Pregnancy exacerbates neutrophil responses in murine lungs and alters gut microbiota composition after cigarette smoke exposure.

Introduction: Air pollution, particularly environmental tobacco smoke, poses significant health risks, especially to pregnant women and their infants. This study explores the difference in response to cigarette smoke (CS) exposure between pregnant and non-pregnant mice by examining lung transcriptomic profiles, neutrophil numbers, key mediators of neutrophil chemotaxis, and gut microbiota composition.

Methods: Pregnant and non-pregnant mice were exposed to either air or CS.

The Number of Newly Dispensed Hypnotic Drugs During the First COVID-19 Lockdown Period in The Netherlands.

The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated lockdowns significantly disrupted healthcare systems, including access to pharmacological treatments such as sleep medication. This study investigated the number of first-time dispensed hypnotic drugs during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands, using data from the Dutch Foundation for Pharmaceutical Statistics (SFK), which covers approximately 96% of all pharmacy dispensations (5.46 million patients).

Adolescent depression, childhood maltreatment, and the immune system; a role for epigenetic aging?

Background: Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for the development of depression, as well as for imbalances in the immune system, including chronic low-grade inflammation. Less is known about potential immune imbalances in adolescent depression and the role of childhood maltreatment. Furthermore, accelerated epigenetic aging may contribute to the development of inflammation, but has never been examined in the context of adolescent depression.

Lung Acetate Levels Decline in Correlation With Increased Type 2 Allergic Markers in a House Dust Mite Allergic Mouse Model.

Aims: Microbial dysbiosis is an important feature in allergic asthma. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by the intestinal microbiome play a role in the gut-lung axis. Little is known about how the gut SCFA levels reflect SCFA levels in other tissues and how these link to the allergic asthma inflammatory status.

The potential immunomodulatory role of human milk oligosaccharides in prevention of viral infections and development of asthma in early life.

Around 10% of the Western population is diagnosed with asthma, and this percentage is only expected to increase in the coming years. Allergic asthma often develops during early infancy and is characterized by chronic pulmonary type 2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Severe viral infections in early life are thought to be a risk factor for allergic asthma.

The relationship between self-reported immune fitness and salivary immune biomarker concentrations.

Immune fitness refers to the body's ability to respond to health challenges by activating an appropriate immune response. Perceived immune fitness can be assessed using a single-item scale ranging from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). The aim of the current study (n = 29 healthy volunteers) was to evaluate the relationship between perceived immune fitness and immune biomarker concentrations in saliva.

Secretor and non-secretor human milk oligosaccharides differentially modulate immune response in the presence of cow's milk allergen β-lactoglobulin in an sensitization model.

Introduction: Food allergies, like cow's milk allergy, significantly impact children, with sensitization often beginning during the first year of life. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) may influence this process, as specific HMOs differentially affect mucosal immune responses . Given the distinct HMO profiles of secretor (Se+) and non-secretor (Se-) milk, we investigate how the full HMO profiles from Se+ and Se- milk affect immune responses in the absence or presence of a cow's milk allergen.

Effects of probiotic yogurt on relative respiratory tract infections, urine, saliva biomarkers, and fecal bacterial load in Ugandan children: a randomized controlled trial.

This study evaluated the effects of locally produced probiotic yogurt on infectious diseases in Ugandan children aged 3-6 years. Over nine weeks, 196 children participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, consuming 125 ml daily of either probiotic yogurt containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus yoba 2012 and Streptococcus thermophilus C106 or a non-fermented dairy placebo. The primary outcome, average daily incidence of upper respiratory tract symptoms, showed no significant difference between groups.

HMOS 2'FL and 3FL prevent house dust mite induced proinflammatory cytokine release and decrease specific IgE production in a murine allergic asthma model.

Introduction: Allergic asthma is characterized by sensitization to airborne allergens like house dust mite (HDM). Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) are linked to improved immune maturation and potentially alleviate allergy development.

Methods: A human model for crosstalk between bronchial epithelial cells (BECs), monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) and T cells, during HDM exposure, was established.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Alcohol Consumption, Hangovers and Smoking Among Young Adults (n = 140) in Germany: An On-Line Study.

Objective: This study investigated the impact of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns on alcohol consumption and smoking behavior among young adults from Germany.

Methods: An online survey was completed by N = 317 young adults living in Germany. Of these, 140 (44.

Mouse strain-specific responses along the gut-brain axis upon fecal microbiota transplantation from children with autism.

