Variations in the oral microbiome are associated with depression in young adults

AbstractA growing body of evidence supports an important role for alterations in the brain-gut-microbiome axis in the aetiology of depression and other psychiatric disorders. The potential role of the oral microbiome in mental health has received little attention, even though it is one of the most diverse microbiomes in the body and oral dysbiosis has been linked to systemic diseases with an underlying inflammatory aetiology. This study examines the structure and composition of the salivary microbiome for the first time in young adults who met the DSM-IV criteria for depression (n = 40) and matched controls (n = 43) using 16S rRNA gene-based next generation sequencing. Subtle but significant differences in alpha and beta diversity of the salivary microbiome were observed, with clear separation of depressed and healthy control cohorts into distinct clusters. A total of 21 bacterial taxa were found to be differentially abundant in the depressed cohort, including increased Neisseria spp. and Prevotella nigrescens, while 19 taxa had a decreased abundance. In this preliminary study we have shown that the composition of the oral microbiome is associated with depression in young adults. Further studies are now warranted, particuarly investigations into whether such shifts play any role in the underling aetiology of depression.

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Sarocladium and Lecanicillium Associated with Maize Seeds and Their Potential to Form Selected Secondary Metabolites

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom11010098 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 98

Author(s):

Lidia Błaszczyk ◽

Agnieszka Waśkiewicz ◽

Karolina Gromadzka ◽

Katarzyna Mikołajczak ◽

Jerzy Chełkowski

Keyword(s):

Large Subunit ◽

Solid Substrate ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Decenoic Acid ◽

Bioactive Substances ◽

Lecanicillium Lecanii ◽

Maize Seeds ◽

Internally Transcribed Spacer ◽

First Time

The occurrence and diversity of Lecanicillium and Sarocladium in maize seeds and their role in this cereal are poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate Sarocladium and Lecanicillium communities found in endosphere of maize seeds collected from fields in Poland and their potential to form selected bioactive substances. The sequencing of the internally transcribed spacer regions 1 (ITS 1) and 2 (ITS2) and the large-subunit (LSU, 28S) of the rRNA gene cluster resulted in the identification of 17 Sarocladium zeae strains, three Sarocladium strictum and five Lecanicillium lecanii isolates. The assay on solid substrate showed that S. zeae and S. strictum can synthesize bassianolide, vertilecanin A, vertilecanin A methyl ester, 2-decenedioic acid and 10-hydroxy-8-decenoic acid. This is also the first study revealing the ability of these two species to produce beauvericin and enniatin B1, respectively. Moreover, for the first time in the present investigation, pyrrocidine A and/or B have been annotated as metabolites of S. strictum and L. lecanii. The production of toxic, insecticidal and antibacterial compounds in cultures of S. strictum, S. zeae and L. lecanii suggests the requirement to revise the approach to study the biological role of fungi inhabiting maize seeds.

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Millimeter (MM) wave and microwave frequency radiation produce deeply penetrating effects: the biology and the physics

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2020-0165 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Martin L. Pall

