Patient-derived colon epithelial organoids reveal lipid-related metabolic dysfunction in pediatric ulcerative colitis.

Background & Aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with epithelial metabolic derangements which exacerbate gut inflammation. Patient-derived organoids recapitulate complexities of the parent tissue in health and disease; however, whether colon organoids (colonoids) model metabolic impairments in the pediatric UC epithelium is unclear. This study determined the functional metabolic differences in the colon epithelia using epithelial colonoids from pediatric patients.

A review on reactive oxygen species generation, anode materials and operating parameters in sonoelectrochemical oxidation for wastewater remediation.

The application of sonoelectrochemical (SEC) oxidation technique involving the incorporation of ultrasound irradiation into an electrochemical oxidation system has found enormous success for various purposes, especially for organic synthesis and water treatment. Although its industrial application towards the removal of organic contaminants in water is not popular, its success on the laboratory scale is often attributed to the physical and chemical effects. These effects arise from the influence of ultrasound irradiation, thus eliminating electrode passivation or fouling, improving mass transfer and enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Wheat germ supplementation has modest effects on gut health markers but improves glucose homeostasis markers in adults classified as overweight: A randomized controlled pilot study.

Wheat germ (WG), a by-product of flour milling, is rich in bioactive substances that may help improve health complications associated with increased adiposity. This study investigated the effects of WG on gut health, metabolic, and inflammatory markers in adults classified as overweight. We hypothesized that WG, because of its many bioactive components, would improve gut health and metabolic, and inflammatory markers in overweight adults.

Clinical Utility of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in the Management of Neonatal Sepsis in a Resource-Limited Nigerian Hospital.

Background: Neonatal sepsis is an invasive infection of the bloodstream in neonates and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among them.

Aim: To investigate the role of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the management of neonatal sepsis.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective case-control study over one-year period using convenience sampling.

Outcomes for 41 260 pediatric surgical patients with opioid-free anesthesia: One center's experience.

Background: Opioid use is common and associated with side effects and risks. Consequently, analgesic strategies to reduce opioid utilization have been developed. Regional anesthesia and multimodal strategies are central tenets of enhanced recovery pathways and facilitate reduced perioperative opioid use.

Supplemental wheat germ modulates phosphorylation of STAT3 in the gut and NF-κBp65 in the adipose tissue of mice fed a Western diet.

Background: Commensal gut bacteria, including can produce metabolites that stimulate the release of gut antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) via the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 pathway and prevent obesity-associated leaky gut and chronic inflammation. We have previously reported that wheat germ (WG) selectively increased cecal in obese mice.

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of WG on gut STAT3 activation and AMPs (Reg3γ and Reg3β) as well as the potential of WG to inhibit nuclear Nf-κB-activation and immune cell infiltration in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of mice fed a Western diet (i.

Sonoelectrochemical oxidation of sulfamethoxazole in simulated and actual wastewater on a piezo-polarizable FTO/BaZr TiO electrode: reaction kinetics, mechanism and reaction pathway studies.

The sonoelectrochemical (SEC) oxidation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in simulated and actual wastewater on FTO/BaZrTiO, FTO/BaZrTiO and FTO/BaTiO electrodes is hereby presented. Electrodes from piezo-polarizable BaZrTiO, BaZrTiO, and BaTiO materials were prepared by immobilizing these materials on fluorine-doped tin dioxide (FTO) glass. Electrochemical characterization performed on the electrodes using chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques revealed that the FTO/BaZrTiO anode displayed the highest sonocurrent density response of 2.

Bacteriological profile and antibiogram of blood culture isolates from bloodstream infections in a rural tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a cause of significant morbidity and mortality requiring urgent antibiotic treatment. However, there is widespread antibiotic-resistance from the bacterial causes, necessitating regular surveillance for drug-resistant bacteria and their antibiograms.

Objective: This study isolated and identified various bacterial causes of BSIs, determined their antibiotic susceptibility patterns, and determined the best empirical treatment for cases of BSI in the setting.

Targeted Assessment of Mucosal Immune Gene Expression Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Children with Ulcerative Colitis.

Background And Aims: We aimed to determine whether a targeted gene expression panel could predict clinical outcomes in paediatric ulcerative colitis [UC] and investigated putative pathogenic roles of predictive genes.

Methods: In total, 313 rectal RNA samples from a cohort of newly diagnosed paediatric UC patients (PROTECT) were analysed by a real-time PCR microfluidic array for expression of type 1, 2 and 17 inflammation genes. Associations between expression and clinical outcomes were assessed by logistic regression.

Dried Plum's Polyphenolic Compounds and Carbohydrates Contribute to Its Osteoprotective Effects and Exhibit Prebiotic Activity in Estrogen Deficient C57BL/6 Mice.

Evidence of dried plum's benefits on bone continues to emerge. This study investigated the contribution of the fruit's polyphenol (PP) and carbohydrate (CHO) components on a bone model of postmenopausal osteoporosis to explore their prebiotic activity. Osteopenic ovariectomized mice were fed diets supplemented with dried plum, a crude extract of dried plum's polyphenolic compounds, or the PP or CHO fraction of the crude extract.

Lean methodology in quality improvement.

