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Objective: To evaluate the survival of wounds in lower limbs of diabetic and non-diabetic patients., Method: Retrospective cohort study of patients with lower limb ulcers treated at a specialized center between 2011 and 2013. Outcome: healing of lower limb injuries in days. The survival function of lower limb wounds and the differences between diabetic and non-diabetic were analyzed. The Log-rank test was used to compare the survival curves between the study groups., Results: In up to 600 days, 23% of the diabetic patients presented wound healing, while 63% of the non-diabetic patients had their wounds healed, with a statistically significant difference in survival curves in comparison between the groups. The Hazard Ratios (RH) of healing were lower for diabetic patients (HR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02-0.97)., Conclusion: The results show that there is a delay in wound healing in diabetic patients.

Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons have received significant attention in brain research because of their central role in reward processing and their dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's disease, drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia. Until recently, it has been thought that DA neurons form a homogeneous population whose primary function is the computation of reward prediction errors. However, through the implementation of viral vector strategies, an unexpected complexity and diversity has been revealed at the anatomical, molecular and functional level. In this review, we discuss recent viral vector approaches that have been leveraged to dissect how different circuits involving distinct DA neuron subpopulations may contribute to the role of DA in reward- and aversion-related behaviors. We focus on studies that have used cell type- and projection-specific optogenetic manipulations, discuss the strengths and limitations of each approach, and critically examine emergent organizational principles that have led to a reclassification of midbrain DA neurons., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Autophagy, a highly conserved process, serves to maintain cellular homeostasis in response to an extensive variety of internal and external stimuli. The classic, or canonical, pathway of autophagy involves the coordinated degradation and recycling of intracellular components and pathogenic material. Proper regulation of autophagy is critical to maintain cellular health, as alterations in the autophagy pathway have been linked to the progression of a variety of physiological and pathological conditions in humans, namely in aging and in viral infection. In addition to its canonical role as a degradative pathway, a more unconventional and non-degradative role for autophagy has emerged as an area of increasing interest. This process, known as secretory autophagy, is gaining widespread attention as many viruses are believed to use this pathway as a means to release and spread viral particles. Moreover, secretory autophagy has been found to intersect with other intracellular pathways, such as the biogenesis and secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). Here, we provide a review of the current landscape surrounding both degradative autophagy and secretory autophagy in relation to both aging and viral infection. We discuss their key features, while describing their interplay with numerous different viruses (i.e. hepatitis B and C viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, SV40, herpesviruses, HIV, chikungunya virus, dengue virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, HTLV, Rift Valley fever virus, poliovirus, and influenza A virus), and compare secretory autophagy to other pathways of extracellular vesicle release. Lastly, we highlight the need for, and emphasize the importance of, more thorough methods to study the underlying mechanisms of these pathways to better advance our understanding of disease progression.

Background and Purpose: Refinement of robotic exoskeletons for overground walking is progressing rapidly. We describe clinicians' experiences, evaluations, and training strategies using robotic exoskeletons in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and wellness settings and describe clinicians' perceptions of exoskeleton benefits and risks and developments that would enhance utility., Methods: We convened focus groups at 4 spinal cord injury model system centers. A court reporter took verbatim notes and provided a transcript. Research staff used a thematic coding approach to summarize discussions., Results: Thirty clinicians participated in focus groups. They reported using exoskeletons primarily in outpatient and wellness settings; 1 center used exoskeletons during inpatient rehabilitation. A typical episode of outpatient exoskeleton therapy comprises 20 to 30 sessions and at least 2 staff members are involved in each session. Treatment focuses on standing, stepping, and gait training; therapists measure progress with standardized assessments. Beyond improved gait, participants attributed physiological, psychological, and social benefits to exoskeleton use. Potential risks included falls, skin irritation, and disappointed expectations. Participants identified enhancements that would be of value including greater durability and adjustability, lighter weight, 1-hand controls, ability to navigate stairs and uneven surfaces, and ability to balance without upper extremity support., Discussion and Conclusions: Each spinal cord injury model system center had shared and distinct practices in terms of how it integrates robotic exoskeletons into physical therapy services. There is currently little evidence to guide integration of exoskeletons into rehabilitation therapy services and a pressing need to generate evidence to guide practice and to inform patients' expectations as more devices enter the market.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A231).

