Improved Insulin Resistance and Glucose Variability by Super-Low Carbohydrate Diet

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been more prevalent. American Diabetes Association (ADA) proposed the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. For nutritional therapy, low carbohydrate diet (LCD) has been recognized for its benefits. Authors have continued diabetic research concerning LCD and meal tolerance test (MTT). Case Presentation The case is 61-year-old male with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for years. His hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) increased to 7.8% in autumn 2021, and further evaluation and treatment was conducted including LCD, daily check of meal and carbohydrate amount, 75 g OGTT, glucagon stimulation test (GST) and others. Results He was on super-LCD method including 12% of carbohydrate. His carbohydrate intake amount and 45-minutes post-prandial blood glucose showed significant correlation. The results of 75 g OGTT twice in May 2020 and December 2021 showed that similar pattern of glucose and insulin responses and insulinogenic index (IGI). In contrast, they showed decreased fasting immuno-reactive insulin (IRI) and Homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-R). For GST, C-peptide showed normal response. Discussion and Conclusion Judging from the results of MTT, OGTT, GST and IGI, he seems to show rather decreased insulin resistance by LCD associated with preserved insulin secretion ability to some degree. Further investigation would be required from pathophysiological point of view

WHO consultation on group B Streptococcus vaccine development: Report from a meeting held on 27-28 April 2016.

Globally, group B Streptococcus (GBS) remains a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in infants in the first 90days of life. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for women at increased risk of transmitting GBS to their newborns has been effective in reducing part, but not all, of the GBS disease burden in many high income countries (HICs). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), IAP use is low. Immunization of pregnant women with a GBS vaccine represents an alternative strategy to protecting newborns and young infants, through transplacental antibody transfer and potentially by reducing new vaginal colonization. This vaccination strategy was first suggested in the 1970s and several potential GBS vaccines have completed phase I/II clinical trials. During the 2015 WHO Product Development for Vaccines Advisory Committee meeting, GBS was identified as a high priority for the development of a vaccine for maternal immunization because of the major public health burden posed by GBS in LMICs, and the high technical feasibility for successful development. Following this meeting, the first WHO technical consultation on GBS vaccines was held on the 27th and 28th of April 2016, to consider development pathways for such vaccines, focused on their potential role in reducing newborn and young infant deaths and possibly stillbirths in LMICs. Discussion topics included: (1) pathophysiology of disease; (2) current gaps in the knowledge of global disease burden and serotype distribution; (3) vaccine candidates under development; (4) design considerations for phase III trials; and (5) pathways to licensure, policy recommendations and use. Efforts to address gaps identified in each of these areas are needed to establish the public health need for, the development and deployment of, efficacious GBS vaccines. In particular, more work is required to understand the global disease burden of GBS-associated stillbirths, and to develop quality-assured standardized antibody assays to identify correlates of protection

Invasive bacterial disease trends and characterization of group B streptococcal isolates among young infants in southern Mozambique, 2001-2015

BACKGROUND: Maternal group B streptococcal (GBS) vaccines under development hold promise to prevent GBS disease in young infants. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest estimated disease burden, although data on incidence and circulating strains are limited. We described invasive bacterial disease (IBD) trends among infants <90 days in rural Mozambique during 2001-2015, with a focus on GBS epidemiology and strain characteristics. METHODS: Community-level birth and mortality data were obtained from Manhica's demographic surveillance system. IBD cases were captured through ongoing surveillance at Manhica district hospital. Stored GBS isolates from cases underwent serotyping by multiplex PCR, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and whole genome sequencing. RESULTS: There were 437 IBD cases, including 57 GBS cases. Significant declines in overall IBD, neonatal mortality, and stillbirth rates were observed (P<0.0001), but not for GBS (P = 0.17). In 2015, GBS was the leading cause of young infant IBD (2.7 per 1,000 live births). Among 35 GBS isolates available for testing, 31 (88.6%) were highly related serotype III isolates within multilocus sequence types (STs) 17 (68.6%) or 109 (20.0%). All seven ST109 isolates (21.9%) had elevated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to penicillin (>/=0.12 mug/mL) associated with penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2x substitution G398A. Epidemiologic and molecular data suggest this is a well-established clone. CONCLUSION: A notable young infant GBS disease burden persisted despite improvements in overall maternal and neonatal health. We report an established strain with pbp2x point mutation, a first-step mutation associated with reduced penicillin susceptibility within a well-known virulent lineage in rural Mozambique. Our findings further underscores the need for non-antibiotic GBS prevention strategies

看護基礎教育におけるキャリア支援と評価

島根県立大学短期大学部・出雲キャンパスでは統合・法人化した平成19年度に、キャリアセンターが組織的に位置づけられた。それを機に今まで行なっていた就職支援等を、キャリア支援プログラムとして整理し、大学行事として企画・運営している。今回は、出雲キャンパス・キャリアセンターとして入学から卒業までを支援した看護学科の学生80名を対象に、毎回の進路セミナー終了時と進路が決定した卒業時の学生評価を比較した。その結果から、キャリア開発プログラム等について意義や効果が明らかになったので報告する

Translation, reliability, and validity of Japanese version of the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale

Dyspnea is a common, distressing symptom of cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular diseases and is defined as “a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” However, Japanese intensive care units (ICUs) do not routinely screen for dyspnea, as no validated Japanese version of the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale (RDOS) is available. Therefore, we aimed to translate the English version of this questionnaire into Japanese and assess its validity and reliability. To translate the RDOS, we conducted a prospective observational study in a 12-bed ICU of a universal hospital that included 42 healthcare professionals, 10 expert panels, and 128 ventilated patients. The English version was translated into Japanese, and several cross-sectional web-based questionnaires were administered to the healthcare professionals. After completing the translation process, a validity and reliability evaluation was performed in the ventilated patients. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using Cohen’s weighted kappa coefficient. Criterion validity was ascertained based on the correlation between RDOS and the dyspnea visual analog scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the ability of the RDOS to identify patients with self-reported dyspnea. The average content validity index at the scale level was 0.95. Data from the 128 patients were collected and analyzed. Cohen’s weighted kappa coefficient and the correlation coefficient between the two scales were 0.76 and 0.443 (95% confidence intervals 0.70–0.82 and 0.23–0.62), respectively. For predicting self-reported dyspnea, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.67–0.97). The optimal cutoff used was 1, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.89 and 0.61, respectively. Our findings indicated that the Japanese version of the RDOS is acceptable for face validity, understandability, criterion validity, and inter-rater reliability in lightly sedated mechanically ventilated patients, indicating its clinical utility

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead