Dietary Sugar and Crohn's Disease

Epidemiologically, Crohn's is a disease of modern Western civilization. The diet of the Western world is highly processed. Many surveys have shown that patients with Crohn's disease habitually eat more than the average amount of some processed foods, namely those rich in added sugars. Sugar rich meals lead to increased intestinal permeability which is a feature of Crohn's disease patients and of their relatives. Replacement of added sugars and fibre depicted cereals by whole or unrefined foods is well tolerated by most patients with Crohn's disease and it may reduce their need for surgery and hospital treatment. Until the pathogenesis of the disease is clarified the role of dietary factors remains debatable but the evidence incriminating a sugar rich highly processed diet in the etiology of Crohn's disease, albeit indirect, is enough to justify further research in this area

Effects of pre-treatment on ostracod valve chemistry

The stable-isotope and trace-element analysis of ostracod calcite are commonly used in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We tested the effects on shell composition of a number of methods for the pre-treatment of ostracod valves, including roasting in a vacuum; plasma ashing; and soaking in reagents including hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution and sodium dithionite complexing reagent. We found large differences in the geochemical effects of these methods and showed that all have the potential to alter the trace element and stable isotope composition of ostracod valves. We recommend that valves only be cleaned manually, with fine brushes, needles and deionised water whenever possible. However, we recognise that there will be occasions where manual cleaning will be insufficient to remove inorganic or organic contamination. In such cases, we recommend hydrogen peroxide and plasma ashing as good methods for oxygen isotope analysis, if no other analyses are to be performed. For carbon isotope analysis, only plasma ashing should be used. Hydroxylamine hydrochloride is a suitable method for the removal of aluminosilicate material, and sodium hypochlorite is a suitably non-invasive method for the removal of organic material, if subsequent trace element analysis is to be carried out