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Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common identifiable cause of diarrhoea in hospitalized patients. Current therapies rely on the administration of metronidazole or vancomycin, which reduce vegetative populations of C. difficile in the bowel. Recurrence of the disease when treatment with these antibiotics ceases indicates that metronidazole and vancomycin affect not only C. difficile but also commensal populations that normally mediate competitive exclusion. Fidaxomicin is a new antibiotic that inhibits C. difficile. Our study shows that fidaxomicin had little effect on the composition of the faecal microbiota in terms of its major phylogenetic clusters. Notably, clostridial clusters XlVa and IV, and Bifidobacterium, were much less affected by fidaxomicin compared to vancomycin treatment. These findings help to explain the substantially reduced rates of relapse following treatment of CDI with fidaxomicin in recent clinical trials. DOI 10.1099/mic.0.042010-0

The Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) test involves rapidly naming sequences of items presented in a visual array. RAN has generated considerable interest because RAN performance predicts reading achievement. This study sought to determine what elements of RAN are responsible for the shared variance between RAN and reading performance using a series of cognitive tasks and a latent variable modelling approach. Participants performed RAN measures, a test of reading speed and comprehension, and six tasks, which tapped various hypothesised components of the RAN. RAN shared 10% of the variance with reading comprehension and 17% with reading rate. Together, the decomposition tasks explained 52% and 39% of the variance shared between RAN and reading comprehension and between RAN and reading rate, respectively. Significant predictors suggested that working memory encoding underlies part of the relationship between RAN and reading ability. Keywords: reading, rapid automatized naming, RAN, latent variability, individual differences

Monoassociations of germ-free animals with colitogenic and probiotic bacterial strains trigger intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) activation and host-derived feedback mechanisms. To characterize the impact of a single nonpathogenic bacterial strain on the intestinal epithelium in the presence of an established microbiota, we inoculated reconstituted Lacotobacillus-free (RLF) mice at 8 wk of age with Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23. Primary IEC from the small intestine of L. reuteri-inoculated and control RLF mice were isolated 2, 6, and 21 d after inoculation followed by gene expression analysis (real-time PCR; Affymetrix microarrays) as well as 2-dimensional-gel electrophoreses (2D SDS-PAGE) and peptide mass fingerprinting via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight MS. At d 6, gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines including interleukin (IL)-1[alpha], IL-6, interferon-[gamma],-inducible protein 10, and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 was transiently induced, whereas gene expression levels of regulatory proteins A20 and Toll-interacting protein decreased. In addition, 8 target proteins with changes in the steady-state protein expression levels were identified at d 2 and 6 of L. reuteri colonization. Consistent with the absence of histopathology, L. reuteri-induced activation of primary IEC returned to control levels by d 21 after inoculation of RLF mice. The capability of L. reuteri 100-23 to directly trigger epithelial cell activation was confirmed in small IEC cultures using the murine cell line Mode-K. These results clearly indicate that the intestinal epithelium is reactive toward environmental changes induced by the commensal bacterial strain L. reuteri even in the presence of an already-established microbiota. The induction of transient IEC activation may help to maintain mucosal homeostasis.

A study to test the efficacy of specialized palliative care is conducted. Findings show methodological limitations, including contamination of control group, failure to account for clustering in cluster randomized studies, and substantial problems with recruitment, attrition, and adherence.

Members of the genus Lactobacillus are common inhabitants of the proximal gastrointestinal tract of animals such as mice, rats, chickens and pigs, where they form epithelial biofilms. Little is known about the traits that facilitate biofilm formation and gut colonization. This study investigated the ecological role of a glucosyltransferase (GtfA) and inulosucrase (Inu) of Lactobacillus reuteri TMW 1.106 and a fructosyltransferase (FtfA) of L. reuteri LTH5448. In vitro experiments using isogenic mutants revealed that GtfA was essential for sucrose-dependent autoaggregation of L. reuteri TMW1.106 cells under acidic conditions, while inactivation of Inu slowed the formation of cell aggregates. Experiments using an in vitro biofilm assay showed that GtfA and Inu contributed to biofilm formation of L. reuteri TMW1.106. Experiments using ex-Lactobacillus-free mice revealed that the ecological performance of the inu mutant, but not of the gtfA or ftfA mutant, was reduced in the gastrointestinal tract when in competition with the parental strain. In the absence of competition, the gtfA mutant showed delayed colonization of the murine gut relative to the wild-type. In addition, the gtfA mutant showed reduced ecological performance in competition experiments with Lactobacillus johnsonii #21. From the evidence provided in this study we conclude that GtfA and Inu confer important ecological attributes of L. reuteri TMW1.106 and contribute to colonization of the mouse gastrointestinal tract.

