Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Chronic Pouchitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Pouchitis is a common complication after ileal-pouch anal anastomosis in patients with medically refractory ulcerative colitis. There has been a lack of high-level evidence focusing on the safety and efficacy outcomes of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). We aim to evaluate outcomes and complications of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for chronic pouchitis.

An Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Weltevreden Illnesses in the United States Linked to Frozen Precooked Shrimp Imported from India - 2021.

In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners investigated a multistate sample-initiated retrospective outbreak investigation (SIROI) consisting of a cluster of nine Salmonella Weltevreden illnesses associated with frozen, precooked shrimp imported from India.

A parental communication assessment initiative in the paediatric cardiovascular ICU.

Objective: Challenges to communication between families and care providers of paediatric patients in intensive care units (ICU) include variability of communication preferences, mismatched goals of care, and difficulties carrying forward family preferences from provider to provider. Our objectives were to develop and test an assessment tool that queries parents of children requiring cardiac intensive care about their communication preferences and to determine if this tool facilitates patient-centred care and improves families' ICU experience.

Design: In this quality improvement initiative, a novel tool was developed, the Parental Communication Assessment (PCA), which asked parents with children hospitalised in the cardiac ICU about their communication preferences.

An investigation of an outbreak of Newport infections linked to melons - United States, 2020.

The United States are one of the world's leading consumers of melons. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state health and regulatory partners investigated an outbreak of Newport infections linked to melons from southwest Indiana, resulting in 80 ill persons and 18 hospitalizations reported across 15 states. Epidemiologic and traceback data indicated melons as the vehicle for these infections, but the collinearity of melon varieties purchased and consumed together in combination with the traceback investigation that could not rule out either melon type, did not allow investigators to delineate whether the vehicle was cantaloupe alone or, both cantaloupe and watermelons.

A 2019 Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus Infections in the United States Linked to Imported Fresh Blackberries.

Globally, hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most common agents of acute viral hepatitis and causes approximately 1.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths annually despite the existence of an effective vaccine. In 2019, federal, state, and local partners investigated a multi-state outbreak of HAV infections linked to fresh blackberries sourced from multiple suppliers in Michoacán, Mexico.

Gastrocolic Fistula Management in a Pregnant Patient.

We present a case of a pregnant woman admitted for malnutrition secondary to a large gastrocolic fistula (GCF). She has a history of perforated duodenal ulcer that required surgical pyloroplasty 6 years ago. This fistula was diagnosed on the gastrointestinal barium series showing direct transit of barium from the stomach to the colon.

Meckel's Diverticulum in Crohn's Disease Revisited: A Case of Meckel's Diverticulitis in a Patient with Stricturing Crohn's Disease.

According to anecdotal reports in literature, encountering Meckel's diverticulum in a patient with Crohn's disease is not uncommon, but differentiating between the overlapping complications of Mickel's diverticulum and the natural manifestations of Crohn's disease can be challenging and may impact lifelong therapy. In this report, we present a case of Meckel's diverticulitis in a patient with stricturing ileocolonic Crohn's disease. A 29-year-old male has been suffering from recurrent bouts of abdominal pain and diarrhea which were initially thought to be due to recurrent flares of Crohn's disease.

Genome-wide gene expression changes associated with exposure of rat liver, heart, and kidney cells to endosulfan.

Endosulfan was once the most commonly used pesticide in agriculture and horticulture. It is an environmentally persistent organochlorine compound with the potential to bioaccumulate as it progresses through the food chain. Its acute and chronic toxicity to mammals, including humans, is well known, but the molecular mechanisms of its toxicity are not fully understood.

Correcting Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats With an SGLT2 Inhibitor Restores Glucose Effectiveness in the Liver and Reduces Insulin Resistance in Skeletal Muscle.

Ten-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats at an early stage of diabetes embody metabolic characteristics of obese human patients with type 2 diabetes, such as severe insulin and glucose intolerance in muscle and the liver, excessive postprandial excursion of plasma glucose and insulin, and a loss of metabolic flexibility with decreased lipid oxidation. Metabolic flexibility and glucose flux were examined in ZDF rats during fasting and near-normal postprandial insulinemia and glycemia after correcting excessive postprandial hyperglycemia using treatment with a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2-I) for 7 days. Preprandial lipid oxidation was normalized, and with fasting, endogenous glucose production (EGP) increased by 30% and endogenous glucose disposal (E-Rd) decreased by 40%.

