Long-term Longitudinal Studies Research Articles

Case report: One child with an autism spectrum disorder who had chronically elevated serum levels of CK and CK-MB

Some patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit elevated serum creatine kinase levels, which are believed to be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Although a few articles have reported this situation in the past and the increase mostly ranges from 100 to 300 U/L, there is a paucity of previous study focusing on the serum creatine kinase MB isoenzyme. This article discusses a 5-year-old girl with ASD, whose serum creatine kinase and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme have been rising for nearly 2 years, fluctuating at 584–993 and 111–625 U/L respectively. Except for behavioral and language symptoms associated with ASD, the child appears normal in other aspects. The child's laboratory tests showed no abnormality, except that the serum levels of lactic acid was slightly higher than normal (1.89 mmol/L, normal 1.33–1.78 mmol/L). The child was prescribed with a traditional Chinese medicine during the process and the serum creatine kinase MB isoenzyme level decreased dramatically to 111 U/L after the treatment. This study firstly recorded the serum creatine kinase levels and the MB isoenzyme in patients with autism spectrum disorder for nearly 2 years, indicating that patients with ASD may experience long-term increases in serum creatine kinase and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme, and that the traditional Chinese medicine decoction Xinfukang can temporarily reduce the serum creatine kinase MB isoenzyme level in patients. Nevertheless, the effect is not sustained. Therefore, it is of great importance to conduct long-term longitudinal studies so as to elucidate the potential mechanism responsible for long-term elevation of serum creatine kinase level.

New-onset aortic dilatation in the population: a quarter-century follow-up.

Aortic size tends to increase with aging but the extent of this dynamic process has not been evaluated in long-term longitudinal population-based studies. We investigated the incidence of new-onset aortic root (AR) dilatation and its principal correlates among middle-aged adults over a 25-year time period. A total of 471 participants with measurable echocardiographic parameters at baseline and after a 25-year follow-up were included in the analysis. Sex-specific upper limits of normality for absolute AR diameter, AR diameter indexed to body surface area (BSA) and to height were derived from healthy normotensive PAMELA participants. New AR dilatation occurred in 7.4% (AR/BSA), 9.1% (AR/height) and 14.6% (absolute AR), respectively. According to the AR/height index, the risk of new dilation was similar in men and women. As for echocardiographic parameters, baseline AR diameter emerged as a key predictor of AR dilation, regardless of the diagnostic criteria and the 10-year change in LVMI was positively associated to new AR/height dilatation. No significant relationship was observed between baseline office and ambulatory systolic/diastolic blood pressure or their changes over time with incident AR dilatation. Baseline and the 25-year change in 24-h pulse pressure were negatively related to new AR dilatation. The incidence of AR dilatation from mid to late adulthood occurs in a small but clinically relevant fraction of participants and is unaffected by both office and out-office BP. It is significant related to baseline AR diameter and to the 25-year change in LVMI. Our data suggest that echocardiography performed in middle-aged individuals of both sexes may identify those at increased risk of future AR dilatation; moreover, preventing LVH may reduce the risk of progressive AR enlargement.

Body composition at 4 to 7 years of age in children born

BackgroundSmall for gestational age preterm infants show differences in body composition when compared to those appropriate for gestational age at term, which have consequences on metabolism. AimTo compare growth and body composition of children born small and appropriate for gestational age between 4 and 7 years. MethodA Cohort of small and appropriate for gestational age infants <32 weeks or 1500 g were followed at term and 3 months corrected ages and at 4 to 7 years. Body composition assessment by air displacement plethysmography and anthropometry were performed at all moments. Differences between the two groups were assessed using t-student and Chi-square tests. ResultsNinety-four infants were included at term (26 small and 68 appropriate for gestational age); 88 at 3 months (24 small and 64 appropriate for gestational age) and 47 between 4 and 7 years (11 small and 36 appropriate for gestational age). At term, small for gestational age infants had lower fat-free mass, fat mass, weight and length compared with those appropriate for gestational age (p < 0.001). At 3 months, fat-free mass (grams) remained lower in small for gestational age group (p < 0.001). Between 4 and 7 years, body composition and anthropometry were similar between the groups. ConclusionBetween 4 and 7 years, children born small and appropriate for gestational age had similar body composition. New long-term longitudinal studies are necessary to understand the influence of fat-free mass and fat mass in the first months of age on body composition throughout life.

