The primate gut microbiota contributes to interspecific differences in host metabolism.

Because large brains are energetically expensive, they are associated with metabolic traits that facilitate energy availability across vertebrates. However, the biological underpinnings driving these traits are not known. Given its role in regulating host metabolism in disease studies, we hypothesized that the gut microbiome contributes to variation in normal cross-vertebrate species differences in metabolism, including those associated with the brain's energetic requirements.

Interactions with alloparents are associated with the diversity of infant skin and fecal bacterial communities in Chicago, United States.

Introduction: Social interactions shape the infant microbiome by providing opportunities for caregivers to spread bacteria through physical contact. With most research focused on the impact of maternal-infant contact on the infant gut microbiome, it is unclear how alloparents (i.e.

Bringing door-to-needle times within the European benchmarks results in better stroke patients outcomes in a spoke hospital from the Apulian Region.

Introduction: Door-to-needle time (DNT) is a key factor in acute stroke treatment success. We retrospectively analysed the effects of a new protocol aimed at reducing treatment delays in our single-centre observational series over a 1-year period (from October 1st 2021 to September 30th 2022).

Methods: The time frame was divided into two semesters as a new protocol was started at the beginning of the second semester to ensure a rapid evaluation, imaging, and intravenous thrombolysis in all stroke patients attending our spoke-hospital serving 200,000 inhabitants.

Lemierre's syndrome complicated by cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: A life threatening and rare disease successfully treated with empiric antimicrobial therapy and conservative approach.

Lemierre's syndrome (LS) is a "forgotten" condition characterized by septic thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein that follows an otolaryngological infection. Fusobacterium necrophorum is the aetiological agent responsible for the syndrome in adolescents and young adults whereas in older people even common bacteria are involved. Complications arise from spreading of septic emboli distally, to the brain, lungs, bones and internal organs everywhere in the body.

Sourdough bacterial dynamics revealed by metagenomic analysis in Brazil.

This study dealt with the influence of the temperature on the bacterial dynamics of two spontaneously fermented wheat sourdoughs, propagated at 21 ± 1 °C (SD1) and 30 ± 1 °C (SD2), during nine backslopping steps (BS1 to BS9). Proteobacteria was the only phylum found in flour. Escherichia hermannii was predominant, followed by Kosakonia cowanii, besides species belonging to the genera Pantoea and Pseudomonas.

Effects of Sourdough on FODMAPs in Bread and Potential Outcomes on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients and Healthy Subjects.

Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) are an heterogeneous group of compounds that can be poorly digested and may have a range of effects on gastrointestinal processes. FODMAPs are found in a wide variety of foods, including bread. FODMAPs' intake is associated with the onset of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Application of real-time PCR (qPCR) for characterization of microbial populations and type of milk in dairy food products.

Dairy foods represent an important sector of the food market for their nutritional qualities and their organoleptic characteristics, which are often linked to tradition and to region. These products are typically protected by labels such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). Real-time PCR (qPCR) is a fundamental tool in "Food Genomics;" a discipline concerned with the residual DNA in food, which, alongside traditional physical and chemical methods, is frequently used to determine product safety, quality and authenticity.

Isolation, promoter analysis and expression profile of Dreb2 in response to drought stress in wheat ancestors.

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses, constraining crop production seriously. The dehydration responsive element binding proteins (DREBs) are important plant-specific transcription factors that respond to various abiotic stresses and consequently induce abiotic stress-related genes that impart stress endurance in plants. Wild species are naturally exposed to various abiotic stresses and potentially harbor suitable alleles through natural selection.

Genetic characterization of Italian tomato varieties and their traceability in tomato food products-Sardaro-2012-Food Science & Nutrition-Wiley Online Library.

Genetic diversity underlies the improvement of crops by plant breeding. Landraces of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) can contain valuable alleles not common in modern germplasms.

Clinical features of headache patients with fibromyalgia comorbidity.

Our previous study assessed the prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome in migraine and tension-type headache. We aimed to update our previous results, considering a larger cohort of primary headache patients who came for the first time at our tertiary headache ambulatory. A consecutive sample of 1,123 patients was screened.

A case of early-onset and monophasic trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia: could it be a SUNCT?

A 2-year-old female came to the Neurological Emergency Room of "Giovanni XXIII" Hospital in Bari, 6 h after the onset of severe facial pain, which occurred soon after awakening. Stabbing pain affected the right frontal and periorbital area, with ipsilateral conjunctival injection, swelling of the eyelids and tearing. Except the duration, from 5 to 30 s.

Laser evoked potentials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The pathophysiological mechanism of the pain in ALS is still unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the laser evoked potentials (LEPs) in ALS patients in relation to their clinical features. Twenty-four ALS patients were selected.

Pain perception and laser evoked potentials during menstrual cycle in migraine.

The association between estrogens "withdrawal" and attacks of migraine without aura is well-known. The aim of the study was to examine the features of laser evoked potentials (LEPs), including habituation, in women suffering from migraine without aura versus healthy controls, during the pre-menstrual and late luteal phases. Nine migraine without aura and 10 non-migraine healthy women, were evaluated during the pre-menstrual phase and late luteal phase.

