Mutation of CEP72 Gene May Predispose Patients to Hepatotoxicity.

Drug toxicities during treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia play a pivotal role in influencing the outcome as certain toxicities may impair treatment compliance. Polymorphisms in CEP72 have been linked to increased incidence of vincristine-induced toxicities, namely peripheral neuropathy. We hypothesize that polymorphisms in the same gene may increase a patient's risk of developing hepatotoxicity when receiving potentially hepatotoxic agents during chemotherapy. This report describes hepatotoxicity that first developed during consolidation in a patient homozygous for the CEP72 risk alleles. Bilirubin levels normalized following dose reduction of 6-mercaptopurine. The patient continues to tolerate maintenance therapy at a reduced dose of 6-mercaptopurine.

Caring for people with dementia in hospital: findings from a survey to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing best practice dementia care.

BACKGROUND: Best practice dementia care is not always provided in the hospital setting. Knowledge, attitudes and motivation, practitioner behavior, and external factors can influence uptake of best practice and quality care. The aim of this study was to determine hospital staff perceived barriers and enablers to implementing best practice dementia care. METHODS: A 17-item survey was administered at two Australian hospitals between July and September 2014. Multidisciplinary staff working in the emergency departments and general medical wards were invited to participate in the survey. The survey collected data about the respondents' current role, work area, and years of experience, their perceived level of confidence and knowledge in dementia care and common symptoms of dementia, barriers and enablers to implementing best practice dementia care, job satisfaction in caring for people with dementia, and to rate the hospital's capacity and available resources to support best practice dementia care. RESULTS: A total of 112 survey responses were received. The environment, inadequate staffing levels and workload, time, and staff knowledge and skills were identified as barriers to implementing best practice dementia care. Most respondents rated their knowledge of dementia care and common symptoms of dementia, and confidence in recognizing whether a person has dementia, as moderate or high dementia. Approximately, half the respondents rated access to training and equipment as low or very low. CONCLUSION: The survey findings highlighted hospital staff perceived barriers to implementing best practice dementia care that can be used to inform locally tailored improvement interventions.

Comparing kept appointment rates when calls are made by physicians versus behavior health technicians in inner city hospital: literature review and cost considerations.

Dropping out of scheduled care leads to medication non adherence, increased morbidity, relapse and readmission rates. As part of a performance improvement project to increase attendance rates at our outpatient clinic, psychiatric residents and Behavioral Health Technicians made reminder telephone calls under similar circumstances. We compared follow up appointment rates in the two groups. Our analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the rates of kept appointment overall between the two groups. The important finding is physician time could be better spent in other patient care duties and reminder calls could be delegated to other health staff.

Colonic mucosa-associated diffusely adherent afaC+ Escherichia coli expressing lpfA and pks are increased in inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Colonic mucosa-associated Escherichia coli are increased in Crohn's disease (CD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). They variously haemagglutinate, invade epithelial cell lines, replicate within macrophages, translocate across M (microfold) cells and damage DNA. We investigated genes responsible for these effects and their co-association in colonic mucosal isolates. DESIGN: A fosmid library yielding 968 clones was prepared in E coli EPI300-T1 using DNA from a haemagglutinating CRC isolate, and resulting haemagglutinating clones were 454-pyrosequenced. PCR screening was performed on 281 colonic E coli isolates from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (35 patients), CRC (21) and controls (24; sporadic polyps or irritable bowel syndrome). RESULTS: 454-Pyrosequencing of fosmids from the haemagglutinating clones (n=8) identified the afimbrial adhesin afa-1 operon. Transfection of afa-1 into E coli K-12 predictably conferred diffuse adherence plus invasion of HEp-2 and I-407 epithelial cells, and upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor. E coli expressing afaC were common in CRC (14/21, p=0.0009) and CD (9/14, p=0.005) but not ulcerative colitis (UC; 8/21) compared with controls (4/24). E coli expressing both afaC and lpfA (relevant to M-cell translocation) were common in CD (8/14, p=0.0019) and CRC (14/21, p=0.0001), but not UC (6/21) compared with controls (2/24). E coli expressing both afaC and pks (genotoxic) were common in CRC (11/21, p=0.0015) and UC (8/21, p=0.022), but not CD (4/14) compared with controls (2/24). All isolates expressed dsbA and htrA relevant to intra-macrophage replication, and 242/281 expressed fimH encoding type-1 fimbrial adhesin. CONCLUSIONS: IBD and CRC commonly have colonic mucosal E coli that express genes that confer properties relevant to pathogenesis including M-cell translocation, angiogenesis and genotoxicity.

