Category: Nevin Manimala

Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2023 Jan;34(1):e13913. doi: 10.1111/pai.13913.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The impact of children on the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains uncertain. This study provides an insight into distinct patterns of SARS-CoV-2 household transmission in case of pediatric and adult index cases as well as age-dependent susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS: Immune analysis, medical interviewing, and contact tracing of 26 families with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection cases have been conducted. Blood samples were analyzed serologically with the use of a SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG assay and virus neutralization test (VNT). Uni- and multivariable linear regression and mixed effect logistic regression models were used to describe potential risk factors for higher contagiousness and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 infection could be confirmed in 67 of 124 family members. Fourteen children and 11 adults could be defined as index cases in their households. Forty of 82 exposed family members were defined as secondarily infected. The mean secondary attack rate in households was 0.48 and was significantly higher in households with adult than with pediatric index cases (0.85 vs 0.19; p < 0.0001). The age (grouped into child and adult) of index case, severity of disease, and occurrence of lower respiratory symptoms in index cases were significantly associated with secondary transmission rates in households. Children seem to be equally susceptible to acquire a SARS-CoV-2 infection as adults, but they suffer milder courses of the disease or remain asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected children to other household members occurred rarely in the first wave of the pandemic, despite close physical contact and the lack of hygienic measures.

PMID:36705043 | DOI:10.1111/pai.13913

Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2023 Jan;34(1):e13904. doi: 10.1111/pai.13904.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic childhood disease associated with significant morbidity and healthcare costs. There is a known association between caesarean section and asthma, but the relationship between caesarean section and offspring atopic dermatitis remains uncertain.

METHODS: We conducted a register-based nationwide cohort study including children born in Sweden between January 2006 and December 2018. Data on health and socioeconomic variables were extracted from the national registers for children aged ≤5 years. Time-to-event analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for confounders and familial factors.

RESULTS: 1,399,406 children were included (6,029,542 person-years at risk). Atopic dermatitis was observed in 17.2% of the 1,150,896 children born by vaginal delivery and 18.3% of the 248,510 born by caesarean section. The mean age of onset of atopic dermatitis was 2.72 years (SD 1.8). Birth by caesarean section was associated with a higher risk of atopic dermatitis (adj-HR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.10-1.14). A higher risk of atopic dermatitis was found in children born by instrumental vaginal delivery (adj-HR 1.10, 1.07-1.13); emergency caesarean section (adj-HR 1.12, 1.10-1.15), and elective caesarean section (adj-HR 1.13, 1.10-1.16) than uncomplicated vaginal delivery in children <1 year of age. Similar hazards were observed in those ≥1 year of age. In sibling control analysis, greater risks remained in children aged <1 year but not in age ≥1 year.

CONCLUSIONS: In our study population, it was observed that children born by caesarean section or instrumental vaginal delivery were at higher risk of early childhood atopic dermatitis. Although familial confounding attenuates the risk in children aged ≥1 year, this was not observed in the first year of life.

PMID:36705040 | DOI:10.1111/pai.13904

Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2023 Jan;34(1):e13905. doi: 10.1111/pai.13905.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Perturbation of gut symbiosis has been linked to childhood allergic diseases. However, the underlying host-microbe interaction connected with specific phenotypes is poorly understood.

METHODS: To address this, integrative analyses of stool metagenomic and metabolomic profiles associated with IgE reactions in 56 children with mite-sensitized airway allergies (25 with rhinitis and 31 with asthma) and 28 nonallergic healthy controls were conducted.

RESULTS: We noted a decrease in the number and abundance of gut microbiome-encoded carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes, accompanied with a reduction in species richness, in the asthmatic gut microflora but not in that from allergic rhinitis. Such loss of CAZymes was consistent with the observation that a CAZyme-linked decrease in fecal butyrate was found in asthmatics and negatively correlated with mite-specific IgE responses. Different from the CAZymes, we demonstrated an increase in α diversity at the virulome levels in asthmatic gut microbiota and identified phenotype-specific variations of gut virulome. Moreover, use of fecal metagenomic and metabolomic signatures resulted in distinct effects on differentiating rhinitis and asthma from nonallergic healthy controls.

