Effect of Resveratrol on Serum Levels of Type II Collagen and Aggrecan in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Clinical Study

Treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) remains a challenging concern. Preclinical studies provided accumulating evidence on resveratrol efficacy in ameliorating degenerative articular damage. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of resveratrol as monotherapy on the serum level of type II collagen (Coll 2-1) and aggrecan in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study was an open-labeled noncontrolled clinical trial. Resveratrol 500 mg/day in a single oral dose was given to the patients with knee osteoarthritis for 90 days. The serum levels of Coll-2-1, aggrecan, and biomarkers of inflammation were measured pre- and posttreatment. Hematological profiles and both hepatic and renal function markers were investigated at the baseline and at the end of the treatment for evaluating the tolerability and safety of resveratrol. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) for disease activity were clinically assessed monthly. Administration of 500 mg resveratrol for three months led to a nonsignificant decrease in the serum level of Coll 2-1 while a significant increase in aggrecan serum level. Resveratrol significantly improves pain score measured by VAS and KOOS after 30 days. Improvements in patients’ activity and functional status were also evident at day 30 and kept on for three months which was reflected by KOOS subscale scores and with a significant improvement in all KOOS areas. In conclusion, oral administration of resveratrol as a monotherapy provides a remarkable improvement in the clinical status of the patients but has no significant effect on serum levels of Coll 2-1.

Preterm birth rates during the COVID-19 lockdown in Queensland Australia

Background Preventative strategies for preterm birth are lacking. Recent evidence proposed COVID-19 lockdowns may have contributed to changes in preterm birth. We aimed to determine the prevalence of preterm birth during the COVID-19 lockdown on the Sunshine Coast and in the state of Queensland, Australia. Methods Retrospective cohort analysis of all births in Queensland including the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, during two epochs, April 1-May 31, 2020 (lockdown) and June 1-July 31, 2020 (post-lockdown), compared to antecedent calendar-matched periods in 2018-2019. Prevalence of preterm birth, stillbirth, and late terminations were examined. Results There were 64,989 births in Queensland from April to July 2018-2020. At the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, there was a significantly higher chance of birth at term during both lockdown (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.17, 2.79; P=0.007) and post-lockdown (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.27, 3.18; P=0.003). At the same centre, prevalence of preterm birth was 5.5% (30/547) during lockdown, compared to 9.1% (100/1095) in previous years, a 40.0% relative reduction (P=0.016). At this centre during lockdown, emergency caesareans concurrently decreased (P=0.034) and vacuum-assisted births increased (P=0.036). In Queensland overall, there was a nonsignificant decrease in the prevalence of preterm birth during lockdown. Conclusions There is a link between lockdown and a reduction in the prevalence of preterm birth on the Sunshine Coast. The cause is speculative. Further research is needed to determine a causal link and assess if this can be translated into management which provides a sustained reduction in preterm birth and its associated morbidity and mortality.

Trend in Area, Production and Productivity of Pigeon Pea in Myanmar

Background: Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is the third most important pulse crop of Myanmar. The country is the biggest exporter of pigeon pea accounting for nearly (90%) of the total global export volumes. This study evaluates trends in the area, production and productivity of pigeon pea in Myanmar. Methods: The study is based on 10 years (2008 to 2017) secondary data obtained from the Myanmar MOALI and FAOSTAT. CAGR and multiple regression were adopted as the study methods. Result: Results indicated that due to an increase in harvesting area and productivity, pigeon pea production increased from 7,65,000 MT in 2008 to 7,98,689 MT in 2017. However, CAGR indicated a nonsignificant decrease.

Photosynthetic and Ultrastructural Properties of Eggplant (Solanum melongena) under Salinity Stress

Salinity is one of the major problems facing crops worldwide. Salinity can severely affect plants in a negative manner. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of NaCl on morpho–physiological, biochemical, structural and ultrastructural properties in Solanum melongena seedlings under different NaCl concentrations. Plants treated with high concentrations of NaCl showed a nonsignificant decrease in shoot height compared to the controls. However, NaCl concentration of 50 mM and above significantly decreased leaf area, while 75 mM and above significantly reduced the photosynthetic rate (PN) and leaf total sugar content when compared with plants treated with less-concentrated NaCl and the controls. Thick root sections from plants grown in 100 and 150 mM NaCl exhibit severe deformation in the epidermal and cortical layers. Additionally, TEM micrographs of plants treated with 75, 100, and 150 mM exhibited bulgy chloroplasts with loss of integrity thylakoid membranes associated with large starch grains. The changes in plant ultrastructure observed in this study broaden our knowledge about the impact of salinity at the cellular level.

