Inside the Oral Microbiome: How Periodontitis May Increase the Risk for Alzheimers Disease

The oral microbiome is the site of the second most abundant microbiota after the gastrointestinal tract. The expanded Human Oral Microbiome Database (eHOMD) that was last updated on November 22, 2017, contains the information of a number of bacterial species, scientists have struggled to categorize and understand every species due to their difficulty of laboratory study. While this much is known, the scientific community still has minimal knowledge of the entire oral microbiome and how it may relate to potential manifestations of various diseases. Periodontitis is one disease that is directly related to the oral microbiome. Periodontitis is the infection of the gums that is associated with poor dental hygiene. This oral malady has been hypothesized to be a potential precursor to neurological Alzheimer’s disease (AD.) Since AD is difficult to study until postmortem, there has been limited availability to study pathways where this may occur. The proposed method by which periodontitis, while primarily hypothesized, includes a shift in the microbiota of the oral cavity to a more pathogenic state. The shift to pathogenicity is mainly believed to be due to an increase in the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis. P. gingivalis produces protein plaques on the teeth that can travel through the bloodstream to the brain. The proposed mechanism is hypothesized to weaken the blood-brain barrier and allow for plaque aggregation on the brain seen in AD-infected brains. While more research is necessary to conclude the pathogenesis from periodontitis to Alzheimer’s disease definitively, strides are being made that may help give scientists, and healthcare workers begin preventative measures.

Sedimentary Cobalt Protoporphyrin as a Potential Precursor of Prosthetic Heme Group for Bacteria Inhabiting Fossil Organic Matter-Rich Shale Rock

This study hypothesizes that bacteria inhabiting shale rock affect the content of the sedimentary cobalt protoporphyrin present in it and can use it as a precursor for heme synthesis. To verify this hypothesis, we conducted qualitative and quantitative comparative analyses of cobalt protoporphyrin as well as heme, and heme iron in shale rock that were (i) inhabited by bacteria in the field, (ii) treated with bacteria in the laboratory, and with (iii) bacterial culture on synthetic cobalt protoporphyrin. Additionally, we examined the above-mentioned samples for the presence of enzymes involved in the heme biosynthesis and uptake as well as hemoproteins. We found depletion of cobalt protoporphyrin and a much higher heme concentration in the shale rock inhabited by bacteria in the field as well as the shale rock treated with bacteria in the laboratory. Similarly, we observed the accumulation of protoporphyrin in bacterial cells grown on synthetic cobalt protoporphyrin. We detected numerous hemoproteins in metaproteome of bacteria inhabited shale rock in the field and in proteomes of bacteria inhabited shale rock and synthetic cobalt protoporhyrin in the laboratory, but none of them had all the enzymes involved in the heme biosynthesis. However, proteins responsible for heme uptake, ferrochelatase and sirohydrochlorin cobaltochelatase/sirohydrochlorin cobalt-lyase were detected in all studied samples.

Synthesis of CNS, ZnO/CNS and ZnCnO4/CNS composites from patchouli biomass by using microwave for remediation of pesticide contaminated surface water in paddy field

Patchouli biomass is a potential precursor for CNS synthesis. In this research, the patchouli was pyrolyzed using the microwave. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of microwave energy and activator toward physicochemistry of CNS and composite (ZnO/CNS) and application of ZnCr2O4/CNS for the pesticide polluted surface water remediation in paddy field. In the process, the biomass was pyrolyzed at four and 8W with and without the ZnCl2 activator. The products were blended and evaporated to obtain CNS and ZnO/CNS. The products were characterized using FTIR spectrometry, XRD, and dispersion test. The composites were used to synthesize ZnCr2O4/CNS at 600W in the microwave. The composites were used for buthylphenylmethyl carbamate pesticide degradation test (BPMC) for 48 h with H2O2 oxidation. The FTIR spectra indicated better carbonization for products taken using an activator at both microwave energies. The X-ray diffractograms showed the turbostratic structure of carbon obtained at 4W pyrolysis (with activator), meanwhile 8W pyrolysis (without activator). ZnO and turbostratic carbon structures were shown by the product of 8W pyrolisis with activator. The calcined composite indicated ZnCr2O4/CNS. The degradation test showed that ZnCr2O4/CNS(8W) catalyst decreased the BMPC concentration almost three times that of the composite (4W).

