Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome:Mechanistic insights into chronic disturbances following enteric infection

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is a commonly encountered chronic functional gastrointestinal(GI)disorder.Approximately 10%of IBS patients can trace the onset of their symptoms to a previous a bout of infectious dysentery.The appearance of new IBS symptoms following an infectious event is defined as post-infectiousIBS.Indeed,with the World Health Organization estimating between 2 and 4 billion cases annually,infectious diarrheal disease represents an incredible international healthcare burden.Additionally,compounding evidence suggests many commonly encountered enteropathogens as unique triggers behind IBS symptom generation and underlying pathophysiological features.A growing body of work provides evidence supporting a role for pathogen-mediated modifications in the resident intestinal microbiota,epithelial barrier integrity,effector cell functions,and innate and adaptive immune features,all proposed physiological manifestations that can underlie GI abnormalities in IBS.Enteric pathogens must employ a vast array of machinery to evade host protective immune mechanisms,and illicit successful infections.Consequently,the impact of infectious events on host physiology can be multidimensional in terms of anatomical location,functional scope,and duration.This review offers a unique discussion of the mechanisms employed by many commonly encountered enteric pathogens that cause acute disease,but may also lead to the establishment of chronic GI dysfunction compatible with IBS.     

Long‐term analysis of phase II studies of single‐agent lenalidomide in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with aggressive disease characteristics resulting in multiple relapses after initial treatment. Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory agent approved in the US for patients with relapsed/refractory MCL following bortezomib based on results from 3 multicenter phase II studies (2 including relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL and 1 focusing on MCL post‐bortezomib). The purpose of this report is to provide longer follow‐up on the MCL‐001 study (follow‐ups were 6.8 [NHL‐002], 7.6 [NHL‐003], and 52.2 [MCL‐001] months). The 206 relapsed MCL patients treated with single‐agent lenalidomide (25 mg/day PO, days 1 to 21 every 28‐days) had a median age of 67 years (63% ≥65 years), 91% with stage III/IV disease, and 50% with ≥4 previous treatment regimens. With a median follow‐up of X, the combined best overall response rate (ORR) was 33% (including 11% with complete remission [CR]/CR unconfirmed CRu). Lenalidomide produced rapid and durable responses with a median time to response of 2.2 months and median duration of response (DOR) of 16.6 months (95% CI: 11.1%‐29.8%). The safety profile was consistent and manageable; myelosuppression was the most common adverse event (AE). Overall, single‐agent lenalidomide showed consistent efficacy and safety in multiple phase II studies of heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory MCL, including those previously treated with bortezomib.     

Studies of novel variants associated with Hb F in Sardinians and Tanzanians in sickle cell disease patients from Cameroon

High level of Hb F has been shown to improve survival in sickle cell disease. Among 453 Cameroonians with sickle cell disease, we have investigated 18 selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in novel and suggestive loci associated with Hb F level identified through a genomewide association study in sickle cell disease patients in Tanzania, and whole-genome sequencing of a population from Sardinia. Seven of 10 variants reported in Sardinians were either monomorphic or very rare in the Cameroonians. No associations were observed with any SNPs and Hb F levels in Cameroonians affected by sickle cell disease. The present study illustrates the complexity of replicating Hb F-promoting variants association results across populations.     

A technical concept of a computer game for patients with Parkinson's disease – a new form of PC-based physiotherapy

Background: At present, there are no meaningful and sophisticated computer games that simultaneously allow the treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's syndrome. In particular, there are no systems to consider the severity of the disease and the physical skills of the patient.

Methods: A computer game using the Microsoft Kinect as markerless sensor for the 3?D recognition of the patient’s movement was developed to support the rehabilitation. The scenario of a basketball game was created after determining that the movement like throwing a ball and the correct posture of the body are important. A study based on system usability was performed with 15 patients to evaluate the system.

Results: The technical feasibility of a computer-assisted training system for supporting patients with Parkinson‘s disease has been demonstrated. No markers on the patient are required for movement detection and allow a user-friendly handling. Regarding the usability study, the patients were accepting of such a system and its at-home use and symptoms like ‘freezing’ and the Pisa syndrome can be treated.

Conclusions: The physiotherapist can be assisted by the developed rehabilitation system. An objective measurement of the patient’s training progress delivers valuable information to adjust the training sessions for every patient individually. Due to its modular character, the system can also be applied to other diseases or sports injuries and offers the basis for further development.     

Epstein–Barr virus patterns in US Burkitt lymphoma tumors from the SEER residual tissue repository during 1979–2009

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) occurs at all ages, but the patterns of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) positivity in relation to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), immunoprofiles and age have not been fully explored. BL tissues from residual tissue repositories, and two academic centers in the United States were examined by expert hematopathologists for morphology, immunohistochemistry, MYC rearrangement, EBV‐encoded RNA (EBER), and diagnosed according to the 2008 WHO lymphoma classification. Analysis was done using frequency tables, Chi‐squared statistics, and Student's t‐test. Of 117 cases examined, 91 were confirmed as BL. The age distribution was 26%, 15%, 19%, and 29% for 0–19, 20–34, 35–59, 60+ years, and missing in 11%. MYC rearrangement was found in 89% and EBER positivity in 29% of 82 cases with results. EBER positivity varied with age (from 13% in age group 0–19 to 55% in age group 20–34, and fell to 25% in age group 60+ years, p = 0.08); with race (56% in Blacks/Hispanics vs 21% in Whites/Asians/Pacific Islanders, p = 0.006); and by HIV status (64% in HIV positive vs 22% in HIV negative cases, p = 0.03). EBER positivity was demonstrated in about one‐third of tumors and it was strongly associated with race and HIV status, and marginally with age‐group.     

New species and records of the mite genus Prolistrophorus (Acariformes: Listrophoridae) from rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

Six fur-mite species of the genus Prolistrophorus Fain, 1970 (Acariformes: Listrophoridae) were recorded from Central and South American rodents of the subfamily Sigmodontinae (Rodentia: Cricetidae). Among them, Prolistrophorus (Aprolistrophorus) parabidentatus sp. nov. from Akodon azarae from Argentina and Prolistrophorus (Aprolistrophorus) tylomys sp. nov. from Tylomys nudicaudus from Guatemala are described as new for science. New hosts are recorded for the following species: Prolistrophorus (Prolistrophorus) grassii (Radford, 1954) from Zygodontomys brevicauda from Colombia, P. (P.) frontalis (Hirst, 1921) from Oligoryzomys sp. from Argentina, P. (P.) argentinus (Hirst, 1921) from Melanomys caliginosus, Akodon affinis from Colombia and Scapteromys aquaticus from Argentina, Prolistrophorus (Beprolistrophorus) hirstianus Fain, 1973 from Scapteromys aquaticus from Argentina.