Activation of vasopressin system during COVID-19 is associated with adverse clinical outcomes: an observational study

Abstract Background Activation of the vasopressin system plays a key role for the maintenance of osmotic, cardiovascular and stress hormone homeostasis during disease. We investigated levels of copeptin, the C-terminal segment of the vasopressin prohormone, that mirrors the production rate of vasopressin in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods We measured levels of copeptin on admission and after 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 days in 74 consecutive hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients and compared its prognostic accuracy to that of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (n=876) and acute or chronic bronchitis (n=371) from a previous study by means of logistic regression analysis. The primary endpoint was all-cause 30-day mortality. Results Median admission copeptin levels in COVID-19 patients were almost 4-fold higher in non-survivors compared to survivors (49.4 pmol/L (IQR 24.9-68.9 pmol/L) vs. 13.5 pmol/L (IQR 7.0-26.7 pmol/L) resulting in an age and gender-adjusted odds ratio of 7.0 (95%CI 1.2 to 40.3), p<0.03 for mortality. Higher copeptin levels in non-survivors persisted during the short-term follow-up. Compared to the control group patients with acute/chronic bronchitis and pneumonia, COVID-19 patients did not have higher admission copeptin levels. Conclusions A pronounced activation of the vasopressin system in COVID-19 patients is associated with an adverse clinical course in COVID-19 patients. This finding, however, is not unique to COVID-19 but similar to other types of respiratory infections. .

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Evaluation of cerebral visual functions in low myopic adolescents

International Eye Research ◽

10.18240/ier.2021.01.07 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44

Author(s):

Yun Liu ◽

◽

Li Yan ◽

Hang Chu ◽

Dian-Peng Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zero Order ◽

Control Group ◽

Eye Position ◽

Visual Functions ◽

Fixation Stability ◽

And Gender ◽

Near Future ◽

Normal Adolescents ◽

Abnormal Results

AIM: To explore whether low myopia would affect cerebral visual functions by comparing perceptual eye position (PEP), fixation stability and stereoacuity tests between low myopic and normal adolescents. METHODS: Totally 120 adolescents matched in age and gender participated in our study. Subjects were divided into three groups according to their refractive states. The cerebral visual functions tested in our study included perceptual eye position (PEP), fixation stability and stereoacuity. Stereoacuity tests involved in our study could be categorized into two parts. The first part was classical stereo tests including Titmus and synoptophore stereo test. The second part was 3D random-dot test for zero-order stereoacuity (hereinafter as zero-order test) at different viewing distances (0.8 m and 1.5 m). RESULTS: The deviation of horizontal PEP was significantly larger in non-anisometropia when compared to control group. Both horizontal and vertical PEP bias pixels were significantly larger in anisometropia group. Both non-anisometropia group and anisometropia group had more trouble in holding their fixation stable. Moreover, anisometropia group had more abnormal results than other two groups. And in zero-order test at 1.5 m, both non-anisometropia and anisometropia had more abnormal results in stereoacuity than control group. The correlation between fixation stability and near stereoacuity (Titmus and zero-order stereoacuity at 0.8 m) was weak and positive. CONCLUSION: Low myopic adolescents still have certain defects in cerebral visual functions. Examinations used in our study are useful in assessing cerebral visual functions. They could provide better follow-up evaluation and solid ground for further specific treatments in treating defects of cerebral visual functions. So far, local retinal environment has been the focus of the development in myopia. Our results suggested that researchers might pay more attention on visual cortex in studying the mechanisms of myopia in the near future.

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Longitudinal follow-up in acute and transient psychotic disorders and schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.187.3.286 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 187 (3) ◽

pp. 286-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Frank Pillmann ◽

Andreas Marneros

Keyword(s):

Psychotic Disorders ◽

First Episode ◽

Control Group ◽

Level Of Functioning ◽

General Functioning ◽

And Gender ◽

High Level ◽

Observation Period

SummaryWe prospectively studied the long-term course of individuals with acute and transient psychotic disorders and a control group with positive schizophrenia matched for age and gender. Follow-up investigations using standardised instruments were performed at three time-points covering 7 years after the index episode or 12 years after the first episode. During follow-up, those with positive schizophrenia experienced a deterioration in their general functioning whereas those with acute and transient psychotic disorders retained their high level of functioning. At the end of the observation period, 12 out of 39 (31%) of those with acute and transient psychotic disorders were functioning well without medication compared with 0 out of 38 with positive schizophrenia.

