Validity of BMI based on self-reported weight and height in adolescents.

AIM: To assess in a subset of a nationally representative sample of Portuguese adolescents, the validity of Body Mass Index (BMI) based on self-reported weight and height. METHODS: This study included 462 students in grades 6, 8 and 10 (mean age 14.0 +/- 1.9 years) from 12 public schools randomly selected from the list of schools which took part in the 2006 Health Behaviour in School Aged Children Portuguese survey, corresponding to approximately 10% of the sample. Self-reported weight and height were recorded and then measured. RESULTS: Prevalence of normal weight, overweight and obesity based on self-report compared with that of measured values was not significantly different for boys and girls, and among age groups. BMI based on measured weight and height was underestimated compared with BMI based on self-reported data, both among girls and boys. Larger limits of agreement were found for boys, indicating a higher variability of self-reported BMI in estimating measured BMI, specifically below the age of 14 years. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that BMI based on self-reported weight and height is not accurate for BMI prediction at an individual level. However, self-reported BMI may be used as a simple and valid tool for BMI estimates of overweight and obesity in epidemiological studies.

Antifungal susceptibility profile of diferent yeasts isolates from wild animals, cow's milk with subclinical mastitis and hospital environment.

Yeast infections have acquired great importance due to increasing frequency in immunocompromised patients or patients undergoing invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and also because of its high morbidity and mortality. At the same time, it has been seen an increase in the emergence of new pathogenic species difficult to diagnose and treat. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of 89 yeasts from different sources against the antifungals amphotericin B, voriconazole, fluconazole and flucytosine, using the VITEK® 2 Compact system. The antifungal susceptibility was performed automatically by the Vitek® 2 Compact system. The origin of the yeasts was: Group 1 - microbiota of wild animals (W) (26/89), 2 - cow's milk with subclinical mastitis (M) (27/89) and 3 - hospital enviorment (H) (36/89). Of the 89 yeasts submitted to the Vitek® 2 test, 25 (20.9%) were resistant to fluconazole, 11 (12.36%) to amphotericin B, 3 (3.37%) to voriconazole, and no sample was resistant to flucytosine. Regarding the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), fluconazole showed an MIC between 1 and 64 mg/mL for the three groups, voriconazole had an MIC between 0.12 and 8 mg/mL, amphotericin B had an MIC between 0.25 and 4 mg/mL for group H and group W respectively, between 0.25 and 16 mg/mL for group M and flucytosine had an MIC equal to 1µg/mL for all groups. The yeasts isolated from the H group showed the highest resistance to fluconazole 12/89 (13.49%), followed by group W (7.87%) and group M (5.62%). The more resistant group to voriconazole was followed by the M and H groups, the W group showed no resistance to this antifungal. Group H was the least resistant (2.25%) to amphotericin.

Chronic nicotine attenuates behavioral and synaptic plasticity impairments in a streptozotocin model of Alzheimer's disease.

Brain glucose metabolism is altered in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD), whose pathologies are reproduced in rodents by intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of streptozotocin (STZ) in subdiabetogenic doses. The icv-STZ model also culminates in central cholinergic dysfunctions, which in turn are known to underlie both the sAD cognitive decline, and synaptic plasticity impairments. Considering the cognitive-enhancing potential of chronic nicotine (Nic), we investigated whether it attenuates icv-STZ-induced impairments in recognition memory and synaptic plasticity in a cognition-relevant substrate: the hippocampal CA1-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pathway. Rats treated with icv-STZ were submitted to a chronic Nic regime, and were evaluated for recognition memory. We then examined long-term potentiation (LTP), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) under urethane anesthesia, and brains were also evaluated for hippocampus-mPFC cell density. We found that Nic treatment prevents icv-STZ-induced disruptions in recognition memory and LTP. STZ did not precipitate neuronal death, while Nic alone was associated with higher neuronal density in CA1 when compared to vehicle-injected animals. Through combining behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuropathological observations into the Nic-STZ interplay, our study reinforces that cholinergic treatments are of clinical importance against early-stage Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairments.

Therapeutic salivary monitoring of IV busulfan in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a pilot study.

