Bell Palsy: Facts and Current Research Perspectives.

Bell palsy is a non-progressive neurological condition characterized by the acute onset of ipsilateral seventh cranial nerve paralysis. People who suffer from this type of facial paralysis develop a droop on one side of their face, or sometimes both. This condition is distinguished by a sudden onset of facial paralysis accompanied by clinical features such as mild fever, postauricular pain, dysgeusia, hyperacusis, facial changes, and drooling or dry eyes. Epidemiological evidence suggests that 15 to 23 people per 100,000 are affected each year, with a recurrence rate of 12%. It could be caused by ischaemic compression of the seventh cranial nerve, which could be caused by viral inflammation. Pregnant women, people with diabetes, and people with respiratory infections are more likely to have facial paralysis than the general population. Immune, viral, and ischemic pathways are all thought to play a role in the development of Bell paralysis, but the exact cause is unknown. However, there is evidence that Bell's hereditary proclivity to cause paralysis is a public health issue that has a greater impact on patients and their families. Delay or untreated Bell paralysis may contribute to an increased risk of facial impairment, as well as a negative impact on the patient's quality of life. For management, antiviral agents such as acyclovir and valacyclovir, and steroid treatment are recommended. Thus, early diagnosis accompanied by treatment of the uncertain etiology of the disorder is crucial. This paper reviews mechanistic approaches, and emerging medical perspectives on recent developments that encounter Bell palsy disorder.

Differential Pharmacokinetic Interplay of Atorvastatin on Lacosamide and Levetiracetam on Experimental Convulsions in Mice.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effects of statins, other than their hypocholesterolemia role, have been well documented, however, their use as an adjuvant drug with other antiseizure drugs, in the treatment of epilepsy is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the symbiotic effect of ATOR along with either lacosamide (LACO) or levetiracetam (LEVE) on experimentally induced epilepsy (Maximal electro-shock-MES or pentylenetetrazol- PTZ) in mice models. METHODS: Conventional elevated-maze (EPM) and rotarod methods were performed to observe the behavioral effects. RESULTS: In both the animal models, we found that co-administration of ATOR along with LACO showed a significant reduction in hind-limb extension (HLE) and clonic convulsion (CC) responses, respectively, but not in the ATOR+LEVE treated group. Intriguingly, comparable Straub tail response and myoclonic convulsion as the diazepam (DIA) group were observed only in the ATOR+LACO treated group. Moreover, a significant muscle-grip strength was observed in both groups. Also, pharmacokinetic analysis has indicated that the mean plasma concentration of ATOR peaked at 2nd hr in the presence of LACO but marginally peaked in the presence of LEVE. An Insilico study has revealed that ATOR has a higher binding affinity toward neuronal sodium channels. CONCLUSION: This study has demonstrated that the plasma concentration of ATOR was potentiated in the presence of LACO, but not in the presence of LEVE and it has provided significant protection against both the electro and chemo-convulsive models in mice. This could be due to the symbiotic pharmacokinetic interplay of ATOR with LACO, and possibly, this interplay may interfere with sodium channel conductance.

Faricimab: Transforming the Future of Macular Diseases Treatment - A Comprehensive Review of Clinical Studies.

Degenerative eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion are major contributors to significant vision loss in developed nations. The primary therapeutic approach for managing complications linked to these diseases involves the intravitreal delivery of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments. Faricimab is a novel, humanised, bispecific antibody that simultaneously binds all VEGF-A isoforms and Angiopoietin-2, which has been approved by regulatory agencies, such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for the treatment of neovascular AMD and diabetic macular oedema (DMO). Intravitreal faricimab holds the promise of reducing the treatment burden for patients with these conditions by achieving comparable or superior therapeutic outcomes with fewer clinic visits. The scope of faricimab's application includes addressing complex macular conditions such as DMO. This review intends to elucidate the distinctive pharmacological characteristics of faricimab and provide an overview of the key clinical trials and real-world studies that assess its effectiveness and safety in treating degenerative macular diseases.

Optical coherence tomography angiography: a review of the current literature.

This narrative review presents a comprehensive examination of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), a non-invasive retinal vascular imaging technology, as reported in the existing literature. Building on the coherence tomography principles of standard OCT, OCTA further delineates the retinal vascular system, thus offering an advanced alternative to conventional dye-based imaging. OCTA provides high-resolution visualisation of both the superficial and deep capillary networks, an achievement previously unattainable. However, image quality may be compromised by factors such as motion artefacts or media opacities, potentially limiting the utility of OCTA in certain patient cohorts. Despite these limitations, OCTA has various potential clinical applications in managing retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. Still, given its considerable cost implications relative to current modalities, further research is warranted to justify its broader application in clinical practice.

