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Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Jul 2023Feces enable frequent samplings for the same animal, which is valuable in studies investigating the development of the gut microbiome in piglets. Creep feed should...
Feces enable frequent samplings for the same animal, which is valuable in studies investigating the development of the gut microbiome in piglets. Creep feed should prepare the piglet's gut for the postweaning period and shape the microbiome accordingly. Little is known about the variation that is caused by differences in fecal color and consistency and different sample types (feces versus swab samples). Therefore, this study evaluated the age-related alterations in the microbiome composition (16S rRNA gene) in feces of suckling and newly weaned piglets in the context of nutrition and fecal consistency, color and sample type from day 2 to 34 of life. Feces from 40 healthy piglets (2 each from 20 litters) were collected on days 2, 6, 13, 20, 27, 30 and 34. Weaning occurred on day 28. Half of the litters only drank sow milk during the suckling phase, whereas the other half had access to creep feed from day 10. Creep feeding during the suckling phase influenced the age-related total bacterial and archaeal abundances but had less of an influence on the relative bacterial composition. Results further showed different taxonomic compositions in feces of different consistency, color and sample type, emphasizing the need to consider these characteristics in comprehensive microbiome studies.
PubMed: 37508029
DOI: 10.3390/ani13142251 -
Reproductive Toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) Aug 2023Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic pollutants that can have lasting impacts on offspring health. Here, we sought to examine maternal and fetal gene expression...
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic pollutants that can have lasting impacts on offspring health. Here, we sought to examine maternal and fetal gene expression differences of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-regulated genes in a mouse model of prenatal PCB126 exposure. Female mice were bred and gavaged with 1 µmole/kg bodyweight PCB126 or vehicle control on embryonic days 0 and 14, and maternal and fetal tissues were collected on embryonic day 18.5. Total RNAs were isolated, and gene expression levels were analyzed in both maternal and fetal tissues using the NanoString nCounter system. Interestingly, we found that the expression levels of cytochrome P450 (Cyp)1a1 and Cyp1b1 were significantly increased in response to PCB exposure in the tested maternal and fetal tissues. Furthermore, PCB exposure altered the expression of several other genes related to energy balance, oxidative stress, and epigenetic regulation in a manner that was less consistent across tissue types. These results indicate that maternal PCB126 exposure significantly alters gene expression in both developing fetuses and pregnant dams, and such changes vary in intensity and expressivity depending on tissue type. The altered gene expression may provide insights into pathophysiological mechanisms by which in utero PCB exposures contribute to PCB-induced postnatal metabolic diseases.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Mice; Animals; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Epigenesis, Genetic; Fetus; Gene Expression; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon
PubMed: 37080397
DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2023.108385 -
Cureus Jul 2023Neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, a multisystem inflammatory granulomatous disease. We describe a unique case of NS with confusion and speech...
Neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, a multisystem inflammatory granulomatous disease. We describe a unique case of NS with confusion and speech alteration as presenting symptoms. A 65-year-old male with a history of Ramsay Hunt syndrome and Lyme infection presented to the emergency room after an acute episode of disorientation, garbled speech, and left facial droop, along with months of worsening generalized fatigue, gait ataxia, left-sided periorbital headaches, bilateral peripheral neuropathy, and bladder disturbance. A recent CT scan of his chest showed mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and a lymph node biopsy revealed non-necrotizing granulomas, Langhans giant cells, and focal Schaumann bodies. A brain MRI revealed a mildly enlarged anterior pituitary gland, mild prominent enhancement of the trigeminal nerves bilaterally, and right frontal, parietal, and superior temporal leptomeningeal enhancement. Lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid analyses were consistent with aseptic meningitis. A diagnosis of probable NS was made. The patient received IV methylprednisolone 1 g for three days, followed by a prednisone taper with clinical improvement. NS is a diagnostic challenge due to the variability of clinical presentations of the disease. This case demonstrates how vague chronic neurologic symptoms preceding an unusual acute clinical presentation delayed the diagnosis of NS in a patient with sarcoidosis.
