Compositional changes in fecal microbiota associated with clinical phenotypes and prognosis in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background/Aims@#The fecal microbiota of Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was investigated with respect to disease phenotypes and taxonomic biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of IBD. @*Methods@#Fecal samples from 70 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, 39 Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and 100 healthy control individuals (HC) were collected. The fecal samples were amplified via polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. The relationships between fecal bacteria and clinical phenotypes were analyzed using the EzBioCloud database and 16S microbiome pipeline. @*Results@#The alpha-diversity of fecal bacteria was significantly lower in UC and CD (P<0.05) compared to that in HC. Bacterial community compositions in UC and CD were significantly different from that of HC according to Bray-Curtis dissimilarities, and there was also a difference between community composition in UC and CD (P=0.01). In UC, alpha-diversity was further decreased when the disease was more severe and the extent of disease was greater, and community composition significantly differed depending on the extent of the disease. We identified 9 biomarkers of severity and 6 biomarkers of the extent of UC. We also identified 5 biomarkers of active disease and 3 biomarkers of ileocolonic involvement in CD. Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcus gnavus were biomarkers for better prognosis in CD. @*Conclusions@#The fecal microbiota profiles of IBD patients were different from those of HC, and several bacterial taxa may be used as biomarkers to determine disease phenotypes and prognosis. These data may also help discover new therapeutic targets for IBD.

Cytological endometritis in dairy cows: diagnostic threshold, risk factors, and impact on reproductive performance

We determined the threshold proportion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) for a diagnosis of cytological endometritis (CEM), the risk factors for this condition, and its impact on reproductive performance in dairy cows. Uterine cytology was performed on 407 Holstein cows 4 weeks postpartum to determine the proportions of endometrial cells and PMNs. A receiver operator characteristics curve was used to determine the threshold above which the PMN proportion affected the likelihood of cows conceiving by 200 days postpartum. The optimal threshold was ≥ 14% PMN (sensitivity, 31.3%; specificity, 81.7%; p < 0.05). The farm identity, retained placenta (odds ratio [OR] = 1.87), and septicemic metritis (OR = 3.07) were risk factors for CEM (p < 0.05). Cows with CEM were less likely to resume cyclicity (OR = 0.58) and to conceive by 200 days postpartum (hazard ratio = 0.58). Cows with CEM tended (p < 0.1) to be less likely to become pregnant after their first insemination (OR = 0.65) and to require a greater number of inseminations per conception (2.3 vs. 2.2). In conclusion, a PMN threshold of 14% defined the presence of CEM at 4 weeks postpartum. The farm, retained placenta, and septicemic metritis were risk factors for CEM, which reduces subsequent reproductive performance.

Postoperative High-Dose Intravenous Iron Sucrose with Low Dose Erythropoietin Therapy after Total Hip Replacement

Erythropoietin combined with parenteral iron sucrose therapy is an alternative to blood transfusion in anemic patients. It was shown to be effective in surgical patients in several previous studies when used in conjunction with other methods. However, there are no guidelines about safety limits in dosage amounts or intervals. In this study, we report a case of significant postoperative hemorrhage managed with high dose parenteral iron sucrose, low dose erythropoietin, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and folic acid. An 80-year-old female patient presented for severe anemia after a total hip arthroplasty and refused an allogenic blood transfusion as treatment. The preoperative hemoglobin of 12.2 g/dL decreased to 5.3 g/dL postoperatively. She received the aforementioned combination of iron sucrose, erythropoietin, and vitamins. A total of 1,500 mg of intravenous iron sucrose was given postoperatively for 6 consecutive days. Erythropoietin was also administered at 2,000 IU every other day for a total of 12,000 IU. The patient was discharged in good condition on the twelfth postoperative day with a hemoglobin of 8.5 g/dL. Her hemoglobin was at 11.2 g/dL on the twentieth postoperative day.

Endoscopic bone graft for delayed union and nonunion

We performed endoscopic bone grafting for eight patients of delayed union and nonunion which developed after femoral and humeral shaft fractures. The mean interval from initial intervention to endoscopic bone grafting was 7.3 months. Six patients of delayed union and nonunion healed at 4.1 months on average. Two patients had unsatisfactory healing and eventually underwent non-endoscopic revisional surgery. There was no intraoperative on postoperative complication. Endoscopic bone grafting can be a less invasive alternative, obtaining rapid bone union in cases of compromised healing of the diaphyseal fracture.

Tumoral calcinosis in neonate: A case report / 대한정형외과학회잡지

No abstract available.