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Gebretsadik GG, Abraha M, Bereket T, Hailemariam F, Gebrearegay F, Hagos T, Assefa M, Berhe K, Gebregziabher H, Adhanu AK, Haileselassie M, Gebregziabher M, Mulugeta A. Prevalence and multi-level factors associated with acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months from war affected communities of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, 2021: a cross-sectional study. Confl Health 2023; 17:10. [PMID: 36934256 PMCID: PMC10024843 DOI: 10.1186/s13031-023-00508-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Armed conflicts greatly affect the health, nutrition, and food security of conflict affected settings particularly children. However, no empirical data exist regarding context specific factors contributing towards acute malnutrition in the war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to identify individual and community level factors associated with acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months from armed conflict affected settings of Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 3,614 children aged 6-59 months in Tigray, from July 15 to Aug 15, 2021. Study participants were selected using a two-stage random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data by interviewing mothers/caregivers. Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurements were taken from upper left arm of the children using MUAC tapes. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with acute malnutrition. Adjusted Odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI were estimated to describe the strength of associations at p < 0.05. RESULTS More than half (52.5%) of the sampled children were males in sex. Immediately after the first nine months into the conflict, the prevalence of severe, moderate, and global acute malnutrition was very high (5.1%, 21.8%, and 26.9%, respectively) in Tigray. The lowest and highest burden of child acute malnutrition was reported from Mekelle zone (13.3%) and Southeastern zone (36.7%), respectively. Individual-level factors such as older child age (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.18), female child sex (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.05, 1.480.95), Vitamin-A supplementation (AOR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.65), and history of diarrhea (AOR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.53) and community-level factors like unimproved drinking water source (AOR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.58), unimproved toilet facility (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.52), and severe food insecurity (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.16. 2.07) were significantly associated with childhood acute malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS The burden of acute malnutrition is a severe public health problem in Tigray. To prevent the untimely suffering and death of children, regular nutrition screening, speedy, and appropriate referral of all malnourished children to nutritional services and large-scale humanitarian assistance including access to food; nutrition supplies; water, sanitation and hygiene supplies; and health care in a timely manner are required. In the prevailing armed conflict, these have been very difficult to achieve. Thus, immediate international intervention is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahlet Abraha
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Tedros Bereket
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Ferehiwot Hailemariam
- Department of Environmental Health and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Freweini Gebrearegay
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Tigist Hagos
- Department of Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | | | - Kidanemaryam Berhe
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Hadush Gebregziabher
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Amaha Kahsay Adhanu
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Mekonnen Haileselassie
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
| | - Mulugeta Gebregziabher
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Afework Mulugeta
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
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2
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Bein A, Fadel CW, Swenor B, Cao W, Powers RK, Camacho DM, Naziripour A, Parsons A, LoGrande N, Sharma S, Kim S, Jalili-Firoozinezhad S, Grant J, Breault DT, Iqbal J, Ali A, Denson LA, Moore SR, Prantil-Baun R, Goyal G, Ingber DE. Nutritional deficiency in an intestine-on-a-chip recapitulates injury hallmarks associated with environmental enteric dysfunction. Nat Biomed Eng 2022; 6:1236-1247. [PMID: 35739419 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00899-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED)-a chronic inflammatory condition of the intestine-is characterized by villus blunting, compromised intestinal barrier function and reduced nutrient absorption. Here we show that essential genotypic and phenotypic features of EED-associated intestinal injury can be reconstituted in a human intestine-on-a-chip lined by organoid-derived intestinal epithelial cells from patients with EED and cultured in nutrient-deficient medium lacking niacinamide and tryptophan. Exposure of the organ chip to such nutritional deficiencies resulted in congruent changes in six of the top ten upregulated genes that were comparable to changes seen in samples from patients with EED. Chips lined with healthy epithelium or with EED epithelium exposed to nutritional deficiencies resulted in severe villus blunting and barrier dysfunction, and in the impairment of fatty acid uptake and amino acid transport; and the chips with EED epithelium exhibited heightened secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The organ-chip model of EED-associated intestinal injury may facilitate the analysis of the molecular, genetic and nutritional bases of the disease and the testing of candidate therapeutics for it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Bein
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Quris Technologies, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cicely W Fadel
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ben Swenor
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wuji Cao
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rani K Powers
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Pluto Biosciences, Inc., Golden, CO, USA
| | - Diogo M Camacho
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Rheos Medicines, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Arash Naziripour
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew Parsons
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nina LoGrande
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanjay Sharma
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seongmin Kim
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sasan Jalili-Firoozinezhad
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Bioengineering and iBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jennifer Grant
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David T Breault
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junaid Iqbal
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Asad Ali
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Lee A Denson
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sean R Moore
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Rachelle Prantil-Baun
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Girija Goyal
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Donald E Ingber
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. .,Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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3
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Lee GO, Schillinger R, Shivakumar N, Whyte S, Huq S, Ochieng Konyole S, Chileshe J, Paredes-Olortegui M, Owino V, Yazbeck R, Kosek MN, Kelly P, Morrison D. Optimisation, validation and field applicability of a 13C-sucrose breath test to assess intestinal function in environmental enteropathy among children in resource poor settings: study protocol for a prospective study in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Jamaica, Peru and Zambia. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e035841. [PMID: 33203623 PMCID: PMC7674092 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Environmental enteropathy (EE) is suspected to be a cause of growth faltering in children with sustained exposure to enteric pathogens, typically in resource-limited settings. A major hindrance to EE research is the lack of sensitive, non-invasive biomarkers. Current biomarkers measure intestinal permeability and inflammation, but not the functional capacity of the gut. Australian researchers have demonstrated proof of concept for an EE breath test based on using naturally 13C-enriched sucrose, derived from maize, to assay intestinal sucrase activity, a digestive enzyme that is impaired in villus blunting. Here, we describe a coordinated research project to optimise, validate and evaluate the usability of a breath test protocol based on highly enriched 13C-sucrose to quantify physiological dysfunction in EE in relevant target populations. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We use the 13C-sucrose breath test (13C-SBT) to evaluate intestinal sucrase activity in two phases. First, an optimisation and validation phase will (1) confirm that a 13C-SBT using highly enriched sucrose tracers reports similar information to the naturally enriched 13C-SBT; (2) examine the dose-response relationship of the test to an intestinal sucrase inhibitor; (3) validate the 13C-SBT in paediatric coeliac disease (4) validate the highly enriched 13C-SBT against EE defined by biopsy in adults and (5) validate the 13C-SBT against EE defined by the urinary lactulose:rhamnose ratio (LR) among children in Peru. Second, a cross-sectional study will be conducted in six resource-limited countries (Bangladesh, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Peru and Zambia) to test the usability of the optimised 13C-SBT to assess EE among 600 children aged 12-15 months old. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical approval will be obtained from each participating study site. By working as a consortium, the test, if shown to be informative of EE, will demonstrate strong evidence for utility across diverse, low-income and middle-income country paediatric populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04109352; Pre-results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwenyth O Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Robert Schillinger
- Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Nirupama Shivakumar
- Division of Nutrition, Saint John's Research Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Sherine Whyte
- Caribbean Institute for Health Research (formerly, Tropical Medicine Research Institute), University of the West Indies at Mona, Mona, Saint Andrew, Jamaica
| | - Sayeeda Huq
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Justin Chileshe
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya
| | - Maribel Paredes-Olortegui
- Research and Development Area, Asociaciόn Benéfica Proyectos de Informática, Salud, Medicina, y Agricultura (A.B. PRISMA), Iquitos, Loreto, Peru
| | - Victor Owino
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roger Yazbeck
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Margaret N Kosek
- Research and Development Area, Asociaciόn Benéfica Proyectos de Informática, Salud, Medicina, y Agricultura (A.B. PRISMA), Iquitos, Loreto, Peru
- Division of Infectious Diseases & International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Paul Kelly
- Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine, London, UK
- Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition group, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Douglas Morrison
- Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Hinnouho GM, Wessells KR, Barffour MA, Sayasone S, Arnold CD, Kounnavong S, Hess SY. Impact of Different Strategies for Delivering Supplemental Zinc on Selected Fecal Markers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction among Young Laotian Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020; 103:1416-1426. [PMID: 32618258 PMCID: PMC7543857 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different strategies for delivering supplemental zinc on fecal myeloperoxidase (MPO), neopterin (NEO), and calprotectin (CAL) among young Laotian children. In a double-blind controlled trial, children aged 6-23 months were randomized to receive either daily preventive zinc (PZ) tablets (7 mg/day), daily micronutrient powder (MNP; containing 10 mg zinc and 14 other micronutrients), therapeutic zinc (TZ) supplements for diarrhea treatment (20 mg/day for 10 days), or daily placebo powder and followed for ∼36 weeks. Stool samples were collected at baseline and endline. Fecal MPO, NEO, and CAL concentrations were determined in a randomly selected subsample of 720 children using commercially available ELISA kits. At baseline, the mean age was 14.1 ± 4.9 months and prevalence of stunting was 39%. The endline prevalence of stunting was 43%; there was no overall treatment effect on physical growth in the parent trial. At endline, the mean (95% CI) MPO in the PZ group was 1,590 [1,396; 1,811] ng/mL and did not differ from that in the MNP (1,633 [1,434; 1,859] ng/mL), TZ (1,749 [1,535; 1,992] ng/mL), and control (1,612 [1,415; 1,836] ng/mL) groups (P = 0.749). Similarly, there was no overall treatment effect on NEO and CAL concentrations (P = 0.226 and 0.229, respectively). In this population, the provision of PZ or TZ supplements or MNP had no impact on growth or environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) as assessed by fecal MPO, NEO, and CAL. Additional research is needed to better understand the etiology and proposed mechanisms of EED pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy-Marino Hinnouho
- Helen Keller International, Washington, District of Columbia.,Department of Nutrition, Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - K Ryan Wessells
- Department of Nutrition, Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - Maxwell A Barffour
- Public Health Program, College of Health and Human Services, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri.,Department of Nutrition, Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - Somphou Sayasone
- Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Charles D Arnold
- Department of Nutrition, Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - Sengchanh Kounnavong
- Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Sonja Y Hess
- Department of Nutrition, Institute for Global Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
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Lauer JM, Duggan CP, Ausman LM, Griffiths JK, Webb P, Bashaasha B, Agaba E, Turyashemererwa FM, Ghosh S. Unsafe Drinking Water Is Associated with Environmental Enteric Dysfunction and Poor Growth Outcomes in Young Children in Rural Southwestern Uganda. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019; 99:1606-1612. [PMID: 30350765 PMCID: PMC6283503 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a subclinical disorder of the small intestine, and poor growth are associated with living in poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions, but specific risk factors remain unclear. Nested within a birth cohort study, this study investigates relationships among water quality, EED, and growth in 385 children living in southwestern Uganda. Water quality was assessed using a portable water quality test when children were 6 months, and safe water was defined as lacking Escherichia coli contamination. Environmental enteric dysfunction was assessed using the lactulose:mannitol (L:M) test at 12-16 months. Anthropometry and covariate data were extracted from the cohort study, and associations were assessed using linear and logistic regression models. Less than half of the households (43.8%) had safe water, and safe versus unsafe water did not correlate with improved versus unimproved water source. In adjusted linear regression models, children from households with safe water had significantly lower log-transformed (ln) L:M ratios (β: -0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.44, -0.00) and significantly higher length-for-age (β: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.58) and weight-for-age (β: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.34) Z-scores at 12-16 months. Furthermore, in adjusted linear regression models, ln L:M ratios at 12-16 months significantly decreased with increasing length-for-age Z-scores at birth, 6 months, and 9 months (β: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.10, -0.004; β: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.006; and β: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.09, -0.005, respectively). Overall, our data suggest that programs seeking to improve nutrition should address poor WASH conditions simultaneously, particularly related to household drinking water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Lauer
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Christopher P Duggan
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lynne M Ausman
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.,Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jeffrey K Griffiths
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University School of Engineering, Medford, Massachusetts.,Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Patrick Webb
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.,Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bernard Bashaasha
- Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Edgar Agaba
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Shibani Ghosh
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.,Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
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6
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Gizaw Z, Worku A. Effects of single and combined water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions on nutritional status of children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ital J Pediatr 2019; 45:77. [PMID: 31272479 PMCID: PMC6610930 DOI: 10.1186/s13052-019-0666-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Under nutrition is linked with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) condition. However, there is conflicting evidence on the effect of WASH on nutritional status of children. This review was, therefore, conducted to estimate the pooled effect of WASH interventions on child under nutrition. Methods All published and unpublished cluster-randomized, non-randomized controlled trials, and before and after intervention studies conducted in developing countries were included. Relevant articles were searched from MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Collaboration’s database, Web of Science, WHO Global Health Library, Google Scholar, Worldcat and ProQuest electronic databases. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using JBI critical appraisal checklist for randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials. The treatment effect was expressed as standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results This meta-analysis of 10 studies including 16,473 children (7776 in the intervention and 8687 in the control group) indicated that WASH interventions significantly associated with increased pooled mean height-for-age-z-score (SMD = 0.14, 95% CI = (0.09, 0.19); I2 = 39.3%]. The effect of WASH on HAZ was heterogeneous in age and types of interventions. WASH intervention had more effect on HAZ among under two children [SMD = 0.20, 95% CI = (0.11, 0.29); I2 = 37%]. Children who received combined WASH interventions grew better compared with children who received single interventions [SMD = 0.15, 95% CI = (0.09, 0.20); I2 = 43.8%]. Conclusion WASH interventions were significantly associated with increased mean height-for-age-z score in under 5 years old children. The effect of WASH on linear growth is markedly different with age and types of interventions, either single or combined. Implementing combined WASH interventions has a paramount benefit to improve nutritional status of children. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13052-019-0666-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zemichael Gizaw
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
| | - Alemayehu Worku
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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7
