A dysbiotic subpopulation of alcohol-dependent subjects

The vast majority of studies that assessed the importance of biological factors for the development of psychiatric disorders focused on processes occurring at the brain level. Alcohol-dependence is a very frequent psychiatric disorder where psycho-pharmacological interventions are only of moderate efficacy. Our laboratory has recently described that a subpopulation of alcohol-dependent subjects, that accounted for approximately 40% of individuals tested, presented with an increased intestinal permeability, with a dysbiosis, with alterations in the metabolomic content of faeces - that could play a role in the increased permeability - and finally with a more severe profile of alcohol-dependence than the other non-dysbiotic subpopulation. In this addendum, we discuss the implications of our observations for the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence where we try to discriminate which addiction dimensions are likely related to the gut microbiota alterations and whether these alterations are the cause or the consequence of drinking habits.     

Differences in knee adduction moment between healthy subjects and patients with osteoarthritis depend on the knee axis definition

ObjectiveThis study, firstly, investigates the effect of using an anatomical versus a functional axis of rotation (FAR) on knee adduction moment (KAM) in healthy subjects and patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Secondly, this study reports KAM for models with FAR calculated using weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing motion.DesignThree musculoskeletal models were created using OpenSim with different knee axis of rotation (AR): transepicondylar axis (TEA); FAR calculated based on SARA algorithm using a weight-bearing motion (wFAR) and a non-weight-bearing motion (nwFAR). KAM were calculated during gait in fifty-nine subjects (n = 20 healthy, n = 16 early OA, n = 23 established OA) for all models and groups.ResultsSignificant differences between the three groups in the first peak KAM were found when TEA was used (p = 0.038). However, these differences were no longer present when using FAR. In subjects with established OA, KAMs were significantly reduced when using nwFAR compared to TEA models but also compared to wFAR models.ConclusionThe presence of excessive KAM in subjects with established KOA showed to be dependent on the definition of the AR: anatomical versus functional. Therefore, caution should be accounted when comparing KAM in different studies on KOA patients. In patients with end-stage knee OA where increased passive knee laxity is likely to exist, the use of weight-bearing motions should be considered to avoid increased variability in the location and orientation of a FAR obtained from activities with only limited joint loading.     

化痰通络汤对脑缺血/再灌注大鼠“肠-脑”轴的干预作用

目的 基于“肠-脑”轴探讨化痰通络汤（HTTLD）对大鼠脑缺血再灌注后脑组织和肠道形态和功能的影响。方法 将60只SPF级雄性大鼠随机分为假手术组，模型组，HTTLD高、中、低剂量组（28.66，14.33，7.16 g·kg^-1），依达拉奉（4 g·kg^-1）+丁酸梭菌（5.0×10⁸ cfu·mL^-1）组，采用大鼠局灶性脑缺血再灌注模型，灌胃给药HTTLD，神经功能缺损评分和2，3，5-氯化三苯四氮唑（TTC）染色法测定脑组织损伤，小肠推进率观察脑缺血再灌注对肠道动力的影响，十二指肠黏膜的病理形态学检测评价肠黏膜细胞损伤，酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）测定血清D-乳酸（D-LAC），二胺氧化酶（DAO），细菌内毒素（LPS）含量，蛋白免疫印迹法（Western blot）检测十二指肠的闭合蛋白（Occludin），紧密连接蛋白-5（Claudin-5），闭锁小带蛋白-1（ZO-1）蛋白的表达。结果 脑缺血再灌注后，大鼠出现神经功能缺损症状，与假手术组比较，模型组神经功能缺损评分显著升高（P<0.01）；与模型组比较，HTTLD中、高剂量组能显著减少神经功能缺损症状，降低神经功能缺损评分（P<0.01）。与假手术组比较，模型组大鼠脑组织出现明显梗死灶，脑梗死率显著升高（P<0.01）；与模型组比较，各给药组脑梗死体积明显减少（P<0.01），以HTTLD高剂量组的效应最佳，且效应具有剂量依赖性。小肠推进率结果显示，与假手术组比较，模型组小肠推进率显著降低（P<0.01）；与模型组比较，各给药组能显著升高小肠推进率（P<0.01），以HTTLD高剂量效应最佳，且效应具有剂量依赖性。十二指肠黏膜组织病理学检测显示，脑缺血再灌注后十二指肠黏膜可见明显损伤，各给药组黏膜损伤情况明显减轻。与假手术组比较，模型组ZO-1，Occludin，Claudin-5蛋白表达均显著降低（P<0.01）；与模型组比较，HTTLD低、中、高剂量组能不同程度上调ZO-1，Occludin，Claudin-5蛋白表达（P<0.05，P<0.01），以高剂量组的效应最为显著。与假手术组比较，模型组血清D-LAC，DAO，LPS蛋白含量均显著升高（P<0.01）；与模型组比较，各给药组D-LAC，DAO含量均明显降低（P<0.05，P<0.01），HTTLD中、高剂量组明显降低LPS含量（P<0.05，P<0.01），且HTTLD高剂量组的作用最明显。结论 脑缺血再灌注后，大鼠脑组织受损、出现神经功能障碍，同时肠道黏膜损伤、肠道蠕动减弱和肠道黏膜屏障破坏。HTTLD能减少脑组织和胃肠道黏膜损伤，减轻神经功能缺损症状，提高胃肠道动力、改善肠道屏障功能、减少肠道细菌代谢产物和毒物的释放，从而发挥对脑缺血再灌注后“脑-肠”轴损伤的保护作用。     

Are Cushing's disease patients curable?

