Dietary factors in the modulation of inflammatory bowel disease activity.

CONTEXT: As patients look to complementary therapies for management of their diseases, it is important that the physician know the effectiveness and/or lack of effectiveness of a variety of dietary approaches/interventions. Although the pathogenesis of the inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) is not fully understood, many suspect that diet and various dietary factors may play a modulating role in the disease process. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The purpose of this article is to present some of what is known about various dietary/nutritional factors in inflammatory bowel disease, with inclusion of evidence from various studies regarding their putative effect. MedLINE was searched (1965-present) using combinations of the following search terms: diet, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Additionally, references of the articles obtained were searched to identify further potential sources of information. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: While much information is available regarding various dietary interventions/supplements in regard to inflammatory bowel disease, the lack of controlled trials limits broad applicability. Probiotics are one of the few interventions with promising results and controlled trials. CONCLUSION: While there are many potential and promising dietary factors that may play a role in the modulation of inflammatory bowel disease, it is prudent to await further controlled studies before broad application/physician recommendation in the noted patient population.

Skills training and social influences for violence prevention in middle schools: A curriculum evaluation

This pilot study evaluated the effect of skills training and of social influences on self-reported aggressive behavior in a sample of 239 sixth-grade students. The effect of two intervention groups and one control group were compared. In the first intervention group, a 15-session, violence-prevention curriculum was taught by the teacher. In the second intervention group, the same curriculum was taught by the teacher with the assistance of peer leaders trained to modify social norms about violence. The control group was evaluated but did not receive any training. The design included four schools. In two schools, three classes were assigned to one of the two interventions or to the control group. In the other two schools, two classes were assigned to either intervention (teacher only) or control. Students were evaluated before and after the implementation of the curriculum using a standardized questionnaire.^ The primary outcome was the effect of the curriculum and peer leaders on self-reported aggressive behaviors. The secondary outcome was their impact on intervening variables: knowledge about violence, conflict-resolution skills, self-efficacy, and attitudes.^ The intervention had a moderate effect on reducing self-reported aggressive behaviors among boys in two of the six classes that received the curriculum. Both classes with peer leaders reduced their aggressive behavior, but this reduction was significant in only one. A peer leader selection problem could probably explain this lack of effect.^ In three of the four schools, both interventions had an overall significant effect on increasing knowledge about violence and skills to reduce violence. Students also developed a more negative attitude toward violence after the intervention. As hypothesized, attitude change was stronger among students from the teacher plus peer leader group. No intervention effect was observed on self-efficacy nor on attitudes toward skills to reduce violence. Limitations of the study and implications for violence prevention in schools are discussed. ^

An examination of the rate of high school completion experienced by handicapped and nonhandicapped students in the state of Texas

This research examines the graduation rate experienced by students receiving public education services in the state of Texas. Special attention is paid to that subgroup of Texas students who meet Texas Education Agency criteria for handicapped status. The study is guided by two research questions: What are the high school completion rates experienced by handicapped and nonhandicapped students attending Texas public schools? and What are the predictors of graduation for handicapped and nonhandicapped students?^ In addition, the following hypotheses are explored. Hypothesis 1: Handicapped students attending a Texas public school will experience a lower rate of high school completion than their nonhandicapped counterparts. Hypothesis 2: Handicapped and nonhandicapped students attending school in a Texas public school with a budget above the median budget for Texas public schools will experience a higher rate of high school completion than similar students in Texas public schools with a budget below the median budget. Hypothesis 3: Handicapped and nonhandicapped students attending school in large Texas urban areas will experience a lower rate of high school completion than similar students in Texas public schools in rural areas. Hypothesis 4: Handicapped and nonhandicapped students attending a Texas public school in a county which rates above the state median for food stamps and AFDC recipients will experience a lower rate of high school completion than students living in counties below the median.^ The study will employ extant data from the records of the Texas Education Agency for the 1988-1989 and the 1989-1990 school years, from the Texas Department of Health for the years of 1989 and 1990, and from the 1980 Census.^ The study reveals that nonhandicapped students are graduating with a two year average rate of.906, while handicapped students following an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) achieve a two year average rate of.532, and handicapped students following the regular academic program present a two year average graduation rate of only.371. The presence of other handicapped students, and the school district's average expense per student are found to contribute significantly to the completion rates of handicapped students. Size groupings are used to elucidate the various impacts of these variables on different school districts and different student groups.^ Conclusions and implications are offered regarding the need to reach national consensus on the definition and computation of high school completion for both handicapped and nonhandicapped students, and the need for improved statewide tracking of handicapped completion rates. ^

