Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gerrit J. Schut, Michael P. Thorgersen, Farris L. Poole, Dominik K. Haja, Saisuki Putumbaka, Michael W. W. Adams
Summary: Tungsten (W) is a metal that is widely present in the microbial world, particularly in the human gut microbiome. Some gut microbes can use tungsten-containing oxidoreductases to convert toxic aldehydes into acids, depending on the availability of tungsten to the microbe. The functions of other tungsten oxidoreductases in the gut microbiome are still unknown.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Desirae Chandran, Kaitlyn Warren, Daniel McKeone, Steven D. Hicks
Summary: Infant colic is a common condition with unclear causes and limited treatment options. This study found that certain molecular factors, such as microbes and micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs), in human milk may contribute to colic risk. Higher levels of certain microbes and miRNAs were observed in the milk from mothers of infants with colic, and these factors were associated with colic symptom severity. A regression model involving specific miRNAs accurately predicted the risk of colic. These findings suggest that molecular factors in human milk may play a role in colic and support the dysbiotic/inflammatory model of colic pathophysiology.
Article
Microbiology
Aya Ishizaka, Michiko Koga, Taketoshi Mizutani, Prince Kofi Parbie, Diki Prawisuda, Nozomi Yusa, Ayako Sedohara, Tadashi Kikuchi, Kazuhiko Ikeuchi, Eisuke Adachi, Tomohiko Koibuchi, Yoichi Furukawa, Arinobu Tojo, Seiya Imoto, Yutaka Suzuki, Takeya Tsutsumi, Hiroshi Kiyono, Tetsuro Matano, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi
Summary: The study found that HIV-infected patients have changes in gut microbiome composition, including dysbiosis related to chronic inflammation, with alterations in abundance of certain taxa and associations with inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, HIV-associated dysbiosis shifts the immunological balance towards inflammatory responses.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Xiang Liu, Xueling Zhu, Xiaorong Peng, Ran Tao, Zhikai Wan, Jiangjin Hui, Yongzheng Guo, Ying Hang, Biao Zhu
Summary: Lenalidomide may have an inhibitory effect on viral transcription of the HIV-1 reservoir and reduce HIV-related inflammation in patients with HIV-Associated cryptococcal meningitis (HIV-CM).
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Katherine M. Littlefield, Jennifer M. Schneider, Charles P. Neff, Victoria Soesanto, Janet C. Siebert, Nichole M. Nusbacher, Nancy Moreno-Huizar, Ian M. Cartwright, Abigail J. S. Armstrong, Sean P. Colgen, Catherine A. Lozupone, Brent E. Palmer
Summary: This study found that levels of inflammatory sIFs are elevated in the gastrointestinal tract of both HIV-infected individuals and HIV-negative MSM, and are associated with gut microbiome composition and barrier function.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Benjamin G. Wu, Imran Sulaiman, Jun-Chieh J. Tsay, Luisanny Perez, Brendan Franca, Yonghua Li, Jing Wang, Amber N. Gonzalez, Mariam El-Ashmawy, Joseph Carpenito, Evan Olsen, Maya Sauthoff, Kevin Yie, Xiuxiu Liu, Nan Shen, Jose C. Clemente, Bianca Kapoor, Tonia Zangari, Valeria Mezzano, Cynthia Loomis, Michael D. Weiden, Sergei B. Koralov, Jeanine D'Armiento, Sunil K. Ahuja, Xue-Ru Wu, Jeffrey N. Weiser, Leopoldo N. Segal
Summary: The study found that aspiration with oral commensals in mice led to short-term lower-airway dysbiosis, but induced a prolonged inflammatory response, including IL-17-producing T cells, lasting at least 14 days. Furthermore, aspiration with oral commensals decreased hosts' susceptibility to respiratory challenge with S. pneumoniae.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew Oliver, Kenza El Alaoui, Carolyn Haunschild, Julio Avelar-Barragan, Laura F. Mendez Luque, Katrine Whiteson, Angela G. Fleischman
Summary: This study found significant differences in the gut microbiome between MPN patients and non-MPN controls, suggesting that specific microbial species may play a role in the chronic inflammation associated with MPNs.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Andrology
Amanda de Deus, Gabriele Goncalves, Jenilson da Silva, Luis Claudio de Jesus, Ana Paula S. Azevedo-Santos, Hivana Dall Agnol, Silma Regina Pereira
Summary: In this study, the microbiome of penile carcinoma was described for the first time, revealing an abundant and diverse microbiota as well as inflammatory-related taxa and molecular pathways. The findings encourage further research to better understand the role of these microorganisms in penile carcinogenesis and provide opportunities for advances in diagnosis, prognosis, and early therapy.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Subin Park, Na-Eun Kim, Bang Ju Park, Hak Cheol Kwon, Yoon-Jae Song
Summary: Kaempferol, a natural compound with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, was found to significantly inhibit varicella-zoster virus replication in vitro without cytotoxicity. It exerts its antiviral effect by blocking viral DNA replication stage.