The Link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Neurocognitive Impairment: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

There is emerging evidence that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). An American Thoracic Society workshop was convened that included clinicians, basic scientists, and epidemiologists with expertise in OSA, cognition, and dementia, with the overall objectives of summarizing the state of knowledge in the field, identifying important research gaps, and identifying potential directions for future research. Although currently available cognitive screening tests may allow for identification of cognitive impairment in patients with OSA, they should be interpreted with caution. Neuroimaging in OSA can provide surrogate measures of disease chronicity, but it has methodological limitations. Most data on the impact of OSA treatment on cognition are for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), with limited data for other treatments. The cognitive domains improving with CPAP show considerable heterogeneity across studies. OSA can negatively influence risk, manifestations, and possibly progression of AD and other forms of dementia. Sleep-dependent memory tasks need greater incorporation into OSA testing, with better delineation of sleep fragmentation versus intermittent hypoxia effects. Plasma biomarkers may prove to be sensitive, feasible, and scalable biomarkers for use in clinical trials. There is strong biological plausibility, but insufficient data, to prove bidirectional causality of the associations between OSA and aging pathology. Engaging, recruiting, and retaining diverse populations in health care and research may help to decrease racial and ethnic disparities in OSA and AD. Key recommendations from the workshop include research aimed at underlying mechanisms; longer-term longitudinal studies with objective assessment of OSA, sensitive cognitive markers, and sleep-dependent cognitive tasks; and pragmatic study designs for interventional studies that control for other factors that may impact cognitive outcomes and use novel biomarkers.

Risk-associated factors associated with the bovine viral diarrhea virus in dromedary camels, sheep, and goats in abattoir surveillance and semi-closed herd system.

Background and Aim:Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viral pathogens causing high economic losses in cattle of all ages. Despite the active vaccination campaigns against BVDV, many outbreaks are still detected in various populations of cattle worldwide. Other species of animals such as dromedary camels, sheep, and goats may harbor BVDV infection and cause variable clinical syndromes. Thus, they may act as a source of infection to the cattle population around them. However, little is still known about the roles of these animals in the viral transmission and sustainability of BVDV in the environment. This study aimed to explore if the dromedary camels, sheep, and goats may seroconvert against BVDV and to study some associated risk factors for BVDV in these species of animals.Materials and Methods:We tested 1012 serum samples from dromedary camels, 84 from goats, and 21 from sheep for BVDV antibodies using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Meanwhile, we selected 211 serum samples from dromedary camels to be tested for the BVDV antigen using the commercial ELISA kits.Results:Our results show that 49/1117 serum samples were positive for the BVDV antibodies in dromedary camels (46/1012), goats (3/84), and none of the tested sheep samples were positive. However, none of the collected serum samples tested positive for the BVDV antigen.Conclusion:Seroconversion of some dromedary camels, sheep, and goats to the BVDV with no history of vaccination against BVDV strongly suggests the potential roles of these species of animals in the virus transmission cycle. The main limitations of the current study are (1) the lack of samples from other species of animals that lived close by these animals, particularly cattle. (2) lack of follow-up samples from the same animal over a long period. We believe the long-term longitudinal study of BVDV in various species of animals, particularly dromedary camels, goats, and sheep, is one of our future research directions. This will provide more information about the dynamics of BVDV antibodies in these species of animals.

Post–intensive care syndrome and health-related quality of life in long-term survivors of intensive care unit

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to provide preliminary data for improving the health-related quality of life of long-term intensive care unit survivors by identifying the relationship between health-related quality of life and post–intensive care syndrome. MethodsUsing a descriptive correlation research design, data from patients who visited the outpatient department for continuous treatment after discharge from the intensive care unit were analysed. Post–intensive care syndrome was measured by physical, cognitive, and mental problems. Data were collected from 1st August to 31st December, 2019, and 121 intensive care unit survivors participated in the study. ResultsHealth-related quality of life showed a negative correlation with physical, mental, and cognitive problems. The factors associated with health-related quality of life were physical and mental problems, education level, sedatives and neuromuscular relaxants, and marital status. ConclusionsTo improve the health-related quality of life of intensive care unit survivors, post–intensive care syndrome prevention is important, and a systematic strategy is required through a long-term longitudinal trace study. In addition, intensive care unit nurses and other healthcare professionals need to provide early interventions to reduce post–intensive care syndrome.

