Gastrointestinal diseases: psycho-social aspects

An interconnection between psychological and gastrointestinal (GI) functioning has long been recognized, incorporating multiple mechanisms and considering bidirectional processes. However, exciting discoveries regarding the role of stress and depression in etiology and disease course have shed new light on the understanding of biopsychosocial processes in chronic GI conditions. This article provides an introduction to GI tract functioning, GI disorders, and stress mechanisms in the gut, followed by an overview and discussion of the psychosocial impact of these disorders, the role of stress and mental comorbidity in GI disorders, and the current knowledge regarding psychological interventions for GI disorders.

Correcting for bias when estimating the cost of hospital-acquired infection : an analysis of lower respiratory tract infections in non-surgical patients

Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are costly but many are avoidable. Evaluating prevention programmes requires data on their costs and benefits. Estimating the actual costs of HAI (a measure of the cost savings due to prevention) is difficult as HAI changes cost by extending patient length of stay, yet, length of stay is a major risk factor for HAI. This endogeneity bias can confound attempts to measure accurately the cost of HAI. We propose a two-stage instrumental variables estimation strategy that explicitly controls for the endogeneity between risk of HAI and length of stay. We find that a 10% reduction in ex ante risk of HAI results in an expected savings of £693 ($US 984).

Chlamydial infection and spatial ascension of the female genital tract : a novel hybrid cellular automata and continuum mathematical model

Sexually transmitted chlamydial infection initially establishes in the endocervix in females, but if the infection ascends the genital tract, significant disease, including infertility, can result. Many of the mechanisms associated with chlamydial infection kinetics and disease ascension are unknown. We attempt to elucidate some of these processes by developing a novel mathematical model, using a cellular automata–partial differential equation model. We matched our model outputs to experimental data of chlamydial infection of the guinea-pig cervix and carried out sensitivity analyses to determine the relative influence of model parameters. We found that the rate of recruitment and action of innate immune cells to clear extracellular chlamydial particles and the rate of passive movement of chlamydial particles are the dominant factors in determining the early course of infection, magnitude of the peak chlamydial time course and the time of the peak. The rate of passive movement was found to be the most important factor in determining whether infection would ascend to the upper genital tract. This study highlights the importance of early innate immunity in the control of chlamydial infection and the significance of motility-diffusive properties and the adaptive immune response in the magnitude of infection and in its ascension.

Deposition of combustion aerosols in the human respiratory tract : comparison of theoretical predictions with experimental data

Total deposition of petrol, diesel and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) aerosols in the human respiratory tract for nasal breathing conditions was computed for 14 nonsmoking volunteers, considering the specific anatomical and respiratory parameters of each volunteer and the specific size distribution for each inhalation experiment. Theoretical predictions were 34.6% for petrol, 24.0% for diesel, and 18.5% for ETS particles. Compared to the experimental results, predicted deposition values were consistently smaller than the measured data (41.4% for petrol, 29.6% for diesel, and 36.2% for ETS particles). The apparent discrepancy between experimental data on total deposition and modeling results may be reconciled by considering the non-spherical shape of the test aerosols by diameter-dependent dynamic shape factors to account for differences between mobility-equivalent and volume-equivalent or thermodynamic diameters. While the application of dynamic shape factors is able to explain the observed differences for petrol and diesel particles, additional mechanisms may be required for ETS particle deposition, such as the size reduction upon inspiration by evaporation of volatile compounds and/or condensation-induced restructuring, and, possibly, electrical charge effects.

Poly-immunoglobulin receptor-mediated transport of IgA into the male genital tract is important for clearance of chlamydia muridarum infection

Problem: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. While infection in females requires a Th1 response for clearance, such a response in males may disrupt the immune privileged nature of the male reproductive tract, potentially contributing to infertility. Method of study: We investigated the role of IgA in protection against an intrapenile Chlamydia muridarum infection of C57BL/6 and pIgR−/− mice. Results: Here, we show that the poly immunoglobulin receptor is the main pathway for IgA transport into the male reproductive tract. The high levels of IgA seen in prostatic fluid of wild-type mice correlate with reduction in chlamydial infection both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: These findings indicate that a Chlamydia vaccine that induces neutralizing IgA in the prostate will aid in the protection against infection in males.