Fibromyalgia comorbidity in primary headaches.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition of unknown aetiology characterized by diffuse pain and tenderness at tender points. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and clinical features of FMS in the different forms of primary headaches, in a tertiary headache centre. Primary headache patients (n = 217) were selected and submitted to the Total Tenderness Score, anxiety and depression scales, Migraine Disability Assessment, allodynia questionnaire, Short Form 36 Health Survey and the Medical Outcomes Study-Sleep Scale.

Recombinant near-isogenic lines: a resource for the mendelization of heterotic QTL in maize.

Although heterosis is widely exploited in agriculture, a clear understanding of its genetic bases is still elusive. This work describes the development of maize recombinant near-isogenic lines (NILs) for the mendelization of six heterotic QTL previously identified based on a maize (Zea mays L.) RIL population.

Laser evoked potentials in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the function of Adelta fibers at the hand level in patients with clinical symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) using CO(2) laser evoked potentials (LEPs), in light of the intensity and distribution of sensory symptoms and pain.

Methods: Thirty-four CTS outpatients (62 hands) were compared to 23 sex- and age-matched control subjects (46 hands). The periungueal skin of the first, second, third and fifth fingers, and the dorsum of the hands were stimulated in random order.

Central sensitisation phenomena in primary headaches: overview of a preventive therapeutic approach.

Central sensitisation phenomena have been well recognized in the development of migraine attacks and tension type headache. It is also known that headache frequency is related to sensitization. Though some studies have focused on the effects of symptomatic treatment on allodynia, few reports have described the action of preventive agents on the facilitating factors for central sensitisation.

Electrophysiological study in 2 children with transient hypohidrosis induced by topiramate.

Objective: Hypohidrosis, often associated with hyperthermia, has been reported, mostly in children, as a rare and reversible adverse effect of topiramate, an anticonvulsant drug with a broad spectrum of antiepileptic activity. The aim of our study is to detect a possible skin innervation involvement as the mechanism underlying hypohidrosis in children treated with topiramate.

Methods: A neurophysiological study has been performed on 2 children who have developed hypohidrosis under topiramate treatment.

Aesthetic value of paintings affects pain thresholds.

Pain is modulated by cognitive factors, including attention and emotions. In this study we evaluated the distractive effect of aesthetic appreciation on subjectively rated pain (visual analogue scale;VAS) and multi-channel evoked potentials induced by CO(2) laser stimulation of the left hand in twelve healthy volunteers. Subjects were stimulated by laser in the absence of other external stimulation (baseline condition) and while looking at different paintings they had previously rated as beautiful, neutral or ugly.

Effects of topiramate and levetiracetam vs placebo on habituation of contingent negative variation in migraine patients.

Migraine is characterized by reduced habituation of multimodal evoked potentials, which in turn reflects an abnormal pattern of cortical excitability. We assessed the effects of a 2-month treatment with topiramate or levetiracetam vs placebo on contingent negative variation (CNV) habituation and amplitude in a cohort of migraine without aura (MO) patients. Forty-five MO patients were selected from a university-based outpatient clinic and randomly assigned to 100mg topiramate or 1000mg levetiracetam or placebo in a double-blind design.

Effects of distraction versus spatial discrimination on laser-evoked potentials in migraine.

Objectives: To evaluate whether migraine patients exhibit less inhibition to painful stimuli when distracted from pain as compared to healthy subjects, testing the spatial discrimination of painful stimuli, the performance during the mental arithmetic task used to contrast the discrimination performance and the behavior of N1 and N2-P2 laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) amplitudes during spatial discrimination and during distraction.

Methods: Eight migraine patients and 8 healthy controls were examined. During repetitive series of painful laser stimulation of the hand, they had to (1) perform a spatial discrimination task, contrasted by (2) a mental arithmetic task that served as distraction.

Influence of aesthetic perception on visual event-related potentials.

The aim of the study was to assess the effects of visual aesthetic perception on event-related potentials (ERPs). Eight subjects assigned an aesthetic judgment (beautiful, neutral, or ugly) and a 10-step beauty estimation to the target stimuli, consisting of famous artistic pictures and geometric shapes. In a further task, the subjects performed a motor response to the previously judged pictures and geometric shapes.

Effects of the remote C fibres stimulation induced by capsaicin on the blink reflex in chronic migraine.

The aim of this study was to test the function of the diffuse noxious inhibitory control system (DNIC) in chronic and episodic migraine, exploring the blink reflex (BR) modifications induced by topical application of capsaicin on the hand. We evaluated 11 migraine without aura (MA) and nine chronic migraine (CM) patients during the not symptomatic phase; they were compared with 14 non-headache subjects (N). The BR was elicited by weak electrical stimuli delivered to the right supraorbital nerve; it was obtained 10 min and 20 min after the application of 1 ml of 3% capsaicin in a cream base (Teofarma) on the skin of the dorsum of the right hand, and 60 min after capsaicin removal.