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N ational and international open-access agricultural research databases are needed to help solve problems at watershed, regional, and national scales, and to connect productivity, soil health, and environmental quality to food quantity and quality. There are some established, open-access agricultural research networks with extensive research data in the United States, but there is a major need to improve connections between those networks and the emerging data in order to address complex questions. Improving the connections and flow of information among agricultural research networks will enhance the scientific community's ability to simultaneously increase crop yield, sustainability of natural resources, and environmental quality, as well as food, feed, and forage quality, and thus human and animal health. Establishing a network of agricultural databases is crucial for facilitating information flow among different research disciplines. Doing so will also enhance multidisciplinary research opportunities and help build transdisciplinary teams that can provide answers to complex, whole-system research questions and thus solve some of the globe's greatest challenges. GLOBAL CHALLENGES The ever-growing human population is facing one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century: to ensure the sustainability of agricultural and natural systems. Both are under the pressure of a changing climate and the increase in…

Cyclosporine is a potent immunosuppressive agent used to treat immune‐mediated disorders in dogs. Secondary infections sometimes necessitate withdrawal of cyclosporine, but it is not known how long it takes for the immune system to recover after cessation of cyclosporine. Our goal was to utilize a validated RT‐qPCR assay in dogs to assess recovery time of the T‐cell cytokines IL‐2 and IFN‐γ after discontinuation of cyclosporine. Six healthy dogs were given oral cyclosporine (10 mg/kg every 12 hr) for 1 week, with samples collected for measurement of cytokine gene expression prior to treatment, and on the last day of therapy. Cyclosporine was then discontinued, and samples were collected daily for an additional 7 days. Results revealed that there was a significant difference in cytokine expression when comparing pre‐treatment and immediate post‐treatment values, corresponding to marked suppression of T‐cell function. There was no significant difference between pre‐treatment values for either cytokine when compared with any day during the recovery period. Cytokine expression, evaluated as a percentage of pre‐treatment baseline samples, demonstrated progressing return of T‐cell function after drug cessation, with full recovery seen in all dogs by Day 4 of the recovery period., Cyclosporine administration in dogs did result in a significant difference in ∆Ct for cytokine expression when comparing pre‐treatment and immediate post‐treatment values, corresponding to marked suppression of T‐cell function. Cytokine expression, evaluated as a percentage of pre‐treatment baseline samples, demonstrated progressing return of T‐cell function after drug cessation, with full recovery by Day 3 of the recovery period.

BACKGROUND: In June 1996, an outbreak of chronic diarrhea was reported to the Texas Department of Health (Austin). METHODS: We initiated active case finding, performed 2 case-control studies, and conducted an extensive laboratory and environmental investigation. RESULTS: We identified 114 persons with diarrhea that lasted > or = 4 weeks. Symptoms among 102 patients who were studied included urgency (87%), fatigue (86%), fecal incontinence (74%), and weight loss (73%); the median maximum 24-h stool frequency was 15 stools. Diarrhea persisted for > 6 months in 87% and for > 1 year in 70% of patients who were observed. Fifty-one (89%) of 57 ill persons had eaten at a particular restaurant within 4 weeks before onset, compared with 8 (14%) of 59 matched control subjects (matched odds ratio [OR], undefined; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.2-infinity). At the restaurant, patients were more likely than their unaffected dining companions to have drunk tap water (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.0-9.9) and to have eaten several specific food items, and they were less likely to have drunk iced tea made from boiled water and store-bought ice (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.05-1.0). A multivariable model that included consumption of tap water and salad bar tomatoes best fit the data. The restaurant had multiple sanitary and plumbing deficiencies. Extensive laboratory and environmental testing for bacterial, parasitic, mycotic, and viral agents did not identify an etiologic agent. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic findings are consistent with those of previous outbreaks of Brainerd diarrhea. To our knowledge, this is the largest reported outbreak of Brainerd diarrhea associated with a restaurant.