Fecal chromogranins and secretogranins are linked to the fecal and mucosal intestinal bacterial composition of IBS patients and healthy subjects.

Altered fecal levels of chromogranins (Cg) and secretogranins (Sg) are demonstrated in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but their role in IBS pathophysiology remains unknown. This study aimed to determine if granins are associated with bacterial composition, immune activation and IBS symptoms. Protein levels of fecal granins (CgA, CgB, SgII and SgIII) were analysed with immunoassays.

Altered intestinal antibacterial gene expression response profile in irritable bowel syndrome is linked to bacterial composition and immune activation.

Background: Immune activity and gut microbiota may impact the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We aimed to determine whether antibacterial gene expression of immune activity-defined IBS patients differed compared to healthy subjects (HS) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and whether antibacterial profiles reflected gut microbiota composition and IBS symptoms.

Methods: Expression of 84 antibacterial genes in biopsies from HS, IBS patients (clustered according to immune activity (systemic and intestinal cytokines): immunonormal or immunoactive), and UC patients was assessed by Human Antibacterial Response RT Profiler PCR Array.

Web monitoring of emerging animal infectious diseases integrated in the French Animal Health Epidemic Intelligence System.

Since 2013, the French Animal Health Epidemic Intelligence System (in French: Veille Sanitaire Internationale, VSI) has been monitoring signals of the emergence of new and exotic animal infectious diseases worldwide. Once detected, the VSI team verifies the signals and issues early warning reports to French animal health authorities when potential threats to France are detected. To improve detection of signals from online news sources, we designed the Platform for Automated extraction of Disease Information from the web (PADI-web).

Dysbiosis of microbiome and probiotic treatment in a genetic model of autism spectrum disorders.

Recent studies have determined that the microbiome has direct effects on behavior, and may be dysregulated in neurodevelopmental conditions. Considering that neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, have a strong genetic etiology, it is necessary to understand if genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Shank3, can influence the gut microbiome, and if probiotics can be a therapeutic tool. In this study, we have identified dysregulation of several genera and species of bacteria in the gut and colon of both male and female Shank3 KO mice.

Factors associated with influenza vaccination failure and severe disease in a French region in 2015.

Current influenza vaccination strategy is based on limited analyses of circulating strains and has some drawbacks, as illustrated during the 2014-2015 season with the circulation of A(H3N2) viruses belonging to divergent genetic subgroups. We reasoned that these strains, poorly neutralized in vitro, may have been associated with vaccination failure and more severe diseases. We conducted a study on a continuous series of 249 confirmed influenza infections.

Accelerating genetic gains in legumes for the development of prosperous smallholder agriculture: integrating genomics, phenotyping, systems modelling and agronomy.

Grain legumes form an important component of the human diet, provide feed for livestock, and replenish soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. Globally, the demand for food legumes is increasing as they complement cereals in protein requirements and possess a high percentage of digestible protein. Climate change has enhanced the frequency and intensity of drought stress, posing serious production constraints, especially in rainfed regions where most legumes are produced.

Influence of food structure on dairy protein, lipid and calcium bioavailability: A narrative review of evidence.

Beyond nutrient composition matrix plays an important role on food health potential, notably acting on the kinetics of nutrient release, and finally on their bioavailability. This is particularly true for dairy products that present both solid (cheeses), semi-solid (yogurts) and liquid (milks) matrices. The main objective of this narrative review has been to synthesize available data in relation with the impact of physical structure of main dairy matrices on nutrient bio-accessibility, bioavailability and metabolic effects, , in animals and in humans.

NMR metabolomic signatures reveal predictive plasma metabolites associated with long-term risk of developing breast cancer.

Background: Combination of metabolomics and epidemiological approaches opens new perspectives for ground-breaking discoveries. The aim of the present study was to investigate for the first time whether plasma untargeted metabolomic profiles, established from a simple blood draw from healthy women, could contribute to predict the risk of developing breast cancer within the following decade and to better understand the aetiology of this complex disease.

Methods: A prospective nested case-control study was set up in the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux Antioxydants (SU.

Listeria monocytogenes: towards a complete picture of its physiology and pathogenesis.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen responsible for a disease called listeriosis, which is potentially lethal in immunocompromised individuals. This bacterium, first used as a model to study cell-mediated immunity, has emerged over the past 20 years as a paradigm in infection biology, cell biology and fundamental microbiology. In this Review, we highlight recent advances in the understanding of human listeriosis and L.

Quantity and source of dietary protein influence metabolite production by gut microbiota and rectal mucosa gene expression: a randomized, parallel, double-blind trial in overweight humans.

Although high-protein diets (HPDs) are frequently consumed for body-weight control, little is known about the consequences for gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity and for large intestine mucosal homeostasis. Moreover, the effects of HPDs according to the source of protein need to be considered in this context. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the quantity and source of dietary protein on microbiota composition, bacterial metabolite production, and consequences for the large intestinal mucosa in humans.

Design of an extensive information representation scheme for clinical narratives.