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Community-acquired pneumonia in patients with chronic heart failure: clinical manifestation and a diagnostic role of biomarkers

Russian Pulmonology ◽

10.18093/0869-0189-2019-29-4-391-402 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 391-402

Author(s):

A. A. Bobylev ◽

S. A. Rachina ◽

S. N. Avdeev ◽

R. S. Kozlov

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Chronic Heart Failure ◽

Clinical Course ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽

Serum Biomarkers ◽

Hospital Treatment ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Echocardiographic Parameters

The aims of this study were to evaluate clinical course of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and to assess the time course of serum biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), at baseline and after treatment in patients with CAP and CHF. Methods. This was a prospective observational study. Adult patients with CHF admitted to a hospital due to suspected CAP were recruited in the study. The diagnosis of CAP was confirmed by chest computed tomography (CT). Subsequently, patients were assigned to the group 1 (with confirmed CAP) or the group 2 (with respiratory infections other than CAP). Echocardiography was performed in all patients at baseline and in follow-up visits. In addition to the routine clinical examination and laboratory tests, serum biomarkers were measured in all patients at admission (Visit 1), at days 10 to 14 (Visit 2), and at days 28 to 42 (Visit 3). Standard statistical methods were used for data analysis. Results. Seventy patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study; of them, 35 patients had confirmed CAP and 35 patients had respiratory infections other than CAP. Both groups were similar for demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as for laboratory, echocardiographic and radiological findings. CAP did not affect the clinical course of CHF and echocardiographic parameters did not differ significantly between the groups. Clinical signs of both diseases improved after the treatment in majority of patients. Echocardiographic parameters also improved in both groups that indicates the improvement in cardiac dysfunction under the treatment. During the follow-up, the most prominent changes were seen in CRP level which was significantly higher at baseline in CAP patients compared to patients with other respiratory infections. CRP level decreased at Visit 2 in both groups and in Visit 3 in CAP group. CRP levels differed significantly between the groups both at Visits 1 and 2. Other biomarkers, such as PCT, IL-6, and BNP, were significantly higher at Visit 1 compares to Visit 2. TNF-α level did not change significantly neither in any group during the study nor between the groups at any study time. Conclusion. CAP did not affect the clinical course of CHF. Inflammatory biomarkers, such as CRP, PCT, and IL-6, could be used additionally to the routine diagnostic procedures to differentiate between CAP and other respiratory infections in patients with CHF. CRP is the most promising biomarker. Serum levels of the biomarkers decreased significantly under the standard hospital treatment of CAP and CHF; this could be considered to evaluate treatment success and prognosis.

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Assessment of chronic bronchitis and risk factors in young adults: Results from BAMSE

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.02120-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 2002120

Author(s):

Gang Wang ◽

Jenny Hallberg ◽

Petra Um Bergström ◽

Christer Janson ◽

Göran Pershagen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Young Adults ◽

Chronic Bronchitis ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Early Life ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Mucus Production ◽

Exclusive Breast Feeding

BackgroundChronic bronchitis is associated with substantial morbidity among elderly adults, but little is known about its prevalence and risk factors in young adults. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and early life risk factors for chronic bronchitis in young adults.MethodsQuestionnaire data and clinical measures from the 24-year follow-up of the Swedish BAMSE cohort were used. We assessed chronic bronchitis (CB) as the combination of cough and mucus production in the morning during winter. Environmental and clinical data from birth and onwards were used for analyses of risk factors.ResultsAt the 24-year follow-up, 75% (n=3064) participants completed the questionnaire and 2030 performed spirometry. The overall prevalence of CB was 5.5% (n=158) with similar estimates in males and females. Forty-nine percent of CB cases experienced more than 3 self-reported respiratory infections in the last year compared to 18% in non-CB subjects (p<0.001), and 37% of cases were current smokers (versus 19%). Statistically significant lower post-FEV1/FVC were observed in CB compared to non-CB subjects (mean z-score −0.06 versus 0.13, p=0.027). Daily smoking (adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR=3.85, p<0.001), air pollution exposure (black carbon during ages 1–4 years old, aOR=1.71 per 1 μg·m3 increase, p=0.009) and exclusive breast-feeding during four months or more (aOR=0.66, p=0.044) were associated with CB.ConclusionChronic bronchitis in young adults is associated with recurrent respiratory infections. Besides smoking, our results support role of early life exposures, such as air pollution and exclusive breast-feeding, for respiratory health later in life.

