The assessment of potentially confounding factors affecting colon microbiota composition is essential to the identification of robust microbiome based disease markers. Here, we investigate the link ...between gut microbiota variation and stool consistency using Bristol Stool Scale classification, which reflects faecal water content and activity, and is considered a proxy for intestinal colon transit time.
Through 16S rDNA Illumina profiling of faecal samples of 53 healthy women, we evaluated associations between microbiome richness, Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio, enterotypes, and genus abundance with self-reported, Bristol Stool Scale-based stool consistency. Each sample's microbiota growth potential was calculated to test whether transit time acts as a selective force on gut bacterial growth rates.
Stool consistency strongly correlates with all known major microbiome markers. It is negatively correlated with species richness, positively associated to the Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratio, and linked to Akkermansia and Methanobrevibacter abundance. Enterotypes are distinctly distributed over the BSS-scores. Based on the correlations between microbiota growth potential and stool consistency scores within both enterotypes, we hypothesise that accelerated transit contributes to colon ecosystem differentiation. While shorter transit times can be linked to increased abundance of fast growing species in Ruminococcaceae-Bacteroides samples, hinting to a washout avoidance strategy of faster replication, this trend is absent in Prevotella-enterotyped individuals. Within this enterotype adherence to host tissue therefore appears to be a more likely bacterial strategy to cope with washout.
The strength of the associations between stool consistency and species richness, enterotypes and community composition emphasises the crucial importance of stool consistency assessment in gut metagenome-wide association studies.
Predicting the long-term outcome of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains an important challenge to this day. As the gut microbiota is emerging as a potential player in MS, we investigated in this study ...whether gut microbial composition at baseline is related to long-term disability worsening in a longitudinal cohort of 111 MS patients. Fecal samples and extensive host metadata were collected at baseline and 3 months post-baseline, with additional repeated neurological measurements performed over (median) 4.4 y. Worsening (with EDSS-Plus) occurred in 39/95 patients (outcome undetermined for 16 individuals). The inflammation-associated, dysbiotic Bacteroides 2 enterotype (Bact2) was detected at baseline in 43.6% of worsened patients, while only 16.1% of non-worsened patients harbored Bact2. This association was independent of identified confounders, and Bact2 was more strongly associated with EDSS-Plus than neurofilament light chain (NfL) plasma levels. Furthermore, using fecal sampling performed 3 months post-baseline, we observed Bact2 to be relatively stable, suggesting its potential use as a prognostic biomarker in MS clinical practice.
This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different chemical agents on stain removal and mineral uptake of artificial dentin caries (ADC) lesions treated with silver diamine fluoride ...(SDF).
Baseline L*a*b* values were determined in polished human permanent dentin blocks, and ADC lesions were induced with an acid gel for 1 week. Samples were assigned to four groups; in three groups, half of each sample received SDF (30% SDF for 3 min), while the other half received SDF followed by a bleaching treatment protocol (garlic extract, bentonite, or 35% hydrogen peroxide). The fourth group had one SDF-treated half and one half without SDF. Color changes (ΔE) were measured by spectrometry, and transversal microradiography was used to quantify integrated mineral loss (ΔZ) 24 h after treatment (SDF or SDF + bleaching). A two-way mixed ANOVA was applied to thirty percent.
SDF application increased mineral uptake by ADC (p = 0.001). The type of chemical agent evaluated (p < 0.0001), time (p = 0.01), and their interaction (p < 0.0001) bleached the ADC treated with SDF. However, 35% hydrogen peroxide was the only compound with a bleaching effect (p < 0.001), without returning to baseline color. None of the compounds altered the mineral uptake effect of SDF (p = 0.30).
This in vitro study showed mineral uptake effect in ACD within 24 h after SDF application and the ability of hydrogen peroxide to partially remove (reduction of 24%) the staining caused by SDF without affecting its mineral uptake effect.
