Effects of Crossfit® and street running practice on anthropometric, lipids parameters, cardiorespiratory fitness and sleep quality

BACKGROUND

Street running (SR) and CrossFit® (CF) have different characteristics ranging from aerobic training to high intensity. This study aimed to describe the subject's physical training, anthropometric and lipid parameters, cardiorespiratory fitness and sleep quality and duration.

METHODS

Cross-sectional, study, that collected personal data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), anthropometric assessment, cardiorespiratory fitness, and lipid profile. The subjects were separated in CF group (CFG) and SR group (SRG).

RESULTS

The SRG training frequency was lower (P=0.006), had better maximum oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) levels (P<0.001). 59.3% of the SRG had excellent V̇O2max. Cardiorespiratory fitness (49.97 mL/kg/min; P=0.001) and Body Mass Index (BMI) were positively related in SR (P=0.031). An inverse correlation was found between V̇O2max and body fat percentage (BF%) (SRG: P=0.001; CFG: P=0.013). Sleep duration is strongly and inversely associated with PSQI. There was a correlation between total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.020), TC and triglycerides (TGs) (P=0.029) and levels of TGs and BMI (P=0.008) in SRG. In the CFG group, there was a correlation of TC between TGs levels (P=0.025), light-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001) and BMI (P=0.050).

CONCLUSIONS

The SR have a higher V̇O2max although they train less than the CF practitioners regardless of factors such as BF%, gender and age.

Prioritizing persons deprived of liberty in global guidelines for tuberculosis preventive treatment

In this Policy Forum piece, Aditya Narayan and colleagues discuss the challenges and opportunities for tuberculosis preventive treatment in carceral settings.

Social distancing patterns in nine municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: the Epicovid19/RS study

OBJECTIVE To describe social distancing practices in nine municipalities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, stratified by gender, age, and educational attainment. METHODS Two sequential cross-sectional studies were conducted in the municipalities of Canoas, Caxias do Sul, Ijuí, Passo Fundo, Pelotas, Porto Alegre, Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Maria, and Uruguaiana to estimate the population prevalence of COVID-19. The study was designed to be representative of the urban population of these municipalities. A questionnaire including three questions about social distancing was also administered to the participants. Here, we present descriptive analyses of social distancing practices by subgroups and use chi-square tests for comparisons. RESULTS In terms of degree of social distancing, 25.8% of the interviewees reported being essentially isolated and 41.1% reported being quite isolated. 20.1% of respondents reported staying at home all the time, while 44.5% left only for essential activities. More than half of households reported receiving no visits from non-residents. Adults aged 20 to 59 reported the least social distancing, while more than 80% of participants aged 60 years or older reported being essentially isolated or quite isolated. Women reported more stringent distancing than men. Groups with higher educational attainment reported going out for daily activities more frequently. CONCLUSIONS The extremes of age are more protected by social distancing, but some groups remain highly exposed. This can be an important limiting factor in controlling progression of the COVID-19 pandemic.

High frequency of aac(6')-Ib-cr gene associated with double mutations in gyrA and parC in Escherichia coli isolates from patients with urinary tract infections

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were (i) to determine the frequency of plasmid-mediated resistance to fluoroquinolones (FQs) in Escherichia coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) of nosocomial and community origin and (ii) to determine the relationships between the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), mutations in the gyrA and parC genes, and resistance to FQs.

METHODS

A total of 71 E. coli isolates, including 38 ESBL-producers and 33 non-ESBL-producers, were analysed. The aac(6')-Ib gene was amplified using PCR and was subsequently digested with the BtsCI restriction enzyme to identify aac(6')-Ib-cr, a variant associated with FQ resistance. Detection of qnr genes was performed by multiplex PCR. In isolates that tested positive for these genes, the gyrA and parC genes were sequenced and the modulation factor of an efflux pump inhibitor was determined on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of norfloxacin.

RESULTS

The frequencies of qnrS, qnrB and qnrA were 4.2%, 2.8% and 0%, respectively. The frequency of aac(6')-Ib-cr was 40.8% and this variant was associated with double mutations in gyrA and parC as well as resistance to FQs and ESBL production. Modulation of efflux pump activity was more frequent in resistant isolates that had a wild-type parC gene.

CONCLUSION

An interplay of resistance mechanisms increased the level of resistance to FQs, and the high frequency of putative plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes associated with ESBL-producing isolates reduced therapeutic options to treat UTIs in the affected population.

Low-grade inflammation markers in children and adolescents: Influence of anthropometric characteristics and CRP and IL6 polymorphisms

Overweight and obesity are associated with chronic and subclinical inflammation due to an imbalance of inflammatory mediators. However, the association with gene polymorphism has been rarely studied in children. The aim of this study was to determine if serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are related to the IL6 rs1800795, IL6 rs2069845 and CRP rs1205 polymorphisms (SNPs) according to body mass index (BMI) in a sample of children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study in 470 students between 7 and 17yearsof age of anthropometric characteristics, high sensitivity-CRP (Hs-CRP) and IL-6 levels and three SNPs genotyped. The prevalence ratio of hs-CRP>3mg/L in obese individuals was 4.15 (CI 2.43-7.06; p=0.01), and it was 1.91 (CI 1.03-3.55; p=0.03) in overweight individuals and 1.74 (CI 1.05-2.88 p=0.03) in females. Individuals with waist circumference (WC) and body fat percentage (BF%) alterations showed elevated levels of hs-CRP (p=4.3×10^-5 and p=5.3×10^-6). The combination of any two anthropometric measurement increases CRP levels, especially combinations with obesity body mass index (BMI): BMI+WC and BMI+BF%. Among the overweight/obesity group, T allele carriers of CRP rs1205 showed lower levels of hs-CRP (0.5, IQR=0.3-1.8mg/L) than CC homozygotes (1.5, IQR=0.4-3.4mg/L, p=0.018). Additionally, considering subjects with two or three anthropometric alterations for CRP rs1205: rs1205 T allele carriers had lower levels of hs-CRP (0.7, IQR=0.3-2.7mg/L) than CC homozygotes (1.2, IQR=0.5-3.5mg/L, p=0.02). In conclusion, carriers of the rs1205/T allele with higher BMIs had lower levels of hs-CRP. Schoolchildren who were overweight/obese had higher levels of CRP and IL-6, whereas individuals with WC and BF% alterations had higher levels of CRP.

