Gut microbiota alterations in response to sleep length among African-origin adults

Sleep disorders are increasingly being characterized in modern society as contributing to a host of serious medical problems, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. Changes to the microbial community in the human gut have been reportedly associated with many of these cardiometabolic outcomes. In this study, we investigated the impact of sleep length on the gut microbiota in a large cohort of 655 participants of African descent, aged 25–45, from Ghana, South Africa (SA), Jamaica, and the United States (US). The sleep duration was self-reported via a questionnaire. Participants were classified into 3 sleep groups: short (<7hrs), normal (7-<9hrs), and long (≥9hrs). Forty-seven percent of US participants were classified as short sleepers and 88% of SA participants as long sleepers. Gut microbial composition analysis (16S rRNA gene sequencing) revealed that bacterial alpha diversity negatively correlated with sleep length (p<0.05). Furthermore, sleep length significantly contributed to the inter-individual beta diversity dissimilarity in gut microbial composition (p<0.01). Participants with both short and long-sleep durations exhibited significantly higher abundances of several taxonomic features, compared to normal sleep duration participants. The predicted relative proportion of two genes involved in the butyrate synthesis via lysine pathway were enriched in short sleep duration participants. Finally, co-occurrence relationships revealed by network analysis showed unique interactions among the short, normal and long duration sleepers. These results suggest that sleep length in humans may alter gut microbiota by driving population shifts of the whole microbiota and also specific changes in Exact Sequence Variants abundance, which may have implications for chronic inflammation associated diseases. The current findings suggest a possible relationship between disrupted sleep patterns and the composition of the gut microbiota. Prospective investigations in larger and more prolonged sleep researches and causally experimental studies are needed to confirm these findings, investigate the underlying mechanism and determine whether improving microbial homeostasis may buffer against sleep-related health decline in humans.

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Gut Microbiota Composition Changes in Constipated Women of Reproductive Age

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2020.557515 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Hongxia Li ◽

Jianwei Chen ◽

Xiaojing Ren ◽

Chuanli Yang ◽

Shuai Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Chronic Constipation ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Pathophysiological Mechanism ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Women Of Reproductive Age ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Hormone Levels ◽

The Impact

BackgroundChronic constipation is one of the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorders, yet its etiology is multifactorial, and the pathophysiological mechanism is still unclear. Previous studies have shown that the gut microbiota of constipated patients differs from healthy controls; however, many discrepancies exist in the findings, and no clear link has been confirmed between chronic constipation and changes in the gut microbiota. Growing evidence indicates that age, gender, and hormone levels can affect the composition of gut microbiota. The aim of this study is to examine the overall changes in gut microbiota within a specific sub-population of patients, namely, constipated women of reproductive age.MethodsWe carried out a cross-sectional study comparing the fecal microbial composition of 30 healthy women and 29 constipated women using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Only women of reproductive age were recruited to reduce the effects of age, gender, and hormone levels on the microbiome, and to prevent conflating the impact of these factors with the effects of constipation.ResultsThere were obvious differences in the gut microbiota in constipated women of reproductive age compared with the healthy controls, manifesting mainly as a significant increase in the abundance of Bacteroides (p < 0.05) and a significant decrease in the abundance of Proteobacteria (p < 0.01). The overall composition of the gut microbiota in each group was different, which was reflected in the ratios of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B), which was 1.52 in the constipated group vs. 2.21 in the healthy group. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria, like Roseburia and Fusicatenibacter (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe overall composition of the gut microbiota changed in constipated women of reproductive age, characterized by a loss in Proteobacteria and an increase in Bacteroidetes. Furthermore, the abundance of some butyrate-producing bacteria also reduced. These changes may reflect the unique interactions between host and some bacteria, or some bacterial metabolic products, which may be important targets for future studies to explore the pathogenesis of constipation.

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The Impact of Cholecystectomy on the Gut Microbiota: A Case-Control Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8010079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 79 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Won Yoon ◽

Han-Na Kim ◽

Eunkyo Park ◽

Seungho Ryu ◽

Yoosoo Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Enterohepatic Circulation ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Control Group ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Comprehensive Health ◽

The Difference ◽

Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

The Impact

Cholecystectomy alters the bile flow into the intestine and the enterohepatic circulation of the bile acids; this may affect the gut microbiota. We assessed the gut microbiota composition of patients who had undergone cholecystectomy and compared with those who had not. From a cohort of 1463 adult participants who underwent comprehensive health screening examinations, 27 subjects who had undergone cholecystectomy (cholecystectomy group) and 81 age- and sex-matched subjects who had not (control group) were selected. Clinical parameters were collected and compared. Microbial composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of DNA extracted from fecal samples. We evaluated differences in the overall microbial composition and in the abundance of taxa. The two groups were comparable with respect to clinical characteristics and laboratory results. The actual number of taxa observed in a sample (observed features) was significantly lower in the cholecystectomy group than in the control group (p = 0.042). The beta diversity of Jaccard distance index was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.027). Blautia obeum and Veillonella parvula were more abundant in the cholecystectomy group. The difference in the diversity of the gut microbiota between the cholecystectomy and control groups was subtle. However, B. obeum and V. parvula, which have azoreductase activity, were more abundant in the cholecystectomy group. The impact of such changes in the gut microbiota on health remains to be determined.

