Gut microbiome structure and adrenocortical activity in dogs with aggressive and phobic behavioral disorders.

Accompanying human beings since the Paleolithic period, dogs has been recently regarded as a reliable model for the study of the gut microbiome connections with health and disease. In order to provide some glimpses on the connections between the gut microbiome layout and host behavior, we profiled the phylogenetic composition and structure of the canine gut microbiome of dogs with aggressive (n = 11), phobic (n = 13) and normal behavior (n = 18). Hormones' determination was made through Radio Immuno-Assay (RIA), and next generation sequencing of the V3-V4 gene region of the bacterial 16S rRNA was employed to determine gut microbiome composition. Our results did not evidence any significant differences of hormonal levels between the three groups. According to our findings, aggressive behavioral disorder was found to be characterized by a peculiar gut microbiome structure, with high biodiversity and enrichment in generally subdominant bacterial genera (i.e. Catenibacterium and Megamonas). On the other hand, phobic dogs were enriched in Lactobacillus, a bacterial genus with known probiotic and psychobiotic properties. Although further studies are needed to validate our findings, our work supports the intriguing opportunity that different behavioral phenotypes in dogs may be associated with peculiar gut microbiome layouts, suggesting possible connections between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system and indicating the possible adoption of probiotic interventions aimed at restoring a balanced host-symbiont interplay for mitigating behavioral disorders.

Early colonisation and temporal dynamics of the gut microbial ecosystem in Standardbred foals.

BACKGROUND: Even if horses strictly depend on the gut microbiota for energy homeostasis, only a few molecular studies have focused on its characterisation and none on the perinatal gut microbial colonisation process. OBJECTIVES: To explore the perinatal colonisation process of the foal gut microbial ecosystem and the temporal dynamics of the ecosystem assembly during the first days of life. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal study. METHODS: Thirteen Standardbred mare-foal pairs were included in the study. For each pair, at delivery we collected the mare amniotic fluid, faeces and colostrum, and the foal meconium. Milk samples and faeces of both mare and foal were also taken longitudinally, until day 10 post-partum. Samples were analysed by means of next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on Illumina MiSeq. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that microbial components derived from the mare symbiont communities establishes in the foal gut since fetal life. After birth, an external transmission route of mare microorganisms takes place. This involves a rapid and dynamic process of assembling the mature foal gut microbiome, in which the founder microbial species are derived from both the milk and the gut microbial ecosystems of the mare. MAIN LIMITATIONS: The inability to discriminate between live and dead cells, the possible presence of contaminating bacteria in low biomass samples (e.g. meconium and amniotic fluid), the limits of the phylogenetic assignment down to species level, and the presence of unassigned operational taxonomic units. CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlight the importance of mare microbiomes as a key factor for the establishment of the gut microbial ecosystem of the foal.

Molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) application in liver failure: clinical and hemodepurative results in 22 patients.

PURPOSE: Acute liver failure (ALF) and acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) still show a poor prognosis. MARS was used in 22 patients with ALF or ACLF to prolong patient survival for liver function recovery or as a bridge to transplantation. DESIGN: Evaluation of depurative efficiency, biocompatibility, hemodynamics, encephalopathy (HE) and clinical outcome. PROCEDURES: During 71 five-hour sessions we evaluated (0', 60', 120', 180', 240', 300'): bilirubin, ammonia, cholic acid (CCA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CCDCA), leukocytes, platelets, hemoglobin and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Serum creatinine, electrolytes, cardiac output, cardiac index (bioimpedence) and HE (West Haven Criteria score) were evaluated at 0' and 300'. STATISTICAL METHODS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Student's t-test for pre- vs. end-session values was used. For bilirubin and ammonia the correlation test was made between pre- and end-session values and between pre-session values and removal rates (RRS). MAIN FINDINGS: Survival was 90.9% at 7 days, 40.9% at 30 days. Pre- vs. end-session: bilirubin from 37.2 +/- 12.5 mg/dL to 24.9 +/- 8.9 mg/dL (p < 0.01), ammonia from 88.0 +/- 60.4 micromol/L to 43.6 +/- 32.9 micromol/L (p < 0.01), CCA from 42.8 +/- 21.0 micromol/L 18.2 +/- 9.8 micromol/L (p < 0.01), CCDCA from 26.3 +/- 6.3 micromol/L to 15.7+/-7.6 micromol/L (p<0.01). The correlation test between pre-session values of bilirubin and ammonia vs. RR S was respectively 0.32 (p = 0.01) and 0.30 (p = 0.04). Leukocytes, platelets and hemoglobin remained stable. MAP increased from 82.0 +/- 12.0 mmHg to 87.0 +/- 13.0 mmHg (p < 0.05), West Haven Criteria score decreased from 2.7 +/- 0.7 to 0.7 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: MARS treatment led in all patients to an improvement of clinical, hemodynamic and neurological conditions, with significant reduction in the hepatic toxins blood level. Treatment biocompatibility and tolerance were satisfactory.