Septic shock results from an uncontrolled inflammatory response, mediated primarily by LPS. Cholesterol transport plays an important role in the host response to LPS, as LPS is neutralized by lipoproteins [...]

Comparative studies are carried out on two Campylobacter jejuni strains, T1016 and Pstau, in relation to their prevalence in human infections and on poultry meat in a specific geographical area of New Zealand. The strain comparisons have used an in vitro cell invasion assay, microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization, flagellin A (FlaA) characteristics obtained from amino acid sequences, and competitive-exclusion experiments with chickens.

Glucosamine, commonly consumed for the treatment of osteoarthritis, is classified as a nutritional supplement; however, there are few data regarding its metabolic or vascular effects. Glucosamine is a component of the hexosamine pathway, which has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Anecdotal reports suggest that glucosamine consumption can increase circulating cholesterol concentrations. To investigate the metabolic and vascular effects of glucosamine supplementation, we studied male and female LDL receptor-deficient mice fed a Western diet (21% fat, 0.15% cholesterol). Three groups of 6-10 mice of each gender received either no supplement, 15 mg * [kg.sup.-1] * [d.sup.-1] glucosamine (equivalent to an average human dose), or 50 mg * [kg.sup.-1] * [d.sup.-1] glucosamine added to their drinking water for 5, 10, or 20 wk. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations increased in all mice with the addition of the Western diet. However, after 20 wk of treatment, cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations increased further in male mice consuming glucosamine compared with control groups. Glucosamine-supplemented mice had increased initiation of atherosclerosis after 5 wk; however, there was no effect on progression of atherosclerosis in either gender after longer periods of glucosamine supplementation (10 or 20 wk). Although long-term glucosamine supplementation exacerbated the hyper-lipidemia in male mice, no increase in atherosclerosis occurred. Thus, glucosamine supplementation appears to be safe, with no adverse vascular consequences.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-4580.2006.00101.x Byline: Stuart Tannock (1) Abstract: Wages and working conditions for youth in the low-end service sector are notoriously dismal. Recent attempts to use collective action to improve these conditions, however, have been limited in number and effectiveness. Addressing the situation requires attention to many of the same issues that concern labor overall. But sooner or later, youth labor organizing must also deal with the 'higher education question'-indeed, it is the engagement with higher education that helps define young workers as a distinctive group in the first place. The question is this: What should a social and economic justice movement demand of higher education? Or, what do we need from higher education to move toward a just society? Until we have a clear answer, it is likely that we will continue to struggle to understand and address the problem of low-wage youth employment. Author Affiliation: (1)University of California, Berkeley. Article note: Dr. Stuart Tannock, E-mail: stannock@gmail.com.

Wages and working conditions for youth in the low-end service sector are notoriously dismal, recent attempts to use collective action to improve these conditions, however have been limited in number and effectiveness. Addressing the situation requires attention to many of the same issues that concern labor overall but sooner or later, youth labor organizing must also deal with the higher education question that helps to define young workers as a distinctive group in the first place.

A rethinking requires people to enter into a new conversation about the relation of higher education not just to inequality in the United States but also to the vision of the 'public good'. The conversation needs to include individuals of all social, backgrounds, occupations and levels of income and education.

A study was conducted to measure the impact on the gut microbiota of rats of the consumption of diets supplemented with beta-glucans extracted from barley flour. The results show that HV beta-glucan could produce a prebiotic effect in the ceca of rats, at least under the specific dietary conditions that were used.

The physiological and ecological role for the luxS gene in Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23C is defined by constructing a luxS mutant by insertional mutagenesis. The results show that LuxS influences important ecological attributes of L. reuteri 100-23C, the consequences of which are niche specific.