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Different analysis strategies of 16S rRNA gene data from rodent studies generate contrasting views of gut bacterial communities associated with diet, health and obesity

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10372 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e10372

Author(s):

Jose F. Garcia-Mazcorro ◽

Jorge R. Kawas ◽

Cuauhtemoc Licona Cassani ◽

Susanne Mertens-Talcott ◽

Giuliana Noratto

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

16S Rrna Gene ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Future Research ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Analysis Strategies ◽

The Impact

Background One of the main functions of diet is to nurture the gut microbiota and this relationship affects the health of the host. However, different analysis strategies can generate different views on the relative abundance of each microbial taxon, which can affect our conclusions about the significance of diet to gut health in lean and obese subjects. Here we explored the impact of using different analysis strategies to study the gut microbiota in a context of diet, health and obesity. Methods Over 15 million 16S rRNA gene sequences from published studies involving dietary interventions in obese laboratory rodents were analyzed. Three strategies were used to assign the 16S sequences to Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) based on the GreenGenes reference OTU sequence files clustered at 97% and 99% similarity. Results Different strategies to select OTUs influenced the relative abundance of all bacterial taxa, but the magnitude of this phenomenon showed a strong study effect. Different taxa showed up to 20% difference in relative abundance within the same study, depending on the analysis strategy. Very few OTUs were shared among the samples. ANOSIM test on unweighted UniFrac distances showed that study, sequencing technique, animal model, and dietary treatment (in that order) were the most important factors explaining the differences in bacterial communities. Except for obesity status, the contribution of diet and other factors to explain the variability in bacterial communities was lower when using weighted UniFrac distances. Predicted functional profile and high-level phenotypes of the microbiota showed that each study was associated with unique features and patterns. Conclusions The results confirm previous findings showing a strong study effect on gut microbial composition and raise concerns about the impact of analysis strategies on the membership and composition of the gut microbiota. This study may be helpful to guide future research aiming to investigate the relationship between diet, health, and the gut microbiota.

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The Impact of Anthelmintic Treatment on Human Gut Microbiota Based on Cross-Sectional and Pre- and Postdeworming Comparisons in Western Kenya

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00519-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Alice V. Easton ◽

Mariam Quiñones ◽

Ivan Vujkovic-Cvijin ◽

Rita G. Oliveira ◽

Stella Kepha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Intestinal Parasites ◽

Fold Change ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Human Gut ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Content Type ◽

Average Fold Change ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Murine studies suggest that the presence of some species of intestinal helminths is associated with changes in host microbiota composition and diversity. However, studies in humans have produced varied conclusions, and the impact appears to vary widely depending on the helminth species present. To demonstrate how molecular approaches to the human gut microbiome can provide insights into the complex interplay among disparate organisms, DNA was extracted from cryopreserved stools collected from residents of 5 rural Kenyan villages prior to and 3 weeks and 3 months following albendazole (ALB) therapy. Samples were analyzed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) for the presence of 8 species of intestinal parasites and by MiSeq 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Based on pretreatment results, the presence of neither Ascaris lumbricoides nor Necator americanus infection significantly altered the overall diversity of the microbiota in comparison with age-matched controls. Following ALB therapy and clearance of soil-transmitted helminths (STH), there were significant increases in the proportion of the microbiota made up by Clostridiales (P = 0.0002; average fold change, 0.57) and reductions in the proportion made up by Enterobacteriales (P = 0.0004; average fold change, −0.58). There was a significant posttreatment decrease in Chao1 richness, even among individuals who were uninfected pretreatment, suggesting that antimicrobial effects must be considered in any posttreatment setting. Nevertheless, the helminth-associated changes in Clostridiales and Enterobacteriales suggest that clearance of STH, and of N. americanus in particular, alters the gut microbiota. IMPORTANCE The gut microbiome is an important factor in human health. It is affected by what we eat, what medicines we take, and what infections we acquire. In turn, it affects the way we absorb nutrients and whether we have excessive intestinal inflammation. Intestinal worms may have an important impact on the composition of the gut microbiome. Without a complete understanding of the impact of mass deworming programs on the microbiome, it is impossible to accurately calculate the cost-effectiveness of such public health interventions and to guard against any possible deleterious side effects. Our research examines this question in a “real-world” setting, using a longitudinal cohort, in which individuals with and without worm infections are treated with deworming medication and followed up at both three weeks and three months posttreatment. We quantify the impact of roundworms and hookworms on gut microbial composition, suggesting that the impact is small, but that treatment of hookworm infection results in significant changes. This work points to the need for follow-up studies to further examine the impact of hookworm on the gut microbiota and determine the health consequences of the observed changes.

