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There is an imbalance in the gut flora of patients with epilepsy compared with healthy controls, according to a study. BingCong Hong analyzed differences in gut flora between patients with epilepsy with and without cognitive impairment (62 and 38 patients, respectively) and normal controls (100 controls). The researcher found more significant differences in the structure and composition of the gut flora between patients in the epilepsy group and the control group but no significant differences in a diversity analysis (P > 0.05). Actinobacteriota, Faecalibacterium, and Collinsella were significantly lower in the group with cognitive impairment than the group without (P...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly prevalent and a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The primary curative treatment for CRC is surgical resection of the affected bowel segment. However, postoperative complications often include a weakened gut barrier and the dissemination of bacterial proinflammatory lipopolysaccharides. Researchers discuss how gut microbiota and microbial metabolites regulate basal inflammation levels in the gut and the healing process of the bowel after surgery. "We and others have shown in the last few years that gut microbiota influences the healing process of the bowel and the restoration of the gut barrier after surgery," explain the researchers....

A team of researchers has identified specific bacteria in the gut that are associated with both mice and humans developing an addiction to food that can lead to obesity. They have also identified bacteria that play a beneficial role in preventing food addiction. Prof. Martín-García used the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) to diagnose food addiction. She and her colleagues investigated the gut bacteria in mice who were and were not addicted to food and found an increase in bacteria belonging to a group called the Proteobacteria phylum and a decrease in bacteria belonging to the Actinobacteria phylum in...

New research may help explain recurrent Crohn's disease in children and open the door to new ways to treat or even cure the devastating condition. Crohn's is a debilitating—and possibly life-threatening—inflammation of the digestive tract. It's most common in adults but afflicts children. New research suggests answers to why children with relapsing Crohn's endure repeated bouts even after appearing to recover. Rebecca Pierce found that children with relapsing Crohn's had a persistent disruption of their microbiomes—the collection of microorganisms that lives in our guts—even after inflammation was successfully controlled by treatment. "Currently, the main goal of most Crohn's disease treatments...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that affects millions worldwide. Now, a groundbreaking clinical study has demonstrated the potential of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve symptoms in patients with PD. Motoric symptoms, such as balance problems, stiffness, and the characteristic tremor, are the best known and almost always the reason for the eventual diagnosis. However, non-motor symptoms, such as loss of smell, constipation, and REM sleep disturbances, often develop up to 20 years before diagnosis in a large number of people with the disease. In Parkinson's disease, a protein called alpha-synuclein misfolds and clumps together. Those clumps...

A study of two large European patient cohorts has found that for every 10% increase in butyrate-producing bacteria in a patient's gut, the risk of hospitalization for any infection falls by between 14 and 25% across two large national cohorts. Microbiota alterations are common in patients hospitalized for severe infections and preclinical models have shown that anaerobic butyrate-producing gut bacteria protect against systemic infections. These bacteria were investigated because they are commonly depleted in patients hospitalized for severe infections. Secondly, butyrate may have protective effects in several intestinal diseases (other than infections). The relationship between microbiota disruptions and increased susceptibility...

Interactions among microorganisms within the human gut may be associated with increased anxiety levels in people with depression, according to research. Using advanced bioinformatics tools like 16S rRNA gene sequencing, researchers analyzed stool samples from 178 patients with a current or past diagnosis of depression who are part of an ongoing Texas Resilience Against Depression (T-RAD) study. The analysis revealed three networks of gut microbial communities, one of which was correlated with anxiety. While the early findings raise the possibility that gut bacteria could affect anxiety levels, further validation is needed to confirm whether there is a relationship and how...

Researchers have discovered the link between the gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease. For the first time, researchers have found that Alzheimer's symptoms can be transferred to a healthy young organism via the gut microbiota, confirming its role in the disease. The study supports the emergence of the gut microbiome as a key target for investigation in Alzheimer's disease due to its particular susceptibility to lifestyle and environmental influence. The study shows that that the memory impairments in people with Alzheimer's could be transferred to young animals through transplant of gut microbiota. Alzheimer's patients had a higher abundance of inflammation-promoting bacteria...

A randomized trial assessing whether the oral transfer of gut microbiota from mother to baby can safely restore normal microbiota after cesarean section (C-section) has found that over 42% of healthy mothers tested positive for potentially harmful pathogens and were unable to proceed with the transplant. The new research underscores the importance of screening fecal, perineal and vaginal samples to ensure safety of the transplant process. Birth by C-section is associated with an increased risk of many immune-related diseases, suggesting that the lack of maternal microbes in early life may have long-term health consequences for children. Vaginally born infants receive...

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the stomach lining and is found in more than half of the global population. Most people with an H. pylori infection have no symptoms, but it can result in gastric ulcers and even stomach cancer. A study has found that seropositivity for the bacteria—meaning a blood test has confirmed the presence of antibodies against a previous H. pylori infection—may decrease the response to immunotherapy in people with metastatic melanoma, an advanced skin cancer. Dr. Marion Tonneau led the study as part of a team under Dr. Bertrand Routy. They found that patients who...

An observational study led by Professor Hiroaki Kanouchi presents the first evidence that eating sunomono—a Japanese vinegared side dish—correlates to lower blood pressure categorization in men. "The benefits of vinegar in a healthy diet are well known. Our research is the first observational study of these benefits; we didn't ask participants to change anything," explained Professor Kanouchi. Previous studies have shown that subjects drinking 30 mL of vinegar daily had lower blood pressure but also lost weight that could account for the lower blood pressure. Sunomono is a traditional side dish made with sliced cucumber or seaweed in rice vinegar,...

Polyphenols in foods we eat can prevent inflammation in older people, since they alter the intestinal microbiota and induce the production of the indole 3-propionic acid (IPA). Polyphenols are natural compounds, considered probiotics, which we eat mainly through fruits and vegetables. The study shows the interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota can induce the proliferation of bacteria with the ability to synthetize beneficial metabolites, such as IPA, a postbiotic with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties that contributes to improve the health of the intestinal wall. Therefore, this compound would contribute to the prevention of some diseases associated with aging. Researchers...

Never before in human history have babies and children grown up so cleanly, and our diets have lost many of the elements most crucial to the health of our guts. We have become very bad hosts to our microbes. [snip] Babies and toddlers often aren’t allowed to play in the dirt or sand, and when they are, they are wiped clean immediately. Phrases like, “Yuck! Don’t play in the mud!” or “Don’t touch that bug, it’s dirty!” have become second nature. We need to unlearn these habits. By preventing babies and children from following their innate impulse to get dirty,...

The rich array of microbiota in our intestines can tell us more than you might think.Eighteen vials were rocking back and forth on a squeaky mechanical device the shape of a butcher scale, and Mark Lyte was beside himself with excitement. ‘‘We actually got some fresh yesterday — freshly frozen,’’ Lyte said to a lab technician. Each vial contained a tiny nugget of monkey feces that were collected at the Harlow primate lab near Madison, Wis., the day before and shipped to Lyte’s lab on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center campus in Abilene, Tex. Lyte’s interest was not...