Butanol Extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms Alleviates Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study investigated the effect of butanol extract of AS (ASBUE) on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^−/−) mice. The mice were administered ASBUE (390 or 130 mg/kg/day) or rosuvastatin (RSV) via oral gavage for eight weeks. In ApoE^−/− mice, ASBUE suppressed the abnormal body weight gain and improved serum and liver biochemical indicators. ASBUE remarkably reduced the aortic plaque area, improved liver pathological conditions, and lipid metabolism abnormalities, and altered the intestinal microbiota structure in ApoE^−/− mice. In the vascular tissue of ASBUE-treated mice, P-IKKβ, P-NFκB, and P-IκBα levels tended to decrease, while IκB-α increased in high fat-diet-fed atherosclerotic mice. These findings demonstrated the anti-atherosclerotic potential of ASBUE, which is mediated by the interaction between the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism and regulated via the Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. This work paves the groundwork for subsequent studies to develop innovative drugs to treat atherosclerosis.     

吸烟对种植体周围炎患者龈下菌群、龈沟液炎症因子和RANKL/OPG比值的影响

摘要 目的：探讨吸烟对种植体周围炎患者龈下菌群分布、龈沟液炎症因子白细胞介素-4（IL-4）、白细胞介素-5（IL-5）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）、白细胞介素-8（IL-8）、白细胞介素-17（IL-17）和核因子-κB受体活化因子配体/骨保护素（RANKL/OPG）比值的影响。方法：选择2019年3月至2022年3月首都医科大学附属北京友谊医院口腔科收治的种植体周围炎患者99例（共151颗种植体）,根据是否吸烟分为吸烟组（45例,68颗种植体）和非吸烟组（54例,83颗种植体）,比较两组患者种植体牙周改良菌斑指数（mPLI）、牙龈出血指数（GBI）、种植体周围探诊深度（PPD）,采集两组龈下菌斑进行细胞培养并进行菌种鉴定,分析两组龈下菌群分布情况,比较两组龈沟液中IL-4、IL-5、IL-6、IL-8、IL-17、RANKL/OPG比值。结果：吸烟组mPLI、GBI、PPD高于不吸烟组（P＜0.05）。吸烟组厌氧菌检出率高于非吸烟组（P＜0.05）,有益菌检出率低于非吸烟组（P＜0.05）,两组需氧菌检出率比较差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。吸烟组龈沟液IL-4、IL-5、IL-6、IL-8、IL-17水平均高于非吸烟组（P＜0.05）。吸烟组龈沟液RANKL水平、RANKL/OPG比值高于非吸烟组（P＜0.05）,OPG水平低于非吸烟组（P＜0.05）。结论：吸烟可导致种植体周围炎患者龈下厌氧菌增加,加重炎症反应,增加牙槽骨吸收风险。     

COMPARISON OF ATTACHED DIATOM COMMUNITIES ON NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL SUBSTRATES1

A study of attached diatom communities on artificial and natural substrates was conducted in Wheelwright Pond, New Hampshire, during 1975. There were differences in the species composition growing on artificial glass slides and natural substrates. The slides favored the accumulation of Achnanthes minutissima Kütz. and decreased the relative abundance of Eunotia incisa W. Sm. ex. Greg. and Cocconeis placentula v. euglypta (Ehr.) Cleve. Large growths of planktonic species were also noted on the slides. Compositional differences between slides positioned at 15–30 cm (upper) and 1 m (lower) from the surface of the water were minimal. A similar community composition of periphytic diatoms was found on five aquatic macrophytes.     

COMPARISON OF IN SITU PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY OF EPIPHYTIC,EPIPELIC AND PLANKTONIC ALGAL COMMUNITIES IN AN OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE,SOUTHERN FINLAND1

The photosynthetic activity of different algal communities at the outer edge of an Equisetum fluviatile L. stand in an oligotrophic lake (Pääjärvi, in southern Finland) was investigated. Production by the algal communities was measured simultaneously using a modified ¹⁴C-method, and the results were related to the volume of algae and the available irradiance. The relative production rate (P/B quotient) of phytoplankton was ca. 3 × that of epiphyton and ca. 20 × that of epipelon. Epiphyton productivity remained almost constant although the algal volume varied greatly, suggesting that the surface layer of the algal community was mainly responsible for the photosynthetic activity. In the littoral area (at 1 m depth) primary production/m² of lake surface by phytoplankton, epiphyton and epipelon was similar but in the littoriprofundal area (2–4 m) phytoplankton production was twice that of epipelon. Primary productivity of epiphyton and epipelon/m² of substratum was about equal to phytoplankton productivity/m³ of water at the same irradiance. This relation provided a means of estimating the relative contributions of the different algal communities to the total algal production in the lake.     

Microbial Metabolite Signaling Is Required for Systemic Iron Homeostasis

1. Download : Download high-res image (173KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Mutual interplay between phytopathogenic powdery mildew fungi and other microorganisms

Powdery mildew is a common and widespread plant disease of considerable agronomic relevance. It is caused by obligate biotrophic fungal pathogens which, in most cases, epiphytically colonize aboveground plant tissues. The disease has been typically studied as a binary interaction of the fungal pathogen with its plant hosts, neglecting, for the most part, the mutual interplay with the wealth of other microorganisms residing in the phyllo- and/or rhizosphere and roots. However, the establishment of powdery mildew disease can be impacted by the presence/absence of host-associated microbiota (epi- and endophytes) and, conversely, plant colonization by powdery mildew fungi might disturb indigenous microbial community structures. In addition, other (foliar) phytopathogens could interact with powdery mildews, and mycoparasites may affect the outcome of plant–powdery mildew interactions. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the intricate and multifaceted interplay of powdery mildew fungi, host plants and other microorganisms, and outline current gaps in our knowledge, thereby setting the basis for potential future research directions.     

Vast Differences in Strain-Level Diversity in the Gut Microbiota of Two Closely Related Honey Bee Species

1. Download : Download high-res image (191KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Classification of the Gut Microbiota of Patients in Intensive Care Units During Development of Sepsis and Septic Shock

The gut microbiota of intensive care unit (ICU) patients displays extreme dysbiosis associated with increased susceptibility to organ failure, sepsis, and septic shock. However, such dysbiosis is difficult to characterize owing to the high dimensional complexity of the gut microbiota. We tested whether the concept of enterotype can be applied to the gut microbiota of ICU patients to describe the dysbiosis. We collected 131 fecal samples from 64 ICU patients diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to dissect their gut microbiota compositions. During the development of sepsis or septic shock and during various medical treatments, the ICU patients always exhibited two dysbiotic microbiota patterns, or ICU-enterotypes, which could not be explained by host properties such as age, sex, and body mass index, or external stressors such as infection site and antibiotic use. ICU-enterotype I (ICU E1) comprised predominantly Bacteroides and an unclassified genus of Enterobacteriaceae, while ICU-enterotype II (ICU E2) comprised predominantly Enterococcus. Among more critically ill patients with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores > 18, septic shock was more likely to occur with ICU E1 (P = 0.041). Additionally, ICU E1 was correlated with high serum lactate levels (P = 0.007). Therefore, different patterns of dysbiosis were correlated with different clinical outcomes, suggesting that ICU-enterotypes should be diagnosed as independent clinical indices. Thus, the microbial-based human index classifier we propose is precise and effective for timely monitoring of ICU-enterotypes of individual patients. This work is a first step toward precision medicine for septic patients based on their gut microbiota profiles.