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Family Influences on Youth Offending

The Oxford Handbook of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190201371.013.18 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 377-403

Author(s):

Abigail A. Fagan ◽

Kristen M. Benedini

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Family Environment ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

The United States ◽

Parental Violence ◽

Youth Delinquency ◽

The Impact ◽

Children’S Exposure

This chapter reviews the degree to which empirical evidence demonstrates that families influence youth delinquency. Because they are most likely to be emphasized in life-course theories, this chapter focuses on parenting practices such as parental warmth and involvement, supervision and discipline of children, and child maltreatment. It also summarizes literature examining the role of children's exposure to parental violence, family criminality, and young (teenage) parents in affecting delinquency. Because life-course theories are ideally tested using longitudinal data, which allow examination of, in this case, the impact of parenting practices on children's subsequent behaviors, this chapter focuses on evidence generated from prospective studies conducted in the United States and other countries. It also discusses findings from experimental studies designed to reduce youth substance use and delinquency by improving the family environment.

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Diversity, Composition and Functional Inference of Gut Microbiota in Indian Cabbage white Pieris canidia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Life ◽

10.3390/life10110254 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 254

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Jianqing Zhu ◽

Jie Fang ◽

Li Shen ◽

Shuojia Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Life Stages ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Functional Inference ◽

Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Insect Fitness

We characterized the gut microbial composition and relative abundance of gut bacteria in the larvae and adults of Pieris canidia by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The gut microbiota structure was similar across the life stages and sexes. The comparative functional analysis on P. canidia bacterial communities with PICRUSt showed the enrichment of several pathways including those for energy metabolism, immune system, digestive system, xenobiotics biodegradation, transport, cell growth and death. The parameters often used as a proxy of insect fitness (development time, pupation rate, emergence rate, adult survival rate and weight of 5th instars larvae) showed a significant difference between treatment group and untreated group and point to potential fitness advantages with the gut microbiomes in P. canidia. These data provide an overall view of the bacterial community across the life stages and sexes in P. canidia.

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Effects of Psychotropics on the Microbiome in Patients With Depression and Anxiety: Considerations in a Naturalistic Clinical Setting

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1093/ijnp/pyaa070 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yoshihiro Tomizawa ◽

Shunya Kurokawa ◽

Daiki Ishii ◽

Katsuma Miyaho ◽

Chiharu Ishii ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Microbial Diversity ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Shannon Index ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

The Impact ◽

Whole Tree

Abstract Background The antibacterial effects of psychotropics may be part of their pharmacological effects when treating depression. However, limited studies have focused on gut microbiota in relation to prescribed medication. Method We longitudinally investigated the relationship between patients’ prescribed medications and intestinal bacterial diversity in a naturalistic treatment course for patients with major depressive disorders and anxiety disorders. Patients were recruited and their stool was collected at 3 time points during their usual psychiatric treatments. Gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We examined the impact of psychotropics (i.e., antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics) on their gut microbial diversity and functions. Results We collected 246 stool samples from 40 patients. Despite no differences in microbial diversity between medication groups at the baseline, over the course of treatment, phylogenic diversity whole-tree diversity decreased in patients on antipsychotics compared with patients without (P = .027), and beta diversity followed this trend. Based on a fixed-effect model, antipsychotics predicted microbial diversity; the higher doses correlated with less diversity based on the Shannon index and phylogenic diversity whole tree (estimate = −0.00254, SE = 0.000595, P < .0001; estimate = −0.02644, SE = 0.00833, P = .002, respectively). Conclusion Antipsychotics may play a role in decreasing the alpha diversity of the gut microbiome among patients with depression and anxiety, and our results indicate a relationship with medication dosage. Future studies are warranted and should consider patients’ types and doses of antipsychotics in order to further elucidate the mechanisms of gut-brain interactions in psychiatric disorders.

