Risk factors in ulcerative colitis

In 504 Jewish patients with ulcerative colitis the following risk factors were evaluated: sex, age at onset of disease, community group, extent of disease, and duration of disease. The disease was more severe in females. Severe attacks, weight loss, iron deficiency, liver disease and arthritis were significantly more frequent in females than in mles. Mortality was higher in patients who contracted the disease above age 50. The disease appeared to be more severe in patiets of Ashkenazi origin as compared to Orientals. The difference failed to reach statistical signifcance except for mortality. We confirmed the well-known adverse effect of extensive colonic involvement. Severe attacks, a severe course of the disease and extensive colonic involvement are more frequent with increasing duration of the disease.     

Dynamic buckling of nonlinear resin matrix composite structures

A micromechanical approach is combined with a structural analysis in order to investigate the time-dependent response and dynamic buckling of structures composed of nonlinear polymeric matrices (e.g. epoxy) reinforced by elastic fibres. The composite structures considered herein are either plates or cylindrical shells both of which are under cylindrical bending conditions. Results are given which illustrate the effect of nonlinear behaviour on the dynamic response of the composite structure.     

Brief group therapy with low-achieving elementary school children.

The study encompassed 142 low achievers in 2 elementary schools (Grades 2-6) in Israel, all of whom received 4–6 weekly hours' assistance with their academic difficulties in school. After a random division of this sample into experimental and control groups, the former received an additional weekly session of group therapy of an interpersonal nature. The effect of this treatment was examined on 4 dependent variables: academic achievements, self concept, social acceptance, and locus of control. Results indicated significant gains for the experimental group on all these variables—gains that increased over time. Group therapy appears to contribute both to academic progress and to the psychological and social well-being of low-achieving pupils. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effectiveness of counseling groups in reducing stress of parents of children with learning disabilities.

This study investigated the impact of counseling groups as compared with educational groups on attitudes, levels of stress, and sense of control among parents of a child with learning disabilities (LD) and a non-LD sibling. Conducted in one learning center in Israel, the study comprised 49 families in the counseling group and 46 families in the educational group. Results of the hierarchical analyses (mixed models) indicated significantly higher gains in the counseling groups for both mothers (who participated in the intervention) and fathers (who did not), mostly with respect to the child with LD. Children's self-reports supported these gains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of phospholipid molecular species on cholesterol crystallization in model biles: the influence of phospholipid head groups

A study of the etiologies of diarrhea in adults in relation to their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus and number of CD4+ cells was carried out in the Central African Republic. In cases and controls, multi-parasitism was observed. Salmonella spp. were identified mainly during acute diarrhea, with 50% of the S. enteritidis isolated during the study being responsible for septicemia and/or urinary tract infection in immunodeficient patients. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) were the most frequently identified agent in HIV+ patients with persistent diarrhea; 42.8% of the patients with EAggEC as sole pathogens had bloody diarrhea, and these strains were negative for the presence of a virulence plasmid. Coccidia were found in those with acute and persistent diarrhea. Blood was observed in 53.3% of infections involving coccidia as the sole pathogen. Microsporidium spp. and Blastocystis hominis were found only in HIV+ patients with persistent diarrhea. Shigella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Entamoeba histolytica were found in HIV+ and HIV- dysenteric patients; bacteria resembling spirochetes that could not be cultivated were identified only in HIV+ cases with dysentery. Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli O157:H- was isolated from two cases with hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Fungi were identified as the sole pathogen in 6.4% of the HIV+ patients with persistent diarrhea. Most of enteropathogenic bacteria identified were resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, remained susceptible to ampicillin plus clavulanic acid, and were susceptible to amikacin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin.     

Increased leukocyte adhesiveness/aggregation is the single best biochemical indicator of disease activity in adolescent patients with inflammatory bowel disease

We determined the relative utility of inflammatory markers in evaluating disease activity in adolescent patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Sixty-one adolescent patients and 50 age and sex matched volunteers who served as controls were evaluated prospectively. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBCC), and the leukocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (LAA) test were determined in each patient. There were 28 subjects in remission and 33 in relapse. Their percentage of aggregated white blood cells in the peripheral blood was 7 +/- 5 and 16 +/- 8, respectively, when compared with the control group (5 +/- 3) (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the LAA test was the only one which could effectively classify patients with IBD into their correct diagnostic categories of remission, mild-moderate, or moderate-severe disease activity. The LAA test is superior to other acute phase reactants used in daily practice to detect the presence of inflammation as well as for the assessment of its severity in adolescent patients with IBD. In addition, our findings may have biological relevance to the disease process and its potential manipulation by anti-adhesive agents.