Persistence of an extreme male-biased adult sex ratio in a natural population of polyandrous bird

In a number of insects, fishes and birds, the conventional sex roles are reversed: males are the main care provider, whereas females focus on matings. The reversal of typical sex roles is an evolutionary puzzle, because it challenges the foundations of sex roles, sexual selection and parental investment theory. Recent theoretical models predict that biased parental care may be a response to biased adult sex ratios (ASRs). However, estimating ASR is challenging in natural populations, because males and females often have different detectabilities. Here, we use demographic modelling with field data from 2101 individuals, including 579 molecularly sexed offspring, to provide evidence that ASR is strongly male biased in a polyandrous bird with male-biased care. The model predicts 6.1 times more adult males than females (ASR=0.860, proportion of males) in the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus. The extreme male bias is consistent between years and concordant with experimental results showing strongly biased mating opportunity towards females. Based on these results, we conjecture that parental sex-role reversal may occur in populations that exhibit extreme male-biased ASR.

Early clinical remission and normalisation of CRP are the strongest predictors of efficacy, mucosal healing and dose escalation during the first year of adalimumab therapy in Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND

Adalimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting tumour necrosis factor with proven efficacy in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD).

AIM

To investigate the predictors of medium-term clinical efficacy and mucosal healing during adalimumab therapy, in patients with CD, in specialised centres approved for biological therapy in Hungary.

METHODS

Data capture of the 201 CD patients was standardised and prospective (male/female: 112/89, median age: 33.0 years, duration: 8 years). Previous infliximab therapy had been administered in 48% of patients, concomitant steroids in 41%, azathioprine in 69% and combined therapy in 27% of patients.

RESULTS

Overall clinical response and remission rates at 24 weeks were 78% and 52%, respectively; at 52 weeks were 69% and 44%, respectively. Endoscopic improvement and healing were achieved in 43% and 24% of patients. In a logistic regression model, clinical efficacy and CRP at week 12, need for combined immunosuppression at induction, shorter disease duration and smoking were identified as independent predictors for 12-month clinical outcome, whereas CRP at week 12, clinical remission at week 24, inflammatory parameters and nonsmoking were associated to endoscopic improvement/healing. Intensification to weekly dosing was needed in 16% of patients. Parallel azathioprine therapy and clinical remission at week 12 were inversely associated with dose escalation.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical efficacy and normalised CRP at week 12 (early deep clinical remission) are associated with medium-term clinical efficacy and mucosal healing during adalimumab therapy, whereas need for combined immunosuppression at induction and smoking status are predictors for non-response. Parallel azathioprine therapy may decrease the probability for dose escalation.

Health-related quality of life, smoking and carotid atherosclerosis in white British women with systemic lupus erythematosus

We tested the hypothesis that carotid atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which is independent of any association with traditional risk factors (TRFs), lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. Women with SLE completed the RAND Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey version 1 (MOS SF-36). B-mode Doppler examination of the carotid arteries determined the presence of atherosclerotic plaque. The association between carotid plaque and HRQOL domains was analysed using logistic regression models with sequential adjustments for age, TRFs, education level and employment status. We studied 181 women, 47 (26%) of whom had carotid plaque. Carotid plaque was significantly associated with lower levels of physical functioning (p = 0.047), vitality (p = 0.04), role emotional (p = 0.04) and mental health subscales (p = 0.01) and lower mental component summary score (MCS) (p = 0.03). These associations were no longer significant after adjustment for age and TRFs, especially smoking. Smokers had lower physical functioning, vitality and mental health and more bodily pain. The association between carotid plaque and HRQOL was not independent of TRFs and smoking was a key mediator of the associations found. Poor HRQOL in smokers will need addressing as part of any smoking cessation strategies in SLE patients.

Restriction enzyme analysis of ribosomal DNA shows that Candida inconspicua clinical isolates can be misidentified as Candida norvegensis with traditional diagnostic procedures

We identified 29 yeast isolates from 22 patients using the API ID32C panel. Twenty-eight of these isolates were Candida norvegensis and one was C. inconspicua. Although C. norvegensis is considered a pseudohypha-producing species, only one isolate produced pseudohyphae. Restriction enzyme analysis of PCR-amplified ribosomal DNA with four different enzymes proved that all isolates were C. inconspicua.

[Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in patients with Crohn's disease]

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are a group of diseases with chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, but without proven etiology. Immunologic, environmental, infective and genetic factors equally can play role in their development. Antibodies to an oligomannose epitope of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated in 60-70% of the patients with Crohn's disease. The origin and the clinicopathological role are not clarified. It is important that there are no surveys with patients suffering in gluten sensitive enteropathy in the literature. As there are no ASCA survey in Hungary, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the ASCA. The authors examined at their patients the ASCA's occurrence and compared with the clinical picture of the Crohn's disease. The results supported the theory that ASCA positivity correlates with small intestines' Crohn's disease and in these cases both the IgG and IgA type antibodies proved. The antibodies in the sera at the analyzed ASCA positive cases prove a systemic immune response against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the authors suggest the end of the oral tolerance against the yeast's antigens. The diet restriction (elemental diet, total parenteral nutrition, and fecal diversion) may ameliorate the status of the patients with Crohn's disease. It is speculated that the yeast-free diet as a part of the therapy for the ASCA positive patients can be reasonable: moreover the permanent "forbidding" of the yeast can be an acceptable alternative in case of getting well.

