Capacity-oriented approaches to developing childhood obesity interventions: a systematic review.

Capacity-oriented approaches to health interventions seek to empower the target population or community to manage the health issue themselves using resources they can control. Positive deviance, resilience and asset-based approaches are three such methods of developing and implementing health interventions. This study aimed to review the efficacy of interventions explicitly applying these methods in addressing childhood obesity using adiposity as the primary outcome, measured by standardized body mass index. The search strategy was developed and implemented across four electronic databases. Of the 181 records identified and screened, 11 studies were identified as using a capacity-oriented approach overall. Asset-based approaches (n = 8 studies) consisted of 47 880 participants, positive deviance (n = 2 studies) consisted of 781 participants, and resilience-based interventions (n = 1 study) consisted of 35 participants. The asset-based approaches were mixed, with three of the eight studies showing a significant reduction in adiposity, while the other five did not find a difference. The positive deviance and resilience-based studies showed signs of efficacy in reducing adiposity. There was significant design heterogeneity across studies, and varied interpretations and definitions of the approaches were used. Further work should attempt to achieve some consensus on the use of these approaches to facilitate comparison and advance the science of capacity-oriented interventions for childhood obesity.

[Epidemiology and burden of rotavirus diarrhea in day care centers in Lyon, France]. / Epidémiologie et impact de la gastroentérite aiguë à rotavirus dans les crèches municipales de la ville de Lyon - saison 2004-2005.

Rotavirus is the main cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhoea in infants and young children. In industrialized countries, pediatric rotavirus gastroenteritis (PRGE) is responsible for high morbidity, particularly among children under 3 years of age attending day care centers (DCCs). The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence, management and cost of PRGE in DCCs. We also described the nature of group A rotavirus genotypes. This study also compared the performance of different diagnostic techniques. The study was conducted from November 2004 to May 2005. Children aged less than 36 months, attending a participating DCC at least 4 times a week were included in the study. For any episode of acute gastroenteritis (AGE), defined as the occurrence of 3 or more watery or looser than normal stools and/or forceful vomiting within a 24 h period, a fecal specimen was tested by Elisa test IDEIA Rotavirus (Dako) and the immunochromatographic test VIKIA Rota-Adeno (BioMérieux). Sequencing by RT-PCR was performed to identify the rotavirus genotype. Among the 41 DCCs contacted, 18 (43.9%) agreed to participate. Out of 966 children, 547 attended a participating DCC at least 4 times a week and met the inclusion criteria. A total of 302 were included in the study. The clinical diagnosis of AGE was confirmed and validated, by the Elisa test, in 63 fecal specimens, of which 29 (46%) were positive for rotavirus antigen, with a predominance of P[8]G9 (86%). Our results showed good sensitivity and specificity for the VIKIA and Elisa methods when compared to RT-PCR. Among the PRGE cases, 36% were male and the median age was 12.2 months. The first rotavirus case was observed in December 2004 with a peak in January 2005. The incidence of PRGE cases was 2.2 [1.4-3.0] per 100 child-months in children aged less than 36 months of age, increasing to 3.4 per 100 child-months among children aged less than 24 months. Vomiting (P<0.0005) and behavior modification (P<0.001) were significantly more frequent for PRGE cases. A total of 85.7% PRGE cases sought medical attention. In 58.3% of these cases, at least one parent had to miss work for a mean duration of 2.1 days. The total cost of rotavirus cases seeking medical attention (with or without prescribed medication, days off work for parents or additional diaper consumption) was estimated at 275.54 euros/case. The PRGE incidence rate is similar to that estimated in European studies conducted in DDC. These findings confirm that rotavirus transmission occurs not only in DCCs but within the family. This is the first study to give an estimate of the incidence and the cost of rotavirus infection in DCCs in France.

[Varicella-zoster virus seroprevalence in nursery and day-care workers in Lyon (France)]. / Séroprévalence de l'immunité au virus de la varicelle et du zona chez le personnel de crèche et de halte-garderie à Lyon (France).

