In vitro human colonic fermentation of indigestible fraction isolated from lunch menus: impact on the gut metabolites and antioxidant capacity

The indigestible fraction (IF) isolated from three lunch menus: Modified Mexican Lunch (MM-L), Traditional Mexican Lunch (TM-L) and Alternative Mexican Lunch (AM-L), was studied in terms of antioxidant capacity (AOX) and metabolites produced through fermentation by human intestinal microbiota. IFs were isolated after withstanding in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and total soluble polyphenols (TSP), condensed tannins (CT), hydrolysable polyphenols (HP) and AOX (DPPH, FRAP) were evaluated. AOX, pH and bacterial metabolites profile changes were also monitored during in vitro colonic fermentation. Lunch menus showed differences in IF, TSP, CT and FRAP values (p<.05). TM-L had the highest TSP and CT contents (0.84 and 1.89?g/100?g DW, respectively). Changes in pH and AOX during fermentation were time-dependent and substrate-dependent (p<.05). Butyric acid production was not significantly modified by the IFs (p>.05). Fifty-seven microbiota-produced volatile compounds were detected by SPME-GC–MS. This study shows the potential effects of food habits on bacterial metabolite production.     

Is Diaphyseal Stem Fixation Necessary for Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Osteoporotic Bone (Class C Bone)?

The purpose of this study was to determine the survivorship of the short, metaphyseal-fitting cementless anatomic stem, hip function, thigh pain, and the stress shielding after total hip arthroplasty in 72 patients (81 hips) with Class A bone, 73 patients (83 hips) with Class B bone, and 85 patients (92 hips) with Class C bone. Survival of the femoral stem at 7 years was similar for all 3 classes of bones (100%, 100%, and 98.2%, respectively). At 7 years after the operation, the mean Harris hip scores (95, 93, and 91 points, respectively), WOMAC scores (11, 12, and 15 points, respectively), incidence of thigh pain (none in all 3 groups), radiographic findings and bone mineral density were not significantly different among the 3 groups.     

Obesity and short sleep: unlikely bedfellows?

The link between habitual short sleep and obesity is critically examined from a sleep perspective. Sleep estimates are confounded by ‘time in bed’, naps; the normal distribution of sleep duration. Wide categorizations of ‘short sleep’, with claims that <7 h sleep is associated with obesity and morbidity, stem from generalizations from 5 h sleepers (<8% of adults) and acute restriction studies involving unendurable sleepiness. Statistically significant epidemiological findings are of questionable clinical concern, even for 5 h sleepers, as any weight gains accumulate slowly over years; easily redressed by e.g. short exercise exposures, contrasting with huge accumulations of ‘lost’ sleep. Little evidence supports ‘more sleep’, alone, as an effective treatment for obesity. Impaired sleep quality and quantity are surrogates for many physical and psychological disorders, as can be obesity. Advocating more sleep, in these respects, could invoke unwarranted use of sleep aids including hypnotics. Inadequate sleep in obese children is usually symptomatic of problems not overcome by increasing sleep alone. Interestingly, neuropeptides regulating interactions between sleep, locomotion and energy balance in normal weight individuals, are an avenue for investigation in some obese short sleepers. The real danger of inadequate sleep lies with excessive daytime sleepiness, not obesity.     

Impact of community-delivered SMS alerts on dog-owner participation during a mass rabies vaccination campaign,Haiti 2017