The Promise of Precision Nutrition for Modulation of the Gut Microbiota as a Novel Therapeutic Approach to Acute Graft-versus-host Disease.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a severe side effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) that has complex phenotypes and often unpredictable outcomes. The current management is not always able to prevent aGVHD. A neglected actor in the management of aGVHD is the gut microbiota. Gut microbiota dysbiosis after aHSCT is caused by many factors and may contribute to the development of aGVHD. Diet and nutritional status modify the gut microbiota and a wide range of products are now available to manipulate the gut microbiota (pro-, pre-, and postbiotics). New investigations are testing the effect of probiotics and nutritional supplements in both animal models and human studies, with encouraging results. In this review, we summarize the most recent literature about the probiotics and nutritional factors able to modulate the gut microbiota and we discuss the future perspective in developing new integrative therapeutic approaches to reducing the risk of graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing aHSCT.

Modulation of gut microbiota: The effects of a fruits and vegetables supplement.

The consumption of an optimal amount of fruits and vegetables is known to improve physical fitness and physiological body functions. Healthy eating habits, including intake of fruits and vegetables, can modify gut microbiota. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a formulated fruit and vegetable supplement (FVS) in modulating the antioxidant capacity and the gut microbiota composition. We enrolled 30 healthy volunteer subjects, matched for age, gender, BMI, and smoking habits, and randomized them into the FVS and the placebo (PLA) groups. Among the serum vitamins, the folic acid level was significantly higher (p = 0.001) in the FVS group than in the PLA group, whereas the vitamin B2 level was significantly higher in the PLA group than in the FVS group (p = 0.028). The antioxidant capacity, measured by using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method, was also slightly higher in the FVS group than in the PLA group but did not reach statistical significance. The dietary intake, assessed by 24-h recalls, did not show any significant changes after the supplementation in both the groups. The gut microbiome composition, measured by 16S rDNA sequencing, showed no difference in both alpha and beta diversities, whereas the LEfse analysis revealed a microbial shift after the treatment, with a decreased abundance of the genus Ruminococcus from the Lachnospiraceae family (p = 0.009), and the unclassified genus from the family Erysipelotrichaceae (UC36, p = 0.003) in the FVS group compared with the PLA group (confirmed by SIAMCAT analysis, AUC = 74.1%). With a minor effect, the genus Faecalibacterium and unclassified genus and family from the order Lactobacillales (UC31) were also increased in the FVS group compared with the PLA group (p = 0.0474, p = 0.0352, respectively). SCFA measurement by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed an increased level of 2-methylbutyrate in the FVS group compared with the PLA group (p = 0.0385). Finally, the Spearman correlation analysis showed that in the FVS group, the genus Faecalibacterium positively correlated with 2-methyl butyrate (p = 0.040). In the PLA group, none of the significant bacteria correlated with either SCFA or serum biomarkers. The network analysis confirmed the positive correlation between genus Faecalibacterium and 2-methyl butyrate. We can conclude that the FVS in healthy individuals modified the gut microbiota composition and metabolites, and it can potentially contribute to reduce the pro-inflammatory response along with the antioxidant capacity.

The potential impact of a probiotic: Akkermansia muciniphila in the regulation of blood pressure-the current facts and evidence.

Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is present in the human gut microbiota from infancy and gradually increases in adulthood. The potential impact of the abundance of A. muciniphila has been studied in major cardiovascular diseases including elevated blood pressure or hypertension (HTN). HTN is a major factor in premature death worldwide, and approximately 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension. A. muciniphila is being considered a next-generation probiotic and though numerous studies had highlighted the positive role of A. muciniphila in lowering/controlling the HTN, however, few studies had highlighted the negative impact of increased abundance of A. muciniphila in the management of HTN. Thus, in the review, we aimed to discuss the current facts, evidence, and controversy about the role of A. muciniphila in the pathophysiology of HTN and its potential effect on HTN management/regulation, which could be beneficial in identifying the drug target for the management of HTN.

Female infertility and diet, is there a role for a personalized nutritional approach in assisted reproductive technologies? A Narrative Review.

