Functional redundancy in microbial ecosystems

A healthy ecosystem is generally characterized by the stable performance of essential ecological functions, which are typically supported redundantly by multiple species. Although the concept of functional redundancy is well-established in macroecology, estimating redundancy in microbial communities remains challenging and has thus been only partially explored. In this study, we aim to quantify the redundancy within the complex community of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract to predict the risk of functional loss in the human gut microbiome, thereby assessing the potential risk of dysbiosis. We specified a diversity-based redundancy index and applied it to metagenomics samples from obese patients before and after bariatrics surgery. We observed a general increase in functional redundancy 12 months after bariatric surgery for nearly all functions showing significant differences. Our findings support the assumption that a high level of redundancy is typically associated with a healthier microbiome, thereby highlighting the importance of functional redundancy as a key biodiversity metric for microbiome stability and resilience

Effect of Oral Sebacic Acid on Postprandial Glycemia, Insulinemia, and Glucose Rate of Appearance in Type 2 Diabetes

Dicarboxylic acids are natural products with the potential of being an alternate dietary source of energy. We aimed to evaluate the effect of sebacic acid (a 10-carbon dicarboxylic acid; C10) ingestion on postprandial glycemia and glucose rate of appearance (Ra) in healthy and type 2 diabetic subjects. Furthermore, the effect of C10 on insulin-mediated glucose uptake and on GLUT4 expression was assessed in L6 muscle cells in vitro

Duodenal-Jejunal Bypass and Jejunectomy Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Goto-Kakizaki Diabetic Rats Without Changes in Incretins or Insulin Secretion

Gastric bypass surgery can dramatically improve type 2 diabetes. It has been hypothesized that by excluding duodenum and jejunum from nutrient transit, this procedure may reduce putative signals from the proximal intestine that negatively influence insulin sensitivity ( S I ). To test this hypothesis, resection or bypass of different intestinal segments were performed in diabetic Goto-Kakizaki and Wistar rats. Rats were randomly assigned to five groups: duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB), jejunal resection (jejunectomy), ileal resection (ileectomy), pair-fed sham-operated, and nonoperated controls. Oral glucose tolerance test was performed within 2 weeks after surgery. Baseline and poststimulation levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) were measured. Minimal model analysis was used to assess S I . S I improved after DJB ( S I = 1.14 ± 0.32 × 10 −4 min −1 ⋅ pM −1 ) and jejunectomy ( S I = 0.80 ± 0.14 × 10 −4 min −1 ⋅ pM −1 ), but not after ileectomy or sham operation/pair feeding in diabetic rats. Both DJB and jejunal resection normalized S I in diabetic rats as shown by S I levels equivalent to those of Wistar rats ( S I = 1.01 ± 0.06 × 10 −4 min −1 ⋅ pM −1 ; P = NS). Glucose effectiveness did not change after operations in any group. While ileectomy increased plasma GIP levels, no changes in GIP or GLP-1 were observed after DJB and jejunectomy. These findings support the hypothesis that anatomic alterations of the proximal small bowel may reduce factors associated with negative influence on S I , therefore contributing to the control of diabetes after gastric bypass surgery

Live Demonstration: Wireless Device for Clinical Pulse Wave Velocity Evaluations

This Live Demonstration presents a low-cost wireless integrated device for clinically evaluating Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV). The system comprises two pen-shaped probes with a high-precision MEMS force sensor on their tips and a base/charging station. The two probes are placed on the femoral and carotid arterial sites and send the pulse wave signals to the base/charging station via Bluetooth. A PC GUI displays the signals and calculates in real-time the PVW value. The visitors can see a real PWV measurement on a dedicated test subject or experience, in the first person, the arterial pulse assessment on their carotid after proper probe sterilization

Pulse processing routines for neutron time-of-flight data

A pulse shape analysis framework is described, which was developed for n_TOF-Phase3, the third phase in the operation of the n_TOF facility at CERN. The most notable feature of this new framework is the adoption of generic pulse shape analysis routines, characterized by a minimal number of explicit assumptions about the nature of pulses. The aim of these routines is to be applicable to a wide variety of detectors, thus facilitating the introduction of the new detectors or types of detectors into the analysis framework. The operational details of the routines are suited to the specific requirements of particular detectors by adjusting the set of external input parameters. Pulse recognition, baseline calculation and the pulse shape fitting procedure are described. Special emphasis is put on their computational efficiency, since the most basic implementations of these conceptually simple methods are often computationally inefficient.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 5 table

Molecular mechanisms of diabetes reversibility after bariatric surgery

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Cigarette Smoking as a risk factor for coronary artery disease and sudden unexpected death in fetuses and infants

Maternal smoking during pregnancy makes it more likely that the baby will be stillborn or die in the first year of life. Cigarette smoke is the most important risk factor for fetal and infant sudden death (SIDS). The risk of stillbirthor death during the infant's first year of life is directly related to the amount the mother smoked. The present study adds significant evidence on the need to avoid cigarette smoking. The pathogenic mechanism of smoke is referable to different factors. The combustion products of nicotine, in addition to their diffuse toxicity, are heterogeneous and cause specific lesion of the automatic nervous system. Gaseous combustion products, such as carbon oxide, lead to atheosclerotic plaques in the cardiovascular district and in the sino-atrial and atrio-ventricular arteries

Characteristics and risk factors of isolated and quarantined children and adolescents during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Modena, Northern Italy

Background and aim: In early 2020, SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the WHO and Italy was one of the first and most severely affected country in Europe. Despite the global interest about COVID-19 pandemic, several aspects of this infection are still unclear, especially in pediatric population. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the isolated or quarantined children and adolescents followed by the Public Health Department of the Italian province of Modena during the first wave of COVID-19. Methods: The study population included all non-adult subjects aged 0-18 years who underwent isolation or quarantine during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from February 24 to June 18, 2020 in Modena province, Northern Italy. Results: In Modena province, 1230 children and adolescents were isolated in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection (6.3%), or quarantined due to close contact with confirmed cases (88.7%) or travelling from a high-risk area (5.0%). Among 349 individuals who underwent swab testing, 294 (84.2%) reported close contact with an infected cohabiting relative and 158 (45.3%) were symptomatic. Among all tested subjects, 78 (22.4%) resulted positive, with a higher proportion of symptomatic subjects compared with the SARS-CoV-2-negative (78.2% vs. 35.8%). Fever was mostly present in SARS-CoV-2-positive children (48.7% vs. 12.6%). Both anosmia (58.3% vs. 41.7%) and dysgeusia (54.5% vs. 45.5%) had only slightly higher frequency in SARS-CoV-2-positive. Conclusions: These findings allow to expand the knowledge regarding characteristics of non-adult subjects isolated or quarantined during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. (www.actabiomedica.it)