scholarly journals Compositional changes in human gut microbiota reveal a putative role of intestinal mycobiota in metabolic and biological decline during aging

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tahseen Al Bataineh ◽  
Ayman Alzaatreh ◽  
Rima Hajjo ◽  
Bayan Hassan Banimfreg ◽  
Nihar Ranjan Dash
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Compositional Changes ◽  
Profiling Analysis

BACKGROUND: Age-related alterations in the composition and function of gut microbiota may influence human health and disease mechanisms. However, connections between compositional changes in gut bacterial and fungal communities, and their role in the aging process, remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: Compare the gut microbiota and mycobiota composition in different age groups and evaluate the functionality. METHODS: In this study, we performed 16S rRNA and ITS2 gene-based microbial profiling analysis and shotgun metagenomics using the NextSeq platform. RESULTS: We observed a shift in compositional changes of human gut microbiota with age. Older individuals revealed a significantly different gut microbiota profile compared to younger individuals. For example, gut microbiota composition of the older individuals showed increase in genera Bacteroides, Blautia, Ruminococcaceae, and Escherichia coli. Additionally, older individuals had significant reduction in fungi belonging to saccharomyces cerevisiae and candida albicans in comparison to their younger counterparts. Moreover, metagenomics functional profiling analysis using shotgun metagenomics sequencing data showed substantial differences in the enrichment of 48 pathways between the young and older age groups. Metabolic pathways such as amino acid biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, cell structure biosynthesis and vitamin biosynthesis were declined in the older age group, in comparison with the younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The identified differences provide a new insight to enrich our understanding of age-related changes in gut microbiota, their metabolic capabilities, and potential impact on health and disease conditions.

scholarly journals Aging progression of human gut microbiota

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Congmin Xu ◽  
Huaiqiu Zhu ◽  
Peng Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Human Gut Microbiota ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Background Human gut microbiota are important for human health and have been regarded as a “forgotten organ”, whose variation is closely linked with various factors, such as host genetics, diet, pathological conditions and external environment. The diversity of human gut microbiota has been correlated with aging, which was characterized by different abundance of bacteria in various age groups. In the literature, most of the previous studies of age-related gut microbiota changes focused on individual species in the gut community with supervised methods. Here, we aimed to examine the underlying aging progression of the human gut microbial community from an unsupervised perspective. Results We obtained raw 16S rRNA sequencing data of subjects ranging from newborns to centenarians from a previous study, and summarized the data into a relative abundance matrix of genera in all the samples. Without using the age information of samples, we applied an unsupervised algorithm to recapitulate the underlying aging progression of microbial community from hosts in different age groups and identify genera associated to this progression. Literature review of these identified genera indicated that for individuals with advanced ages, some beneficial genera are lost while some genera related with inflammation and cancer increase. Conclusions The multivariate unsupervised analysis here revealed the existence of a continuous aging progression of human gut microbiota along with the host aging process. The identified genera associated to this aging process are meaningful for designing probiotics to maintain the gut microbiota to resemble a young age, which hopefully will lead to positive impact on human health, especially for individuals in advanced age groups.

scholarly journals Sex differences in the phylum‐level human gut microbiota composition

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Koliada ◽  
Vladislav Moseiko ◽  
Mariana Romanenko ◽  
Oleh Lushchak ◽  
Nadiia Kryzhanovska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total N ◽  
Human Gut Microbiota ◽  
Gut Microbiota Composition

Abstract Background Evidence was previously provided for sex-related differences in the human gut microbiota composition, and sex-specific discrepancy in hormonal profiles was proposed as a main determinant of these differences. On the basis of these findings, the assumption was made on the role of microbiota in the sexual dimorphism of human diseases. To date, sex differences in fecal microbiota were demonstrated primarily at lower taxonomic levels, whereas phylum-level differences between sexes were reported in few studies only. In the present population-based cross-sectional research, sex differences in the phylum-level human gut microbiota composition were identified in a large (total n = 2301) sample of relatively healthy individuals from Ukraine. Results Relative abundances of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, as determined by qRT-PCR, were found to be significantly increased, while that of Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in females compared to males. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Females had 31 % higher odds of having F/B ratio more than 1 than males. This trend was evident in all age groups. The difference between sexes was even more pronounced in the elder individuals (50+): in this age group, female participants had 56 % higher odds of having F/B ratio > 1 than the male ones. Conclusions In conclusion, sex-specific differences in the phylum-level intestinal microbiota composition were observed in the Ukraine population. The F/B ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Further investigation is needed to draw strong conclusions regarding the mechanistic basis for sex-specific differences in the gut microbiota composition and regarding the role of these differences in the initiation and progression of human chronic diseases.

