Upon daily intragastric exposure to food allergens, the specificities of the induced antibody responses in the BN rat resemble those found in food-allergic patients. These studies add further support to the hypothesis that the BN rat may provide a suitable animal model for food allergy research and research on the allergenicity of food proteins.

BackgroundObesity is not only associated with metabolic abnormalities, but also with cognitive dysfunction and changes in the central nervous system. The present pilot study was carried out to investigate functional connectivity in obese and non-obese adolescents using magnetoencephalography (MEG).Methodology/Principal FindingsMagnetoencephalographic recordings were performed in 11 obese (mean BMI 38.8±4.6 kg/m2) and 8 lean (mean BMI 21.0±1.5 kg/m2) female adolescents (age 12–19 years) during an eyes-closed resting-state condition. From these recordings, the synchronization likelihood (SL), a common method that estimates both linear and non-linear interdependencies between MEG signals, was calculated within and between brain regions, and within standard frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta and gamma). The obese adolescents had increased synchronization in delta (0.5–4 Hz) and beta (13–30 Hz) frequency bands compared to lean controls (P delta total = 0.001; P beta total = 0.002).Conclusions/SignificanceThis study identified increased resting-state functional connectivity in severe obese adolescents. Considering the importance of functional coupling between brain areas for cognitive functioning, the present findings strengthen the hypothesis that obesity may have a major impact on human brain function. The cause of the observed excessive synchronization is unknown, but might be related to disturbed motivational pathways, the recently demonstrated increase in white matter volume in obese subjects or altered metabolic processes like hyperinsulinemia. The question arises whether the changes in brain structure and communication are a dynamic process due to weight gain and whether these effects are reversible or not.

Objective: Recently, the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) has been identified as a genetic risk factor for developing obesity. The underlying mechanisms remain speculative. SNPs within FTO have been associated with brain atrophy in frontal and occipital regions, suggesting that FTO might affect body weight through cerebral pathways. Behavioral studies suggested a relationship between FTO and the reward-related behavioral traits. Therefore the relationship between the FTO risk allele rs9939609A and volumes of reward-related brain structures has been investigated. Methods: Four hundred and ninety-two Dutch individuals (56% males, age: 70-82 years) participating in the PROSPER study underwent a 3D-T1-weighted MRI to assess the volumes of reward-related brain structures (e.g., amygdala, nucleus accumbens) and of gray matter and white matter. Linear regression analysis was performed to test for the association of subcortical and cortical structures with rs9939609A. Results: rs9939609A is associated with lower volumes of the nucleus accumbens (p=0.03) and trended toward lower cortical gray matter volumes (p=0.08). This association is independent of gender, age, and BMI, FDR corrected. Conclusions: The FTO risk allele is associated with lower nucleus accumbens volumes, suggesting that the higher body weight of risk-allele carriers might be due to changes within reward-related brain structures.

Objective:Although vitamin D levels are not routinely monitored in pediatric fracture patients, identification of children with a vitamin D deficiency may be clinically relevant because of the potential role of vitamin D in fracture healing. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a pediatric fracture population and to identify risk factors for deficiency.Methods:All pediatric patients (<18 years) who were treated for a fracture of the upper or lower extremity from September 2012 to October 2013 in the outpatient setting of a level one trauma center were included in this cross-sectional study. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum calcidiol <50 nmol/L. Potential risk factors for vitamin D deficiency were analysed using multivariable logistic regression analysis.Results:A total of 108 boys (58%) and 79 girls, of a mean age 11.1 years (standard deviation 3.9), who had undergone 189 fractures were included in the study. Sixty-four children (34%) were vitamin D deficient. Of those with follow-up measurements, 74% were no longer deficient after supplementation. Vitamin D status did not influence the occurrence of complications during fracture treatment. Independent risk factors for vitamin D deficiency were older age, season (spring), and a non-Caucasian skin type.Conclusion:Clinicians who treat children with a fracture should inform patients and parents on vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D measurement and supplementation may be needed for children with a non-Caucasian skin type or for those who present with a fracture during spring months.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to describe insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome in obese children and adolescents. Subjects: The cohort consisted of 518 patients, 250 boys, 268 girls, age ± sd: 11.8 ± 3.2 years, BMIsds ± sd: 2.94 ± 0.5. A standard OGTT was performed. Results: Impaired glucose tolerance was found in 9.4% of the boys and 5.5% of the girls. Impaired fasting glucose was found in 12.4% of the boys and 11.6% of the girls. The metabolic syndrome was present in 13.9% of children of 10 years or older. The proportion in which the metabolic syndrome was diagnosed was essentially not altered when pubertal groups were used instead of age groups. Conclusion: Both impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance as well as the metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent among obese children and adolescents.

The first case of Actinobacillus actinomycetem-comitans endocarditis in a child with a prosthetic cardiac valve is reported. Endocarditis was possibly caused by dental work done without antibiotic prophylaxis four weeks prior to admission.

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