Collagenous gastritis, a new spectrum of disease in pediatric patients: two case reports

Collagenous gastritis is a rare gastrointestinal disorder characterized in pediatrics by abdominal pain and anemia. The literature divides collagenous gastritis into distinct pediatric-onset and adult-onset phenotypes. As opposed to pediatric form, the adult form is associated with collagenous colitis and presents clinically with voluminous non-bloody diarrhea. There are over 25 case reports of collagenous gastritis of which 10 are pediatric cases. We present two cases of pediatric onset collagenous gastritis: one with a classic pediatric presentation, the other with findings typical of adult-onset disease. This is the first report of the adult-onset phenotype collagenous gastritis in a pediatric patient

Exploring views on satisfaction with life in young children with chronic illness: an innovative approach to the collection of self-report data from children under 11

The objective of this study was to explore young children’s views on the impact of chronic illness on their life in order to inform future development of a patient-based self-report health outcome measure. We describe an approach to facilitating self-report views from young children with chronic illness. A board game was designed in order to obtain qualitative data from 39 children with a range of chronic illness conditions and 38 healthy controls ranging in age from 3 to 11 years. The format was effective in engaging young children in a self-report process of determining satisfaction with life and identified nine domains. The board game enabled children aged 5–11 years with chronic illness to describe the effects of living with illness on home, family, friends, school and life in general. It generated direct, non-interpreted material from children who, because of their age, may have been considered unable or limited their ability to discuss and describe how they feel. Obtaining this information for children aged 4 and under continues to be a challenge

What do we know about the nexus between culture, age, gender and health literacy? Implications for improving the health and well-being of young Indigenous males

Health literacy, although diversely defined, refers to the abilities, relationships and external environments required for people to successfully promote health. Existing research suggests that health literacy is related to health inequities, including individual and community capacity to navigate health. A diverse range of factors shape health literacy abilities and environments, especially culture, gender and age. However, the nexus between these variables and their cumulative impact on health literacy development remains largely unexplored. Commentary that explores these dynamics among young Indigenous males is particularly scant. In turn, strategies to bridge health equity gaps have been obscured. This article brings together disparate research on health literacy, masculinities, youth studies and men’s health in order to address this oversight. By outlining the collective conceptual contribution of these strands of scholarship, we show that young Indigenous males navigate health literacy through a complex cultural interface that balances both Western and Indigenous understandings of health. Alternative masculine identities, which simultaneously embrace and resist components of hegemonic masculinity, also shape this health literacy lens. We explain that the development of health literacy is important for young people, particularly young Indigenous males, and that this is negotiated in tandem with external support structures, including family and friends. By describing these intersections, we explore the implications for researchers, policymakers and practitioners seeking to achieve the dual goal of improving health literacy and reducing health inequi-ties among this highly marginalised population

Using social media in health literacy research: A promising example involving Facebook with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males from the top end of the Northern Territory

This brief report describes three key lessons learned during a health literacy research project with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males from the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. More specifically, it is a methodologically focused paper that discusses processes associated with using a combination of yarning sessions and social media content as tools to unpack conceptualisations of health and well‐being among this marginalised population. The lessons discussed include (a) the utility of using social media in providing an authentic window into the lives of a hard‐to‐reach populations; (b) the need to carefully consider ethical implications; and (c) the benefits of using social media content to triangulate data and enhance methodological rigour. To understand the methodological contribution social media can make to equity‐focused health literacy research, it is first useful to understand what is meant by health literacy

Common lipid-altering gene variants are associated with therapeutic intervention thresholds of lipid levels in older people

This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.AIMS: There are a large number of common genetic variants that have been robustly associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, or triglyceride concentrations. The majority of these have been identified or confirmed in recent genome-wide association studies, but few studies have assessed the combined effect of known lipid variants. We hypothesized that these variants would influence both the need for interventions and myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes. We aimed to estimate combined effects of proven SNPs on LDL, HDL, and triglyceride concentrations and MI history in a representative older population. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the InCHIANTI Study of Aging (age >or=65 years), we calculated individual dyslipidaemia risk allele counts for increased LDL (range 4-14, n = 594), reduced HDL (5-16, n = 635), and increased triglycerides (7-16, n = 611). Lipid levels were compared with ATPIII National Cholesterol Education Panel (NCEP) intervention guidelines. Individual variants and the APOE haplotype explained <2.1% of the variance in their respective lipid concentrations, with the exception of the CETP SNP rs1800775 and HDL levels (4.76%). Combined risk allele counts outperformed the largest single-SNP effects for LDL (explaining 7.1% of variance) and triglycerides (4.8%), but not HDL (3.4%). Risk alleles were divided as near as possible into quartiles. The 31% of respondents with 10 or more LDL increasing alleles were more likely to have LDL levels above the intervention threshold (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.67-5.39, P = 2.5 x 10(-4)), compared with the 21% with 7 or less risk alleles. Similarly, the 35% with 13 or more triglyceride risk alleles were more likely to exceed NCEP intervention thresholds (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.43-6.22, P = 0.004) compared with the 24% with 10 or less alleles. The number of individuals reporting an MI event was small (n = 67), but an event was more common in the 36% of respondents who had the highest combined risk allele score for all three lipids (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.21-11.2, P = 0.021) compared with the lowest risk 22%. CONCLUSION: In a representative older population, the cumulative effects of proven LDL- and triglyceride-altering genetic variants increased the odds of crossing the lipid-level threshold for therapeutic intervention by approximately three-fold.National Institutes of Health/NIAIntramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, NIHItalian Ministry of HealthUS National Institute on Agin