Health economics-based verification of functional myocardial ischemia evaluation of stable coronary artery disease in Japan: A long-term longitudinal study using propensity score matching

BackgroundThe procedural numbers and medical costs of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), mainly elective PCI, have been increasing in Japan. Owing to increased interest in the appropriateness of coronary revascularization, we conducted this medical economics-based evaluation of testing and diagnosis of stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and ResultsWe reviewed patients’ medical insurance data to identify stable CAD patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography, cardiac single-photon emission computed tomography, coronary angiography, or fractional flow reserve. Subjects were divided into anatomical and functional evaluation groups according to the modality of testing, and background factors were matched by propensity score. The endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), life years (LYs), medical costs, and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). The observations were performed for 36 months. MACE, medical costs, and CEA of the functional group in the overall category were trending to be better than the anatomical group (MACE, P = .051; medical costs: 3,105 US$ vs 4,430 US$, P = .007; CEA: 2,431 US$/LY vs 2,902 US$/LY, P = .043). ConclusionsThe functional evaluation approach improved long-term clinical outcomes and reduced cumulative medical costs. As a result, the modality composition of functional myocardial ischemia evaluation was demonstrated to offer superior cost-effectiveness in stable CAD.

Daily Identity Processes and Emotions in Young Adulthood: a Five-Day Daily-Diary Method.

The process of exploring and committing to one’s identity for the sake of a future-oriented goal is important for young adults’ psychosocial functioning. Whereas the relationship between identity process and psychosocial functioning has been examined in long-term longitudinal studies, the short-term relationship between the two at the daily level has not been clarified. This study developed a measure of daily-level identity process and examined their relationship with daily positive and negative emotions, using a five-day daily-diary method. The participants included 721 Japanese young adults aged 18–30 years (54.4% female, Mage = 26.05 years). Results indicated the measure’s three-factor structure, including commitment, active exploration, and ruminative exploration. Commitment related positively to life satisfaction and happiness, and negatively related to depression. Active exploration and ruminative exploration indicated negative associations with life satisfaction and happiness, and positive association depression. Latent profile analysis extracted five theoretically meaningful identity profiles at the daily level: foreclosure, moratorium, troubled diffusion, searching moratorium, and carefree diffusion. Logistic regression analyses indicated that troubled diffusion and moratorium, and foreclosure profiles showed lower and higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness, respectively. These results provided evidence of a strong link between young adult’s identity processes, profiles, and positive and negative emotions at the everyday level. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Where are we in understanding the natural history of polycystic ovary syndrome? A systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies.

