Xylitol-supplemented nutrition enhances bacterial killing and prolongs survival of rats in experimental pneumococcal sepsis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Xylitol has antiadhesive effects on <it>Streptococcus pneumoniae </it>and inhibits its growth, and has also been found to be effective in preventing acute otitis media and has been used in intensive care as a valuable source of energy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We evaluated the oxidative burst of neutrophils in rats fed with and without xylitol. The mean increase in the percentage of activated neutrophils from the baseline was higher in the xylitol-exposed group than in the control group (58.1% vs 51.4%, P = 0.03 for the difference) and the mean induced increase in the median strength of the burst per neutrophil was similarly higher in the xylitol group (159.6 vs 140.3, P = 0.04). In two pneumococcal sepsis experiments rats were fed either a basal powder diet (control group) or the same diet supplemented with 10% or 20% xylitol and infected with an intraperitoneal inoculation of <it>S. pneumoniae </it>after two weeks. The mean survival time was 48 hours in the xylitol groups and 34 hours in the control groups (P < 0.001 in log rank test).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Xylitol has beneficial effects on both the oxidative killing of bacteria in neutrophilic leucocytes and on the survival of rats with experimental pneumococcal sepsis.</p

Combined Expression of IFN-gamma, IL-17, and IL-4 mRNA by Recall PBMCs Moderately Discriminates Active Tuberculosis from Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Patients with Miscellaneous Inflammatory Underlying Conditions

New biomarkers are needed for discriminating active tuberculosis (TB) from latent TB infection (LTBI), especially in vulnerable groups representing the major diagnostic challenge. This pilot study was carried out to explore the diagnostic potential of selected genes, IFN-gamma, IL-17, IL-4, and FoxP3, associated with TB immunity and immunopathology. IFN-gamma, IL-17, IL-4, and FoxP3 mRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) from antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with active TB (n = 25); patients with miscellaneous inflammatory disorders and concomitant LTBI (n = 20), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being the most predominant in the group (n = 11); and in healthy Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccinees (n = 8). While the levels of FoxP3 mRNA did not differ between the tested groups, the cumulative expression levels of purified protein derivative -stimulated IFN-gamma, IL-17, and IL-4 mRNAs were found to distinguish active TB from the whole group of LTBI with 48% sensitivity and 85% specificity. When restricting the LTBI group to RA cases only, the sensitivity was 56% and specificity 100%. When interpreting the result as positive in at least one of the mRNAs IFN-gamma, IL-17, or IL-4, sensitivity of 64% and specificities of 75% (heterogeneous group of LTBI) or 100% (LTBI with RA) were achieved. Moderate discrimination of active TB from LTBI with miscellaneous inflammatory underlying conditions by using combined quantitative expression of IFN-gamma, IL-17, and IL-4 mRNA seems not to be of high diagnostic potential.Peer reviewe

Head-to-Head Comparison of Humoral Immune Responses to Vi Capsular Polysaccharide and Salmonella Typhi Ty21a Typhoid Vaccines-A Randomized Trial

Peer reviewe

Suomalaiset kulttuuritapahtumat Isossa-Britanniassa. : Selvitys suomalais-brittiläisten kulttuuriorganisaatioiden tapahtumatuotannoista

