The influence of specific aspects of occupational stress on security guards' health and work ability: detailed extension of a previous study

In our earlier study of security guards, we showed that higher occupational stress was associated with health impairments (metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases) and work disability. The aim of this study was to further explore the association of specific occupational stressors with health impairments and work disability parameters in 399 Serbian male security guards (aged 25-65 years). Ridge linear regression analysis revealed that, after controlling for age, body mass index, and smoking status, professional stressors including high demands, strictness, conflict/uncertainty, threat avoidance and underload were significant positive predictors of fasting glucose, triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, Framingham cardiovascular risk score, and temporary work disability. The security profession is in expansion worldwide, and more studies are needed to establish precise health risk predictors, since such data are generally lacking

Uticaj masti u obroku na masne kiseline u serumskim fosfolipidima i gojaznost životinja

Dietary fat and its relation to obesity has been a controversial issue for many years. Experimental data shows that most, though not all animals, which consume a high fat diet, will become obese. However, the effect of fatty acids on animal obesity has not been studied in detail. In order to evaluate the effects of low versus high fat diet on serum phospholipids fatty acids composition a 4-wk study was conducted on male Wister rats. The rats were fed low-fat (10% energy) and high-fat (46% energy) foods containing constant proportions of fatty acids. Control group C was fed a standard laboratory diet (polyunsaturated/ saturated (P/S) fatty ratio 1.3), group M was fed a standard laboratory diet supplemented with margarine (P/S ratio 0.95), and the diet of the SL group was additionally supplemented with a sunflower oil-lard (1:1) mixture (P/S ratio 1.3). All lipid supplemented hyperenergetic diets caused an increase in the average daily energy intake. Both the final and the daily body weight gain were significantly higher in M and SL groups than in group C. Additionally, serum triglyceride levels, LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol were also significantly higher in M and SL groups when compared to the control group. Serum phospholipids fatty acids varied in response to total dietary fat. A significant decrease in saturated fatty acids (SFA) content (16:0 and 18:0) and an increase in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content (18:1, n-9) was found in the M group when compared to both C and SL groups. In the SL group, SFA content (18:0) was higher and MUFA content (18:1, n-9) was lower than in group C. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content showed an increase in both experimental groups. The PUFA/SFA ratio was higher in the M group than in the C and SL groups. Our study suggests that the amount of dietary fat has a greater influence on obesity than the effects of the type of fat consumed. However, depending on the type of fat present in the diet the differences were observed in the composition of serum PL fatty acid suggesting that both total fat and individual fatty acids have to be considered when reaching conclusions about the effect of dietary fat and obesity in animals.Uticaj masnih kiselina u ishrani i njihov efekat na pojavu gojaznosti kod životinja je kontraverzno pitanje već dugi niz godina. Uticaj pojedinačnih masnih kiselina na pojavu gojaznosti kod životinja nije do sada detaljnije proučavan. Sa ciljem da se ispita efekat dijeta sa niskim ili visokim sadržajem masti na pojavu gojaznosti, izvršena su istraživanja na Wister pacovima u trajanju od 4 nedelje. Pacovi su hranjeni eksperimentalnim dijetama koje su sadržale standardan, nizak (10%) ili visok (46%) energetski unos poreklom od masti. Grupa kontrolnih životinja (C) je hranjena standardnom laboratorijskom dijetom (odnos polizasićenih/ zasićenih masnih kiselina/PUFA, P/S 1.3), grupa M sa standardnom dijetom sa dodatkom margarina (P/S 0.95) i grupa SL sa dijetom kojoj je dodata mešavina 1:1 suncokretovog ulja i masti (odnos P/S 1.3). Obe dijete (M i SL) su uzrokovale povećanje u prosečnom dnevnom energetskom unosu. U grupi M i SL, registrovano je značajno povećanje u telesnoj težini kontinuirano tokom eksperimenta. Nivo serumskih triglicerida, LDL kao i ukupnog holesterola su bili značajnije povećani u M i SL grupi u poređenju sa kontrolom. Promene u profilu serumskih masnih kiselina fosfolipida su zavisile od sastava masti u eksperimentalnoj dijeti. Kod eksperimentalnih životinja grupe M primećeno je značajno smanjene serumskih zasićenih masnih kiselina (SFA, 16:0 i 18:0) kao i porast monozasićenih masnih kiselina (MUFA, 18:1, n-9) u poređenju sa SL i C grupom. Odnos PUFA/ SFA je bio veći u M u odnosu na SL i C grupu. Rezultati naših istraživanja ukazuju da količina masti u ishrani životinja ima veći uticaj na porast telesne mase nego vrsta prisutne masnoće. Promene u sastavu serumskih masnih kiselina fosfolipida u odnosu na tip masti u eksperimentalnim dijetama ukazuju na ulogu pojedinačnih masnih kiselina u procesu nastajanja gojaznosti kod životinja i te mehanizme treba dalje istraživati

Community effort endorsing multiscale modelling, multiscale data science and multiscale computing for systems medicine