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Fields ◽

Electric Fields ◽

Cardiac Activity ◽

Maximum Level ◽

Voltage Sensor ◽

The Body ◽

Time Varying ◽

The Brain ◽

Mm Waves

Abstract Millimeter wave (MM-wave) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are predicted to not produce penetrating effects in the body. The electric but not magnetic part of MM-EMFs are almost completely absorbed within the outer 1 mm of the body. Rodents are reported to have penetrating MM-wave impacts on the brain, the myocardium, liver, kidney and bone marrow. MM-waves produce electromagnetic sensitivity-like changes in rodent, frog and skate tissues. In humans, MM-waves have penetrating effects including impacts on the brain, producing EEG changes and other neurological/neuropsychiatric changes, increases in apparent electromagnetic hypersensitivity and produce changes on ulcers and cardiac activity. This review focuses on several issues required to understand penetrating effects of MM-waves and microwaves: 1. Electronically generated EMFs are coherent, producing much higher electrical and magnetic forces then do natural incoherent EMFs. 2. The fixed relationship between electrical and magnetic fields found in EMFs in a vacuum or highly permeable medium such as air, predicted by Maxwell’s equations, breaks down in other materials. Specifically, MM-wave electrical fields are almost completely absorbed in the outer 1 mm of the body due to the high dielectric constant of biological aqueous phases. However, the magnetic fields are very highly penetrating. 3. Time-varying magnetic fields have central roles in producing highly penetrating effects. The primary mechanism of EMF action is voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation with the EMFs acting via their forces on the voltage sensor, rather than by depolarization of the plasma membrane. Two distinct mechanisms, an indirect and a direct mechanism, are consistent with and predicted by the physics, to explain penetrating MM-wave VGCC activation via the voltage sensor. Time-varying coherent magnetic fields, as predicted by the Maxwell–Faraday version of Faraday’s law of induction, can put forces on ions dissolved in aqueous phases deep within the body, regenerating coherent electric fields which activate the VGCC voltage sensor. In addition, time-varying magnetic fields can directly put forces on the 20 charges in the VGCC voltage sensor. There are three very important findings here which are rarely recognized in the EMF scientific literature: coherence of electronically generated EMFs; the key role of time-varying magnetic fields in generating highly penetrating effects; the key role of both modulating and pure EMF pulses in greatly increasing very short term high level time-variation of magnetic and electric fields. It is probable that genuine safety guidelines must keep nanosecond timescale-variation of coherent electric and magnetic fields below some maximum level in order to produce genuine safety. These findings have important implications with regard to 5G radiation.

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The Fecal Bacterial Microbiota in Horses with Equine Recurrent Uveitis

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030745 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 745

Author(s):

Michelle Martin de Bustamante ◽

Diego Gomez ◽

Jennifer MacNicol ◽

Ralph Hamor ◽

Caryn Plummer

Keyword(s):

Beta Diversity ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Illumina Miseq ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Linear Discriminant ◽

Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽

Bacterial Microbiota ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Equine Recurrent Uveitis

The objective of this study was to describe and compare the fecal bacterial microbiota of horses with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) and healthy horses using next-generation sequencing techniques. Fecal samples were collected from 15 client-owned horses previously diagnosed with ERU on complete ophthalmic examination. For each fecal sample obtained from a horse with ERU, a sample was collected from an environmentally matched healthy control with no evidence of ocular disease. The Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The relative abundance of predominant taxa, and alpha and beta diversity indices were calculated and compared between groups. The phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Proteobacteria predominated in both ERU and control horses, accounting for greater than 60% of sequences. Based on linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), no taxa were found to be enriched in either group. No significant differences were observed in alpha and beta diversity indices between groups (p > 0.05 for all tests). Equine recurrent uveitis is not associated with alteration of the gastrointestinal bacterial microbiota when compared with healthy controls.

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CCM3 Loss-Induced Lymphatic Defect Is Mediated by the Augmented VEGFR3-ERK1/2 Signaling

Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology ◽

10.1161/atvbaha.121.316707 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lingfeng Qin ◽

Haifeng Zhang ◽

Busu Li ◽

Quan Jiang ◽

Francesc Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Translocation ◽

Fluorescein Isothiocyanate ◽

The Body ◽

Blue Dye ◽

Transcriptional Level ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Cavernous Malformations ◽

Morphological Alterations ◽

The Brain

Objective: Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) can happen anywhere in the body, although they most commonly produce symptoms in the brain. The role of CCM genes in other vascular beds outside the brain and retina is not well-examined, although the 3 CCM-associated genes ( CCM1 , CCM2 , and CCM3 ) are ubiquitously expressed in all tissues. We aimed to determine the role of CCM gene in lymphatics. Approach and Results: Mice with an inducible pan–endothelial cell (EC) or lymphatic EC deletion of Ccm3 ( Pdcd10 ECKO or Pdcd10 LECKO ) exhibit dilated lymphatic capillaries and collecting vessels with abnormal valve structure. Morphological alterations were correlated with lymphatic dysfunction in Pdcd10 LECKO mice as determined by Evans blue dye and fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-dextran transport assays. Pdcd10 LECKO lymphatics had increased VEGFR3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3)-ERK1/2 signaling with lymphatic hyperplasia. Mechanistic studies suggested that VEGFR3 is primarily regulated at a transcriptional level in Ccm3-deficient lymphatic ECs, in an NF-κB (nuclear factor κB)–dependent manner. CCM3 binds to importin alpha 2/KPNA2 (karyopherin subunit alpha 2), and a CCM3 deletion releases KPNA2 to activate NF-κB P65 by facilitating its nuclear translocation and P65-dependent VEGFR3 transcription. Moreover, increased VEGFR3 in lymphatic EC preferentially activates ERK1/2 signaling, which is critical for lymphatic EC proliferation. Importantly, inhibition of VEGFR3 or ERK1/2 rescued the lymphatic defects in structure and function. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that CCM3 deletion augments the VEGFR3-ERK1/2 signaling in lymphatic EC that drives lymphatic hyperplasia and malformation and warrant further investigation on the potential clinical relevance of lymphatic dysfunction in patients with CCM.

