Rett Syndrome and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders Share Common Changes in Gut Microbial Community : a Descriptive Review

In this narrative review, we summarize recent pieces of evidence of the role of microbiota alterations in Rett syndrome (RTT). Neurological problems are prominent features of the syndrome, but the pathogenic mechanisms modulating its severity are still poorly understood. Gut microbiota was recently demonstrated to be altered both in animal models and humans with different neurodevelopmental disorders and/or epilepsy. By investigating gut microbiota in RTT cohorts, a less rich microbial community was identified which was associated with alterations of fecal microbial short-chain fatty acids. These changes were positively correlated with severe clinical outcomes. Indeed, microbial metabolites can play a crucial role both locally and systemically, having dynamic effects on host metabolism and gene expression in many organs. Similar alterations were found in patients with autism and down syndrome as well, suggesting a potential common pathway of gut microbiota involvement in neurodevelopmental disorders

A Low Complexity Rolling Bearing Diagnosis Technique Based on Machine Learning and Smart Preprocessing

In this work, we present a diagnosis system for rolling bearings that leverages simultaneous measurements of vibrations and machine rotation speed. Our approach combines the robustness of simple time domain methods for fault detection with the potential of machine learning techniques for fault location. This research is based on a neural network classifier, which exploits a simple and novel preprocessing algorithm specifically designed for minimizing the dependency of the classifier performance on the machine working conditions, on the bearing model and on the acquisition system set-up. The overall diagnosis system is based on light algorithms with reduced complexity and hardware resource demand and is designed to be deployed in embedded electronics. The fault diagnosis system was trained using emulated data, exploiting an ad-hoc test bench thus avoiding the problem of generating enough data, achieving an overall classifier accuracy larger than 98%. Its noteworthy ability to generalize was proven by using data emulating different working conditions and acquisition set-ups and noise levels, obtaining in all the cases accuracies greater than 97%, thereby proving in this way that the proposed system can be applied in a wide spectrum of different applications. Finally, real data from an on-line database containing vibration signals obtained in a completely different scenario are used to demonstrate the distinctive capability of the proposed system to generalize

Economic Uncertainty and Fertility in Europe: Narratives of the Future

Background: In the last decade fertility rates have declined in most European countries, and explanations have tended to focus on the rise of economic uncertainty after the Great Recession. The empirical demographic tradition operationalized the forces of economic uncertainty through objective indicators of individuals’ labor market situation; for example, holding a temporary contract or being unemployed. However, contemporary European fertility trends are not comprehensively captured by these traditional indicators and statistical models, because fertility decisions are not a mere “statistical shadow of the past”. Objective: We propose a novel framework on economic uncertainty and fertility. This framework proffers that the conceptualization and operationalization of economic uncertainty needs to take into account that people use works of imagination, producing their own “narrative of the future” – namely, imagined futures embedded in social elements and their interactions. Narratives of the future allow people to act according to or in spite of the uncertainty they face, irrespective of structural constraints and their subjective perceptions. Contribution: In this reflection we suggest that the focus of contemporary fertility studies should partly shift to assessing how people build their narratives of the future. To this end, we propose several methodological strategies to empirically assess the role of narratives for fertility decisions. Future studies should also take into account that personal narratives are shaped by the “shared narratives” produced by several agents of socialization, such as parents and peers, as well as by the narratives produced by the media and other powerful opinion formers

1H-NMR plasma lipoproteins profile analysis reveals lipid metabolism alterations in HER2-positive breast cancer patients

The lipid tumour demand may shape the host metabolism adapting the circulating lipids composition to its growth and progression needs. This study aims to exploit the straightforward 1 H-NMR lipoproteins analysis to investigate the alterations of the circulating lipoproteins’ fractions in HER2-positive breast cancer and their modulations induced by treatments. The baseline1H-NMR plasma lipoproteins profiles were measured in 43 HER2-positive breast cancer patients and compared with those of 28 healthy women. In a subset of 32 patients, longitudinal measurements were also performed along neoadjuvant chemotherapy, after surgery, adjuvant treatment, and during the two-year follow-up. Differences between groups were assessed by multivariate PLS-DA and by univariate analyses. The diagnostic power of lipoproteins subfractions was assessed by ROC curve, while lipoproteins time changes along interventions were investigated by ANOVA analysis. The PLS-DA model distinguished HER2-positive breast cancer patients from the control group with a sensitivity of 96.4% and specificity of 90.7%, mainly due to the differential levels of VLDLs subfractions that were significantly higher in the patients' group. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy-induced a significant drop in the HDLs after the first three months of treatment and a specific decrease in the HDL-3 and HDL-4 subfractions were found significantly associated with the pathological complete response achievement. These results indicate that HER2-positive breast cancer is characterized by a significant host lipid mobilization that could be useful for diagnostic purposes. Moreover, the lipoproteins profiles alterations induced by the therapeutic interventions could predict the clinical outcome supporting the application of1H-NMR lipoproteins profiles analysis for longitudinal monitoring of HER2-positive breast cancer in large clinical studies

