Luis Vitetta

Verified

Luis verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Luis verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/luis.vitetta.php
• Professor at The University of Sydney

The microbiota-gut-brain axis has been proposed as a potential modulator of mood disorders such as major depression. Complex bidirec-tional biochemical activities in this axis have been posited to participate in adverse mood disorders. Environmental and genetic factors have dominated recent discussions on depression. The prescription of antibiotics...

Abstract Introduction: The administration of cannabinoids for disease and symptom management such as pain continues to elicit significant interest, albeit limited information that is available regarding their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to guide clinical practice. Cannabis-based medicines contain a wide variety of chemical compounds, of w...

Historically, the multiple uses of cannabis as a medicine, food, and for recreational purposes as a psychoactive drug span several centuries. The various components of the plant (i.e., seeds, roots, leaves and flowers) have been utilized to alleviate symptoms of inflammation and pain (e.g., osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis), mood disorders such...

Background: The use of probiotic bacteria to improve lung health has been gaining interest. Although the oral delivery of probiotics and their effects are well documented, there is currently limited knowledge on the respiratory delivery of probiotics. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether nebulisation is suitable for delivering Lac...

Following on from our pilot studies, this study aimed to test the efficacy of a combination of probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus), magnesium orotate and coenzyme 10 for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) through a double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. The participants...

Introduction The efficacy of cancer treatments has links to the intestinal microbiome. Mucositis is a dose-limiting intestinal pro-inflammatory side effect of cancer treatments, that increases the risk of diarrhoea, mucositis, and in severe cases, febrile neutropenia. Methods The effect of cancer treatments on Quality of Life (QoL) was assessed us...

A historical precedent that dates back more than two centuries established that tumor regression could be disturbed in patients infected with microbes. Bacteria could disrupt tumor initiation and progression through direct effects on tumor cells and indirectly through manipulation of the immune system. Immune cells in the intestines interact from b...

Adverse intestinal microbiome profiles described as a dysbiotic gut are a complicit etiological operative factor that can progress and maintain inflammatory sequelae in the intestines. The disruption of the gut microbiome that ensues with intestinal dysbiosis is, for example, posited by decreases in the alpha-diversity of the gut microbiome, which...

Increasing evidence suggests that the lung microbiome is essential for maintaining lung health and homeostasis. Although causality has not been established, differences in its abundance, community richness, and composition are observed in inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma. Furthermore, respiratory infections such as COVID-19 were shown to i...

Hypoglycemic medications that could be co-administered with prebiotics and functional foods can potentially reduce the burden of metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The efficacy of drugs such as metformin and sulfonylureas can be enhanced by the activity of the intestinal microbiome elaborated metabolites. Functional foods s...

The effect of the intestinal microbiome on the gut–brain axis has received considerable attention, strengthening the evidence that intestinal bacteria influence emotions and behavior. The colonic microbiome is important to health and the pattern of composition and concentration varies extensively in complexity from birth to adulthood. That is, host...

Investigations that decipher the human microbiome have reformed the way medicine is focusing on bacteria. An interesting research review recently published in the journal of Digestive Diseases and Sciences conceivably linked adjunctive commensal intestinal bacteria with the capacity to modulate the immune microenvironment towards immune checkpoint...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by chronic inflammation and damage of colonocytes with etiology of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) has been found to be increased in both IBD patients and animal colitis models. However, contentious opinions relevant to the roles of miR-223 in IBD have been re...

This pilot study aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and exploratory analgesic effect of a novel water-soluble oro-buccal nanoparticle spray of a cannabis-based medicine (MDCNS-01) in patients with advanced incurable malignancy with unrelieved pain from opioid analgesic. The study was a non-blinded single arm 2 stage study. S...

Objectives To explore differences in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome between major depressive disorder (MDD) with and without anxious distress. Methods The study comprised 117 participants (79 female, 36 male, 2 other, mean age 38.2 ± 13.4 years) with a current major depressive episode (MDE) with (n = 63) and without (n = 54) t...

Purpose of review The vermiform cecal appendix is a small thin pouch-like tube of intestinal tissue situated in the lower right abdomen. It is attached at the junction of the large intestine between the ascending colon and small intestine. Historically, the appendix has been labeled redundant with no significant function, a remnant of evolution. Th...

