Comprehensive Profiling of an Aging Immune System Reveals Clonal GZMK+ CD8+ T Cells as Conserved Hallmark of Inflammaging

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Differentiating between trust and dependence of patients with coronary heart disease: furthering the sociology of trust

Sociological health research on the concept of trust has been bedevilled by its multivocalities. This article extends Luhmann's attempts to clarify a sociology of trust. Luhmann argued a semantic distinction between trust and confidence. In this article, we use empirical data on patient ‘trust’ in doctors to argue that there is also a semantic distinction between trust and dependence. We conducted 37 semi-structured interviews with patients with coronary heart disease in Adelaide, Australia in 2008 and 2009. Our findings indicate that risk, familiarity and time were critical to understand the distinction between trust and dependence. We argue that patients in situations of emergency (heightened risk) ‘depended’ on, rather than trusted, doctors, given the patients lack of familiarity with their doctors. Time was a mediating factor, as the more ‘urgent’ the situation, the more likely it was that dependence came into play, since the situation was ‘unfamiliar’. Rather than juxtaposing trust and dependence, in this article we show how dependence may coexist with trust in the health care system in times of emergency.     

Molecular characterization,serotyping, and antibiotic susceptibility profile of Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni isolates from Brazil

Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae is the major serogroup infecting humans worldwide, and rodents and dogs are the most significant transmission sources in urban environments. Knowledge of the prevalent serovars and their maintenance hosts is essential to understand the epidemiology of leptospirosis. In this study, 20 Leptospira isolates were evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), variable number tandem-repeat analysis (VNTR), serotyping, and determination of antimicrobial resistance profile. Isolates, originated from bovine, canine, human, and rodent sources, were characterized by microscopic agglutination test with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies and were identified as L. interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Copenhageni. MICs of antimicrobials often used in veterinary medicine were determined by broth microdilution test. Most of tested antibiotics were effective against isolates, including penicillin, ampicillin, and ceftiofur. Higher MIC variability was observed for fluoroquinolones and neomycin; all isolates were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and sulphadimethoxine. Isolates were genotyped by PFGE and VNTR; both techniques were unable to discriminate between serovars Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae, as expected. PFGE clustered all isolates in 1 pulsotype, indicating that these serovars can be transmitted between species and that bovine, rodent, and dogs can maintain them in the environment endangering the human population.     

Factors influencing the long-term outcome of primary total knee replacement in haemophiliacs: a review of 116 procedures at a single institution

Total knee replacement (TKR) is a safe treatment for alleviating pain and restoring physical function in end-stage arthropathy of the knee. First reports of TKR in haemophiliacs date back to the mid-1970s, however detailed information on long-term outcome is scarce. This study evaluated factors influencing the outcome of 116 primary TKRs performed consecutively over 14 years at a single institution. Haemostatic management is discussed in patients with and without inhibitors. Orthopaedic outcome was measured by using the Hospital for Special Surgery knee-rating scale, knee flexion contracture and range of motion. At the end of follow-up period (median duration: 5·1 years) 96 prostheses (83%) were still in place with a 7-year removal-free survival of 81%, similar between human immunodeficiency virus-positive and -negative patients and lower in inhibitor than non-inhibitor patients (44% vs. 87%; P  < 0·05). Sixteen prostheses (14%) were removed for infection (nine) or aseptic loosening (seven) after a median of 4·5 years. Presence of inhibitors, continuous infusion, cementless prostheses and different primary surgeons were associated with an increased risk of infection; however, after adjustment, only primary surgeon was confirmed as an independent risk factor. These results show that TKR represents a safe and effective procedure in haemophiliacs if performed by a highly experienced surgeon.     

High rates of depressive symptoms among patients with systemic sclerosis are not explained by differential reporting of somatic symptoms

OBJECTIVE: Between 36% and 65% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) report symptoms of depression above cutoff thresholds on self-report questionnaires. The objective of this study was to assess whether these high rates result from differential reporting of somatic symptoms related to the high physical burden of SSc. METHODS: Symptom profiles reported on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were compared between a multicenter sample of 403 patients with SSc and a sample of respondents to an Internet depression survey, matched on total CES-D score, age, race/ethnicity, and sex. An exact nonparametric generalized Mantel-Haenszel procedure was used to identify differential item functioning between groups. RESULTS: Patients with SSc reported significantly higher frequencies (moderate to large effect size; P < 0.01) on 4 CES-D somatic symptom items: bothered, appetite, effort, and sleep. Internet respondents had higher item scores on 2 items that assessed interpersonal difficulties (unfriendly, large effect size; P < 0.01; disliked, large effect size; P < 0.01) and on 2 items that assessed lack of positive effect (happy, moderate effect size; P = 0.01; enjoy, large effect size; P < 0.01). Adjustment of standard CES-D cutoff criteria for potential bias due to somatic symptom reporting resulted in a reduction of only 3.6% in the number of SSc patients with significant symptoms of depression. CONCLUSION: High rates of depressive symptoms in SSc are not due to bias related to the report of somatic symptoms. The pattern of differential item functioning between the SSc and Internet groups, however, suggests some qualitative differences in depressive symptom presentation.     

Intrasphincteric botulinum toxin injection in the treatment of chagasic achalasia.

According to the WHO, 16-18 million people in Central and South America are infected by Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagasic achalasia affects between 7.1% and 10.6% of the population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Botox injections in the clinical response and esophageal function of patients with dysphagia due to chagasic achalasia. In total, 24 symptomatic patients with chagasic achalasia were randomly chosen to receive Botulinum Toxin (BT) or saline injected by endoscopy in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Patients were monitored with a clinical score of dysphagia and an objective assessment (esophagograms, scintillography, manometry, and nutritional assessment) for a period of 6 months. Clinical improvement of dysphagia was statistically significant (P < 0.001) in patients receiving BT when compared with the placebo. There was no significant difference in the placebo group regarding clinical score, LES basal pressure and esophageal emptying time. Esophageal emptying time in the toxin group was significantly lower than in the placebo (P=0.04) after 90 days. There were non-significant increases in esophageal emptying of 25.36% and 17.39%, respectively, at 90 and 180 days, in the BT group (P=0.266). Gender, age, and baseline LES pressure did not influence the response to BT. Our data strongly suggests that intrasphincteric injection of BT in LES is clinically effective in the treatment of chagasic achalasia.