Treating Autoimmune Diseases With LANCL2 Therapeutics: A Novel Immunoregulatory Mechanism for Patients With Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease.

Lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LANCL2) therapeutics have gained increasing recognition as a novel treatment modality for a wide range of autoimmune diseases. Genetic ablation of LANCL2 in mice results in severe inflammatory phenotypes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and lupus. Pharmacological activation of LANCL2 provides therapeutic efficacy in mouse models of intestinal inflammation, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis.

Modulation of colonic immunometabolic responses during Clostridioides difficile infection ameliorates disease severity and inflammation.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and its clinical symptoms can span from asymptomatic colonization to pseudomembranous colitis and even death. The current standard of care for CDI is antibiotic treatment to achieve bacterial clearance; however, 15 to 35% of patients experience recurrence after initial response to antibiotics. We have conducted a comprehensive, global colonic transcriptomics analysis of a 10-day study in mice to provide new insights on the local host response during CDI and identify novel host metabolic mechanisms with therapeutic potential.

Computational modeling of complex bioenergetic mechanisms that modulate CD4+ T cell effector and regulatory functions.

We built a computational model of complex mechanisms at the intersection of immunity and metabolism that regulate CD4+ T cell effector and regulatory functions by using coupled ordinary differential equations. The model provides an improved understanding of how CD4+ T cells are shaping the immune response during Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), and how they may be targeted pharmacologically to produce a more robust regulatory (Treg) response, which is associated with improved disease outcomes during CDI and other diseases. LANCL2 activation during CDI decreased the effector response, increased regulatory response, and elicited metabolic changes that favored Treg.

Nlrx1-Regulated Defense and Metabolic Responses to Are Morphotype and Cell Type Specific.

The Nlr family member X1 (Nlrx1) is an immuno-metabolic hub involved in mediating effective responses to virus, bacteria, fungi, cancer, and auto-immune diseases. We have previously shown that Nlrx1 is a critical regulator of immune signaling and mortality in several models of pulmonary fungal infection using the clinically relevant fungus . In the absence of Nlrx1, hosts produce an enhanced Th2 response primarily by CD103+ dendritic cell populations resulting in enhanced mortality immunopathogenesis as well as enhanced fungal burden.

Variants at the MHC Region Associate With Susceptibility to Infection: A Genome-Wide Association Study Using Comprehensive Electronic Health Records.

Background: is a major cause of healthcare-associated and community-acquired diarrhea. Host genetic susceptibility to infection has not been studied on a large-scale.

Methods: A total of 1,160 infection cases and 15,304 controls were identified by applying the eMERGE infection algorithm to electronic health record data.

Goals in Nutrition Science 2020-2025.

Five years ago, with the editorial board of Frontiers in Nutrition, we took a leap of faith to outline the Goals for Nutrition Science - the way we see it (1). Now, in 2020, we can put ourselves to the test and take a look back. Without a doubt we got it right with several of the key directions.

Increasing the Density of Laboratory Measures for Machine Learning Applications.

Background: The imputation of missingness is a key step in Electronic Health Records (EHR) mining, as it can significantly affect the conclusions derived from the downstream analysis in translational medicine. The missingness of laboratory values in EHR is not at random, yet imputation techniques tend to disregard this key distinction. Consequently, the development of an adaptive imputation strategy designed specifically for EHR is an important step in improving the data imbalance and enhancing the predictive power of modeling tools for healthcare applications.

Identification of new regulatory genes through expression pattern analysis of a global RNA-seq dataset from a Helicobacter pylori co-culture system.

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacterium that persistently colonizes the human stomach by inducing immunoregulatory responses. We have used a novel platform that integrates a bone marrow-derived macrophage and live H. pylori co-culture with global time-course transcriptomics analysis to identify new regulatory genes based on expression patterns resembling those of genes with known regulatory function.

Abscisic acid enriched fig extract promotes insulin sensitivity by decreasing systemic inflammation and activating LANCL2 in skeletal muscle.

Abscisic acid is a phytohormone found in fruits and vegetables and is endogenously produced in mammals. In humans and mice, lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LANCL2) has been characterized as the natural receptor for ABA. Herein, we characterize the efficacy of a fig fruit extract of ABA in promoting glycemic control.

Malnutrition, Health and the Role of Machine Learning in Clinical Setting.

Nutrition plays a vital role in health and the recovery process. Deficiencies in macronutrients and micronutrients can impact the development and progression of various disorders. However, malnutrition screening tools and their utility in the clinical setting remain largely understudied.