Haiti has historically vaccinated between 100,000 and 300,000 dogs annually against rabies, however national authorities have not been able to reach and maintain the 70% coverage required to eliminate the canine rabies virus variant. Haiti conducts massive dog vaccination campaigns on an annual basis and utilizes both central point and door-to-door methods. These methods require that dog owners are aware of the dates and locations of the campaign. To improve this awareness among dog owners, 600,000 text messages were sent to phones in two Haitian communes (Gonaives and Saint-Marc) to remind dog owners to attend the campaign. Text messages were delivered on the second day and at the mid-point of the campaign. A post-campaign household survey was conducted to assess dog owner’s perception of the text messages and the impact on their participation in the vaccination campaign. Overall, 147 of 160 (91.9%) text-receiving dog owners indicated the text was helpful, and 162 of 187 (86.6%) responding dog owners said they would like to receive text reminders during future rabies vaccination campaigns. In areas hosting one-day central point campaigns, dog owners who received the text were 2.0 (95% CI 1.1, 3.6) times more likely to have participated in the campaign (73.1% attendance among those who received the text vs 36.4% among those who did not). In areas incorporating door-to-door vaccination over multiple days there was no significant difference in participation between dog owners who did and did not receive a text. Text message reminders were well-received and significantly improved campaign attendance, indicating that short message service (SMS) alerts may be a successful strategy in low resource areas with large free roaming dog populations.     

A multimodal approach using TMS and EEG reveals neurophysiological changes in Parkinson's disease

IntroductionAlterations in large scale neural networks leading to neurophysiological changes have been described in Parkinson's disease (PD). The combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) has been suggested as a promising tool to identify and quantify neurophysiological mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate specific changes in electrical brain activity in response to stimulation of four brain areas in patients with PD.Methods21 healthy controls and 32 patients with PD underwent a combined TMS-EEG assessment that included stimulation of four brain areas: left M1, right M1, left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right DLPFC. Six measures were calculated to characterize the TMS evoked potentials (TEP) using EEG: (1) wave form adherence (WFA), (2) late phase deflection (LPD), (3) early phase deflection (EPD), (4) short-term plasticity (STP), (5) inter-trial adherence, and (6) connectivity between right and left M1 and DLPFC. A Linear mixed-model was used to compare these measures between groups and areas stimulated.ResultsPatients with PD showed lower WFA (p = 0.052), lower EPD (p = 0.009), lower inter-trial adherence (p < 0.001), and lower connectivity between homologs areas (p = 0.050), compared to healthy controls. LPD and STP measures were not different between the groups. In addition, lower inter-trial adherence correlated with longer disease duration (r = −0.355, p = 0.050).ConclusionsOur findings provide evidence to various alterations in neurophysiological measures in patients with PD. The higher cortical excitability along with increased variability and lower widespread of the evoked potentials in PD can elucidate different aspects related to the pathophysiology of the disease.     

Fabrication and design of transdermal fluconazole spray

The objective of the present study was to formulate fluconazole transdermal spray for obtaining modified drug transport using eutectic mixture, ethyl cellulose, polyethylene oxide and alcohol. The formulated products were characterized. The selection of the optimized batch was done considering the results of drug transport in the first hour, the time required for 90% drug transport, viscosity and spray angle of the formulations. The inclusion of eutectic mixture, consisting of equal parts of camphor and menthol, showed improved drug transport through rat skin. The optimized batch exhibited larger mean zone of inhibition (antifungal activity), efficient in vivo activity and short term stability.     

Comparison of morphological and molecular genetic sex-typing on mediaeval human skeletal remains

Archaeological excavations conducted at an early mediaeval cemetery in Volders (Tyrol, Austria) produced 141 complete skeletal remains dated between the 5th/6th and 12th/13th centuries. These skeletons represent one of the largest historical series of human remains ever discovered in the East Alpine region. Little historical information is available for this region and time period. The good state of preservation of these bioarchaeological finds offered the opportunity of performing molecular genetic investigations. Adequate DNA extraction methods were tested in the attempt to obtain as high DNA yields as possible for further analyses. Molecular genetic sex-typing using a dedicated PCR multiplex (“Genderplex”) gave interpretable results in 88 remains, 78 of which had previously been sexed based on morphological features. We observed a discrepancy in sex determination between the two methods in 21 cases. An unbiased follow-up morphological examination of these finds showed congruence with the DNA results in all but five samples.