Individual therapeutic monitoring of busulfan (BU) minimizes its toxicity and improves the therapeutic outcomes during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). For individual dose adjustment, several blood collections are performed that are uncomfortable for patients. The aim of this pilot study was to validate a laboratory method for quantification of BU in saliva and to present the results obtained using this protocol in HSCT patients. We performed analyses of selectivity, precision and accuracy of saliva with standard concentrations of BU using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. We also determined salivary and plasmatic concentrations of BU in six HSCT patients. Saliva exhibited excellent selectivity, precision and accuracy for quantification of BU. In the patient samples, significant correlations were noted between plasmatic and salivary concentrations of BU (r=0.97, P<0.001 in the test dose; r=0.93, P<0.001 in the adjusted dose). Passing &Bablok regression revealed good agreement between the two methods (R2=0.956 for test dose; R2=0.927 for adjusted dose). In conclusion, the saliva is safe for laboratory BU measurement. The good agreement with plasma encourages further clinical studies using saliva for BU therapeutic monitoring.

Haploidentical BMT and post-transplant Cy for severe aplastic anemia: a multicenter retrospective study.

Patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who lack a matched sibling or unrelated donor need new therapeutic approaches. Hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) using mismatched or haploidentical related donors has been used in the past, but was associated with a significant risk of GVHD and mortality. Recently, the use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (Cy) has been shown to be an effective strategy to prevent GVHD in recipients of haploidentical HSCT, but the majority of reports have focused on patients with hematology malignancies. We describe the outcome of 16 patients who underwent haploidentical transplantation using a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen with post-transplant Cy. Stem cell sources were BM (N=13) or PBSCs (N=3). The rate of neutrophil engraftment was 94% and of platelet engraftment was 75%. Two patients had secondary graft failure and were successfully salvaged with another transplant. Three patients developed acute GVHD being grades 2-4 in two. Five patients have died and the 1-year OS was 67.1% (95% confidence interval: 36.5-86.4%). In our small series, the use of a reduced-intensity conditioning with post-transplant Cy in haploidentical BMT was associated with high rates of engraftment and low risk of GVHD in patients with relapsed/refractory SAA.

IFN-gamma as an indicator of successful immunization of goats vaccinated with a killed Cowdria ruminantium vaccine.

Cowdria ruminantium-induced production of IFN-gamma was measured by ELISA on a weekly basis during the course of vaccination with killed organisms emulsified in ISA50. Upon challenge, all (3/3) vaccinated animals that gave the lowest IFN-gamma response died of peracute cowdriosis. On the other hand, only one of three animals showing high IFN-gamma responses to vaccination died, but with a delay of 4 days in comparison with naïve controls. Thus, there seems to be a threshold level of IFN-gamma below which the probability for vaccinated animals to survive a lethal challenge is very low. During challenge, a much lower, but still physiologically meaningful production of IFN-gamma was detected using the 24-hour whole blood assay on day 5 after infection in animals controlling the infection. In contrast, IFN-gamma production was absent or negligible in naïve and vaccinated animals that died within 8-10 days after infection. Although these results need to be validated on a larger number of animals, they strongly suggest that IFN-gamma is a useful indicator of protective immunity in animals immunized with killed COWDRIA:

Cowdria ruminantium antigens of around 15 kDa are potent inducers of IFN-gamma.

Cellular responses induced in two Creole goats by vaccination with killed Cowdria ruminantium (Cowdria) were confirmed by IFN-gamma production and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression. Both CD4+ and CD8+ but not WC1+ T cells showed a substantial increase in cell surface expression of IL-2R molecules in response to whole Cowdria lysate. Cowdria (Welgevonden strain) proteins were fractionated using continuous-flow electrophoresis and tested for their ability to induce IFN-gamma production by PBMC collected three weeks after the first inoculation and one week after the booster injection. Pooled fractions of around 15, 22, and 24 kDa were found to induce significant IFN-gamma production in both vaccinated animals on one of the two occasions. Antigens of around 15 kDa induced substantially higher IFN-gamma production than any other fractions in both animals. These pilot experiments pave the way towards the identification of proteins/genes that have potential for the development of a recombinant vaccine against heartwater.

Reversible pulmonary hypertension presenting simultaneously with an atrial septal defect and angiostrongylosis in a dog.