A synthesis of phenotypic and quantitative genomic traits is provided for bacteria and archaea, in the form of a scripted, reproducible workflow that standardizes and merges 26 sources. The resulting ...unified dataset covers 14 phenotypic traits, 5 quantitative genomic traits, and 4 environmental characteristics for approximately 170,000 strain-level and 15,000 species-aggregated records. It spans all habitats including soils, marine and fresh waters and sediments, host-associated and thermal. Trait data can find use in clarifying major dimensions of ecological strategy variation across species. They can also be used in conjunction with species and abundance sampling to characterize trait mixtures in communities and responses of traits along environmental gradients.
Introdução: A insuficiência cardíaca surge na maioria das doenças cardíacas crónicas, associando-se a elevada morbilidade e mortalidade, bem como, má qualidade de vida. Na sua fase avançada, os ...doentes beneficiam duma abordagem integrada dos cuidados paliativos. Este estudo pretendeu avaliar a intervenção de uma Equipa Intra-hospitalar de Suporte de Cuidados Paliativos (EIHSCP) em doentes internados com insuficiência cardíaca avançada, identificando as principais necessidades e áreas de ação. Material e Métodos:Análise retrospetiva dos registos clínicos dos doentes internados com insuficiência cardíaca, num hospital universitário, nos primeiros 5 anos após constituição da EIHSCP. Resultados e Discussão: Foram observados 60 doentes, representando 0,5% (n = 12007) do total de doentes internados com insuficiência cardíaca, com uma sobrevida até 30 dias após observação pela EIHSCP de 41,7% (n = 25). Os principais motivos de pedido foram o apoio no controlo de sintomas (83,3%, n = 50) e na organização de cuidados (83,3%, n = 50). A dispneia foi o sintoma não controlado mais prevalente (75,0 %, n= 45). A intervenção da EIHSCP ocorreu a nível terapêutico, com intervenção farmacológica em quase todos os doentes (88,3%, n = 53) e não farmacológica em 46,7% (n = 28); através de conferências familiares, realizadas em 43,3% (n = 26) dos doentes, com necessidade de abordagem direta pelo Serviço Social no mesmo número, e 5,0% (n = 3) dos doentes foram alvo de abordagem psicológica/psiquiátrica. Foi ainda requerido apoio na tomada de decisão em situações tão diversas como a de suspensão terapêutica ou sobre questões alimentares. Conclusão:O grupo de doentes observados confirmou necessidades paliativas complexas pela elevada carga sintomática identificada e diversidade de intervenções realizadas.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a constellation of comorbidities that predispose individuals to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular pathologies as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus
. ...The gut microbiota is a new key contributor involved in the onset of obesity-related disorders
. In humans, studies have provided evidence for a negative correlation between Akkermansia muciniphila abundance and overweight, obesity, untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus or hypertension
. Since the administration of A. muciniphila has never been investigated in humans, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study in overweight/obese insulin-resistant volunteers; 40 were enrolled and 32 completed the trial. The primary end points were safety, tolerability and metabolic parameters (that is, insulin resistance, circulating lipids, visceral adiposity and body mass). Secondary outcomes were gut barrier function (that is, plasma lipopolysaccharides) and gut microbiota composition. In this single-center study, we demonstrated that daily oral supplementation of 10
A. muciniphila bacteria either live or pasteurized for three months was safe and well tolerated. Compared to placebo, pasteurized A. muciniphila improved insulin sensitivity (+28.62 ± 7.02%, P = 0.002), and reduced insulinemia (-34.08 ± 7.12%, P = 0.006) and plasma total cholesterol (-8.68 ± 2.38%, P = 0.02). Pasteurized A. muciniphila supplementation slightly decreased body weight (-2.27 ± 0.92 kg, P = 0.091) compared to the placebo group, and fat mass (-1.37 ± 0.82 kg, P = 0.092) and hip circumference (-2.63 ± 1.14 cm, P = 0.091) compared to baseline. After three months of supplementation, A. muciniphila reduced the levels of the relevant blood markers for liver dysfunction and inflammation while the overall gut microbiome structure was unaffected. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study (clinical trial no. NCT02637115 ) shows that the intervention was safe and well tolerated and that supplementation with A. muciniphila improves several metabolic parameters.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease often leading to end-stage liver disease. Its pathogenesis remains largely unknown, although frequent concomitant IBD hints ...towards common factors underlying gut and bile duct inflammation. Considering the mounting evidence on the involvement of the intestinal microbiota in initiating and determining IBD phenotype, we investigated intestinal microbiota composition in patients with PSC.
