scholarly journals Microbiota and intestinal permeability as drivers of gastroenterological manifestations of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-65
Author(s):  
K. V. Kozlov ◽  
A. K. Ratnikova ◽  
V. B. Grinevich ◽  
Yu. A. Kravchuk ◽  
P. I. Miklush

An important area of effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic is the study of the pathogenetic features of SARSCoV-2 infection, including those based on the assessment of the state of the microbiota and intestinal permeability.Purpose: To study the clinical features of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in patients of mild and moderate severity at the stage of hospitalization, to determine the role of intestinal permeability disorders, changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microbiota in the formation of systemic inflammation in COVID-19 patients.Material and methods: The study was performed in 80 patients with COVID-19, whose average age was 45 years, 19 of them had mild and 61 had moderate severity of the disease. The scope of the examination included traditional clinical, clinical and laboratory, biochemical, instrumental and radiation studies, as well as original methods for studying microbiota and intestinal permeability.Results and conclusions: Clinical features of the course of COVID-19 were studied, clinical and biochemical features, manifestations of systemic inflammation, changes in the intestinal microbiome of patients with mild and moderate severity were identified, concentration levels of proinflammatory cytokines, insulin, fecal calprotectin and zonulin were determined, reflecting the features of intestinal permeability against the background of COVID-19. The role of intestinal permeability and microbiota as the main drivers of the development of gastroenterological manifestations of COVID-19, accompanied by a more severe course of the disease, is emphasized. 

Author(s):  
Denggao Peng ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Yingqi Xu ◽  
Zhichao Liu ◽  
Pengyao Wu

AbstractA retrospective analysis was performed.39 (50.6%) of 77 suspected cases were comfirmed, 4 (5.2%) of them had viral coinfection. Compared with non-2019-nCoV group(n=33),2019-nCoV confirmed group (n=39) had fewer fever and symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI), more asymptomatic and more family cluster infections. While computed tomography (CT) had more positive findings of viral pneumonia. Age and gender were insignificant. PCT (0.05[0.029-0.076] vs 0.103[0.053-0.21];P<.001) of 2019-nCoV alone group (n=35) was significantly reduced. While compared with coinfection group (n=4), PCT (0.05[0.029–0.076] vs 0.144[0.109–2.26];P=.003) was also statistically reduced. The area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of overall model is 0.817 ([95%CI] [0.719-0.916];P<.001). The AUC of PCT is 0.792 ([0.688-0.896];P<.001). The cut-off value is 0.1 ng/mL. Asymptoms or mild symptoms, positive CT findings and family cluster infection are the main clinical features of pediatric 2019-nCoV infection. With moderate efficacy, PCT can provide an important basis for differentiating 2019-nCoV alone and other viral infection or viral coinfection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (22) ◽  
pp. 2620-2629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Del Pinto ◽  
Davide Pietropaoli ◽  
Annalisa Monaco ◽  
Giovambattista Desideri ◽  
Claudio Ferri ◽  
...  

Systemic inflammation is a common denominator to a variety of cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV diseases and relative risk factors, including hypertension and its control, metabolic diseases, rheumatic disorders, and those affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Besides medications, a non-pharmacological approach encompassing lifestyle changes and other complementary measures is mentioned in several updated guidelines on the management of these conditions. We performed an updated narrative review on the mechanisms behind the systemic impact of inflammation and the role of non-pharmacological, complementary measures centered on lowering systemic phlogosis for preserving or restoring a good global health. The central role of genetics in shaping the immune response is discussed in conjunction with that of the microbiome, highlighting the interdependence and mutual influences between the human genome and microbial integrity, diversity, and functions. Several plausible strategies to modulate inflammation and restore balanced crosstalk between the human genome and the microbiome are then recapitulated, including dietary measures, active lifestyle, and other potential approaches to manipulate the resident microbial community. To date, evidence from high-quality human studies is sparse to allow the unconditioned inclusion of understudied, though plausible solutions against inflammation into public health strategies for global wellness. This gap claims further focused, well-designed research targeted at unravelling the mechanisms behind future personalized medicine.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Emilio Fernández-Espejo ◽  
Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca ◽  
Juan Suárez ◽  
Eduardo Tolosa ◽  
Dolores Vilas ◽  
...  

