Esophageal infections: an update.

Purpose Of Review: Infectious esophagitis generally occurs in patients with impaired immunity. Although methods to suppress the immune system evolve, the potential infectious consequences are poorly understood. The purpose of this article is to review the risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious esophagitis.

Neonatal formula feeding leads to immunological alterations in an animal model of type 1 diabetes.

Neonatal diet may influence the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in susceptible individuals through an intestinal mucosal inflammatory response, resulting in loss of self-tolerance. We tested the hypothesis that formula feeding during the neonatal period accelerates the development of T1D in diabetes-prone BioBreeding (BBDP) rats through regulation of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T lymphocytes (T(reg)) and anti-inflammatory cytokines. BBDP rat pups fed rat milk substitute (RMS) via a "pup-in-the cup" system were compared with mother-fed (MF) rats.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG decreases lipopolysaccharide-induced systemic inflammation in a gastrostomy-fed infant rat model.

Objectives: A gastrostomy-fed rat infant "pup-in-a-cup" model was used to test the hypothesis that enterally administered Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) decreases the proinflammatory response induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the developing infant rat small intestine, plasma, lung and liver.

Methods: Two groups of 6- to 7-day-old pups were fed a rat milk substitute with LPS added via the gastrostomy tube for 6 days. One of the rat milk substitute-fed groups received supplemental LGG; another group received LPS without LGG.

The developing intestinal ecosystem: implications for the neonate.

Interactions of resident intestinal microbes with the luminal contents and the mucosal surface play important roles in normal intestinal development, nutrition, and innate and adaptive immunity. The neonate, especially the premature, who possesses a highly immunoreactive intestinal submucosa underlying a single layer of epithelial cells that are continuously exposed to the luminal environment, is highly susceptible to perturbations of the luminal environment. Understanding the interactions of the intestinal ecosystem with the host and luminal nutritional environment, especially in regard to human milk and pre- and probiotics, has major implications for the pathogenesis of diseases that affect not only the intestine but distal organs such as the lung and brain.

Changes in intestinal morphology and permeability in the biobreeding rat before the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Objective: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals. It has been hypothesized that the disease could be triggered by environmental agents that gain entry into the body through small intestinal absorption. Increased intestinal permeability has been reported both in spontaneous animal models of type 1 diabetes and human type 1 diabetes.