Background Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes. The management of the associated neuropathic pain remains difficult to treat. Objective This study explored the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) formulation in treating diabetic-related peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP). Secondary outcomes incl...

The main entry point of SARS-CoV-2 is the respiratory tract and as such immune defence in this site determines if the virus will spill-over to the systemic circulation and circulate and infect other major organs. The first line of mucosal immune defence is composed of mucins, an epithelial barrier, and immune cells in the nasal cavity. The lung imm...

Combination tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) medicines or CBD-only medicines are prospective treatments for chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. THC and CBD increase signaling from cannabinoid receptors, which reduces synaptic transmission in parts of the central and peripheral nervous systems and reduces the secreti...

EDITORIAL | For decades fish oils have been promoted as important for health, and currently it is well known that the long-chain omega-3 (n–3) fatty acids, EPA and DHA, are fats with essential considerations for health. A wide range of health advantages have been attributed to PUFAs, such as strong anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic properties wit...

The recent article by Nielsen and colleagues [1] presents an interesting cross-sectional investigation on a subgroup of cancer patients that self-prescribed cannabinoids. The authors present a study with a high response rate (83%) among the 326 patients (13% of the total cohort) that had used a cannabis-based medicine. Notwithstanding the small sam...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progresses from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis (NASH), which may then progress to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. NASH is characterized by both steatosis and inflammation. Control of inflammation in NASH is a key step for the prevention of disease progression to severe sequalae. Intes...

The intestinal microbiota plays a fundamental role in human health, particularly in immune system development and maintenance. Commensal bacteria and their metabolites not only promote immune responses but also provide anti-inflammatory mechanisms, establishing a strong but well-balanced immune system (1). Therefore, dysregulation of gut microbiota...

The stress response is a well-defined physiological function activated frequently by life events. However, sometimes the stress response can be inappropriate, excessive, or prolonged; in which case, it can hinder rather than help in coping with the stressor, impair normal functioning, and increase the risk of somatic and mental health disorders. Th...

Most COVID-19 cases are mild or asymptomatic and recover well, suggesting that effective immune responses ensue, which successfully eliminate SARS-CoV-2 viruses. However, a small proportion of patients develop severe COVID-19 with pathological immune responses. This indicates that a strong immune system balanced with anti-inflammatory mechanisms is...

The intestinal microbiota is critical in the ontology of early-life immunity. The intestinal microbiota stimulates immune development through microbial-associated molecular patterns which bind and activate pattern recognition receptors (1). Meanwhile there is codevelopment of numerous antiinflammatory mechanisms that prevent excessive immune respon...

Background The cannabis plant presents a complex biochemical unit of over 500 constituents of which 70 or more molecules have been classified as cannabinoids binding to cannabinoid receptors. The study aimed to investigate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary pharmacokinetics of a nanoparticle CBD formulation. Methods The cannabis-based medic...

Severe COVID-19 has been associated with many risk factors including aging and underlying chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic lung disease and chronic liver disease [1]. Satapathy et al. demonstrated that liver chemistry abnormalities (LCA) including aspar- tate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phos...

The cover image is based on the Review Altered gut microbial metabolites could mediate the effects of risk factors in Covid‐19 by Jiezhong Chen et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.2211.

Hyperinflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 and thus anti-hyperinflammation is a key for the treatment of severe COVID-19 to reduce mortality [1]. The report by Corominas and colleagues demonstrated that the anti-IL6 receptor antibody tocilizumab (TCZ) importantly and significantly reduced the mortality rate of tho...

The recent article by Meng et al. presents an interesting and courageous longitudinal investigation on the administration of cannabis extracts for the management of chronic pain. The authors discuss study limitations, and we agree with the points made. Yet, the lack of well defined good manufacturing practice certifications for the cannabis extract...

The gut microbiota is well known to exert multiple benefits on human health including protection from disease causing pathobiont microbes. It has been recognized that healthy intestinal microbiota is of great importance in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Gut dysbiosis caused by various reasons is associated with severe COVID-19. Therefore, the modula...

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is often associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Its effects on inflammatory conditions such as Ulcerative Colitis (UC) however has yet to be defined. As such, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating olive-based interventions in UC. A comprehensive databa...

