Pt(IV) complexes trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(Br)3 (R = Br, aryl and polycyclic aromatic fragments) photoeliminate molecular bromine with quantum yields as high as 82%. Photoelimination occurs both in the solid state and in solution. Calorimetry measurements and DFT calculations (PMe3 analogs) indicate endothermic and endergonic photoeliminations with free energies from 2 to 22 kcal/mol of Br2. Solution trapping experiments with high concentrations of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene suggest a radical-like excited state precursor to bromine elimination.

The growing prevalence of childhood obesity has become a serious health problem over the past decades. As the immune system is greatly affected by excess weight, in this review of reviews, we discuss the findings of review articles about the relationship between childhood/maternal obesity and children's immune system. We searched English-language articles in PubMed, Scopus, ISI Thomson Reuters, and Google Scholar databases. All relevant reviews, either systematic or narrative, were retrieved. Then their quality was assessed by using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews and International Narrative Systematic Assessment tools, respectively. In the final step, 26 reviews were included. Our review suggests that childhood obesity is associated with extensive changes in the serum levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and proteins, as well as the number of immune cells and their behavior. Therefore, it might cause or exacerbate diseases such as asthma, allergy, atopic dermatitis (AD), and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Moreover, childhood obesity may reduce the immune system responsiveness to vaccines and microorganisms. Furthermore, studies suggest that maternal obesity increases the risk of asthma in offspring. Future studies are needed to determine different associations of childhood obesity with allergy, atophic dermatitis, and autoimmune diseases.

Purposes Post arthroplasty gait analysis has up till now been performed on subjects walking slowly on flat ground rather than challenging them at faster speeds or walking uphill. We therefore asked: (1) Is there a measurable difference in the performance of hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) limbs at patients' self-determined fastest walking speeds and steepest inclines? and (2) Is there a relationship between the observed differences between the gait of HRA and THA implanted limbs and patient walking speeds and inclines. Methods In an ethically approved study we recruited patients with bilateral hip arthroplasties: one HRA and one THA. Nine subjects were assessed using an instrumented treadmill at a range of speeds and inclines by a blinded observer. The ground reaction forces of subjects were recorded and an age, sex and BMI matched control group was used for comparison. Results Increasing walking speed correlated strongly with between leg differences in weight acceptance (r =0.9, p = 0.000) and push-off force (r =0.79, p = 0.002). HRA implanted limbs accepted significantly more weight at top walking speeds (1208 N ± 320 versus 1279 N ± 370, p = 0.026) and pushed off with greater force when walking uphill (818 N±163 versus 855±166, p=0.012). HRA limbs more closely approximated to the gait of the normal control group. Conclusions Arthroplasty implants do have an impact on the gait characteristics of patients. Differences in gait are more likely to be evident when assessment is made at fast speeds and walking uphill. This study suggests that HRA may enable a more normal gait.

Action Plan B3 of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) focuses on the integrated care of chronic diseases. Area 5 (Care Pathways) was initiated using chronic respiratory diseases as a model. The chronic respiratory disease action plan includes (1) AIRWAYS integrated care pathways (ICPs), (2) the joint initiative between the Reference site MACVIA-LR (Contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif) and ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma), (3) Commitments for Action to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing and the AIRWAYS ICPs network. It is deployed in collaboration with the World Health Organization Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD). The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing has proposed a 5-step framework for developing an individual scaling up strategy: (1) what to scale up: (1-a) databases of good practices, (1-b) assessment of viability of the scaling up of good practices, (1-c) classification of good practices for local replication and (2) how to scale up: (2-a) facilitating partnerships for scaling up, (2-b) implementation of key success factors and lessons learnt, including emerging technologies for individualised and predictive medicine. This strategy has already been applied to the chronic respiratory disease action plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13601-016-0116-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Pt(IV) complexes trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)3(R) 2 (R = Cl, Ph, 9-phenanthryl, 2-trifluoromethylphenyl, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl, 3-perylenyl) were prepared by chlorination of the Pt(II) complexes trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(Cl) 1 with Cl2(g) or PhICl2. Mixed bromo-chloro complexes trans,trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)2(Br)(R) (R = 9-phenanthryl, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl), trans,cis-Pt(PEt3)2(Cl)2(Br)(4-trifluoromethylphenyl), trans,trans-Pt(PEt3)2(Br)2(Cl)(R) (R = 9-phenanthryl), and trans,cis-Pt(PEt3)2(Br)2(Cl)(4-trifluoromethylphenyl) were obtained by halide exchange or by oxidative addition of Br2 to 1 or Cl2 to trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(Br). Except for 2 (R = Ph, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl), all of the Pt(IV) complexes are photosensitive to UV light and undergo net halogen reductive elimination to give Pt(II) products, trans-Pt(PEt3)2(R)(X) (X = Cl, Br). Chlorine trapping experiments with alkenes indicate a reductive-elimination mechanism that does not involve molecular chlorine and is sensitive to steric effects at the Pt center. DFT calculations suggest a radical pathway involving (3)LMCT excited states. Emission from a triplet is observed in glassy 2-methyltetrahydrofuran at 77 K where photoreductive elimination is markedly slowed.

