The human gut microbiome has been associated with many health factors but variability between studies limits exploration of effects between them. Gut microbiota profiles are available for >2700 members of the deeply phenotyped TwinsUK cohort, providing a uniform platform for such comparisons. Here, we present gut microbiota association analyses for 38 common diseases and 51 medications within the cohort. We describe several novel associations, highlight associations common across multiple diseases, and determine which diseases and medications have the greatest association with the gut microbiota. These results provide a reference for future studies of the gut microbiome and its role in human health.

The increased primary and secondary antibiotic resistance of H. pylori in Korea is ongoing, and it will become a significant limitation for effective eradication of H. pylori in the future.

BACKGROUND: Functionalized graphene sheet (FGS) was recently introduced as a new nano‐sized conductive filler, but little work has yet examined the possibility of using FGS as a nanofiller in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites. In particular, there are currently no published papers that evaluate polyurethane/FGS nanocomposites. The purpose of this study was to prepare a polyurethane/FGS nanocomposite and examine the morphological and physical properties of the material.RESULTS: A cast nanocomposite film was prepared from a mixture of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) solution and FGS suspended in methyl ethyl ketone. The FGS dispersed on the nanoscale throughout the TPU matrix and effectively enhanced the conductivity. A nanocomposite containing 2 parts of FGS per 100 parts of TPU had an electrical conductivity of 10−4 S cm−1, a 107 times increase over that of pristine TPU. The dynamic mechanical properties showed that the FGS efficiently reinforced the TPU matrix, particularly in the temperature region above the soft segment melt.CONCLUSION: Our results show that FGS has a high affinity for TPU, and it could therefore be used effectively in the preparation of TPU/FGS nanocomposites without any further chemical surface treatment. This indicates that FGS is an effective and convenient new material that could be used for the modification of polyurethane. It could also be used in place of other nano‐sized conductive fillers, such as carbon nanotubes. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

A nanocomposite of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was prepared with functionalized graphene sheets (FGSs) which are a new type of nano‐sized conductive filler. The FGS were finely dispersed in a polymer matrix to improve the conductivity of the WPU. Conductivity of about 105 times that of pristine WPU was attained using two parts FGS per 100 parts of the matrix polymer. The FGS reduced the hard segment crystallinity of the WPU, which lowered the modulus of the WPU at room temperature. This modulus reduction became more evident in the temperature region above the glass transition temperature of the hard segment.magnified image