STUDY QUESTIONWhat is the natural history of reproductive, psychological and oncological features in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in comparison to those without PCOS across the life course?SUMMARY ANSWERExisting longitudinal data on changes in reproductive, psychological and oncological features in PCOS are inadequate and conflicting, but the limited evidence suggests that total testosterone (T) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels decline more significantly in women with PCOS than in those without PCOS, and the risk of gestational diabetes is higher in pregnant women with PCOS compared to their counterparts without PCOS.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYThe progression of reproductive, psychological and oncological features in PCOS remains unclear, which limits prevention and early diagnosis strategies across the lifespan. Understanding the natural history of PCOS is one of the overarching priorities in PCOS research.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis is a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies with a narrative presentation of findings. Databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid PsycInfo, CINAHL PLUS and EBM reviews were searched between 15 January 2020 and 11 February 2021 with no language restrictions. Only studies published from the year 1990 to February 2021 were included.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSIn line with current guidelines for the assessment and management of PCOS, we included studies where participants were females with PCOS diagnosed according to the 2003 Rotterdam or the 1990 National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus criteria.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEA total of 21 longitudinal studies including 62 123 participants over four continents reported reproductive, psychological and/or oncological outcomes. Participants were females aged between 15 and 49 years at baseline, with follow-up periods ranging from 4 weeks to 32 years. Consistent evidence based on limited studies suggests that total T and DHEAS levels decline to a greater degree in women with PCOS compared to those without PCOS, and the risk gestational diabetes is higher in women with PCOS than in those without PCOS. Evidence reporting changes over time in the majority of the remaining outcomes was unclear due to conflicting and/or insufficient information.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThere was extreme heterogeneity between studies in terms of study setting, population characteristics, follow-up period, effect measures used and laboratory testing approaches.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSUnderstanding the natural history of PCOS and changes in diagnostic, reproductive, psychological and oncological features of PCOS across the lifespan is still a challenge and the existing literature is both limited and conflicting. It is important that future long-term prospective longitudinal studies are conducted in unselected and well-characterized populations.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)This specific study was not funded. S.K. is supported by scholarships from the Research Training Program of the Commonwealth of Australia and Monash University; H.J.T. is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council fellowship; and A.E.J. is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council's Centre for Research Excellence in Women’s Health in Reproductive Life. R.A. was employed by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and is a consultant to Spruce Biosciences and Fortress Biotech. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.REGISTRATION NUMBERProspero registration number: CRD42020165546.

A retrospective longitudinal cohort study of the clinical burden in myasthenia gravis

BackgroundPatients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) often experience debilitating exacerbations, with the possibility of life-threatening respiratory crises requiring hospitalization. Long-term longitudinal studies are needed to understand the burden of MG, including in patients whose disease is refractory to conventional treatment.MethodsA retrospective, longitudinal, cohort study was conducted of patients in England aged ≥ 18 years with treatment-refractory or non-refractory MG, using data recorded during 1997–2016 in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and the Hospital Episode Statistics databases. A control cohort of patients without MG, matched to the patients in the treatment-refractory MG cohort, was also identified. Outcome measures included myasthenic crises, MG exacerbations, MG-related hospitalizations, comorbidities, and all-cause mortality. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the overall MG population. For continuous variables, between-cohort comparisons were made using t tests for normally distributed data and Mann–Whitney U tests for non-normally distributed data. For categorical data, the comparisons were made by chi-squared tests. Differences in clinical outcomes between cohorts were modeled using negative binomial regression.ResultsA total of 1149 patients with MG were included. Overall, 18.4% of patients experienced myasthenic crises, 24.6% experienced exacerbations, and 38.6% underwent MG-related hospitalizations. Most of these events occurred within 2–3 years of diagnosis. Patients with MG refractory to conventional treatment (n = 66) experienced more exacerbations and MG-related hospitalizations than patients with non-refractory disease (n = 1083). Patients with refractory MG experienced a higher frequency of renal disease and hypertension compared with patients with non-refractory MG, and with matched patients without MG. They were also more likely to have diabetes and congestive heart failure than the matched controls. Rates of all-cause mortality during the follow-up period did not differ between patients with refractory MG and non-refractory MG.ConclusionsThese results show that conventional treatments for MG are not adequately managing patients’ symptoms and that patients with refractory MG are more likely to experience certain comorbidities than those with non-refractory MG or matched controls without MG. Future research should focus on the impact of newer targeted therapies on long-term clinical outcomes and comorbid conditions.

The feasibility of telehealth in the monitoring of head and neck cancer patients: a systematic review on remote technology, user adherence, user satisfaction, and quality of life.

