Self-rated health and health-related quality of life are related with adolescents' healthy lifestyle.

OBJECTIVES: Self-rated health (SRH) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are related with health outcomes. It is expected that these constructs are also associated with healthy behaviours. Thus, the present study sought to analyse the associations between a healthy lifestyle composite score and SRH and HRQoL among adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were obtained from the cross-sectional health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC) 2014 Portuguese survey. Participants were 5024 adolescents (2373 boys), aged 10-17 years. A composite score of healthy lifestyle was obtained using the combination of the following factors: daily physical activity, sleep at least 8-9 h/night, daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, spend <2 h daily in screen-based behaviours, never drink and never smoke. RESULTS: Adolescents with a healthy lifestyle had significantly better SRH and higher HRQoL than those who were not engaged in all healthy behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy lifestyle (composed of physical activity, sleep at least 8-9 h/night, daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, spend <2 h daily in screen-based behaviours, never drink and never smoke) is related to SRH and HRQoL. Promoting a comprehensive approach to these behaviours is a public health strategy to be considered when aiming to improve health, in general, and SRH and HRQoL, in particular.

Molecular imaging to track Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonisms: New imaging frontiers.

Molecular imaging has proven to be a powerful tool for investigation of parkinsonian disorders. One current challenge is to identify biomarkers of early changes that may predict the clinical trajectory of parkinsonian disorders. Exciting new tracer developments hold the potential for in vivo markers of underlying pathology. Herein, we provide an overview of molecular imaging advances and how these approaches help us to understand PD and atypical parkinsonisms. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Endometrial distribution of bovine immune cells in relation to days to conception after parturition.

In dairy cows, the processes involved in the resolution of uterine inflammation during the postpartum are closely related to improved fertility during the subsequent lactation period. Little is known, however, about the role and distribution of endometrial immune cell populations during the pre-implantation period. This study was aimed to analyze the endometrial distribution of several mononuclear immune cells (T cells, γδ T cells, B cells and macrophages) in healthy dairy cows during the postpartum, beyond the transition period, looking for its possible association with the parturition-conception interval (PCI) and delayed conception. The quantification of immune cells was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the expression of hormone receptors in immune cells was evaluated by double IHC. Dairy cows were grouped according to their PCI: PCI shorter than or equal to 90 DIM (PCI≤90), PCI between 90 and 120 DIM (PCI90-120), and PCI greater than 150 DIM (PCI≥150). The distribution of endometrial mononuclear immune cells was analyzed by a Generalized Linear Model, and the association of the distribution of mononuclear immune cells with delayed conception was evaluated with a Kaplan-Meier test. The cows from the PCI90-120 group showed the highest number of endometrial macrophages, and a lower number of B cells than the PCI≤90 group. Results also showed an association between the lower number of B cells in the endometrium during the pre-implantation period and earlier conception. Also, the present findings indicates that ESR and PR are expressed in the endometrial MØ, T cells, γδ T cells and B cells.

Association between endometrial protein expression of IFN-γ and delayed conception after parturition in dairy cows.

The cytokine context present in the reproductive tract of cows is closely involved in normal uterine functions, including the estrous cycle and the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. However, the roles of some cytokines in the uterus, and their relation with reproductive performance remain to be elucidated. Thus, this study aimed to examine the protein expression of several cytokines such as TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, IFNγ, IL-4, and TGF-ß3 in endometrial biopsies previous to conception, to evaluate the possible association with delayed conception in dairy cows. Protein expression levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results showed that the protein expression levels of TNFα, IL-6, IL-4 and TGF-ß3 were not associated with the parturition-conception interval, whereas the high protein expression levels of IFNγ were associated with the parturition-conception interval. Finally, the low protein expression of IL-8 showed a statistical tendency to be associated with delayed conception. This is the first report about the protein expression of IFN-γ in the endometrium of dairy cows and also, this cytokine could enhance the favorable conditions to achieve an early pregnancy.

Magnetic layered double hydroxides with carbamazepine for breast cancer treatment.

