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This article, published in the European Heart Journal, presents the findings of the HORUS study, which aimed to investigate the presence of atherosclerosis in ancient mummified humans. The study analyzed whole body CT scans of mummies from seven different cultures, including Egyptian, Peruvian, Bolivian, Unangan/Aleutian Islander, Greenlandic Inuit, ancestral Puebloan, and Middle-Ages Gobi Desert pastoralists. The results showed that atherosclerosis was present in all cultures except for one Indigenous Australian mummy. The study suggests that atherosclerosis has been a part of human populations for thousands of years and supports the existence of an innate human predisposition to the disease. [Extracted from the article]

Background In industrialized populations, low male testosterone is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular mortality. However, coronary risk factors like obesity impact both testosterone and cardiovascular outcomes. Here, we assess the role of endogenous testosterone on coronary artery calcium in an active subsistence population with relatively low testosterone levels, low cardiovascular risk and low coronary artery calcium scores. Methodology In this cross-sectional community-based study, 719 Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon aged 40+ years underwent computed tomography (49.8% male, mean age 57.6 years). Results Coronary artery calcium levels were low; 84.5% had no coronary artery calcium. Zero-inflated negative binomial models found testosterone was positively associated with coronary artery calcium for the full sample (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] = 1.477, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.001–2.170, P = 0.031), and in a male-only subset (IRR = 1.532, 95% CI 0.993–2.360, P = 0.053). Testosterone was also positively associated with clinically relevant coronary atherosclerosis (calcium >100 Agatston units) in the full sample (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.984, 95% CI 1.202–3.275, P = 0.007) and when limited to male-only sample (OR = 2.032, 95% CI 1.118–4.816, P = 0.024). Individuals with coronary artery calcium >100 had 20% higher levels of testosterone than those with calcium <100 (t = –3.201, P = 0.007). Conclusions and Implications Among Tsimane, testosterone is positively associated with coronary artery calcium despite generally low normal testosterone levels, minimal atherosclerosis and rare cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Associations between low testosterone and CVD events in industrialized populations are likely confounded by obesity and other lifestyle factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Sargramostim (yeast-derived, glycosylated recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [rhu GM-CSF]) augments innate and adaptive immune responses and accelerates hematopoietic recovery of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. However, considerably less is known about its efficacy as adjunctive immunotherapy against invasive fungal diseases (IFDs). Methods The clinical courses of 15 patients with pediatric malignancies and IFDs treated adjunctively with sargramostim at a single institution were analyzed in a retrospective cohort review. Further, a systematic review of published reports of rhu GM-CSF for IFDs was also conducted. Results Among 65 cases, 15 were newly described pediatric patients and 50 were previously published cases of IFDs treated with rhu GM-CSF. Among the newly reported pediatric patients, IFDs were caused by Candida spp. Trichosporon sp. and molds (Aspergillus spp. Rhizopus sp. Lichtheimia sp. and Scedosporium sp). Twelve (80%) were neutropenic at baseline, and 12 (80%) were refractory to antifungal therapy. Among 12 evaluable patients, the overall response rate was 92% (8 [67%] complete responses, 3 [25%] partial responses, and 1 [8%] stable). Treatment is ongoing in the remaining 3 patients. Among 50 published cases (15 Candida spp. 13 Mucorales, 11 Aspergillus spp. 11 other organisms), 20 (40%) had baseline neutropenia and 36 (72%) were refractory to standard therapy before rhu GM-CSF administration. Consistent with responses in the newly reported patients, the overall response rate in the literature review was 82% (40 [80%] complete responses, 1 [2%] partial response, and 9 [18%] no response). Conclusions Sargramostim may be a potential adjunctive immunomodulator for selected patients with hematological malignancies and refractory IFDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain atrophy is correlated with risk of cognitive impairment, functional decline, and dementia. Despite a high infectious disease burden, Tsimane forager-horticulturists of Bolivia have the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any studied population and present few cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors despite a high burden of infections and therefore inflammation. This study (a) examines the statistical association between brain volume (BV) and age for Tsimane and (b) compares this association to that of 3 industrialized populations in the United States and Europe. This cohort-based panel study enrolled 746 participants aged 40-94 (396 males), from whom computed tomography (CT) head scans were acquired. BV and intracranial volume (ICV) were calculated from automatic head CT segmentations. The linear regression coefficient estimate β^T of the Tsimane (T), describing the relationship between age (predictor) and BV (response, as a percentage of ICV), was calculated for the pooled sample (including both sexes) and for each sex. β^T was compared to the corresponding regression coefficient estimate β^R of samples from the industrialized reference (R) countries. For all comparisons, the null hypothesis β T = β R was rejected both for the combined samples of males and females, as well as separately for each sex. Our results indicate that the Tsimane exhibit a significantly slower decrease in BV with age than populations in the United States and Europe. Such reduced rates of BV decrease, together with a subsistence lifestyle and low CVD risk, may protect brain health despite considerable chronic inflammation related to infectious burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although varicella vaccine is given to clinically stable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children, its effectiveness is unknown. We assessed its effectiveness by reviewing the medical records of closely monitored HIV-infected children, including those receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) between 1989 and 2007. Varicella immunization and development of varicella or herpes zoster were noted. Effectiveness was calculated by subtracting from 1 the rate ratios for the incidence rates of varicella or herpes zoster in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. The effectiveness of the vaccine was 82% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24%-99%; P=.01) against varicella and was 100% (95% CI, 67%-100%; P< .001) against herpes zoster. When the analysis was controlled for receipt of HAART, vaccination remained highly protective against herpes zoster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal immunization of young children with 1 dose of varicella vaccine was recommended in the United States in 1995, and it has significantly decreased the incidence of chickenpox. Outbreaks of varicella, however, are reported among vaccinated children. Although vaccine effectiveness has usually been ~85%, rates as low as 44% have been observed. Whether this is from primary or secondary vaccine failure— or both—is unclear. We tested serum samples from 148 healthy children immunized against varicella in New York, Tennessee, and California to determine their seroconversion rates, before and after 1 dose of Merck/Oka varicella vaccine. The median age at vaccination was 12.5 months; postvaccination serum samples were obtained on average 4 months later. Serum was tested for antibodies against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) by use of the previously validated sensitive and specific fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen (FAMA) assay. Of 148 healthy child vaccinees, 113 (76%) seroconverted, and 24% had no detectable VZV FAMA antibodies. Our data contrast with reported seroconversion rates of 86%-96% by other VZV antibody tests and suggest that many cases of varicella in immunized children are due to primary vaccine failure. A second dose of varicella vaccine is expected to increase seroconversion rates and vaccine effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]