CONCLUSION: Overall, our integrative analyses reveal several signatures of systems-level gut microbiome in robust associations with fecal metabolites and disease phenotypes, which may be of etiological and diagnostic implications in childhood airway allergies.

PMID:36705037 | DOI:10.1111/pai.13905

Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2023 Jan;34(1):e13907. doi: 10.1111/pai.13907.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:36705035 | DOI:10.1111/pai.13907

J Health Soc Behav. 2023 Jan 27:221465221143089. doi: 10.1177/00221465221143089. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Parents with better-educated children are healthier and live longer, but whether there is a causal effect of children’s education on their parents’ health and longevity is unclear. First, we demonstrate an association between adults’ offspring education and parental mortality in the 1958 British birth cohort study, which remains substantial-about two additional years of life-even when comparing parents with similar socioeconomic status. Second, we use the 1972 educational reform in England and Wales, which increased the minimum school leaving age from 15 to 16 years, to identify the presence of a causal effect of children’s education on parental health and longevity using census-linked data from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study. Results reveal that children’s education has no causal effects on a wide range of parental mortality and health outcomes. We interpret these findings discussing the role of universal health care and education for socioeconomic inequality in Great Britain.

PMID:36705015 | DOI:10.1177/00221465221143089

J Perioper Pract. 2023 Jan 27:17504589221141799. doi: 10.1177/17504589221141799. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Gabapentinoids are often administered preoperatively, as they have been shown to reduce postoperative opioid consumption and pain scores however sedation has always been a concern because of sedative side effect.

OBJECTIVE: This study was intended to compare oral gabapentin versus oral pregabalin sedative effects and complications in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery under general anaesthesia.

METHODS: This study was a true experimental randomised, placebo-controlled, prospective study, conducted at Rafedia Government Surgical Hospital in Nablus, Palestine. The sample consisted of 60 male and female patients undergoing elective lumbar spine surgeries in the department of neurology and aged from 18 to 70 years. The patients were divided into three groups (20 patients each): The pregabalin 150mg group, the gabapentin group and the placebo group.

FINDINGS: Nearly 51.7% of the participants reported that they experienced a feeling of nausea or vomiting after the operation. There were statistically significant differences (p-value = 0.008) between the groups in how often complications happen after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: Preemptive pregabalin (150mg) was established to have a more sedative effect and lowered complications than gabapentin (300mg).

PMID:36705003 | DOI:10.1177/17504589221141799

Aust Occup Ther J. 2023 Jan 27. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12859. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Students from a range of health disciplines need to learn from people with lived experience of mental distress and recovery to develop recovery capabilities for mental health practice.

AIMS: The aims of this study are to describe the co-design of a teaching resource, to explore the experience of people with lived experience during the resource development, and to evaluate the outcome of the resource on student recovery capabilities.

METHOD: Using a sequential mixed method, a project group consisting of six people with lived experience and 10 academics from five health disciplines was convened to co-develop teaching resources. People with lived experience met independently without researchers on several occasions to decide on the key topics and met with the research team monthly. The teaching resource was used in mental health subjects for two health professional programmes, and the Capabilities for Recovery-Oriented Practice Questionnaire (CROP-Q) was used before and after to measure any change in student recovery capabilities. Scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The people with lived experience were also interviewed about their experience of being involved in constructing the teaching resources. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed thematically.

RESULTS: The finished resource consisted of 28 short videos and suggested teaching plans. Occupational therapy and nursing student scores on the CROP-Q prior to using the educational resource (n = 33) were 68 (median) and post scores (n = 28) were 74 (median), indicating a statistically significant improvement in recovery capability (P = 0.04). Lived experience interview themes were (i) the importance of lived experience in education; (ii) personal benefits of participating; (iii) co-design experience; and (iv) creating the resource.

CONCLUSION: Co-design of teaching resources with people with lived experience was pivotal to the success and quality of the final product, and people with lived experience described personal benefits of participating in resource development. More evidence to demonstrate the use of the CROP-Q in teaching and practice is needed.

