Gut Microbiome and Cytokine Profiles in Post-COVID Syndrome.

Recent studies highlight the crucial role of the gut microbiome in post-infectious complications, especially in patients recovering from severe COVID-19. Our research aimed to explore the connection between gut microbiome changes and the cytokine profile of patients with post-COVID syndrome. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the composition of the gut microbiome in 60 COVID-19 patients over the course of one year. We also measured the levels of serum cytokines and chemokines using the Milliplex system. Our results showed that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, especially those complicated by pneumonia, induce a pro-inflammatory microbial milieu with heightened presence of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, and Prevotella_9. Furthermore, we found that post-COVID syndrome is characterized by a cross-correlation of various cytokines and chemokines MDC, IL-1b, Fractalkine, TNFa, FGF-2, EGF, IL-1RA, IFN-a2, IL-10, sCD40L, IL-8, Eotaxin, IL-12p40, and MIP-1b as well as a shift in the gut microbiome towards a pro-inflammatory profile. At the functional level, our analysis revealed associations with post-COVID-19 in homolactic fermentation, pentose phosphate, NAD salvage, and flavin biosynthesis. These findings highlight the intricate interplay between the gut microbiota, their metabolites, and systemic cytokines in shaping post-COVID symptoms. Unraveling the gut microbiome's role in post-infectious complications opens avenues for new treatments for those patients with prolonged symptoms.

Oral Microbiome Stamp in Alzheimer's Disease.

Recent studies have suggested that periodontal disease and alterations in the oral microbiome may be associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. Here, we report a case-control study of oral microbiota diversity in AD patients compared to healthy seniors from Central Asia. We have characterized the bacterial taxonomic composition of the oral microbiome from AD patients (n = 64) compared to the healthy group (n = 71) using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. According to our results, the oral microbiome of AD has a higher microbial diversity, with an increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in Bacteroidetes in the AD group. LEfSe analysis showed specific differences at the genus level in both study groups. A region-based analysis of the oral microbiome compartment in AD was also performed, and specific differences were identified, along with the absence of differences in bacterial richness and on the functional side. Noteworthy findings demonstrated the decrease in periodontitis-associated bacteria in the AD group. Distinct differences were revealed in the distribution of metabolic pathways between the two study groups. Our study confirms that the oral microbiome is altered in AD. However, a comprehensive picture of the complete composition of the oral microbiome in patients with AD requires further investigation.

The Trajectory of Successful Aging: Insights from Metagenome and Cytokine Profiling.

INTRODUCTION: The longevity is influenced by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The specific changes that occur in the gut microbiome during the aging process, and their relationship to longevity and immune function, have not yet been fully understood. The ongoing research of other microbiome based on longevity cohort in Kazakhstan provides preliminary information on longevity-related aging, where cytokine expression is associated with specific microbial communities and microbial functions. METHODS: Metagenomic shotgun sequencing study of 40 long-lived individuals aged 90 years and over was carried out, who were conditionally healthy and active, able to serve themselves, without a history of serious infection and cancer, who had not taken any antimicrobials, including probiotics. Blood serum was analyzed for clinical and laboratory characteristics. The cytokine and chemokine profile in serum and stool samples was assessed using multiplex analysis. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1a, IL-6, 12p70, IP-10, IFNα2, IL-15, TNFa, as well as chemokines MIP-1a/CCL3 and MIP-1b/CCL4, chemokine motif ligands MCP-3/CCL7 and MDC/CCL22(1c). Nonagenerians and centenarians demonstrated a greater diversity of core microbiota genera and showed an elevated prevalence of the genera Bacteroides, Clostridium, Escherichia, and Alistipes. Conversely, there was a decrease in the abundance of the genera Ruminococcus, Fusicatenibacter, Dorea, as well as the species Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans. Furthermore, functional analysis revealed that the microbiome in long-lived group has a high capacity for lipid metabolism, amino acid degradation, and potential signs of chronic inflammatory status. CONCLUSION: Long-lived individuals exhibit an immune system imbalance and observed changes in the composition of the gut microbiota at the genus level between to the two age-groups. Age-related changes in the gut microbiome, metabolic functions of the microbial community, and chronic inflammation all contribute to immunosenescence. In turn, the inflammatory state and microbial composition of the gut is related to nutritional status.

Compositional and functional variability of the gut microbiome in children with infantile colic.

The inconsolable crying of a child for no apparent reason at an early age is a source of excitement and anxiety for parents. Previous studies have reported that crying may be caused by discomfort associated with the occupation of the intestines of the newborn by microbiota and its vital activity. We conducted a prospective observational study in which 62 newborns and their mothers were recruited. The study comprised two groups, each consisting of 15 infants with colic and 21 controls. Colic and control groups were vaginally born and exclusively breastfed. Fecal samples from children were collected over time from day 1 to 12 months. Full metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples from children and their mothers was carried out. It was determined that the trajectory of the development of the intestinal microbiome of children with colic was different from the group without colic. In the colic group, a depleted relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and enrichment of Bacteroides Clostridiales was found, while the microbial biodiversity in this group was enriched. Metabolic pathway profiling showed that the non-colic group was enriched by amino acid biosynthetic pathways, while the feces microbiome of the colic group was enriched by glycolysis metabolic pathways that correlated with the Bacteroides taxon. This study shows that infantile colic has a definite relationship with the microbiome structure of infants.

LRRK2 Mutations and Asian Disease-Associated Variants in the First Parkinson's Disease Cohort from Kazakhstan.

BACKGROUND: LRRK2 mutations have emerged as the most prevalent and potentially treatable determinants of Parkinson's disease (PD). Peculiar geographic distribution of these mutations has triggered an interest in genotyping PD cohorts of different ethnic backgrounds for LRRK. OBJECTIVE: Here, we report on the results of LRRK2 screening in the first Central Asian PD cohort. METHODS: 246 PD patients were consecutively recruited by movement disorder specialists from four medical centers in Kazakhstan, and clinicodemographic data and genomic DNA from blood were systematically obtained and shipped to the Institute of Neurology University College London together with DNAs from 200 healthy controls. The cohort was genotyped for five LRRK2 mutations (p.Gly2019Ser, p.Arg1441His, p.Tyr1699Cys, p.Ile2020Thr, and p.Asn1437His) and three East Asian disease-associated variants (p.Gly2385Arg, p.Ala419Val, and p.Arg1628Pro) via Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assay analysis. RESULTS: None of the study subjects carried LRRK2 mutations, whereas the following Asian variants were found with insignificant odds ratios (OR): p.Gly2385Arg (1.2%, minor allele frequency (MAF) 0.007, OR 1.25, p=0.8), p.Ala419Val (3.7%, MAF 0.02, OR 1.5, p=0.8), p.Ala419Val (3.7%, MAF 0.02, OR 1.5. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that East Asian LRRK variants could be found in Central Asian populations but their pathogenicity remains to be elucidated in larger PD cohorts.