Female infertility is a major public health concern and a global challenge. It is a disorder of the reproductive system, defined as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy. Nutrition and other environmental factors are found to impact reproductive health in women as well as the outcome of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Dietary factors, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fiber as well as the intake of Mediterranean diet appear to exert beneficial effects on female reproductive outcomes. The exact mechanisms associating diet to female fertility are yet to be identified, although genomic, epigenomic, and microbial pathways may be implicated. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the impact of dietary components on female reproduction and ART outcomes, and to discuss the relevant interplay of diet with genome, epigenome and microbial composition.

Increased Relative Abundance of Ruminoccocus Is Associated With Reduced Cardiovascular Risk in an Obese Population.

Background: Obesity is a complex disease with underlying genetic, environmental, psychological, physiological, medical, and epigenetic factors. Obesity can cause various disorders, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), that are among the most prevalent chronic conditions in Qatar. Recent studies have highlighted the significant roles of the gut microbiome in improving the pathology of various diseases, including obesity. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of dietary intake and gut microbial composition in modulating the risk of CVD development in obese Qatari adults. Methods: We enrolled 46 adult subjects (18-65 years of age) who were classified based on their CVD risk scores, calculated using the Framingham formula, into a CVD no-risk group (score of <10%, n = 36) and CVD risk group (score of ≥10%, n = 10). For each study subject, we measured the gut microbial composition with a 16s rDNA sequencing method that targeted the v3-v4 region using Illumina Miseq, and their nutritional status was recorded based on 24-h dietary recall. Dietary intake, bacterial taxa summary, diversity index, microbial markers, pathway analysis, and network correlation were determined for the study subjects. Results: The CVD risk group showed a lower intake of vitamin D, reduced relative abundance of genera Ruminococcus and Bifidobacterium, no change in bacterial diversity, and higher levels of taurine, hypotaurine, and lipoic acid metabolism than the CVD no-risk group. Besides, the relative abundance of genus Ruminococcus was positively correlated with the intake of protein, monounsaturated fat, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that the genus Ruminococcus could be used as a microbial marker, and its reduced relative abundance could mediate the risk of CVDs in the Obese Qatari population.

Decreased Plasma Level of Cytokeratin 20 (KRT20) Is Indicative of the Emergence and Severity of Acute GvHD Irrespective to the Type of Organ Involvement.

Accurate risk prediction of acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD) is currently an unmet clinical need. This study sought to analyze whether three plasma proteins expressed in a largely skin- and gut-restricted manner would be affected by the development of acute cutaneous and gastrointestinal aGvHD. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and prognostic value of plasma cytokeratin-15 (KRT15) cytokeratin-20 (KRT20), and occludin (OCLN) were evaluated in a discovery and a validation cohort using ELISA in comparison with elafin (PI3) and regenerating family member 3 alpha (REG3A), two established markers of skin- and gut aGvHD. The discovery cohort (n = 39) revealed that at the time of diagnosis, plasma KRT20 showed a progressive decrease from unaffected individuals to patients with single-, and patients with multi-organ aGvHD. KRT20 was affected by cutaneous (p = 0.0263) and gastrointestinal aGvHD (p = 0.0242) independently and in an additive manner. Sensitivity and specificity of KRT20 for aGvHD involving both target organs (AUC = 0.852) were comparable to that of PI3 for skin-aGvHD (AUC = 0.708) or that of REG3A for gut-aGvHD (AUC = 0.855). Patient follow-up in the validation cohort (n = 67) corroborated these observations (p < 0.001), and linked low KRT20 to grade 2+ disease (p < 0.001), but failed to confirm low KRT20 as an independent risk factor. These data established a link between low plasma KRT20 levels and moderate to severe aGvHD involving multiple target organs.

Personalized Nutrition Approach in Pregnancy and Early Life to Tackle Childhood and Adult Non-Communicable Diseases.

The development of childhood and adult non-communicable diseases (NCD) is associated with environmental factors, starting from intrauterine life. A new theory finds the roots of epigenetic programming in parental gametogenesis, continuing during embryo development, fetal life, and finally in post-natal life. Maternal health status and poor nutrition are widely recognized as implications in the onset of childhood and adult diseases. Early nutrition, particularly breastfeeding, also plays a primary role in affecting the health status of an individual later in life. A poor maternal diet during pregnancy and lack of breastfeeding can cause a nutrient deficiency that affects the gut microbiota, and acts as a cofactor for many pathways, impacting the epigenetic controls and transcription of genes involved in the metabolism, angiogenesis, and other pathways, leading to NCDs in adult life. Both maternal and fetal genetic backgrounds also affect nutrient adsorption and functioning at the cellular level. This review discusses the most recent evidence on maternal nutrition and breastfeeding in the development of NCD, the potentiality of the omics technologies in uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying it, with the future prospective of applying a personalized nutrition approach to prevent and treat NCD from the beginning of fetal life.