Dermatan sulphate (DS) is a sulphated polysaccharide that displays complexity in constituent sulphated disaccharides and interacts with proteins and signalling molecules to modulate numerous biological processes, including inhibition of the coagulation cascade and regulation of blood clotting and fibrinolysis. This study shows the antithrombotic an...

Severe Covid-19 is characterised by both a cytokine storm and lymphopenia with reduced frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells [1]. CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte cells play a key role in virus clearance, thereby decreasing viral replication and viral load [2]. Numerous clinical studies have characterized the changes of CD8+ T-cells in mild and severe COVI...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection, is now pandemic. While most Covid‐19 patients will experience mild symptoms, a small proportion will develop severe disease, which could be fatal. Clinically, Covid‐19 patients manifest fever with dry cough, fatigue and dyspnoea, a...

Abstract presentation

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) presents a chronic condition that links the overarching influence of the intestinal microbiome to a disease state with the multisystem manifestations of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (1). NAFLD is an increasingly common disease with a current p...

Gut microbiota dysregulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through its metabolites. Therefore, the restoration of the gut microbiota and supplementation with commensal bacterial metabolites can be of therapeutic benefit against the disease. In this review, we summarize the roles of various bacteria...

Early treatment may prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in individuals who are at high risk. Lifestyle interventions and the hypoglycemic drug metformin have been shown to reduce T2DM incidence. The effectiveness of such interventions may be enhanced by targeting environmental factors such as the intestinal microbiota, whi...

Surgical procedures for the symptomatic removal of the gallbladder and the vermiform appendix have been posited to adversely shift the assemblage of the intestinal microbiome increasing the risk of disease. The associated mechanisms have been linked with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Cholecystectomy causes changes of bile acid compositions and b...

TPS12127 Background: Cannabinoid molecules derived from Cannabis sativa L. have been posited to ameliorate conditions, including pain, chemotherapy induced nausea and multiple sclerosis associated spasticity. The clinical use of cannabinoids refers to a wide variety of formulations and extracts that may contain different active ingredients and adul...

An excessive hyperinflammatory response-caused septic shock is a major medical problem that is associated with pathogenic bacterial infections leading to high mortality rates. The intestinal microbiota and the associated elaborated metabolites such as short chain fatty acid butyrate have been shown to relieve pathogenic bacterial-caused acute infla...

Background: Herbal medicines present attractive options to patients with chronic diseases. Undertaking clinical studies with patients presenting with symptomless pre-T2D can lead to significant limitations. Methods: A 12-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study was conducted that investigated the safety and efficacy of an herb...

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is characterized by chronic liver inflammation and cholestasis due to intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct inflammation and fibrosis. Cholestasis results in accumulation of bile acids in the liver with a concomitant deficit in the intestines. Accumulation of bile acids could be causal for inflammation of the...

The concept of the mind, human thought processes and the physical world is not a novel idea in science. Numerous explanations have been proposed, whether from scientific viewpoints or as for example constructing imaginative visions—notably as depicted by the Creation of Adam (Figure 1), where the mind of man and man’s reflexions are illustrated thr...

The immune system plays a key role in cancer initiation, progression and therapy. Dysregulation of immune responses has been reported as a hallmark of cancer development [1]. Therefore, reactivation of tactical immune responses against cancers is of great importance in cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, cancer immunotherapy has been well recognized to i...

Extract... As dysbiosis and pathogenic bacteria are prevalent in IBS, it may be clinically possible to eliminate intestinal bacteria before a synbiotic is administered. Indeed, several studies have shown that the antibiotic agent rifaximin is more effective than placebo in the treatment of IBS, indicating that there is plausibility in a pharmaco-th...

The intestinal microbiota has been reported to affect depression, a common mental condition with severe health‐related consequences. However, what mediates the effect of the intestinal microbiota on depression has not been well elucidated. We summarize the roles of the mitochondria in eliciting beneficial effects on the gut microbiota to ameliorate...

...In the study by Khan et al. [Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 31:703–715.], probiotics/synbiotics have been shown to reduce inflammation and hepatocyte injury indicated by a reduction in C-reactive protein and aminotransferase levels. Moreover, TNF-α is observed reduced with the administration of synbiotics but not probiotics. In addition, prob...

In the intestines, probiotics can produce antagonistic effects such as antibiotic–like compounds, bactericidal proteins such as bacteriocins, and encourage the production of metabolic end products that may assist in preventing infections from various pathobionts (capable of pathogenic activity) microbes. Metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria...