Current cancer chemotherapy is associated with many side effects and, in some cases, drug resistance, which makes the search for new active molecules and drug delivery strategies imperative. Carbamazepine is an antiepileptic compound that has shown efficacy against breast cancer cell lines. In this study, it was incorporated into layered double hydroxide nanoclays, the percentage of drug loading was increased compared to previous research, and the clays were impregnated with magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The goal of the magnetic Fe3O4-impregnation was to direct the nanocomposites to the therapeutic target with an external magnetic field. The nanoclay-carbamazepine composites had a carbamazepine loading of 51 %, and the nanoclay-carbamazepine-nanoparticles had a drug loading of 13 % due to the addition of more ingredients. The structure of the composites was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and Scherrer equation, showing a layered double hydroxide organization with crystal sizes of 9-15 nm; from transmission electron microscopy, the final compounds showed a particle size of 97-158 nm, small enough for systemic circulation. In vibrating sample magnetization studies, the composites showed a superparamagnetic behavior with high magnetic saturation (9-17 emu/gr), which should allow a good material attraction by an external magnetic field located near the tumor. In vitro drug release studies were done in Franz cells and measured by UV/Vis spectrophotometry; they showed that carbamazepine release from the nanocomposites responds to the media pH: a good drug release at the lysosome pH and slow release at the blood pH. Finally, the efficacy was tested in vitro in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and the composites showed an enhanced efficacy in comparison with that produced by the free drug (96 % and 62 % of cell inhibition respectively). Carbamazepine administered with magnetic clays as a carrier is a promising treatment for breast cancer, and further studies should be done to measure the arrival time and the efficacy in vivo.

Endometrial expression of members of the IL-1 family: their involvement in delayed conception of dairy cows.

The cytokines of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) family are closely involved in the resolution of inflammation in cows with metritis and endometritis. However, little is known about the role of these cytokines beyond uterine regression in the absence of disease, especially around conception. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the gene and protein expression of IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-1RI, IL-1RII and IL-1Ra in endometrial biopsies previous to conception, to evaluate the possible association of these cytokines with delayed conception in dairy cows. Gene and protein expression levels were evaluated by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The gene expression levels of cytokines were not associated with the duration of the period to conception following parturition. However, high protein expression of IL-1ß and low protein expression of IL-1Ra were significantly associated with early conception. These results suggest that an imbalanced protein expression of IL-1ß and IL-1Ra in the endometrium of dairy cows could be part of the maternal immune response mechanism necessary to propitiate early conception and probably to maintain pregnancy.

Switch to icatibant in a patient affected by hereditary angioedema with high disease activity: a case report.

Icatibant, an antagonist of the bradykinin B2 receptor, was approved for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema in the EU in 2008. This paper presents the case of a 65-year-old woman affected by frequent acute attacks of hereditary angioedema who benefitted from a change of therapy to icatibant, following years of treatment with C1-inhibitor.

Central retinal artery occlusion as an ophthalmic complication after snakebite.

Snakebite causes 421.000-1.200.000 poisonings per year due to and hematotoxicity, neurotoxicity y vasculotoxicity. Ophthalmological manifestations secondary to snake bites are rare. If the snake belongs to the Viperidae family, the most frequent ophthalmologic manifestations are macular infarction, chronic open-angle glaucoma, and retinal or vitreous hemorrhage. Central retinal artery occlusion is an extremely rare ocular complication. We report the case of a 30-year-old patient, who consulted due to poor vision in her left eye weeks after suffering a snake bite (Bothrops atrox) in her left lower limb. The diagnosis was a central retinal artery occlusion in the left eye with abnormal findings in the ophthalmological physical examination and in complementary retinal and neuro-ophthalmological tests.

Central retinal artery occlusion as a post-transfusion complication of red blood cells. / Oclusión de la arteria central de la retina como complicación postransfusional de glóbulos rojos.

A 32-year-old woman presented with a history of uterine myomatosis and repeated bleeding for 6 months. This produced a haemoglobin concentration of 6.5 g/dL, with a requirement for a red blood cell transfusion. One hour after the transfusion, she presented with a sudden and painless loss of vision in the right eye (RE). As she had no other symptoms, she was referred to the Neuro-Ophthalmology Department. On admission, her corrected visual acuity was hand movement in RE, and 0.6 in the left eye (LE). The anterior segment was unremarkable, except for a relative afferent pupillary defect in RE. In the fundus examination, the RE showed a diffuse pale retina with a cherry spot, consistent with occlusion of the central artery of the retina. Management was attempted but with no improvement. The studies corroborated retinal ischaemia in RE. During the systemic evaluation, the neuroimaging, autoimmune and haematology studies were negative, thus this complication was attributed to the red blood cell transfusion.