Safety of direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) prescribing: OpenSAFELY-TPP analysis of 20.5 million adults' electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic many patients were switched from warfarin to direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs), which require the creatinine clearance (CrCl) calculated to ensure the correct dose is prescribed to avoid bleeding or reduced efficacy. AIM: To identify the study population proportion prescribed a DOAC. Of these, the proportion with recorded: weight, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), creatinine, CrCl and atrial fibrillation (AF). To analyse the proportion of patients with recorded AF and CrCl prescribed a recommended DOAC dose. DESIGN & SETTING: A retrospective cohort study of 20.5 million adult NHS patients' electronic health records (EHRs) in England in the OpenSAFELY-TPP platform (January 2018-February 2023). METHOD: Patients on DOACs were analysed for age, sex, recorded weight, eGFR, creatinine, CrCl and AF. Prescribed DOAC doses in patients with recorded AF were compared with recommended doses for recorded CrCl and determined as either recommended, higher than recommended (overdose), or lower than recommended (underdose). RESULTS: In February 2023, weight, eGFR, creatinine, CrCl, and AF were recorded in 72.8%, 92.4%, 94.3%, 73.5%, and 73.9% of study population, respectively. Both AF and CrCl were recorded for 56.7% of patients. Of these, 86.2% received the recommended, and 13.8% non-recommended, DOAC doses. CONCLUSION: CrCl is not recorded for a substantial number of patients on DOACs. We recommend that national organisations tasked with safety, collectively update guidance on the appropriate weight to use in the Cockcroft-Gault equation, clarify that CrCl is not equivalent to eGFR, and work with GP clinical system suppliers to standardise the calculation of CrCl in the EHR.

Inappropriate dosing of direct oral anticoagulants: findings from a clinical vignette study and physician survey.

Objective: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are first-line therapy for stroke prevention for 1.4 million atrial fibrillation (AF) patients in the UK. However, the rates of DOAC dosing below evidence-based recommendations are estimated between 9% and 22%. This study explores specific patient and physician factors associated with prescribing inappropriate DOAC underdoses. Methods: DOAC-prescribing physicians within the UK completed both a clinical vignette survey, which contained 12 hypothetical patient profiles designed to replicate DOAC prescribing scenarios, and a physician survey to capture sociodemographic, clinical experience, and prescriber-related beliefs and motivations related to DOAC prescribing. Eight patient factors based on a literature search and an expert consultation process were varied within the vignettes. Associations between the prescribers' dosing choices and patient factors were explored via multilevel logistic regression. The analysis is focused on the most frequently selected DOACs, apixaban and rivaroxaban, both of which have different dosing guidelines. Results: In all, 336 prescribers (69% male; 233/336) completed the survey, mostly general physicians (GPs) (45%) or cardiology specialists (36%) with a mean of 17.9 years' experience. Most prescribers (73%; 244/336) inappropriately underdosed at least once; rates between GPs and specialists were nearly identical. Patient factors most strongly associated with apixaban inappropriate underdosing included a history of major bleeding and falls. For rivaroxaban, these were major bleeding and severe frailty. Only 32% (106/335) of prescribers reported DOAC dosing guidelines as the sole influence on their prescribing behaviour. Among prescribers who did not inappropriately underdose, greater prescribing confidence was aligned to increased perception of inappropriate underdose risk. Conclusions: Overall, patient factors such as major bleeding and severe frailty were found to be associated with inappropriate underdosing of apixaban and rivaroxaban. Furthermore, prescribers who were more confident in DOAC prescribing, and were more worried about the risk of stroke, were significantly less likely to inappropriately underdose. These findings suggest that all prescribers, regardless of speciality, may benefit from education and training to raise awareness of the risks associated with inappropriate DOAC underdosing.

