Role of a Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation on Inhibition of Melanoma Cancer Stem Cells and Modulation of MicroRNAs

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer known for its high mortality rate. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells that significantly contribute to tumour recurrence and differentiation. Epigenetic-specific changes involving miRNAs maintain CSCs. Plant polyphenols have been reported to be involved in cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy, with miRNAs being the novel effectors in their biological activities. A polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP) derived from fermented blueberries has demonstrated promising chemopreventative properties on breast cancer stem cells by influencing inflammatory pathways and miRNAs. In our current investigation, we seek to unveil the impact of PEBP on inhibiting melanoma development and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Our study employs various human cell lines, including an ex vivo cell line derived from a patient's metastatic tumour. We found that it elevates miR-200c, increasing E-cadherin expression and inhibiting miR-210-3p through NF-κB signalling, impacting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a critical process in cancer progression. PEBP increases the SOCS1 expression, potentially contributing to miR-210-3p inhibition. Experiments involving miRNA manipulation confirm their functional roles. The study suggests that PEBP's anti-inflammatory effects involve regulating miR-200c and miR-210 expression and their targets in EMT-related pathways. The overall aim is to provide evidence-based supportive care and preclinical evaluation of PEBP, offering a promising strategy for skin cancer chemoprevention.

Evaluation of Rouxiella badensis Subsp Acadiensis (Canan SV-53) as a Potential Probiotic Bacterium

The advent of omic platforms revealed the significant benefits of probiotics in the prevention of many infectious diseases. This led to a growing interest in novel strains of probiotics endowed with health characteristics related to microbiome and immune modulation. Therefore, autochthonous bacteria in plant ecosystems might offer a good source for novel next-generation probiotics. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effect of Rouxiella badensis acadiensis Canan (R. acadiensis) a bacterium isolated from the blueberry biota, on the mammalian intestinal ecosystem and its potential as a probiotic microorganism. R. acadiensis, reinforced the intestinal epithelial barrier avoiding bacterial translocation from the gut to deep tissues, even after feeding BALB/c mice for a prolonged period of time. Moreover, diet supplementation with R. acadiensis led to increases in the number of Paneth cells, well as an increase in the antimicrobial peptide α defensin. The anti-bacterial effect of R. acadiensis against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was also reported. Importantly, R. acadiensis-fed animals showed better survival in an in vivo Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenge compared with those that received a conventional diet. These results demonstrated that R. acadiensis possesses characteristics of a probiotic strain by contributing to the reinforcement and maintenance of intestinal homeostasis.

Pubertal consumption of R. badensis subspecies acadiensis modulates LPS-induced immune responses and gut microbiome dysbiosis in a sex-specific manner

Puberty is a critical period of development characterized by significant brain remodeling and increased vulnerability to immune challenges. Exposure to an immune challenge such as LPS during puberty can result in inflammation and gut dysbiosis which may lead to altered brain functioning and psychiatric illnesses later in life. However, treatment with probiotics during puberty has been found to mitigate LPS-induced peripheral and central inflammation, prevent LPS-induced changes to the gut microbiota and protect against enduring behavioural disorders in a sex-specific manner. Recent findings from our laboratory revealed that pubertal R. badensis subspecies acadiensis (R. badensis subsp. acadiensis) treatment prevents LPS-induced depression-like behavior and alterations in 5HT1A receptor expression in a sex-specific manner. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to gain mechanistic insights and to investigate the ability of R. badensis subsp. acadiensis consumption during puberty to mitigate the effects of LPS treatment on the immune system and the gut microbiome. Our results revealed that pubertal treatment with R. badensis subsp. acadiensis reduced sickness behaviors in females more than males in a time-specific manner. It also mitigated LPS-induced increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and in TNFα mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus of female mice. There were sex-dependent differences in microbiome composition that persisted after LPS injection or R. badensis subsp. acadiensis consumption. R. badensis subsp. acadiensis had greater impact on the microbiota of male mice but female microbiota's were more responsive to LPS treatment. This suggested that female mice microbiota's may be more prone to modulation by this probiotic. These findings emphasize the sex-specific effects of probiotic use during puberty on the structure of the gut microbiome and the immune system and highlight the critical role of gut colonization with probiotics during adolescence on immunomodulation and prevention of the enduring effects of infections.