National Trends in Cycling in Light of the Norwegian Bike Traffic Index

National and international strategies and recommendations are intended to increase physical activity in the general population. Active transportation is included in interdisciplinary strategies to meet these recommendations. Cycling seems to be more health enhancing than walking for transportation since cycling seems to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors. Furthermore, the health benefits of cycling are proven to outrun the risk of injuries and mortality. Politicians seem to approve costly infrastructure strategies to increase the amount of cycling in the population to improve public health and shift to more sustainable travel habits. A linear relationship between cycle-friendly infrastructure and the amount of commuter cycling has been demonstrated. However, in Norway and on a global level, there is a lack of robust evaluations of actions and sensitive monitoring systems to observe possible change. Therefore, we aimed to develop the Norwegian bike traffic index and describe the national, regional, and local trends in counted cycle trips. We used a transparent methodology so that the index can be used, developed, and adapted in other countries. We included 89 stationary counters from the whole country. Counters monitored cycling from 2018 onward. The index is organized at local, regional, and national levels. Furthermore, the index is adjusted for population density at the counter level and presented as ratio of counted cycle trips, comparing 2018 to subsequent years. The index is presented as a percentage change with 95% confidence intervals. In Norway, counted cycle trips increased by 11% from 2018 (100, 100–100) to 2020 (111.0, 106.2–115.1), with large geographical differences. In Southern Norway, there was a significant increase of 23%, and in Northern Norway, there was a nonsignificant decrease by 8% from 2018 to 2020. The indices may indicate possible related effects of local to national cycling strategies and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Norwegian travel habits in urban areas.

A 9-Year Comparison of Dementia Prevalence in Korea: Results of NaSDEK 2008 and 2017

Background: In many high-income Western countries, the prevalence of dementia had been reduced over the past decades. Objective: We investigated whether the prevalence of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had changed in Korea from 2008 to 2017. Methods: Nationwide Survey on Dementia Epidemiology of Korea (NaSDEK) in 2008 and 2017 was conducted on representative elderly populations that were randomly sampled across South Korea. Both surveys employed a two-stage design (screening and diagnostic phases) and diagnosed dementia and MCI according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the consensus criteria from the International Working Group, respectively. The numbers of participants aged 65 years or older in the screening and diagnostic phases were 6,141 and 1,673 in the NaSDEK 2008 and 2,972 and 474 in the NaSDEK 2017, respectively. Results: The age- and sex-standardized prevalence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease showed nonsignificant decrease (12.3% to 9.8%, odds ratio [OR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54–1.48 for all-cause dementia; 7.6% to 6.8%, OR [95% CI] = 0.91 [0.58–1.42] for Alzheimer’s disease). Vascular dementia decreased in the young-old population aged less than 75 years (2.7% to 0.001%, OR [95% CI] = 0.04 [0.01–0.15]) and in women (1.9% to 0.5%, OR [95% CI] = 0.27 [0.10–0.72]) while MCI remained stable (25.3% to 26.2%, OR [95% CI] = 1.08 [0.67–1.73]). Conclusion: We found that the prevalence of dementia in Korea showed a nonsignificant decrease between 2008 and 2017.

Does a community based recovery service reduce inpatient bed days?

Objective: Increasing options for the delivery of community-based care may be one way to reduce inpatient bed pressures. This study set out to examine the effect of community-based step up/step down (SUSD) care on hospital usage for service users with multi-service usage. Methods: A retrospective audit was undertaken of the medical records of all individuals admitted to a SUSD unit over a 2-year period, calculating inpatient bed days for the 12 months prior to, and the 12 months after, the SUSD admission. Results: There was a statistically nonsignificant decrease in bed days in the 12 months following admission. Conclusion: It is possible that inpatient bed day reduction may not be an appropriate outcome measure for a service built on principles of personal recovery. How to translate recovery-outcomes to justifiable financial benefits for services requires further consideration and alignment of values with reporting measures.

