Reactive and Regulative Temperament in Youths: Psychometric Evaluation of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R), which is a scale for measuring reactive and regulative temperament traits, in a large sample of children and adolescents (N = 1,055). The results indicated that the internal consistency was acceptable for most EATQ-R temperament scales. Further, principal components analysis of the instrument yielded a structure with nine components, which generally reflected the temperament scales of the EATQ-R. The test–retest stability of the scale was moderate to good, whereas the parent–child agreement was rather low. Finally, the scale correlated in a theoretically meaningful way with children’s self-reports of personality and psychopathology. It can be concluded that the EATQ-R is a useful scale for measuring aspects of reactive and regulative temperament in children and adolescents, although there is certainly room for improving the instrument

Prenylation of aromatic amino acids and plant phenolics by an aromatic prenyltransferase from Rasamsonia emersonii

Dimethylallyl tryptophan synthases (DMATSs) are aromatic prenyltransferases that catalyze the transfer of a prenyl moiety from a donor to an aromatic acceptor during the biosynthesis of microbial secondary metabolites. Due to their broad substrate scope, DMATSs are anticipated as biotechnological tools for producing bioactive prenylated aromatic compounds. Our study explored the substrate scope and product profile of a recombinant RePT, a novel DMATS from the thermophilic fungus Rasamsonia emersonii. Among a variety of aromatic substrates, RePT showed the highest substrate conversion for L-tryptophan and L-tyrosine (&gt; 90%), yielding two mono-prenylated products in both cases. Nine phenolics from diverse phenolic subclasses were notably converted (&gt; 10%), of which the stilbenes oxyresveratrol, piceatannol, pinostilbene, and resveratrol were the best acceptors (37-55% conversion). The position of prenylation was determined using NMR spectroscopy or annotated using MS 2 fragmentation patterns, demonstrating that RePT mainly catalyzed mono-O-prenylation on the hydroxylated aromatic substrates. On L-tryptophan, a non-hydroxylated substrate, it preferentially catalyzed C7 prenylation with reverse N1 prenylation as a secondary reaction. Moreover, RePT also possessed substrate-dependent organic solvent tolerance in the presence of 20% (v/v) methanol or DMSO, where a significant conversion (&gt; 90%) was maintained. Our study demonstrates the potential of RePT as a biocatalyst for the production of bioactive prenylated aromatic amino acids, stilbenes, and various phenolic compounds. KEY POINTS: • RePT catalyzes prenylation of diverse aromatic substrates. • RePT enables O-prenylation of phenolics, especially stilbenes. • The novel RePT remains active in 20% methanol or DMSO. </p

Bony avulsion of the supraspinatus origin from the scapular spine

We describe a case of an avulsion of the scapular spine at the origin of the supraspinatus muscle, with successful conservative treatment. An isolated avulsion is rare, as most avulsions occur in combination with other (more severe) injuries such as fractures of the scapula body or neck, coracoid process, glenoid or humerus. These injuries are mostly seen in high-energy trauma cases and need their own specific treatment. One should therefore always rule out concurrent trauma before treating conservatively

Systemic glucocorticoid use and the occurrence of flares in psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES: The use of systemic glucocorticoids (SGCs) is traditionally discouraged in the treatment of PsA and psoriasis due to the risk of psoriatic flares. However, despite this recommendation, SGCs are frequently prescribed for these patients. In this study we reappraise the old paradigm that SGCs are contra-indicated in the treatment of PsA and psoriasis. METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases was performed in November 2019 to identify articles on any SGC use compared with no use in the PsA and psoriasis population. Topical glucocorticoid treatment was excluded. Our two primary outcomes focused on the prescribing characteristics and the occurrence of any type of flare. RESULTS: Our search yielded 4922 articles, and of these 21 full-text articles were eligible for inclusion. There were 11 retro- and prospective cohorts involving a total of 4,171,307 patients. Of these, 6727 (37.82%) of the patients with PsA and 1 460 793 (35.17%) of the patients with psoriasis were treated with any type of SGC. Ten observational/interventional studies did not report an increased risk or occurrence of psoriatic flares related to SGC use. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that SGCs are frequently prescribed for PsA and psoriasis patients. The occurrence of psoriatic flares appears to be low upon SGC exposure. In patients with a clear indication for SGCs, e.g. in need of rapid anti-inflammatory therapy or bridging of therapies, the use of SGCs should be considered in view of the low risk of skin flaring. It remains of importance to weigh risks for short- and long-term SGC-related side effects in clinical decision making

MRI follow-up of conservatively treated meniscal knee lesions in general practice