Immunomodulation and Intestinal Morpho-Functional Aspects of a Novel Gram-Negative Bacterium Rouxiella badensis subsp. acadiensis

A novel bacterium (Rouxiella badensis subsp. acadiensis) isolated from the microbiota of wild blueberry fruit was investigated for its immunomodulation capabilities and intestinal morpho-functional aspects. The whole-genome shotgun sequencing of this bacterium led to its new taxonomy and showed absence of pathogenicity genes. Although the bacterium was used for blueberry-fermentation and enhancing its anti-inflammatory effects on neurodegeneration, diabetes, and cancer, no study has assessed the effect of the bacterium on health. In this study, we used several in vitro and in vivo assays to evaluate the interaction of R. badensis subsp. acadiensis with the intestinal mucosa and its impact on the localized immune response. The strain antibiotic susceptibility has been investigated as well as its tolerance to gastric and intestinal environment and ability to attach to human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 and HT-29). In addition, Balb/c mice were used to explore the immune-modulatory characteristics of the live bacterium at the intestinal level and its impact on the morpho-functional aspects of the intestinal mucosa. In vitro assays revealed the ability of R. badensis subsp. acadiensis to survive the gastric and intestinal simulated conditions and to satisfactorily adhere to the human intestinal epithelial cells. The bacterium was shown to be sensitive to an array of antibiotics. Immuno-modulation studies with mice orally administered with R. badensis subsp. acadiensis showed a higher number of IgA positive cells in the small intestine, a higher concentration of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the intestinal mucosa, as well as an increase in the number of goblet cells. The anti-inflammatory cytokine miR146a was found to be increased in the ileum and brain. Furthermore, it increases the number of goblet cells which contribute to intestinal barrier integrity. Taken together, our findings reflect the ability of the tested bacterium to modulates the intestinal homeostasis and immune response. Detailed safety unpublished studies and genome data support our finding. The strain Rouxiella badensis subsp. acadiensis has been filed in a provisional patent; a U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/916,921 entitled "Probiotics Composition and Methods." Future studies are still needed to validate the potential utilization of this strain as functional food and its potential probiotic effect.

Adolescence and Aging: Impact of Adolescence Inflammatory Stress and Microbiota Alterations on Brain Development, Aging, and Neurodegeneration

Puberty/adolescence is a critical phase during neurodevelopment with numerous structural, neurochemical, and molecular changes occurring in response to genetic and environmental signals. A consequence of this major neuronal reorganizing and remodeling is a heightened level of vulnerability to stressors and immune challenges. The gut microbiota is a fundamental modulator of stress and immune responses and has been found to play a role in mental health conditions and neurodegenerative disorders. Environmental insults (stress, infection, neuroinflammation, and use of antibiotics) during adolescence can result in dysbiosis subsidizing the development of brain disorders later in life. Also, pubertal neuroinflammatory insults can alter neurodevelopment, impact brain functioning in an enduring manner, and contribute to neurological disorders related to brain aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and depression. Exposure to probiotics during puberty can mitigate inflammation, reverse dysbiosis, and decrease vulnerabilities to brain disorders later in life. The goal of this review is to reveal the consequences of pubertal exposure to stress and immune challenges on the gut microbiota, immune reactivity within the brain, and the risk or resilience to stress-induced mental illnesses and neurodegenerative disorders. We propose that the consumption of probiotics during adolescence contribute to the prevention of brain pathologies in adulthood.

Data on the relationship between internet addiction and stress among Lebanese medical students in Lebanon

Stress and behavioral addiction are becoming major health problems growing in strength and prevalence. They are often associated with a large array of debilitating diseases and conditions including psychosocial impairments. Medical students remain a vulnerable territory for developing stress and addiction mainly relating to Internet use. Data was gathered from medical students around Lebanon on the relationship between stress and internet addiction. The data in this article provides demographic data about medical students in Lebanon, their stress levels, sources of stress as well as the level of internet addiction recorded in relation to their stress levels. The analyzed data is provided in the tables included in this article.

The Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Polyphenols

This review offers a systematic understanding about how polyphenols target multiple inflammatory components and lead to anti-inflammatory mechanisms. It provides a clear understanding of the molecular mechanisms of action of phenolic compounds. Polyphenols regulate immunity by interfering with immune cell regulation, proinflammatory cytokines' synthesis, and gene expression. They inactivate NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) and modulate mitogen-activated protein Kinase (MAPk) and arachidonic acids pathways. Polyphenolic compounds inhibit phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B (PI3K/AkT), inhibitor of kappa kinase/c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (IKK/JNK), mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) which is a protein complex that controls protein synthesis, and JAK/STAT. They can suppress toll-like receptor (TLR) and pro-inflammatory genes' expression. Their antioxidant activity and ability to inhibit enzymes involved in the production of eicosanoids contribute as well to their anti-inflammation properties. They inhibit certain enzymes involved in reactive oxygen species ROS production like xanthine oxidase and NADPH oxidase (NOX) while they upregulate other endogenous antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione (GSH) peroxidase (Px). Furthermore, they inhibit phospholipase A2 (PLA2), cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) leading to a reduction in the production of prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotrienes (LTs) and inflammation antagonism. The effects of these biologically active compounds on the immune system are associated with extended health benefits for different chronic inflammatory diseases. Studies of plant extracts and compounds show that polyphenols can play a beneficial role in the prevention and the progress of chronic diseases related to inflammation such as diabetes, obesity, neurodegeneration, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases, among other conditions.

Contribution of horizontal gene transfer to the emergence of VIM-4 carbapenemase producer Enterobacteriaceae in Kuwait

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae encountered in countries of the Arabian Peninsula usually produce OXA-48-like and New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamases (NDM) carbapenemases. However, a temporary increase in VIM-4-producing, clonally unrelated Enterobacteriaceae strains was described earlier in a Kuwaiti hospital. We investigated the genetic support of bla_VIM-4 in six Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, one Escherichia coli, and one Enterobacter cloacae strain and compared it to that of VIM-4-producing isolates from other countries of the region. Five K. pneumoniae strains and the E. coli strain from Kuwait carried an ~165 kb IncA/C-type plasmid indistinguishable by restriction fragment length polymorphism. The complete sequence of one of them (pKKp4-VIM) was established. pKKp4-VIM exhibited extensive similarities to episomes pKP-Gr642 carrying bla_VIM-19 encountered in Greece and to the partially sequenced pCC416 harboring bla_VIM-4 detected in Italy. In other countries of the region, the only similar plasmid was the one detected in the isolate from the UAE. In all Kuwaiti strains, irrespective of the species and their VIM plasmids, the bla_VIM-4 gene was located within the same integron structure (In416), different from those of other countries of the region. Our data show that the spread of this IncA/C plasmid and particularly that of the In416 integron caused a considerable, albeit temporary, increase in the rate of mostly clonally unrelated VIM-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains of multiple species. Monitoring of such events is of high importance as the interference with the spread of mobile genetic elements may represent a formidable challenge to infection control.

VIM-4 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter cloacae in the United Arab Emirates

Screening 34 carbapenem non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae recovered in Abu Dhabi hospitals identified an Enterobacter cloacae strain carrying bla(VIM-4) , bla(CMY-4) and bla(CTX-M-15) . It was isolated from the urine of an Egyptian patient repeatedly hospitalized and treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, including carbapenems, in the United Arab Emirates. The bla(VIM-4) coding class I integron, highly similar to In416, was carried on a 175-kilobase non-conjugative incA/C type plasmid also hybridizing with the bla(CMY-4) probe. This is the first detailed report on the isolation of a Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) -producing enteric bacterium in the Arabian Peninsula with characteristics suggestive of spreading from the Mediterranean region.