Yoga Therapy in Functional Dyspepsia. A Narrative Review.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder, characterized by bothersome epigastric pain or burning, fullness after meals or early satiety. The precise pathophysiology remains incompletely understood but may include the role of disordered gut-brain communication leading to disturbances in gastro-duodenal physiological functioning. Even if there are several pharmacological treatment options, it is a chronic and relapsing disorder with persistent symptoms that makes its management difficult. Yoga is a fast-spreading complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) specialty, that has gained attention in the medical field for its ability to address the physical, emotional, mental and social aspects of health and disease. Various other CAM therapies are being used for FD with varying efficacy. However, apart from one research study that used yoga therapy on abdominal pain related functional gastrointestinal disorders in children which included a few FD cases as well (11.6%), no other study using yoga therapy has been done in FD as per our best knowledge. Therefore, in the present review, we have summarized the current scientific understanding of the probable effects of yoga on the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in FD (gastric motility, fundic accommodation, hypersensitivity, duodenal inflammation, psychological distress and gut-brain dysfunction). The literature suggests yoga can have a beneficial role in the management of FD. However, rigorous research and clinical trials are required to confirm the same.

Taxonomic profiling of Nasutitermes takasagoensis microbiota to investigate the role of termites as vectors of bacteria linked to ironwood tree decline in Guam.

The ironwood tree (Casuarina equisetifolia, family Casuarinaceae), an indigenous agroforestry species in Guam, has been threatened by ironwood tree decline (IWTD) since 2002. Formation of bacterial ooze by the wilt pathogen from the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex and wetwood bacteria (primarily Klebsiella species) has been linked to IWTD. In addition, termite infestation of trees was statistically associated with IWTD. Termites are known carriers of a diverse microbiome. Therefore, we hypothesized that termites could be vectors of bacteria linked to IWTD. To investigate the potential role of termites as pathogen vectors, we employed next-generation 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the bacteria diversity of Nasutitermes takasagoensis (Family Termitidae) workers collected from 42 ironwood trees of different disease stages in Guam in association with tree-, plot-, and location-related factors. Nasutitermes takasagoensis workers account for the majority of termite infestations of ironwood trees. The bacterial phyla composition of N. takasagoensis workers was typical for wood-feeding higher termites consisting mainly of Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres. However, Ralstonia species were not detected and Klebsiella species were rare even in termites collected from trees infected with Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria. Feeding experiments suggested that termites prefer to consume wood with low pathogen content over wood with high pathogen load. Termites were able to ingest Ralstonia but Ralstonia could not establish itself in healthy termite bodies. We concluded that N. takasagoensis workers are not vectors for Ralstonia spp. or the bacterial endophytes associated with wetwood (Klebsiella, Pantoea, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, and Erwinia) that were previously observed in IWTD-infested trees. The bacterial diversity in termite samples was significantly influenced by various factors, including Tree Health, Site Management, Plot Average Decline Severity, Proportion of Dead Trees in the Plot, Proportion of Trees with Termite Damage in the Plot, Presence of Ralstonia, and Altitude.

Weight and protozoa number but not bacteria diversity are associated with successful pair formation of dealates in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus.

New colonies of Formosan subterranean termites are founded by monogamous pairs. During swarming season, alates (winged reproductives) leave their parental colony. After swarming, they drop to the ground, shed their wings, and male and female dealates find suitable nesting sites where they mate and become kings and queens of new colonies. The first generation of offspring is entirely dependent on the nutritional resources of the founder pair consisting of the fat and protein reserves of the dealates and their microbiota, which include the cellulose-digesting protozoa and diverse bacteria. Since termite kings and queens can live for decades, mate for life and colony success is linked to those initial resources, we hypothesized that gut microbiota of founders affect pair formation. To test this hypothesis, we collected pairs found in nest chambers and single male and female dealates from four swarm populations. The association of three factors (pairing status, sex of the dealates and population) with dealate weights, total protozoa, and protozoa Pseudotrichonympha grassii numbers in dealate hindguts was determined. In addition, Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the QIIME2 pipeline were used to determine the impact of those three factors on gut bacteria diversity of dealates. Here we report that pairing status was significantly affected by weight and total protozoa numbers, but not by P. grassii numbers and bacteria diversity. Weight and total protozoa numbers were higher in paired compared to single dealates. Males contained significantly higher P. grassii numbers and bacteria richness and marginally higher phylogenetic diversity despite having lower weights than females. In conclusion, this study showed that dealates with high body weight and protozoa numbers are more likely to pair and become colony founders, probably because of competitive advantage. The combined nutritional resources provided by body weight and protozoa symbionts of the parents are important for successful colony foundation and development.