Bifidobacterium reduction is associated with high blood pressure in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have an elevated risk of abnormal blood pressure (BP) measurements and patterns. Both hypertension and T1DM are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. The human microbiome has been linked to both diabetes and hypertension, but the relationship between the gut microbiome and BP in children with T1DM is not well-understood. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between resting office BP and gut microbiota composition, diversity, and richness in children with T1DM and healthy controls. We recruited 29 pediatric subjects and divided them into three groups: healthy controls (HC, n = 5), T1DM with normal BP (T1DM-Normo, n = 17), and T1DM with elevated BP (T1DM-HBP, n = 7). We measured the BP, dietary and clinical parameters for each subject. We collected fecal samples to perform the 16s rDNA sequencing and to measure the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) level. The microbiome downstream analysis included the relative abundance of microbiota, alpha and beta diversity, microbial markers using Linear Discriminant effect size analysis (LEfSe), potential gut microbial metabolic pathways using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) and metabolic pathways validation using Statistical Inference of Associations between Microbial Communities And host phenotype (SIAMCAT) machine learning toolbox. Our study results showed that T1DM-HBP group had distinct gut microbial composition (at multiple taxonomic levels) and reduced diversity (richness and abundance) compared with T1DM-Normo and HC groups. Children with T1DM-HBP showed a significant reduction of Bifidobacterium levels (especially B. adolescentis, B. bifidum, and B. longum) compared to the T1DM-Normo group. We also observed unique gut-microbial metabolic pathways, such as elevated lipopolysaccharide synthesis and glutathione metabolism in children with T1DM-HBP compared to T1DM-Normo children. We can conclude that the reduction in the abundance of genus Bifidobacterium could play a significant role in elevating the BP in pediatric T1DM subjects. More studies are needed to corroborate our findings and further explore the potential contributing mechanisms we describe.

Akkermansia, a Possible Microbial Marker for Poor Glycemic Control in Qataris Children Consuming Arabic Diet-A Pilot Study on Pediatric T1DM in Qatar.

In Qatar, Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most prevalent disorders. This study aimed to explore the gut microbiome's relation to the continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy, dietary habits, and the HbA1c level in the pediatric T1DM subjects in Qatar. We recruited 28 T1DM subjects with an average age of 10.5 ± 3.53 years. The stool sample was used to measure microbial composition by 16s rDNA sequencing method. The results have revealed that the subjects who had undergone CSII therapy had increased microbial diversity and genus Akkermansia was significantly enriched in the subjects without CSII therapy. Moreover, genus Akkermansia was higher in the subjects with poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 7.5%). When we classified the subjects based on dietary patterns and nationality, Akkermansia was significantly enriched in Qataris subjects without the CSII therapy consuming Arabic diet than expatriates living in Qatar and eating a Western/mixed diet. Thus, this pilot study showed that abundance of Akkermansia is dependent on the Arabic diet only in poorly controlled Qataris T1DM patients, opening new routes to personalized treatment for T1DM in Qataris pediatric subjects. Further comprehensive studies on the relation between the Arabic diet, ethnicity, and Akkermansia are warranted to confirm this preliminary finding.

Nutri-epigenetics: the effect of maternal diet and early nutrition on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases comprise a wide group of diseases involving a self-response of the immune system against the host. The etiopathogenesis is very complex involving disease-specific factors but also environmental factors, among which the diet. Maternal diet during pregnancy as well as early nutrition recently attracted the interest of the scientists as contributing to the immune programming. In this paper, we reviewed the most recent literature on the effect of maternal diet and early nutrition in modulating the immune system in a selected subset of autoimmune diseases: type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Particularly, we focused our narrative on the role of maternal and perinatal nutrition in the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the auto-immune response. Maternal diet during pregnancy as well as breastfeeding and early nutrition play a big role in many epigenetic mechanisms. Most of the nutrients consumed by the mother and the infant are known exerting epigenetic functions, such as folate, methionine, zinc, vitamins B12 and D, fibers, casein and gliadin, and they were linked to gene expression changes in the immune pathways. Despite the common role of maternal diet, breastfeeding and early nutrition in almost all the autoimmune diseases, each disease seems to have specific diet-driver epigenetic mechanisms that require further investigations. The research in this field is opening new routes to establishing a precision nutrition approach to the auto-immune diseases.