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Is There a Link between Oropharyngeal Microbiome and Schizophrenia? A Narrative Review

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms23020846 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 846

Author(s):

Stanislas Martin ◽

Audrey Foulon ◽

Wissam El Hage ◽

Diane Dufour-Rainfray ◽

Frédéric Denis

Keyword(s):

Periodontal Disease ◽

Research Team ◽

Oral Microbiome ◽

Oral Microbiota ◽

Future Studies ◽

The Subject ◽

The Moment ◽

The Impact ◽

The Brain

The study aimed to examine the impact of the oropharyngeal microbiome in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and to clarify whether there might be a bidirectional link between the oral microbiota and the brain in a context of dysbiosis-related neuroinflammation. We selected nine articles including three systemic reviews with several articles from the same research team. Different themes emerged, which we grouped into 5 distinct parts concerning the oropharyngeal phageome, the oropharyngeal microbiome, the salivary microbiome and periodontal disease potentially associated with schizophrenia, and the impact of drugs on the microbiome and schizophrenia. We pointed out the presence of phageoma in patients suffering from schizophrenia and that periodontal disease reinforces the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Moreover, saliva could be an interesting substrate to characterize the different stages of schizophrenia. However, the few studies we have on the subject are limited in scope, and some of them are the work of a single team. At this stage of knowledge, it is difficult to conclude on the existence of a bidirectional link between the brain and the oral microbiome. Future studies on the subject will clarify these questions that for the moment remain unresolved.

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Impact of Oropharyngeal Administration of Colostrum in Preterm Newborns’ Oral Microbiome

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13124224 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 4224

Author(s):

Ramon V. Cortez ◽

Andrea Fernandes ◽

Luiz Gustavo Sparvoli ◽

Marina Padilha ◽

Rubens Feferbaum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Infants ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Oral Microbiome ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Oral Microbiota ◽

Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽

Longitudinal Observational Study ◽

Key Factor ◽

Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Preterm Newborns

The initial colonization of the human microbiota is of paramount importance. In this context, the oropharyngeal administration of colostrum is a safe, viable, and well-tolerated practice even by the smallest preterm infants. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum on the establishment of preterm infants’ oral microbiota. A longitudinal observational study was carried out with 20 premature neonates, divided into two groups: one receiving the protocol (Oropharyngeal Administration of Colostrum; OAC) and the other one receiving Standard Caare (SC). Saliva samples were collected from the newborns weekly during the study period (from the day of birth until the 21st day of life) for analysis of oral microbiota through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We observed that the colonization of the oral microbiota of preterm newborns preseanted a higher relative abundance of Staphylococcus on the 7th day of life, mainly in the OAC group. Additionally, an increased abundance of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides was observed in the OAC group at the first week of life. Regarding alpha and beta diversity, time was a key factor in the oral modulation of both groups, showing how dynamic this environment is in early life.

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First identification of nanoparticles on thorax, abdomen and wings of the worker bee Apis dorsata Fabricius

Journal of Apicultural Science ◽

10.1515/jas-2016-0008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 87-96

Author(s):

Atanu Bhattacharyya ◽

Shashidhar Viraktamath ◽

Fani Hatjina ◽

Santanu Bhattacharyya ◽

Bhaktibhavana Rajankar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Average Diameter ◽

The Body ◽

Apis Dorsata ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles ◽

First Time

Abstract The presence of nanoparticles on the body of the honeybee Apis dorsata Fabricius, was investigated for the first time to better understand the bee’s behaviour. These have been observed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and confirmed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Our study clearly denotes that the Indian rock honey bee Apis dorsata possess calcium silicate and calcium phosphate nanoparticles on its body surface of 5-50 nm in diameter. In particular, the nanoparticles on the abdomen and thorax of A. dorsata have an average diameter of about 10 nanometers and they are smaller than those found on wings of the same bees which are about 20 nanometers. The nanoparticles found are different of the ones previously observed on honey bees or other insects. The origin and role of these natural nanoparticles on the body of the Indian rock bee need to be to be further investigated; more research in the subject might raise important aspects in relation to the conservation of these unique pollinators.

