| 1. |
- Brundin, Peik M.A., et al.
(författare)
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Blood hormones and torque teno virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
- 2020
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 6:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Men and women respond differently to infectious diseases. Women show less morbidity and mortality, partially due to the differences in sex hormone levels which can influence the immune response. Torque teno virus (TTV) is non-pathogenic and ubiquitously present in serum from a large proportion (up to 90%) of adult humans with virus levels correlating with the status of the host immune response. The source of TTV replication is unknown, but T-lymphocytes have been proposed. In this study we investigated the presence and levels of TTV in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in premenopausal (pre-MP) women, post-menopausal (post-MP) women, and men, and determined their serum sex hormone levels. Of the examined subjects (n = 27), we found presence of TTV in PMBC from 17.6% pre-MP (n = 17), 25.0% post-MP (n = 4) and 50.0% men (n = 6). The levels of TTV/μg DNA were lower among TTV-positive men and post-MP women compared to pre-MP women. All the positive pre-MP women were either anovulatory, hypothyroid, or both. In addition, the TTV-positive pre-MP women had significantly lower progesterone levels compared to TTV-negative pre-MP women. Although our study was performed on a limited number of subjects, the data suggests that TTV in PBMC is associated with an anovulatory menstrual cycle with low progesterone levels, and possibly with male sex.
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| 2. |
- Gio-Batta, Monica, et al.
(författare)
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Low Concentration of Fecal Valeric Acid at 1 Year of Age Is Linked with Eczema and Food Allergy at 13 Years of Age : Findings from a Swedish Birth Cohort
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. - : S. Karger. - 1018-2438 .- 1423-0097. ; , s. 398-408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are abundant bacterial metabolites in the gut, with immunomodulatory properties. Hence, they may influence allergy development. Previous studies have linked fecal SCFA pattern during infancy with allergy. However, the association of SCFAs to allergic outcomes in adolescence is not well established. Here, we examined how the fecal SCFA pattern at 1 year of age related to allergy at 13 years of age.Methods: Levels of 8 SCFAs in fecal samples collected at 1 year of age from 110 children were quantified using gas chromatography. The same individuals were evaluated at 13 years of age for allergic symptoms, allergy diagnosis and allergy medication by questionnaire, and for sensitization using skin prick test against egg, milk, fish, wheat and soy, cat, dog, horse, birch, and timothy grass.Results: The concentration of fecal valeric acid at 1 year of age was inversely associated with eczema at 13 years of age (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0, p = 0.049) and showed a trend for inverse association with food allergy at 13 years of age (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0, p = 0.057). In a sub-group analysis of children with eczema at 1 year of age, a higher concentration of fecal valeric acid was linked with reduced risk of their eczema remaining at 13 years of age (OR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.0-1.5), although this latter analysis did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.12).Conclusions: Our findings lend further support to the notion of early childhood as a critical period when allergy may be programmed via the gut microbiota. Higher levels of fecal valeric acid may be characteristic of a protective gut microbiota and/or actively contribute to protection from eczema and food allergy.
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| 3. |
- Kesarimangalam, Sriram, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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High diversity of bla NDM-1 -encoding plasmids in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from neonates in a Vietnamese hospital
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-7913 .- 0924-8579. ; 59:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The carbapenemase-encoding gene blaNDM-1 has been reported in Vietnam during the last 10 years, and blaNDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae are now silently and rapidly spreading. A key factor behind dissemination of blaNDM-1 is plasmids, mobile genetic elements that commonly carry antibiotic resistance genes and spread via conjugation. The diversity of blaNDM-1-encoding plasmids from neonates at a large Vietnamese hospital was characterized in this study. Methods: 18 fecal Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella quasipneumoniae isolates collected from 16 neonates at a large pediatric hospital in Vietnam were studied using optical DNA mapping (ODM) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Plasmids carrying the blaNDM-1 gene were identified by combining ODM with Cas9 restriction. The plasmids in the isolates were compared to investigate whether the same plasmid was present in different patients. Results: Although the same plasmid was found in some isolates, ODM confirmed that there were at least 10 different plasmids encoding blaNDM-1 among the 18 isolates, thus indicating wide plasmid diversity. The ODM results concur with the NGS data. Interestingly, some isolates had two distinct plasmids encoding blaNDM-1 that could be readily identified with ODM. The coexistence of different plasmids carrying the same blaNDM-1 gene in a single isolate has rarely been reported, probably because of limitations in plasmid characterization techniques. Conclusions: The plasmids encoding the blaNDM-1 gene in this study cohort were diverse and may represent a similar picture in Vietnamese society. The study highlights important aspects of the usefulness of ODM for plasmid analysis.