The influence of the prebiotic gum acacia on the intestinal microbiome composition in rats with experimental chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a globally common and important disease and there are evidence for a bidirectional relationship between microbiota and CKD. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of prebiotic - gum acacia (GA) on the intestinal microbiota in rats with adenine-induced CKD. Animals were randomly distributed into four equal groups (n = 6): control, adenine, GA and adenine + GA groups. CKD was induced by adenine (0.75% w/w) given in the diet daily for four weeks, and GA was administered in drinking water at a concentration of 15% w/v. The 16s rRNA analysis was performed on Illumina Miseq targeting V3-V4 region to characterize microbial composition. The abundance of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes and Verrucomicrobia bacteria was increased in adenine-induced CKD, and GA treatment successfully reversed those levels. Interestingly, alpha and beta diversity index were both reduced with GA treatment in rats with CKD. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) measurement and PICRUSt analysis have shown that GA treatment completely restored the depleted butyrate level and various perturbated functional pathways, respectively, in CKD rats. Taking together, our results suggest that GA supplementation has a beneficial role in treating CKD, through an increased production of butyrate, as well as its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant capacity and anti-nitrosative properties.

Annexin A3 in sepsis: novel perspectives from an exploration of public transcriptome data.

According to publicly available transcriptome datasets, the abundance of Annexin A3 (ANXA3) is robustly increased during the course of sepsis; however, no studies have examined the biological significance or clinical relevance of ANXA3 in this pathology. Here we explored this interpretation gap and identified possible directions for future research. Based on reference transcriptome datasets, we found that ANXA3 expression is restricted to neutrophils, is upregulated in vitro after exposure to plasma obtained from septic patients, and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Secondly, an increase in ANXA3 transcript abundance was also observed in vivo, in the blood of septic patients in multiple independent studies. ANXA3 is known to mediate calcium-dependent granules-phagosome fusion in support of microbicidal activity in neutrophils. More recent work has also shown that ANXA3 enhances proliferation and survival of tumour cells via a Caspase-3-dependent mechanism. And this same molecule is also known to play a critical role in regulation of apoptotic events in neutrophils. Thus, we posit that during sepsis ANXA3 might either play a beneficial role, by facilitating microbial clearance and resolution of the infection; or a detrimental role, by prolonging neutrophil survival, which is known to contribute to sepsis-mediated organ damage.

Natural course of adult-onset vitelliform lesions in eyes with and without comorbid subretinal drusenoid deposits.

PURPOSE: Adult vitelliform lesions (AVL) are associated with age related macular degeneration (AMD) and subretinal drusenoid deposits (SRDD). We evaluated the natural course of AVL, assessing the influence of SRDD on disease progression, visual function and incidence of macular atrophy (MA) and choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVM). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2011 and March 2016. Demographic, clinical and imaging data from 26 consecutive AVL patients were analysed following case note review. Optical coherence tomography images were graded for SRDD and patients divided into those with/without SRDD. Outcomes included presenting/changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and incidence of MA/CNVM. RESULTS: Mean age was 78.6 ± 7.6 years. Mean follow-up was 51.5 ± 25.6 months. Twelve patients (46.2%) had SRDD at presentation with 3 more (11.5%) developing them. Subjects with SRDD were older (mean 81.7 ± 6.1 years vs 74.3 ± 7.6 years, p = 0.010). Mean presenting BCVA was worse in SRDD eyes (0.39 ± 0.31 logMAR vs 0.19 ± 0.18 logMAR, p = 0.017). Eight of 15 patients with SRDD (53.3%) developed incident MA or CNVM; higher than those with no SRDD (1/11, 9.1%; p = 0.036). Two patients (7.7%) developed full thickness macular holes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AVL and SRDD likely represent an advanced pathological stage or phenotype with worse visual outcome and higher risk of MA/CNVM. Possible overlap with AMD exists. Follow-up, counselling and provisions for early detection/treatment of complications should be made. Better classification including improved understanding of phenotypic and genetic variations with reference to comorbid diseases including AMD is required. Presence of SRDD in AVL offers a dichotomous classification, indicating risk of future MA/CNVM formation.

