Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages against E.coli urinary tract infection and evaluating their anti-biofilm activity and antibiotic synergy.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a significant health concern, especially due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. This study focuses on isolating and characterizing bacteriophages specific to UPEC strains isolated from UTI samples. The isolated phages were assessed for their ability to target and lyse UPEC in vitro, focusing on their efficacy in disrupting biofilms, a key virulence factor contributing to UTI recurrence and antibiotic resistance. The morphological structure observed by TEM belongs to Myoviridae, the phage exhibited icosahedral symmetry with a long non-constricting tail, the approximate measurement of the phage head was 39 nm in diameter, and the phage tail was 105.317 nm in length. One-step growth experiments showed that the latent period was approximately 20 min, followed by a rise period of 40 min, and a growth plateau was reached within 20 min and the burst size observed was 26 phages/infected bacterial cells. These phages were capable of killing cells within the biofilms, leading to a reduction in living cell counts after a single treatment. This study highlights the potential of phages to play a significant role in disrupting, inactivating, and destroying Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilms. Such findings could be instrumental in developing treatment strategies that complement antibiotics and disinfectants. The phage-antibiotic synergistic activity was compared to have the possibility to facilitate the advancement of focused and enduring alternatives to traditional antibiotic therapies for UTIs.

Incidence, risk factors and impact of anemia after elective neurosurgery: A retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Anemia after surgery is common and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Understanding the incidence and risk factors for postoperative anemia is important to reduce anemia-related complications and blood transfusion. There is lack of data regarding postoperative anemia and its contributing factors in neurosurgery. This study evaluates the incidence and risk factors of postoperative anemia, and its impact on clinical outcomes. Methods: This was a single centre, retrospective study of patients who underwent elective neurosurgery over seven months. Data regarding age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, diagnosis, surgery, preoperative hemoglobin, surgery duration, intraoperative blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, dose of tranexamic acid, intraoperative fluid balance, years of surgeon's experience, postoperative hemoglobin, postoperative RBC transfusion, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at hospital discharge, and duration of postoperative intensive care unit and hospital stay were collected. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of postoperative anemia. Results: The incidence of postoperative anemia was 11.3% (116/1025). On univariate analysis; age, preoperative hemoglobin, surgery duration, gender, ASA grade, surgery type, and surgeon's experience were associated with postoperative anemia. Lower preoperative hemoglobin (p<0.001) and non-tumor surgery (p<0.001) were predictive of postoperative anemia on multivariate analysis. Postoperative anemia resulted in increased RBC transfusion (p<0.001) and lower GCS score at discharge (p=0.012). Conclusions: Atleast one in ten patients undergoing elective neurosurgery develop postoperative anemia. Lower preoperative hemoglobin and non-tumor surgery predict anemia. Anemia results in increased RBC transfusion and lower discharge GCS score.

Inhibition of the MALT1-LPCAT3 axis protects cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis.

The proinflammatory cytokines and arachidonic acid (AA)-derived eicosanoids play a key role in cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA). The lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3) preferentially incorporates AA into the membranes. Our recent studies showed that MALT1 [mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1]) plays a crucial role in propagating inflammatory signaling triggered by IL-1ß and other inflammatory mediators in endothelial cells. The present study shows that LPCAT3 expression was up-regulated in both human and mice articular cartilage of OA, and correlated with severity of OA. The IL-1ß-induces cell death via upregulation of LPCAT3, MMP3, ADAMTS5, and eicosanoids via MALT1. Gene silencing or pharmacological inhibition of LPCAT3 or MALT1 in chondrocytes and human cartilage explants notably suppressed the IL-1ß-induced cartilage catabolism through inhibition of expression of MMP3, ADAMTS5, and also secretion of cytokines and eicosanoids. Mechanistically, overexpression of MALT1 in chondrocytes significantly upregulated the expression of LPCAT3 along with MMP3 and ADAMTS5 via c-Myc. Inhibition of c-Myc suppressed the IL-1ß-MALT1-dependent upregulation of LPCAT3, MMP3 and ADAMTS5. Consistent with the in vitro data, pharmacological inhibition of MALT1 or gene silencing of LPCAT3 using siRNA-lipid nanoparticles suppressed the synovial articular cartilage erosion, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and eicosanoids such as PGE2, LTB4, and attenuated osteoarthritis induced by the destabilization of the medial meniscus in mice. Overall, our data reveal a previously unrecognized role of the MALT1-LPCAT3 axis in osteoarthritis. Targeting the MALT1-LPCAT3 pathway with MALT1 inhibitors or siRNA-liposomes of LPCAT3 may become an effective strategy to treat OA by suppressing eicosanoids, matrix-degrading enzymes, and proinflammatory cytokines.

