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Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is significantly impacted in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Many studies have assessed HRQoL in patients of all ages, and few focus on the elderly.Aim: To determine the influence of advanced age (> 65 years) and age at diagnosis on patients with IBD.Methods: This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data from a single IBD tertiary referral center. Patients had disease activity indices [Harvey-Bradshaw index (HBI), Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI), and Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ)] recorded during every clinic visit. Three groups of patients: > 65 years, 41-64 years, and < 40 years with > 5 SIBDQ entries were included. Influence of disease type, disease duration, extent of involvement, and comorbidities such as cardiovascular (CV) disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus (DM), and psychological disorders were noted as confounders. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression model.Results: Disease severity indices significantly affected SIBDQ score in both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) (p < 0.001 for HBI in CD, p < 0.001 UCDAI in UC). Disease extent (p = 0.011) and psychological disorders (p < 0.001) significantly affected SIBDQ score in CD. Chronological age, age at diagnosis, disease duration, number of clinic visits, CV disease, pulmonary disease, and DM were not significant predictors of SIBDQ score (p > 0.05).Conclusions: HRQoL was negatively influenced by disease extent and psychological disorders in CD but not in UC patients. Advanced age was not a predictor of poor HRQoL in both CD and UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori is prevalent worldwide, especially in Latin America. Triple and quadruple antibiotic therapies have been relatively effective; however, resistance has emerged in recent years. The treatment success rate of these regimens on the border of the United States and Mexico is unknown. Our study attempted to determine eradication rates of two major regimens based on urea breath test (UBT) results in patients previously diagnosed as having H. pylori in a single center in El Paso, Texas, a city on the geographic border with Mexico.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with H. pylori who underwent UBT after being treated with triple therapy (amoxicillin/clarithromycin/proton pump inhibitor for 14 days), quadruple therapy (tetracycline/metronidazole/bismuth/proton pump inhibitor, usually for 10 days), or both for H. pylori from 2010 to 2015 in a county hospital. Patients were excluded if they did not complete therapy or if their treatment regimen was unknown. The Student t test and the χ2 test were used to analyze the data. The cumulative incidence and 95% confidence interval (CI) for treatment success were estimated.Results: A total of 104 patients completed the treatment for H. pylori and had UBT. Mean age was 53 years, 76% were women, 85% were Hispanic, and mean body mass index was 30.5 kg/m2. Of the 104 patients diagnosed as having H. pylori, 88 received triple therapy (84.6%) and 16 received quadruple therapy: 12 (11.5%) standard quadruple therapy, 4 (3.9%) triple therapy plus metronidazole. There were no differences between groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, or ethnicity. Overall, 90 (86.5%, 95% CI 78-92) patients had negative UBT after initial treatment. Based on posttreatment UBT, the triple therapy group had a similar eradication rate compared with the quadruple therapy group (78/88, 88.6% vs 12/16, 75.0%, P = 0.22). Of the 14 patients with positive posttreatment UBT, 12 (85.7%) received retreatment (2 were lost to follow-up), 11 (91.7%) received quadruple therapy, and 1 (8.3%) received triple therapy. Eradication was successful in 9 of 12 (75%, 95% CI 43-95) patients at retreatment. As such, of the initial 104 patients, 99/104 (95.2%) achieved H. pylori eradication posttreatment (either initial or retreatment).Conclusions: In a predominantly Hispanic population on the US-Mexico border, H. pylori eradication rates based on UBT results were relatively high and were similar for triple therapy and quadruple therapy. Quadruple therapy was effective for those who failed the initial H. pylori treatment. This may have implications for cost-effective therapy in our region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Painful legs and moving toes (PLMT) is a syndrome consisting of pain in the lower legs with involuntary movements of the toes or feet. Its incidence and prevalence remain largely unknown since it is still a relatively rare disorder. We are reporting a case of PLMT along with the first review ofliterature on all previously reported cases and a discussion on its clinical management. Methods: A review of published literature on PLMT was done using MEDLINE and PubMed databases. Searches were conducted to find articles from 1971 – 2010. Medical subject headings used to search the databases included PLMT with subheadings of painful legs/moving toes, electromyography, polysomnography, as well as keyword search using "PLMT". Single author reviewed titles and abstracts of potentially relevant articles. Results: We reviewed approximately 19 PLMT articles that have been published to date, with a total of 72 patients: 30.5% males and 69.5% females (median age 55 & 64 yrs, respectively). The most common predisposing conditions were neuropathy and radiculopathy. Numerous treatments including antiepileptics, benzodiazepines, antispasmodic agents, and antidepressants have been tried with little success. GABAergic agents such as gabapentin and pregabalin were the most effective in attenuating the pain and the movements, possibly via both central and peripheral mechanisms. Conclusion: Physicians should be aware of this rare debilitating condition. Though much progress has been made in elucidating its etiology, the exact mechanism still remains a mystery. It is important to consider PLMT in a patient with painful legs and/or restless leg syndrome without any significant history of neurological disease or trauma. Diagnosis is essentially clinical and treatment is complex, which includes different combinations of medications and invasive techniques that generally produce a poor outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU) is pursuing research to better understand hurricane-induced effects on residential buildings and other structures through full-scale aerodynamic and destructive testing. The full-scale 6-fan Wall of Wind (WOW) testing