OBJECTIVE: Varicella is a potential occupational hazard for susceptible individuals working in pediatric institutions because infected adults run a greater risk of severe or even fatal varicella and because the disease is so common in children and so contagious. The seroprevalence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was examined in a sample of day-care workers in Lyon (France) to determine whether a targeted vaccination policy was needed. METHODS: Two hundred forty-one sera were sampled and analysed with an Elisa test between March and May 2001. Histories of past VZV infection were collected via questionnaires documented either before or after consultation of medical records or other sources of information. RESULTS: The overall VZV seroprevalence was 99.6%. The positive predictive values of past varicella histories (documented or not) were>99% showing that a history of previous varicella in day-care workers was reliable. However, only 68 to 71% of these with serologically confirmed varicella reported a prior history of varicella. All subjects reporting a non-positive history of varicella were seropositive. CONCLUSIONS: Virtually all day-care workers enrolled in this study presented serological evidence of VZV so that sub-populations at risk for varicella infection for which VZV vaccination may be effective could not be identified. However, the VZV seroprevalence of the workers in pediatric institutions being presumably higher than that of the general adult population (94-96.3%), vaccination of susceptible young recruits before any exposure to the VZV, or even vaccination of students willing to work in a pediatric institution, may be positive.

Discrimination of emotional facial expressions in a visual oddball task: an ERP study.

Several ERP studies have shown an orienting complex, the N2/P3a, associated to the detection of stimulus novelty. Its role consists in preparing the organism to process and react to biologically prepotent stimuli. Whether this N2/P3a: (1) could be obtained with complex visual stimuli, such as with emotional facial expressions; and (2) could take part in a complex discrimination process has yet to be determined. To investigate this issue, event-related potentials were recorded in response to repetitions of a particular facial expression (e.g. sadness) and in response to two different deviant (rare) stimuli, one depicting the same emotion as the frequent stimulus, while the other depicted a different facial expression (e.g. fear). As expected, deviant stimuli evoked an N2/P3a complex of larger amplitude than frequent stimuli. But more interestingly, when the deviant stimulus depicted the same emotion as the frequent stimulus the N2/P3a was delayed compared to the response elicited by the different-emotion deviant. The N2/P3a was thus implicated in the detection of physical facial changes, with a higher sensitivity to changes related to a new different emotional content, perhaps leading to faster adaptive reactions.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity on sensitive and doxorubicin-resistant cell lines of new pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines related to anthramycin.

A new 7,8-methylenedioxy analogue (4) of (+)-porothramycin B (2) and its water-soluble sodium bisulfite derivative (15) have been synthesized in high yields and have been shown to exhibit high cytotoxic activities against several tumor cell lines. The new pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine 4 was as effective against the resistant cell lines as against the doxorubicin-sensitive cell lines tested.

Cytotoxic activities of novel hexahydroindolizino[8,7-b]indole derivatives prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 3,4-dihydro-beta-carboline ylides.

A series of 1-cyano and 2-cyanohexahydroindolizino[8,7-b]indole derivatives was prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of acrylonitrile with ylides derived from 3,4-dihydro-beta-carboline and its 6-methoxy, 6-benzyloxy, 9-methyl and 9-benzyl analogues. The products, together with their reduced 1- or 2-aminomethyl derivatives, were evaluated for cytotoxic activity in L1210 cancer cells. Compounds derived from 6-benzyloxy or 9-benzyl-3,4-dihydro-beta-carboline were found to be the most active, with IC(50)'s in the 2-50 microM range. Of these, two compounds, the 1- and 2-cyano 8-benzyloxyindolizino[8,7-b]indole derivatives 20a and 20c, respectively, were found by cytometric flux analysis to stop cancer cell growth at the G(2)M and 8N (>G(2)M) stage of the cell cycle. These two compounds also showed no loss of cytotoxic activity in K562R cancer cells resistant to doxorubicin.

New synthesis of benzo-delta-carbolines, cryptolepines, and their salts: in vitro cytotoxic, antiplasmodial, and antitrypanosomal activities of delta-carbolines, benzo-delta-carbolines, and cryptolepines.

The paper describes, in its first part, a new synthesis of benzo-delta-carbolines, cryptolepines, and their salts. The strategy is based on the association between halogen-dance and hetero-ring cross-coupling. It is fully convergent and regioselective with interesting overall yields from 27% to 70%. A halogen-dance mechanism in quinoline series is also proposed. The formal synthesis of potential antimalarial compounds and the first total synthesis of 11-isopropylcryptolepine are also described. In the second part, cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells and activities against Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma cruzi of benzo-delta-carbolines and delta-carbolines were evaluated in vitro to study the structure-activity relationships. For benzo-delta-carbolines, methylation at N-5 increases the cytotoxic and antiparasitic activities. A further alkylation on C-11 generally increases the cytotoxic activity but not the antiparasitic activity, cryptolepine and 11-methylcryptolepine being the most active on both parasites. Taking advantage of the fluorescence of the indoloquinoline chromophore, cryptolepine was localized by fluorescence microscopy in parasite DNA-containing structures suggesting that these compounds act through interaction with parasite DNA as proposed for cryptolepine on melanoma cells. For delta-carbolines, methylation at N-1 is essential for the antimalarial activity. 1-Methyl-delta-carboline specifically accumulates in the intracellular parasite. It has weak cytotoxic activity and can be considered as a potential antimalarial compound.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of gossypol related compounds.