Role of substance P in cerebral edema and association with an estimated specific gravity of the brain and an outcome prediction in post-traumatic cerebral edema.

Purpose: The study aims to evaluate the role of substance P in cerebral edema and outcomes associated with acute TBI. Method: Patients with acute TBI who presented within 6 h and a CT scan showed predominantly cerebral edema were included in the study. Substance P level was assessed from a serum sample collected within 6 h of trauma. We also evaluated the brain-specific gravity using the Brain View software. Result: A total of 160 (128 male) patients were recruited. The median serum substance P concentration was 167.89 (IQR: 101.09-238.2). Substance P concentration was high in the early hours after trauma (p = 0.001). The median specific gravity of the entire brain was 1.04. Patients with a low Glasgow coma scale (GCS) at admission had a high concentration of the substance P. In the univariate analysis, low GCS, elevated serum concentrations of substance P level, high Rotterdam grade, high cerebral edema grade, a high international normalized ratio value, and high blood sugar levels were associated with poor outcomes at six months. In logistic regression analysis, low GCS at admission, high cerebral edema grade, and elevated blood sugar level were strongly associated with poor outcomes at six months. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.884 (0.826-0.941). Conclusion: Serum substance P is strongly associated with the severity of cerebral edema after TBI. However, brain-specific gravity does not directly correlate with posttraumatic cerebral edema severity. Serum substance P does not influence the clinical outcome of traumatic brain injury.

DesC1 and DesC2, Δ9 Fatty Acid Desaturases of Filamentous Cyanobacteria: Essentiality and Complementarity.

DesC1 and DesC2, which are fatty acid desaturases found in cyanobacteria, are responsible for introducing a double bond at the Δ9 position of fatty-acyl chains, which are subsequently esterified to the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of the glycerol moiety, respectively. However, since the discovery of these two desaturases in the Antarctic cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. SO-36, no further research has been reported. This study presents a comprehensive characterization of DesC1 and DesC2 through targeted mutagenesis and transformation using two cyanobacteria strains: Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, comprising both desaturases, and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, containing a single Δ9 desaturase (hereafter referred to as DesCs) sharing similarity with DesC1 in amino acid sequence. The results suggested that both DesC1 and DesC2 were essential in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 and that DesC1, but not DesC2, complemented DesCs in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. In addition, DesC2 from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 desaturated fatty acids esterified to the sn-2 position of the glycerol moiety in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Microbial Exudates as Biostimulants: Role in Plant Growth Promotion and Stress Mitigation.

Microbes hold immense potential, based on the fact that they are widely acknowledged for their role in mitigating the detrimental impacts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which were extensively employed during the Green Revolution era. The consequence of this extensive use has been the degradation of agricultural land, soil health and fertility deterioration, and a decline in crop quality. Despite the existence of environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives, microbial bioinoculants encounter numerous challenges in real-world agricultural settings. These challenges include harsh environmental conditions like unfavorable soil pH, temperature extremes, and nutrient imbalances, as well as stiff competition with native microbial species and host plant specificity. Moreover, obstacles spanning from large-scale production to commercialization persist. Therefore, substantial efforts are underway to identify superior solutions that can foster a sustainable and eco-conscious agricultural system. In this context, attention has shifted towards the utilization of cell-free microbial exudates as opposed to traditional microbial inoculants. Microbial exudates refer to the diverse array of cellular metabolites secreted by microbial cells. These metabolites enclose a wide range of chemical compounds, including sugars, organic acids, amino acids, peptides, siderophores, volatiles, and more. The composition and function of these compounds in exudates can vary considerably, depending on the specific microbial strains and prevailing environmental conditions. Remarkably, they possess the capability to modulate and influence various plant physiological processes, thereby inducing tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Furthermore, these exudates facilitate plant growth and aid in the remediation of environmental pollutants such as chemicals and heavy metals in agroecosystems. Much like live microbes, when applied, these exudates actively participate in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere, engaging in continuous interactions with plants and plant-associated microbes. Consequently, they play a pivotal role in reshaping the microbiome. The biostimulant properties exhibited by these exudates position them as promising biological components for fostering cleaner and more sustainable agricultural systems.

