Added sugar and trans fatty acid intake and sedentary behavior were associated with excess total-body and central adiposity in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Over the past three decades, the prevalence rate of overweight and obesity has increased in survivors with congenital heart disease, and little is known about the body composition and its association with clinical characteristics and lifestyle factors. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate excess total-body adiposity and central adiposity and, to describe associated factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with children and adolescents who underwent procedure to treat congenital heart disease, from January to July 2017. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and lifestyle factors (dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behavior) were assessed. Adiposity was assessed using air-displacement plethysmography and waist circumference. Factors associated with excess total-body adiposity and central adiposity were analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 232 patients, 22.4% were identified with excess total-body adiposity and 24.6% with central adiposity. Significant factors positively associated with excess total-body adiposity were intake of added sugar and trans fatty acids, adjusted for confounding factors. Similarly, lifestyle factors were positively associated with central adiposity: intake of added sugar and trans fatty acids, sedentary behavior, and family history of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle factors were associated with excess total-body adiposity and central adiposity. Assessment of body composition and healthy-lifestyle counseling into outpatient care may be the key point to prevent obesity in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease.

Accuracy of octa-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis for the assessment of total and appendicular body composition in children and adolescents with HIV: comparison with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and air displacement plethysmography.

BACKGROUND: Body composition analysis has been used to investigate fat mass (FM) and bone mineral content (BMC) in children and adolescents diagnosed with HIV. Investigating the validity of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is interesting with respect to testing useful techniques for monitoring body composition in children and adolescents in clinical practice. The present study aimed to determine the validity of body composition analysis by BIA compared to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and air displacement plethysmography (ADP) in children and adolescents an HIV diagnosis. METHODS: Sixty-four children and adolescents (35 females and 29 males) with a mean (SD) age of 12.22 (2.13) years and with an HIV diagnosis participated in the study. Fat-free mass (FFM), FM and body fat percentage (%BF) were obtained by BIA for comparison with DXA and ADP. Segmented FM (trunk, legs and arms), lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) (total and segmented) and BMC were obtained by BIA for comparison with DXA. RESULTS: BIA presented a clinically acceptable correlation with DXA and ADP for FFM. Values found by BIA were underestimated compared to ADP, and overestimated compared to DXA. BIA presented a clinically acceptable correlation with DXA for LSTM estimates (total and segmented parameters) in both sexes (underestimating FM and overestimating LSTM). For other components (%BF, FM and BMC), BIA had a clinically unacceptable correlation with the reference methods in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: BIA was suitable for evaluating FFM and LSTM in children and adolescents with an HIV diagnosis. For FM, %BF and BMC, BIA was not suitable for performing an evaluation in both sexes.

Performance of indirect immunofluorescence assay, immunochromatography assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detecting human respiratory syncytial virus in nasopharyngeal aspirate samples.

Comparison of the use of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), immunochromatography assay (ICA-BD) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in 306 nasopharyngeal aspirates samples (NPA) was performed in order to assess their analytical performance. By comparing the results obtained using ICA-BD with those using IFA, we found relative indices of 85.0% for sensitivity and 91.2% for specificity, and the positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were 85.0% and 91.2%, respectively. The relative indices for sensitivity and specificity as well as the PPV and NPV for RT-PCR were 98.0%, 89.0%, 84.0% and 99.0%, respectively, when compared to the results of IFA. In addition, comparison of the results of ICA-BD and those of RT-PCR yielded relative indices of 79.5% for sensitivity and 95.4% for specificity, as well as PPV and NPV of 92.9% and 86.0%, respectively. Although RT-PCR has shown the best performance, the substantial agreement between the ICA-BD and IFA results suggests that ICA-BD, also in addition to being a rapid and facile assay, could be suitable as an alternative diagnostic screening for HRSV infection in children.

Performance of indirect immunofluorescence assay, immunochromatography assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detecting human respiratory syncytial virus in nasopharyngeal aspirate samples

Comparison of the use of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), immunochromatography assay (ICA-BD) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in 306 nasopharyngeal aspirates samples (NPA) was performed in order to assess their analytical performance. By comparing the results obtained using ICA-BD with those using IFA, we found relative indices of 85.0 percent for sensitivity and 91.2 percent for specificity, and the positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were 85.0 percent and 91.2 percent, respectively. The relative indices for sensitivity and specificity as well as the PPV and NPV for RT-PCR were 98.0 percent, 89.0 percent, 84.0 percent and 99.0 percent, respectively, when compared to the results of IFA. In addition, comparison of the results of ICA-BD and those of RT-PCR yielded relative indices of 79.5 percent for sensitivity and 95.4 percent for specificity, as well as PPV and NPV of 92.9 percent and 86.0 percent, respectively. Although RT-PCR has shown the best performance, the substantial agreement between the ICA-BD and IFA results suggests that ICA-BD, also in addition to being a rapid and facile assay, could be suitable as an alternative diagnostic screening for HRSV infection in children.

Studies on the efficiency of measles virus antigen production using VERO cell culture in a microcarrier system

1. A large amount of antigen is required to conduct seroepidemiologic surveys of measles. Thus, a process to obtain measles virus antigen using a bioreactor was standardized. 2. The virus was grown in a 3.7-1 culture of VERO cells using a Celligen cell culture system containing 2 mg/ml of microcarriers (cytodex I) at 37 degrees C and 60 rpm. The cultures infected with 0.5 m.o.i. of measles virus were harvested after the appearance of the cytopathic effect. The virus suspension was clarified and concentrated by ultracentrifugation. Intracellular and extracellular virus titers were determined by hemagglutination (HA) and by induction of a cytopathic effect in cell culture (TCID50). 3. Intracellular virus presented 5-7 x 10(6) TCID50/0.1 ml, HA activity per 50 microliters equal to 32, with a total HA activity of 4,480 HA units (HAU) and specific activity of 116 HAU/mg. In the concentrated supernatants, the HA titer of extracellular virus was 64, with a total HA activity of 1,024 HAU and a specific activity of 1,600 HAU/mg. 4. The antigen obtained was suitable for the detection of antibodies against measles virus in assays such as ELISA and DOT-ELISA (using 1 micrograms/well to ELISA and 2 micrograms/DOT). 5. The microcarrier system produced antigen sufficient for 26 ELISAs/ml compared to 5.7 ELISAs/ml obtained for the static culture system.