Sponges of the family Esperiopsidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) from Northwest Africa, with the descriptions of four new species

Sponges belonging to the genera Amphilectus Vosmaer, Esperiopsis Carter and Ulosa de Laubenfels of the family Esperiopsidae were collected during 1986 and 1988 expeditions of the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (at that time the National Museum of Natural History at Leiden and the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam) in waters off the coasts of Mauritania and the Cape Verde Islands. Four new species, Amphilectus utriculus sp. nov., Amphilectus strepsichelifer sp. nov., Esperiopsis cimensis sp. nov., Ulosa capblancensis sp. nov., and two already known species, Amphilectus cf. fucorum (Esper) and Ulosa stuposa (Esper) are described and discussed

Nondispersive Infrared Spectrometry: A New Method for the Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection with the 13C-Urea Breath Test

Nondispersive infrared spectrometry (NDIRS) was used to detect Helicobacter pylori infection with the 13C-urea breath test. The results were compared with those of standard isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Both methods accurately distinguished between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative individuals. The results demonstrate that NDIRS technology is accurate and therefore of equal value to standard IRMS for detection of H. pylori infection. It can be recommended for routine clinical application. As NDIRS technology is much cheaper than current IRMS machines, we consider the new method extremely useful for clinical application

Tobler/Beglinger-Brevier zum Institutionellen Abkommen Schweiz-EU

Die Schweiz und die Europäische Union (EU) verhandeln seit dem Frühling 2014 über ein institutionelles Abkommen“ zu wichtigen Teilen des bilateralen Rechts. Man spricht auch von den „institutionellen Fragen“, einem „institutionellen Rahmenabkommen“ und neuerdings – seit dem Juni 2017 – einem „Konsolidierungsabkommen“. Das Thema erscheint regelmässig in den Medien und ist z.T. stark umstritten. Dementsprechend unterschiedlich wird die Sachlage dargestellt – mit der Folge, dass unklar bleibt, worum es denn eigentlich genau geht. Das vorliegende Brevier versucht, wichtige, immer wiederkehrende Diskussionspunkte zu klären und so zum besseren Verständnis der komplexen Thematik beizutragen

Effects of carbohydrate sugars and artificial sweeteners on appetite and the secretion of gastrointestinal satiety peptides

In vitro, both carbohydrate sugars and artificial sweeteners (AS) stimulate the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). It has been suggested that the gut tastes sugars and AS through the same mechanisms as the tongue, with potential effects on gut hormone release. We investigated whether the human gut responds in the same way to AS and carbohydrate sugars, which are perceived by lingual taste as equisweet. We focused on the secretion of gastrointestinal (GI) satiety peptides in relation to appetite perception. We performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind, six-way, cross-over trial including twelve healthy subjects. On separate days, each subject received an intragastric infusion of glucose, fructose or an AS (aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose) dissolved in 250ml of water or water only (control). In a second part, four subjects received an intragastric infusion of the non-sweet, non-metabolisable sugar analogue 2-deoxy-d-glucose. Glucose stimulated GLP-1 (P=0·002) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY; P=0·046) secretion and reduced fasting plasma ghrelin (P=0·046), whereas fructose was less effective. Both carbohydrate sugars increased satiety and fullness (albeit not significantly) compared with water. In contrast, equisweet loads of AS did not affect gastrointestinal peptide secretion with minimal effects on appetite. 2-Deoxy-d-glucose increased hunger ratings, however, with no effects on GLP-1, PYY or ghrelin. Our data demonstrate that the secretion of GLP-1, PYY and ghrelin depends on more than the detection of (1) sweetness or (2) the structural analogy to glucos

Multiple once-daily subcutaneous doses of pasireotide were well tolerated in healthy male volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, Phase I study

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, dose-escalating, single-center study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of multiple once-daily (qd) subcutaneous (sc) doses of pasireotide in healthy male subjects. Subjects received pasireotide 50, 200, or 600μgscqd for 14days and placebo in separate sequences. Thirty-three subjects were randomized. The most frequently reported drug-related adverse events were injection-site reactions (n=18), diarrhea (n=14) and nausea (n=10), which were mostly mild or moderate in intensity. Pasireotide 600μgsc was associated with pre- and post-prandial elevations in glucose levels relative to placebo; however, this effect was less pronounced on day 14 compared with day 1. PK steady state appeared to be achieved after 3days of dosing and PK exposures had a moderate accumulation of 20-40% across doses. Pasireotide demonstrated fast absorption (T max,ss: 0.25-0.5h), low clearance (CL/F ss: 8.10-9.03L/h), long effective half-life (T ½,eff: ~12h, on average between 9.7 and 13.1h for 50, 200, and 600μgscqd), and large volume of distribution (V z/F ss: 251-1,091L) at steady state. Dose proportionality was confirmed for C max,ss; other PK parameters (C max, AUC0-24h and AUCtau) were approximately dose proportional. Growth hormone inhibition was observed with pasireotide 200 and 600μgscqd. Gallbladder volume increased post-prandially with pasireotide 200 and 600μgscqd, which appeared to correlate with reduced levels of cholecystokinin at these doses. Pasireotide was generally well tolerated up to the tested dose of 600μgqd, with a linear and time-independent PK profile after sc qd dosing in healthy subject