Objective: To evaluate meniscal status change on follow-up MRI after 1 year, prognostic factors and association with clinical outcome in patients with conservatively treated knee injury. Methods: We analysed 403 meniscal horns in 101 conservatively treated patients (59 male; mean age 40 years) in general practice who underwent initial knee MRI within 5 weeks of trauma. We performed ordinal logistic regression analysis to analyse prognostic factors for meniscal change on follow-up MRI after 1 year, and we assessed the association with clinical outcome. Results: On follow-up MRI 49 meniscal horns had deteriorated and 18 had improved. Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.3/decade), body weight (OR 1.2/10 kg), total anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture on initial MRI (OR 2.4), location in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (OR 3.0) and an initial meniscal lesion (OR 0.3) were statistically significant predictors of meniscal MRI appearance change after 1 year, which was not associated with clinical outcome. Conclusion: In conservatively treated patients, meniscal deterioration on follow-up MRI 1 year after trauma is predicted by higher age and body weight, initial total ACL rupture, and location in the medial posterior horn. Change in MRI appearance is not associated with clinical outcome

Efficacy and safety of indacaterol 150 μg once-daily in COPD: a double-blind, randomised, 12-week study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indacaterol is a novel, once-daily (o.d.) inhaled, long-acting <it>β</it>₂-agonist in development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This 12-week, double-blind study compared the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of indacaterol to that of placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Efficacy variables included 24-h trough FEV₁(mean of 23 h 10 min and 23 h 45 min post-dose) at Week 12 (primary endpoint) and after Day 1, and the percentage of COPD days with poor control (i.e., worsening symptoms). Safety was assessed by adverse events (AEs), mean serum potassium and blood glucose, QTc (Fridericia), and vital signs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients were randomised (n = 416, mean age 63 years) to receive either indacaterol 150 <it>μ</it>g o.d. (n = 211) or placebo (n = 205) via a single-dose dry-powder inhaler; 87.5% completed the study. Trough FEV₁(LSM ± SEM) at Week 12 was 1.48 ± 0.018 L for indacaterol and 1.35 ± 0.019 L for placebo, a clinically relevant difference of 130 ± 24 mL (p < 0.001). Trough FEV₁after one dose was significantly higher with indacaterol than placebo (p < 0.001). Indacaterol demonstrated significantly higher peak FEV₁than placebo, both on Day 1 and at Week 12, with indacaterol-placebo differences (LSM ± SEM) of 190 ± 28 (p < 0.001) and 160 ± 28 mL (p < 0.001), respectively. Standardised AUC measurements for FEV₁(between 5 min and 4 h, 5 min and 1 h, and 1 and 4 h post-dose) at Week 12 were all significantly greater with indacaterol than placebo (p < 0.001), with LSM (± SEM) differences of 170 ± 24, 180 ± 24, and 170 ± 24 mL, respectively. Indacaterol significantly reduced the percentage of days of poor control versus placebo by 22.5% (p < 0.001) and was also associated with significantly reduced use of rescue medication (p < 0.001). The overall rates of AEs were comparable between the groups (indacaterol 49.3%, placebo 46.8%), with the most common AEs being COPD worsening (indacaterol 8.5%, placebo 12.2%) and cough (indacaterol 6.2%, placebo 7.3%). One patient died in the placebo group. Serum potassium and blood glucose levels did not differ significantly between the two groups, and no patient had QTc >500 ms.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Indacaterol 150 <it>μ</it>g o.d. provided clinically significant and sustained bronchodilation, reduced rescue medication use, and had a safety and tolerability profile similar to placebo.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00624286</p

Underweight and overweight men have greater exercise-induced dyspnoea than normal weight men.

INTRODUCTION: Persons with high or low body mass index (BMI), involved in clinical or mechanistic trials involving exercise testing, might estimate dyspnoea differently from persons with a normal BMI. AIMS: Our objective was to investigate the relationship between BMI and dyspnoea during exercise in normal subjects with varying BMI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 37 subjects undertook progressive exercise testing. Subjects were divided into three groups: underweight (UW), normal weight (NW), and overweight (OW). Dyspnoea was estimated using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Spirometry, maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), and respiratory muscle strength (RMS) were measured. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The intercept of the VAS/ventilation relationship was significantly higher in NW subjects compared to UW (P = 0.029) and OW subjects (P = 0.040). Relative to the OW group, FVC (P = 0.020), FEV(1) (P = 0.024), MVV (P = 0.019), and RMS (P = 0.003) were significantly decreased in the UW group. The greater levels of dyspnoea in UW subjects could possibly be due to decreased RMS. Healthy persons should aim to achieve an optimum BMI range to have the lowest exercise-induced dyspnoea