Early life stress shifts critical periods and causes precocious visual cortex development.

The developing nervous system displays remarkable plasticity in response to sensory stimulation during critical periods of development. Critical periods may also increase the brain's vulnerability to adverse experiences. Here we show that early-life stress (ELS) in mice shifts the timing of critical periods in the visual cortex.

Assessment of the piroxicam-incited model of synchronized colitis in T-cell receptor alpha chain-deficient mice.

Background: A multitude of mouse models are utilized to emulate and study intestinal inflammation. T-cell receptor alpha chain (TCRα)-deficient mice are used as a model of spontaneous colitis that has similarities with human ulcerative colitis. However, colitis is triggered late in the life of the mouse (age: 4-5 months), and inflammation does not develop at the same time in different mice.

Unraveling Metabolic Changes following Stroke: Insights from a Urinary Metabolomics Analysis.

The neuropathological sequelae of stroke and subsequent recovery are incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the metabolic dynamics following stroke to advance the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms orchestrating stroke recovery. Using a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-driven metabolomic profiling approach for urine samples obtained from a clinical group, the objective of this research was to (1) identify novel biomarkers indicative of severity and recovery following stroke, and (2) uncover the biochemical pathways underlying repair and functional recovery after stroke.

Blood-Derived Metabolic Signatures as Biomarkers of Injury Severity in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.

Metabolomic biomarkers hold promise in aiding the diagnosis and prognostication of traumatic brain injury. In Canada, over 165,000 individuals annually suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), making it one of the most prevalent neurological conditions. In this pilot investigation, we examined blood-derived biomarkers as proxy measures that can provide an objective approach to TBI diagnosis and monitoring.

Metabolomic Signatures of Alzheimer's Disease Indicate Brain Region-Specific Neurodegenerative Progression.

Pathological mechanisms contributing to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are still elusive. Here, we identified the metabolic signatures of AD in human post-mortem brains. Using H NMR spectroscopy and an untargeted metabolomics approach, we identified (1) metabolomic profiles of AD and age-matched healthy subjects in post-mortem brain tissue, and (2) region-common and region-unique metabolome alterations and biochemical pathways across eight brain regions revealed that BA9 was the most affected.

Commensal Strains of Bovine Origin Competitively Mitigated O157:H7 in a Gnotobiotic Murine Intestinal Colonization Model with or without Physiological Stress.

Cattle are a primary reservoir of enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7. Currently, there are no effective methods of eliminating this important zoonotic pathogen from cattle, and colonization resistance in relation to EHEC O157:H7 in cattle is poorly understood. We developed a gnotobiotic EHEC O157:H7 murine model to examine aspects of the cattle pathogen-microbiota interaction, and to investigate competitive suppression of EHEC O157:H7 by 18 phylogenetically distinct commensal strains of bovine origin.

Apical and mechanistic effects of 6PPD-quinone on different life-stages of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas).

N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-quinone) is an emerging contaminant of concern that is generated through the environmental oxidation of the rubber tire anti-degradant 6PPD. Since the initial report of 6PPD-quinone being the cause of urban runoff mortality syndrome of Coho salmon, numerous species have been identified as either sensitive or insensitive to acute lethality caused by 6PPD-quinone. In sensitive species, acute lethality might be caused by uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration in gills.

Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study.

The assessment, management, and prognostication of spinal cord injury (SCI) mainly rely upon observer-based ordinal scales measures. H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides an effective approach for the discovery of objective biomarkers from biofluids. These biomarkers have the potential to aid in understanding recovery following SCI.

SDS-induced hexameric oligomerization of myotoxin-II from Bothrops asper assessed by sedimentation velocity and nuclear magnetic resonance.

