Summary
While the environment is considered the primary origin of the plant microbiome, the potential role of seeds as a source of transmitting microorganisms has not received much attention. Here we ...tested the hypothesis that the plant microbiome is partially inherited through vertical transmission. An experimental culturing device was constructed to grow oak seedlings in a microbe‐free environment while keeping belowground and aboveground tissues separated. The microbial communities associated with the acorn's embryo and pericarp and the developing seeding's phyllosphere and root systems were analysed using amplicon sequencing of fungal ITS and bacterial 16S rDNA. Results showed that the seed microbiome is diverse and non‐randomly distributed within an acorn. The microbial composition of the phyllosphere was diverse and strongly resembled the composition found in the embryo, whereas the roots and pericarp each had a less diverse and distinct microbial community. Our findings demonstrate a high level of microbial diversity and spatial partitioning of the fungal and bacterial community within both seed and seedling, indicating inheritance, niche differentiation and divergent transmission routes for the establishment of root and phyllosphere communities.
What's new in Rome IV? Tack, J.; Drossman, D. A.
Neurogastroenterology and motility,
September 2017, Letnik:
29, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are the most common disorders seen in Gastroenterology clinical practice. The Rome process has generated consensus definitions of FGIDS, allowing to ...subdivide patients into diagnostic categories based on the symptom pattern. The Rome IV consensus, presented in 2016, is the most recent update of this diagnostic scheme. This article summarizes the main changes, which include the use of epidemiology‐based symptom thresholds to define FGIDs, characterization of FGIDS as disorders of Gut‐Brain interaction, and updates of criteria for esophageal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and Biliary and Sphincter of Oddi disorders based on scientific and technical progress made over the last decade. The Rome IV consensus provides a standard for clinical and research approach to FGIDS for the coming years.
Ecological theory predicts that disease incidence increases with increasing density of host networks, yet evolutionary theory suggests that host resistance increases accordingly. To test the combined ...effects of ecological and evolutionary forces on host-pathogen systems, we analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of a plant (Plantago Ianceolata)–fungal pathogen (Podosphaera plantaginis) relationship for 12 years in over 4000 host populations. Disease prevalence at the metapopulation level was low, with high annual pathogen extinction rates balanced by frequent (re-)colonizations. Highly connected host populations experienced less pathogen colonization and higher pathogen extinction rates than expected; a laboratory assay confirmed that this phenomenon was caused by higher levels of disease resistance in highly connected host populations.
Abstract
Using existing data can be a reliable and cost-effective way to predict species distributions, and particularly useful for recovering or expanding species. We developed a current gray wolf (
...Canis lupus
) distribution model for the western Great Lakes region, USA, and evaluated the spatial transferability of single-state models to the region. This study is the first assessment of transferability in a wide-ranging carnivore, as well as one of few developed for large spatial extents. We collected 3500 wolf locations from winter surveys in Minnesota (2017–2019), Wisconsin (2019–2020), and Michigan (2017–2020). We included 10 variables: proportion of natural cover, pastures, and crops; distance to natural cover, agriculture, developed land, and water; major and minor road density; and snowfall (1-km res.). We created a regional ensemble distribution by weight-averaging eight models based on their performance. We also developed single-state models, and estimated spatial transferability using two approaches: state cross-validation and extrapolation. We assessed performance by quantifying correlations, receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), sensitivities, and two niche similarity indices. The regional area estimated to be most suitable for wolves during winter (threshold = maximum sensitivity/specificity) was 106,465 km
2
(MN = 48,083 km
2
, WI = 27,757 km
2
, MI = 30,625 km
2
) and correctly predicted 88% of wolf locations analyzed. Increasing natural cover and distance to crops were consistently important for determining regional and single-state wolf distribution. Extrapolation (vs. cross-validation) produced results with the greatest performance metrics, and were most similar to the regional model, yet good internal performance was unrelated to greater extrapolation performance. Factors influencing species distributions are scale-dependent and can vary across areas due to behavioral plasticity. When extending inferences beyond the current occurrence of individuals, assessing variation in ecology such as habitat selection, as well as methodological factors including model performance, will be critical to avoid poor scientific interpretations and develop effective conservation applications. In particular, accurate distribution models for recovering or recovered carnivores can be used to develop plans for habitat management, quantify potential of unoccupied habitat, assess connectivity modeling, and mitigate conflict, facilitating long-term species persistence.
