Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of intratumoral microorganisms. However, the role of intratumoral microbes in the development of ovarian cancer and their interaction with the tumor microenvironment are largely unknown.

The burgeoning field of oncobiome research declared that members of the intratumoral microbiome besides Helicobacter pylori existed in tumor tissues and participated in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer, and the methylation of host DNA may be a potential target of microbes and their metabolites. Current research focuses mostly on species composition, but the functional genes of the members of the microbiota are also key to their interaction with the host.

Our study indicated that systematic inflammation and metabolites might be a pathway linking the gut microbiome with insomnia. These findings provide new insights and a better understanding of gut microbiota's role in insomnia as well as potential novel microbiome-related etiologies for insomnia.

Background Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (nCCRT) is a standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The gut microbiome may be reshaped by radiotherapy through its effects on microbial composition, mucosal immunity, and the systemic immune system. We sought to clarify dynamic, longitudinal changes in the gut microbiome and blood immunomodulators throughout nCCRT and to explore the relationship of such changes with outcomes after nCCRT Methods A total of 39 LARC patients were recruited in this study. Fecal samples and peripheral blood samples were collected from 39 LARC patients before, during nCCRT (at week 3), and after nCCRT (at week 5). The gut microbiota and the community structure were analyzed based on the 16S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 region. Levels of blood immunomodulatory proteins were measured with a Millipore HCKPMAG-11K kit and Luminex 200 platform (Luminex, USA). Results Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis revealed that the gut microbiome profile and enterotype exhibited characteristic variations in patients with good response (TRG 0–1) vs poor response (TRG 2–3) to nCCRT. Sparse partial least squares regression and canonical correspondence analyses showed multivariate associations between specific microbial taxa, host immunomodulatory proteins, immune cells, and outcomes after nCCRT. An integrated model consisting of baseline Clostridium sensu stricto 1 levels, fold changes in Intestinimonas, blood levels of the herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM/CD270), and lymphocyte counts could predict good vs poor outcome after nCCRT (area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve [1] = 0.821; area under the precision-recall curve [AUPR] = 0.911). Conclusions Our results showed that longitudinal variations in specific gut taxa, associated host immune cells and immunomodulatory proteins before and during nCCRT could be useful for early predictions of the efficacy of nCCRT, which could guide the choice of individualized treatment for patients with LARC.

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Background Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (nCCRT) is a standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The gut microbiome may be reshaped by radiotherapy through its effects on microbial composition, mucosal immunity, and the systemic immune system. We sought to clarify dynamic, longitudinal changes in the gut microbiome and blood immunomodulators throughout nCCRT and to explore the relationship of such changes with outcomes after nCCRT. Methods A total of 39 patients with LARC were recruited for this study. Fecal samples and peripheral blood samples were collected from all 39 patients before nCCRT, during nCCRT (at week 3), and after nCCRT (at week 5). The gut microbiota and the microbial community structure were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing of the V3–V4 region. Levels of blood immunomodulatory proteins were measured with a Millipore HCKPMAG-11 K kit and Luminex 200 platform (Luminex, USA). Results Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses revealed that the gut microbiome profile and enterotype exhibited characteristic variations that could distinguish patients with good response (AJCC TRG classification 0–1) vs poor response (TRG 2–3) to nCCRT. Sparse partial least squares regression and canonical correspondence analyses showed multivariate associations between specific microbial taxa, host immunomodulatory proteins, immune cells, and outcomes after nCCRT. An integrated model consisting of baseline Clostridium sensu stricto 1 levels, fold changes in Intestinimonas, blood levels of the herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM/CD270), and lymphocyte counts could predict good vs poor outcome after nCCRT [area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC)= 0.821; area under the precision-recall curve [AUPR] = 0.911]. Conclusions Our results showed that longitudinal variations in specific gut taxa, associated host immune cells, and immunomodulatory proteins before and during nCCRT could be useful for early predictions of the efficacy of nCCRT, which could guide the choice of individualized treatment for patients with LARC.

Background: The microbiome within tumors can influence treatment response in cancer. In cervical carcinoma, relationships among the vaginal and tumor microbiomes and response to chemoradiotherapy are unclear. We sought to determine if the niche homology and specific signatures of cervicovaginal microbiome are associated with the outcome of chemoradiotherapy in cervical carcinoma patients. Methods: Sixty-eight women with cervical carcinoma were enrolled, and intratumoral or vaginal samples and peripheral blood samples were collected one week before chemoradiotherapy. DNA was extracted from tumor tissue biopsy and vaginal swab samples, and V3 and V4 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified by PCR. Levels of blood immunomodulatory proteins were measured with a Millipore HCKPMAG-11K kit and Luminex 200 platform (Luminex, USA). Results: We found abundance to be higher in the tumor, and the homology between vaginal and tumor microbiota was associated with response to chemoradiotherapy. The proportion of the microbiome originating from the vagina and appearing in the tumor was higher among poor-responders than among good-responders. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were located in both tumors and vagina correlated with TNM disease stage, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (high- vs low-risk), metastasis (yes/no), and immune checkpoint proteins. The proportion of two microbes from the shared cervicovaginal ASVs, g_Sphingobium_s_Sphingobium_xenophagum_333 in tumor and g_Ralstonia_256 in vagina, could predict response to chemoradiotherapy (AUC=0.984, AUPR=0.917). Conclusion: Our results suggest that microbiome components co-located in the vagina and in cervical tumors may be useful biomarkers to predict response to chemoradiotherapy for cervical carcinoma.

IntroductionThe gut microbiome is directly involved in colorectal carcinogenesis, but much of the epidemiological evidence for the effect of the gut microbiome on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk comes from observational studies, and it is unclear whether identified microbial alterations are the cause or consequence of CRC development.MethodsUnivariate Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and multivariate MR analysis based on Bayesian model averaging were performed to comprehensively explore the microbial risk factors associated with CRC. The Network Module Structure Shift method was used to identify microbial biomarkers associated with CRC. Mediation analysis was used to explore the dietary habits-microbiota-CRC pathway.ResultsThe results of the four methods showed that 9 bacteria had a robust causal relationship with the development of CRC. Among them, Streptococcus thermophilus reduced the risk of CRC; Eubacterium ventriosum and Streptococcus were beneficial bacteria of malignant tumors of colon (CC); Erysipelotrichaceae was a protective factor for malignant tumors of rectal (CR); Bacteroides ovatus was a risk factor for benign tumors. Finally, the mediation analysis revealed 10 pathways by which dietary regulation bacteria affected the risk of CRC, including alcohol consumption increased the risk of CC by reducing the abundance of Eubacterium ventriosum (mediated proportion: 43.044%), and the mediated proportion of other pathways was 7.026%-34.22%.DiscussionThese findings will contribute to the understanding of the different carcinogenic mechanisms of intestinal flora in the colon and rectum and the risk of tumor transformation, thereby aiding CRC prevention, early screening, and the development of future strategies to reduce CRC risk.