Search

Environmental and lifestyle factors play an important role in the natural history of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. A group of international experts from the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases voted on a series of consensus statements to inform the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The recommendations include avoiding traditional cigarette smoking in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, screening for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychosocial stressors at diagnosis and during flares (with referral to mental health professionals when appropriate), and encouraging regular physical activity as tolerated. Patients using dietary approaches for treatment of their IBD should be encouraged to adopt diets that are best supported by evidence and involve monitoring for the objective resolution of inflammation. We recommend formal assessment for obesity and nutritional deficiencies, and patients should be encouraged to maintain a normal body-mass index. A shared decision-making approach to contraception should include the consideration of IBD-related factors, and risk factors for venous thromboembolism. Long-term or frequent use of high-dose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided. For primary prevention of disease in the offspring of patients with IBD, we recommend avoiding passive exposure to tobacco, using antibiotics judiciously, and considering breastfeeding when able.

Reniform nematode (RN, Rotylenchulus reniformisLinford & Oliveria) is a parasite that reduces and limits cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) yields. At present, nematicides and crop rotations are the most effective management tool for producers. Our study investigated the use of six composite breeding lines that have quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for RN resistance and the interaction effect of a nematicide under high RN pressure. The study compared these genotypes in both a non‐RN field and a RN‐infected field under a Velum Total (active ingredients fluopyram and imidacloprid) treatment at Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center near Belle Mina, AL. In both years, the breeding lines outyielded commercial controls and the parental lines in RN infested field with and without Velum Total. Five out of the six breeding lines contained both chromosome 21 (Renbarb1and Renbarb2) resistant QTLs, which reduced RN egg numbers (P< .05) and produced higher yields than the commercial checks. These lines can be considered moderately resistant to RN. The remaining line contained one QTL Renbarb1, produced good yield, and is considered tolerant, despite the fact that it had high RN egg numbers. However, adding a nematicide treatment did increase yields in all material tested. Therefore, further work at increasing resistance from other genetic sources is needed to completely eliminate nematicide use.

Objective:: Premature delivery and prolonged hospitalization of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are very stressful for parents. As technology has advanced, short message services (SMS) have been used increasingly in the medical disciplines. To date, the use of SMS for updating patients and families regarding medical information has not been reported. We implemented the SMS technique to daily update the parents regarding the health status of their preterm infant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of SMS technology and to assess its impact on the parents and the nursing staff. Study Design:: Parents and nurses completed questionnaires at two time periods: pre-SMS implementation (pre-SMSi) and post-SMS implementation (post-SMSi). The parent questionnaires included statements about medical information delivery, communication and trust between parents and medical staff, parental anxiety and overall satisfaction. The nurse questionnaires included statements about the expected and actual impact on their workload. Results:: Comparison of the parents' responses at the two time periods indicated that in the post-SMSi time period, they felt that the physician was more available when needed (P=0.002), they were more comfortable about approaching the physician (P=0.001) and more satisfied with the medical information provided by the staff (P=0.03). In the post-SMSi period, 78.1% of the nurses noted that the SMS communication is a convenient and user-friendly method. Conclusions:: SMS updating is an easy and user-friendly technology that enriches the modalities of information delivery to parents of hospitalized preterm infants. It is a complementary and useful tool for encouraging and improving personal communication between parents and medical staff and should be considered part of quality improvement in health care.