Agreement and differences between macular values in children using two types of spectral optical coherence tomography.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the degree of agreement and differences between macular parameters according to sex, age, laterality, ethnicity and type of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in paediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective, transversal, and comparative study. OCT Spectralis and OCT Cirrus were used to obtain the macular values of both eyes in 100 patients between 5 and 15 years without ocular pathology. Due to the similarity between the values of both eyes, in the final sample we only considered the right eyes (OD) (n = 100). RESULTS: The average central macular thickness (CMT) was 244.2 µm with Cirrus and 261.7 µm with Spectralis. The degree of agreement for the GMC was moderate (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient: 0.66) and from low to very low in the other quadrants. The GMC values of both systems were significantly higher in men than in women (P < .05). The macular retinal nerve fibre layer (mRNC), ganglion cell layer (GCC), the inner plexiform layer (IPLC), and the inner nuclear layer (INFL) had significantly higher values in men than in women (P < .01). There were no statistically significant differences in the GMC by age and laterality, however it was significantly higher in ethnic European children than in ethnic Latin American children; Cirrus (P = .042) and Spectralis (P = .033). CONCLUSIONS: Macular parameters obtained by OCT Spectralis and OCT Cirrus should not be interchangeable in pediatric patients.

Association between phagocytic activity of monocytes and days to conception after parturition in dairy cows when considering the hormonal and metabolic milieu.

The nutritional conditions and immune status of dairy cows affect reproductive performance. This study was conducted with the aim to analyze the phagocytic activity (PA) and phagocytic capacity (PC) of circulating monocytes after the period of transition from pregnancy to lactation, to evaluate possible associations with duration of time period to conception following parturition. Results indicated PA was not associated with duration of time period to conception following parturition. In contrast, cows with a lesser PC conceived earlier (98 ± 9 days in milk, DIM) than those with a greater PC (168 ± 15 DIM). Based on these results, to analyze the association of the hormonal and metabolic milieu with the PA and PC, the animals were grouped considering the days to conception following parturition. In the group with the greater number of days to conception (>168 DIM), the PA was associated with concentrations of progesterone and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) at 90 DIM and glucose at 120 DIM, whereas PC was associated with the concentrations of progesterone, cortisol and glucose at 90 DIM, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) at 120 DIM, 17ß-estradiol at 150 DIM, and 17ß-estradiol and BHB at 180 DIM. Overall, these results represent a new perspective related to the reproductive performance of dairy cows. The modifications of cellular functions may be useful for predicting the onset of health complications in dairy cows and to manage cows in ways that result in an enhanced fertility during the subsequent lactational period.

Agreement in retinal nerve fiber layer values and comparison in children using two optical coherence tomography devices. / Grado de concordancia y diferencias entre los valores de capa de fibras nerviosas de la retina peripapilar en niños mediante dos tipos de tomografía de coherencia óptica espectral.

OBJECTIVE: To assess absolute agreement and differences in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) values according to sex, age, laterality, origin and optical coherence tomography (OCT) type in normal pediatric patients undergoing OCT scans using both Cirrus and Spectralis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective, cross-sectional, and comparative study. We used Spectralis OCT and Cirrus OCT to measure optic disc values of both eyes in one hundred pediatric patients (age 5 to 15years), with no previous ocular pathology or systemic disease that could affect the eye. Due to the similarity between eyes, only right eyes were considered (n=100). RESULTS: The average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) values were 99.6µm with Cirrus and 106.7µm with the Spectralis system. The four quadrants followed the ISNT rule (inferior-superior-nasal-temporal). The average pRNFL measures correlated negatively with the AL (P<.01) in both OCTs, and the degree of agreement between OCTs for pRNFL and inferior RNFL was moderate (CCI: 0.67 and 0.61, respectively), and low in the rest of the sectors. The average pRNFL values of both OCTs were higher in women than in men (P>.05) and there were also no statistical differences in the pRNFL according to age or laterality (P>.05). All RNFL values were significantly different between both types of OCTs (P<.05) and average pRNFL values were significantly thicker (P<.05) in Latin American than in European children in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the respective peripapillary RNFL values obtained using these two OCTs should not be considered interchangeable in pediatric patients.

Sentiment Analysis in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in an Ingroup/Outgroup Setting.

People punish transgressors with different intensity depending if they are members of their group or not. We explore this in a cross-sectional analytical study with paired samples in children with developmental disorders who watched two videos and expressed their opinion. In Video-1, a football-player from the participant's country scores a goal with his hand. In Video-2, a player from another country does the same against the country of the participant. Each subject watched the two videos and their answers were compared. The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) group showed negative feelings in Video 1 (M = - .1; CI 95% - .51 to .31); and in Video 2 (M = - .43; CI 95% .77 to - .09; t(8) = 1.64, p = .13), but the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, intellectual disability groups showed positive opinion in Video-1 and negative in Video-2. This suggests that children with ASD respect rules regardless of whether those who break them belong or not to their own group, possibly due to lower degrees of empathy.

