Efficacy of a 7-day course of furazolidone, levofloxacin, and lansoprazole after failed Helicobacter pylori eradication

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increasing resistance to clarithromycin and nitroimidazole is the main cause of failure in the <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>eradication. The ideal retreatment regimen remains unclear, especially in developing countries, where the infection presents high prevalence and resistance to antibiotics. The study aimed at determining the efficacy, compliance and adverse effects of a regimen that included furazolidone, levofloxacin and lansoprazole in patients with persistent <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>infection, who had failed to respond to at least one prior eradication treatment regimen.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study included 48 patients with peptic ulcer disease. <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>infection was confirmed by a rapid urease test and histological examination of samples obtained from the antrum and corpus during endoscopy. The eradication therapy consisted of a 7-day twice daily oral administration of lansoprazole 30 mg, furazolidone 200 mg and levofloxacin 250 mg. Therapeutic success was confirmed by a negative rapid urease test, histological examination and 14C- urea breath test, performed 12 weeks after treatment completion. The Chi-square method was used for comparisons among eradication rates, previous treatments and previous furazolidone use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only one of the 48 patients failed to take all medications, which was due to adverse effects (vomiting). Per-protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were 89% (95% CI- 89%–99%) and 88% (88–92%), respectively. Mild and moderate adverse effects were reported by 41 patients (85%). For patients with one previous treatment failure, the eradication rate was 100%. Compared to furazolidone-naïve patients, eradication rates were lower in those who had failed prior furazolidone-containing regimen(s) (74% vs. 100%, p = 0.002).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An empiric salvage-regimen including levofloxacin, furazolidone and lansoprazole is very effective in the eradication of <it>Helicobacter pylori</it>, particularly in patients that have failed one prior eradication therapy.</p

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Short-term triple therapy with azithromycin for Helicobacter pylori eradication: Low cost, high compliance, but low efficacy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Brazilian consensus recommends a short-term treatment course with clarithromycin, amoxicillin and proton-pump inhibitor for the eradication of <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>(<it>H. pylori)</it>. This treatment course has good efficacy, but cannot be afforded by a large part of the population. Azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole are subsidized, for several aims, by the Brazilian federal government. Therefore, a short-term treatment course that uses these drugs is a low-cost one, but its efficacy regarding the bacterium eradication is yet to be demonstrated. The study's purpose was to verify the efficacy of <it>H. pylori </it>eradication in infected patients who presented peptic ulcer disease, using the association of azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty patients with peptic ulcer diagnosed by upper digestive endoscopy and <it>H. pylori </it>infection documented by rapid urease test, histological analysis and urea breath test were treated for six days with a combination of azithromycin 500 mg and omeprazole 20 mg, in a single daily dose, associated with amoxicillin 500 mg 3 times a day. The eradication control was carried out 12 weeks after the treatment by means of the same diagnostic tests. The eradication rates were calculated with 95% confidence interval.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The eradication rate was 38% per intention to treat and 41% per protocol. Few adverse effects were observed and treatment compliance was high.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite its low cost and high compliance, the low eradication rate does not allow the recommendation of the triple therapy with azithromycin as an adequate treatment for <it>H. pylori </it>infection.</p

Association of total energy intake and macronutrient consumption with colorectal cancer risk: results from a large population-based case-control study in Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diet is regarded as one of the most important environmental factors associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. A recent report comprehensively concluded that total energy intake does not have a simple relationship with CRC risk, and that the data were inconsistent for carbohydrate, cholesterol and protein. The objective of this study was to identify the associations of CRC risk with dietary intakes of total energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and alcohol using data from a large case-control study conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and Ontario (ON), Canada.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Incident colorectal cancer cases (n = 1760) were identified from population-based cancer registries in the provinces of ON (1997-2000) and NL (1999-2003). Controls (n = 2481) were a random sample of residents in each province, aged 20-74 years. Family history questionnaire (FHQ), personal history questionnaire (PHQ), and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were used to collect study data. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of intakes of total energy, macronutrients and alcohol with CRC risk.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Total energy intake was associated with higher risk of CRC (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.21-2.01, <it>p</it>-trend = 0.02, 5^thversus 1^stquintile), whereas inverse associations emerged for intakes of protein (OR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.69-1.00, <it>p</it>-trend = 0.06, 5^thversus 1^stquintile), carbohydrate (OR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.63-1.00, <it>p</it>-trend = 0.05, 5^thversus 1^stquintile) and total dietary fiber (OR: 0.84, 95% CI:0.67-0.99, <it>p</it>-trend = 0.04, 5^thversus 1^stquintile). Total fat, alcohol, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and cholesterol were not associated with CRC risk.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides further evidence that high energy intake may increase risk of incident CRC, whereas diets high in protein, fiber, and carbohydrate may reduce the risk of the disease.</p