scholarly journals Distinct composition and metabolic functions of human gut microbiota are associated with cachexia in lung cancer patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yueqiong Ni ◽  
Zoltan Lohinai ◽  
Yoshitaro Heshiki ◽  
Balazs Dome ◽  
Judit Moldvay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Microbial Species ◽  
Functional Pathways

AbstractCachexia is associated with decreased survival in cancer patients and has a prevalence of up to 80%. The etiology of cachexia is poorly understood, and limited treatment options exist. Here, we investigated the role of the human gut microbiome in cachexia by integrating shotgun metagenomics and plasma metabolomics of 31 lung cancer patients. The cachexia group showed significant differences in the gut microbial composition, functional pathways of the metagenome, and the related plasma metabolites compared to non-cachectic patients. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), methylhistamine, and vitamins were significantly depleted in the plasma of cachexia patients, which was also reflected in the depletion of relevant gut microbiota functional pathways. The enrichment of BCAAs and 3-oxocholic acid in non-cachectic patients were positively correlated with gut microbial species Prevotella copri and Lactobacillus gasseri, respectively. Furthermore, the gut microbiota capacity for lipopolysaccharides biosynthesis was significantly enriched in cachectic patients. The involvement of the gut microbiome in cachexia was further observed in a high-performance machine learning model using solely gut microbial features. Our study demonstrates the links between cachectic host metabolism and specific gut microbial species and functions in a clinical setting, suggesting that the gut microbiota could have an influence on cachexia with possible therapeutic applications.

scholarly journals Age-related mortality in 61,993 confirmed COVID-19 cases over three epidemic waves in Aragon, Spain. Implications for vaccination programmes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261061
Author(s):  
Diego Casas-Deza ◽  
Vanesa Bernal-Monterde ◽  
Angel Nicolás Aranda-Alonso ◽  
Enrique Montil-Miguel ◽  
Ana Belen Julián-Gomara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Rapid Progression ◽  
Targeted Prevention ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Age Related

Background Risk for severe COVID-19 increases with age. Different vaccination strategies are currently being considered, including those aimed at slowing down transmission and those aimed at providing direct protection to those most at risk. Methods The objectives of the current study were i) to assess age-related incidence and survival between PCR-diagnosed COVID-19 cases (n = 61,993) in the Autonomous Community of Aragon from March to November 2020, and ii) to characterize age differences regarding the course of the disease in hospitalized patients in a tertiary university hospital. Results We found a similar incidence of COVID-19 in individuals between 10 and 79 years. Incidence increased in those over 80 years possibly because of the elevated transmission within the nursing homes. We observed a profound disparity among age groups; case fatality rates (CFRs) were near 0 in cases younger than 39 years throughout different waves. In contrast, there was an age-dependent and progressive increase in the CFRs, especially during the first pandemic wave. SARS-CoV-2 infection caused a more severe and rapid progression in older patients. The elderly required faster hospitalization, presented more serious symptoms on admission, and had a worse clinical course. Hospitalized older individuals, even without comorbidities, had an increased mortality risk directly associated with their age. Lastly, the existence of comorbidities dramatically increased the CFRs in the elderly, especially in males. Conclusion The elevated incidence of COVID-19 and the vulnerability of the elderly call for their prioritization in vaccination and targeted prevention measures specifically focused on this aged population.

scholarly journals TSH enhancement of FT4 to FT3 conversion is age dependent

2016 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Strich ◽  
Gilad Karavani ◽  
Shalom Edri ◽  
David Gillis
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Free T4 ◽  
Free T3 ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Differential Increase ◽  
Retrospective Examination ◽  
Tsh Levels

