Microbial consortium involved in ferromanganese and francolite biomineralization in an anchialine environment (Zinzulùsa Cave, Castro, Italy).

Tidally-influenced subterranean settings represent natural geomicrobiological laboratories, relatively unexplored, that facilitate the investigation of new biomineralization processes. The unusual water chemistry of Zinzulùsa Cave and its oligotrophic and aphotic conditions have allowed the development of a unique ecosystem in which complex bacterial activities induce rare biomineralization processes. A diversified microbial community develops on centimeter-thick crusts that form in the submerged part of the cave.

Spiramycin Disarms without Inhibiting Growth.

Spiramycin is a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic currently used in therapy to treat infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria responsible for respiratory tract infections, and it is also effective against some Gram-negative bacteria and against spp. In contrast, , which is one of the pathogens of most concern globally, is intrinsically resistant to spiramycin. In this study we show that spiramycin inhibits the expression of virulence determinants in in the absence of any significant effect on bacterial multiplication.

Phenotyping of Fecal Microbiota of Winnie, a Rodent Model of Spontaneous Chronic Colitis, Reveals Specific Metabolic, Genotoxic, and Pro-inflammatory Properties.

Winnie, a mouse carrying a missense mutation in the MUC2 mucin gene, is a valuable model for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with signs and symptoms that have multiple similarities with those observed in patients with ulcerative colitis. MUC2 mucin is present in Winnie, but is not firmly compacted in a tight inner layer. Indeed, these mice develop chronic intestinal inflammation due to the primary epithelial defect with signs of mucosal damage, including thickening of muscle and mucosal layers, goblet cell loss, increased intestinal permeability, enhanced susceptibility to luminal inflammation-inducing toxins, and alteration of innervation in the distal colon.

Use of a Simple Pain Assessment Tool in a Shared Decision-Making Approach to Tapering Chronic, High-Dose Opioids.

Because of the opioid overdose epidemic, over the past decade, efforts have been made to reduce opioid prescribing. However, tapering patients off their chronic opioid medications can lead to opioid withdrawal and increased chronic pain, use of illicit opioids, mental health crisis, and opioid overdose. Strategies for safely tapering opioids are needed because of these risks.