Gut microbiota and intestinal barrier function in subjects with cognitive impairments: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundGut-brain axis might play an important role in cognitive impairments by various diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD).ObjectiveTo investigate the differences in gut microbial composition, intestinal barrier function, and systemic inflammation in patients with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and normal control (NC) cases.MethodsA total of 118 subjects (45 AD, 38 MCI, and 35 NC) were recruited. Cognitive function was assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). Functional ability was assessed using Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL). The composition of gut microbiome was examined by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) was used to predict functional transfer of gut microbiota. Gut barrier dysfunction was evaluated by measuring the levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactic acid (DA), and endotoxin (ET). The serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level was used to indicate systemic inflammation.ResultsCompared with normal controls, patients with cognitive impairments (AD and MCI) had lower abundance of Dorea and higher levels of DAO, DA, and ET. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) results showed that the pathways related to glycan biosynthesis and metabolism increased in MCI patients, while the ones related to membrane transport decreased. The abundance of Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium was negatively correlated with the content of ET, and positively correlated with the scores of MMSE and MoCA. The hs-CRP levels were similar among the three groups. A significant negative correlation was observed between the severity of gut barrier dysfunction and cognitive function.ConclusionCognitive impairments might be associated with gut microbial dysbiosis and intestinal barrier dysfunction

Sublethal and Killing Effects of Atmospheric-Pressure, Nonthermal Plasma on Eukaryotic Microalgae in Aqueous Media

In-depth studies on the interaction of nonthermal plasmas with microorganisms usually focus on bacteria; only little attention has been given to their effects on more complex eukaryotic cells. We report here nonthermal plasma\u27s effects on cell motility, viability staining, and morphology of eukaryotic microalgae, with three marine dinoflagellates and a marine diatom as major targets. The effects on motility and viability staining depended on the time of exposure to plasma and the species of microalgae. We observed a strong pH decrease in aqueous samples (marine and freshwater algal cultures, their culture media, and deionized water) after exposure to plasma, and hypothesized this decreased pH as the principal mechanism by which plasma exerts its deleterious effects on cells in aqueous media. The hypothesis was supported by results of experiments in which decreasing the pH of algal samples (effected by addition of acid) caused the same morphological damage (as determined with scanning-electron microscopy) as did exposure to plasma

HIV-1 variants with a single-point mutation in the gp41 pocket region exhibiting different susceptibility to HIV fusion inhibitors with pocket- or membrane-binding domain

AbstractEnfuvirtide (T20), the first FDA-approved peptide HIV fusion/entry inhibitor derived from the HIV-1 gp41 C-terminal heptad-repeat (CHR) domain, is believed to share a target with C34, another well-characterized CHR-peptide, by interacting with the gp41 N-terminal heptad-repeat (NHR) to form six-helix bundle core. However, our previous studies showed that T20 mainly interacts with the N-terminal region of the NHR (N-NHR) and lipid membranes, while C34 mainly binds to the NHR C-terminal pocket region. But so far, no one has shown that C34 can induce drug-resistance mutation in the gp41 pocket region. In this study, we constructed pseudoviruses in which the Ala at the position of 67 in the gp41 pocket region was substituted with Asp, Gly or Ser, respectively, and found that these mutations rendered the viruses highly resistant to C34, but sensitive to T20. The NHR-peptide N36 with mutations of A67 exhibited reduced anti-HIV-1 activity and decreased α-helicity. The stability of six-helix bundle formed by C34 and N36 with A67 mutations was significantly lower than that formed by C34 and N36 with wild-type sequence. The combination of C34 and T20 resulted in potent synergistic anti-HIV-1 effect against the viruses with mutations in either N- or C-terminal region in NHR. These results suggest that C34 with a pocket-binding domain and T20 containing the N-NHR- and membrane-binding domains inhibit HIV-1 fusion by interacting with different target sites and the combinatorial use of C34 and T20 is expected to be effective against HIV-1 variants resistant to HIV fusion inhibitors