apparatus, measuring 4.9 m tall by 7.3 m wide, is capable of generating hurricane-force winds. To achieve windstorm simulation capabilities it is necessary to reproduce mean and turbulence characteristics of hurricane wind flows. Without devices and methods developed to achieve target wind flows, the full-scale WoW simulations were found to be unsatisfactory. To develop such devices and methods efficiently, a small-scale (1:8) model of the WoW was built, for which simulation devices were easier and faster to install and change, and running costs were greatly reduced. The application of such devices, and the use of quasiperiodic fluctuating waveforms to run the WoW fan engines, were found to greatly influence and improve the turbulence characteristics of the 1:8 scale WoW flow. Reasonable reproductions of wind flows with specified characteristics were then achieved by applying to the full-scale WoW the devices and methods found to be effective for the 1:8 scale WoW model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of computers to learn from and annotate large databases of crystallization-trial images provides not only the ability to reduce the workload of crystallization studies, but also an opportunity to annotate crystallization trials as part of a framework for improving screening methods. Here, a system is presented that scores sets of images based on the likelihood of containing crystalline material as perceived by a machine-learning algorithm. The system can be incorporated into existing crystallization-analysis pipelines, whereby specialists examine images as they normally would with the exception that the images appear in rank order according to a simple real-valued score. Promising results are shown for 319 112 images associated with 150 structures solved by the Joint Center for Structural Genomics pipeline during the 2006-2007 year. Overall, the algorithm achieves a mean receiver operating characteristic score of 0.919 and a 78% reduction in human effort per set when considering an absolute score cutoff for screening images, while incurring a loss of five out of 150 structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, a large body of evidence has established a causative role for the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, recent debate has focused on whether amyloid fibrils or soluble oligomers of Aβ are the main neurotoxic species that contribute to neurodegeneration and dementia. Considerable early evidence has indicated that amyloid fibrils are toxic, but some recent studies support the notion that Aβ oligomers are the primary neurotoxins. While this crucial aspect of AD pathogenesis remains controversial, effective therapeutic strategies should ideally target both oligomeric and fibrillar species of Aβ. Here, we describe the anti-amyloidogenic and neuroprotective actions of some di- and tri-substituted aromatic compounds. Inhibition of the formation of soluble Aβ oligomers was monitored using a specific antibody-based assay that discriminates between Aβ oligomers and monomers. Thioflavin T and electron microscopy were used to screen for inhibitors of fibril formation. Taken together, these results led to the identification of compounds that more effectively block Aβ oligomerization than fibrillization. It is significant that such compounds completely blocked the neurotoxicity of Aβ to rat hippocampal neurons in culture. These findings provide a basis for the development of novel small molecule Aβ inhibitors with potential applications in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal tract duplication cysts are rare congenital gastrointestinal malformation in young patients and adults. They consist of foregut duplication cysts, small bowel duplication cysts, and large bowel duplication cysts. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been widely used as a modality for the evaluation and diagnosis of duplication cysts. EUS is the diagnostic tool of choice to investigate duplication cysts since it can distinguish between solid and cystic lesions. The question of whether or not to perform EUS-fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) on a lesion suspected of being a duplication cyst is controversial as these lesions can become infected with significant consequences, although EUS-FNA is often required to obtain a definitive diagnosis and to rule out more ominous lesions. This manuscript will review the literature on duplication cysts throughout the body and will also focus on the role of EUS and FNA with regards to these lesions.

Mahogunin Ring Finger-1 (Mgrn1) null mutant mice have a pleiotropic phenotype that includes the absence of yellow hair pigment, abnormal head shape, reduced viability, and adult-onset spongiform neurodegeneration. Mgrn1 encodes a highly conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase with four different isoforms which are differentially expressed and predicted to localize to different subcellular compartments. To test whether loss of specific isoforms causes different aspects of the mutant phenotype, we generated transgenes for each isoform and bred them onto the null mutant background. Mice expressing only isoform I or III appeared completely normal. Isoform II rescued or partially rescued the mutant phenotypes, whereas isoform IV had little or no effect. Our data show that different Mgrn1 isoforms are not functionally equivalent in vivo and that the presence of only isoform I or III is sufficient for normal development, pigmentation, and neuronal integrity.

The dark-like (dal) mutant mouse has a pleiotropic phenotype that includes dark dorsal hairs and reproductive degeneration. Their pigmentation phenotype is similar to Attractin (Atrn) mutants, which also develop vacuoles throughout the brain. In further characterizing the testicular degeneration of dal mutant males, we found that they had reduced serum testosterone and developed vacuoles in their testes. Genetic crosses placed dal upstream of the melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r) and downstream of agouti, although dal suppressed the effect of agouti on pigmentation but not body weight. Atrn(mg-3J) and dal showed additive effects on pigmentation, testicular vacuolation, and spongiform neurodegeneration, but transgenic overexpression of Attractin-like-1 (Atrnl1), which compensates for loss of ATRN, did not rescue dal mutant phenotypes. Our results suggest dal and Atrn function in the same pathway and that identification of the dal gene will provide insight into molecular mechanisms of vacuolation in multiple cell types., (Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)