Is HBx protein the X factor in the pathogenesis of IBD?

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Milk Proteins: Processing of Bioactive Fractions and Effects on Gut Health

Milk is nature’s most complete food. While milk clearly provides basic nutritional requirements, bioactive components within milk also impart a wide range of additional health benefits to both the neonate and the adult. However, human milk is compositionally different from cow’s milk, and certain protein components of cow’s milk can act as allergens to susceptible humans. One way of extracting the benefits of cow’s milk proteins, while eliminating the risk of allergenicity in humans, is to hydrolyse the milk proteins. Hydrolysis of milk proteins generates smaller peptide sequences from their parent protein that can be biologically active when released. At an industrial scale, hydrolysis of milk proteins can be achieved through either enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation. An alternative process of generating similar sized peptides is by in silico synthesis. These compounds can subsequently be developed as fortifying food agents

Role of intravenous tranexamic acid on cesarean blood loss: A prospective randomized study

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality globally. Tranexamic acid, an anti‑fibrinolytic agent, is a novel approach to prevent this dreadful complication. This study aims to document the efficacy of intravenous (IV) tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during and after cesarean section (CS).Materials and Methods: In this prospective, randomized, placebo‑controlled, open‑label study, 100 mothers scheduled for elective CS were randomly selected and divided into two groups (study and control) of 50 each. The study group received 1 g IV tranexamic acid and the control group received IV placebo. Following delivery, all mothers received 10 units of oxytocin in 500 mL of normal saline.Results: The mean intraoperative and postpartum blood loss were significantly lower in the study group than the control group: 499.11 ± 111.2 ml and 59.93 ± 12.5 ml versus 690.85 ± 198.41 ml and 110.06 ± 13.47ml, respectively (P < 0.001). Total blood loss was 30% less in the study group (P < 0.001). Six mothers had PPH in the control group while none in the study group had PPH. The difference between the preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin values was significantly less in the study group than the control group, 0.26 ± 0.22 g% versus 0.99 ± 0.48 g% (P < 0.001).There was no significant difference with respect to other hematologic parameters. There was no added adverse effect or need for NICU admission in the study group.Conclusion: Preoperative IV tranexamic acid significantly reduced blood loss during elective CS without any significant adverse effects.Keywords: Anti‑fibrinolytics; blood‑loss; cesarean delivery; postpartum hemorrhage; Tranexamic aci

Detection of Campylobacter concisus and other Campylobacter species in colonic biopsies from adults with ulcerative colitis

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Innate Immune Sensors and Gastrointestinal Bacterial Infections

The gastrointestinal microbiota is a major source of immune stimulation. The interaction between host pattern-recognition receptors and conserved microbial ligands profoundly influences infection dynamics. Identifying and understanding the nature of these interactions is a key step towards obtaining a clearer picture of microbial pathogenesis. These interactions underpin a complex interplay between microbe and host that has far reaching consequences for both. Here, we review the role of pattern recognition receptors in three prototype diseases affecting the stomach, the small intestine, and large intestine, respectively (Helicobacter pylori infection, Salmonella infection, and inflammatory bowel disease). Specifically, we review the nature and impact of pathogen:receptor interactions, their impact upon pathogenesis, and address the relevance of pattern recognition receptors in the development of therapies for gastrointestinal diseases

Analysis of Hepatitis C Viral Dynamics Using Latin Hypercube Sampling

We consider a mathematical model comprising of four coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for studying the hepatitis C (HCV) viral dynamics. The model embodies the efficacies of a combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin. A condition for the stability of the uninfected and the infected steady states is presented. A large number of sample points for the model parameters (which were physiologically feasible) were generated using Latin hypercube sampling. Analysis of our simulated values indicated approximately 24% cases as having an uninfected steady state. Statistical tests like the chi-square-test and the Spearman's test were also done on the sample values. The results of these tests indicate a distinctly differently distribution of certain parameter values and not in case of others, vis-a-vis, the stability of the uninfected and the infected steady states

Towards a grand unified picture for neutrino and quark mixings

The comparison of the CKM mixing angles with the leptonic mixings implied by the recent atmospheric and solar neutrino data exhibits an interesting complementarity. This pattern can be understood in the context of the SU(5) grand unification, assuming that the fermion mass matrices have Fritzsch-like structures but are not necessarily symmetric. (The present contribution is based on the paper in ref. \cite{az}.)Comment: Latex file + espcrc2.sty, 5 pages, 3 postscript figures included. Talk given at the Int. Workshop ``Particles in Astrophysics and Cosmology: from Theory to Observation'', May 3-8, 1999, Valencia, Spain. To appear in Nucl. Phys. Proc. Supp

Dietary fibre complexity and its influence on functional groups of the human gut microbiota

Open Access via the Cambridge University Press Agreement Acknowledgments We would like to thank Professor Wendy Russell (University of Aberdeen) and Professor Stephen Fry (University of Edinburgh) for useful discussions and Ms Pat Bain (University of Aberdeen) for graphics support. Financial Support PL, SHD and AWW receive funding from the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) division. MS is funded by a Rowett Institute RESAS studentship and a University of Aberdeen Elphinstone Scholarship. IM is funded by an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership grant in partnership with Enterobiotix Ltd and University of Aberdeen (Partnership No. KTP 12019)Peer reviewedPublisher PD