Translocation of Crohn's disease Escherichia coli across M-cells: contrasting effects of soluble plant fibres and emulsifiers.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease is common in developed nations where the typical diet is low in fibre and high in processed food. Primary lesions overlie Peyer's patches and colonic lymphoid follicles where bacterial invasion through M-cells occurs. We have assessed the effect of soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) and food emulsifiers on translocation of Escherichia coli across M-cells. METHODS: To assess effects of soluble plant fibres and food emulsifiers on translocation of mucosa-associated E coli isolates from Crohn's disease patients and from non-Crohn's controls, we used M-cell monolayers, generated by co-culture of Caco2-cl1 and Raji B cells, and human Peyer's patches mounted in Ussing chambers. RESULTS: E coli translocation increased across M-cells compared to parent Caco2-cl1 monocultures; 15.8-fold (IQR 6.2-32.0) for Crohn's disease E coli (N=8) and 6.7-fold (IQR 3.7-21.0) for control isolates (N=5). Electron microscopy confirmed E coli within M-cells. Plantain and broccoli NSP markedly reduced E coli translocation across M-cells at 5 mg/ml (range 45.3-82.6% inhibition, p<0.01); apple and leek NSP had no significant effect. Polysorbate-80, 0.01% vol/vol, increased E coli translocation through Caco2-cl1 monolayers 59-fold (p<0.05) and, at higher concentrations, increased translocation across M-cells. Similarly, E coli translocation across human Peyer's patches was reduced 45±7% by soluble plantain NSP (5 mg/ml) and increased 2-fold by polysorbate-80 (0.1% vol/vol). CONCLUSIONS: Translocation of E coli across M-cells is reduced by soluble plant fibres, particularly plantain and broccoli, but increased by the emulsifier Polysorbate-80. These effects occur at relevant concentrations and may contribute to the impact of dietary factors on Crohn's disease pathogenesis.

Soluble Non-Starch Polysaccharides From Plantain (Musa x paradisiaca L.) Diminish Epithelial Impact of Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Adhesion of this Gram-positive pathogen to the intestinal epithelium is a crucial step in CDI, with recurrence and relapse of disease dependent on epithelial interaction of its endospores. Close proximity, or adhesion of, hypervirulent strains to the intestinal mucosa are also likely to be necessary for the release of C. difficile toxins, which when internalized, result in intestinal epithelial cell rounding, damage, inflammation, loss of barrier function and diarrhoea. Interrupting these C. difficile-epithelium interactions could therefore represent a promising therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat CDI. Intake of dietary fibre is widely recognised as being beneficial for intestinal health, and we have previously shown that soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) from plantain banana (Musa spp.), can block epithelial adhesion and invasion of a number of gut pathogens, such as E. coli and Salmonellae. Here, we assessed the action of plantain NSP, and a range of alternative soluble plant fibres, for inhibitory action on epithelial interactions of C. difficile clinical isolates, purified endospore preparations and toxins. We found that plantain NSP possessed ability to disrupt epithelial adhesion of C. difficile vegetative cells and spores, with inhibitory activity against C. difficile found within the acidic (pectin-rich) polysaccharide component, through interaction with the intestinal epithelium. Similar activity was found with NSP purified from broccoli and leek, although seen to be less potent than NSP from plantain. Whilst plantain NSP could not block the interaction and intracellular action of purified C. difficile toxins, it significantly diminished the epithelial impact of C. difficile, reducing both bacteria and toxin induced inflammation, activation of caspase 3/7 and cytotoxicity in human intestinal cell-line and murine intestinal organoid cultures. Dietary supplementation with soluble NSP from plantain may therefore confer a protective effect in CDI patients by preventing adhesion of C. difficile to the mucosa, i.e. a "contrabiotic" effect, and diminishing its epithelial impact. This suggests that plantain soluble dietary fibre may be a therapeutically effective nutritional product for use in the prevention or treatment of CDI and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.

