University College Cork

About: University College Cork is a education organization based out in Cork, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 12056 authors who have published 28452 publications receiving 958414 citations. The organization is also known as: Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh & National University of Ireland, Cork.

The Microbiota of Breast Tissue and Its Association with Breast Cancer.

Abstract: In the United States, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Along with genetics, the environment also contributes to disease development but what these exact environmental factors are remain unknown. We have previously shown that breast tissue is not sterile but contains a diverse population of bacteria. We thus believe that the host9s local microbiome could be modulating the risk of breast cancer development. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing we show that bacterial profiles differ between normal adjacent tissue from women with breast cancer and tissue from healthy controls. Women with breast cancer had higher relative abundances of Bacillus , Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus . Escherichia coli (member of the Enterobacteriaceae family) and Staphylococcus epidermidis, isolated from breast cancer patients, were shown to induce DNA double stranded breaks in HeLa cells using the γH2AX assay. We also found that microbial profiles are similar between normal adjacent tissue and tissue sampled directly from the tumour. This novel study raises important questions as to what role the breast microbiome plays in disease development or progression and how we can manipulate this microbiome for possible therapeutics or prevention. Statement of significance: This study shows that different bacterial profiles in breast tissue exist between healthy women and those with breast cancer. Higher relative abundances of bacteria, that had the ability to cause DNA damage in vitro , were detected in breast cancer patients, as well as a decrease in some lactic acid bacteria, known for their beneficial health effects, including anti-carcinogenic properties. This study raises the important question as to the role of the mammary microbiome in modulating the risk of breast cancer development.

Foods for Special Dietary Needs: Non-dairy Plant-based Milk Substitutes and Fermented Dairy-type Products

Abstract: A growing number of consumers opt for plant-based milk substitutes for medical reasons or as a lifestyle choice. Medical reasons include lactose intolerance, with a worldwide prevalence of 75%, and cow's milk allergy. Also, in countries where mammal milk is scarce and expensive, plant milk substitutes serve as a more affordable option. However, many of these products have sensory characteristics objectionable to the mainstream western palate. Technologically, plant milk substitutes are suspensions of dissolved and disintegrated plant material in water, resembling cow's milk in appearance. They are manufactured by extracting the plant material in water, separating the liquid, and formulating the final product. Homogenization and thermal treatments are necessary to improve the suspension and microbial stabilities of commercial products that can be consumed as such or be further processed into fermented dairy-type products. The nutritional properties depend on the plant source, processing, and fortification. As some products have extremely low protein and calcium contents, consumer awareness is important when plant milk substitutes are used to replace cow's milk in the diet, e.g. in the case of dairy intolerances. If formulated into palatable and nutritionally adequate products, plant-based substitutes can offer a sustainable alternative to dairy products.

Development of a microfluidic device for fluorescence activated cell sorting

Abstract: This paper describes the development towards a miniaturized analytical system that can perform the major key functions of a flow cytometer. The development aims at diagnostic applications for cell counting and sorting with the ultimate goal of a low-cost portable instrument for point of care diagnosis. The present systems configuration consists of a disposable microfluidic device, that enables injection, single file cell flow through a miniaturized laser induced fluorescence detection system as well as sorting of identified samples. The microfluidic devices were fabricated by means of rapid prototyping technologies based on thick film photo-polymers. This paper reports various approaches on cell sorting and demonstrates sorting of single cells by means of an off-chip valve switching technique. The miniaturized fluorescence detection system employs active and passive micro-optical components, including semiconductor laser and ultra bright LED sources, highly sensitive avalanche photodiodes as well as micro-prism, holographic diffraction gratings and fibre optics for transmission and collection of light. Furthermore we demonstrate the feasibility of integrating solid-state components as part of an on-chip detection system.

A fixed-parameter algorithm for the directed feedback vertex set problem

Abstract: The (parameterized) FEEDBACK VERTEX SET problem on directed graphs (i.e., the DFVS problem) is defined as follows: given a directed graph G and a parameter k, either construct a feedback vertex set of at most k vertices in G or report that no such a set exists. It has been a well-known open problem in parameterized computation and complexity whether the DFVS problem is fixed-parameter tractable, that is, whether the problem can be solved in time f(k)nO(1) for some function f. In this article, we develop new algorithmic techniques that result in an algorithm with running time 4kke nO(1) for the DFVS problem. Therefore, we resolve this open problem.

The Microbiome: Stress, Health and Disease

Abstract: Bacterial colonisation of the gut plays a major role in postnatal development and maturation of key systems that have the capacity to influence central nervous system (CNS) programming and signaling, including the immune and endocrine systems. Individually, these systems have been implicated in the neuropathology of many CNS disorders and collectively they form an important bidirectional pathway of communication between the microbiota and the brain in health and disease. Regulation of the microbiome–brain–gut axis is essential for maintaining homeostasis, including that of the CNS. Moreover, there is now expanding evidence for the view that commensal organisms within the gut play a role in early programming and later responsivity of the stress system. Research has focused on how the microbiota communicates with the CNS and thereby influences brain function. The routes of this communication are not fully elucidated but include neural, humoral, immune and metabolic pathways. This view is underpinned by studies in germ-free animals and in animals exposed to pathogenic bacterial infections, probiotic agents or antibiotics which indicate a role for the gut microbiota in the regulation of mood, cognition, pain and obesity. Thus, the concept of a microbiome–brain–gut axis is emerging which suggests that modulation of the gut microflora may be a tractable strategy for developing novel therapeutics for complex stress-related CNS disorders where there is a huge unmet medical need.