Effects of Oral Administration of the Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on the Proteomic Profiles of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Immunoregulatory Signaling in the Hippocampus of Adult Male Rats.

Introduction: The microbiome-gut-brain axis, by modulating bidirectional immune, metabolic, and neural signaling pathways in the host, has emerged as a target for the prevention and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Oral administration of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG; ATCC 53103) exhibits anti-inflammatory effects, although the precise mechanisms by which LGG benefits host physiology and behavior are not known. The goal of this study was to explore the general effects of LGG on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome and a biological signature of anti-inflammatory signaling in the central nervous system (CNS) of undisturbed, adult male rats.

High-fat diet, microbiome-gut-brain axis signaling, and anxiety-like behavior in male rats.

Obesity, associated with the intake of a high-fat diet (HFD), and anxiety are common among those living in modern urban societies. Recent studies suggest a role of microbiome-gut-brain axis signaling, including a role for brain serotonergic systems in the relationship between HFD and anxiety. Evidence suggests the gut microbiome and the serotonergic brain system together may play an important role in this response.

Image-Free Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty Results in Quicker Recovery but Equivalent One-Year Outcomes Compared to Conventional Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Few studies have addressed whether robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) significantly impacts functional outcomes. This study was conducted to determine whether image-free RA-TKA improves function compared to conventional total knee arthroplasty (C-TKA), performed without the utilization of robotics or navigation, using the Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) and Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) as measures of meaningful clinical improvement.

Methods: A multicenter propensity score-matched retrospective study was conducted of RA-TKA using an image-free robotic system and C-TKA cases at an average follow-up of 14 months (range, 12 months to 20 months).

Ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane nerve blocks: a novel application for the management of acute postoperative pain in awake spine surgery. Illustrative case.

Background: Postoperative pain management is a limiting factor for early ambulation and discharge following spine fusion surgery. Awake spinal surgery, when combined with minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, is associated with enhanced recovery in well-selected patients. Some neurosurgeons have recently aimed to further improve outcomes by utilizing erector spinae plane block catheters, allowing for a continuous infusion of local anesthetic to improve the management of acute postoperative pain following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

A Comparative Study of Thumb Metacarpal Morphology and Shape Categorization.

Purpose: To describe the shape of a biplanar thumb metacarpal (MC) head and identify how it differs morphologically from previously described flat and round MC heads.

Methods: Lateral radiographs of the thumb were collected retrospectively from our patient database. Patients were included in the study if they had an appropriate lateral radiograph, met the age criteria (range; 18-75 years), and did not have severe metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint arthritis.

Characterization of gut microbiome and metabolome in patients in an underprivileged community in the United States.

Background: () a bacterium that infects approximately half of the world's population, is associated with various gastrointestinal diseases, including peptic ulcers, non-ulcer dyspepsia, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. As the burden of antibiotic resistance increases, the need for new adjunct therapies designed to facilitate eradication and reduce negative distal outcomes associated with infection has become more pressing. Characterization of the interactions between , the fecal microbiome, and fecal fatty acid metabolism, as well as the mechanisms underlying these interactions, may offer new therapeutic approaches.

Evaluation of the gut microbiome in association with biological signatures of inflammation in murine polytrauma and shock.

Severe injuries are frequently accompanied by hemorrhagic shock and harbor an increased risk for complications. Local or systemic inflammation after trauma/hemorrhage may lead to a leaky intestinal epithelial barrier and subsequent translocation of gut microbiota, potentially worsening outcomes. To evaluate the extent with which trauma affects the gut microbiota composition, we performed a post hoc analysis of a murine model of polytrauma and hemorrhage.

Effects of Immunization With the Soil-Derived Bacterium on Stress Coping Behaviors and Cognitive Performance in a "Two Hit" Stressor Model.

Previous studies demonstrate that NCTC 11659 (), a soil-derived bacterium with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, is a potentially useful countermeasure against negative outcomes to stressors. Here we used male C57BL/6NCrl mice to determine if repeated immunization with is an effective countermeasure in a "two hit" stress exposure model of chronic disruption of rhythms (CDR) followed by acute social defeat (SD). On day -28, mice received implants of biotelemetric recording devices to monitor 24-h rhythms of locomotor activity.

Association of the Salivary Microbiome With Animal Contact During Early Life and Stress-Induced Immune Activation in Healthy Participants.

The prevalence of stress-associated somatic and psychiatric disorders is increased in environments offering a narrow relative to a wide range of microbial exposure. Moreover, different animal and human studies suggest that an overreactive immune system not only accompanies stress-associated disorders, but might even be causally involved in their pathogenesis. In support of this hypothesis, we recently showed that urban upbringing in the absence of daily contact with pets, compared to rural upbringing in the presence of daily contact with farm animals, is associated with a more pronounced immune activation following acute psychosocial stressor exposure induced by the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).

Effects of immunization with heat-killed Mycobacterium vaccae on autism spectrum disorder-like behavior and epileptogenesis in a rat model of comorbid autism and epilepsy.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and epilepsy are often comorbid. The basis for this co-occurrence remains unknown; however, inflammatory stressors during development are a shared risk factor. To explore this association, we tested the effect of repeated immunizations using a heat-killed preparation of the stress-protective immunoregulatory microbe Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11,659 (M.

Military-Related Exposures, Social Determinants of Health, and Dysbiosis: The United States-Veteran Microbiome Project (US-VMP).

Significant effort has been put forth to increase understanding regarding the role of the human microbiome in health- and disease-related processes. In turn, the United States (US) Veteran Microbiome Project (US-VMP) was conceptualized as a means by which to serially collect microbiome and health-related data from those seeking care within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In this manuscript, exposures related to military experiences, as well as conditions and health-related factors among patients seen in VHA clinical settings are discussed in relation to common psychological and physical outcomes.

Interactions between whole-body heating and citalopram on body temperature, antidepressant-like behaviour, and neurochemistry in adolescent male rats.

Evidence suggests that affective disorders are associated with altered thermoregulation, and it has been hypothesized that therapeutic strategies targeting body-to-brain thermosensory systems may be effective for treating depression. Consistent with this hypothesis, a recent randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial has suggested that infrared whole-body hyperthermia has therapeutic potential for the treatment of depression. Preclinical models may help uncover the mechanism(s) underlying the antidepressant-like effects of whole-body heating.

Mycobacterium vaccae immunization protects aged rats from surgery-elicited neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction.

Aging is a major risk factor for developing postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Neuroinflammatory processes, which can play a causal role in the etiology of postoperative cognitive dysfunction, are potentiated or primed as a function of aging. Here we explored whether exposure to a microorganism with immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659 (M.

Acute Administration of the Nonpathogenic, Saprophytic Bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, Induces Activation of Serotonergic Neurons in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus and Antidepressant-Like Behavior in Association with Mild Hypothermia.

Peripheral immune activation can have profound physiologic and behavioral effects. One mechanism through which immune activation may affect physiology and behavior is through actions on brainstem neuromodulatory systems, such as serotonergic systems. To test this hypothesis, in Experiment 1, adult male BALB/c mice were implanted with telemetric recording devices and then immunized with Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659 (0.