A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of a food ingredient, collagen hydrolysate, for improving joint comfort.

INTRODUCTION: Current options to promote joint comfort are limited to medicines that can reduce pain but can also have adverse effects. Collagen, a major component of joint cartilage, is found in the diet, particularly in meat. Its hydrolysed form, collagen hydrolysate (CH), is well absorbed. CH may stimulate the joint matrix cells to synthesize collagen, so helping to maintain the structure of the joint and potentially to aid joint comfort. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, controlled multicentre trial, 250 subjects with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were given 10 g CH daily for 6 months. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in knee joint comfort as assessed by visual analogue scales to assess pain and the Womac pain subscale. Subjects with the greatest joint deterioration, and with least intake of meat protein in their habitual diets, benefited most. CONCLUSION: CH is safe and effective and warrants further consideration as a food ingredient.

Immune status during postpartum, peri-implantation and early pregnancy in cattle: An updated view.

Throughout the estrous cycle the mammalian endometrium undergoes morphological and functional changes that are essential for the establishment of pregnancy and proper ovarian and uterine functions. Among these changes, the most important are alterations in both inter- and intracellular signalling molecules, many of which modulate immune processes. In the endometrial tissue there are local innate (nonspecific) and adaptive (specific/acquired) response mechanisms which vary because of the endocrine status during the estrous cycle, pregnancy and postpartum period. Endometrial cells have responses that support the immune system by producing pro-inflammatory factors such as cytokines, sensors, effector molecules and chemokines. This response is important during gestation, pregnancy, and fetal growth, as well as in preventing infection, and immuno-rejection of the semi-allogeneic embryo. In dairy cows, both before and immediately after calving, there are marked changes in the values for hormonal and metabolic variables and the immune status is impaired. Thus, in several studies there has been assessment of the physiological and/or abnormal maternal immune changes and possible effects on dairy cow reproductive performance. The objective with this review is to summarize the novel information about the immune mechanisms involved during the postpartum period, subsequent peri-implantation period and pregnancy in dairy cows, and the possible effects on reproductive performance. This information provides for an enhanced understanding of the local and systemic immune responses associated with the metabolic and hormonal status of dairy cows, and alterations in the immune system of high producing cows and the possible effects on subsequent fertility.

Automated method for the determination of the band gap energy of pure and mixed powder samples using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

An automated method to determine the band gap energy (E g ) of pure and mixed powder compounds using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is presented. This method is based on a five-step algorithm that mimics the judgment made by an expert analyst in identifying the linear segments in Tauc plots and subsequent estimation of the E g value. It is demonstrated that the method to estimate E g by intersecting the straight-line fit of the Tauc segment with the photon energy axis is not appropriate for those samples containing more than one optical absorbing phase because systematic underestimation of the E g value results. The automated method accounts for such cases by introducing a base line function. The robustness of the implemented algorithm was tested using three model systems, ZnO-Al2O3, ZnO-CoO and ZnO-CdO. The estimated E g 's using the automated method differ in less than 1% than those obtained by its manual counterpart.

Determination of alpha- and beta-amanitin in clinical urine samples by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis.

Amanitins are toxins found in species of the mushroom genera Amanita, Lepiota and Galerina. Intoxication after ingestion of these mushrooms can be fatal with an estimated 20% of mortality rate. An early diagnosis is necessary in order to avoid invasive and expensive therapy and to improve patient's prognosis. In this paper, a Capillary Zone Electrophoresis method was developed and validated to determine alpha- and beta-amanitin in urine in less than 7 min using 5 mM, pH 10 borate buffer as background electrolyte. The separation conditions were: capillary: 75 microm I.D., 41 cm effective length, 48 cm total length, 25 degrees C, 20 KV and PDA detection at 214 nm. Sample treatment for analysis only required urine dilution in background electrolyte. The method was validated following established criteria and was found to be selective, linear in the range 5-100 ng/ml. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were within required limits. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 1.5 and 5 ng/ml, respectively. Eight urine samples from suspected cases of intoxication with amanitins were analyzed after 2 years of storage at -20 degrees C, and beta-amanitin was determined in two samples with concentrations of 53 and 65 ng/ml, respectively. The method here described includes the use of non-aggressive reagents to the capillary or the system and is the first Capillary Electrophoresis method used to determine amanitins in clinical samples.