PERAN ORANG TUA DALAM MEMBINA NILAI KARAKTER ANAK DI KECAMATAN SIMPANG TIGA ACEH BESAR

ABSTRAKRahmayanti KS, Sri. 2016. Peran Orang Tua Dalam Membina Nilai Karakter Anak di Kecamatan Simpang Tiga Kabupaten Aceh Besar. Skripsi, Jurusan Pendidikan Kesejahteraan Keluarga, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Pembimbing:(1)Dr. Anizar Ahmad, M.Pd., (2). Dra. Fitriana, M.SI.Kata Kunci: Nilai Karakter Anak, Peran Orang TuaPeran orang tua adalah partisipasi atau kesadaran jiwa orang tua untuk memperdulikan anaknya, terutama dalam hal memberikan dan memenuhi kebutuhan hidup anaknya baik dari segi sosial maupun material. Penelitian ini untuk mengetahui usaha orang tua dalam membina nilai karakter anak di Kecamatan Simpang Tiga Kabupaten Aceh Besar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) mengetahui usaha yang dilakukan orang tua dalam membina nilai karakter anak dan (2) mengetahui sistem pengawasan yang diterapkan oleh orang tua terhadap anak. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif kuantitatif. Data penelitian ini bersumber dari orang tua yang memiliki anak usia 4 sampai 10 tahun berjumlah 28 keluarga, pengumpulan data menggunakan kuisioner. Pengolahan data penelitian ini menggunakan rumus persentase. Simpulan penelitian ini berpengaruh pada usaha orang tua dalam membina nilai karakter anak, walau sebagian kecil yang mengetahui nilai-nilai karakter, tetapi sebagian besar sudah berusaha menanamkan nilai karakter tersebut. Lebih dari setengah responden menanamkan nilai religius kepada anak dengan tujuan agar anak mempunyai akhlak yang mulia kedepannya. Sedangkan yang berperan dalam membina nilai karakter anak adalah suami dan istri. Sistem pengawasan yang diterapkan orang tua berpengaruh terhadap pembentukkan nilai karakter anak. Seluruh anak termasuk kedalam katagori anak yang mudah bersahabat. Penanaman nilai karakter pada anak di mulai pada awal masa kanak-kanak ketika berumur 2-6 tahun. Responden juga menerapkan perilaku disiplin kepada anak karena usia awal kanak-kanak merupakan usia yang masih rentan, dan akan meniru semua yang dikerjakan oleh orang tuanya. Saran untuk orang tua agar dapat mendidik anaknya dengan baik, tidak mengedepankan emosi, dapat meluangkan waktu, adanya komunikasi yang dibina orang tua dengan anak, dan jangan bersikap apatis terhadap apa yang dikerjakan sianak

The Effects of Aging on the Molecular and Cellular Composition of the Prostate Microenvironment

Advancing age is associated with substantial increases in the incidence rates of common diseases affecting the prostate gland including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate carcinoma. The prostate is comprised of a functional secretory epithelium, a basal epithelium, and a supporting stroma comprised of structural elements, and a spectrum of cell types that includes smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and inflammatory cells. As reciprocal interactions between epithelium and stromal constituents are essential for normal organogenesis and serve to maintain normal functions, discordance within the stroma could permit or promote disease processes. In this study we sought to identify aging-associated alterations in the mouse prostate microenvironment that could influence pathology.We quantitated transcript levels in microdissected glandular-adjacent stroma from young (age 4 months) and old (age 20-24 months) C57BL/6 mice, and identified a significant change in the expression of 1259 genes (p<0.05). These included increases in transcripts encoding proteins associated with inflammation (e.g., Ccl8, Ccl12), genotoxic/oxidative stress (e.g., Apod, Serpinb5) and other paracrine-acting effects (e.g., Cyr61). The expression of several collagen genes (e.g., Col1a1 and Col3a1) exhibited age-associated declines. By histology, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy we determined that the collagen matrix is abundant and disorganized, smooth muscle cell orientation is disordered, and inflammatory infiltrates are significantly increased, and are comprised of macrophages, T cells and, to a lesser extent, B cells.These findings demonstrate that during normal aging the prostate stroma exhibits phenotypic and molecular characteristics plausibly contributing to the striking age associated pathologies affecting the prostate

The apicomplexan plastid and its evolution

Protistan species belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa have a non-photosynthetic secondary plastid—the apicoplast. Although its tiny genome and even the entire nuclear genome has been sequenced for several organisms bearing the organelle, the reason for its existence remains largely obscure. Some of the functions of the apicoplast, including housekeeping ones, are significantly different from those of other plastids, possibly due to the organelle’s unique symbiotic origin

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability