Background The primary purpose of the study is to determine the variation of gut microbiota composition between first (T1) and third trimester (T3); gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-gestational diabetes mellitus (NGDM); and also within a different category of Body Mass Index (BMI) of selected pregnant Malaysian women. Methods A prospective observational study on selected 38 pregnant Malaysian women attending a tertiary medical centre was carried out. Those with preexisting diabetes, metabolic syndrome or any other endocrine disorders were excluded. GDM was determined using oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) while BMI was stratified as underweight, normal, pre-obese and obese. Fecal samples were then collected during the first trimester (T1) and the third trimester (T3). The V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries were sequenced and analyzed using QIIME (version 1.9.1) and METAGENassist. Results Twelve women (31.6%) were diagnosed as GDM. A trend of lower α-diversity indices in GDM, pre-obese and obese pregnant women were observed. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) shows a clustering of gut microbiota according to GDM status and BMI, but not by trimester. Genera Acidaminococcus, Clostridium, Megasphaera and Allisonella were higher, and Barnesiella and Blautia were lower in GDM group (P < 0.005). Obese patients had gut microbiota that was enriched with bacteria of Negativicutes and Proteobacteria class such as Megamonas, Succinatimonas and Dialister (P < 0.005). The normal and mild underweight profiles on the other hand had a higher bacteria from the class of Clostridia (Papillibacter, Oscillibacter, Oscillospira, Blautia, Dorea) and Bacteroidia (Alistipes, Prevotella, Paraprevotella) (P < 0.005). Conclusion The prevalence and variation of several key bacteria from classes of Negativicutes, Clostridia and Proteobacteria has potential metabolic links with GDM and body weight during pregnancy which require further functional validation.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of ethnicity, gender and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), omeprazole, on the human gut microbiome. PPIs are commonly used for the treatment of acid-related disorders. We hypothesised that PPI therapy might perturb microbial communities and alter the gut microbiome. METHODS Healthy subjects of Chinese (n = 12), Malay (n = 12) and Indian (n = 10) ancestry, aged 21-37 years, were enrolled. They provided a baseline stool sample (Day 1) and were then given a course of omeprazole at therapeutic dose (20 mg daily) for seven days. Stool samples were collected again on Day 7 and 14 (one week after stopping omeprazole). Microbial DNA was extracted from the stool samples, followed by polymerase chain reaction, library construction, 16S rRNA sequencing using Illumina MiSeq, and statistical and bioinformatics analyses. RESULTS The findings showed an increase in species richness (p = 0.018) after omeprazole consumption on Day 7, which reverted to baseline on Day 14. There were significant increases in the relative abundance of Streptococcus vestibularis (p = 0.0001) and Veillonella dispar (p = 0.0001) on Day 7, which diminished on Day 14. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Sutterella stercoricanis and Bacteroides denticanum were characteristic of Chinese, Malays and Indians, respectively. Lactobacillaceae and Bacteroides xylanisolvens were the signature taxa of male and female subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION The study demonstrated alterations in the gut microbiome following omeprazole treatment. This may explain the underlying pathology of increased risk of Clostridium difficile infections associated with omeprazole therapy.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-positive pathogen that commonly causes caseous lymphadenitis which occurs in sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo and horses. This disease has long been shown to be a major cause of economic loss on sheep industries. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is known to be effective against a wide spectrum of pathogens however, its efficacy against C. pseudotuberculosis biofilm remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to predict the antibiofilm potential of DMSO against C. pseudotuberculosis using in silico protein interaction network analysis and experimentally determine the antibiofilm activity using standard microplate assay system. As compared to the protein interaction network of S. typhimurium biofilm that had previously been shown to be inhibited by DMSO, the protein interaction network of C. pseudotuberculosis showed similar nodes, hub proteins and functional linkages between glycolytic enzymes. Further experimental validation revealed that the treatment with DMSO significantly (p<0.05) inhibited C. pseudotuberculosis biofilm at all tested concentrations (1.56% - 50%). The findings from the present study suggest the potential application of DMSO in controlling caseous lymphadenitis in ruminants.

This study compared the efficacy of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LAB13) and a probiotic cocktail for their anti-obesity and other lipid profile modulating effects. Diet-induced obese rats were supplemented with two different probiotics which are LAB13 (1 9 10 9 CFU day À1 per rat) and cocktail of five bacterial strains (1 9 10 9 CFU day À1 per rat) for 12 weeks. Comparative data on weight gain, energy intake, liver weight, subcutaneous fat, total fat weights, total cholesterol and leptin levels in both treatment groups showed significant reduction in probiotic-treated groups compared to the obese control group. Both probiotics have the anti-obesity and hypocholesterolaemic effects and are able to reduce body weight and fats via reduction in energy intake. Only LAB13 was able to reduce the level of triglyceride significantly. Therefore, the LAB13 is equally effective compared to the probiotic cocktail in weight reduction. LAB13 is more effective in improving lipid profile which is a common medical complication of obesity.

: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which released by most of the cells, constitute a new system of cell-cell communication by transporting DNA, RNA and proteins, in various vesiclesnamely exosomes, apoptotic bodies, protein complexes, high-density lipid (HDL) microvesicles, among others.To ensure accurate regulation of somatic stem cell activity, EVs function as an independent metabolic unit mediating the metabolic homeostasis and pathophysiological of several diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases,immune diseases andcancer. Whist examining the EV biomolecules cargos and its microenvironments that lead to epigenetic alteration of the cell in tissue regeneration, studies have gainedfurther insights into the biogenesis of EVs and their potential roles in cell biology and pathogenicity. Due to its small size, non-virulence, flexibility and ability to cross biological barriers, EVs become promising therapeutic potentials in various diseases.In this review, we describe EV’s mechanism of action in intercellular communication and transfer of biological informationas well as some details about EV-induced epigenetic changes in recipient cells that causephenotypic alteration during tissue regeneration. We also highlight some of the therapeuticpotentials of EVs in organ-specific regeneration.