Microbial mannan inhibits bacterial killing by macrophages: a possible pathogenic mechanism for Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Crohn's disease (CD) is mimicked by inherited phagocyte disorders and is associated with circulating antibodies against yeast mannan (anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody; ASCA). We speculated that mannans might impair phagocyte function. METHODS: S cerevisiae mannan was assessed for its effects on human peripheral blood neutrophils, adherent monocytes, and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). RESULTS: Mannan caused dose-related increased survival of CD Escherichia coli HM605 within adherent monocytes from 24% +/- 10.5% (control) to 114% +/- 22.7% with mannan 1 mg/mL at 2 hours (mean +/- SEM, n = 9; P = .0002). Electron microscopy showed E coli HM605 surviving and probably replicating within macrophage vesicles. Mannan (1 mg/mL) inhibited the respiratory burst in neutrophils and monocytes (both P = .002) and bacterial killing within MDM (P < .001). E coli survival was increased within macrophages from TLR4(-/-) (126% +/- 3.5% survival at 2 hours) and MyD88(-/-) (134.8% +/- 6.5%) mice compared with wild-type mice (both P < .0001). Mannan had no additional effect, showing that TLR4 and MyD88 are involved in bacterial killing by macrophages and its inhibition by mannan. Putative CD-associated micro-organisms were screened for the ASCA mannan epitope by Galanthus nivalis lectin (GNA) blotting. ASCA epitope was expressed by Candida albicans and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis but not by Mycobacterium tuberculosis or E coli. Supernatants from M paratuberculosis culture inhibited killing of E coli HM605 by adherent human monocytes and murine macrophages. The inhibitory activity was removed by GNA-affinity chromatography. CONCLUSIONS: Suppression of mucosal phagocyte function by microbial mannans, possibly of Mycobacterial origin, may contribute to CD pathogenesis.

Characterization of epithelial IL-8 response to inflammatory bowel disease mucosal E. coli and its inhibition by mesalamine.

BACKGROUND: Mucosally adherent E. coli are found in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colon cancer. They promote release of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8). We explored mechanisms for this release and its inhibition by drugs. METHODS: IL-8 release from colon epithelial cells in response to mucosal E. coli isolates from IBD, colon cancer, and controls was characterized at the cellular and molecular level. RESULTS: IL-8 response of HT29 cells was greater with Crohn's disease (689 +/- 298 [mean +/- SD] pg IL-8/mL at 4 hours, n = 7) and colon cancer isolates (532 +/- 415 pg/mL, n = 14) than with ulcerative colitis (236 +/- 58 pg/mL, n = 6) or control isolates (236 +/- 100 pg/mL, n = 6, P < 0.0001). Bacterial supernatants contained shed flagellin that triggered IL-8 release. For whole bacteria the IL-8 response to E. coli that agglutinate red blood cells (548 +/- 428 pg IL-8/mL, n = 16), a function that correlates with epithelial invasion, was greater than for nonhemagglutinators (281 +/- 253 pg/mL, n = 17; P < 0.0001). This was particularly marked among E. coli that, although flagellate, could not release IL-8 from TLR5-transfected HEK293 cells. IL-8 release was mediated by extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and inhibited by mesalamine, but not hydrocortisone, at therapeutic concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Mucosa-associated E. coli shed flagellin that elicits epithelial IL-8 release but this may only become relevant when the mucosal barrier is weakened to expose basolateral TLR5. Adherent and invasive IBD and colon cancer E. coli isolates also elicit a flagellin-independent IL-8 response that may be relevant when the mucosal barrier is intact. The IL-8 release is MAPK-dependent and inhibited by mesalamine.

Preferences for Disease-Related Education and Support Among Younger People With Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the usefulness and accessibility of different delivery modes of disease-related education and support, as perceived by younger people with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: People ages 20-55 years with hip or knee OA were recruited from 3 major Australian public hospitals and the community (n = 147). Data were collected on use of disease-related education and support services, as well as perceived usefulness and accessibility of delivery modes including group-based programs, online resources, telephone helplines, mailed information, social media, and mobile applications (rated on visual analog scales from 1-10; higher scores indicate greater usefulness or accessibility). RESULTS: Very few participants had used social media (5%), group self-management programs (3%), or telephone helplines (2%) to obtain OA information. Mailed information packs and online education programs were considered the most useful (median usefulness scores 8.0 and 7.0, respectively) and accessible methods (median accessibility scores 10.0 and 9.0, respectively) for providing OA education and support. Social media was perceived as least useful (median usefulness score 2.0) and least accessible; 45% of participants considered it "not at all useful," while 35% reported it would be "very difficult" to access OA education and support by this means. Less educational attainment was associated with greater perceived difficulty in accessing online/electronic delivery modes, while people in paid work perceived easier access. CONCLUSION: These data highlight the value of mailed information and online education to younger people with OA and can be used to develop targeted resources for individuals of working age. Social media was not a highly valued source of disease-related education and support.

