Anti-chlamydial activity of vaginal fluids: new evidence from an model.

Introduction: We assessed the anti-chlamydial activity of fresh vaginal secretions, deciphering the microbial and metabolic components able to counteract viability.

Methods: Forty vaginal samples were collected from a group of reproductive-aged women and their anti-chlamydial activity was evaluated by inhibition experiments. Each sample underwent 16S rRNA metabarcoding sequencing to determine the bacterial composition, as well as H-NMR spectroscopy to detect and quantify the presence of vaginal metabolites.

Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae rectal infections: Interplay between rectal microbiome, HPV infection and Torquetenovirus.

Men having sex with men (MSM) represent a key population, in which sexually transmitted rectal infections (STIs) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) are very common and linked to significant morbidity. Investigating the anorectal microbiome associated with rectal STIs holds potential for deeper insights into the pathogenesis of these infections and the development of innovative control strategies. In this study, we explored the interplay at the rectal site between C.

Gut microbiota profile in CDKL5 deficiency disorder patients.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by global developmental delay, early-onset seizures, intellectual disability, visual and motor impairments. Unlike Rett Syndrome (RTT), CDD lacks a clear regression period. Patients with CDD frequently encounter gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances and exhibit signs of subclinical immune dysregulation.

Effect of ospemifene on vaginal microbiome in postmenopausal women with vulvovaginal atrophy.

Objectives: This study aimed (i) to compare the vaginal microbiome profiles of women suffering from vulvovaginal atrophy with that of healthy postmenopausal women and to (ii) assess the effect of ospemifene and systemic hormone treatment on the composition of the vaginal microbiome.

Methods: Sixty-seven postmenopausal women attending the Gynecology Clinic of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Bologna (Italy) were enrolled. Of them, 39 received a diagnosis of atrophy and 28 were considered healthy controls.

Torquetenovirus in pregnancy: Correlation with vaginal microbiome, metabolome and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Torquetenovirus (TTV) is a negative sense, single-stranded DNA virus present in many body fluids of apparently healthy individuals. At present, it is considered a non-pathogenic endogenous virus. TTV can be detected in the vagina of pregnant women, its abundance being modulated with the extent of immune system activation.

Gardnerella vaginalis clades in pregnancy: New insights into the interactions with the vaginal microbiome.

Gardnerella vaginalis (GV) is an anaerobic bacterial species involved in the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition of vaginal dysbiosis associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. GV strains are categorized into four clades, characterized by a different ability to produce virulence factors, such as sialidase. We investigated the distribution of GV clades and sialidase genes in the vaginal ecosystem of a cohort of pregnant women, assessing the correlations between GV clades and the whole vaginal microbiome.

A Deep Look at the Vaginal Environment During Pregnancy and Puerperium.

A deep comprehension of the vaginal ecosystem may hold promise for unraveling the pathophysiology of pregnancy and may provide novel biomarkers to identify subjects at risk of maternal-fetal complications. In this prospective study, we assessed the characteristics of the vaginal environment in a cohort of pregnant women throughout their different gestational ages and puerperium. Both the vaginal bacterial composition and the vaginal metabolic profiles were analyzed.

First-Void Urine Microbiome in Women with Infection.

Background: (CT) is the agent of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Until now, little information is available about the microbial composition of urine samples during CT urethritis. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the microbiome and metabolome profiles of first-void urines in a cohort of women with CT urethral infection attending an STI clinic.

Glycomacropeptide Safety and Its Effect on Gut Microbiota in Patients with Phenylketonuria: A Pilot Study.

Glycomacropeptide (GMP) represents a good alternative protein source in Phenylketonuria (PKU). In a mouse model, it has been suggested to exert a prebiotic role on beneficial gut bacteria. In this study, we performed the 16S rRNA sequencing to evaluate the effect of 6 months of GMP supplementation on the gut microbiota of nine PKU patients, comparing their bacterial composition and clinical parameters before and after the intervention.

Curcumin Supplementation (Meriva) Modulates Inflammation, Lipid Peroxidation and Gut Microbiota Composition in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) subjects suffer from high risk of cardiovascular mortality, and any intervention preventing the progression of CKD may have an enormous impact on public health. In the last decade, there has been growing awareness that the gut microbiota (GM) can play a pivotal role in controlling the pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory state and CKD progression. To ameliorate the quality of life in CKD subjects, the use of dietary supplements has increased over time.

Distribution of , , , and Resistance Genes in the Vaginal Ecosystem of Women during Pregnancy and Puerperium.

The inhabitants of the vaginal ecosystem can harbor genetic determinants conferring antimicrobial resistance. However, detailed data about the distribution of resistance genes in the vaginal microbiome of pregnant women are still lacking. Therefore, we assessed the presence of macrolide (i.

Is Gut Microbiota a Key Player in Epilepsy Onset? A Longitudinal Study in Drug-Naive Children.

