Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibodies at delivery and their impact on COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To assess neonatal SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG antibody levels after maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and/or infection during pregnancy and evaluate their protective effect. METHODS: Prospective observational study, conducted from January 2021 to December 2022. Infants were tested for anti-spike IgG antibodies at birth and then every 3 months until disappearance of titer. A follow-up was done for SARS-CoV-2 infection up to 12 months. RESULTS: In total, 147 newborns were enrolled with a median (IQR) gestational age of 39.60 weeks (38.3-40.4). Median (IQR) titers in UA/ml at 2 days were higher (P < .001) in newborns of vaccinated 7063.7 (2841.4-14,448.1), than of infected mothers 372.7 (158.00-884.90). Titers dropped significantly during the follow-up but 50% still had a detectable titer at 6 months. A high antibody titer at 2 days led to a longer persistence (HR 0.89, IC 95% 0.83-0.96, P = .004). In total, 36 infants were infected during the first months of life coinciding with the Omicron variant. Fifty percent had detectable antibodies during the infection period. Relationship between high IgG titers and month of infection was inverse (RHO - 0.52, P = .009). CONCLUSION: Though a high antibody titer at birth led to longer persistence, no protective effect against infection was found. As newborns are a high risk group for COVID-19, avoiding transmission during the first year of life is important.

Ex Vivo Visualization of Distribution of Intravitreal Injections in the Porcine Vitreous and Hydrogels Simulating the Vitreous.

The characterization of intravitreal dosage forms with regard to their behavior in vivo is usually explored in preclinical development through animal studies. In vitro vitreous substitutes (VS) to simulate the vitreous body for preclinical investigations have so far been insufficiently studied. To determine a distribution or concentration in the mostly gel-like VS, extraction of the gels is required in many cases. This destroys the gels, which makes a continuous investigation of the distribution impossible. In this work, the distribution of a contrast agent in hyaluronic acid agar gels and polyacrylamide gels was studied by magnetic resonance imaging and compared with the distribution in ex vivo porcine vitreous. The porcine vitreous served as a surrogate for human vitreous since both are similar in their physicochemical properties. It was shown that both gels do not completely represent the porcine vitreous body, but the distribution in the polyacrylamide gel is similar to that in the porcine vitreous body. In contrast, the distribution throughout the hyaluronic acid agar gel is much faster. It was also shown that anatomical features such as the lens and the interfacial tension to the anterior eye chamber could have an influence on the distribution that is difficult to reproduce using in vitro VS. However, with the presented method, new in vitro VS can be investigated continuously without destruction in the future, and thus their suitability as a substitute for the human vitreous can be verified.

Influence of the body positions adopted for resistance training on intraocular pressure: a comparison between the supine and seated positions.

OBJECTIVES: A variety of factors are known to mediate on the intraocular pressure (IOP) response to resistance training. However, the influence of the body position adopted during resistance training on IOP remain unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the IOP response to the bench press exercise at three levels of intensity when performed in supine and seated positions. METHODS: Twenty-three physically active healthy young adults (10 men and 13 women) performed 6 sets of 10 repetitions against the 10-RM (repetition maximum) load during the bench press exercise against three levels of intensity (high intensity: 10-RM load; medium intensity: 50% of the 10-RM load; and control: no external load) and while adopting two different body positions (supine and seated). A rebound tonometer was employed to measure IOP in baseline conditions (after 60 s in the corresponding body position), after each of the 10 repetitions, and after 10 s of recovery. RESULTS: The body position adopted during the execution of the bench press exercise significantly affected the changes in IOP (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.83), with the seated position providing lower increases in IOP levels compared to the supine position. There was an association between IOP and exercise intensity, with greater IOP values in the more physically demanding conditions (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: The use of seated positions, instead of supine positions, for the execution of resistance training should be prioritized for maintaining more stable IOP levels. This set of findings incorporates novel insights into the mediating factors on the IOP response to resistance training. In future studies, the inclusion of glaucoma patients would allow to assess the generalizability of these findings.