Feeding Protocols for Neonates With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Review.

Optimizing nutrition in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is essential, given the high rate of growth failure in this population. Infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome are predisposed to nutritional deficiency as a result of their increased metabolic demand; however, early enteral feeding also increases the risk of serious gastrointestinal morbidity and mortality caused by poor intestinal perfusion. Consequently, providers have difficulty deciding when and how to safely feed these patients.

Comparison of the physiological relevance of systemic vs. portal insulin delivery to evaluate whole body glucose flux during an insulin clamp.

To understand the underlying pathology of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, an accurate determination of whole body glucose flux needs to be made by a method that maintains key physiological features. One such feature is a positive differential in insulin concentration between the portal venous and systemic arterial circulation (P/S-IG). P/S-IG during the determination of the relative contribution of liver and extra-liver tissues/organs to whole body glucose flux during an insulin clamp with either systemic (SID) or portal (PID) insulin delivery was examined with insulin infusion rates of 1, 2, and 5 mU·kg(-1)·min(-1) under either euglycemic or hyperglycemic conditions in 6-h-fasted conscious normal rats.

Determination of hematology and plasma chemistry reference intervals for 3 populations of captive Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus).

Background: The imperiled status of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus), a large, long-lived, anadromous fish found along the Atlantic coast of North America, has prompted efforts at captive propagation for research and stock enhancement.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish hematology and plasma chemistry reference intervals of captive Atlantic sturgeon maintained under different culture conditions.

Methods: Blood specimens were collected from a total of 119 fish at 3 hatcheries: Lamar, PA (n = 36, ages 10-14 years); Chalk Point, MD (n = 40, siblings of Lamar); and Horn Point, Cambridge, MD (n = 43, mixed population from Chesapeake Bay).

Co-morbid depression and chronic illness related to coping and physical and mental health status.

A partial latent structural regression analysis was used to evaluate the role of coping resources, depression, diet and exercise on mental and physical health status. The sample consisted of 113 participants (59 females and 54 males) with a mean age of 59.38 years (SD = 10.

The importance of rapid viral suppression in the era of directly acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus.

An increased understanding of viral kinetics has allowed clinicians to tailor therapy for hepatitis C virus through identifying patients who have the best chance of viral eradication and those for whom therapy will likely fail. Nonetheless, sustained viral response rates with pegylated interferon (PegIFN) and ribavirin remain disappointingly low. However, exciting advancements in the field of hepatitis C therapy include the development of new direct-acting antiviral agents, which offer much higher rates of sustained viral eradication when used in combination with PegIFN and ribavirin.

Evaluation of formalin inactivated V3526 virus with adjuvant as a next generation vaccine candidate for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus.

V3526, a genetically modified strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), was formalin inactivated for evaluation as a next generation vaccine candidate for VEEV. In this study, we tested formalin-inactivated V3526 (fV3526) with and without adjuvant for immunogenicity and efficacy in BALB/c mice and results were compared to the existing inactivated VEEV vaccine, C84. Mice were vaccinated intramuscularly (IM) or subcutaneously (SC) with fV3526 formulations and challenged with VEEV IAB Trinidad donkey (VEEV TrD) strain by SC or aerosol exposure.

Comparison of the immunological responses and efficacy of gamma-irradiated V3526 vaccine formulations against subcutaneous and aerosol challenge with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus subtype IAB.

We recently developed a gamma-irradiation method to inactivate V3526, a live-attenuated Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) vaccine candidate. Dosage and schedule studies were conducted to evaluate the immunogenicity and efficacy of gamma-irradiated V3526 (gV3526). Subcutaneous (SC) and low dosage intramuscular (IM) administration of gV3526 were highly effective in protecting mice against a SC challenge with VEEV IA/B Trinidad Donkey strain, but not against an equivalent aerosol challenge.

A multisystem approach for development and evaluation of inactivated vaccines for Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV).

A multisystem approach was used to assess the efficiency of several methods for inactivation of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) vaccine candidates. A combination of diverse assays (plaque, in vitro cytopathology and mouse neurovirulence) was used to verify virus inactivation, along with the use of a specific ELISA to measure retention of VEEV envelope glycoprotein epitopes in the development of several inactivated VEEV candidate vaccines derived from an attenuated strain of VEEV (V3526). Incubation of V3526 aliquots at temperatures in excess of 64 degrees C for periods >30 min inactivated the virus, but substantially reduced VEEV specific monoclonal antibody binding of the inactivated material.