Category Archives: ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Magnetic resonance imaging‐based risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma after direct‐acting antiviral therapy: A multicenter observational study

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Magnetic resonance imaging-based risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting antiviral therapy: A multicenter observational study

According to the multivariate analysis, age, male sex, history of hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodule without arterial phase hyperenhancement were independent risk factors significantly associated with the development of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (p < 0.001–0.04). The incidence rate of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher among patients with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma than in those without a history of hepatocellular carcinoma (p < 0.001). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma development rates were 11.7%, 46.9%, and 71.9%, respectively, among patients with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma, whereas the rates were 2.0%, 8.0%, and 9.7%, respectively, in the patients without a history of hepatocellular carcinoma. The incidence rate of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher among patients with hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodule without arterial phase hyperenhancement than in those without that nodule (p < 0.001). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma development rates were 10.9%, 44.2%, and 61.6%, respectively, in the patients with hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodule without arterial phase hyperenhancement, whereas the rates were 2.5%, 9.9%, and 15.9%, respectively, in the patients without that nodule.


Abstract

Aim

To determine risk factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Methods

We enrolled patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent direct-acting antiviral therapy and achieved sustained virologic response at 12 weeks between 2012 and 2018. Subsequently, patients were followed up. The primary endpoint was the development of HCC or the date of the last follow up when the absence of HCC was confirmed. Uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify factors contributing to HCC development, including gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging findings. The cumulative incidence rates of HCC development were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences between groups were assessed using the log-rank test.

Results

The final study cohort comprised 482 patients (median age 70.5 years; 242 men). The median follow-up period was 36.8 months. Among 482 patients, 96 developed HCC (19.9%). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative rates of HCC development were 4.9%, 18.6%, and 30.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, male sex, history of HCC, and hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodules without arterial phase hyperenhancement were independent risk factors significantly associated with HCC development (p < 0.001–0.04). The highest risk group included patients with both a history of HCC and the presence of hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodules without arterial phase hyperenhancement (the 1- and 3-year cumulative HCC development rates were 14.2% and 62.2%, respectively).

Conclusion

History of HCC and presence of hepatobiliary phase hypointense nodules without arterial phase hyperenhancement were strong risk factors for HCC development following direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Elevated carbon‐dioxide effects on wheat grain quality differed under contrasting nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser supply

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Abstract

Global atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration ([CO2]) is increasing rapidly, but its interactions with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertiliser on wheat grain quality are not well understood. In two experiments, we investigated the effects of ambient [CO2] (aCO2; ∼410 ppm) and elevated [CO2] (eCO2; 760 ppm) on shoot macro-nutrient content, nutrient harvest index (NuHI) and grain nutrient concentration of wheat supplied low and optimum rates of N and P fertilisers. Elevated [CO2] increased biomass, grain yield and grain nutrient accumulation in Experiment 1, resulting in reduced grain N, S, Ca and Mg concentration. This was attributed to nutrient ‘dilution’ due to increased carbohydrate content in the grain. In contrast, in Experiment 2, measured variables were unaffected by eCO2, but grain N, K, Ca and Mg concentrations decreased with increasing [CO2]. This was attributed to reduced remobilisation of nutrients to the grain during reproductive development at eCO2. Fertiliser deficiency reduced straw and grain yield by 61–86% across CO2 treatments and experiments. The element HIs were unaffected by eCO2, except for MgHI. Our results point to a compensatory and symmetrical interactions between N, P and CO2 that changes in one element rapidly altering the availability of the other. Furthermore, the results highlight the need for selecting cultivars that are productive and yet maintain suitable quality characteristics under eCO2.

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Reliability of field‐ and laboratory‐based assessments of health‐related fitness in preschool‐aged children

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Abstract

Objectives

Reliable measurements of health-related fitness—cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition, and flexibility—are imperative for understanding and tracking health-related fitness from the preschool age. This study aimed to examine the test–retest reliability of field-based (i.e., sit and reach [standard and back-saver], standing long jump, grip strength); and laboratory-based (i.e., Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test, Wingate Anaerobic Test) assessments of health-related fitness in preschool aged children (4–5 years).

Methods

Forty-two typically developing children participated in both assessment time points separated by 2–3 weeks. All fitness assessments were administered individually and repeated in the same order by the same assessor. Heteroscedasticity was examined for each parameter. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess test–retest reliability.

Results

All parameters were homoscedastic. Test–retest reliability for the field-based tests and Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test parameters were moderate to good. Test–retest reliability for the Wingate Test parameters were good to excellent for maximum pedal rate, peak power, and peak power/kg; mean power and fatigue measured at 10 and 30 s demonstrated moderate to excellent test–retest reliability.

Conclusion

The standard sit and reach, grip strength, and short-term muscle power from the Wingate test are reliable assessments of health-related fitness in preschool-aged children.

Secular trends in height, weight, and body mass index in the context of economic and political transformations in Russia from 1885 to 2021

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Abstract

Objectives

To study and analyze the impact of socio-economic factors on secular changes in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) among Moscow's youth over the time interval from the late 19th–early 20th century to the present.

