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Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated the growing interest in cardiovascular risk in Crohn's disease (CD), the aim of our work is to highlight the need for research into the frequency of arterial stiffness (AS) and its link with certain associated factors, particularly those related to inflammation., Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study involving 118 patients with CD. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured by applanation tonometry was the criterion for calculating AS, the study also investigated the association of AS especially the indicators of inflammation, as well as the impact of anti-TNF alpha therapy on AS., Results: The prevalence of AS, after adjustment for age and blood pressure level reached more than a quarter of patients compared to the cardiovascular risk which was low. The factors that were strongly associated with AS were age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Two parameters related to inflammation emerged as having a highly significant link after multivariate analysis: recurrence in the last year and length of disease with a p=0.008, and an OR of 5 and 9 successively. Patients treated with anti-TNF alpha had a significant reduction in PWV., Conclusion: The prevalence of AS reached more than a quarter of patients with CD, the duration and recurrence rate of CD appear to be factors linked to inflammation. Treatment with anti-TNF alpha seems to slow down PWV in these patients., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Shipping has increased dramatically in recent decades and oysters can hear them. We studied the interaction between noise pollution and trace metal contamination in the oyster Magallana gigas. Four oyster-groups were studied during a 14-day exposure period. Two were exposed to cadmium in the presence of cargo ship-noise ([Cd++]w ≈ 0.5 μg∙L-1; maximum sound pressure level 150 dBrms re 1 μPa), and 2 were exposed only to cadmium. The Cd concentration in the gills ([Cd]g) and the digestive gland ([Cd]dg), the valve closure duration, number of valve closures and circadian distribution of opening and closure, the daily shell growth-rate and the expression of 19 genes in the gills were studied. Oysters exposed to Cd in the presence of cargo ship-noise accumulated 2.5 times less Cd in their gills than did the controls without ship noise and their growth rate was 2.6 times slower. In the presence of ship noise, oysters were closed more during the daytime, and their daily valve activity was reduced. Changes in gene activity in the gills were observed in 7 genes when the Cd was associated with the ship noise. In the absence of ship noise, a change in expression was measured in 4 genes. We conclude that chronic exposure to cargo ship noise has a depressant effect on the activity in oysters, including on the volume of the water flowing over their gills (Vw). In turn, a decrease in the Vw and valve-opening duration limited metal exposure and uptake by the gills but also limited food uptake. This latter conclusion would explain the slowing observed in the fat metabolism and growth rate. Thus, we propose that cargo ship noise exposure could protect against metal bioaccumulation and affect the growth rate. This latter conclusion points towards a potential risk in terms of ecosystem productivity.

There is an increasing concern that anthropogenic noise could have a significant impact on the marine environment, but there is still insufficient data for most invertebrates. What do they perceive? We investigated this question in oysters Magallana gigas (Crassostrea gigas) using pure tone exposures, accelerometer fixed on the oyster shell and hydrophone in the water column. Groups of 16 oysters were exposed to quantifiable waterborne sinusoidal sounds in the range of 10 Hz to 20 kHz at various acoustic energies. The experiment was conducted in running seawater using an experimental flume equipped with suspended loudspeakers. The sensitivity of the oysters was measured by recording their valve movements by high-frequency noninvasive valvometry. The tests were 3 min tone exposures including a 70 sec fade-in period. Three endpoints were analysed: the ratio of responding individuals in the group, the resulting changes of valve opening amplitude and the response latency. At high enough acoustic energy, oysters transiently closed their valves in response to frequencies in the range of 10 to <1000 Hz, with maximum sensitivity from 10 to 200 Hz. The minimum acoustic energy required to elicit a response was 0.02 m∙s-2 at 122 dBrms re 1 μPa for frequencies ranging from 10 to 80 Hz. As a partial valve closure cannot be differentiated from a nociceptive response, it is very likely that oysters detect sounds at lower acoustic energy. The mechanism involved in sound detection and the ecological consequences are discussed.

A survey of occurrence of Salmonella in blood and bone marrow cultures was conducted in 1989-1990 and 1999-2000 (Sina hospital, Kermanshah). A total of 496 (12.3%) and 60 (2.4%) Salmonella strains were isolated (from 4020 and 2447 cultures). In 1989-1990, the isolated strains were: S. typhi 448 (98.5%), S. paratyphi A 40 (8%), S. paratyphi B 5 (1%) and S. paratyphi C 3 (0.5%). In 1999-2000, the isolated strains were S. typhi 59 (98%) and S. paratyphi B 1 (1.5%). There was a 60.9% reduction in the number of specimens over the 2 periods. The rate of Salmonella isolation fell from 12.3% (1989-1990) to 2.4% (1999-2000). There was a 10.2, 8.3 and 6.6 times increase in resistance of S. typhi strains to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole respectively.

Although the pathogenic role of gastroesophageal reflux in Barrett's esophagus (BE) is now widely accepted, the pattern of pH profile in the esophagus of patients with BE is not well documented. The aim of this study was to assess the severity and "extent" of acid exposure in patients with BE using an automated single or two-channel 24-hour pH monitoring system. Eighteen patients with histologically proven BE were compared with 3 other groups: a) 100 patients with clinical symptoms and pHmetrically proven acid reflux divided in 2 sub-groups: 38 patients without esophagitis at endoscopy, and 62 patients with esophagitis (Savary-Miller classification; grade I: n = 24, grade II: n = 27, grade III: n = 8, grade IV: n = 3) and b) 9 healthy volunteers. In 17 patients with BE, and in 14 patients with reflux and healthy volunteers, 2 electrodes were placed 5 (electrode E1) and 10 cm (electrode E2) above the lower esophageal sphincter. In the other patients, pH was monitored using a single pH electrode (E1) only. The mucosal acid exposure at E1 (percentage of time below pH 4 on total period, day and night), the number of reflux episodes longer than 5 min were significantly higher in the BE group when compared with the other groups. The number of patients with abnormal acid exposure at E2 was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in the BE group (15/17 cases) than in the reflux group (5/14 cases). The mean duration of acid reflux was significantly longer in BE than in other groups at both recording sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)