Gastrointestinal manifestations in Williams syndrome: A prospective analysis of an adult and pediatric cohort.

Williams syndrome (WS) is a multi-system condition caused by the deletion of 25-27 coding genes on human chromosome 7. Irritability, gastrointestinal (GI) reflux and slow growth are commonly reported in infants with WS, but less data exist regarding GI concerns in older children and adults with the condition. This study evaluates 62 individuals with WS (31 children aged 3-17, and 31 adults aged 18-62) as well as 36 pediatric and adult controls to assess current and historical rates of common GI symptoms.

Acid Suppression and Antibiotics Administered during Infancy Are Associated with Celiac Disease.

Objective: To investigate why certain at-risk individuals develop celiac disease (CD), we examined the association of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), and antibiotic prescriptions in the first 6 months of life with an early childhood diagnosis of CD.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the Military Healthcare System database. Children with a birth record from October 1, 2001, to September 30, 2013, were identified.

Mass prophylaxis dispensing concerns: traffic and public access to PODs.

The ability to quickly dispense postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) using multiple points of dispensing (PODs) following a bioterrorism event could potentially save a large proportion of those who were exposed, while failure in PEP dispensing could have dire public health consequences. A Monte Carlo simulation was developed to explore the traffic flow and parking around PODs under different arrival rates and how these factors might affect the utilization rate of POD workers. The results demonstrate that the public can reasonably access the PODs under ideal conditions assuming a stationary (uniform) arrival rate.

Public health response to an anthrax attack: an evaluation of vaccination policy options.

A discrete-time, deterministic, compartmental model was developed and analyzed to provide insight into how the use of anthrax vaccine before or after a large-scale attack can reduce casualties. The model accounts for important response and protection factors such as antibiotic and vaccine efficacy, the protective effects of buildings, the timing of emergency response, and antibiotic adherence and vaccine coverage in the population prior to the attack. The relative benefit of pre- versus post-exposure vaccination is influenced by the timing of the post-exposure antibiotic distribution campaign as well as assumptions of antibiotic adherence.