Childhood cognitive ability and body composition in adulthood

Background:

Childhood cognitive ability has been identified as a novel risk factor for adulthood overweight and obesity as assessed by adult body mass index (BMI). BMI does not, however, distinguish fat-free and metabolically harmful fat tissue. Hence, we examined the associations between childhood cognitive abilities and body fat percentage (BF%) in young adulthood.

Methods:

Participants of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study (n=816) underwent tests of general reasoning, visuomotor integration, verbal competence and language comprehension (M=100; s.d.=15) at the age of 56 months. At the age of 25 years, they underwent a clinical examination, including measurements of BF% by the InBody 3.0 eight-polar tactile electrode system, weight and height from which BMI (kg m⁻²) was calculated and waist circumference (cm).

Results:

After adjustments for sex, age and BMI-for-age s.d. score at 56 months, lower general reasoning and visuomotor integration in childhood predicted higher BMI (kg m⁻²) increase per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (−0.32, 95% confidence interval −0.60,−0.05; −0.45, −0.75,−0.14, respectively) and waist circumference (cm) increase per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (−0.84, −1.56,−0.11; −1.07,−1.88,−0.26, respectively) in adulthood. In addition, lower visuomotor integration predicted higher BF% per s.d. unit decrease in cognitive ability (−0.62,−1.14,−0.09). Associations between general reasoning and BMI/waist were attenuated when adjusted for smoking, alcohol consumption, intake of fruits and vegetables and physical activity in adulthood, and all associations, except for visuomotor integration and BMI, were attenuated when adjusted for parental and/or own attained education and/or birth weight.

Conclusions:

Of the measured childhood cognitive abilities, only lower visuomotor integration was associated with BF% in adulthood. This challenges the view that cognitive ability, at least when measured in early childhood, poses a risk for adiposity in adulthood, as characterized by higher BF%.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Graft Preservation Injury in Clinical Renal Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Deleterious effects of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) have been established in experimental renal ischemia-reperfusion models but not in clinical renal transplantation thus far.

METHODS

We studied MMP-9 and its physiological inhibitor tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in 45 consecutive patients of a larger trial in renal transplantation: perioperative anti-thymocyte globulin (group A, n = 15), perioperative basiliximab (group B, n = 16), and conventional triple therapy (group C, n = 14). In addition to systemic blood samples, local blood samples were obtained simultaneously at 1 and 5 minutes after reperfusion from iliac artery and graft vein for calculation of transrenal changes. Because anti-thymocyte globulin activates inflammation, group A was analyzed separately. Groups B and C were pooled (group BC).

RESULTS

Anti-thymocyte globulin infusion caused a robust rise of MMP-9 in the systemic circulation in group A. No significant transrenal difference of MMP-9 or TIMP-1 occurred in either group during graft reperfusion. In group BC, strong transrenal release of MMP-9 at 1 minute after reperfusion correlated with cold ischemia time (R = 0.66, P = .0001) and was associated with delayed graft function (P = .052).

CONCLUSIONS

Renal production of MMP-9 on graft reperfusion is associated with cold ischemia time and emergence of delayed graft function. MMP inhibition may offer a means to reduce reperfusion injury in renal transplantation.

Common mental disorders in young adults born late-preterm

BACKGROUND

Results of adulthood mental health of those born late-preterm (34 + 0-36 + 6 weeks + days of gestation) are mixed and based on national registers. We examined if late-preterm birth was associated with a higher risk for common mental disorders in young adulthood when using a diagnostic interview, and if this risk decreased as gestational age increased.

METHOD

A total of 800 young adults (mean = 25.3, s.d. = 0.62 years), born 1985-1986, participated in a follow-up of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study. Common mental disorders (mood, anxiety and substance use disorders) during the past 12 months were defined using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (Munich version). Gestational age was extracted from hospital birth records and categorized into early-preterm (<34 + 0, n = 37), late-preterm (34 + 0-36 + 6, n = 106), term (37 + 0-41 + 6, n = 617) and post-term (⩾42 + 0, n = 40).

