Serum vitamin C status of people in New South Wales: retrospective analysis of findings at a public referral hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between vitamin C status and demographic factors in New South Wales on the basis of serum vitamin C test results undertaken at the central pathology laboratory in Sydney, and to assess associations with age, gender, social disadvantage, and geographic remoteness. DESIGN, SETTING: Retrospective observational study; analysis of vitamin C test results undertaken at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, 1 January 2017 - 31 December 2021. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vitamin C status (normal, serum concentration ≥ 40 µmol/L; hypovitaminosis C, 12-39 µmol/L; significant deficiency, < 12 µmol/L); associations of vitamin C status with year of testing, age, gender, socio-economic status (Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage quintile), and geographic remoteness (Australian Statistical Geography Standard); rate of hypovitaminosis C or significant deficiency test results (relative to findings of normal levels; per 100 000 estimated resident population) by Statistical Area 3. RESULTS: Of 17 507 vitamin C tests undertaken during 2017-2021, 4573 were excluded (multiple tests for individuals); of 12 934 included results, 6654 were for women (51.5%), 9402 for people living in major cities (73.5%), and 81 for people in remote or very remote areas (0.6%). In multivariable multinomial regression analyses, significant deficiency (relative to normal test results) was more likely for men than women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.52); the likelihood of hypovitaminosis C (IRSAD quintile 1 v 5, aOR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.19-1.53) or significant deficiency (aOR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.79-2.40) generally increased with postcode-level socio-economic disadvantage. Several of the population areas with the highest low vitamin C rates were areas of greatest disadvantage in NSW. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of vitamin C deficiency among older people and people living in areas of socio-economic disadvantage indicates that population assessment of vitamin C levels would be appropriate.

Combination of High-Resolution Structures for the B Cell Receptor and Co-Receptors Provides an Understanding of Their Interactions with Therapeutic Antibodies.

B cells are central to the adaptive immune response, providing long lasting immunity after infection. B cell activation is mediated by a cell surface B cell receptor (BCR) following recognition of an antigen. BCR signaling is modulated by several co-receptors including CD22 and a complex that contains CD19 and CD81. Aberrant signaling through the BCR and co-receptors promotes the pathogenesis of several B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Treatment of these diseases has been revolutionized by the development of monoclonal antibodies that bind to B cell surface antigens, including the BCR and its co-receptors. However, malignant B cells can escape targeting by several mechanisms and until recently, rational design of antibodies has been limited by the lack of high-resolution structures of the BCR and its co-receptors. Herein we review recently determined cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and crystal structures of the BCR, CD22, CD19 and CD81 molecules. These structures provide further understanding of the mechanisms of current antibody therapies and provide scaffolds for development of engineered antibodies for treatment of B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

Metal organic framework-derived recyclable magnetic coral Co@Co3O4/C for adsorptive removal of antibiotics from wastewater.

The menace posed by antibiotic contamination to humanity has increased due to the absence of efficient antibiotic removal processes in the conventional waste water treatment methods from the hospitals, households, animal husbandry, and pharma industry. Importantly, only a few commercially available adsorbents are magnetic, porous, and have the ability to selectively bind and separate various classes of antibiotics from the slurries. Herein, we report the synthesis of a coral-like Co@Co3O4/C nanohybrid for the remediation of three different classes of antibiotics - quinolone, tetracycline, and sulphonamide. The coral like Co@Co3O4/C materials are synthesized via a facile room temperature wet chemical method followed by annealing in a controlled atmosphere. The materials demonstrate an attractive porous structure with an excellent surface-to-mass ratio of 554.8 m2 g-1 alongside superior magnetic responses. A time-varying adsorption study of aqueous nalidixic acid solution on Co@Co3O4/C nanohybrids indicates that these coral-like Co@Co3O4/C nanohybrids could achieve a high removal efficiency of 99.98% at pH 6 in 120 min. The adsorption kinetics data of Co@Co3O4/C nanohybrids follow a pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics suggesting a chemisorption effect. The adsorbent has also shown its merit in reusability for four adsorption-desorption cycles without showing significant change in the removal efficiency. More in-depth studies validate that the excellent adsorption capability of Co@Co3O4/C adsorbent attributing to the electrostatic and π-π interaction between adsorbent and various antibiotics. Concisely, the adsorbent manifests the potential for the removal of a wide range of antibiotics from the water alongside showing their utility in the hassle-free magnetic separation.

Fertility in premenopausal women post autologous stem cell transplant with BEAM conditioning.

There is currently minimal data on fertility outcomes in premenopausal women undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) with carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan (BEAM) conditioning. A retrospective analysis of fertility outcomes in premenopausal females aged between 18 and 40 yr who underwent BEAM/ASCT for lymphoma between 1995 and 2011 was performed at four transplant centres. Of 41 premenopausal women who underwent BEAM conditioning, 25 met the inclusion criteria with the main exclusion criterion being inadequate documentation. Eighteen had Hodgkin lymphoma, and seven had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Median number of chemotherapy regimens pretransplant was 2 (1-3). Seventeen women (68%) with a median age at transplant of 25 yr (range 17-33) recovered their menses. The comparative group without recovery was older with a median age of 34 yr (range 20-40) (P = 0.007). Ten patients, with a median age at transplant of 22 yr (range 17-30), had 15 naturally conceived pregnancies. Chemotherapy regimens and lymphoma type did not obviously influence the incidence of menses recovery or conception. The incidence of recovery of menses and fertility in premenopausal women undergoing BEAM/ASCT for lymphoma is substantial. Younger age at transplant correlates with superior fertility outcomes.