Establishment of a Clonal Culture of Unicellular Conjugating Algae

In this article, we demonstrate the establishment of clonal cultures of unicellular conjugating algal species collected from a natural field site.

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Oral Potentially Malignant Disorder Based Customized Epithelial Dysplasia Grading: a Need of the Hour

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Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Device Development: An Updated Protocol Used at Home in Healthy Subjects and Fibromyalgia Patients

This study provides an updated home-based tDCS protocol that enables subjects to receive the beneficial effects of tDCS at home with an easy to use device with settings to control the use and dosage, enhancing the feasibility for long-term use at home.

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TREM-1, the ideal predictive biomarker for endoscopic healing in anti-TNF-treated Crohns disease patients?

We read with great interest the study by Gaujoux et al, who described a whole blood marker for anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) responsiveness in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The availability of anti-TNF agents dramatically changed therapeutic strategies for patients with CD. However, an overall non-response rate of 30% has been observed, and, together with the approval of new classes of biological agents with a different mode of action, clearly indicates the need for predictive biomarkers. Gaujoux et al identified triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM1) expression in whole blood as a biomarker for anti-TNF (non)response (higher expression in responders).1 In inflamed colonic tissue, TREM1 expression is also decreased in future infliximab responders.1 2 TREM-1 is known to amplify inflammation, whereas TREM-1 inhibition in vivo attenuates colitis by modulating autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.3

We first measured serum TREM-1 (sTREM-1)...

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Gut commensal Parabacteroides goldsteinii plays a predominant role in the anti-obesity effects of polysaccharides isolated from Hirsutella sinensis

Objective

The medicinal fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis and its anamorph Hirsutella sinensis have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine for their immunomodulatory properties. Alterations of the gut microbiota have been described in obesity and type 2 diabetes. We examined the possibility that H. sinensis mycelium (HSM) and isolated fractions containing polysaccharides may prevent diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota.

Design

High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were treated with HSM or fractions containing polysaccharides of different molecular weights. The effects of HSM and polysaccharides on the gut microbiota were assessed by horizontal faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), antibiotic treatment and 16S rDNA-based microbiota analysis.

Results

Fraction H1 containing high-molecular weight polysaccharides (>300 kDa) considerably reduced body weight gain (~50% reduction) and metabolic disorders in HFD-fed mice. These effects were associated with increased expression of thermogenesis protein markers in adipose tissues, enhanced gut integrity, reduced intestinal and systemic inflammation and improved insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that H1 polysaccharides selectively promoted the growth of Parabacteroides goldsteinii, a commensal bacterium whose level was reduced in HFD-fed mice. FMT combined with antibiotic treatment showed that neomycin-sensitive gut bacteria negatively correlated with obesity traits and were required for H1's anti-obesogenic effects. Notably, oral treatment of HFD-fed mice with live P. goldsteinii reduced obesity and was associated with increased adipose tissue thermogenesis, enhanced intestinal integrity and reduced levels of inflammation and insulin resistance.

Conclusions

HSM polysaccharides and the gut bacterium P. goldsteinii represent novel prebiotics and probiotics that may be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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The experiences of breastfeeding mothers returning to work as hospital nurses in Pakistan: A qualitative study

Publication date: Available online 14 July 2018

Source: Women and Birth

Author(s): Saadia Riaz, Louise Condon

Abstract

Background

Pakistan has a higher infant mortality rate than countries with comparable economies, with around half of all under-5 deaths occurring in the first month of life. Breastfeeding is known to improve infant morbidity and mortality, but rates of formula feeding in Pakistan are increasing. Maternal employment is recognised globally as a major barrier to the continuation of breastfeeding.

Aim

To describe the attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding mothers returning to full-time work as nurses in a tertiary hospital in Pakistan.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with seven purposively sampled participants who were breastfeeding at the time of return to work. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results

Three major themes were identified: belief in a child's right to breastfeed, conflict with institutional power and the importance of family support in maintaining breastfeeding. Antenatally mothers described breastfeeding as the preferred infant feeding option and the child's right. When returning to work mothers encountered rigid hospital policies and practices, such as a short and non-negotiable period of maternity leave, inflexible shift patterns, and lack of childcare provision. Parents' strategies to continue breastfeeding included some mothers bringing babies to hospital wards while they worked, and babies' fathers bringing the baby to the hospital for feeds.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the barriers to breastfeeding experienced by mothers working as hospital nurses in Pakistan. Babies can be put at risk due to the strategies parents adopt to reconcile continued breastfeeding with maternal employment.

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Hypermetabolism in the cerebellum and brainstem and cortical hypometabolism are independently associated with cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Purpose

Cognitive impairment (CI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a widespread reduction in cortical glucose metabolism and relative increases in the cerebellum and brainstem as measured using ¹⁸F-fluorodesoxyglucose (FDG) PET. We separately analysed CI-related hypermetabolism and hypometabolism in comparison with neuropsychological test performance and investigated whether increased FDG uptake is a true feature of the disease or a normalization effect.

Methods

The study included 29 subjects (12 patients with PD, 10 patients with PD dementia and 7 healthy controls") who underwent FDG PET and comprehensive neuropsychological testing. Test performance across various cognitive domains was summarized in a cognitive staging score. Metabolic indices reflecting associated changes in regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) were calculated: index⁽⁻⁾ for CI-related hypometabolism, and index⁽⁺⁾ for CI-related hypermetabolism. We tested whether index⁽⁺⁾ offered additional value in predicting the severity of CI in multiple regression analysis.

Results

At higher stages of CI, increased rCGM was found in the posterior cerebellar vermis and pons, associated with impaired attention, executive function and memory. Reduced rCGM was found in various cortical regions in agreement with the literature. In multiple regression analysis, both indices independently predicted the severity of CI with a whole-model R² of 0.68 (index⁽⁻⁾, p = 0.0006; index⁽⁺⁾, p = 0.013), confirmed by alternative analyses combining different reference tissues in the multiple regression.

Conclusion

We found CI-related hypermetabolism in cerebellar regions that are known to be involved in several cognitive functions and in the pons. These alterations may represent compensatory activation of cognitive networks including cerebropontocerebellar tracts.

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