The Characterization of Helicobacter pylori DNA Associated with Ancient Human Remains Recovered from a Canadian Glacier

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the stomach of nearly half of the world's population. Genotypic characterization of H. pylori strains involves the analysis of virulence-associated genes, such as vacA, which has multiple alleles. Previous phylogenetic analyses have revealed a connection between modern H. pylori strains and the movement of ancient human populations. In this study, H. pylori DNA was amplified from the stomach tissue of the Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi individual. This ancient individual was recovered from the Samuel Glacier in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, British Columbia, Canada on the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and radiocarbon dated to a timeframe of approximately AD 1670 to 1850. This is the first ancient H. pylori strain to be characterized with vacA sequence data. The Tatshenshini H. pylori strain has a potential hybrid vacA m2a/m1d middle (m) region allele and a vacA s2 signal (s) region allele. A vacA s2 allele is more commonly identified with Western strains, and this suggests that European strains were present in northwestern Canada during the ancient individual's time. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the vacA m1d region of the ancient strain clusters with previously published novel Native American strains that are closely related to Asian strains. This indicates a past connection between the Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi individual and the ancestors who arrived in the New World thousands of years ago

Epidemiology and drug susceptibility of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Italy in 2016-2020

Introduction. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental mycobacteria which may cause pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. These organisms are difficult to treat due to their intrinsic drug-resistance. In Italy, no major nationwide study on NTM epidemiology and drug susceptibility was performed. Methods. Data on the epidemiology of 7,469 NTM clinical isolates identified in Italy in 2016-2020 and on the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 1,506 of these strains were analysed. Results. Overall, 63 species were identified in 42 hospital laboratories located in 16 out of 20 regions, with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) being the most frequently iso-lated, followed by M. gordonae, M. xenopi, M. abscessus. The MICs of 12 drugs for MAC, M. xenopi, M. kansasii, M. abscessus, M. fortuitum and M. chelonae were interpreted for clinical significance (susceptible, intermediate, resistant) based on the guidelines pub-lished by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute in November 2018. Conclusions. Our data are in line with other nationwide studies and may be of value for further update of microbiological and clinical guidelines

Longevity in mice: is stress resistance a common factor?

A positive relationship between stress resistance and longevity has been reported in a multitude of studies in organisms ranging from yeast to mice. Several mouse lines have been discovered or developed that exhibit extended longevities when compared with normal, wild-type mice of the same genetic background. These long-living lines include the Ames dwarf, Snell dwarf, growth hormone receptor knockout (Laron dwarf), IGF-1 receptor heterozygote, Little, α-MUPA knockout, p66shc knockout, FIRKO, mClk-1 heterozygote, thioredoxin transgenic, and most recently the Klotho transgenic mouse. These mice are described in terms of the reported extended lifespans and studies involving resistance to stress. In addition, caloric restriction (CR) and stress resistance are briefly addressed for comparison with genetically altered mice. Although many of the long-living mice have GH/IGF-1/insulin signaling-related alterations and enhanced stress resistance, there are some that exhibit life extension without an obvious link to this hormone pathway. Resistance to oxidative stress is by far the most common system studied in long-living mice, but there is evidence of enhancement of resistance in other systems as well. The differences in stress resistance between long-living mutant and normal mice result from complex interrelationships among pathways that appear to coordinate signals of growth and metabolism, and subsequently result in differences in lifespan

An unusual post-traumatic case of extrahepatic bile duct compression.

Jaundice and cholestatic disease by external bile duct compression may be caused by several conditions, including pancreatic masses, portal cavernoma, Ormond's disease, metastases from gallbladder cancer, neurinomas, and hydronephrotic kidney. We report a case of bile duct compression in a 56-year-old man with a known small (28 mm) right renal cyst and crossed, fused renal ectopia. The patient had a history of recent abdominal trauma due to a motorcycle accident and recurrent septic-type fever and jaundice. He also reported a weight loss of 5 kg in the last two months. Abdominal ultrasonography showed intra- and extra-hepatic bile duct dilatation, and computed tomography scan showed hydronephrosis, dilatation of intra- and extra-hepatic biliary tract, and a right renal complex cyst of more than 9 cm. One can hypothesize a relationship between the abdominal trauma and the increase in size of the renal cyst, which, moreover, had changed its original shape. The patient underwent cefuroxime and metronidazole therapy, with complete recovery from the cholangitis within one week. The treatment of choice would have been surgical excision or, alternatively, an image-guided percutaneous aspiration of the cyst, in order to avoid further episodes of cholangitis. Unfortunately, the patient refused either surgical or more conservative treatment and was lost to follow-up

Postmeal portal flow variations in HCV-related chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with and without hyperdynamic syndrome.