Methods

Anthropometric data, including height, weight, and BMI, were collected through surveys conducted on youths aged 17–20 years in Moscow from the 1880s for males and from the 1920s for females to the present. The dataset includes information on 6434 individuals surveyed from 2000 to 2019, as well as previously published mean values. Economic development indicators, such as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, monthly average income per capita, and the Gini coefficient, were examined to analyze the association between secular trends in body size and socio-economic conditions.

Results

A positive secular trend in height and weight has been observed among Moscow's youth from the early 20th century to the present. Substantial increases in height occurred during the second half of the previous century, stabilizing in the 2000s. Over the analyzed period, both average body weight and BMI values showed a consistent rise. The pattern for BMI exhibited a U-shaped trend, with a decline from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, followed by a subsequent increase. Strong correlations were found between the secular changes in body size among Moscow's youth and temporal fluctuations in key socio-economic indicators, including GDP per capita, monthly average income per capita, and the Gini coefficient.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates the significant influence of socio-economic conditions on intergenerational changes in body size, as evidenced by the positive secular trend in physique indicators (height, weight, and BMI) among Moscow's youth.

Conditioning on the causal network prevents indirect response to selection

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Abstract

Multiple trait animal models (MTM) allow to estimate the breeding values (BV) of several traits simultaneously while accounting for genetic and environmental correlations among them. However, relationships among traits may not be reciprocal but rather causal in nature. In these cases, and given a causal network, structural equations models (SEM) arise as a more appropriate methodology. Although MTM and SEM have been shown to be parametrically equivalent, the estimated breeding value (EBV) obtained from either one or the other should be interpreted differently. In this study, we investigated the impact of using these estimates on the response to selection for a causal network comprising five different traits through a stochastic simulation experiment. Three different selection targets were assayed, involving traits located upstream, midstream and downstream this causal network. We first considered the case in which traits were causally related but not genetically correlated. The current results support our hypothesis that MTM will absorb causal relationships as genetic correlations and, consequently, change the response to selection achieved as compared with SEM. We found no differences on the response to selection when the target trait was located at the top of the causal network, but noticeable differences were detected on upstream traits when selection pressure was placed on midstream or downstream traits. We also assayed a scenario in which causal effects and genetic correlations act simultaneously and found that selection based on BVs estimated using SEM diminished the indirect response in traits upstream the causal network.

Relative contribution of season, site, scion and rootstock genotype, and susceptibility to European canker to the variability in bacterial and fungal communities in apple leaf scar tissues

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Relative contribution of season, site, scion and rootstock genotype, and susceptibility to European canker to the variability in bacterial and fungal communities in apple leaf scar tissues

Composition of endophyte around the apple leaf scars was primarily affected by season and planting location. There was a significant reduction in the community size in the spring, particularly for fungi, and species turnover between autumn and spring. Scion and rootstock genotypes had limited effects on the endophyte community. A group of resistant cultivars differed from a group of susceptible ones in the relative abundance of many bacterial and fungal OTUs, including OTUs from Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Vishniacozyma and Rhodotorula babjevae.


Abstract

Neonectria ditissima infects apple trees through wounds, causing European canker. In the UK, the most important entry site for N. ditissima is leaf scar. Specific apple endophytes may contribute to cultivar resistance/tolerance to the pathogen. We assessed the relative effect of location, sampling time (season), and rootstock/scion genotype on bacterial and fungal endophyte communities in the apple leaf scar tissues of current-season extension shoots and identified Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with differential abundance between canker resistant and susceptible scions, and between rootstocks. Leaf scar tissues were sampled from two orchards at three times (10/2018, 06/2019 and 10/2019) for eight scion cultivars, each grafted onto two rootstocks, for profiling 16S and ITS rRNA regions. Endophyte composition was primarily affected by season (autumn vs. spring) and location (sites and blocks within site). There was a significant reduction in the community size in the spring, particularly for fungi, and species turnover between autumn and spring. This seasonal dynamics suggest that to protect leaf scars from N. ditissima infection in the autumn specific endophytes suppressing canker may have to be augmented annually around the leaf-fall time. Scion and rootstock genotypes had limited effects on the endophyte community. A group of resistant cultivars differed from a group of susceptible ones in the relative abundance of many bacterial and fungal OTUs, most of which had low reads numbers. Nevertheless, several OTUs with high reads numbers differed in their relative abundance between resistant and susceptible scions, including OTUs from Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Vishniacozyma and Rhodotorula babjevae, and warrant further investigation for their potential role in host resistance/tolerance against N. ditissima.

Effects of exercise on whole‐blood transcriptome profile in children with overweight/obesity

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Abstract

Background

The current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits of exercise is still limited, especially in childhood. We set out to investigate the effects of a 20-week exercise intervention on whole-blood transcriptome profile (RNA-seq) in children with overweight/obesity.

