Functional characterization of probiotic surface layer protein-carrying Lactobacillus amylovorus strains.

Peer reviewe

Orbital floor repair using patient specific osteoinductive implant made by stereolithography

The orbital floor (OF) is an anatomical location in the craniomaxillofacial (CMF) region known to be highly variable in shape and size. When fractured, implants commonly consisting of titanium meshes are customized by plying and crude hand-shaping. Nevertheless, more precise customized synthetic grafts are needed to meticulously reconstruct the patients’ OF anatomy with better fidelity. As alternative to titanium mesh implants dedicated to OF repair, we propose a flexible patient-specific implant (PSI) made by stereolithography (SLA), offering a high degree of control over its geometry and architecture. The PSI is made of biodegradable poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) loaded with 40 wt % of hydroxyapatite (called Osteo-PTMC). In this work, we developed a complete work-flow for the additive manufacturing of PSIs to be used to repair the fractured OF, which is clinically relevant for individualized medicine. This work-flow consists of (i) the surgical planning, (ii) the design of virtual PSIs and (iii) their fabrication by SLA, (iv) the monitoring and (v) the biological evaluation in a preclinical large-animal model. We have found that once implanted, titanium meshes resulted in fibrous tissue encapsulation, whereas Osteo-PMTC resulted in rapid neovascularization and bone morphogenesis, both ectopically and in the OF region, and without the need of additional biotherapeutics such as bone morphogenic proteins. Our study supports the hypothesis that the composite osteoinductive Osteo-PTMC brings advantages compared to standard titanium mesh, by stimulating bone neoformation in the OF defects. PSIs made of Osteo-PTMC represent a significant advancement for patients whereby the anatomical characteristics of the OF defect restrict the utilization of traditional hand-shaped titanium mesh

Microbiome-based solutions to address new and existing threats to food security, nutrition, health and agrifood systems' sustainability

In addition to challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, the sustainability and resilience of agrifood systems worldwide are currently challenged by new threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. Furthermore, the resilience and sustainability of our agrifood systems need to be enhanced in ways that simultaneously increase agricultural production, decrease post-harvest food losses and food waste, protect the climate, environment and health, and preserve biodiversity. The precarious situation of agrifood systems is also illustrated by the fact that overall, around 3 billion people worldwide still do not have regular access to a healthy diet. This results in various forms of malnutrition, as well as increasing number of people suffering from overweight and obesity, and diet-related, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world. Findings from microbiome research have shown that the human gut microbiome plays a key role in nutrition and diet-related diseases and thus human health. Furthermore, the microbiome of soils, plants, and animals play an equally important role in environmental health and agricultural production. Upcoming, microbiome-based solutions hold great potential for more resilient, sustainable, and productive agrifood systems and open avenues toward preventive health management. Microbiome-based solutions will also be key to make better use of natural resources and increase the resilience of agrifood systems to future emerging and already-known crises. To realize the promises of microbiome science and innovation, there is a need to invest in enhancing the role of microbiomes in agrifood systems in a holistic One Health approach and to accelerate knowledge translation and implementation.YS, KD'H, LL, HS, LO, TK, EM, AM, IS, and AS received funding from the European Union's H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant No. 818116 (Microbiome Support).Peer reviewe

The Genome of Akkermansia muciniphila, a Dedicated Intestinal Mucin Degrader, and Its Use in Exploring Intestinal Metagenomes

Peer reviewe

Microbiome ethics, guiding principles for microbiome research, use and knowledge management

peer-reviewedThe overarching biological impact of microbiomes on their hosts, and more generally their environment, reflects the co-evolution of a mutualistic symbiosis, generating fitness for both. Knowledge of microbiomes, their systemic role, interactions, and impact grows exponentially. When a research field of importance for planetary health evolves so rapidly, it is essential to consider it from an ethical holistic perspective. However, to date, the topic of microbiome ethics has received relatively little attention considering its importance. Here, ethical analysis of microbiome research, innovation, use, and potential impact is structured around the four cornerstone principles of ethics: Do Good; Don’t Harm; Respect; Act Justly. This simple, but not simplistic approach allows ethical issues to be communicative and operational. The essence of the paper is captured in a set of eleven microbiome ethics recommendations, e.g., proposing gut microbiome status as common global heritage, similar to the internationally agreed status of major food crops

Comparative genomics of the genus Desulfitobacterium

The Desulfitobacterium genus comprises anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria, of which the majority are facultative organohalide respirers. We here present the genomes of eight strains of Desulfitobacterium spp., including five strains of Desulfitobacterium hafniense, one strain each from D. dichloroeliminans and D. metallireducens, and one strain that had not been assigned to any species prior to this study. The newly sequenced genomes were compared with four previously published desulfitobacterial genomes. The average genome sizes are 5.5, 4.3 and 3.4 Mbp for D. hafniense, D. dehalogenans and D. dichloroeliminans/metallireducens, respectively. The genomes encode up to seven reductive dehalogenases, the genomes of both D. hafniense DP7 and D. metallireducens 853-15AT did not encode any reductive dehalogenase. The latter result was a surprise as D. metallireducens 853-15AT has been reported to carry out organohalide respiration. Unlike reported for the pceABCT gene cluster, the other reductive dehalogenase gene clusters do not show any signs of being genetically mobile. All analyzed desulfitobacterial genomes encode a complete cobalamin synthesis pathway. A menaquinone synthesis pathway was found in all strains except D. dichloroeliminans DCA1T. The detailed analysis of the genome sequence of 12 desulfitobacteria from four different species confirmed that this genus has an extremely large metabolic repertoire

Microbiome Interconnectedness throughout Environments with Major Consequences for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet

Microbiomes have highly important roles for ecosystem functioning and carry out key functions that support planetary health, including nutrient cycling, climate regulation, and water filtration. Microbiomes are also intimately associated with complex multicellular organisms such as humans, other animals, plants, and insects and perform crucial roles for the health of their hosts. Although we are starting to understand that microbiomes in different systems are interconnected, there is still a poor understanding of microbiome transfer and connectivity. In this review we show how microbiomes are connected within and transferred between different habitats and discuss the functional consequences of these connections. Microbiome transfer occurs between and within abiotic (e.g., air, soil, and water) and biotic environments, and can either be mediated through different vectors (e.g., insects or food) or direct interactions. Such transfer processes may also include the transmission of pathogens or antibiotic resistance genes. However, here, we highlight the fact that microbiome transmission can have positive effects on planetary and human health, where transmitted microorganisms potentially providing novel functions may be important for the adaptation of ecosystems