RESULTS

Those born late-preterm and at term were at a similar risk for any common mental disorder [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-1.84], for mood (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.54-2.25), anxiety (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.40-2.50) and substance use (OR 1.31, 95% CI 0.74-2.32) disorders, and co-morbidity of these disorders (p = 0.38). While the mental disorder risk decreased significantly as gestational age increased, the trend was driven by a higher risk in those born early-preterm.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a cohort born during the advanced neonatal and early childhood care, we found that not all individuals born preterm are at risk for common mental disorders in young adulthood - those born late-preterm are not, while those born early-preterm are at a higher risk. Available resources for prevention and intervention should be targeted towards the preterm group born the earliest.

Unexpected low prevalence of HIV among fertile women in Luanda, Angola. Does war prevent the spread of HIV?

We studied HIV prevalence and risk factors for HIV infection among fertile women in Luanda for the purposes of obtaining background data for planning of interventions as well as to look into the association of armed conflicts and HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. The HIV-1 prevalence was 1.7% in an antenatal care group ( n = 517) and 1.9% in a family planning group ( n = 518). Socioeconomic and sexual background factors did not significantly differ HIV-positive from HIV-negative women. Data on armed conflict factors were matched with HIV prevalence figures among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. The level of armed conflicts was found to be inversely related to HIV prevalence. The low HIV seroprevalence in Luanda is in sharp contrast to the capitals of neighbouring countries. While the spread of HIV may have been hampered by the long armed conflict in the country, it is feared to increase rapidly with the return of soldiers and refugees in a post-war situation. The challenge for preventive actions is urgent. This example may be relevant to other areas with a recent end-of-war situation.

Body composition and adipokines in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and systemic glucocorticoids

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore body composition, and the relationship of serum adipokines with bone mass and disease activity, in a cohort of JIA patients with at least three months' exposure to systemic glucocorticoids (GC).

METHODS

Fifty patients with JIA (34 girls, median age 12.4 years and disease duration 6.3 years) and 88 controls matched for gender and age participated in this study. Bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and whole body, as well as body composition were assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fasting serum leptin and adiponectin were measured.

RESULTS

Fat and lean mass were similar between patients and controls, but patients had slightly decreased BMD Z-scores. Serum leptin and adiponectin concentrations were similar. Disease activity was low, and no correlation with adipokines was observed. Patients with bone age-corrected lumbar spine BMD Z-score ≤-1.0 ("low BMD") did not show alterations in body composition, GC exposure or current disease activity, but had decreased BMC-to-lean mass ratio (p<0.001) and tendency for increased serum leptin (p=0.064). However, no association of leptin with BMD in multivariate analysis existed in patients or controls. An inverse association between adiponectin and whole body BMD was observed in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Normal body composition was observed in a JIA cohort with low-dose GC exposure. Patients with "low BMD" tended to have increased serum leptin, but leptin did not associate with BMD. In this cohort with low disease activity, no correlation between adipokines and disease activity was present.

Bone Characteristics and Their Determinants in Adolescents and Young Adults with Early-Onset Severe Obesity

Childhood obesity is associated with compromised bone health. We studied bone characteristics and their determinants in obese young adults. The study included 68 subjects with early-onset severe obesity and 73 normal-weight controls. Data on physical activity (PA), diet and smoking were collected. Bone characteristics were measured using peripheral QCT. The obese and control subjects were similar in age (mean 19.6 ± 2.6 years) and height but BMIs differed (39.7 and 22.6 kg/m(2)). A clustering of unhealthy lifestyles was marked: Obese subjects reported less supervised PA in childhood, adolescence and currently (p < 0.03) and were more likely to smoke (p = 0.005), and had a lower healthy eating index (HEI) (p = 0.007) but similar alcohol consumption compared with controls. In obese women, all crude bone characteristics were higher than in controls; in men, the differences were smaller. Associations of lifestyle factors with bone characteristics were tested using partial correlations. Independently of BMI, supervised PA in adolescence and alcohol consumption were related positively to bone characteristics in both groups. HEI associated positively with bone characteristics only in controls, while smoking was a positive determinant of bone characteristics only in obese subjects. The multivariate model showed that the contribution of lifestyle factors to bone characteristics was minimal compared with BMI. Early-onset obesity is accompanied by poor dietary quality, sedentary lifestyle, and more frequent smoking, but the overall contribution of these lifestyle factors to bone strength is limited. Bone strength is more likely to be compromised in men and in unloaded bone sites in subjects with early-onset severe obesity. The impact of obesity-related endocrine changes on bone characteristics need to be evaluated in future studies.

