Browsing by Author "Robertson, Charles E."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A Dysbiotic Microbiome Promotes Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
    (Springer Nature, 2022) Frank, Daniel N.; Qiu, Yue; Cao, Yu; Zhang, Shuguang; Lu, Ling; Kofonow, Jennifer M.; Robertson, Charles E.; Liu, Yanqiu; Wang, Haibo; Levens, Cassandra L.; Kuhn, Kristi A.; Song, John; Ramakrishnan, Vijay R.; Lu, Shi-Long; Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Recent studies have reported dysbiotic oral microbiota and tumor-resident bacteria in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We aimed to identify and validate oral microbial signatures in treatment-naïve HNSCC patients compared with healthy control subjects. We confirm earlier reports that the relative abundances of Lactobacillus spp. and Neisseria spp. are elevated and diminished, respectively, in human HNSCC. In parallel, we examined the disease-modifying effects of microbiota in HNSCC, through both antibiotic depletion of microbiota in an induced HNSCC mouse model (4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide, 4NQO) and reconstitution of tumor-associated microbiota in a germ-free orthotopic mouse model. We demonstrate that depletion of microbiota delays oral tumorigenesis, while microbiota transfer from mice with oral cancer accelerates tumorigenesis. Enrichment of Lactobacillus spp. was also observed in murine HNSCC, and activation of the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor was documented in both murine and human tumors. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that dysbiosis promotes HNSCC development.
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    Altered Tissue Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators in Chronic Rhinosinusitis
    (Elsevier, 2021) Vickery, Thad W.; Armstrong, Michael; Kofonow, Jennifer M.; Robertson, Charles E.; Kroehl, Miranda E.; Reisdorph, Nichole A.; Ramakrishnan, Vijay R.; Frank, Daniel N.; Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Current literature implicates arachidonic acid-derived leukotrienes and prostaglandins in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis. However, other omega-3 and omega-6 derived lipid mediators, such as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), may also be important in chronic inflammatory disorders of the upper airway. We hypothesize that SPMs differ among CRS subtypes compared to controls and in relation to sinonasal microbiota. Ethmoid sinus tissue and middle meatal swabs were collected from a convenience sample of 66 subjects, including non-CRS controls, CRS with polyps (CRSwNP), and CRS without polyps (CRSsNP). Lipid mediator pathways were analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Bacterial taxa were profiled in parallel by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Resolvin D2 was elevated in both CRSwNP (p = 0.00076) and CRSsNP (p = 0.030) compared with non-CRS controls. Lipoxin A4 was significantly increased in CRSwNP compared with CRSsNP (p = 0.000033) and controls (p = 0.044). Cigarette smoking was associated with significantly lower concentrations of several 15-lipoxygenase metabolites including resolvin D1 (p = 0.0091) and resolvin D2 (p = 0.0097), compared with never-smokers. Several of the lipid compounds also correlated with components of the sinonasal mucosal microbiota, including bacterial pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These data suggest that dysfunctional lipid mediator pathways in CRS extend beyond the traditional descriptions of leukotrienes and prostaglandins and include SPMs. Furthermore, dysregulated SPM signaling may contribute to persistent inflammation and bacterial colonization in CRS.
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    Mucosal Microbiota Associated With Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Eosinophilic Gastritis
    (Wiley, 2023) Furuta, Glenn T.; Fillon, Sophie A.; Williamson, Kayla M.; Robertson, Charles E.; Stevens, Mark J.; Aceves, Seema S.; Arva, Nicoleta C.; Chehade, Mirna; Collins, Margaret H.; Davis, Carla M.; Dellon, Evan S.; Falk, Gary W.; Gonsalves, Nirmala; Gupta, Sandeep K.; Hirano, Ikuo; Khoury, Paneez; Leung, John; Martin, Lisa J.; Menard-Katcher, Paul; Mukkada, Vincent A.; Peterson, Kathryn; Spergel, Jonathan M.; Wechsler, Joshua B.; Yang, Guang-Yu; Rothenberg, Marc E.; Harris, J. Kirk; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the mucosal microbiota associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic gastritis (EoG) in a geographically diverse cohort of patients compared to controls. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of individuals with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (EGID) in the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers, including pediatric and adult tertiary care centers. Eligible individuals had clinical data, mucosal biopsies, and stool collected. Total bacterial load was determined from mucosal biopsy samples by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Community composition was determined by small subunit rRNA gene amplicons. Results: One hundred thirty-nine mucosal biopsies were evaluated corresponding to 93 EoE, 17 EoG, and 29 control specimens (18 esophageal) from 10 sites across the United States. Dominant community members across disease activity differed significantly. When comparing EoE and EoG with controls, the dominant taxa in individuals with EGIDs was increased ( Streptococcus in esophagus; Prevotella in stomach). Specific taxa were associated with active disease for both EoE ( Streptococcus , Gemella ) and EoG ( Leptotrichia ), although highly individualized communities likely impacted statistical testing. Alpha diversity metrics were similar across groups, but with high variability among individuals. Stool analyses did not correlate with bacterial communities found in mucosal biopsy samples and was similar in patients and controls. Conclusions: Dominant community members ( Streptococcus for EoE, Prevotella for EoG) were different in the mucosal biopsies but not stool of individuals with EGIDs compared to controls; taxa associated with EGIDs were highly variable across individuals. Further study is needed to determine if therapeutic interventions contribute to the observed community differences.
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    Specialized pro-resolving mediator lipidome and 16S rRNA bacterial microbiome data associated with human chronic rhinosinusitis
    (Elsevier, 2021-04-01) Vickery, Thad W.; Armstrong, Michael; Kofonow, Jennifer M.; Robertson, Charles E.; Kroehl, Miranda E.; Reisdorph, Nichole A.; Ramakrishnan, Vijay R.; Frank, Daniel N.; Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a clinical syndrome defined by symptoms including nasal congestion, facial pain and pressure, anosmia, and rhinorrhea lasting more than 12 weeks. Several mechanistically distinct processes lead to the development of clinical symptoms in CRS including innate immune dysfunction, dysregulated eicosanoid metabolism and perturbations in host-microbiome interactions [1]. We developed a database comprised of patient demographic information, lipid mediator metabolomic profiles, and 16S bacterial rRNA gene sequence data from 66 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. Briefly, ethmoid sinus tissue and middle meatal swabs were collected from patients, including non-CRS controls, CRS with polyps (CRSwNP), and CRS without polyps (CRSsNP). Lipid mediator pathways from arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) were analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Bacterial taxa were profiled in parallel by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This database provides a useful compendium of AA/DHA metabolomic profiles and associated bacterial microbiota in patients with varying disease subtypes, demographics, and risk factors/comorbidities.