Methods

Twenty-four children (10.21 ± 1.33 years, 46% girls) with overweight/obesity, were randomized to either a 20-week exercise program (intervention group; n = 10), or to a no-exercise control group (n = 14). Whole-blood transcriptome profile was analyzed using RNA-seq by STRT technique with GlobinLock technology.

Results

Following the 20-week exercise intervention program, 161 genes were differentially expressed between the exercise and the control groups among boys, and 121 genes among girls (p-value <0.05), while after multiple correction, no significant difference between exercise and control groups persisted in gene expression profiles (FDR >0.05). Genes enriched in GO processes and molecular pathways showed different immune response in boys (antigen processing and presentation, infections, and T cell receptor complex) and in girls (Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway) (FDR <0.05).

Conclusion

These results suggest that 20-week exercise intervention program alters the molecular pathways involved in immune processes in children with overweight/obesity.

Predictors of milk cortisol in North American women

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Abstract

Objectives

Human milk content varies across mother–child dyads, environments, and populations. Among the hormones in milk is cortisol, a glucocorticoid; its impact on the breastfeeding child is unknown. Milk cortisol may constitute a signal to the child's developing physiology which can shape characteristics (e.g., growth, temperament) to prevailing environmental conditions. This exploratory study evaluated the maternal, breastfeeding, and infant characteristics associated with milk cortisol.

Methods

We evaluated archived milk specimens for cortisol using enzyme immunoassay and employed an information-theoretic approach to assess associations between milk cortisol and participant characteristics with linear regression modeling. Because we employed secondary data, information for some variables likely to impact milk cortisol variation (e.g., time of day, socioeconomic status, maternal or infant body mass index, milk energy density) was unavailable.

Results

Participants were 48 lactating mothers from upstate New York, aged 21–40 years. Milk cortisol ranged from 0.098 to 1.007 μg/dL. Child age ranged from 1 to 26 months. In linear regression employing best fit modeling criteria, milk cortisol increased with child age (B: 0.069; p: .000; a 7.1% increase in milk cortisol for each month of child age), while child symptoms of illness (B: −0.398; p: .057; a 33% decrease) and consumption of complementary foods (B: −.525; p: .020; a 41% decrease) were associated with lower milk cortisol.

Conclusions

We speculate that increasing milk cortisol with child age plays a role in signaling development (e.g., as increasing independence increases risk for injury and other negative health outcomes), independent of the maternal stressors we could capture.

Secular trends and urban–rural disparities in height of Chinese adolescents aged 18 years from 1985 to 2019

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Abstract

Objectives

To examine the secular trends and urban–rural disparities in height of Chinese adolescents aged 18 years from 1985 to 2019.

Methods

Data were extracted from the Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health from 1985 to 2019, and the heights of a total of 76 554 boys and 75 908 girls aged 18 years were measured. The Mann–Kendall trend test was used to analyze the secular trends in height. Changes in different periods and urban–rural disparities were tested by z-tests and calculating the ratios of the coefficient of variation (CV) of height.

Results

The height of Chinese boys and girls aged 18 years increased from 168.21 and 157.10 cm in 1985 to 172.15 cm and 160.11 cm in 2019, respectively, with a larger increase in rural areas. The secular trends in height were the largest for boys from 1995 to 2005 and for girls from 2014 to 2019, and the same results were observed in urban and rural areas. The urban–rural disparities for boys and girls decreased by 1.79 and 0.91 cm, respectively, with significant decreases for boys in all regions and for girls in the eastern region. The overall CVs of height increased by 0.13% and 0.25% for boys and girls, respectively, with the largest increase among rural girls.

Conclusions

The height of Chinese adolescents aged 18 years continued to increase between 1985 and 2019. The urban–rural disparities narrowed, and inequalities within rural areas for girls increased.

Pinecone oil supplemented to multiparous sows from 107 days prenatal to 21 days postpartum improves reproductive performance and milk composition and affects serum parameters

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Abstract

Pinecone oil (PO) of Pinus koraiensis mainly contains α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene that may ameliorate animal well-being and growth performance. This study evaluated its effects on feed intake, milk composition and yield, serum parameters, and litter growth of sows. Twenty-seven pregnant sows (parity 2–4) were distributed to three dietary treatments. The trial started on Day 107 of gestation and ended on Day 21 of lactation. Sows were given either a basal diet or the basal diet + 200 or 400 mg/kg PO. Each treatment contained nine sows and each sow was considered an experimental unit. Results showed that the average daily gain and weaned body weight of piglets from the sows fed 400 mg/kg PO supplements were higher (p < 0.05) than the piglets from the control sows. Lactose content in colostrum samples and fat content in milk samples were higher (p < 0.05) in 400 mg/kg PO-treated sows, respectively, than those from the sows fed basal diet. Additionally, cortisol concentration and aspartate aminotransferase concentration in sow serum was lowered (p < 0.05) by 400 mg/kg PO on Day 21 of lactation. In conclusion, supplementation of 400 mg/kg PO during late gestation and lactation contributed to greater offspring growth performance, possibly by enhanced milk quality and alleviated maternal stress.