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Fahim SM, Das S, Gazi MA, Mahfuz M, Ahmed T. Association of intestinal pathogens with faecal markers of environmental enteric dysfunction among slum-dwelling children in the first 2 years of life in Bangladesh. Trop Med Int Health 2018; 23:1242-1250. [PMID: 30133067 PMCID: PMC6282798 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) can be assessed by faecal biomarkers such as Myeloperoxidase (MPO), Neopterin (NEO) and Alpha-1 anti-trypsin (AAT). We aimed to test the association of intestinal pathogens with faecal markers of EED among slum-dwelling children in first 2 years of life. METHODS The MAL-ED birth cohort data of Bangladesh site were used to conduct this analysis. Multivariable analyses using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were performed to test the association between intestinal pathogens and faecal markers of EED. RESULTS Giardiasis, ascariasis and trichuriasis were the most frequent parasitic infections and Campylobacter spp., Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) were the common bacterial pathogens observed in stool samples of the children. Overall, 71%, 97% and 58% of stool samples were above values considered normal in non-tropical settings for MPO, NEO and AAT respectively. Giardiasis was found to be significantly associated with MPO (Coefficient = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.15, 0.95; P-value = 0.008) and AAT concentrations (Coefficient = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.63; P-value = 0.03). A significant association was found between trichuriasis and NEO (Coefficient = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.19, 1.61; P-value = 0.01). Trichuriasis (Coefficient = 1.71; 95% CI = 0.32, 3.11; P-value = 0.02) and giardiasis (Coefficient = 1.51; 95% CI = 0.79, 2.23; P-value <0.001) were significantly associated with EED score. Children with EAEC had significantly higher MPO concentrations (Coefficient = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.06, 0.61; P-value = 0.02). CONCLUSION The study results imply the importance of intestinal pathogens in contributing to intestinal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subhasish Das
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Amran Gazi
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mustafa Mahfuz
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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8
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Fahim SM, Das S, Sanin KI, Gazi MA, Mahfuz M, Islam MM, Ahmed T. Association of Fecal Markers of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction with Zinc and Iron Status among Children at First Two Years of Life in Bangladesh. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018; 99:489-494. [PMID: 29893201 PMCID: PMC6090336 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) causes gut inflammation and increased intestinal permeability leading to deficiencies in micronutrients such as zinc and iron. Fecal markers such as myeloperoxidase (MPO), neopterin (NEO), and alpha-1-anti-trypsin (AAT) can predict EED. The aim of this study was to examine the association between fecal markers of EED with zinc and iron status among children at first 2 years of life. Malnutrition and Enteric Disease Study Bangladeshi birth cohort data were used to conduct this analysis. Multivariable analyses using generalized estimating equations were performed to test the association between individual fecal markers with zinc or iron status of the children. A total of 265 children were enrolled in the study (male:female = 1:1). Of the 627 stool samples collected (N = 222 children), 535, 511, and 577 were accompanied by zinc, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor values, respectively. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) values of AAT, MPO, and NEO were 0.33 (0.18-0.62) mg/g, 3,895.42 (1,563.76-8,432.82) ng/mL, and 890.81 (331.57-2,089.04) nmol/L, respectively. Overall, 60%, 71%, and 97% of samples were above the values considered normal in nontropical settings for AAT, MPO, and NEO, respectively. High AAT levels were significantly associated with low ferritin values after adjusting for age and gender (coefficient = -5.85; 95% confidence interval = -11.23 to -0.47; P value = 0.03). No such association was found between AAT and plasma zinc status. Myeloperoxidase and NEO were not associated with plasma zinc or iron status. The study results imply the importance of enteric protein loss in contributing to reduced ferritin levels at first 2 years of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shah Mohammad Fahim
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Subhasish Das
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kazi Istiaque Sanin
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Amran Gazi
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mustafa Mahfuz
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - M. Munirul Islam
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Vaz Nery S, Bennett I, Clarke NE, Lin A, Rahman Z, Rahman M, Clements ACA. Characterisation of environmental enteropathy biomarkers and associated risk factors in children in the context of a WASH trial in Timor-Leste. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2018; 221:901-906. [PMID: 29891218 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enteropathy (EE) is characterised by subclinical inflammation and hyperpermeability of the small intestine, hypothesised to be caused by recurrent ingestion of faecal bacteria. It has been suggested that EE may be a contributor to malnutrition and growth delays seen in children living in unsanitary conditions. We measured putative faecal EE markers myeloperoxidase (MPO) (ng/mL) and alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) (mg/g) in stool samples collected from 133 children aged 1-5 years in 16 communities enrolled in the WASH for WORMS randomised controlled trial in Timor-Leste. Samples were collected two years after a community-wide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) intervention that was integrated with regular deworming. Mixed effects multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the impact of the study intervention and of various WASH and infection-related factors on EE biomarkers. Children who lived in communities that received both the WASH intervention and deworming had similar AAT values as those who lived in communities that received only deworming (regression coefficient -0.14, p = 0.583), but they had a trend towards lower MPO values (coeff -0.51, p = 0.055). Younger children showed significantly higher MPO levels (coeff: -0.29, p = 0.002). No WASH variables or parasitic infections were associated with AAT levels. Household water being stored in covered containers was associated with lower MPO levels (coeff -1.75, p = 0.046). We found little evidence that a community-based WASH intervention had an impact on EE over a two-year period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Vaz Nery
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
| | - Isaac Bennett
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Naomi E Clarke
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Audrie Lin
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Ziaur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mahbubur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Archie C A Clements
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Birth Size, Stunting and Recovery from Stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India: Evidence from the Young Lives Study. Matern Child Health J 2018; 21:492-508. [PMID: 27456305 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-016-2132-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Few Indian studies have examined the relationship between birth size and stunting in children. Studies on recovery from stunting in India are even fewer. This study, thus, investigates the relationship between birth size and stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India. This study further examines the factors associated with recovery from stunting using a longitudinal data. Methods We used data from the three waves of Young Lives Study (YLS) conducted in Andhra Pradesh in the years 2002, 2006-2007, and 2009 respectively. We used data from 1965 children in wave 1 to examine the association between birth size and stunting. For examining the factors associated with recovery from stunting between 1 and 5 years of age, and between 5 and 8 years, we use data from 582 and 670 children who were stunted at age 1 and age 5 respectively. We use multivariable logistic regression models to fulfil the objectives of the paper. Results The children who were of average- or large- size at birth were significantly less likely to be stunted than children who were of small size at birth (OR 0.61 and 0.47 respectively). Children of average/tall mothers were 0.41 times less likely to be stunted than children of shorter mothers. Severely stunted children were less likely than other stunted children to recover from stunting between 1 and 5 years of age, and between 5 and 8 years. Mother's height was statistically associated with recovery. Change in wealth status of the household was statistically associated with recovery between 1 and 5 years of age. In comparison, child immunization was associated with recovery between 5 and 8 years. Conclusions for Practice This study contributes to the understanding of the impact of birth size on childhood stunting, and to the extent of recovery from stunting in India. Further follow-up is necessary to demonstrate the impact during adolescence and adulthood.
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11
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Slavik T, Lauwers GY. Navigating the jungles of tropical infectious gastrointestinal pathology: a pattern-based approach to the endoscopic biopsy. Virchows Arch 2018; 472:135-147. [PMID: 28589386 PMCID: PMC7087759 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-017-2166-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
International travels and global human migration have had the unforeseen consequence of increasing the exposure of histopathologists in developed countries to the pathology of tropical infectious disease. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is often the primary site of infection due to the faecal-oral route of transmission and the high risk of exposure to contaminated water, food or soil when travelling to these regions. Whilst current microbiologic techniques are far more sensitive than histology in detecting infectious pathogens, the histopathologist nonetheless retains a pivotal role in diagnosing tropical GIT disease. This role entails evaluating endoscopic biopsies for any characteristic inflammatory pattern, identifying pathogens which may be present and excluding other look-alike pathologies. Recent advances in commercially available diagnostic modalities, including molecular techniques, have further broadened the scope of the histopathologist's armamentarium. This review outlines a practical pattern-based approach to diagnosing tropical GIT infections in endoscopic material, so as to assist pathologists less familiar with this spectrum of pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Slavik
- Ampath Pathology Laboratories, Pretoria, South Africa.
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
- , Private Bag X9, Highveld Park, Centurion, Pretoria, 0067, South Africa.