Purpose: Following safety concerns regarding trimetazidine, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended restrictions on its use. Our objective was to determine the impact of regulatory actions on trimetazidine utilization in Portugal., Methods: Retrospective interrupted time-series analysis of monthly ambulatory pharmacy reimbursement records for the Portuguese National Health Service between January 2006 and December 2015. Regulatory actions were identified by searching the EMA, Portuguese Medicines Authority, and European Commission's websites. Concurrent factors in the same period were also identified. The main outcome was the dispensing of trimetazidine-containing products per month in Portugal., Results: Two interruption periods were defined in the series: May 2011, when EMA announced it would review trimetazidine safety, and June 2012 to January 2013, when EMA announced it had reached a final opinion recommending restrictions; the European Commission approved EMA's recommendation; the Portuguese Medicines Authority issued safety alerts, changed the summary of product characteristics, and approved a direct health-care professional letter; and a regional bulletin was issued. Interruption 1 had no effect on trimetazidine use, but interruption 2 resulted in decreases in level and trend-from 8.3 million defined daily doses in 2010 to 2.8 million in 2015. After interruption 2, trimetazidine use tended towards a lower steady state., Conclusions: There was a significant decrease in trimetazidine use in Portugal following a complex intervention that included safety alerts, changes to the summary of product characteristics, a direct health-care professional letter, and a regional drug bulletin. No effect was seen when EMA announced its review of trimetazidine safety., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The micronutrient vitamin A refers to a group of compounds with pleiotropic effects on human health. These molecules can modulate biological functions, including development, vision, and regulation of the intestinal barrier. The consequences of vitamin A deficiency and supplementation in children from developing countries have been explored for several years. These children live in an environment that is highly contaminated by enteropathogens, which can, in turn, influence vitamin A status. Vitamin A has been described to modulate gene expression, differentiation and function of diverse immune cells; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. This review aims to summarize the most updated advances on elucidating the vitamin A effects targeting intestinal immune and barrier functions, which may help in further understanding the burdens of malnutrition and enteric infections in children. Specifically, by covering both clinical and in vivo/in vitro data, we describe the effects of vitamin A related to gut immune tolerance/homeostasis, intestinal barrier integrity, and responses to enteropathogens in the context of the environmental enteric dysfunction. Some of the gaps in the literature that require further research are also highlighted.

