Neonatal ethanol exposure from ethanol-based hand sanitisers in isolettes.

Objective: The aims of this study is to measure the ethanol vapours in the isolette after use of hands cleaned with ethanol-based hand sanitiser (EBHS).

Methods: Two squirts (1.5 mL) of hand sanitiser were rubbed on hands for 10 or 20 s before inserting the hands in the isolette for 5 min.

Intestinal Barrier Maturation in Very Low Birthweight Infants: Relationship to Feeding and Antibiotic Exposure.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that feeding and antibiotic exposures affect intestinal barrier maturation in preterm infants, we serially measured intestinal permeability (IP) biomarkers in infants <33 weeks gestation (gestational age [GA]) during the first 2 weeks of life.

Study Design: Eligible infants <33 weeks GA were enrolled within 4 days of birth in a prospective study of IP biomarkers (NCT01756040). Study participants received the nonmetabolized sugars lactulose/rhamnose enterally on study days 1, 8, and 15 and lactulose/rhamnose were measured in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Developmental Exposure to Environmental Toxicants.

Children interact with the physical environment differently than adults, and are uniquely susceptible to environmental toxicants. Routes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and target organ toxicities vary as children grow and develop. This article summarizes the sources of exposure and known adverse effects of toxicants that are ubiquitous in our environment, including tobacco smoke, ethanol, solvents, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, persistent organic pollutants, and pesticides.

Restoration of Glucose Counterregulation by Islet Transplantation in Long-standing Type 1 Diabetes.

Patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes (T1D) may exhibit defective glucose counterregulation and impaired hypoglycemia symptom recognition that substantially increase their risk for experiencing severe hypoglycemia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intrahepatic islet transplantation improves endogenous glucose production (EGP) in response to hypoglycemia in T1D patients experiencing severe hypoglycemia. We studied longitudinally subjects (n = 12) with ∼30 years, disease duration before and 6 months after intrahepatic islet transplantation using stepped hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic and paired hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with infusion of 6,6-(2)H2-glucose and compared the results with those from a nondiabetic control group (n = 8).

A reassessment of soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor in glomerular disease.

It has been suggested that soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) is a causative circulating factor for and a biomarker of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Here we undertook validation of these assumptions in both mouse and human models. Injection of recombinant suPAR in wild-type mice did not induce proteinuria within 24 h.

Pretreatment vitamin D level and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer on the I-SPY trial (CALGB 150007/150015/ACRIN6657).

Laboratory studies suggest that vitamin D (vitD) enhances chemotherapy-induced cell death. The objective of this study was to determine whether pretreatment vitD levels were associated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in women with breast cancer. Study patients (n = 82) were enrolled on the I-SPY TRIAL, had HER2-negative tumors, and available pretreatment serum.

Effects of testosterone and growth hormone on the structural and mechanical properties of bone by micro-MRI in the distal tibia of men with hypopituitarism.

Context: Severe deficiencies of testosterone (T) and GH are associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk. Replacement of T in hypogonadal men improves several bone parameters. Replacement of GH in GH-deficient men improves BMD.

Changes in biomarkers associated with living kidney donation.

Living donor kidneys have been associated with better graft and overall survival in kidney transplant recipients. Although a living kidney donation is generally considered safe in carefully selected living donors, concerns of possible adverse effects related to kidney donation remain, especially in younger and high-risk donors. In this study, we examined the changes in a panel of traditional and novel serum biomarkers linked with cardiovascular conditions in a cohort of 34 healthy living kidney donors with a mean age ± SD of 40 ± 10 years and estimated predonation glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 86 ± 10 ml/min/1.

Drug resistance and pseudoresistance: an unintended consequence of enteric coating aspirin.

Background: Low dose aspirin reduces the secondary incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke. Drug resistance to aspirin might result in treatment failure. Despite this concern, no clear definition of aspirin resistance has emerged, and estimates of its incidence have varied remarkably.

Vitamin d deficiency in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) taking aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are at an increased risk for decreased bone density and fractures. Given the role vitamin D plays in bone metabolism, we examined the prevalence of and risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in a study of postmenopausal BCS on AIs.

Methods: We collected data on 391 postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer on AI therapy.

Hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (HPGDS): a high stability, Val187Ile isoenzyme common among African Americans and its relationship to risk for colorectal cancer.

Intestinal tumors in Apc(Min/+) mice are suppressed by over-production of HPGDS, which is a glutathione transferase that forms prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)). We characterized naturally occurring HPGDS isoenzymes, to see if HPGDS variation is associated with human colorectal cancer risk. We used DNA heteroduplex analysis and sequencing to identify HPGDS variants among healthy individuals.

