Search

Background and Aim The Global Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Narrative Survey aimed to evaluate the impact of UC, perceptions of UC burden, and management approaches. Here, we present data from patients and physicians in Australia. Methods Surveys, fielded by The Harris Poll, were completed by 215 patients with UC and 90 physicians, between August 2017 and February 2018. Surveys included questions on disease characteristics, impact on life, communication with physicians, and patient knowledge of UC. Results are presented descriptively from all respondents (with no imputation for missing data). Results Based on medication history, 84% of patients had moderate to severe UC. Diagnostic delay was on average 1.9 (SD 5.0) years and 48% of patients had waited ≥1 year for diagnosis. Nearly two‐thirds (65%) of patients considered themselves to be in remission, with 97% also reporting a flare in the past year. The majority (92%) of patients were satisfied with their UC medication and, if their treatment made them feel “good enough,” many (75%) would not consider an alternative. Most (90%) patients were satisfied with communication with their physician; however, only 48% felt comfortable raising emotional concerns. Both patients and physicians desired more time during routine appointments. Patients had gaps in their knowledge of UC, which physicians mostly recognized. Conclusions The Australian survey results highlighted the diagnostic delay and burden of UC patients' experience, gaps in patients' knowledge of UC, and challenges in patient–physician communication. Compared with the overall Global UC Narrative Survey, patients in Australia reported a high burden of disease., The Australia‐specific patient and physician results from the Global Ulcerative Colitis Narrative Survey are reported; they highlight a high disease burden, problems of diagnostic delay, and challenges in patient–physician communication. Pfizer Inc funded editorial support and the study.

The addition of large amounts of salt is one of the most important environmental problems in the dyeing of cellulosic fibres with direct or reactive dyes. This study was undertaken to determine an accurate and effective method for measuring the impact of salt on the dyeing process. This method has been applied to the case of CI Direct Blue 90 by utilising real-time measurements of dye exhaustion for different salt and dye concentrations. Reductions in salt by a factor of 4 were achieved with no effect on the final shade. It is proposed that this method could be used to reduce the amount of salt for many other direct dyes, or to enable the dyer to quantify the trade-off between time to final exhaustion and salt addition.

The objectives of this work were to develop a comprehensive visual dataset around one CIE blue color center, NCSU-B1, and to use the new dataset to test the performance of the major color difference formulae in this region of color space based on various statistical methods. The dataset comprised of 66 dyed polyester fabrics with small color differences () around a CIE blue color center. The visual difference between each sample and the color center was assessed by 26 observers in three separate sittings using a modified AATCC gray scale and a total of 5148 assessments were obtained. The performance of CIELAB, CIE94, CMC(l:c), BFD(l:c), and CIEDE2000 (KL:KC:KH) color difference formulae based on the blue dataset was evaluated at various KL (or l) values using PF/3, conventional correlation coefficient (r), Spearman rank correlation coefficient (ρ) and the STRESS function. The optimum range for KL (or l) was found to be 1–1.3 based on PF/3, 1.4–1.7 based on r, and 1–1.4 based on STRESS, and in these ranges the performances of CIEDE2000, CMC, BFD and CIE94 were not statistically different at the 95% confidence level. At KL (or l) = 1, the performance of CIEDE2000 was statistically improved compared to CMC, CIE94 and CIELAB. Also, for NCSU-B1, the difference in the performance of CMC (2:1) from the performance of CMC (1:1) was statistically insignificant at 95% confidence. The same result was obtained when the performance of all the weighted color difference formulae were compared for KL (or l) 1 versus 2. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2011

There are practical limitations in predicting dyebath concentrations and dyebath exhaustion using absorbance measurements from optical spectroscopy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the common assumptions of prediction models that cause prediction errors, and especially when multiple dye combinations are used. If a linear model is used to map absorbance to concentration, then five assumptions must hold: measurement repeatability, linear scaling, spectral additivity, linear independence of the constituent spectra and the absence of spectral morphing. Violation of one or more of these assumptions will lead to errors in predicting the concentrations of dyes in a dyebath and subsequent exhaustion calculations.