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Analysis of Oral Microbiota Revealed High Abundance of Prevotella Intermedia in Gout Patients

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1159/000493626 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 1804-1812 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Juan Liu ◽

Li Cui ◽

Xinmin Yan ◽

Xinyuan Zhao ◽

Jinluo Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Serratia Marcescens ◽

Oral Microbiome ◽

Oral Microbiota ◽

Prevotella Intermedia ◽

Systemic Diseases ◽

16S Sequencing ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Qpcr Analysis ◽

Healthy Control ◽

First Time

Background/Aims: Microbes reside in a number of body sites, including the oral cavity, and are associated with the progression of many systemic diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of gout and hyperuricemia (HUA) on the composition of oral microbiomes. Methods: Analysis of the oral microbiota from 12 gout patients, 11 HUA patients, and 19 healthy control subjects was performed using a deep sequencing approach, and validation of significant changes in Prevotella intermedia and Serratia marcescens in new patient cohorts was performed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results: Our analysis indicated that both gout and HUA significantly altered the composition of the oral microbiome in patients. Patients with gout or HUA had significantly greater levels of salivary Prevotella intermedia but significantly lower levels of Serratia marcescens than healthy control subjects. Conclusion: We demonstrated the association between the oral microbiome and gout and HUA for the first time. In particular, 16S sequencing and qPCR analysis revealed significantly higher levels of oral Prevotella intermedia in gout/HUA patients, which suggests that these patients might be at risk for the development of periodontitis.

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Concentrations of the Selected Biomarkers of Endothelial Dysfunction in Response to Antiepileptic Drugs: A Literature Review

Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis ◽

10.1177/1076029619859429 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 107602961985942 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Beata Sarecka-Hujar ◽

Izabela Szołtysek-Bołdys ◽

Ilona Kopyta ◽

Barbara Dolińska ◽

Andrzej Sobczak

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Endothelial Dysfunction ◽

Literature Review ◽

Antiepileptic Drug ◽

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine ◽

The Body ◽

Biochemical Processes ◽

The Brain

Epilepsy is a disease arising from morphological and metabolic changes in the brain. Approximately 60% of patients with seizures can be controlled with 1 antiepileptic drug (AED), while in others, polytherapy is required. The AED treatment affects a number of biochemical processes in the body, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is indicated that the duration of AED therapy with some AEDs significantly accelerates the process of atherosclerosis. Most of AEDs increase levels of homocysteine (HCys) as well as may affect concentrations of new, nonclassical risk factors for atherosclerosis, that is, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and homoarginine (hArg). Because of the role of these parameters in the pathogenesis of CVD, knowledge of HCys, ADMA, and hArg concentrations in patients with epilepsia treated with AED, both pediatric and adult, appears to be of significant importance.

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Positron Emission Tomography: A Technology Assessment

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462300003421 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 577-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nora D. Volkow ◽

Laurence R. Tancredi

Keyword(s):

Positron Emission Tomography ◽

The Body ◽

Emission Tomography ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Neurological Patients ◽

Technological Assessment ◽

A New Technique ◽

First Time ◽

Nuclear Medicine Technique ◽

The Brain

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a new nuclear medicine technique that has recently entered the clinical realm of medicine. Although it is a technique that can be utilized for assessment of biochemical and physiological parameters of any organ in the body, it has particular utility in the investigation of the brain. PET poses unique advantages over previous imaging devices. For the first time, it is feasible to investigate directly various biological parameters of the brain in a noninvasive way. PET allows for investigating the functional, biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological characteristics of various areas within the brains of normal and psychiatric or neurological patients. Although it has already started to give promising results, it is too new a technique to obtain an accurate appraisal of its true potentials. This is a problem that seems always to surface when one tries to evaluate the utility of a new technique in a new area of research. The problem is accentuated in the case of PET where there is no other technique available with which to compare results. This paper will discuss the basic principles of PET, its relationship to other existing imaging devices, and the issues to be considered when making a technological assessment of positron emission tomography.

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