Tag: pubmed

AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2022 Dec 27:1-8. doi: 10.1080/23294515.2022.2160512. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Despite national increase in pediatric ethics consultation volume over the past decade, protected time and resources for healthcare ethics consultancy work has lagged.

METHODS: Correlation study investigating potential associations between ethics consult volume reported by recent national survey of consultants at children’s hospitals and five programmatic domains.

RESULTS: 104 children’s hospitals in 45 states plus Washington DC were included. There was not a statistically significant association between pediatric ethics consult volume and hospital size, rurality of patient population, or number of consultants. Academically-affiliated children’s hospitals had fewer ethics consults compared to nonacademically affiliated. Association was found between full-time equivalent (FTE) hours and number of ethics consults (p < 0.0001). Spearman rank correlation between ethics consult volume and FTE was 0.5.

CONCLUSIONS: While the results of this study should be interpreted with caution, investment in protected time for ethics consultancy work may translate into increased volume of pediatric ethics consults.

PMID:36574230 | DOI:10.1080/23294515.2022.2160512

Braz J Microbiol. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s42770-022-00865-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial disease worldwide whose greatest impact is on the female reproductive system. The objective was to assess the prevalence of Chlamydia infection in a large population of female patients from a private health service in São Paulo (Brazil), identifying the main age groups affected by the agent and the evolution of the prevalence.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the results of all molecular biology tests. The tests were carried out between January 2005 and December 2015. The positivity of test results was determined by year and age group.

RESULTS: A total of 85,292 patients who performed 103,576 tests for Chlamydia were considered eligible for the statistical data. The overall prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in the study population was 2.2% (95% CI: 2.07-2.25). A higher prevalence of infection was observed in the ≤ 25 years and ≤ 30 years age groups, with rates of 6.0% (95% CI: 5.59-6.35) and 4.4% (95% CI: 4.08-4.50), respectively. There was a significant increase in the positivity of the exams over time, especially in the ≤ 35 years age group. The prevalence at 26-30 years was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.82-3.30); 31-35 years 1.7% (95% CI: 1.50-1.82); 36-40 years 1.0% (95% CI: 0.86-1.16); 41-60 years 0.6% (95% CI: 0.50-0.70) and the prevalence at ≥ 61 years was 0.4% (95% CI: 0.11-0.75).

CONCLUSION: The screening of asymptomatic young women would have the potential to reduce infection, transmission, and sequelae of infection by this agent.

PMID:36574206 | DOI:10.1007/s42770-022-00865-4

Diabetes Ther. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s13300-022-01347-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Diabetes is a risk factor for greater severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) is an independent predictor of critical illness, and it is reported to have a stronger association than absolute hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of absolute hyperglycemia and SHR with the severity of COVID-19, since there are no studies investigating SHR in patients with COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective observational study on hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the first months of the pandemic, regarding absolute hyperglycemia, SHR, and severity outcomes. Of the 374 patients, 28.1% had a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Absolute hyperglycemia (64.8% versus 22.7%; p < 0.01) and SHR [1.1 (IQR 0.9-1.3) versus 1.0 (IQR 0.9-1.2); p < 0.001] showed a statistically significant association with previous diabetes. Absolute hyperglycemia showed a significant association with clinical severity of COVID-19 (79.0% versus 62.7%; p < 0.001), need for oxygen therapy (74.8% versus 54.4%; p < 0.001), invasive mechanical ventilation (28.6% versus 11.6%; p < 0.001), and intensive care unit (30.3% versus 14.9%; p = 0.002), but not with mortality; by contrast, there was no statistically significant association between SHR and all these parameters. Our results are in agreement with the literature regarding the impact of absolute hyperglycemia on COVID-19 severity outcomes, while SHR was not a significant marker. We therefore suggest that SHR should not be evaluated in all patients admitted in the hospital for COVID-19, and we encourage the standard measures at admission of blood glucose and HbA1c levels.

PMID:36574200 | DOI:10.1007/s13300-022-01347-4

Diabetes Ther. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s13300-022-01353-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: For people with type 2 diabetes mellitus who do not achieve glycated hemoglobin A1C targets after treatment with basal insulin therapies, additional therapy with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) may be required. One option is to use a once-daily fixed-ratio combination (FRC) of basal insulin and a GLP-1 RA such as iGlarLixi (which is composed of insulin glargine 100 U/ml and lixisenatide). However, the ease of transitioning from basal insulin to an FRC has not been studied.

METHODS: This sub-study of the LixiLan ONE CAN trial (NCT03767543) was conducted to assess the ease of transitioning from insulin glargine 100 U/ml to the FRC, iGlarLixi, using the iGlarLixi SoloStar^® pen. Patients completed a validated, ten-item questionnaire, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) completed a five-item questionnaire. Both questionnaires used either five-point Likert scales or yes/no answers as appropriate, and both were completed after 4 weeks of using the iGlarLixi SoloStar pen.