Background: Doppler ultrasonography (US) of portal blood flow and portal flow volume (PFV) are useful to define changes in portal hemodynamics of patients with chronic liver diseases. The meal test with postmeal PFV measurements is generally accepted as a reproducible noninvasive test to evaluate the severity of portal hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether monitoring PFV changes after ingestion of a standard meal would be useful to characterize patients with chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis in the presence or absence of hyperdynamic syndrome (HS) characterized by elevated PFV, splenomegaly, systemic hypotension and/or increased cardiac output. Patients and Methods: Thirty-seven patients (22 men and 15 women, median age 53 years) with hepatitis C virus infection and 20 healthy age- and sex- matched volunteers (Controls) were enrolled in the study. There were 19 (51.4% ) patients with chronic hepatitis (Group A) and 18 (48.6%) with ultrasonographic evidence of liver cirrhosis (Child-PughclassB),9ofwhomhadanHS(GroupB)while the remainder (Group C) did not. Each patient underwent liver color Doppler US and the test was repeated 30, 60 and 90 minutes after administration of a standard meal (300 kcal fluid meal containing 12 g of proteins, 11.6 g of lipids and 36.8 g of carbohydrates). Results: The baseline PFV did not differ (p=NS) between Controls and both Groups A and C, while the PFV of Group B patients was significantly (p<0.01) higher. After 30 minutes, the PFV increased (p<0.01) both in Controls and Group A patients, while the differences were not significant in cirrhotic patients (Groups B and C). Our study confirmed that the postmeal PFV increases in both healthy individuals and in patients with chronic hepatitis, while in cirrhotic pati ents no si gni fi cant changes occur. I n concl usi on, monitoring the portal blood flow in cirrhotic patients before and after administration of a standard meal might be a suitable test to evaluate potential disturbances of the flow itself. Moreover, the test could be useful to determine optimal pharmacological or surgical interventions aimed at restoring a better flow to the liver by reducing or favouring the occurrence of spontaneous mesenteric-systemic venous shunts

Postmeal portal flow variations in HCV-related chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with and without hyperdynamic syndrome

Doppler ultrasonography (US) of portal blood flow and portal flow volume (PFV) are useful to define changes in portal hemodynamics of patients with chronic liver diseases. The meal test with postmeal PFV measurements is generally accepted as a reproducible noninvasive test to evaluate the severity of portal hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether monitoring PFV changes after ingestion of a standard meal would be useful to characterize patients with chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis in the presence or absence of hyperdynamic syndrome (HS) characterized by elevated PFV, splenomegaly, systemic hypotension and/or increased cardiac output. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven patients (22 men and 15 women, median age 53 years) with hepatitis C virus infection and 20 healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers (Controls) were enrolled in the study. There were 19 (51.4%) patients with chronic hepatitis (Group A) and 18 (48.6%) with ultrasonographic evidence of liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class B), 9 of whom had an HS (Group B) while the remainder (Group C) did not. Each patient underwent liver color Doppler US and the test was repeated 30, 60 and 90 minutes after administration of a standard meal (300 kcal fluid meal containing 12 g of proteins, 11.6 g of lipids and 36.8 g of carbohydrates). RESULTS: The baseline PFV did not differ (p=NS) between Controls and both Groups A and C, while the PFV of Group B patients was significantly (p<0.01) higher. After 30 minutes, the PFV increased (p<0.01) both in Controls and Group A patients, while the differences were not significant in cirrhotic patients (Groups B and C). Our study confirmed that the postmeal PFV increases in both healthy individuals and in patients with chronic hepatitis, while in cirrhotic patients no significant changes occur. In conclusion, monitoring the portal blood flow in cirrhotic patients before and after administration of a standard meal might be a suitable test to evaluate potential disturbances of the flow itself. Moreover, the test could be useful to determine optimal pharmacological or surgical interventions aimed at restoring a better flow to the liver by reducing or favouring the occurrence of spontaneous mesenteric-systemic venous shunts