| | - Gregory Y Lauwers
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
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12
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George CM, Burrowes V, Perin J, Oldja L, Biswas S, Sack D, Ahmed S, Haque R, Bhuiyan NA, Parvin T, Bhuyian SI, Akter M, Li S, Natarajan G, Shahnaij M, Faruque AG, Stine OC. Enteric Infections in Young Children are Associated with Environmental Enteropathy and Impaired Growth. Trop Med Int Health 2017; 23:26-33. [PMID: 29121442 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between faecal contamination in child play spaces, enteric infections, environmental enteropathy (EE) and impaired growth among young children. METHODS A prospective cohort study was conducted of 203 children 6-30 months of age in rural Bangladesh. Stool samples were analysed by quantitative PCR for Shigella, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Campylobacter jejuni, Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. Four faecal markers of intestinal inflammation were also measured: alpha-1-antitrypsin, myeloperoxidase, neopterin and calprotectin. Child growth was measured at baseline and 9 months after enrolment. E. coli was measured in soil in child play spaces. RESULTS Forty-seven percent of study children had three or more enteric pathogens in their stool. Thirty five percent (71/203) of children had Shigella, 30% (61/203) had ETEC, 73% (148/203) had C. jejuni, 79% (160/203) had Giardia intestinalis and none had Cryptosporidium. Children with ETEC had significantly higher calprotectin concentrations (Coefficient: 1.35, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.005, 1.82). Children with Shigella had a significantly higher odds of being stunted at our 9-month follow-up (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.93). Children with Giardia intestinalis had significantly higher E.coli counts in the soil collected from their play spaces (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.48). CONCLUSION Enteric infections were significantly associated with EE and impaired growth in rural Bangladesh. These findings provide further evidence to support the hypothesis that contaminated soil in child play spaces can lead to enteric infections, many of which are likely subclinical, resulting in EE and impaired growth in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Marie George
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vanessa Burrowes
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jamie Perin
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lauren Oldja
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shwapon Biswas
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.,Department of Internal Medicine, Rangpur Medical College Hospital, Rangpur, Bangladesh
| | - David Sack
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shahnawaz Ahmed
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rashidul Haque
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Nurul Amin Bhuiyan
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmina Parvin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Mahmuda Akter
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shan Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Gayathri Natarajan
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mohammad Shahnaij
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Abu G Faruque
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - O Colin Stine
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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13
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Cumming O, Cairncross S. Can water, sanitation and hygiene help eliminate stunting? Current evidence and policy implications. MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION 2017; 12 Suppl 1:91-105. [PMID: 27187910 PMCID: PMC5084825 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Stunting is a complex and enduring challenge with far‐reaching consequences for those affected and society as a whole. To accelerate progress in eliminating stunting, broader efforts are needed that reach beyond the nutrition sector to tackle the underlying determinants of undernutrition. There is growing interest in how water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions might support strategies to reduce stunting in high‐burden settings, such as South Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa. This review article considers two broad questions: (1) can WASH interventions make a significant contribution to reducing the global prevalence of childhood stunting, and (2) how can WASH interventions be delivered to optimize their effect on stunting and accelerate progress? The evidence reviewed suggests that poor WASH conditions have a significant detrimental effect on child growth and development resulting from sustained exposure to enteric pathogens but also due to wider social and economic mechanisms. Realizing the potential of WASH to reduce stunting requires a redoubling of efforts to achieve universal access to these services as envisaged under the Sustainable Development Goals. It may also require new or modified WASH strategies that go beyond the scope of traditional interventions to specifically address exposure pathways in the first 2 years of life when the process of stunting is concentrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Cumming
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Sandy Cairncross
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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14
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Fernández-Bañares F, Accarino A, Balboa A, Domènech E, Esteve M, Garcia-Planella E, Guardiola J, Molero X, Rodríguez-Luna A, Ruiz-Cerulla A, Santos J, Vaquero E. Diarrea crónica: definición, clasificación y diagnóstico. GASTROENTEROLOGIA Y HEPATOLOGIA 2016; 39:535-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gastrohep.2015.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Revised: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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15
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Humphrey JH, Jones AD, Manges A, Mangwadu G, Maluccio JA, Mbuya MNN, Moulton LH, Ntozini R, Prendergast AJ, Stoltzfus RJ, Tielsch JM. The Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) Trial: Rationale, Design, and Methods. Clin Infect Dis 2016; 61 Suppl 7:S685-702. [PMID: 26602296 PMCID: PMC4657589 DOI: 10.1093/cid/civ844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Child stunting and anemia are intractable public health problems in developing countries and have profound short- and long-term consequences. The Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial is motivated by the premise that environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a major underlying cause of both stunting and anemia, that chronic inflammation is the central characteristic of EED mediating these adverse effects, and that EED is primarily caused by high fecal ingestion due to living in conditions of poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). SHINE is a proof-of-concept, 2 × 2 factorial, cluster-randomized, community-based trial in 2 rural districts of Zimbabwe that will test the independent and combined effects of protecting babies from fecal ingestion (factor 1, operationalized through a WASH intervention) and optimizing nutritional adequacy of infant diet (factor 2, operationalized through an infant and young child feeding [IYCF] intervention) on length and hemoglobin at 18 months of age. Within SHINE we will measure 2 causal pathways. The program impact pathway comprises the series of processes and behaviors linking implementation of the interventions with the 2 child health primary outcomes; it will be modeled using measures of fidelity of intervention delivery and household uptake of promoted behaviors and practices. We will also measure a range of household and individual characteristics, social interactions, and maternal capabilities for childcare, which we hypothesize will explain heterogeneity along these pathways. The biomedical pathway comprises the infant biologic responses to the WASH and IYCF interventions that ultimately result in attained stature and hemoglobin concentration at 18 months of age; it will be elucidated by measuring biomarkers of intestinal structure and function (inflammation, regeneration, absorption, and permeability); microbial translocation; systemic inflammation; and hormonal determinants of growth and anemia among a subgroup of infants enrolled in an EED substudy. This article describes the rationale, design, and methods underlying the SHINE trial. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT01824940.
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16
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Isaac R, Paul B, Geethanajali FS, Kang G, Wanke C. Role of intestinal dysfunction in the nutritional compromise seen in human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults in rural India. Trop Doct 2016; 47:44-48. [PMID: 26809467 DOI: 10.1177/0049475515626338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression is often marked by significant weight loss with or without chronic diarrhoea. We studied the extent of intestinal dysfunction using a D-xylose absorption test and association with nutritional compromise as measured by body mass index (BMI) and serum antioxidants levels in HIV-infected individuals through a cross-sectional survey of 45 ART naïve, HIV-positive and 45, age-socioeconomic status matched negative controls in a rural population in India. More than 40% of HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants had intestinal dysfunction (42.2% vs. 44.4%). However an increasing gradient of low D-xylose absorption was noted with decreasing CD4 counts (32%, 50% and 58.3% among those with >350, 200-350 and <200 cells/mm3, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between intestinal dysfunction and low BMI (P = 0.03) independent of HIV infection and calorie intake per day (P = 0.02). Weight loss in HIV-infected individuals should be investigated for intestinal dysfunction especially in low resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Isaac
- Associate Professor, RUHSA Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Biswajit Paul
- Associate Professor, RUHSA Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - F S Geethanajali
- Professor, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Gagandeep Kang
- Professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Christine Wanke
- Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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17
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Mbuya MNN, Humphrey JH. Preventing environmental enteric dysfunction through improved water, sanitation and hygiene: an opportunity for stunting reduction in developing countries. MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION 2015; 12 Suppl 1:106-20. [PMID: 26542185 PMCID: PMC5019251 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In 2011, one in every four (26%) children under 5 years of age worldwide was stunted. The realization that most stunting cannot be explained by poor diet or by diarrhoea, nor completely reversed by optimized diet and reduced diarrhoea has led to the hypothesis that a primary underlying cause of stunting is subclinical gut disease. Essentially, ingested microbes set in motion two overlapping and interacting pathways that result in linear growth impairment. Firstly, partial villous atrophy results in a reduced absorptive surface area and loss of digestive enzymes. This in turn results in maldigestion and malabsorption of much needed nutrients. Secondly, microbes and their products make the gut leaky, allowing luminal contents to translocate into systemic circulation. This creates a condition of chronic immune activation, which (i) diverts nutrient resources towards the metabolically expensive business of infection fighting rather than growth; (ii) suppresses the growth hormone‐IGF axis and inhibits bone growth, leading to growth impairment; and (iii) causes further damage to the intestinal mucosa thereby exacerbating the problem. As such, the unhygienic environments in which infants and young children live and grow must contribute to, if not be the overriding cause of, this environmental enteric dysfunction. We suggest that a package of baby‐WASH interventions (sanitation and water improvement, handwashing with soap, ensuring a clean play and infant feeding environment and food hygiene) that interrupt specific pathways through which feco‐oral transmission occurs in the first two years of a child's life may be central to global stunting reduction efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mduduzi N N Mbuya
- Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe.,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Jean H Humphrey
- Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research, Harare, Zimbabwe.,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
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18
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Abstract
Tropical sprue (TS) is a malabsorption syndrome of presumed infectious aetiology that affects residents of (or visitors to) the tropics. The histological changes of TS are similar to those of coeliac disease, with increased intraepithelial lymphocytes being central to both. Unlike in coeliac disease, however, a completely flat small bowel biopsy is uncommon in TS. TS typically involves the terminal ileum, whereas coeliac disease does not. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) has been defined as an increase in number and/or a change in the type of bacteria in the upper gut. Conditions that predispose to SIBO are largely those that decrease or interfere with small bowel motility. The mucosal histology is variable, and may include modest villous blunting accompanied by increased lamina propria and epithelial inflammation. Autoimmune enteropathy (AE) is a family of rare diseases that share common themes such as immunodeficiency states and autoantibodies. AE cases typically have marked villous atrophy similar to that in fully developed coeliac disease, but they lack the intense surface epithelial lymphocytosis. Apoptosis and lymphocyte infiltration at the base of the crypts, crypt abscesses and cryptitis are also seen. Patients with anti-goblet cell antibodies can have a lack of goblet cells, endocrine cells, and Paneth cells.