Evaluation of Methods for the Extraction of Microbial DNA From Vaginal Swabs Used for Microbiome Studies.

Background: The composition of the microbiome in human body sites plays an important role in health. The vaginal environment is colonized by several species of bacteria that have a major influence on reproductive health. The advancement of sequencing technologies has made the assessment of the composition of the microbiota possible through microbial DNA extraction and sequencing. Therefore, it is of a paramount importance to select a sensitive and reproducible DNA extraction method, that facilitates isolation of microbial DNA with a sufficient quantity and purity, from microbial species living in the vaginal environment. Here, we have evaluated four different DNA extraction protocols from self-collected vaginal swabs. Methods: Five healthy female volunteers were enrolled in the study. Each donor was asked to self-collect 4 samples using Copan ESwab. DNA was extracted using Qiagen DNeasy kit and three modified protocols of the MoBio PowerSoil kit ("DNeasy PowerSoil" after acquisition from Qiagen). DNA quantity and integrity was checked through Nanodrop and LabChip GX. DNA was further tested through quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and 16S sequencing. Vaginal microbiota diversities were determined using MiSeq-Illumina high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rDNA V1-V3 fingerprint. Sequencing data were analyzed using QIIME pipeline. Results: Qiagen DNeasy protocol resulted in the highest DNA yield as compared to the modified protocols of MoBio Powersoil kit. The size of the DNA extracted using each protocol was ~40 kb. Qiagen DNeasy protocol gave the highest Genomic Quality Score (average ± standard deviation: 4.24 ± 0.36), followed by the different MoBio Powersoil protocols. A substantial variability in microbial DNA abundance was found across the protocols. The vaginal microbiota of the healthy volunteers was dominated by Lactobacillus species. MoBio Powersoil kit provided a significantly higher alpha diversity as compared to the Qiagen DNeasy kit, while beta diversity measures did not reveal any significant cluster changes, except when the Bray-Curtis method was applied. Conclusion: We were able to isolate microbial DNA from the vaginal swabs. Qiagen DNeasy method gave the highest DNA yield and quality but was not optimal in detecting microbial diversity. The modified MoBio PowerSoil protocols showed higher microbial diversities as compared to the standard protocol.

Narcissism and Self- Versus Recipient-Oriented Imagery in Charitable Giving.

Prior research documents extensively that high-narcissism individuals largely tend to be self-centered and often lack empathy. This research outlines the charitable appeal types that can activate empathic responses and other-centered behaviors from high-narcissism individuals. Across four studies, we show that donors who are higher in narcissism exhibit greater charitable intentions when appealed to via imagine-self charitable appeals (as opposed to imagine-recipient types of appeals). Imagine-self appeals enable high-narcissism donors to project themselves into the recipient's situation and, in doing so, elicit greater empathy and, consequently, greater charity. This effect dissipates when projecting oneself is very difficult or impossible-such as with animal recipients or the other gender suffering a gender-specific ailment. We also explicate the underlying process role of self-focused imagination and empathy in heightening charitable outcomes from high-narcissism individuals.

Prevalence of reticular pseudodrusen in eyes with newly presenting neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To use multimodal imaging to evaluate the prevalence of reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) in eyes with newly presenting neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in a UK population and explore associations with RPD and angiographic subtypes of nAMD. METHODS: A retrospective review of all spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, color fundus photographs, red-free and blue channel images, and fundus fluorescein angiograms of 202 consecutive patients who presented to a rapid access macular clinic over a 4-year period was performed. All images were graded by at least 2 ophthalmologists for the presence of RPD and choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV) subtypes. RESULTS: A total of 231 consecutive eyes were studied, of which 131 (56.7%) were in women. Of these, 51 eyes with CNV (22.1%) had identifiable RPD, with one or more imaging methods in that eye. A total of 30.3% of patients with newly presenting CNV in either or both eyes had identifiable RPD. The RPD were bilateral in 85.4% of patients and were identified more commonly in women than men (72.5% vs 27.5%), a difference that reached statistical significance (p = 0.011). No association between RPD and any particular CNV subtype was demonstrated, including for retinal angiomatous proliferations (RAP). CONCLUSIONS: Reticular pseudodrusen have a high prevalence in eyes presenting with nAMD (22.1%), although at rates much lower than that of conventional drusen. They are largely a bilateral finding, occurring more frequently in women. Unlike other previous reports, we found no difference in their occurrence between the different subtypes of CNV including RAPs.