Measurement of quality and improvement in medicine has existed since Florence Nightingale's time. In modern times, medicine has sought to learn from other high-reliability industries such as aviation and nuclear power, where errors can result in catastrophic outcomes. Lean is a unique quality improvement strategy that seeks to improve both quality and safety by driving out waste and, where possible, standardizing work practices.

Perioperative acute kidney injury: impact and recent update.

Purpose Of Review: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized patients and is a major risk factor for increased length of stay, morbidity, and mortality in postoperative patients. There are multiple barriers to reducing perioperative AKI - the etiology is multi-factorial and the diagnosis is fraught with issues. We review the recent literature on perioperative AKI and some considerations for anesthesiologists that examine the far-reaching effects of AKI on multiple organ systems.

The Promise of Patient-Derived Colon Organoids to Model Ulcerative Colitis.

Physiologic, molecular, and genetic findings all point to impaired intestinal epithelial function as a key element in the multifactorial pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). The lack of epithelial-directed therapies is a conspicuous weakness of our UC therapeutic armamentarium. However, a critical barrier to new drug discovery is the lack of preclinical human models of UC.

The willingness of cooperative societies to sponsor house ownership in Akure, Nigeria.

Housing cooperatives are the organizations among others, which have played important roles in meeting the housing needs of people. In Nigeria, housing finance is through the formal and informal institutions; and personal residences accounted between 75 and 90 per cent of household wealth, that represents between 3 and 6 times their annual income. Finance is an important determinant of success and failure of housing ownership.

Astaxanthin-Shifted Gut Microbiota Is Associated with Inflammation and Metabolic Homeostasis in Mice.

Background: Astaxanthin is a red lipophilic carotenoid that is often undetectable in human plasma due to the limited supply in typical Western diets. Despite its presence at lower than detectable concentrations, previous clinical feeding studies have reported that astaxanthin exhibits potent antioxidant properties.

Objective: We examined astaxanthin accumulation and its effects on gut microbiota, inflammation, and whole-body metabolic homeostasis in wild-type C57BL/6 J (WT) and β-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2) knockout (KO) mice.

Role of zinc transporter ZIP12 in susceptibility-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phenotypes and mitochondrial function.

Brain zinc dysregulation is linked to many neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms regulating brain zinc homeostasis are poorly understood. We performed secondary analyses of brain MRI GWAS and exome sequencing data from adults in the UK Biobank.

Nanoformulated Eudragit lopinavir and preliminary release of its loaded suppositories.

The development of novel paediatrics formulations is critical towards achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. According to the latest UNAIDS reports, the availability of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for children has increased significantly, from 49% in 2015 to 53% in 2017. However, this percentage is considerably lower than the 80% for pregnant women that are currently on treatment.

A Comparative Study of Modern and Heirloom Wheat on Indicators of Gastrointestinal Health.

Wheat consumption has declined amid growing concerns about gluten-sensitivity. To determine if genetic manipulation of wheat contributes to systemic and localized gut inflammation, we compared the effects of the modern variety Gallagher and a blend of two heirloom varieties, Turkey and Kharkof, on measures of gut inflammation, structural characteristics, and barrier integrity under normal and Western diet (WD) conditions in C57BL/6 mice. Indicators of gut inflammation, including lymphocyte infiltration and cytokine expression, were largely unaffected by WD or wheat, although WD elevated interferon-γ () and heirloom varieties modestly reduced interleukin-17 () in the context of WD.

Acute Freeze-Dried Mango Consumption With a High-Fat Meal has Minimal Effects on Postprandial Metabolism, Inflammation and Antioxidant Enzymes.

Objective: Postprandial fluxes in oxidative stress, inflammation, glucose, and lipids, particularly after a high-fat meal (HFM), have been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to determine whether acute freeze-dried mango consumption modulates the postprandial response to an HFM. We hypothesized that the addition of mango, which is a rich source of many bioactive components, to an HFM would lower postprandial triglycerides, glucose, and inflammation, and increase antioxidant enzymes, compared to a standard HFM alone.

Wheat Germ Supplementation Increases Lactobacillaceae and Promotes an Anti-inflammatory Gut Milieu in C57BL/6 Mice Fed a High-Fat, High-Sucrose Diet.

Background: A link between high-fat diet consumption and obesity-related diseases is the disruption of the gut bacterial population, which promotes local and systemic inflammation. Wheat germ (WG) is rich in bioactive components with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of WG supplementation in modulating the gut bacterial population and local and systemic inflammatory markers of mice fed a high-fat, high-sucrose (HFS) diet.

Utilising the 'Getting to Outcomes' Framework in Community Engagement for Development and Implementation of Sickle Cell Disease Newborn Screening in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) has been designated by WHO as a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, and the development of newborn screening (NBS) is crucial to the reduction of high SCD morbidity and mortality. Strategies from the field of implementation science can be useful for supporting the translation of NBS evidence from high income countries to the unique cultural context of sub-Saharan Africa. One such strategy is community engagement at all levels of the healthcare system, and a widely-used implementation science framework, "Getting to Outcomes" (GTO), which incorporates continuous multilevel evaluation by stakeholders about the quality of the implementation.

Effect of dietary components on miRNA and colorectal carcinogenesis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers diagnosed and among the commonest causes of cancer-related mortality globally. Despite the various available treatment options, millions of people still suffer from this illness and most of these treatment options have several limitations. Therefore, a less expensive, non-invasive or a treatment that requires the use of dietary products remains a focal point in this review.