E-Cigarette Use, Cigarette Smoking, and Sex Are Associated With Nasal Microbiome Dysbiosis.

Introduction: Previous research suggests that e-cigarettes can alter immune function, including in the nasal mucosa, in unique ways. The respiratory microbiome plays a key role in respiratory host defense, but the effects of e-cigarettes on the respiratory or nasal microbiome, are not well understood.

Aims And Methods: Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on nasal samples from adult e-cigarette users, smokers, and nonsmokers, we determined that e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking are associated with differential respiratory microbiome dysbiosis and substantial sex-dependent differences in the nasal microbiome, particularly in e-cigarette users.

Longitudinal changes in the cystic fibrosis airway microbiota with time and treatment.

Background: Whether there is any benefit in integrating culture-independent molecular analysis of the lower airway microbiota of people with cystic fibrosis into clinical care is unclear. This study determined the longitudinal trajectory of the microbiota and if there were microbiota characteristics that corresponded with response to treatment or predicted a future pulmonary exacerbation.

Methods: At least one sputum sample was collected from 149 participants enrolled in this prospective longitudinal multi-centre study and total bacterial density and microbiota community measurements were determined and compared with clinical parameters.

Transcriptomic signatures for human male infertility.

Male infertility is a common, complex disorder. A better understanding of pathogenesis and etiology is needed for timely diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study, therefore, was to identify genes involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic male infertility based on data from transcriptomic level supported with data from genomic level.

Co-Occurrence of G6PD Deficiency and SCT among Pregnant Women Exposed to Infectious Diseases.

During pregnancy, women have an increased relative risk of exposure to infectious diseases. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of the co-occurrence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDd) and sickle cell trait (SCT) and the impact on anemia outcomes among pregnant women exposed to frequent infectious diseases. Over a six-year period (March 2013 to October 2019), 8473 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) at major referral hospitals in Northern Ghana were recruited and diagnosed for common infectious diseases (malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV), G6PDd, and SCT.

Cystic Fibrosis Airway Mucus Hyperconcentration Produces a Vicious Cycle of Mucin, Pathogen, and Inflammatory Interactions that Promotes Disease Persistence.

The dynamics describing the vicious cycle characteristic of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, initiated by stagnant mucus and perpetuated by infection and inflammation, remain unclear. Here we determine the effect of the CF airway milieu, with persistent mucoobstruction, resident pathogens, and inflammation, on the mucin quantity and quality that govern lung disease pathogenesis and progression. The concentrations of MUC5AC and MUC5B were measured and characterized in sputum samples from subjects with CF ( = 44) and healthy subjects ( = 29) with respect to their macromolecular properties, degree of proteolysis, and glycomics diversity.