Top-down Infliximab Study in Kids with Crohn's disease (TISKids): an international multicentre randomised controlled trial

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First isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from the vaginal discharge of three bitches after abortion in South Africa

Campylobacter jejuni was isolated in pure culture from the vaginal discharge from three German Shepherd bitches after late-pregnancy abortions. The main clinical sign occurring in the bitches was a profuse and odourless haemorrhagic vaginal discharge. This is the first documented report of abortion in bitches caused by Campylobacter jejuni in South Africa.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201

First-line treatment with infliximab versus conventional treatment in children with newly diagnosed moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease: An open-label multicentre randomised controlled trial

Objective: In newly diagnosed paediatric patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD), infliximab (IFX) is initiated once exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN), corticosteroid and immunomodulator therapies have failed. We aimed to investigate whether starting first-line IFX (FL-IFX) is more effective to achieve and maintain remission than conventional treatment. Design: In this multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial, untreated patients with a new diagnosis of CD (3-17 years old, weighted Paediatric CD Activity Index score (wPCDAI) >40) were assigned to groups that received five infusions of 5 mg/kg IFX at weeks 0, 2, 6, 14 and 22 (FL-IFX), or EEN or oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg, maximum 40 mg) (conventional). The primary outcome was clinical remission on azathioprine, defined as a wPCDAI <12.5 at week 52, without need for treatment escalation, using intention-to-treat analysis. Results: 100 patients were included, 50 in the FL-IFX group and 50 in the conventional group. Four patients did not receive treatment as per protocol. At week 10, a higher proportion of patients in the FL-IFX group than in the conventional group achieved clinical (59% vs 34%, respectively, p=0.021) and endoscopic remission (59% vs 17%, respectively, p=0.001). At week 52, the proportion of patients in clinical remission was no

Influencing citizen behavior: Experiences from multichannel marketing pilot projects

Information technology allows national and local governments to satisfy the needs of citizens in a cost effective way. Unfortunately, citizens still tend to prefer traditional, more costly channels, such as the front desk, phone and mail. Through pilot projects government agencies attempt to influence this behavior of citizens, directing them towards the online channel. With this paper we provide insight into the possibility to influence citizens’ behavior in the complex landscape of multi-channel service provision. The paper systematically compares five pilot projects using a framework that is based on organizational and marketing literature. The results show that socio-psychological factors are crucial in multi-channel management, much more than the technology itself. We conclude that citizens can be directed towards the online channel. However, not all projects are successful. Economic and legal instruments tend to sort more direct effects than communication or service instruments. Moreover, organizational factors such as bureaucracy often hinder eventual success. Choosing a smart and relatively small scope and strong project manager may help to evoke success in directing citizen online behavior

4fn→4fn-1 5d transitions of the heavy lanthanides: Experiment and theory

The 4fn→4fn-15d(fd) excitation spectra of the heavy lanthanides (Tb3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+, Tm3+, and Yb3+) incorporated in LiYF4, CaF2, and YPO4 are investigated in the ultraviolet and vacuum-ultraviolet spectral region (100–275 nm). Spin-forbidden transitions as well as spin-allowed transitions are observed for all heavy lanthanides. In the excitation spectra the crystal-field splitting of the 5d electron can be clearly observed. Fine structure (zero-phonon lines and vibronic lines) is observed for the transition to the lowest 5d crystal-field component, for both the high-spin and low-spin fd bands. Energy-level and intensity calculations are performed by an extension of the commonly used model for energy-level calculations of 4fn states. A good agreement between experimental and simulated spectra is obtained, using parameters that describe the 5d crystal-field splitting (from the spectra of Ce3+), the parameters for the splitting of the 4fn-1 core (from the literature on energy-level calculations for 4fn states) and parameters for the spin-orbit coupling of the 5d electron and the Coulomb interaction between 4f and 5d electrons (from atomic ab initio calculations using the computer code of Cowan). To improve the agreement between the model and experiment, the 5d crystal-field parameters were adjusted slightly to correct for the decreasing crystal-field strength for the heavier rare earths due to the lanthanide contraction. The f-d interaction parameters in the fluoride host lattices were reduced to about 67% of the calculated free-ion values in order to compensate for the nephelauxetic effect