ObjectiveWe previously reported increasing free T3 (FT3) to free T4 (FT4) ratios as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) increases within the normal range in children. It is not known if this phenomenon is age-related among humans, as previously reported in rats. This study examines the relationships between TSH and FT3/FT4 ratios in different ages.DesignRetrospective examination of thyroid tests from patients without thyroid disease from community clinics.MethodsFree T3, free T4, and TSH levels from 527 564 sera collected from patients aged 1 year or greater were studied. Exclusion criteria were the following: missing data, TSH greater than 7.5mIU/L, and medications that may interfere with thyroid hormone activity. A total of 27 940 samples remaining after exclusion were stratified by age. Samples with available anthropometric data were additionally stratified for body mass index (BMI). Correlations of TSH to FT4, FT3, and FT3/FT4 ratios by age group were examined.ResultsUp to age 40, for each increasing TSH quartile, FT3 and the FT3/FT4 ratio increased and FT4 decreased significantly (for both FT3, FT4 and FT3/FT4 ratio,P<0.05 for every TSH quartile when compared with the 1st quartile, except FT3 in the 30–40 age group). In older age groups, increasing TSH was not associated with increased FT3/FT4 ratio.ConclusionAs TSH levels increase, FT3/FT4 ratios increase until age 40, but this differential increase does not occur in older age groups. This may reflect a decrease in thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3) conversion with age, which may be part of the aging process.

scholarly journals Automated Speech Recognition Systems and Older Adults: A Literature Review and Synthesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Werner ◽  
Gaojian Huang ◽  
Brandon J. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Automated Speech Recognition ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Physical Changes

The number of older adults is growing significantly worldwide. At the same time, technological developments are rapidly evolving, and older populations are expected to interact more frequently with such sophisticated systems. Automated speech recognition (ASR) systems is an example of one technology that is increasingly present in daily life. However, age-related physical changes may alter speech production and limit the effectiveness of ASR systems for older individuals. The goal of this paper was to summarize the current knowledge on ASR systems and older adults. The PRISMA method was employed and 17 studies were compared on the basis of word error rate (WER). Overall, WER was found to be influenced by age, gender, and the number of speech samples used to train ASR systems. This work has implications for the development of future human-machine technologies that will be used by a wide range of age groups.

scholarly journals Gut Microbiota Metabolism and Interaction with Food Components

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Vernocchi ◽  
Federica Del Chierico ◽  
Lorenza Putignani
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Food Components ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Wide Variability ◽  
Gut Microbe ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Biochemical Mechanisms

The human gut contains trillions of microbes that play a central role in host biology, including the provision of key nutrients from the diet. Food is a major source of precursors for metabolite production; in fact, diet modulates the gut microbiota (GM) as the nutrients, derived from dietary intake, reach the GM, affecting both the ecosystem and microbial metabolic profile. GM metabolic ability has an impact on human nutritional status from childhood. However, there is a wide variability of dietary patterns that exist among individuals. The study of interactions with the host via GM metabolic pathways is an interesting field of research in medicine, as microbiota members produce myriads of molecules with many bioactive properties. Indeed, much evidence has demonstrated the importance of metabolites produced by the bacterial metabolism from foods at the gut level that dynamically participate in various biochemical mechanisms of a cell as a reaction to environmental stimuli. Hence, the GM modulate homeostasis at the gut level, and the alteration in their composition can concur in disease onset or progression, including immunological, inflammatory, and metabolic disorders, as well as cancer. Understanding the gut microbe–nutrient interactions will increase our knowledge of how diet affects host health and disease, thus enabling personalized therapeutics and nutrition.

scholarly journals VACCINATION TO PROMOTE HEALTH THROUGHOUT LIFE AS A HEALTHY AGING STRATEGY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S211-S211
Author(s):  
Leonard Friedland
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Target Antigen ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Demographic Shift ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Important Progress

Abstract This symposium addresses the role of vaccination to promote healthy aging, the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age. Life-span immunization of adults across all age categories can help to reduce morbidity and mortality. Healthy aging is critical for our global society to counter the surge in healthcare costs that is coming as a result of the demographic shift to older age. Immune system function and response to vaccination declines with advancing age. Generating effective immune responses against new infectious disease targets can be difficult in older individuals. Important progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying immunosenescence, the age-related decline of the immune response to infections and vaccinations. Innovative research and the development of new technologies, such as adjuvants, substances that can enhance and shape the immune response to the target antigen(s), has facilitated the development of vaccines specially tailored for adults. This evidence-based approach to the development of innovative vaccines addressing immunosenescence is an important clinically relevant healthy aging strategy to promote health throughout life.

