Scoping Review: Physical Activity and Social Functioning in Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects ~1 in 59 people in North America and diagnoses continue to rise (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Unfortunately, the exact cause of ASD is unknown and therapy remains the primary means of intervention. People with ASD experience social and behavioral deficits associated with the disorder, which affect all aspects of life such as academics, relationships, and physical activity. Research has shown a relationship between physical activity and social skills in typically developing individuals; however, this relationship is less understood in people with ASD. The purpose of this scoping review was to uncover what is known about ASD, physical activity, and social functioning. The authors searched four databases and included 40 primary research articles in the review, most of which demonstrated a relationship between physical activity and social functioning for people with ASD. The relationship appears bidirectional: social functioning influences physical activity (to a lesser extent) and physical activity influences social functioning (to a greater extent). Regrettably, there were many limitations in these articles, such as small sample sizes and the under-representation of females and adults. Therefore, the review highlights several directions for future research

Performance of the BioIntegral Bovine Pericardial Graft in Vascular Infections:VASCular No-REact Graft Against INfection Study

Background: Vascular graft and endograft infections (VGEI) and native vessel infections (NVI) remain considerable challenges in vascular surgery, leading to high mortality and morbidity rates. Although in situ reconstruction is the preferred treatment, the material of choice is still a source of debate. Autologous veins are considered the first choice; however, xenografts may be an acceptable alternative. The performance of a biomodified bovine pericardial graft is assessed when implemented in an infected vascular area. Methods: This is a prospective multicenter cohort study. Patients who underwent reconstruction for VGEI or NVI with a biomodified bovine pericardial bifurcated or straight tube graft were included from December 2017 until June 2021. The primary outcome measure was reinfection at mid-term follow-up. Secondary outcome measures included mortality, patency, and amputation rate. Results: Thirty-four patients with vascular infections were included, of which 23 (68%) had an infected Dacron prosthesis after primary open repair and 8 (24%) had an infected endovascular graft. The remaining 3 (9%) had infected native vessels. At secondary repair, 3 (7%) patients had an in situ aortic tube reconstruction, 29 (66%) had an aortic bifurcated reconstruction, and 2 (5%) had an iliac-femoral reconstruction. At 1-year follow-up after the BioIntegral bovine pericardial graft reconstruction, the reinfection rate was 9%. The 1-year infection-related and procedure-related mortality rate was 16%. The occlusion rate was 6% and in total 3 patients underwent a lower limb amputation during the 1-year follow-up period. Conclusions: In situ reconstruction as treatment of (endo)graft and native vessel infections remains a challenge and reinfection looms as a potential consequence. In cases where time is of essence or when autologous venous repair is not feasible, a swift available solution is needed. The BioIntegral biomodified bovine pericardial graft may be an option as it shows reasonable results in terms of reinfection, in aortic tube and bifurcated grafts.</p

Boosting the VZV-Specific Memory B and T Cell Response to Prevent Herpes Zoster After Kidney Transplantation

BackgroundSolid organ transplant recipients are at high risk to develop (complicated) herpes zoster (HZ). Booster vaccination could prevent HZ. However, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients show poor immunological responses to vaccinations. We studied the effect of a live attenuated VZV booster vaccine on VZV-specific B and T cell memory responses in ESRD patients and healthy controls. NL28557.000.09, www.toetsingonline.nlMethodsVZV-seropositive patients, aged ≥50 years, awaiting kidney transplantation, were vaccinated with Zostavax®. Gender and age-matched VZV-seropositive potential living kidney donors were included as controls. VZV-specific IgG titers were measured before, at 1, 3 and 12 months post-vaccination. VZV-specific B and T cell responses before, at 3 months and 1 year after vaccination were analysed by flow-cytometry and Elispot, respectively. Occurrence of HZ was assessed at 5 years post-vaccination.Results26 patients and 27 donors were included. Median VZV-specific IgG titers were significantly higher at all time-points post-vaccination in patients (mo 1: 3104 IU/ml [1967-3825], p&lt;0.0001; mo 3: 2659 [1615-3156], p=0.0002; mo 12: 1988 [1104-2989], p=0.01 vs. pre: 1397 [613-2248]) and in donors (mo 1: 2981 [2126-3827], p&lt;0.0001; mo 3: 2442 [2014-3311], p&lt;0.0001; mo 12: 1788 [1368-2460], p=0.0005 vs. pre: 1034 [901-1744]. The patients’ IgG titers were comparable to the donors’ at all time-points. The ratio VZV-specific B cells of total IgG producing memory B cells had increased 3 months post-vaccination in patients (0.85 [0.65-1.34] vs. pre: 0.56 [0.35-0.81], p=0.003) and donors (0.85 [0.63-1.06] vs. pre: 0.53 [0.36-0.79], p&lt;0.0001) and remained stable thereafter in donors. One year post-vaccination, the percentage of CD4+ central memory cells had increased in both patients (0.29 [0.08-0.38] vs. 0.12 [0.05-0.29], p=0.005) and donors (0.12 [0.03-0.37] vs. 0.09 [0.01-0.20], p=0.002) and CD4+ effector memory cells had increased in donors (0.07 [0.02-0.14] vs. 0.04 [0.01-0.12], p=0.007). Only 1 patient experienced HZ, which was non-complicated.ConclusionVZV booster vaccination increases VZV-specific IgG titers and percentage VZV-specific memory T-cells for at least 1 year both in ESRD patients and healthy controls. VZV-specific memory B cells significantly increased in patients up to 3 months after vaccination. Prophylactic VZV booster vaccination prior to transplantation could reduce HZ incidence and severity after transplantation