A Model Study of the Seasonal Circulation in the Gulf of Maine

The Princeton Ocean Model is used to study the circulation in the Gulf of Maine and its seasonal transition in response to wind, surface heat flux, river discharge, and the M-2 tide. The model has an orthogonal-curvature linear grid in the horizontal with variable spacing from 3 km nearshore to 7 km offshore and 19 levels in the vertical. It is initialized and forced at the open boundary with model results from the East Coast Forecast System. The first experiment is forced by monthly climatological wind and heat flux from the Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set; discharges from the Saint John, Penobscot, Kennebec, and Merrimack Rivers are added in the second experiment; the semidiurnal lunar tide (M-2) is included as part of the open boundary forcing in the third experiment. It is found that the surface heat flux plays an important role in regulating the annual cycle of the circulation in the Gulf of Maine. The spinup of the cyclonic circulation between April and June is likely caused by the differential heating between the interior gulf and the exterior shelf/slope region. From June to December the cyclonic circulation continues to strengthen, but gradually shrinks in size. When winter cooling erodes the stratification, the cyclonic circulation penetrates deeper into the water column. The circulation quickly spins down from December to February as most of the energy is consumed by bottom friction. While inclusion of river discharge changes details of the circulation pattern, the annual evolution of the circulation is largely unaffected. On the other hand, inclusion of the tide results in not only the anticyclonic circulation on Georges Bank but also modifications to the seasonal circulation.

Event-relating to potential dementia. Semantic processing in the course of healthy and pathological aging

While most healthy elderly are able to manage their everyday activities, studies showed that there are both stable and declining abilities during healthy aging. For example, there is evidence that semantic memory processes which involve controlled retrieval mechanism decrease, whereas the automatic functioning of the semantic network remains intact. In contrast, patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suffer from episodic and semantic memory impairments aggravating their daily functioning. In AD, severe episodic as well as semantic memory deficits are observable. While the hallmark symptom of episodic memory decline in AD is well investigated, the underlying mechanisms of semantic memory deterioration remain unclear. By disentangling the semantic memory impairments in AD, the present thesis aimed to improve early diagnosis and to find a biomarker for dementia. To this end, a study on healthy aging and a study with dementia patients were conducted investigating automatic and controlled semantic word retrieval. Besides the inclusion of AD patients, a group of participants diagnosed with semantic dementia (SD) – showing isolated semantic memory loss – was assessed. Automatic and controlled semantic word retrieval was measured with standard neuropsychological tests and by means of event-related potentials (ERP) recorded during the performance of a semantic priming (SP) paradigm. Special focus was directed to the N400 or N400-LPC (late positive component) complex, an ERP that is sensitive to the semantic word retrieval. In both studies, data driven topographical analyses were applied. Furthermore, in the patient study, the combination of the individual baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) with the N400 topography of each participant was employed in order to relate altered functional electrophysiology to the pathophysiology of dementia. Results of the aging study revealed that the automatic semantic word retrieval remains stable during healthy aging, the N400-LPC complex showed a comparable topography in contrast to the young participants. Both patient groups showed automatic SP to some extent, but strikingly the ERP topographies were altered compared to healthy controls. Most importantly, the N400 was identified as a putative marker for dementia. In particular, the degree of the topographical N400 similarity was demonstrated to separate healthy elderly from demented patients. Furthermore, the marker was significantly related to baseline CBF reduction in brain areas relevant for semantic word retrieval. Summing up, the first major finding of the present thesis was that all groups showed semantic priming, but that the N400 topography differed significantly between healthy and demented elderly. The second major contribution was the identification of the N400 similarity as a putative marker for dementia. To conclude, the present thesis added evidence of preserved automatic processing during healthy aging. Moreover, a possible marker which might contribute to an improved diagnosis and lead consequently to a more effective treatment of dementia was presented and has to be further developed.

SLR-GNSS analysis in the framework of the ITRF2013 computation

Pre-combined SLR-GNSS solutions are studied and the impact of different types of datum definition on the estimated parameters is assessed. It is found that the origin is realized best by using only the SLR core network for defining the geodetic datum and the inclusion of the GNSS core sites degrades the origin. The orientation, however, requires a dense and continuous network, thus, the inclusion of the GNSS core network is absolutely needed.

