A Small In Vitro Fermentation Model for Screening the Gut Microbiota Effects of Different Fiber Preparations

The development of prebiotic fibers requires fast high-throughput screening of their effects on the gut microbiota. We demonstrated the applicability of a mictotiter plate in the in vitro fermentation models for the screening of potentially-prebiotic dietary fibers. The effects of seven rye bran-, oat- and linseed-derived fiber preparations on the human fecal microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid production were studied. The model was also used to study whether fibers can alleviate the harmful effects of amoxicillin-clavulanate on the microbiota. The antibiotic induced a shift in the bacterial community in the absence of fibers by decreasing the relative amounts of Bifidobacteriaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, and increasing proteobacterial Sutterilaceae levels from 1% to 11% of the total microbiota. The fermentation of rye bran, enzymatically treated rye bran, its insoluble fraction, soluble oat fiber and a mixture of rye fiber:soluble oat fiber:linseed resulted in a significant increase in butyrate production and a bifidogenic effect in the absence of the antibiotic. These fibers were also able to counteract the negative effects of the antibiotic and prevent the decrease in the relative amount of bifidobacteria. Insoluble and soluble rye bran fractions and soluble oat fiber were the best for controlling the level of proteobacteria at the level below 2%

Analysis of microbiota in first episode psychosis identifies preliminary associations with symptom severity and treatment response

The effects of gut microbiota on the central nervous system, along its possible role in mental disorders, have received increasing attention. Here we investigated differences in fecal microbiota between 28 patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 16 healthy matched controls and explored whether such differences were associated with response after up to 12 months of treatment. Numbers of Lactobacillus group bacteria were elevated in FEP-patients and significantly correlated with severity along different symptom domains. A subgroup of FEP patients with the strongest microbiota differences also showed poorer response after up to 12 months of treatment. The present findings support the involvement of microbiota alterations in psychotic illness and may provide the basis for exploring the benefit of their modulation on treatment response and remission. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

A southern bottlenose whale examined in the Antarctic

This paper mainly concerns the dissection of a lactating female southern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon planifrons especially shot and worked up for the author in the Antarctic 61°09'S, 86°44'E on 10 March 1948. The skeleton is in the British Museum (Natural History). A comparison with what is known of the female northern bottlenose whale H. ampullatus shows no differences in morphometry, body colour, external characters, digestive system and reproductive system, parasites and the vertebral formula and the digital formula of the flipper. There remain acknowledged differences in the skull which may be reduced or perhaps even disappear when further comparisons are attempted between skulls from males and females of similar ages. There is also the confusion when identifying ziphiid whales at sea. These observations have suggested to the author that there may be only one Hyperoodon species with a continuous distribution north and south. But Dalebout et al. (2004), applying DNA sequencies in molecular taxonomy, have now shown that all 21 species of ziphiid whales are valid

PERBANDINGAN PERFORMA KOLEKTOR SURYA POINT PARABOLIC CONCENTRATING ANTARA REFLEKTOR ALUMINIUM FOIL DAN REFLEKTOR CERMIN KACA

Aluminium foil merupakan reflektor yang sering digunakan pada penelitian kolektor surya, salah satunya pada kolektor surya poin parabolic concentrating. Namun efisisensi yang dihasilkan masih kecil sehingga dikembangkan penggunaan cermin kaca sebagai reflektor. Namun, pada pengujian sebelumnya tidak ada variable control yang jelas sehingga performa antara kedua reflektor kolektor surya tersebut tidak dapat dibandingkan. Oleh sebab itu, untuk mengetahui reflektor yang memiliki performa paling baik diperlukan penelitian dengan membandingkan kolektor surya reflektor aluminium foil dengan reflektor cermin kaca. Untuk mengetahui performa kolektor surya, pada penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode eksperimen, dimana kolektor surya divariasikan menggunakan reflektor aluminium foil dan reflektor cermin kaca. Pengujian dilakukan pada pukul 10.00 WIB sampai pukul 14.00 WIB dengan interval 25 menit selama 3 hari. Pada penelitian yang telah dilakukan, didapatkan hasil bahwa perubahan temperatur kolektor surya reflektor cermin kaca lebih tinggi dibandingkan reflektor aluminium foil. Begitu juga dengan efisiensi yang didapatkan, kolektor surya reflektor cermin kaca memiliki efisiensi tertinggi 87,11%, sedangkan pada kolekor surya reflektor aluminium foil memiliki efisiensi tertinggi sebesar 59,75%. Dari percobaan yang telah dilakukan dapat disimpulkan bahwa kolektor surya reflektor cermin kaca lebih baik dari pada kolektor surya reflektor aluminium foil. Kata Kunci: kolektor surya, reflektor aluminium foil, reflektor cermin kaca, temperatur, efisiens