Time-dependent analysis of length of stay and mortality due urinary tract infections in ten developing countries : INICC findings

Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are a worldwide problem that may lead to increased patient morbidity, cost and mortality.1e3 The literature is divided on whether there are real effects from CAUTI on length of stay or mortality. Platt4 found the costs and mortality risks to be largeyetGraves et al found the opposite.5 A reviewof the published estimates of the extra length of stay showed results between zero and 30 days.6 The differences in estimates may have been caused by the different epidemiological methods applied. Accurately estimating the effects of CAUTI is difficult because it is a time-dependent exposure. This means that standard statistical techniques, such asmatched case-control studies, tend to overestimate the increased hospital stay and mortality risk due to infection. The aim of the study was to estimate excess length of stay andmortality in an intensive care unit (ICU) due to a CAUTI, using a statistical model that accounts for the timing of infection. Data collected from ICU units in lower and middle income countries were used for this analysis.7,8 There has been little research for these settings, hence the need for this paper.

Identification of novel markers for uncomplicated lower genital tract infections and upper genital tract pathology due to Chlamydia trachomatis.

Background: Untreated Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women can result in disease sequelae such as salpingitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ultimately culminating in tubal occlusion and infertility. Whilst nucleic acid amplification tests can effectively diagnose uncomplicated lower genital tract (LGT) infections, they are not suitable for diagnosing upper genital tract (UGT) pathological sequelae. As a consequence, this study aimed to identify serological markers that can, with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity, discriminate between LGT infections and UGT pathology. Methods: Plasma was collected from 73 women with a history of LGT infection, UGT pathology due to C. trachomatis or no serological evidence of C. trachomatis infection. Western blotting was used to analyse antibody reactivity against extracted chlamydial proteins. Sensitivity and specificity of differential markers were also calculated. Results: Four antigens (CT157, CT423, CT727 and CT396) were identified and found to be capable of discriminating between the infection and disease sequelae state. Sensitivity and specificity calculations showed that our assay for diagnosing LGT infection had a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 76% respectively, whilst the assay for identifying UGT pathology demonstrated 80% sensitivity and 86% specificity. Conclusions: The use of these assays could potentially facilitate earlier diagnoses in women suffering UGT pathology due to C. trachomatis.

Partial protection against chlamydial reproductive tract infection by a recombinant major outer membrane protein/CpG/cholera toxin intranasal vaccine in the guinea pig Chlamydia cavaie model

Chlamydia trachomatis is a major cause of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. There currently is no vaccine to protect against chlamydial infection of the female reproductive tract. Vaccine development has predominantly involved using the murine model, however infection of female guinea pigs with Chlamydia caviae more closely resembles chlamydial infection of the human female reproductive tract, and presents a better model to assess potential human chlamydial vaccines. We immunised female guinea pigs intranasally with recombinant major outer membrane protein (r-MOMP) combined with CpG-10109 and cholera toxin adjuvants. Both systemic and mucosal immune responses were elicited in immunised animals. MOMP-specific IgG and IgA were present in the vaginal mucosae, and high levels of MOMP-specific IgG were detected in the serum of immunised animals. Antibodies from the vaginal mucosae were also shown to be capable of neutralising C. caviae in vitro. Following immunisation, animals were challenged intravaginally with a live C. caviae infection of 102 inclusion forming units. We observed a decrease in duration of infection and a significant (p<0.025) reduction in infection load in r-MOMP immunised animals, compared to animals immunised with adjuvant only. Importantly, we also observed a marked reduction in upper reproductive tract (URT) pathology in r-MOMP immunised animals. Intranasal immunisation of female guinea pigs with r-MOMP was able to provide partial protection against C. caviae infection, not only by reducing chlamydial burden but also URT pathology. This data demonstrates the value of using the guinea pig model to evaluate potential chlamydial vaccines for protection against infection and disease pathology caused by C. trachomatis in the female reproductive tract.