[Long-term use of Profiler in patients with dialysis intolerance: 8 months follow-up]. / Impiego a lungo termine del Profiler nei pazienti con intolleranza dialitica: follow-up a 8 mesi.

PURPOSE: A new method of profiled dialysis has been set up for many years in the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Renal Transplantation at the University of Bologna. This profiled dialysis is based on the use of a new kinetic mathematical model, in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bologna, for the elaboration of individual sodium and ultrafiltration profiles. OBJECTIVE: The profiled dialysis aims are: 1) to stabilize the intradialytic blood volume, boosting the refilling of plasma water from the intracellular and the extravascular to the extracellular/intravascular compartments, to balance the ultrafiltration; 2) to counteract the disequilibrium syndrome reducing the shift of water from the extra to the intracellular compartment. The pre-dialysis elaboration of profiles is completely automatic and supported by a computerized programme, Profiler, which has been included in the software of the dialysis machine Bellco Formula 2000 Plus. METHODS: In this prospective and multicenter study, this profiled dialysis, performed according to the Profiler, was continuously applied, for an 8-month period, in a group of 13 hemodialysis (HD) patients with an intolerance to previous dialysis treatment. During the study, the following parameters were evaluated, comparatively, with the patient's basal treatment: a) sodium and water balance; b) percentage incidence of intradialytic complications such as hypotensive events, cramps, headache, and vomiting and; c) metabolic and nutritional status. RESULTS: Results evaluated in comparison with the patient's previous dialysis treatments, demonstrated: a) plasma sodium from 136.8 +/- 3 to 136.8 +/- 1.7 mEq/L (p=ns), dry body weight from 72.2 +/- 19.3 to 71.7 +/- 19.5 kg (p=ns), heart index from 3.7 +/- 0.7 to 3.1 +/- 0.5 L/min/m2 (p=ns), reactance from 5.3 +/- 15 to 4.9 +/- 11 ohm (p<0.05); b) incidence of intradialytic hypotensive events reduced from 64 to 4% (p<0.001), cramps reduced from 8 to 1% (p<0.01); c) plasma albumin from 3.5 +/- 0.2 to 3.7 +/- 0.3 g/dL (p=ns), Kt/Veq from 1.3 +/- 0.1 to 1.36 +/- 0.2 (p=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with profiled dialysis had a higher stability of intradialytic blood pressure (BP) achieving a reduction in the incidence of disequilibrium syndrome symptoms, in comparison with previous treatment. These clinical intradialytic improvements were not correlated to clinical, instrumental or biochemical indexes of sodium-water overload nor to a worst dialysis adequacy and nutritional state.

Clinical application of sodium profiling in the treatment of intradialytic hypotension.

BACKGROUND: Intradialytic hypotension is mainly induced by the removal of extracellular sodium during dialysis, which impairs intravascular fluid refilling and reduces blood volume. To counter this complication we tested a new kind of profiled hemodialysis (PHD) consisting of the intradialytic modulation of dialysate sodium concentration according to individual profiles set up using a new mathematical model for intradialytic solutes and water kinetics. The clinical aim of this PHD is to stabilize blood pressure maintaining higher blood volume values than standard dialysis treatments. We clinically validated PHD in comparison with constant dialysate sodium dialysis (CHD). METHODS: Twenty hypotensive dialysis patients underwent one PHD and one CHD session maintaining the same dialysis length, sodium mass removal and body weight decrease. A new mathematical model was used to define both the dialysate sodium profiles for PHD and the constant dialysate sodium for CHD. Percent blood volume variation (Crit-line), mean blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output (Doppler-echocardiography) were monitored intradialitically. RESULTS: Cardiovascular stability improved on PHD as compared with CHD sessions; blood volume and cardiac output during PHD showed a lower decrease than on CHD, the differences statistically significant (from 30' and 60' respectively). Mean blood pressure was, at all time intervals, more stable on PHD than on CHD and was accompanied, on PHD, by a lower heart rate increase (differences statistically significant). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that PHD performed using dialysate sodium profiles elaborated by our mathematical model obtains, in hypotensive patients, a higher hemodynamic intradialytic stability than CHD, probably due to a higher stabilization of blood volume.