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Novel report of Acinetobacter johnsonii as an indole-producing seed endophyte in Tamarindus indica L.
Bhattacharya, E, Hazra, A, Dutta, M, Bose, R, Dutta, A, Dandapat, M, Guha, T, Mandal Biswas, S
Archives of microbiology. 2024;(4):144
Abstract
Plant-microbe associations have been regarded as an exciting topic of research due to their potential as environment friendly alternatives for stimulating crop growth and development. Seeds of Tamarindus indica L. have been chosen for the present study as seed endophytes prefer larger or nutritive cotyledon and hard seed coats for their colonization. The main objectives of our study were to isolate and identify the seed endophytes, their bioefficacy, and responsible chemical compounds. In a dose-dependent experiment, tamarind seed exudates (TSE) showed plant growth-promoting properties on Oryza sativa (53-81%), Daucus carota (10-31%), and Raphanus sativa (21-42%). Identification of the bacterial load in TSE through 16S rRNA sequencing revealed the existence of two bacterial species, Acinetobacter johnsonii and Niallia nealsonii. This is the first report of these two bacteria as seed endophytes of Tamarindus indica L. HRLC-MS analysis of TSE confirmed the presence of indole derivatives, primarily indole-3-lactic acid (ILA). The quantitative phytochemical estimation of bacterial culture filtrates revealed that indole-like substances were present in the extracts only in A. johnsonii at a concentration of 0.005 mg/ml of indole acetic acid equivalent. Experimental results suggested that the stimulatory activity of TSE was caused by the presence of A. johnsonii, a potential plant growth-promoting bacteria that produced indole-like compounds. This study suggests tamarind seed exudates with its endophytic microbiota as a potent plant growth-promoting agent that may find use as a cheap and sustainable source of metabolites useful in the agro-industries.
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High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the children at age 10: A randomized clinical trial.
Aagaard, K, Møllegaard Jepsen, JR, Sevelsted, A, Horner, D, Vinding, R, Rosenberg, JB, Brustad, N, Eliasen, A, Mohammadzadeh, P, Følsgaard, N, et al
The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2024;(2):362-370
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy may increase the risk of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy on risk of autism and ADHD. DESIGN This randomized clinical trial was part of the COpenhagen Prospective Study on Neuro-PSYCHiatric Development (COPYCH) project nested within the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 (COPSAC2010) cohort comprising a population-based sample of 700 healthy mother-child pairs enrolled at week 24 of pregnancy. Maternal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured at inclusion and 623 mothers were randomized 1:1 to either high-dose (2800 IU/d) or standard dose (400 IU/d) vitamin D3 until 1 wk postpartum (315 received high-dose, 308 standard dose). At age 10, diagnoses and symptom load of autism and ADHD, respectively, were established using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version. RESULTS The psychopathologic evaluation was completed by 591 children aged 10 y, and 16 children (2.7%) were diagnosed with autism and 65 (11.0%) with ADHD. Hereof, 496 children participated in the vitamin D3 trial (246 received high-dose, 250 standard dose). Of these, 12 children (2.4%) were diagnosed with autism and 58 (11.7%) with ADHD. Higher maternal preintervention 25(OH)D levels were associated with a decreased risk of autism [odd ratio (OR) per 10 nmol/L: 0.76 (0.59,0.97); P = 0.034], lower autistic symptom load [β per 10 nmol/L: -0.03 (-0.05,0.00); P = 0.024), and decreased risk of ADHD diagnosis (OR per 10 nmol/L: 0.88 (0.78,0.99); P = 0.033]. High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation was not associated with risk of autism or ADHD. CONCLUSIONS Higher maternal preintervention 25(OH)D was associated with a decreased risk of autism, lower autistic symptom load, and decreased risk of ADHD diagnosis, but high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy had no effect on risk of autism and ADHD. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00856947.
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Artificial intelligence in preventive cardiology.
El Sherbini, A, Rosenson, RS, Al Rifai, M, Virk, HUH, Wang, Z, Virani, S, Glicksberg, BS, Lavie, CJ, Krittanawong, C
Progress in cardiovascular diseases. 2024
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of study that strives to replicate aspects of human intelligence into machines. Preventive cardiology, a subspeciality of cardiovascular (CV) medicine, aims to target and mitigate known risk factors for CV disease (CVD). AI's integration into preventive cardiology may introduce novel treatment interventions and AI-centered clinician assistive tools to reduce the risk of CVD. AI's role in nutrition, weight loss, physical activity, sleep hygiene, blood pressure, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, and mental health has been investigated. AI has immense potential to be used for the screening, detection, and monitoring of the mentioned risk factors. However, the current literature must be supplemented with future clinical trials to evaluate the capabilities of AI interventions for preventive cardiology. This review discusses present examples, potentials, and limitations of AI's role for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD.
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Diabetes Study of Children of Diverse Ethnicity and Race: Study design.
