Combining vitamin E metabolite 13'-carboxychromanol and a lactic acid bacterium synergistically mitigates colitis and colitis-associated dysbiosis in mice.

Synbiotics may be useful to mitigate intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Here we show that combining 13'-carboxychromanol (δT3-13'), a metabolite of vitamin E δ-tocotrienol (δT3) via omega-oxidation, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremori (L.

Gut microbes differ in postmenopausal women responding to prunes to maintain hip bone mineral density.

Foods high in phenolics such as prunes have been shown to exert protective effects on bone mineral density (BMD), but only certain individuals experience these benefits. This analysis of a 12-month randomized controlled trial aimed to identify the relationship among the gut microbiome, immune responses, and bone protective effects of prunes on postmenopausal women. Subjects who consumed 50-100 g prunes daily were divided into responders ( = 20) and non-responders ( = 32) based on percent change in total hip bone mineral density (BMD, ≥1% or ≤-1% change, respectively).

Identifying Gut Microbiome Features that Predict Responsiveness Toward a Prebiotic Capable of Increasing Calcium Absorption: A Pilot Study.

Previously, we demonstrated that prebiotics may provide a complementary strategy for increasing calcium (Ca) absorption in adolescents which may improve long-term bone health. However, not all children responded to prebiotic intervention. We determine if certain baseline characteristics of gut microbiome composition predict prebiotic responsiveness.

Seasonal impacts on gut microbial composition of the Eastern subterranean termite (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae).

Termite hindguts are inhabited by symbionts that help with numerous processes, but changes in the gut microbiome due to season can potentially impact the physiology of termites. This study investigated the impact of seasonal changes on the composition of bacteria and protozoa in the termite gut. Termites were obtained monthly from May to October 2020 at a location in the central United States that typically experiences seasonal air temperatures ranging from < 0 to > 30 °C.

Effects of Prune (Dried Plum) Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Health in Postmenopausal Women: An Ancillary Analysis of a 12-Month Randomized Controlled Trial, The Prune Study.

Background: Estrogen withdrawal during menopause is associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic profile. Prunes (dried plums) represent an emerging functional food and have been previously demonstrated to improve bone health. However, our understanding of the effects of daily prune intake on cardiometabolic risk factors in postmenopausal women is limited.

Prunes preserve cortical density and estimated strength of the tibia in a 12-month randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women: The Prune Study.

Unlabelled: Non-pharmacological therapies, such as whole-food interventions, are gaining interest as potential approaches to prevent and/or treat low bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Previously, prune consumption preserved two-dimensional BMD at the total hip. Here we demonstrate that prune consumption preserved three-dimensional BMD and estimated strength at the tibia.

Prune Consumption Attenuates Proinflammatory Cytokine Secretion and Alters Monocyte Activation in Postmenopausal Women: Secondary Outcome Analysis of a 12-Mo Randomized Controlled Trial: The Prune Study.

Background: Proinflammatory cytokines are implicated in the pathophysiology of postmenopausal bone loss. Clinical studies demonstrate that prunes prevent bone mineral density loss; however, the mechanism underlying this effect is unknown.

Objective: We investigated the effect of prune supplementation on immune, inflammatory, and oxidative stress markers.

A single haplotype is widespread in white ibis () from urban and rural sites in southern Florida.

The American white ibis (), a common bird species in Florida, has become increasingly urban, with many populations relying heavily on urban and suburban habitats, which may alter parasite transmission. Parasites of ibis, especially haemosporidians, are understudied. Avian haemosporidia can have a wide range of impacts on birds, including decreased reproductive success or increased mortality.

Crop, Host, and Gut Microbiome Variation Influence Precision Nutrition: An Example of Blueberries.

Epidemiological studies have shown associations between polyphenol-rich fruit intake and bone health, and preclinical studies have shown that blueberries improve bone health. To determine the genotype and dose of blueberries that are effective in ameliorating age-related bone loss, a multi-institutional team of investigators performed in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies on blueberry varieties that differed in flavonoid profiles. Principal component analysis was used to select blueberry genotypes that varied in anthocyanin profiles.

