Impact of microchannel width on axons for brain-on-chip applications.

Technologies for axon guidance for disease models and bottom up investigations are increasingly being used in neuroscience research. One of the most prevalent patterning methods is using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructures due to compatibility with microscopy and electrophysiology which enables systematic tracking of axon development with precision and efficiency. Previous investigations of these guidance platforms have noted axons tend to follow edges and avoid sharp turns; however, the specific impact of spatial constraints remains only partially explored.

Photopatterning of conductive hydrogels which exhibit tissue-like properties.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional, highly tunable material systems that can match the properties of extracellular matrices. In addition to being widely used to grow and modulate cell behavior, hydrogels can be made conductive to further modulate electrically active cells, such as neurons, and even incorporated into multielectrode arrays to interface with tissues. To enable conductive hydrogels, graphene flakes can be mechanically suspended into a hydrogel precursor.

Metagenomic characterisation of canine skin reveals a core healthy skin microbiome.

Furthering our knowledge of the skin microbiome is essential to understand health and disease in canines. To date, studies into the canine skin microbiome have focused on 16S rRNA high throughput sequencing however, these lack the granularity of species and strain level taxonomic characterisation and their associated functions. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the skin microbiome by analysing the skin microbiome of 72 healthy adult colony dogs, across four distinct skin sites and four breeds, using metagenomic sequencing.

Impact of acute stress on the canine gut microbiota.

There is growing evidence that a relationship exists between mental and emotional wellbeing and the gut microbiota. Little is known regarding how the microbiota reacts to repeated acute stress events in dogs, and whether it is a predictor of stress response. In this study, we explored the impact on the gut microbiota and digestive health with two common events many pet dogs find stressful.

Engineering an retinothalamic nerve model.

Understanding the retinogeniculate pathway can offer insights into its development and potential for future therapeutic applications. This study presents a Polydimethylsiloxane-based two-chamber system with axon guidance channels, designed to replicate unidirectional retinogeniculate signal transmission . Using embryonic rat retinas, we developed a model where retinal spheroids innervate thalamic targets through up to 6 mm long microfluidic channels.

Insecticide Resistance in Mosquitoes: Possible Detection of F1534C, S989P, and V1016G Triple Mutation in Benin, West Africa.

Epidemics of arboviruses in general, and dengue fever in particular, are an increasing threat in areas where is present. The effectiveness of chemical control of is jeopardized by the increasing frequency of insecticide resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility status of to public health insecticides and assess the underlying mechanisms driving insecticide resistance.

Conserved signatures of the canine faecal microbiome are associated with metronidazole treatment and recovery.

Antibiotic resistance is recognised as one of the biggest global threats to human and animal health. Understanding the influence of antibiotics on the canine microbiome is important to know the potential mid-to-long term effects on dysbiosis and mitigate side-effects such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. In this study, metronidazole was prescribed to 22 dogs for suspected giardiasis after exhibiting gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea and/or vomiting.

Gamification of Physical Therapy Exercises Using Commercial Entertainment Content: A Safety and Feasibility Study.

Independent physiotherapy at home is a crucial element of rehabilitative care for a wide range of conditions as it constitutes a large portion of the overall therapy dose. However, up to 80% of individuals who are prescribed at-home physiotherapy do not consistently adhere to their treatment schedule, resulting in poor treatment outcomes. This is likely due to a lack of motivation and progress tracking in the current standard of care.

A Novel Prebiotic Fibre Blend Supports the Gastrointestinal Health of Senior Dogs.

Senior pets can suffer from a wide range of age-related diseases that can impact the quality of life for the pet and the relationship between a pet and their owner. Dietary fibre plays a key role in shaping the gastrointestinal health in mammalian species. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a novel prebiotic fibre blend containing sugar beet pulp, galacto-oligosaccharides, and cellulose on the health of senior dogs when fed on top of a background commercial dry diet.

Developing whole cell standards for the microbiome field.

Background: Effective standardisation of the microbiome field is essential to facilitate global translational research and increase the reproducibility of microbiome studies. In this study, we describe the development and validation of a whole cell reference reagent specific to the gut microbiome by the UK National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. We also provide and test a two-step reporting framework to allow microbiome researchers to quickly and accurately validate choices of DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatic pipelines.

Exploring how microbiome signatures change across inflammatory bowel disease conditions and disease locations.

