Longitudinal Follow-Up on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Capacity Related to Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors in Children With Renal Transplants.

Background: Children with chronic kidney disease, including those treated with kidney transplantation (KT), have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to examine the cardiopulmonary exercise capacity after KT compared to matched controls, to relate the results to physical activity, blood pressure and biochemical findings and to follow exercise capacity over time. Methods: Patients with KT (n = 38, age 7.7-18 years), with a mean time from transplantation of 3.7 years (0.9-13.0) and mean time in dialysis 0.8 years, were examined at inclusion and annually for up to three years. Healthy controls (n = 17, age 7.3-18.6 years) were examined once. All subjects underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test, resting blood pressure measurement, anthropometry and activity assessment. Patients also underwent echocardiography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 24-h ambulatory BP measurements (ABPM), assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and blood sampling annually. Results: As compared to healthy controls, KT patients showed decreased exercise capacity measured both as VO2peak (34.5 vs. 43.9 ml/kg/min, p < 0.001) and maximal load (2.6 vs. 3.5 W/kg, p < 0.0001), similarly as when results were converted to z-scores. No significant difference was found in weight, but the KT patients were shorter and had higher BMI z-score than controls, as well as increased resting SBP and DBP z-scores. The patient or parent reported physical activity was significantly lower in the KT group compared to controls (p < 0.001) In the combined group, the major determinants for exercise capacity z-scores were activity score and BMI z-score (ß = 0.79, p < 0.0001 and ß = -0.38, p = 0.007, respectively). Within the KT group, low exercise capacity was associated with high fat mass index (FMI), low activity score, low GFR and high blood lipids. In the multivariate analysis FMI and low GFR remained predictors of low exercise capacity. The longitudinal data for the KT patients showed no change in exercise capacity z-scores over time. Conclusion: Patients with KT showed decreased exercise capacity and increased BP as compared to healthy controls. Exercise capacity was associated to GFR, physical activity, FMI and blood lipids. It did not improve during follow-up.

Pneumococcal vaccination: Direct and herd effect on carriage of vaccine types and antibiotic resistance in Icelandic children.

BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, vaccine type pneumococcal carriage and disease has decreased world-wide. The aim was to monitor changes in the nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococci, the distribution of serotypes and antimicrobial resistance in children before and after initiation of the 10-valent pneumococcal vaccination in 2011, in a previously unvaccinated population. METHODS: Repeated cross-sectional study at 15day-care centres in greater Reykjavik area. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected yearly in March from 2009 to 2015. The swabs were selectively cultured for pneumococci, which were serotyped using latex agglutination and/or PCR and antimicrobial susceptibility determined. Two independent studies were conducted. In study 1, on total impact, isolates from children aged <4years were included. The vaccine-eligible-cohort (birth-years: 2011-2013, sampled in 2013-2015) was compared with children at the same age born in 2005-2010 and sampled in 2009-2012. In study 2 on herd effect, isolates from older non-vaccine-eligible children (3.5-6.3years) were compared for the periods before and after the vaccination (2009-2011 vs 2013-2015. Vaccine impact was determined using 1-odds-ratio. RESULTS: Following vaccination, the vaccine impact on vaccine type acquisition was 94% (95% CI: 91-96%) in study 1 and 56% (95% CI: 44-65%) in study 2. The impact on serotype 6A was 33% (95% CI: -9%; 59%) in study 1 and 42% (95% CI: 10-63%) in study 2 with minimal effect on 19A. The non-vaccine serotypes/groups 6C, 11, 15 and 23B were the most common serotypes/groups after vaccination. Isolates from the vaccine-eligible-cohort had lower penicillin MICs, less resistance to erythromycin and co-trimoxazole and less multi resistance than isolates from the control-group. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of the vaccination on vaccine serotypes was high, and a milder effect on vaccine-associated-serotype 6A was observed for the vaccine-eligible-cohort. There was a significant herd effect on vaccine types in older non-vaccine-eligible children. Overall antimicrobial non-susceptibility was reduced.

[Neglected tropical diseases - review]. / Vanraektir sjukdomar throunarlanda - yfirlit.

Neglected tropical diseases include a variety of infectious diseases. This review shortly describes the most common diseases. Those infected usually live at a low socioeconomic status and rarely have access to satisfactory health care. The neglected diseases are common and have a high burden of disease. In comparison to HIV, malaria and tuberculosis this group of diseases is in fact neglected. Certain diseases within the group are more neglected than others. Investment for research does not appear to be decided in proportion to burden of disease. Much can be gained by extermination of these diseases. The solution is to integrate improvement of living standards and battling diseases. Iceland has a role to play.