Autonomic Nervous System Neuroanatomical Alterations Could Provoke and Maintain Gastrointestinal Dysbiosis in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Novel Microbiome-Host Interaction Mechanistic Hypothesis

Dysbiosis secondary to environmental factors, including dietary patterns, antibiotics use, pollution exposure, and other lifestyle factors, has been associated to many non-infective chronic inflammatory diseases. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is related to maternal inflammation, although there is no conclusive evidence that affected individuals suffer from systemic low-grade inflammation as in many psychological and psychiatric diseases. However, neuro-inflammation and neuro-immune abnormalities are observed within ASD-affected individuals. Rebalancing human gut microbiota to treat disease has been widely investigated with inconclusive and contradictory findings. These observations strongly suggest that the forms of dysbiosis encountered in ASD-affected individuals could also originate from autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning abnormalities, a common neuro-anatomical alteration underlying ASD. According to this hypothesis, overactivation of the sympathetic branch of the ANS, due to the fact of an ASD-specific parasympathetic activity deficit, induces deregulation of the gut-brain axis, attenuating intestinal immune and osmotic homeostasis. This sets-up a dysbiotic state, that gives rise to immune and osmotic dysregulation, maintaining dysbiosis in a vicious cycle. Here, we explore the mechanisms whereby ANS imbalances could lead to alterations in intestinal microbiome-host interactions that may contribute to the severity of ASD by maintaining the brain-gut axis pathways in a dysregulated state.

Next-generation ingestible devices: sensing, locomotion and navigation

There is significant interest in exploring the human body's internal activities and measuring important parameters to understand, treat and diagnose the digestive system environment and related diseases. Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is widely used for gastrointestinal (GI) tract exploration due to its effectiveness as it provides no pain and is totally tolerated by the patient. Current ingestible sensing technology provides a valuable diagnostic tool to establish a platform for monitoring the physiological and biological activities inside the human body. It is also used for visualizing the GI tract to observe abnormalities by recording the internal cavity while moving. However, the capsule endoscopy is still passive, and there is no successful locomotion method to control its mobility through the whole GI tract. Drug delivery, localization of abnormalities, cost reduction and time consumption are improvements that can be gained from having active ingestible WCEs. In this article, the current technological developments of ingestible devices including sensing, locomotion and navigation are discussed and compared. The main features required to implement next-generation active WCEs are explored. The methods are evaluated in terms of the most important features such as safety, velocity, complexity of design, control, and power consumption.

The Potential of Lactobacillus spp. for Modulating Oxidative Stress in the Gastrointestinal Tract

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is crucial for food digestion and nutrient absorption in humans. However, the GI tract is usually challenged with oxidative stress that can be induced by various factors, such as exogenous pathogenic microorganisms and dietary alterations. As a part of gut microbiota, Lactobacillus spp. play an important role in modulating oxidative stress in cells and tissues, especially in the GI tract. Oxidative stress is linked with excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can be formed by a few enzymes, such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (NOXs). The redox mechanisms of Lactobacillus spp. may contribute to the downregulation of these ROS-forming enzymes. In addition, nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) are two common transcription factors, through which Lactobacillus spp. modulate oxidative stress as well. As oxidative stress is closely associated with inflammation and certain diseases, Lactobacillus spp. could potentially be applied for early treatment and amelioration of these diseases, either individually or together with prebiotics. However, further research is required for revealing their mechanisms of action as well as their extensive application in the future.

Facilitation of Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract Microbiome-Derived Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Entry Into Human Neurons by Amyloid Beta-42 (Aβ42) Peptide

Human gastrointestinal (GI)-tract microbiome-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS): (i) has been recently shown to target, accumulate within, and eventually encapsulate neuronal nuclei of the human central nervous system (CNS) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain; and (ii) this action appears to impede and restrict the outward flow of genetic information from neuronal nuclei. It has previously been shown that in LPS-encased neuronal nuclei in AD brain there is a specific disruption in the output and expression of two AD-relevant, neuron-specific markers encoding the cytoskeletal neurofilament light (NF-L) chain protein and the synaptic phosphoprotein synapsin-1 (SYN1) involved in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. The biophysical mechanisms involved in the facilitation of the targeting of LPS to neuronal cells and nuclei and eventual nuclear envelopment and functional disruption are not entirely clear. In this “Perspectives article” we discuss current advances, and consider future directions in this research area, and provide novel evidence in human neuronal-glial (HNG) cells in primary culture that the co-incubation of LPS with amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) peptide facilitates the association of LPS with neuronal cells. These findings: (i) support a novel pathogenic role for Aβ42 peptides in neurons via the formation of pores across the nuclear membrane and/or a significant biophysical disruption of the neuronal nuclear envelope; and (ii) advance the concept that the Aβ42 peptide-facilitated entry of LPS into brain neurons, accession of neuronal nuclei, and down-regulation of neuron-specific components such as NF-L and SYN1 may contribute significantly to neuropathological deficits as are characteristically observed in AD-affected brain.

Localization and Tracking of Implantable Biomedical Sensors

Implantable sensor systems are effective tools for biomedical diagnosis, visualization and treatment of various health conditions, attracting the interest of researchers, as well as healthcare practitioners. These systems efficiently and conveniently provide essential data of the body part being diagnosed, such as gastrointestinal (temperature, pH, pressure) parameter values, blood glucose and pressure levels and electrocardiogram data. Such data are first transmitted from the implantable sensor units to an external receiver node or network and then to a central monitoring and control (computer) unit for analysis, diagnosis and/or treatment. Implantable sensor units are typically in the form of mobile microrobotic capsules or implanted stationary (body-fixed) units. In particular, capsule-based systems have attracted significant research interest recently, with a variety of applications, including endoscopy, microsurgery, drug delivery and biopsy. In such implantable sensor systems, one of the most challenging problems is the accurate localization and tracking of the microrobotic sensor unit (e.g., robotic capsule) inside the human body. This article presents a literature review of the existing localization and tracking techniques for robotic implantable sensor systems with their merits and limitations and possible solutions of the proposed localization methods. The article also provides a brief discussion on the connection and cooperation of such techniques with wearable biomedical sensor systems.

Ghrelin-immunoreactive cells in the gastrointestinal tract of hypertensive rats

INTRODUCTION

Ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone secreted by the endocrine cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, has recently been shown to affect the function of the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to assess the number and morphology of ghrelin-immunopositive (GhrIP) cells in the gastrointestinal tract of rats at different developmental phases of experimentally evoked renovascular hypertension.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study involved 40 rats divided into two groups: control (C; n = 20) and rats with experimentally induced hypertension (EH; n = 20). The Goldblatt model of two-kidneys, one clip (2K1C) was used to induce hypertension. Renovascular hypertension was maintained for either 3 (EH1 group; n = 10) or 42 (EH2 group; n = 10) days. Paraffin sections from the cardia, corpus and pylorus of the stomach, as well as from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon were processed for peroxidase immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

The number of GhrIP cells was significantly higher in the cardia and corpus of the stomach as well as the duodenum and jejunum of hypertensive rats compared to that found in the control animals.

CONCLUSIONS

The increased number of GhrIP cells in the rat gastrointestinal tract after partial unilateral ligation of the renal artery suggests that renovascular hypertension may affect ghrelin secretion, which can contribute to the development of cardiovascular complications.