11 research outputs found

    Alignment-Independent Comparisons of Human Gastrointestinal Tract Microbial Communities in a Multidimensional 16S rRNA Gene Evolutionary Space

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    We present a novel approach for comparing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries that is independent of both DNA sequence alignment and definition of bacterial phylogroups. These steps are the major bottlenecks in current microbial comparative analyses. We used direct comparisons of taxon density distributions in an absolute evolutionary coordinate space. The coordinate space was generated by using alignment-independent bilinear multivariate modeling. Statistical analyses for clone library comparisons were based on multivariate analysis of variance, partial least-squares regression, and permutations. Clone libraries from both adult and infant gastrointestinal tract microbial communities were used as biological models. We reanalyzed a library consisting of 11,831 clones covering complete colons from three healthy adults in addition to a smaller 390-clone library from infant feces. We show that it is possible to extract detailed information about microbial community structures using our alignment-independent method. Our density distribution analysis is also very efficient with respect to computer operation time, meeting the future requirements of large-scale screenings to understand the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities

    Skin barrier function and Staphylococcus aureus colonization in vestibulum nasi and fauces in healthy infants and infants with eczema: A population-based cohort study

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    Atopic eczema (AE) is associated with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization and skin barrier dysfunction, often measured by increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL). In the present study, the primary aim was to see whether S. aureus colonization in the vestibulum nasi and/or fauces was associated with increased TEWL in infants with healthy skin and infants with eczema. Secondarily, we aimed to investigate whether TEWL measurements on non-lesional skin on the lateral upper arm is equivalent to volar forearm in infants. In 167 of 240 infants, recruited from the general population, TEWL measurements on the lateral upper arm and volar forearm, using a DermaLab USB, fulfilled our environmental requirements. The mean of three TEWL measurements from each site was used for analysis. The infants were diagnosed with no eczema (n = 110), possible AE (n = 28) or AE (n = 29). DNA samples were analysed for mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG). Bacterial cultures were reported positive with the identification of at least one culture with S. aureus from vestibulum nasi and/or fauces. S. aureus colonization, found in 89 infants (53%), was not associated with increased TEWL (i.e. TEWL in the upper quartile), neither on the lateral upper arm or volar forearm (p = 0.08 and p = 0.98, respectively), nor with AE (p = 0.10) or FLG mutation (p = 0.17). TEWL was significantly higher on both measuring sites in infants with AE compared to infants with possible AE and no eczema. FLG mutation was significantly associated with increased TEWL, with a 47% difference in TEWL. We conclude that S. aureus in vestibulum nasi and/or fauces was not associated with TEWL, whereas TEWL measurements on the lateral upper arm and volar forearm appear equally appropriate in infants

    Weight-for-length, early weight-gain velocity and atopic dermatitis in infancy and at two years of age: a cohort study

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    Background Overweight and atopic dermatitis (AD) are major health problems in most industrialised countries, but the relationship between overweight and AD in infants and young children is unclear. We investigated if weight-for-length at birth, in infancy and at two years, as well as early weight-gain velocity, are associated with the development of AD in early life. Methods Cohort study of infants (n = 642), all living in south-east Norway, hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis (n = 404) or recruited from the general population (n = 238), examined at mean age 5.1 months (enrolment) and at a two-year follow-up visit (n = 499; 78%) at mean age 24.6 months. Exposures were weight-for-length (g/cm) at birth, enrolment and two-year follow-up, and early weight-gain velocity (gram/month from birth to enrolment). Excessive weight-for-length was defined as weight-for-length >95th percentile of WHO child-growth standards. Data on weight-for-length at the three time points were obtained for 435, 428 and 473 children. AD was diagnosed according to the Hanifin & Rajka criteria or from a history of physician-diagnosed AD. We performed multivariate analyses with weight-for-length at birth, at enrolment and at the two-year follow-up visit and with early weight gain velocity for the endpoint AD at each visit. Results In adjusted analyses, excessive weight-for-length at enrolment was associated with concurrent AD (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.23–7.50) and with AD at two years (OR 2.40; 1.11–5.17). In infants without AD, weight-for-length at enrolment increased the risk of AD at two years, with OR being 1.02 (95% CI 1.00–1.04) per increased gram/cm. AD at two years was not associated with concurrent excessive weight-for-length, nor was AD at any time associated with weight-for-length at birth or with early weight-gain velocity. Conclusions The results suggest that overweight in infancy may contribute to the development of AD in early life, highlighting the need for child health-care professionals to address potential overweight and atopic disease when advising infants’ caregivers. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00817466 , EudraCT number, 2009–012667-34