This systematic review aimed to analyze the use of telehealth in monitoring patients with head and neck cancer regarding the application used, user adherence to technology, user satisfaction, and user quality of life. A search strategy was developed using the PICO acronym and the terms "Head and Neck Cancer," "Telehealth," "Mobile Application," and "Supportive Care." A broad literature search was performed on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, Lilacs, and Embase databases and on grey literature through Open Grey, Google Scholar, and Jstor, for studies comparing the monitoring of head and neck cancer patients with telehealth apps to the monitoring performed in a traditional way at health units. No study design, publication status, publication time, or language restrictions were applied. Pairs of reviewers worked independently for study selection and risk of bias assessment. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO and the PRISMA checklist used for reporting the review. We found 393 references in the databases, 325 after duplicate removal; 19 met the criteria for full-text reading; 08 studies were included for qualitative synthesis. Although there was heterogeneity regarding the technology used, the studies included showed that remote monitoring and/or self-management of symptoms through mobile applications was feasible for most patients, with satisfactory degrees of acceptability, satisfaction, usability, and adherence. The health-related quality of life improved with the use of remote technologies for telehealth, associated with low to moderate self-efficacy, higher personal control, and higher knowledge of health with clinically acceptable levels of accuracy compared to traditional clinical evaluation. Even when the data presented were not statistically significant, patients reported improvement in health-related quality of life after the intervention. Telehealth monitoring through the use of remote technologies presents itself as an alternative way of educating and supporting patients during the treatment of Head and Neck Cancer (HNC). There is the need for a more user-friendly interface, adequate user experience assessment, and the concrete applicability of telehealth technologies for monitoring patients with HNC in order to legitimize the cost-effectiveness of developing long-term multicenter longitudinal studies term.

MO949: Metabolic Syndrome and Longitudinal Risk of Renal and Cardiovascular Events in Renal Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Study in Japan

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition that promotes arteriosclerosis due to various arteriosclerosis risk factors such as impaired glucose tolerance, impaired lipid metabolism and hypertension, caused by insulin resistance as a result of visceral fat obesity. There have been several epidemiological studies on MetS after renal transplantation conducted in the U.S. and Europe, indicating that MetS is an accumulation of non-immunological risks of renal transplantation, which affects the patient's prognosis as well as that of the kidney. However, the incidence of MetS in Japanese renal transplant recipients is 20 to 30% and lower compared with that of American and European recipients, and its effects on cardiovascular complications and kidney prognosis are not clear. We report on the results of our long-term longitudinal study on MetS in renal transplant recipients. METHOD A total of 104 renal transplant outpatients, over 6 months after their transplants and in stable condition, were diagnosed with MetS from January 2006 and June 2007 and followed up until December 2020. The effects of MetS on outcomes including renal and cardiovascular events were studied using four diagnostic criteria [NCEP-ATP III (Japanese, original, Asian) and IDF criteria]. We performed multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to examine the association between the presence or absence of MetS and combined vascular events in renal transplant recipients. This study protocol was conducted in accordance with the Principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the Declaration of Istanbul, and was approved by the ethics committee of Osaka City University (No. 2020–197). All analyses were performed using R ver. 4.0.3 (https://www.r-project.org/foundation/) with the ‘rms’ and ‘RcmdrPlugin.EZR’ packages. RESULTS The incidence of MetS among our renal transplant recipients in our baseline investigation was 24.0% by the NCEP-ATP III (Japanese) criteria, and our longitudinal study showed that MetS was a significant risk factor even after adjustment of background factors using the propensity score (HR: 2.82; 95% CI: 1.26–6.34, P = 0.012). In addition, the effects of MetS diagnosed using the NCEP (original), NCEP (Asian) and IDF criteria on cardiac composite events were HR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.07–5.38, P = 0.035, HR: 2.35; 95% CI: 1.00–5.55, P = 0.051, and HR: 1.90; 95% CI: 0.84–4.31, P = 0.12, respectively. CONCLUSION Although the incidence of MetS in Japanese renal transplant recipients was lower compared to that of American and European renal transplant recipients, our results indicated that MetS also affected cardiovascular complications and kidney prognosis in Japanese renal transplant recipients. Moreover, depending on the diagnostic criteria for MetS, the HR was shown to be around 2.0–3.0.

Use of Septal Cartilage in Rhinoplasty to Correct Nasal Deformity After Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery.