RESULTS: Overall, 95.1% of patients reported that the iGlarLixi Solostar pen was “easy” or “very easy” to use. Similarly, 100% of HCPs reported that it was “easy” or “very easy” to train people to use the pen. Nearly all participants (97.5% of patients and 94% of HCPs) responded that they would recommend the iGlarLixi Solostar pen to others.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that during the transition from insulin glargine 100 U/ml to iGlarLixi, there were no difficulties associated with using the iGlarLixi SoloStar pen injector regarding instruction for use by HCPs or actual use by the majority of patients. The results indicate a broad consensus between patients and HCPs on the relative simplicity of transitioning from self-administration of insulin glargine 100 U/ml to iGlarLixi.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03767543; Date of registration: December 6, 2018; Retrospectively registered.

PMID:36574199 | DOI:10.1007/s13300-022-01353-6

Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s12602-022-10034-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Safety assessment of probiotics is difficult but essential. In this work, the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was used as in vivo model to assess the biosafety of Limosilactobacillus fermentum J23. In the first set of experiments, the strain was orally administered to adult flies through direct feeding, whereas in the second set of experiments, it was supplemented through the larval rearing medium. Data showed that L. fermentum J23 did not lead to increased mortality or treatment-related toxicity signs in adult female and male flies. Ingestion of L. fermentum J23 by adult female flies led to a statistically significant improvement in locomotor activity compared to the control groups (ca. 59% decrease in climbing time, p < 0.0001). A positive trend in lifespan extension under stress (maximum lifespan = 144 h) was also observed. When L. fermentum J23 was administered to the larvae, the adult emergence (p = 0.0099), sex ratio (p = 0.0043), and flight ability (p = 0.0009) increased significantly by 7%, 31%, and 8%, respectively, compared to the control diet. No statistical effect between the control diet and the L. fermentum J23-based diet for the number of pupae recovered, pupal weight, duration of the pupal stage, lifespan under stress, and morphological development was observed. We conclude that feeding L. fermentum J23 to the novel experimental model A. ludens had no toxic effects and could be safely considered a potential probiotic for food supplements; however, further studies are still needed to establish its biosafety in humans.

PMID:36574190 | DOI:10.1007/s12602-022-10034-6

J Cancer Surviv. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s11764-022-01309-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Our study aimed to examine whether receipt of follow-up care plans is associated with greater guideline-concordant CRC screening stratified by breast, prostate, and lung cancer survivors.

METHODS: We used data from years 2016, 2018, and 2020 of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on 3339 eligible treatment-utilizing cancer survivors with complete treatment. We performed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to examine the mentioned association.

RESULTS: We observed that 83.9% of breast and 88.2% of prostate cancer survivors with follow-care plans received CRC screening (p-value < 0.001). The lowest CRC screening use was observed among lung cancer (70.8%). In multivariable analysis, receipt of follow-up care plans was strongly associated with greater odds of receiving CRC screening in breast (OR, 2.67; 95% CI: 1.71-4.16) and prostate (OR, 3.81; 95% CI: 2.30-6.31) cancer survivors. Regardless of provider type, 84 to 88% reduced likelihood of receipt of CRC screening when they received follow-up care plans among lung cancer survivors. Among those without follow-up care plans, breast (OR, 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09-0.92) and lung (OR, 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01-0.25) cancer survivors who received care from general practices were less likely to receive CRC screening compared to those who received care from non-general practices.

CONCLUSIONS: Receipt of follow-up care plans was associated with greater CRC screening use in breast and prostate cancers. Lung cancer survivors demonstrated lower screening use despite receipt of follow-up care plans.

IMPLICATION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Patient and provider communication regarding CRC screening recommendation should be included in their follow-up care plans.

PMID:36574189 | DOI:10.1007/s11764-022-01309-6

Arch Osteoporos. 2022 Dec 27;18(1):14. doi: 10.1007/s11657-022-01204-8.

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the vitamin D status among women in South-East Oases of Morocco. Two hundred thirty-three healthy volunteer women were recruited at five urban and rural health centers. Hypovitaminosis D is very common in this region and correlated to age, monthly income, skin color, daily sun exposure, BMI, and body fat percentage.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the vitamin D status among women in the Draa-Tafilalet region and its relationship with clinical, anthropometric, and behavioral parameters.

METHODS: The study was carried out with 233 women in consultation at five urban and rural health centers in the South-East region of Morocco. The data collected relate to age, monthly income, educational level, BMI, body fat percentage, daily sun exposure, physical activity level, veil wear, and skin color. The plasma determination of vitamin D was measured by immunofluorescence. Statistical analyses were performed using Python and Jamovi.

RESULTS: The median 25(OH)D plasma concentration was 9.95 ng/mL (IQR: 8-13.18). A total of 50.64% of women had 25(OH)D levels below 10 ng/ml and 47.21% had levels between 10 and 30 ng/mL. Statistical tests showed an association between hydroxyvitamin D plasma levels and age (r = – 0.139; p = 0.034), monthly income (p = 0.001), BMI (r = – 0.200; p = 0.002), body fat percentage (r = – 0.131; p = 0.049), daily sun exposure (r = 0.165; p = 0.012), and skin color (p < 0.001). Binomial logistic regression showed that darker skin was associated with vitamin D deficiency (< 10 ng/mL). It also showed that high income and longer sun exposure could be protecting factors against vitamin D deficiency.

