Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant cancers. It is characterized by a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only around 10% and an ongoing increase in death rate. Due to the lack of early and specific symptoms, most patients are diagnosed at an advanced or even metastasized stage, essentially limiting curative treatment options. However, even curative resection of the primary tumor and adjuvant therapy often fails to provide a long-term survival benefit. One reason for this dismal situation can be seen in the evolution of therapy resistances. Furthermore, PDAC is characterized by high intratumor heterogeneity, pointing towards an abundance of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are regarded as essential for tumor initiation and drug resistance. Additionally, it was shown that the gut microbiome is altered in PDAC patients, promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT), determines responses towards chemotherapy, and affects survival in PDAC patients. Given the established links between CSCs and EMT as well as drug resistance, and the emerging role of the microbiome in PDAC, we postulate that the composition of the microbiome of PDAC patients is a critical determinant for the abundance and plasticity of CSC populations and thus tumor heterogeneity in PDAC. Unravelling this complex interplay might pave the way for novel treatment strategies.
Most bacterial identification methods require extensive culturing, strain purification and DNA extraction protocols. This leads to additional expenses and time lags when isolating specific bacteria from complex microbiological ecosystems. This study aimed to develop a fast and robust method for identification of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and Bacteroides in human faecal samples. Bacteria from faecal samples were cultured anaerobically on selective media. Sonication-based DNA extraction was performed, followed by almost complete 16S rRNA gene polymerase chain reaction amplification and MinION sequencing with the Flongle adapter. Sequence analysis was performed using NanoCLUST, while RStudio was used for graphics. For 110 of the 125 colonies investigated, 100% of reads were attributed to a single species, while the remaining 15 colonies consisted of mixtures of up to three different species. The proposed bacterial identification method is advantageous for isolating particular bacteria for which there are no exclusively selective media, as it avoids lengthy colony purification and DNA purification methods, and yields a quick colony identification with high accuracy. Therefore, this method can be used for directly screening for pure cultures of target microorganisms and is suitable for the identification of bacteria in culturomics studies.
Studies have previously shown that 75% of adolescents and young adults experience FOMO regularly. It has also been related with problematic smartphone usage and social media usage. There is an evident lack of discourse pertaining to the psychological aspects of FOMO. This study investigates the relationship between Parenting Styles, Self-esteem and the levels of the fear of missing out experienced by adolescents and young adults. Data was collected from 159 participants, aged 13 - 25 years, originating from Indian urban settings, through an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included the General Health Questionnaire 28, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Parenting Style Inventory II and the Fear of Missing out Scale. Results show high correlation between parenting styles and self-esteem. It was found that there is an effective and statistically significant relationship between parenting styles, self-esteem and the levels of FOMO experienced by adolescents and young adults.
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