Subcellular localization of PD‐L1 and cell‐cycle‐dependent expression of nuclear PD‐L1 variants: implications for head and neck cancer cell functions and therapeutic efficacy

The programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) axis is primarily associated with immunosuppression in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). However, mounting evidence is supporting the thesis that PD-L1 not only functions as a ligand but mediates additional cellular functions in tumor cells. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that PD-L1 is not exclusively localized at the cellular membrane. Subcellular fractionation revealed the presence of PD-L1 in various cellular compartments of six well-characterized head and neck cancer (HNC) cell lines, including the nucleus. Via Western blotting, we detected PD-L1 in its well-known glycosylated/deglycosylated state at 40–55 kDa. In addition, we detected previously unknown PD-L1 variants with a molecular weight at approximately 70 and > 150 kDa exclusively in nuclear protein fractions. These in vitro findings were confirmed with primary tumor samples from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Furthermore, we demonstrated that nuclear PD-L1 variant expression is cell-cycle-dependent. Immunofluorescence staining of PD-L1 in different cell cycle phases of synchronized HNC cells supported these observations. Mechanisms of nuclear PD-L1 trafficking remain less understood; however, proximity ligation assays showed a cell-cycle-dependent interaction of the cytoskeletal protein vimentin with PD-L1, whereas vimentin could serve as a potential shuttle for nuclear PD-L1 transportation. Mass spectrometry after PD-L1 co-immunoprecipitation, followed by gene ontology analysis, indicated interaction of nuclear PD-L1 with proteins involved in DNA remodeling and messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing. Our results in HNC cells suggest a highly complex regulation of PD-L1 and multiple tumor cell-intrinsic functions, independent of immune regulation. These observations bear significant implications for the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

EXAMINING DISABILITY IN THE REGION OF WATERLOO: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMMING AND CAREGIVING

Physical activity (PA) is a necessary component of wellbeing for individuals with and without disabilities. Disabled young people experience many barriers to PA, resulting in inactive lifestyles that compound health issues and hinder their full participation in schools and communities. The following dissertation includes a literature review regarding the effects of PA for young people with a variety of developmental disabilities, in addition to three research studies examining community-based PA programming, and one study exploring the lived experiences of caregivers, all within the Region of Waterloo. The first study was a needs assessment to examine PA perceptions, practices, barriers, and facilitators for young people within the Region of Waterloo collected via survey data. The second study examined the lived experiences of mothers raising autistic children through one-on one interviews. Finally, the third and fourth studies were pilot research about an inclusive PA program for disabled young people to determine whether the program affected their wellbeing. Study three examined the program as a whole, while study four examined the experiences of one particular child. The implementation guide has been provided at the end of this dissertation to provide more context regarding the specific activities within the program. Together, these four studies provide a greater understanding of PA for disabled children, specifically the relationships between PA and caregivers’ perceptions of PA for their disabled children, barriers and facilitators to inclusive PA in the Region of Waterloo, and how an inclusive PA program influences disabled young people. The implications of this research are practical, by not only identifying directions for future research, but also providing information to organizations regarding community-based programming

Portioning meat and vegetables in four different out of home settings : A win-win for guests, chefs and the planet

Individuals increasingly consume their meals away from home. This article describes a series of studies that examined the effects of meals with reduced amounts of meat and increased amounts of vegetables on food consumption, waste and guest satisfaction in four real-life restaurant settings in the Netherlands: an a-la-carte restaurant, six company canteens, a self-service restaurant, and a buffet restaurant, including nearly 1500 participants in total. The four studies in these four different out of home settings consistently showed that adapting portion sizes of meat and vegetables was effective to reduce meat consumption and increase vegetable consumption, while maintaining high guest satisfaction. Guest satisfaction even increased when vegetables were presented and prepared in a more attractive and tasty way. Thus, adapting portion sizes of meat and vegetables provides a viable strategy to stimulate healthy and environmentally sustainable consumption patterns in out of home settings.</p

Renal ischemia-reperfusion induces a dysbalance of angiopoietins, accompanied by proliferation of pericytes and fibrosis

Nephrolog