Fructooligosaccharides Intake during Pregnancy Improves Metabolic Phenotype of Offspring in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

SCOPE: Obesity and metabolic diseases are closely associated, and individuals who become obese are also prone to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Gut microbiota is mediated by diet and can influence host metabolism and the incidence of metabolic disorders. Recent studies have suggested that improving gut microbiota through a fructooligosaccharide (FOS)-supplemented diet may ameliorate obesity and other metabolic disorders. Although accumulating evidence supports the notion of the developmental origins of health and disease, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. METHODS AND RESULTS: ICR mice are fed AIN-93G formula-based cellulose -, FOS-, acetate-, or propionate-supplemented diets during pregnancy. Offspring are reared by conventional ICR foster mothers for 4 weeks; weaned mice are fed high fat diet for 12 weeks and housed individually. The FOS and propionate offspring contribute to suppressing obesity and improving glucose intolerance. Gut microbial compositions in FOS-fed mothers and their offspring are markedly changed. However, the beneficial effect of FOS diet on the offspring is abolished when antibiotics are administered to pregnant mice. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the link between the maternal gut environment and the developmental origin of metabolic syndrome in offspring. These results open novel research avenues into preemptive therapies for metabolic disorders by targeting the maternal gut microbiota.

Cultivation of Microorganisms in Media Supplemented with Mucin Glycoproteins.

To examine the mucin-utilizing capacity of bacterial isolates from fecal samples, an in vitro cultivation method using mucins as a carbon source should be considered. This chapter describes a practical method for cultivating bacteria in media containing mucin glycoproteins; for this cultivation method, several factors are considered due to the physical nature of mucin glycoproteins.

Walking aids and complicated orthopedic diseases are risk factors for falls in hemodialysis patients: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Aging and an increased fall risk have been demonstrated in hemodialysis patients at home and in a facility. However, studies investigating the cause of falls to prevent fractures in dialysis rooms are scarce. This study aimed to explore the related factors for accidental falls statistically in dialysis facilities for future fall prevention. METHODS: This study included 629 hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease. The patients were divided into two groups: the fall and non-fall groups. The main outcome was the presence or absence of falls in the dialysis room. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed; multivariate analysis was conducted using covariates significantly correlated in the univariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 133 patients experienced falling accidents during the study period. The multivariate analysis indicated that the use of walking aid (p < 0.001), orthopedic diseases (p < 0.05), cerebrovascular disease, and age were significantly correlated with falls. CONCLUSIONS: In the dialysis clinic, patients who use walking aids and have complicated orthopedic or cerebrovascular conditions are at a high risk of falling in the dialysis room. Therefore, establishing a safe environment may help prevent falls, not only for these patients but also among other patients with similar conditions.

GH20 and GH84 ß-N-acetylglucosaminidases with different linkage specificities underpin mucin O-glycan breakdown capability of Bifidobacterium bifidum.

Intestinal mucous layers mediate symbiosis and dysbiosis of host-microbe interactions. These interactions are influenced by the mucin O-glycan degrading ability of several gut microbes. The identities and prevalence of many glycoside hydrolases (GHs) involved in microbial mucin O-glycan breakdown have been previously reported; however, the exact mechanisms and extent to which these GHs are dedicated to mucin O-glycan degradation pathways warrant further research. Here, using Bifidobacterium bifidum as a model mucinolytic bacterium, we revealed that two ß-N-acetylglucosaminidases belonging to the GH20 (BbhI) and GH84 (BbhIV) families play important roles in mucin O-glycan degradation. Using substrate specificity analysis of natural oligosaccharides and O-glycomic analysis of porcine gastric mucin (PGM) incubated with purified enzymes or B. bifidum carrying bbhI and/or bbhIV mutations, we showed that BbhI and BbhIV are highly specific for ß-(1→3)- and ß-(1→6)-GlcNAc linkages of mucin core structures, respectively. Interestingly, we found that efficient hydrolysis of the ß-(1→3)-linkage by BbhI of the mucin core 4 structure [GlcNAcß1-3(GlcNAcß1-6)GalNAcα-O-Thr] required prior removal of the ß-(1→6)-GlcNAc linkage by BbhIV. Consistent with this, inactivation of bbhIV markedly decreased the ability of B. bifidum to release GlcNAc from PGM. When combined with a bbhI mutation, we observed that the growth of the strain on PGM was reduced. Finally, phylogenetic analysis suggests that GH84 members may have gained diversified functions through microbe-microbe and host-microbe horizontal gene transfer events. Taken together, these data strongly suggest the involvement of GH84 family members in host glycan breakdown.

A bacterial sulfoglycosidase highlights mucin O-glycan breakdown in the gut ecosystem.

