Global Functioning in Axial Spondyloarthritis is Stronger Associated With Disease Activity and Function Than With Mobility and Radiographic Damage.

Objective: The Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society Health Index (ASAS HI) is a validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) for global functioning of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The Epionics SPINE (ES) is an electronic device for assessment of axial mobility that provides an objective measure of spinal mobility by assessing range of motion (RoM) and range of kinematics (RoK). The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between global functioning and clinical measures of disease activity, physical function, spinal mobility, and radiographic damage.

Clinical Relevance of Axial Radiographic Damage in Axial Spondyloarthritis: Evaluation of Functional Consequences by an Objective Electronic Device.

Objective: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is associated with decreased function and mobility of patients as a result of inflammation and radiographic damage. The Epionics SPINE device (ES), an electronic device that objectively measures spinal mobility, including range of motion (RoM) and speed (ie, range of kinematics [RoK]) of movement, has been clinically validated in axSpA. We investigated the performance of the ES relative to radiographic damage in the axial skeleton of patients with axSpA.

Aggregation substance increases adherence and internalization, but not translocation, of Enterococcus faecalis through different intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

The aggregation substance of Enterococcus faecalis increased bacterial adherence to and internalization by epithelial cells originating from the colon and duodenum but not by cells derived from the ileum. However, enterococcal translocation through monolayers of intestinal epithelium was not observed.

Closing in on the toxic domain through analysis of a variant Clostridium difficile cytotoxin B.

Strain 1470 is the standard typing strain for serogroup F of Clostridium difficile containing both toxin genes, toxA-1470 and toxB-1470. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach to the sequencing of the total toxB-1470 gene identified an open reading frame (ORF) of 7104 nucleotides. In comparison with the previously sequenced toxB of C.