192 research outputs found

    Pure red cell aplasia induced by epoetin zeta

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    Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) may develop in patients with chronic kidney disease receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA). We report on a 72-year-old patient who developed hypo-proliferative anaemia unresponsive to ESA following the administration of epoetin zeta subcutaneously for 7 months. On the basis of severe isolated hypoplasia of the erythroid line in the bone marrow and high-titre neutralizing anti-erythropoietin antibodies (Ab), a diagnosis of Ab-mediated PRCA was made. Epoetin zeta was discontinued and the patient was given steroids. This was associated with anaemia recovery. To our knowledge this is the first PRCA case related to epoetin zeta

    Gastrointestinal manifestations in myotonic muscular dystrophy

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    Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is characterized by myotonic phenomena and progressive muscular weakness. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is frequent and may occur at any level. The clinical manifestations have previously been attributed to motility disorders caused by smooth muscle damage, but histologic evidence of alterations has been scarce and conflicting. A neural factor has also been hypothesized. In the upper digestive tract, dysphagia, heartburn, regurgitation and dyspepsia are the most common complaints, while in the lower tract, abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel habits are often reported. Digestive symptoms may be the first sign of dystrophic disease and may precede the musculo-skeletal features. The impairment of gastrointestinal function may be sometimes so gradual that the patients adapt to it with little awareness of symptoms. In such cases routine endoscopic and ultrasonographic evaluations are not sufficient and targeted techniques (electrogastrography, manometry, electromyography, functional ultrasonography, scintigraphy, etc.) are needed. There is a low correlation between the degree of skeletal muscle involvement and the presence and severity of gastrointestinal disturbances whereas a positive correlation with the duration of the skeletal muscle disease has been reported. The drugs recommended for treating the gastrointestinal complaints such as prokinetic, anti-dyspeptic drugs and laxatives, are mainly aimed at correcting the motility disorders. Gastrointestinal involvement in MD remains a complex and intriguing condition since many important problems are still unsolved. Further studies concentrating on genetic aspects, early diagnostic techniques and the development of new therapeutic strategies are needed to improve our management of the gastrointestinal manifestations of MD

    Factors that determine energy compensation: a systematic review of preload studies.

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    Insufficient energy compensation after a preload (meal, snack, or beverage) has been associated with excess energy intake, but experimental studies have used heterogeneous methodologies, making energy compensation difficult to predict. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the relative contributions of two key variables, preload physical form and intermeal interval (IMI), to differences in energy compensation. Forty-eight publications were included, from which percent energy compensation (%EC) data were extracted for 253 interventions (121 liquid, 69 semisolid, 20 solid, and 43 composite preloads). Energy compensation ranged from -370% (overconsumption, mostly of liquids) to 450% (overcompensation). A meta-regression analysis of studies reporting positive energy compensation showed that IMI (as the predominant factor) together with preload physical form and energy contributed significantly to %EC differences, accounting for 50% of the variance, independently from gender and BMI. Energy compensation was maximized when the preload was in semisolid/solid form and the IMI was 30-120 min. These results may assist in the interpretation of studies assessing the relative efficacy of interventions to enhance satiety, including functional foods and weight management products

    Intestinal pseudo-obstruction in inactive systemic lupus erythematosus: An unusual finding

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    Abstract Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) is an infrequent complication of an active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We illustrate a case of SLE inactive-related CIP. A 51-year old female with inactive SLE (ECLAM score 2) was hospitalized with postprandial fullness, vomiting, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain. She had had no bowel movements for five days. Plain abdominal X-ray revealed multiple fluid levels and dilated small and large bowel loops with air-fluid levels. Intestinal contrast radiology detected dilated loops. CIP was diagnosed. The patient was treated with prokinetics, octreotide, claritromycin, rifaximin, azathioprine and tegaserod without any clinical improvement. Then methylprednisolone (500 mg iv daily) was started. After the first administration, the patient showed peristaltic movements. A bowel movement was reported after the second administration. A plain abdominal X-ray revealed no air-fluid levels. Steroid therapy was slowly reduced with complete resolution of the symptoms. The patient is still in a good clinical condition. SLE-related CIP is generally reported as a complication of an active disease. In our case, CIP was the only clinical demonstration of the SL

    Is gluten the only culprit for non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity?