Introduction and Objectives: Finding out which drugs are chosen to treat incident cases of hypertension may help in interpreting prevalent use of antihypertensive agents. We aimed to determine the proportion of patients who begin treatment with each antihypertensive drug class, which physicians initiate treatment and whether family physicians alter prescriptions initiated by others, and to compare the prescribing patterns of family physicians and other specialists., Methods: In this cohort-nested cross-sectional study between 2014 and 2015 within the Portuguese Sentinel Practice Network, family physicians notified incident cases of hypertension, reporting treatment, who issued the initial prescription and whether treatments initiated by other physicians were changed., Results: A total of 681 incident cases were notified. The initial prescription was issued by the patient's family physician in 86.9% of cases (95% CI: 84.2-89.3%). The most frequently used agents were angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (51.3% of patients, 95% CI: 47.5-55.0%), thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics (32.2%, 95% CI: 28.8-35.8%), and angiotensin receptor blockers (21.4%, 95% CI: 18.5-24.7%). Compared to other specialists, family physicians used less beta-blockers (20.4 vs. 5.9%, p<0.001) and loop diuretics (8.2 vs. 0.8%, p=0.003). Prescriptions initiated by other specialists were changed by family physicians in 11.6% of cases (95% CI: 6.0-19.6%)., Conclusion: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were the most frequently prescribed antihypertensive class. Most diagnoses were made by the patient's own family physician. Prescriptions initiated by other specialists were usually continued by family physicians. Prescribing patterns were similar between family physicians and other specialists, except for lower use of beta-blockers and loop diuretics., (Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: While OA literature indicates greater pain is related to less time being physically active, it is not known if time curtailment occurs primarily for moderate intensity activities or for light activities or in both. We examine the cross-sectional association of knee pain with physical activity using data from 1874 Osteoarthritis Initiative participants., Methods: Knee pain characteristics of constant and intermittent pain were each scored by the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain instrument and categorized into four pain levels (no pain, intermittent pain below and above median level, and constant pain). The relationships between knee pain levels and objectively measured physical activity (average weekly moderate or light intensity minutes) were assessed by quantile regression adjusted for socio-demographics and health factors., Results: Knee pain levels had a strong negative relationship with moderate intensity physical activities (p-value for trend =0.029). Compared to the no pain group, persons with more severe knee pain, particularly those reporting higher intermittent or constant pain spent less time in moderate activity. In contrast, there was no notable trend related to pain with time spent in light intensity activity. These patterns remained when restricted to persons with clinical evidence (symptoms and/or radiographic) of knee OA and among persons not using medications for knee symptoms., Conclusion: Greater knee pain levels were strongly related to less moderate intensity activity time, but not time spent in light intensity physical activity. This relationship suggests that light activity may be a more acceptable way to increase physical activity than moderate activity for people with symptomatic knee pain., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Non-epileptic paroxysmal disorders are frequent events in the neonate, generally transient. However, due to their intensity they can be confused as true epileptic seizures. The objective of this review is to update the concepts in relation to tremors, neonatal benign sleep myoclonus (MNBS) and hyperekplexia. The tremors are very frequent, once identified it must be determined if they belong to a hyperexcitability syndrome related to maternal or perinatal factors, in idiopathic cases a good prognosis is expected. MNBS are often confused with epileptic seizures. They are characterized by the fact that myoclonus is brief and occurs only in sleep, children are normal, and the EEG is also normal. Hyperekplexia is a rare, genetically determined disorder characterized by hypertonia and exaggerated startle reactions to a banal stimulus, which can be improved with clonazepam.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between sedentary behavior and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) among participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative., Design: Longitudinal, observational design., Setting: Osteoarthritis Initiative cohort., Participants: Individuals (N=1794) from a prospective, multicenter longitudinal cohort were classified into quantile groups based on average daily sedentary time (most sedentary, quartile 1 [Q1] ≥11.6h; 10.7h≤ Q2 <11.6h; 9.7h≤ Q3 <10.7h; least sedentary, Q4 <9.7h)., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measures: Individual QALYs were estimated over 2 years from the area under the curve of health-related utility scores derived from the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey versus time. The relationship between baseline sedentary behavior and median 2-year QALYs was estimated using quantile regression adjusted for socioeconomic factors and body mass index., Results: Lower QALYs over 2 years were more frequently found among the most sedentary (Q1, median 1.59), and QALYs increased as time spent in baseline sedentary behavior decreased (median QALYs for Q2, 1.64; Q3, 1.65; Q4, 1.65). The relationship of sedentary time and median QALY change was only significant for the most sedentary Q1 group, where an additional hour of sedentary behavior significantly reduced QALYs by -.072 (95% confidence interval, -.121 to -.020)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that individuals with the most extreme sedentary profiles may be vulnerable to additional losses of quality of life if they become more sedentary. Targeting these individuals to decrease sedentary behavior has the potential to be cost-effective., (Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Strategies for the involvement of primary care in the management of patients with presumed or diagnosed dementia are heterogeneous across Europe. We wanted to explore attitudes of primary care physicians (PCPs) when managing dementia: (i) the most popular cognitive tests, (ii) who had the right to initiate or continue cholinesterase inhibitor or memantine treatment, and (iii) the relationship between the permissiveness of these rules/guidelines and PCP's approach in the dementia investigations and assessment., Methods: Key informant survey., Setting: Primary care practices across 25 European countries., Subjects: Four hundred forty-five PCPs responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Two-step cluster analysis was performed using characteristics of the informants and the responses to the survey., Main Outcome Measures: Two by two contingency tables with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the association between categorical variables. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the association of multiple variables (age class, gender, and perceived prescription rules) with the PCPs' attitude of "trying to establish a diagnosis of dementia on their own.", Results: Discrepancies between rules/guidelines and attitudes to dementia management was found in many countries. There was a strong association between the authorization to prescribe dementia drugs and pursuing dementia diagnostic work-up (odds ratio, 3.45; 95% CI 2.28-5.23)., Conclusions: Differing regulations about who does what in dementia management seemed to affect PCP's engagement in dementia investigations and assessment. PCPs who were allowed to prescribe dementia drugs also claimed higher engagement in dementia work-up than PCPs who were not allowed to prescribe.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the short and mid-term safety and efficacy of the EPIC™ nitinol vascular stent system for the treatment of lesions located in the superficial femoral artery (SFA)., Methods: From October 2010 to June 2012, 83 subjects were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized study designed to demonstrate that the EPIC nitinol vascular stent system for SFA lesions is non-inferior to the published patency rates found in literature. Inclusion criteria were stenosis or occlusion of the SFA or SFA and proximal popliteal artery, with total length from 4 to 11 cm and amenable for treatment with a single stent, in patients with a score from 2 to 5 on Rutherford classification. The primary endpoint was primary patency rate at 12 months as determined by Duplex ultrasound. The secondary endpoints evaluated were: initial arteriographic success, primary patency rate at 6 months, major adverse event rate at one year and technical success. Follow-up with a complete clinical and physical exam, including ABI and Duplex ultrasound was performed at 6 and 12 months., Results: Most patients (56.6%) were men and the mean age was 68.59 (33.1-99.15) years. 25.3% of the total population had intermittent claudication and 73.5% presented with critical limb ischemia. Most lesions were total occlusions (75.9%) and the mean lesion length was 71.16 mm. Contralateral femoral access was performed in 26.5%cases, and ipsilateral femoral approach was used for the remaining 73.5% patients. Technical and arteriographic success was obtained in all 83 (100.00%) patients. Duplex controlled primary patency rate at 6 and 12 months was 95.8% and 76.1%, respectively. The freedom from target lesion revascularization rate was 98.7% and 92.6% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. No stent fractures were observed in this study. Major adverse event rate at 1 year (clinically driven TLR, major amputation, and all-cause mortality) was 15.7%: two target lesion revascularizations (2.4%), one major amputation (1.2%) and ten deaths not related to the procedure (12%)., Conclusions: In conclusion, this study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the EPIC™ Nitinol Vascular Stent System for the treatment of SFA lesions.

