Background
Depression often coexists with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is characterized by alterations in gut function. There is emerging evidence that the microbial composition ...(microbiota) of the gut is altered in IBS, but the basis for this is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether the induction of chronic depression results in changes in the colonic function and in its microbial community, and to explore underlying mechanisms.
Methods
Bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (OBx) was used to induce depression‐like behavior in mice. Colonic function was assessed by measuring muscle contractility, pellet excretion, c‐fos activity, and serotonin levels. Microbiota profiles were obtained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The hypothalamic‐pituitary axis (HPA) was assessed by the hypothalamic expression of corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH). In separate studies, mice without OBx received CRH via intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion for 4 weeks prior to assessing colonic function and microbiota profiles.
Key Results
Olfactory bulbectomy mice demonstrated chronic depression‐ and anxiety‐like behaviors associated with elevated central CRH expression and increases in c‐Fos activity, serotonin levels, and motility in the colon. These changes were accompanied by an altered intestinal microbial profile. Central CRH administration produced similar changes in behavior and motility and altered the microbiota profile in the colon.
Conclusions & Inferences
The induction of chronic depression alters motor activity and the microbial profile in the colon likely via activation of the HPA. These findings provide a basis for linking the behavioral and gastrointestinal manifestations of IBS.
Dam removal: Listening in Foley, M. M.; Bellmore, J. R.; O'Connor, J. E. ...
Water resources research,
July 2017, 2017-07-00, 20170701, Letnik:
53, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Dam removal is widely used as an approach for river restoration in the United States. The increase in dam removals—particularly large dams—and associated dam‐removal studies over the last few decades ...motivated a working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to review and synthesize available studies of dam removals and their findings. Based on dam removals thus far, some general conclusions have emerged: (1) physical responses are typically fast, with the rate of sediment erosion largely dependent on sediment characteristics and dam‐removal strategy; (2) ecological responses to dam removal differ among the affected upstream, downstream, and reservoir reaches; (3) dam removal tends to quickly reestablish connectivity, restoring the movement of material and organisms between upstream and downstream river reaches; (4) geographic context, river history, and land use significantly influence river restoration trajectories and recovery potential because they control broader physical and ecological processes and conditions; and (5) quantitative modeling capability is improving, particularly for physical and broad‐scale ecological effects, and gives managers information needed to understand and predict long‐term effects of dam removal on riverine ecosystems. Although these studies collectively enhance our understanding of how riverine ecosystems respond to dam removal, knowledge gaps remain because most studies have been short (< 5 years) and do not adequately represent the diversity of dam types, watershed conditions, and dam‐removal methods in the U.S.
Key Points
Dam removal is an increasingly common approach to river restoration in the United States
Dam‐removal studies provide insights on key controls influencing the physical and ecological responses to dam removal
Although many aspects of physical and ecological systems react quickly to dam removal, overall response trajectories depend on how and where dams are removed and overall watershed conditions
Summary Objective Summarize the comparative effectiveness of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids in reducing knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Methods Two reviewers ...independently screened reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in English between 1982 and 2015, evaluating oral NSAIDs or opioids for knee OA. Included studies were at least 8 weeks duration, conducted in Western Europe, the Americas, New Zealand, or Australia, and reported baseline and follow-up pain using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain subscale (0–100, 100-worst). Effectiveness was evaluated as reduction in pain, accounting for study dropout and heterogeneity. Results Twenty-seven treatment arms (nine celecoxib, four non-selective NSAIDs diclofenac, naproxen, piroxicam, eleven less potent opioids tramadol, and three potent opioids hydromorphone, oxycodone) from 17 studies were included. NSAID and opioid studies reported similar baseline demographics and efficacy withdrawal rates; NSAID studies reported lower baseline pain and toxicity withdrawal rates. Accounting for efficacy-related withdrawals, all drug classes were associated with similar pain reductions (NSAIDs: −18; less potent opioids: −18; potent opioids: −19). Meta-regression did not reveal differential effectiveness by drug class but found that study cohorts with a higher proportion of male subjects and worse mean baseline pain had greater pain reduction. Similarly, results of the network meta-analysis did not find a significant difference in WOMAC Pain reduction for the three analgesic classes. Conclusion NSAIDs and opioids offer similar pain relief in OA patients. These data could help clinicians and patients discuss likely benefits of alternative analgesics.