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The Effects of Genetic Relatedness on the Preterm Infant Gut Microbiota

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9020278 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 278

Author(s):

Shen Jean Lim ◽

Miriam Aguilar-Lopez ◽

Christine Wetzel ◽

Samia V. O. Dutra ◽

Vanessa Bray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Preterm Infant ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

Bovine Milk ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Units ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Operational Taxonomic Units

The preterm infant gut microbiota is influenced by environmental, endogenous, maternal, and genetic factors. Although siblings share similar gut microbial composition, it is not known how genetic relatedness affects alpha diversity and specific taxa abundances in preterm infants. We analyzed the 16S rRNA gene content of stool samples, ≤ and >3 weeks postnatal age, and clinical data from preterm multiplets and singletons at two Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), Tampa General Hospital (TGH; FL, USA) and Carle Hospital (IL, USA). Weeks on bovine milk-based fortifier (BMF) and weight gain velocity were significant predictors of alpha diversity. Alpha diversity between siblings were significantly correlated, particularly at ≤3 weeks postnatal age and in the TGH NICU, after controlling for clinical factors. Siblings shared higher gut microbial composition similarity compared to unrelated individuals. After residualizing against clinical covariates, 30 common operational taxonomic units were correlated between siblings across time points. These belonged to the bacterial classes Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Bacteroidia, Clostridia, Erysipelotrichia, and Negativicutes. Besides the influence of BMF and weight variables on the gut microbial diversity, our study identified gut microbial similarities between siblings that suggest genetic or shared maternal and environmental effects on the preterm infant gut microbiota.

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The Impact of Sampling Season and Catching Site (Wild and Aquaculture) on Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology10030180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 180

Author(s):

Negash Kabtimer Bereded ◽

Getachew Beneberu Abebe ◽

Solomon Workneh Fanta ◽

Manuel Curto ◽

Herwig Waidbacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Nile Tilapia ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Illumina Miseq ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Lake Tana ◽

Future Work ◽

The Impact ◽

Sampling Season

The gut microbiota of fishes is known to play an essential role in diverse aspects of host biology. The gut microbiota of fish is affected by various environmental parameters, including temperature changes, salinity and diet. Studies of effect of environment on gut microbiota enables to have a further understanding of what comprises a healthy microbiota under different environmental conditions. However, there is insufficient understanding regarding the effects of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia. This study characterised gut microbial composition and diversity from samples collected from Lake Tana and the Bahir Dar aquaculture facility centre using 16S rDNA Illumina MiSeq platform sequencing. Firmicutes and Fusobacteria were the most dominant phyla in the Lake Tana samples, while Proteobacteria was the most dominant in the aquaculture samples. The results of differential abundance testing clearly indicated significant differences for Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria across sampling months. However, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fusobacteria and Cyanobacteria were significantly enriched in the comparison of samples from the Lake Tana and aquaculture centre. Significant differences were observed in microbial diversity across sampling months and between wild and captive Nile tilapia. The alpha diversity clearly showed that samples from the aquaculture centre (captive) had a higher diversity than the wild Nile tilapia samples from Lake Tana. The core gut microbiota of all samples of Nile tilapia used in our study comprised Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. This study clearly showed the impact of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities associated with the gut of Nile tilapia. Overall, this is the first study on the effects of sampling season and catching site on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia in Ethiopia. Future work is recommended to precisely explain the causes of these changes using large representative samples of Nile tilapia from different lakes and aquaculture farms.

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Behavioral Correlates of Depression Among Adults with Visual Impairments

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness ◽

10.1177/0145482x211046696 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0145482X2110466

Author(s):

Justin A. Haegele ◽

Xihe Zhu ◽

Sean Healy

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Visual Impairment ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

The United States ◽

Sitting Time ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

The Impact ◽

Negative Predictor

Introduction: This study sought to examine: (a) the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration, as discrete behaviors, with depression among adults with visual impairments; and (b) the impact of meeting none, one, two, or three of the guidelines for these behaviors on depression among adults with visual impairments. Materials: One hundred eighty-two ( Mage = 44.8) adults with visual impairments, recruited via email through two visual impairment organizations in the United States, completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form, a sleep duration question, the Major Depression Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire. Based on results from the questionnaires, dichotomous variables for meeting or not meeting physical activity, sleep, and sitting guidelines were created. Data were analyzed using three components: a descriptive analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses. Results: Overall, 14.8% of participants were categorized as having some degree of depression. Meeting the sleep guideline was a significant negative predictor of depression scores in the hierarchical regression analyses. The number of guidelines met was a negative predictor for depression score controlling for other variables. Discussion: Adequate sleep, as well as meeting all three guidelines synergistically, was meaningful in influencing depression among this population. The current study’s results should prompt the continued examination of health-behaviors among adults with visual impairment using a more holistic 24-hour activity cycle framework. Implications for practitioners: This study supports the utilization of multi-behavioral interventions to reduce the risk of depression by enhancing physical activity and sleep, while reducing sitting time, among this population.

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