PubMed: 37641764
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.42627 -
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2024Human brain imaging research using functional MRI (fMRI) has uncovered flexible variations in the functional connectivity between brain regions. While some of this... (Review)
Review
Human brain imaging research using functional MRI (fMRI) has uncovered flexible variations in the functional connectivity between brain regions. While some of this variability likely arises from the pattern of information flow through circuits, it may also be influenced by rapid changes in effective synaptic strength at the molecular level, a phenomenon called Dynamic Network Connectivity (DNC) discovered in non-human primate circuits. These neuromodulatory molecular mechanisms are found in layer III of the macaque dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), the site of the microcircuits shown by Goldman-Rakic to be critical for working memory. This research has shown that the neuromodulators acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and dopamine can rapidly change the strength of synaptic connections in layer III dlPFC by (1) modifying the depolarization state of the post-synaptic density needed for NMDA receptor neurotransmission and (2) altering the open state of nearby potassium channels to rapidly weaken or strengthen synaptic efficacy and the strength of persistent neuronal firing. Many of these actions involve increased cAMP-calcium signaling in dendritic spines, where varying levels can coordinate the arousal state with the cognitive state. The current review examines the hypothesis that some of the dynamic changes in correlative strength between cortical regions observed in human fMRI studies may arise from these molecular underpinnings, as has been seen when pharmacological agents or genetic alterations alter the functional connectivity of the dlPFC consistent with the macaque physiology. These DNC mechanisms provide essential flexibility but may also confer vulnerability to malfunction when dysregulated in cognitive disorders.
PubMed: 38384333
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1353043 -
Pediatric Allergy and Immunology :... Feb 2024The increasing prevalence of IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) in childhood is a worldwide health concern. There is a growing awareness that the gut microbiome (GM)... (Review)
Review
The increasing prevalence of IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) in childhood is a worldwide health concern. There is a growing awareness that the gut microbiome (GM) might play an important role in CMA development. Therefore, treatment with probiotics and prebiotics has gained popularity. This systematic review provides an overview of the alterations of the GM, metabolome, and immune response in CMA children and animal models, including post-treatment modifications. MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies on GM in CMA-diagnosed children, published before 1 March 2023. A total of 21 articles (13 on children and 8 on animal models) were included. The studies suggest that the GM, characterized by an enrichment of the Clostridia class and reductions in the Lactobacillales order and Bifidobacterium genus, is associated with CMA in early life. Additionally, reduced levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and altered amino acid metabolism were reported in CMA children. Commonly used probiotic strains belong to the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera. However, only Bifidobacterium levels were consistently upregulated after the intervention, while alterations of other bacteria taxa remain inconclusive. These interventions appear to contribute to the restoration of SCFAs and amino acid metabolism balance. Mouse models indicate that these interventions tend to restore the T 2/T 1 balance, increase the T response, and/or silence the overall pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine response. Overall, this systematic review highlights the need for multi-omics-related research in CMA children to gain a mechanistic understanding of this disease and to develop effective treatments and preventive strategies.
Topics: Child; Animals; Cattle; Female; Mice; Humans; Infant; Milk Hypersensitivity; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Immunity; Metabolome; Amino Acids
PubMed: 38363041
DOI: 10.1111/pai.14084 -
Scientific Reports Oct 2023The gut-brain axis involves several bidirectional pathway communications including microbiome, bacterial metabolites, neurotransmitters as well as immune system and is...