IntroductionEffective colonoscopic surveillance of IBD benefit from having reliable predictors of neoplasia, since targeted biopsies and endoscopic resection are increasingly used as standard of practice. It is not clear whether Kudo pit patterns may be applicable in characterising IBD associated lesions. We aimed to identify the specific clinical and endoscopic features of colonic lesions which predict dysplasia in IBD.MethodAll lesions identified in a randomised study to determine the detection rates of neoplastic lesion (NL) in patients with long standing colitis in IBD ( NCT02098798) were included. NL were classified by the Paris classification, Kudo pit pattern, and by the Vienna classification. Univariate analysis was performed, and age, duration of disease, extra-intestinal manifestations,family or personal history of polyps/cancer, smoking, size of lesion, Paris classification, Kudo pit pattern, localization/extension were considered .Subsequently a multivariate logistic regression model analyses was created and analysed with candidate variables which had p values≤0.05 on univariate analysis.ResultsA total of 270 patients (55% men; median age 49y) were assessed by High Definition (n=90), virtual chromoendoscopy (n=90) or dye chromoendoscopy (n=90). Among 270 patients, ninety- one (33.7%) colonic dysplastic lesions and 1 adenocarcinoma were found. Sixty–two (68.8%) were polypoid and twenty-nine (31.8%) were non polypoid. Most of these lesions (92.3%) had Kudo pit pattern III-V. By univariate analysis, age- Odds Ratio (OR) 1.05 (95% CI:1.02–1.08), localization of the lesions in the right colon- OR 6.15 ( 95% CI: 3.12–12.12), Kudo pit pattern IIO, III-IV and V- OR 20.91 (95% CI:9.34–46.7) and Paris Is/Ip classification OR- 3.29 (95% CI 1.69–6.38) were associated with NL. Subsequently proportional multivariate logistic regression model for the prediction of colonic neoplasia confirmed that the endoscopic Kudo pit pattern- OR 21.50 (95% CI:86.5–60.1) and localization of the lesions in the right colon- OR 6.52 (95% CI:1.98–22.5) were predictors of colonic neoplasia at surveillance colonoscopy in IBD (Table). The overall accuracy of independent variables which predict neoplastic histological changes was 78% (95% CI 68%–88%), sensitivity 82% (95% CI 68%–97%), specificity 68% (95% CI 47%–89%), PPV 85% (95% CI 76%–95%) and NPV 64% (95% CI 42%–86%) which were significant in the multivariate analysis.ConclusionWe demonstrated that the endoscopic Kudo pit pattern and localization of the lesions in the right colon were predictors of neoplasia in IBD. This may guide management strategy of NL detected at IBD surveillance.Disclosure of InterestM. Iacucci Conflict with: Pentax, O Akinola: None Declared, R Panaccione: None Declared, G Kaplan: None Declared, Y Leung: None Declared, K Novak: None Declared, C Seow: None Declared, X Gui: None Declared, S Urbanski: None Declared, P Minoo: None Declared, B Lethebe: None Declared, M Lowerison: None Declared, S Ghosh: None Declared

AbstractThis article presents the surveillance data from the Feed Contaminants Program (2002–2009) and SalmonellaAssignment (2007–2009) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which monitor the trend of Salmonellacontamination in animal feeds. A total of 2,058 samples were collected from complete animal feeds, feed ingredients, pet foods, pet treats, and supplements for pets in 2002–2009. These samples were tested for the presence of Salmonella. Those that were positive for Salmonellaunderwent serotyping and testing for antimicrobial susceptibility. Of the 2,058 samples, 257 were positive for Salmonella(12.5%). The results indicate a significant overall Salmonellareduction (p≤0.05) in animal feeds from 18.2% (187 samples tested) in 2002 to 8.0% (584 samples tested) in 2009. Among these samples, feed ingredients and pet foods/treats had the most significant reduction (p≤0.05). Of the 45 Salmonellaserotypes identified, SalmonellaSenftenberg and SalmonellaMontevideo were the top two common serotypes (8.9%). Of the 257 Salmonellaisolates obtained, 54 isolates (21%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. The findings provide the animal feed industries with Salmonellaprevalence information that can be used to address Salmonellacontamination problems. Our findings can also be used to educate pet owners when handling pet foods and treats at home to prevent salmonellosis.

ABSTRACTDespite routine vaccination with Mycobacterium bovisbacillus Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG) soon after birth, tuberculosis in babies and adults remains epidemic in South Africa. The immune responses of the nai¨ve newborn child and how they are affected by vaccination with BCG are as yet not fully understood. Immunity during pregnancy and in healthy human newborns may be skewed toward type 2 cytokine production; however, it is type 1 cytokines that are required for protection against M. tuberculosisinfection. To better understand neonatal cytokine responses prior to and following exposure to mycobacteria, we have collected cord blood and peripheral blood samples and evaluated the cytokine response following ex vivo incubation with BCG. Gamma interferon (IFN-?), interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12, and low levels of IL-13 and IL-5 but no IL-4 were secreted into the culture supernatant of cord blood mononuclear cells. Intracellular staining showed that IL-10 and IL-12 were produced by monocytes and that IFN-? was produced by natural killer (NK) cells but not by CD4+or CD8+T cells. In contrast, in the peripheral blood samples collected from babies 13 weeks post-BCG vaccination, IFN-? was detected within CD4+and CD8+cells. Taken together, the data suggest a central role for Th1 cytokines in nai¨ve as well as BCG-vaccinated neonates in the protective immune response to tuberculosis. NK cell-derived IFN-? produced in nai¨ve neonates likely plays a key protective role via monocyte activation and the priming of a subsequent adaptive Th1 response.

