Impact of environmental and dietary factors on the course of inflammatory bowel disease

Besides their possible effects on the development of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),some environmental factors can modulate the clinical course of both ulcerative colitis(UC) and Crohn's disease(CD).This review is mainly devoted to describing the current knowledge of the impact of some of these factors on the outcome of IBD,with special emphasis on smoking and diet.Although the impact of smoking on the susceptibility to develop CD and UC is firmly established,its influence on the clinical course of both diseases is still debatable.In CD,active smoking is a risk factor for postoperative recurrence.Beyond this clinical setting,smoking cessation seems to be advantageous in those CD patients who were smokers at disease diagnosis,while smoking resumption may be of benefit in ex-smokers with resistant UC.The role of dietary habits on the development of IBD is far from being well established.Also,food intolerances are very frequent,but usually inconsistent among IBD patients,and therefore no general dietary recommendations can be made in these patients.In general,IBD patients should eat a diet as varied as possible.Regarding the possible therapeutic role of some dietary components in IBD,lessons should be drawn from the investigation of the primary therapeutic effect of enteral nutrition in CD.Low-fat diets seem to be particularly useful.Also,some lipid sources,such as olive oil,medium-chain triglycerides,and perhaps omega-3 fatty acids,might have a therapeutic effect.Fermentable fiber may have a role in preventing relapses in inactive UC.

The effects of the environmental factors on Laminaria disease caused by alginic acid decomposing bacteria

-The rot disease of Laminaria occurs often in nurseries of sporeling and commercial cultivation in the sea and results in economic loss greatly. Usually the disease outbreaks accompanied with massive multiplication of alginic acid decomposing bacteria. From the section of the decaying Lamuutria which resulted from the inoculation of alginic acid decomposing bacteria, it was observed that the bacteria invaded the epiderm of the Laminaria surface at first, then entered the ex-odermis, endodermis and pith. In addition, there were a great amount of bacteria in the intercellular region and a lot of free cells of the algae in the decaying areas. The wall of some free cells was decomposed, which led to soft tissue or disintegration. Alginic acid decomposing bacteria are normal epiphytic microorganisms growing on Lamuutria surface. These bacteria do not cause disease at normal environmental conditions. The experiments showed that the unfavourable conditions, e. g. , wounding, overcrowding, high temperature reduced the ability of antibacterial activity and made the algae more susceptible to the pathogens and favoured the multiplication of alginic acid decomposing bacteria and finally led to the disease outbreak. The unfavourable environmental factors which resulted from a variety of reasons were the main cause of the disease.

Exploration of the Relationship between Geographical Environment and Human Diseases in Ancient China

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (黄帝内经素问Huangdi Neijing Suwen), created in the Warring States period (475 to 221 BC) described a phenomenon whereby the eastern, western, northern, southern, and central regions were liable to different diseases. It brought forward the principle of treatment in accordance with local conditions. Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals, Huai Nan Tzu (Huainanzi), and the Regiment of Health (Yangshenglun) in the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties all describe regional diseases such as goiter (endemic goiter) and yellowish teeth (dental fluorosis) as being caused by geologic and climatic factors. Zhang (miasma), first mentioned in the Han Dynasty, was considered related to the summer heat and dampness particular to the geographical environment of the south. Zhang was further associated with malaria in the Jin Dynasty. General Treatise on the Etiology and Symptomology of Diseases (Zhubingyuanhou Lun), in the Sui Dynasty, held that as a type of poisonous gas, Zhang was the predisposing cause of malaria, seasonal disease, and barbiers, among other conditions. General Guide (Zhinan Zonglun), in the Southern Song Dynasty, regarded Zhang malaria as a separate disease. Healthy Prescription in the Southern Wuling District (Lingnan Weisheng Fang), in the late Song and early Yuan Dynasties, explicitly put forward the concepts of cold Zhang, hot Zhang, and lockjaw Zhang. Guidelines for Treatment of Zhang Malaria (Zhangnue Zhinan), in the Ming Dynasty, maintained that cold Zhang was equivalent to malaria, while hot Zhang and lockjaw Zhang were equivalent to cold damage, the latter of which can be treated by prescriptions for cold damage. Records on Zhang gas and Zhang disease decreased during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Oral disease is linked to low nestling condition and brood size in a raptor species living in a highly modified environment

Anthropogenic stressors can favor the occurrence of noninfectious disease that can be worsened by the impact of opportunistic pathogens,making the epizootiology of environmental diseases difficult to unravel.The incidence and impact of oral lesions in nestlings of a facultative scavenger species,the black kite Milvus migrans,were examined over seven breeding seasons in the highly degraded environment close to Madrid,Spain.We found an overall prevalence of 31%of nestlings with oral lesions,with no clear spatial pattern in nests with affected and unaffected individuals.The occurrence and number of oral lesions were negatively associated with nestling body condition and brood size.Broods,where all siblings had oral lesions,were smaller than those where some or all siblings were apparently healthy,suggesting that oral disease could be causing nestling mortality and,consequently,brood size reduction.In turn,nestling body condition was negatively affected by lesion occurrence,brood size,and laying date.Although these relationships were bidirectional,piecewise structural equation modeling analyses showed a greater negative effect of body condition on lesion occurrence than vice versa,indicating that nestlings in poorer body condition were more likely to develop oral lesions(which could contribute to aggravate their state of deterioration)than those in better condition.Nestlings from small broods were also more likely to have oral disease(directly or indirectly through their lower body condition)than nestlings from large broods.Nestlings that hatched last in the broods showed greater development stress than those that hatched first.Anthropogenic stressors could trigger poor body condition,and contribute to microbiota dysbiosis-related diseases.Although further research is needed to determine the consequences for the long-term fitness of individuals,actions should be taken to mitigate adverse conditions that may favor the appearance of environmental diseases associatedwithperi-urbanareas,giventheirrapidexpansion overnatural areas.

Proteomics and metabolic phenotyping define principal roles for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mouse liver

Dioxin-like molecules have been associated with endocrine disruption and liver disease.To better understand aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AHR)biology,metabolic phenotyping and liver proteomics were performed in mice following ligand-activation or whole-body genetic ablation of this receptor.Male wild type(WT)and Ahr^(-/-) mice(Taconic)were fed a control diet and exposed to 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl(PCB126)(61 nmol/kg by gavage)or vehicle for two weeks.PCB126 increased expression of canonical AHR targets(Cyp1 a1 and Cyp1 a2)in WT but not Ahr^(-/-).Knockouts had increased adiposity with decreased glucose tolerance;smaller livers with increased steatosis and perilipin-2;and paradoxically decreased blood lipids.PCB126 was associated with increased hepatic triglycerides in Ahr^(-/-).The liver proteome was impacted more so by Ahr^(-/-) genotype than ligandactivation,but top gene ontology(GO)processes were similar.The PCB126-associated liver proteome was Ahr-dependent.Ahr principally regulated liver metabolism(e.g.,lipids,xenobiotics,organic acids)and bioenergetics,but it also impacted liver endocrine response(e.g.,the insulin receptor)and function,including the production of steroids,hepatokines,and pheromone binding proteins.These effects could have been indirectly mediated by interacting transcription factors or microRNAs.The biologic roles of the AHR and its ligands warrant more research in liver metabolic health and disease.