Burden of Gastrointestinal Disease in the United States: 2012 Update

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases account for substantial morbidity, mortality and cost. Statistical analyses of the most recent data are necessary to guide GI research, education and clinical practice. We estimate the burden of GI disease in the US

Prominent renewal of Weddell Sea Deep Water from a remote source

Three transient tracer sections of CFC-11 across the Weddell Sea are presented, collected during "Polarstern" cruises ANT X/4 (July 1992), ANT XIII/4 (May 1996) and ANT XV/4 (April 1998). The corresponding sections of silicate, a quasi-steady state tracer, are displayed for comparison and as a supplement. Two distinct CFC-11 maximum layers are found in the deep water, one centred near 2200 m and another near 3500 m. These layers, noticed previously also by other investigators, represent recently ventilated Weddell Sea Deep Water. The deeper, more pronounced core occurs along the southern continental slope, whereas the shallower core occurs in the northern Weddell Sea. The deeper CFC-11 maximum layer coincides with a pronounced silicate minimum layer. Quantitatively, the deeper core constitutes a ventilation route for the Weddell Sea of utmost importance, the amount of ventilated surface water involved being 2.7 ± 0.9 Sv. Most of the deep interior Weddell Sea appears to be ventilated by this external source. The ventilation rate of the Weddell Sea due to the inflow from the east is at least as high as that from the local southern and western sources that produce bottom water. Associated with the deep CFC-11 maximum core are discontinuities in the potential temperature-property diagrams of silicate, oxygen, total carbon dioxide, nitrate and salinity. The recently ventilated deep water is characterized by low concentrations of silicate, total carbon dioxide and nitrate, and by high oxygen content and salinity as compared to the deep water at the same potential temperature formed by mixing of Warm Deep Water and Weddell Sea Bottom Water

WRNIP1 is recruited to DNA interstrand crosslinks and promotes repair

The Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway repairs DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Many FA proteins are recruited to ICLs in a timely fashion so that coordinated repair can occur. However, the mechanism of this process is poorly understood. Here, we report the purification of a FANCD2-containing protein complex with multiple subunits, including WRNIP1. Using live-cell imaging, we show that WRNIP1 is recruited to ICLs quickly after their appearance, promoting repair. The observed recruitment facilitates subsequent recruitment of the FANCD2/FANCI complex. Depletion of WRNIP1 sensitizes cells to ICL-forming drugs. We find that ubiquitination of WRNIP1 and the activity of its UBZ domain are required to facilitate recruitment of FANCD2/FANCI and promote repair. Altogether, we describe a mechanism by which WRNIP1 is recruited rapidly to ICLs, resulting in chromatin loading of the FANCD2/FANCI complex in an unusual process entailing ubiquitination of WRNIP1 and the activity of its integral UBZ domain

Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation during Lactation on Vitamin D Status and Body Composition of Mother-Infant Pairs: A MAVID Randomized Controlled Trial

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The optimal vitamin D intake for nursing women is controversial. Deterioration, at least in bone mass, is reported during lactation. This study evaluated whether vitamin D supplementation during lactation enhances the maternal and infant’s vitamin D status, bone mass and body composition.</p><p>Design and Methods</p><p>After term delivery, 174 healthy mothers were randomized to receive 1200 IU/d (800 IU/d+400 IU/d from multivitamins) or 400 IU/d (placebo+400 IU/d from multivitamins) of cholecalciferol for 6 months while breastfeeding. All infants received 400 IU/d of cholecalciferol. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], iPTH, calcium, urinary calcium, and densitometry were performed in mother-offspring pairs after delivery, and at 3 and 6 months later.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 137 (79%) (n = 70; 1200 IU/d, n = 67; 400 IU/d) completed the study. 25(OH)D was similar in both groups at baseline (13.7 ng/ml vs. 16.1 ng/ml; <i>P = </i>0.09) and at 3 months (25.7 ng/ml vs. 24.5 ng/ml; <i>P</i> = 0.09), but appeared higher in the 1200 IU/d group at 6 months of supplementation (25.6 ng/ml vs. 23.1 ng/ml; <i>P</i> = 0.009). The prevalence of 25(OH)D <20 ng/ml was comparable between groups at baseline (71% vs. 64%, <i>P</i> = 0.36) but lower in the 1200 IU/d group after 3 months (9% vs. 25%, <i>P</i> = 0.009) and 6 months (14% vs. 30%, <i>P</i> = 0.03). Maternal and infants’ iPTH, calciuria, bone mass and body composition as well as infants’ 25(OH)D levels were not significantly different between groups during the study. Significant negative correlations were noted between maternal 25(OH)D and fat mass (R = −0.49, <i>P</i> = 0.00001), android fat mass (R = −0.53, <i>P</i> = 0.00001), and gynoid fat mass (R = −0.43, <i>P</i> = 0.00001) after 6 months of supplementation.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 400 IU/d was not sufficient to maintain 25(OH)D >20 ng/ml in nursing women, while 1200 IU/d appeared more effective, but had no effect on breastfed offspring vitamin D status, or changes in the bone mass and the body composition observed in both during breastfeeding.</p><p>Trial Registration</p><p>ClinicalTrials.gov <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/" target="_blank">NCT01506557</a></p></div