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| 4. |
- Saulo, Eleonor C., et al.
(författare)
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Willingness and ability to pay for artemisinin-based combination therapy in rural Tanzania
- 2008
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Ingår i: Malaria Journal. - London : BioMed Central. - 1475-2875. ; 7, s. 227-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to analyse willingness to pay (WTP) and ability to pay (ATP) for ACT for children below five years of age in a rural setting in Tanzania before the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria. Socio-economic factors associated with WTP and expectations on anti-malaria drugs, including ACT, were also explored.MethodsStructured interviews and focus group discussions were held with mothers, household heads, health-care workers and village leaders in Ishozi, Gera and Ishunju wards in north-west Tanzania in 2004. Contingent valuation method (CVM) was used with "take-it-or-leave-it" as the eliciting method, expressed as WTP for a full course of ACT for a child and households' opportunity cost of ACT was used to assess ATP. The study included descriptive analyses with multivariate adjustment for potential confounding factors.ResultsAmong 265 mothers and household heads, 244 (92%, CI = 88%–95%) were willing to pay Tanzanian Shillings (TSh) 500 (US$ 0.46) for a child's dose of ACT, but only 55% (49%–61%) were willing to pay more than TSh 500. Mothers were more often willing to pay than male household heads (adjusted odds ratio = 2.1, CI = 1.2–3.6). Socio-economic status had no significant effect on WTP. The median annual non-subsidized ACT cost for clinical malaria episodes in an average household was calculated as US$ 6.0, which would represent 0.9% of the average total consumption expenditures as estimated from official data in 2001. The cost of non-subsidized ACT represented 7.0% of reported total annual expenditure on food and 33.0% of total annual expenditure on health care."Rapid effect," "no adverse effect" and "inexpensive" were the most desired features of an anti-malarial drug.ConclusionWTP for ACT in this study was less than its real cost and a subsidy is, therefore, needed to enable its equitable affordability. The decision taken in Tanzania to subsidize Coartem® fully at governmental health care facilities and at a consumer price of TSh 300–500 (US$ 0.28–0.46) at special designated shops through the programme of Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs) appears to be well founded.
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| 5. |
- Bengtsson-Palme, Johan, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Metaxa2 Database Builder: enabling taxonomic identification from metagenomic or metabarcoding data using any genetic marker
- 2018
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Ingår i: Bioinformatics (Oxford, England). - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1367-4811 .- 1367-4803. ; 34:23, s. 4027-4033
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Correct taxonomic identification of DNA sequences is central to studies of biodiversity using both shotgun metagenomic and metabarcoding approaches. However, no genetic marker gives sufficient performance across all the biological kingdoms, hampering studies of taxonomic diversity in many groups of organisms. This has led to the adoption of a range of genetic markers for DNA metabarcoding. While many taxonomic classification software tools can be re-trained on these genetic markers, they are often designed with assumptions that impair their utility on genes other than the SSU and LSU rRNA. Here, we present an update to Metaxa2 that enables the use of any genetic marker for taxonomic classification of metagenome and amplicon sequence data.We evaluated the Metaxa2 Database Builder on eleven commonly used barcoding regions and found that while there are wide differences in performance between different genetic markers, our software performs satisfactorily provided that the input taxonomy and sequence data are of high quality.Freely available on the web as part of the Metaxa2 package at http://microbiology.se/software/metaxa2/.Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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| 6. |
- Ali, Magdi M. M., et al.