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    The gluten-free diet (GFD) has gained increasing popularity in recent years, supported by marketing campaigns, media messages and social networks. Nevertheless, real knowledge of gluten and GF-related implications for health is still poor among the general population. The GFD has also been suggested for non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity (NCG/WS), a clinical entity characterized by intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms induced by gluten ingestion in the absence of celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy (WA). NCG/WS should be regarded as an “umbrella term” including a variety of different conditions where gluten is likely not the only factor responsible for triggering symptoms. Other compounds aside from gluten may be involved in the pathogenesis of NCG/WS. These include fructans, which are part of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs), amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATIs), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and glyphosate. The GFD might be an appropriate dietary approach for patients with self-reported gluten/wheat-dependent symptoms. A low-FODMAP diet (LFD) should be the first dietary option for patients referring symptoms more related to FODMAPs than gluten/wheat and the second-line treatment for those with self-reported gluten/wheat-related symptoms not responding to the GFD. A personalized approach, regular follow-up and the help of a skilled dietician are mandatory

    Low fermentable oligo-di-and mono-saccharides and polyols (Fodmaps) or gluten free diet: What is best for irritable bowel syndrome?

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    Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a very common functional gastrointestinal disease. Its pathogenesis is multifactorial and not yet clearly defined, and hence, its therapy mainly relies on symptomatic treatments. Changes in lifestyle and dietary behavior are usually the first step, but unfortunately, there is little high-quality scientific evidence regarding a dietary approach. This is due to the difficulty in setting up randomized double-blind controlled trials which objectively evaluate efficacy without the risk of a placebo effect. However, a Low Fermentable Oligo-, Di-and Mono-saccharides And Polyols (FODMAP) Diet (LFD) and Gluten Free Diet (GFD) are among the most frequently suggested diets. This paper aims to evaluate their possible role in IBS management. A GFD is less restrictive and easier to implement in everyday life and can be suggested for patients who clearly recognize gluten as a trigger of their symptoms. An LFD, being more restrictive and less easy to learn and to follow, needs the close supervision of a skilled nutritionist and should be reserved for patients who recognize that the trigger of their symptoms is not, or not only, gluten. Even if the evidence is of very low-quality for both diets, the LFD is the most effective among the dietary interventions suggested for treating IBS, and it is included in the most updated guidelines

    Influence of the serotonin transporter 5HTTLPR polymorphism on symptom severity in irritable bowel syndrome

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    5HTTLPR polymorphism of serotonin transporter yields short (S) and long (L) alleles. SS and LS genotypes are associated with reduced expression of serotonin transporter. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of 5HTTLPR with symptom severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients with IBS (Rome III) and healthy controls were included. Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva, and 5HTTLPR alleles were assessed by polymerase chain reaction. IBS symptom severity was evaluated by means of IBS-SSS questionnaire. Two hundreds and four IBS patients (159 females; mean age: 39.6±12.3 years; 106 with constipation: C-IBS; 98 with diarrhea: D-IBS) and 200 healthy controls (154 females; mean age: 40.4±15.8 years) were enrolled. The overall IBS-SSS value was higher in LS/SS than LL patients (319.0±71.5 versus 283.8±62.3; P = 0.0006). LS/SS patients had also higher values of abdominal pain (59.7±21.0 versus 51.0±18.8; P = 0.020) and bowel dissatisfaction (80.1±23.9 versus 70.5±22.8; P = 0.035). The overall IBS-SSS values in C-IBS and D-IBS patients were 317.2±68.3 and 296.1±71.4, respectively (P = 0.192), with significantly higher values for abdominal distension (65.0±24.4 versus 51.4±24.8; P = 0.0006), but not for bowel dissatisfaction (80.5±21.7 versus 72.9±25.7; P = 0.138). Frequencies of 5HTTLPR genotypes did not differ significantly when comparing IBS patients (overall or upon stratification in C-IBS and D-IBS) with healthy controls. In conclusion, the LS and SS genotypes are significantly correlated with IBS symptom severity, although their possible direct causal role remains to be proven. In addition, the present findings do not support an association of 5HTTLPR with IBS or its clinical presentation in terms of bowel habit predominance