Despite routine vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) soon after birth, tuberculosis in babies and adults remains epidemic in South Africa. The immune responses of the naïve newborn child and how they are affected by vaccination with BCG are as yet not fully understood. Immunity during pregnancy and in healthy human newborns may be skewed toward type 2 cytokine production; however, it is type 1 cytokines that are required for protection against M. tuberculosis infection. To better understand neonatal cytokine responses prior to and following exposure to mycobacteria, we have collected cord blood and peripheral blood samples and evaluated the cytokine response following ex vivo incubation with BCG. Gamma interferon (IFN-), interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12, and low levels of IL-13 and IL-5 but no IL-4 were secreted into the culture supernatant of cord blood mononuclear cells. Intracellular staining showed that IL-10 and IL-12 were produced by monocytes and that IFN- was produced by natural killer (NK) cells but not by CD4+or CD8+T cells. In contrast, in the peripheral blood samples collected from babies 13 weeks post-BCG vaccination, IFN- was detected within CD4+and CD8+cells. Taken together, the data suggest a central role for Th1 cytokines in naïve as well as BCG-vaccinated neonates in the protective immune response to tuberculosis. NK cell-derived IFN- produced in naïve neonates likely plays a key protective role via monocyte activation and the priming of a subsequent adaptive Th1 response.

The Origins Billions Star Surveyis a mission concept addressing the astrophysics of extrasolar planets, Galactic structure, the Galactic halo and tidal streams, the Local Group and local supercluster of galaxies, dark matter, star formation, open clusters, the solar system, and the celestial reference frame by determining the position, parallax, and proper motion, as well as photometry, for billions of stars down to 23rd visual magnitude. It is capable of surveying the entire celestial sphere or dwelling on a star field by varying the cadence of observations. The mission's ability to measure objects fainter than 17th magnitude allows a large number of extragalactic compact objects to be observed, making the astrometric measurements absolute. The project mission accuracy is comparable to Gaiafor a survey mission. Improved accuracy can be achieved by dwelling on a particular star field or by using the Gaiapositions at 14th magnitude to improve the positions of objects at the 18th-23rd visual magnitudes.

Abstract: A low level of physical activity has been associated with depression, and increased physical activity has been found to have a positive effect on mood. However, the association between maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and mood has been poorly studied. In this study VO2max (ml/kg per min) was measured in a sample of 1,519 men aged 46–61 years during a cycle ergometer test by using respiratory gas exchange. Men with a history of psychiatric disorder or serious physical illness were excluded. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 18-item Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale (HPL). Those who scored 5 or more in the HPL were considered to have elevated depressive symptoms.The participants were classified into quartiles according to the VO2max. Those in the lowest quartile had a more than 3-fold (OR: 3.42; 95% CI: 1.65–7.09; p < 0.001) higher risk of having elevated depressive symptoms compared with those in the highest quartile, even after adjusting for several confounders (OR: 3.38; 95% CI: 1.60–7.14; p < 0.001).In conclusion, low VO2max is associated with having elevated depressive symptoms in middle-aged men.