(författare)
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Fc gamma RIIa (CD32) polymorphism and onchocercal skin disease : implications for the development of severe reactive onchodermatitis (ROD)
- 2007
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Ingår i: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - Lawrence, Kans. : American society of tropical medicine and hygiene. - 0002-9637 .- 1476-1645. ; 77:6, s. 1074-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pathologic manifestations of Onchocerca volvulus infection depend on the interplay between the host and the parasite. A genetic single nucleotide polymorphism in the Fc gamma RIIa gene, resulting in arginine (R) or histidine (H) at position 131, affects the binding to the different IgG subclasses and may influence the clinical variations seen in onchocerciasis. This study investigated the relationship between this polymorphism and disease outcome. Fc gamma RIIa genotyping was performed on clinically characterized onchocerciasis patients (N = 100) and healthy controls (N = 74). Fc gamma RIIa genotype R/R131 frequencies were significantly higher among patients with severe dermatopathology (P < 0.001). Increased risk of developing this form was mostly associated with one tribe (Masalit) (OR = 3.2, 95% CI 1-9.9, P = 0.042). The H131 allele was found to be significantly associated with a reduced risk of having the severe form of the disease (adjusted OR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.13-0.46, P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that the polymorphism influences the clinical outcome of onchocerciasis.
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| 7. |
- Vaga, S., et al.
(författare)
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Compositional and functional differences of the mucosal microbiota along the intestine of healthy individuals
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gut mucosal microbes evolved closest to the host, developing specialized local communities. There is, however, insufficient knowledge of these communities as most studies have employed sequencing technologies to investigate faecal microbiota only. This work used shotgun metagenomics of mucosal biopsies to explore the microbial communities' compositions of terminal ileum and large intestine in 5 healthy individuals. Functional annotations and genome-scale metabolic modelling of selected species were then employed to identify local functional enrichments. While faecal metagenomics provided a good approximation of the average gut mucosal microbiome composition, mucosal biopsies allowed detecting the subtle variations of local microbial communities. Given their significant enrichment in the mucosal microbiota, we highlight the roles of Bacteroides species and describe the antimicrobial resistance biogeography along the intestine. We also detail which species, at which locations, are involved with the tryptophan/indole pathway, whose malfunctioning has been linked to pathologies including inflammatory bowel disease. Our study thus provides invaluable resources for investigating mechanisms connecting gut microbiota and host pathophysiology.
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| 8. |
- Abrahamsson, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Low gut microbiota diversity in early infancy precedes asthma at school age
- 2014
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 44:6, s. 842-850
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Low total diversity of the gut microbiota during the first year of life is associated with allergic diseases in infancy, but little is known how early microbial diversity is related to allergic disease later in school age. Objective To assess microbial diversity and characterize the dominant bacteria in stool during the first year of life in relation to the prevalence of different allergic diseases in school age, such as asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) and eczema. Methods The microbial diversity and composition was analysed with barcoded 16S rDNA 454 pyrosequencing in stool samples at 1week, 1month and 12months of age in 47 infants which were subsequently assessed for allergic disease and skin prick test reactivity at 7years of age (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01285830). Results Children developing asthma (n=8) had a lower diversity of the total microbiota than non-asthmatic children at 1week (P=0.04) and 1month (P=0.003) of age, whereas allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (n=13), eczema (n=12) and positive skin prick reactivity (n=14) at 7years of age did not associate with the gut microbiota diversity. Neither was asthma associated with the microbiota composition later in infancy (at 12months). Children having IgE-associated eczema in infancy and subsequently developing asthma had lower microbial diversity than those that did not. There were no significant differences, however, in relative abundance of bacterial phyla and genera between children with or without allergic disease. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance Low total diversity of the gut microbiota during the first month of life was associated with asthma but not ARC in children at 7years of age. Measures affecting microbial colonization of the infant during the first month of life may impact asthma development in childhood.