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) affects tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes, mostly by increasing recurrence, mortality and treatment failure. The objectives were to determine the pattern of change in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level in new TB patients admitted to hospital at the start and 3-months after TB treatment, and to relate the measurements at these two time intervals to whether patients successfully completed treatment.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted on hospitalized new TB patients at Masih Daneshvari Hospital from 2012 to 2013. All patients were tested for HbA1c at the beginning and 3 months after initiation of TB treatment. Changes in HbA1c were compared to TB treatment outcome.ResultsThere were 317 new TB cases admitted to hospital of which 158 had HbA1c at baseline and 3-months. Of these, 67 (42%) had normal values, 54 had an elevated HbA1c at either base-line or 3-months (uncertain diabetes status) and 37 (24%) had elevated HbA1c (≥6.5%) at both time points (DM). There were differences between the groups: those with DM were older, had a known history of DM and a higher prevalence of cavities on chest x-ray. There were 150 (95%) patients who successfully completed treatment with no significant differences between the groups.ConclusionThere were changes in HbA1c during the first three-months of anti-TB treatment, but these were not associated with differences in TB treatment outcomes. Transient hyperglycemia should be considered in TB patients and needs to be taken into account in planning care and management.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite the availability of novel therapeutic approaches, TB is considered as one of the leading causes of death due to infectious diseases worldwide. Alveolar macrophages are the first line of defense against M. tuberculosis; they ingest and sequester the bacilli within granulomatous structures. Control and resolution of the infection requires activated T lymphocytes as well as Th1 cytokines. There are two forms of TB: active TB and latent TB. Latent TB is a state in which M. tuberculosis survives in the body without causing overt signs and symptoms. People with latent TB are noncontagious. However, M. tuberculosis can become active in the body, multiply, and cause overt TB. Sarcoidosis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology which can affect multiple systems of the body. Nonspecific constitutional symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, malaise, and weight loss, are present in approximately one-third of patients. Chest X-ray usually shows hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Although the lungs are the most common sites of inflammation, sarcoidosis can also involve other organs, such as the eyes (intraocular and adnexal), skin, lymph nodes, salivary glands, heart, spleen, liver, and the nervous system. Recent investigations have provided further insights into the genetic basis of sarcoidosis and the way genotype determines the clinical presentation and phenotype of patients. Histopathologic features are usually insufficient for diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis in endemic areas for TB can become a great challenge. Both TB and sarcoidosis are granulomatous diseases; TB is characterized by caseating granulomas, whereas sarcoidosis is characterized by noncaseating granulomas. New cases of sarcoidosis are increasingly being diagnosed in areas endemic for TB due to increased orientation of physicians and availability of diagnostic modalities. However, it is often difficult to differentiate sarcoidosis from TB, especially when caseous necrosis is not seen and acid-fast staining is negative in the biopsy specimen of patient with TB. Granulomatous inflammation in sarcoidosis is believed to be caused by the presence of a persistent poorly degradable unknown antigen in combination with a nonresolving host response. M. tuberculosis has been extensively studied as a possible cause of sarcoidosis. Results suggest that granulomas form in the lungs as a result of the immune response to inhaled M. tuberculosis and serve as the central site of host-pathogen interaction during M. tuberculosis infection. M. tuberculosis DNA detection in sarcoidosis samples by traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used for the pathological study of sarcoidosis; however, it is likely that real time quantitative PCR analysis of specific mRNAs and microRNAs will be necessary as a sensitive, precise, and rapid diagnostic test for detecting trace of TB in Sarcoidosis. In conclusion, diagnosis of sarcoidosis in areas with a high burde...

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) and tobacco use are two major alarming global health issues that tend to be co-prevalent in many developing countries and various surveys have provided evidence on their entangled associations. Accordingly, it is strongly suggested that smoking cessation be incorporated in TB control programs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two smoking cessation methods among newly-diagnosed pulmonary TB patients.MethodsA total of 210 newly-diagnosed pulmonary TB patients from Tehran, Iran with smoking habits were included in this randomized clinical trial during 2012–2013. Patients were assigned to three groups of control (just TB medical treatment), brief advice (TB medical treatment plus individualized counseling sessions of quitting behavioral therapy) and combined intervention (TB medical treatment plus individualized counseling sessions of quitting behavioral therapy plus medical treatment with slow release bupropion). Patients’ abstinence was followed at six time point during six months. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.22 using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) model.ResultsAbstinance rate at the end of six months were 71.7 % for combined intervention group, 33.9 % for brief advice group and 9.8 % for the control group (p < 0.001). Combined intervention group and brief advice group respectively had 35 times (p < 0.001, OR = 35.26, 95 % CI = 13.77–90.32) and 7 times (p < 0.001, OR = 7.14, 95 % CI = 2.72–18.72) more odds of not being an active smoker at each time point, compared to the control group.ConclusionConsidering the prevalence and importance of TB and the substantial influence of these preventive measures on controlling tobacco use, application of such programs is recommended.Trial registrationThe survey was registered in the Iranian registry of clinical trials website (irct.ir) in August 31, 2013 with IRCT ID: IRCT2013062613783N1.