Summary Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine used in endemic areas of Colombia, as well as risk factors associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and ...carriage after vaccine introduction. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in urban and rural areas of the Colombian Amazon, a highly endemic area for hepatitis B infection. Children under 12 years of age and their mothers were selected for the study using one-stage cluster sampling ( N = 2145) and were examined for HBV serological markers and antibodies against surface antigen (anti-HBs). Results There has been a reduction of 60–75% in the prevalence of HBV infection and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage since HBV vaccination was introduced. Receiving the first dose of HBV vaccine at more than two months after birth was one of the factors associated with HBV carrier status. Maternal HBV infection was also associated with infection in the child. Conclusions The recombinant Cuban hepatitis B vaccine has contributed to the reduction of the infection in this highly endemic area, though further efforts are required to improve timely vaccination for children at high risk.
Purpose: To evaluate the frequency of neurocysticercosis (NCC) in a well‐defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients in the rural area of the Cordillera province.
Methods: We carried out a ...two‐phase door‐to‐door neuroepidemiologic survey in a sample of 10,124 subjects in a rural area of the Cordillera Province, Bolivia, to detect the prevalence of the most common neurologic disorders including epilepsy. A team of health workers administered a standard screening instrument for neurologic diseases; subjects found positive at the screening phase underwent a complete neurologic examination. Epilepsy patients were diagnosed according to the definition proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE, 1993). Epilepsy patients identified this way underwent electroencephalographic recording, computed tomography (CT) scan, and serologic evaluation to detect antibodies against Taenia solium by enzyme‐linked immunoelectrotransfer blot.
Results: At the end of the survey, we detected 124 defined prevalent epilepsy patients. On the basis of the classification proposed by the ILAE in 1981, partial seizures were the most common type diagnosed (66 patients, 53.3%). Of the 124 patients, 105 underwent CT scan, and a serum sample was taken to detect antibodies against T. solium in 112 patients; for 97 patients, both neuroradiologic and serologic data were available. Considering radiologic, serologic, and clinical features, of these 124 patients, 34 (27.4%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for definitive or probable NCC proposed in 2001. Of these 34 patients 24 (70.6%) had partial seizures.
Conclusions: Our data confirm a high frequency of NCC among a well‐defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients.
Background Poly(butylcyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and coated with polysorbate 80 (PS80) have shown efficacy in the treatment of rat glioblastoma. However, ...cytotoxicity of this treatment remains unclear.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate cytotoxicity and apoptotic gene expression using a proven in vitro co-culture model of the blood-brain barrier.
Methods The co-cultures were exposed to uncoated PBCA NPs, PBCA-PS80 NPs or PBCA-PS80-DOX NPs at varying concentrations and evaluated using a resazurin-based cytotoxicity assay and an 84-gene apoptosis RT-PCR array.
Results The cytotoxicity assays showed PBCA-PS80-DOX NPs exhibited a decrease in metabolic function at lower concentrations than uncoated PBCA NPs and PBCA-PS80 NPs. The apoptosis arrays showed differential expression of 18 genes in PBCA-PS80-DOX treated cells compared to the untreated control.
Discussion As expected, the cytotoxicity assays demonstrated enhanced dose-dependent toxicity in the DOX loaded NPs. The differentially expressed apoptotic genes participate in both the tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 and mitochondria-associated apoptotic pathways implicated in current DOX chemotherapeutic toxicity.
Conclusion The following data suggest that the cytotoxic effect may be attributed to DOX and not the NPs themselves, further supporting the use of PBCA-PS80 NPs as an effective drug delivery vehicle for treating central nervous system conditions.
Objective
To estimate the annual incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) over a 10‐year period in the UK, and to examine age‐, sex‐, and region‐specific rates.
Methods
The study was based on ...the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which covers ∼5% of the UK population. We estimated SLE incidence rates, during the period 1990–1999, among persons registered with practices contributing to the GPRD, representing >33 million person‐years of observation.