The gut-brain axis involves several bidirectional pathway communications including microbiome, bacterial metabolites, neurotransmitters as well as immune system and is perturbed both in brain and in gastrointestinal disorders. Consistently, microbiota-gut-brain axis has been found altered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We reasoned that such alterations occurring in ASD may impact both on methylation signatures of human host fecal DNA (HFD) and possibly on the types of human cells shed in the stools from intestinal tract giving origin to HFD. To test this hypothesis, we have performed whole genome methylation analysis of HFD from an age-restricted cohort of young children with ASD (N = 8) and healthy controls (N = 7). In the same cohort we have previously investigated the fecal microbiota composition and here we refined such analysis and searched for eventual associations with data derived from HFD methylome analysis. Our results showed that specific epigenetic signatures in human fecal DNA, especially at genes related to inflammation, associated with the disease. By applying methylation-based deconvolution algorithm, we found that the HFD derived mainly from immune cells and the relative abundance of those differed between patients and controls. Consistently, most of differentially methylated regions fitted with genes involved in inflammatory response. Interestingly, using Horvath epigenetic clock, we found that ASD affected children showed both epigenetic and microbiota age accelerated. We believe that the present unprecedented approach may be useful for the identification of the ASD associated HFD epigenetic signatures and may be potentially extended to other brain disorders and intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Topics: Humans; Child; Child, Preschool; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Dysbiosis; DNA Methylation; Inflammation
PubMed: 37875530
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45132-0 -
Psychological Medicine Nov 2023Depression is associated with metabolic alterations including lipid dysregulation, whereby associations may vary across individual symptoms. Evaluating these...
BACKGROUND
Depression is associated with metabolic alterations including lipid dysregulation, whereby associations may vary across individual symptoms. Evaluating these associations using a network perspective yields a more complete insight than single outcome-single predictor models.
METHODS
We used data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety ( = 2498) and leveraged networks capturing associations between 30 depressive symptoms (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology) and 46 metabolites. Analyses involved 4 steps: creating a network with Mixed Graphical Models; calculating centrality measures; bootstrapping for stability testing; validating central, stable associations by extra covariate-adjustment; and validation using another data wave collected 6 years later.
RESULTS
The network yielded 28 symptom-metabolite associations. There were 15 highly-central variables (8 symptoms, 7 metabolites), and 3 stable links involving the symptoms Low energy (fatigue), and Hypersomnia. Specifically, fatigue showed consistent associations with higher mean diameter for VLDL particles and lower estimated degree of (fatty acid) unsaturation. These remained present after adjustment for lifestyle and health-related factors and using another data wave.
CONCLUSIONS
The somatic symptoms Fatigue and Hypersomnia and cholesterol and fatty acid measures showed central, stable, and consistent relationships in our network. The present analyses showed how metabolic alterations are more consistently linked to specific symptom profiles.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Anxiety; Fatigue; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence; Fatty Acids
PubMed: 37092859
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723001009 -
Meat Science Dec 2023This study aimed to apply different proteolytic enzymes (bromelain, papain, and flavourzyme) to develop texture-modified meats suitable for people with chewing or...
This study aimed to apply different proteolytic enzymes (bromelain, papain, and flavourzyme) to develop texture-modified meats suitable for people with chewing or swallowing problems. The samples were categorised at level 6 (soft and bite-sized food) of the dysphagia diet, characterised in terms of physicochemical and textural parameters, and evaluated for their behaviour during gastrointestinal digestion simulating elderly alterations. In general, the enzyme-treated samples had lower moisture content, weight, and diameter of the piece of meat, and presented colour differences compared to the control samples. Textural analyses did not show significant differences in terms of hardness and cohesiveness for the texture-modified meats, while flavourzyme-treated samples presented less elasticity. Instrumental mastication assay showed the breakdown of samples' structure mainly during the first mastication cycles, with flavourzyme-treated samples presenting slightly higher consistency. The protein digestibility of the meats greatly increased after simulated gastrointestinal digestion, but a decrease in proteolysis for the control and papain-treated samples in the altered gastric model and an increase for flavourzyme-treated samples in the altered both gastric and intestinal model were shown compared to standard conditions. These results allow integrating knowledge to design foods that better meet the requirements of dysphagics or elderly people.
PubMed: 37717338
DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109341 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Dec 2023Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterised by the progressive demyelination of peripheral nerves, resulting in... (Review)
Review
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterised by the progressive demyelination of peripheral nerves, resulting in motor and sensory deficits. While much research has focused on clinical and electrophysiological aspects of CIDP, there is an emerging interest in exploring its impact on the visual system through visual evoked potentials (VEPs). This comprehensive review synthesises existing literature on VEP findings in CIDP patients, shedding light on their potential diagnostic and prognostic value. The review thoroughly examines studies spanning the last two decades, exploring VEP abnormalities in CIDP patients. Notably, VEP studies have consistently revealed prolonged latencies and reduced amplitudes in CIDP patients compared to healthy controls. These alterations in VEP parameters suggest that the demyelinating process extends beyond the peripheral nervous system to affect the central nervous system, particularly the optic nerve and its connections. The correlation between VEP abnormalities and clinical manifestations of CIDP, such as visual impairment and sensory deficits, underscores the clinical relevance of VEP assessment in CIDP management. Furthermore, this review addresses the potential utility of VEPs in aiding CIDP diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. VEP abnormalities may serve as valuable biomarkers for disease activity, helping clinicians make timely therapeutic decisions. Moreover, this review discusses the limitations and challenges associated with VEP assessment in CIDP, including variability in recording techniques and the need for standardised protocols. In conclusion, this review highlights the evolving role of VEPs as a non-invasive tool in CIDP evaluation. The consistent VEP abnormalities observed in CIDP patients suggest the involvement of the central nervous system in this demyelinating disorder. As our understanding of CIDP and its pathophysiology continues to evolve, further research in this area may lead to improved diagnostic accuracy and monitoring strategies, ultimately enhancing the clinical management of CIDP patients.
Topics: Humans; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Peripheral Nerves; Optic Nerve; Prognosis
PubMed: 38138263
DOI: 10.3390/medicina59122160 -
Synapse (New York, N.Y.) Sep 2023Addiction is a global concern with a high relapse rate and without effective therapeutic options. Developing new effective therapeutic strategies is impossible without... (Review)
Review
Addiction is a global concern with a high relapse rate and without effective therapeutic options. Developing new effective therapeutic strategies is impossible without discovering the disease's neurobiological basis. The present systematic review aimed to comprehensively recognize and discuss the role of local field potentials from brain areas essential in forming and storing context-drug/food associations following the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm as a popular animal model of reward and addiction. Qualified studies were incorporated by a broad search of four databases, including Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect, in July 2022, and they were evaluated via appropriate methodological quality assessment tools. The current study found that drug-seeking behavior in different stages of the CPP paradigm is accompanied by alterations in neural oscillatory activity and adaptations in connectivity among various areas such as the hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, basolateral amygdala, and prelimbic area, intensely engaged in reward-related behaviors. These findings need to be extended by more future advanced studies to finally recognize the altered oscillatory activity patterns of large groups of cells in regions involved in reward-context associations to improve clinical strategies such as neuromodulation approaches to modify the abnormal electrical activity of these critical brain regions and their connections for treating addiction and preventing drug/food relapse in abstinent patients. DEFINITIONS: Power is the amount of energy in a frequency band and is the squared amplitude of the oscillation. Cross-frequency coupling refers to a statistical relationship between activities in two different frequency bands. Phase-amplitude coupling is perhaps the most commonly used method of computing cross-frequency coupling. Phase-amplitude coupling involves testing for a relationship between the phase of one frequency band and the power of another, typically relatively higher, frequency band. Thus, within phase-amplitude coupling, you refer to the "frequency for phase" and the "frequency for power." Spectral coherence has been frequently used to detect and quantify coupling between oscillatory signals of two or more brain areas. Spectral coherence estimates the linear phase-consistency between two frequency-decomposed signals over time windows (or trials).
Topics: Animals; Brain; Nucleus Accumbens; Hippocampus
PubMed: 37279942
DOI: 10.1002/syn.22277