Endogenous lipoid pneumonia associated with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD)

BACKGROUND

Lipoid pneumonia is a rare pulmonary disease, a form of pneumonia that has no classical radiological appearance, thus it can imitate other lung diseases. Lipoid pneumonia is usually classified into two major groups, depending on whether the source of oil/fat in the respiratory tract is from an exogenous or endogenous source. Undifferentiated connective tissue disease is a term used by rheumatologists to define a group of diffuse connective tissue disorders that lack definitive characteristics of any particular well-defined disorder.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A case study is reported of concomitant undifferentiated connective tissue disease and endogenous lipoid pneumonia.

RESULTS

Histologically the macrophages appeared filled with lipid and were similar to atherosclerotic foam cell macrophages. Antibiotic and antimycotic treatments were ineffective. However, with concomitant steroid treatment, the patient exhibited absence of lung infiltration as well as other symptoms and was discharged. Therefore it is concluded that the lipoid pneumonia was steroid dependent.

CONCLUSION

Since the patient's condition responded to steroid treatment, and it is clear that steroids inhibit phospholipase activity, the authors speculate that the subsequent decreased endoperoxide production may diminish lipid uptake by macrophages via decreasing modification of LDL or other lipid sources.

EEG frequency profiles of idiopathic generalised epilepsy syndromes

The objective of this study was to investigate EEG frequency profiles (topographic distribution of spectral power data) in well-defined idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE) syndromes: juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), epilepsy with grand mal seizures on awakening (EGMA), and in the unified 'common IGE' (CIGE) group of these patients.

METHODS

Absolute and relative (percent) power values were computed from waking EEG activity by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Each patient group was compared to an age-matched group of healthy control persons.

RESULTS

There was a general tendency for diffuse (absolute and relative) delta-theta-alpha power excess and relative beta power deficit in all IGE groups as compared to controls. Statistically significant (P</=0.05) bilateral absolute power differences were: fronto-parietal delta and diffuse theta (in JAE), frontal delta (in JME) and frontal alpha (in EGMA). Statistically significant (P</=0. 05) relative power differences were: frontal delta, diffuse theta, fronto-centro-parietal beta (in JAE), frontal delta and beta (in JME) and fronto-central alpha (in EGMA). The CIGE group showed power alterations of the same type but differences were statistically more significant than in the other patient groups.

CONCLUSION

Absolute power findings were interpreted as enhanced neuronal synchrony in the 0.5-12.0 Hz frequency range together with the tendency of decreasing synchrony in faster (12.5-32.0 Hz) frequencies. Corresponding shifts in relative power were interpreted as reflecting dysfunction of cortical regions. The authors hypothesise that these IGE frequency profiles reflect widespread cortical dysfunction essentially common to all the investigated IGE syndromes.

[Association of carcinoid tumor of the appendix and Crohn disease (case report and review of the literature)]

The authors describe the coexistence of the carcinoid of the appendix and Crohn's disease. In the case of their woman patient the carcinoid was identified with the examination of the resected ileoascendent part of the bowel resulting of the complication of the Crohn's disease. 10 similar association is known in the literature but none of the patients had the signs of the carcinoid syndrome. Subsequent adrenerg syndrome after an alimentary hypoglycemia (increased evacuation of the cathecolamines and their metabolites in the urine), food allergy (increased IgE type antibody to milk protein) or gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumor (based on the result of the 111In-octreoscan and the increased 5-hydroxyindolaceticaciduria) equally suspected of the symptoms (palpitation, flush) manifested after the operation. They look for the connection between the genesis of the intestinal carcinoid and the Crohn's disease with working up the bibliography. Summing up the references with a view of the latest it can be stated that the carcinoid of the appendix occurs more than orders of magnitude in the samples from inflamed surrounding than the samples from autopsy (0.24%--820/338,000 inflamed appendix and 0.03%--19/53,430 appendix from autopsy). Consequently the inflammation create favourable condition for the development of the carcinoid of the appendix.

[Observation in two cases of Whipple disease]

The authors survey the literature of Whipple's disease and present two of their patients. They assure that Whipple's disease in either associated with or is a result of an immunopathological clinical picture, but it is else possible that assumed pathogen, the Tropheryma whippleii itself alters the immune system. In the case of their female patient with active disease they showed the rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene [t(14; 18)] in her peripheral blood lymphocytes, while in their male patient in remission this could not be proved. During the observation, in their female patient insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) developed. In connection with these cases, the authors draw the attention to the varied symptoms which are characteristic of autoimmune disease, and to the immunoserological laboratory differences in particular the rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene.

Neuroborreliosis in county Baranya, Hungary

The incidence and clinical characteristics of Lyme neuroborreliosis (NB) in a region of high prevalence of tick-bite in Hungary is described. In the county Baranya 66 patients were recorded in a five-year period (1989-93). Fifty-six patients (85%) were in "early", and 10 patients (15%) in "late stage" of NB. The sex distribution was equal. The incidence of NB was 2.9-100,000/year in this region. The incidence of radiculitis/neuritis, meningitis, encephalitis and myelitis in the sample was 56.1%, 19.7%, 18.2% and 6%, respectively. The EEG and evoked potentials showed both central and peripheral neural involvement, EMG and ENG abnormalities were related to the peripheral clinical signs. Non-specific white matter lesions could be found by MRI in 5 patients with central involvement. Cerebrospinal fluid changes were not obligatory but a better indicator of inflammatory process in cases with meningitis and/or encephalitis forms (positivity 75%) than in cases with myelitis and radiculitis (positivity 49%).