Next-generation sequencing dataset of bacterial communities of Microcerotermes crassus workers associated with Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam.

Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam have been suffering from Ironwood Tree Decline (IWTD) since 2002. Putative plant pathogenic bacteria such as Ralstonia solanacearum and Klebsiella species were identified in the ooze of declining trees and considered to be linked to IWTD. In addition, termites were found to be significantly associated with IWTD. Microcerotermes crassus Snyder (Blattodea: Termitidae) was identified as a termite species that attacks ironwood trees in Guam. Since termites harbor a diverse community of symbiotic and environmental bacteria, we sequenced the microbiome of M. crassus workers attacking ironwood trees in Guam to assess the presence of IWTD-associated pathogens in termite bodies. This dataset contains 652,571 raw sequencing reads present in M. crassus worker samples collected from six ironwood trees in Guam obtained via sequencing the V4 region of the16S rRNA gene on the Illumina NovaSeq (2 × 250bp) platform. Sequences were taxonomically assigned in QIIME2 using SILVA 132 and NCBI GenBank as reference databases. Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres were the most dominant phyla in M. crassus workers. No putative plant pathogens of the genera Ralstonia or Klebsiella were found in the M. crassus samples. The dataset has been made publicly available through NCBI GenBank under BioProject ID PRJNA883256. This dataset can be used to compare the bacterial taxa present in M. crassus workers in Guam to bacteria communities of related termite species from other geographical locations. In addition, this dataset can also be used to investigate the relationship between termite microbiomes and the microbiomes of ironwood trees they attack and of the surrounding soil.

Adjuvant yoga therapy for symptom management of functional dyspepsia: A case series.

Functional Dyspepsia (FD), commonly called chronic indigestion, comes under the umbrella of 'Disorders of Gut-Brain Axis'. It manifests as a cluster of upper gastrointestinal symptoms including epigastric pain or burning, postprandial fullness and early satiety. Since the pathophysiology is complex, it is often difficult to effectively manage and significantly impacts the patient's quality of life. This case series aims to elucidate the role of Yoga as an adjuvant therapy to modern medicine in providing relief of dyspeptic symptoms in such patients. Yoga is an ancient Indian mind-body practise that has the potential to be used for various brain-gut disorders. Apart from treating the gut disorders from top down (mind-gut) pathway, it may have more direct physiological effects as well. Researches on IBS and one research on abdominal pain related FGID have shown Yoga therapy to be effective in ameliorating the symptoms. In this study, we present three such cases (1 male and 2 female) having a clinical diagnosis of FD in detail. These patients were initially non-responsive to medications but later showed remarkable improvement in symptoms within one month of added Yoga therapy intervention. This study was conducted as a part of a larger study conducted at a tertiary hospital in Pondicherry in collaboration between its Yoga department and Medical Gastroenterology Department. Yoga therapy protocol was given along with their regular medical management for a month. Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Dyspepsia Symptom Score questionnaires were used to assess symptoms before and after the intervention period. All three patients showed marked reductions in symptom scores both in the GSRS and Dyspepsia Questionnaire. The present case series suggests effect of adjuvant Yoga therapy in reducing symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Future studies may clarify the psycho-physiological basis of the same.