Background. Salivary α-synuclein (aSyn) and its nitrated form, or 3-nitrotyrosine-α-synuclein (3-NT-αSyn), hold promise as biomarkers for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Nitrative stress that is characterized by an excess of 3-nitrotyrosine proteins (3-NT-proteins) has been proposed as a pathogenic mechanism in IPD. The objective is to study the pathological role of native αSyn, 3-NT-αSyn, and 3-NT-proteins in the saliva and submandibulary glands of patients with IPD. Methods. The salivary and serum αSyn and 3-NT-proteins concentration is evaluated with ELISA in patients and controls. Correlations of αSyn and 3-NT-proteins content with clinical features of the disease are examined. Immunohistochemical 3-NT-αSyn expression in submandibulary gland sections is analyzed. Results. (a) Salivary concentration and saliva/serum ratios of native αSyn and 3-NT-proteins are similar in patients and controls; (b) salivary αSyn and 3-NT-proteins do not correlate with any clinical feature; and (c) three patterns of 3-NT-αSyn-positive inclusions are observed on histological sections: rounded “Lewy-type” aggregates of 10–25 µm in diameter, coarse deposits with varied morphology, and spheroid inclusions or bodies of 3–5 µm in diameter. “Lewy-type” and coarse inclusions are observed in the interlobular connective tissue of the gland, and small-sized bodies are located within the cytoplasm of duct cells. “Lewy-type” inclusions are only observed in patients, and the remaining patterns of inclusions are observed in both the patients and controls. Conclusions. The patients’ saliva presents a similar concentration of native αSyn and 3-nitrotyrosine-proteins than that of the controls, and no correlations with clinical features are found. These findings preclude the utility of native αSyn in the saliva as a biomarker, and they indicate the absence of nitrative stress in the saliva and serum of patients. As regards nitrated αSyn, “Lewy-type” inclusions expressing 3-NT-αSyn are observed in the patients, not the controls—a novel finding that suggests that a biopsy of the submandibulary gland, if proven safe, could be a useful technique for diagnosing IPD. Finally, to our knowledge, this is also the first description of 3-NT-αSyn-immunoreactive intracytoplasmic bodies in cells that are located outside the nervous system. These intracytoplasmic bodies are present in duct cells of submandibulary gland sections from all subjects regardless of their pathology, and they can represent an aging or involutional change. Further immunostaining studies with different antibodies and larger samples are needed to validate the data.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Petruschke ◽  
Christian Schori ◽  
Sebastian Canzler ◽  
Sarah Riesbeck ◽  
Anja Poehlein ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in protecting the host from pathogenic microbes, modulating immunity and regulating metabolic processes. We studied the simplified human intestinal microbiota (SIHUMIx) consisting of eight bacterial species with a particular focus on the discovery of novel small proteins with less than 100 amino acids (= sProteins), some of which may contribute to shape the simplified human intestinal microbiota. Although sProteins carry out a wide range of important functions, they are still often missed in genome annotations, and little is known about their structure and function in individual microbes and especially in microbial communities. Results We created a multi-species integrated proteogenomics search database (iPtgxDB) to enable a comprehensive identification of novel sProteins. Six of the eight SIHUMIx species, for which no complete genomes were available, were sequenced and de novo assembled. Several proteomics approaches including two earlier optimized sProtein enrichment strategies were applied to specifically increase the chances for novel sProtein discovery. The search of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data against the multi-species iPtgxDB enabled the identification of 31 novel sProteins, of which the expression of 30 was supported by metatranscriptomics data. Using synthetic peptides, we were able to validate the expression of 25 novel sProteins. The comparison of sProtein expression in each single strain versus a multi-species community cultivation showed that six of these sProteins were only identified in the SIHUMIx community indicating a potentially important role of sProteins in the organization of microbial communities. Two of these novel sProteins have a potential antimicrobial function. Metabolic modelling revealed that a third sProtein is located in a genomic region encoding several enzymes relevant for the community metabolism within SIHUMIx. Conclusions We outline an integrated experimental and bioinformatics workflow for the discovery of novel sProteins in a simplified intestinal model system that can be generically applied to other microbial communities. The further analysis of novel sProteins uniquely expressed in the SIHUMIx multi-species community is expected to enable new insights into the role of sProteins on the functionality of bacterial communities such as those of the human intestinal tract.


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