Serum protein electrophoresis : an underused but very useful test

Serum protein electrophoresis is used in clinical practice to identify patients with multiple myeloma and other serum protein disorders. It is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform screening procedure. Electrophoresis separates serum proteins based on their physical properties and identifies morphologic patterns in response to acute and chronic inflammation, various malignancies, liver or renal failure, and hereditary protein disorders. For gastroenterologists, the use of serum protein electrophoresis may be helpful in the diagnosis of both common diseases with unusual presentations and rare disorders with typical presentations. Therefore, it represents an ideal screening tool

Affinities of the family Sollasellidae (Porifera, Demospongiae). I. Morphological evidence

Comparison of Sollasella digitata Lendenfeld, 1888, up until the present assigned to its own family Sollasellidae Lendenfeld, 1887 in the order Hadromerida, and Raspailopsis cervicornis Burton, 1959, assigned to Raspailiidae Nardo, 1833 in the order Poecilosclerida, leads to the conclusion that both should be considered congeneric and are best assigned to a single genus Sollasella. This conclusion is based on examination of habit and skeletal characters of the type material of S. digitata and both type and freshly collected material of S. cervicornis. The conclusion is strengthened by the discovery of a new species, Sollasella moretonensis n.sp. collected in North Australia (primarily in the northeastern coast, but also an isolated record from the northwestern Australian coast), which possesses in addition to the characteristic surface pattern and skeletal structure, genuine echinating acanthostyles. The redefined genus Sollasella shares axial / extra-axial arrangement of the skeleton, special surface brushes of oxeas surrounding a single protruding style, and vestigial occurrence of acanthostyles with many Raspailia s.l. Nevertheless, it is retained as a separate genus, on account of its peculiar polygonal arrangement of surface pores. The distribution of the genus is disjunctive including both (southeast, northeast and northwest) Australian and Western Indian Ocean localities, but so far no intermediate records. Based on this morphological evidence, it is proposed – pending publication of corroborating molecular evidence to be presented in a follow-up study – to reassign Sollasella and the family Sollasellidae to the poecilosclerid family Raspailiidae

Sleep Disruption and Daytime Sleepiness Correlating with Disease Severity and Insulin Resistance in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Comparison with Healthy Controls

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Sleep disturbance is associated with the development of obesity, diabetes and hepatic steatosis in murine models. Hepatic triglyceride accumulation oscillates in a circadian rhythm regulated by clock genes, light-dark cycle and feeding time in mice. The role of the sleep-wake cycle in the pathogenesis of human non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is indeterminate. We sought to detail sleep characteristics, daytime sleepiness and meal times in relation to disease severity in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: Basic Sleep duration and latency, daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale), Pittsburgh sleep quality index, positive and negative affect scale, Munich Chronotype Questionnaire and an eating habit questionnaire were assessed in 46 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 22 healthy controls, and correlated with biochemical and histological parameters. RESULTS: In NAFLD compared to healthy controls, time to fall asleep was vastly prolonged (26.9 vs. 9.8 min., p = 0.0176) and sleep duration was shortened (6.3 vs. 7.2 hours, p = 0.0149). Sleep quality was poor (Pittsburgh sleep quality index 8.2 vs. 4.7, p = 0.0074) and correlated with changes in affect. Meal frequency was shifted towards night-times (p = 0.001). In NAFLD but not controls, daytime sleepiness significantly correlated with liver enzymes (ALAT [r = 0.44, p = 0.0029], ASAT [r = 0.46, p = 0.0017]) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR [r = 0.5, p = 0.0009]) independent of cirrhosis. In patients with fibrosis, daytime sleepiness correlated with the degree of fibrosis (r = 0.364, p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: In NAFLD sleep duration was shortened, sleep onset was delayed and sleep quality poor. Food-intake was shifted towards the night. Daytime sleepiness was positively linked to biochemical and histologic surrogates of disease severity. The data may indicate a role for sleep-wake cycle regulation and timing of food-intake in the pathogenesis of human NAFLD as suggested from murine models

Deregulation of transcription factors controlling intestinal epithelial cell differentiation; a predisposing factor for reduced enteroendocrine cell number in morbidly obese individuals

Morbidly obese patients exhibit impaired secretion of gut hormones that may contribute to the development of obesity. After bariatric surgery there is a dramatic increase in gut hormone release. In this study, gastric and duodenal tissues were endoscopically collected from lean, and morbidly obese subjects before and 3 months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Tissue morphology, abundance of chromogranin A, gut hormones, α-defensin, mucin 2, Na+/glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) and transcription factors, Hes1, HATH1, NeuroD1, and Ngn3, were determined. In obese patients, the total number of enteroendocrine cells (EEC) and EECs containing gut hormones were significantly reduced in the stomach and duodenum, compared to lean, and returned to normality post-LSG. No changes in villus height/crypt depth were observed. A significant increase in mucin 2 and SGLT1 expression was detected in the obese duodenum. Expression levels of transcription factors required for differentiation of absorptive and secretory cell lineages were altered. We propose that in obesity, there is deregulation in differentiation of intestinal epithelial cell lineages that may influence the levels of released gut hormones. Post-LSG cellular differentiation profile is restored. An understanding of molecular mechanisms controlling epithelial cell differentiation in the obese intestine assists in the development of non-invasive therapeutic strategies