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Tumour recurrence and enlargement in patients with craniopharyngioma with and without GH replacement therapy during more than 10 years of follow-up

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-12-0077 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 166 (6) ◽

pp. 1061-1068 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

D S Olsson ◽

M Buchfelder ◽

K Wiendieck ◽

N Kremenevskaja ◽

B-Å Bengtsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Replacement Therapy ◽

Tumour Progression ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Age At Diagnosis ◽

Control Group ◽

Residual Tumour ◽

Gh Replacement ◽

And Gender

ObjectiveMost patients who have been treated for craniopharyngioma (CP) are GH deficient (GHD). GH replacement therapy (GHRT) may stimulate tumour regrowth; and one of the concerns with long-term GHRT is the risk of tumour progression. Therefore, the objective was to study tumour progression in CP patients on long-term GHRT.DesignCase–control study.Patients and methodsThe criteria for inclusion of cases were: i) GHD caused by CP; ii) GHRT >3 years; and iii) regular imaging. This resulted in 56 patients (mean age at diagnosis 25±16 years) with a mean duration of GHRT of 13.6±5.0 years. As controls, 70 CP patients who had not received GHRT were sampled with regard to follow-up, gender, age at diagnosis and initial radiation therapy (RT).ResultsThe 10-year tumour progression-free survival rate (PFSR) for the entire population was 72%. There was an association (hazard ratio, P value) between PFSR and initial RT (0.13, <0.001) and residual tumour (3.2, <0.001). The 10-year PFSR was 88% for the GHRT group and 57% for the control group. Substitution with GHRT resulted in the following associations to PFSR: GHRT (0.57, 0.17), initial RT (0.16, <0.001), residual tumour (2.6, <0.01) and gender (0.57, 0.10). Adjusted for these factors, the 10-year PFSR was 85% for the GHRT group and 65% for the control group.ConclusionsIn patients with CP, the most important prognostic factors for the PFSR were initial RT and residual tumour after initial treatment. Long-term GHRT did not affect the PFSR in patients with CP.

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Efficacy of probiotics on digestive disorders and acute respiratory infections: a controlled clinical trial in young Vietnamese children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1038/s41430-020-00754-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Truong Tuyet Mai ◽

Pham Thi Thu ◽

Hoang Thi Hang ◽

Tran Thi Thu Trang ◽

Shintaro Yui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Status ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Fermented Milk ◽

Control Group ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Acute Respiratory Infections ◽

Intervention Period ◽

Probiotic Group

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on the incidence of constipation, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections (ARI), and nutritional status of young Vietnamese children. Methods A controlled field trial was conducted with 1003 children (3–5 years old) in Thanh Hoa province in Vietnam. The probiotic group (n = 510) consumed fermented milk 65 mL/day containing 108 CFU/mL of LcS for the 12-week intervention period, whereas the control group (n = 493) was not given any. The incidence of constipation, diarrhea, ARI, and anthropometry in children was determined at baseline, after 4, 8, and 12-week intervention, and after the 4-week follow-up period. Results Probiotic drink decreased the incidence of constipation after the 12-week intervention period (12.0% vs. 32.0%, OR = 0.28 (95% CI: 0.21–0.40), p < 0.001), tended to decrease the incidence of diarrhea (4.9% vs. 7.9%, OR = 0.60 (95% CI: 0.35–1.01), p = 0.068), and prevented the occurrence of ARI (15.9% vs. 24.5%, OR = 0.58 (95% CI: 0.42–0.79), p < 0.001), when compared with the control group. In contrast, no probiotic effects were observed for the duration of diarrhea or ARI. Weight gain was higher in the probiotic group than in the control group after 4, 8, and 12-week intervention and after the 4-week follow-up period (p < 0.05). Conclusions Daily intake of fermented milk containing LcS strongly prevented the incidence of constipation and ARI in Vietnamese children. This study also revealed the potential effects of the use of a probiotic drink on diarrhea prevention as well as nutritional status improvement.