Time perception performance was systematically investigated in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specifically, the effects of manipulating modality (auditory and visual) and length of duration (200 and 1000 ms) were examined. Forty-six adolescents with ADHD and 44 controls were administered four duration discrimination tasks and two control tasks, and a set of standardized measures. Participants with ADHD had higher thresholds than controls on all of the duration discrimination tasks, with the largest effect size obtained on the visual 1000 ms duration discrimination task. No group differences were observed on the control tasks. Visual-spatial memory was found to be a significant predictor of visual and auditory duration discrimination at longer intervals (1000 ms) in the ADHD sample, whereas auditory verbal working memory predicted auditory discrimination at longer intervals (1000 ms) in the control sample. These group differences suggest impairments in basic timing mechanisms in ADHD. KEY WORDS: time perception; duration discrimination; working memory; modality; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Introduction: Opt Out! AS THE UNITED STATES HEADS INTO YEAR FIVE OF ITS 'WAR ON TERRORISM' and year three of its War in Iraq, one of the most visible segments [...]

The objective of this study was to examine the precise tinting of a motor response in a sample of adolescents with ADHD and comparison participants, 46 participants with ADHD (M age = 15.6, SD = 1.4; 40 boys) and 44 control participants (M age = 15.3, SD = 1.4; 40 boys) were recruited through a metropolitan hospital. Participants were administered a tapping task and an anticipation task. Adolescents with ADHD displayed significantly more intra-individual variability on the visual 1000-msec. frequency interval of the tapping task and displayed lower accuracy on the cued and uncued trials of the anticipation task than comparison participants. Intra-individual variability on the tapping task was correlated with intra-individual variability on the anticipation task within both the ADHD and control groups. These findings suggest that adolescents with ADHD have impairments in both the cognitive representation and motor production of the precise timing of a motor response.

Mitoxantrone plus prednisone reduces pain and improves the quality of life in men with advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, but it does not improve survival. The study suggests that docetaxel plus prednisone is the preferred option for most patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Culture-based enumeration of selected bacterial populations, monitoring of the bifidobacterial species and strain composition by nucleic acid-based methods were used for measuring the impact of the consumption of three biscuits per day, containing oligosaccharide on the fecal microbiota of humans. Physiological methods may prove to be more informative as compared to the phylogenetic approach during the analysis of the gut ecosystem.

This study investigated listening comprehension and working memory abilities in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), presenting with and without language impairments (LI). A 4-group design classified a community sample (n = 77) of boys aged 9-12 into ADHD, ADHD + LI, LI, and Normal groups. Children completed tests of basic language and cognitive skills, verbal and spatial working memory, and passage-level listening comprehension. Multivariate analyses and post hoc comparisons indicated that ADHD children who did not have co-occurring LI comprehended factual information from spoken passages as well as normal children, but were poorer at comprehending inferences and monitoring comprehension of instructions. ADHD children did not differ from normal children in verbal span, but showed significantly poorer verbal working memory, spatial span, and spatial working memory. The ADHD +/- LI and LI groups were most impaired in listening comprehension and working memory performance, but did not differ from each other. Listening comprehension skills were significantly correlated with both verbal and spatial working memory, and parent-teacher ratings of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Findings that children with ADHD but no LI showed subtle higher-level listening comprehension deficits have implications for both current diagnostic practices and conceptualizations of ADHD. KEY WORDS: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; listening comprehension; working memory; language impairment.

Some medical researchers who report the initial results of their study at a scientific conference may never publish the full report. Of 510 research presentations given at an annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 26% had not been published five years later. Studies that found a positive benefit from a treatment were more likely to be published than studies that found no benefit.

Selective inhibition requires discrimination between auditory signals and is assessed using a modification of the stop-signal task. Selective inhibition was assessed in a group of 59 clinic-referred, DSM-IV-diagnosed children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADUD) and compared to that of a community sample of 59 children. Methylphenidate (MPH) effects on selective inhibition were assessed in a subset of the ADHD sample that participated in an acute, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with 3 fixed doses of MPH. Children with ADHD performed more poorly than controls on the majority of selective stop-signal task parameters: they exhibited more anticipatory (invalid) responses, with less accurate and more variable responses on the response execution task, as well as a slower selective inhibition process. MPH improved speed of both inhibition and response execution processes; it also reduced variability of response execution and decreased nonselective inhibition. On the one hand, finding s are consistent with purported inhibition deficit in ADHD, but on the other hand, suggest that neither the impairment itself, nor MPH effects, were restricted to inhibition. KEY WORDS: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; selective inhibition; methylphenidate; cognitive impairment; childhood psychopathology.