Fructooligosaccharide and Bacillus subtilis synbiotic combination promoted disease resistance, but not growth performance, is additive in fish.

Species diversification from major to minor carps for their sturdiness and initial higher growth, and also a quest for antibiotic-free aqua farming in the subcontinent, mandates search for and evaluation of alternatives. An experiment was performed to investigate the potential of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and Bacillus subtilis (BS) (alone or as synbiotics) in promoting growth and immunity against infections in Labeo fimbriatus fingerlings. Six iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipidic diets containing combinations of two levels of FOS (0% and 0.5%) and three levels of BS (0, 104, 106 CFU/g feed) were fed to fish for 60 days. At the end of the feeding trial, twenty-four fish from each group were injected intra-peritoneally with pathogenic strain of Aeromonas hydrophila O:18 to test the immunoprotective efficacy of the supplements against bacterial infection. BS, but not FOS, significantly improved (P < 0.05) growth and feed utilisation attributes like percentage weight gain (PWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). There were interactive effects of FOS and BS on PWG, SGR and FCR; however, the effects were not additive in nature. These beneficial effects of BS, alone or in combination with FOS, were corroborated by increased protease activity, microvilli density and diameter and number of goblet cells. Overall beneficial effects of FOS and BS included improved erythrocyte (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), total protein and globulin levels. Total leucocyte (WBC) count and immunological parameters like respiratory burst activity of leucocytes (NBT reduction), lysozyme activity, albumin: globulin ratio and post-challenge survival were significantly improved by both FOS and BS, and their dietary combination yielded the highest improvement in these parameters. Synergistic effects of FOS and BS as dietary supplements indicate that a combination of 106 CFU/g BS and 0.5% FOS is optimal to improve growth, feed utilisation, immune functions, and disease resistance in L. fimbriatus fingerlings.

Is it time to move on to gene-based Salmonella typing: Evidence and implications.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is the major cause of foodborne infections globally, with considerable morbidity and mortality. The accurate identification of Salmonella serovars is important in disease management and public health surveillance. However, traditional serotyping methods are laborious, time-consuming and may produce ambiguous results. In this study, we evaluated traditional serotyping and seven gene-based multilocus sequence typing (MLST) methods to determine the serogroups of Salmonella strains. This study analysis suggests that MLST based serotyping is accurate in serogroup identification and discrimination of Salmonella serovars compared to the traditional serotyping method and can be implemented in routine clinical practice.

Social and health concerns of elderly women in rural area in Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu.

Background: Population ageing is a major challenging demographic transition with socioeconomic and health issues. Women constitute 55% of all older persons facing a lot of ill-health, social deprivation, etc., Globally various studies have reported the health issues in men and women as a whole. This study is done to explore out the social and health concerns particularly in elderly women in rural setting in Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Dharapuram Block, Tiruppur District by Multistage Random sampling during November 2019-February 2020. About 250 elderly women were interviewed for sociodemographic details, co-morbidities, quality of life (QOL), and health seeking behavior. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and logistic regression were used for analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Mean age of the participants was 65.59 ± 5.92. Only 27.6% were literate. 158 (63.2%) were widow, 43.2% living alone and 65% have more than 2 comorbidities. Majority had vision problem, hearing problem, and hypertension. About 61.2% consumed tobacco and 48% had sleep disturbances. In QOL, overall mean score was poor. Factors like illiteracy, poverty, poor awareness on health services, social factors like loneliness had negative impact on QOL. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of social and health issues in the elderly women associated with poor QOL. Determinants like poverty, loneliness, poor awareness on health services have to be addressed at the level of primary healthcare to improve their QOL and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.

