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2nd Edition of New Perspectives in Health: Gut Microbiota

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 March 2023) | Viewed by 10182

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Health Research Center (CEINSA), University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Interests: microbiota; gut-brain-axis; neurotoxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Health Research Center (CEINSA), University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Interests: gut microbiota; gut-brain-axis; functional food; probiotic; clinical trials; systematic review
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Dysbiosis has been linked to various diseases, including those of a cardiovascular or neurological nature. Gut microbiota modulation and restoration is considered to be a highly promising therapy that could also improve the efficacy of other therapies. Increasing the knowledge concerning gut microbiota will allow us to design new therapeutic strategies for improved brain health and well-being.

After the success of the previous Special Issue on “New Perspectives in Health: Gut Microbiota”, we are pleased to invite researchers to contribute to the second edition of the Special Issue. Similarly, the aim of this Special Issue is to collect a series of articles related to interactions between gut microbiota and several health conditions (digestive disorders, health mental disorders, cardiovascular disorders, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis, etc.); factors that alter gut microbiota (aging, exposure to toxic substances, stress, nutrition, habits, etc,); changes in gut microbiota through the lifetime; modulators of microbiota as therapy for different health disorders (prebiotics, probiotics, faecal transplantation, etc.); and the gut–brain axis, and their implications for health. We invite you to submit a manuscript, including original research articles (preclinics and clinics) or reviews, for publication in this Special Issue, dedicated to evaluating the role of gut microbiota in health.

We thank you for considering this invitation and are available for any inquiries.

Prof. Dr. Diana María Cardona Mena
Dr. Pablo Roman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • gut-brain axis
  • dysbiosis
  • microbiome
  • modulatory effects of gut microbiota
  • probiotics
  • prebiotics
  • functional food

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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12 pages, 2208 KiB  
Article
Microbial Composition and Stool Short Chain Fatty Acid Levels in Fibromyalgia
by Yunkyung Kim, Geun-Tae Kim and Jihun Kang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3183; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043183 - 11 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2030
Abstract
Background: The present study aimed to evaluate microbial diversity, taxonomic profiles, and fecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) in female patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: Forty participants (19 patients with FMS and 21 controls) were included in the study, and the diagnosis [...] Read more.
Background: The present study aimed to evaluate microbial diversity, taxonomic profiles, and fecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) in female patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: Forty participants (19 patients with FMS and 21 controls) were included in the study, and the diagnosis of FMS was made based on the revised American College of Rheumatology criteria. DNA extraction from fecal samples and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were conducted to estimate microbial composition. To compare alpha diversity, the Shannon index accounting for both evenness and richness, Pielou’s evenness, and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD) were calculated. Unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances, Jaccard distance, and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity were used to calculate beta diversity. Furthermore, stool metabolites were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and a generalized regression model was used to compare the SCFA of stools between FMS and healthy controls. Results: Compared with the control, patients with FMS had lower observed OTU (p = 0.048), Shannon’s index (p = 0.044), and evenness (p < 0.001). Although patients with FMS had a lower PD than did controls, statistical significance was not reached. We observed significant differences in unweighted (p = 0.007), weighted UniFrac-based diversity (p < 0.005), Jaccard distance (p < 0.001), and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity (p < 0.001) between the two groups. Although the FMS groups showed lower propionate levels compared with those of the control group, only marginal significance was observed (0.82 [0.051] mg/g in FMS vs. 1.16 [0.077] mg/g in the control group, p = 0.069). Conclusions: The diversity of the microbiome in the FMS group was lower than that in the control group, and the reduced stool propionate levels could be associated with the decreased abundance of propionate-producing bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of New Perspectives in Health: Gut Microbiota)
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22 pages, 10011 KiB  
Article
Effects of Commercial Probiotics on Colonic Sensitivity after Acute Mucosal Irritation
by Laura López-Gómez, Jaime Antón, Yolanda López-Tofiño, Bianca Pomana, José A. Uranga and Raquel Abalo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6485; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116485 - 26 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2044
Abstract
Gastrointestinal pathologies associated with abdominal pain, such as irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease, lack sufficiently effective treatments. In our study we have used a rat model of visceral pain (72 animals; n = 8–13 per experimental group) to analyze the consequences [...] Read more.
Gastrointestinal pathologies associated with abdominal pain, such as irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease, lack sufficiently effective treatments. In our study we have used a rat model of visceral pain (72 animals; n = 8–13 per experimental group) to analyze the consequences of intracolonic administration of the irritant acetic acid on visceral sensitivity, histology of the colonic wall, and inflammatory response. Moreover, we have studied the possible beneficial effects of a pretreatment with a commercial probiotic (Actimel®). Contrary to expectations, acetic acid application (7 cm proximal to the anus) decreased the nociceptive response to intracolonic mechanical stimulation, with a slight increase in the histological damage of colonic mucosa. The intensity of these changes depended on the concentration (4% or 0.6%) and the time of application (30 or 60 min). Pretreatment with probiotics (by daily gavage, for 1 week) normalized the values obtained in the visceral sensitivity test but revealed an increase in the number of macrophages. These results suggest a possible activation of inhibitory mechanisms early after colonic irritation, not previously described (which need further experimental confirmation), and the ability of probiotics to normalize the effects of acetic acid. In addition, pretreatment with probiotics has a direct effect on immune functions, stimulating macrophagic activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of New Perspectives in Health: Gut Microbiota)
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16 pages, 1130 KiB  
Systematic Review
Changes in Gut Microbiota and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review
by Alba Ordoñez-Rodriguez, Pablo Roman, Lola Rueda-Ruzafa, Ana Campos-Rios and Diana Cardona
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4624; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054624 - 6 Mar 2023
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5554
Abstract
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease mediated by autoimmune reactions against myelin proteins and gangliosides in the grey and white matter of the brain and spinal cord. It is considered one of the most common neurological diseases of non-traumatic [...] Read more.
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease mediated by autoimmune reactions against myelin proteins and gangliosides in the grey and white matter of the brain and spinal cord. It is considered one of the most common neurological diseases of non-traumatic origin in young people, especially in women. Recent studies point to a possible association between MS and gut microbiota. Intestinal dysbiosis has been observed, as well as an alteration of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, although clinical data remain scarce and inconclusive. Objective: To conduct a systematic review on the relationship between gut microbiota and multiple sclerosis. Method: The systematic review was conducted in the first quarter of 2022. The articles included were selected and compiled from different electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Proquest, Cochrane, and CINAHL. The keywords used in the search were: “multiple sclerosis”, “gut microbiota”, and “microbiome”. Results: 12 articles were selected for the systematic review. Among the studies that analysed alpha and beta diversity, only three found significant differences with respect to the control. In terms of taxonomy, the data are contradictory, but confirm an alteration of the microbiota marked by a decrease in Firmicutes, Lachnospiraceae, Bifidobacterium, Roseburia, Coprococcus, Butyricicoccus, Lachnospira, Dorea, Faecalibacterium, and Prevotella and an increase in Bacteroidetes, Akkermansia, Blautia, and Ruminocococcus. As for short-chain fatty acids, in general, a decrease in short-chain fatty acids, in particular butyrate, was observed. Conclusions: Gut microbiota dysbiosis was found in multiple sclerosis patients compared to controls. Most of the altered bacteria are short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing, which could explain the chronic inflammation that characterises this disease. Therefore, future studies should consider the characterisation and manipulation of the multiple sclerosis-associated microbiome as a focus of both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of New Perspectives in Health: Gut Microbiota)
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