A large proportion of nutrients and sediment is mobilised in catchments during storm events. Therefore understanding a catchment's hydrological behaviour during storms and how this acts to mobilise ...and transport nutrients and sediment to nearby watercourses is extremely important for effective catchment management. The expansion of available in-situ sensors is allowing a wider range of water quality parameters to be monitored and at higher temporal resolution, meaning that the investigation of hydrochemical behaviours during storms is increasingly feasible. Studying the relationship between discharge and water quality parameters in storm events can provide a valuable research tool to infer the likely source areas and flow pathways contributing to nutrient and sediment transport. Therefore, this paper uses 2years of high temporal resolution (15/30min) discharge and water quality (nitrate-N, total phosphorus (TP) and turbidity) data to examine hysteretic behaviour during storm events in two contrasting catchments, in the Hampshire Avon catchment, UK. This paper provides one of the first examples of a study which comprehensively examines storm behaviours for up to 76 storm events and three water quality parameters. It also examines the observational uncertainties using a non-parametric approach. A range of metrics was used, such as loop direction, loop area and a hysteresis index (HI) to characterise and quantify the storm behaviour. With two years of high resolution information it was possible to see how transport mechanisms varied between parameters and through time. This study has also clearly shown the different transport regimes operating between a groundwater dominated chalk catchment versus a surface-water dominated clay catchment. This information, set within an uncertainty framework, means that confidence can be derived that the patterns and relationships thus identified are statistically robust. These insights can thus be used to provide information regarding transport processes and biogeochemical processing within river catchments.
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•Hysteretic storm behaviour was analysed in 3 water quality parameters at 2 sites•Storms were analysed within an observational uncertainty framework•Range of metrics were used, including a new index, to quantify storm hysteresis•Differences in transport mechanisms shown between nitrate and TP in chalk system.•Behaviour was complex but provides insight into catchment processes in landscapes.
Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) can be exacerbated by haemostatic failure. We hypothesized that early fibrinogen replacement, guided by viscoelastometric testing, reduces blood product usage and bleed ...size.
Women with PPH 1000–1500 ml were enrolled. If Fibtem A5 was ≤15 mm and bleeding continued, subjects were randomized to fibrinogen concentrate or placebo. The primary outcome compared the number of units of red blood cells, plasma, cryoprecipitate and platelets transfused.
Of 663 women enrolled 55 were randomized. The adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) (95% CI) for the number of allogeneic units transfused in the fibrinogen group compared with placebo was 0.72 (0.3–1.7), P=0.45. In pre-specified subgroup analyses, subjects who had a Fibtem A5 ≤12 mm at the time of randomization and who received fibrinogen concentrate received a median (25th–75th centile) of 1 (0–4.5) unit of allogeneic blood products and had an additional 300 (100–350) ml blood loss whereas those who received placebo also received 3 (0–6) units of allogeneic blood products and had 700 (200–1550) ml additional blood loss; these differences were not statistically significantly different. There was one thrombotic event in each group.
Infusion of fibrinogen concentrate triggered by Fibtem A5 ≤15 mm did not improve outcomes in PPH. Pre-specified subgroup analyses suggest that fibrinogen replacement is not required if the Fibtem A5 is > 12 mm or Clauss fibrinogen >2 g litre−1, but an effect below these levels cannot be excluded. The raised fibrinogen at term appears to be a physiological buffer rather than required for haemostasis.
ISRCTN46295339 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN46295339, last accessed 5 July 2017), EudraCT 2012-005511-11 (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search?query=2012-005511-11, last accessed 5 July 2017).
Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a non-malignant condition caused by post-zygotic, activating mutations of the GNAS gene that results in inhibition of the differentiation and proliferation of bone-forming ...stromal cells and leads to the replacement of normal bone and marrow by fibrous tissue and woven bone. The phenotype is variable and may be isolated to a single skeletal site or multiple sites and sometimes is associated with extraskeletal manifestations in the skin and/or endocrine organs (McCune-Albright syndrome). The clinical behavior and progression of FD may also vary, thereby making the management of this condition difficult with few established clinical guidelines. This paper provides a clinically-focused comprehensive description of craniofacial FD, its natural progression, the components of the diagnostic evaluation and the multi-disciplinary management, and considerations for future research.