Several factors are linked to the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD); however, the molecular mechanisms of the condition remain unknown. As intestinal problems and gut microbiota dysbiosis are associated with ASD development and severity, recent studies have focused on elucidating the microbiota-gut-brain axis' involvement. This study aims to explore mechanisms through which gut microbiota might influence ASD.

Understanding Parkinson's: The microbiome and machine learning approach.

Objective: Given that Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder, with symptoms that worsen over time, our goal is to enhance the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease by utilizing machine learning techniques and microbiome analysis. The primary objective is to identify specific microbiome signatures that can reproducibly differentiate patients with Parkinson's disease from healthy controls.

Methods: We used four Parkinson-related datasets from the NCBI repository, focusing on stool samples.

Mood, Quality of Life, and Immune Fitness During the COVID-19 Pandemic of Young Adults in Germany.

: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected young adults' lives globally, including those in Germany. This study investigated mental health and quality of life during the pandemic, with a particular focus on mood. Immune fitness, the body's capacity to respond to health challenges (such as infections) by activating an appropriate immune response, was assessed as a physical health indicator.

A Sustained-Release Butyrate Tablet Suppresses Ex Vivo T Helper Cell Activation of Osteoarthritis Patients in a Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.

Degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the degeneration of cartilage, synovial inflammation and low-grade systemic inflammation in association with microbial dysbiosis and intestinal barrier defects. Butyrate is known for its anti-inflammatory and barrier protective effects and might benefit OA patients. In a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial, the effects of four to five weeks of oral treatment with sustained-release (SR) butyrate tablets (600 mg/day) on systemic inflammation and immune function were studied in hand OA patients.

Single-Item Assessment of Quality of Life: Associations with Well-Being, Mood, Health Correlates, and Lifestyle.

Quality of life (QoL) is traditionally assessed using multiple-item questionnaires. These can be either general, global assessments of QoL or disease-specific questionnaires. However, the use of single-item QoL scales is becoming increasingly popular, as these are more time- and cost-effective, with a readily available and easy-to-interpret outcome.

Effect of maternal prebiotic supplementation on human milk immunological composition: Insights from the SYMBA study.

Background: Immunomodulatory proteins in human milk (HM) can shape infant immune development. However, strategies to modulate their levels are currently unknown. This study investigated whether maternal prebiotic supplementation alters the levels of immunomodulatory proteins in HM.

Effects of pregnancy and lactation prebiotics supplementation on infant allergic disease: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Ingestion of prebiotics during pregnancy and lactation may have immunomodulatory benefits for the developing fetal and infant immune system and provide a potential dietary strategy to reduce the risk of allergic diseases.

Objective: We sought to determine whether maternal supplementation with dietary prebiotics reduces the risk of allergic outcomes in infants with hereditary risk.

Methods: We undertook a double-blind randomized controlled trial in which pregnant women were allocated to consume prebiotics (14.

Goat Milk Allergy and a Potential Role for Goat Milk in Cow's Milk Allergy.

In many parts of the world, goat milk has been part of the human diet for millennia. Allergy to goat's milk, not associated with allergy to cow's milk, is a rare disorder, although some cases have been described. Goat milk proteins have substantial homology with cow's milk proteins and even show cross-reactivity; therefore, they are not advised as an alternative to cow's milk for infants with IgE-mediated cow's milk allergies.

Electrical vagus nerve stimulation is a promising approach to reducing pulmonary complications after an esophagectomy: an experimental rodent model.

After esophagectomy, an imbalanced inflammatory response increases the risk of postoperative morbidity. The vagus nerve modulates local and systemic inflammatory responses, but its pulmonary branches are transected during esophagectomy as part of the oncological resection, which may account for the high incidence of postoperative (pulmonary) complications. This study investigated the effect of electrical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury in rats.

Alcohol hangover versus dehydration revisited: The effect of drinking water to prevent or alleviate the alcohol hangover.

The alcohol hangover is a combination of negative mental and physical symptoms which can be experienced after a single episode of alcohol consumption, starting when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) approaches zero. A popular theory suggests that dehydration is the primary cause of alcohol hangover and that the consumption of water could alleviate hangover symptoms. Here, the current evidence on the relationship between hangover severity, thirst, and water consumption is summarized.

Comparative Analysis of the Clinical Presentation of Individuals Who Test Positive or Negative for SARS-CoV-2: Results from a Test Street Study.

The common cold, the flu, and the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have many symptoms in common. As such, without testing for severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is difficult to conclude whether or not one is infected with SARS-CoV-2. The aim of the current study was to compare the presence and severity of COVID-19-related symptoms among those who tested positive or negative for the beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.