Contentious Issues and Future Directions in Adolescent Gambling Research

Background. There is currently considerable public policy and regulatory interest in the nature and prevalence of underage gambling. Research in this area has purported to show that adolescents are at elevated risk of problem gambling and that early exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities could be a potential precursor to future harm. Method. In this commentary, we provide a critical appraisal of these arguments with reference to major studies in the field of gambling studies. It is argued that adolescent gambling research is a contentious area. Some questions remain concerning the validity of adolescent problem gambling measures, the strength of the association between adolescent and adult gambling and the impact of simulated gambling activities. Results. The paper summarises the conceptual and methodological issues that should be considered and addressed in future studies to strengthen the validity of research in this area. Conclusion. The paper encourages the greater use of harm-based measures, longitudinal and individual-level transition analyses and questions that capture the influence of activities rather than just their temporal sequencing.

Neuroanatomy of the grey seal brain: bringing pinnipeds into the neurobiological study of vocal learning

Comparative animal studies of complex behavioural traits, and their neurobiological underpinnings, can increase our understanding of their evolution, including in humans. Vocal learning, a potential precursor to human speech, is one such trait. Mammalian vocal learning is under-studied: most research has either focused on vocal learning in songbirds or its absence in non-human primates. Here, we focus on a highly promising model species for the neurobiology of vocal learning: grey seals ( Halichoerus grypus ). We provide a neuroanatomical atlas (based on dissected brain slices and magnetic resonance images), a labelled MRI template, a three-dimensional model with volumetric measurements of brain regions, and histological cortical stainings. Four main features of the grey seal brain stand out: (i) it is relatively big and highly convoluted; (ii) it hosts a relatively large temporal lobe and cerebellum; (iii) the cortex is similar to that of humans in thickness and shows the expected six-layered mammalian structure; (iv) there is expression of FoxP2 present in deeper layers of the cortex; FoxP2 is a gene involved in motor learning, vocal learning, and spoken language. Our results could facilitate future studies targeting the neural and genetic underpinnings of mammalian vocal learning, thus bridging the research gap from songbirds to humans and non-human primates. Our findings are relevant not only to vocal learning research but also to the study of mammalian neurobiology and cognition more in general. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Vocal learning in animals and humans’.

Aging-Related Tau Astrogliopathy in Aging and Neurodegeneration

Astrocytes are of vital importance to neuronal function and the health of the central nervous system (CNS), and astrocytic dysfunction as a primary or secondary event may predispose to neurodegeneration. Until recently, the main astrocytic tauopathies were the frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tau (FTLD-tau) group of disorders; however, aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG) has now been defined. This condition is a self-describing neuropathology mainly found in individuals over 60 years of age. Astrocytic tau accumulates with a thorny or granular/fuzzy morphology and is commonly found in normal aging as well as coexisting with diverse neurodegenerative disorders. However, there are still many unknown factors associated with ARTAG, including the cause/s, the progression, and the nature of any clinical associations. In addition to FTLD-tau, ARTAG has recently been associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), where it has been proposed as a potential precursor to these conditions, with the different ARTAG morphological subtypes perhaps having separate etiologies. This is an emerging area of exciting research that encompasses complex neurobiological and clinicopathological investigation.

Solvent-Driven Selectivity on the One-Step Catalytic Synthesis of Manoyl Oxide Based on a Novel and Sustainable “Zeolite Catalyst–Solvent” System

Application of a novel “zeolite catalyst–solvent” system for the sustainable one-step synthesis of the terpenoid manoyl oxide, the potential precursor of forskolin and ambrox. Manoyl oxide high-yield and large-scale production over a zeolite catalyst has been infeasible so far, while this system results in 90% yields at 135 °C and atmospheric pressure. Substrate-controlled methodology is used to achieve selectivity. Solvent-driven catalysis is shown, as the activation energy barrier decreases in the presence of appropriate solvents, being 62.7 and 93.46 kJmol−1 for a glyme-type solvent and dodecane, respectively. Finally, catalyst acidity is key parameter for the process. Graphic Abstract