Article
Microbiology
Michele M. Moraes, Thiago T. Mendes, Leandro Borges, Alice L. Marques, Cristian Nunez-Espinosa, Dawit A. P. Goncalves, Carolina B. Simoes, Tales S. Vieira, Roberto V. P. Ladeira, Talita G. B. Lourenco, Danielle V. Ribeiro, Elaine Hatanaka, Debora Heller, Rosa M. E. Arantes
Summary: Antarctic camps, with their isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) conditions, can affect the microbiome and inflammatory responses. A 7-week expedition to Nelson Island resulted in fluctuations in the microbiome, a reduction in disease-associated microbes, and changes in inflammation markers. These findings suggest that Antarctic environments and behaviors play a role in modulating oral microbiome and inflammation.
Review
Microbiology
Shreya R. R. Raman, Christopher Liu, Kelly M. M. Herremans, Andrea N. N. Riner, Vignesh Vudatha, Devon C. C. Freudenberger, Kelley L. L. McKinley, Eric W. W. Triplett, Jose G. G. Trevino
Summary: Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome associated with muscle and adipose tissue loss in cancer patients. The human microbiota, including the gut and oral microbiomes, may play a role in the development and progression of cachexia. Dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance, can lead to chronic inflammation and contribute to muscle wasting. Restoring balance with prebiotics and probiotics may improve the quality of life for cancer cachexia patients.
Review
Immunology
Anna J. Jasinska, Cristian Apetrei, Ivona Pandrea
Summary: HIV is a result of cross-species transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) from non-human primates in Africa. Natural hosts of SIVs are able to avoid the deleterious consequences of HIV replication and CD4(+) T-cell depletion, and do not progress to AIDS despite lifelong high viremia, due to mechanisms such as superior healing properties of the intestinal mucosa, a balanced gut microbiome, cell population shifts, and genetic adaptations. Understanding these protective mechanisms may lead to the development of novel therapeutic interventions for HIV and other diseases involving gut damage.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Nour Yahfoufi, Anthony K. Kadamani, Sarah Aly, Sara Al Sharani, Jacky Liang, James Butcher, Alain Stintzi, Chantal Matar, Nafissa Ismail
Summary: Puberty is a critical period of development characterized by brain remodeling and vulnerability to immune challenges. Probiotic treatment during puberty can alleviate inflammation and gut dysbiosis, protecting against enduring behavioral disorders, with sex-specific effects.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mehdi Najar, Makram Merimi, Wissam H. Faour, Catherine A. Lombard, Douaa Moussa Agha, Yassine Ouhaddi, Etienne M. Sokal, Laurence Lagneaux, Hassan Fahmi
Summary: This study explored the application of Foreskin-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (FSK-MSCs) in immunotherapy. It was found that FSK-MSCs can interact with T cells and inflammatory signals, modulating the T cell response accordingly.
Review
Microbiology
Sonia Moretti, Sara Virtuoso, Leonardo Sernicola, Stefania Farcomeni, Maria Teresa Maggiorella, Alessandra Borsetti
Summary: Non-human primates serve as a relevant model for studying the pathogenesis of HIV-induced nervous system damage, providing evidence of complex interactions between the virus and host including immune response, viral genetic diversity, and genetic susceptibility, which may explain virus-associated central nervous system pathology and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Researchers have made progress in understanding CNS infection, neuropathogenesis, and SIV encephalitis in monkey models of HIV infection, focusing on pharmacologic therapies and reliable markers for predicting CNS AIDS development.
Article
Virology
Roux-Cil Ferreira, Jessica L. Prodger, Andrew D. Redd, Art F. Y. Poon
Summary: The long-term persistence of a population of cells carrying transcriptionally silent integrated viral DNA remains the primary barrier to developing an effective cure for people living with HIV-1. The contribution of ongoing cell division via proliferation to the latent HIV-1 reservoir is supported by the observation that proviral sequences sampled from the reservoir are often identical. However, clonality is not adequate for characterizing the dynamics and proviral composition of the reservoir due to the complexity of how infected cells are 'labeled' by proviral sequences and variation in cell birth and death rates among lineages and over time.