An antimagic labelingof graph a with medges and nvertices is a bijection from the set of edges to the integers 1,…,msuch that all nvertex sums are pairwise distinct, where a vertex sum is the sum of labels of all edges incident with the same vertex. A graph is called antimagicif it has an antimagic labeling. A conjecture of Ringel (see 4) states that every connected graph, but K2, is antimagic. Our main result validates this conjecture for graphs having minimum degree Ω (log n). The proof combines probabilistic arguments with simple tools from analytic number theory and combinatorial techniques. We also prove that complete partite graphs (but K2) and graphs with maximum degree at least n– 2 are antimagic. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 47: 297–309, 2004

Background: We assessed the role of computed tomography (CT) in the resolution of appendicitis. Methods: This was a retrospective study over 2.5 years involving 155 patients and 172 CT scans for suspected appendicitis in an emergency setting. Results: Sixty-nine studies were positive for appendicitis by CT criteria. Of these, 53 underwent surgery: 48 were positive for appendicitis, four had other pathologies (two with colon cancer, one with colitis, one with infectious enteritis), and one had a normal appendix that was removed. Three of the 69 patients were released or left the emergency room against medical advice. Twelve patients demonstrated acute appendicitis by CT criteria but were treated conservatively because their clinical conditions were stable; four of those patients had follow-up CT that showed resolution of findings. Six patients were followed clinically, without recurrence of symptoms, and two were lost to follow-up. Conclusion: Resolving appendicitis is an entity that should be considered in a patient who has signs positive for appendicitis on CT but is doing well clinically. CT positive for appendicitis does not necessarily indicate surgery, and the decision for operation should depend on clinical and radiologic features.

Measures of low socioeconomic position have been associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) among women. A more complete understanding of this association is gained when socioeconomic position is conceptualized from a life course perspective where socioeconomic position is measured both in early and later life. We examined various life course socioeconomic indicators in relation to CHD risk among women.

Risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease is higher among adults with limited education, and the less educated perform poorer on cognitive function tests. This study determines whether the socioeconomic environment experienced during childhood has an impact on cognitive functioning in middle age.

In experimental mycobacterial infection, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is required for control of bacillary growth and the protective granulomatous response, but may cause immunopathology. To directly examine the positive and detrimental effects of this cytokine, a murine model was used in which different amounts of TNF-alpha were delivered to the site of infection. Mice with a disruption in the TNF-alpha gene (TNF-KO) or wild-type mice were infected with low or high doses of recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG that secreted murine TNF-alpha (BCG-TNF). Infection of TNF-KO mice with BCG containing the vector (BCG-vector) at a low dose led to increased bacillary load in all organs and an extensive granulomatous response in the lungs and spleen. The mice succumbed to the infection by approximately 40 days. However, when TNF-KO mice were infected with low doses of BCG-TNF, bacillary growth was controlled, granulomas were small and well differentiated, the spleen was not enlarged, and the mice survived. Infection with high inocula of BCG-TNF resulted in bacterial clearance, but was accompanied by severe inflammation in the lungs and spleen and earlier death compared to the results from the mice infected with high inocula of BCG-vector. Wild-type mice controlled infection with either recombinant strain, but showed decreased survival following high-dose BCG-TNF infection. The effects of TNF-alpha required signaling through an intact receptor, since the differential effects were not observed when TNF-alpha receptor-deficient mice were infected. The results suggest that the relative amount of TNF-alpha at the site of infection determines whether the cytokine is protective or destructive.

