Recent acquisition of Helicobacter pylori by Baka Pygmies

Both anatomically modern humans and the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori originated in Africa, and both species have been associated for at least 100,000 years. Seven geographically distinct H. pylori populations exist, three of which are indigenous to Africa: hpAfrica1, hpAfrica2, and hpNEAfrica. The oldest and most divergent population, hpAfrica2, evolved within San hunter-gatherers, who represent one of the deepest branches of the human population tree. Anticipating the presence of ancient H. pylori lineages within all hunter-gatherer populations, we investigated the prevalence and population structure of H. pylori within Baka Pygmies in Cameroon. Gastric biopsies were obtained by esophagogastroduodenoscopy from 77 Baka from two geographically separated populations, and from 101 non-Baka individuals from neighboring agriculturalist populations, and subsequently cultured for H. pylori. Unexpectedly, Baka Pygmies showed a significantly lower H. pylori infection rate (20.8%) than non-Baka (80.2%). We generated multilocus haplotypes for each H. pylori isolate by DNA sequencing, but were not able to identify Baka-specific lineages, and most isolates in our sample were assigned to hpNEAfrica or hpAfrica1. The population hpNEAfrica, a marker for the expansion of the Nilo-Saharan language family, was divided into East African and Central West African subpopulations. Similarly, a new hpAfrica1 subpopulation, identified mainly among Cameroonians, supports eastern and western expansions of Bantu languages. An age-structured transmission model shows that the low H. pylori prevalence among Baka Pygmies is achievable within the timeframe of a few hundred years and suggests that demographic factors such as small population size and unusually low life expectancy can lead to the eradication of H. pylori from individual human populations. The Baka were thus either H. pylori-free or lost their ancient lineages during past demographic fluctuations. Using coalescent simulations and phylogenetic inference, we show that Baka almost certainly acquired their extant H. pylori through secondary contact with their agriculturalist neighbors

Inter-professional perspectives of dementia services and care in England: Outcomes of a focus group study

© The Author(s) 2014. Many people living with dementia are supported at home using a variety of health and social care services. This paper reports the findings from a focus group study undertaken with staff in community mental health teams to explore areas for improvement in relation to national policies and recommendations for dementia care. Two focus groups were held with staff (n = 23) in 2011 to discuss topics including service delivery, information and communication, and provision of health and community care for people with dementia. Respondents identified problems with information sharing and incompatible electronic systems; inflexibility in home care services; and poor recognition of dementia in hospital settings. General practitioners had developed a greater awareness of the disease and some community services worked well. They felt that budgetary constraints and a focus on quality indicators impeded good dementia care. Key areas suggested by staff for improvements in dementia care included the implementation of more flexible services, dementia training for health and social care staff, and better quality care in acute hospital settings

Depletion of Dendritic Cells Enhances Innate Anti-Bacterial Host Defense through Modulation of Phagocyte Homeostasis

Dendritic cells (DCs) as professional antigen-presenting cells play an important role in the initiation and modulation of the adaptive immune response. However, their role in the innate immune response against bacterial infections is not completely defined. Here we have analyzed the role of DCs and their impact on the innate anti-bacterial host defense in an experimental infection model of Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye). We used CD11c-diphtheria toxin (DT) mice to deplete DCs prior to severe infection with Ye. DC depletion significantly increased animal survival after Ye infection. The bacterial load in the spleen of DC-depleted mice was significantly lower than that of control mice throughout the infection. DC depletion was accompanied by an increase in the serum levels of CXCL1, G-CSF, IL-1α, and CCL2 and an increase in the numbers of splenic phagocytes. Functionally, splenocytes from DC-depleted mice exhibited an increased bacterial killing capacity compared to splenocytes from control mice. Cellular studies further showed that this was due to an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by neutrophils. Adoptive transfer of neutrophils from DC-depleted mice into control mice prior to Ye infection reduced the bacterial load to the level of Ye-infected DC-depleted mice, suggesting that the increased number of phagocytes with additional ROS production account for the decreased bacterial load. Furthermore, after incubation with serum from DC-depleted mice splenocytes from control mice increased their bacterial killing capacity, most likely due to enhanced ROS production by neutrophils, indicating that serum factors from DC-depleted mice account for this effect. In summary, we could show that DC depletion triggers phagocyte accumulation in the spleen and enhances their anti-bacterial killing capacity upon bacterial infection

Unusual expression of villous adenoma

Les tumeurs villeuses recto-coliques, plus rares que les polyadénomes sont de localisation préférentiellement distale. Une symptomatologie volontiers plus riche les caractérise, dominée par une sécrétion importante responsable d'une déperdition hydro-électrique pouvant engager le pronostic vital comme en témoigne l'observation rapportée. Le risque de dégénérescence est de 24 à 43 %, l'exérèse complète est fondamentale. L'écho-endoscopie doit maintenant faire partie du bilan pré-thérapeutique, elle précise l'intégrité ou l'atteinte de la musculeuse et l'éventuelle présence d'adénopathie périrectale

Un spectromètre β électrostatique sphérique

The performance of an electrostatic β spectrometer with spherical electrodes has been determined. Results show the value of this type of analyser for low energy coincidence spectrometry studies.Nous déterminons les performances d'un spectromètre électrostatique à électrodes sphériques. Les résultats obtenus permettent de dégager l'intérêt de ce type d'appareil pour des études en coïncidences de spectrométrie à basse énergie

Un spectromètre β électrostatique sphérique

Nous déterminons les performances d'un spectromètre électrostatique à électrodes sphériques. Les résultats obtenus permettent de dégager l'intérêt de ce type d'appareil pour des études en coïncidences de spectrométrie à basse énergie

A case of duodenal metastasis of an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

La localisation de métastases au tube digestif est rare. Leur siège est plus souvent jéjuno-iléal. Les auteurs rapportent un cas de métastase d'un carcinome épidermoïde de l'œsophage chez un homme de 47 ans qui avait été traité par radiochimiothérapie puis chirurgie deux mois auparavant. Une revue de la littérature retrouve le caractère exceptionnel de ces métastases duodénale