Combining gamma-tocopherol and aspirin synergistically suppresses colitis-associated colon tumorigenesis and modulates the gut microbiota in mice, and inhibits the growth of human colon cancer cells.

Despite being shown to be effective for chemoprevention of colorectal cancer, aspirin has limitations including adverse effects and inability to block colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC). γ-Tocopherol (γT), a vitamin E form, has been reported to mitigate experimental colitis and CAC, prolong the anti-inflammatory activity of aspirin and alleviate aspirin-induced adverse effect. We therefore hypothesize that combining γT and aspirin is better than either compound singly for suppressing CAC.

Prune supplementation for 12 months alters the gut microbiome in postmenopausal women.

Prunes have health benefits, particularly in postmenopausal women. It is likely that the gut microbiome mediates some of these effects, but its exact role remains to be elucidated. This study aims to characterize the effect of prune supplementation on the gut microbiome of postmenopausal women.

Supplementation of polyphenol-rich grapes attenuates colitis, colitis-associated colon cancer, and disease-associated dysbiosis in mice, but fails to mitigate colitis in antibiotic-treated mice.

Polyphenols are known to interact with gut microbes that play key roles in maintaining gut health, but the role of gut microbiota modulation by polyphenols in mitigating colonic diseases is not fully established. We hypothesize that the interaction of polyphenols with the gut microbiota contributes to the attenuation of colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC). To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of dietary supplementation of polyphenol-rich grape powder (GP) on azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, CAC, and the gut microbiota in mice (study 1), and further compared anti-colitis effects of GP in regular and antibiotic-treated mice (study 2).

Prunes preserve hip bone mineral density in a 12-month randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women: the Prune Study.

Background: Dietary consumption of prunes has favorable impacts on bone health, but more research is necessary to improve upon study designs and refine our understandings.

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of prunes (50 g or 100 g/d) on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women during a 12-mo dietary intervention. Secondary outcomes include effects on bone biomarkers.

Rationale and study design of Randomized Controlled Trial of Dietary Supplementation with prune (dried plums) on bone density, geometry, and estimated bone strength in postmenopausal women: The Prune study.

The use of non-pharmacological alternatives to pharmacological interventions, e.g., nutritional therapy, to improve or maintain bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women has gained traction over the past decade, but limited data exist regarding its efficacy.

Bacterial Biofilms and Their Implications in Pathogenesis and Food Safety.

Biofilm formation is an integral part of the microbial life cycle in nature. In food processing environments, bacterial transmissions occur primarily through raw or undercooked foods and by cross-contamination during unsanitary food preparation practices. Foodborne pathogens form biofilms as a survival strategy in various unfavorable environments, which also become a frequent source of recurrent contamination and outbreaks of foodborne illness.

Regulation of host phenotypic plasticity by gut symbiont communities in the eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes).

Termites are eusocial insects that host a range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut symbionts and can differentiate into a range of caste phenotypes. Soldier caste differentiation from termite workers follows two successive molts (worker-presoldier-soldier) that are driven at the endocrine level by juvenile hormone (JH). Although physiological and eusocial mechanisms tied to JH signaling have been studied, the role of gut symbionts in the caste differentiation process is poorly understood.

Effect of a carbohydrase admixture in growing pigs fed wheat-based diets in thermoneutral and heat stress conditions.

The efficacy of exogenous carbohydrases in pig diets has been suggested to depend on enzyme activity and dietary fiber composition, but recent evidence suggests other factors such as ambient temperature might be important as well. Therefore, we investigated the effect of heat stress (HS) on the efficacy of a multienzyme carbohydrase blend in growing pigs. Ninety-six (barrows: gilts; 1:1) growing pigs with initial body weight (BW) of 20.

Influence of Filter Pore Size on Composition and Relative Abundance of Bacterial Communities and Select Host-Specific MST Markers in Coastal Waters of Southern Lake Michigan.

