Since the hypothesis of Dr. Elie Metchnikoff on lactobacilli-mediated healthy aging, several microbes have been reported to extend the lifespan with different features of healthy aging. However, a microbe affecting diverse features of healthy aging is of choice for broader acceptance and marketability as a next-generation probiotic. We employed Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to understand the potential of Lactobacillus plantarum JBC5 (LPJBC5), isolated from fermented food sample on longevity and healthy aging as well as their underlying mechanisms. Firstly, LPJBC5 enhanced the mean lifespan of C. elegans by 27.81% compared with control (untreated). LPBC5-induced longevity was accompanied with better aging-associated biomarkers, such as physical functions, fat, and lipofuscin accumulation. Lifespan assay on mutant worms and gene expression studies indicated that LPJBC5-mediated longevity was due to upregulation of the skinhead-1 (skn-1) gene activated through p38 MAPK signaling cascade. Secondly, the activated transcription factor SKN-1 upregulated the expression of antioxidative, thermo-tolerant, and anti-pathogenic genes. In support, LPJBC5 conferred resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses such as oxidative, heat, and pathogen. LPJBC5 upregulated the expression of intestinal tight junction protein ZOO-1 and improved gut integrity. Thirdly, LPJBC5 improved the learning and memory of worms trained on LPJBC5 compared with naive worms. The results showed upregulation of genes involved in serotonin signaling (ser-1, mod-1, and tph-1) in LPJBC5-fed worms compared with control, suggesting that serotonin-signaling was essential for LPJBC5-mediated improved cognitive function. Fourthly, LPJBC5 decreased the fat accumulation in worms by reducing the expression of genes encoding key substrates and enzymes of fat metabolism (i.e., fat-5 and fat-7). Lastly, LPJBC5 reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and improved mitochondrial function, thereby reducing apoptosis in worms. The capability of a single bacterium on pro-longevity and the features of healthy aging, including enhancement of gut integrity and cognitive functions, makes it an ideal candidate for promotion as a next-generation probiotic.

Rice beer is traditionally prepared and consumed by various ethnic populations in the Southeast Asian countries. To understand the probable effects of rice beer on human health, present research was aimed to study biochemical parameters, microbial diversity and metabolites of major rice beer varieties of Assam, namely Apong (Poro and Nogin), Xaaj and Joubishi. Alcoholic content of rice beer varieties varied from 9.41 to 19.33% (v/v). Free radical scavenging activity against DPPH• and ABTS + were 1.94-4.14 and 1.69-3.91 mg of ascorbic acid/ml of rice beer, respectively. In relation to antioxidant activities, phenolic content varied from 2.07 to 5.40 mg gallic acid/ml of rice beer. Next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA showed that 18 genera of bacteria were present irrespective of rice beer varieties in which lactic acid bacteria were the dominant group (90% abundance). Functional predictions based on the bacterial profiles indicated pathways, such as metabolisms of carbohydrate, amino acid, vitamins and cofactors, and xenobiotic biodegradation, to be active in the rice beer varieties. Out of 18 core bacterial genera, 7 had correlations with the predicted functions. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy-based metabolite analysis revealed that the metabolite profiles of the rice beer varieties consisted of 18 saccharides, 18 organic acids, 11 sugar alcohols, 8 amino acids, 1 vitamin and nutraceutical compounds thiocoumarine, carotene, oxazolidine-2-one and acetyl tyrosine. Due to the presence of potent prebiotics, probiotics and nutraceuticals, rice beer may have health benefits which need to be studied further.

The First World War ravaged the male body on an unprecedented scale, yet fostered moments of physical intimacy and tenderness among the soldiers in the trenches. Touch, the most elusive and private of the senses, became central to war experience. War writing is haunted by experiences of physical contact: from the muddy realities of the front to the emotional intensity of trench life, to the traumatic obsession with the wounded body in nurses' memoirs. Through extensive archival and historical research, analysing previously unknown letters and diaries alongside literary writings by figures such as Owen and Brittain, Santanu Das recovers the sensuous world of the First World War trenches and hospitals. This original and evocative study alters our understanding of the period as well as of the body at war, and illuminates the perilous intimacy between sense experience, emotion and language as we try to make meaning in times of crisis.

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