Working youth over the age of 17 are the forgotten workers of 21st century America. To draw attention to this group of workers, we report a study of the work experiences of young (ages 18-25) community college students in Northern California--students who are predominantly working class, immigrant and people of color, and who have long histories of cycling back and forth between work and school. We describe the workplace demands and needs of these working students. And, we call on educators, unionists, policy makers, community, and youth organizers to address and improve the conditions of all working youth.

A large and complex bacterial community inhabits the distal intestinal tract of humans. This collection, known as the intestinal microflora, is dominated numerically by obligately anaerobic bacterial species. Many of these species have never been cultivated under laboratory conditions. Nucleic acid-based techniques now permit, however, the analysis of even the non-cultivable members of the bacterial community. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) provides a useful technique for comparisons of the composition of faecal or intestinal microfloras. PCR/DGGE has been shown to be useful in demonstrating changes that occur in the composition of the faecal microflora of infants administered antibacterial drugs. This research is important because treatment with oral antibiotics during the first 2y of life has been identified as a predictor of subsequent atopic disease. The treatment of young children with broad spectrum oral antibiotics might produce perturbations in the composition of the intestinal microflora such that bacteria important in promoting Th1 mechanisms are depleted at a crucial age. This could result in Th2 dominance over Th1 immune responses to environmental antigens and an increased incidence of atopic disorders. PCR/DGGE provides a useful screening method to determine the impact of antibiotic treatment on the composition of the intestinal microflora of children and to identify the bacterial groups that are most affected. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002) 56, Suppl 4, S44-S49. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601661 Descriptors: microflora; analysis; atopy, The human intestinal microflora The intestinal microflora of humans is a complex bacterial community in which obligately anaerobic species predominate and which is confined to the distal small bowel and [...]

One current theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) proposes that a primary deficit in behavioral inhibition gives rise to secondary deficits in 4 executive functions and motor control. To date, empirical support for this model is based primarily on laboratory-based cognitive methods. This study assessed behavioral inhibition and executive functioning in children with ADHD in 2 real-life contexts: videogames (motor-skill target game, cognitively demanding adventure game) and an outing at the zoo (route tasks). Participants were a community sample of 57 boys diagnosed with ADHD (20 inattentive, 37 combined type) and 57 normally developing control boys, matched individually for age and nonverbal IQ. Operationally defined measures of behavioral inhibition and specific executive functions were derived from these activities and assessed under contrasting conditions of low or high working memory and distractor loads. There were no group differences in basic motor skills on the target game, nor in terms of the ability to inhibit a prepotent or ongoing response in the adventure videogame. However, boys with ADHD exhibited more self-talk, more effortful response preparation, and completed fewer challenges in the latter videogame. Also, they manifested inhibition deficits in terms of interference control during the route task at the zoo and took longer to complete the tasks. Typically, these differences were greatest under conditions of high working memory and distractor loads. Findings from this study suggest that cognitive difficulties in ADHD may be context dependent and that ADHD is associated with deficits in some but not all aspects of behavioral inhibition. KEY WORDS: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; executive functions; behavioral inhibition; working memory; internalized speech; motor control.

Researchers describe a PCR technique based on the transaldolase gene in Bifidobacterium coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis that can distinguish between species. This is possible because bifidobacteria produce 14 or more different types of transaldolase. Because they produce different electrophoretic patterns, the transaldolase genes must have variable sequences.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder could be related to problems with learning rather than behavior problems. Teachers need to utilize educational techniques which address each student's special learning needs.

Research presented concerns the classification of child psychopathological disorders, focusing on the validity questionnaires developed from the American Psychiatric Association's 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed.' Topics addressed include the differences between empirical and clinical taxonomies.

Researchers describe the development of PCR primers specific for Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, and Weissella. Lactic acid bacteria make up less than 1% of the intestinal microflora, and are not easily detectable using universal PCR primers.

Research demonstrates that intestinal Lactobacillus accumulates bile acids as shown by the accumulation of cholic acid. Data indicate that the acid uptake is mediated by the transmembrane proton gradient.