Water clarity is often the primary guiding factor in determining whether a prefiltration step is needed to increase volumes processed for a range of microbial endpoints. In this study, we evaluate the effect of filter pore size on the bacterial communities detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and incidence of two host-specific microbial source tracking (MST) markers in a range of coastal waters from southern Lake Michigan, using two independent data sets collected in 2015 (bacterial communities) and 2016-2017 (MST markers). Water samples were collected from river, shoreline, and offshore areas.

A zero-inflated non-negative matrix factorization for the deconvolution of mixed signals of biological data.

A latent factor model for count data is popularly applied in deconvoluting mixed signals in biological data as exemplified by sequencing data for transcriptome or microbiome studies. Due to the availability of pure samples such as single-cell transcriptome data, the accuracy of the estimates could be much improved. However, the advantage quickly disappears in the presence of excessive zeros.

Emerging strategies for precision microbiome management in diverse agroecosystems.

Substantial efforts to characterize the structural and functional diversity of soil, plant and insect-associated microbial communities have illuminated the complex interacting domains of crop-associated microbiomes that contribute to agroecosystem health. As a result, plant-associated microorganisms have emerged as an untapped resource for combating challenges to agricultural sustainability. However, despite growing interest in maximizing microbial functions for crop production, resource efficiency and stress resistance, research has struggled to harness the beneficial properties of agricultural microbiomes to improve crop performance.

Blueberry polyphenols alter gut microbiota & phenolic metabolism in rats.

Consuming polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, is associated with beneficial health outcomes. Interest in enhancing polyphenol intakes via dietary supplements has grown, though differences in fruit versus supplement matrix on gut microbiota and ultimate phenolic metabolism to bioactive metabolites are unknown. To evaluate this, 5-month-old, ovariectomized, Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged for 90 d with a purified extract of blueberry polyphenols (0, 50, 250, or 1000 mg total polyphenols per kg bw per d) or lyophilized blueberries (50 mg total polyphenols per kg bw per d, equivalent to 150 g fresh blueberries per day in humans).

Vitamin E alpha- and gamma-tocopherol mitigate colitis, protect intestinal barrier function and modulate the gut microbiota in mice.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) including colitis are intestinal disorders characterized by chronic inflammation, barrier dysfunction and dysbiosis. Specific forms of vitamin E have been shown to attenuate colitis, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of α-tocopherol (αT) and γ-tocopherol-rich tocopherols (γTmT) on gut inflammation, barrier integrity and microbiota in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice.

Vitamin E delta-tocotrienol and metabolite 13'-carboxychromanol inhibit colitis-associated colon tumorigenesis and modulate gut microbiota in mice.

The gut microbiota play important roles in colon cancer. Vitamin E δ-tocotrienol (δTE) and its metabolite δTE-13'-carboxychromanol (δTE-13') are known to have cancer-preventive effects, but their impact on gut flora during tumorigenesis and the role of the metabolite in δTE's beneficial effects remain to be determined. In the murine colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC) induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), we show that δTE and δTE-13' inhibited the multiplicity of large adenomas (>2 mm) by 34% (P<.

Skeletal Protection and Promotion of Microbiome Diversity by Dietary Boosting of the Endogenous Antioxidant Response.

There is an unmet need for interventions with better compliance that prevent the adverse effects of sex steroid deficiency on the musculoskeletal system. We identified a blueberry cultivar (Montgomerym [Mont]) that added to the diet protects female mice from musculoskeletal loss and body weight changes induced by ovariectomy. Mont, but not other blueberries, increased the endogenous antioxidant response by bypassing the traditional antioxidant transcription factor Nrf2 and without activating estrogen receptor canonical signaling.

Utilization of multiple microbial tools to evaluate efficacy of restoration strategies to improve recreational water quality at a Lake Michigan Beach (Racine, WI).

Hydro-meteorological conditions facilitate transport of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) to the nearshore environment, affecting recreational water quality. North Beach (Racine, Wisconsin, United States), is an exemplar public beach site along Lake Michigan, where precipitation-mediated surface runoff, wave encroachment, stormwater and tributary outflow were demonstrated to contribute to beach advisories. Multiple restoration actions, including installation of a stormwater retention wetland, were successfully deployed to improve recreational water quality.