Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory disorder that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis involves the distal colon, proximal colon, and cecum and can lead to ulcerations and bleeding. Crohn’s disease appears as patched lesions in the gastrointestinal tract and inflammation, stenosis, or fistulas. IBD affects millions of people worldwide and has been associated with high morbidity and mortality. Our intestine is colonized by trillions of microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa), which constitutes the microbiota. Reduction of bacteria with anti-inflammatory capacities and increase of bacteria with inflammatory capacities are observed in patients with IBD when compared with healthy individuals. Microbial balance is needed for the development of a healthy gut and a symbiotic microbiota without problems. Any disturbance in that balance leads to dysbiosis and the host may become more susceptible to disease. Some alteration in the microbiome is protective or causative; thus, we selectively will review IBD disease, pathogenesis, and potential roles of some members of microbiota in IBD. In this chapter, we also explain the therapeutic approaches targeting microbiota (probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics) and the relationship between gut microbiota imbalance, and how defects in this dysbiosis can lead to disease

Physical mapping of a large plant genome using global high-information-content-fingerprinting: the distal region of the wheat ancestor Aegilops tauschii chromosome 3DS

Extent: 10p.Background: Physical maps employing libraries of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are essential for comparative genomics and sequencing of large and repetitive genomes such as those of the hexaploid bread wheat. The diploid ancestor of the D-genome of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum), Aegilops tauschii, is used as a resource for wheat genomics. The barley diploid genome also provides a good model for the Triticeae and T. aestivum since it is only slightly larger than the ancestor wheat D genome. Gene co-linearity between the grasses can be exploited by extrapolating from rice and Brachypodium distachyon to Ae. tauschii or barley, and then to wheat. Results: We report the use of Ae. tauschii for the construction of the physical map of a large distal region of chromosome arm 3DS. A physical map of 25.4 Mb was constructed by anchoring BAC clones of Ae. tauschii with 85 EST on the Ae. tauschii and barley genetic maps. The 24 contigs were aligned to the rice and B. distachyon genomic sequences and a high density SNP genetic map of barley. As expected, the mapped region is highly collinear to the orthologous chromosome 1 in rice, chromosome 2 in B. distachyon and chromosome 3H in barley. However, the chromosome scale of the comparative maps presented provides new insights into grass genome organization. The disruptions of the Ae. tauschii-rice and Ae. tauschii-Brachypodium syntenies were identical. We observed chromosomal rearrangements between Ae. tauschii and barley. The comparison of Ae. tauschii physical and genetic maps showed that the recombination rate across the region dropped from 2.19 cM/Mb in the distal region to 0.09 cM/Mb in the proximal region. The size of the gaps between contigs was evaluated by comparing the recombination rate along the map with the local recombination rates calculated on single contigs. Conclusions: The physical map reported here is the first physical map using fingerprinting of a complete Triticeae genome. This study demonstrates that global fingerprinting of the large plant genomes is a viable strategy for generating physical maps. Physical maps allow the description of the co-linearity between wheat and grass genomes and provide a powerful tool for positional cloning of new genes.Delphine Fleury, Ming-Cheng Luo, Jan Dvorak, Luke Ramsay, Bikram S Gill, Olin D Anderson, Frank M You, Zahra Shoaei, Karin R Deal and Peter Langridg

PAR2 activation increases α-synuclein expression, aggregation and phosphorylation in human oligodendrocytes with emphasis on pathophysiology of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)

The proteinase activated receptors (PARs) are a novel family of G protein–coupled receptors. Previous reports suggested the involvement of PAR2 signaling in neurodegenerative disorders. However, a role for PAR2 in Multiple System Atrophy, an adult onset sporadic neurodegenerative disease, has not been addressed. Aggregates of α-synuclein in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus of oligodendroctyes pathologically characterize this disease. I hypothesized that stimulation of PAR2 signaling increases α-synuclein expression, aggregation and phosphorylation. The results of current research show that stimulation of PAR2 receptor by three specific agonists, results in MAP Kinase (P42/44) phosphorylation and activation of the downstream pathways. Changes in α-synuclein monomer concentration and aggregation as well as phosphorylation in MO3.13 cells as the downstream effects of PAR2 activation can be correlated to MSA disease. These results may identify a potential therapeutic target upstream of α-synuclein aggregation and toxicity to prevent progression of multiple system atrophy.M.Sc.2020-11-15 00:00:0

Evaluation of Virulence Factors, Antibiotic Resistance, and Biofilm Formation of Escherichia coli Isolated from Milk and Dairy Products in Isfahan, Iran

Diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) strains are important causes of gastrointestinal diseases worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the presence, antibiotic resistance, and potential biofilm formation in dairy products in Isfahan, Iran. A total of 200 samples, including traditional and pasteurized dairy products, were analyzed. In 200 samples, 54 E. coli isolates, including (48/110) and (6/90) positive samples of traditional and pasteurized dairy products, were detected. Furthermore, pathogenic strains were isolated from 30% of traditional dairy products and 5.55% of pasteurized dairy products. Most isolates were classified as enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Moreover, antibiotic resistance was evaluated using the disk diffusion method for pathogenic E. coli. Overall, 73.68% of contaminated samples by pathogenic strains were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The highest resistance was observed against streptomycin (57.9%), followed by tetracycline (50%). Additionally, all isolates were sensitive to amikacin. For evaluating biofilm formation, the violet crystal assay was applied on a polystyrene microplate well for pathogenic isolates. In total, 68.42% of isolates were able to form biofilms. The presence of E. coli in dairy products indicates potential health risks for Iranian consumers. Serious measures are needed to control and prevent the spread of this pathogen

Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Depressed Mothers with Cerebral Palsy Children

Objectives: Findings Demonstrated that Parent of Children With Cerebral Palsy Experience Elevated Level of Distress, Depression, Anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress Symptom and Subjective Symptom of Stress. Depression is a common condition that typically has a relapsing course. Effective interventions targeting relapse have the potential to dramatically reduce the point prevalence of the condition. Many of studies have shown that Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an intervention that has shown efficacy in reducing Depression syndrome and depressive relapse. In This Study, Effectiveness of Mindfulness–Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on Reduction of Depression in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy was examined. Methods: Three Mothers Whose Children Had Cerebral Palsy Were Diagnosed to Have Depression Symptoms, Using Beck Depression Inventory II, Structured Clinical in This Experimental Signal–Case Study. After The Baseline was Determined, Subject Attended on Eight–Session Program of Mindfulness–Based Cognitive Therapy. Results: The Comparison of Baseline and Post–Test was Showed That Depression Symptom has decreased through MBC. Improvement Quotient for Depression of each Subject was good. Discussion: Data Showed that MBCT Reduced Depression Symptoms in Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy

A Hybrid Multi-Criteria-Decision-Making Aggregation Method and Geographic Information System for Selecting Optimal Solar Power Plants in Iran

Policy-makers should focus on solar energy due to the increasing energy demand and adverse consequences such as global warming. Conflicting criteria influence choosing the most desirable place to construct a Solar Power Plant (SPP). Researchers have popularized multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods because of the potential. Although the simultaneous use of several methods increases the robustness and accuracy of the results, existing methods to integrate MCDM methods mainly consider the same weight for all methods and utilize the alternatives ranking for the final comparison. This paper presents a hybrid decision-making framework to determine the best location for SPPs in Iran using a set of criteria extracted from the literature and expert opinions. An initial list of decision-making alternatives is prepared and evaluated using GIS software in terms of criteria. Decision-makers prioritized the identified alternatives using the MCDM methods, including SWARA and different ranking methods (TOPSIS, TODIM, WASPAS, COPRAS, ARAS, and MULTIMOORA). Finally, the CCSD method aggregates the results and identifies the best location. Results highly correlate with the results of previous methods and demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach and its capability to overcome the limitations of previous methods

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus preferentially alters the translational profile of striatopallidal neurons in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease

Deep brain stimulation targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an effective surgical treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the precise neuronal mechanisms of which both at molecular and network levels remain a topic of debate. Here we employ two transgenic mouse lines, combining translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) with bacterial artificial chromosome expression (Bac), to selectively identify changes in translational gene expression in either Drd1a-expressing striatonigral or Drd2-expressing striatopallidal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum following STN-DBS. 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned mice received either 5 days stimulation via a DBS electrode implanted in the ipsilateral STN or 5 days sham treatment (no stimulation). Striatal polyribosomal RNA was selectively purified from either Drd2 or Drd1a MSNs using the TRAP method and gene expression profiling performed. We identified 8 significantly altered genes in Drd2 MSNs (Vps33b, Ppp1r3c, Mapk4, Sorcs2, Neto1, Abca1, Penk1 and Gapdh) and 2 overlapping genes in Drd1a MSNs (Penk1 and Ppp1r3c) implicated in the molecular mechanisms of STN-DBS. A detailed functional analysis, using a further 728 probes implicated in STN-DBS, suggested an increased ability to receive excitation (mediated by increased dendritic spines, increased calcium influx and enhanced excitatory post synaptic potentials) accompanied by processes that would hamper the initiation of action potentials, transport of neurotransmitters from soma to axon terminals and vesicular release in Drd2-expressing MSNs. Finally, changes in expression of several genes involved in apoptosis as well as cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism were also identified. This increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms induced by STN-DBS may reveal novel targets for future non-surgical therapies for PD

Clostridium difficile isolated from faecal samples in patients with ulcerative colitis

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is widely identified worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the phenotypic characterization and molecular typing of Clostridium difficile isolates among patients with UC at an inflammatory bowel disease clinic in Iran. Methods In this cross-sectional study, conducted from April 2015 to December 2015, 85 UC patients were assessed for C.difficile infection (CDI). C. difficile isolates were characterized based on their toxin profile and antimicrobial resistance pattern. Multi-locus sequence typing analysis (MLST) and PCR ribotyping were performed to define the genetic relationships between different lineages of toxigenic strains. Results The prevalence of C. difficile isolates was 31.8% (27/85) in patients, of those 15 patients (17.6%) had CDI. Three different sequence types (STs) identified based on MLST among the toxigenic isolates, that is ST54 (33.3%), ST2 (53.3%), and ST37 (13.6%). C. difficile strains were divided into four different PCR-ribotypes (012, 014, 017 and IR1). The most common ribotype was 014 accounting for 48.3% (7/15) of all strains. The strains isolated during the first episode and recurrence of CDI usually belonged to PCR ribotype 014 (ST2). A high rate of CDI recurrence (14.1%, 12/85) experienced in UC patients. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with non-toxigenic C. difficile strains was frequent among patients with mild disease. All C. difficile isolates were susceptible to metronidazole, and vancomycin, 86 and 67% of isolates were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin respectively. There was no correlation between the toxin type and antibiotic resistance (p > 0.05). Conclusion Overall CDI is rather prevalent in UC patients. All patients with CDI experienced moderate to severe disease and exposed to different antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents. Close monitoring and appropriate management including early detection and fast treatment of CDI will improve UC outcomes