BackgroundThe most common facial defect is the congenital cleft lip (CL), which can occur with or without a cleft palate (CP). Patients need primary plastic surgery for rehabilitation and esthetics; nevertheless, secondary abnormalities of the lip and nose may develop after primary surgery. These deformities are complex and involve all tissue layers, including the skeletal platform, inner lining, osseocartilaginous structure, and overlying skin. This study evaluated the results of nasal deformity rhinoplasty using septal cartilage in patients with nasal deformities after plastic surgery for unilateral CL and CP.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted on 21 patients with secondary unilateral CL nasal deformity between June 2015 and August 2016. All patients underwent rhinoplasty with the use of septal cartilage grafts. Pre- and post-operative nasal forms were measured.ResultsThe patients had cosmetic problems and impaired nasal airflow due to distorted anatomy. The postoperative nasal forms were improved in all patients. Rhinoplasty using septal cartilage effectively increased the height of the columella and nose and improved the balance of the base width and the length of both sides of the nose. Excellent results were achieved in 18 patients. Three patients showed good results. No patient showed a fair result.ConclusionThis study demonstrated an effective correction of esthetic deformities and significant improvement in airway patency. A long-term longitudinal study is still required to evaluate the influence of septal cartilage harvesting on face and nasal development until children reach their late teens.

Striving and Thriving: A Life Course Trade-Off?

Striving and Thriving: A Life Course Trade-Off?

Endodontic pulp revitalization in traumatized necrotic immature permanent incisors: Early failures and long-term outcomes-A longitudinal cohort study.

AimThis prospective cohort study evaluates clinical and radiographical outcomes of endodontic pulp revitalization (PR) of traumatized necrotic incisors.MethodologyPulp revitalization was performed in 75 traumatized necrotic immature incisors from 71 patients. The radiographic outcome measures were continued root formation (width and length), root resorption, apex closure, periapical index, and root development stage. The clinical outcome measures were percussion pain, palpation pain, pathological tooth mobility, swelling, sinus tract, ankylosis, crown discolouration, response to pulp sensitivity test, and subjective pain. Treatment outcomes were categorized as a success based on the absence of clinical symptoms and when radiographic evidence was present for apical healing and continued root development. The performed statistical tests were repeated measures anova, pairwise comparisons of interactions (t‐test), McNemar's test, and linear regression model.ResultsIn 45 of 75 teeth (60%), PR was successful with the resolution of clinical and radiographic signs and continued root development. PR failed due to the absence of bleeding (n = 19) and persistent infection (n = 11). PR showed statistically significant increases in root length (11%), and dentinal wall thickness (30%), root maturation (pre‐operative 3.38 [CI 1.88; 4.88]; post‐operative 4.04, [CI 2.56; 5.52]) apical closure (71.4%), healing of pre‐operative apical periodontitis (100%), and healing of pre‐operative inflammatory root resorptions (100%). Three predictive variables for continued root maturation were identified – root development stage at entry (p = .0001, β 0.649), [CI 0.431; 0.867], trauma to the soft tissues (p = .026, β −0.012), [CI −0.0225; −0.015], and pre‐operative dentinal wall thickness (p = .009, β −0.001); [CI −0.001; 0.0001].ConclusionsOur findings indicate that PR provides satisfactory clinical and radiographical outcomes in traumatized necrotic incisors. The failed cases were related to lack of bleeding and persistent infections, indicating that new techniques are needed to improve the predictability of PR.

Did the acute impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drinking or nicotine use persist? Evidence from a cohort of emerging adults followed for up to nine years

ObjectiveThis study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drinking and nicotine use through June of 2021 in a community-based sample of young adults. MethodData were from 348 individuals (49% female) enrolled in a long-term longitudinal study with an accelerated longitudinal design: the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) Study. Individuals completed pre-pandemic assessments biannually from 2016 to early 2020, then completed up to three web-based, during-pandemic surveys in June 2020, December 2020, and June 2021. Assessments when individuals were 18.8–22.4 years old (N = 1,458) were used to compare drinking and nicotine use pre-pandemic vs. at each of the three during-pandemic timepoints, adjusting for the age-related increases expected over time. ResultsCompared to pre-pandemic, participants were less likely to report past-month drinking in June or December 2020, but there was an increase in drinking days among drinkers in June 2020. By June 2021, both the prevalence of past-month drinking and number of drinking days among drinks were similar to pre-pandemic levels. On average, there were no statistically significant differences between pre-pandemic and during-pandemic time points for binge drinking, typical drinking quantity, or nicotine use. Young adults who reported an adverse financial impact of the pandemic showed increased nicotine use while their peers showed stable or decreased nicotine use. ConclusionInitial effects of the pandemic on alcohol use faded by June 2021, and on average there was little effect of the pandemic on nicotine use.