First measurements of the in-flight shape of imploding inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) were obtained by using two-dimensional x-ray radiography. The ...sequence of area-backlit, time-gated pinhole images is analyzed for implosion velocity, low-mode shape and density asymmetries, and the absolute offset and center-of-mass velocity of the capsule shell. The in-flight shell is often observed to be asymmetric even when the concomitant core self-emission is round. A ∼ 15 μm shell asymmetry amplitude of the Y(40) spherical harmonic mode was observed for standard NIF ICF hohlraums at a shell radius of ∼ 200 μm (capsule at ∼ 5× radial compression). This asymmetry is mitigated by a ∼ 10% increase in the hohlraum length.
We report the discovery of TOI 837b and its validation as a transiting planet. We characterize the system using data from the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, the ESA Gaia mission, ...ground-based photometry from El Sauce and ASTEP400, and spectroscopy from CHIRON, FEROS, and Veloce. We find that TOI 837 is a T = 9.9 mag G0/F9 dwarf in the southern open cluster IC 2602. The star and planet are therefore million years old. Combining the transit photometry with a prior on the stellar parameters derived from the cluster color-magnitude diagram, we find that the planet has an orbital period of and is slightly smaller than Jupiter ( ). From radial velocity monitoring, we limit to less than 1.20 MJup (3 ). The transits either graze or nearly graze the stellar limb. Grazing transits are a cause for concern, as they are often indicative of astrophysical false-positive scenarios. Our follow-up data show that such scenarios are unlikely. Our combined multicolor photometry, high-resolution imaging, and radial velocities rule out hierarchical eclipsing binary scenarios. Background eclipsing binary scenarios, though limited by speckle imaging, remain a 0.2% possibility. TOI 837b is therefore a validated adolescent exoplanet. The planetary nature of the system can be confirmed or refuted through observations of the stellar obliquity and the planetary mass. Such observations may also improve our understanding of how the physical and orbital properties of exoplanets change in time.
Summary Background Little is known about the temporal evolution of pain severity in persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We sought to describe the pain trajectory over 6 years in a cohort of ...subjects with radiographic, symptomatic knee OA. Methods We used data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a multi-center, longitudinal study of subjects with diagnosed radiographic evidence of knee OA. Pain was assessed at baseline and annually for 6 years. Our analysis cohort included subjects with symptomatic knee OA at baseline, defined as baseline Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) score ≥2 with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score >0. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify distinct patterns of pain progression over a 6-year follow-up. Factors examined included sex, race, education, comorbidities, age, body mass index (BMI), alignment, KL grade, and depression. Results We used data from 1753 OAI participants with symptomatic knee OA. Mean baseline WOMAC pain score was 26.5 (0–100, 100=worst) with standard deviation (SD) 19. Group-based trajectory modeling identified five distinct pain trajectories; baseline pain scores for each ranged from 15 to 62. None of the trajectories exhibited substantial worsening. One fifth of subjects in the two trajectories with the greatest pain underwent total knee replacement (TKR) over follow-up. Higher KL grade, obesity, depression, medical comorbidities, female sex, non-white race, lower education, and younger age were associated with trajectories characterized by greater pain. Conclusion We found that knee pain changes little, on average, over 6 years in most subjects. These observations suggest knee OA is characterized by persistent rather than inexorably worsening symptoms.
Analysis of hydrochemical behaviour during storm events can provide new insights into the process controls on nutrient transport in catchments. The examination of storm behaviours using hysteresis ...analysis has increased in recent years, partly due to the increased availability of high temporal resolution data sets for discharge and water quality parameters. A number of these analyses involve the use of an index to describe the characteristics of a hysteresis loop in order to compare storm behaviours both within and between catchments. This technical note reviews the methods for calculation of the hysteresis index (HI) and explores a new more effective methodology. Each method is systematically tested and the impact of the chosen calculation on the results is examined. Recommendations are made regarding the most effective method of calculating a HI which can be used for comparing data between storms and between different water quality parameters and catchments.
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