Background: Nephron sparing surgery (NSS) is well established as the standard of care for most surgical small renal tumors when technically feasible. While the majority of sporadic renal tumors are solitary, multifocal tumors have been reported in 5.4% to 25% of patients with tumors smaller than 5cm. We present a video where we approach, through laparoscopy, four tumors on the same kidney., Case Study: Male, 58y, went through a routine abdominal ultrasound which showed a 5cm left kidney nodule. His MRI pointed a total of 4 nodules on his left kidney. The aspect suggested a papillary cancer due to high cellularity and low vascularization. The patient was submitted to partial nephrectomy under ischemia to remove the two largest tumors (in¬ferior pole) and a resection without clamping of the other two ipsilateral tumors., Result: We performed the surgery in 2 stages. In the first one, we approached the 2 tumors located on the inferior pole inducing warm ischemia, whereas in the second stage we resected the 2 remaining tumors using the technique without clamping. The surgery lasted 220 minutes, with 800mL of blood loss, not requiring blood transfusion. Ischemia time was 35 minutes. The histopathological analysis confirmed that the 4 tumors were papillary cancer, with free margins., Conclusion: NSS can be performed and should be tried in patients with multiple kidney tumors, preferably through lapa¬roscopy or assisted by robot. It can be made either using or not clamping of the pedicle, depending on the RENAL score., (Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.)