In Vivo Assessment of Bone Regeneration in Alginate/Bone ECM Hydrogels with Incorporated Skeletal Stem Cells and Single Growth Factors.

The current study has investigated the use of decellularised, demineralised bone extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel constructs for in vivo tissue mineralisation and bone formation. Stro-1-enriched human bone marrow stromal cells were incorporated together with select growth factors including VEGF, TGF-ß3, BMP-2, PTHrP and VitD3, to augment bone formation, and mixed with alginate for structural support. Growth factors were delivered through fast (non-osteogenic factors) and slow (osteogenic factors) release PLGA microparticles. Constructs of 5 mm length were implanted in vivo for 28 days within mice. Dense tissue assessed by micro-CT correlated with histologically assessed mineralised bone formation in all constructs. Exogenous growth factor addition did not enhance bone formation further compared to alginate/bone ECM (ALG/ECM) hydrogels alone. UV irradiation reduced bone formation through degradation of intrinsic growth factors within the bone ECM component and possibly also ECM cross-linking. BMP-2 and VitD3 rescued osteogenic induction. ALG/ECM hydrogels appeared highly osteoinductive and delivery of angiogenic or chondrogenic growth factors led to altered bone formation. All constructs demonstrated extensive host tissue invasion and vascularisation aiding integration and implant longevity. The proposed hydrogel system functioned without the need for growth factor incorporation or an exogenous inducible cell source. Optimal growth factor concentrations and spatiotemporal release profiles require further assessment, as the bone ECM component may suffer batch variability between donor materials. In summary, ALG/ECM hydrogels provide a versatile biomaterial scaffold for utilisation within regenerative medicine which may be tailored, ultimately, to form the tissue of choice through incorporation of select growth factors.

Presumed consent for organ procurement--does it have a future in the U.S.?

Policies of presumed consent to procure organs for transplantation have stimulated discussion of success/failure in increasing organ availability, technical pitfalls, and ethical dilemmas. The presumption of consent has made inroads in public policy internationally and influenced some state policies. A policy of presumed consent remains unlikely in the face of American attitudes of freedom of choice and respect for individual autonomy, but healthcare providers need to be aware of potential policy changes and how these changes may affect their practices.

A transitional care service for elderly chronic disease patients at risk of readmission.

BACKGROUND: Multiple hospital admissions, especially those related to chronic disease, represent a particular challenge to the acute health care sector in Australia. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a nurse-led chronic disease management model of transitional care reduced readmissions to acute care. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental controlled trial. SETTING: A large tertiary metropolitan teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 166 general medical patients aged > or = 65 years with either a history of readmissions to acute care or multiple medical comorbidities. INTERVENTION: Implementation of a chronic disease management model of transitional care aimed at improving patient management and reducing readmissions to acute care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Readmission rates and emergency department presentation rates at 3-and 6-month follow up. Secondary outcome measures include quality of life, discharge destination, and primary health care service utilisation. RESULTS: There was no difference in readmission rates, emergency department presentation rates, quality of life, discharge destination or primary health care service utilisation. The difficulties inherent in evaluating this type of multifactorial intervention are discussed and consideration is given to patient factors, the difficulty of influencing readmission rates, and local system issues. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study reflect the tension that exists between implementing multifaceted integrated health service programs and attempting to evaluate them within complex and changing environments using robust research methodologies.

An infection control link nurse network in the care home setting.

