Gut Microbiome and Human Diseases II

A special issue of Diseases (ISSN 2079-9721).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 16261

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan
Interests: gut microbiome; liver disease; metagenomics; metabolomics; alcoholic liver disease; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH); liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

The gut microbiome is the most densely populated microbe within the human body. With various different species of microbes residing in the human gastrointestinal tract, host–microbial crosstalk contributes to the maintenance of a homeostatic relationship between the two parties. The gut microbiome exerts immunological and metabolic effects on the host. A disruption to the balanced relationship is involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, with adverse shifts in the intestinal microbiome and their products through increased intestinal permeability and enhanced microbial translocation. Variable studies have confirmed the role of intestinal epithelial cell dysbiosis in the manifestation of metabolic syndrome and associated complications. The possible mechanism of action is microbial translocation due to increased intestinal permeability when bacteria and bacterial fragments leak into systemic circulation in a pro-inflammatory environment in various organs. Low-grade chronic systemic inflammation provokes immunological disturbances and contributes to the development of insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, obesity-related complications, and even cancer.

This Special Issue, titled ‘Gut Microbiome and Human Diseases’, will aim to explore the current understanding of the role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of various disorders, as well as research exploring how the gut microbiome can be manipulated with probiotics/prebiotics and antibiotics. We published several articles related to liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, renal failure, and colon cancer in 2018 and 2019, which have successfully obtained many citations. In 2020, we would like to publish more articles as indicated in the keywords above.

Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Fukui
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Diseases 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 1800 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

  • Diabetes melitus type 1 and type 2
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Depression
  • Schizophrenia
  • Autism
  • Extraintestinal cancers

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

26 pages, 815 KiB  
Review
The Microbiome as a Therapeutic Target for Multiple Sclerosis: Can Genetically Engineered Probiotics Treat the Disease?
by Hannah M. Kohl, Andrea R. Castillo and Javier Ochoa-Repáraz
Diseases 2020, 8(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases8030033 - 30 Aug 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5764
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in the intestinal microbiota as a critical regulator of the development and function of the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Experimental work in animal models has provided the foundation for clinical studies to investigate associations between microbiota composition [...] Read more.
There is an increasing interest in the intestinal microbiota as a critical regulator of the development and function of the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Experimental work in animal models has provided the foundation for clinical studies to investigate associations between microbiota composition and function and human disease, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Initial work done using an animal model of brain inflammation, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), suggests the existence of a microbiota–gut–brain axis connection in the context of MS, and microbiome sequence analyses reveal increases and decreases of microbial taxa in MS intestines. In this review, we discuss the impact of the intestinal microbiota on the immune system and the role of the microbiome–gut–brain axis in the neuroinflammatory disease MS. We also discuss experimental evidence supporting the hypothesis that modulating the intestinal microbiota through genetically modified probiotics may provide immunomodulatory and protective effects as a novel therapeutic approach to treat this devastating disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiome and Human Diseases II)
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25 pages, 444 KiB  
Review
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Host-Microbial-Environmental Interactions in Dysbiosis
by Catherine Colquhoun, Michelle Duncan and George Grant
Diseases 2020, 8(2), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases8020013 - 10 May 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3918
Abstract
Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) are world-wide health problems in which intestinal dysbiosis or adverse functional changes in the microbiome are causative or exacerbating factors. The reduced abundance and diversity of the microbiome may be a result of a lack of [...] Read more.
Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) are world-wide health problems in which intestinal dysbiosis or adverse functional changes in the microbiome are causative or exacerbating factors. The reduced abundance and diversity of the microbiome may be a result of a lack of exposure to vital commensal microbes or overexposure to competitive pathobionts during early life. Alternatively, many commensal bacteria may not find a suitable intestinal niche or fail to proliferate or function in a protective/competitive manner if they do colonize. Bacteria express a range of factors, such as fimbriae, flagella, and secretory compounds that enable them to attach to the gut, modulate metabolism, and outcompete other species. However, the host also releases factors, such as secretory IgA, antimicrobial factors, hormones, and mucins, which can prevent or regulate bacterial interactions with the gut or disable the bacterium. The delicate balance between these competing host and bacteria factors dictates whether a bacterium can colonize, proliferate or function in the intestine. Impaired functioning of NOD2 in Paneth cells and disrupted colonic mucus production are exacerbating features of CD and UC, respectively, that contribute to dysbiosis. This review evaluates the roles of these and other the host, bacterial and environmental factors in inflammatory bowel diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiome and Human Diseases II)
15 pages, 666 KiB  
Review
From Donor to Patient: Collection, Preparation and Cryopreservation of Fecal Samples for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
by Carole Nicco, Armelle Paule, Peter Konturek and Marvin Edeas
Diseases 2020, 8(2), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases8020009 - 15 Apr 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6097
Abstract
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is suggested as an efficacious therapeutic strategy for restoring intestinal microbial balance, and thus for treating disease associated with alteration of gut microbiota. FMT consists of the administration of fresh or frozen fecal microorganisms from a healthy donor into [...] Read more.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is suggested as an efficacious therapeutic strategy for restoring intestinal microbial balance, and thus for treating disease associated with alteration of gut microbiota. FMT consists of the administration of fresh or frozen fecal microorganisms from a healthy donor into the intestinal tract of diseased patients. At this time, in according to healthcare authorities, FMT is mainly used to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile. Despite the existence of a few existing stool banks worldwide and many studies of the FMT, there is no standard method for producing material for FMT, and there are a multitude of factors that can vary between the institutions. The main constraints for the therapeutic uses of FMT are safety concerns and acceptability. Technical and logistical issues arise when establishing such a non-standardized treatment into clinical practice with safety and proper governance. In this context, our manuscript describes a process of donor safety screening for FMT compiling clinical and biological examinations, questionnaires and interviews of donors. The potential risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus by the use of fecal microbiota for transplantation must be taken urgently into consideration. We discuss a standardized procedure of collection, preparation and cryopreservation of fecal samples through to the administration of material to patients, and explore the risks and limits of this method of FMT. The future success of medicine employing microbiota transplantation will be tightly related to its modulation and manipulation to combat dysbiosis. To achieve this goal, standard and strict methods need to be established before performing any type of FMT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiome and Human Diseases II)
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