Purpose of review: Mucositis is a common and therapy-limiting adverse effect of cancer treatments including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. The optimal zinc formulation, dosage, and timing of administration warrant further research as does the efficacious prevention of febrile mucositis that predisposes to febrile neutropenia. Rece...

Background The aim of the study was to assess the safety, tolerability and e cacy of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) when dosed at 300 mg and 600 mg per day on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Methods This was a single site, comparative, double-blind placebo controlled study in adults with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis with 111 participants rand...

The intestinal microbiota is well known to have multiple benefits on human health, including cancer prevention and treatment. The effects are partially mediated by microbiota-produced short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, propionate and acetate. The anti-cancer effect of butyrate has been demonstrated in cancer cell cultures and animal...

The hominoid vermiform appendix has been characterized as a diverticulum of the caecum and describes an entity at the juxtaposition of the colon in the confluence of tanias. The independent development of the lymphoid follicle centres of the appendix is progressed at birth in the presence of the intestinal commensal microbiome, an obligatory prompt...

Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10) has a central role in the generation of cellular bioenergy and its regulation. The hydrophobicity exhibited by the CoQ 10 molecule leads to reports of poor absorption profiles, therefore, the optimization of formulations and modes of delivery is an ever-evolving therapeutic goal. The aim of this study was to investigate diffe...

The intestinal microbiota is now recognised to play key roles in health due to its involvement in many aspects of human physiology. Disturbance in gut microbiota (dysbiosis) is thus associated with many diseases including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which includes nonalcoholic fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The mechanism...

The human microbiome project has systematically advanced knowledge of how the bacteria that cohabitate with humans interact with the host, creating opportunities to improve health from the study of the beneficial health effects of the human microbiome. A renewed interest in an old posit stems from the idea that the colonic complement of commensal a...

Post-birth there is a bacterial assault on all mucosal surfaces. The intestinal microbiome is an important participant in health and disease. The pattern of composition and concentration of the intestinal microbiome varies greatly. Therefore, achieving immunological tolerance in the first 3–4 years of life is critical for maintaining health through...

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment regimens for gastrointestinal, peritoneal and pelvic tumours can disrupt the intestinal microbiome and intestinal epithelia. Such disturbances can provoke symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy induced gastrointestinal toxicity aggravating intestinal microbiome dysbiosi...

Background: Chemoradiotherapy-associated mucositis can manifest as pain, inflammation, dysphagia, diarrhea, weight loss, rectal bleeding, and infection. Mucositis is a major dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy, affecting nutritional intake and oral and intestinal function. Despite several interventions being available, there is a need for sa...

BACKGROUND: Chemoradiotherapy-associated mucositis can manifest as pain, inflammation, dysphagia, diarrhea, weight loss, rectal bleeding, and infection. Mucositis is a major dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy, affecting nutritional intake and oral and intestinal function. Despite several interventions being available, there is a need for sa...

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper due to a typesetting error in the conclusion of this article which was recently published in Vaccines.

The intestinal microbiota plays key roles in human health and adverse dysbiosis shifts of the microbiota has been associated with chronic diseases including large bowel cancer. It has been reported that high-fiber diets reduce the risk for large bowel cancer in association with gut microbiota modulation and butyrate production. Many studies have sh...

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a protein-bound uremic toxin that accumulates in patients with declining kidney function. Although generally thought of as a consequence of declining kidney function, emerging evidence demonstrates direct cytotoxic role of IS on endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes, largely through the expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-...

The brain and the gut are connected from early fetal life. The mother’s exposure to microbial molecules is thought to exert in utero developmental effects on the fetus. These effects could importantly underpin the groundwork for subsequent pathophysiological mechanisms for achieving immunological tolerance and metabolic equilibrium post birth, even...

Bacteria comprise the earliest form of independent life on this planet. Bacterial development has included co–operative symbiosis with plants (e.g., Leguminosae family and nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil) and animals (e.g., the gut microbiome). During the twentieth century there was an increasing dependency on anti–microbials as mainline therapy a...

Adverse fluctuations in the distribution of the intestinal microbiome cohort has been associated with the onset of intra- and extra-intestinal inflammatory conditions, like the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and it's hepatic manifestation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The intestinal microbial community of obese compared to lean subjects ha...

