Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) suggest an acetate-driven protective role in gut microbiota disrupted by Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile may have a negative impact on gut microbiota composition in terms of diversity and abundance, thereby triggering functional changes supported by the differential presence of genes involved in significant metabolic pathways, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). This work has evaluated shotgun metagenomics data regarding 48 samples from four groups classified according to diarrhea acquisition site (community- and healthcare facility-onset) and positive or negative Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) result. The metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAGs) obtained from each sample were taxonomically assigned for preliminary comparative analysis concerning differences in composition among groups. The predicted genes involved in metabolism, transport, and signaling remained constant in microbiota members; characteristic patterns were observed in MAGs and genes involved in SCFA butyrate and acetate metabolic pathways for each study group. A decrease in genera and species, as well as relative MAG abundance with the presence of the acetate metabolism-related gene, was evident in the HCFO/- group. Increased antibiotic resistance markers (ARM) were observed in MAGs along with the genes involved in acetate metabolism. The results highlight the need to explore the role of acetate in greater depth as a potential protector of the imbalances produced by CDI, as occurs in other inflammatory intestinal diseases.

Microbial Interdomain Interactions Delineate the Disruptive Intestinal Homeostasis in Clostridioides difficile Infection.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) creates an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota due to the interaction of the components making up this ecosystem, but little is known about the impact of this disease on other microbial members. This work has thus been aimed at evaluating the taxonomic composition, potential gene-associated functions, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of gut microbiomes. A total of 48 DNA samples obtained from patients with health care facility-acquired (HCFO) and community-onset (CO) diarrhea were distributed in the following four groups according to CDI status: HCFO/+ (n = 13), HCFO/- (n = 8), CO/+ (n = 13), and CO/- (n = 14). These samples were subjected to shotgun metagenomics sequencing. Although the CDI groups' microbiota had microbiome alterations, the greatest imbalance was observed in the in the HCFO+/- groups, with an increase in common pathogens and phage populations, as well as a decrease in beneficial microorganisms that leads to a negative impact on some intestinal homeostasis-related metabolic processes. A reduction in the relative abundance of butyrate metabolism-associated genes was also detected in the HCFO groups (P < 0.01), with an increase in some virulence factors and antibiotic-resistance markers. A set of 51 differentially abundant species in the groups with potential association to CDI enabled its characterization, leading to their spatial separation by onset. Strong correlations between phages and some archaeal and bacterial phyla were identified. This highlighted the need to study the microbiota's various components since their imbalance is multifactorial, with some pathogens contributing to a greater or lesser extent because of their interaction with the ecosystem they inhabit. IMPORTANCE Clostridioides difficile infection represents a serious public health problem in different countries due to its high morbi-mortality and the high costs it represents for health care systems. Studies have shown the impact of this infection on intestinal microbiome homeostasis, mainly on bacterial populations. Our research provides evidence of the impact of CDI at both the compositional (bacteria, archaea, and viruses), and functional levels, allowing us to understand that the alterations of the microbiota occur systemically and are caused by multiple perturbations generated by different members of the microbiota as well as by some pathogens that take advantage of the imbalance to proliferate. Likewise, the 51 differentially abundant species in the study groups with potential association to CDI found in this study could help us envisage future treatments against this and other inflammatory diseases, improving future therapeutic options for patients.

Conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre el consumo de sal/sodio en niños del departamento de Antioquia, Colombia / Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding salt/sodium consumption in children of Antioquia, Colombia

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas (CAP) relacionados con la ingesta de sal/sodio en niños, desde la perspectiva de los cuidadores. Este, es un estudio de corte transversal en el que participaron 2997 cuidadores que asistieron a una sesión educativa sobre alimentación saludable realizada en el marco del proyecto "Acciones Complementarias del Programa de Alimentación Escolar y Maná Infantil" de la Gobernación de Antioquia, liderado por la Escuela de Nutrición y Dietética de la Universidad de Antioquia, entre agosto y septiembre de 2015. Al recolectar la información, se obtuvo que un alto porcentaje de encuestados refieren no conocer la diferencia entre sal y sodio (79,1%) y desconocen la cantidad de sodio contenida en los alimentos que consumen sus hijos; no obstante, consideran importante limitar la ingesta de sal en los niños. Finalmente, se identifica un alto número de personas dispuestas a disminuir la ingesta de sal en sus hijos, pero no sucede lo mismo cuando se hace referencia al sodio, debido a que se requiere un conocimiento más especializado y específico para tomar decisiones relacionadas con el contenido de este mineral en los alimentos, dado que está oculto.

The present study aims to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to salt / sodium intake in children from the perspective of caregivers. We conducted a crosssectional study involving 2997 caregivers who attended an educational session on healthy eating carried out within the framework of the project "Complementary Actions of the School Feeding Program and Children's Mana" carried out by the Government of Antioquia and led by the School of Nutrition and Dietetics of the University of Antioquia between August and September 2015. When collecting the information, it was found that a high percentage of persons surveyed reported not knowing the difference between salt and sodium (79.1%) and not knowing the amount of sodium contained in their child's foods; however, they considered the limiting of salt intake important for their children. Finally, a high percentage of participants were willing to reduce the salt intake of their children, but this was not the case with regard to sodium, because more specialized and specific knowledge is required to make decisions related to the content of this mineral in food, since it is hidden.

Drawing sounds: representing tones and chords spatially.

Research on the crossmodal correspondences has revealed that seemingly unrelated perceptual information can be matched across the senses in a manner that is consistent across individuals. An interesting extension of this line of research is to study how sensory information biases action. In the present study, we investigated whether different sounds (i.e. tones and piano chords) would bias participants' hand movements in a free movement task. Right-handed participants were instructed to move a computer mouse in order to represent three tones and two chords. They also had to rate each sound in terms of three visual analogue scales (slow-fast, unpleasant-pleasant, and weak-strong). The results demonstrate that tones and chords influence hand movements, with higher-(lower-)pitched sounds giving rise to a significant bias towards upper (lower) locations in space. These results are discussed in terms of the literature on forward models, embodied cognition, crossmodal correspondences, and mental imagery. Potential applications sports and rehabilitation are discussed briefly.