A Clinico-mycological, Antifungal Drug Sensitivity and Therapeutic Study of Extensive Dermatophytosis in Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Background: In India, an increased prevalence of chronic, recurrent, and recalcitrant dermatophytosis is being observed. The present study assesses the clinico-mycological profile, antifungal drug sensitivity and therapeutic efficacy of various systemic antifungal drug regimens, in extensive dermatophytosis patients of coastal Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty clinically diagnosed cases of extensive dermatophytosis affecting more than one body region were enrolled. Skin samples were taken for direct microscopy and fungal culture. Antifungal drug sensitivity testing was done with broth microdilution test. Therapeutic efficacy of systemic antifungal drug regimens was determined by randomly dividing the patients into 5 groups of 30 each. Results: The most common clinical patterns observed were tinea corporis et cruris (62.7%) followed by extensive tinea corporis (11.3%). KOH and culture positivity were seen in 132 (88%) and 84 cases (56%) respectively. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was isolated in 78 cases (92.8%) followed by Microsporum gypseum in 6 patients (7.1%). The overall mean minimum inhibitory concentration values for itraconazole (0.04 µg/mL) were low when compared to griseofulvin (4.61 µg/mL) and terbinafine (6.9 µg/mL) (P < 0.05). Combination of itraconazole and griseofulvin achieved highest clinical and mycological cure rates (93.1%). Among patients receiving single drugs, itraconazole had higher cure rates (71.4%) compared to terbinafine (59.2%) and griseofulvin (53.8%) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Trichophyton mentagrophytes has replaced Trichophyton rubrum as the predominant species causing dermatophytosis in Andhra Pradesh, presenting with a severe phenotype. Itraconazole was found to be the most effective drug both in vivo and in vitro. A combination of systemic drugs should be considered in cases of monotherapy failure and in recalcitrant dermatophytosis.

Genetic Algorithm-Based Human Mental Stress Detection and Alerting in Internet of Things.

Healthcare is one of the emerging application fields in the Internet of Things (IoT). Stress is a heightened psycho-physiological condition of the human that occurs in response to major objects or events. Stress factors are environmental elements that lead to stress. A person's emotional well-being can be negatively impacted by long-term exposure to several stresses affecting at the same time, which can cause chronic health issues. To avoid strain problems, it is vital to recognize them in their early stages, which can only be done through regular stress monitoring. Wearable gadgets offer constant and real information collecting, which aids in experiencing an increase. An investigation of stress discovery using detecting devices and deep learning-based is implemented in this work. This proposed work investigates stress detection techniques that are utilized with detecting hardware, for example, electroencephalography (EEG), photoplethysmography (PPG), and the Galvanic skin reaction (GSR) as well as in various conditions including traveling and learning. A genetic algorithm is utilized to separate the features, and the ECNN-LSTM is utilized to classify the given information by utilizing the DEAP dataset. Before that, preprocessing strategies are proposed for eliminating artifacts in the signal. Then, the stress that is beyond the threshold value is reached the emergency/alert state; in that case, an expert who predicts the mental stress sends the report to the patient/doctor through the Internet. Finally, the performance is evaluated and compared with the traditional approaches in terms of accuracy, f1-score, precision, and recall.

Gender Differences in Perceived Stress among Neurosurgeons: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Surgeons are subjected to enhanced levels of work-related stress and women are likely to face unique challenges due to sub-optimal representation. The present study was conceived with a primary objective to study the gender differences faced by surgeons and neurosurgeons in particular. The secondary objective was to assess the correlation between the various stress inducers and busters of normal working and daily life and the mental state of neurosurgeons. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, multi-centric study in which a structured questionnaire was sent to neurosurgeons through various neurosurgical forums of the country. A total of 93 complete responses were included in the study. The questions were broadly divided into four themes, demographic working data, stress inducers, stress busters, and questions to reflect the mental state of the respondent. Results: There were 74 males and 19 females in the study, with an average age of 39.34 ± 8.57 years. Statistically significant gender differences were noted in rating the out-patient department (OPD) hours, lectures and seminars, performing and assisting surgeries, attending conferences and working in the intensive care unit (ICU), with women scoring lower than men for these activities. There were no significant gender differences in the mental state of the respondents. A strong correlation was found between scoring for performance and assisting of surgery and the mental state questions, and a strong negative correlation was noted between music, playing games, going to the gym, practicing yoga and the mental state questions, indicative of a protective effect. Conclusions: There was no significant gender differences in the perceived stress levels among neurosurgeons. Women appeared more comfortable with certain normal activities of working. A strong negative correlation was reported for activities such as music, playing games, yoga, and going to the gym, indicating a protective effect.

