Microbiota and Obesity: Where Are We Now? Ballini, Andrea; Scacco, Salvatore; Boccellino, Mariarosaria ...
Biology (Basel, Switzerland),
11/2020, Volume:
9, Issue:
12
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Genetic and environmental factors are underlying causes of obesity and other metabolic diseases, so it is therefore difficult to find suitable and effective medical treatments. However, without a ...doubt, the gut microbiota-and also the bacteria present in the oral cavity-act as key factors in the development of these pathologies, yet the mechanisms have not been fully described. Certainly, a more detailed knowledge of the structure of the microbiota-composition, intra- and inter-species relationships, metabolic functions-could be of great help in counteracting the onset of obesity. Identifying key bacterial species will allow us to create a database of "healthy" bacteria, making it possible to manipulate the bacterial community according to metabolic and clinical needs. Targeting gut microbiota in clinical care as treatment for obesity and health-related complications-even just for weight loss has become a real possibility. In this topical review we provide an overview of the role of the microbiota on host energy homeostasis and obesity-related metabolic diseases, therefore addressing the therapeutic potential of novel and existing strategies (impact of nutrition/dietary modulation, and fecal microbiota transplantation) in the treatment of metabolic disease.
...MSC and D-dMSC therapies have significant implications for human health: clinical studies are greatly needed to confirm or stimulate the basic and translational researches aimed at reaching ...cutting-edge results 10–13. The most reported translational use of MSC/D-dMSC therapy is related to bone tissue regeneration: in fact, many authors have investigated on the osteogenic ability of different stem cell types and genes, such as TGFβ1 that enhances MSC commitment to either the osteogenic or adipogenic lineages by reorganizing the actin cytoskeleton (M. Elsafadi et al.), as well as on the use of a PRP blood clot stabilizer to treat infrabony periodontal defects (M. Saleem et al.) and the use of vitamin D in dental-derived MSCs that promote osteogenic differentiation through the modulation of αVβ3 (F. Posa et al.), the role played by the ganglioside GM1 in the osteogenic differentiation of human tendon stem cells (S. Bergante et al.), or via low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (P. S. P. Poh et al.) Some authors have focused their researches on umbilical cord stem cells, due to their large application on translational medicine (D. R. Kwon et al.), as well on miRNA-132 MSC-derived exosomes in the treatment of myocardial infarction (T. Ma et al.). ...experimental findings from in silico studies, on the one hand, highlighted the promotive role of hypoxia in MSC proliferation (S. Gao et al.); on the other hand, it was reported that an in vitro loading model (2D and 3D in combination with different scaffolds) represents a simple and very efficient way to investigate molecular events during orthodontic tooth movement (M. Janjic et al.).
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Diabetes is known to be one of the major global epidemic diseases, significantly associated with mortality and morbidity worldwide, conferring a substantial burden to the health care system. The ...epidemiological transition of this chronic disease tends to worsen unless preventive health strategies are implemented. Appropriate screening devices and standardized methods are crucial to prevent this potentially inauspicious life condition. Currently, the glucometer is the conventional device employed for blood glucose level determination that outputs the blood glucose reading. Glucometer performed in the dental office may be an important device in screening diabetes, so it can be addressed during a periodontal examination. Because gingival blood is a useful source to detect the glucose level, the focus is placed on the opportunity that might provide valuable diagnostic information. This study aimed to compare gingival crevicular blood with finger-stick blood glucose measurements using a self-monitoring glucometer, to evaluate whether gingival crevicular blood could be an alternative to allow accurate chairside glucose testing.
A cross-sectional comparative study was performed among a 31-67-year-old population. Seventy participants with diagnosed type 2 diabetes and seventy healthy subjects, all with positive bleeding on probing, were enrolled. The gingival crevicular blood was collected using a glucometer to estimate the blood glucose level and compared with finger-stick blood glucose level.
The mean capillary blood glucose and gingival crevicular blood levels from all samples were, respectively, 160.42 ± 31.31 mg/dL and 161.64 ± 31.56 mg/dL for diabetic participants and 93.51 ± 10.35 mg/dL and 94.47 ± 9.91 mg/dL for healthy patients. In both groups, the difference between gingival crevicular blood and capillary blood glucose levels was non-significant (
< 0.05). The highly significant correlation between capillary blood glucose and gingival crevicular blood (
= 0.9834 for diabetic patients and
= 0.8153 for healthy participants) in both the groups was found.
Gingival crevicular blood test was demonstrated as a feasible and useful primary screening tool test for detecting diabetes and for glucose estimation in non-diabetic patients. Use of gingival crevicular blood for screening is an attractive way of identifying a reasonable option of finger-stick blood glucose measurement under the appropriate circumstances. Rapid assessment may precede diagnostic evaluation in diabetic as well as healthy patients with acute severe bleeding. In addition, gingival crevicular blood levels may be needed to monitor the diabetic output.
Diabetes and periodontal disease are both chronic pathological conditions linked by several underlying biological mechanisms, in which the inflammatory response plays a critical role, and their ...association has been largely recognized. Recently, attention has been given to diabetes as an important mediator of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) overexpression in periodontal tissues, by virtue of its ability to affect microvasculature. This review aims to summarize the findings from studies that explored VEGF expression in diabetic patients with periodontitis, compared to periodontally healthy subjects.
A systematic literature review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A PubMed search of select medical subject heading (MeSH) terms was carried out to identify all studies reporting findings about VEGF expression in periodontal tissues of diabetic patients up to May 2018. The inclusion criteria were studies on VEGF expression in periodontally diseased tissues of diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic subjects, with any method of analysis, and published in the English language.