The administration of biological compounds that optimize health benefits is an ever-evolving therapeutic goal. Pharmaceutical and other adjunctive biological compounds have been administered via many different routes in order to produce a systemic pharmacological effect. The article summarizes the findings from an Australian comparative study in ad...

Immune defence against pathogenic agents comprises the basic premise for the administration of vaccines. Vaccinations have hence prevented millions of infectious illnesses, hospitalizations and mortality. Acquired immunity comprises antibody and cell mediated responses and is characterized by its specificity and memory. Along a similar congruent ye...

Approximately 50–80% of patients diagnosedwith abdominal or pelvic tumours experience adverse intestinal effects such as mucositis from chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.1,2 Inflammation or ulcers occurring as a consequence of cancer treatments can result in dosing delays and treatment reductions that can contribute to suboptimal treatment a...

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial assessed the efficacy and safety of Ageratum conyzoides in treating benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). In this study, 109 men with medically diagnosed BPH, aged 41-76 years, were administered the investigational product, A. conyzoides extract at a dose of 250 mg/d or placebo, q.d. for 1...

Abstract Objective: Depression is a global and growing health issue. Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) use is common among people with depression. We examined the baseline use of CAM (products, not services) in centrally obese adults with depression, a specific and increasingly important population who were part of a trial of Tai Chi an...

Ginger supplementation could be an effective adjuvant treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN). The aim of this clinical trial was to address significant methodological limitations in previous trials. Patients (N = 51) were randomly allocated to receive either 1.2 g of standardised ginger extract or placebo per day, in addition to standard a...

Natural medicines are often an attractive option for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions. Three main classes of bioactives that have been reported from marine mussel extracts include proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Commercially, the most relevant species of marine mollusks belong to two genera, Perna and Mytilus. Specifically, the Perna...

AIM To investigate the synergistic hepato-protective properties of curcumin and vitamin E in an Hfe-/- high calorie diet model of steatohepatitis. METHODS Hfe-/- C57BL/6J mice were fed either a high calorie diet or a high calorie diet with 1 mg/g curcumin; 1.5 mg/g vitamin E; or combination of 1 mg/g curcumin + 1.5 mg/g vitamin E for 20 wk. Serum...

Approximately, one-third of those who develop major depression will have a poor response to treatment and over time can become treatment resistant. Intestinal dysbiosis has been implicated in depression with systemic inflammation and vagal and enteric nerve impairment. We report on a sequel pilot study (n = 12) with a combination probiotics/magnesi...

The existence of an implicit living microscopic world, composed primarily of bacteria, has been known for centuries. The exact mechanisms that govern the contribution of bacteria to human health and disease have only recently become the subject of intense research efforts. Within this very evident shift in paradigms, the rational design of probioti...

1. The existence of an implicit living microscopic world, composed primarily of bacteria, has been known for centuries. The exact mechanisms that govern the contribution of bacteria to human health and disease have only recently become the subject of intense research efforts. Within this very evident shift in paradigms, the rational design of probi...

BACKGROUND: Shifts in the gastrointestinal microbiome have been shown to contribute to the progression of metabolic diseases including prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Research suggests that in-vivo modulation of the gut microbiome by specific probiotic microorganisms may improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management, preventing o...

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating side effect resulting from neurotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of an oral B group vitamin compared to placebo, in preventing the incidence of CIPN in cancer patients undergoing neurotoxic chemotherapy. Methods: A p...

The interactions of microorganisms cohabitating with Homo sapiens spans millennia, with microbial communities living in a symbiotic relationship with the host. Interacting to regulate and maintain physiological functions and immunological tolerance, the microbial community is able to exert an influence on host health. An example of microorganisms c...

Objective: Cisplatin is a potent and commonly used chemotherapeutic anticancer drug (1), but its use is limited by significant acute nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity is partially mediated through loss of cellular redox balance and overproduction of superoxide. Aim: To determine the effect of the redox modulator CoQ10 on cisplatin-induced ne...

Abstract Background: We have investigated the effects of a multispecies probiotic preparation containing a combination of probiotic bacterial genera that included Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli and a Streptococcus in a mouse model of high-fat diet or obesity-induced liver steatosis. Methods: Three groups of C57B1/6J mice were fed either a standard ch...