Link nurse groups or networks are used to enhance practice at clinical level (Cooper, 2001), improve the collaboration and education of nursing staff (MacArthur, 1998) and, therefore, have an effect on patient care. The use of link nurse networks is widespread and applied to a range of nursing specialties, particularly in acute settings. Reference in the literature to link nurse networks in nursing homes is very limited, despite their existence. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of link nurse networks and the link nurse role as described in the literature. In addition, comparisons are made with an established infection control link nurse network in North Wales nursing homes. The article describes the assessment of the North Wales network using an audit cycle. The efficacy of link nurse networks is rarely considered; however, the process of audit can enable the evaluation of the link nurse network in relation to staff education, monitoring of infection control practice and dissemination of information.

Inflammation-associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli are enriched in pathways for use of propanediol and iron and M-cell translocation.

BACKGROUND: Perturbations of the intestinal microbiome, termed dysbiosis, are linked to intestinal inflammation. Isolation of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) from intestines of patients with Crohn's disease (CD), dogs with granulomatous colitis, and mice with acute ileitis suggests these bacteria share pathoadaptive virulence factors that promote inflammation. METHODS: To identify genes associated with AIEC, we sequenced the genomes of phylogenetically diverse AIEC strains isolated from people with CD (4), dogs with granulomatous colitis (2), and mice with ileitis (2) and 1 non-AIEC strain from CD ileum and compared them with 38 genome sequences of E. coli and Shigella. We then determined the prevalence of AIEC-associated genes in 49 E. coli strains from patients with CD and controls and correlated genotype with invasion of intestinal epithelial cells, persistence within macrophages, AIEC pathotype, and growth in standardized conditions. RESULTS: Genes encoding propanediol utilization (pdu operon) and iron acquisition (yersiniabactin, chu operon) were overrepresented in AIEC relative to nonpathogenic E. coli. PduC (propanediol dehydratase) was enriched in CD-derived AIEC, correlated with increased cellular invasion, and persistence in vitro and was increasingly expressed in fucose-containing media. Growth of AIEC required iron, and the presence of chuA (heme acquisition) correlated with persistence in macrophages. CD-associated AIEC with lpfA 154 (long polar fimbriae) demonstrated increased invasion of epithelial cells and translocation across M cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic basis of the AIEC pathotype, supporting the concept that AIEC are equipped to exploit and promote intestinal inflammation and reveal potential targets for intervention against AIEC and inflammation-associated dysbiosis.

Dietary supplementation with soluble plantain non-starch polysaccharides inhibits intestinal invasion of Salmonella Typhimurium in the chicken.

Soluble fibres (non-starch polysaccharides, NSP) from edible plants but particularly plantain banana (Musa spp.), have been shown in vitro and ex vivo to prevent various enteric pathogens from adhering to, or translocating across, the human intestinal epithelium, a property that we have termed contrabiotic. Here we report that dietary plantain fibre prevents invasion of the chicken intestinal mucosa by Salmonella. In vivo experiments were performed with chicks fed from hatch on a pellet diet containing soluble plantain NSP (0 to 200 mg/d) and orally infected with S.Typhimurium 4/74 at 8 d of age. Birds were sacrificed 3, 6 and 10 d post-infection. Bacteria were enumerated from liver, spleen and caecal contents. In vitro studies were performed using chicken caecal crypts and porcine intestinal epithelial cells infected with Salmonella enterica serovars following pre-treatment separately with soluble plantain NSP and acidic or neutral polysaccharide fractions of plantain NSP, each compared with saline vehicle. Bacterial adherence and invasion were assessed by gentamicin protection assay. In vivo dietary supplementation with plantain NSP 50 mg/d reduced invasion by S.Typhimurium, as reflected by viable bacterial counts from splenic tissue, by 98.9% (95% CI, 98.1-99.7; P<0.0001). In vitro studies confirmed that plantain NSP (5-10 mg/ml) inhibited adhesion of S.Typhimurium 4/74 to a porcine epithelial cell-line (73% mean inhibition (95% CI, 64-81); P<0.001) and to primary chick caecal crypts (82% mean inhibition (95% CI, 75-90); P<0.001). Adherence inhibition was shown to be mediated via an effect on the epithelial cells and Ussing chamber experiments with ex-vivo human ileal mucosa showed that this effect was associated with increased short circuit current but no change in electrical resistance. The inhibitory activity of plantain NSP lay mainly within the acidic/pectic (homogalacturonan-rich) component. Supplementation of chick feed with plantain NSP was well tolerated and shows promise as a simple approach for reducing invasive salmonellosis.

