Publications by authors named "Madeline Topf"

infection (CDI), characterized by colitis and diarrhea, afflicts approximately half a million people in the United States every year, burdening both individuals and the healthcare system. 630Δ is an erythromycin-sensitive variant of the clinical isolate 630 and is commonly used in the research community due to its genetic tractability. 630Δ possesses a point mutation in , an autoregulated transcriptional repressor that regulates oxidative stress resistance genes.

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The genus, comprising at least 13 species, is associated with the polymicrobial disorder bacterial vaginosis (BV). However, the details of BV pathogenesis are poorly defined, and the contributions made by individual species, including spp., are largely unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • Severe outbreaks of fluoroquinolone-resistant Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) have been increasing globally over the past 20 years, with a concerning rise in deaths linked to these infections.
  • Metronidazole, typically used to treat C. difficile infection (CDI), is showing decreased effectiveness, mainly due to a mutation (PnimB) in its resistance that leads to constant expression of a related gene (nimB), which is crucial for this resistance.
  • The study reveals that the PnimB mutation is connected to a change in the DNA gyrase enzyme, further contributing to fluoroquinolone resistance, indicating a growing public health challenge posed by resistant C. difficile strains.
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An individual's immune and metabolic status is coupled to their microbiome. Probiotics offer a promising, safe route to influence host health, possibly via the microbiome. Here, we report an 18-week, randomized prospective study that explores the effects of a probiotic vs.

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Diet modulates the gut microbiome, which in turn can impact the immune system. Here, we determined how two microbiota-targeted dietary interventions, plant-based fiber and fermented foods, influence the human microbiome and immune system in healthy adults. Using a 17-week randomized, prospective study (n = 18/arm) combined with -omics measurements of microbiome and host, including extensive immune profiling, we found diet-specific effects.

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Background: Despite the rising popularity of plant-based alternative meats, there is limited evidence of the health effects of these products.

Objectives: We aimed to compare the effect of consuming plant-based alternative meat (Plant) as opposed to animal meat (Animal) on health factors. The primary outcome was fasting serum trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO).

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Stool-based proteomics is capable of significantly augmenting our understanding of host-gut microbe interactions. However, compared to competing technologies, such as metagenomics and 16S rRNA sequencing, it is underutilized due to its low throughput and the negative impact sample contaminants can have on highly sensitive mass spectrometry equipment. Here, we present a new stool proteomic processing pipeline that addresses these shortcomings in a highly reproducible and quantitative manner.

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Characterizing the baseline and stress-induced hormonal, metabolite, and immune profiles of wild animals is important to assess the impacts of variable environments, including human-induced landscape changes, on organismal health. Additionally, the extent to which these profiles are coordinated across physiological systems within individuals remains an important question in understanding how stressors can differentially affect aspects of an individual's physiology. Here, we present data from wild populations of the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) on both baseline and stress-induced biomarkers: plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration, plasma glucose concentration, and whole blood heterophil:lymphocyte ratio.

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