Publications by authors named "Aimee M Moore"

Background: The early life of the human host marks a critically important time for establishment of the gut microbial community, yet the developmental trajectory of gut community-encoded resistance genes (resistome) is unknown. We present a longitudinal study of the fecal antibiotic resistome of healthy amoxicillin-exposed and antibiotic-naive twins and their mothers during the first year of life.

Results: We extracted metagenomic DNA (mgDNA) from fecal samples collected from three healthy twin pairs at three timepoints (1 or 2 months, 6 or 7 months, and 11 months) and from their mothers (collected at delivery).

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Background: Gaze processing deficits are a seminal, early, and enduring behavioral deficit in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, a comprehensive characterization of the neural processes mediating abnormal gaze processing in ASD has yet to be conducted.

Methods: This study investigated whole-brain patterns of neural synchrony during passive viewing of direct and averted eye gaze in ASD adolescents and young adults (M Age  = 16.6) compared to neurotypicals (NT) (M Age  = 17.

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Emerging antibiotic resistance threatens human health. Gut microbes are an epidemiologically important reservoir of resistance genes (resistome), yet prior studies indicate that the true diversity of gut-associated resistomes has been underestimated. To deeply characterize the pediatric gut-associated resistome, we created metagenomic recombinant libraries in an Escherichia coli host using fecal DNA from 22 healthy infants and children (most without recent antibiotic exposure), and performed functional selections for resistance to 18 antibiotics from eight drug classes.

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The human intestinal microbiota encode multiple critical functions impacting human health, including metabolism of dietary substrate, prevention of pathogen invasion, immune system modulation, and provision of a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes accessible to pathogens. The complexity of this microbial community, its recalcitrance to standard cultivation, and the immense diversity of its encoded genes has necessitated the development of novel molecular, microbiological, and genomic tools. Functional metagenomics is one such culture-independent technique, used for decades to study environmental microorganisms, but relatively recently applied to the study of the human commensal microbiota.

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Objective: The study of posttraumatic growth (PTG) has burgeoned over the last decade, particularly in the area of oncology. The aims of the study were to: (1) describe PTG in patients with hepatobiliary carcinoma, (2) examine agreement between the patient and caregiver measures of patient PTG, and (3) test the associations between PTG and other psychological factors and clinically relevant outcomes.

Methods: Two hundred and two patients with hepatobiliary carcinoma completed a battery of standardized questionnaires that measured PTG, depressive symptoms, optimism, expressed emotion, and quality of life (QOL).

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