The present study aimed to explore the anticancer potentials of the gold nanoparticles (NPs) obtained by green synthesis method using an endophytic strain Fusarium solani ATLOY – 8 has been isolated ...from the plant Chonemorpha fragrans. The formation of the NPs was analyzed by UV, FTIR, SEM and XRD. The synthesized NPs showed pink-ruby red colors and high peak plasmon band was observed between 510 and 560 nm. It is observed that intensity of absorptionsteadily increases the wavelength and band stabilizes at 551 nm. The XRD pattern revealed the angles at 19, 38.32, 46.16, 57.50, and 76.81° respectively. Interestingly, the FTIR band absorption noted at 1413 cm−1, 1041 cm−1 and 690 cm−1 ascribed the presence of amine II bands of protein, C-N and C-H stretching vibrations of the nanoparticles. SEM analysis indicated that the average diameter of the synthesized nanoparticles was between 40 and 45 nm. These NPs showed cytotoxicity on cervical cancer cells (He La) and against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and the NPs exhibited dose dependent cytotoxic effect. IC50 value was 0.8 ± 0.5 μg/mL on MCF-7 cell line and was found to be 1.3 ± 0.5 μg/mL on MCF-7 cell lines. The synthesized NPs induced apoptosis on these cancer cell lines. The accumulation of apoptotic cells decreased in sub G0 and G1 phase of cell cycle in the MCF-7 cancer cells were found to be 55.13%, 52.11% and51.10% after 12 h exposure to different concentrations. The results altogether provide an apparent and versatile biomedical application for safer chemotherapeutic agent with little systemic toxicity.
With climate change, plant-feeding insects increase their number of annual generations (voltinism). However, to what degree the emergence of a new herbivore generation affects the parasitism rate has ...not been explored. We performed a field experiment to test whether the parasitism rate differs between the first and the second generations of a specialist leaf miner (Tischeria ekebladella), both in the naturally univoltine and bivoltine parts of the leaf miner's distribution. We found an interactive effect between herbivore generation and geographical range on the parasitism rate. The parasitism rate was higher in the first compared to the second host generation in the part of the range that is naturally univoltine, whereas it did not differ between generations in the bivoltine range. Our experiment highlights that shifts in herbivore voltinism might release top-down control, with potential consequences for natural and applied systems.
•Cytokines of the IL-1 family play an important role in metabolic inflammation.•The development of obesity affects IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-18, IL-33 and IL-37 activity.•IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-18, ...IL-33 and IL-37 alter insulin signaling routes.•The IL-1 family of cytokines holds multiple targets to combat metabolic diseases.
Obesity is characterized by a chronic, low-grade inflammation that contributes to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Cytokines and chemokines produced by immunocompetent cells influence local as well as systemic inflammation and are therefore critical contributors to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Hence, cytokines that modulate inflammatory responses are emerging as potential targets for intervention and treatment of the metabolic consequences of obesity. The interleukin-1 (IL-1) family of cytokines and receptors are key mediators of innate inflammatory responses and exhibit both pro- and anti-inflammatory functions. During the last decades, mechanistic insights into how the IL-1 family affects the initiation and progression of obesity-induced insulin resistance have increased significantly. Here, we review the current knowledge and understanding, with emphasis on the therapeutic potential of individual members of the IL-1 family of cytokines for improving insulin sensitivity in patients with diabetes.
Gastrointestinal prokinetics are a heterogeneous class of drugs that stimulate smooth muscle contractions to enhance gastric emptying and intestinal transit. Recently studied prokinetics include ...antidopaminergic agents (itopride), serotonergic agents (tegaserod and others), and motilin receptor agonists and ghrelin receptor agonists (mitemcinal, TZP101). It has been difficult to establish symptomatic benefit with prokinetic drugs in gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia, because of pathophysiological heterogeneity of the patient populations, a lack of well-accepted endpoints, and inconsistent relationships between changes in motor function and symptomatic outcome. Fundic relaxant drugs are a recent different approach to treatment of gastric motility disorders. Recently studied drugs include drugs under investigation including nitrates, serotonin reuptake blockers, 5-HT1A receptor agonists (buspirone and R137696), and muscarinc M1/M2 receptor antagonists (acotiamide or Z-338).
The Rome III criteria proposed to subdivide functional dyspepsia (FD) into a postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) group, characterized by the presence of postprandial fullness and/or early satiety, ...and an epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) group, characterized by the presence of epigastric pain and/or epigastric burning. It has been suggested that different pathophysiological mechanisms underlie the symptom presentations in these subgroups that might determine treatment choices. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of gastric sensorimotor dysfunction in the PDS, EPS, and overlap groups and to evaluate potential differential associations with dyspeptic symptom scores.
