Early Life Intestinal Microbiota in Health and in Atopic Eczema

Decrease in microbial contacts in affluent societies is considered to lie behind the rise in allergic and other chronic inflammatory diseases during the last decades. Indeed, deviations in the intestinal microbiota composition and diversity have been associated with several diseases, such as atopic eczema. However, there is no consensus yet on what would constitute a beneficial or harmful microbiota. The aim of this thesis was to study the microbiota development in healthy infants and to characterize intestinal microbiota signatures associated with disease status and severity in infants with atopic eczema. The methodological aim was to compare and optimize methods for DNA extraction from fecal samples to be used in high-throughput microbiota analyses. It was confirmed that the most critical step in successful microbial DNA extraction from fecal samples is the mechanical cell lysis procedure. Based on this finding, an efficient semi-automated extraction process was developed that can be scaled for use in high-throughput platforms such as phylogenetic microarray used in this series of studies. By analyzing a longitudinal motherchild cohort for 3 years it was observed that the microbiota development is a gradual process, where some bacterial groups reach the degree of adult-type pattern earlier than others. During the breast-feeding period, the microbiota appeared to be relatively simple, while major diversification was found to start during the weaning process. By the age of 3 years, the child’s microbiota composition started to resemble that of an adult, but the bacterial diversity has still not reached the full diversity, indicating that the microbiota maturation extends beyond this age. In addition, at three years of age, the child’s microbiota was more similar to mother’s microbiota than to microbiota of nonrelated women.In infants with atopic eczema, a high total microbiota diversity and abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria was found to correlate with mild symptoms at 6 months. At 18 months, infants with mild eczema had significantly higher microbiota diversity and aberrant microbiota composition when compared to healthy controls at the same age. In conclusion, the comprehensive phylogenetic microarray analysis of early life microbiota shows the synergetic effect of vertical transmission and shared environment on the intestinal microbiota development. By the age of three years, the compositional development of intestinal microbiota is close to adult level, but the microbiota diversification continues beyond this age. In addition, specific microbiota signatures are associated with the existence and severity of atopic eczema and intestinal microbiota seems to have a role in alleviating the symptoms of this disease.Siirretty Doriast

Naturalismens problematik : C. G. Estlanders, J. J. Tikkanens och Helena Westermarcks utsagor om konsten åren 1879–1886

I slutet av 1870-talet och första hälften av 1880-talet diskuterades den naturalistiska konsten och litteraturen livligt i tidningarna. Syftet med denna avhandling är att förstå varför den naturalistiska konsten skapade debatt: vilka aspekter av den naturalistiska konsten utgjorde ett problem i förhållande till existerande normer och traditioner. I avhandlingen analyserar jag, med hjälp av Quentin Skinners idéhistoriska metod, C. G. Estlanders, J. J. Tikkanens och Helena Westermarcks recensioner och konstartiklar mot kontexten av den konstdebatt som fördes i Finsk Tidskrift och Helsingfors Dagblad åren 1879–1886 samt samtida ideologiska strömningar. I tidigare forskning har 1880-talet beskrivits som en tid som präglades av motsättningar mellan en föråldrad idealistisk konstsyn och världsåskådning, och den nya materialistiskt präglade realismen. C. G. Estlander har setts som en representant för idealisterna, som förhöll sig kritiskt till den nya konsten, medan Helena Westermarck har fått representera de unga konstnärerna som försvarade naturalismen. I avhandlingen konstaterar jag att denna motsättning inte helt stämmer. Den idealistiska estetik som Estlander förespråkade var idealrealismen en kombination av den idealistsiska estetiken med en realistisk verklighetsåtergivning. Enligt Estlander räckte det inte att konstnären återgav sina sinnesintryck på duken, konstnären skulle också återgiva det andliga innehållet och förmedla sin subjektiva, kärleksfulla, känsla för den avbildade. Fastän Westermarck tydligt förespråkade naturalismen kritiserade även hon materialistiska, kyliga, satiriska och pessimistiska naturalistiska skildringar. Däremot förespråkade hon George Eliots humanistiska, kärleksfulla naturalism. Jag argumenterar för att hon i artikeln Den realistiska romanen i den franska konsten (1884) försöker ta avstånd från den radikala naturalism som hennes målning "En viktig fråga" anklagats för och försvara Eliots naturalism. Jag anser därtill att Helena Westermarcks målning kan tolkas som hennes vision av denna humanistiska naturalism. J. J. Tikkanens konstsyn har tolkats olika i konsthistorieskrivningen. Hans tidiga konstrecensioner har inslag av idealrealistisk estetik, men en närmare studie av hans artiklar och brev till Estlander avslöjar att detta inslag var mycket ytligt. Under sin utlandsvistelse blev han en anhängare av naturalismen, men inte i dess mest radikala form. Alla tre skribenter förhöll sig kritiskt till salongskonsten , som de ansåg vara ytlig. På ett teoretiskt plan ställde de i hög grad samma krav på konsten, men i praktiken kunde de ha olika uppfattning om var gränsen går för det fula och råa samt i vilken mån det låga får framställas i konsten

