BACKGROUND AND AIMS Altered intestinal permeability is a key pathogenetic factor of idiopathic bowel inflammation. We investigated in the rat if changes in the composition of the bowel flora can alter colonic permeability. METHODS A colonic segment was surgically excluded from faecal transit and brought out as a loop to the abdominal wall through two colostomies. The loop was used for colonis...

Health and wellbeing are challenged constantly by pathogens. A number of defence mechanisms exist to protect the body from pathogen colonisation and invasion, with an important role to play for the natural intestinal bacterial flora (mainly by bifidobacteria and lactobacilli). The present paper reviews the evidence on the effects of inulin and oligofructose on colonisation and translocation of ...

We report the prevalence and incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonisation during the patient journey for patients admitted to orthopaedic and trauma wards. Patients were swabbed for MRSA colonisation on admission, transfer, and discharge from hospital. Elective patients undergoing major joint surgery were also swabbed at a pre-operative assessment clinic. Of the ...

INTRODUCTION Patients with severe acute pancreatitis are at risk of candidal infections carrying the potential risk of an increase in mortality. Since early diagnosis is problematic, several clinical risk scores have been developed to identify patients at risk. Such patients may benefit from prophylactic antifungal therapy while those patients who have a low risk of infection may not benefit an...

INTRODUCTION More than 33,000 healthcare-associated infections occur in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) each year in the USA. Parents, rather than healthcare workers, may be a reservoir from which neonates acquire Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonisation in the NICU. This study looks to measure the effect of treating parents with short course intranasal mupirocin and topical chlorhe...

OBJECTIVE Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is common among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the USA. It is unknown whether this is also the case in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Sexually transmitted infection outpatient low-threshold clinic, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS Between October 2008 and Apr...

AIMS To examine the level of microbial colonisation in intravenous fluids after 24 hours of use in an acute care setting to determine the necessity of changing infusate bags on a time-related basis. BACKGROUND Catheter-related bloodstream infections are a serious and life-threatening complication of intravascular devices. Colonised intravenous fluids are one potential source of infection; how...

This article explains the level of economic freedom in Muslim countries through the theory of institutional path dependency. Islamic countries are generally not free and they have a poor record regarding property rights. To explain these realities we use the institutional history of Muslim countries. We define three steps: the Arab and Ottoman Empires when Islamic law was of great importance, E...

The previous sessions on the Archaeology of Crusading, Conversion and Colonisation at the annual meetings of the EAA in 2006 and 2007 were very successful. The organisers intend to maintain and strengthen this forum for a growing branch of archaeological research with a third session for 2008. The setting of the 14 annual meeting of the EAA is particularly appropriate for this session, since th...