Unravelling work drive: A comparison between workaholism and overcommitment

Workaholism and overcommitment are often used as interchangeable constructs describing an individual’s over-involvement toward their own job. Employees with high levels in both constructs are characterized by an excessive effort and attachment to their job, with the incapability to detach from it and negative consequences in terms of poor health and job burnout. However, few studies have simultaneously measured both constructs, and their relationships are still not clear. In this study, we try to disentangle workaholism and overcommitment by comparing them with theoretically related contextual and personal antecedents, as well as their health consequences. We conducted a nonprobability mixed mode research design on 133 employees from different organizations in Italy using both self-and other-reported measures. To test our hypothesis that workaholism and overcommitment are related yet different constructs, we used partial correlations and regression analyses. The results confirm that these two constructs are related to each other, but also outline that overcommitment (and not workaholism) is uniquely related to job burnout, so that overcommitment rather than workaholism could represent the true negative aspect of work drive. Additionally, workaholism is more related to conscientiousness than overcommitment, while overcommitment shows a stronger relationship with neuroticism than workaholism. The theoretical implications are discussed

TrkB signaling directs the incorporation of newly generated periglomerular cells in the adult olfactory bulb.

In the adult rodent brain, the olfactory bulb (OB) is continuously supplied with new neurons which survival critically depends on their successful integration into pre-existing networks. Yet, the extracellular signals that determine the selection which neurons will be ultimately incorporated into these circuits are largely unknown. Here, we show that immature neurons express the catalytic form of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptor TrkB [full-length TrkB (TrkB-FL)] only after their arrival in the OB, at the time when inte-gration commences. To unravel the role of TrkB signaling in newborn neurons, we conditionally ablated TrkB-FL in mice via Cre expression in adult neural stem and progenitor cells. TrkB-deficient neurons displayed a marked impairment in dendritic arborization and spine growth. By selectively manipulating the signaling pathways initiated by TrkB in vivo, we identified the transducers Shc/PI3K to be required for dendritic growth, whereas the activation of phospholipase C-was found to be responsible for spine formation. Further-more, long-term genetic fate mapping revealed that TrkB deletion severely compromised the survival of new dopaminergic neurons, leading to a substantial reduction in the overall number of adult-generated periglomerular cells (PGCs), but not of granule cells (GCs). Surprisingly, this loss of dopaminergic PGCs was mirrored by a corresponding increase in the number of calretinin PGCs, suggesting that distinct subsets of adult-born PGCs may respond differentially to common extracellular signals. Thus, our results identify TrkB signaling to be essential for balancing the incorporation of defined classes of adult-born PGCs and not GCs, reflecting their different mode of integration in the OB. \ua9 2013 the authors

Gut microbiota profile in CDKL5 deficiency disorder patients

: CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by global developmental delay, early-onset seizures, intellectual disability, visual and motor impairments. Unlike Rett Syndrome (RTT), CDD lacks a clear regression period. Patients with CDD frequently encounter gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances and exhibit signs of subclinical immune dysregulation. However, the underlying causes of these conditions remain elusive. Emerging studies indicate a potential connection between neurological disorders and gut microbiota, an area completely unexplored in CDD. We conducted a pioneering study, analyzing fecal microbiota composition in individuals with CDD (n = 17) and their healthy relatives (n = 17). Notably, differences in intestinal bacterial diversity and composition were identified in CDD patients. In particular, at genus level, CDD microbial communities were characterized by an increase in the relative abundance of Clostridium_AQ, Eggerthella, Streptococcus, and Erysipelatoclostridium, and by a decrease in Eubacterium, Dorea, Odoribacter, Intestinomonas, and Gemmiger, pointing toward a dysbiotic profile. We further investigated microbiota changes based on the severity of GI issues, seizure frequency, sleep disorders, food intake type, impairment in neuro-behavioral features and ambulation capacity. Enrichment in Lachnoclostridium and Enterobacteriaceae was observed in the microbiota of patients with more severe GI symptoms, while Clostridiaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Christensenellaceae, and Ruminococcaceae were enriched in patients experiencing daily epileptic seizures. Our findings suggest a potential connection between CDD, microbiota and symptom severity. This study marks the first exploration of the gut-microbiota-brain axis in subjects with CDD. It adds to the growing body of research emphasizing the role of the gut microbiota in neurodevelopmental disorders and opens doors to potential interventions that target intestinal microbes with the aim of improving the lives of patients with CDD

Strategies for the Accurate Measurement of the Resonance Frequency in QCM-D Systems via Low-Cost Digital Techniques

In this paper, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)-based digital architecture for the measurement of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) oscillating frequency of transient responses, i.e., in QCM-D (QCM and Dissipation) applications, is presented. The measurement system is conceived for operations in liquid, with short QCM transient responses due to the large mechanical load. The proposed solution allows for avoiding the complex processing systems typically required by the QCM-D techniques and grants frequency resolutions better than 1 ppm. The core of the architecture is a reciprocal digital frequency meter, combined with the preprocessing of the QCM signal through mixing operations, such as a step-down of the input frequency and reducing the measurement error. The measurement error is further reduced through averaging. Different strategies are proposed to implement the proposed measurement solution, comprising an all-digital circuit and mixed analog/digital ones. The performance of the proposed architectures is theoretically derived, compared, and analyzed by means of experimental data obtained considering 10 MHz QCMs and 200 μs long transient responses. A frequency resolution of about 240 ppb, which corresponds to a Sauerbrey mass resolution of 8 ng/cm2, is obtained for the all-digital solution, whereas for the mixed solution the resolution halves to 120 ppb, with a measurement time of about one second over 100 repetitions