Screening of probiotic strains to improve visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome by using in vitro and in vivo approaches

Oral administration of probiotics has been proposed as a promising biotherapy to prevent and treat different diseases related to gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Due to the increasing research area on the characterisation of new probiotic bacterial strains, it is necessary to perform suitable in vitro experiments, using pertinent cellular models, in order to establish appropriate readout profiles based on IBS symptoms and subtypes. In this work, a collection of 30 candidate strains, belonging mainly to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, were screened using three different sets of in vitro experiments with different readouts to identify promising probiotic strains with: (1) the ability to inhibit the synthesis of IL-8 production by TNF-α stimulated HT-29 cells, (2) immunomodulatory properties quantified as increased IL-10 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs), and (3) the ability to maintain epithelial barrier integrity by increasing the trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) values in Caco-2 cells. Based on these criteria, three strains were selected: Lactobacillus gasseri PI41, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus PI48 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis PI50, and tested in a murine model of low-grade inflammation induced by dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS), which mimics some of the symptoms of IBS. Among the three strains, L. gasseri PI41 improved overall host well-being by preventing body weight loss in DNBS-treated mice and restored gut homeostasis by normalising the intestinal permeability and reducing pro-inflammatory markers. Therefore, the potential of this strain was confirmed in a second murine model known to reproduce IBS symptoms: the neonatal maternal separation (NMS) model. The PI41 strain was effective in preventing intestinal permeability and reducing colonic hypersensitivity. In conclusion, the set of in vitro experiments combined with in vivo assessments allowed us to identify a promising probiotic candidate strain, L. gasseri PI41, in the context of IBS.

Multimodal data analysis of knee osteoarthritis assessment: factors selection for conservative care decision making

When assessing a patient with knee osteoarthritis (OA), a number of factors are considered to guide treatment plan, namely, demographic, radiographic, clinical, musculoskeletal, and biomechanical factors. The aim of this study is to identify which of these factors are the most related to each other to potentially better prioritize the modifiable factors to be addressed as they may influence treatment outcomes. We investigated a multimodal canonical correlation analysis to evaluate associations between these factors. The analysis was performed on 415 OA patients who were not candidates for knee arthroplasty, to identify factors that are associated to the patients' clinical conditions.

Heat inactivation partially preserved barrier and immunomodulatory effects of Lactobacillus gasseri LA806 in an in vitro model of bovine mastitis

Probiotics could help combat infections and reduce antibiotic use. As use of live bacteria is limited in some cases by safety or regulatory concerns, the potential of inactivated bacteria is worth investigating. We evaluated the potential of live and heat-inactivated Lactobacillus gasseri LA806 to counteract Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli infection cycles in an in vitro model of bovine mastitis. We assessed the ability of live and inactivated LA806 to impair pathogen colonisation of bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) and to modulate cytokine expression by pathogen-stimulated bMECs. Live LA806 induced a five-fold decrease in S. aureus adhesion and internalisation (while not affecting E. coli colonisation) and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression by S. aureus-stimulated bMECs (without interfering with the immune response to E. coli). The ability of inactivated LA806 ability to diminish S. aureus colonisation was two-fold lower than that of the live strain, but its anti-inflammatory properties were barely impacted. Even though LA806 effects were impaired after inactivation, both live and inactivated LA806 have barrier and immunomodulatory properties that could be useful to counteract S. aureus colonisation in the bovine mammary gland. As S. aureus is involved in various types of infection, LA806 potential would worth exploring in other contexts.

Transfer of radionuclides and dose assessment to ants and anthills in a Swedish forest ecosystem

In forest ecosystems soil organisms are important for immobilization, translocation and recycling of radionuclides. Still, there is a lack of studies on the role of insects such as ants in the turnover of radionuclides and how radioactivity affects an ant community. In this study seven anthills were sampled in an area that was heavily contaminated after the fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Samples of ant and anthill materials were taken from different depths of the anthills as well as from the surrounding soil and the activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs were determined. In addition, a radiation dose assessment was performed for ants and anthills using the ERICA tool. The deposition of ¹³⁷Cs in 1986 in the study area was calculated back to be on average 110,500 Bq m^-2. The averaged data for all the seven locations investigated indicate that the level of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in the anthill's material increased with depth of the anthill being highest at the depth 50-65 cm. The concentration in the upper layers (0-2 cm) and of the ants showed significant correlations with the deposition upon multivariate analysis. The concentration ratio (CR) defined as the ratio between the mass activity for ¹³⁷Cs density in ants (Bq kg^-1 d.w.) and mass activity density in soil (Bq kg^-1 d.w.) was determined to be in the range of 0.04-0.14. Also, the transfer factor (TF) defined as the ratio between the mass activity for ¹³⁷Cs density in ant (Bq kg^-1 d.w.) and to the unit area activity density (in Bq m^-2 d.w.) was determined for ¹³⁷Cs to be 0.0015 m² kg^-1 d.w. The assessed radiation doses were found to be a 4.9 μGy h^-1 which is below international reference levels for non-human biota.

Boosted selective internal radiation therapy with 90Y-loaded glass microspheres (B-SIRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a new personalized promising concept

PURPOSE

To evaluate the impact of dosimetry based on MAA SPECT/CT for the prediction of response, toxicity and survival, and for treatment planning in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with (90)Y-loaded glass microspheres (TheraSphere®).