A one-year-old female neutered beagle was presented with marked abdominal effusion. Echocardiography showed marked dilatation of the right cardiac chambers, an atrial septal defect and severe tricuspid insufficiency. Systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP), evaluated by continuous wave Doppler echocardiography, was very high (80 mmHg), with a right to left interatrial shunt. The radiographic images were compatible with widespread pneumonitis. Numerous larvae of Angiostrongylus vasorum were visible on direct faecal examination. The animal was given fenbendazole for 15 days, combined with diuretics, an antibiotic and a vasodilator. Two weeks later, the dog showed a marked improvement. The treatment, except the anthelmintic, was continued for seven weeks and then stopped. At that stage, Doppler echocardiography revealed that the sPAP had returned to normal (20 mmHg) and the interatrial shunt had reversed (left to right). Eighteen months later, clinical and Doppler echocardiographic examinations were normal.

[Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma - diagnostic and treatment difficulties]. / Sarcoma da artéria pulmonar-dificuldades diagnósticas e terapêuticas.

Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma is a rare entity, which shares some clinical features with Thromboembolic Pulmonary Disease (TEPD), complicating differential diagnosis. The authors report a Clinical Case of a Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma in a 59 years old man, admitted with a history of dyspnoea on exertion, chest pain and general symptoms. Chest X-ray, Computed Tomography Scan, Angiographies and Magnetic Resonance Imaging suggested TEPD. Blood Analysis performed before anticoagulation therapy: Lupus Anticoagulant-and Ig M Anticardiolipin +. Our presumptive initial diagnosis was TEPD in a patient with a hypercoagulable state. Intravenous heparin was started, with some clinical improvement but 2 months later he was readmitted, due to clinical and radiological deterioration. Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy was considered but a right pneumonectomy was necessary because of bleeding. He died of ARDS in a single lung in the 7th day after surgery. Pathology revealed pulmonary artery sarcoma with pulmonary and pleural metastases.

Antifungal susceptibility profile of diferent yeasts isolates from wild animals, cow's milk with subclinical mastitis and hospital environment / Perfil de suscetibilidade antifúngica de diferentes leveduras isoladas da microbiota de animais silvestres, leite com mastite subclínica e ambiente hospitalar

Abstract Yeast infections have acquired great importance due to increasing frequency in immunocompromised patients or patients undergoing invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and also because of its high morbidity and mortality. At the same time, it has been seen an increase in the emergence of new pathogenic species difficult to diagnose and treat. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of 89 yeasts from different sources against the antifungals amphotericin B, voriconazole, fluconazole and flucytosine, using the VITEK® 2 Compact system. The antifungal susceptibility was performed automatically by the Vitek® 2 Compact system. The origin of the yeasts was: Group 1 - microbiota of wild animals (W) (26/89), 2 - cow's milk with subclinical mastitis (M) (27/89) and 3 - hospital enviorment (H) (36/89). Of the 89 yeasts submitted to the Vitek® 2 test, 25 (20.9%) were resistant to fluconazole, 11 (12.36%) to amphotericin B, 3 (3.37%) to voriconazole, and no sample was resistant to flucytosine. Regarding the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), fluconazole showed an MIC between 1 and 64 mg/mL for the three groups, voriconazole had an MIC between 0.12 and 8 mg/mL, amphotericin B had an MIC between 0.25 and 4 mg/mL for group H and group W respectively, between 0.25 and 16 mg/mL for group M and flucytosine had an MIC equal to 1μg/mL for all groups. The yeasts isolated from the H group showed the highest resistance to fluconazole 12/89 (13.49%), followed by group W (7.87%) and group M (5.62%). The more resistant group to voriconazole was followed by the M and H groups, the W group showed no resistance to this antifungal. Group H was the least resistant (2.25%) to amphotericin.

