A new era in palaeomicrobiology: prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome.

The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes

Transgenesis in Animal Agriculture: Addressing Animal Health and Welfare Concerns

The US Food and Drug Administration’s final Guidance for Industry on the regulation of transgenesis in animal agriculture has paved the way for the commercialization of genetically engineered (GE) farm animals. The production-related diseases associated with extant breeding technologies are reviewed, as well as the predictable welfare consequences of continued emphasis on prolificacy at the potential expense of physical fitness. Areas in which biotechnology could be used to improve the welfare of animals while maintaining profitability are explored along with regulatory schema to improve agency integration in GE animal oversight

Weight loss induced by semaglutide once weekly contributes to improved health-related quality of life and treatment satisfaction

Background and aims:Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue for the once-weekly subcutaneous treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), provided superior glycaemic control and weight loss vs comparators in the SUSTAIN clinical trial programme. Weight loss is recognised as an important outcome in the management of T2D. This post hoc analysis assessed if weight loss was associated with improvements in patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and treatment satisfaction in SUSTAIN 2-5 and 7.Materials and methods:The proportions of subjects who achieved weight loss responses of ≥5% and ≥10% in the semaglutide arms were pooled across the trials (N=2,808; comparator data not evaluated), and presented both overall and by dose (semaglutide 0.5 mg or 1.0 mg). Changes in HRQoL (measured by the Physical Component Summary [PCS] and Mental Component Summary scores of the Short Form-36 Health Survey version 2® [SF-36v2®]) and treatment satisfaction scores (measured by the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, status version [DTSQs]) were evaluated in subjects who achieved ≥5% and ≥10% weight loss vs those who did not at end of treatment (30, 40 or 56 weeks). Norm-based scoring is used for the SF-36v2®, setting the general population mean to 50 for each domain; higher and increasing scores indicate better health. The standard DTSQs scales range from 0 to 6 on a 7-point Likert scale, where 6 indicates the highest treatment satisfaction and 0 the lowest, with the exception of questions on the perception of hyper- and hypoglycaemia, where 6 indicates the lowest treatment satisfaction and 0 the highest.Results:Overall, 51.0% and 17.4% of subjects achieved ≥5% and ≥10% weight loss with semaglutide (pooled groups). Significantly greater improvements in most of the PCS components and the overall PCS and DTSQs scores were reported by subjects achieving ≥5% and ≥10% weight loss vs those not achieving these responses in the semaglutide 1.0 mg and pooled semaglutide groups (Table). The DTSQs perception of hyperglycaemia improved in each weight loss and semaglutide group, while there was no change in the perception of hypoglycaemia in any group.Conclusion:Weight loss induced by semaglutide 1.0 mg was associated with improvements in PCS domains of the SF-36v2®, overall treatment satisfaction and perception of hyperglycaemia across the SUSTAIN 2-5 and 7 trials. These data suggest that weight loss may be an important factor determining HRQoL improvements during T2D treatment with semaglutid</p