FY2014 Annual Report

Abstract Background This population-based study was designed to investigate whether consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with lower serum total testosterone concentration in men 20–39 years old. Methods All data for this study were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2012. The primary outcome was serum testosterone concentration, and main independent variable was SSB intake. Other variables included age, race/ethnicity, poverty/income ratio, body mass index (BMI), serum cotinine, heavy drinking, and physical activity. Results Among all subjects (N = 545), 486 (90.4%) had normal testosterone levels (defined as ≥231 ng/dL) and 59 (9.6%) had low testosterone levels (defined as < 231 ng/dL). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the odds of low testosterone was significantly greater with increasing SSB consumption (Q4 [≥442 kcal/day] vs. Q1 [≤137 kcal/day]), adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.29, p = 0.041]. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, BMI was an independent risk factor for low testosterone level; subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had a higher risk of having a low testosterone level than those with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (aOR = 3.68, p = 0.044). Conclusion SSB consumption is significantly associated with low serum testosterone in men 20–39 years old in the United States

Oklahoma Labor Unit

Weekly newspaper from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that includes news and advertising of interest to labor unions and organizations in the state. The paper was "not an official organ of any particular branch of organized labor," but was "owned by officers and members of the State Federation of Labor, the State Farmers Union and the different central and local unions throughout Oklahoma." (Vol. 1, No. 1

Personal non-commercial use only

ABSTRACT. Objective. To determine the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) with infliximab (IFX) compared with MTX alone in the prevention of atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A randomized, open-label study in which early RA patients with active disease were treated with MTX alone (n = 20) and MTX plus IFX (n = 20) for 6 months. Patients were assessed every 3 months. Patients from the MTX-alone group who failed to achieve 28-joint Disease Activity Score remission (DAS28 ≤ 2.6) at 6 months were permitted to escape to open-label IFX. Intima-media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and augmentation index (AIx) were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results. At 6 months, there was a significantly greater reduction in PWV in the MTX-alone group (0.18 ± 1.59 m/s) compared with the MTX plus IFX group (−0.78 ± 1.13 m/s; p = 0.044), accompanied by significantly greater reduction in patient&apos;s global assessment, number of swollen joints, C-reactive protein, and DAS28 in the MTX plus IFX group compared to the MTX-alone group. The changes in IMT and AIx were similar between the 2 groups. At 12 months, there was a trend favoring early combination treatment with regard to the reduction in PWV (p = 0.06). Conclusion. MTX plus IFX causes a more significant reduction in PWV than MTX alone in patients with early RA after 6-month treatment, and further improvement may be achieved in patients who continued on longterm tumor necrosis factor-α blockers, suggesting that early, effective suppression of inflammation may prevent progression of atherosclerosis by improving vascular function

Personal non-commercial use only

ABSTRACT. Objective. To determine the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) with infliximab (IFX) compared with MTX alone in the prevention of atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A randomized, open-label study in which early RA patients with active disease were treated with MTX alone (n = 20) and MTX plus IFX (n = 20) for 6 months. Patients were assessed every 3 months. Patients from the MTX-alone group who failed to achieve 28-joint Disease Activity Score remission (DAS28 ≤ 2.6) at 6 months were permitted to escape to open-label IFX. Intima-media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and augmentation index (AIx) were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results. At 6 months, there was a significantly greater reduction in PWV in the MTX-alone group (0.18 ± 1.59 m/s) compared with the MTX plus IFX group (−0.78 ± 1.13 m/s; p = 0.044), accompanied by significantly greater reduction in patient&apos;s global assessment, number of swollen joints, C-reactive protein, and DAS28 in the MTX plus IFX group compared to the MTX-alone group. The changes in IMT and AIx were similar between the 2 groups. At 12 months, there was a trend favoring early combination treatment with regard to the reduction in PWV (p = 0.06). Conclusion. MTX plus IFX causes a more significant reduction in PWV than MTX alone in patients with early RA after 6-month treatment, and further improvement may be achieved in patients who continued on longterm tumor necrosis factor-α blockers, suggesting that early, effective suppression of inflammation may prevent progression of atherosclerosis by improving vascular function

Investigation of infectivity of neonates and adults from different rat strains to toxoplasma gondii prugniaud shows both variation which correlates with iNOS and Arginase-1 activity and increased susceptibility of neonates to infection

Mouse models differ considerably fromhumans with regard to clinical symptoms of toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii and, by comparison, the rat model is more representative of this disease in humans. In the present study, we found that different strains of adult and newborn rats (Lewis, Wistar, Sprague Dawley, Brown Norway and Fischer 344) exhibited remarkable variation in the number of brain cysts following inoculation with the T. gondii Prugniaud strain. In adult rats, large numbers of cysts (1231 ± 165.6) were observed in Fischer 344, but none in the other four. This situation was different in newborn rats aged from 5 to 20 days old. All Fischer 344 and Brown Norway newborns were cyst-positive while cystpositive infection in Sprague Dawley neonates ranged from 54.5% to 60% depending on their age at infection. In Wistar and Lewis rat neonates, however, cyst-positivity rates of 0–42.9% and 0–25% were found respectively. To investigate whether rat strain differences in infectivity could be related to inherent strain and genetic differences in the host immune response, we correlated our data with previously reported strain differences in iNOS/Arginase ratio in adult rats and found them to be linked. These results show that interactions between host genetic background and age of rat influence T. gondii infection