Analytical evaluation of nine serological assays for diagnosis of syphilis

BACKGROUND

The diagnosis of syphilis is most frequently dependent on antibody detection with serological assays. Assays for both treponemal and non-treponemal antibodies are needed to provide a sensitive and specific diagnosis. For decades, a first screening has been done with non-treponemal assays, followed by treponemal. However, in recent years, following laboratory automation, the reverse sequence screening algorithms have been developed, using a treponemal assay as the initial screening test.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate serological assays for treponemal and non-treponemal antibodies, to use in reverse algorithm screening of syphilis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Six treponemal assays (one IgM-specific assay), two non-treponemal assays and one novel dual point-of-care (POC) assay for serological diagnosis of syphilis were evaluated. Serum samples from Guinea-Bissau and Sweden were examined, as well as two performance panels and samples from blood donors. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each assay, using different assays as gold standard test.

RESULTS

The Macro-Vue RPR Card test was the most sensitive non-treponemal test and the TrepSure Anti-Treponema EIA Screen and the SeroDia TP-PA were the most sensitive and specific treponemal assays. Among the automated assays, both the Liaison Treponema Screen and Architect Syphilis TP showed high sensitivity, however, the former had clearly higher specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

In resourced settings, where the reverse sequence algorithm is preferred for screening, an automated treponemal immunoassay for initial screening subsequently followed by the TrepSure test or TP-PA assay as a second treponemal assay appear highly effective. Finally, a quantitative highly sensitive non-treponemal assay, e.g. the Macro-Vue RPR Card test, could then be used as a supplementary test to evaluate activity of the syphilis infection.

Performance of Liaison XL automated immunoassay platform for blood-borne infection screening on hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV 1/2, HTLV 1/2 and Treponema pallidum serological markers

OBJECTIVES

Aim of the study was to evaluate performance of a new fully automated platform, DiaSorin-LIAISON® XL (DiaSorin S.p.A, Vercelli, Italy), in blood donor screening, specifically for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc), hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV), HIV p24 antigen, HIV antibodies, human T-lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) and Treponema pallidum antibodies.

BACKGROUND

In screening for such viral and bacteriological blood-borne infections, sensitivity and specificity are of utmost importance.

METHODS

Sensitivity was evaluated using selected panels of samples previously analysed on the Abbott Architect immunoanalyser (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA)--the gold standard for this evaluation. These samples were confirmed positive for HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HCV, HIV Ag/Ab, anti-HTLV-1/2 and antibodies to T. pallidum, respectively. Specificity analysis was assessed by analysing blood donor samples previously run on the Architect platform and found non-reactive for each marker. A total of 1·100 donor samples (both new and regular donors) were tested. Previously, non-specific reactive samples were also run for every tested marker, as well as samples with autoimmune antibodies and antibodies to other infections.

RESULTS

Three hundred seventy-eight samples positive for the tested markers (HBsAg n = 51, anti-HBc n = 52, anti-HCV n = 75, anti-Treponema n = 55, anti-HIV-1 n = 79, anti-HIV-2 n = 25, anti-HIV 1/2 n = 3, anti-HTLV-1 n = 28 anti-HTLV-2 n = 10) were tested and found positive, suggesting a high sensitivity. A number of 342-1100 negative blood donors (depending on marker) have been tested, with very good specificity for the markers tested, ranging between 99·5 and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The LIAISON® XL platform demonstrated very high sensitivity for the markers tested and the specificity necessary to fulfil the stringent requirements for blood donor screening.

