Differences in visceral fat and fat bacterial colonization between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. An in vivo and in vitro study

Crohn's disease (CD) is notably characterized by the expansion of visceral fat with small adipocytes expressing a high proportion of anti-inflammatory genes. Conversely, visceral fat depots in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients have never been characterized. Our study aims were a) to compare adipocyte morphology and gene expression profile and bacterial translocation in omental (OM) and mesenteric (MES) adipose tissue of patients with UC and CD, and b) to investigate the effect of bacterial infection on adipocyte proliferation in vitro. Specimens of OM and MES were collected from 11 UC and 11 CD patients, processed and examined by light microscopy. Gene expression profiles were evaluated in adipocytes isolated from visceral adipose tissue using microarray and RTqPCR validations. Bacteria within adipose tissue were immuno-detected by confocal scanning laser microscopy. Adipocytes were incubated with Enterococcus faecalis and cells counted after 24 h. Morphology and molecular profile of OM and MES revealed that UC adipose tissue is less inflamed than CD adipose tissue. Genes linked to inflammation, bacterial response, chemotaxis and angiogenesis were down-regulated in adipocytes from UC compared to CD, whereas genes related to metallothioneins, apoptosis pathways and growth factor binding were up-regulated. A dense perinuclear positivity for Enterococcus faecalis was detected in visceral adipocytes from CD, whereas positivity was weak in UC. In vitro bacterial infection was associated with a five-fold increase in the proliferation rate of OM preadipocytes. Compared to UC, visceral adipose tissue from CD is more inflamed and more colonized by intestinal bacteria, which increase adipocyte proliferation. The influence of bacteria stored within adipocytes on the clinical course of IBD warrants further investigation

Semiclassical Approximation to Neutron Star Superfluidity Corrected for Proximity Effects

The inner crust of a neutron star is a superfluid and inhomogeneous system, consisting of a lattice of nuclei immersed in a sea of neutrons. We perform a quantum calculation of the associated pairing gap and compare it to the results one obtains in the Local Density Approximation (LDA). It is found that the LDA overestimates the spatial dependence of the gap, and leads to a specific heat of the system which is too large at low temperatures, as compared with the quantal result. This is caused by the neglect of proximity effects and the delocalized character of the single-particle wavefunctions close to the Fermi energy. It is possible to introduce an alternative, simple semiclassical approximation of the pairing gap which leads to a specific heat that is in good agreement with the quantum calculation.Comment: RevteX, 8 Postscript Figure

Relationship between the prevalence of Dibothriocephalus latus(Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) and the load of Escherichia coli: New findings in a neglected fish-borne parasitic zoonosis

The sub-Alpine lakes of Switzerland, Italy and France have long been reported as an endemic area of diphyllobothriosis, a parasitic zoonosis aused by Dibothriocephalus latus. With this study, we explored the hypothesis for a relationship between the prevalence of D. latus in Perca fluviatilis and the Escherichia coli load in lake water. To do this, we identified eleven sampling sites in three areas (north, centre and south) of Lake Iseo (north Italy) to determine E. coli load and the prevalence of D. latus in P. fluviatilis. Prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) of D. latus infestation ranged from 0% (95% CI: 0.71–0.0) in Sarnico (southern area) to 20% (95% CI: 33.0–11.2) in Pisogne (northern area). There were significant differences in prevalence be-tween the sites (χ2= 31.12; p- value= .0006) and in E. coli load (Kruskal–Wallis test; p- value= .0005). There was decreasing gradient of E. coli load and prevalence of D. latus infestation from north to south. A significant positive correlation (r= .881; p- value= .003) was found between E. coli load and prevalence of D. latus. Also, linear regression showed a significant relationship between E. coli load and prevalence of infestation (R2= .775). Our findings offer an explanation for the link between E. coliload in water and D. latus prevalence. The potential factors in this link are the ef-ficiency of the local wastewater treatment plant, the bathymetric profile of the lake and the life cycle of D. latus, which is mainly affected by light and water temperature.KEYWORDSItaly, Lake Iseo, Perca fluviatilis, prevalence of infestation, wastewater treatment plant, the bathymetric profile of the lake and the life cycle of D. latus, which is mainly affected by light and water temperature

Efficacy of a preparation based on calcium butyrate, bifidobacterium bifidum, bifidobacterium lactis, and fructooligosaccharides in the prevention of relapse in ulcerative colitis: A prospective observational study