Relation of plasma fatty acid binding proteins 4 and 5 with the metabolic syndrome, inflammation and coronary calcium in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) 4 and 5 play coordinated roles in rodent models of inflammation, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis, but little is known of their role in human disease. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that plasma adipocyte and macrophage FABP4 and FABP5 levels would provide additive value in the association with metabolic and inflammatory risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well as subclinical atherosclerosis. Using the Penn Diabetes Heart Study (PDHS; n = 806), cross-sectional analysis of FABP4 and FABP5 levels with metabolic and inflammatory parameters and with coronary artery calcium, a measure of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, was performed.

Association of lower plasma fetuin-a levels with peripheral arterial disease in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Fetuin-A is an inhibitor of vascular calcification and a mediator of insulin resistance. This study evaluated the association of plasma fetuin-A and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Research Design And Methods: A total of 738 individuals with type 2 diabetes (mean age 58.

Symptoms in the menopausal transition: hormone and behavioral correlates.

Objective: To estimate the association of headache, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, and concentration difficulties with menopausal stage and with reproductive hormones in the menopausal transition.

Methods: Women in the Penn Ovarian Aging Study were assessed longitudinally for 9 years. Data were obtained from structured interviews, a validated symptom questionnaire, menstrual bleeding dates, and early follicular hormone measures of estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone.

Association of physical activity with reproductive hormones: the Penn Ovarian Aging Study.

Background: Physical activity is associated with reduced risk for breast cancer, perhaps through reductions in circulating reproductive hormones (estrogens and androgens). There may also be a role for physical activity in regulating menopausal symptoms. Few studies have examined associations of physical activity on hormone levels.

Salt intake and insulin sensitivity in healthy human volunteers.

The literature on salt intake and insulin sensitivity presents a mixed picture, as some studies have shown an increase, whereas others have shown a decrease, in insulin action as sodium intake is enhanced. In some cases, this may relate to the study of salt intake in patients with co-morbidities such as hypertension or diabetes. In the present study, we selected healthy normotensive lean volunteers who underwent a euglycaemic clamp following 6 days of a low-salt diet (20 mmol sodium daily) and, subsequently, 6 days of a high-salt diet (200 mmol sodium daily).

Circadian variation of blood pressure and the vascular response to asynchronous stress.

The diurnal variation in the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke may reflect an influence of the molecular clock and/or the time dependence of exposure to environmental stress. The circadian variation in blood pressure and heart rate is disrupted in mice, Bmal1(-/-), Clock(mut), and Npas2(mut), in which core clock genes are deleted or mutated. Although Bmal1 deletion abolishes the 24-h frequency in cardiovascular rhythms, a shorter ultradian rhythm remains.

Glycemic thresholds for activation of counterregulatory hormone and symptom responses in islet transplant recipients.

Context: In patients with type 1 diabetes and reduced awareness of hypoglycemia, the glycemic thresholds for activation of counterregulatory hormone and symptom responses to hypoglycemia are impaired, in part due to recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia. Islet transplantation can ameliorate occurrences of hypoglycemia in these patients.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether the avoidance of hypoglycemia achieved through islet transplantation results in improved glycemic thresholds for counterregulatory responses.

Marked interindividual variability in the response to selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2.

Background & Aims: Variability in response to drugs may influence both efficacy and safety. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors pose a cardiovascular risk by potentially increasing the likelihood of thrombosis, hypertension, and atherogenesis. Differences between individuals in the response to COX-2 inhibitors would be expected to influence their susceptibility to cardiovascular complications.

The role of anxiety and hormonal changes in menopausal hot flashes.

Objective: To estimate the association of anxiety with menopausal hot flashes in the early transition to menopause.

Design: A randomly identified, population-based cohort of midlife women followed up for 6 years to assess reproductive hormones and other physical, emotional, and behavioral factors. At enrollment, the women were premenopausal, aged 35 to 47 years, and had regular menstrual cycles in the normal range.

Defining menopause status: creation of a new definition to identify the early changes of the menopausal transition.

Objective: Several menopausal staging definitions are currently being used in ongoing studies designed to identify changes occurring during menopause. The objective of this study was to determine which definition captures the earliest hormonal changes in the menopausal transition.

Design: In this prospective cohort study, women aged 35 to 47 years were followed for 5 years.

The validity and feasibility of saliva melatonin assessment in the elderly.

Recent work in young and middle-aged subjects suggests that melatonin levels in saliva may represent a viable alternative to serum melatonin measurement. We hypothesized that it may be a valid measure of melatonin levels in older adults as well, but features unique to the elderly may limit its utility. To study this, subjects were admitted to an academic medical center where saliva and serum specimens were collected concurrently in dim light conditions during a 14-hr overnight study period and analyzed for melatonin levels with radioimmunoassays (RIAs).