Metabolic Regulation in Progression to Autoimmune Diabetes

Recent evidence from serum metabolomics indicates that specific metabolic disturbances precede β-cell autoimmunity in humans and can be used to identify those children who subsequently progress to type 1 diabetes. The mechanisms behind these disturbances are unknown. Here we show the specificity of the pre-autoimmune metabolic changes, as indicated by their conservation in a murine model of type 1 diabetes. We performed a study in non-obese prediabetic (NOD) mice which recapitulated the design of the human study and derived the metabolic states from longitudinal lipidomics data. We show that female NOD mice who later progress to autoimmune diabetes exhibit the same lipidomic pattern as prediabetic children. These metabolic changes are accompanied by enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, normoglycemia, upregulation of insulinotropic amino acids in islets, elevated plasma leptin and adiponectin, and diminished gut microbial diversity of the Clostridium leptum group. Together, the findings indicate that autoimmune diabetes is preceded by a state of increased metabolic demands on the islets resulting in elevated insulin secretion and suggest alternative metabolic related pathways as therapeutic targets to prevent diabetes

9.-luokkalaisten näkemyksiä kouluterveydenhoitajan roolista koulukiusaamistapauksissa

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää 9.-luokkalaisten oppilaiden näkemyksiä kouluterveydenhoitajan roolista koulukiusaamistapauksissa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää oppilaiden mielipiteitä ja kehittämisehdotuksia kouluterveydenhoitajan roolista koulukiusaamistapauksissa. Tutkimus oli luonteeltaan kvantitatiivinen. Tutkimus suoritettiin strukturoidun kyselylomakkeen avulla kahdella suomenkielisellä yläkoululla. Kyselylomake sisälsi sekä monivalintakysymyksiä että avoimia kysymyksiä. Tulokset analysointiin SPSS-19,0-tilasto-ohjelman avulla ja sisällön analyysillä. Tutkimukseen osallistui 59 oppilasta. Oppilaista noin joka viides (18,6 %) kertoi olleensa kiusattu ja noin puolet (47,5 %) olivat nähneet kiusaamista koulussa tai heidän kavereita oli kiusattu. Kiusaamiseen toivottiin ensisijaisesti puuttuvan opettajan (49,2 %), kaverien (15,3 %) ja koulukuraattorin (8,5 %). Vastaajista 8,5 % ei haluaisi kenenkään puuttuvan kiusaamistapauksiin. Kiusaamisesta kerrottaisiin ensisijaisesti kaverille (30,5 %) tai vanhemmille (23,7 %). Vain noin kymmenes (11,3 %) kertoisi ensisijaisesti kouluterveydenhoitajalle, jos heitä olisi kiusattu. Eniten (34,6 %)oppilaista koki, että koulukiusaamisesta kertomisesta kouluterveydenhoitajalle ei ole hyötyä. Huolestuttavaa on, että osa (13,6 %) ei kertoisi koulukiusaamisesta kenellekään. Suurin osa (16,7 %) ei muuttaisi kouluterveydenhoitajan toimintaa koulukiusaamistapauksissa mitenkään. Noin kymmenes (13,3 %) ei tiennyt miten he muuttaisivat kouluterveydenhoitajan toimintaa. Tulosten mukaan koulukiusaaminen on edelleen yleistä ja kouluterveydenhoitajan rooli koulukiusaamiseen puuttumisessa on vähäinen. Oppilaista yli puolet (52,5 %) ei ollut tietoisia, että myös kouluterveydenhoitajalle voi kertoa koulukiusaamistapauksista. Tutkimustulosten mukaan kouluterveydenhoitajan roolia koulukiusaamisen vastaisessa työssä tulisikin kouluissa kehittää entisestään.The purpose of this bachelor`s thesis was to find out what 9th graders think about the role of the school nurse in bullying cases. The aim of the thesis was to find out what kind of opinions and development suggestions the students have concerning the school nurse`s role in bullying cases. This research was quantitative. The research was carried out with a structured questionnaire. The students were from two Finnish-speaking junior high schools. The questionnaire included both multiple-choice and open ended questions. The results were analyzed with SPSS statistics 19.0 and content analysis method. The research was participated by 59 students. Every fifth student (18, 6 %) had been bullied and about a half (47, 5 %) had seen bullying in their school or their friends had been bullied. It was hoped that primarily the teacher (49, 2 %), friends (15, 3 %) and school social worker (8, 5 %) would intervene in bullying. Of the respondents 8, 5 % did not want anybody to intervene in the bullying. The students would primarily tell about bullying to the friends (30, 5 %) or to the parents (23, 7 %). Only one tenth of the students (11, 3 %) would first tell to the school nurse, if they had experienced bullying. Most of the students (34, 6 %) thought, that there`s no use telling about bullying to the school nurse. It`s quite concerning that some of the students (13, 6 %) would not tell anybody about bullying. Most of the students (16, 7%) wouldn`t change the school nurse`s role in bullying. One tenth of the students (13, 3 %) didn`t know how they would change the school nurse`s behaviour in bullying. Test results indicate that bullying is still quite common and that school nurse`s role in intervening in bullying is quite minimal. More than a half of the students (52, 5 %) didn`t know that they can tell also to the school nurse about bullying. According to the research results school nurse`s role in bullying should be further developed