Possible involvement of extracellular polymeric substrates of Antarctic cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain SO-36 in adaptation to harsh environments.

Cyanobacteria are some of the primary producers in extremely cold biospheres such as the Arctic, Antarctic, and vast ice sheets. Many genera of cyanobacteria are identified from these harsh environments, but their specific mechanisms for cold adaptation are not fully understood. Nostoc sp. strain SO-36 is a cyanobacterium isolated in Antarctica more than 30 years ago and regarded as a psychrotolelant species. To determine whether the strain is psychrotolelant or psychrophilic, it was first grown at 30 °C and 10 °C. The cells grew exponentially at 30 °C, but their growth stopped at 10 °C, indicating that the strain is only psychrotolerant. Microscopic analysis revealed that the morphology of the cells grown at 30 °C was filamentous and differentiated heterocysts, which are specialized cells for gaseous nitrogen fixation under nitrogen-deprived conditions, indicating that the strain can grow diazotrophically. The cells grown at 10 °C have a smaller size, shortened filament length and decreased chlorophyll content per cell. At 10 °C, the cells are aggregated with extracellular polymeric substrates (EPSs), which is a common mechanism to protect cells from ultraviolet light. These results imply that segmentation into short filaments was induced by photodamage at low temperatures. To fully understand the adaptation mechanisms of Nostoc sp. strain SO-36 for low-temperature conditions, next-generation sequencing analyses were conducted. Complete genome sequence of the strain revealed that it has one main chromosome of approximately 6.8 Mbp with 4 plasmids, including 6855 coding sequences, 48 tRNA genes, 4 copies of rRNA operons, and 5 CRISPR regions. Putative genes for EPS biosynthesis were found to be conserved in Nostocaceae regardless of their habitat. These results provide basic information to understand the adaptation mechanisms at low temperatures, and the strain can be a model organism to analyze adaptation to extreme environments.

Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Management of Pancreatic and Periampullary Masses-Prospective Study from a Tertiary Care Center.

Characterizing a pancreatic or periampullary mass lesion as benign or malignant on conventional imaging is difficult due to overlapping morphological features. 18F-FDG PET/CT is a molecular imaging technique with reportedly higher sensitivity and specificity in the differentiation of benign and malignant pancreatic and periampullary masses. In this prospective study, we evaluated the utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with recently diagnosed pancreatic and periampullary masses. Based on FDG uptake pattern, diffuse or absent uptake was considered benign and focal increased uptake as malignant. Among the 32 patients included in the study, pathological examination confirmed 25 as positive for malignancy and the remaining 7 as benign etiology. Based on FDG uptake pattern, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of the study were 92%, 42.8%, 85.2%, 60%, and 81.3% respectively. 18F-FDG PET/CT had a statistically significant higher detection rate in the evaluation of regional lymph nodes and distant organ metastases compared to radiological imaging. In 7/25 (14%) malignant cases, 18F-FDG PET/CT detected additional distant metastases which were not detected by conventional imaging and thus resulting in change in management from curative resection to palliative therapy. To conculde, 18F-FDG PET/CT uptake pattern can characterize pancreatic and periampullary masses as benign or malignant with a relatively good accuracy. Using 18F-FDG PET/CT for initial staging of pancreatic and periampullary cancer helps in appropriate staging and optimal selection of treatment modality compared to conventional imaging techniques.

Spinal astroblastoma: a rare tumour in an unusual location.

Astroblastomas are central nervous system tumours with unknown cell of origin and clinical behaviour. These tumours occur most commonly in cerebral hemispheres with spinal astroblastomas being very rare. We report a case of spinal astroblastoma which harboured MN1 alteration.

Pilocytic astrocytoma with spontaneous malignant transformation with intracranial and skeletal dissemination: case report and review of the literature.