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli kartoittaa suomalaisten kulttuuritapahtumien järjestämistä Isossa-Britanniassa tarkastelemalla suomalaisia kulttuuriproduktioita ja niitä järjestäviä organisaatioita sekä kartoittamalla Suomi-tapahtumien kävijäkuntaa, kävijöiden toiveita ja aikaisempia kokemuksia tapahtumista. Opinnäytetyö luo myös lyhyen katsauksen suomalaiseen kulttuuri-identiteettiin sekä Isossa-Britanniassa toimivien suomalaisten kulttuuriorganisaatioiden syntyhistoriaan. Opinnäytetyön tutkimusaineisto kerättiin suomalaisia kulttuuritapahtumia tuottavien organisaatioiden edustajien teemahaastatteluilla sekä suomalaisten kulttuuritapahtumien kävijöiden asiakastyytyväisyyskyselyllä. Edustajien haastattelut keskittyivät mittaamaan tapahtumatuotannollisia aspekteja, organisaatioiden tiedotus- sekä rahoitusväyliä, yhteistyötä muiden suomalaisten kulttuuriorganisaatioiden kanssa sekä käsityksiä kulttuuritapahtumien kävijöistä. Haastatteluihin osallistui seitsemän henkilöä kuudesta eri suomalais-brittiläisestä kulttuuriorganisaatiosta. Kaikki haastattelut suoritettiin Lontoossa helmi- ja maaliskuun 2012 välisenä aikana. Suomi-tapahtumien kävijöiden asiakastyytyväisyyttä mitattiin internetissä julkaistulla Finnish Events in the UK Quality Survey 2012 kyselyllä. Tyytyväisyyskysely keskittyi selvittämään tapahtumiin osallistujien taustaa, kokemuksia aikaisemmista suomalaisista kulttuuritapahtumista, tapahtumien tiedotusväyliä ja kävijöiden toiveita tulevaisuutta ajatellen. Kysely keräsi yhteensä 254 vastausta, joista 167 pohjalta luotiin opinnäytetyön liitteeksi Finnish Events in the UK Quality Survey 2012 raportti. Tutkitun aineiston pohjalta luotiin suomalaisia kulttuuritapahtumia Isossa-Britanniassa tuottavien organisaatioiden luokittelu, jossa haastatellut jaettiin verkottajaorganisaatioihin sekä kulttuurin ylläpitämisorganisaatioihin arvojensa ja toimintamalliensa pohjalta. Kyselyn tulokset osoittivat, että suurin osa vastaajista oli kansalaisuudeltaan suomalaisia naisia, jotka olivat 31-vuotiaista tai vanhempia. Valtaosa vastaajista asui Lontoossa tai sen lähistöllä. Suurimmat esille nousseet ammattiryhmät olivat eläkeläiset, opiskelijat, opettajat, kotiäidit ja projektimanagerit. Suurin osa vastaajista oli osallistunut yhteen tai kahteen suomalaiseen kulttuuritapahtumaan vuoden aikana. Kävijät olivat valtaosin tyytyväisiä tuotettuihin produktioihin, sillä järjestettyjä tapahtumia pidettiin laadukkaina ja miellyttävinä osallistua. Negatiivisia tunteita herättivät jotkin tapahtumapaikkoihin liittyvät seikat sekä suomalaisten kulttuuritapahtumien pääasiallinen sijoittuminen Lontooseen.The primary goal of this thesis was to study Finnish cultural events in the United Kingdom in both organisational and customer perspective. Organisational aspects were researched by examining event management procedures and the organisations which produced Finnish cultural events. Customer perspectives were measured by gathering information from customer satisfaction, previous experiences and future hopes regarding Finnish cultural events. This thesis also presents a short theoretical introduction to Finnish cultural identity and to the history of different Finnish-British cultural organisations. The research material of this thesis was gathered by interviewing representatives from Finnish-British cultural organisations, plus by launching a survey regarding customer satisfaction of Finnish cultural events. The themed representative interviews focused on measuring various aspects of Finnish cultural productions, such as information- and financial platforms, co-operation with other Finnish-British cultural organisations and perceptions of the Finnish cultural event participants. Seven individuals from six different Finnish-British cultural organisations took part in the interviews. All the interviews took place in London, between February and March 2012. The customer satisfaction amongst the event participants was measured by using an internet questionnaire Finnish Events in the UK Quality survey 2012. The survey gathered information from participant's personal background, experiences from the past events, information platforms and possible feedback for future productions. The questionnaire gathered 254 responses in which 167 were used to create the Finnish Events in the UK 2012 Quality Survey report. By using the research material, an organisational classification between Finnish-British cultural organisations in the UK was created. In this, the interviewees were divided into groups: networking organisations (verkottajaorganisaatiot) and cultural maintance organisations (kulttuurin ylläpitämisorganisaatiot) based on their values and operational models. The survey results indicated that the majority of the questionnaire participants were Finnish women, who were 31 years old or older. The biggest amount of participants lived in London or the nearby regions. The professions which had the most representatives were senior citizens, students, teachers, home mothersand project managers. Most of the answerers had taken part of one or two Finnish cultural events in the past year. The participants found the productions most satisfying as they felt them to be high in quality and pleasant to participate in. Negative thought rose on subjects regarding event venues and the fact that vast amount Finnish cultural events took place in London

The reasons behind medicine shortages from the perspective of pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Finland.

The aim of this study was to explore the reasons behind medicine shortages from the perspective of pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Finland. The study took the form of semi-structured interviews. Forty-one pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical wholesalers were invited to participate in the study. The pharmaceutical companies were the member organizations of Pharma Industry Finland (PIF) (N = 30) and the Finnish Generic Pharmaceutical Association (FGPA) (N = 7). One company which is a central player in the pharmaceutical market in Finland but does not belong to PIF or FGPA was also invited. The pharmaceutical wholesalers were those with a nationwide distribution network (N = 3). A total of 30 interviews were conducted between March and June 2016. The data were subjected to qualitative thematic analysis. The most common reasons behind medicine shortages in Finland were the small size of the pharmaceutical market (29/30), sudden or fluctuating demand (28/30), small stock sizes (25/30), long delivery time (23/30) and a long or complex production chain (23/30). The reasons for the medicine shortages were supply-related more often than demand-related. However, the reasons were often complex and there was more than one reason behind a shortage. Supply-related reasons behind shortages commonly interfaced with the country-specific characteristics of Finland, whereas demand-related reasons were commonly associated with the predictability and attractiveness of the market. Some reasons, such as raw material shortages, were considered global and thus had similar effects on other countries