Background: Knowledge representation frameworks are essential to the understanding of complex biomedical processes, and to the analysis of biomedical texts that describe them. Combined with natural language processing (NLP), they have the potential to contribute to retrospective studies by unlocking important phenotyping information contained in the narrative content of electronic health records (EHRs). This work aims to develop an extensive information representation scheme for clinical information contained in EHR narratives, and to support secondary use of EHR narrative data to answer clinical questions.

Changes in Soil Microbial Community and Its Effect on Carbon Sequestration Following Afforestation on the Loess Plateau, China.

Afforestation plays an important role in soil protection and ecological restoration. The objective of this study is to understand the effect of afforestation on soil carbon and soil microbial communities in the Loess Plateau of China. We measured two chemically-separated carbon fractions (i.

VacciCost - A tool to estimate the resource requirements for implementing livestock vaccination campaigns. Application to peste des petits ruminants (PPR) vaccination in Senegal.

Vaccination is one of the main tools currently available to control animal diseases. In eradication campaigns, vaccination plays a crucial role by reducing the number of susceptible hosts with the ultimate goal of interrupting disease transmission. Nevertheless, mass vaccination campaigns may be very expensive and in some cases unprofitable.

Body mass index growth trajectories associated with the different parameters of the metabolic syndrome at adulthood.

Background: Growth trajectories have shown to be related to obesity and metabolic risks in later life, however body mass index (BMI) trajectories according to the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its parameters in adulthood are scarce in literature.

Objectives: To investigate BMI trajectories during childhood in relation to MS and its parameters in adult age.

Methods: A total of 1919 subjects (43.

Relative contribution of α-carotene to postprandial vitamin A concentrations in healthy humans after carrot consumption.

Asymmetric α-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid, is cleaved to produce retinol (vitamin A) and α-retinol (with negligible vitamin A activity). The vitamin A activity of α-carotene-containing foods is likely overestimated because traditional analytic methods do not separate α-retinol derivatives from active retinol. This study aimed to accurately characterize intestinal α-carotene cleavage and its relative contribution to postprandial vitamin A in humans after consumption of raw carrots.

Future productivity and phenology changes in European grasslands for different warming levels: implications for grassland management and carbon balance.

Background: Europe has warmed more than the global average (land and ocean) since pre-industrial times, and is also projected to continue to warm faster than the global average in the twenty-first century. According to the climate models ensemble projections for various climate scenarios, annual mean temperature of Europe for 2071-2100 is predicted to be 1-5.5 °C higher than that for 1971-2000.

Whole dairy matrix or single nutrients in assessment of health effects: current evidence and knowledge gaps.

Foods consist of a large number of different nutrients that are contained in a complex structure. The nature of the food structure and the nutrients therein (i.e.

Hair analysis for the biomonitoring of pesticide exposure: comparison with blood and urine in a rat model.

Urine and plasma have been used to date for the biomonitoring of exposure to pollutants and are still the preferred fluids for this purpose; however, these fluids mainly provide information on the short term and may present a high level of variability regarding pesticide concentrations, especially for nonpersistent compounds. Hair analysis may provide information about chronic exposure that is averaged over several months; therefore, this method has been proposed as an alternative to solely relying on these fluids. Although the possibility of detecting pesticides in hair has been demonstrated over the past few years, the unknown linkage between exposure and pesticides concentration in hair has limited the recognition of this matrix as a relevant tool for assessing human exposure.

Encapsulation and Self-Superparasitism of Pseudapanteles dignus (Muesebeck) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Parasitoid of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

Endoparasitoids can be killed by host encapsulation, a cellular-mediated host immunological response against parasitism that involves hemocytes aggregation. As a counteracting strategy, many parasitoids can evade this host response through self-superparasitism. The objectives of this study were: 1) to describe the parasitoid Pseudapanteles dignus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) early immature stages (egg and larva) encapsulation by the host Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), and 2) to determine the occurrence of self-superparasitism and the rate of escaping to encapsulation of this parasitoid.

Identification of an Intestinal Microbiota Signature Associated With Severity of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background & Aims: We have limited knowledge about the association between the composition of the intestinal microbiota and clinical features of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We collected information on the fecal and mucosa-associated microbiota of patients with IBS and evaluated whether these were associated with symptoms.

Methods: We collected fecal and mucosal samples from adult patients who met the Rome III criteria for IBS at a secondary/tertiary care outpatient clinics in Sweden, as well as from healthy subjects.

Zoonotic Hepatitis E Virus: Classification, Animal Reservoirs and Transmission Routes.

During the past ten years, several new hepatitis E viruses (HEVs) have been identified in various animal species. In parallel, the number of reports of autochthonous hepatitis E in Western countries has increased as well, raising the question of what role these possible animal reservoirs play in human infections. The aim of this review is to present the recent discoveries of animal HEVs and their classification within the Hepeviridae family, their zoonotic and species barrier crossing potential, and possible use as models to study hepatitis E pathogenesis.