Aiming at describing the incidence, clinical characteristics and factors associated with neonatal meningitis (NM), a case series study was conducted from 2008 to 2015, where 53 neonates, 10 with early onset NM and 43 with late onset were included. An incidence of 1.5 per thousand live births and a lethality of 3.8% were found. The associated factors were peripartum fever, urinary tract infection and chorioamnionitis (P < 0.05). Frequent symptoms were fever (84.9%), hypotonia (77.4%) and hypoactivity (73.6%). In the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the cases of early NM presented a median of 330 leukocytes/µl and 29 mg/dl of glucose, and the cases of late NM presented 170 leukocytes/µl and 32 mg/dl of glucose. The most common bacteria were Listeria monocytogenes (16.9%) and negative coagulase staphylococcus (11.3%). In conclusion, the incidence was high compared to other studies and the associated factors were the expected.

Infection by Leishmania ( Viannia ) panamensis , the predominant etiologic agent for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia, is characterized by a chronic mixed inflammatory response. Current treatment options are plagued by toxicity, lengthy treatment regimens, and growing evidence of drug resistance. Immunotherapy, modulating the immune system to mount a protective response, may provide an alternate therapeutic approach. We investigated the ability of the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) ligand CpG to modulate established disease in the L ( V ) panamensis mouse model. Treatment of established infection with a high dose (50 μg) of CpG ameliorated disease and lowered parasite burden. Interestingly, immediately after treatment there was a significant increase in transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and concomitantly an increase in T regulatory cell (Treg) function. Although a general reduction in cell-mediated immune cytokine and chemokine (gamma interferon [IFN-γ], interleukin 10 [IL-10], IL-13, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF], IL-4, and MIP-1α) responses of the treated mice was observed, certain chemokines (RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1[MCP-1], and IP-10) were increased. Further, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, CpG treatment similarly exhibited a dose-response effect on the production of IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-10, and IL-13, with reductions observed at higher doses. To further understand the underlying mechanisms and cell populations driving the CpG mediated response, we examined the ex vivo dose effects mediated by the TLR9 + cell populations (dendritic cells, macrophages, and B cells) found to accumulate labeled CpG in vivo Notably, B cells altered the production of IL-17, IL-13, and IFN-γ, supporting a role for B cells functioning as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and/or regulatory cells during infection. Interestingly, B cells have been previously demonstrated as a primary type of APC in patients infected with L ( V ) panamensis and thus may be useful targets of immunotherapy. Collectively, our results show that CpG-induced immune regulation leads to a dampening of the host immune response and healing in the mouse model, and it may provide an alternate approach to treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L ( V ) panamensis ., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

Background: The aim of this study was to compare venous occlusion rates at a one-year follow-up comparing 1920-nm versus 1470-nm endolaser., Methods: Randomized prospective study with consecutive patients with varicose veins associated to great saphenous reflux. The 1470-nm laser ablation was performed in continuous mode, with power of 10 W, while for the 1920-nm it was set in 5 W. Follow-up data were collected at the 7-day, 30-day, 3-month, 6-month and 1-year visits, and involved clinical, ultrasound evaluation and measurement of occlusion length., Results: Sixty seven patients were included, with 42 limbs operated in the 1470-nm group and 48 limbs in the 1920-nm group. There were no differences in relation to age, CEAP (Clinical, Etiologic, Anatomical and Pathological Classification), VCSS (Venous Clinical Severity Score) and saphenous diameter. The resulting LEED in 1920-nm group was 17.8±0.6 J/cm and vs. 24.7±0.8 J/cm in 1470-nm group (P<0.01). Closure rates were lower for the 1920-nm group: 90.9% vs. 96.8% (P=0.06) at 30 days, 87.5% vs. 96.3% at 6 months (P=0.03), and 87.5% vs. 94.7% (P=0.05) at one year. The 1920-nm group had less ecchymosis (18.7% vs. 52.4%), induration (12.4% vs. 38.1%) and days of analgesic use (1.4±0.2 vs. 2.4±0.4). CEAP and VCSS were reduced over time in both groups., Conclusions: Treatment with endolaser 1920-nm was feasible and with reduced complications. The use of low endoluminal energy resulted in lower vein occlusion rates comparing to the 1470-nn laser. Clinical outcome scores were similar between groups.

