Associations of tissue transglutaminase antibody seropositivity with coronary heart disease: Findings from a prospective cohort study.

Clinical experience and observational studies suggest that individuals with coeliac disease are at increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the precise mechanism for this is unclear. Laboratory studies suggest that it may relate to tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGAs). Our aim was to examine whether seropositivity for tTGA and endomysial antibodies (EMAs) are associated with incident CHD in humans. We used data from Mini-Finland Health Survey, a prospective cohort study of Finnish men and women aged 35-80 at study baseline 1978-80. TTGA and EMA seropositivities were ascertained from baseline blood samples and incident CHD events were identified from national hospitalisation and death registers. Cox regression was used to examine the associations between antibody seropositivity and incident CHD. Of 6887 men and women, 562 were seropositive for tTGAs and 72 for EMAs. During a median follow-up of 26 years, 2367 individuals experienced a CHD event. We found no clear evidence for an association between tTGA positivity (hazard ratio, HR: 1.04, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.83, 1.30) or EMA positivity (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.77, 1.74) and incident CHD, once pre-existing CVD and known CHD risk factors had been adjusted for. We found no clear evidence for an association of tTGA or EMA seropositivity with incident CHD outcomes, suggesting that tTG autoimmunity is unlikely to be the biological link between coeliac disease and CHD

Synthesis of Diaryl Hydroxyl Dicarboxylic Acids from Amino Acids

Herein we report a unique method for preparing diaryl hydroxyl dicarboxylic acids in a diastereospecific manner. The three-component reaction occurs between amino acid, aromatic aldehyde, and primary alcohol in alkaline solutions under microwave-assisted conditions. The dicarboxylic acids are isolated as sodium salts in high yields (up to 77%) by direct precipitation from the reaction solution. The experimental results suggest that the diastereospecificity originates from a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement followed by a sodium-assisted hydride transfer. As further shown, the previously unreported dicarboxylic acids are easily turned into corresponding delta-lactones.Peer reviewe

Heavy metal concentrations in males and females of three pine diprionids (Hymenoptera)

Heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Fe, Ni, Cd) in the cocoons of three gregarious pine diprionids, Gilpinia socia, Diprion pini and Neodiprion sertifer, were compared between the species and sexes. The sawflies were reared in the laboratory in colonies from the first instar larvae, being fed on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestis) needles collected from a heavily polluted or a relatively unpolluted site. The levels of copper, iron and nickel were two to three times as high in N. sertifer as in the two other species. Cadmium showed bioaccumulation in all three species. In N. sertifur and G. socia reared on polluted needles, the metal concentrations were higher in males than in females

Virtual 3D planning and prediction accuracy in two bimaxillary face transplantations in Helsinki

Conclusions: 3D planning is feasible , provides close to accurate bone reconstruction in face transplantation. Preoperative virtual transplantation assists planning and improves the outcome in bimaxillary face transplantation. (c) 2021 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Pub-lished by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )Peer reviewe

Asthma medication in Finnish Olympic Athletes : No signs of overuse of inhaled β2-agonists.

Introduction: Occurrence of asthma has been reported to be frequent in endurance athletes and especially high in winter sport athletes. Recently, the International Olympic Committee has restricted the use of inhaled [beta]2-agonists and requires documentation for their use. However, epidemiologic data comparing the use of antiasthmatic medication in different sport events are mostly missing. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out in 2002. All the athletes (N = 494) financially supported by National Olympic Committee comprised the study group. Of them, 446 (90.3%) filled in a structured questionnaire concerning asthma and allergies, use of medication, characteristics of sport activities, and smoking habits. A representative sample of Finnish young adults (N = 1 504) served as controls. Results: Physician-diagnosed asthma was more common in athletes as compared with controls (13.9% vs 8.4%). Use of any asthma medication was reported by 9.6% of the athletes and by 4.2% of the controls. No difference was observed in the frequency of asthma medication used by winter or summer sport athletes (10.0% vs 9.4%). Inhaled [beta]2-agonists were used by 7.4% and 3.0% of the athletes and controls, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and smoking, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval for use of any asthma medication was 0.69 (0.17-2.92) for motor skills demanding events, 1.87 (0.85-4.11) for speed and power sports, 3.00 (1.68-5.37) for team sports, and 4.16 (2.22-7.78) for endurance events as compared with controls. None of the athletes used antiasthmatic medication without physician diagnosis. Conclusions: The frequency of antiasthmatic medication is clearly lower than the occurrence of physician-diagnosed asthma in Finnish Olympic athletes. No evidence of overuse of inhaled [beta]2-agonists is found

Mercury Bioaccumulation and Prediction in Terrestrial Insects from Soil in Huludao City, Northeast China

Mercury accumulation was investigated by constructing and testing empirical equations based on mercury in soil (Cs) and in 10 terrestrial insects (Ci). Cs ranged from 0.13 to 41.01 mg/kg. Ci differed with species and the highest was found in dragonfly. Cs and Ci showed a good linear fit, and a simple equation was used in predicting Ci when insects were classified into one Insecta group (r = 0.3399, p = 0.0037). The taxonomy can affect validities of empirical equations, which fit field data well when insects were grouped by feeding habits, and when grouped by species, empirical equations were suitable only for certain insects

Total and Methyl Mercury Contents and Distribution Characteristics in Cicada, Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius)

Total and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies, wings, and exuviae were investigated to study the mercury distribution characteristics. Results indicated that total and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies were 2.64 mg/kg and 123.93 ng/g on average, respectively. In cicada tissues, total mercury concentrations were found to increase in the order of exuviae (0.50 mg/kg on average) < wings (0.98 mg/kg on average) < cicada bodies (2.64 mg/kg on average) and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies were 123.93 ng/g on average and were the highest. Methyl mercury concentrations accounted for about 4.69% of total mercury in cicada bodies and most mercury was in inorganic forms in cicada. Sex differences of total mercury concentrations were significantly great (F = 8.433, p < 0.01) and total mercury concentrations of the males, which were 3.38 mg/kg on average, were much higher. Correlation analysis showed that neither total nor methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies was significantly related to the corresponding contents of soil (r = 0.0598, p > 0.05)

The effects of acute hyperinsulinemia on bone metabolism

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