Fecal Microbiota Transplantation from Young-Trained Donors Improves Cognitive Function in Old Mice Through Modulation of the Gut-Brain Axis.

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication pathway that modulates cognitive function. A dysfunctional gut-brain axis has been associated with cognitive impairments during aging. Therefore, we propose evaluating whether modulation of the gut microbiota through fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from young-trained donors (YT) to middle-aged or aged mice could enhance brain function and cognition in old age.

Etiology, persistence, and risk factors of subclinical mastitis in a meat-producing sheep flock.

Subclinical mastitis, the asymptomatic inflammation of the udder often caused by bacterial infection, is an important economic and welfare concern in meat-producing flocks. We conducted a longitudinal observational study to: (1) characterize the etiology, prevalence, incidence, and persistence of intramammary infections during the first 8 wk of lactation, and (2) investigate the potential risk factors of lactation stage, parity, and the number of lambs reared. Duplicate milk samples (n = 592) were collected aseptically from each udder half of 37 clinically healthy ewes (9 Hampshire, 22 Polypay, and 6 Targhee) weekly for their first 8 wk of lactation.

Maternal immune activation alters temporal Precision of spike generation of CA1 pyramidal neurons by Unbalancing GABAergic inhibition intheOffspring.

Infection during pregnancy represents a risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders associated with neurodevelopmental alterations. A growing body of evidence from rodents and non-human primates shows that maternal inflammation induced by viral or bacterial infections results in several neurobiological alterations in the offspring. These changes may play an important role in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, whose clinical features include impairments in cognitive processing and social performance.

Perspectives on embryo maturation and seed quality in a global climate change scenario.

Global climate change has already brought noticeable alterations to multiple regions of our planet, including increased CO2 concentrations and changes in temperature. Several important steps of plant growth and development, such as embryogenesis, can be affected by such environmental changes; for instance, they affect how stored nutrients are used during early stages of seed germination during the transition from heterotrophic to autotrophic metabolism-a critical period for the seedling's survival. In this article, we briefly describe relevant processes that occur during embryo maturation and account for nutrient accumulation, which are sensitive to environmental change.