© 2017 The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. Systems medicine holds many promises, but has so far provided only a limited number of proofs of principle. To address this road block, possible barriers and challenges of translating systems medicine into clinical practice need to be identified and addressed. The members of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology COST) Action CA15120 Open Multiscale Systems Medicine OpenMultiMed) wish to engage the scientific community of systems medicine and multiscale modelling, data science and computing, to provide their feedback in a structured manner. This will result in follow-up white papers and open access resources to accelerate the clinical translation of systems medicine.Austrian Science Fund: Special Research Program SFB-F54. The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action CA15120 OpenMultiMed (http://openmultimed.net)

Predictors of diagnostic yield in bronchoscopy: a retrospective cohort study comparing different combinations of sampling techniques

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The reported diagnostic yield from bronchoscopies in patients with lung cancer varies greatly. The optimal combination of sampling techniques has not been finally established.</p> <p>The objectives of this study were to find the predictors of diagnostic yield in bronchoscopy and to evaluate different combinations of sampling techniques.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All bronchoscopies performed on suspicion of lung malignancy in 2003 and 2004 were reviewed, and 363 patients with proven malignant lung disease were included in the study. Sampling techniques performed were biopsy, transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), brushing, small volume lavage (SVL), and aspiration of fluid from the entire procedure. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for sex, age, endobronchial visibility, localization (lobe), distance from carina, and tumor size.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for a positive diagnostic yield through all procedures were 17.0 (8.5–34.0) for endobronchial lesions, and 2.6 (1.3–5.2) for constriction/compression, compared to non-visible lesions; 3.8 (1.3–10.7) for lesions > 4 cm, 6.7 (2.1–21.8) for lesions 3–4 cm, and 2.5 (0.8–7.9) for lesions 2–3 cm compared with lesions <= 2 cm. The combined diagnostic yield of biopsy and TBNA was 83.7% for endobronchial lesions and 54.2% for the combined group without visible lesions. This was superior to either technique alone, whereas additional brushing, SVL, and aspiration did not significantly increase the diagnostic yield.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In patients with malignant lung disease, visible lesions and larger tumor size were significant predictors of higher diagnostic yield, after adjustment for sex, age, distance from carina, side and lobe. The combined diagnostic yield of biopsy and TBNA was significant higher than with either technique alone.</p

Genomic characterization of malignant progression in neoplastic pancreatic cysts

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are non-invasive neoplasms that are often observed in association with invasive pancreatic cancers, but their origins and evolutionary relationships are poorly understood. In this study, we analyze 148 samples from IPMNs, MCNs, and small associated invasive carcinomas from 18 patients using whole exome or targeted sequencing. Using evolutionary analyses, we establish that both IPMNs and MCNs are direct precursors to pancreatic cancer. Mutations in SMAD4 and TGFBR2 are frequently restricted to invasive carcinoma, while RNF43 alterations are largely in non-invasive lesions. Genomic analyses suggest an average window of over three years between the development of high-grade dysplasia and pancreatic cancer. Taken together, these data establish non-invasive IPMNs and MCNs as origins of invasive pancreatic cancer, identifying potential drivers of invasion, highlighting the complex clonal dynamics prior to malignant transformation, and providing opportunities for early detection and intervention

The complex genetic landscape of familial MDS and AML reveals pathogenic germline variants.

The inclusion of familial myeloid malignancies as a separate disease entity in the revised WHO classification has renewed efforts to improve the recognition and management of this group of at risk individuals. Here we report a cohort of 86 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) families with 49 harboring germline variants in 16 previously defined loci (57%). Whole exome sequencing in a further 37 uncharacterized families (43%) allowed us to rationalize 65 new candidate loci, including genes mutated in rare hematological syndromes (ADA, GP6, IL17RA, PRF1 and SEC23B), reported in prior MDS/AML or inherited bone marrow failure series (DNAH9, NAPRT1 and SH2B3) or variants at novel loci (DHX34) that appear specific to inherited forms of myeloid malignancies. Altogether, our series of MDS/AML families offer novel insights into the etiology of myeloid malignancies and provide a framework to prioritize variants for inclusion into routine diagnostics and patient management

Bioinformatics and molecular modeling in glycobiology

The field of glycobiology is concerned with the study of the structure, properties, and biological functions of the family of biomolecules called carbohydrates. Bioinformatics for glycobiology is a particularly challenging field, because carbohydrates exhibit a high structural diversity and their chains are often branched. Significant improvements in experimental analytical methods over recent years have led to a tremendous increase in the amount of carbohydrate structure data generated. Consequently, the availability of databases and tools to store, retrieve and analyze these data in an efficient way is of fundamental importance to progress in glycobiology. In this review, the various graphical representations and sequence formats of carbohydrates are introduced, and an overview of newly developed databases, the latest developments in sequence alignment and data mining, and tools to support experimental glycan analysis are presented. Finally, the field of structural glycoinformatics and molecular modeling of carbohydrates, glycoproteins, and protein–carbohydrate interaction are reviewed

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8–13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05–6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50–75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life. Funding Pfizer, Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi–Aventis, Daiichi Sankyo, and Regeneron