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| 9. |
- Forsberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Pre- and post-natal Lactobacillus reuteri supplementation decreases allergen responsiveness in infancy
- 2013
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 43:4, s. 434-442
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundWe have previously shown that Lactobacillus reuteri supplementation from pregnancy week 36 and to the infant through the first year of life decreased the prevalence of IgE-associated eczema at 2 years. The underlying immunological mechanisms are unknown, however.ObjectiveTo investigate the immunomodulatory effect of probiotic supplementation on allergen- and mitogen-induced immune responses in children until 2 years of age.MethodsBlood mononuclear cells were collected at birth, 6, 12 and 24 months from 61 children (29 probiotic and 32 placebo treated) and cultured with ovalbumin, birch and cat extract and Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Cytokine and chemokine secretion was determined using an in-house multiplexed Luminex assay and ELISA. Real-time PCR was performed to investigate the Ebi3, Foxp3, GATA-3 and T-bet mRNA expression.ResultsProbiotic treatment was associated with low cat-induced Th2-like responses at 6 months (IL-5, P = 0.01, and IL-13, P = 0.009), with a similar trend for IL-5 at 12 months (P = 0.09). Cat-induced IFN-γ responses were also lower after probiotic than after placebo treatment at 24 months (P = 0.007), with similar findings for the anti-inflammatory IL-10 at birth (P = 0.001) and at 12 months (P = 0.009). At 24 months, Th2-associated CCL22 levels were lower in the probiotic than in the placebo group after birch stimulation (P = 0.02), with a similar trend after ovalbumin stimulation (P = 0.07). Lower CCL22 levels were recorded at 12 and 24 months (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01) after PHA stimulation.Conclusion and Clinical RelevanceLactobacillus reuteri supplementation decreases allergen responsiveness and may enhance immunoregulatory capacity during infancy. L. reuteri supplementation from week 36 and during the first year of life significantly decreases IgE-associated eczema and lowers allergen and mitogen responsiveness.
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| 10. |
- Bernet, Néstor Vazquez, et al.
(författare)
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High-Quality Library Preparation for NGS-Based Immunoglobulin Germline Gene Inference and Repertoire Expression Analysis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-3224. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Next generation sequencing (NGS) of immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoires (Rep-seq) enables examination of the adaptive immune system at an unprecedented level. Applications include studies of expressed repertoires, gene usage, somatic hypermutation levels, Ig lineage tracing and identification of genetic variation within the Ig loci through inference methods. All these applications require starting libraries that allow the generation of sequence data with low error rate and optimal representation of the expressed repertoire. Here, we provide detailed protocols for the production of libraries suitable for human Ig germline gene inference and Ig repertoire studies. Various parameters used in the process were tested in order to demonstrate factors that are critical to obtain high quality libraries. We demonstrate an improved 5'RACE technique that reduces the length constraints of Illumina MiSeq based Rep-seq analysis but allows for the acquisition of sequences upstream of Ig V genes, useful for primer design. We then describe a 5' multiplex method for library preparation, which yields full length V(D)J sequences suitable for genotype identification and novel gene inference. We provide comprehensive sets of primers targeting IGHV, IGKV, and IGLV genes. Using the optimized protocol, we produced IgM, IgG, IgK, and IgL libraries and analyzed them using the germline inference tool IgDiscover to identify expressed germline V alleles. This process additionally uncovered three IGHV, one IGKV, and six IGLV novel alleles in a single individual, which are absent from the IMGT reference database, highlighting the need for further study of Ig genetic variation. The library generation protocols presented here enable a robust means of analyzing expressed Ig repertoires, identifying novel alleles and producing individualized germline gene databases from humans.
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