Objective To analyze the correlation of cholecystectomy and changes in intestinal microbiota composition and function by observing functional characteristics of differential microbial communities.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on the patients(PC group,n=73)undergoing cholecystectomy in our hospital from 2020 to 2021.Another 56 healthy age-and gender-matched individuals(HC group)without a history of cholecystectomy were subjected and served as the control group.Fecal specimens were collected from the 2 groups.16S rRNA sequencing analysis was performed to examine the changes in composition and function of intestinal microbiota.Results There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in baseline indicators,such as gender,age,BMI,smoking and drinking history,blood pressure,heart rate,and comorbidities,but significant difference was observed in total bilirubin(TBIL)between them(P<0.01).Alpha diversity analysis showed no significant difference in Chao1,Shannon,and Simpson indices between the 2 groups.Beta diversity analysis using the Bray-Curtis distance algorithm revealed a significant difference between the 2 groups at the class and genus levels(P<0.05).The analysis of microbiota relative abundance using LEFSE showed that Enterobacteriaceae,Lactobacillales,Citrobacter,Megasphaera,Lactobacillus,Enterococcus,Akkermansia,Streptococcus,Klebsiella,and Ruminococcus_gnavus were up-regulated in the PC group,and Lachnospiraceae,Sutterellaceae,Lachnospirales,Lachnospira,and Sutterella were down-regulated.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)functional prediction analysis indicated that significant differences were seen between the 2 groups in metabolic pathways,including ascorbic acid(vitamin C)metabolism and aldonic acid metabolism(P<0.05),tricarboxylic acid cycle(TCA cycle)(P<0.05),glutathione metabolism(P<0.05),glutamic acid metabolism(P<0.05),secondary bile acid metabolism(P<0.05),and pentose phosphate pathway(P<0.01).Conclusion Cholecystectomy is closely associated with the structural alterations in the composition of intestinal microbiota.Variations in microbiota composition and function may induce perturbations in TCA cycle and glutathione metabolism,glutamate metabolism,secondary bile acid metabolism,and pentose phosphate pathways.

Objective To investigate the diversity and composition of gut fungi microbiota in patients with polycystic kidney disease(PKD)and its correlation with clinical indicators.Methods A total of 44 PKD patients,44 patients with non-polycystic chronic kidney disease(NPCKD)and 22 healthy controls(HC)admitted to our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024 were recruited.ITS1 DNA sequencing was applied to analyze the gut fungal composition.Bioinformatics analysis was used to compare the diversity and structural differences of fungi among the 3 groups.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between gut fungi and clinical indicators.Results There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics(gender,age,body mass index,etc.)among the 3 groups,but statistical differences were seen in terms of serum indicators(such as serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen,uric acid,estimated glomerular filtration rate,etc.)(P<0.01).Alpha diversity analysis showed no significant difference was seen between the PKD and HC groups,but the PKD group had significant differences to the NPCKD group(P<0.01).Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences among the 3 groups and in pairwise comparisons(P=0.001).Fungi composition analysis found that the abundance of Candida was significantly higher in the PKD group than the other 2 groups(P<0.01),while the abundances of Aspergillus and Cladosporium were significantly lower in the PKD group than the HC group(P<0.05).Linear discriminant analysis(LEFSe)indicated that Candida was significantly enriched,while Aspergillus and Cladosporium were significantly reduced in the PKD group.Correlation analysis revealed that the abundance of Cladosporium was negatively correlated with cyst diameter and immunoglobulin light chain Kappa/Lambda ratio in the PKD group(P<0.05),while the abundance of Candida was positively correlated with liver/kidney cyst diameter(P<0.01).Conclusion PKD patients exhibit characteristic changes in gut fungi diversity and composition.The abundances of Cladosporium and Candida are closely associated with clinical indicators of PKD patients.

Objective To compare the gut fungal composition between gout patients and healthy individuals through high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1).Methods Gout patients and healthy volunteers who visited our hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled in this study.Then based on established medical guidelines,the gout patients were categorized into 3 groups:Group H(asymptomatic hyperuricemia,n=14),Group G(acute gouty arthritis,n=14),and Group I(intercritical period of gouty arthritis,n=15),and the healthy individuals were assigned into Group N(n=9).Fecal samples were collected from all the participants to undergo ITS1 sequencing analysis.The differences in diversity and composition of gut mycobiome,and FunGuild-derived fungal functions and nutritional status were compared among the 4 groups,and the correlation between the gut mycobiome and clinical indicators was analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in baseline features such as gender,age,glomerular filtration rate(GFR),and levels of serum creatinine(SCr)and serum urea among Group N and other gout groups,but obvious differences were observed in body mass index(BMI),erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),serum uric acid(SUA),and IL-1β and IL-6(P<0.05).In terms of gut fungal diversity,ITS1 analysis showed there were no statistical differences in α-diversity or the principal coordinate analysis(PCoA)of β-diversity among the groups.However,as gout progressed,significant changes were observed in β-diversity indices,indicating a shift in the gut fungal community composition with disease advancement(P<0.05).The phyla Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,and Mucoromycotina were the dominant fungal phyla in all groups.Compared with the other 3 gout groups,the abundance of Pichia was significantly increased in Group N(P<0.05),that of Saccharomyces was in Group H(P<0.05),and that of Starmerella was in Group G(P<0.05).Correlation analysis between the gut mycobiome and clinical indices indicated that the relative abundance of Starmerella was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β(P<0.01)and IL-6(P<0.05).The relative abundance of Pichia was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with serum urea level(P<0.05),and the relative abundance of Saccharomyces was negatively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05).Conclusion There exist significant alterations in both the diversity and composition of gut fungi among patients with gout at various stages.Notably,the fluctuations in the relative abundance of Starmerella,Pichia and Saccharomyces appear to correlate with key clinical indicators.

Objective To analyze the diversity and composition of gut microbiota in individuals with circadian rhythm disruption and their correlation with cognition.Methods Night shift workers and regular shift workers were subjected from our hospital during August 2022 and October 2024.The participants with circadian rhythm disorders were assigned into an experimental group(n=24),and those with normal circadian rhythms were into a control group(n=24).Their height,weight,age,gender,body mass index(BMI)and fresh fecal samples were collected,and Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)and Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)were used to evaluate their mental status.Metagenomics,Alpha and Beta diversity analyses,Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size(LEfSe),and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis were employed to investigate the diversity and function characteristics of gut microbiota in the participants.Results There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in baseline data,such as height,weight,gender,age,and BMI(P>0.05).Alpha diversity analysis indicated that no statistical differences were observed in the ACE,Chao1,Shannon,or Simpson indices between the 2 groups,while beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences(P<0.01),suggesting different structure of gut microbiota between them.In the experimental group,the abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Agathobacter rectalis was decreased,while that of Escherichia coli and Phocaeicola vulgaratus was increased,with significant differences when compared with the control group(P<0.05).Additionally,KEGG functional analysis showed that the experimental group had obviously higher expression levels in Th17 cell differentiation and the IL-17 signaling pathway than the control group(P<0.05).Agathobacter rectalis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were positively correlated with MoCA score and MMSE score(P<0.05,P<0.01).Agathobacter rectalis was negatively correlated with the IL-17 signaling pathway and Th17 cell differentiation.Conclusion Individuals with circadian rhythm disorders have significant changes in the structure and function of gut microbiota when compared to those with normal circadian rhythms.Agathobacter rectalis may be involved in the regulation of the IL-17 signaling pathway and differentiation of Th17 cells,thereby possibly impacting the increases of cognitive score related to circadian rhythm disorders.