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19
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George CM, Oldja L, Biswas SK, Perin J, Lee GO, Ahmed S, Haque R, Sack RB, Parvin T, Azmi IJ, Bhuyian SI, Talukder KA, Faruque AG. Fecal Markers of Environmental Enteropathy are Associated with Animal Exposure and Caregiver Hygiene in Bangladesh. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015; 93:269-75. [PMID: 26055734 PMCID: PMC4530746 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Undernutrition is estimated to be an underlying cause of over half of all deaths in young children globally. There is a growing body of literature suggesting that increased exposure to enteric pathogens is responsible for environmental enteropathy (EE), a disorder associated with impaired growth in children. To determine if household unsanitary environmental conditions were significantly associated with EE and stunting in children, we conducted a cohort of 216 children (≤ 30 months) in rural Bangladesh. Stool was analyzed for four fecal markers of EE: alpha-1-antitrypsin, myeloperoxidase, and neopterin combined to form an EE disease activity score, and calprotectin. We observed a significant association between having an animal corral in a child's sleeping room and elevated EE scores (1.0 point difference, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13, 1.88) and a two times higher odds of stunting (height-for-age z-score < -2) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.08, 5.43) after adjusting for potential confounders. In addition, children of caregivers with visibly soiled hands had significantly elevated fecal calprotectin (μg/g) (384.1, 95% CI: 152.37, 615.83). These findings suggest that close contact with animals and caregiver hygiene may be important risk factors for EE in young children. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that unsanitary environmental conditions can lead to EE in susceptible pediatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Marie George
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Lauren Oldja
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shwapon K Biswas
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jamie Perin
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Gwenyth O Lee
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shahnawaz Ahmed
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rashidul Haque
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - R Bradley Sack
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmina Parvin
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ishrat J Azmi
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sazzadul Islam Bhuyian
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kaisar A Talukder
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Abu G Faruque
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
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20
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George CM, Oldja L, Biswas S, Perin J, Lee GO, Kosek M, Sack RB, Ahmed S, Haque R, Parvin T, Azmi IJ, Bhuyian SI, Talukder KA, Mohammad S, Faruque AG. Geophagy is associated with environmental enteropathy and stunting in children in rural Bangladesh. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015; 92:1117-24. [PMID: 25918214 PMCID: PMC4458812 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing body of literature indicating an association between stunting and environmental enteropathy (EE), a disorder thought to be caused by repeated exposures to enteric pathogens. To investigate the relationship between exposure to enteric pathogens through geophagy, consumption of soil, EE, and stunting, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 216 children under 5 years of age in rural Bangladesh. Geophagy was assessed at baseline using 5 hour structured observation and caregiver reports. Stool was analyzed for fecal markers of intestinal inflammation: alpha-1-antitrypsin, myeloperoxidase, neopterin (all three combined to form an EE disease activity score), and calprotectin. Eighteen percent of children had observed geophagy events by structured observation and 28% had caregiver reported events in the past week. Nearly all households had Escherichia coli (97%) in soil, and 14% had diarrheagenic E. coli. Children with caregiver-reported geophagy had significantly higher EE scores (0.72 point difference, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01, 1.42) and calprotectin concentrations (237.38 μg/g, 95% CI: 12.77, 462.00). Furthermore, at the 9-month follow-up the odds of being stunted (height-for-age z-score < -2) was double for children with caregiver-reported geophagy (odds ratio [OR]: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.14, 4.51). These findings suggest that geophagy in young children may be an important unrecognized risk factor for EE and stunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Marie George
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Lauren Oldja
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shwapon Biswas
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jamie Perin
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Gwenyth O Lee
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Margaret Kosek
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - R Bradley Sack
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shahnawaz Ahmed
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rashidul Haque
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmina Parvin
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ishrat J Azmi
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sazzadul Islam Bhuyian
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kaisar A Talukder
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shahnaij Mohammad
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Abu G Faruque
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Ngure FM, Reid BM, Humphrey JH, Mbuya MN, Pelto G, Stoltzfus RJ. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), environmental enteropathy, nutrition, and early child development: making the links. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014; 1308:118-128. [PMID: 24571214 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
There is scarce research and programmatic evidence on the effect of poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions of the physical environment on early child cognitive, sensorimotor, and socioemotional development. Furthermore, many common WASH interventions are not specifically designed to protect babies in the first 3 years of life, when gut health and linear growth are established. We review evidence linking WASH, anemia, and child growth, and highlight pathways through which WASH may affect early child development, primarily through inflammation, stunting, and anemia. Environmental enteropathy, a prevalent subclinical condition of the gut, may be a key mediating pathway linking poor hygiene to developmental deficits. Current early child development research and programs lack evidence-based interventions to provide a clean play and infant feeding environment in addition to established priorities of nutrition, stimulation, and child protection. Solutions to this problem will require appropriate behavior change and technologies that are adapted to the social and physical context and conducive to infant play and socialization. We propose the concept of baby WASH as an additional component of early childhood development programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis M Ngure
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Brianna M Reid
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Jean H Humphrey
- Zvitambo Research Trust, Harare, Zimbabwe.,Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Gretel Pelto
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
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Spears D, Ghosh A, Cumming O. Open defecation and childhood stunting in India: an ecological analysis of new data from 112 districts. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73784. [PMID: 24066070 PMCID: PMC3774764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor sanitation remains a major public health concern linked to several important health outcomes; emerging evidence indicates a link to childhood stunting. In India over half of the population defecates in the open; the prevalence of stunting remains very high. Recently published data on levels of stunting in 112 districts of India provide an opportunity to explore the relationship between levels of open defecation and stunting within this population. We conducted an ecological regression analysis to assess the association between the prevalence of open defecation and stunting after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Data from the 2011 HUNGaMA survey was used for the outcome of interest, stunting; data from the 2011 Indian Census for the same districts was used for the exposure of interest, open defecation. After adjustment for various potential confounding factors – including socio-economic status, maternal education and calorie availability – a 10 percent increase in open defecation was associated with a 0.7 percentage point increase in both stunting and severe stunting. Differences in open defecation can statistically account for 35 to 55 percent of the average difference in stunting between districts identified as low-performing and high-performing in the HUNGaMA data. In addition, using a Monte Carlo simulation, we explored the effect on statistical power of the common practice of dichotomizing continuous height data into binary stunting indicators. Our simulation showed that dichotomization of height sacrifices statistical power, suggesting that our estimate of the association between open defecation and stunting may be a lower bound. Whilst our analysis is ecological and therefore vulnerable to residual confounding, these findings use the most recently collected large-scale data from India to add to a growing body of suggestive evidence for an effect of poor sanitation on human growth. New intervention studies, currently underway, may shed more light on this important issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Spears
- Delhi School of Economics, Centre for Development Economics, New Delhi, Delhi, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Arabinda Ghosh
- Indian Administrative Service, Nadia, West Bengal, India
| | - Oliver Cumming
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Environmental Health Group, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Disease, London, United Kingdom
