An antibiotic cocktail leads to reductions in brain amyloidosis, altered morphology, and gene expression in microglia of male but not female transgenic mice that exhibit Aβ deposits. The microbiome plays a causal role in modulating Aβ burden and microglia phenotypes.

No abstract

Cell size is specific to each species and impacts cell function. Various phenomenological models for cell size regulation have been proposed, but recent work in bacteria has suggested an 'adder' model, in which a cell increments its size by a constant amount between each division. However, the coupling between cell size, shape and constriction remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate size control and the cell cycle dependence of bacterial growth using multigenerational cell growth and shape data for single Caulobacter crescentus cells. Our analysis reveals a biphasic mode of growth: a relative timer phase before constriction where cell growth is correlated to its initial size, followed by a pure adder phase during constriction. Cell wall labelling measurements reinforce this biphasic model, in which a crossover from uniform lateral growth to localized septal growth is observed. We present a mathematical model that quantitatively explains this biphasic 'mixer' model for cell size control.

Understanding how individual people respond to medical therapy is a key facet of improving the odd-ratio that interventions will have a positive impact. Reducing the nonresponder rate for an intervention or reducing complications associated with a particular treatment or surgery is the next stage of medical advance. The Precision Medicine Initiative, launched in January 2015, set the stage for enhanced collaboration between researchers and medical professionals to develop next-generation techniques to aid patient treatment and recovery, and increased the opportunities for impactful preemptive care. The microbiome plays a crucial role in health and disease, as it influences endocrinology, physiology and even neurology, altering the outcome of many different disease states, and it augments drug responses and tolerance. We review the implications Manuscript Click here to download Manuscript kuntz_gilbert_final.docx

Most studies on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk factors have been conducted in developed countries where ethnicity and environment are different than in developing countries. We compared nutritional status, immune response and microbiota composition in mestizo children with ASD with matched controls in Ecuador. Twenty-five cases and 35 controls were matched by age, sex and school location. The prevalence of under-and overweight was higher in children with ASD. Nutritional differences were accompanied by abnormal food habits and more frequent gastrointestinal symptoms in children with ASD. Also, greater serum concentrations of TGF-β1 were observed in children with ASD. Finally, there was greater alpha diversity and abundance of Bacteroides (2 OTUs), Akkermansia, Coprococcus and different species of Ruminococcus in ASD children.