Staphylococcus aureus frequently colonizes the airways of patients with compromised airway defenses (e.g., cystic fibrosis [CF] patients) for extended periods. Persistent and relapsing infections may be related to live S. aureus bacteria actively residing inside epithelial cells. In this study, we infected a respiratory epithelial cell line, which was derived from a CF patient, with S. aureus RN6390. Internalization of S. aureus was found to be time and dose dependent and could be blocked by cytochalasin D. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that internalized bacteria resided within endocytic vacuoles without any evidence of lysosomal fusion in a 24-h period. The results of internalization experiments and time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of epithelial cells infected with green fluorescent S. aureus indicate that, after an initial lag period of 7 to 9 h, intracellular bacteria began to replicate, with three to five divisions in a 24-h period, leading to apoptosis of infected cells. Induction of apoptosis required bacterial internalization and is associated with intracellular replication. The slow and gradual replication of S. aureus inside epithelial cells hints at the role of host factors or signals in bacterial growth and further suggests possible cross talk between host cells and S. aureus.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the relation between mortality and income inequality in Canada with that in the United States. DESIGN: The degree of income inequality, defined as the percentage of total household income received by the less well off 50% of households, was calculated and these measures were examined in relation to all cause mortality, grouped by and adjusted for age. SETTING: The 10 Canadian provinces, the 50 US states, and 53 Canadian and 282 US metropolitan areas. RESULTS: Canadian provinces and metropolitan areas generally had both lower income inequality and lower mortality than US states and metropolitan areas. In age grouped regression models that combined Canadian and US metropolitan areas, income inequality was a significant explanatory variable for all age groupings except for elderly people. The effect was largest for working age populations, in which a hypothetical 1% increase in the share of income to the poorer half of households would reduce mortality by 21 deaths per 100 000. Within Canada, however, income inequality was not significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Canada seems to counter the increasingly noted association at the societal level between income inequality and mortality. The lack of a significant association between income inequality and mortality in Canada may indicate that the effects of income inequality on health are not automatic and may be blunted by the different ways in which social and economic resources are distributed in Canada and in the United States.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a relatively high resistance to killing by hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxides. Resistance may be mediated by mycobacterial catalase-peroxidase (KatG) and possibly by alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC). To determine the interrelationship between sensitivity to H2O2, catalase and peroxidase activities, and bacillary growth rates measured both intracellularly in human monocytes and in culture medium, we examined one laboratory strain, two clinical isolates, and three recombinant strains of M. tuberculosis with differing levels of KatG and AhpC. Five of the mycobacterial strains had intracellular doubling times of 27 to 32 h, while one KatG-deficient clinical isolate (ATCC 35825) doubled in approximately 76 h. Killing of mycobacteria by exogenously added H2O2 was more pronounced for intracellular bacilli than for those bacilli derived from disrupted monocytes. Strains with no detectable KatG expression or catalase activity were relatively sensitive to killing (43 to 67% killing) by exogenous H2O2. However, once even minimal catalase activity was present, mycobacterial catalase activity over a 10-fold range (0.56 to 6.2 U/mg) was associated with survival of 85% of the bacilli. Peroxidase activity levels correlated significantly with resistance of the mycobacterial strains to H2O2-mediated killing. An endogenous oxidative burst induction by 4beta-phorbol 12beta-myristate 13alpha-acetate treatment of infected monocytes reduced the viability of the KatG null strain (H37Rv Inhr) but not the KatG-overexpressing strain [H37Rv(pMH59)]. These results suggest that mycobacterial resistance to oxidative metabolites (including H2O2 and other peroxides) may be an important mechanism of bacillary survival within the host phagocyte.

Previous evidence from the Alameda County Study indicated that residential area has an independent effect on risk for mortality, adjusting for a variety of important individual characteristics. The current research examined the effect of poverty area residence on risk for developing depressive symptoms and decline in perceived health status in a sample of 1737.

Despite the antimicrobial mechanisms of vertebrate phagocytes, mycobacteria can survive within the phagosomes of these cells. These organisms use various strategies to evade destruction, including inhibition of acidification of the phagosome and inhibition of phagosome-lysosome fusion. In contrast to mycobacteria, Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic agent of Q fever, inhabits a spacious acidified intracellular vacuole which is prone to fusion with other vacuoles of the host cell, including phagosomes containing mycobacteria. The Coxiella-infected cell thus provides a unique model for investigating the survival of mycobacteria in an acidified phagosome-like compartment. In the present study, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages were infected with either Mycobacterium avium or Mycobacterium tuberculosis and then coinfected with C. burnetii. We observed that the majority of phagocytosed mycobacteria colocalized to the C. burnetii-containing vacuole, which maintained its acidic properties. In coinfected macrophages, the growth of M. avium was not impaired following fusion with the acidified vacuole. In contrast, the growth rate of M. tuberculosis was reduced in acidified vacuoles. These results suggest that although both species of mycobacteria inhibit phagosome-lysosome fusion, they may be differentially susceptible to the toxic effects of the acidic environment in the mature phagolysosome.

Abstract: The MRI features of two cases of spinal Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis with multilevel involvement are presented in which MRI was of help in differentiating active from inactive healing lesions by the demonstration of signal changes in the vertebral body marrow of the active lesion, manifest as low signal intensity on T1-weighted sequences and high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences. This distinction could not be made by plain radiography or bone scintigraphy. In cases where biopsy is required for diagnosis, MRI is recommended to guide the biopsy towards levels suggestive of active involvement.