PMID:36704991 | DOI:10.1111/1440-1630.12859

Endokrynol Pol. 2023 Jan 27. doi: 10.5603/EP.a2022.0084. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have suggested that cartilage progenitor cells (CPCs) could be activated and differentiated into chondrocytes to produce matrix and to restore the integrity of damaged cartilage after injury. However, the mechanism involved in CPC activation upon damage is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) in both activation and migration of CPCs during cartilage injury.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Explants harvested from mature bovine stifle joints were used for impact injury. The proliferation and migration of CPCs were examined via confocal imaging. Gene and protein expression of Hmbg1, Cxcl12, and Cxcr4 was also examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), ELISA, and western blot. Each experiment was repeated 3 times. ANOVA and Student’s t-test were performed for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: HMGB1 released from dead and damaged chondrocytes after an impact injury could activate CPCs in the superficial zone of cartilage and promote their migration and proliferation to injury sites. However, the block of HMGB1 activation with its specific binding inhibitor glycyrrhizin inhibits the proliferation and migration of CPCs. Further investigations demonstrate that HMGB1 promotes CPCs migration through the pathway of C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) and its receptor CXCR4. Quantitative analysis of HMGB1 in cell culture medium also indicates that CPCs may have a self-activation property after the HMGB1 released from dead cells has been exhausted.

CONCLUSION: HMGB1 is a pivotal factor that could enhance the migration and proliferation of CPCs through the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway after cartilage injury, which could provide useful information for cartilage repair and osteoarthritis treatment.

PMID:36704981 | DOI:10.5603/EP.a2022.0084

Endokrynol Pol. 2023 Jan 27. doi: 10.5603/EP.a2023.0002. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The effect of vitamin D status on steatosis has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we planned to investigate this interaction using a large-scale population-based cohort.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with simple steatosis (K76.0) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (K75.8) by using the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) coding system, and who had 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) measurements at the diagnosis, were included in the study. Control group comprised subjects without liver diseases. Age, gender, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and 25OHD levels, and the date of the measurements were recorded.

RESULTS: We compared ALT and 25OHD measurements between the patient and control groups, and between the simple steatosis and NASH subgroups. 25OHD levels were lower and ALT levels were higher in the patient group (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.028, and p < 0.001, effect size = 0.442, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that when 25OHD levels decrease by 1 ng/dL, it increases the risk of being in the patient group by 3.7%.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that vitamin D status may be related to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although this relationship is weak, it may be important in the pathogenesis of steatosis.

PMID:36704977 | DOI:10.5603/EP.a2023.0002

Clin Chem Lab Med. 2023 Jan 27. doi: 10.1515/cclm-2023-0008. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Clinical practice guidelines endorse the stratification of prostate cancer (PCa) risk according to individual total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) values and age to enhance the individual risk-benefit ratio. We defined two nomograms to predict the individual risk of high and low grade PCa by combining the assay of tPSA and %free/tPSA (%f/tPSA) in patients with a pre-biopsy tPSA between 2 and 10 μg/L.

METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 662 patients that had fPSA, tPSA, and a biopsy performed (41.3% with a final diagnosis of PCa). Logistic regression including age, tPSA and %f/tPSA was used to model the probability of having high or low grade cancer by defining 3 outcome levels: no PCa, low grade (International Society of Urological Pathology grade, ISUP<3) and high grade PCa (ISUP≥3).

RESULTS: The nomogram identifying patients with: (a) high vs. those with low grade PCa and without the disease showed a good discriminating capability (∼80%), but the calibration showed a risk of underestimation for predictive probabilities >30% (a considerable critical threshold of risk), (b) ISUP<3 vs. those without the disease showed a discriminating capability of 63% and overestimates predictive probabilities >50%. In ISUP 5 a possible loss of PSA immunoreactivity has been observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The estimated risk of high or low grade PCa by the nomograms may be of aid in the decision-making process, in particular in the case of critical comorbidities and when the digital rectal examinations are inconclusive. The improved characterization of the risk of ISUP≥3 might enhance the use for magnetic resonance imaging in this setting.

PMID:36704961 | DOI:10.1515/cclm-2023-0008