Cardiovascular risk and allostatic load in PTSD: The role of cumulative trauma and resilience in affected and trauma-exposed adults.

Background: The pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves dysregulation of stress-sensitive biological systems due to repeated trauma exposure, predisposing individuals to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Allostatic load (AL), an indicator of maladaptive stress responses, could shed light on the underlying biological mechanisms. We determined whether CVD risk and AL were associated with trauma load and resilience in women with PTSD and trauma-exposed controls (TEC).

G1 and G2 variants of apolipoprotein L1 among Central African population in Trypanosoma brucei gambiense endemic rural area.

Introduction: Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) risk variants (G1, G2) are known to enhance the protective ability against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), in addition to their role in kidney and cardiovascular disease. The effects of these variants on trypanosome infection could differ regionally owing to local adaptations of the host and pathogen. This study explored APOL1 risk variants distribution in HAT-infected and non-infected populations from a rural Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.

Reward functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder, metabolic syndrome, and psychological resilience.

Background: Reward system dysfunction may play a role in the comorbidity of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychological resilience, through its effects on the reward system, may modulate outcomes in PTSD. Utilising a monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging in a case-control study (PTSD, n = 88, trauma-exposed controls [TEC], n = 85), we aimed to investigate reward system function in relation to PTSD, MetS, and psychological resilience.

The saNeuroGut Initiative: Investigating the Gut Microbiome and Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress.

Introduction: Common mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), present a substantial health and economic burden. The gut microbiome has been associated with these psychiatric disorders via the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, previous studies have focused on the associations between the gut microbiome and common mental disorders in European, North American, and Asian populations.

Investigating the association between hair progesterone, anxiety, sleep quality, and other determinants in South African females.

Background: Anxiety symptoms and poor sleep quality are common in women. The role of sex hormones, particularly progesterone, in anxiety and sleep quality in women is understudied. Measurement of hair progesterone concentrations (HPC) is a promising method to investigate the effects of progesterone on anxiety symptoms and sleep quality in women.

Disease Burden of RSV Infections and Bronchiolitis in Young Children (< 5 Years) in Primary Care and Emergency Departments: A Systematic Literature Review.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute respiratory infections in young children. Limited data are available on RSV disease burden in primary care and emergency departments (EDs). This review synthesizes the evidence on population-based incidence rates of RSV infections in young children (< 5 years) in primary care and EDs.

Mutations in Genes Encoding Subunits of the RNA Exosome as a Potential Novel Cause of Thrombotic Microangiopathy.

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in association with RNA exosome encoding mutations has only recently been recognized. Here, we present an infant (female) with an mutation (c.230_232del p.

Relevance of repeated analyses of albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate in African children with sickle cell anaemia.

Glomerular hyperfiltration and albuminuria are frequent kidney abnormalities in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). However, little is known about their persistence in African SCA children. This prospective study included 600 steady-state SCA children aged 2-18 years from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An exploration of alternative therapeutic targets for aortic disease in Marfan syndrome.

Marfan syndrome is a rare connective tissue disorder that causes aortic dissection-related sudden death. Current conventional treatments, beta-blockers, and type 1 angiotensin II receptor blockers are prescribed to slow down aortic aneurysm progression and delay (prophylactic) aortic surgery. However, neither of these treatments ceases aortic growth completely.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is characterized by functional dysregulation of dermal fibroblasts.

Incidence of mental health disorders are rising in modernity, with psychological stress linked to a propensity for developing various chronic diseases due to a relative inability of the body to counter the allostatic load on cellular level. Despite these high rates of comorbidities associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is still a lack of understanding in terms of the peripheral effects of PTSD on tissue level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to profile basal dermal fibroblast functional status in PTSD using a wide range of markers involved in the cell-to-cell communication facilitated by fibroblasts.

Plasma chitotriosidase enzyme activity as a novel therapeutic monitor for cysteamine treatment in nephropathic cystinosis: A retrospective validation study.

Background: Cystine-depleting therapy in nephropathic cystinosis is currently monitored via the white blood cell cystine assay, although its application and usefulness are limited by practical and technical issues. Therefore, alternative biomarkers that are widely available, more economical and less technically demanding, while reliably reflecting long-term adherence to cysteamine treatment, are desirable. Recently, we proposed chitotriosidase enzyme activity as a potential novel biomarker for the therapeutic monitoring of cysteamine treatment in cystinosis.

Impact of preterm birth on kidney health and development.

Preterm birth, defined as birth before the gestational age of 37 weeks, affects 11% of the newborns worldwide. While extensive research has focused on the immediate complications associated with prematurity, emerging evidence suggests a link between prematurity and the development of kidney disease later in life. It has been demonstrated that the normal course of kidney development is interrupted in infants born prematurely, causing an overall decrease in functional nephrons.

depletion reduces cystine accumulation without improvement in proximal tubular function in experimental models for cystinosis.

Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder, caused by mutations in the gene, resulting in an absent or altered cystinosin (CTNS) protein. Cystinosin exports cystine out of the lysosome, with a malfunction resulting in cystine accumulation and a defect in other cystinosin-mediated pathways. Cystinosis is a systemic disease, but the kidneys are the first and most severely affected organs.

Psychosocial Impact of a True-Positive, False-Positive, or Inconclusive Newborn Bloodspot Screening Result: A Questionnaire Study among Parents.

Expansion of newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) can increase health gain for more children but also increases the number of false-positive and uncertain results. The impact of abnormal and inconclusive NBS results on parental well-being and healthcare utilization was investigated. A questionnaire was sent to Dutch parents receiving an abnormal or inconclusive NBS result five weeks (T1) and four months (T2) post-NBS and compared to parents with a normal result (controls).

Fronto-limbic white matter microstructural changes in psychiatrically healthy adults with childhood trauma.

Childhood trauma (CT) may influence brain white matter microstructure; however, few studies have examined the differential impact of distinct CT types on white matter microstructure in psychiatrically healthy adults living in a developing country. In adults without significant medical or psychiatric disorders, we investigated the association(s) between CT, including abuse and neglect, and fractional anisotropy (FA) of limbic tracts previously shown to be associated with CT. Participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Insights into adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations in an international cohort of patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Aims: In patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare inherited arrhythmia syndrome, arrhythmic events can be prevented by medication and lifestyle recommendations. In patients who experience breakthrough arrhythmic events, non-adherence plays an essential role. We aimed to investigate the incidence and potential reasons for non-adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations in a large, international cohort of patients with CPVT.

Post-traumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events: a cohort study of a South African medical insurance scheme.

Aims: Prior research, largely focused on US male veterans, indicates an increased risk of cardiovascular disease among individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data from other settings and populations are scarce. The objective of this study is to examine PTSD as a risk factor for incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in South Africa.

Ex Vivo Test of Complement Dysregulation in Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Kidney Transplant patients: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: In 2014, a complement assay, which evaluates C5b-9 deposition on endothelial cells, was proposed as a biomarker for atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Early diagnosis and/or prediction of aHUS (relapse) is pivotal in aHUS kidney transplant recipients who do not receive eculizumab prophylaxis.

Methods: In this pilot study, serum samples of transplanted patients with aHUS in remission without eculizumab and patients with other primary kidney diseases (controls) were blinded and evaluated in the complement assay.