Consecutive FD patients fulfilling Rome III criteria were recruited and they scored frequency of dyspeptic symptoms (postprandial fullness, early satiety, nausea, bloating, epigastric pain, and epigastric burning) over the past 3 months (0-5; 1=once a month or less, 2=two or three times a month, 3=once a week, 4=several times a week, 5=every day). The cumulative symptom score was calculated by adding up the score of these dyspeptic symptoms. Based on these symptom scores, the patients were subdivided into subgroups according to the Rome III consensus: (i) PDS, characterized by postprandial fullness and/or early satiety at least several times a week, (ii) EPS, characterized by epigastric pain and/or epigastric burning at least once a week, and (iii) overlap, fulfilling the criteria for both PDS and EPS. Gastric sensitivity and gastric accommodation were measured using barostat testing, and solid gastric emptying was determined using the
Coctanoate breath test.
A total of 560 FD patients (165 men, age 41.8±0.7 years) were classified into PDS (n=131), EPS (n=50), and overlap (n=379) groups. The prevalence of gastric hypersensitivity, impaired gastric accommodation, and delayed gastric emptying were 37%, 37%, and 23%, respectively, without any differential distribution in Rome III subgroups (P=0.16, P=0.27, and P=0.39 respectively). Comparing the physiological parameters for these gastric sensorimotor functions, there was only a significant difference in the gastric half emptying time between subgroups, with the overlap group having a higher t
(P<0.05) compared with the EPS group. In the overlap group, gastric hypersensitivity was associated with the severity of PDS symptoms (P=0.03), EPS symptoms (P=0.02), and the cumulative symptom score (P=0.02), whereas delayed gastric emptying was associated with nausea (P=0.02) and the cumulative symptom score (P=0.02).
Except for gastric emptying in the overlap group, FD subgroups as defined by the Rome III criteria are not differentially associated with putative pathophysiological mechanisms. These observations question the utility of this classification for guiding therapeutic choices in clinical practice.
Background
The Rome III consensus proposed to subdivide functional dyspepsia (FD) into two groups: meal‐related dyspepsia or postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), and meal‐unrelated dyspepsia or ...epigastric pain syndrome (EPS). However, in clinical practice, overlap between both has been reported to be as high as 50%, thereby hampering clinical applicability. Although EPS is referred to as meal‐unrelated dyspepsia, relationship of symptoms to meal ingestion in this category is not formally addressed in the Rome III criteria. The aim of our study was to investigate whether taking into account the relationship of epigastric pain and nausea to meal ingestion may help to improve separation between EPS and PDS.
Methods
Consecutive ambulatory tertiary‐care patients with epigastric symptoms filled out Rome III gastro‐duodenal questionnaires with supplementary questions. Those fulfilling Rome III FD criteria and a negative endoscopy were identified and subdivided into ‘pure’ PDS patients (i.e., meeting criteria for PDS without EPS symptoms), ‘pure’ EPS (i.e., meeting criteria for EPS without PDS symptoms), and overlapping PDS‐EPS (i.e., symptoms of both PDS and EPS).
Key Results
Out of 1029 patients coming to endoscopy, 199 patients (73% females, 45.9 ± 1.0 years, BMI: 23.7 ± 0.35) fulfilled Rome III FD diagnostic criteria, and could be subdivided into pure PDS (69% females, 49 ± 2 years, BMI: 24.2 ± 0.61), pure EPS (59% females, 47.4 ± 2 years, BMI: 23.2 ± 0.97) and overlapping PDS‐EPS (64% females, age 43 ± 5 years, BMI: 26 ± 0.46). Compared with pure EPS patients, the overlap PDS‐EPS patients were characterized by a higher occurrence of postprandial epigastric pain (70% vs 31%, p < 0.0001), while the occurrence of epigastric pain in between meals was borderline (48% vs 38%, p = 0.05). In addition, the overlap PDS‐EPS patients reported a higher occurrence of postprandial nausea (23% vs 0%, p < 0.0001), and bloating (79% vs 28%, p = 0.0001). When postprandial epigastric pain and postprandial nausea were considered as PDS symptoms, the ‘adapted’ subdivision identified 48% pure PDS, 16% pure EPS, and 36% overlapping PDS‐EPS patients.
Conclusions & Inferences
EPS and PDS symptoms frequently coexist in FD patients, with postprandial symptoms substantially contributing to the overlap. A more rigorous linking of postprandially occurring symptoms to PDS, regardless of their qualitative nature, may improve the separation between PDS and EPS.
EPS and PDS symptoms frequently coexist in FD patients. This is study the overlap between PDS and EPS in FD and an approach to improve their separation by taking into account meal relationship such as postprandial epigastric pain and nausea of symptoms was explored.
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