Association of IL-6 and CRP gene polymorphisms with obesity and metabolic disorders in children and adolescents

Activation of adipose tissue inflammation is associated with obesity caused by lipid accumulation in adipocytes. Through this activation, proinflammatory cytokines, such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) seem to influence metabolic disorders. The present study evaluated whether polymorphisms in the CRP (rs1205) and IL-6 (rs1800795, rs2069845) genes are associated with the development of metabolic disorders in children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study was performed, consisting of 470 students from the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil, aged 7-17 years. Body mass index (BMI) was classified according to overweight and obesity. Genotyping was performed by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Anthropometric characteristics, biochemical markers, immunological markers and blood pressure were assessed. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and logistic regression were used for the analyses. No association was detected between the rs1800795 polymorphism and the assessed variables. Individuals with the risk genotype in the rs1205 gene were associated with the risk of developing hypercholesterolemia (OR 2.79; CI 1.40, 5.57; p = 0.003). Carriers of the risk genotype in the rs2069845 gene are associated with the risk of developing obesity (OR 3.07; CI 1.08, 8.72; p = 0.03). The polymorphism rs2069845 was associated with obesity and rs1205 was associated with the risk of developing hypercholesterolemia in Brazilian schoolchildren.

Polymorphisms in CYP2E1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 and anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity

Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatitis (ATD- induced hepatitis) has been linked to polymorphisms in genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes. N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and glutathione S-transferase (loci GSTM1 and GSTT1) are involved in the metabolism of isoniazid, the most toxic drug for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). This study was designed to determine the frequency and to evaluate whether polymorphisms at CYP2E1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes are associated with drug response, as well as to identify clinical risk factors for ATD-induced hepatitis. A total of 245 Brazilian patients undergoing treatment for TB were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing methods. The frequencies of the CYP2E1 polymorphic alleles RsaI, PstI and DraI are 8%, 8.5% and 12%, respectively. GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes are deleted in 42.9% and 12.4% of the population, respectively. Fifteen patients (6.1%) developed hepatotoxicity. Clinical (HIV, female sex and extrapulmonary TB) and genetic characteristics (CYP2E1 without any mutations, having NAT2 slow acetylator profile) are at higher risk of developing ATD-induced hepatitis in this population. Genotyping for GSTM1 and GSTT1 showed no influence on drug response.

Association of slow N-acetyltransferase 2 profile and anti-TB drug-induced hepatotoxicity in patients from Southern Brazil

PURPOSE

To determine the frequency of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) polymorphisms, the NAT2 acetylation profile and its relation to the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions (ADRs), anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug-induced hepatotoxicity, and the clinical risk factors for hepatotoxicity in a population from Brazil.

METHODS

Two hundred and fifty-four Brazilian TB patients using isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), and pirazinamide (PZA) were tested in a prospective cohort study. NAT2 genotyping was performed by direct PCR sequencing. The association between gastrointestinal ADRs/hepatotoxicity and the NAT2 profile genotype was evaluated by univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the 254 patients analyzed, 69 (27.2%) were slow acetylators and 185 (72.8%) were fast acetylators. Sixty-five (25.6%) patients were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive. Thirty-three (13%) and 14 (5.5%) patients developed gastrointestinal ADR and hepatotoxicity, respectively. Of the 14 hepatotoxicity patients, nine (64.3%) were slow acetylators and five (35.7%) were fast acetylators. Sex, age, presence of hepatitis C virus, alcohol abuse, and baseline aminotransferases were not found to be risk factors for hepatotoxicity. However, logistic regression analysis revealed that slow acetylator status and the presence of HIV (p < 0.05) were independent risk factors for hepatotoxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that HIV-positive patients that have the slow acetylation profile are significantly associated with a higher risk of developing hepatotoxicity due to anti-TB drugs.

Recent transmission of tuberculosis involving retired patients

The reported incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in three different regions of Rio Grande do Sul State in Brazil varies considerably. We used IS6110-RFLP and spoligotyping methods to genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained from 268 patients between 1998 and 2000 in order to assess the levels of recent transmission of TB in the three regions. The degree of clustering of the strain types did not differ among the three regions; neither did other characteristics such as demographic features, underlying medical conditions, or the proportion of resistant TB. As reported previously, male patients were at greater risk of developing TB and our data suggest that part of this may be related to the higher rates of recent transmission among them (P<0.05). In addition, we found that retired patients were almost 3 times more likely to be infected with cluster-pattern strains than patients reporting any other occupation (P<0.05), and more than 3 times more likely than non-retired patients in the same age group (P<0.05) to be infected with cluster-pattern strains. We conclude that recent transmission is not a major factor contributing to the differences in TB incidence in the three regions of Rio Grande do Sul. The reason for the suggested high proportion of recent transmission TB cases among the retired people needs further studies.