A Review of Colitis Ulcers in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Colitis ulcer disease is a chronic disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract. The disease is characterized by abnormal inflammation of the inner surface of the rectum and intestine, which makes up most of the length of the large intestine. Inflammation usually causes open sores (ulcers) in the large intestine. Doctors still do not know exactly what causes ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, but genetics appear to play an important role. Family history is seen in many patients with ulcerative colitis. In fact, having a relative with ulcerative colitis is the biggest risk factor for the disease, meaning you may inherit the genetic cause of ulcerative colitis. In addition, some environmental factors are involved in the immune system attacking the colon and developing ulcerative colitis. Families with ulcerative colitis share some of the genes that appear to be linked to the disease. Note that several genetic changes may play a role in the development of ulcerative colitis. Genes may stimulate ulcerative colitis by altering the immune system response or disrupting the protective barrier of the intestinal wall.

False Bean Smut Caused by Slime Mold

Identification of the “bean smut” reported in 1998 in abstracts from two conferences was later disseminated by a Plant Disease Note; citations in books, papers, and blogs; and in several official sites, including databases curated by the United States Department of Agriculture and Embrapa-Brazil. After seeing the illustration of the syndrome in 2002, the need became clear for a review of the so-called bean smut. Field collections indicated that it is common in no-till bean and soybean farming in Brazil. Our studies revealed that the “bean smut” attributed to Ustilago sp. or “Ustilago phaseoli” and, later, to “Microbotryum phaseoli” is not a real smut but is Physarum cinereum (Physaraceae, Physarales, Myxomycetes), sporulating superficially on leaves, stems, and pods of dry bean and soybean. To unravel this imbroglio, we produced detailed morphological documentation supported by molecular treatment. This will correct the spread and further incorporation of an error in the literature based upon mistaken taxonomical work related to a plant-associated nonpathogenic organism.

Pandemic Influenza and Canada's Children

Paediatricians and others who care for children are familiar with the regular epidemic of respiratory illnesses that accompanies the annual visit of influenza virus each winter. In recent years, media interest in new strains of influenza has generated much public interest in, and often anxiety about, the threat of an influenza pandemic. Around the world, local, regional and national jurisdictions are engaged in contingency planning for the inevitable surge of illness, shortage of human and material resources, and societal disruption that is expected to accompany this event. In the present Paediatric Infectious Disease Note, we review briefly the potential implications of pandemic influenza for Canadian children, and the actions that paediatricians and others who care for children can take to prepare for this inevitable event.

Questions & Answers

The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Chapter 3, The Heart and Aorta, is used to rate impairment in patients with coronary disease. Note that the four “functional classes” of the New York Heart Association, which are discussed in the chapter, should not be confused with the four classes used to rate impairment due to coronary heart disease. Treadmill testing of maximal exercise ability is a traditional measurement to help the evaluator place an individual in an impairment rating class. Class 1 impairment rarely is used in rating workers’ compensation impairment, and the presence of small (asymptomatic) coronary artery blockages that may progress is the justification for considering these individuals impaired even in the absence of symptoms. Classes 2, 3, and 4 describe the impairment of individuals with objectively documented symptomatic coronary disease. Class 2 impairment describes individuals who have no symptoms or who manage them with diet or medication and can achieve 90% of predicted maximal heart rate during exercise testing without specific signs of ischemia. Class 3 impairment describes individuals who have symptoms of congestive failure or angina with moderately heavy activity, and Class 4 includes individuals who have symptoms during ordinary activity. To give guidance in this process, a series of clinical examples follows the description of each class.