Male receiver bias for red agonistic signalling in a yellow-signalling widowbird: a field experiment

Receiver bias models of signal evolution are typically regarded as alternatives or complements to ornament evolution due to coevolving mate choice, whereas sexually or socially selected agonistic signals are rarely studied with respect to receiver psychology. Against the background of convergent evolution of red agonistic signals from yellow ancestors in the genus Euplectes (widowbirds and bishops), we experimentally test the function of a yellow signal in the montane marsh widowbird (E. psammocromius), as well as a hypothesized receiver bias for redder (longer wavelength) hues. In a field experiment in southern Tanzania, males that had their yellow wing patches blackened lost their territories or lost territorial contests more often than controls or reddened males, which together with a longer wavelength hue in territory holders, indicates an agonistic signal function. Males painted a novel red hue, matching that of red-signalling congeners, retained their territories and won contests more often than controls. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a receiver bias driving agonistic signal evolution. Although the sensory or cognitive origin of this bias is yet unknown, it strengthens our view that genetically constrained signal production (i.e. carotenoid metabolism), rather than differential selection, explains the carotenoid colour diversification in Euplectes.

Regional cortical thinning may be a biological marker for borderline personality disorder

OBJECTIVE

We investigated cerebral cortical thickness and its relation to measurements of difficulties with identifying and describing emotions in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

METHOD

Eighteen SCID-II-diagnosed female patients with BPD and 21 healthy female controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). First, regional cortical thickness across the cerebral surface was compared between patients and healthy controls. Then, analyses of the association between cortical thickness and TAS subscales were performed in patients.

RESULTS

Compared with controls, patients exhibited clusters of significantly reduced cortical thickness in the left medial and lateral prefrontal cortex, left temporoparietal junction, bilateral temporal poles, and bilateral paracentral lobules. Significant negative associations were observed between cortical thickness and the 'Difficulties Describing Feelings' TAS subscale (DDF) scores in patients. The anatomical distribution of these associations was highly overlapping with the group differences in cortical thickness.

CONCLUSION

The pattern of regions exhibiting cortical thinning in patients resembles a network of cortical structures repeatedly shown to be involved in social cognition. The results of the DDF analyses suggest that the thinning may partly be related to interpersonal dysfunction in patients with BPD. The pattern of thinning may represent a potential biological marker for BPD.

Practically convenient and industrially-aligned methods for iridium-catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange processes

The use of alternative solvents in the iridium-catalysed hydrogen isotope exchange reaction with developing phosphine/NHC Ir(I) complexes has identified reaction media which are more widely applicable and industrially acceptable than the commonly employed chlorinated solvent, dichloromethane. Deuterium incorporation into a variety of substrates has proceeded to deliver high levels of labelling (and regioselectivity) in the presence of low catalyst loadings and over short reaction times. The preparative outputs have been complemented by DFT studies to explore ligand orientation, as well as solvent and substrate binding energies within the catalyst system.

Individualised proteome profiling of human endometrial tumours improves detection of new prognostic markers

Background:

The individual features of tumours are often disregarded in cohort studies. As these features may represent a source for individualised cancer treatment, it is important to develop a novel approach for their assessment.

Methods:

We used proteomics, systems biology, and immunohistochemistry to explore protein expression in human endometrial tumours, to identify deregulated regulatory mechanisms, and to validate observed changes in protein expression using tissue microarrays.

Results:

Compared with the evaluation of common tumour features, the evaluation of individual tumour features gave a more comprehensive and detailed overview of the regulatory processes in endometrial tumours. Systemic analysis of the individual proteome profiles showed that endometrial tumours employed different proteins to regulate similar functions. Comparison of our data with publicly available data sets of molecular profiling of human endometrial tumours confirmed that individual tumour features are not simply irrelevant individual variations, but are indeed important in endometrial tumorigenesis. Validation through tissue microarray investigation of MST1 and PKN1 proteins confirmed the usefulness of this approach, and suggested that MST1 and PKN1 may be considered as predictive biomarkers of endometrial cancer.

Conclusion:

We show that individualised profiling of endometrial tumours may deliver better insights into a tumour's physiology, thereby giving a better prediction of tumour development. Individual tumour features may also be used to tailor cancer treatment.

Desorption of H2, HD, and D2 through temporary negative ion formation

Physically adsorbed H(2), HD, and D(2) desorbs via the low-energy 2Σ(u)+ electron scattering resonance with characteristic electron energy dependent cross sections as we show by desorption and electron energy-loss measurements. Only H(2) and HD desorb, for energetic reasons, via excitation of the j = 0 → 2 rotational mode and its subsequent decay into free translational motion, while all three isotopes desorb by direct transitions to unbound continuum states, with a probability close to unity and an unexpectedly weak mass dependence ~m(-1/2).