scholarly journals Shifts in the gut microbiota structure caused by Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgenii I. Olekhnovich ◽  
Alexander I. Manolov ◽  
Nikita A. Prianichniikov ◽  
Andrei E. Samoilov ◽  
Maja V. Malakhova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Duodenal Ulcer ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Eradication Therapy ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Gut Microbiota Composition ◽  
Microbiota Structure

AbstractThe human gut microbiome plays an important role both in health and disease. The use of antibiotics can alter gut microbiota composition, which can cause complications of various kinds. Here we report a whole genome sequencing metagenomic study of the intestinal microbiota changes caused by Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. We have found the decrease in taxonomic alpha-diversity due to the therapy. The changes observed were more extensive for patients with duodenal ulcer and female ones. As well across the patients under the therapy we have detected the shifts in the metabolic potential and resistome. Seven KEGG pathways associated with quorum sensing, genetic Information processing and environmental Information processing were increased, while metabolic pathways related with metabolism of cofactors and vitamins and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism decreased. Changes in the resistome profile have also been identified. We observed perturbations in intraspecies structures, which were higher in group of patients under the therapy than in control group of people without treatment. The Eubacterium rectale pangenome extracted from metagenomic data were changed. We also isolated and sequenced Enterococcus faecium strains from two patients before and after eradication therapy. After the therapy this bacterium increased as the antibiotic resistance in vitro, as well the number of ARGs to macrolides and tetracyclines and metagenomic relative abundance in comparison with strains before therapy. In summary, microbial community demonstrated shift to reduce metabolic potential and to increased mechanisms, which mediate more survival condition through intraspecies perturbations.ImportanceThe human gut microbiome plays an important role both in health and disease. The use of antibiotics can alter gut microbiota composition, which can cause complications of various kinds. H. pylori eradication therapy causes multiple shifts and alterations (including intraspecies changes) of the intestinal microbiota structure and leads to the accumulation of genes which determine resistance to macrolides. Since these changes are not the same for patients with various diseases, patients with duodenal ulcer may be further paid special attention for reducing side effects, such as antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. Also, study of antibiotic treatment in terms of its impact upon the human gut microbiota allows shedding light on of the complex processes that cause accumulation and spread of antibiotic resistance. An identification and understanding of these complicated processes may help to constrain antibiotic resistance spread, which is of great importance for human health care.

scholarly journals Age-related changes of neutrophil characteristics, potential of activation, DNA release and NET formation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Krall ◽  
Lisa-Marie Mauracher ◽  
Johanna Roiss ◽  
Lena Hell ◽  
Anna S Ondracek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Activation Markers ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Release Assay ◽  
Dna Release ◽  
Age Related Changes

Abstract Background: Neutrophils are a heterogeneous population of leukocytes, which can be subdivided into high and low density neutrophils (HDNs/LDNs). They are known to fight intruders with different mechanisms, including the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which have also been associated with thrombosis. Risks of infection and thrombosis increase with age. Differences in neutrophil subpopulations and functionality have been shown in various disease states, but investigations in healthy subjects and their dependence on age are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate age-related changes in neutrophils regarding neutrophil subpopulations, their potential of activation, DNA release and NET formation.Methods: Neutrophil subpopulations (HDNs and LDNs) were isolated from 25 healthy individuals subdivided into 3 groups (<45 years, n=8; 45-54, n=9; >54, n=8). Neutrophil characteristics, potential of activation and the ability of NET formation was investigated using flow cytometry. Externalisation of DNA was detected by a DNA release assay.Results: HDN and LDN counts did not differ between age-groups. However, with increasing age we observed a shift in neutrophil subpopulations towards a lower amount of mature LDNs, characterized by their expression of membrane receptors CD62L and CD16. Upon stimulation, neutrophils of older individuals showed significantly higher release of DNA. HDNs of younger participants increased activation markers (CD66b and CD11b) to a higher extent compared to those of older individualsConclusion: Neutrophils and their ability of activation, DNA release and NET formation change with age and this might contribute to the higher risk of infection and thrombosis at advanced age. Furthermore, these results highlight the importance and necessity of age-matching in studies that focus on neutrophil characteristics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document