Unhealthy Diets Induce Distinct and Regional Effects on Intestinal Inflammatory Signalling Pathways and Long-Lasting Metabolic Dysfunction in Rats

The intestinal epithelium is a principal site for environmental agents’ detection. Several inflammation- and stress-related signalling pathways have been identified as key players in these processes. However, it is still unclear how the chronic intake of inadequate nutrients triggers inflammatory signalling pathways in different intestinal regions. We aimed to evaluate the impact of unhealthy dietary patterns, starting at a younger age, and the association with metabolic dysfunction, intestinal inflammatory response, and obesity in adulthood. A rat model was used to evaluate the effects of the consumption of sugary beverages (HSD) and a Western diet (WD), composed of ultra-processed foods. Both diets showed a positive correlation with adiposity index, but a positive correlation was found between the HSD diet and the levels of blood glucose and triglycerides, whereas the WD diet correlated positively with triglyceride levels. Moreover, a distinct inflammatory response was associated with either the WD or HSD diets. The WD induced an increase in TLR2, TLR4, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) intestinal gene expression, with higher levels in the colon and overexpression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase. In turn, the HSD diet induced activation of the TLR2-mediated NF-κB signalling pathway in the small intestine. Altogether, these findings support the concept that early intake of unhealthy foods and nutrients are a main exogenous signal for disturbances of intestinal immune mechanisms and in a region-specific manner, ultimately leading to obesity-related disorders in later life.     

Designing low-complexity electrical consumer products for ecological use

This study examined the environmental impact of low-complexity electrical consumer products during their use in a domestic context. In the experimental scenario, 48 users were asked to use a kettle under different conditions. On-product information (OPI), task instruction, and kettle design were employed as independent variables in a mixed multi-factorial design to examine their effects on different parameters of ecological performance (e.g., water and electricity consumption). Measures of user variables (environmental concern, knowledge, domestic habits, environmental control beliefs) were also taken to examine their relationship with performance parameters. The results revealed main effects of ecological task instruction, OPI and (partly) kettle design on ecological user behaviour. Habits, environmental concern and control beliefs were found to be related to performance parameters whereas knowledge was not. The implications of the results for product design are discussed against the background of a strong prevalence of habits and low ecological user motivation.     

Crohn’s Disease,Host–Microbiota Interactions,and Immunonutrition: Dietary Strategies Targeting Gut Microbiome as Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a complex, disabling, idiopathic, progressive, and destructive disorder with an unknown etiology. The pathogenesis of CD is multifactorial and involves the interplay between host genetics, and environmental factors, resulting in an aberrant immune response leading to intestinal inflammation. Due to the high morbidity and long-term management of CD, the development of non-pharmacological approaches to mitigate the severity of CD has recently attracted great attention. The gut microbiota has been recognized as an important player in the development of CD, and general alterations in the gut microbiome have been established in these patients. Thus, the gut microbiome has emerged as a pre-eminent target for potential new treatments in CD. Epidemiological and interventional studies have demonstrated that diet could impact the gut microbiome in terms of composition and functionality. However, how specific dietary strategies could modulate the gut microbiota composition and how this would impact host–microbe interactions in CD are still unclear. In this review, we discuss the most recent knowledge on host–microbe interactions and their involvement in CD pathogenesis and severity, and we highlight the most up-to-date information on gut microbiota modulation through nutritional strategies, focusing on the role of the microbiota in gut inflammation and immunity.     

The MAOA rs979605 Genetic Polymorphism Is Differentially Associated with Clinical Improvement Following Antidepressant Treatment between Male and Female Depressed Patients

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Treatment with antidepressant drugs (ATD), which target monoamine neurotransmitters including serotonin (5HT), are only modestly effective. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) metabolizes 5HT to 5-hydroxy indoleacetic acid (5HIAA). Genetic variants in the X-chromosome-linked MAO-encoding genes, MAOA and MAOB, have been associated with clinical improvement following ATD treatment in depressed patients. Our aim was to analyze the association of MAOA and MAOB genetic variants with (1) clinical improvement and (2) the plasma 5HIAA/5HT ratio in 6-month ATD-treated depressed individuals. Clinical (n = 378) and metabolite (n = 148) data were obtained at baseline and up to 6 months after beginning ATD treatment (M6) in patients of METADAP. Mixed-effects models were used to assess the association of variants with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score, response and remission rates, and the plasma 5HIAA/5HT ratio. Variant × sex interactions and dominance terms were included to control for X-chromosome-linked factors. The MAOA rs979605 and MAOB rs1799836 polymorphisms were analyzed. The sex × rs979605 interaction was significantly associated with the HDRS score (p = 0.012). At M6, A allele-carrying males had a lower HDRS score (n = 24, 10.9 ± 1.61) compared to AA homozygous females (n = 14, 18.1 ± 1.87; p = 0.0067). The rs1799836 polymorphism was significantly associated with the plasma 5HIAA/5HT ratio (p = 0.018). Overall, CC/C females/males had a lower ratio (n = 44, 2.18 ± 0.28) compared to TT/T females/males (n = 60, 2.79 ± 0.27; p = 0.047). The MAOA rs979605 polymorphism, associated with the HDRS score in a sex-dependent manner, could be a useful biomarker for the response to ATD treatment.     