Systematic review showed measures of individual burden of osteoarthritis poorly capture the patient experience.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the content of questionnaires used in the assessment of the individual burden of osteoarthritis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A systematic search of computerized databases was conducted to identify self-report measures of osteoarthritis burden. The content of identified measures was assessed against the eight-domain Personal Burden of Osteoarthritis (PBO) model, which covers physical distress, fatigue, physical limitations, psychosocial distress, physical deconditioning, financial hardship, sleep disturbances, and lost productivity. The PBO was derived from extensive consultations with osteoarthritis patients and clinicians. RESULTS: A review of 5,703 publications identified 158 multi-item self-report measures of the individual burden of osteoarthritis. Content analysis showed that the dimensions of physical limitations, physical distress, and psychosocial distress were well represented by the identified questionnaires. The physical deconditioning and financial hardship dimensions were the least represented in the identified measures. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale gave the best coverage of PBO elements, with items matching seven of the eight PBO domains. CONCLUSION: Despite the large number of questionnaires identified, many aspects of the individual burden of osteoarthritis are not well represented by currently available measures. This may result in systematic gaps in how experiences of people with osteoarthritis are represented in research studies.

Hypothesis: Increased consumption of emulsifiers as an explanation for the rising incidence of Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) incidence has increased over the past fifty years but the explanation is unclear. CD can be brought into remission by liquid enteral feeding, but the mechanism for this response is unknown. We suggest that consumption of emulsifiers in processed foods may promote CD by increasing bacterial translocation. This is supported by evidence that (i) geographical variation in CD correlates with emulsifier consumption as does the increasing incidence of CD in Japan; (ii) although CD incidence also correlates with fat consumption, the response to enteral feeding is not affected by the fat content of the feed and (iii) very small concentrations of the emulsifier polysorbate 80 enhance bacterial translocation across intestinal epithelia. Undigested emulsifiers may increase bacterial translocation, particularly in the small intestine where the mucus layer is discontinuous. The hypothesis should be testable by trials of enteral feeding with/without emulsifiers.

Soluble plantain fibre blocks adhesion and M-cell translocation of intestinal pathogens.

Dietary fibres may have prebiotic effects mediated by promotion of beneficial bacteria. This study explores the possibility that soluble plant fibre may also improve health by inhibiting epithelial adhesion and translocation by pathogenic bacteria. We have focussed on soluble non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) from plantain bananas (Musa spp.) which previous studies showed to be particularly effective at blocking Escherichia coli epithelial adherence. In vitro and ex vivo studies assessed the ability of plantain NSP to inhibit epithelial cell adhesion and invasion of various bacterial pathogens, and to inhibit their translocation through microfold (M)-cells and human Peyer's patches mounted in Ussing chambers. Plantain NSP showed dose-related inhibition of epithelial adhesion and M-cell translocation by a range of pathogens. At 5mg/ml, a concentration readily achievable in the gut lumen, plantain NSP inhibited adhesion to Caco2 cells by Salmonella Typhimurium (85.0 ± 8.2%, P<.01), Shigella sonnei (46.6 ± 29.3%, P<.01), enterotoxigenic E.coli (56.1 ± 23.7%, P<.05) and Clostridium difficile (67.6 ± 12.3%, P<.001), but did not inhibit adhesion by enteropathogenic E.coli. Plantain NSP also inhibited invasion of Caco2 cells by S. Typhimurium (80.2 ± 9.7%) and Sh. sonnei (46.7 ± 13.4%); P<.01. Plantain NSP, 5mg/ml, also inhibited translocation of S. Typhimurium and Sh. sonnei across M-cells by 73.3 ± 5.2% and 46.4 ± 7.7% respectively (P<.05). Similarly, S. Typhimurium translocation across Peyer's patches was reduced 65.9 ± 8.1% by plantain NSP (P<.01). Soluble plantain fibre can block epithelial adhesion and M-cell translocation of intestinal pathogens. This represents an important novel mechanism by which soluble dietary fibres can promote intestinal health and prevent infective diarrhoea.