Mucinolytic bacteria modulate host-microbiota symbiosis and dysbiosis through their ability to degrade mucin O-glycans. However, how and to what extent bacterial enzymes are involved in the breakdown process remains poorly understood. Here we focus on a glycoside hydrolase family 20 sulfoglycosidase (BbhII) from Bifidobacterium bifidum, which releases N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate from sulfated mucins. Glycomic analysis showed that, in addition to sulfatases, sulfoglycosidases are involved in mucin O-glycan breakdown in vivo and that the released N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate potentially affects gut microbial metabolism, both of which were also supported by a metagenomic data mining analysis. Enzymatic and structural analysis of BbhII reveals the architecture underlying its specificity and the presence of a GlcNAc-6S-specific carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) 32 with a distinct sugar recognition mode that B. bifidum takes advantage of to degrade mucin O-glycans. Comparative analysis of the genomes of prominent mucinolytic bacteria also highlights a CBM-dependent O-glycan breakdown strategy used by B. bifidum.

Bifidobacterium bifidum Suppresses Gut Inflammation Caused by Repeated Antibiotic Disturbance Without Recovering Gut Microbiome Diversity in Mice.

The gut microbiome is a dynamic community that significantly affects host health; it is frequently disturbed by medications such as antibiotics. Recently, probiotics have been proposed as a remedy for antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, but the efficacy of such treatments remains uncertain. Thus, the effect of specific antibiotic-probiotic combinations on the gut microbiome and host health warrants further research. We tested the effect vancomycin, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin on mice. Antibiotic administration was followed by one of the following recovery treatments: Bifidobacterium bifidum JCM 1254 as a probiotic (PR); fecal transplant (FT); or natural recovery (NR). Each antibiotic administration and recovery treatment was repeated three times over 9 weeks. We used the Shannon Index and Chao1 Index to determine gut microbiome diversity and assessed recovery by quantifying the magnitude of microbial shift using the Bray-Curtis Index of Dissimilarity. We determined the community composition by sequencing the V3-V4 regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. To assess host health, we measured body weight and cecum weight, as well as mRNA expression of inflammation-related genes by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Our results show that community response varied by the type of antibiotic used, with vancomycin having the most significant effects. As a result, the effect of probiotics and fecal transplants also varied by antibiotic type. For vancomycin, the first antibiotic disturbance substantially increased the relative abundance of inflammatory species in the phylum Proteobacteria, such as Proteus, but the effect of subsequent disturbances was less pronounced, suggesting that the gut microbiome is affected by past disturbance events. Furthermore, although gut microbiome diversity did not recover, probiotic supplementation was effective in limiting cecum size enlargement and colonic inflammation caused by vancomycin. However, for amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin, the relative abundances of proinflammatory species were not greatly affected, and consequently, the effect of probiotic supplementation on community structure, cecum weight, and expression of inflammation-related genes was comparatively negligible. These results indicate that probiotic supplementation is effective, but only when antibiotics cause proinflammatory species-induced gut inflammation, suggesting that the necessity of probiotic supplementation is strongly influenced by the type of disturbance introduced to the community.

Sialylated O -Glycans from Hen Egg White Ovomucin are Decomposed by Mucin-degrading Gut Microbes.

Ovomucin, a hen egg white protein, is characterized by its hydrogel-forming properties, high molecular weight, and extensive O -glycosylation with a high degree of sialylation. As a commonly used food ingredient, we explored whether ovomucin has an effect on the gut microbiota. O- Glycan analysis revealed that ovomucin contained core-1 and 2 structures with heavy modification by N -acetylneuraminic acid and/or sulfate groups. Of the two mucin-degrading gut microbes we tested, Akkermansia muciniphila grew in medium containing ovomucin as a sole carbon source during a 24 h culture period, whereas Bifidobacterium bifidum did not. Both gut microbes, however, degraded ovomucin O -glycans and released monosaccharides into the culture supernatants in a species-dependent manner, as revealed by semi-quantified mass spectrometric analysis and anion exchange chromatography analysis. Our data suggest that ovomucin potentially affects the gut microbiota through O -glycan decomposition by gut microbes and degradant sugar sharing within the community.

How COVID-19 Affected the Introduction of Telemedicine and Patient Reported Outcomes Among Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension　- A Report From a Referral Center in Japan.

Background: COVID-19 is fatal to patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), so preventive actions are recommended. This study investigated the effectiveness of telemedicine and effects on quality of life (QOL) in the treatment of patients with PH. Methods and Results: Japanese patients with PH (n=40) were recruited from one referral center. Patient self-reported anxiety worsened significantly and elderly patients in particular experienced detrimental lifestyle changes under COVID-19. Telemedicine worked well to decrease the frequency of going out. Conclusions: Telemedicine is effective in reducing travel distances, and frequent remote interventions may be desirable for older, anxious patients.