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Wessells KR, Hess SY, Rouamba N, Ouédraogo ZP, Kellogg M, Goto R, Duggan C, Ouédraogo JB, Brown KH. Associations between intestinal mucosal function and changes in plasma zinc concentration following zinc supplementation. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2013; 57:348-55. [PMID: 23689263 PMCID: PMC4627695 DOI: 10.1097/mpg.0b013e31829b4e9e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Subclinical environmental enteropathy is associated with malabsorption of fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins A, B12, and folate; however, little information is available on mineral absorption. We therefore investigated the relation between intestinal mucosal function (measured by the lactulose:mannitol permeability test and plasma citrulline concentration), and zinc (Zn) absorption, as estimated by the change in plasma Zn concentration (PZC) following short-term Zn or placebo supplementation. METHODS We conducted a randomized, partially masked, placebo-controlled trial among 282 apparently healthy children 6 to 23 months of age in Burkina Faso. After completing baseline intestinal function tests, participants received either 5 mg Zn, as zinc sulfate, or placebo, daily for 21 days. RESULTS At baseline, mean ± standard deviation PZC was 62.9 ± 11.9 μg/dL; median (interquartile range) urinary lactulose:mannitol (L:M) recovery ratio and plasma citrulline concentrations were 0.04 (0.03-0.07) and 11.4 (9.0-15.6) μmol/L, respectively. Change in PZC was significantly greater in the Zn-supplemented versus placebo group (15.6 ± 13.3 vs 0.02 ± 10.9 μg/dL; P < 0.0001), and was negatively associated with initial urinary L:M recovery ratio (-1.1 μg/dL per 50% increase in urinary L:M recovery ratio; P = 0.014); this latter relation did not differ between supplementation groups (P = 0.26). Baseline plasma citrulline concentration was not associated with change in PZC. CONCLUSIONS Although altered intestinal permeability may reduce dietary Zn absorption, it likely does not undermine the efficacy of Zn supplementation, given the large increases in PZC following short-term Zn supplementation observed in this study, even among those with increased urinary L:M recovery ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Ryan Wessells
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Sonja Y. Hess
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Noel Rouamba
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Mark Kellogg
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Rie Goto
- Division of Biological Anthropology, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christopher Duggan
- Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - Kenneth H. Brown
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
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Arnold BF, Null C, Luby SP, Unicomb L, Stewart CP, Dewey KG, Ahmed T, Ashraf S, Christensen G, Clasen T, Dentz HN, Fernald LCH, Haque R, Hubbard AE, Kariger P, Leontsini E, Lin A, Njenga SM, Pickering AJ, Ram PK, Tofail F, Winch PJ, Colford JM. Cluster-randomised controlled trials of individual and combined water, sanitation, hygiene and nutritional interventions in rural Bangladesh and Kenya: the WASH Benefits study design and rationale. BMJ Open 2013; 3:e003476. [PMID: 23996605 PMCID: PMC3758977 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Enteric infections are common during the first years of life in low-income countries and contribute to growth faltering with long-term impairment of health and development. Water quality, sanitation, handwashing and nutritional interventions can independently reduce enteric infections and growth faltering. There is little evidence that directly compares the effects of these individual and combined interventions on diarrhoea and growth when delivered to infants and young children. The objective of the WASH Benefits study is to help fill this knowledge gap. METHODS AND ANALYSIS WASH Benefits includes two cluster-randomised trials to assess improvements in water quality, sanitation, handwashing and child nutrition-alone and in combination-to rural households with pregnant women in Kenya and Bangladesh. Geographically matched clusters (groups of household compounds in Bangladesh and villages in Kenya) will be randomised to one of six intervention arms or control. Intervention arms include water quality, sanitation, handwashing, nutrition, combined water+sanitation+handwashing (WSH) and WSH+nutrition. The studies will enrol newborn children (N=5760 in Bangladesh and N=8000 in Kenya) and measure outcomes at 12 and 24 months after intervention delivery. Primary outcomes include child length-for-age Z-scores and caregiver-reported diarrhoea. Secondary outcomes include stunting prevalence, markers of environmental enteropathy and child development scores (verbal, motor and personal/social). We will estimate unadjusted and adjusted intention-to-treat effects using semiparametric estimators and permutation tests. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Study protocols have been reviewed and approved by human subjects review boards at the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, and Innovations for Poverty Action. Independent data safety monitoring boards in each country oversee the trials. This study is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of California, Berkeley. REGISTRATION Trial registration identifiers (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov): NCT01590095 (Bangladesh), NCT01704105 (Kenya).
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin F Arnold
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Clair Null
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Innovations for Poverty Action, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Stephen P Luby
- Centre for Communicable Diseases, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Leanne Unicomb
- Centre for Communicable Diseases, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Christine P Stewart
- Program in International and Community Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Kathryn G Dewey
- Program in International and Community Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Tahmeed Ahmed
- Centre for Nutrition & Food Security, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- BRAC University, James P Grant School of Public Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sania Ashraf
- Centre for Communicable Diseases, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Garret Christensen
- Innovations for Poverty Action, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Economics, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Thomas Clasen
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Holly N Dentz
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Innovations for Poverty Action, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lia C H Fernald
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Rashidul Haque
- Centre for Communicable Diseases, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Centre for Communicable Diseases and Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Alan E Hubbard
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Patricia Kariger
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Elli Leontsini
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Audrie Lin
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Sammy M Njenga
- Eastern & Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Amy J Pickering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Pavani K Ram
- School of Public Health and Health Professions, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Fahmida Tofail
- Centre for Nutrition & Food Security, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Peter J Winch
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - John M Colford
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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Lin A, Arnold BF, Afreen S, Goto R, Huda TMN, Haque R, Raqib R, Unicomb L, Ahmed T, Colford JM, Luby SP. Household environmental conditions are associated with enteropathy and impaired growth in rural Bangladesh. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013; 89:130-137. [PMID: 23629931 PMCID: PMC3748469 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.12-0629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We assessed the relationship of fecal environmental contamination and environmental enteropathy. We compared markers of environmental enteropathy, parasite burden, and growth in 119 Bangladeshi children (≤ 48 months of age) across rural Bangladesh living in different levels of household environmental cleanliness defined by objective indicators of water quality and sanitary and hand-washing infrastructure. Adjusted for potential confounding characteristics, children from clean households had 0.54 SDs (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06, 1.01) higher height-for-age z scores (HAZs), 0.32 SDs (95% CI = -0.72, 0.08) lower lactulose:mannitol (L:M) ratios in urine, and 0.24 SDs (95% CI = -0.63, 0.16) lower immunoglobulin G endotoxin core antibody (IgG EndoCAb) titers than children from contaminated households. After adjusting for age and sex, a 1-unit increase in the ln L:M was associated with a 0.33 SDs decrease in HAZ (95% CI = -0.62, -0.05). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that environmental contamination causes growth faltering mediated through environmental enteropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrie Lin
- *Address correspondence to Audrie Lin, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall, #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720. E-mail:
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van der Merwe LF, Moore SE, Fulford AJ, Halliday KE, Drammeh S, Young S, Prentice AM. Long-chain PUFA supplementation in rural African infants: a randomized controlled trial of effects on gut integrity, growth, and cognitive development. Am J Clin Nutr 2013; 97:45-57. [PMID: 23221579 PMCID: PMC3522138 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.112.042267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intestinal damage and malabsorption caused by chronic environmental enteropathy are associated with growth faltering seen in infants in less-developed countries. Evidence has suggested that supplementary omega-3 (n-3) long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) might ameliorate this damage by reducing gastrointestinal inflammation. LC-PUFA supplementation may also benefit cognitive development. OBJECTIVE We tested whether early n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation improves infant intestinal integrity, growth, and cognitive function. DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial [200 mg DHA and 300 mg EPA or 2 mL olive oil/d for 6 mo] was conducted in a population of 172 rural Gambian infants aged 3-9 mo. The primary endpoints were anthropometric measures and gut integrity [assessed by using urinary lactulose:mannitol ratios (LMRs)]. Plasma fatty acid status, intestinal mucosal inflammation (fecal calprotectin), daily morbidity, and cognitive development (2-step means-end test and an attention assessment) were secondary endpoints. RESULTS PUFA supplementation resulted in a significant increase in plasma n-3 LC-PUFA concentrations (P < 0.001 for both DHA and EPA) and midupper arm circumference (MUAC) (effect size: 0.31 z scores; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.56; P = 0.017) at 9 mo of age. At 12 mo, MUAC remained greater in the intervention group, and we observed significant increases in skinfold thicknesses (P ≤ 0.022 for all). No other significant differences between treatment groups were detected for growth or LMRs at 9 mo or for secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Fish-oil supplementation successfully increased plasma n-3 fatty acid status. However, in young, breastfed Gambian infants, the intervention failed to improve linear growth, intestinal integrity, morbidity, or selected measures of cognitive development. The trial was registered at www.isrctn.org as ISRCTN66645725.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liandré F van der Merwe