    Time and frequency pump-probe multiplexing to enhance the signal response of Brillouin optical time-domain analyzers

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    © 2014 Optical Society of America. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modifications of the content of this paper are prohibitedA technique to enhance the response and performance of Brillouin distributed fiber sensors is proposed and experimentally validated. The method consists in creating a multi-frequency pump pulse interacting with a matching multi-frequency continuous-wave probe. To avoid nonlinear cross-interaction between spectral lines, the method requires that the distinct pump pulse components and temporal traces reaching the photodetector are subject to wavelength-selective delaying. This way the total pump and probe powers launched into the fiber can be incrementally boosted beyond the thresholds imposed by nonlinear effects. As a consequence of the multiplied pump-probe Brillouin interactions occurring along the fiber, the sensor response can be enhanced in exact proportion to the number of spectral components. The method is experimentally validated in a 50 km-long distributed optical fiber sensor augmented to 3 pump-probe spectral pairs, demonstrating a signal-to-noise ratio enhancement of 4.8 dB.The authors would like to thank Mr. Javier Urricelqui from Universidad Publica de Navarra (Spain) for the valuable discussions and help in relation to the noise characteristics of BOTDA sensors. This work was performed in the framework and with the support of the COST Action TD1001 OFSeSa. M. A. Soto and L. Thevenaz acknowledge the support from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (Project 13122.1), and from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) through the project COST C10.0093. UPVLC group acknowledges the support from the Spanish MICINN and the Valencia Government through the projects TEC2011-29120-C05-05 and ACOMP/2013/146, respectively. L. Zhang acknowledges the support from the China Scholarship Council during his stay at EPFL in Switzerland.Soto, MA.; Ricchiuti, AL.; Zhang, L.; Barrera Vilar, D.; Sales Maicas, S.; Thevenaz, L. (2014). Time and frequency pump-probe multiplexing to enhance the signal response of Brillouin optical time-domain analyzers. Optics Express. 22(23):28584-28595. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.22.028584S28584285952223Horiguchi, T., Shimizu, K., Kurashima, T., Tateda, M., & Koyamada, Y. (1995). Development of a distributed sensing technique using Brillouin scattering. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 13(7), 1296-1302. doi:10.1109/50.400684Soto, M. A., & ThĂ©venaz, L. (2013). Modeling and evaluating the performance of Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors. Optics Express, 21(25), 31347. doi:10.1364/oe.21.031347Foaleng, S. M., & ThĂ©venaz, L. (2011). Impact of Raman scattering and modulation instability on the performances of Brillouin sensors. 21st International Conference on Optical Fiber Sensors. doi:10.1117/12.885105Alem, M., Soto, M. A., & ThĂ©venaz, L. (2014). Modelling the depletion length induced by modulation instability in distributed optical fibre sensors. 23rd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors. doi:10.1117/12.2058862ThĂ©venaz, L., Mafang, S. F., & Lin, J. (2013). Effect of pulse depletion in a Brillouin optical time-domain analysis system. Optics Express, 21(12), 14017. doi:10.1364/oe.21.014017Minardo, A., Bernini, R., & Zeni, L. (2009). A Simple Technique for Reducing Pump Depletion in Long-Range Distributed Brillouin Fiber Sensors. IEEE Sensors Journal, 9(6), 633-634. doi:10.1109/jsen.2009.2019372Soto, M. A., Bolognini, G., Di Pasquale, F., & ThĂ©venaz, L. (2010). Simplex-coded BOTDA fiber sensor with 1 m spatial resolution over a 50 km range. Optics Letters, 35(2), 259. doi:10.1364/ol.35.000259Soto, M. A., Bolognini, G., & Di Pasquale, F. (2010). Analysis of pulse modulation format in coded BOTDA sensors. Optics Express, 18(14), 14878. doi:10.1364/oe.18.014878Rodriguez-Barrios, F., Martin-Lopez, S., Carrasco-Sanz, A., Corredera, P., Ania-Castanon, J. D., Thevenaz, L., & Gonzalez-Herraez, M. (2010). Distributed Brillouin Fiber Sensor Assisted by First-Order Raman Amplification. