Exploring Gut Microbiota Composition as an Indicator of Clinical Response to Dietary FODMAP Restriction in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background: A diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) may relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, nutritional counseling is resource-demanding and not all patients will benefit.

Aims: To explore whether gut microbial composition may identify symptom response to a low-FODMAP diet in patients with IBS.

Persistent symptoms in patients with Crohn's disease in remission: An exploratory study on the role of diet.

Objectives: Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) often report food hypersensitivities with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms despite being in clinical remission. We aimed to identify the most frequent symptoms and dietary triggers in such patients, and also explored whether a strict elimination diet may reduce their GI symptoms.

Methods: We assessed GI symptoms and dietary triggers in 16 patients with CD in clinical remission.

[Measurement of calprotectin in faeces].

Background: Calprotectin is a calcium-binding protein found in neutrophils. Increased levels are found in stools after mucosal damage due to inflammation, which causes influx of neutrophils into the gut lumen.

Material And Method: This article is based on a review of the most pertinent publications found on Medline and our clinical experience from more than 10 years of using the test.

Technology insight: calprotectin, lactoferrin and nitric oxide as novel markers of inflammatory bowel disease.

Distinguishing patients with inflammatory bowel disease from those with irritable bowel syndrome can be difficult. A simple and reliable test that detects intestinal inflammation would therefore be very useful in the clinic. If such a test parameter correlated with the intensity of the inflammatory reaction it could also be used to monitor disease activity.

[Increased cortisol levels, frostbite and effects on the muscles and skeleton during extreme polar conditions].

Background: We wanted to record physiological changes, injuries and illnesses during a long sledge expedition in North Canada.

Material And Methods: The expedition consisted of four men aged 41 to 50, and 16 polar dogs. Measurements of cortisol in saliva were performed before, during and after the expedition.

[A polar expedition in challenging circumstances--experiences and psychological reactions].

Four men, in the company of 16 dogs, skied for five weeks from Gåsefjord to Ellef Ringnes Land, North Canada. The expedition met with considerable unforeseen challenges such as extreme and prolonged cold, unmotivated Greenland dogs, and much pack ice. Psychological reactions were described and measured by a qualitative free text analysis and a test battery including GHQ-30 (General Health Questionnaire) and STAI State (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) before, during, and after the expedition.

Proactive sensitizing effects of acute stress on acoustic startle responses and experimentally induced colitis in rats: relationship to corticosterone.

In humans, some individuals develop a syndrome after trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) characterized by increased startle responses and lower than normal cortisol secretion. We explored a rat model using the acoustic startle response (ASR) as a behavioral indicator of the effect of a short series of shocks. Because gastrointestinal disorders have been associated with prior stress, we also studied the rats' vulnerability to a chemically-induced colitis.