ONYX-015 is an adenovirus with the E1B 55-kDa gene deleted, engineered to selectively replicate in and lyse p53-deficient cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Although ONYX-015 and chemotherapy have demonstrated anti-tumoral activity in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer, disease recurs rapidly with either therapy alone. We undertook a phase II trial of a combination of intratumoral ONYX-015 injection with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in patients with recurrent squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. There were substantial objective responses, including a high proportion of complete responses. By 6 months, none of the responding tumors had progressed, whereas all non-injected tumors treated with chemotherapy alone had progressed. The toxic effects that occurred were acceptable. Tumor biopsies obtained after treatment showed tumor-selective viral replication and necrosis induction., Author(s): Fadlo R. Khuri (corresponding author) [1]; John Nemunaitis [3]; Ian Ganly [4]; James Arseneau [3]; Ian F. Tannock [7]; Larry Romel [8]; Martin Gore [5]; Janet Ironside [6]; R.H. [...]

Research has been conducted on the fecal microflora composition. The monitoring results of the composition before, during and after milk administration are presented.

Species-specific PCR primers targeting the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region or 16S rRNA gene sequences can be used to identify different bacterial species residing in the gastrointestinal tract. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis is used to separate the mixture of 16S fragments.

The influence of different functional elements of plasmid pGT232, which is indigenous in Lactobacillus reuteri 100-23, on maintaining recombinant plasmids in L. reuteri populations in vitro and in vivo is discussed. The plasmid replicates via the rolling-circle mechanism. The reconstituted lactobacillus-free (RLF) mouse is the experimental animal model for the preliminary studies. Stable maintenance of the pGR232-derived plasmids in the lactobacillus population in vivo required an additional 1.0-kb sequence having a putative single-strand replication origin (SSO). The SSO of pGT232 is throught to be novel and acts in an orientation-specific manner.

Byline: R.-S. Guh (1), J. D. T. Tannock (1) Keywords: Control chart; pattern recognition; neural network; simulation Abstract: Abnormal patterns on manufacturing process control charts can reveal potential quality problems due to assignable causes at an early stage, helping to prevent defects and improve quality performance. In recent years, neural networks have been applied to the pattern recognition task for control charts. The emphasis has been on pattern detection and identification rather than more detailed pattern parameter information, such as shift magnitude, trend slope, etc., which is vital for effective assignable cause analysis. Moreover, the identification of concurrent patterns (where two or more patterns exist together) which are commonly encountered in practical manufacturing processes has not been reported. This paper proposes a neural network-based approach to recognize typical abnormal patterns and in addition to accurately identify key parameters of the specific patterns involved. Both single and concurrent patterns can be characterized using this approach. A sequential pattern analysis (SPA) design was adopted to tackle complexity and prevent interference between pattern categories. The performance of the model has been evaluated using a simulation approach, and numerical and graphical results are presented which demonstrate that the approach performs effectively in control chart pattern recognition and accurately identifies the key parameters of the recognized pattern(s) in both single and concurrent pattern circumstances. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Management, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK Article History: Registration Date: 29/09/2004

Research was conducted to identify Lactobacillus isolates from the gastrointestinal tract, silage, and yoghurt by 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer region sequence comparisons and PCR amplification. The V2-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced in the case of isolates whose spacer region sequences were less than 99% similar to that of a reference strain. Results demonstrate that comparison of the percentages of similarity of 16S-23S spacer region sequence of lactobacilli provides a practicalmethod of strain identification.

A study was conducted to analyze the influence of comorbid anxiety on responses to methylphenidate (MPH) in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD were evaluated for anxiety before receiving MPH or placebo. Results indicated that comorbid anxiety does not affect the development of side effects or behavioral responses to MPH when doses are titrated as in conventional clinical practice.

The stop-signal procedure was used to examine the development of inhibitory control. A group of 275 participants, 6 to 81 years of age, performed a visual choice reaction time (go) task and attempted to inhibit their responses to the go task when they heard a stop signal. Reaction times to the stop and go signals were used to assess performance in inhibition and response execution, respectively. Results indicated the speed of stopping becomes faster with increasing age throughout childhood, with limited evidence of slowing across adulthood. By contrast, strong evidence was obtained for age-related speeding of go-signal reaction time throughout childhood, followed by marked slowing throughout adulthood. Hierarchical regression confirmed that the age-related change in inhibitory control could not be explained by general speeding or slowing of responses. Findings are discussed in regard to the contrast between the development of inhibition and response execution and the utility of the stop-signal procedure.