We report the solution behavior, oligomerization state, and structural details of myotoxin-II purified from the venom of Bothrops asper in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and multiple lipids, as examined by analytical ultracentrifugation and nuclear magnetic resonance. Molecular functional and structural details of the myotoxic mechanism of group II Lys-49 phospholipase A homologues have been only partially elucidated so far, and conflicting observations have been reported in the literature regarding the monomeric vs. oligomeric state of these toxins in solution.

Urinary H NMR Metabolomic Analysis of Prenatal Maternal Stress Due to a Natural Disaster Reveals Metabolic Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases: The QF2011 Queensland Flood Study.

Prenatal stress alters fetal programming, potentially predisposing the ensuing offspring to long-term adverse health outcomes. To gain insight into environmental influences on fetal development, this QF2011 study evaluated the urinary metabolomes of 4-year-old children ( = 89) who were exposed to the 2011 Queensland flood in utero. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to analyze urinary metabolic fingerprints based on maternal levels of objective hardship and subjective distress resulting from the natural disaster.

Antimicrobial Growth Promoters Altered the Function but Not the Structure of Enteric Bacterial Communities in Broiler Chicks ± Microbiota Transplantation.

Non-antibiotic alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) are required, and understanding the mode of action of AGPs may facilitate the development of effective alternatives. The temporal impact of the conventional antibiotic AGP, virginiamycin, and an AGP alternative, ceragenin (CSA-44), on the structure and function of the broiler chicken cecal microbiota was determined using next-generation sequencing and H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR)-based metabolomics. To elucidate the impact of enteric bacterial diversity, oral transplantation (±) of cecal digesta into 1-day-old chicks was conducted.

Comparative Analysis of the Temporal Impacts of Corticosterone and Simulated Production Stressors on the Metabolome of Broiler Chickens.

The impact of physiological stress on the metabolome of breast muscle, liver, kidney, and hippocampus was investigated in Ross 308 broiler chicks. Simulated on-farm stressors were compared to a corticosterone model of physiological stress. The three different stressors investigated were: (i) corticosterone at a dose of 15 mg/kg of feed; (ii) heat treatment of 36 °C and 40% RH for 8 h per day; and (iii) isolation for 1 h per day.

Infection by Serovar Typhimurium DT104 Modulates Immune Responses, the Metabolome, and the Function of the Enteric Microbiota in Neonatal Broiler Chickens.

serovar Typhimurium incites salmonellosis in many different species including chickens and human beings. Acute salmonellosis was studied in neonatal broiler chicks by orally inoculating 2-day-old chicks with . Typhimurium DT104.

Longitudinal metabolomic profiles reveal sex-specific adjustments to long-duration spaceflight and return to Earth.

Spaceflight entails a variety of environmental and psychological stressors that may have long-term physiological and genomic consequences. Metabolomics, an approach that investigates the terminal metabolic outputs of complex physiological alterations, considers the dynamic state of the human body and allows the identification and quantification of down-stream metabolites linked to up-stream physiological and genomic regulation by stress. Employing a metabolomics-based approach, this study investigated longitudinal metabolic perturbations of male (n = 40) and female (n = 11) astronauts on 4-6-month missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

Microbiota Transplantation in Day-Old Broiler Chickens Ameliorates Necrotic Enteritis via Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota and Host Immune Responses.

A microbiota transplant (MT) originating from mature adult chicken ceca and propagated in bioreactors was administered to day-old broiler chicks to ascertain the degree to which, and how, the MT affects ()-incited necrotic enteritis (NE). Using a stress predisposition model of NE, birds administered the MT and challenged with showed fewer necrotic lesions, and exhibited a substantially higher α- and β-diversity of bacteria in their jejunum and ceca. Birds challenged with and not administered the MT showed decreased and increased 1 in the jejunum.

Trans- and Multigenerational Maternal Social Isolation Stress Programs the Blood Plasma Metabolome in the F3 Generation.