Courses in the language and culture of origin and their impact on youth development in cultural transition: A study among immigrant and dual heritage youth in Switzerland

Elena Makarova traces how the concept of intercultural education in German-speaking European countries promotes the inclusion of courses in the Language and Culture of Origin (LCO) for immigrant youth in the school curriculum of host countries. Such courses are assumed to have positive effects on the development of immigrant youth in the host country. Particularly, it has been suggested that participation in LCO courses increases the self-esteem of immigrant youth, facilitates the development of their bicultural identity and improves their integration in the host society. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the nature of the effects of LCO course attendance on the acculturation of immigrant youth and their cultural identity. Accordingly, the aim of the study detailed in the chapter is to examine the impact of immigrant youth’s attitudes towards LCO courses and of their attendance of such courses on their acculturation and cultural identity.

Bone dimensions in the posterior mandible: a retrospective radiographic study using cone beam computed tomography. Part 2- analysis of edentulous sites.

A precise radiographic evaluation of the local bone dimensions and morphology is important for preoperative planning of implant placement. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze dimensions and morphology of edentulous sites in the posterior mandible using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. This retrospective radiographic study measured the bone width (BW) of the mandible at three locations on CBCT scans for premolars (PM1, PM2) and molars (M1, M2): at 1 mm and 4 mm below the most cranial point of the alveolar crest (BW1, BW2) and at the superior border of the mandibular canal (BW3). Furthermore, the height (H) of the alveolar process (distance between the measuring points BW1 and BW3), as well as the presence of lingual undercuts, were analyzed. A total of 56 CBCTs met the inclusion criteria, resulting in a sample size of 127 cross sections. There was a statistically significant increase from PM1 to M2 for the BW2 (P < .001), which was not present for BW1 and BW3 values. For the height of the alveolar process, the values exhibited a decrease from PM1 to M2 sites. Sex was a statistically significant parameter for H (P = .001) and for BW1 (P = .03). Age was not a statistically significant parameter for bone width (BW1: P = .37; BW2: P = .31; BW3: P = .51) or for the height of the alveolar process (P = .41) in the posterior mandible. Overall, 73 (57.5%) edentulous sites were evaluated to be without visible lingual undercuts; 13 (10.2%) sites exhibited lingual undercuts classified as influential for implant placement. Precise evaluation of the alveolar crest by cross-sectional imaging is of great value to analyze vertical and buccolingual bone dimensions in different locations in the posterior mandible. In addition, CBCTs are valuable to diagnosing the presence of and potential problems caused by lingual undercuts prior to implant placement.

Horizontal ridge augmentation in conjunction with or prior to implant placement in the anterior maxilla: a systematic review.

PURPOSE To systematically review clinical studies examining the survival and success rates of implants in horizontal ridge augmentation, either prior to or in conjunction with implant placement in the anterior maxilla. MATERIALS AND METHODS A literature search was undertaken up to September 2012 including clinical studies in English with ≥ 10 consecutively treated patients and a mean follow-up of at least 12 months. Two reviewers screened the pertinent articles and extracted the data. Key words focused on the outcome parameters (implant success, implant survival, horizontal bone gain, and intra- and postoperative complications) in studies utilizing either a simultaneous approach (ridge augmentation performed at the time of implant placement) or a staged approach (ridge augmentation performed prior to implant placement) were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, with 2 studies in the simultaneous group and 11 studies in the staged group. In the simultaneous group, survival rates of implants were 100% in both studies, with one study also reporting a 100% implant success rate. No data on horizontal bone gain were available. In the staged group, success rates of implants placed in horizontally augmented ridges ranged from 96.8% to 100% (two studies), and survival rates ranged from 93.5% to 100% (five studies). However, follow-up periods differed widely (up to 4.1 years). Mean horizontal bone gain determined at reentry (implant placement) ranged from 3.4 to 5.0 mm with large overall variations (0 to 9.8 mm, five studies). Intraoperative complications were not reported. Postsurgical complications included mainly mucosal dehiscences (five studies), and, occasionally, complete failures of block grafts were described in one study. CONCLUSIONS Staged and simultaneous augmentation procedures in the anterior maxilla are both associated with high implant success and survival rates. The level of evidence, however, is better for the staged approach than for the simultaneous one.