Redondo, MJ, Harrall, KK, Glueck, DH, Tosur, M, Uysal, S, Muir, A, Atkinson, EG, Shapiro, MR, Yu, L, Winter, WE, et al
Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews. 2024;(3):e3744
Abstract
AIMS: Determining diabetes type in children has become increasingly difficult due to an overlap in typical characteristics between type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The Diabetes Study in Children of Diverse Ethnicity and Race (DISCOVER) programme is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported multicenter, prospective, observational study that enrols children and adolescents with non-secondary diabetes. The primary aim of the study was to develop improved models to differentiate between T1D and T2D in diverse youth. MATERIALS AND METHODS The proposed models will evaluate the utility of three existing T1D genetic risk scores in combination with data on islet autoantibodies and other parameters typically available at the time of diabetes onset. Low non-fasting serum C-peptide (<0.6 nmol/L) between 3 and 10 years after diabetes diagnosis will be considered a biomarker for T1D as it reflects the loss of insulin secretion ability. Participating centres are enrolling youth (<19 years old) either with established diabetes (duration 3-10 years) for a cross-sectional evaluation or with recent onset diabetes (duration 3 weeks-15 months) for the longitudinal observation with annual visits for 3 years. Cross-sectional data will be used to develop models. Longitudinal data will be used to externally validate the best-fitting model. RESULTS The results are expected to improve the ability to classify diabetes type in a large and growing subset of children who have an unclear form of diabetes at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Accurate and timely classification of diabetes type will help establish the correct clinical management early in the course of the disease.
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The potential role of glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Li, H, Zeng, F, Huang, C, Pu, Q, Thomas, ER, Chen, Y, Li, X
CNS neuroscience & therapeutics. 2024;(2):e14411
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, which can cause progressive deterioration of motor function causing muscle stiffness, tremor, and bradykinesia. In this review, we hope to describe approaches that can improve the life of PD patients through modifications of energy metabolism. RECENT FINDINGS The main pathological features of PD are the progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and the production of Lewy bodies. Abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) leading to the formation of Lewy bodies is closely associated with neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. The main causes of PD are said to be mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and abnormal protein aggregation. Presence of abnormal energy metabolism is another cause of PD. Many studies have found significant differences between neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic decompensation, which has become a biological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. SUMMARY In this review, we highlight the relationship between abnormal energy metabolism (Glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism) and PD. Improvement of key molecules in glucose metabolism, fat metabolism, and amino acid metabolism (e.g., glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, triglycerides, and levodopa) might be potentially beneficial in PD. Some of these metabolic indicators may serve well during the diagnosis of PD. In addition, modulation of these metabolic pathways may be a potential target for the treatment and prevention of PD.
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Inflammatory stress response after transanal vs laparoscopic total mesorectal excision: a cohort study based on the TaLaR trial.
Chen, M, Ye, F, Huang, P, Liang, Z, Liu, H, Zheng, X, Li, W, Luo, S, Kang, L, Huang, L
International journal of surgery (London, England). 2024;(1):151-158
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is a novel approach to radical surgery for low rectal cancer; however, it is not clear whether taTME causes a more severe inflammatory stress response than laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME). Therefore, the authors conducted this study to address this question, with the secondary objective of analyzing the predictive effect of inflammatory indexes on postoperative infective complications between laTME and taTME. METHODS A total of 545 cases of laTME and 544 cases of taTME from the TaLaR randomized controlled trial were included. Inflammatory stress response was assessed via C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, and prognostic nutritional index. Inflammatory indexes were measured and calculated preoperatively (t1) and on postoperative days one (t2) and seven (t3). The accuracy of inflammatory indexes as predictor of infective complications was evaluated by areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS Preoperative blood parameters were comparable between the two surgical methods. There were no significant differences in CRP, white blood cell count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, or prognostic nutritional index between the two surgical methods at any time point ( P >0.05). Among the inflammatory indexes at three time points, CRP on the first postoperative day was the most accurate predictor of infective complications, which is suitable for two surgical methods. The AUC was 0.7671 ( P <0.0001) with a cutoff of 39.84 mg/l, yielding 94% sensitivity and 47% specificity. CONCLUSIONS Compared with laTME, taTME surgery has no obvious disadvantage with respect to the postoperative inflammatory stress response. In addition, inflammatory indexes were favorable in predicting infective complications, with the best results for CRP on the first postoperative day. Defining the specific predictors for laTME and taTME is unnecessary.
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Twelve Weeks of Daily Lentil Consumption Improves Fasting Cholesterol and Postprandial Glucose and Inflammatory Responses-A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Chamberlin, ML, Wilson, SMG, Gaston, ME, Kuo, WY, Miles, MP
Nutrients. 2024;(3)
Abstract
Lentils have potential to improve metabolic health but there are limited randomized clinical trials evaluating their comprehensive impact on metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of lentil-based vs. meat-based meals on fasting and postprandial measures of glucose and lipid metabolism and inflammation. Thirty-eight adults with an increased waist circumference (male ≥ 40 inches and female ≥ 35 inches) participated in a 12-week dietary intervention that included seven prepared midday meals totaling either 980 g (LEN) or 0 g (CON) of cooked green lentils per week. Linear models were used to assess changes in fasting and postprandial markers from pre- to post-intervention by meal group. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were assessed through a survey randomly delivered once per week during the intervention. We found that regular consumption of lentils lowered fasting LDL (F = 5.53, p = 0.02) and total cholesterol levels (F = 8.64, p < 0.01) as well as postprandial glucose (β = -0.99, p = 0.01), IL-17 (β = -0.68, p = 0.04), and IL-1β (β = -0.70, p = 0.03) responses. GI symptoms were not different by meal group and all symptoms were reported as "none" or "mild" for the duration of the intervention. Our results suggest that daily lentil consumption may be helpful in lowering cholesterol and postprandial glycemic and inflammatory responses without causing GI stress. This information further informs the development of pulse-based dietary strategies to lower disease risk and to slow or reverse metabolic disease progression in at-risk populations.