Resumo As infecções por leveduras têm adquirido grande importância, devido ao aumento da sua frequência em pacientes imunocomprometidos ou pacientes submetidos a técnicas diagnosticas e terapêuticas agressivas, e devido sua alta morbidade e mortalidade. Paralelamente tem-se observado um incremento na aparição de novas espécies patógenas difíceis de diagnosticar e tratar. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a suscetibilidade in vitro de 89 leveduras de diferentes origens frente aos antifúngicos Anfotericina B, Voriconazol, Fluconazol e Fluocitocina pelo Sistema Vitek® 2. O antifungigrama foi realizado automaticamente pelo Vitek® 2 Compact. A origem das leveduras foi: Grupo 1- Microbiota de Animais Silvestres (S) (26/89), 2- Leite com mastite bovina subclínica (L) (27/89) e 3- Ambiente Hospitalar (H) (36/89). Das 89 leveduras submetidas à carta Vitek®, 25 (20.09%) foram resistentes ao fluconazol, oito (8.99%) à anfotericina B, três (3.37%) ao voriconazol, e nenhuma amostra mostrou-se resistente a fluocitosina. O grupo três (H) foi mais resistente ao fluconazol que os demais, já o dois (L) foi mais resistente ao voriconazol e a anfotericina B que os outros dois. O fluconazol pode ter apresentado maior número de resistências devido ser um fármaco comumente usado principalmente em humanos. As leveduras isoladas de humanos apresentaram maior número de resistências aos fármacos testados do que as leveduras isoladas de animais silvestres. O que pode ocorrer devido a uma maior exposição dos humanos aos fármacos em relação aos animais que vivem isolados em ambientes selvagens e na maioria dos casos nunca teve contato com fármacos de qualquer origem.

Antifungal susceptibility profile of diferent yeasts isolates from wild animals, cows milk with subclinical mastitis and hospital environment

Abstract Yeast infections have acquired great importance due to increasing frequency in immunocompromised patients or patients undergoing invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and also because of its high morbidity and mortality. At the same time, it has been seen an increase in the emergence of new pathogenic species difficult to diagnose and treat. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of 89 yeasts from different sources against the antifungals amphotericin B, voriconazole, fluconazole and flucytosine, using the VITEK® 2 Compact system. The antifungal susceptibility was performed automatically by the Vitek® 2 Compact system. The origin of the yeasts was: Group 1 - microbiota of wild animals (W) (26/89), 2 - cows milk with subclinical mastitis (M) (27/89) and 3 - hospital enviorment (H) (36/89). Of the 89 yeasts submitted to the Vitek® 2 test, 25 (20.9%) were resistant to fluconazole, 11 (12.36%) to amphotericin B, 3 (3.37%) to voriconazole, and no sample was resistant to flucytosine. Regarding the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), fluconazole showed an MIC between 1 and 64 mg/mL for the three groups, voriconazole had an MIC between 0.12 and 8 mg/mL, amphotericin B had an MIC between 0.25 and 4 mg/mL for group H and group W respectively, between 0.25 and 16 mg/mL for group M and flucytosine had an MIC equal to 1g/mL for all groups. The yeasts isolated from the H group showed the highest resistance to fluconazole 12/89 (13.49%), followed by group W (7.87%) and group M (5.62%). The more resistant group to voriconazole was followed by the M and H groups, the W group showed no resistance to this antifungal. Group H was the least resistant (2.25%) to amphotericin.

Resumo As infecções por leveduras têm adquirido grande importância, devido ao aumento da sua frequência em pacientes imunocomprometidos ou pacientes submetidos a técnicas diagnosticas e terapêuticas agressivas, e devido sua alta morbidade e mortalidade. Paralelamente tem-se observado um incremento na aparição de novas espécies patógenas difíceis de diagnosticar e tratar. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a suscetibilidade in vitro de 89 leveduras de diferentes origens frente aos antifúngicos Anfotericina B, Voriconazol, Fluconazol e Fluocitocina pelo Sistema Vitek® 2. O antifungigrama foi realizado automaticamente pelo Vitek® 2 Compact. A origem das leveduras foi: Grupo 1- Microbiota de Animais Silvestres (S) (26/89), 2- Leite com mastite bovina subclínica (L) (27/89) e 3- Ambiente Hospitalar (H) (36/89). Das 89 leveduras submetidas à carta Vitek®, 25 (20.09%) foram resistentes ao fluconazol, oito (8.99%) à anfotericina B, três (3.37%) ao voriconazol, e nenhuma amostra mostrou-se resistente a fluocitosina. O grupo três (H) foi mais resistente ao fluconazol que os demais, já o dois (L) foi mais resistente ao voriconazol e a anfotericina B que os outros dois. O fluconazol pode ter apresentado maior número de resistências devido ser um fármaco comumente usado principalmente em humanos. As leveduras isoladas de humanos apresentaram maior número de resistências aos fármacos testados do que as leveduras isoladas de animais silvestres. O que pode ocorrer devido a uma maior exposição dos humanos aos fármacos em relação aos animais que vivem isolados em ambientes selvagens e na maioria dos casos nunca teve contato com fármacos de qualquer origem.