Article
Immunology
Yoojin Choi, Sarah Grech, Avid Mohammadi, Marie-Christine Perry, Sanja Huibner, Marie Sano, Edward Weiss, Bryan Coburn, Irving Salit, Rupert Kaul
Summary: Unexpectedly, anorectal HIV shedding during effective ART was not associated with local inflammation, but rather linked to an increase in central memory cell frequency, Ki67 expression, and higher concentrations of IL-7 in anorectal secretions. Further confirmation is needed to understand the associations seen with local homeostatic T cell proliferation.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodney K. Rousseau, Leah Szadkowski, Colin M. Kovacs, Michael F. Saikali, Rabea Nadeem, Fat Malazogu, Sanja Huibner, Carolyn L. Cummins, Rupert Kaul, Sharon L. Walmsley
Summary: The study revealed that during long-term treated HIV infection, immunologic non-responders (INRs) show elevated CD8 activation and CD4 gut homing. Gut-focused interventions may be needed in the context of INRs, and CD8 activation could serve as a surrogate endpoint for clinical interventions.
Article
Immunology
Maria Leis, Miranda McDermott, Alex Koziarz, Leah Szadkowski, Antony Kariri, Tara S. Beattie, Rupert Kaul, Joshua Kimani
Summary: The study revealed a high prevalence of violence among female sex workers in Nairobi, with a significant proportion experiencing depression and anxiety. Despite the availability of PrEP, its usage was relatively low. The findings highlighted the association between violence and mental health issues, as well as the impact of client-perpetrated emotional violence on PrEP utilization.
JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sana-Kay Whyte-Allman, Rupert Kaul, Reina Bendayan
Summary: In this study, we found that exposure to an HIV pseudotype virus led to a significant increase in the expression of ABC drug efflux transporters in CD4(+) T-cells, which was attenuated by mTOR inhibitors. Furthermore, inhibition of P-gp or MRP1 activity resulted in lower concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines in supernatants of PBMC exposed to the virus.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Rodney K. Rousseau, Sharon L. Walmsley, Terry Lee, Ron Rosenes, Robert J. Reinhard, Fat Malazogu, Erika Benko, Sanja Huibner, Colin M. Kovacs, Joel Singer, Connie J. Kim, Rupert Kaul
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate whether probiotic supplementation could reduce immune activation in HIV-positive individuals with the immunologic nonresponder phenotype. The results showed that supplementation with probiotics did not reduce immune activation markers and may have increased CD4(+) T-cell activation.
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ronald M. Galiwango, Daniel E. Park, Sanja Huibner, Abigail Onos, Maliha Aziz, Kelsey Roach, Aggrey Anok, James Nnamutete, Yahaya Isabirye, John Bosco Wasswa, Deo Male, Godfrey Kigozi, Aaron A. R. Tobian, Jessica L. Prodger, Cindy M. Liu, Rupert Kaul
Summary: The distal urethra in uncircumcised Ugandan men is immunologically rich with characteristics of an HIV-susceptible tissue site. Penile circumcision (PC) has no impact on urethral immunology and may reduce epithelial integrity, despite modest reductions in total bacteria and anaerobes.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Elissa G. Currie, Bryan Coburn, Elisa A. Porfilio, Ping Lam, Olga L. Rojas, Jan Novak, Stuart Yang, Raad B. Chowdhury, Lesley A. Ward, Pauline W. Wang, Khashayar Khaleghi, James An, Sarah Q. Crome, Michelle A. Hladunewich, Sean J. Barbour, Daniel C. Cattran, Rulan S. Parekh, Christoph Licht, Rohan John, Rupert Kaul, Kenneth Croitoru, Scott D. Gray-Owen, David S. Guttman, Jennifer L. Gommerman, Heather N. Reich
