Interaction of the gut microbiota and brain functional connectivity in late-life depression.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests an important role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, including depression, along the microbiota-gut-brain axis. We sought to explore the interactions between gut microbe composition and neural circuits in late-life depression (LLD).

Methods: We performed fecal 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in a case-control cohort of older adults with LLD and healthy controls to characterize the association between gut microbiota and brain functional connectivity (FC).

Differences in gut microbiota correlate with symptoms and regional brain volumes in patients with late-life depression.

Depression is associated with gut dysbiosis that disrupts a gut-brain bidirectional axis. Gray matter volume changes in cortical and subcortical structures, including prefrontal regions and the hippocampus, have also been noted in depressive disorders. However, the link between gut microbiota and brain structures in depressed patients remains elusive.

Paradox of trimethylamine-N-oxide, the impact of malnutrition on microbiota-derived metabolites and septic patients.

Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a microbiota-derived metabolite, which is linked to vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis in cardiovascular (CV) diseases. But its effect in infectious diseases remains unclear. We conducted a single-center prospective study to investigate association of TMAO with in-hospital mortality in septic patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Association between gastrointestinal symptoms and depression among older adults in Taiwan: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Older adults with depression more frequently experience somatic and gastrointestinal (GI) problems compared with people without depression and younger adults with depression. However, whether GI symptoms are predictive of elevated rates of depression among older adults is unclear.

Methods: We enrolled 106 older adults (>60 years old); 69 had late-life depression (LLD), and 37 were controls.

Lipid paradox in patients with acute myocardial infarction: Potential impact of malnutrition.

Background & Aims: Aggressive lipid reduction is recommended for patients with AMI, but reverse epidemiology, the lipid paradox, has been reported in several clinical studies. The cause of lipid paradox remains uncertain, and nutrition is one possible explanation. In this single-center retrospective study, we investigated the relationships between baseline LDL concentrations and clinical outcomes in patients with AMI, stratified by different nutritional status.

Hot water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa inhibit liver inflammation and fibrosis in rats.

Polysaccharide-rich Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa have been considered to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effects of water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (HE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into: normal diet + peritoneal injection of olive oil (control), normal diet + CCl(4) injection (CCl(4)), 1 × HE (0.