Archaeological evidence of an ethnographically documented Australian Aboriginal ritual dated to the last ice age.

In societies without writing, ethnographically known rituals have rarely been tracked back archaeologically more than a few hundred years. At the invitation of GunaiKurnai Aboriginal Elders, we undertook archaeological excavations at Cloggs Cave in the foothills of the Australian Alps. In GunaiKurnai Country, caves were not used as residential places during the early colonial period (mid-nineteenth century CE), but as secluded retreats for the performance of rituals by Aboriginal medicine men and women known as 'mulla-mullung', as documented by ethnographers.

Screening of probiotic strains to improve visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome by using in vitro and in vivo approaches.

Oral administration of probiotics has been proposed as a promising biotherapy to prevent and treat different diseases related to gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Due to the increasing research area on the characterisation of new probiotic bacterial strains, it is necessary to perform suitable in vitro experiments, using pertinent cellular models, in order to establish appropriate readout profiles based on IBS symptoms and subtypes. In this work, a collection of 30 candidate strains, belonging mainly to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, were screened using three different sets of in vitro experiments with different readouts to identify promising probiotic strains with: (1) the ability to inhibit the synthesis of IL-8 production by TNF-α stimulated HT-29 cells, (2) immunomodulatory properties quantified as increased IL-10 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs), and (3) the ability to maintain epithelial barrier integrity by increasing the trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) values in Caco-2 cells.

Reduction of product composition variability using pooled microbiome ecosystem therapy and consequence in two infectious murine models.

Growing evidence demonstrates the key role of the gut microbiota in human health and disease. The recent success of microbiotherapy products to treat recurrent infection has shed light on its potential in conditions associated with gut dysbiosis, such as acute graft-versus-host disease, intestinal bowel diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, or even cancer. However, the difficulty in defining a "good" donor as well as the intrinsic variability of donor-derived products' taxonomic composition limits the translatability and reproducibility of these studies.

Clostridium neonatale antimicrobial susceptibility, genetic resistance determinants, and genotyping: a multicentre spatiotemporal retrospective analysis.

Background: Clostridium neonatale was isolated during an outbreak of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in 2002. C. neonatale was validated as a new species within the genus Clostridium sensu stricto in 2018.

A Simple In Vitro Test to Select Stools for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation to Limit Intestinal Carriage of Extensively Drug-Resistant Bacteria.

Treatment options for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are limited and often ineffective. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising therapy for intestinal multidrug-resistant bacterial decolonization. However, clinical results are discrepant.

Core-genome multilocus sequence typing and core-SNP analysis of strains isolated in different spatio-temporal settings.

has been isolated from the fecal samples of asymptomatic neonates and cases of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Taking advantage of a large collection of independent strains isolated from different spatio-temporal settings, we developed and established a cgMLST scheme for the molecular typing of . Both the cgMLST and cgSNP methods demonstrate comparable discrimination power.

Occurrence of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Neonates and Gut Microbiota: A Case-Control Prospective Multicenter Study.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is still one of the leading causes of neonatal death. The present study reports the data from a French case-control prospective multicenter study.

Methods: A total of 146 preterm neonates (PNs) with or without NEC were included.

Early Life Factors Influencing Children Gut Microbiota at 3.5 Years from Two French Birth Cohorts.

Early life gut microbiota-influencing factors may play an important role in programming individuals long-term health and substantial efforts have been devoted into studying the development of the gut microbiota in relation to early life events. This study aimed to examine in a single study, the persistence of associations between 20 factors occurring in the early life and the gut microbiota at 3.5 years of 798 children from two French nationwide birth cohorts, EPIPAGE 2 (very preterm children) and ELFE (late preterm and full-term children).

Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: and fermentation metabolism and enteropathogenicity.

Bacterial colonization in the gut plays a pivotal role in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) development, but the relationship between bacteria and NEC remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate whether bacterial butyrate end-fermentation metabolites participate in the development of NEC lesions and confirm the enteropathogenicity of and in NEC. First, we produced and strains impaired in butyrate production by genetically inactivating the gene encoding β-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase that produces end-fermentation metabolites.

Serpin-positive Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-5644 improves intestinal permeability in two models of irritable bowel syndrome.

Probiotic supplementation can help to mitigate the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by reinforcing the intestinal barrier, and reducing both inflammation and proteolytic activity. Here, a combination of in vitro tests was performed on 33 Bifidobacterium strains as probiotic candidates for IBS. In addition to the classical tests performed, the detection of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) enzyme capable of decreasing the high proteolytic activity found in IBS patients was included.

Very Preterm Children Gut Microbiota Comparison at the Neonatal Period of 1 Month and 3.5 Years of Life.