Metabolic risk factors are among the most common causes of noncommunicable diseases, and stress critically contributes to metabolic risk. In particular, social isolation during pregnancy may represent a salient stressor that affects offspring metabolic health, with potentially adverse consequences for future generations. Here, we used proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) spectroscopy to analyze the blood plasma metabolomes of the third filial (F3) generation of rats born to lineages that experienced either transgenerational or multigenerational maternal social isolation stress.

Feather pulp: a novel substrate useful for proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy metabolomics and biomarker discovery.

Noninvasive biomarkers of stress that are predictive of poultry health are needed. Feather pulp is highly vascularized and represents a potential source of biomarkers that has not been extensively explored. We investigated the feasibility and use of feather pulp for novel biomarker discovery using H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)-based metabolomics.

Metabolism of a hybrid algal galactan by members of the human gut microbiome.

Native porphyran is a hybrid of porphryan and agarose. As a common element of edible seaweed, this algal galactan is a frequent component of the human diet. Bacterial members of the human gut microbiota have acquired polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) that enable the metabolism of porphyran or agarose.

Fecal H-NMR Metabolomics: A Comparison of Sample Preparation Methods for NMR and Novel in Silico Baseline Correction.

Analysis of enteric microbiota function indirectly through the fecal metabolome has the potential to be an informative diagnostic tool. However, metabolomic analysis of feces is hampered by high concentrations of macromolecules such as proteins, fats, and fiber in samples. Three methods-ultrafiltration (UF), Bligh-Dyer (BD), and no extraction (samples added directly to buffer, vortexed, and centrifuged)-were tested on multiple rat ( = 10) and chicken ( = 8) fecal samples to ascertain whether the methods worked equally well across species and individuals.

Corticosterone-Mediated Physiological Stress Alters Liver, Kidney, and Breast Muscle Metabolomic Profiles in Chickens.

The impact of physiological stress on the metabolomes of liver, kidney, and breast muscle was investigated in chickens. To incite a stress response, birds were continuously administered corticosterone (CORT) in their drinking water at three doses (0, 10, and 30 mg L), and they were sampled 1, 5, and 12 days after the start of the CORT administration. To solubilize CORT, it was first dissolved in ethanol and then added to water.

Urinary metabolomic signatures as indicators of injury severity following traumatic brain injury: A pilot study.

Background: Analysis of fluid metabolites has the potential to provide insight into the neuropathophysiology of injury in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Objective: Using a H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based quantitative metabolic profiling approach, this study determined (1) if urinary metabolites change during recovery in patients with mild to severe TBI; (2) whether changes in urinary metabolites correlate to injury severity; (3) whether biological pathway analysis reflects mechanisms that mediate neural damage/repair throughout TBI recovery.

Methods: Urine samples were collected within 7 days and at 6-months post-injury in male participants (n = 8) with mild-severe TBI.

Alterations in Urine Metabolomics Following Sport-Related Concussion: A H NMR-Based Analysis.

Millions of sport-related concussions (SRC) occur annually in North America, and current diagnosis of concussion is based largely on clinical evaluations. The objective of this study was to determine whether urinary metabolites are significantly altered post-SRC compared to pre-injury. Outpatient sports medicine clinic.

Urinary biomarkers indicative of recovery from spinal cord injury: A pilot study.

Current assessments of recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI) focus on clinical outcome measures. These assessments bear an inherent risk of bias, emphasizing the need for more reliable prognostic biomarkers to measure SCI severity. This study evaluated fluid biomarkers as an objective tool to aid with prognosticating outcomes following SCI.

Expeller-Pressed Canola () Meal Modulates the Structure and Function of the Cecal Microbiota, and Alters the Metabolome of the Pancreas, Liver, and Breast Muscle of Broiler Chickens.

The inoculation of one-day-old broiler chicks with the cecal contents from a mature broiler breeder resulted in a highly diverse and uniform cecal bacterial community. CM did not affect feed consumption, weight gain, nor the richness, evenness, or diversity of the cecal bacterial community. However, the structure of the bacterial community was altered in birds fed the CM diet.