Invited review: Impact of maternal health and nutrition on the microbiome and immune development of neonatal calves.

This comprehensive review highlights the intricate interplay between maternal factors and the co-development of the microbiome and immune system in neonatal calves. Based on human and mouse studies, multiple prenatal and postnatal factors influence this process by altering the host-associated microbiomes (gut, respiratory tract, skin), microbial colonization trajectories, and priming of the immune systems (mucosal and systemic). This review emphasizes the importance of early-life exposure, highlighting postnatal factors that work in synergy with maternal factors in further fine-tuning the co-development of the neonatal microbiome and immunity.

Effect of Applying Struvite and Organic N as Recovered Fertilizers on the Rhizosphere Dynamics and Cultivation of Lupine ().

Intensive agriculture and horticulture heavily rely on the input of fertilizers to sustain food (and feed) production. However, high carbon footprint and pollution are associated with the mining processes of P and K, and the artificial nitrogen fixation for the production of synthetic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers or recovered nutrients from different waste sources can be used to reduce the environmental impact of fertilizers.

In-Depth Observation on the Microbial and Fungal Community Structure of Four Contrasting Tomato Cultivation Systems in Soil Based and Soilless Culture Systems.

As soil and soilless culture systems are highly dynamic environments, the structure of rhizosphere microbial communities is consistently adapting. There is a knowledge gap between the microbial community structure of soil based and soilless culture systems and thus we aimed at surveying their impact on diversity and composition of bacterial communities across a 10-month period in a tomato cultivation system. We compared community metrics between an soil based culture system fertilized with malt sprouts and blood meal, known for its slow and high mineralization rate, respectively and a soilless culture system fertilized with fish effluent or supplemented with an liquid organic fertilizer.

Are You Still a Postdoc? How My Scientific Identity Intersects with My Immigrant Status.

Academics in non-tenure-track positions encounter a unique set of challenges on the road toward tenure. Institutionalized policies and lack of mentors are additional burdens for foreign scientists, resulting in representation differences. Becoming a scientist has been a personal and moving journey in which my multiple selves intersect and clash every now and again.

Short-term supplementation of celecoxib-shifted butyrate production on a simulated model of the gut microbial ecosystem and ameliorated in vitro inflammation.

Celecoxib has been effective in the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders through inhibition of altered cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathways. Despite the benefits, continuous administration may increase risk of cardiovascular events. Understanding microbiome-drug-host interactions is fundamental for improving drug disposition and safety responses of colon-targeted formulations, but little information is available on the bidirectional interaction between individual microbiomes and celecoxib.

Supplementation of a propionate-producing consortium improves markers of insulin resistance in an in vitro model of gut-liver axis.

Gut-liver cross talk is an important determinant of human health with profound effects on energy homeostasis. While gut microbes produce a huge range of metabolites, specific compounds such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) can enter the portal circulation and reach the liver (Brandl K, Schnabl B. 33: 128-133, 2017), a central organ involved in glucose homeostasis and diabetes control.

Tomato plants rather than fertilizers drive microbial community structure in horticultural growing media.

Synthetic fertilizer production is associated with a high environmental footprint, as compounds typically dissolve rapidly leaching emissions to the atmosphere or surface waters. We tested two recovered nutrients with slower release patterns, as promising alternatives for synthetic fertilizers: struvite and a commercially available organic fertilizer. Using these fertilizers as nitrogen source, we conducted a rhizotron experiment to test their effect on plant performance and nutrient recovery in juvenile tomato plants.

Propionate-Producing Consortium Restores Antibiotic-Induced Dysbiosis in a Dynamic Model of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem.

Metabolic syndrome is a growing public health concern. Efforts at searching for links with the gut microbiome have revealed that propionate is a major fermentation product in the gut with several health benefits toward energy homeostasis. For instance, propionate stimulates satiety-inducing hormones, leading to lower energy intake and reducing weight gain and associated risk factors.

Development of a host-microbiome model of the small intestine.

The intestinal epithelium plays an essential role in the balance between tolerant and protective immune responses to infectious agents. In vitro models do not typically consider the innate immune response and gut microbiome in detail, so these models do not fully mimic the physiologic aspects of the small intestine. We developed and characterized a long-term in vitro model containing enterocyte, goblet, and immune-like cells exposed to a synthetic microbial community representative of commensal inhabitants of the small intestine.

Assessing the Viability of a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium on the In Vitro Gut Host-microbe Interface.

The interplay between host and microbiota has been long recognized and extensively described. The mouth is similar to other sections of the gastrointestinal tract, as resident microbiota occurs and prevents colonisation by exogenous bacteria. Indeed, more than 600 species of bacteria are found in the oral cavity, and a single individual may carry around 100 different at any time.

Rumen Biohydrogenation and Microbial Community Changes Upon Early Life Supplementation of 22:6-3 Enriched Microalgae to Goats.

Dietary supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched products inhibits the final step of biohydrogenation in the adult rumen, resulting in the accumulation of 18:1 isomers, particularly of ()-11 18:1. Occasionally, a shift toward the formation of 10 intermediates at the expense of 11 intermediates can be triggered. However, whether similar impact would occur when supplementing DHA-enriched products during pregnancy or early life remains unknown.

Emerging Trends in "Smart Probiotics": Functional Consideration for the Development of Novel Health and Industrial Applications.