Plasmodium falciparum-Specific Memory B-Cell and Antibody Responses Are Associated With Immunity in Children Living in an Endemic Area of Kenya.

Identifying the mechanism of naturally acquired immunity against Plasmodium falciparum malaria could contribute to the design of effective malaria vaccines. Using a recently developed multiplexed FluoroSpot assay, we assessed cross-sectional pre-existing memory B-cells (MBCs) and antibody responses against six well known P. falciparum antigens (MSP-119, MSP-2 (3D7), MSP-2 (FC27), MSP-3, AMA-1 and CSP) and measured their associations with previous infections and time to clinical malaria in the ensuing malaria season in Kenyan children. These children were under active weekly surveillance for malaria as part of a long-term longitudinal malaria immunology cohort study, where they are recruited from birth. After performing Cox regression analysis, we found that children with a breadth of three or more antigen-specific MBC or antibody responses at the baseline had a reduced risk for malaria in the ensuing P. falciparum transmission season. Specifically, MBC responses against AMA-1, MSP-2 (3D7) and MSP-3, as well as antibody responses to MSP-2 (3D7) and MSP-3 were prospectively associated with a reduced risk for malaria. The magnitude or breadth of MBC responses were however not correlated with the cumulative number of malaria episodes since birth. We conclude that increased breadth for merozoite antigen-specific MBC and antibody responses is associated with protection against malaria.

Baseline Gene Expression Levels in Falkland-Malvinas Island Penguins: Towards a New Monitoring Paradigm.

Health diagnostics of wildlife have historically relied on the evaluation of select serum biomarkers and the identification of a contaminant or pathogen burden within specific tissues as an indicator of a level of insult. However, these approaches fail to measure the physiological reaction of the individual to stressors, thus limiting the scope of interpretation. Gene-based health diagnostics provide an opportunity for an alternate, whole-system, or holistic assessment of health, not only in individuals or populations but potentially in ecosystems. Seabirds are among the most threatened marine taxonomic groups in the world, with ~25% of this species currently listed as threatened or considered of special concern; among seabirds, the penguins (Family Spheniscidae) are the most threatened seabird Family. We used gene expression to develop baseline physiological indices for wild penguins in the Falkland-Malvinas Islands, and captive zoo penguins. We identified the almost complete statistical separation of penguin groups (gentoo Detroit Zoo, gentoo Falkland-Malvinas Islands, rockhopper Detroit Zoo, and rockhopper Falkland-Malvinas Islands) based on gene expression profiles. Implementation of long-term longitudinal studies would allow for the assessment of temporal increases or decreases of select transcripts and would facilitate interpretation of the drivers of change.

An open science study of ageing in companion dogs.

The Dog Aging Project is a long-term longitudinal study of ageing in tens of thousands of companion dogs. The domestic dog is among the most variable mammal species in terms of morphology, behaviour, risk of age-related disease and life expectancy. Given that dogs share the human environment and have a sophisticated healthcare system but are much shorter-lived than people, they offer a unique opportunity to identify the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors associated with healthy lifespan. To take advantage of this opportunity, the Dog Aging Project will collect extensive survey data, environmental information, electronic veterinary medical records, genome-wide sequence information, clinicopathology and molecular phenotypes derived from blood cells, plasma and faecal samples. Here, we describe the specific goals and design of the Dog Aging Project and discuss the potential for this open-data, community science study to greatly enhance understanding of ageing in a genetically variable, socially relevant species living in a complex environment.

Multicentre observational status-epilepticus registry: protocol for ICTAL

IntroductionStatus epilepticus (SE) is a common life-threatening neurological emergency that can cause long-term impairments. Overall outcomes remain poor. Major efforts are required to clarify the epidemiology of SE and the...