Cities in transition 2016 : studying public life in the Philippines

The Cities in Transition Studio course has run at Aalto University (Aalto) under different names since 1993. In previous years the field trip, which forms an essential part of the course, has taken students to Senegal, Benin, Cambodia and Tanzania. The course aims to teach students about the environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts of architecture and urban planning. Collaborating with universities, NGOs and municipal and national authorities helps students gain a broader understanding of the local context, but also aims at long-term capacity building in the host country. Each year the course takes on real life cases in a city in the developing world. 2016 was the second year that Cities in Transition collaborated with Nagoya Institute of Technology (NIT) from Japan focusing on Bohol Island in the Philippines. Students delved into urban planning challenges in the fast growing city of Tagbilaran that faces frequent natural disasters. Data collection and analysis were conducted during a field trip hosted by Bohol Island State University (BISU), after which students continued their design work in Finland and Japan. This book is divided into three main parts focusing on background research done before the trip, site analysis conducted in Tagbilaran and the design projects developed in response to the issues uncovered. It serves as documentation of a design process as well as providing methods and ideas for those interested in replicating a similar study

Feasibility of Metatranscriptome Analysis from Infant Gut Microbiota: Adaptation to Solid Foods Results in Increased Activity of Firmicutes at Six Months

Peer reviewe

Partial restoration of normal intestinal microbiota in morbidly obese women six months after bariatric surgery

We studied the impact of bariatric surgery on the intestinal microbiota of morbidly obese study subjects. A total of 13 morbidly obese women (five of which had type 2 diabetes) and 14 healthy age- and gender-matched controls were recruited and the microbiota composition of fecal samples were determined by using a phylogenetic microarray. Sampling of the patients took place just one month before and 6 months after the operation. Within six months after bariatric surgery, the obese subjects had lost on average a quarter of their weight whereas four of the five of the diabetic subjects were in remission. Bariatric surgery was associated with an increased microbial community richness and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio. In addition, we observed an increased relative abundance of facultative anaerobes, such as Streptococcus spp., and a reduction in specific butyrate-producing Firmicutes. The observed postoperative alterations in intestinal microbiota reflect adaptation to the changing conditions in the gastrointestinal tract, such as energy restriction and the inability to process fiber-rich foods after bariatric surgery.Peer reviewe

Feasibility of Metatranscriptome Analysis from Infant Gut Microbiota: Adaptation to Solid Foods Results in Increased Activity of Firmicutes at Six Months

Newborns are rapidly colonized by microbes and their intestinal tracts contain highly dynamic and rapidly developing microbial communities in the first months of life. In this study, we describe the feasibility of isolating mRNA from rapidly processed faecal samples and applying deep RNA-Seq analysis to provide insight into the active contributors of the microbial community in early life. Specific attention is given to the impact of removing rRNA from the mRNA on the phylogenetic and transcriptional profiling and its analysis depth. A breastfed baby was followed in the first six months of life during adaptation to solid food, dairy products, and formula. It was found that, in the weaning period, the total transcriptional activity of Actinobacteria, mainly represented by Bifidobacterium, decreased while that of Firmicutes increased over time. Moreover, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, including the canonical Bifidobacteria as well as Collinsella, were found to be important contributors to carbohydrate fermentation and vitamin biosynthesis in the infant intestine. Finally, the expression of Lactobacillus rhamnosus-like genes was detected, likely following transfer from the mother who consumed L. rhamnosus GG. The study indicates that metatranscriptome analysis of the infant gut microbiota is feasible on infant stool samples and can be used to provide insight into the core activities of the developing community.</p

Microarray analysis reveals marked intestinal microbiota aberrancy in infants having eczema compared to healthy children in at-risk for atopic disease

Peer reviewe

Effect of oat β-glucan of different molecular weights on fecal bile acids, urine metabolites and pressure in the digestive tract – A human cross over trial

While the development of oat products often requires altered molecular weight (MW) of β-glucan, the resulting health implications are currently unclear. This 3-leg crossover trial (n = 14) investigated the effects of the consumption of oat bran with High, Medium and Low MW β-glucan (average > 1000, 524 and 82 kDa respectively) with 3 consequent meals on oat-derived phenolic compounds in urine (UHPLC-MS/MS), bile acids in feces (UHPLC-QTOF), gastrointestinal conditions (ingestible capsule), and perceived gut well-being. Urine excretion of ferulic acid was higher (p </p

Through Ageing, and Beyond: Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Status in Seniors and Centenarians

Peer reviewe

Mining microbial metatranscriptomes for expression of antibiotic resistance genes under natural conditions

Antibiotic resistance genes are found in a broad range of ecological niches associated with complex microbiota. Here we investigated if resistance genes are not only present, but also transcribed under natural conditions. Furthermore, we examined the potential for antibiotic production by assessing the expression of associated secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters. Metatranscriptome datasets from intestinal microbiota of four human adults, one human infant, 15 mice and six pigs, of which only the latter have received antibiotics prior to the study, as well as from sea bacterioplankton, a marine sponge, forest soil and sub-seafloor sediment, were investigated. We found that resistance genes are expressed in all studied ecological niches, albeit with niche-specific differences in relative expression levels and diversity of transcripts. For example, in mice and human infant microbiota predominantly tetracycline resistance genes were expressed while in human adult microbiota the spectrum of expressed genes was more diverse, and also included beta-lactam, aminoglycoside and macrolide resistance genes. Resistance gene expression could result from the presence of natural antibiotics in the environment, although we could not link it to expression of corresponding secondary metabolites biosynthesis clusters. Alternatively, resistance gene expression could be constitutive, or these genes serve alternative roles besides antibiotic resistance.Peer reviewe