Search results for "Biome"
showing 10 items of 4164 documents
Association of metformin administration with gut microbiome dysbiosis in healthy volunteers
2018
Background Metformin is a widely used first-line drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Despite its advantages, metformin has variable therapeutic effects, contraindications, and side effects. Here, for the very first time, we investigate the short-term effect of metformin on the composition of healthy human gut microbiota. Methods We used an exploratory longitudinal study design in which the first sample from an individual was the control for further samples. Eighteen healthy individuals were treated with metformin (2 × 850 mg) for 7 days. Stool samples were collected at three time points: prior to administration, 24 hours and 7 days after metformin administration. Taxonomic composition of…
Structural Heteropolysaccharide Adhesion to the Glycocalyx of Visceral Mesothelium
2018
Bioadhesives are biopolymers with potential applications in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Pectin, a plant-based heteropolysaccharide, has recently demonstrated potential as a mucoadhesive in the gut. Since mucoadhesion is a process likely involving the interpenetration of the pectin polymer with mucin chains, we hypothesized that pectin may also be effective at targeting the glycocalyx of the visceral mesothelium. To explore the potential role of pectin as a mesothelial bioadhesive, we studied the interaction of various pectin formulations with the mesothelium of the lung, liver, bowel, and heart. Tensile strength, peel strength, and shear resistance of the bioadhesi…
The Impact of Lactobacillus casei on the Composition of the Cecal Microbiota and Innate Immune System Is Strain Specific
2016
The probiotic function to impact human health is thought to be related to their ability to alter the composition of the gut microbiota and modulate the human innate immune system. The ability to function as a probiotic is believed to be strain specific. Strains of Lactobacillus casei are commonly utilized as probiotics that when consumed alter the composition of the gut microbiota and modulate the host immune response. L. casei strains are known to differ significantly in gene content. The objective of this study was to investigate seven different L. casei strains for their ability to alter the murine gut microbiota and modulate the murine immune system. C57BL/6 mice were fed L. casei strai…
Altered Gut Microbiome Composition and Tryptic Activity of the 5xFAD Alzheimer's Mouse Model.
2017
The regulation of physiological gut functions such as peristalsis or secretion of digestive enzymes by the central nervous system via the Nervus vagus is well known. Recent investigations highlight that pathological conditions of neurological or psychiatric disorders might directly interfere with the autonomous neuronal network of the gut - the enteric nervous system, or even derive from there. By using a murine Alzheimer's disease model, we investigated a potential influence of disease-associated changes on gastrointestinal properties. 5xFAD mice at three different ages were compared to wild type littermates in regard to metabolic parameters and enzymes of the gut by fluorimetric enzyme as…
Effect of a Nutritional Intervention on the Intestinal Microbiota of Vertically HIV-Infected Children: The Pediabiota Study
2020
This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Prebiotics and Probiotics in Health and Disease.
A Network Involving Gut Microbiota, Circulating Bile Acids, and Hepatic Metabolism Genes That Protects Against Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
2019
Scope Gut microbiota contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis by multiple mechanisms not yet completely understood. Novel differential features between germ-free mice (GFm) transplanted with protective or non-protective cecal microbiota against NAFLD are investigated. Methods and results Gut microbiota composition, plasma, and fecal bile acids (BAs) and liver mRNAs are quantified in GFm recipients from four donor mice differing in NAFLD severity (control diet, high-fat diet [HFD]-responder, HFD-non-responder, and quercetin-supplemented HFD). Transplanted GFm are on control or HFD for 16-weeks. Multivariate analysis shows that GFm colonized with microbiota from H…
The Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine-N-Oxide Is Present in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid
2017
Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a small organic molecule, derived from the intestinal and hepatic metabolism of dietary choline and carnitine. Although the involvement of TMAO in the framework of many chronic diseases has been recently described, no evidence on its putative role in the central nervous system has been provided. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether TMAO is present at detectable levels in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF was collected for diagnostic purposes from 58 subjects by lumbar puncture and TMAO was quantified by using liquid chromatography coupled with multiple-reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. The molecule was detected in all samples, at concentrati…
Effect of chondroitin sulphate on synovitis of knee osteoarthritic patients.
2017
Abstract Objective To evaluate by ultrasonography the effect of chondroitin sulfate (CS) on synovitis in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). To collaborate in the understanding of the biochemical mechanisms involved in the synovial inflammation process. Methods Randomized, single-blind, controlled trial involving 70 patients with primary KOA treated for 6 months with CS or acetaminophen (ACT). Evaluation of KOA status at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months included: ultrasonography to assess synovitis (following the OMERACT expertise group definition), visual analogue scale and Lequesne index to measure pain and function, and ELISA to quantify inflammatory mediators in serum and synovial…
Skin and gut microbiomes of a wild mammal respond to different environmental cues
2018
Background Animal skin and gut microbiomes are important components of host fitness. However, the processes that shape the microbiomes of wildlife are poorly understood, particularly with regard to exposure to environmental contaminants. We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to quantify how exposure to radionuclides impacts the skin and gut microbiota of a small mammal, the bank vole Myodes glareolus, inhabiting areas within and outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), Ukraine. Results Skin microbiomes of male bank voles were more diverse than females. However, the most pronounced differences in skin microbiomes occurred at a larger spatial scale, with higher alpha diversity in the skin m…
Determinants of the Quality of Warfarin Control after Venous Thromboembolism and Validation of the SAMe-TT2-R2 Score: An Analysis of Hokusai-VTE.
2019
Background Time in therapeutic range (TTR) measures the quality of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation. In patients with atrial fibrillation, the dichotomized SAMe-TT2-R2 score (≥2 vs. < 2 points) can predict if adequate TTR is unlikely to be achieved. Aims We validated the SAMe-TT2-R2 score in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) randomized to the warfarin arm of the Hokusai-VTE trial. Patients and Methods A total of 3,874 patients were included in the primary analysis (day 31–180 from randomization). The efficacy and safety outcomes were symptomatic recurrent VTE and major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding. Results The rates of recurrent VTE and bleeding events we…