Several compounds based on short chain fatty acids and/or probiotics/prebiotics have shown promising results in the therapy of ulcerative colitis (UC), possibly due to its key role in restoring gut homeostasis as well as intestinal barrier integrity. Here, we investigated the efficacy of a patented preparation based on calcium butyrate, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, and fructooligosaccharides (FEEDColon(®), Princeps, Cuneo, Italy) in maintaining remission and improving subjective symptoms and inflammatory indices in patients with UC receiving 5-ASA therapy. A total of 42 patients were prospectively recruited and randomized in 21 patients receiving combination therapy with mesalamine (5-ASA) plus FEEDColon(®) and 21 patients treated with standard 5-ASA therapy. Patients were assessed at baseline, at 6-month, and 12-month follow-up (FU). Therapeutic success (defined as Mayo partial score ≤ 2 and faecal calprotectin (FC) < 250 µg/g at 12-month FU) was reached by 32 (76%) patients: 20 (95%) among those treated with 5-ASA + FeedColon(®), and 12 (57%) among those treated with 5-ASA only (p = 0.009). Consistently, patients treated with combination therapy improved subjective symptoms (quality of life, abdominal pain, and stool consistency) and reduced FC values, while those treated with 5-ASA alone, improved neither subjective symptoms nor FC during the FU. In conclusion, FEEDColon(®) supplementation appears to be a valid add-on therapy for the maintenance of remission in patients with UC. Further multicentre, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials are needed to validate our results on larger cohorts of patients with UC

Spatial structure of quark Cooper pairs in a color superconductor

Spatial structure of Cooper pairs with quantum numbers color 3^*, I=J=L=S=0 in ud 2 flavor quark matter is studied by solving the gap equation and calculating the coherence length in full momentum range without the weak coupling approximation. Although the gap at the Fermi surface and the coherence length depend on density weakly, the shape of the r-space pair wave function varies strongly with density. This result indicates that quark Cooper pairs become more bosonic at higher densities.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. The frequency dependence of the gap and the limitation on the type I/type II discussion are mentioned briefly. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Muons and emissivities of neutrinos in neutron star cores

In this work we consider the role of muons in various URCA processes relevant for neutrino emissions in the core region of neutron stars. The calculations are done for $\beta$--stable nuclear matter with and without muons. We find muons to appear at densities $\rho = 0.15$ fm$^{-3}$, slightly around the saturation density for nuclear matter $\rho_0 =0.16$ fm$^{-3}$. The direct URCA processes for nucleons are forbidden for densities below $\rho = 0.5$ fm$^{-3}$, however the modified URCA processes with muons $(n+N\rightarrow p+N +\mu +\overline{\nu}_{\mu}, p+N+\mu \rightarrow n+N+\nu_{\mu}$), where $N$ is a nucleon, result in neutrino emissivities comparable to those from $(n+N\rightarrow p+N +e +\overline{\nu}_e, p+N+e \rightarrow n+N+\nu_e$). This opens up for further possibilities to explain the rapid cooling of neutrons stars. Superconducting protons reduce however these emissivities at densities below $0.4$ fm$^{-3}$.Comment: 14 pages, Revtex style, 3 uuencoded figs include

Impurity Effect on Kramer-Pesch Core Shrinkage in s-Wave Vortex and Chiral p-Wave Vortex

The low-temperature shrinking of the vortex core (Kramer-Pesch effect) is studied for an isolated single vortex for chiral p-wave and s-wave superconducting phases. The effect of nonmagnetic impurities on the vortex core radius is numerically investigated in the Born limit by means of a quasiclassical approach. It is shown that in the chiral p-wave phase the Kramer-Pesch effect displays a certain robustness against impurities owing to a specific quantum effect, while the s-wave phase reacts more sensitively to impurity scattering. This suggests chiral p-wave superconductors as promising candidates for the experimental observation of the Kramer-Pesch effect.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures; to be published in J. Low Temp. Phys.; Proc. of NATO ARW: VORTEX 2004, Yalta (Uknaine

Nordic Walking promoted weight loss in overweight and obese people: A systematic review for future exercise prescription

The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effect of Nordic Walking (NW) on anthropometric parameters, body composition, cardiovascular parameters, aerobic capacity, blood sample, and glucose tolerance in overweight and obese subjects. The main keywords "Nordic Walking" or "Pole Walking", associated with either "obese", "obesity", "overweight", or "weight loss" were used on the online database MEDLINE, PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Scopus. Additionally, references of the studies included were screened to identify eligible articles. Applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten manuscripts were considered as eligible for this review. The results of the studies were categorized in several domains with regard to "anthropometric parameters and body composition", "cardiovascular parameters and aerobic capacity", and "blood sample and glucose tolerance". The results showed positive effects on the anthropometric parameters, body composition, cardiovascular parameters, blood sample, and glucose tolerance. The greatest improvements were observed in supervised and high weekly frequency of NW interventions. NW could be considered as an effective modality through which to involve the obese in physical activity. For weight loss, NW should be prescribed 4-5 times per week, at least 60 min per session, preferably combined with diet control

On the asymptotic behaviour of solutions to the fractional porous medium equation with variable density

We are concerned with the long time behaviour of solutions to the fractional porous medium equation with a variable spatial density. We prove that if the density decays slowly at infinity, then the solution approaches the Barenblatt-type solution of a proper singular fractional problem. If, on the contrary, the density decays rapidly at infinity, we show that the minimal solution multiplied by a suitable power of the time variable converges to the minimal solution of a certain fractional sublinear elliptic equation.Comment: To appear in DCDS-