- Medical Research Council International Nutrition Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Dewey KG, Mayers DR. Early child growth: how do nutrition and infection interact? MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2011; 7 Suppl 3:129-42. [PMID: 21929641 PMCID: PMC6860756 DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00357.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that the relationship between child nutrition and infection is bidirectional, i.e. frequent illness can impair nutritional status and poor nutrition can increase the risk of infection. What is less clear is whether infection reduces the effectiveness of nutrition interventions or, vice versa, whether malnutrition lessens the impact of infection control strategies. The objective of this paper is to review the evidence regarding this interaction between nutrition and infection with respect to child growth in low-income populations. Even when there are no obvious symptoms, physiological conditions associated with infections can impair growth by suppressing appetite, impairing absorption of nutrients, increasing nutrient losses and diverting nutrients away from growth. However, there is little direct evidence that nutrition interventions are less effective when infection is common; more research is needed on this question. On the other hand, evidence from four intervention trials suggests that the adverse effects of certain infections (e.g. diarrhoea) on growth can be reduced or eliminated by improving nutrition. Interventions that combine improved nutrition with prevention and control of infections are likely to be most effective for enhancing child growth and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn G Dewey
- Department of Nutrition and Program in International and Community Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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Ueno PM, Oriá RB, Maier EA, Guedes M, de Azevedo OG, Wu D, Willson T, Hogan SP, Lima AAM, Guerrant RL, Polk DB, Denson LA, Moore SR. Alanyl-glutamine promotes intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis in vitro and in a murine model of weanling undernutrition. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2011; 301:G612-22. [PMID: 21799183 PMCID: PMC3191556 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00531.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Alanyl-glutamine (Ala-Gln) has recently been shown to enhance catch-up growth and gut integrity in undernourished children from Northeast Brazil. We hypothesized that the intestinal epithelial effects of Ala-Gln in malnourished weanling mice and mouse small intestinal epithelial (MSIE) cells would include modulation of barrier function, proliferation, and apoptosis. Dams of 10-day-old suckling C57BL/6 pups were randomized to a standard diet or an isocaloric Northeast Brazil "regional basic diet," moderately deficient in protein, fat, and minerals. Upon weaning to their dam's diet on day of life 21, pups were randomized to Ala-Gln solution or water. At 6 wk of age, mice were killed, and jejunal tissue was collected for morphology, immunohistochemistry, and Ussing chamber analysis of transmucosal resistance and permeability. Proliferation of MSIE cells in the presence or absence of Ala-Gln was measured by MTS and bromodeoxyuridine assays. MSIE apoptosis was assessed by annexin and 7-amino-actinomycin D staining. Pups of regional basic diet-fed dams exhibited failure to thrive. Jejunal specimens from undernourished weanlings showed decreased villous height and crypt depth, decreased transmucosal resistance, increased permeability to FITC-dextran, increased claudin-3 expression, and decreased epithelial proliferation and increased epithelial apoptosis (as measured by bromodeoxyuridine and cleaved caspase-3 staining, respectively). Undernourished weanlings supplemented with Ala-Gln showed improvements in weight velocity, villous height, crypt depth, transmucosal resistance, and epithelial proliferation/apoptosis compared with unsupplemented controls. Similarly, Ala-Gln increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis in MSIE cells. In summary, Ala-Gln promotes intestinal epithelial homeostasis in a mouse model of malnutrition-associated enteropathy, mimicking key features of the human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla M. Ueno
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | | | - Elizabeth A. Maier
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | - Marjorie Guedes
- 3Institute of Biomedicine, Federal University of Ceará, Ceará, Brazil;
| | | | - David Wu
- 4Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | - Tara Willson
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | - Simon P. Hogan
- 4Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | - Aldo A. M. Lima
- 3Institute of Biomedicine, Federal University of Ceará, Ceará, Brazil;
| | - Richard L. Guerrant
- 5Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; and
| | - D. Brent Polk
- 6Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Lee A. Denson
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
| | - Sean R. Moore
- 1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
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Abstract
Recently, there has been strong interest in the therapeutic potential of probiotics for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At the same time, there is a rapidly growing body of evidence to support an etiological role for gastrointestinal infection and the associated immune activation in the development of post-infectious IBS. In a more controversial area, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth has been associated with a subset of patients with IBS; the issue of whether it is appropriate to treat a subset of IBS patients with antibiotics and probiotics is currently a matter for debate. Thus, it appears that the gastrointestinal microbial flora may exert beneficial effects for symptoms of IBS under some circumstances, while in other situations gut microbes could give rise to symptoms of IBS. How do we make sense of the apparently diverse roles that 'bugs' may play in IBS? To address this question, we have conducted an in-depth review, attempting where possible to draw lessons from Asian studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uday C Ghoshal
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean H Humphrey
- Center for Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; ZVITAMBO project, Harare, Zimbabwe.
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Ritchie BK, Brewster DR, Davidson GP, Tran CD, McNeil Y, Hawkes JS, Butler RN. 13C-sucrose breath test: novel use of a noninvasive biomarker of environmental gut health. Pediatrics 2009; 124:620-6. [PMID: 19581263 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-2257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Environmental enteropathy syndrome may compromise growth and predispose to infectious diseases in children in the developing world, including Australian Aboriginal children from remote communities of the Northern Territory. In this study, we described the use of a biomarker (13)C-sucrose breath test (SBT) to measure enterocyte sucrase activity as a marker of small intestinal villus integrity and function. METHODS This was a hospital-based prospective case-control study of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children with and without acute diarrheal disease. Using the SBT, we compared 36 Aboriginal case subjects admitted to a hospital (18 diarrheal and 18 nondiarrheal disease), with 7 healthy non-Aboriginal control subjects. Intestinal permeability using the lactulose/rhamnose (L/R) ratio on a timed 90-minute blood test was performed simultaneously with the SBT. The SBT results are expressed as a cumulative percentage of the dose recovered at 90 minutes. RESULTS Aboriginal children with acute diarrheal disease have a significantly decreased absorptive capacity, as determined by the SBT, with a mean of 1.9% compared with either Aboriginal children without diarrhea (4.1%) or non-Aboriginal (6.1%) control subjects. The mean L/R ratio in the diarrhea group was 31.8 compared with 11.4 in Aboriginal children without diarrhea. There was a significant inverse correlation between the SBT and the L/R ratio. CONCLUSIONS The SBT was able to discriminate among Aboriginal children with diarrhea, asymptomatic Aboriginal children with an underlying environmental enteropathy, and healthy non-Aboriginal controls. This test provides a noninvasive, easy-to-use, integrated marker of the absorptive capacity and integrity of the small intestine and could be a valuable tool in evaluating the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving gut health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett K Ritchie
- aInfectious Diseases Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Abstract
There is limited data on the human mucosal immune response to geohelminths, but extensive data from experimental animals. Geohelminth infections may modulate mucosal immunity with effects on parasite expulsion or persistence and mucosal inflammation. Geohelminths are considered to have important effects on immunity to mucosal vaccines, infectious disease susceptibility, and anti-inflammatory effects in inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. This review will discuss the findings of studies of human immunity to geohelminths and their potential effects on non-parasite mucosal immune responses. Such effects are likely to be of public health importance in middle- and low-income countries where these parasites are endemic. There is a need for human studies on the effects of geohelminth infections on mucosal immunity and the potential for anthelmintic treatment to modify these effects. Such studies are likely to provide important insights into the regulation of mucosal immunity and inflammation, and the development of more effective mucosal vaccines.