Prematurity is a risk factor for dysbiosis of the gut microbiota due to particular birth conditions and frequent prolonged hospitalization of neonates. Although gut microbiota colonization after birth and its establishment during the hospitalization period have been studied in preterm infants, data on gut microbiota following discharge, particularly during early childhood, are scarce. The present study investigated the relationship between gut microbiota at 1 month after birth (hospitalization period) and 3.

Gut Microbiota Diversity of Preterm Neonates Is Associated With Colonization.

In adults, infections are associated with alterations of the intestinal bacterial populations. Although preterm neonates (PN) are frequently colonized by , limited data are available regarding the relationship between and the intestinal microbiota of this specific population. Therefore, we studied the intestinal microbiota of PN from two multicenter cohorts using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.

Core-, pan- and accessory genome analyses of : insights into genetic diversity.

is a potential opportunistic pathogen recovered from faecal samples in cases of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gastrointestinal disease affecting preterm neonates. Although the species description and name validation were published in 2018, comparative genomics are lacking. In the present study, we provide the closed genome assembly of the ATCC BAA-265 (=250.

Isolation and Characterization of Commensal Bifidobacteria Strains in Gut Microbiota of Neonates Born Preterm: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Bifidobacterial population dynamics were investigated using a longitudinal analysis of dominant species isolated from feces of neonates born preterm (singletons ( = 10), pairs of twins ( = 11)) from birth up to 16 months of age. We performed quantification, isolation, and identification of the dominant bifidobacteria strains. The genetic relationship of the isolates was investigated via pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotyping, and PCR was used to screen the specific genetic marker genes.

Effective Industry-Academia Collaboration Driving Polymer Innovation.

Polymer science is one of the few fundamental research fields where the results can be transferred into real-life products almost immediately. Industries need collaborations with the best researchers (universities or national laboratories) to elevate the field and favor the development of new materials, which will boost the chemical and materials business economy and ensure that innovative and sustainable polymer products are constantly being brought to the market. The mechanisms to ensure a seamless and fruitful collaboration are numerous, but few approaches really manage to incorporate the full range of polymer research from a molecular understanding to a macroscopic control of properties.

Dating the landscape evolution around the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave.

The Chauvet cave (UNESCO World Heritage site, France) is located in the Ardèche Gorge, a unique physical and cultural landscape. Its setting within the gorge-overlooking a meander cutoff containing a natural arch called the Pont d'Arc-is also remarkable. Investigating possible associations between sites' physical and cultural settings, chronologies of human occupation, and access conditions has become a major theme in archeological research.

2000 Year-old Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa) Aboriginal food remains, Australia.

Insects form an important source of food for many people around the world, but little is known of the deep-time history of insect harvesting from the archaeological record. In Australia, early settler writings from the 1830s to mid-1800s reported congregations of Aboriginal groups from multiple clans and language groups taking advantage of the annual migration of Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) in and near the Australian Alps, the continent's highest mountain range. The moths were targeted as a food item for their large numbers and high fat contents.

Tip-induced flipping of droplets on Janus pillars: From local reconfiguration to global transport.

Despite their simplicity, water droplets manifest a wide spectrum of forms and dynamics, which can be actuated using special texture at solid surfaces to achieve desired functions. Along this vein, natural or synthetic materials can be rendered water repellent, oleophobic, antifogging, anisotropic, etc.-all properties arising from an original design of the substrate and/or from the use of special materials promoting capillary or elastic forces at the droplet scale.

Three Candidate Probiotic Strains Impact Gut Microbiota and Induce Anergy in Mice with Cow's Milk Allergy.

Cow's milk allergy is a worldwide public health issue, especially since there is no effective treatment, apart from milk and dairy product avoidance. The aim of this study was to assess the beneficial role of three probiotic strains previously selected for their prophylactic properties in a mouse model of β-lactoglobulin allergy. Administration of LA305, LA307, or subsp.

Freeze-dried fecal samples are biologically active after long-lasting storage and suited to fecal microbiota transplantation in a preclinical murine model of infection.

Fecal microbiota transplantation is now recommended for treating recurrent forms of infection. Recent studies have reported protocols using capsules of either frozen or freeze-dried stool allowing oral administration in in- and out-patient settings. However, a central question remains the viability, engraftment, and efficacy of the microbiome over time during storage life.

Fatigue increases ankle sprain risk in badminton players: A biomechanical study.

Ankle sprains are the most common injury in regular badminton players and usually occur at the end of a match or training. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of fatigue produced by badminton practice on the lower limb biomechanics of badminton players. It was hypothesized that fatigue induces ankle kinematic and lower leg muscle activity changes which may increase the risk of ankle sprain.

Carriage and colonization of C. difficile in preterm neonates: A longitudinal prospective study.

Background: Premature neonates (PN) present multiple risk factors for high frequencies and high levels of colonization by C. difficile, yet data is missing about this specific pediatric population. Here, we investigated PN C.