Management and referral patterns for new-onset chronic cough in primary care patients.

The diagnosis and management of chronic cough in primary care is challenging despite it being one of the most common chronic conditions. Clinical characterization of patients with new-onset chronic cough in the primary care setting. This was a retrospective study of adult patients (ages ≥ 18 years) with at least three visits with primary care providers (PCP) for new-onset cough, with at least 8 weeks between the first and third visits, within a tertiary-care center and affiliated clinics between January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2019 ( = 174).

High-fat diet disrupts REG3γ and gut microbial rhythms promoting metabolic dysfunction.

Gut microbial diurnal oscillations are important diet-dependent drivers of host circadian rhythms and metabolism ensuring optimal energy balance. However, the interplay between diet, microbes, and host factors sustaining intestinal oscillations is complex and poorly understood. Here, using a mouse model, we report the host C-type lectin antimicrobial peptide Reg3γ works with key ileal microbes to orchestrate these interactions in a bidirectional manner and does not correlate with the intestinal core circadian clock.

Microbial signals drive pre-leukaemic myeloproliferation in a Tet2-deficient host.

Somatic mutations in tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2), which encodes an epigenetic modifier enzyme, drive the development of haematopoietic malignancies. In both humans and mice, TET2 deficiency leads to increased self-renewal of haematopoietic stem cells with a net developmental bias towards the myeloid lineage. However, pre-leukaemic myeloproliferation (PMP) occurs in only a fraction of Tet2 mice and humans with TET2 mutations, suggesting that extrinsic non-cell-autonomous factors are required for disease onset.

Time-, Sex-, and Dose-Dependent Alterations of the Gut Microbiota by Consumption of Dietary Daikenchuto (TU-100).

Medications or dietary components can affect both the host and the host's gut microbiota. Changes in the microbiota may influence medication efficacy and interactions. Daikenchuto (TU-100), a herbal medication, comprised of ginger, ginseng, and Japanese pepper, is widely used in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine for intestinal motility and postoperative paralytic ileus.

Mutual reinforcement of pathophysiological host-microbe interactions in intestinal stasis models.

Chronic diseases arise when there is mutual reinforcement of pathophysiological processes that cause an aberrant steady state. Such a sequence of events may underlie chronic constipation, which has been associated with dysbiosis of the gut. In this study we hypothesized that assemblage of microbial communities, directed by slow gastrointestinal transit, affects host function in a way that reinforces constipation and further maintains selection on microbial communities.

Patient-Specific Bacteroides Genome Variants in Pouchitis.

Unlabelled: A 2-year longitudinal microbiome study of 22 patients who underwent colectomy with an ileal pouch anal anastomosis detected significant increases in distinct populations of Bacteroides during 9 of 11 patient visits that coincided with inflammation (pouchitis). Oligotyping and metagenomic short-read annotation identified Bacteroides populations that occurred in early samples, bloomed during inflammation, and reappeared after antibiotic treatment. Targeted cultivation of Bacteroides isolates from the same individual at multiple time points and from several patients detected subtle genomic changes, including the identification of rapidly evolving genomic elements that differentiate isogenic strains of Bacteroides fragilis from the mucosa versus lumen.

Daikenchuto (TU-100) Suppresses Tumor Development in the Azoxymethane and APC Mouse Models of Experimental Colon Cancer.

Chemopreventative properties of traditional medicines and underlying mechanisms of action are incompletely investigated. This study demonstrates that dietary daikenchuto (TU-100), comprised of ginger, ginseng, and Japanese pepper effectively suppresses intestinal tumor development and progression in the azoxymethane (AOM) and APC mouse models. For the AOM model, TU-100 was provided after the first of six biweekly AOM injections.

Antibiotic-induced perturbations in gut microbial diversity influences neuro-inflammation and amyloidosis in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease.

Severe amyloidosis and plaque-localized neuro-inflammation are key pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition to astrocyte and microglial reactivity, emerging evidence suggests a role of gut microbiota in regulating innate immunity and influencing brain function. Here, we examine the role of the host microbiome in regulating amyloidosis in the APPSWE/PS1ΔE9 mouse model of AD.

Divergent responses of viral and bacterial communities in the gut microbiome to dietary disturbances in mice.

To improve our understanding of the stability of mammalian intestinal communities, we characterized the responses of both bacterial and viral communities in murine fecal samples to dietary changes between high- and low-fat (LF) diets. Targeted DNA extraction methods for bacteria, virus-like particles and induced prophages were used to generate bacterial and viral metagenomes as well as 16S ribosomal RNA amplicons. Gut microbiome communities from two cohorts of C57BL/6 mice were characterized in a 6-week diet perturbation study in response to high fiber, LF and high-refined sugar, milkfat (MF) diets.

Fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide, a novel inhibitor of σB activity, prevents the activation of σB by environmental and energy stresses in Bacillus subtilis.

Sigma B (σ(B)) is an alternative sigma factor that regulates the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis and in many other Gram-positive organisms. σ(B) activity in B. subtilis is tightly regulated via at least three distinct pathways within a complex signal transduction cascade in response to a variety of stresses, including environmental stress, energy stress, and growth at high or low temperatures.

Salt stress-induced transcription of σB- and CtsR-regulated genes in persistent and non-persistent Listeria monocytogenes strains from food processing plants.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can persist in food processing environments. Six persistent and six non-persistent strains from fish processing plants and one persistent strain from a meat plant were selected to determine if expression of genes in the regulons of two stress response regulators, σ(B) and CtsR, under salt stress conditions is associated with the ability of L. monocytogenes to persist in food processing environments.