Gossypol, gossypolone, reduced gossypol and new Schiff's bases of racemic gossypol and gossypolone were extracted or synthesized. Their cytotoxic activities on KB human cancer cells were determined. Gossypolone and the ethylamine derivative of gossypolone were the most active compounds (IC(50) in the micromolar range in both cases). The cytotoxicity of gossypol and gossypolone was increased when the tests were performed in the absence of serum and decreased when catalase as well as mannitol were added to the culture medium.

Tongue necrosis provoked by ergotamine tartrate and disclosing a giant cell arteritis.

A case of tongue necrosis induced by ergotamine tartrate is reported in a patient who was suffering from an unknown giant cell arteritis (GCA). The role of ergotamine in provoking tongue necrosis in temporal arteritis has only infrequently been considered. The hypothesis concerning ergotamine-induced vasospasm potentially being able to trigger a tongue necrosis in GCA is supported by the present case. This unusual complication warns us against uncritical prescription of this drug for elderly people suffering from migraine without considering GCA.

Cytotoxic 3,4-secoapotirucallanes from Aaglaia argentea bark.

Nine 3,4-secoapotirucallanes, argentinic acids A-I, were isolated from the bark of Aglaia argentea and transformed to their methyl esters 1-9. The structures were determined by spectral and chemical means. Compounds 1-8 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against KB cells (IC50 1.0-3.5 microg/mL).

Growth and enterotoxin production of Staphylococcus aureus during the manufacture and ripening of Camembert-type cheeses from raw goats' milk.

Tests were carried out to determine the effect of manufacturing procedures for a Camembert-type cheese from raw goats' milk on the growth and survival of Staphylococcus aureus organisms added to milk at the start of the process, and to study the possible presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin A in these cheeses. The initial staphylococcal counts were, respectively, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 log cfu ml-1. Cheese was prepared following the industrial specifications and ripened for 41 d. Detection of enterotoxins was done by the Vidas SET test and by an indirect double-sandwich ELISA technique using antienterotoxin monoclonal antibodies. Generally, numbers of microbes increased at a similar rate during manufacture in all cheeses until salting. During the ripening period, the aerobic plate count population and Staph. aureus levels remained stable and high. There was an approximately 1 log reduction of Staph. aureus in cheeses made with an initial inoculum of Staph. aureus greater than 10(3) cfu ml-1 at the end of the ripening period (41 d) compared with the count at 22 h. The level of staphylococcal enterotoxin A recovered varied from 1 to 3.2 ng g-1 of cheese made with an initial population of 10(3)-10(6) cfu ml-1. No trace of enterotoxin A was detected in cheeses made with the lowest Staph. aureus inoculum used in this study.

Neurohormonal stimulation of histamine release from neuroendocrine cells of the human adenomatous prostate.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine cells (NE) constitute a population of highly specialized cells in prostatic glands; histamine has never been described in these cells. This article shows the presence and the regulation of release of histamine in NE. METHODS: In 21 prostatic adenomas, NE were identified by specific antisera against neuroendocrine markers (chromogranin-A, synaptophysin), histamine, and histidine decarboxylase (HDC); a rate HDC-cDNA probe was used to detect this enzyme by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Immunoreactive cells for chromogranin-A, histamine, and HDC were found among luminal epithelial glandular cells. Similar cells were also labeled with the HDC-cDNA probe. Glandular cells, isolated from prostatic adenomas, were shown to contain histamine (7-40 pmol/mg cellular protein). L(-) norepinephrine causes a time-dependent (t1/2 = 22 min) histamine release; the alpha 1-receptor antagonists WB-4101 and YM-617 specifically inhibited this release, in agreement with a mediation by alpha 1-adrenoreceptor subtype. CONCLUSIONS: There is some evidence for the presence in prostatic adenomas of histamine-forming cells of neuroendocrine type; histamine release from these cells is under the control of alpha 1-adrenoreceptor subtype.