Analysis of TNF-antagonist switch over time and associated risk factors in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Limited data from large cohorts are available on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists (infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol) switch over time. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of switching from one TNF antagonist to another and to identify associated risk factors. METHODS Data from the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Cohort Study (SIBDCS) were analyzed. RESULTS Of 1731 patients included into the SIBDCS (956 with Crohn's disease [CD] and 775 with ulcerative colitis [UC]), 347 CD patients (36.3%) and 129 UC patients (16.6%) were treated with at least one TNF antagonist. A total of 53/347 (15.3%) CD patients (median disease duration 9 years) and 20/129 (15.5%) of UC patients (median disease duration 7 years) needed to switch to a second and/or a third TNF antagonist, respectively. Median treatment duration was longest for the first TNF antagonist used (CD 25 months; UC 14 months), followed by the second (CD 13 months; UC 4 months) and third TNF antagonist (CD 11 months; UC 15 months). Primary nonresponse, loss of response and side effects were the major reasons to stop and/or switch TNF antagonist therapy. A low body mass index, a short diagnostic delay and extraintestinal manifestations at inclusion were identified as risk factors for a switch of the first used TNF antagonist within 24 months of its use in CD patients. CONCLUSION Switching of the TNF antagonist over time is a common issue. The median treatment duration with a specific TNF antagonist is diminishing with an increasing number of TNF antagonists being used.

Ancient History as a Means of Transforming Colonial India in the Late-Eighteenth and Early-Nineteenth Centuries

This article focuses on the studies and discourses of mostly British scholars of the early colonial period belonging to two schools of thought. It shows how the studies of both schools – European orientalism and utilitarianism – were intricately connected to the political development of the emerging British paramountcy over the South Asian sub-continent, as both were looking for means of establishing and/or strengthening colonial rule. Nevertheless, the debate was not just a continuation of discussions in Europe. Whereas the ideas of the European Enlightenment had some influence, the transformation of the Mughal Empire and especially the idea of a decline of Muslim rule offered ample opportunities for understanding the early history of India either as some sort of “Golden Age,” as the orientalists and their indigenous supporters did, or as something static and degenerate, as the utilitarians did, and from which the population of sub-continent had to be saved by colonial rule and colonial values. Fearing the spread of the ideas of the French Revolution, the first group of British scholars sought to persuade the native elites of South Asia to take the lessons of their past for the future development of their homeland. Just as the classicists back in Europe, these scholars were convinced that large-scale explanations of the past could also teach political and moral lessons for the present although it was important to deal with the distant past in an empirical manner. The utilitarians on the other hand believed that India had to be saved from its own depravity through the English language and Western values, which amounted to nothing less than the modern transformation of the true Classical Age.

Imputation of sequence level genotypes in the Franches-Montagnes horse breed

BACKGROUND A cost-effective strategy to increase the density of available markers within a population is to sequence a small proportion of the population and impute whole-genome sequence data for the remaining population. Increased densities of typed markers are advantageous for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic predictions. METHODS We obtained genotypes for 54 602 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in 1077 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses and Illumina paired-end whole-genome sequencing data for 30 FM horses and 14 Warmblood horses. After variant calling, the sequence-derived SNP genotypes (~13 million SNPs) were used for genotype imputation with the software programs Beagle, Impute2 and FImpute. RESULTS The mean imputation accuracy of FM horses using Impute2 was 92.0%. Imputation accuracy using Beagle and FImpute was 74.3% and 77.2%, respectively. In addition, for Impute2 we determined the imputation accuracy of all individual horses in the validation population, which ranged from 85.7% to 99.8%. The subsequent inclusion of Warmblood sequence data further increased the correlation between true and imputed genotypes for most horses, especially for horses with a high level of admixture. The final imputation accuracy of the horses ranged from 91.2% to 99.5%. CONCLUSIONS Using Impute2, the imputation accuracy was higher than 91% for all horses in the validation population, which indicates that direct imputation of 50k SNP-chip data to sequence level genotypes is feasible in the FM population. The individual imputation accuracy depended mainly on the applied software and the level of admixture.

Watershed classification in the Lower Mekong Basin: Rapid economic growth - a source of increasing potential for conflict over resource use

In the Lower Mekon Basin the extraordinary pace of economic development and growth contradicts with environmental protection. On base of the Watershed Classification Project (WSCP) and the inclusion of a DTM for the entire LMB the potential degradation risk was derived for each land unit. The risks were grouped into five classes, where classes one and two are considered critical with regard to soil erosion when the land is cleared of natural resources. For practical use the database has an enormous potential for further spatial analysis in combination with other datasets, as for example the NCCR North-South uses the WSCP within two research projects.