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 28(15), 2162-2172. doi:10.1109/jlt.2010.2051141Martin-Lopez, S., Alcon-Camas, M., Rodriguez, F., Corredera, P., Ania-Castañon, J. D., ThĂ©venaz, L., & Gonzalez-Herraez, M. (2010). Brillouin optical time-domain analysis assisted by second-order Raman amplification. Optics Express, 18(18), 18769. doi:10.1364/oe.18.018769Soto, M. A., Bolognini, G., & Di Pasquale, F. (2011). Optimization of long-range BOTDA sensors with high resolution using first-order bi-directional Raman amplification. Optics Express, 19(5), 4444. doi:10.1364/oe.19.004444Soto, M. A., Taki, M., Bolognini, G., & Pasquale, F. D. (2012). Simplex-Coded BOTDA Sensor Over 120-km SMF With 1-m Spatial Resolution Assisted by Optimized Bidirectional Raman Amplification. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, 24(20), 1823-1826. doi:10.1109/lpt.2012.2212183Jia, X.-H., Rao, Y.-J., Yuan, C.-X., Li, J., Yan, X.-D., Wang, Z.-N., 
 Peng, F. (2013). Hybrid distributed Raman amplification combining random fiber laser based 2nd-order and low-noise LD based 1st-order pumping. Optics Express, 21(21), 24611. doi:10.1364/oe.21.024611Soto, M. A., Angulo-Vinuesa, X., Martin-Lopez, S., Chin, S.-H., Ania-Castanon, J. D., Corredera, P., 
 Thevenaz, L. (2014). Extending the Real Remoteness of Long-Range Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Fiber Analyzers. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 32(1), 152-162. doi:10.1109/jlt.2013.2292329Soto, M. A., Bolognini, G., & Pasquale, F. D. (2009). Distributed optical fibre sensors based on spontaneous Brillouin scattering employing multimode Fabry-Pérot lasers. Electronics Letters, 45(21), 1071. doi:10.1049/el.2009.2381Li, C., Wang, F., Lu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2012). SNR enhancement in Brillouin optical time domain reflectometer using multi-wavelength coherent detection. Electronics Letters, 48(18), 1139-1141. doi:10.1049/el.2012.1248Voskoboinik, A., Wang, J., Shamee, B., Nuccio, S. R., Zhang, L., Chitgarha, M., 
 Tur, M. (2011). SBS-Based Fiber Optical Sensing Using Frequency-Domain Simultaneous Tone Interrogation. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 29(11), 1729-1735. doi:10.1109/jlt.2011.2145411Voskoboinik, A., Yilmaz, O. F., Willner, A. W., & Tur, M. (2011). Sweep-free distributed Brillouin time-domain analyzer (SF-BOTDA). Optics Express, 19(26), B842. doi:10.1364/oe.19.00b842Chaube, P., Colpitts, B. G., Jagannathan, D., & Brown, A. W. (2008). Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensor for Dynamic Strain Measurement. IEEE Sensors Journal, 8(7), 1067-1072. doi:10.1109/jsen.2008.926107Nikles, M., Thevenaz, L., & Robert, P. A. (1997). Brillouin gain spectrum characterization in single-mode optical fibers. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 15(10), 1842-1851. doi:10.1109/50.633570Jacobs, I. (1995). Dependence of optical amplifier noise figure on relative-intensity-noise. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 13(7), 1461-1465. doi:10.1109/50.400712Bolognini, G., Soto, M. A., & Di Pasquale, F. (2009). Fiber-Optic Distributed Sensor Based on Hybrid Raman and Brillouin Scattering Employing Multiwavelength Fabry–PÉrot Lasers. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, 21(20), 1523-1525. doi:10.1109/lpt.2009.202889
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