Pilocytic astrocytoma is a benign low-grade tumor with a favorable prognosis. We present a 47-year-old- lady with a posterior fossa pilocytic astrocytoma who underwent surgical decompression. She developed multiple early local recurrences Along with malignant transformation of the cranial lesion she developed skeletal dissemination within a very short time frame. There were no features or family history of neurofibromatosis 1. She did not receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy prior to the recurrences.

Expectation of treatment outcomes in complete denture wearers.

Edentulism is a condition associated with age, and the outcome of prosthodontic treatment depends on a number of dental and nondental factors. In complete denture therapy, patient satisfaction is a key objective and various other variables affect this parameter. The ability to foresee its preferences may assist dentists in making informed treatment selections. The study purpose is to assess the expectations of treatment outcomes in complete denture users. For the study, all cases referred for total denture therapy during September 2020 and February 2021 were included. Both new and old denture users completed questionnaires on factors such as retention, mastication, phonetics, esthetics, and comfort. Excel was used to compile the data, which was then imported into SPSS for statistical analysis. The study's statistical significance level was established at P < 0.05. Male patients over the age of 60 years wearing dentures were very common. Denture wearers were highly prevalent in the age group of >60 years among male patients. Retention, esthetics, and phonetics are highly satisfied in existing denture wearers and mastication is highly satisfied in new denture wearers. The comfort factor is commonly satisfied in both the denture wearers. The results were statistically significant with a P = 0.05. Clinician can plan their treatments more effectively if they are aware of the treatment's expectations.

Effect of herbal and nonherbal dentifrice on gingival health - A clinical study.

The main causative factor for periodontal diseases is dental plaque. The most effective way to remove plaque is tooth brushing using dentifrice. Recently, due to the side effects of commercially available chemical dentifrices, herbal toothpaste is gaining popularity. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of herbal and nonherbal toothpaste on gingival health. The current study involved 100 outpatients reported to Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals. Each patient received oral prophylaxis and for 3 days, they were told not to use any other oral hygiene products. The subjects were assigned randomly into the test group (Colgate Herbal) and control group (Colgate). Thirty days later, the plaque and gingival indices were recorded and compared with the baseline using an unpaired t-test (SPSS software, version 23). The mean plaque index at baseline was 1.4 ± 0.6 (herbal) and 1.3 ± 0.7 (nonherbal), and after 30 days, the scores were 1.0 ± 0.5 and 0.9 ± 0.3, respectively. The mean gingival index score for herbal and nonherbal dentifrice at baseline was 1.19 ± 0.5 and 0.9 ± 0.2, and at 30th day, it was 1.1 ± 0.4 and 1.0 ± 0.4, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Herbal dentifrices are just as effective as nonherbal dentifrices at reducing plaque and improving gingival health.

Persistent exercise fatigue and associative learning deficits in combination with transient glucose dyshomeostasis in a mouse model of Gulf War Illness.

AIMS: To characterize exercise fatigue, metabolic phenotype and cognitive and mood deficits correlated with brain neuroinflammatory and gut microbiome changes in a chronic Gulf War Illness (GWI) mouse model. The latter have been described in an accompanying paper [1]. MAIN METHODS: Adult male C57Bl/6N mice were exposed for 28 days (5 days/week) to pyridostigmine bromide: 6.5 mg/kg, b.i.d., P.O. (GW1) or 8.7 mg/kg, q.d., P.O. (GW2); topical permethrin (1.3 mg/kg in 100% DMSO) and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET 33% in 70% EtOH) and restraint stress (5 min). Exercise, metabolic and behavioral endpoints were compared to sham stress control (CON/S). KEY FINDINGS: Relative to CON/S, GW2 presented persistent exercise intolerance (through post-treatment (PT) day 161), deficient associative learning/memory, and transient insulin insensitivity. In contrast to GW2, GW1 showed deficient long-term object recognition memory, milder associative learning/memory deficit, and behavioral despair. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings demonstrate that GW chemicals dose-dependently determine the presentation of exercise fatigue and severity/type of cognitive/mood-deficient phenotypes that show persistence. Our comprehensive mouse model of GWI recapitulates the major multiple symptom domains characterizing GWI, including fatigue and cognitive impairment that can be used to more efficiently develop diagnostic tests and curative treatments for ill Gulf War veterans.