Eight articles met the inclusion criteria. Immunohistochemistry was used in six of the studies, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) aiming to quantify mRNA VEGF expression was used in one study, and ELISA analysis was used for one study. Compared with nondiabetic patients, a higher VEGF expression in gingival tissue and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples in diabetic patients with periodontitis was reported.
Overall, novel evidence for the VEGF expression within the periodontal tissue of diabetic patients paves the way for further studies on the role of this protein in neovascularization physiology and pathophysiology in microvasculature of the periodontium.
The heterogeneity of the cervico-vaginal microbiota can be appreciated in various conditions, both pathological and non-pathological, and can vary according to biological and environmental factors. ...Attempts are still in course to define the interaction and role of the various factors that constitute this community of commensals in immune protection, inflammatory processes, and the onset of precancerous lesions of the cervical epithelium. Despite the many studies on the relationship between microbiota, immunity, and HPV-related cervical tumors, further aspects still need to be probed. In this review article, we will examine the principal characteristics of microorganisms commonly found in cervico-vaginal specimens (i) the factors that notoriously condition the diversity and composition of microbiota, (ii) the role that some families of organisms may play in the onset of HPV-dysplastic lesions and in neoplastic progression, and (iii) possible diagnostic-therapeutic approaches.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is acknowledged that vulnerable people can suffer from mortal ...complications of COVID-19. Therefore, strengthening the immune system particularly in the most fragile people could help to protect them from infection. First, general nutritional status and food consumption patterns of everyone affect the effectiveness of each immune system. The effects of nutrition could impact the level of intestinal and genital microbiota, the adaptive immune system, and the innate immune system. Indeed, immune system cells and mediators, which are crucial to inflammatory reaction, are in the structures of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins and are activated through vitamins (vit) and minerals. Therefore, the association of malnutrition and infection could damage the immune response, reducing the immune cells and amplifying inflammatory mediators. Both amount and type of dietary fat impact on cytokine biology, that consequently assumes a crucial role in inflammatory disease. This review explores the power of nutrition in the immune response against COVID-19 infection, since a specific diet could modify the cytokine storm during the infection phase. This can be of vital importance in the most vulnerable subjects such as pregnant women or cancer patients to whom we have deemed it necessary to dedicate personalized indications.
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Background: Oral pathogens may exert the ability to trigger differently the activation of local macrophage immune responses, for instance Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter ...actinomycetemcomitans induce predominantly pro-inflammatory (M1-like phenotypes) responses, while oral commensal microbiota primarily elicits macrophage functions consistent with the anti-inflammatory (M2-like phenotypes). Methods: In healthy individuals vs. periodontal disease patients’ blood samples, the differentiation process from monocyte to M1 and M2 was conducted using two typical growth factors, the granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). Results: In contrast with the current literature our outcomes showed a noticeable increase of macrophage polarization from healthy individuals vs. periodontal patients. The biological and clinical significance of these data was discussed. Conclusions: Our translational findings showed a significant variance between control versus periodontal disease groups in M1 and M2 marker expression within the second group significantly lower skews differentiation of M2-like macrophages towards an M1-like phenotype. Macrophage polarization in periodontal tissue may be responsible for the development and progression of inflammation-induced periodontal tissue damage, including alveolar bone loss, and modulating macrophage function may be a potential strategy for periodontal disease management.
Nutraceuticals are gaining more and more importance as a knee osteoarthritis (KOA) complementary treatment. Among nutraceuticals, hemp seed oil and terpenes are proving to be very useful as ...therapeutic support for many chronic diseases, but there are still few studies regarding their effectiveness for treating KOA, both in combination and separately. The aim of this study is thus to compare the effect of two dietary supplements, both containing hemp seed oil, but of which only one also contains terpenes, in relieving pain and improving joint function in patients suffering from KOA.
Thirty-eight patients were recruited and divided into two groups. The control group underwent a 45 day treatment with a hemp seed oil-based dietary supplement, while the treatment group assumed a hemp seed oil and terpenes dietary supplement for the same period. Patients were evaluated at the enrollment (T0) and at the end of treatment (T1). Outcome measures were: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short-Form-12 (SF-12), Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and Oxford Knee Score (OKS).
All outcome measures improved at T1 in both groups, but NRS, KOOS and OKS had a greater significant improvement in the treatment group only.
Hemp seed oil and terpenes resulted a more effective integrative treatment option in KOA, improving joint pain and function and representing a good complementary option for patients suffering from osteoarthritis.
Turner syndrome (gonadal dysgenesis with short stature and sterility) is characterized by chromosomal karyotype 45,X in 50% of cases or by mosaicism (45,X/46,XX and 45,X/46,XY) in 30-40% or X ...structural defects (deletions, long arm isochromosome, ring chromosome). When mosaic Turner syndrome (TS) occurs with a Y chromosome, there may be ambiguous genitalia. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited neuromuscular disease with an X-Linked recessive pattern of inheritance that predominantly affects males, while females are usually asymptomatic. DMD has also been observed in groups of females affected by TS, not homozygous for the mutation. Here, we report a case of an Indian neonate born with ambiguous genitalia diagnosed prenatally by ultrasound who had a karyotype of 45,X/46,XY and who also had Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by a de novo mutation in the DMD gene. Physical examination was normal without the typical dysmorphic features of TS with the exception of the genitourinary system showing ambiguous genitalia. Gender was assigned as female. At the age of three years, she had increasing difficulty walking, running, jumping and climbing stairs, proximal upper and lower extremity muscle weakness and a positive Gowers' sign. In addition, the serum creatine kinase (CK) value was over 30X the upper limit of normal. This study shows that DMD can occur in females with TS having 45,X/46,XY mosaicism and that this coexistence should be considered in women affected by TS who start to develop potential typical symptoms such as motor or developmental delay.
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