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Effect of a Tailored Activity Pacing Intervention on Fatigue and Physical Activity Behaviours in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 17

Author(s):

Ulric S. Abonie ◽

Florentina J. Hettinga

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Activity Level ◽

Self Report ◽

Control Group ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Average Activity ◽

And Gender

Tailored activity pacing could help manage fatigue and improve physical activity. However, little is known about how to tailor activity pacing for people with multiple sclerosis. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a tailored activity pacing intervention on fatigue and physical activity behaviours in adults with multiple sclerosis. Twenty-one adults with multiple sclerosis, stratified by age and gender, are randomly allocated to either a tailored pacing or control group. Participants wear an accelerometer for seven days that measures physical activity behaviours, and self-report fatigue at the baseline and four-week follow-up. Physical activity behaviours are assessed by examining activity level (seven-day average activity counts per minute) and activity variability (seven-day average highest activity counts each day divided by activity counts on that day). The intervention improves activity levels (Mean difference = 40.91; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] (3.84–77.96); p = 0.03) and lessens activity variability (Mean difference = −0.63; 95% CI (−1.25–0.02); p = 0.04). No significant effect is found for fatigue (Mean difference = −0.36; 95% CI (−1.02–0.30); p = 0.27). This investigation shows that tailoring activity pacing based on physical activity behaviours and fatigue is effective in improving physical activity levels, without exacerbating fatigue symptoms.

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The Effectiveness of Pictured Letters Mnemonics Strategy in Learning Similar English Language Letters among Students with Learning Disabilities

World Journal of Education ◽

10.5430/wje.v7n6p21 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 21

Author(s):

Maysoon A. Dakhiel ◽

Mohammed O. Abu Al Rub

Keyword(s):

Learning Disabilities ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

English Language ◽

Teaching Method ◽

Control Group ◽

Students With Learning Disabilities ◽

And Gender ◽

Experimental Group ◽

Group 1

The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of pictured letters mnemonics strategy in learning similarEnglish language letters among students with learning disabilities in Saudi Arabia according to experimental group(1) and (2), control group, gender, and interaction between them. The study sample comprised (90) students withlearning disabilities who were randomly distributed to three equal groups. While the first experimental group wastaught using the modified letter method, the second experimental group was taught using the method of bothmodified and abstract letters, and the control group was taught in the traditional way. To measure the effectiveness ofthe strategy, the authors applied (pre, post, and follow-up) tests. As a result, two-way ANOVA indicated that therewere significant differences attributed to the teaching method, in favor of the method of both modified and abstractletters, while there were no statistically significant differences due to gender or interaction between the teachingmethod and gender. The same results were obtained from the follow-up test. Accordingly, a set of recommendationswere made.

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P1439DO PATIENTS ON DIALYSIS AGE FASTER THAN HEALTHY ADULTS BASED ON TELOMERE LENGTH; A BIOLOGICAL MARKER OF AGEING AND MORTALITY?

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ◽

10.1093/ndt/gfaa142.p1439 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

Vasantha Muthuppalaniappan ◽

Kieran McCafferty ◽

Muhammad Yaqoob

Keyword(s):

Telomere Length ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Control Cohort ◽