Does a Large (>24 mm) Follicle Yield a Competent Oocyte/Embryo?

<b><i>Aim:</i></b> To evaluate the effect of large follicular size (≥24 mm) at day of oocyte retrieval on oocyte/embryo quality. <b><i>Patients and Methods:</i></b> A cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary medical center between July 2018 and May 2019. Before ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration, follicles were measured and divided into 2 groups according to their maximal dimensional size: large: ≥24 mm and normal: &#x3c;24 mm. Microscopic examination of the follicular aspirates was performed by an embryologist. Each follicle aspirated was evaluated for oocyte maturation, oocyte fertilization, and embryo quality. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 428 follicles were measured, including 383 (62.81%) in the normal and 45 (14.06%) in the large follicle groups. Oocytes were achieved during aspiration from 297 (75.5%) and 29 (64.4%) of the normal and large follicle groups, respectively (<i>p</i> = 0.05). No in-between group differences were observed in mature oocyte (MII), fertilization, and top-quality embryo (TQE) rates. Nevertheless, once a zygote (2PN) was achieved, a trend toward a higher TQE rate/2PN was found in the large follicle group (16/19 [84.2%] vs. 115/171 [67.3%]; <i>p</i> = 0.062). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> While a nonsignificant decrease in oocyte recovery rate was found in follicles ≥24 mm, the zygote and TQE per follicle were comparable.

Temporal changes in the likelihood of dementia and MCI over 18 years in a population sample

ObjectiveTo examine the temporal changes in the likelihood of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) between 1993 and 2012 using a short battery of cognitive tests.MethodsA cohort of 10,342 participants underwent a short battery of cognitive tests collected during triennial in-home interviews with 2,794 of those evaluated for the clinical diagnosis of dementia and MCI. We used a generalized logit regression model to estimate the likelihood of dementia and MCI, and a quasibinomial regression model to examine the temporal changes in those likelihood scores.ResultsA short battery of cognitive tests—delayed story recall test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and the Mini-Mental State Examination—were associated with the clinical diagnosis of dementia and MCI. The classification accuracy of likelihood scores was 0.92 for dementia and 0.85 for MCI. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and education, the likelihood of dementia in the population decreased from 21.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 20.9%–22.3%) to 18.9% (95% CI 18.1%–19.7%) between 1993–1996 and 2000–2002 and showed no significant decline between 2000–2002 and 2009–2012 (−0.2%, 95% CI −1.1% to 0.7%). The estimated likelihood of MCI remained similar between 1993–1996 and 2009–2012 (29.0%, 95% CI 27.9%–30.1%), but showed a nonsignificant decrease in 2000–2002.ConclusionThe likelihood scores based on a short battery of cognitive tests can serve as a measure of dementia and MCI in epidemiologic studies. The decline in the likelihood of dementia and MCI over earlier years was not sustained in later years.

Impact of Setting up an “Endocarditis Team” on the Management of Infective Endocarditis

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a severe disease with a high mortality rate. Therefore, guidelines encourage the setup of a multidisciplinary group in reference centers. The present study evaluated the impact of this “Endocarditis Team” (ET). Methods We conducted a monocentric observational study at Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France, between 2012 and 2017. The primary end point was in-hospital mortality. Secondary end points were 6-month and 1-year mortality, surgery rate, time to surgical procedure, duration of effective antibiotic therapy, length of in-hospital stay, and sequelae. We also assessed predictors of in-hospital mortality. Results We analyzed 391 episodes of IE. In the post-ET period, there was a nonsignificant decrease in in-hospital mortality (20.3% vs 14.7%, respectively; P = .27) and sequelae, along with a significant reduction in time to surgery (16.4 vs 10.3 days, respectively; P = .049), duration of antibiotic therapy (55.2 vs 47.2 days, respectively; P &lt; .001), and length of in-hospital stay (40.6 vs 31.9 days, respectively; P &lt; .01). In a multivariate analysis, the post-ET period was positively associated with survival (odds ratio, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.96; P = .048). Conclusions This multidisciplinary approach exerted a positive impact on the management of IE and should be considered in all hospitals managing IE.