Ihmisen vallitsevan ulostemikrobiston karakterisointi - Painopiste erityisesti klostridien fylogeneettisissä ryhmissä IV ja XIVa

The human gut microbiota is considered to be a complex fermentor with a metabolic potential rivaling that of the liver. In addition to its primary function in digestion, it affects the human host in numerous ways: maturation and modulation of the immune system, production of short-chain fatty acids and gases, transformation of bile acids, formation of vitamins, and also potential formation of mutagenic, toxic, and carcinogenic substances. Commensal bacteria are able to modulate the expression of host genes that regulate diverse and fundamental physiological functions. Thus the indigenous microbial community has an important influence on host physiological, nutritional and immunological processes. The primary aim of this study was to characterize human predominant fecal microbiota with a special focus on Clostridial clusters XIV (Lachnospiraceae, Eubacterium rectale – Blautia coccoides group) and IV (Ruminococcaceae, Clostridium leptum group). The specific aims were: 1) To develop molecular methods for characterization of the human predominant fecal microbiota; 2) To assess the specificity, practicality, and usability of the developed methods for human fecal samples in healthy adults, elderly people, and people having IBS; 3) To assess possible confounding factors in the analysis of human fecal samples. Molecular tools were developed for rapid, sensitive, and highly specific characterization of the human predominant fecal and salivary microbiota. DNA- and rRNAbased denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis methods (DGGE) were developed for Eubacterium rectale – Blautia coccoides group (Erec), rRNA-based DGGE method for predominant bacteria, and DNA-based DGGE methods for Clostridium leptum group (Clept) and Bacteroides spp. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) methods targeting predominant bacteria, Erec-group, Clept-group, Bacteroides spp., bifidobacteria, and Atopobium group were developed.Suolistomikrobiston ensisijainen tehtävä on auttaa ruoansulatuksessa; paksusuolen mikrobit käyttävät hyödykseen useita ravintoaineita, jotka eivät imeydy ohutsuolessa. Ihminen puolestaan hyödyntää mikrobien aineenvaihduntatuotteita. Suolistomikrobisto vaikuttaa ihmiseen monella muullakin tavoin: se edesauttaa immuunijärjestelmän kehittymistä, tuottaa kaasuja sekä lyhytketjuisia rasvahappoja, muuttaa sappihappojen muotoa, tuottaa vitamiineja ja muodostaa mahdollisesti myös mutageenisiä, toksisia sekä karsinogeenisiä yhdisteitä. Niinpä ihmisen suolistomikrobistolla on merkittävä vaikutus ihmisen fysiologisiin, ravitsemuksellisiin ja immunologisiin toimintoihin. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kehittää menetelmiä ihmisen suolistomikrobiston tärkeimpien bakteeriryhmien karakterisointiin ja kvantitointiin ja todentaa kehitettyjen menetelmien soveltuvuus ihmisen uloste- ja sylkinäytteiden analysointiin. Tässä työssä kehitettiin spesifiset ja herkät rRNA-pohjaiset PCR – denaturoiva gradientti geeli elektroforeesi (DGGE) -menetelmät vallitsevan bakteeriston ja Eubacterium rectale – Blautia coccoides -klostridiryhmän (Erec) karakterisointiin sekä DNA-pohjaiset PCR-DGGE-menetelmät Clostridium leptum –klostridiryhmän (Clept), sekä Bacteroides-suvun karakterisointiin. Lisäksi kehitettiin reaaliaikaiset PCR-menetelmät (qPCR) vallitsevan bakteeriston, Erec-ryhmän, Clept-ryhmän, Bacteroides-suvun, bifidobakteerien, sekä Atopobium-ryhmän kvantitointiin