Fecal gelatinase does not predict mortality in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis

August 26, 2024

This study aimed to investigate the significance of fecal gelatinase on clinical outcomes in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis. In conclusion, in our cohort, fecal gelatinase does not predict mortality and does not indicate higher disease severity in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis.

The first taxonomic and functional characterization of human CAVD-associated microbiota

January 13, 2023

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common heart valve disorder, defined by a remodeling multistep process. In this study, we aimed to investigate and characterize the presence of valvular microbiota and the associated immune response in human CAV samples originating from two European populations.

A hundred spotlights on microbiology: how microorganisms shape our lives

April 4, 2022

Viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoal biology is of cardinal importance for the evolutionary history of life, ecology, biotechnology and infectious diseases. Various microbiological model systems have fundamentally contributed to the understanding of molecular and cellular processes, including the cell cycle, cell death, mitochondrial biogenesis, vesicular fusion and autophagy, among many others. Microbial interactions within the environment have profound effects on many fields of biology, from ecological diversity to the highly complex and multifaceted impact of the microbiome on human health. Also, biotechnological innovation and corresponding industrial operations strongly depend on microbial engineering. With this wide range of impact in mind, the peer-reviewed (...)

A holobiont view on thrombosis: unravelling the microbiota’s influence on arterial thrombus growth

January 6, 2020

In this article, the authors comment on the study "The microbiota promotes arterial thrombosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice" by Kiouptsi et al. (mBio, 2019) that showed that commensal microbiota, intricately linked to host physiology, may influence cardiovascular disease, as shown by studies using germ-free atherosclerosis-prone mice to examine how microbial presence and diet affect arterial thrombosis and lesion development.

Beyond cells – The virome in the human holobiont

July 1, 2019

This article provides an overview of viromics—viral metagenomics—and its evolution, highlighting the complexity and dynamic nature of viruses beyond their traditional view as pathogens. It acknowledges the technological advancements in molecular biology and sequencing that have allowed the field to grow, while also noting that viromic research still faces significant challenges and is not as developed as bacterial metagenomics. The review underscores the importance of viruses in various ecosystems, their role in shaping the genetic landscape, and their potential impact, and looks forward to future directions in viromic research.

The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging

May 13, 2019

This article shows that the microbiota is crucial for immune system development and that its relationship with the immune system during aging and the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, including cancer, needs further research to inform disease treatment and prevention.

A comparative approach to decipher intestinal animal-microbe associations

October 31, 2018

In this article, the authors comment on the study "Chitin-based barrier immunity and its loss predated mucus-colonization by indigenous gut microbiota" by Nakashima et al. (Nat Commun, 2018) that used comparative analyses of chordates to investigate the development of animal-microbe associations, suggesting that microbial colonization of the mucus layer over mammalian gastrointestinal epithelium was established upon the loss of ancestral chitin-based barrier immunity, providing insights into the establishment of these associations in an evolutionary context.

An unexpected benefit from E. coli: how enterobactin benefits host health

September 28, 2018

In this article, the authors comment on the study "Microbial Siderophore Enterobactin Promotes Mitochondrial Iron Uptake and Development of the Host via Interaction with ATP Synthase" by Qi et al. (Cell, 2018) that uncovered a surprising role for the Escherichia coli-produced siderophore enterobactin (Ent) in facilitating iron uptake by the host, marking a major shift in the understanding of its function and indicating potential new benefits from commensal bacteria in aiding the host's iron homeostasis.

Antibiotic use in childhood alters the gut microbiota and predisposes to overweight

June 20, 2016

This article comments on work published by Korpela et al. (Nat Commun, 2016), which investigates the correlation between the use of antibiotics in early life and the excessive weight gain in later childhood.

Control of the gut microbiome by fecal microRNA

March 9, 2016

This article comments on work published by Liu et al. (Cell Host & Microbe, 2016), which identifies miRNAs in gut lumen and feces of both mice and humans that were able to enter bacteria, specifically regulate bacterial gene transcripts and affect bacterial growth thereby regulating the gut microbiome.