Background The risk of breast cancer associated with inheriting a BRCA1 mutation is extremely high, in addition, there is a 50% chance of transmitting this familial cancer mutation to any offspring. Methods A 31-year-old woman with a strong maternal family history of early onset of breast cancer had experienced 3 years of primary infertility. Presymptomatic testing confirmed the woman had inherited a 6 kb duplication of exon 13 (ins6KbEx13) in BRCA1 from her mother. Neither gamete donation or adoption were acceptable options for this infertile couple, and as termination of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis following in vitro fertilization (IVF) was not ethically acceptable, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was sought. A single-cell PCR protocol for PGD for the breast and ovarian cancer predisposing BRCA1 exon 13 duplication mutation was developed which involved amplification of three specific gene regions, including the BRCA1 mutation (ins6KbEx13), an intragenic marker (D17S855) and a flanking marker (D17S1185). Results In the first cycle of IVF, three embryos were analyzed and two were determined to be at low risk of having inherited the maternal BRCA1 mutation. Following the transfer of both embryos on day 5, a singleton pregnancy resulted. Declining confirmatory prenatal diagnosis, a male baby was subsequently delivered at term. Conclusions Successful PGD for BRCA1 resulted in the delivery of a live-born male. PGD using linked polymorphic markers provides an alternate option for reproduction for couples with or at risk of having inherited a BRCA1 mutation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We developed IgH-transgenic rabbits carrying a productive VDJ-Cmu Tg and found the rabbits were B cell-deficient, with a 50-100% reduction in serum IgM and IgG levels. The bone marrow of newborn Tg rabbits contained severely reduced levels of preB cells and almost no B cells. The few preB cells present in the bone marrow were large, cycling cells that expressed the VDJ-Cmu Tg, indicating that the block in B cell development likely occurred at or before the transition from large (early) preB to small (late) preB cells. By immunoprecipitation, the Tg mu-chain paired with VpreB and lambda5, suggesting that the B cell deficiency is not due to an inability to form a preB cell receptor. Despite the block in B cell development, a few B cells, expressing predominantly endogenous mu-chains, began the second stage of development in GALT. B cells were localized in and beneath the follicle-associated epithelium of GALT prior to B cell follicle formation, suggesting to us that B cell follicle formation is initiated near the follicle-associated epithelium, possibly through contact with intestinal microbiota. These IgH-Tg rabbits should provide a useful model for studies of B cell development both in bone marrow and in GALT.

Insemination elicits inflammatory changes in female reproductive tissues, but whether this results in immunological priming to paternal antigens or influences pregnancy outcome is not clear. We have evaluated indices of lymphocyte activation in lymph nodes draining the uterus following allogeneic mating in mice and have investigated the significance of sperm and plasma constituents of semen in the response. At 4 days after mating, there was a 1b7-fold increase in the cellularity of the para-aortic lymph node (PALN) compared with virgin controls. PALN lymphocytes were principally T and B lymphocytes, with smaller populations of CD3(+) B220(lo), NK1.1(+) CD3(-) (NK) and NK1.1(+) CD3(+) (NKT) cells. CD69 expression indicative of activation was increased after mating and was most evident in CD3(+) and NK1.1(+) cells. Synthesis of cytokines including interleukin-2, interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma was elevated in CD3(+) PALN cells after exposure to semen, as assessed by intracellular cytokine fluorescence-activated cell sorting, immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Matings with vasectomized males indicated that the lymphocyte activation occurs independently of sperm. However, in contrast, males from which seminal vesicle glands were surgically removed failed to stimulate PALN cell proliferation or cytokine synthesis. Adoptive transfer experiments using radiolabelled lymphocytes from mated mice showed that lymphocytes activated at insemination home to embryo implantation sites in the uterus as well as other mucosal tissues and lymph nodes. These findings indicate that activation and expansion of female lymphocyte populations occurs after mating, and is triggered by constituents of seminal plasma derived from the seminal vesicle glands. Moreover, lymphocytes activated at insemination may help mediate maternal tolerance of the conceptus in the implantation site.