Clinical Significance of Molecular Subtypes in Western Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Real-World Multicenter Experience

In recent years, the molecular subtyping of gastric cancer has led to the identification of novel clinically relevant biomarkers as well as promising therapeutic targets. In parallel, the advent of checkpoint inhibitors has expanded treatment options beyond conventional chemotherapy. Compelling evidence has shown unprecedented efficacy results for anti-PD1-based therapies in the molecular subgroups of dMMR/MSI-h, EBV+ and PD-L1 CPS+ patients, to the point that these are granted approval for gastric cancer adenocarcinoma (AGC) in several countries. Despite this, cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the only treatment choice for the considerable proportion of biomarkers-negative patients. In this context, little is known about the association between subtypes-defining biomarkers (HER2, MMR/MSI, PD-L1, and EBV) and the efficacy of standard chemotherapy in non-Asian AGC. Here, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, the clinic-pathologic features, and the impact on treatment outcome of clinical molecular subtypes in a new-diagnosed Western cohort of AGC.     

Relevance of the Exocyst in Arabidopsis exo70e2 Mutant for Cellular Homeostasis under Stress

Plants must adapt to cope with adverse environmental conditions that affect their growth and development. To overcome these constraints, they can alter their developmental patterns by modulating cellular processes and activating stress-responsive signals. Alongside the activation of the antioxidant (AOX) system, a high number of genes are expressed, and proteins must be distributed to the correct locations within the cell. The endomembrane system and associated vesicles thus play an important role. Several pathways have been associated with adverse environmental conditions, which is the case for the exocyst-positive organelle—EXPO. The present work, using Arabidopsis mutants with T-DNA insertions in the gene EXO70, essential for EXPO vesicles formation, was designed to characterise the anatomical (morphology and root length), biochemical (quantification of stress markers and antioxidant system components), and molecular responses (gene expression) to abiotic stresses (saline, drought, oxidative, and metal-induced toxicity). The results obtained showed that mutant plants behave differently from the wild type (WT) plants. Therefore, in the exo70 mutant, morphological changes were more noticeable in plants under stress, and the non-enzymatic component of the antioxidant system was activated, with no alterations to the enzymatic component. Furthermore, other defence strategies, such as autophagy, did not show important changes. These results confirmed the EXPO as an important structure for tolerance/adaptation to stress.     

Genomic and Immunological Characterization of Hypermucoviscous Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST25 Isolates from Northwest Argentina

In recent years, an increase in the prevalence hypermucoviscous carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with sequence type 25 (ST25) was detected in hospitals of Tucuman (Northwest Argentina). In this work, the virulence and the innate immune response to two K. pneumoniae ST25 strains (LABACER 01 and LABACER 27) were evaluated in a murine model after a respiratory challenge. In addition, comparative genomics was performed with K. pneumoniae LABACER01 and LABACER27 to analyze genes associated with virulence. Both LABACER01 and LABACER27 were detected in the lungs of infected mice two days after the nasal challenge, with LABACER01 counts significantly higher than those of LABACER27. Only LABACER01 was detected in hemocultures. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and albumin levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were significantly higher in mice challenged with LABACER01 than in LABACER27-infected animals, indicating greater lung tissue damage. Both strains increased the levels of neutrophils, macrophages, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, KC, MCP-1, IFN-γ, and IL-17 in the respiratory tract and blood, with the effect of LABACER01 more marked than that of LABACER27. In contrast, LABACER27 induced higher levels of IL-10 in the respiratory tract than LABACER01. Genomic analysis revealed that K. pneumoniae LABACER01 and LABACER27 possess virulence factors found in other strains that have been shown to be hypervirulent, including genes required for enterobactin (entABCDEF) and salmochelin (iroDE) biosynthesis. In both strains, the genes of toxin–antitoxin systems, as well as regulators of the expression of virulence factors and adhesion genes were also detected. Studies on the genetic potential of multiresistant K. pneumoniae strains as well as their cellular and molecular interactions with the host are of fundamental importance to assess the association of certain virulence factors with the intensity of the inflammatory response. In this sense, this work explored the virulence profile based on genomic and in vivo studies of hypermucoviscous carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae ST25 strains, expanding the knowledge of the biology of the emerging ST25 clone in Argentina.     

Determination of viability of Aeromonas hydrophila in increasing concentrations of sodium chloride at different temperatures by flow cytometry and plate count technique

Aeromonads in waters and foods can represent a risk to human health. Factors such as sodium chloride concentration and temperature can affect growth and viability of several food and water-borne pathogens. The behaviour of an Aeromonas hydrophila strain in the presence of 1.7%, 3.4% and 6% NaCl concentrations at 24 degrees C and 4 degrees C was studied over a 188 day period. Viability and membrane potential were assessed by flow cytometry; growth was evaluated by plate count technique. Flow cytometry evidenced that A. hydrophila retained viability over the period although varying according to temperature and salt concentrations. Colony Forming Units were generally lower in number than viable cells especially in the presence of 6% NaCl, indicating the occurrence of stressed cells which maintain metabolic activity yet are not able to grow on agar plates. In conclusion, A. hydrophila showed a long-term halotolerance even at elevated (6%) NaCl concentrations and a lesser sensitivity to salt at low temperature; therefore, low temperature and salt, which are two important factors limiting bacterial growth, do not assure safety in the case of high initial contamination. Finally, cytometry appears a valid tool for the rapid detection of the viability of pathogenic bacteria in food and environmental matrices to control and prevent health risks.     

Einheitliche Begriffsbestimmungen auf dem Holzschutzgebiet

Zusammenfassung Wiederholte Anfragen und die im Schrifttum bestehenden Unklarheiten und Widersprüche lassen es angebracht erscheinen, Vorschl?ge für die einheitliche Gestaltung der im Holzschutz zu benutvenden Begriffe zu ver?ffentlichen. Hierbei soll auch die neuere Entwicklung der Schutzmittel und Schutzverfahren berücksichtigt werden. Mitteilung aus dem Fachbereich Holzschutz des Staatlichen Materialprüfungsamtes Berlin-Dahlem.