Non-invasive mapping of the gastrointestinal microbiota identifies children with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging to diagnose because of the non-specificity of symptoms; an unequivocal diagnosis can only be made using colonoscopy, which clinicians are reluctant to recommend for children. Diagnosis of pediatric IBD is therefore frequently delayed, leading to inappropriate treatment plans and poor outcomes. We investigated the use of 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples and new analytical methods to assess differences in the microbiota of children with IBD and other gastrointestinal disorders. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We applied synthetic learning in microbial ecology (SLiME) analysis to 16S sequencing data obtained from i) published surveys of microbiota diversity in IBD and ii) fecal samples from 91 children and young adults who were treated in the gastroenterology program of Children's Hospital (Boston, USA). The developed method accurately distinguished control samples from those of patients with IBD; the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) value was 0.83 (corresponding to 80.3% sensitivity and 69.7% specificity at a set threshold). The accuracy was maintained among data sets collected by different sampling and sequencing methods. The method identified taxa associated with disease states and distinguished patients with Crohn's disease from those with ulcerative colitis with reasonable accuracy. The findings were validated using samples from an additional group of 68 patients; the validation test identified patients with IBD with an AUC value of 0.84 (e.g. 92% sensitivity, 58.5% specificity). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Microbiome-based diagnostics can distinguish pediatric patients with IBD from patients with similar symptoms. Although this test can not replace endoscopy and histological examination as diagnostic tools, classification based on microbial diversity is an effective complementary technique for IBD detection in pediatric patients.

Alterations in diversity of the oral microbiome in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Oral pathology is a commonly reported extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease (CD). The host-microbe interaction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in genetically susceptible hosts, yet limited information exists about oral microbes in IBD. We hypothesize that the microbiology of the oral cavity may differ in patients with IBD. Our laboratory has developed a 16S rRNA-based technique known as the Human Oral Microbe Identification Microarray (HOMIM) to study the oral microbiome of children and young adults with IBD. METHODS: Tongue and buccal mucosal brushings from healthy controls, CD, and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were analyzed using HOMIM. Shannon Diversity Index (SDI) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were employed to compare population and phylum-level changes among our study groups. RESULTS: In all, 114 unique subjects from the Children's Hospital Boston were enrolled. Tongue samples from patients with CD showed a significant decrease in overall microbial diversity as compared with the same location in healthy controls (P = 0.015) with significant changes seen in Fusobacteria (P < 0.0002) and Firmicutes (P = 0.022). Tongue samples from patients with UC did not show a significant change in overall microbial diversity as compared with healthy controls (P = 0.418). CONCLUSIONS: As detected by HOMIM, we found a significant decrease in overall diversity in the oral microbiome of pediatric CD. Considering the proposed microbe-host interaction in IBD, the ease of visualization and direct oral mucosal sampling of the oral cavity, further study of the oral microbiome in IBD is of potential diagnostic and prognostic value.

Neurotalk: improving the communication of neuroscience research.

There is increasing pressure for neuroscientists to communicate their research and the societal implications of their findings to the public. Communicating science is challenging, and the transformation of communication by digital and interactive media increases the complexity of the challenge. To facilitate dialogue with the public in this new media landscape, we suggest three courses of action for the neuroscience community: a cultural shift that explicitly recognizes and rewards public outreach, the identification and development of neuroscience communication experts, and ongoing empirical research on the public communication of neuroscience.

Epidemiology of knee injuries among boys and girls in US high school athletics.

BACKGROUND: The knee joint is the second most commonly injured body site and the leading cause of high school sports-related surgeries. Knee injuries are among the most economically costly sports injuries and may require subsequent surgery or extensive and expensive rehabilitation. PURPOSE: To report the incidence, risk, and severity of high school knee injuries across sports, genders, and type of exposure. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: During the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years, 100 US high schools were randomly selected for a nationally representative sample. Certified athletic trainers tracked injuries using an online injury surveillance system, High School RIO, in 9 high school sports. RESULTS: There were 1383 knee injuries reported during 3,551131 athlete exposures for a rate of 3.89 knee injuries per 10,000 athlete exposures. Although boys had a higher overall rate of knee injury (rate ratio, 1.38; confidence interval, 1.22-1.55), girls were twice as likely to sustain knee injuries requiring surgery (major knee injuries) than were boys (injury proportion ratio, 1.98; confidence interval, 1.45-2.70) and twice as likely to incur noncontact major knee injuries (injury proportion ratio, 1.98; confidence interval, 1.23-3.19) as were boys. Although illegal play was identified as a contributing factor in only 5.7% of all knee injuries, 20% of knee injuries resulting from illegal play required surgery. CONCLUSION: Knee injury rates and patterns varied by sport, gender, and type of exposure. Identified gender differences included differences in injury rates, injury severity, and basic injury mechanism. Further surveillance is crucial for the development of targeted, evidence-based injury prevention strategies to reduce the morbidity and economic impact of knee surgeries.