METHODS

TheraSphere® was administered to 71 patients with inoperable HCC. MAA SPECT/CT quantitative analysis was used for the calculation of the tumour dose (TD), healthy injected liver dose (HILD), and total injected liver dose. Response was evaluated at 3 months using EASL criteria. Time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors potentially associated with liver toxicity were combined to construct a liver toxicity score (LTS).

RESULTS

The response rate was 78.8%. Median TD were 342 Gy for responding lesions and 191 Gy for nonresponding lesions (p < 0.001). With a threshold TD of 205 Gy, MAA SPECT/CT predicted response with a sensitivity of 100% and overall accuracy of 90%. Based on TD and HILD, 17 patients underwent treatment intensification resulting in a good response rate (76.4%), without increased grade III liver toxicity. The median TTP and OS were 5.5 months (2-9.5 months) and 11.5 months (2-31 months), respectively, in patients with TD <205 Gy and 13 months (10-16 months) and 23.2 months (17.5-28.5 months), respectively, in those with TD >205 Gy (p = 0.0015 and not significant). Among patients with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) (n = 33), the median TTP and OS were 4.5 months (2-7 months) and 5 months (2-8 months), respectively, in patients with TD <205 Gy and 10 months (6-15.2 months) and 21.5 months (12-28.5 months), respectively, in those with TD >205 Gy (p = 0.039 and 0.005). The median OS was 24.5 months (18-28.5 months) in PVT patients with TD >205 Gy and good PVT targeting on MAA SPECT/CT. The LTS was able to detect severe liver toxicity (n = 6) with a sensitivity of 83% and overall accuracy of 97%.

CONCLUSION

Dosimetry based on MAA SPECT/CT was able to accurately predict response and survival in patients treated with glass microspheres. This method can be used to adapt the injected activity without increasing liver toxicity, thus defining a new concept of boosted selective internal radiation therapy (B-SIRT). This new concept and LTS enable fully personalized treatment planning with glass microspheres to be achieved.

Lobar hepatocellular carcinoma with ipsilateral portal vein tumor thrombosis treated with yttrium-90 glass microsphere radioembolization: preliminary results

Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is a common complication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and has a negative impact on prognosis. This characteristic feature led to the rationale of the present trial designed to assess the efficacy and the safety of yttrium-90 glass-microsphere treatment for advanced-stage lobar HCC with ipsilateral PVTT. 18 patients with unresectable lobar HCC and ipsilateral PVTT were treated in our institution with (90)Y-microS radioembolization. Patients were evaluated every 3 to 6 months for response, survival, and toxicity. Mean follow-up was 13.0 months (2.2-50.6). Outcomes were: complete response (n = 2), partial response (n = 13), stable disease (n = 1), and progressive disease (n = 2) giving a disease control rate of 88.9%. Four patients were downstaged. Treating lobar hepatocellular carcinoma with ipsilateral portal vein thrombosis with yttrium-90 glass-microsphere radioembolization is safe and efficacious. Further clinical trials are warranted to confirm these results and to compare (90)Y-microS with sorafenib, taking into account not only survival but also the possibility of secondary surgery for putative curative intention after downstaging.

Pain experienced by patients during periodontal maintenance treatment

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to assess the degree of pain experienced by patients during probing and debridement and to determine whether the pain responses could be predicted by the patient's age, gender, percentage of sites > or = 4 mm deep, and responses to a questionnaire on dental anxiety.

METHODS

Prior to the maintenance procedures, 26 adult patients completed an anxiety questionnaire. Subsequently, measurements of probing depths were performed. The patients activated a tallying device at each probe entry that evoked pain (pain frequency). Pain levels for each quadrant were also assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS). Following probing, the same protocol was repeated during instrumentation (debridement).

RESULTS

Most patients showed low pain responses to both probing and instrumentation as evaluated by both methods of measurement. However, using arbitrary thresholds of pain frequency > or = 50% and VAS > or = 40 mm, approximately 15% of the patients had a painful experience. Stepwise multiple regression analyses disclosed that significant portions of the pain levels could be predicted by gender and the patients' answers to 2 of the dental anxiety questions.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognition of patients who are likely to experience pain during periodontal treatment can be facilitated by the use of 2 questions on dental anxiety and the VAS response to probing during examination.

[Pericardial C-reactive protein. A marker of agonal cardiac disease ?]

We studied the influence of the agonal period on the concentrations of acute phase proteins in biological fluids obtained from 26 autopsy cases. We found significant differences for C-reactive protein concentrations in serum and in pericardial fluid, between short and long agonies. The other acute phase proteins studied (alpha-1 antitrypsin, alpha-2 macroglobulin, haptoglobin) failed to show any significant difference in serum and pericardial fluid levels between the two types of agony. The increase in C-reactive protein level in the pericardial fluid is attributed to an "agonal pericarditis" which may result from an agonal myocardial necrosis. Our results could be of interest in forensic medicine.

[Drug addiction by inhalation of gasoline vapor. Clinical and toxicological aspects]

Following an epidemic of sniffing petrol fumes and the death of a child, the authors review published findings of this little-known type of toxicomania. They envisage the Clinical and Toxicological problems. Researching and identifying the petrol remain problems. It is possible to detect the traces of petrol directly in the blood by gaz chromatography on a capillary column coupled to flame ionisation detector but it not possible to identify the product with complete certainly. The gas liquid on a packed column detected by Fournier transformed infra-red spectrography can be given to identification with total accuracy.