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Bickler SW, DeMaio A. Western diseases: current concepts and implications for pediatric surgery research and practice. Pediatr Surg Int 2008; 24:251-5. [PMID: 18087704 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-007-2095-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2007] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The term "Western diseases" refers to those conditions that are rare or absent in underdeveloped areas of the Third World and increase in frequency with adoptions of Western customs. In adults, they include such common conditions as coronary artery disease, essential hypertension, appendicitis, cholesterol gall stones, and colon cancer. The best examples of Western diseases in the pediatric population are asthma, allergies, appendicitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Limited data from sub-Saharan Africa suggest other pediatric surgical conditions may fall into this category, including hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, gastroesophageal reflux, perirectal abscess, anal fissure, gastroschesis, and neuroblastoma. Existing theories for the origins of Western diseases have postulated a role for decreased dietary fiber, improved hygiene, fetal programming, and a protective effect of tropical enteropathy. How these factors might relate to the rise of appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and possibly other common pediatric surgical diseases in industrialized societies remains poorly understood. Further research is needed to better define geographical differences in common pediatric surgical conditions and to investigate how genetic and environmental factors interact to modify risk of disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that give rise to Western diseases could lead to new therapeutic and prevention strategies for some of the most common pediatric surgical conditions in industrialized countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen W Bickler
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego Medical Center, 200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103-8401, USA.
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Abstract
Tropical sprue associates prolonged diarrhea, a malabsorption syndrome, and nutritional deficiency in patients who live in or have visited tropical areas. Pathogenesis is still unknown but an infectious cause is suspected. Macrocytic anemia and hypoalbuminemia are present, together with progressive villus atrophy of the small intestine. Treatment with tetracycline, folic acid and proper nutritional support generally results in full recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice Bourée
- Unité des Maladies Parasitaires et Tropicales, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre.
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Bickler SW. Tropical enteropathy protects against Western diseases in environments of poor sanitation. Med Hypotheses 2006; 67:146-50. [PMID: 16545527 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2006] [Accepted: 01/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This hypothesis suggests that tropical enteropathy protects against Western diseases in environments of poor sanitation, and that the absence of tropical enteropathy contributes to the increased incidence of Western diseases in settings of improved sanitation. The hypothesis is supported by four observations: (1) The prevalence of tropical enteropathy is inversely related to the incidence of Western diseases, (2) The bowel is a major immune and neuroendocrine organ, and inflammation of the gut results in profound local and systemic changes, (3) Tropical enteropathy can account for the subtle clinical differences observed between individuals living in third world environments and industrialized societies, and (4) The concept that tropical enteropathy protects against Western diseases in environments of poor sanitation is consistent with the observations upon which the "Hygiene and Fetal Origins Hypotheses" are based. Identifying tropical enteropathy as a mechanism that protects against Western diseases in environments of poor sanitation creates a new testable hypothesis for some of the most common non-communicable diseases of industrialized societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen W Bickler
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego Medical Center, 200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103-8401, United States.
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Abstract
Tropical sprue (TS) is a clinical entity of unknown etiology characterized by an acquired chronic diarrheal illness and malabsorption that affects indigenous inhabitants and expatriates, either long-term residents or short-term visitors, in the tropical countries. The exact pathogenetic sequence of TS remains incompletely characterized. Bacterial overgrowth, disturbed gut motility, and hormonal and histopathologic abnormalities contribute to the development of TS in a susceptible host. Treatment with tetracycline and folate is effective in some patients, although relapses after treatment are common. Research in the areas of microbial factors, pathogenesis, immunogenetics, and hormonal and immune regulation, using modern diagnostic techniques, may be able to settle some of the unanswered issues and open new venues for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of tropical sprue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Kumar Nath
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0174, USA.
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Ghoshal UC, Ghoshal U, Ayyagari A, Ranjan P, Krishnani N, Misra A, Aggarwal R, Naik S, Naik SR. Tropical sprue is associated with contamination of small bowel with aerobic bacteria and reversible prolongation of orocecal transit time. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2003; 18:540-7. [PMID: 12702046 DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2003.03006.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In tropical sprue (TS), response to antibiotics may suggest a role for bacterial contamination of the small bowel, which is known in diseases with prolonged orocecal transit time (OCTT). METHODS We studied 13 patients with TS (diagnosed by standard criteria) for frequency, nature and degree of bacterial contamination of the small bowel by quantitative culture of jejunal aspirate, glucose hydrogen breath test (GHBT), and OCTT by lactulose hydrogen breath test before and after treatment. Twelve patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 12 healthy subjects served as controls. RESULTS Ten of 13 patients with TS had bacterial contamination compared with 3/12 with IBS (all aerobic, P < 0.05). Median colony count in TS (36 000 CFU/mL, 400 to > 100 000) was higher than IBS (700 CFU/mL, 100-1000, P < 0.05). Gram-negative aerobic bacilli were commonly isolated in TS but not in IBS. Median OCTT was longer in TS (180 m, 40 - 240) than IBS (110 m, 70 - 150, P = 0.008) and healthy subjects (65 m, 40 - 110, P = 0.0007, Wilcoxon rank sum test). Orocecal transit time in TS correlated with fecal fat (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient 0.69, P < 0.05). Orocecal transit time and fecal fat, repeated in 8/13 patients, decreased with treatment for TS (195 m, 130-240 vs 125 m, 90-200, P = 0.02; 8 g/24 h, 6.8-19.6 vs 7 g/24 h, 4.2-9, P = 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION Aerobic bacterial contamination of the small bowel is common in patients with TS. Prolonged OCTT in TS correlated with fecal fat and normalized in a subset of patients after treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uday C Ghoshal
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
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Rizvi SAH, Naqvi SAA, Hussain Z, Hashmi A, Hussain M, Zafar MN, Mehdi H, Khalid R. The management of stone disease. BJU Int 2002; 89 Suppl 1:62-8. [PMID: 11876736 DOI: 10.1046/j.1465-5101.2001.134.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S A H Rizvi
- Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Dow Medical College, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
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Veitch AM, Kelly P, Zulu IS, Segal I, Farthing MJ. Tropical enteropathy: a T-cell-mediated crypt hyperplastic enteropathy. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2001; 13:1175-81. [PMID: 11711773 DOI: 10.1097/00042737-200110000-00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Tropical enteropathy is widespread throughout the tropics, but its pathogenesis is unknown. T-cell activation has been demonstrated to result in enteropathy in vitro and in animal models, and occurs in untreated patients with coeliac disease. We have therefore examined the hypothesis that T-cell activation is important in the pathogenesis of tropical enteropathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Healthy black Zambian subjects were compared with black and white South Africans. Quantitative microscopy was conducted on distal duodenal biopsies. Mucosal T-cell activation was quantitated by dual colour immunofluorescence staining for CD3 plus CD69 or HLA-DR. Crypt proliferation was measured by direct counting of Feulgen-stained mitotic figures, and systemic immune activation by assay of serum tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). RESULTS Villous height was reduced (P = 0.0004), crypt depth increased (P < 0.0001), and mitoses per crypt increased (P = 0.014) in black Zambians compared with black and white South Africans. Mucosal thickness was similar. Intraepithelial lymphocyte count was increased in the black groups compared with whites (P = 0.03). CD3+CD69+ (P = 0.0007) and CD3+HLA-DR+ (P < 0.0001) expression was increased in black Zambians compared with black and white South Africans. Serum TNF-alpha was similar in all groups. CONCLUSIONS Tropical enteropathy is associated with mucosal T-cell activation and crypt hyperplasia. Tropical enteropathy occurs in the absence of malnutrition, diarrhoea or systemic illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Veitch
- Digestive Diseases Research Centre, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
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Abstract
A diagnosis of tropical sprue, an infrequent affliction of inhabitants and travelers in tropical regions, should be considered in patients with a compatible history, malabsorption, and chronic diarrhea. It can occur in either endemic or epidemic form and can be preceded by acute gastroenteritis. The cause of tropical sprue is still unknown, although most data support an infectious etiology. Therapeutic experience is greatest with folic acid and tetracycline. Most patients can be expected to recover with proper nutritional support, although relapses and slow responses occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Lim
- Infectious Diseases Division, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134-1005, USA.
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