Does Dietary Mitigation of Enteric Methane Production Affect Rumen Function and Animal Productivity in Dairy Cows?

It has been suggested that the rumen microbiome and rumen function might be disrupted if methane production in the rumen is decreased. Furthermore concerns have been voiced that geography and management might influence the underlying microbial population and hence the response of the rumen to mitigation strategies. Here we report the effect of the dietary additives: linseed oil and nitrate on methane emissions, rumen fermentation, and the rumen microbiome in two experiments from New Zealand (Dairy 1) and the UK (Dairy 2). Dairy 1 was a randomized block design with 18 multiparous lactating cows. Dairy 2 was a complete replicated 3 x 3 Latin Square using 6 rumen cannulated, lactating dairy cows. Treatments consisted of a control total mixed ration (TMR), supplementation with linseed oil (4% of feed DM) and supplementation with nitrate (2% of feed DM) in both experiments. Methane emissions were measured in open circuit respiration chambers and rumen samples were analyzed for rumen fermentation parameters and microbial population structure using qPCR and next generation sequencing (NGS). Supplementation with nitrate, but not linseed oil, decreased methane yield (g/kg DMI; P<0.02) and increased hydrogen (P<0.03) emissions in both experiments. Furthermore, the effect of nitrate on gaseous emissions was accompanied by an increased rumen acetate to propionate ratio and consistent changes in the rumen microbial populations including a decreased abundance of the main genus Prevotella and a decrease in archaeal mcrA (log10 copies/g rumen DM content). These results demonstrate that methane emissions can be significantly decreased with nitrate supplementation with only minor, but consistent, effects on the rumen microbial population and its function, with no evidence that the response to dietary additives differed due to geography and different underlying microbial populations.

Cutaneous Crohn's disease treated with infliximab and 4 years of follow up.

Metastatic Crohn's disease (MCD) is a rare, non-contiguous cutaneous manifestation of Crohn's disease. To date, there have been only four reports in the literature of an effective treatment of this condition with infliximab and there are no long-term follow-up studies on adult MCD patients treated with infliximab. We present a case of MCD treated with infliximab with 4.5 years of follow up.

Nodular granulomatous phlebitis: a phlebitic tuberculid.

A 22-year-old woman presented with recurrent non-ulcerating skin nodules overlying the great saphenous vein on the anteromedial lower legs. Histology showed a granulomatous phlebitis, and polymerase chain reaction performed on lesional skin detected DNA specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The lesions resolved with anti-tuberculous therapy. This case may be a further example of nodular granulomatous phlebitis, a phlebitic tuberculid.

The BPQ: a scale for the assessment of borderline personality based on DSM-IV criteria.

The aim of the study was to develop a self-report measure that assesses borderline personality traits as defined by DSM-IV criteria, including separate subscales for each criterion. A sample of normal subjects from community colleges in the midwestern region of the United States was used to develop the scale. The psychometric properties of the scale were examined using an additional United States sample and student samples from England and Australia. The scale was compared with existing measures of borderline and schizotypal personality. Evidence for the internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity of the new scale is presented. The results of several analyses of variance comparing males and females in the three national groups are reported. A Principal Components Analysis of the subscales suggested either a single factor or two correlated factors. Oblique rotation yielded a structure that distinguished identity/interpersonal and impulsivity borderline personality traits. It is concluded that the new scale provides a useful tool for clinicians and researchers interested in screening for borderline personality traits in both general and clinical populations. Suggestions for further research are indicated.

Hand, foot and mouth disease in an immunocompromised adult treated with aciclovir.

A 27-year-old man, immunosuppressed from recent chemotherapy for metastatic Ewing's sarcoma, presented with a 1-week history of a painful, pruritic, papulovesicular eruption on the hands and feet. A diagnosis of hand, foot and mouth disease was made based on histology, detection of Enterovirus ribonucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction on a swab from a vesicle, and a four-fold increase in Enterovirus antibody levels. At no stage however, were there lesions in the mouth. Another unusual feature in this case was a prolonged course, presumably as a result of immunosuppression. After 3 1/2 weeks he was commenced on oral aciclovir 200 mg five times daily, with subsequent resolution of all lesions within 5 days. There may be a role for systemic aciclovir in some patients with hand, foot and mouth disease.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia associated with cutaneous lichen planus in a premenopausal woman.

A 45-year-old premenopausal woman presented with an 18-month history of a band-like area of fibrosing alopecia affecting the frontoparietal scalp. She also had marked thinning of the eyebrows. The histopathology was consistent with frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). Several months later she developed multiple pruritic papules on the wrists and feet. The clinical presentation and histopathology were consistent with cutaneous lichen planus. Although FFA has been reported to occur with mucosal lichen planus this is the first reported case of FFA associated with cutaneous lichen planus. This provides further evidence that FFA is a variant of lichen planopilaris.