOL for all racial/ethnic groups, regardless of sex, whereas female GRO was associated with better HRQOL for Hispanic and White females and poorer HRQOL for Hispanic males. Androgynous GRO was associated with better HRQOL among Hispanic and White females, but not males nor African-Americans of either sex.ConclusionsRacial/ethnic differences emerged for female and androgynous, but not male, GROs. Hispanic males are the only group for which GRO (female) was associated with poorer HRQOL. Future research should find ways to help youth overcome negative effects on health from gender beliefs and behavior patterns with sensitivity to racial/ethnic membership

Procollagens and inflammatory cytokine concentrations in tarsal and limbal vernal keratoconjunctivitis.

o quantify the presence of inflammatory/fibrogenic cytokines and procollagens type I (PICP) and III (PIIIP) in active and non-active tarsal and limbal forms of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), tear and blood samples were collected from 27 VKC patients (20 active and 7 non-active) and 15 normal subjects. Upper tarsal conjunctival biopses were obtained from 8 controls and 8 tarsal VKC patients. From biopses of 4 tarsal VKC, fibroblasts were cultured in F12 medium with 10% FCS. TGF-beta 1, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, PICP and PIIIP were measured in: (1) tears, (2) homogenized conjunctival tissues, (3) serum, (4) supernatants of tissue cultures at 24 hr, and fibroblast primary passage cultures. Results showed: (1) in tears, TGF-beta 1 and TNF were identified in several active VKC patients without significant differences between the tarsal and the limbal forms. IL-1 beta (27 +/- 51 pg ml-1, P = 0.03) and IL-6 (28 +/- 43 pg ml-1, P = 0.006) were significantly increased in tarsal VKC compared to controls. Both control and non-active VKC tear samples had undetectable levels of all of the above cytokines. PICP and PIIIP were significantly increased in tarsal VKC compared to both limbal VKC and controls. Non-active VKC levels were similar to controls. (2) In homogenized VKC tissues, TGF-beta 1 and IL-6 were both significantly increased compared to controls (P < 0.01) while no increases were observed in IL-1 and TNF-alpha. (3) In serum, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were higher in VKC patients compared to controls. (4) In vitro fibroblasts from VKC patients showed an increased production of TGF-beta 1, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, PICP, and PIIIP over time. Increased levels of TGF-beta 1, IL-1 and IL-6 in VKC tissues and tears indicate a local production of these cytokines in active VKC. Collagen hyperproduction occurs only in active tarsal VKC and may be related to high levels of TGF-beta 1, IL-1 and IL-6. Increased serum levels of IL-1 and TNF-alpha suggests that systemic immunological changes occur in VKC. Cell culture can be used as a model to further study the pathogenesis of VKC and its characteristic local fibroblast activation

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to a dark matter signal from the Galactic centre

We provide an updated assessment of the power of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to search for thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale, via the associated gamma-ray signal from pair-annihilating dark matter particles in the region around the Galactic centre. We find that CTA will open a new window of discovery potential, significantly extending the range of robustly testable models given a standard cuspy profile of the dark matter density distribution. Importantly, even for a cored profile, the projected sensitivity of CTA will be sufficient to probe various well-motivated models of thermally produced dark matter at the TeV scale. This is due to CTA's unprecedented sensitivity, angular and energy resolutions, and the planned observational strategy. The survey of the inner Galaxy will cover a much larger region than corresponding previous observational campaigns with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. CTA will map with unprecedented precision the large-scale diffuse emission in high-energy gamma rays, constituting a background for dark matter searches for which we adopt state-of-the-art models based on current data. Throughout our analysis, we use up-to-date event reconstruction Monte Carlo tools developed by the CTA consortium, and pay special attention to quantifying the level of instrumental systematic uncertainties, as well as background template systematic errors, required to probe thermally produced dark matter at these energies