Understanding the variables that influence microbiome studies is critical for successful translational research. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex group of diseases that can present at multiple locations within the Gastrointestinal tract. Here, using the FAMISHED study cohort, we aimed to investigate the relationship between IBD condition, IBD disease location, and the microbiome.

An inter-laboratory study to investigate the impact of the bioinformatics component on microbiome analysis using mock communities.

Despite the advent of whole genome metagenomics, targeted approaches (such as 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) continue to be valuable for determining the microbial composition of samples. Amplicon microbiome sequencing can be performed on clinical samples from a normally sterile site to determine the aetiology of an infection (usually single pathogen identification) or samples from more complex niches such as human mucosa or environmental samples where multiple microorganisms need to be identified. The methodologies are frequently applied to determine both presence of micro-organisms and their quantity or relative abundance.

Facial Shape, Size, and Gender.

Traditional ways of visualizing the differences between male and female faces are often based on single-subject exemplars or artist depictions of hypermasculine and hyperfeminine faces. By equalizing the sizes of male and female facial averages, the authors analyzed the influences of intrinsic shape and size on the architecture of the face.

Supporting Parents Living in Disadvantaged Areas of Edinburgh to Create a Smoke-Free Home Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): A Two-Phase Qualitative Study.

Exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the home is largely associated with socio-economic disadvantage. Disadvantaged parents face specific challenges creating a smoke-free home, often caring for children in accommodation without access to outdoor garden space. Existing smoke-free home interventions largely fail to accommodate these constraints.

Developing standards for the microbiome field.

Background: Effective standardisation of methodologies to analyse the microbiome is essential to the entire microbiome community. Despite the microbiome field being established for over a decade, there are no accredited or certified reference materials available to the wider community. In this study, we describe the development of the first reference reagents produced by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) for microbiome analysis by next-generation sequencing.

Faecal microbiota transplant to ERadicate gastrointestinal carriage of Antibiotic Resistant Organisms (FERARO): a prospective, randomised placebo-controlled feasibility trial.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is rising, largely due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials. The human gut is the largest reservoir of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB). Individuals colonised with ARB have the potential to spread these organisms both in the community and hospital settings.

Microbial imbalance in inflammatory bowel disease patients at different taxonomic levels.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is a debilitating group of chronic diseases including Crohn's Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which causes inflammation of the gut and affects millions of people worldwide. At different taxonomic levels, the structure of the gut microbiota is significantly altered in IBD patients compared to that of healthy individuals. However, it is unclear how these IBD-affected bacterial groups are related to other common bacteria in the gut, and how they are connected across different disease conditions at the global scale.

Novel clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes associated with sewage sludge and industrial waste streams revealed by functional metagenomic screening.

A growing body of evidence indicates that anthropogenic activities can result in increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in bacteria in natural environments. Many environmental studies have used next-generation sequencing methods to sequence the metagenome. However, this approach is limited as it does not identify divergent uncharacterized genes or demonstrate activity.

Autism Traits, Sensory Over-Responsivity, Anxiety, and Stress: A Test of Explanatory Models.

The relationship between autistic traits, stress, and anxiety experienced by the general population was investigated using an adult sample that evaluated the suitability of three theoretical models proposed by Green and Ben-Sasson. Participants completed online questionnaires that were analysed using structural equation modelling and partial correlation analyses. Of the models tested, the model that proposed SOR and stress as mediators of the relationship between autistic traits and anxiety was able to explain the variance in the data better than the other models.

The widespread dissemination of integrons throughout bacterial communities in a riverine system.

Anthropogenic inputs increase levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment, however, it is unknown how these inputs create this observed increase, and if anthropogenic sources impact AMR in environmental bacteria. The aim of this study was to characterise the role of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) in the dissemination of class 1 integrons (CL1s) in the riverine environment. Using sample sites from upstream and downstream of a WWTP, we demonstrate through isolation and culture-independent analysis that WWTP effluent significantly increases both CL1 abundance and antibiotic resistance in the riverine environment.

Comparative transcriptomics as a guide to natural product discovery and biosynthetic gene cluster functionality.

Bacterial natural products remain an important source of new medicines. DNA sequencing has revealed that a majority of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) maintained in bacterial genomes have yet to be linked to the small molecules whose biosynthesis they encode. Efforts to discover the products of these orphan BGCs are driving the development of genome mining techniques based on the premise that many are transcriptionally silent during normal laboratory cultivation.