Studies on the evolution, pathology, and immunity of commercial fattening rabbits affected with epizootic outbreaks of diarrhoeas in Mexico: a case report.

Epizootic outbreaks of diarrhoeas have emerged and disseminated in different rabbit farms in Mexico causing great economical losses, during the past years. Seven, 5-weeks-old New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits chosen at random from 35 ill animals that were remitted for postmortem, histopathology, and ultrastructural examinations were studied. Bacteriological and parasitological studies were carried out in three additional ill rabbits of same age. In a field trail 45, 5-weeks-old apparently healthy NZW rabbits were observed daily for sanitary status for a 5-week period. Some of the rabbits did not response to the preventive drug treatment and were therefore, used to study the development of the disease. Clinical signs, gross lesions, and mortality throughout the fattening period were recorded. Eight, 8-weeks-old NZW rabbits who survived an outbreak were assessed for gamma-globulins in serum of the total protein fraction during a 3-week period. Gamma-globulins were also measured in eight free-disease healthy rabbits of same breed and age. Lesions of the small intestine consisted of mucoid enteropathy, lymphocytic plasmocytic enteritis with atrophy and fusion of villi, and hyperplasia of globet cells. Serosal edema was present. Ultrastructural examinations of jejunum and ileum from 3/7 diseased rabbits, revealed enterocytes in apoptosis, mixed with degenerative and/or necrotic changes together with infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and loss of microvillus. There were electron dense structures suggestive of virus particles inside the nuclei and cytoplasm of some enterocytes. There was lymphoid spleen atrophy and proliferation of reticuloendothelial cells in 7/7 rabbits. Interstitial pneumonia in 4/7 rabbits was found. Encephalitozoon cuniculi was detected in the brain of 1/7 rabbits. Escherichia coli were detected in 3/3 cases and Eimeria spp. in 2/3 cases. Mortality rate in the field study was 51.1% and the spread of the disease occur in 9/9 cages. The proportion of gamma-globulins in rabbits who survive an outbreak was much lower (P=0.0001) than free-disease healthy rabbits (8.1+/-1.0 and 14.0+/-1.0, respectively). The disease was multifactorial and consisted of sub-acute mucoid enteropathy probably induced by viral infection and aggravated by the proliferation of opportunistic pathogens common to rabbits. This may explain the severe degenerative and necrotic changes observed in the small intestine of diarrhoeic rabbits.

Loss of attentional stimulus selection after extrastriate cortical lesions in macaques.

Many objects in natural visual scenes compete for attention. To identify the neural mechanisms necessary for visual attention, we made restricted lesions, affecting different quadrants of the visual field but leaving one quadrant intact, in extrastriate cortical areas V4 and TEO of two monkeys. Monkeys were trained to discriminate the orientation of a target grating surrounded by distracters. As distracter contrast increased, performance deteriorated in quadrants affected by V4 and TEO lesions, but not in the normal quadrant. Performance in affected quadrants was restored by increasing the contrast of the target relative to distracters. Thus, without V4 and TEO, visual attention is 'captured' by strong stimuli, regardless of their behavioral relevance.

Involvement of Matrix Metalloproteinases and their Inhibitors in Bovine Cystic Ovarian Disease.

The most important regulators of tissue remodelling during ovarian follicular growth, development, ovulation and atresia are gonadotropins, steroid hormones, growth factors and different proteolytic enzymes. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as collagenase or gelatinase (i.e. MMP-1, -8, -2 and -9) and associated tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1, -2, -3 and -4) control connective tissue remodelling during follicular rupture. In this study, we hypothesized that an imbalance in the MMP-TIMP system may be an intra-ovarian component that contributes to the pathogenesis of cystic ovarian disease (COD) in cows. Taking into account that the control of MMP activity by TIMPs could determine their effects in both physiological and pathological conditions, MMP and TIMP mRNA and protein expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively, in ovaries from control cows and cows with COD. Expression of mRNA encoding MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 was lower in follicular cysts than in control pre-ovulatory follicles, while the results by IHC showed this imbalance only for TIMP-2 protein expression. Additional analysis by zymography to evaluate the gelatinase activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 demonstrated higher MMP-2 activity in follicular fluid (FF) of cysts than in FF of pre-ovulatory follicles. On the other hand, MMP-9 activity was increased in follicular cysts and absent in the FF of pre-ovulatory follicles. These findings suggest that the altered mRNA expression and activities of the MMP-TIMP system may be related to the failure in ovulation and follicular development observed in COD.