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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the leading cause of liver disease worldwide and can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) through physical inactivity and gut dysbiosis.1 Exercise training reverses gut dysbiosis in non-NASH persons with obesity and in NASH animal models.2,3 Consequently, we conducted a proof-of-concept study investigating the effect of exercise training on gut dysbiosis in NASH patients.

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is becoming more prevalent with the increasing use and demand for natural gas; however, the full extent of its environmental impacts is still unknown. Here we measured physicochemical properties and bacterial community composition of sediment samples taken from twenty-eight streams within the Marcellus shale formation in northeastern Pennsylvania differentially impacted by hydraulic fracturing activities. Fourteen of the streams were classified as UOG+, and thirteen were classified as UOG- based on the presence of UOG extraction in their respective watersheds. One stream was located in a watershed that previously had UOG extraction activities but was recently abandoned. We utilized high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to infer differences in sediment aquatic bacterial community structure between UOG+ and UOG- streams, as well as correlate bacterial community structure to physicochemical water parameters. Although overall alpha and beta diversity differences were not observed, there were a plethora of significantly enriched operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within UOG+ and UOG- samples. Our biomarker analysis revealed many of the bacterial taxa enriched in UOG+ streams can live in saline conditions, such as Rubrobacteraceae. In addition, several bacterial taxa capable of hydrocarbon degradation were also enriched in UOG+ samples, including Oceanospirillaceae. Methanotrophic taxa, such as Methylococcales, were significantly enriched as well. Several taxa that were identified as enriched in these samples were enriched in samples taken from different streams in 2014; moreover, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) revealed clustering between streams from the different studies based on the presence of hydraulic fracturing along the second axis. This study revealed significant differences between bacterial assemblages within stream sediments of UOG+ and UOG- streams and identified several potential biomarkers for evaluating and monitoring the response of autochthonous bacterial communities to potential hydraulic fracturing impacts.

Background: Herbs and spices are rich in polyphenolic compounds that may influence gut bacterial composition. The effect of culinary doses of herbs and spices consumed as part of a well-defined dietary pattern on gut bacterial composition has not been previously studied.Objectives: The aim of this pre-specified exploratory analysis was to examine gut bacterial composition following an average American diet (carbohydrate: 50% kcal; protein: 17%; total fat: 33%; saturated fat: 11%) containing herbs and spices at 0.5 (Low Spice Diet; LSD), 3.3 (Moderate Spice Diet; MSD) and 6.6 (High Spice Diet; HSD) g.d-1.2100 kcal-1 in adults at-risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).Design: Fifty-four adults (57% female; mean ± SD age 45 ± 11 years, BMI 29.8 ± 2.9 kg/m2; waist circumference 102.8 ± 7.1 cm) were included in this three-period, randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study. Each diet was provided for 4-weeks with a minimum 2-week wash-out period. At baseline and the end of each diet period participants provided a fecal sample for 16S rRNA gene (V4 region) sequencing. QIIME2 was used for data filtration, sequence clustering, taxonomy assignment and statistical analysis.Results: Alpha diversity assessed by the Observed Features metric (p = 0.046) was significantly greater following the MSD vs. the LSD; no other between diet differences in alpha diversity were detected. Differences in beta-diversity were not observed between the diets (p = 0.45). Compared to baseline, beta-diversity differed following all diets (p < 0.02). Enrichment of the Ruminococcaceae family was observed following the HSD vs. the MSD (relative abundance (RA) = 22.14%; LDA = 4.22; p = 0.03) and the LSD (RA = 24.90%; LDA = 4.47; p = 0.004).Conclusions: The addition of herbs and spices to an average American diet induced shifts in gut bacterial composition after 4-weeks in adults at risk for CVD. The metabolic implications of these changes merits further investigation. Clinical Trial Registry: NCT03064932. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Exercise influences metabolic parameters in part by modulating redox stress and as recently suggested, by affecting the gut microbiome. However, whether excess endogenous antioxidant potentiates or interferes with the beneficial effects of exercise on the gut microbiome is not known. A comparison of the gut microbiome of C57Bl6 (C57/WT) mice to the 'stress‐less' catalase overexpressing mice models ([Tg(CAT)±] and Bob‐Cat), that were either exercised or remained sedentary, showed differences in both alpha and beta diversity. The significant variation was explained by genotypes along with exercise, suggesting a synergistic relationship between exercise and genotypic traits. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis also revealed differential taxa within the exercised/genotype cohorts in contrast to those within sedentary/genotype cohorts. Functional pathway predictions from PICRUSt2 showed enrichment for the metabolism of short‐chain fatty acids, butanoate and propanoate pathways in exercised groups. Spearman correlations between enriched taxa and metabolic parameters showed correlations with body or fat weight in some of the cohorts. However, there were significant correlations of differential taxa among all cohorts against parameters that predict energy metabolism, such as respiratory exchange ratio and energy expenditure. Overall, our study showed that there was a synergistic beneficial influence of antioxidant overexpression and exercise on the gut microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the top public health challenges outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), estimates report that hospital acquired infections (HAIs) claim the lives of 99,000 Americans and cost healthcare providers over $28 billion each year. In addition to underlying conditions related to age, elderly patients in long-term care facilities are at an elevated risk of acquiring HAIs. A large percentage of HAIs is attributable to contaminated surfaces and medical devices. To that end, this study utilized a metatranscriptomic sequencing workflow (CSI-Dx™) to profile active microbial communities from surfaces in the HJ Heinz Community Living Center, a long-term care facility in the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health Care System. Swabs were collected from high-touch surfaces (Keyboard, Ledge, Workstation on Wheels, Worksurfaces) before (Baseline) and after cleanSURFACES ® were installed at 4 timepoints (Day 1, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 30). Microbial richness was significantly reduced after cleanSURFACES ® intervention (Wilcoxon test with Holm correction, p=0.000179). Beta diversity results revealed distinct clustering between Baseline and Post-intervention samples (Adonis, p<0.001). Reduction in bacterial ( Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis , Staphylococcus hominis ) and fungal ( Malassezia restricta, Candida albicans , Candida glabrata , and Candida orthopsilosis ) expression of opportunistic pathogens was observed. Additionally, a subset of taxa ( Corynebacterium , Cutibacterium acnes , and Ralstonia pickettii ) was present in specific Post-intervention timepoints and surface types. This study revealed decreased microbial activity, highlighting the potential for the combinatorial application of cleanSURFACES ® and regular decontamination practices to reduce the prevalence of microbes causing HAIs., Competing Interests: JCS, TL, SA, JP, LP, AS, and CB were employed by Contamination Source Identification, LLC. RL and JW are owners of Contamination Source Identification, LLC. AS also serves as a consultant for AIONX®. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wright, Ly, Brislawn, Chen See, Anderson, Pellegrino, Peachey, Walls, Bess, Bailey, Braun, Shope and Lamendella.)