Home-based versus clinic-based specimen collection in the management of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections

BACKGROUND Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are the most frequent causes of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Management strategies that reduce losses in the clinical pathway from infection to cure might improve STI control and reduce complications resulting from lack of, or inadequate, treatment. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness and safety of home-based specimen collection as part of the management strategy for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections compared with clinic-based specimen collection in sexually-active people. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Sexually Transmitted Infections Group Specialized Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE and LILACS on 27 May 2015, together with the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry (ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov. We also handsearched conference proceedings, contacted trial authors and reviewed the reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of home-based compared with clinic-based specimen collection in the management of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infections. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Three review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We contacted study authors for additional information. We resolved any disagreements through consensus. We used standard methodological procedures recommended by Cochrane. The primary outcome was index case management, defined as the number of participants tested, diagnosed and treated, if test positive. MAIN RESULTS Ten trials involving 10,479 participants were included. There was inconclusive evidence of an effect on the proportion of participants with index case management (defined as individuals tested, diagnosed and treated for CT or NG, or both) in the group with home-based (45/778, 5.8%) compared with clinic-based (51/788, 6.5%) specimen collection (risk ratio (RR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60 to 1.29; 3 trials, I² = 0%, 1566 participants, moderate quality). Harms of home-based specimen collection were not evaluated in any trial. All 10 trials compared the proportions of individuals tested. The results for the proportion of participants completing testing had high heterogeneity (I² = 100%) and were not pooled. We could not combine data from individual studies looking at the number of participants tested because the proportions varied widely across the studies, ranging from 30% to 96% in home group and 6% to 97% in clinic group (low-quality evidence). The number of participants with positive test was lower in the home-based specimen collection group (240/2074, 11.6%) compared with the clinic-based group (179/967, 18.5%) (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.86; 9 trials, I² = 0%, 3041 participants, moderate quality). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Home-based specimen collection could result in similar levels of index case management for CT or NG infection when compared with clinic-based specimen collection. Increases in the proportion of individuals tested as a result of home-based, compared with clinic-based, specimen collection are offset by a lower proportion of positive results. The harms of home-based specimen collection compared with clinic-based specimen collection have not been evaluated. Future RCTs to assess the effectiveness of home-based specimen collection should be designed to measure biological outcomes of STI case management, such as proportion of participants with negative tests for the relevant STI at follow-up.

Glacial–interglacial temperature change in the tropical West Pacific: A comparison of stalagmite-based paleo-thermometers

In the tropics, geochemical records from stalagmites have so far mainly been used to qualitatively reconstruct changes in precipitation, but several new methods to reconstruct past temperatures from stalagmite material have emerged recently: i) liquide vapor homogenization of fluid inclusion water ii) noble gas concentrations in fluid inclusion water, iii) the partitioning of oxygen isotopes between fluid inclusion water and calcite, and iv) the abundance of the 13C18O16O(‘clumped’) isotopologue in calcite. We present, for the first time, a direct comparison of these four paleo-thermometers by applying them to a fossil stalagmite covering nearly two glaciale interglacial cycles (Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 12 e 9) and to two modern stalagmites, all from northern Borneo. The temperature estimates from the different methods agree in most cases within errors for both the old and recent samples; reconstructed formation temperatures of the recent samples match within 2-sigma errors with measured cave temperatures. However, slight but systematic deviations are observed between noble gas and liquide vapor homogenization temperatures. Whereas the temperature sensitivity of fluid inclusion d18O and clumped isotopes is currently debated, we find that the calibration of Tremaine et al. (2011) for fluid inclusion d18O and a synthetic calcite-based clumped isotope calibration (Ziegler et al., in prep.) yield temperature estimates consistent with the other methods. All methods (with the potential exception of clumped isotopes) show excellent agreement on the amplitude of glaciale interglacial temperature change, indicating temperature shifts of 4-5 C°. This amplitude is similar to the amplitude of Mg/Ca-based regional sea surface temperature records, when correcting for sea level driven changes in cave elevation. Our reconstruction of tropical temperature evolution over the time period from 440 to 320 thousand years ago (ka) adds support to the view that climate sensitivity to varying greenhouse forcing is substantial also in the deep tropics.