Who sets the price of gold? London or New York

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. We investigate which of the two main centers of gold trading-the London spot market and the New York futures market-plays a more important role in setting the price of gold. Using intraday data during a 17-year period, we find that although both markets contribute to price discovery, the New York futures play a larger role on average. This is striking given the volume of gold traded in New York is less than a tenth of the London spot volume, and illustrates the importance of market structure on the process of price discovery. We find considerable variation in price discovery shares both intraday and across years. The variation is related to the structure and liquidity of the markets, daylight hours, and macroeconomic announcements that affect the price of gold. We find that a major upgrade in the New York trading platform reduces the relative amount of noise in New York futures prices, reduces the impact of daylight hours on the location of price discovery, but does not greatly increase the speed with which information is reflected in prices

Taking reincarnation seriously: Critical discussion of some central ideas from John Hick

Reincarnation has not been entirely neglected in the philosophy of religion but it has not always been taken seriously or carefully discussed in relation to its role in believers’ lives. John Hick is exceptional insofar as he gave sustained attention to the belief, at least as it features in the philosophies of Vedānta and Buddhism. While acknowledging the value of Hick’s recognition of the variety of reincarnation beliefs, this article critically engages with certain aspects of his approach. It argues that Hick’s search for a ‘criterion’ of reincarnation is misguided, and that his distinction between ‘factual’ and ‘mythic’ forms of the doctrine is over-simplifying

Pyrosequencing-Based Comparative Genome Analysis of Vibrio vulnificus Environmental Isolates

Between 1996 and 2006, the US Centers for Disease Control reported that the only category of food-borne infections increasing in frequency were those caused by members of the genus Vibrio. The Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio vulnificus is a ubiquitous inhabitant of estuarine waters, and is the number one cause of seafood-related deaths in the US. Many V. vulnificus isolates have been studied, and it has been shown that two genetically distinct subtypes, distinguished by 16S rDNA and other gene polymorphisms, are associated predominantly with either environmental or clinical isolation. While local genetic differences between the subtypes have been probed, only the genomes of clinical isolates have so far been completely sequenced. In order to better understand V. vulnificus as an agent of disease and to identify the molecular components of its virulence mechanisms, we have completed whole genome shotgun sequencing of three diverse environmental genotypes using a pyrosequencing approach. V. vulnificus strain JY1305 was sequenced to a depth of 33×, and strains E64MW and JY1701 were sequenced to lesser depth, covering approximately 99.9% of each genome. We have performed a comparative analysis of these sequences against the previously published sequences of three V. vulnificus clinical isolates. We find that the genome of V. vulnificus is dynamic, with 1.27% of genes in the C-genotype genomes not found in the E- genotype genomes. We identified key genes that differentiate between the genomes of the clinical and environmental genotypes. 167 genes were found to be specifically associated with environmental genotypes and 278 genes with clinical genotypes. Genes specific to the clinical strains include components of sialic acid catabolism, mannitol fermentation, and a component of a Type IV secretory pathway VirB4, as well as several other genes with potential significance for human virulence. Genes specific to environmental strains included several that may have implications for the balance between self-preservation under stress and nutritional competence

GMC Collisions as Triggers of Star Formation. II. 3D Turbulent, Magnetized Simulations

We investigate giant molecular cloud (GMCs) collisions and their ability to induce gravitational instability and thus star formation. This mechanism may be a major driver of star formation activity in galactic disks. We carry out a series of three dimensional, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations to study how cloud collisions trigger formation of dense filaments and clumps. Heating and cooling functions are implemented based on photo-dissociation region (PDR) models that span the atomic to molecular transition and can return detailed diagnostic information. The clouds are initialized with supersonic turbulence and a range of magnetic field strengths and orientations. Collisions at various velocities and impact parameters are investigated. Comparing and contrasting colliding and non-colliding cases, we characterize morphologies of dense gas, magnetic field structure, cloud kinematic signatures, and cloud dynamics. We present key observational diagnostics of cloud collisions, especially: relative orientations between magnetic fields and density structures, like filaments; 13CO(J=2-1), 13CO(J=3-2), and 12CO(J=8-7) integrated intensity maps and spectra; and cloud virial parameters. We compare these results to observed Galactic clouds