Publications by authors named "Mary Beth Yacyshyn"

Dried blood spot (DBS) analysis has existed for >50 years, but application of this technique to fecal analysis remains limited. To address whether dried fecal spots (DFS) could be used to measure fecal bile acids, we collected feces from five subjects for each of the following cohorts: ) healthy individuals, ) individuals with diarrhea, and ) infected patients. Homogenized fecal extracts were loaded onto quantitative DBS (qDBS) devices, dried overnight, and shipped to the bioanalytical lab at ambient temperature.

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Background & Aims: Although Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is known to involve the disruption of the gut microbiota, little is understood regarding how mucus-associated microbes interact with C difficile. We hypothesized that select mucus-associated bacteria would promote C difficile colonization and biofilm formation.

Methods: To create a model of the human intestinal mucus layer and gut microbiota, we used bioreactors inoculated with healthy human feces, treated with clindamycin and infected with C difficile with the addition of human MUC2-coated coverslips.

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Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the primary cause of nosocomial diarrhea in the United States. Although C. difficile toxins A and B are the primary mediators of CDI, the overall pathophysiology underlying C.

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Although intestinal homeostasis is maintained by intestinal stem cells (ISCs), regeneration is impaired upon aging. Here, we first uncover changes in intestinal architecture, cell number, and cell composition upon aging. Second, we identify a decline in the regenerative capacity of ISCs upon aging because of a decline in canonical Wnt signaling in ISCs.

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Article Synopsis
  • The rise of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections (CDI) has led to increased hospitalizations, highlighting the need to understand how it colonizes the intestine and causes disease.
  • Research found that CDI patients produce less MUC2 and have altered mucus compositions compared to healthy individuals, particularly showing differences in sugar components relevant to C. difficile's interaction with mucus.
  • The study indicates that C. difficile can reduce MUC2 production and shows a preference for mucus from CDI patients, suggesting potential new targets for therapeutic strategies against CDI.
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Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is principally responsible for hospital acquired, antibiotic-induced diarrhea and colitis and represents a significant financial burden on our healthcare system. Little is known about C. difficile proliferation requirements, and a better understanding of these parameters is critical for development of new therapeutic targets.

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