Dialysis Patients ◽

Healthy Cohort ◽

And Gender ◽

Age Range ◽

And Control

Abstract Background and Aims Telomere length (TL) is an emerging novel biomarker of ageing and survival. Telomere shortening to a critical limit is associated with replicative senescence and cell death; a process accelerated by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. This process is often observed among patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD). This predisposes them to increased morbidity and mortality in comparison to their normal counterparts when matched for age and gender. The exact reason for premature ageing in this cohort remains poorly understood and there is a need for further investigations into biomarkers of ageing to help understand the process. The aim of the study was to investigate if patients with ESKD in comparison to healthy controls had an increased biological age based on telomere length measurements. Method This was a single centre prospective, observational, cohort study among eligible dialysis patients and healthy controls. The healthy control group consisted of potential living donors. Patients were recruited as per the study protocol. Recruited patients on HD had their blood sampled prior to their mid-week dialysis session while potential live donors and PD patients had their blood sampled at outpatient clinics. Whole blood was immediately isolated for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Genomic DNA was extracted from PBMC to measure relative telomere length (rTL) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction according to the modified Cawthon protocol. Baseline demographic data and 1-year mortality were obtained from electronic patient records. Results A total of 336 patients (125 patients on HD, 114 patients on PD and 100 healthy controls) had their baseline rTL measured between the period of December 2015 to July 2018. Inter assay CV for rTL assay was 4.86%. Mean age of the dialysis cohort was 54.3 with an age range between 23-83 years. Mean age of control cohort was 44.5 with an age range between 20-75years. There were 87 and 56 females in the dialysis and control cohort respectively. Age was significantly associated with TL in a multivariate regression model in both the dialysis (p<0.001) and control group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in mean TL between gender in the healthy cohort in our study p=0.778. However, mean TL was higher in females than in males among dialysis patients, p=0.007. Mean TL of control and dialysis group was 2.23 ± 0.33 and 2.11 ± 0.34 respectively. The difference in TL between the groups was significant, p=0.006. However, a multivariate analysis of TL adjusted for age and gender was not significant, p=0.875. This was due to the control cohort consisting of younger recruits in comparison to the dialysis cohort. TL was not significantly different between HD and PD patients. There were 10 deaths in 365 days with no loss of follow up throughout the study period. All the deaths were in the dialysis cohort. There was no significant association found between TL and mortality outcomes but the direction of effect i.e shorter TL was associated with increased risk of death. Conclusion This study failed to show any difference between TL between dialysis patients and controls to demonstrate that patients on dialysis age faster. This does not preclude current evidence suggesting that dialysis patients do have an accelerated ageing in comparison to healthy cohort but merely that our study has shown that TL may not be the ideal biomarker of ageing to demonstrate this difference. In fact, increasing animal studies have found that the rate of change in TL over a period of time is a better representation of ageing. The study also identified no association between TL and 1-year mortality as there were only 10 deaths within the 1 year of follow up. This may be largely due to a short duration of follow up and it may be interesting to evaluate TL and 5-year mortality data in this cohort in future.

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Assessing the Effects of a Real-Life Contact Intervention on Prejudice Toward LGBT People

Archives of Sexual Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10508-021-02046-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Florien M. Cramwinckel ◽

Daan T. Scheepers ◽

Tom F. Wilderjans ◽

Robert-Jan B. de Rooij

Keyword(s):

Coming Out ◽

Real Life ◽

Video Data ◽

Control Group ◽

Mixed Design ◽

Intervention Effect ◽

Gender Minorities ◽

Lgbt People ◽

And Gender

AbstractPrejudice against sexual and gender minorities (e.g., LGBT people) is quite prevalent and is harmful. We examined an existing—and often-used—contact intervention in pre-existing groups in an educational setting and assessed its effectiveness in reducing different forms of LGBT negativity. We focused particularly on modern LGBT negativity: a relatively subtle form of prejudice, involving ambivalence, denial, and/or the belief that there is too much attention for LGBT prejudice. We used a mixed design in which condition (experimental vs. control group) was the between-participants factor, which was randomized at the group level, and time (pretest vs. posttest vs. follow-up) was the within-participants factor (N = 117). Interventions were video recorded and the behavior of LGBT educators and participants was coded. Participants responded positively to the intervention, especially to the LGBT educator’s “coming-out story.” Exploratory analysis of the video data indicated that the perceived effectiveness of the intervention was higher in groups where participants were more engaged, although caution is necessary in interpreting this finding. The most important measure indicated that modern LGBT negativity decreased in the intervention groups directly after the intervention, but returned to baseline levels one week later. However, in the control condition, modern LGBT negativity had increased over time. Taken together, this suggests that an actual reduction in modern LGBT negativity was short-lived (i.e., the intervention effect disappeared within 7 days).

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