Microbiota alterations have been recently investigated in individuals with epilepsy and in other neurological diseases as environmental factors that play a role, by acting through the gut-brain axis, in the pathological process. Most studies focus on the contribution of bacterial communities in refractory epilepsy and suggest a beneficial role of ketogenic diet in modulating the gut microbiota and seizure occurrence. However, they do not evaluate whether epilepsy itself alters the gut microbiota in these patients or if the gut microbial communities could contribute as a seizure trigger.

Insights into the Role of the Microbiota and of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome.

The short-chain fatty acid butyrate, produced by the gut microbiota, acts as a potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. We assessed possible ameliorative effects of butyrate, relative to other HDAC inhibitors, in in vitro and in vivo models of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by variants in the genes encoding the histone acetyltransferases CBP and p300. In RSTS cell lines, butyrate led to the patient-specific rescue of acetylation defects at subtoxic concentrations.

Compilation of longitudinal microbiota data and hospitalome from hematopoietic cell transplantation patients.

The impact of the gut microbiota in human health is affected by several factors including its composition, drug administrations, therapeutic interventions and underlying diseases. Unfortunately, many human microbiota datasets available publicly were collected to study the impact of single variables, and typically consist of outpatients in cross-sectional studies, have small sample numbers and/or lack metadata to account for confounders. These limitations can complicate reusing the data for questions outside their original focus.

Proteobacteria Overgrowth and Butyrate-Producing Taxa Depletion in the Gut Microbiota of Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1 Patients.

A life-long dietary intervention can affect the substrates' availability for gut fermentation in metabolic diseases such as the glycogen-storage diseases (GSD). Besides drug consumption, the main treatment of types GSD-Ia and Ib to prevent metabolic complications is a specific diet with definite nutrient intakes. In order to evaluate how deeply this dietary treatment affects gut bacteria, we compared the gut microbiota of nine GSD-I subjects and 12 healthy controls (HC) through 16S rRNA gene sequencing; we assessed their dietary intake and nutrients, their microbial short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) via gas chromatography and their hematic values.

Pharyngeal microbiome alterations during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection.

Pharyngeal gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection among 'men having sex with other men' (MSM). Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) pharyngeal infections are usually characterized by the absence of symptoms, acting as an important reservoir for their further spread. To the best of our knowledge, no information about the composition of the pharyngeal microbiome during an ongoing NG infection is currently available.

Rectal Microbiota Associated With and Infections in Men Having Sex With Other Men.

(CT) and (NG) represent the most common agents of sexually transmitted rectal infections among men having sex with other men (MSM). In this study, we assessed the bacterial composition of the rectal microbiota associated with CT and/or NG infections in a cohort of men reporting unsafe rectal intercourse. A total of 125 rectal swabs were collected and four groups were compared: non-infected subjects ( = 53), patients with CT ( = 37), or NG rectal infection ( = 17) and patients with contemporary positivity for CT/NG ( = 18).

Diversity of vaginal microbiome and metabolome during genital infections.

We characterized the vaginal ecosystem during common infections of the female genital tract, as vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC, n = 18) and Chlamydia trachomatis infection (CT, n = 20), recruiting healthy (HC, n = 21) and bacterial vaginosis-affected (BV, n = 20) women as references of eubiosis and dysbiosis. The profiles of the vaginal microbiome and metabolome were studied in 79 reproductive-aged women, by means of next generation sequencing and proton based-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Lactobacillus genus was profoundly depleted in all the genital infections herein considered, and species-level analysis revealed that healthy vaginal microbiome was dominated by L.

Phenylketonuria Diet Promotes Shifts in Firmicutes Populations.

Low-phenylalanine diet, the mainstay of treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU), has been shown to increase glycemic index and glycemic load, affecting the availability of substrates for microbial fermentation. Indeed, changes in the PKU gut microbiota compared with healthy controls have been previously reported. In this study we compared the gut microbial communities of children with PKU and with mild hyperphenylalaninemia (MHP, unrestricted diet).

Unraveling gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism.

Background: Although several studies have suggested that abnormalities in gut microbiota may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of PD, data are still extremely heterogeneous.

Methods: 16S gene ribosomal RNA sequencing was performed on fecal samples of 350 individuals, subdivided into idiopathic PD (n = 193, of whom 39 were drug naïve) stratified by disease duration, PSP (n = 22), MSA (n = 22), and healthy controls (HC; n = 113). Several confounders were taken into account, including dietary habits.

Milk microbiome diversity and bacterial group prevalence in a comparison between healthy Holstein Friesian and Rendena cows.

Dry and early lactation periods represent the most critical phases for udder health in cattle, especially in highly productive breeds, such as the Holstein Friesian (HF). On the other hand, some autochthonous cattle breeds, such as the Rendena (REN), have a lower prevalence of mastitis and other transition-related diseases. In this study, milk microbiota of 6 HF and 3 REN cows, all raised on the same farm under the same conditions, was compared.