Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiota can significantly improve psychiatric symptoms such as insomnia and anxiety via the gut‑brain axis. However, current studies on probiotics for improving insomnia and anxiety in college students remain relatively scarce. In this study, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SG5 was used to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect on insomnia and anxiety in college students by Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Subsequently, high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the composition of the gut microbiota after the intervention. The results showed that 113 participants completed the clinical trial, with 56 in the placebo group (MP group) and 57 in the probiotic group (MB group). Compared to the MP, L. plantarum SG5 intervention significantly improved anxiety levels (MP vs. MB = 16.50 vs. 12.00, p = 0.0011) and insomnia severity (MP vs. MB = 11.00 vs. 8.00, p < 0.0001). Gut microbiota analysis after the intervention showed differences in microbiota composition and diversity between the two groups (35 participants per group). Specifically, after L. plantarum SG5 intervention, microbial diversity decreased, while the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium (p < 0.01) and Lactobacillus (p < 0.05) significantly increased. In contrast, the relative abundance of Bacteroides (p < 0.01) and Prevotella (p < 0.05) significantly decreased. These findings provide a possible idea supporting the development of SG5 may as a microbial agent for insomnia and anxiety in clinical settings ( https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=213770 : ChiCTR2400083149, April 16, 2024).
Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen whose persistence in food-processing environments is strongly associated with its ability to survive under a wide range of environmental conditions and form biofilms on different surfaces. Metabolites produced by beneficial lactic acid bacteria may represent a natural source of antimicrobial and antibiofilm compounds capable of affecting bacterial behavior even at subinhibitory concentrations. This study investigated the effects of the cell-free supernatant of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 (La-CFS) on growth, biofilm formation, motility, and the expression of selected quorum sensing- and motility-associated genes in L. monocytogenes. The antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of La-CFS were determined against multiple L. monocytogenes strains. Extracellular signaling activity was evaluated using the AI-2-responsive Vibrio harveyi BB170 bioluminescence reporter assay, while the effects of sub-MIC concentrations on biofilm formation and swimming and swarming motility were assessed using phenotypic assays. The expression of luxS, agrC, flaA, and motA was analyzed by RT-qPCR. La-CFS inhibited the growth of all tested L. monocytogenes strains, whereas sub-MIC concentrations induced a transient delay in bacterial growth without significantly affecting the final optical density. Cell-free supernatants from the evaluated L. monocytogenes strains induced bioluminescence in the V. harveyi BB170 reporter assay, indicating extracellular signaling activity detectable by an AI-2-responsive system. At sub-MIC concentrations, La-CFS significantly reduced biofilm formation and impaired swimming and swarming motility in a strain- and concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptional analysis of L. monocytogenes CLIST 3833 exposed to La-CFS at 0.5 × MIC for 24 h revealed significant downregulation of the motility-associated genes flaA and motA (p < 0.05), whereas the expression of luxS and agrC was not significantly altered. These findings demonstrate that metabolites present in the cell-free supernatant of L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 can impair biofilm formation and motility in L. monocytogenes, supporting further investigation of La-CFS as a potential source of bioactive compounds for controlling the persistence of this pathogen in food-processing environments.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in birds is increasingly investigated because wild and captive birds can encounter resistant bacteria at interfaces involving human activity, other animals, and environmental contamination. This narrative review synthesizes reports of antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in wild, captive, and other non-poultry avian populations. Rather than treating all detections as equivalent, the evidence is interpreted across distinct levels: bacterial occurrence or carriage, phenotypic resistance, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), bacterial lineage relatedness, and epidemiological or experimentally demonstrated transmission. The literature shows recurrent detection of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales, blaCTX-M genes, multidrug-resistant phenotypes, and diverse ARGs across multiple ecological settings. However, substantial heterogeneity in sampling, bacterial recovery, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and molecular characterization limits direct comparison among studies and restricts inference regarding persistence, dissemination, and transmission. The central contribution of this review is therefore an ecological and molecular evidence framework that distinguishes exposure and carriage from persistence, genetic mobility, genomic relatedness, and transmission. The review also identifies methodological priorities, including harmonized sampling and susceptibility testing, longitudinal studies, cross-compartment sampling, genomic characterization, and explicit integration of ecological and epidemiological data.
Hepatitis B is the most prevalent chronic viral infection worldwide, posing a serious threat to global public health. Protein glycosylation, a critical post-translational modification, regulates diverse physiological processes. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with altered glycosylation of both viral and host proteins, which influences viral entry, immune evasion and disease progression, while HBV infection remodels host glycosylation. Given the sensitivity of glycosylation patterns to pathological perturbations, it is particularly relevant to examine how HBV exploits host glycosylation machinery to facilitate viral persistence and pathogenesis. This review is organised around a dual-role framework: one arm covers the proviral functions of glycosylation (viral entry, envelope protein folding, processing, assembly and secretion, persistence, immune escape and disease progression), the other the host-protective functions of the same pathways (glycosylation-dependent restriction factors, glycan-dependent ER quality control and ERAD, cellular stress responses and immune regulation). This exploration provides insights into the glycan-dependent mechanisms underlying HBV infection and their implications for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Streptococcus agalactiae critically endangers tilapia farming and causes substantial economic losses to aquaculture. In this study, a rapid and efficient recombinase polymerase amplification-lateral flow strip (RPA-LFS) assay targeting the conserved cfb gene was established for the detection of S. agalactiae. Specific RPA primers were designed for the target region of the cfb gene, and an RPA-LFS system was developed based on primer—probe amplification and colloidal-gold visualization. Conventional PCR was performed in parallel to compare detection performance. The results showed that the F3/R primer pair exhibited the highest specificity under the optimized conditions of 28 °C for 15 min. The lowest detectable DNA concentration was 2.054 × 10−6 ng/uL. Further sample testing showed that the minimum detectable bacterial copy number was 8.55 × 103 copies/µL for RPA-LFS and 8.55 × 104 copies/µL for conventional PCR. These results confirmed that the developed RPA-LFS assay had significantly higher detection sensitivity than conventional PCR and showed strong potential for the early surveillance and effective control of streptococcosis in tilapia farming.
