Browsing by Author "Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius"

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    Bacterial networks in Atlantic salmon with Piscirickettsiosis
    (Springer Nature, 2023) Coca Rives, Yoandy; Godoy, Marcos; Pontigo, Juan Pablo; Caro, Diego; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Arias-Carrasco, Raul; Rodriguez-Cordova, Leonardo; de Oca, Marco Montes; Saez-Navarrete, Cesar; Burbulis, Ian
    An unbalanced composition of gut microbiota in fish is hypothesized to play a role in promoting bacterial infections, but the synergistic or antagonistic interactions between bacterial groups in relation to fish health are not well understood. We report that pathogenic species in the Piscirickettsia, Aeromonas, Renibacterium and Tenacibaculum genera were all detected in the digesta and gut mucosa of healthy Atlantic salmon without clinical signs of disease. Although Piscirickettsia salmonis (and other pathogens) occurred in greater frequencies of fish with clinical Salmonid Rickettsial Septicemia (SRS), the relative abundance was about the same as that observed in healthy fish. Remarkably, the SRS-positive fish presented with a generalized mid-gut dysbiosis and positive growth associations between Piscirickettsiaceae and members of other taxonomic families containing known pathogens. The reconstruction of metabolic phenotypes based on the bacterial networks detected in the gut and mucosa indicated the synthesis of Gram-negative virulence factors such as colanic acid and O-antigen were over-represented in SRS positive fish. This evidence indicates that cooperative interactions between organisms of different taxonomic families within localized bacterial networks might promote an opportunity for P. salmonis to cause clinical SRS in the farm environment.
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    Effects of Trimetazidine on Right Ventricular Function and Ventricular Remodeling in Patients with Pulmonary Artery Hypertension: A Randomised Controlled Trial
    (2023) Verdejo, Hugo E. E.; Rojas, Adolfo; Lopez-Crisosto, Camila; Baraona, Fernando; Gabrielli, Luigi; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Chiong, Mario; Lavandero, Sergio; Castro, Pablo F. F.
    Background: Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a chronic and progressive disease. Although current therapy has improved the disease prognosis, PAH has a poor survival rate. The key feature leading to disease progression and death is right ventricular (RV) failure. Methods and results: We assessed the role of trimetazidine, a fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO) inhibitor, in right ventricular function, remodeling, and functional class in PAH patients, with a placebo-controlled double-blind, case-crossover trial. Twenty-seven PAH subjects were enrolled, randomized, and assigned to trimetazidine or placebo for three months and then reallocated to the other study arm. The primary endpoint was RV morphology and function change after three months of treatment. Secondary endpoints were the change in exercise capacity assessed by a 6 min walk test after three months of treatment and the change in pro-BNP and Galectin-3 plasma levels after three months. Trimetazidine use was safe and well-tolerated. After three months of treatment, patients in the trimetazidine group showed a small but significant reduction of RV diastolic area, and a substantial increase in the 6 min walk distance (418 vs. 438 mt, p = 0.023), without significant changes in biomarkers. Conclusions: A short course of trimetazidine is safe and well-tolerated on PAH patients, and it is associated with significant increases in the 6MWT and minor but significant improvement in RV remodeling. The therapeutic potential of this drug should be evaluated in larger clinical trials.
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    Salmo salar Skin and Gill Microbiome during Piscirickettsia salmonis Infection
    (2024) Godoy, Marcos; Coca, Yoandy; Suarez, Rudy; Montes de Oca, Marco; Bledsoe, Jacob W.; Burbulis, Ian; Caro, Diego; Pontigo, Juan Pablo; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Arias-Carrasco, Raul; Rodriguez-Cordova, Leonardo; Saez-Navarrete, Cesar
    Maintaining the high overall health of farmed animals is a central tenant of their well-being and care. Intense animal crowding in aquaculture promotes animal morbidity especially in the absence of straightforward methods for monitoring their health. Here, we used bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to measure bacterial population dynamics during P. salmonis infection. We observed a complex bacterial community consisting of a previously undescribed core pathobiome. Notably, we detected Aliivibrio wodanis and Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi on the skin ulcers of salmon infected with P. salmonis, while Vibrio spp. were enriched on infected gills. The prevalence of these co-occurring networks indicated that coinfection with other pathogens may enhance P. salmonis pathogenicity.
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    Microbiome Dynamics of Salmo salar Skin and Gill
    (2023) Godoy, Marcos; Coca, Yoandy; Suarez, Rudy; de Oca, Marco Montes; Bledsoe, Jacob W.; Burbulis, Ian; Caro, Diego; Pontigo, Juan Pablo; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Arias-Carrasco, Raul; Rodriguez Cordova, Leonardo Andres; Saez-Navarrete, Cesar
    Maintaining the high overall health of farmed animals is a central tenant of their well-being and care. Intense animal crowding in aquaculture promotes animal especially in the absence of straightforward methods for monitoring their health. Here, we used bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to measure population dynamics occurring during P. salmonis outbreaks. Our findings revealed a complex bacterial community consisting of a previously undescribed core pathobiome. Notably, we detected Aliivibrio wodanis and Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi on the skin ulcers of salmon infected with P. salmonis, while Vibrio spp. were enriched on infected gills. The prevalence of these co-occurring networks indicates the influence that coinfection plays in P. salmonis pathogenicity.
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    Transcriptional Signatures and Network-Based Approaches Identified Master Regulators Transcription Factors Involved in Experimental Periodontitis Pathogenesis
    (2023) Vicencio, Emiliano; Nunez-Belmar, Josefa; Cardenas, Juan P.; Cortes, Bastian I.; Martin, Alberto J. M.; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Rojas, Adolfo; Cafferata, Emilio A.; Gonzalez-Osuna, Luis; Vernal, Rolando; Cortez, Cristian
    Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the progressive and irreversible destruction of the periodontium. Its aetiopathogenesis lies in the constant challenge of the dysbiotic biofilm, which triggers a deregulated immune response responsible for the disease phenotype. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying periodontitis have been extensively studied, the regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional level remain unclear. To generate transcriptomic data, we performed RNA shotgun sequencing of the oral mucosa of periodontitis-affected mice. Since genes are not expressed in isolation during pathological processes, we disclose here the complete repertoire of differentially expressed genes (DEG) and co-expressed modules to build Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) and identify the Master Transcriptional Regulators of periodontitis. The transcriptional changes revealed 366 protein-coding genes and 42 non-coding genes differentially expressed and enriched in the immune response. Furthermore, we found 13 co-expression modules with different representation degrees and gene expression levels. Our GRN comprises genes from 12 gene clusters, 166 nodes, of which 33 encode Transcription Factors, and 201 connections. Finally, using these strategies, 26 master regulators of periodontitis were identified. In conclusion, combining the transcriptomic analyses with the regulatory network construction represents a powerful and efficient strategy for identifying potential periodontitis-therapeutic targets.