Introduction: During the last few years, numerous patients with univentricular heart disease have been treated surgically with total cavopulmonary anastomosis according to a staged surgery protocol in our institution., Objective: To evaluate the perioperative outcomes and survival of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) after the Fontan procedure and compare them with other types of univentricular heart disease., Patients and Method: A total of 102 patients underwent a Fontan procedure between April 1996 and March 2014, 25 with HLHS (group I), and 77 patients with other types of univentricular heart disease (group II). Groups survival, demographics, hemodinamic studies, morbimortality, mechanical ventilation, surgical drains, post-operative stay, isotopes score, pacemaker use, and requiriment of Fontan takedown were analyzed., Results: Intraoperative mortality was 4% (n=1) for group I, and 7.8% (n=6) for group II (P=.451). A difference was only found in hospital length of stay (LOS), being 17 days (6-47) for group I and 12 days (5-103) for group II (P=.017). Mean follow-up was 4.24±2.08 years for group I, and 8.7±4.67 for group II. Survival rate at 8 years for both groups was 88%, and 81% at 10 years for group II., Conclusions: The Fontan procedure had similar mortality, but longer LOS, in patients with HLHS compared to those with another types of single ventricle anatomy. Long term survival was comparable between both groups., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives.: To describe the clinical characteristics, lethality, antibiotic susceptibility, and serotype distribution of pneumococcal meningitis in pediatric patients in Lima, Peru., Materials and Methods.: A case series of pneumococcal meningitis in children less than 16 years of age from two prospective, multicenter, passive surveillance studies of invasive pneumococcal diseases held in Lima-Peru from 2006 to 2008 and 2009 to 2011., Results.: We report 44 pneumococcal meningitis episodes; 68.2% of them were in children less than 2 years old. The overall case fatality rate was 32.6%; 92.9% of fatal cases were in children less than 2 years of age (p<0.05). Malnutrition was associated with fatal cases (p<0.05). 64.3% of fatal cases died within the first two days. 41.9% of pneumococcal isolates were resistant to penicillin, 23.3% were intermediate resistant to ceftriaxone (none were highly resistant) and 9.3% were resistant to chloramphenicol. The most common serotypes were 6B, 14, 19F and 23F, which accounted for 68.3% of all strains; 84.1% of strains were PCV13 serotypes., Conclusions.: Pneumococcal meningitis continues to be a lethal disease, especially in children less than 2 years of age. Since almost two third of lethal cases lead to death within the first 48 hours, prompt diagnosis and management is critical, as well as assurance of immunization with pneumococcal vaccine.

The objective of this study was to analyze the use of lumbar punctures (LP) in the evaluation of late-onset neonatal sepsis. It is recommended to perform an LP as part of the evaluation of late-onset sepsis. We used a cohort of 414 newborns with a birth weight <2000g in three hospitals in Lima. A LP was performed in 45/214 (21.0%) of sepsis evaluations and in 13/48 (27.1%) of culture-proven sepsis. Meningitis was diagnosed in 8/214 (3.7%) of the episodes and 8/45 (17.5%) of the evaluations that included an LP. The duration of treatment of the sepsis episodes without a LP and the episodes with a negative LP was similar, and shorter than the episodes with a positive LP. The use of LP in the evaluation of late-onset sepsis is low and can result in undiagnosed and undertreated meningitis. The use of LP in the evaluation of neonatal sepsis must be encouraged in the neonatal units.