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Treatment of dyslipidemia in acute coronary syndrome.
Yadav, S, Sawhney, JPS
Indian heart journal. 2024;(Suppl 1):S51-S57
Abstract
Despite numerous improvements in the management of acute coronary syndrome(ACS), it is a major cause of mortality in India. Lipids play a critical role in pathogenesis of ACS and reduction of lipid parameters plays a pivotal role in secondary prevention. High total cholesterol and high low-density lipoprotein(LDL) are the major lipid abnormalities globally as well as in Indians. Among all the lipid parameters, LDL is the primary target of lipid-lowering therapies across the globe. High-dose statins, ezetimibe, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors, and bempedoic acid are recommended therapies for LDL reduction in ACS patients. Statins have pleiotropic effects on the modulation of thrombogenesis, endothelial dysfunction, and myocardial protection. Multiple randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses have shown that the use of high-dose statin has significant benefits in ACS. LDL reduction goal is < 55 mg/dl or at least 50 % reduction from the baseline regardless of age or gender. Non-fasting LDL should be measured soon after the ACS as it varies minimally with food intake. The first line of therapy after ACS is to advise lifestyle modifications, combination therapy including high-dose statin with ezetimibe, and evaluation after 4-6 weeks of the index event. If the goal is not achieved then PCSK 9 inhibitors or Bempedoic acid should be used in combination with statins and ezetimibe to reduce recurrent ischaemic events. Despite the proven effect of these lipid-lowering therapies, undertreatment is still a big hurdle across the globe. Prohibitive costs, adverse effects, medication non-adherence, variation in health practice in different countries, and clinical inertia to prescribe this medication by physicians are the main reasons for the undertreatment.
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Foliar application of nettle and Japanese knotweed extracts on Vitis vinifera: impact on phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and antioxidant activity during veraison and harvest of cv. Touriga Franca.
Monteiro, E, Baltazar, M, Pereira, S, Correia, S, Ferreira, H, Bragança, R, Cortez, I, Castro, I, Gonçalves, B
Journal of the science of food and agriculture. 2024;(7):4260-4267
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plant-based extracts have been recently used as sustainable tools to improve biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and increase grape (Vitis vinifera L.) quality. However, knowledge about the effect of these extracts on secondary metabolism compounds, that are fundamental for grape and wine quality, is still scarce. In this study, a trial was installed in an experimental vineyard with the variety Touriga Franca located at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Baixo Corgo sub-region of the Douro Demarcated Region, Portugal in two growing seasons: 2019 and 2020. The aim was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of nettle (Urtica spp.) extract (NE) and Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) extract (JKE) on grapevines leaves and berries bioactive compounds contents and antioxidant activity, at veraison and harvest. RESULTS The application of NE increased the total carotenoids in leaves and the total phenolics content and the antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP) in berries while JKE increased flavonoids content in leaves and the antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH) in berries. CONCLUSION These extracts seem to have a stimulatory effect on grapevine, enhancing bioactive compounds contents and antioxidant capacity and, consequently, the physiological performance of the plant and the quality of the berries. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Clinical evidence of the link between gut microbiome and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a retrospective review.
Wang, JH, Choi, Y, Lee, JS, Hwang, SJ, Gu, J, Son, CG
European journal of medical research. 2024;(1):148
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a heterogeneous disorder with elusive causes, but most likely because of clinical and other biological factors. As a vital environmental factor, the gut microbiome is increasingly emphasized in various refractory diseases including ME/CFS. The present study is aimed to enhance our understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiome and ME/CFS through data analysis of various clinical studies. We conducted a literature search in four databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) until May 31, 2023. Our analysis encompassed 11 clinical studies with 553 ME/CFS patients and 480 healthy controls. A comparative analysis of meta data revealed a significant decrease in α-diversity and a noticeable change in β-diversity in the gut microbiome of ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls. The notable ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroides was 2.3 times decreased, and also, there was a significant reduction in the production of microbial metabolites such as acetate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and some amino acids (alanine, serine, and hypoxanthine) observed in ME/CFS patients. The lack of comparison under similar conditions with various standardized analytical methods has impeded the optimal calculation of results in ME/CFS patients and healthy controls. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in understanding the role of the gut microbiome in ME/CFS patients. Additionally, we have also discussed the potentials of using microbiome-related interventions and associated challenges to alleviate ME/CFS.