Stool samples were collected from 147 individuals (52 patients with PSC, 52 age, gender and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers, 13 UC and 30 patients with Crohn's disease). An independent validation cohort of 14 PSC and 14 matched controls was recruited. 16S rDNA sequencing of faecal DNA was performed (Illumina MiSeq).
The microbiota of patients with PSC was characterised by decreased microbiota diversity, and a significant overrepresentation of Enterococcus (p=3.76e-05), Fusobacterium (p=3.76e-05) and Lactobacillus (p=0.0002) genera. This dysbiosis was present in patients with PSC with and without concomitant IBD and was distinct from IBD, and independent of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid. A decision tree based on abundances of these three genera allowed reliable classification in the validation cohort. In particular, one operational taxonomic unit belonging to the Enterococcus genus was associated with increased levels of serum alkaline phosphatase (p=0.048), a marker of disease severity.
We here present the first report of PSC-associated faecal dysbiosis, independent from IBD signatures, suggesting the intestinal microbiota could be a contributing factor in PSC pathogenesis. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess causality.
Este estudo tem como objetivo apresentar uma revisão sistemática de literatura sobre envolvimento paterno e temperamento infantil, entre os anos de 2006 e 2017. Realizou-se uma busca nas seguintes ...bases de dados: LILACS, PePSIC, SciELO, Web of Science e PsycINFO (APA), por meio dos descritores father e temperament e seus respectivos termos em português e espanhol. Foram examinados 19 artigos cujo foco de investigação foram a relação entre o envolvimento do pai e o temperamento do(a) filho(a). Os resultados foram divididos em duas categorias: Parentalidade, avaliação e influência no temperamento infantil e Paternidade e temperamento infantil. Verificou-se que o tema vem sendo pouco estudado no Brasil, em comparação com outros países e diversas áreas da saúde. A partir dos estudos analisados pode-se inferir que o pai tem influência direta em todas as fases do desenvolvimento infantil e no temperamento do(a) filho(a), especialmente ao que concerne a socialização e regulação do humor. Portanto, aponta-se para a necessidade de ampliação de pesquisas com este foco, a fim de favorecer e estimular a elaboração de políticas públicas e possibilitar novos modos de fomentar o envolvimento paterno na vida dos(as) filhos(as), considerando as variáveis que interferem nesse fenômeno, como o temperamento da criança.
In recent years, several associations between common chronic human disorders and altered gut microbiome composition and function have been reported. In most of these reports, treatment regimens were ...not controlled for and conclusions could thus be confounded by the effects of various drugs on the microbiota, which may obscure microbial causes, protective factors or diagnostically relevant signals. Our study addresses disease and drug signatures in the human gut microbiome of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Two previous quantitative gut metagenomics studies of T2D patients that were unstratified for treatment yielded divergent conclusions regarding its associated gut microbial dysbiosis. Here we show, using 784 available human gut metagenomes, how antidiabetic medication confounds these results, and analyse in detail the effects of the most widely used antidiabetic drug metformin. We provide support for microbial mediation of the therapeutic effects of metformin through short-chain fatty acid production, as well as for potential microbiota-mediated mechanisms behind known intestinal adverse effects in the form of a relative increase in abundance of Escherichia species. Controlling for metformin treatment, we report a unified signature of gut microbiome shifts in T2D with a depletion of butyrate-producing taxa. These in turn cause functional microbiome shifts, in part alleviated by metformin-induced changes. Overall, the present study emphasizes the need to disentangle gut microbiota signatures of specific human diseases from those of medication.
Full text
Available for:
IJS, KISLJ, NUK, SBMB, SIK, UL, UM, UPUK
PDF