Background: We examined if changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light activity, and sedentary behavior are related to weight change over a 2-year period in obese adults with/elevated risk for knee osteoarthritis., Methods: Weight, physical activity, and sedentary time at baseline and 2 years were obtained from 459 obese participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Weight change was categorized as ≥ 10 lbs, 5.0 to 9.9 lbs, 4.9 to -4.9 lbs, -5.0 to -9.9 lbs, and ≤ -10 lbs. We examined the association between 2-year weight change categories and changes in activity/sedentary time from accelerometer monitoring by multiple linear regression adjusted for baseline weight, demographic, and health factors., Results: Across the 5 weight categories (loss to gain), average 2-year change ranged from -7.4 to 28.0 sedentary minutes/ day, 4.2 to -23.1 light activity minutes/day, and 3.2 to -4.9 MVPA minutes/day, respectively. Higher weight loss categories were separately associated with increased MVPA (P for trend < 0.001) and less sedentary gain (P for trend = 0.01). Weight loss categories had a strong trend with light activity gain but not statistically significant (P for trend = 0.06)., Conclusions: Small increases in MVPA and decreases in sedentary time over 2 years were associated with weight loss among adults with obesity and with or at elevated risk for knee osteoarthritis.

In order to describe the characteristics of traumatic brain injury (TEC) in children seen at the Cayetano Heredia National Hospital from 2004 to 2011, a case study was conducted. 316, 14 year-old minors were included, the median age was 4 ± 3 years old. 63.9% were male. The main causes of TEC were falls (80.1%) and car accidents (10.4%). 42.4% (134/316) occurred in the afternoon. There was a higher incidence of falls at home (59.2%). The epidural hematoma (26.9%) was the most common intracraneal injury. Intensive care management and neurosurgical interventions were required in 15.8 and 14.2% of cases respectively. It is concluded that domestic falls were the main cause of accidents for TEC and epidural hematoma the most common intracranial injury where children under 5 were the most affected.

The aim of this study was to describe the concentration of lead in umbilical cord blood (UCB) of neonates born from primiparous women who live in northern Lima. A cross sectional study was carried out at Cayetano Heredia National Hospital, from July 2011 to January 2012. 100 neonates born from primiparous women who lived in northern Lima in the previous 5 years or more were included. Umbilical cord lead levels were measured by the atomic adsorption method, and the demographic information and risk factors of the neonates were filled in a patient record designed to this purpose. 30% of the neonates had concentration of lead in UCB that was considered as increased risk (= 3,0 µg/dL), 16% of the cases had had toxic concentration of lead in UCB (= 5 µg/dL). We conclude that there are a high percentage of neonates contaminated with lead in the northern Lima.

Clinical guidelines have the potential to increase health gains, but also to cause harm. In this opinion article we state some misgivings about the application of the Portuguese National Health Directorate's guideline type 2 diabetes therapy: metformin in primary care. We seek to highlight guideline wording that may allow for multiple interpretations (alternatives to monotherapy with metformin, hierarchy of drugs to be associated with metformin, and metformin contraindications). Furthermore, we argue that it seems that choosing a glycemic target of 6.5% in a normative document to be applied in the general population may have unforeseen consequences.

The role of B cells as APC is well established. However, their ability to prime naive T cells in vivo has been difficult to examine because of the presence of dendritic cells. The current studies were undertaken to examine this issue in a model of adoptive transfer of antigen-specific B cells and T cells into histoincompatible Rag2(-/-) mice. By means of this system, we were able to demonstrate that antigen-specific B cells are competent APC for naive CD4(+) T cells specific for the same antigen. In vivo antigen presentation resulted in expansion of both CD4(+) T cells and B cells. The antigen-presenting function of the transferred B cells was dependent on the CD154-CD40 interaction, as transfer of CD154-deficient antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells or CD40-deficient B cells failed to induce T and B cell expansion in response to immunization. These results indicate that antigen-specific B cells have the capacity to induce primary T cell responses in the absence of other competent APC.