Results
A total of 1,638 patients with incident SLE (1,374 females, 264 males) were identified. The age‐standardized SLE incidence in the UK during the 1990s was 7.89 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval 95% CI 7.46, 8.31) for females and 1.53 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.34, 1.71) for males (overall female‐to‐male ratio 5.2:1). Peak incidence occurred at age 50–54 years for females and 70–74 years for males. There was a small but insignificant increase of SLE incidence over the 10 years among females but not males. No clear association between latitude and SLE incidence was found, but regional variations existed, with age‐standardized rates ranging from 3.56 per 100,000 (95% CI 3.00, 4.13) for the West Midlands to 7.62 per 100,000 (95% CI 5.59, 9.65) for Northern Ireland.
Conclusion
This study provides updated estimates of SLE incidence in the UK. Standard methodology throughout the study period and target population allowed for comparison of rates over time and across regions.
Dihydropyridines are widely used for the treatment of several cardiac diseases due to their blocking activity on L-type Ca2+ channels and their renowned antioxidant properties.
We synthesized six ...novel dihydropyridine molecules and performed docking studies on the binding site of the L-type Ca2+ channel. We used biochemical techniques on isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes to assess the efficacy of these molecules on their Ca2+ channel-blocking activity and antioxidant properties. The Ca2+ channel-blocking activity was evaluated by confocal microscopy on fluo-3AM loaded cardiomyocytes, as well as using patch clamp experiments. Antioxidant properties were evaluated by flow cytometry using the ROS sensitive dye 1,2,3 DHR.
Our docking studies show that a novel compound with 3-OH substitution inserts into the active binding site of the L-type Ca2+ channel previously described for nitrendipine. In biochemical assays, the novel meta-OH group in the aryl in C4 showed a high blocking effect on L-type Ca2+ channel as opposed to para-substituted compounds. In the tests we performed, none of the molecules showed antioxidant properties.
Only substitutions in C2, C3 and C5 of the aryl ring render dihydropyridine compounds with the capacity of blocking LTCC. Based on our docking studies, we postulate that the antioxidant activity requires a larger group than the meta-OH substitution in C2, C3 or C5 of the dihydropyridine ring.
•Dihydropyridine (DHP) molecules are widely used in cardiovascular disease.•DHPs block Ca2+ entry through LTCC—some DHPs have antioxidant activity as well.•We synthesized 6 new DHPs and tested their Ca2+ blocking and antioxidant activities.•3-Aryl meta-hydroxyl substitution strongly increases their Ca2+ blocking activity.•3-Aryl meta-hydroxyl substitution did not affect the antioxidant properties.
Sleep and type 2 diabetes mellitus Brady, Emer M; Hall, Andrew P
Practical diabetes (2011),
January/February 2016, 2016-01-00, 20160101, Volume:
33, Issue:
1
Journal Article
The term "firefighter" and "cancer" have become so intertwined in the past decade that they are now nearly inseparable. Occupational exposure of firefighters to carcinogenic chemicals may increase ...their risk of developing different types of cancer. PFAS are one of the major classes of carcinogenic chemicals that firefighters are exposed to as occupational hazard. Elevated levels of PFAS have been observed in firefighters' blood serum in recent studies. Possible sources of occupational exposure to PFAS include turnout gear, aqueous film-forming foam, and air and dust at both the fire scene and fire station. Preliminary discussion on PFAS includes definition, classification, and chemical structure. The review is then followed by identifying the sources of PFAS that firefighters may encounter as an occupational hazard. The structural properties of the PFAS used in identified sources, their degradation, and exposure pathways are reviewed. The elevated level of PFAS in the blood serum and how this might associate with an increased risk of cancer is discussed. Our review shows a significant amount of PFAS on turnout gear and their migration to untreated layers, and how turnout gear itself might be a potential source of PFAS exposure. PFAS from aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), air, and dust of fire stations have been already established as potential exposure sources. Studies on firefighters' cancer suggest that firefighters have a higher cancer risk compared to the general population. This review suggests that increased exposure to PFAS as an occupational hazard could be a potential cancer risk for firefighters.
An overview of case control study designed to investigate whether mechanical trauma is associated with increased risk of herpes zoster is presented. The study found that trauma increases the risk of ...zoster at the trauma site, but not elsewhere.
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