Persistent Ballistic Entanglement Spreading with Optimal Control in Quantum Spin Chains

Entanglement propagation provides a key routine to understand quantum many-body dynamics in and out of equilibrium. In this work, we uncover that the ``variational entanglement-enhancing'' field (VEEF) robustly induces a persistent ballistic spreading of entanglement in quantum spin chains. The VEEF is time dependent, and is optimally controlled to maximize the bipartite entanglement entropy (EE) of the final state. Such a linear growth persists till the EE reaches the genuine saturation $\tilde{S} = - \log_{2} 2^{-\frac{N}{2}}=\frac{N}{2}$ with $N$ the total number of spins. The EE satisfies $S(t) = v t$ for the time $t \leq \frac{N}{2v}$, with $v$ the velocity. These results are in sharp contrast with the behaviors without VEEF, where the EE generally approaches a sub-saturation known as the Page value $\tilde{S}_{P} =\tilde{S} - \frac{1}{2\ln{2}}$ in the long-time limit, and the entanglement growth deviates from being linear before the Page value is reached. The dependence between the velocity and interactions is explored, with $v \simeq 2.76$, $4.98$, and $5.75$ for the spin chains with Ising, XY, and Heisenberg interactions, respectively. We further show that the nonlinear growth of EE emerges with the presence of long-range interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

How tyramine β-hydroxylase controls the production of octopamine, modulating the mobility of beetles

Biogenic amines perform many kinds of important physiological functions in the central nervous system (CNS) of insects, acting as neuromodulators, neurotransmitters, and neurohormones. The five most abundant types of biogenic amines in invertebrates are dopamine, histamine, serotonin, tyramine, and octopamine (OA). However, in beetles, an important group of model and pest insects, the role of tyramine beta-hydroxylase (T beta H) in the OA biosynthesis pathway and the regulation of behavior remains unknown so far. We therefore investigated the molecular characterization and spatiotemporal expression profiles of T beta H in red flour beetles (Triboliun castaneum). Most importantly, we detected the production of OA and measured the crawling speed of beetles after dsTcT beta H injection. We concluded that TcT beta H controls the biosynthesis amount of OA in the CNS, and this in turn modulates the mobility of the beetles. Our new results provided basic information about the key genes in the OA biosynthesis pathway of the beetles, and expanded our knowledge on the physiological functions of OA in insects

The effect of drainage tube on bleeding and prognosis after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of drainage tube on prognosis after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and explore an effective treatment with favorable prognosis. METHODS: In a prospective study, 18 patients with TKA for the first time were included and randomly divided into three groups, group A (no placement of drainage tube), group B (negative pressure drainage), and group C (4 h clamping drainage). Intraoperative and postoperative blood loss, operation time, and the drainage volume were recorded and analyzed. Arthrocele, ecchymosis, and range of motion (ROM) were examined postoperatively. The degree of pain was scored by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) after 6, 12, and 24 h of operation. The complications were examined and HSS (hospital for special surgery) knee score was taken during the follow-up period. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in operation time, total blood loss, intraoperative blood loss, and VAS score among three groups. Meanwhile, the hidden blood loss in group B was significantly decreased compared with group A (P = 0.0015). The postoperative drainage volume of group B was significantly increased compared with group C (P = 0.0002). No drainage increased the rate of arthrocele and ecchymosis. Compared with group A, ROM after 3 days of operation in groups B and C was significantly increased (P = 0.0357, P = 0.0372, respectively). During follow-up study, no deep infection or deep venous thrombosis was found. CONCLUSION: After TKA, early clamping of the drainage tube reduced the bleeding loss without adverse effect on prognosis, which might be useful for clinical application in future

