Browsing by Author "Mendes, Joana"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Gut microbiota impact on Angolan children with sickle cell diseasePublication . Brito, Miguel; Delgadinho, Mariana; Ginete, Catarina; Mendes, Joana; Vasconcelos, J.; Santos, BrígidaIntroduction: Clinical manifestations of Sickle cell disease (SCD) are very heterogeneous, and the intestinal microbiome appears to be crucial in the modulation of inflammation, cell adhesion, and induction of aged neutrophils, which are the main interveners of recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis. Enterocyte injury, increased permeability, altered microbial composition, and bacterial overgrowth have all been documented as microbial and pathophysiologic changes in the gut microbiome of SCD patients in recent research studies. Microbiota analysis in SCD populations will be essential to demonstrate the importance of specific bacteria and their function in this disease and provide new insights for attenuating symptoms and new drug targets. Purpose: Given this, our aim is to sequence by NGS bacterial 16S RNA gene in order to characterize the gut microbiome of SCD children and healthy siblings, as a control.
- Gut microbiota profile of COVID-19 patients: prognosis and risk stratification (microCOVID-19 study)Publication . Nobre, José Guilherme; Delgadinho, Mariana; Silva, Carina; Mendes, Joana; Mateus, Vanessa; Ribeiro, Edna; Costa, Diogo Alpuim; Lopes, Miguel; Pedroso, Ana Isabel; Trigueiros, Frederico; Rodrigues, Maria Inês; Sousa, Cristina Lino de; Brito, MiguelBackground: Gut microbiota is intrinsically associated with the immune system and can promote or suppress infectious diseases, especially viral infections. This study aims to characterize and compare the microbiota profile of infected patients with SARS-CoV-2 (milder or more severe symptoms), non-infected people, and recovered patients. This is a national, transversal, observational, multicenter, and case-control study that analyzed the microbiota of COVID-19 patients with mild or severe symptoms at home, at the hospital, or in the intensive care unit, patients already recovered, and healthy volunteers cohabiting with COVID-19 patients. DNA was isolated from stool samples and sequenced in a NGS platform. A demographic questionnaire was also applied. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS. Results: Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios were found to be significantly lower in infected patients (1.61 and 2.57) compared to healthy volunteers (3.23) and recovered patients (3.89). Furthermore, the microbiota composition differed significantly between healthy volunteers, mild and severe COVID-19 patients, and recovered patients. Furthermore, Escherichia coli, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Dorea longicatena were shown to be more frequent in severe cases. The most common COVID-19 symptoms were linked to certain microbiome groups. Conclusion: We can conclude that microbiota composition is significantly affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be used to predict COVID-19 clinical evolution. Therefore, it will be possible to better allocate healthcare resources and better tackle future pandemics.
- Microbial gut evaluation in an angolan paediatric population with sickle cell diseasePublication . Delgadinho, Mariana; Ginete, Catarina; Santos, Brígida; Mendes, Joana; Miranda, Armandina; Vasconcelos, Jocelyne; Brito, MiguelSickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic conditions worldwide. It can contribute to up to 90% of under-5 mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Clinical manifestations are very heterogeneous, and the intestinal microbiome appears to be crucial in the modulation of inflammation, cell adhesion, and induction of aged neutrophils, the main interveners of recurrent vaso-occlusive crisis. Enterocyte injury, increased permeability, altered microbial composition, and bacterial overgrowth have all been documented as microbial and pathophysiologic changes in the gut microbiome of SCD patients in recent studies. Our aim was to sequence the bacterial 16S rRNA gene in order to characterize the gut microbiome of Angolan children with SCA and healthy siblings as a control. A total of 72 stool samples were obtained from children between 3 and 14 years old. Our data showed that the two groups exhibit some notable differences in microbiota relative abundance at different classification levels. Children with SCA have a higher number of the phylum Actinobacteria. As for the genus level, Clostridium cluster XI bacteria was more prevalent in the SCA children, whereas the siblings had a higher abundance of Blautia, Aestuariispira, Campylobacter, Helicobacter, Polaribacter, and Anaerorhabdus. In this study, we have presented the first microbiota analysis in an Angolan paediatric population with SCD and provided a detailed view of the microbial differences between patients and healthy controls. There is still much to learn before fully relying on the therapeutic approaches for gut modulation, which is why more research in this field is crucial to making this a reality.