Influence of exposure intensity on the efficiency and speed of transmission of Foot-and-mouth disease.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can be spread by direct animal-to-animal contact, indirect contact facilitated by contaminated materials or by airborne spread. The rate of spread and the incubation period, as well as the severity of disease, depends on many variables including the dose received, the route of introduction, the virus strain, the animal species and the conditions under which the animals are kept. Quantitative data related to these variables are needed if model predictions are to be used in practical disease control. This experimental study quantifies the risk of transmission of FMDV in pigs exposed by contact, sheep exposed by indirect contact with pigs and sheep exposed to airborne FMDV. Groups of pigs were inoculated with the FMDV O UKG 34/2001 strain and susceptible pigs were then exposed to the inoculated animals at different stages of the infection cycle. The mean incubation period in the susceptible pigs ranged from 1 to 10 days. The length of the incubation period, severity of clinical disease and efficiency of spread were related to dose (i.e. infectiousness of source and intensity of contact). Low intensity transmission increased the proportion of subclinical or abortive infections. Local conditions are important in the efficiency and speed of transmission of FMDV. The results of the experiments described above suggest that transmission is frequency dependent rather than density dependent. The sheep experiments provided further evidence that development of infection and clinical disease is dependent upon local conditions. Dose, infectiousness, intensity of contact and local factors are thus important determinants for the outcome of an initial outbreak and must be truthfully accounted for in mathematical models of epidemiological spread.

Analysis of Ehrlichia ruminantium-specific T1/T2 responses during vaccination with a protective killed vaccine and challenge of goats.

Ehrlichia ruminantium is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes heartwater in ruminants and for which T-cell-mediated immunity is believed to play an important role in protection. To better characterize protective cellular immunity, E. ruminantium-specific IFN-gamma and IL-4 recall responses in major T-cell subsets were analysed by flow cytometry during immunization of goats with a killed vaccine and following a virulent challenge. The killed vaccine elicited both CD8+ and CD4+ subsets to produce cytoplasmic IFN-gamma in the absence of IL-4, thus indicating a biased T1 response. The relative capacity of CD8+ T-cells to produce IFN-gamma was significantly higher than CD4+ T-cells but the final contribution of both subsets was comparable. Circulating ER-specific CD4 and CD8 effectors substantially decreased in numbers after the booster injection and could not be detected in most animals during challenge, which warrants further investigation in immune compartments other than blood. Since IFN-gamma inhibits the growth of the pathogen in target cells, the information provided in this study on E. ruminantium-specific T1 responses will be valuable to develop cellular tools for the identification of potential protective antigens.

Bioequivalence of two lamivudine tablet formulations.

The present study describes the determination of the bioavailability of a new commercial tablet formulation of lamivudine (CAS 134678-17-4) compared with a reference formulation. The comparative bioequivalence of the test and a reference formulation (each 3 x 150 mg) was assessed in 24 healthy volunteers by means of a randomized two-way crossover design. Prior to the study both the test and reference formulations were examined for conformation to chromatographic purity and drug content. Each volunteer received the test (T) and the reference formulation (R) with a one-week drug-free interval between administrations. The plasma concentrations of T were monitored over a period of 12 h after drug administration using a sensitive HPLC method. Pharmacokinetic parameters for T were determined from plasma concentration-time data. Statistical tests were carried out at 90% confidence intervals using a parametric method (three-way ANOVA) for AUC and Cmax, and non-parametric method for Tmax. The present study showed that both formulations were bioequivalent for the geometric mean of AUC(0-12), AUC0-infinity), Cmax, and Tmax at the 90% confidence interval. The bioavailability of the test (%) was 96.7, 93.3, 99.7, 100.3, respectively. The T:R ratio was, in each case, well within the acceptable range of 100 +/- 20%.