Bcl-2 expression predicts sensitivity to chemotherapy in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have yielded inconclusive results regarding the relationship between anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression and the sensitivity to chemotherapy in the patients with breast cancer. The purpose of the current study was therefore to elaborate their relationship. METHODS, FINDINGS: A total of 23 previously published eligible studies involving 2,467 cases were identified and included in this meta-analysis. Negative Bcl-2 expression was associated with good chemotherapy response in breast cancer patients (total objective response [OR]: risk ratio [RR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.32, p = 0.026; total complete response [CR]: RR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.24-2.24, p = 0.001; pathological CR: RR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.38-2.69, p < 0.001). In further stratified analyses, this association remained for sub-groups of response in neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting, especially pathological CR. Besides, negative Bcl-2 expression was significantly associated with good OR and pathological CR in anthracycline-based chemotherapy subgroup. Furthermore, there were significant links between negative Bcl-2 expression and taxane-based chemotherapy with pathological CR, but not OR. CONCLUSION: The results of the present meta-analysis suggest that Bcl-2 expression is a predictive factor for chemotherapy sensitivity in breast cancer patients. They could also potentially benefit further clinical treatment for breast cancers

Thermoset Shape‐Memory Polyurethane with Intrinsic Plasticity Enabled by Transcarbamoylation

Thermoset polymers are known for their superior thermomechanical properties, but the chemical crosslinking typically leads to intractability. This is reflected in the great differences between thermoset and thermoplastic shape‐memory polymers; the former exhibit a robust shape memory but are not capable of redefining the permanent shape. Contrary to current knowledge, we reveal here that a classical thermoset shape‐memory polyurethane is readily capable of permanent reshaping (plasticity) after a topological network rearrangement that is induced by transcarbamoylation. By employing the Jianzhi technique (also known as kirigami), unexpected shape‐shifting versatility was observed for this otherwise classical material. As the essential carbamate moiety in polyurethanes is one of the most common polymer building units, we anticipate that our finding will have significant benefits beyond shape shifting.Thermoset polymers are known for their superior thermomechanical properties, but the chemical crosslinking typically leads to intractability. However, a classical thermoset shape‐memory polyurethane was now shown to be readily capable of permanent reshaping (plasticity) after a topological network rearrangement that is induced by transcarbamoylation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137615/1/anie201602847.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137615/2/anie201602847-sup-0001-misc_information.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137615/3/anie201602847_am.pd

Non-leisure time physical activity is an independent predictor of longevity for a Taiwanese elderly population: an eight-year follow-up study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and non-leisure time physical activity (NLTPA) on mortality among the elderly in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a prospective observational cohort study. We analyzed the mortality data from a cohort of 876 non-institutionalized community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years or over, who were recruited by stratified clustering random sampling from Tainan city and participated in the 1996 Elderly Medication Survey. Information about activities and other variables were collected by structured interviews at baseline in the participants' home. The Cox proportional hazards model and crude death rate were applied to estimate mortality risk.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 876 participants, 312 died during the follow-up period (1996-2004). In the unadjusted Cox regression model, subjects aged over 75, having difficulty in carrying out activities of daily living (ADLs), a BMI less than 18.5, a history of diabetes mellitus or stroke, without LTPA or being inactive in NLTPA, were found to have a higher risk of eight-year mortality. With the adjustment for age, gender, education level, habitual smoking and drinking, living status, BMI and medical history, the mortality was found to be higher among the sedentary subjects, either defined by lack of LTPA or NLTPA, with the hazard ratio of 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.97-1.66) and 1.45 (95% CI = 1.07-1.97), respectively. Furthermore, when both LTPA and NLTPA were put into the model simultaneously, NLTPA (HR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.03-1.91) but not LTPA (HR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.92-1.59) significantly predicted mortality during eight-year follow-up. In addition, subjects who were actively engaged in NLTPA had a lower mortality risk especially in subjects without performing LTPA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>NLTPA is an independent predictor of longevity among older people in Taiwan. A physically active lifestyle, especially engaged in NLTPA, is associated with lower mortality risk in the elderly population. We thus suggest that encouraging older people to keep on engaging in customary NLTPA is good for their health.</p