Treatment of Cushing's disease remains a challenge. Whereas pituitary surgery can “cure” the patient and restore a completely normal pituitary adrenal axis, there are immediate failures and late recurrences which ultimately require alternate therapeutic approaches. These are numerous, but so are their drawbacks, and all appear to be “default options”. For the future, pituitary adenoma has to remain the “reasonable obsession” of efficient and optimistic therapists…     

Role of negative affects in pathophysiology and clinical expression of irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is regarded as a multifactorial disease in which alterations in the brain-gut axis signaling play a major role.The biopsychosocial model applied to the understanding of IBS pathophysiology assumes that psychosocial factors,interacting with peripheral/central neuroendocrine and immune changes,may induce symptoms of IBS,modulate symptom severity,influence illness experience and quality of life,and affect outcome.The present review focuses on the role of negative affects,including depression,anxiety,and anger,on pathogenesis and clinical expression of IBS.The potential role of the autonomic nervous system,stress-hormone system,and immune system in the pathophysiology of both negative affects and IBS are taken into account.Psychiatric comorbidity and subclinical variations in levels of depression,anxiety,and anger are further discussed in relation to the main pathophysiological and symptomatic correlates of IBS,such as sensorimotor functions,gut microbiota,inflammation/immunity,and symptom reporting.     

Immune-pineal axis protects rat lungs exposed to polluted air

Environmental pollution in the form of particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM_2.5) is a major risk factor for diseases such as lung cancer, chronic respiratory infections, and major cardiovascular diseases. Our goal was to show that PM_2.5 eliciting a proinflammatory response activates the immune-pineal axis, reducing the pineal synthesis and increasing the extrapineal synthesis of melatonin. Herein, we report that the exposure of rats to polluted air for 6 hours reduced nocturnal plasma melatonin levels and increased lung melatonin levels. Melatonin synthesis in the lung reduced lipid peroxidation and increased PM_2.5 engulfment and cell viability by activating high-affinity melatonin receptors. Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) promoted the synthesis of melatonin in a cultured cell line (RAW 264.7 cells) and rat alveolar macrophages via the expression of the gene encoding for AANAT through a mechanism dependent on activation of the NFκB pathway. Expression of the genes encoding AANAT, MT1, and MT2 was negatively correlated with cellular necroptosis, as disclosed by analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarray data from the human alveolar macrophages of nonsmoking subjects. The enrichment score for antioxidant genes obtained from lung gene expression data (GTEx) was significantly correlated with the levels of AANAT and MT1 but not the MT2 melatonin receptor. Collectively, these data provide a systemic and mechanistic rationale for coordination of the pineal and extrapineal synthesis of melatonin by a standard damage-associated stimulus, which activates the immune-pineal axis and provides a new framework for understanding the effects of air pollution on lung diseases.     

Hypothalamic insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 levels in an animal model of depression and their effect on corticotropin-releasing hormone promoter gene activity in a hypothalamic cell line

Background

In depression, excessive glucocorticoid action may cause maladaptive brain changes, including in the pathways controlling energy metabolism. Insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), besides regulation of glucose homeostasis, also possess neurotrophic properties. Current study was aimed at investigating the influence of prenatal stress (PS) on insulin, GLP-1 and their receptor (IR and GLP-1R) levels in the hypothalamus. GLP-1 and GLP-1R were assayed also in the hippocampus and frontal cortex – brain regions mainly affected in depression. The second objective was to determine the influence of exendin-4 and insulin on CRH promoter gene activity in in vitro conditions.

The microbiota-gut-brain axis in functional gastrointestinal disorders

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are highly prevalent and pose a significant burden on health care and society, and impact patients’ quality of life. FGIDs comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders, with unclear underlying pathophysiology. They are considered to result from the interaction of altered gut physiology and psychological factors via the gut-brain axis, where brain and gut symptoms are reciprocally influencing each other’s expression. Intestinal microbiota, as a part of the gut-brain axis, plays a central role in FGIDs. Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a prototype of FGIDs, display altered composition of the gut microbiota compared with healthy controls and benefit, at the gastrointestinal and psychological levels, from the use of probiotics and antibiotics. This review aims to recapitulate the available literature on FGIDs and microbiota-gut-brain axis.