Food elimination based on IgG antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome: a randomised controlled trial

Background: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often feel they have some form of dietary intolerance and frequently try exclusion diets. Tests attempting to predict food sensitivity in IBS have been disappointing but none has utilised IgG antibodies. Aims: To assess the therapeutic potential of dietary elimination based on the presence of IgG antibodies to food. Patients: A total of 150 outpatients with IBS were randomised to receive, for three months, either a diet excluding all foods to which they had raised IgG antibodies ( enzyme linked immunosorbant assay test) or a sham diet excluding the same number of foods but not those to which they had antibodies. Methods: Primary outcome measures were change in IBS symptom severity and global rating scores. Non-colonic symptomatology, quality of life, and anxiety/depression were secondary outcomes. Intention to treat analysis was undertaken using a generalised linear model. Results: After 12 weeks, the true diet resulted in a 10% greater reduction in symptom score than the sham diet ( mean difference 39 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 5 - 72); p = 0.024) with this value increasing to 26% in fully compliant patients ( difference 98 ( 95% CI 52 - 144); p< 0.001). Global rating also significantly improved in the true diet group as a whole ( p = 0.048, NNT = 9) and even more in compliant patients ( p = 0.006, NNT = 2.5). All other outcomes showed trends favouring the true diet. Relaxing the diet led to a 24% greater deterioration in symptoms in those on the true diet ( difference 52 ( 95% CI 18 - 88); p = 0.003). Conclusion: Food elimination based on IgG antibodies may be effective in reducing IBS symptoms and is worthy of further biomedical research

Evaluating Alternate Motor Pathway Changes following a Stroke

Background: Stroke is the fifth cause of death in the United States. Not only is stroke a leading cause of death but it is also a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Long-term impairments after stroke include gait instability, upper limb paralysis, sensory deficits, pain, depression, and cognitive impairments. The most common impairment is motor paresis of the upper and lower limb. Rehabilitation remains the gold standard in addressing motor paresis with the goal of enabling subjects to regain independence and daily living skills. Strokes often impact the crossed lateral corticospinal tract, by damaging the tract or the neighboring pathways. The damage within these pathways results in motor deficits. Detailed understanding of changes to the corticospinal tract, major neuronal pathway providing voluntary motor function, after stroke has resulted in the use of targeted therapies to improve rehabilitation outcomes. Alternate motor pathways also give a significant role in stroke recovery. This may be because many of the pathways work independently or work together with the corticospinal tract to trigger motor and sensory function. The overall goal of the project was to evaluate neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration in alternate motor pathways in patients who have suffered an acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Within this study 30 subjects who have suffered an acute stroke and 10 healthy control patients will be enrolled into the study. We will conduct motor function exams and collect neuroimages at two, twelve, and twenty-four weeks after the initial stroke event in each subject. Ten healthy age-matched controls will also be enrolled for a single MRI collection visit. We collected T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). When analyzing the images we used DSI studio to shade in our regions of interest. FSL was utilized to extract integrity of evaluated tracts. Results: We observed neuroanatomical differences at the level of the cerebral peduncle and posterior limb of internal capsule in both the affected (stroke-side) and unaffected hemispheres of the brain. Our preliminary data suggests that immediately after a stroke event, minimal changes are noted that become more dramatic over time. Conclusions: Our results suggest that alternate motor pathways undergo dynamic changes post-stroke. Our pilot work has found that while the corticospinal tract remains a critical component in recovery, other pathways may also be impacted post-stroke in a time dependent manner. Future work will evaluate advanced neurite imaging modalities, like NODDI, to evaluate microstructural property changes post-stroke

Tensile properties of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA)–Tungsten Trioxide (WO3) nano composites for 3D printing process

Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) is one of the most crucial aliphatic polyesters which is considered as one of the favourable options in environmentally friendly thermoplastic polymers since it could be biodegraded in certain conditions. PLA has been extensively used in the packaging, electronic industries, and household applications. As a result, the improvement of mechanical properties of PLA is necessary, which can be achieved through heat resistant materials such as Tungsten trioxide (WO3). The objective of this research was to investigate the tensile properties of PLA-WO3. The 3D printing process was employed to fabricate PLA-WO3 (3wt% WO3) and Neat PLA (control sample). The tensile test was conducted to investigate the effect of WO3 to the PLA. The results show that the tensile properties of PLA-WO3 were improved up to 75% as compared to Neat PLA. This result shows positive indication to the PLA-WO3 for many industrial applications

Longitudinal cellular and humoral immune responses following COVID-19 BNT162b2-mRNA-based booster vaccination of craft and manual workers in Qatar

BackgroundIn March 2020, the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 prompted global vaccination campaigns to mitigate COVID-19 disease severity and mortality. The 2-dose BNT162b2-mRNA vaccine effectively reduced infection and mortality rates, however, waning vaccine effectiveness necessitated the introduction of a third vaccine dose or booster.AimTo assess the magnitude and longevity of booster-induced immunity, we conducted a longitudinal study of SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular and humoral immune responses among Qatar’s vulnerable craft and manual worker community. We also investigated the impact of prior naturally acquired immunity on booster vaccination efficacy.MethodsSeventy healthy participants were enrolled in the study, of whom half had prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Blood samples were collected before and after booster vaccination to evaluate immune responses through SARS-CoV-2 specific ELISpots, IgG ELISA, neutralization assays, and flow cytometric immunophenotyping.ResultsT cell analysis revealed increased Th1 cytokine responses, marked by enhanced IFN-γ release, in recently infected participants, which was further enhanced by booster vaccination for up to 6-months. Furthermore, booster vaccination stimulated cytotoxic responses in infection-naïve participants, characterized by granzyme B production. Both natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and booster vaccination induced robust and durable SARS-CoV-2 specific humoral immune responses, with high neutralizing antibody levels. Prior natural infection was also linked to an increased number of class-switched B cells prior to booster vaccination.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of booster vaccination in enhancing anti-viral immunity across both infection-naïve and previously infected individuals, enhancing distinct arms of the anti-viral immune response and prolonging naturally acquired immunity

Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection