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Frontiers in Neuroscience 2022To characterize the intestinal flora of patients with epilepsy and its correlation with epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize the intestinal flora of patients with epilepsy and its correlation with epilepsy.
METHODS
Patients with ages > 18 years were consecutively enrolled from the outpatient department, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019. A total of 71 subjects were recruited, including epilepsy patients ( = 41) as an observation group and patient family members ( = 30) as a control group. Fresh stool specimens of all the subjects were collected. The 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was analyzed to determine changes in intestinal flora composition and its correlation with epilepsy. Subgroup analysis was then conducted. All patients with epilepsy were divided into an urban group ( = 21) and a rural group ( = 20) according to the region, and bioinformatics analyses were repeated between subgroups.
RESULTS
LEfSe analysis showed that , , , and had relatively increased abundance in the epilepsy group at the genus level. Correlation analysis suggested that sp. ( = 0.584, < 0.01), ( = 0.560, < 0.01), ( = 0.541, < 0.01), and ( = 0.506, < 0.01) were significantly positively correlated with the occurrence of epilepsy ( ≥ 0.5, < 0.05). PICRUSt function prediction analysis showed that there were significant differences in 16 pathways between the groups at level 3. Comparing the rural group with the urban group, increased at the phylum level and , , , and increased at the species level in the rural group.
CONCLUSION
There were significant differences in the composition and functional pathways of gut flora between epilepsy patients and patient family members. The may become a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of epilepsy.
PubMed: 35250450
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.803538 -
Pathology Oncology Research : POR 2022Pituitary adenoma (PA) includes invasive pituitary adenoma (IPA) and noninvasive pituitary adenoma (NIPA), which are associated with the endocrine system. The gut...
Pituitary adenoma (PA) includes invasive pituitary adenoma (IPA) and noninvasive pituitary adenoma (NIPA), which are associated with the endocrine system. The gut microbiome plays an important role in human metabolism, but the association between the gut microbiome and pituitary adenoma remains unclear. A total of 44 subjects were enrolled in this study. Of these, 29 PA patients were further divided into IPA patients ( = 13) and NIPA patients ( = 16), while 15 healthy age-matched subjects were defined as control subjects. We collected faecal samples and characterized the gut microbial profiles by metagenomic sequencing using the Illumina X-ten platform. PLS-DA showed different microbial clusters among the three groups, and slightly different microbial ecological networks were observed. LEfSe analysis revealed significant alterations in the microbial community among PA patients. In particular, the enrichment of innocuum, along with the reduced abundance of Oscillibacter sp. 57_20 and mortiferum, were observed both in the IPA and NIPA groups compared to the control group. Moreover, PA patients could be effectively classified based on these bacteria using a support vector machine algorithm. In summary, this study demonstrated significant differences in the gut microbiome between PA patients and healthy controls. Future mechanistic experiments are needed to determine whether such alterations are a cause or consequence of pituitary adenoma.
Topics: Adenoma; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Metagenome; Metagenomics; Pituitary Neoplasms
PubMed: 35991836
DOI: 10.3389/pore.2022.1610402 -
PloS One 2023A range of analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS, voltammetry, microbiological and microscopic techniques, PCR) was used to assay a range of potential chemical and biological...
A range of analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS, voltammetry, microbiological and microscopic techniques, PCR) was used to assay a range of potential chemical and biological contaminants in soil and dandelion samples. The results provide the first comprehensive safety analysis of dandelion as a herbal product. Samples were collected from three different sites in Poland where the local population collects dandelion plants for their own consumption: Rudenka (a mountain meadow in the European Ecological Network of Natura 2000 protection area, free of agrotechnical treatments for over 30 years), Warszawa 1 (dense single-family housing with heavy traffic), and Warszawa 2 (recreation area with heavy traffic near a coal-fired heat and power plant). The assays of heavy metals and other chemical pollutants (PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, mycotoxins) confirm that all collected soil and dandelion samples were chemically pure; however, 95 species of pathogenic bacteria were detected, including "carnivorous" Vibrio vulnificus, zoonotic Pasteurella pneumotropica, Pasteurella canis, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus lentus and Francisella tularensis as well as 14 species of pathogenic fungi and one protozoan parasite (Giardia intestinalis). The discovery of septicemia agents V. vulnificus, Fusobacterium mortiferum and Rahnella aquatilis in the soil surrounding dandelion roots and in the flowers, G. intestinalis in dandelion leaves and roots samples, all collected in Warsaw, is highly disturbing. This finding underlines the need for increased caution when collecting dandelion in densely populated areas with a large population of pets. Thorough washing of the harvested plants is necessary before using them for consumption, especially in the case of making salads from fresh dandelion leaves, which is becoming increasingly popular among people leading healthy and an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Topics: Humans; Taraxacum; Environmental Pollutants; Soil; Metals, Heavy; Plant Leaves; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 36662824
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280810 -
Journal of Dairy Science May 2024The source of infection of digital dermatitis (DD), an infectious lameness condition, is still uncertain. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify potential...
The source of infection of digital dermatitis (DD), an infectious lameness condition, is still uncertain. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify potential reservoirs of DD bacteria in dairy cattle body sites with different stages of the disease and farm environments. We collected skin swabs from 85 dairy cows from 5 herds, 3 with and 2 without DD, from foot, hock, and udder cleft skin (with lesions or not), saliva, urine, and feces. We also obtained environmental samples. Real-time quantitative PCR targeted Treponema phagedenis, Treponema medium, Treponema pedis, Porphyromonas levii, Bacteroides pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Fusobacterium mortiferum. Digital dermatitis-associated Treponema spp. were exclusively detected in DD-affected herds in DD-foot and other skin lesions, healthy skin, saliva, and environmental samples. In contrast, the non-Treponema spp. were found in samples from both DD-negative and affected herds. As expected, DD lesions had higher bacterial loads than healthy skin. Interestingly, similar counts were observed in udder cleft lesions, indicating a potential opportunistic behavior on compromised skin. None of the targeted species were detected in fecal samples, but P. levii, B. pyogenes, and F. necrophorum were detected in urine. All 7 species were detected in saliva, although in low quantities. No associations were observed between the presence of each bacterial species in DD lesions and urine; however, there was an association between the presence of DD-Treponema spp. in lesions and saliva, hock, and udder skin. Feces and urine do not seem to be a DD bacteria primary source, but saliva and other skin lesions may play a role. Longitudinal studies would improve our understanding of DD-associated bacteria's transient or persistent presence in these sites. Investigating the sources of DD-associated bacteria will guide future interventions to minimize bacterial shedding and transmission, ultimately more effectively reducing bacterial load, transmission, and sources of infection in dairy herds.
Topics: Cattle; Female; Animals; Digital Dermatitis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Farms; Treponema; Bacteria; Skin Diseases; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 38135044
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24160 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2022Digital Dermatitis (DD) is a polymicrobial disease characterized by ulcerative lesions on the heel bulb of cattle and for which, despite being reported almost 50 years...
Digital Dermatitis (DD) is a polymicrobial disease characterized by ulcerative lesions on the heel bulb of cattle and for which, despite being reported almost 50 years ago, information on the causative agent is still lacking. Tissue biopsies are regularly collected to identify bacterial presence-absence and their relative abundance in the microbiome, with sufficient evidence for the high abundance of species of spp. and other anaerobes in lesions. However, it is unclear what the potential of less-invasive sampling methods is for bacterial detection and quantification. This study aimed to test whether less-invasive sampling techniques, such as swabs and fine-needle aspiration (FNA), can be a convenient alternative to tissue biopsies in detecting and quantifying seven DD-associated bacteria in active, ulcerative DD lesions by qPCR. Twenty-two M2 DD lesions were collected using corresponding swabs, aspirates, and biopsies from dairy cows. Presence/absence and quantities of , and were correlated, and Bland-Altman plot, McNemar's test, and Cohen's kappa coefficient were used to calculate the agreement among the methods. The quantities of all species were larger in swabs and smaller in aspirates compared to biopsies; however, the differences in bacterial enumeration observed between biopsies and swabs were smaller than in biopsies and aspirates. A strong correlation was observed between the quantity of , and in biopsies, swabs, and FNA. Yet, presented the smallest difference between biopsies and swabs, followed by and . In conclusion, swabs, aspirates, and biopsies were equal in their capacity to detect species based on the good agreement for bacteria presence/absence, with a more limited agreement for the other anaerobes, which were more often present in M2 lesions swabs by qPCR. Bacterial numbers were higher in swabs and lower in aspirates compared to biopsies, with the amounts of treponemes in swabs being closer to biopsies than in aspirates to biopsies. Therefore, aspirates were less suitable for bacterial quantification in DD lesions compared to the other methods.
PubMed: 36467632
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1040988 -
PloS One 2023Hyaluronan (HA) is a high-molecular-weight glycosaminoglycan and widely distributed in all connective tissues and organs with diverse biological functions. HA has been...
Hyaluronan (HA) is a high-molecular-weight glycosaminoglycan and widely distributed in all connective tissues and organs with diverse biological functions. HA has been increasingly used as dietary supplements targeted to joint and skin health for humans. We here first report isolation of bacteria from human feces that are capable of degrading HA to lower molecular weight HA oligosaccharides (oligo-HAs). The bacteria were successfully isolated via a selective enrichment method, in which the serially diluted feces of healthy Japanese donors were individually incubated in an enrichment medium containing HA, followed by the isolation of candidate strains from streaked HA-containing agar plates and selection of HA-degrading strains by measuring HA using an ELISA. Subsequent genomic and biochemical assays identified the strains as Bacteroides finegoldii, B. caccae, B. thetaiotaomicron, and Fusobacterium mortiferum. Furthermore, our HPLC analysis revealed that the strains degraded HA to oligo-HAs of various lengths. Subsequent quantitative PCR assay targeting the HA degrading bacteria showed that their distribution in the Japanese donors varied. The evidence suggests that dietary HA is degraded by the human gut microbiota with individual variation to oligo-HAs components, which are more absorbable than HA, thereby exerting its beneficial effects.
Topics: Humans; Hyaluronic Acid; East Asian People; Bacteria; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome
PubMed: 37196002
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284517 -
Pharmaceutical Biology Dec 2023A Chinese herbal formula, Tiaopi Xiezhuo decoction (TXD), is developed from a classical Chinese prescription Sanhuang Xiexin decoction.
CONTEXT
A Chinese herbal formula, Tiaopi Xiezhuo decoction (TXD), is developed from a classical Chinese prescription Sanhuang Xiexin decoction.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the regulatory effect of TXD on gut dysbiosis, as a treatment of constipation in patients with peritoneal dialysis (PD).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The chemical content of TXD was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A total of 29 PD patients were enrolled and treated with TXD orally (3 g crude drug/each/twice/day) for 3 months. Blood and faecal samples were collected at the beginning and end, to determine the changes in biochemical characteristics and gut microbial composition. The stool conditions were asked to be scored. Additional 30 healthy individuals were recruited as a control for the analysis of gut microbiota.
RESULTS
Although having no significant effects on serum biochemical characteristics, 3-month TXD intervention improved constipation in PD patients: decreased 80% abdominal distention ( < 0.01), increased 2.6-fold sloppy stools ( < 0.05) and eliminated hard stool completely ( < 0.01). The analysis of gut microbiota showed that, compared to the healthy group, the microbial richness was reduced in PD patients. After a 3-month TXD treatment, this reduced richness was raised, and , 2-146FA, , 2-1-58FAA, and were accumulated in the intestinal flora. Furthermore, the bacterial species enriched by TXD correlated with the improvement of constipation.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
TXD treatment may improve constipation by modulating gut dysbiosis in PD patients. These findings provide data to support the further application of TXD in the adjuvant treatment of PD.
Topics: Humans; Constipation; Dysbiosis; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Peritoneal Dialysis; Drugs, Chinese Herbal
PubMed: 36994999
DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2023.2193595 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022It is predicted that by 2035, metabolic syndrome (MS) will be found in nearly more than half of our adult population, seriously affecting the health of our body. MS is...
It is predicted that by 2035, metabolic syndrome (MS) will be found in nearly more than half of our adult population, seriously affecting the health of our body. MS is usually accompanied by the occurrence of abnormal liver enzymes, such as elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). More and more studies have shown that the gut microbiota is involved in MS; however, the correlation between gut microbiota and MS with elevated GGT has not been studied comprehensively. Especially, there are few reports about its role in the physical examination of the population of men with MS and elevated GGT. By using the whole-genome shotgun sequencing technology, we conducted a genome-wide association study of the gut microbiome in 66 participants diagnosed as having MS accompanied by high levels of GGT (case group) and 66 participants with only MS and normal GGT level (control group). We found that the number of gut microbial species was reduced in participants in the case group compared to that of the control group. The overall microbial composition between the two groups is of significant difference. The gut microbiota in the case group is characterized by increased levels of "harmful bacteria" such as , , unclassified, , and and decreased levels of "beneficial bacteria" such as , , , , , and . Moreover, the pathways of POLYAMSYN-PWY, ARG+POLYAMINE-SYN, PWY-6305, and GOLPDLCAT-PWY were also increased in the case group, which may play a role in the elevation of GGT by producing amine, polyamine, putrescine, and endogenous alcohol. Taken together, there are apparent changes in the composition of the gut microbiome in men with MS and abnormal GGT levels, and it is high time to discover specific gut microbiome as a potential therapeutic target in that population. More in-depth studies of relevant mechanism could offer some new methods for the treatment of MS with elevated GGT.
Topics: Adult; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Genome-Wide Association Study; Humans; Male; Metabolic Syndrome; Polyamines; gamma-Glutamyltransferase
PubMed: 35967853
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.946757 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jan 2004The genome of Clostridium acetobutylicum 824 contains two genes encoding NAD+, Mn2+, and dithiothreitol-dependent phospho-alpha-glucosidases that can be assigned to...
The genome of Clostridium acetobutylicum 824 contains two genes encoding NAD+, Mn2+, and dithiothreitol-dependent phospho-alpha-glucosidases that can be assigned to family 4 of the glycosylhydrolase superfamily. The two genes, designated malh (maltose 6-phosphate hydrolase) and pagl (phospho-alpha-glucosidase), respectively, reside in separate operons that also encode proteins of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent:sugar phosphotransferase system. C. acetobutylicum grows on a variety of alpha-linked glucosides, including maltose, methyl-alpha-d-glucoside, and the five isomers of sucrose. In the presence of the requisite cofactors, extracts of these cells readily hydrolyzed the chromogenic substrate p-nitrophenyl-alpha-d-glucopyranoside 6-phosphate, but whether hydrolysis reflected expression of enzymes encoded by the malh or pagl genes was not discernible by spectrophotometric analysis or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Resolution of this question required the cloning of the malh and pagl genes, and subsequent high expression, purification, and characterization of maltose-6'-phosphate hydrolase (MalH) and phospho-alpha-glucosidase (PagL), respectively. MalH and PagL exhibit 50% residue identity, and in solution are tetramers comprising similar sized ( approximately 50 kDa) subunits. The two proteins cross-react with polyclonal rabbit antibody against phospho-alpha-glucosidase from Fusobacterium mortiferum. Purified MalH and PagL cleaved p-nitrophenyl-alpha-d-glucopyranoside 6-phosphate with comparable efficiency, but only MalH catalyzed the hydrolysis of disaccharide 6'-phosphates formed via the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent:sugar phosphotransferase system. Importantly, analysis of the proteome of C. acetobutylicum 824 by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry confirmed expression of MalH during growth on many alpha-glucosides tested. Site-directed changes C169S and D170N yielded full-length, but catalytically inactive MalH. Of the two putative operons, our findings suggest that only proteins encoded by the mal operon participate in the dissimilation of maltose and related O-alpha-linked glucosides by C. acetobutylicum 824.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Catalysis; Cell-Free System; Chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Clostridium; Cysteine; Disaccharides; Dithiothreitol; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Fusobacterium; Genome, Bacterial; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydrolysis; Kinetics; Manganese; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; NAD; Operon; Protein Isoforms; Proteome; Recombinant Proteins; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Spectrophotometry; Substrate Specificity; Sucrose; Time Factors; alpha-Glucosidases
PubMed: 14570887
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M310733200 -
International Journal of Biological... 2020The 'adenoma-carcinoma sequence' is a well-recognized model of colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, the interaction between gut microbiota and genetic...
The 'adenoma-carcinoma sequence' is a well-recognized model of colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, the interaction between gut microbiota and genetic variation in the initiation of CRC is not clear. Our study attempts to demonstrate the relationship between gut microbiota and host genetics in patients with intestinal adenomatous polyps. The entire exon region of the APC gene was sequenced in 35 patients with pathologically diagnosed adenomatous polyps. Patients with highly pathogenic APC mutation were classified as the case group, while the others were classified as the control group. The patients'stool and serum samples were respectively collected for metagenomics and metabolomics measurements. In the analysis of gut microbiome, there were three most important species, in which Fusobacterium_mortiferum was significantly increased while Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium_pseudocatenulatum were significantly decreased in the case group. The significantly low abundance of the Photosynthesis pathway in patients with APC mutation was due to the low abundance of species Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium_pseudocatenulatum. Moreover, there were two clusters of KEGG pathways correlated with two clusters of species characterized by Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii and Fusobacterium_mortiferum. As to serum metabolomics, the abundance of (R)-3-Hydroxybutyric acid and 2-Hydroxyphenethylamine were significantly higher in patients with APC mutation, while the abundance of 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid,7-Ketocholesterol, DL-lactate, and L-Pyroglutamic acid were significantly higher in controlgroup. After analyzing the metabolome and microbiome data by sparCCmethod, we found that there was a significantly negative correlation between the abundance of Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii and Fusobacterium_mortiferum, and a significantly positive correlation between Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii abundance and the steroid hormone Hydrocortisone (Cortisol) in serum. Host's APC mutation was closely related to the changes of gut microbiota and serum metabolites, and some species of gut microbiome like Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii and Fusobacterium_mortiferum might have the potential to predict the development of CRC from intestinal adenomatous polyps.
Topics: Adenomatous Polyps; Aged; Colorectal Neoplasms; Faecalibacterium prausnitzii; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Genes, APC; Humans; Male; Metagenomics; Middle Aged; Mutation
PubMed: 31892851
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.37399