Gender Influences Gut Microbiota among Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disease that affects approximately 11% of the general population. The gut microbiota, among other known factors, plays a substantial role in its pathogenesis. The study aimed to characterize the gut microbiota differences between patients with IBS and unaffected individuals, taking into account the gender aspect of the patients and the types of IBS determined on the basis of the Rome IV Criteria, the IBS-C, IBS-D, IBS-M, and IBS-U. In total, 121 patients with IBS and 70 unaffected individuals participated in the study; the derived stool samples were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The gut microbiota of patients with IBS was found to be more diverse in comparison to unaffected individuals, and the differences were observed primarily among Clostridiales, Mogibacteriaceae, Synergistaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Blautia spp., and Shuttleworthia spp., depending on the study subgroup and patient gender. There was higher differentiation of females' gut microbiota compared to males, regardless of the disease status. No correlation between the composition of the gut microbiota and the type of IBS was found. Patients with IBS were characterized by more diverse gut microbiota compared to unaffected individuals. The gender criterion should be considered in the characterization of the gut microbiota. The type of IBS did not determine the identified differences in gut microbiota.

Blood flow restriction maintains blood pressure upon head-up tilt

BACKGROUND

Orthostatic intolerance occurs in some astronauts following space flight. Although orthostatic blood pressure responses should normalize in the weeks following the return to Earth, there may be situations where an immediate short-term solution is necessary (e.g., emergency evacuation).

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine different levels of blood flow restriction on changes in blood pressure and heart rate when transitioning from supine to a head-up tilt and determine whether this change differs based on sex.

METHODS

Eighty-nine participants (45 men, 44 women) completed the three visits with different pressures (Sham, Moderate, and High) in a randomized order. Cuffs were placed on the most proximal area of the thighs. Brachial blood pressure was measured at baseline, upon inflation of the cuffs in a supine position, immediately after tilt (70°), and eight more times separated by 45 seconds.

RESULTS

Data are presented as mean (SD). The change in systolic (High > Moderate > Sham) [High vs Sham: 5.5 (7.4) mmHg, High vs Moderate: 3 (7.4) mmHg, and Moderate vs Sham: 2.4 (8.4) mmHg] and diastolic pressure (High > Moderate = Sham) [High vs Sham: 2.4 (5.3) mmHg, High vs Moderate: 1.9 (6.3) mmHg] differed across applied pressures. The change in heart rate was initially greatest in the sham-pressure but increased the greatest in the high-pressure condition by the end of the head-up tilt period. Additionally, there was no influence of sex.

CONCLUSION

Blood flow restriction applied in this study increased blood pressure in a pressure-dependent manner upon head-up tilt.

Do clinical findings of Behçet's disease vary by gender?: A single-center experience from 329 patients

OBJECTIVE

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis with a significantly varying clinical course following relapses and remissions, which may involve a number of organs such as the skin, joints, lungs, and blood vessels as well as systems such as the central nervous system and gastrointestinal system. Its prognosis is known to be worse in males. There are several studies in the literature on the clinical features and gender distribution of BD. The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical characteristics of BD and the presence of a relation with gender and to investigate the correlation of our results with the current literature.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 329 patient files. The demographic features of the patients, their symptoms and findings of BD, the results of pathergy tests, the presence of any individuals in the family with BD, and HLA-B51 antigen positivity were recorded.

RESULTS

The most frequent findings were oral aphtous ulcers (100%), genital ulcers (84%), papulopustular lesions (69.9%), and joint involvement (57.4%). Vascular involvement and ocular involvement were significantly higher in males, whereas joint involvement and headache were more common in females (p<0.001, p=0.014, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). Contrary to the literature, we found that the disease had an earlier onset in individuals with a positive familial history of an oral aphthous ulcer or BD (p=0.03 and p=0.02, respectively) and that joint involvement was more common in patients with erythema nodosum (p=0.02).

CONCLUSION

The clinical features of BD may vary between the genders. Variations exist in the results depending on the population size, the department where the study was conducted, the patient inclusion criteria, and the region where the patients live.