CONCLUSION: The plasma concentrations of vitamin D in women in the Draa-Tafilalet region were low compared to expected results for a high sunshine time area.

PMID:36574180 | DOI:10.1007/s11657-022-01204-8

J Physiol Biochem. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s13105-022-00940-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Obesity is a major contributor to the silent and progressive development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) whose prevention could be improved if individuals at risk were identified earlier. Our aim is to identify early phenotypes that precede T2D in diet-induced obese minipigs. We fed four groups of minipigs (n = 5-10) either normal-fat or high-fat high-sugar diet during 2, 4, or 6 months. Morphometric features were recorded, and metabolomics and clinical parameters were assessed on fasting plasma samples. Multivariate statistical analysis on 46 morphometrical and clinical parameters allowed to differentiate 4 distinct phenotypes: NFC (control group) and three others (HF2M, HF4M, HF6M) corresponding to the different stages of the obesity progression. Compared to NFC, we observed a rapid progression of body weight and fat mass (4-, 7-, and tenfold) in obese phenotypes. Insulin resistance (IR; 2.5-fold increase of HOMA-IR) and mild dyslipidemia (1.2- and twofold increase in total cholesterol and HDL) were already present in the HF2M and remained stable in HF4M and HF6M. Plasma metabolome revealed subtle changes of 23 metabolites among the obese groups, including a progressive switch in energy metabolism from amino acids to lipids, and a transient increase in de novo lipogenesis and TCA-related metabolites in HF2M. Low anti-oxidative capacities and anti-inflammatory response metabolites were found in the HF4M, and a perturbed hexose metabolism was observed in HF6M. Overall, we show that IR and progressively obese minipigs reveal phenotype-specific metabolomic signatures for which some of the identified metabolites could be considered as potential biomarkers of early progression to TD2.

PMID:36574151 | DOI:10.1007/s13105-022-00940-2

Endocrine. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1007/s12020-022-03265-8. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the major metabolite for ascertaining vitamin D status, which circulates bound to a specific carrier (vitamin D-binding protein – VDBP). A portion that circulates unbound vary according to the VDBP genotype. This study evaluates the behavior of different forms of 25(OH)D, before and after supplementation with 14,000 IU of vitamin D3, weekly for 12 weeks, in individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism and controls. Fifty-six patients with active primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and 64 paired controls (CTRL), not taking vitamin D3 for the last three months, were enrolled. The genetic isotypes of VDBP were determined to calculate bioavailable and free 25(OH)D. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. There were no statistical differences in free, bioavailable, and total 25(OH)D levels between PHPT and CTRL groups at baseline. The distribution of VDBP haplotypes 1s/1s, 1f/1f, 1s/1f, 2/2, 1s/2, and 1f/2 was similar between groups. After supplementation, all three forms of 25(OH)D proportionally increased within each group, although the percentage increment was lower in the PHPT group (p < 0.05). Total 25(OH)D is better correlated with PTH in the PHPT group than bioavailable and free 25(OH)D (r = -0.41; p < 0.05). The concentrations of total, free, and bioavailable 25(OH)D were similar in both PHPT and CTRL groups, and all forms increased proportionally after supplementation, although this increment percentage was higher in the CTRL group, with a subsequent reduction of PTH and AP. Total 25(OH)D correlated better with PTH than other forms, suggesting no advantages in measuring free or bioavailable 25(OH)D in these situations.

PMID:36574149 | DOI:10.1007/s12020-022-03265-8

AMB Express. 2022 Dec 27;12(1):160. doi: 10.1186/s13568-022-01504-9.

ABSTRACT

Human enterokinase light chain (hEKL) cDNA sequence was designed with the help of codon optimization towards Escherichia coli codon preference and ribosome binding site design and artificially synthesized with a thioredoxin fusion tag at the N-terminal and a five his-tag peptide at the C-terminal. The synthetic hEKL gene was cloned into the pET-15 expression vector and transferred into the three different expression strains of E. coli BL21(DE3), NiCo21, and SHuffle T7 Express. Different growth and induction conditions were studied using a statistical response surface methodology (RSM). Recombinant hEKL protein was expressed at high levels in soluble form with 0.71 mM IPTG after 4 h of induction at 25 °C. Autocatalytic process cleaved TRX tag with enterokinase recognition site by the impure hEKL and yielded the mature enzyme. The target protein was then purified to homogeneity (> 95%) by affinity chromatography. The activity of hEKL was comparable to the commercial enzyme. From 1 L culture, 80 mg pure active hEKL was obtained with the specific activity of 6.25 × 10² U/mg. Three main parameters that help us to produce the enzyme in the folded and active form are the type of strain, SHuffle T7 strain, TRX and histidine fusion tags, and growth conditions including the increase of OD of induction and IPTG concentration and the decrease of induction temperature.

PMID:36574134 | DOI:10.1186/s13568-022-01504-9