    Racemic Adrenaline and Inhalation Strategies in Acute Bronchiolitis

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    Acute bronchiolitis in infants, which frequently leads to hospitalization and sometimes requires ventilatory support, is occasionally fatal; it is usually viral in origin, with respiratory syncytial virus being the most common cause. The clinical disease is characterized by nasal flaring, tachypnea, dyspnea, chest retractions, crepitations, and wheezing. Bronchodilators are not recommended but are often used in the treatment of bronchiolitis, as are saline inhalations. Adrenaline reduces mucosal swelling, giving it an edge over the β2-adrenergic agonists, and has led to the frequent use of inhaled adrenaline, which has improved symptoms and reduced the need for hospitalization in outpatients with acute bronchiolitis. Among inpatients, however, inhaled adrenaline has not been found to reduce the length of the hospital stay. Assessment of the possible influences of age, sex, and status with respect to an asthma predisposition on the effect of inhaled adrenaline requires large multicenter studies. Inhaled nebulized solutions can be prescribed for use on demand or on a fixed schedule. We were unable to find documentation on the comparative efficacy of these two strategies in children with acute bronchiolitis. We tested the hypothesis that inhaled racemic adrenaline is superior to inhaled saline in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis in infancy and that administration on a fixed schedule is superior to administration on demand. We also assessed whether age, sex, or status with respect to allergic diseases influenced treatment efficacy. Including: Letter to the Editor. Skjerven Håvard Ove, Carlsen Kai-Håkon og Carlsen Karin C Lødrup. Inhaled adrenaline in acute bronchiolitis. The New England Journal of Medicine 2013;369:1076-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc130896

    Characteristics.

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    <p>Characteristics of 240 infants, recruited from the general population in Oslo and Fredrikstad, Norway, of whom 167 were included and 73 excluded from the analyses. Exclusions were done due to crying during the measuring transepidermal water loss (n = 7) and/or measuring conditions not fulfilling strict environmental criteria for humidity and/or temperature (n = 66). All values are given as number (percentage), unless otherwise stated.</p><p>Characteristics.</p

    Transepidermal waterloss and <i>filaggrin</i> mutation.

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    <p>Boxplot showing <i>filaggrin</i> (<i>FLG</i>) mutation identified in 14 (8%) of 167 infants recruited from the general population and transepidermal water loss (TEWL; g/m<sup>2</sup>h<sup>-1</sup>) on the lateral upper arm. <i>FLG</i> mutations were associated with increased TEWL (p = 0.006).</p

    Characteristics.

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    <p>Characteristics of 240 infants, recruited from the general population in Oslo and Fredrikstad, Norway, of whom 167 were included and 73 excluded from the analyses. Exclusions were done due to crying during the measuring transepidermal water loss (n = 7) and/or measuring conditions not fulfilling strict environmental criteria for humidity and/or temperature (n = 66). All values are given as number (percentage), unless otherwise stated.</p><p>Characteristics.</p

    <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> colonization and transepidermal waterloss.

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    <p>Boxplot showing <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S</i>. <i>aureus</i>) colonization in vestibulum nasi and/or fauces in 89 (53%) of 167 infants recruited from the general population was not significantly associated with the estimated mean transepidermal waterloss (TEWL; g/m<sup>2</sup>h<sup>-1</sup>) on the lateral upper arm.</p
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