Low-fat yogurt consumption maintains biomarkers of immune function relative to nondairy control food in women with elevated BMI: A randomized controlled crossover trial.

Yogurt consumption may help reduce chronic inflammation associated with obesity. However, the underlying mechanism(s) by which yogurt consumption modulates the immune system have not been validated in human intervention studies. We hypothesized that 4-week yogurt consumption (12 oz/day) attenuates systemic inflammation by modulating the proportion of circulating T helper (Th) 17 and regulatory T (Treg) cells in adult women with elevated body mass index (BMI).

Bacterial Community Structure Recovery in Reclaimed Coal Mined Soil under Two Vegetative Regimes.

Coal mining can be deleterious to the soil physical and chemical makeup, but also to the soil microbial community. Effectively, the removal of nearly all organic matter from the upper soil horizons reduces the effectiveness of any soil to support vegetation, and up until recently, microbial community parameters were not considered in the successful reclamation of overburden. Thus, our study proposes to measure the uncultivated bacterial community using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) high-throughput sequencing in a chronosequence of reclaimed overburden in Mississippi.

Response of bahiagrass carbon assimilation and photosystem activity to below optimum temperatures.

Photosynthesis and growth of tropical grasses are sensitive to cool season temperatures but information on the responsive mechanisms is limited in many species including bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé). Therefore, an experiment was conducted in sunlit, controlled environment chambers to determine the effect of below optimum temperatures on leaf net photosynthesis (A) and chlorophyll fluorescence (F) and response to internal [CO] (C) and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of A and F of bahiagrass. Five day/night temperatures of 14/6, 18/10, 22/14, 26/18 and 30/22°C were imposed from 55 to 100 days after transplanting for plants grown initially for 55 days at 30/22°C.

Infliximab treatment of intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease.

Objective: To investigate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody infliximab in subjects with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistant Kawasaki disease (KD).

Study Design: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, prospective trial of second IVIG infusion (2 g/kg) versus infliximab (5 mg/kg) in 24 children with acute KD and fever after initial treatment with IVIG. Primary outcome measures were the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of infliximab.