Previous studies have shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have significant benefits in the control of postoperative pain after periodontal or oral surgical procedures. The combination of a peripherally acting NSAID with a centrally acting opioid drug is found to be more effective. The purpose of this study was to compare an alternative combination of ibuprofen 400 mg with 5 mg of hydroxycodone to ibuprofen 400 mg used alone in the management of pain following periodontal surgery.This study used a double-masked cross-over design with the patients acting as their own controls. Twelve patients underwent two periodontal surgeries in different quadrants of the same dental arch at least 2 weeks apart. A standardized amount of local anesthetic and similar extent and duration of surgery for each side was required. The patients received four doses of medication at predetermined intervals and filled out a visual analog pain scale every 2 hours for the first 12 hours after surgery.The overall pain reported by the patients on visual analog scale was 1.55 (SE +/- 0.16), out of a possible 10. More pain was reported with ibuprofen alone, 1.81 (SE +/- 0.12), compared to the ibuprofen with hydrocodone combination, 1.30 (SE +/- 0.16). The difference was statistically significant (P0.05).The findings suggest that a combination analgesic preparation of ibuprofen (400 mg) with hydrocodone (5 mg) results in better pain control compared to ibuprofen used alone.

Effects of rotational fallows (‘set-aside land’) on subsequent winter wheat. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different fallow treatment on subsequent winter wheat. The field trials included rotational fallows planted with Trifolium repens, Festuca rubra and Lolium perenne sown under winter barley compared to complete fallow and natural fallow without seed application and fallows planted with Trifolium pratense, Festuca rubra and Dactylis glomerata sown under winter wheat. After ploughing up the fallow vegetation, winter wheat was planted for 2 succeeding years at two levels of N-fertilization. Herbicides and fungicides were not applied. The following criteria were investigated: biomass-production, N-uptake, yield, weed infestation, nitrate and water content of the soil. In autumn, after ploughing up the fallow vegetation, the nitrate content of the soil (0—150 cm) increased by up to 210 kg NO3-N/ha after complete fallow, by up to 60 kg NO3-N/ha after natural fallow and by up to 75 and 130 kg NO3-N/ha after fallows cropped with Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense, respectively. Low nitrate levels of 20—27 kg NO3-N/ha were observed after fallows planted with grass. N-immobilization caused by ploughing up grass fallows continued until the first harvest of the subsequent winter wheat. In the second year of winter-wheat, no differences of N-mineralization dependent on the previous fallow crop occurred, except in the case complete fallow which showed lower N-mineralization. It can be concluded that fallows cropped with grass lead to a higher nitrogen fertilizer requirement m the succeeding crops. Festuca rubra was able to form dense swards in strong competition with weeds and to decrease the abundance of Alopecurus myosuroides and Apera spica-venti in subsequent winter wheat, while natural fallow and fallow planted with Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne caused epidemical increases in grass-weed density. Preceding crop effects on grain yield of the winter wheat showed a close relation to N-supply and were compensated by mineral N-fertilization. After natural fallow and fallow covered with Trifolinm repens, yield reductions due to grass-weed competition occurred. Undersown Festuca rubra seems to possess a special suitabihty for cultivation in routional fallows. It establishes itself strongly under different cover crops and is able to form dense swards in strong competition with weeds. Grass-weed density in the succeeding crops will be reduced and nitrate leaching will still be prevented after ploughing up the fallow vegetation. N-fertilization of the subsequent crops must be carried out under considerations of higher N-requirements which is probably not entirely due to a stronger N-immobilization.

This controlled, double-blind, split-mouth study was designed to evaluate postoperative pain experience following periodontal surgery on 20 patients. Two commercially available local anesthetic agents, bupivacaine HCl and lidocaine HCl, were used. Periodontal surgeries were standardized to minimize differences in difficulty, extent and time. A patient questionnaire was used to collect data for the 24-hour observation period following periodontal surgery. During this period, pain perception was assessed by visual analogue scales. The results indicated that when bupivacaine was used, there was less postoperative pain, fewer postoperative analgesics taken and a longer period of "numbness" (anesthesia) as compared to lidocaine. The patients expressed a strong preference for bupivacaine over lidocaine.