INFORMATION:
Gut microbiota in cesarean-born babies catches up
2021-04-01
(Press-News.org) Infants born by cesarean section have a relatively meager array of bacteria in the gut. But by the age of three to five years they are broadly in line with their peers. This is shown by a study that also shows that it takes a remarkably long time for the mature intestinal microbiota to get established.
Fredrik Bäckhed, Professor of Molecular Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, has been heading this research. The study, conducted in collaboration with Halland County Hospital in Halmstad, is now published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Professor Bäckhed and his group have previously demonstrated that the composition of children's intestinal microbiota is affected by their mode of delivery and diet. In the current study, the researchers examined in detail how the composition of intestinal bacteria in 471 children born at the hospital in Halmstad had developed.
The first fecal sample was collected when each child was a newborn infant. Thereafter, sampling took place at 4 months, 12 months, 3 years and 5 years. The scientists were thus able to follow the successive incorporation of various bacteria into the children's gut microbiota.
At birth, the infant's intestine has already been colonized by bacteria and other microorganisms. During the first few years of life, the richness of species steadily increases. What is now emerging is a considerably more detailed picture of this developmental trajectory.
One key conclusion is that the intestinal microbiota forms an ecosystem that takes a long time to mature. Even at 5 years of age, the system is incomplete. The maturation process can look very different from one child to another, and take varying lengths of time.
At the age of 4 months, the gut microbiota in the cesarean-born infants was less diverse compared with vaginally born infants. However, when the children were 3 and 5 years the microbiota diversity and composition had caught up and were largely normalized intestinal microbiota.
"Our findings show that the gut microbota is a dynamic organ, and future studies will have to show whether the early differences can affect the cesarean children later in life," Bäckhed says.
"It's striking that even at the age of 5 years, several of the bacteria that are important components of the intestinal microbiota in adults are missing in the children," he continues.
This indicates that the intestine is a complex and dynamic environment where bacteria create conditions for one another's colonization.
According to the researchers, the current study has broadened our understanding of how humans interact with the trillions of bacteria contained in our bodies, and of how these bacteria become established.
Lisa Olsson, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg and one of the first authors, adds:
"Children learn skills like walking and talking at different rates, and it turns out that the same applies to the maturity of the gut microbiota."
Fredrik Bäckhed again:
"By investigating and understanding how the intestinal microbiota develops in healthy children, we may get a reference point to explorie if the microbiota may contribute to disease in future studies," he concludes.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Researchers develop third and final 'made-to-order' nanotube synthesis technique
2021-04-01
The current method of manufacturing carbon nanotubes--in essence rolled up sheets of graphene--is unable to allow complete control over their diameter, length and type. This problem has recently been solved for two of the three different types of nanotubes, but the third type, known as 'zigzag' nanotubes, had remained out of reach. Researchers with Japan's National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) have now figured out how to synthesize the zigzag variety.
Their method is described in the journal Nature Chemistry, published on January 25.
Thanks to carbon's unique capacity to combine ...
Keeping it fresh: New AI-based strategy can assess the freshness of beef samples
2021-04-01
Although beef is one of the most consumed foods around the world, eating it when it's past its prime is not only unsavory, but also poses some serious health risks. Unfortunately, available methods to check for beef freshness have various disadvantages that keep them from being useful to the public. For example, chemical analysis or microbial population evaluations take too much time and require the skills of a professional. On the other hand, non-destructive approaches based on near-infrared spectroscopy require expensive and sophisticated equipment. Could artificial intelligence be the key to a more cost-effective way to assess the freshness of beef?
At Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, a team of scientists led by Associate Processors Kyoobin Lee and ...
Plasma jets stabilize water to splash less
2021-04-01
A study by KAIST researchers revealed that an ionized gas jet blowing onto water, also known as a 'plasma jet', produces a more stable interaction with the water's surface compared to a neutral gas jet. This finding reported in the April 1 issue of Nature will help improve the scientific understanding of plasma-liquid interactions and their practical applications in a wide range of industrial fields in which fluid control technology is used, including biomedical engineering, chemical production, and agriculture and food engineering.