Clinical features and lipid metabolism genes as potential biomarkers in advanced lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most lethal tumors with a poor survival rate even in those patients receiving new therapies. Metabolism is considered one of the hallmarks in carcinogenesis and lipid metabolism is emerging as a significant contributor to tumor metabolic reprogramming. We previously described a profile of some lipid metabolism related genes with potential prognostic value in advanced lung cancer. AIM: To analyze clinical and pathological characteristics related to a specific metabolic lipid genomic signature from patients with advanced lung cancer and to define differential outcome. METHODS: Ninety samples from NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) and 61 from SCLC (small cell lung cancer) patients were obtained. We performed a survival analysis based on lipid metabolic genes expression and clinical characteristics. The primary end point of the study was the correlation between gene expression, clinical characteristics and survival. RESULTS: Clinical variables associated with overall survival (OS) in NSCLC patients were clinical stage, adenocarcinoma histology, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), number and site of metastasis, plasma albumin levels and first-line treatment with platinum. As for SCLC patients, clinical variables that impacted OS were ECOG, number of metastasis locations, second-line treatment administration and Diabetes Mellitus (DM). None of them was associated with gene expression, indicating that alterations in lipid metabolism are independent molecular variables providing complementary information of lung cancer patient outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Specific clinical features as well as the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes might be potential biomarkers with differential outcomes.

Successful long-term management of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with nivolumab: a case report and literature review.

In Colombia, renal cancer is a rare condition, with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) being the most prevalent neoplasm. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been proposed for the management of metastatic disease, as they have shown improved rates of response and long-term survival. Furthermore, they exhibit a favourable tolerance profile, and adverse events causing significant morbidity are infrequent. We report the case of a 61-year-old male patient initially diagnosed with early-stage ccRCC who underwent right nephrectomy in 2009. Six years later, disease recurrence with metastatic compromise was documented, which led to the resection of the L1 vertebral body followed by radiotherapy and maintenance treatment with sunitinib. Due to disease progression, treatment with sunitinib was discontinued. Subsequently, everolimus was initiated as second-line immunotherapy, which was later discontinued due to the appearance of new metastatic lesions. In 2017, the patient was referred to our institution, where a third-line pharmacological treatment with nivolumab was initiated. In 2022, complete remission by positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) was evidenced, which has been sustained to date. This case demonstrates the efficacy and safety of ICI in patients with metastatic ccRCC. The case presented is relevant in that it describes the achievement of complete remission in a patient who did not respond to the first two lines of immunotherapy. Given the limited literature regarding the discontinuation of therapy after achieving sustained remission, further research is warranted to explore this topic.

Monitoring of chlorine decay in public swimming pools in Medellín (Colombia).

The present work shows the evaluation of the decay of free residual chlorine in several public swimming pools in the city of Medellín, observing that a decrease in residual chlorine does occur. Some factors accelerate the decrease in the concentration of free residual chlorine in recreational water, such as the number of bathers in the pool, the pH, and the temperature of the water. For this reason, the concentration of the disinfectant rapidly decreases to an extent that the health of swimmers could be put at risk. The Authority of Health of Medellín carries out inspection, surveillance and quality control activities of water for recreational use. These purposes of these include guaranteeing the reduction of risk factors to the health of the users of said pools.

Metabolic enzyme ACSL3 is a prognostic biomarker and correlates with anticancer effectiveness of statins in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers, still characterized by high mortality rates. As lipid metabolism contributes to cancer metabolic reprogramming, several lipid metabolism genes are considered prognostic biomarkers of cancer. Statins are a class of lipid-lowering compounds used in treatment of cardiovascular disease that are currently studied for their antitumor effects. However, their exact mechanism of action and specific conditions in which they should be administered remains unclear. Here, we found that simvastatin treatment effectively promoted antiproliferative effects and modulated lipid metabolism-related pathways in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and that the antiproliferative effects of statins were potentiated by overexpression of acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 3 (ACSL3). Moreover, ACSL3 overexpression was associated with worse clinical outcome in patients with high-grade NSCLC. Finally, we found that patients with high expression levels of ACSL3 displayed a clinical benefit of statins treatment. Therefore, our study highlights ACSL3 as a prognostic biomarker for NSCLC, useful to select patients who would obtain a clinical benefit from statin administration.

Presence of Disinfection Byproducts in Public Swimming Pools in Medellín, Colombia.

The quality of water in swimming pools is essential to avoid risks to the health of users. Medellín has more than 1000 public swimming pools, which are supervised by the Medellín Health Authority to monitor and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. The Health Authority has financed several studies related to the quality of drinking and recreational water in Medellín in order to protect consumers and users. One such study involves the evaluation of the presence of disinfection byproducts (DBP). The best known DBPs resulting from disinfection with chlorine are trihalomethanes (THMs) and halogenated acetic acids (HAAs), as well as other minorities such as chloramines or halophenols (HPs). DBPs pose a greater risk in swimming pool water because there is a greater possibility of ingestion, since exposure occurs through several routes at the same time (direct ingestion of water, inhalation of volatile or aerosol solutes, dermal contact and absorption through skin). In the present work, high concentrations of THMs and HAAs were detected in the public swimming pools selected in the study, but the presence of HPs was not detected in the pools.