Isolation of enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis from Bangladeshi children with diarrhea: a controlled study.

We undertook a controlled study of children younger than 5 years in Bangladesh to determine whether enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) was associated with diarrhea in this population. ETBF was isolated from 22 (6.1%) of 358 patients and 5 (1.2%) of 425 controls (P = 0.0001). In children younger than 1 year, however, low isolation rates (2 to 3%) were found in both patients and controls. In children older than 1 year, the rates were significantly higher in children with diarrhea (16 [9%] of 177) than in controls (2 [1%] of 264; P = 0.00001). When children with mixed infections with other known diarrheal pathogens were removed, the differences in children older than 1 year were still significant (7 [4%] of 177 versus 2 [1%] of 264; P = 0.033). The syndrome associated with ETBF was secretory in nature, with watery diarrhea, and of mild severity. These epidemiological and clinical findings are similar to those from a previous study of White Mountain Apaches in the United States and are the first to suggest that ETBF may also be an important diarrheal pathogen in other geographic areas and in the developing world where diarrhea is highly endemic.     

Current status of outcome measures in vasculitis: focus on Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis. Report from OMERACT 7

The complexity of assessing disease activity, disease status, and damage in the vasculitides reflects the multisystemic pathologic manifestations of these often chronic illnesses. Major progress has been made in the past decade in the development of validated and widely accepted outcome measures for use in clinical trials. Over time, these tools have been regularly revised, expanded, and supplemented with new measures of disease prognosis and damage. As a result clinical research in this area has become increasingly complex. This article critically reviews the current status of tools for assessing disease activity and damage in "ANCA-associated" vasculitides (Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis), summarizes the current level of validation of each measure, addresses central problems and controversies to be considered during development of new vasculitis assessment tools, and proposes a series of research agendas for consideration by the vasculitis research community.     

Dystrophin glycoprotein complex dysfunction: a regulatory link between muscular dystrophy and cancer cachexia

Cachexia contributes to nearly a third of all cancer deaths, yet the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle wasting in this syndrome remain poorly defined. We report that tumor-induced alterations in the muscular dystrophy-associated dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) represent a key early event in cachexia. Muscles from tumor-bearing mice exhibited membrane abnormalities accompanied by reduced levels of dystrophin and increased glycosylation on DGC proteins. Wasting was accentuated in tumor mdx mice lacking a DGC but spared in dystrophin transgenic mice that blocked induction of muscle E3 ubiquitin ligases. Furthermore, DGC deregulation correlated positively with cachexia in patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Based on these results, we propose that, similar to muscular dystrophy, DGC dysfunction plays a critical role in cancer-induced wasting.     

The influence of adaptogens on ultraweak biophoton emission: a pilot‐experiment

In the present study, the effect of plant adaptogens (Rhodiola rosea and ADAPT‐232) on human photon emission has been determined. In a randomized double blind placebo‐controlled study, 30 subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: one group (n = 10) taking placebo pills, one group (n = 10) taking Rhodiola rosea (SHR‐5) pills and one group (n = 10) taking ADAPT‐232 supplements (the latter being a fixed combination of the following three adaptogens: Eleutherococcus senticosus, Rhodiola rosea and Schisandra chinensis). All subjects underwent measurements to determine ultra‐weak photon emission (UPE) of the dorsal side of their hands using a photon‐counting device, both before and after a week of taking the supplements. In addition, the experienced levels of stress and fatigue (tiredness) were evaluated. After 1 week of supplementation, the Rhodiola group showed a significant decrease (p = 0.027) in photon emission in comparison with the placebo group. Furthermore, after supplementation, a significant decrease (p = 0.049) concerning the experienced level of fatigue in the Rhodiola group was observed compared with the placebo group. No significant changes were observed between the ADAPT‐232 and the placebo group. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.