Summary: IgA nephropathy is a leading cause of kidney failure, and aberrant immune responses to mucosal microbiota, particularly Neisseria, may play a role in its pathogenesis. This study found increased carriage of Neisseria and elevated Neisseria-specific IgA levels in the tonsils of IgA nephropathy patients. Experimentally, mice with overexpression of BAFF and susceptible to Neisseria infection showed augmented levels of systemic Neisseria-specific IgA, as well as the presence of anti-Neisseria-specific IgA-secreting cells in the kidneys.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Xuyang Tang, Abha Sharma, Maria Pasic, Patrick Brown, Karen Colwill, Hellen Gelband, H. Chaim Birnboim, Nico Nagelkerke, Isaac I. Bogoch, Aiyush Bansal, Leslie Newcombe, Justin Slater, Peter S. Rodriguez, Guowen Huang, Sze Hang Fu, Catherine Meh, Daphne C. Wu, Rupert Kaul, Marc-Andre Langlois, Ed Morawski, Andy Hollander, Demetre Eliopoulos, Benjamin Aloi, Teresa Lam, Kento T. Abe, Bhavisha Rathod, Mahya Fazel-Zarandi, Jenny Wang, Mariam Iskilova, Adrian Pasculescu, Lauren Caldwell, Miriam Barrios-Rodiles, Zahraa Mohammed-Ali, Nandita Vas, Divya Raman Santhanam, Eo Rin Cho, Kathleen Qu, Shreya Jha, Vedika Jha, Wilson Suraweera, Varsha Malhotra, Kathy Mastali, Richard Wen, Samir Sinha, Angus Reid, Anne-Claude Gingras, Pranesh Chakraborty, Arthur S. Slutsky, Prabhat Jha
Summary: This study aimed to assess the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among Canadian adults during the first two viral waves. The study found that the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canada was low and lower than the levels of population immunity required to substantially reduce transmission of the virus. Ongoing vaccination efforts remain central to reducing viral transmission and mortality.
Article
Immunology
Feixue Wei, Ningshao Xia, Rebeca Ocampo, Marc T. Goodman, Nancy A. Hessol, Beatriz Grinsztejn, Ana P. Ortiz, Fanghui Zhao, Erna M. Kojic, Rupert Kaul, Isabelle Heard, Imran O. Morhason-Bello, Anna-Barbara Moscicki, Alexandra de Pokomandy, Joel M. Palefsky, Luana L. S. Rodrigues, Racheal S. Dube Mandishora, Reshmie A. Ramautarsing, Silvia Franceschi, Sheela Godbole, Fernanda K. Tso, Lynette J. Menezes, Chunqing Lin, Gary M. Clifford
Summary: Age-specific shifts in HPV16 prevalence from cervix to anus suggest that HPV infections may persist longer, or occur later in life, in the anus than cervix. This has important implications for using cervical screening results to direct anal cancer prevention.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Virology
Rupert Kaul, Cindy M. Liu, Daniel E. Park, Ronald M. Galiwango, Aaron A. R. Tobian, Jessica L. Prodger
Summary: Most HIV transmission occurs through vaginal-penile sex. The local microbiome plays a critical role in shaping the immune environment at the site of HIV exposure. However, the microbial drivers of inflammation and immune quiescence vary between the vagina and penis. Different taxa are associated with increased HIV risk and optimal microbiota at these tissue sites.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alicja Beksinska, Emily Nyariki, Rhoda Kabuti, Mary Kungu, Hellen Babu, Pooja Shah, Chrispo Nyabuto, Monica Okumu, Anne Mahero, Pauline Ngurukiri, Zaina Jama, Erastus Irungu, Wendy Adhiambo, Peter Muthoga, Rupert Kaul, Janet Seeley, Helen A. Weiss, Joshua Kimani, Tara S. Beattie
Summary: Female sex workers are at a high risk of harmful alcohol and drug use, with a significant number reporting such behaviors. Occupational and socio-economic factors contribute to this risk. Childhood neglect and violence play a role in both entry into sex work and alcohol use. Interventions targeting individual and structural-level factors are needed to address harmful alcohol and drug use among female sex workers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Eric Armstrong, Anke Hemmerling, Steve Miller, Kerianne E. Burke, Sara J. Newmann, Sheldon R. Morris, Hilary Reno, Sanja Huibner, Maria Kulikova, Rachel Liu, Emily D. Crawford, Gloria R. Castaneda, Nico Nagelkerke, Bryan Coburn, Craig R. Cohen, Rupert Kaul
Summary: The study found that after BV treatment, the vaginal microbiota shifted to dominance by Lactobacillus species, but this change was primarily driven by a decrease in BV-associated bacteria. Although there were minor increases in Lactobacillus species after treatment, they were not independently associated with reduced inflammation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Arnav Agarwal, Jennifer A. Losie, Dylan Kain, Rupert Kaul
Summary: This case report highlights the diagnostic challenges of blastomycosis, especially in immunocompetent individuals without a history of travel to recreational areas. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion and sending fungal cultures of appropriate specimens in clinically compatible cases.