The Alterations of Gut Microbiome and Lipid Metabolism in Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Causal relationship between gut microbiota and ankylosing spondylitis and potential mediating role of inflammatory cytokines: A mendelian randomization study

Associations between gut microbiota and ankylosing spondylitis have been discovered in previous studies, but whether these associations reflect a causal relationship remains inconclusive. Aiming to reveal the bidirectional causal associations between gut microbiota and ankylosing spondylitis, we utilized publicly available genome wide association study summary data for 211 gut microbiota (GM) taxa and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) to conduct two sample mendelian randomization analyses. Mediation analysis was performed to explore mediating inflammatory cytokines. We found that genetically predicted higher abundance of Lactobacillaceae family, Rikenellaceae family and Howardella genus had suggestive associations with decreased risk of ankylosing spondylitis while genetic proxied higher abundance of Actinobacteria class and Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group genus was associated with increased risk of ankylosing spondylitis. IL23 and IFN-γ were potential mediating cytokines for GM dysbiosis, especially for Actinobacteria class, leading to AS. Our study provided a new exploration direction for the treatment of AS. Lactobacillaceae family, Rikenellaceae family, Howardella genus, Actinobacteria class and Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group genus are expected to become new therapeutic targets and monitoring indicators for AS.

Characteristics of gut microbiome in patients with pediatric solid tumor

Background

Pediatric solid tumors are a common malignant disease in children, and more and more studies have proved that there is an inseparable relationship between adult tumors and intestinal microbiome, but the changes in the intestinal microbiota of pediatric solid tumor (PST) patients have been scarcely examined. This study aims to examine the differences in the intestinal microbiota features between patients diagnosed with PST and healthy controls (HCs).

Methods

To elucidate the unique characteristics of the gut microbiota in pediatric patients with solid tumors, we recruited 23 PST patients and 20 HCs. A total of 43 stool samples were gathered, and then 16S rRNA sequencing was performed.

Results

We noticed a noticeable pattern of elevated diversity in the gut microbiota within the PST groups. The differences in microbial communities among two groups were remarkable, regarding the analysis at the class level, the abundance of Bacilli was markedly increased in PST patients compared to HCs (P < 0.05), regarding the analysis at the genus level, The presence of Enterococcus was significantly higher in PST cases compared to HCs (P < 0.01), while Lachnospiraceae unclassified, Lachnospira, Haemophilus and Colidextribacter in PST cases, the abundance was significantly reduced. (P < 0.05), 6 genera, including Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Enterococcaceae and Morganella, showed a significant enrichment compared to healthy controls, while 10 genera, including Bilophila, Colidextribacter, Pasteurellales, Haemophilus, Lachnospiraceae unclassified, Lachnospira and Fusobacteriales, were significant reduction in the PST groups.

Conclusion

Our research conducted the characterization analysis of the gut microbiota in PST patients for the first time. More importantly, there are some notable differences in the gut microbiota between PST patients and healthy controls, which we believe is an interesting finding.

Alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolites contribute to metabolic maladaptation in dairy cows during the development of hyperketonemia

Metabolic maladaptation in dairy cows after calving can lead to long-term elevation of ketones, such as β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), representing the condition known as hyperketonemia, which greatly influences the health and production performance of cows during the lactation period. Although the gut microbiota is known to alter in dairy cows with hyperketonemia, the association of microbial metabolites with development of hyperketonemia remains unknown. In this study, we performed a multi-omics analysis to investigate the associations between fecal microbial community, fecal/plasma metabolites, and serum markers in hyperketonemic dairy cows during the transition period. Dynamic changes in the abundance of the phyla Verrucomicrobiota and Proteobacteria were detected in the gut microbiota of dairy cows, representing an adaptation to enhanced lipolysis and abnormal glucose metabolism after calving. Random forest and univariate analyses indicated that Frisingicoccus is a key bacterial genus in the gut of cows during the development of hyperketonemia, and its abundance was positively correlated with circulating branched-chain amino acid levels and the ketogenesis pathway. Taurodeoxycholic acid, belonging to the microbial metabolite, was strongly correlated with an increase in blood BHB level, and the levels of other secondary bile acid in the feces and plasma were altered in dairy cows prior to the diagnosis of hyperketonemia, which link the gut microbiota and hyperketonemia. Our results suggest that alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolites contribute to excessive lipolysis and insulin insensitivity during the development of hyperketonemia, providing fundamental knowledge about manipulation of gut microbiome to improve metabolic adaptability in transition dairy cows.IMPORTANCEAccumulating evidence is pointing to an important association between gut microbiota-derived metabolites and metabolic disorders in humans and animals; however, this association in dairy cows from late gestation to early lactation is poorly understood. To address this gap, we integrated longitudinal gut microbial (feces) and metabolic (feces and plasma) profiles to characterize the phenotypic differences between healthy and hyperketonemic dairy cows from late gestation to early lactation. Our results demonstrate that cows underwent excessive lipid mobilization and insulin insensitivity before hyperketonemia was evident. The bile acids are functional readouts that link gut microbiota and host phenotypes in the development of hyperketonemia. Thus, this work provides new insight into the mechanisms involved in metabolic adaptation during the transition period to adjust to the high energy and metabolic demands after calving and during lactation, which can offer new strategies for livestock management involving intervention of the gut microbiome to facilitate metabolic adaptation.

Malnutrition in Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I: Case Report of a Novel Nutritional Intervention With Improved Growth and Function While Receiving Parallel Gene Splicing Therapies

Children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) frequently experience feeding intolerance and diminished growth. Although splicing modulators to prevent symptoms are available worldwide, adequate nutrition to support growth, development, and improved quality of life remains essential. We present a case study of a one-year-old malnourished male with SMA type I who achieved improved growth and feeding tolerance with a human milk (HM)-derived nutrition intervention. Despite feeding with appropriately balanced semielemental formula, he remained severely malnourished after two months of hospitalization. Feeds were partially replaced with HM-based diet plus a HM-based fat modular. Feeding tolerance, fecal calprotectin levels, and z scores for weight and length improved while receiving the HM-based intervention. We hypothesize that the HM-based feeding reduced intestinal inflammation by diminishing pathogenic elements of his microbiome. Owing to their aberrant fatty acid metabolism, patients with SMA are uniquely positioned to benefit from HM-based nutrient acquisition even while receiving splicing modulators to stabilize the disease process.