Gas jets can create dimple-like depressions in liquid surfaces, and this phenomenon is familiar to anyone who has seen the cavity produced by blowing air through a straw ...
How do our facial expressions influence how we see others' pain?
2021-04-01
How do our facial expressions in response to seeing others in pain influence how we see and feel their pain? There are many situations where it may be helpful to suppress our emotional responses to the pain of others. For example, doctors are trained to regulate their emotional responses to the pain of their patients, which may help them to avoid exhausting their own cognitive and emotional resources. Understanding whether suppressing our own facial expressions in response to other's pain reduces our ability to empathize with them has important implications for a variety ...
Mount Sinai researchers find novel therapeutic target for specific cancer treatment
2021-04-01
Mount Sinai Researchers Find "Removal of AKAP11 Protein by Autophagy as a key to Fuel Mitochondrial Metabolism and Tumor Cell Growth through activating protein kinase A (PKA) (Patent pending)"
Corresponding Author: Zhenyu Yue, PhD, Professor of Neurology, Aidekman Family Professorship, Director of Basic and Translational Research in Movement Disorders, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Bottom Line: We uncovered a mechanism that tumor cells exploit selective autophagy for metabolic reprogramming that benefits tumor cell growth and offers resistance to glucose deprivation. Our study suggests that AKAP220-mediated autophagy as a novel therapeutic target for specific cancer treatment.
Results: Autophagy is a lysosome degradation pathway that is cytoprotective ...
Thicker-leaved tropical plants may flourish as CO2 rises, which could be good for climate
2021-04-01
How plants will fare as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise is a tricky problem and, researchers say, especially vexing in the tropics. Some aspects of plants' survival may get easier, some parts will get harder, and there will be species winners and losers. The resulting shifts in vegetation will help determine the future direction of climate change.
To explore the question, a study led by the University of Washington looked at how tropical forests, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, might adjust as CO2 continues to climb. Their results show ...
A gender gap in negotiation emerges between boys and girls as early as age eight
2021-04-01
Chestnut Hill, MA (4/1/2021) - A gender gap in negotiation emerges as early as age eight, a finding that sheds new light on the wage gap women face in the workforce, according to new research from Boston College's Cooperation Lab, lead by Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Katherine McAuliffe.
The study of 240 boys and girls between ages four and nine, published recently in the journal Psychological Science, found the gap appears when girls who participated in the study were asked to negotiate with a male evaluator, a finding that mirrors the dynamics of the negotiation gap that persists between ...
Screen time for older adults: Mobile health tech can support seniors with heart disease
2021-04-01
Statement Highlights:
Two-thirds of people with heart disease are ages 60 and older.
People who have had a heart attack or stroke are 20 times more likely to have additional cardiac events compared to people without heart disease.
Lifestyle modifications and medication adherence are key strategies to address heart disease.
Mobile health technology, which incorporates apps, devices, texting and phone calls, can inform and monitor older adults to support lifestyle modifications.
DALLAS, April 1, 2021 -- Mobile health technology can be beneficial in encouraging lifestyle behavior changes and medication adherence among adults ages 60 and older with existing heart disease, yet more research is needed to determine what methods are the most effective, according to a new scientific statement ...
Where we live can affect male reproductive health, finds new study
2021-04-01
New research, led by scientists at the University of Nottingham, suggests that the environment in which men live may affect their reproductive health.
The research, published in Scientific Reports, looked at the effects of geographical location on polluting chemicals found in dog testes, some of which are known to affect reproductive health. The unique research focused on dogs because, as a popular pet, they share the same environment as people and are effectively exposed to the same household chemicals as their owners.
The team also looked for signs of abnormalities ...
Melting ice sheets caused sea levels to rise up to 18 metres
2021-04-01
It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated.
A team of scientists, led by researchers from Durham University, used geological records of past sea levels to shed light on the ice sheets responsible for a rapid pulse of sea-level rise in Earth's recent past.
Geological records tell us that, at the end of the last ice age around 14,600 years ago, sea levels rose at ten times the current rate due to Meltwater Pulse 1A (MWP-1A); a 500 year, ~18 metre sea-level rise event.
Until now, the scientific community has not ...