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Introduction: The airway microbiota has been linked to specific paediatric respiratory diseases, but studies are often small. It remains unclear whether particular bacteria are associated with a given disease, or if a more general, non-specific microbiota association with disease exists, as suggested for the gut. We investigated overarching patterns of bacterial association with acute and chronic paediatric respiratory disease in an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from published respiratory microbiota studies. Methods: We obtained raw microbiota data from public repositories or via communication with corresponding authors. Cross-sectional analyses of the paediatric (<18 years) microbiota in acute and chronic respiratory conditions, with >10 case subjects were included. Sequence data were processed using a uniform bioinformatics pipeline, removing a potentially substantial source of variation. Microbiota differences across diagnoses were assessed using alpha- and beta-diversity approaches, machine learning, and biomarker analyses. Results: We ultimately included 20 studies containing individual data from 2624 children. Disease was associated with lower bacterial diversity in nasal and lower airway samples and higher relative abundances of specific nasal taxa including Streptococcus and Haemophilus. Machine learning success in assigning samples to diagnostic groupings varied with anatomical site, with positive predictive value and sensitivity ranging from 43 to 100 and 8 to 99%, respectively. Conclusion: IPD meta-analysis of the respiratory microbiota across multiple diseases allowed identification of a non-specific disease association which cannot be recognised by studying a single disease. Whilst imperfect, machine learning offers promise as a potential additional tool to aid clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a common and often treacherous medical emergency with a high mortality and long-term complications in survivors. Though antibiotic therapy can reduce death rate of sepsis significantly, it impairs gut microbiota (GM), which play imperative roles in human health. In this study, we compared the therapeutic effects of antibiotics, probiotics, and Chinese medicine QRD on the survival rates of septic model and observed the GM characteristics of experimental rats via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The 72 h survival rates of septic rat demonstrated the significant therapeutic effects in the three groups treated with antibiotics (AT), Chinses medicine QRD (QT), and probiotics (PT), which were elevated from the survival rate of 26.67% for the sepsis control group (ST) to 100.0% for AT, 88.24% for QT, and 58.33% for PT. The original characteristics of GM identified in the sham operation controls (SC) were relatively similar to those in PT and QT; nevertheless, the AT rats were shown dramatically decreased in the GM diversity. In addition, the septic rats in AT were revealed the higher abundances of Escherichia Shigella , Proteus, Morganella , Enterococcus , and Lysinibacillus , but the lower those of Parabacteroides, Alistipes , Desulfovibrio , Bacteroides , Helicobacter , Mucispirillum , Oscillibacter , Lachnospiraceae , and Ruminiclostridium 9 , when compared to the PT and QT rats. By contrast, the GM of PT and QT rats shared similar diversity and structure. Our findings indicated that QRD increased the survival rates without impairment of the GM characteristics, which provides novel insights into the role of Chinese medicine in therapy and long-term recovery of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection is the highest risk to cervical cancer which is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. A growing body of literatures demonstrate the role of cervicovaginal microbiome (CVM) in hrHPV susceptibility and clearance, suggesting the promise of CVM-targeted interventions in protecting against or eliminating HPV infection. Nevertheless, the CVM-HPV-host interactions are largely unknown. In this review, we summarize imbalanced CVM in HPV-positive women, with or without cervical diseases, and the progress of exploring CVM resources in HPV clearance. In addition, microbe- and host-microbe interactions in HPV infection and elimination are reviewed to understand the role of CVM in remission of HPV infection. Lastly, the feasibility of CVM-modulated and -derived products in promoting HPV clearance is discussed. Information in this article will provide valuable reference for researchers interested in cervical cancer prevention and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common cutaneous disease, associated with imbalances in the skin microbiota. Objective: To explore the characteristics of the cutaneous microbiota and its dynamic changes during clinical treatment. Methods: Cutaneous swab samples were collected from 51 AD patients before treatment, and 40 AD patients remained after a 2-week treatment with mometasone and mupirocin. Results: AD patients exhibited significant enrichments of Prevotella and Desulfovibrio as well as obvious reductions of Corynebacterium, Streptococcus and Parabacteroides. Based on the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus , the AD patients were further classified into S. aureus- predominant group (AD.S) and S. aureus- non-dominant (AD.ND) group. The AD.S group exhibited lower skin microbial diversity and higher atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index. In the AD.S group, the cutaneous microbial diversity significantly increased from 2.9 ± 0.8 to 3.7 ± 1.0, while the relative abundance of S. aureus decreased from 42.5 ± 20.7 to 10.3 ± 28.4 after treatment. In contrast, no significant skin microbiota changes were detected in the AD.ND group. Conclusions: AD patients with predominant S. aureus had higher disease severity and lower microbiota diversity compared to patients in the AD.ND group. Mometasone and mupirocin therapy had significant effects on skin microbiota in AD.S patients, but had a paradoxical response in the AD.ND patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) is a relatively common condition in preadolescent girls, and its pathogenesis remains to be uncovered. A variety of studies have highlighted the association of gut microbiota (GM) with endocrine diseases, such as obesity, which is commonly associated with ICPP. However, the relationship between GM and ICPP remains unexplored. Feces samples were collected from 25 girls with ICPP (ICPP group) and 23 healthy girls (Control group). We applied 16S rDNA sequencing to compare the GM between two groups. The ICPP group had higher GM diversity and was enriched for several GM species, including Ruminococcus gnavus, Ruminococcus callidus, Ruminococcus bromii, Roseburia inulinivorans, Coprococcus eutactus, Clostridium leptum , and Clostridium lactatifermentans , which are known to be associated with obesity and are related to the production of short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, 36 candidate GM biomarkers for patients with ICPP screening were identified with high accuracy (AUC = 0.95, 95% CI 0.88 to 1). We observed that the GM of the ICPP group was enriched for the microbial functions of cell motility, signal transduction, and environmental adaptation. Positive correlations were also detected between Fusobacterium and follicle-stimulating hormone, and Gemmiger and luteinizing hormone. This study documents relationships between GM and ICPP, and the implication of these findings remains to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undernutrition (UN) is a worldwide concern affecting morbidity and mortality among children, but the safety and long-term efficacy of its current treatments remain controversial. Recent evidence showing the roles of the gut microbiome (GM) in nutrient absorption indicates its usefulness in alternative interventions to treat UN safely with sustainable amelioration. To enhance our understanding of the GM and childhood undernutrition, we deep sequenced the gut metagenomes of 65 children with moderate or severe undernutrition (UN group) and 61 healthy children (HC group) to identify associated taxa and genes using a two-stage validation scheme. At stage I, 54 UN patients and 51 healthy children were enrolled for the discovery of GM markers in UN children. The accuracy of the markers was then tested in an additional 11 UN patients and 10 healthy children at stage II. Compared to the HC group, the UN group had lower richness in microbial genes (P = 0.005, FDR = 0.005) and species (P = 0.002, FDR = 0.002). The distributions of bacterial genes enable the identification of 16 gene markers with which to discriminate UN patients with high accuracy [averaged areas under the receiver operating curve (AUC) = 0.87], including three Bacteroides uniformis genes that are responsible for the synthesis of iron transporters. We also identified four species markers that enable the UN patients to be confidently discriminated from the HC children (averaged AUC = 0.91), namely Bacteroides ovatus , Bacteroides uniformis , Bacteroides uniformis , and Bacteroides vulgatus. In addition, metabolic comparison showed significantly decreased isobutyric acid (P = 0.005, FDR = 0.017) and increased isovaleric acid (P = 0.006, FDR = 0.017) in UN patients. We also identified notable correlations between microbial species and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and several nutritional indicators, including acetic acid and iron (r = 0.436, P = 0.029), butyric acid and iron (r = 0.422, P = 0.036), butyric acid and lymphocyte (r = −0.309, P = 0.011), and acetic acid and total protein (r = −0.303, P = 0.043). Taken together, the distinct features of gut microbiota in UN patients highlight the taxonomic and functional shift during the development of UN and provide a solid theoretical basis for intervention in childhood undernutrition through gut microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholestasis is a major hepatic disease in infants, with increasing morbidity in recent years. Accumulating evidence has revealed that the gut microbiota (GM) is associated with liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, GM alterations in cholestatic infants and the correlation between the GM and hepatic functions remain uninvestigated. In this study, 43 cholestatic infants (IC group) and 37 healthy infants (H group) were enrolled to detect GM discrepancies using 16S rDNA analysis. The diversity in the bacterial community was significantly lower in the IC group than that in the H group (P = 0.013). After determining the top 10 abundant genera of microbes in the IC and H groups, we found that 13 of them were differentially enriched, including Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Streptococcus, Enterococcus , and Staphylococcus. As compared with the H group, the IC group had a more complex GM co-occurrence network featured by three core nodes: Phyllobacterium, Ruminococcus , and Anaerostipes. In addition, the positive correlation between Faecalibacterium and Erysipelatoclostridium (r = 0.689, P = 0.000, FDR = 0.009) was not observed in the IC patients. Using the GM composition, the cholestatic patients can be distinguished from healthy infants with high accuracy [areas under receiver operating curve (AUC) > 0.97], wherein Rothia, Eggerthella, Phyllobacterium , and Blautia are identified as valuable biomarkers. Using KEGG annotation, we identified 32 functional categories with significant difference in enrichment of the GM of IC patients, including IC-enriched functional categories that were related to lipid metabolism, biodegradation and metabolism of xenobiotics, and various diseases. In contrast, the number of functions associated with amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and vitamins metabolism was reduced in the IC patients. We also identified significant correlation between GM composition and indicators of hepatic function. Megasphaera positively correlated with total bilirubin (r = 0.455, P = 0.002) and direct bilirubin (r = 0.441, P = 0.003), whereas γ-glutamyl transpeptidase was positively associated with Parasutterella (r = 0.466, P = 0.002) and negatively related to Streptococcus (r = -0.450, P = 0.003). This study describes the GM characteristics in the cholestatic infants, illustrates the association between the GM components and the hepatic function, and provides a solid theoretical basis for GM intervention for the treatment of infantile cholestasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: infantile cholestasis; 16S rRNA; hepatic function; bacterial biomarkers; co-abundance network EN infantile cholestasis 16S rRNA hepatic function bacterial biomarkers co-abundance network 1 1 1 07/27/20 20200724 NES 200724 In the original article, there was an error in the Funding statement. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. Infantile cholestasis, 16S rRNA, hepatic function, bacterial biomarkers, co-abundance network. [Extracted from the article]