The link between gut microbiota and human health is well-recognized and described. This ultimate impact on the host has contributed to explain the mutual dependence between humans and their gut bacteria. Gut microbiota can be manipulated through passive or active strategies.

Increased Respiratory Activity of Selected Oral Bacteria May Explain Competitive and Collaborative Interactions in the Oral Microbiome.

Understanding the driving forces behind the shifts in the ecological balance of the oral microbiota will become essential for the future management and treatment of periodontitis. As the use of competitive approaches for modulating bacterial outgrowth is unexplored in the oral ecosystem, our study aimed to investigate both the associations among groups of functional compounds and the impact of individual substrates on selected members of the oral microbiome. We employed the Phenotype Microarray high-throughput technology to analyse the microbial cellular phenotypes of 15 oral bacteria.

Nutritional stimulation of commensal oral bacteria suppresses pathogens: the prebiotic concept.

Aim: To identify potential oral prebiotics that selectively stimulate commensal, albeit beneficial bacteria of the resident oral microbial community while suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Material And Methods: Using Phenotype MicroArrays as a high-throughput method, the change in respiratory activity of 16 oral bacteria in response to 742 nutritional compounds was screened. Most promising prebiotic compounds were selected and applied in single species growth and biofilm formation assays, as well as dual species (beneficial-pathogen) competition assays.

Dysbiosis by neutralizing commensal mediated inhibition of pathobionts.

Dysbiosis in the periodontal microbiota is associated with the development of periodontal diseases. Little is known about the initiation of dysbiosis. It was hypothesized that some commensal bacteria suppress the outgrowth of pathobionts by HO production.

Mucosa-associated biohydrogenating microbes protect the simulated colon microbiome from stress associated with high concentrations of poly-unsaturated fat.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may affect colon microbiome homeostasis by exerting (specific) antimicrobial effects and/or interfering with mucosal biofilm formation at the gut mucosal interface. We used standardized batch incubations and the Mucosal-Simulator of the Human Microbial Intestinal Ecosystem (M-SHIME) to show the in vitro luminal and mucosal effects of the main PUFA in the Western diet, linoleic acid (LA). High concentrations of LA were found to decrease butyrate production and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii numbers dependent on LA biohydrogenation to vaccenic acid (VA) and stearic acid (SA).

Absolute quantification of microbial taxon abundances.

High-throughput amplicon sequencing has become a well-established approach for microbial community profiling. Correlating shifts in the relative abundances of bacterial taxa with environmental gradients is the goal of many microbiome surveys. As the abundances generated by this technology are semi-quantitative by definition, the observed dynamics may not accurately reflect those of the actual taxon densities.

Microbial oil-degradation under mild hydrostatic pressure (10 MPa): which pathways are impacted in piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria?

Oil spills represent an overwhelming carbon input to the marine environment that immediately impacts the sea surface ecosystem. Microbial communities degrading the oil fraction that eventually sinks to the seafloor must also deal with hydrostatic pressure, which linearly increases with depth. Piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are ideal candidates to elucidate impaired pathways following oil spills at low depth.

Growing media constituents determine the microbial nitrogen conversions in organic growing media for horticulture.

Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy food diet, however, the eco-sustainability of the production of these can still be significantly improved. European farmers and consumers spend an estimated €15.5 billion per year on inorganic fertilizers and the production of N-fertilizers results in a high carbon footprint.

Antimicrobial effects of commensal oral species are regulated by environmental factors.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to identify oral commensal species which can inhibit the growth of the main periodontopathogens, to determine the antimicrobial substances involved in these inhibitory activities and to evaluate the influence of environmental factors on the magnitude of these inhibitions.

Methods: The spotting technique was used to quantify the capacity of 13 commensal species to inhibit the growth of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia. By altering experimental conditions (distance between spots and size of spots and concentration of commensal and pathogen) as well as environmental factors (inoculation sequence, oxygen and nutrition availability) the influence of these factors was evaluated.

Mineral and organic growing media have distinct community structure, stability and functionality in soilless culture systems.

The choice of soilless growing medium for plant nutrition, growth and support is crucial for improving the eco-sustainability of the production in horticultural systems. As our current understanding of the functional microbial communities inhabiting this ecosystem is still limited, we examined the microbial community development of the two most important growing media (organic and mineral) used in open soilless horticultural systems. We aimed to identify factors that influence community composition over time, and to compare the distribution of individual taxa across growing media, and their potential functionality.

Electrolytic extraction drives volatile fatty acid chain elongation through lactic acid and replaces chemical pH control in thin stillage fermentation.

Background: Volatile fatty acids (VFA) are building blocks for the chemical industry. Sustainable, biological production is constrained by production and recovery costs, including the need for intensive pH correction. Membrane electrolysis has been developed as an in situ extraction technology tailored to the direct recovery of VFA from fermentation while stabilizing acidogenesis without caustic addition.

Methane biofiltration using autoclaved aerated concrete as the carrier material.

The methane removal capacity of mixed methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) culture in a biofilter setup using autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) as a highly porous carrier material was tested. Batch experiment was performed to optimize MOB immobilization on AAC specimens where optimum methane removal was obtained when calcium chloride was not added during bacterial inoculation step and 10-mm-thick AAC specimens were used. The immobilized MOB could remove methane at low concentration (~1000 ppmv) in a biofilter setup for 127 days at average removal efficiency (RE) of 28.