Study of rhizospheric microbial communities of plants growing under different environmental conditions is important for understanding the habitat-dependent formation of rhizosphere microbiomes. The rhizosphere bacterial communities of four amaranth cultivars were investigated in a laboratory pot experiment. Amaranthus tricolor cv. Valentina, A. cruentus cv. Dyuimovochka, and A. caudatus cvs. Bulava and Zelenaya Sosulka were grown for six months in three soils with different anthropogenic polyelemental anomalies and in a background control soil. After the plant cultivation, the rhizosphere soils were sampled and subjected to metagenomic analysis for the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that the taxonomic structure of the amaranth rhizosphere microbiomes was represented by the dominant bacterial phyla Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria. A feature of the taxonomic profile of the rhizobiomes of A. tricolor cv. Valentina and A. cruentus cv. Dyuimovochka was a large abundance of sequences related to Cyanobacteria. The formation of the amaranth rhizosphere microbiomes was largely unaffected by soils, but cultivar differences in the formation of the amaranth rhizosphere microbial structure were revealed. Bacterial taxa were identified that are possibly selected by amaranths and that may be important for plant adaptation to various habitat conditions. The targeted enrichment of the amaranth rhizosphere with members of these taxa could be useful for improving the efficacy of amaranth use for agricultural and remediation purposes.

Aim. To study the blood microbiome taxonomy in patients with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO).Materials and methods. The study included healthy donors without obesity (n = 116) and obese patients who were divided into subgroups with MHO (n = 36) and MUHO (n = 53). Bacterial DNA isolated from blood samples was subject to metagenomic sequencing of the v3–v4 variable region in the 16S rRNA gene. We compared the frequency of isolating certain taxa from the samples and the proportion of these taxa in the total pool of bacterial DNA in the blood.Results. MUHO patients showed an increase in Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Prevotellaceae, which are the main taxa in gut microbiota. This may indicate greater intestinal permeability in such patients. Obese patients, regardless of the metabolic phenotype of obesity, more often had Rhodobacteraceae, Streptomycetaceae, Leuconostocaceae, and Burkholderiaceae DNA in their blood. Nocardioidaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Hyphomicrobiaceae, and Gaiellaceae DNA were more frequently present in the blood microbiome of patients with MHO, whereas MUHO patients more often had S24-7, Nocardiaceae, and Helicobacteraceae DNA in their blood. Many members of these families inhabit soil and water, which may indicate increased skin barrier permeability in obese patients. Additionally, a higher number of Helicobacteraceae-positive blood samples in the MUHO patient group may indicate increased translocation from the stomach.Conclusion. Obesity is accompanied by changes in the taxonomic composition of the blood microbiome. Moreover, the nature of the changes depends on the metabolic phenotype of obesity and the permeability of external barriers.

Objective. To evaluate the prevalence and impact of food hypersensitivity on the clinical manifestations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and the efficacy of rotation and elimination diet for their correction. Patients and methods. This study included 44 patients with ASD and 41 patients without ASD (comparison group) aged 3–8 years. To assess food hypersensitivity, allergen-specific IgE testing to 27 food products was performed at the beginning of the study and 6 months after following a rotation and elimination diet. Dietary pattern was determined using a specially designed questionnaire recording the frequency of consumption of various foods. Neuropsychiatric development (NPD) was assessed in patients with ASD. Results. The identification of allergen-specific IgE to 27 food products revealed statistically significantly higher levels of antibodies to most foods in patients with ASD compared to the comparison group (p < 0.05) in the absence of clinical manifestations of allergy, as well as in the presence of food selectivity in the group of children with ASD (81.8% vs 24.4%). The majority of children with ASD (86.3%) were able to follow the dietary recommendations; after 6 months, IgE levels to many foods decreased statistically significantly (p < 0.05) in this patient group. The assessment of NPD at baseline showed that up to 93.2% of children with ASD had some neuropsychiatric disorders, but in 70% of cases, NPD improved with the diet. Conclusion. Food hypersensitivity is common in children with ASD. It can both be accompanied by allergic symptoms and affect neuropsychiatric development. The prescription of rotation diet as a mild correction option has proven to be beneficial, primarily by relieving the neuropsychiatric symptoms of ASD. Key words: children, food allergy, food hypersensitivity, autism spectrum disorder, rotation diet

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of bacteriocenosis of wrestlers’ skin and to determine the sensitivity of staphylococcal microflora to bacteriophages. Methods and organization of the research. The experiment involved 15 athletes aged 17-21 years engaged in national wrestling and belt wrestling. Qualifications ranged from 1st adult rank to the master of sports. We used the method of microbiological seeding on yolk-salt agar (JSA) to analyze the washes from the intact skin of the medial part of forearms of wrestlers before and immediately after training. We identified the grown colonies of microorganisms using MALDI Microflex Biotyper mass-spectrometer (Bruker, Germany). In addition to the total microbial abundance, the frequency of occurrence of hemolytic forms of bacteria on wrestlers’ skin was determined before and after training. We determined the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to staphylococcal bacteriophage and polyvalent pyobacteriophage by the diameter of the bacteria lysis zone. Results and discussion. The research revealed the following facts. 1) S. aureus appears more often than other staphylococci on the skin of the medial part of wrestlers’ forearms both before and after training. 2) We detected high frequency of occurrence of hemolytic forms of Staphylococcus bacteria, which indicates the dysbiosis of wrestlers’ skin. 3) It is more efficient to use a staphylococcal bacteriophage than polyvalent pyobacteriophage for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases of wrestlers’ skin caused by S. aureus. Conclusion. Athletes of contact sports demonstrate an increased risk of skin infectious diseases, and they need effective means of protection and prevention.

Weathered serpentinites are extreme lithobiontic environments characterized by oligotrophy, high heavy metal content, and desiccation stress; yet, the adaptive mechanisms of colonizing actinobacteria remain poorly understood. This study aimed to isolate and characterize xerotolerant actinobacteria from serpentinite and to profile their secondary metabolites involved in stress tolerance. Three lithobiontic strains were isolated and identified by whole-genome sequencing (dDDH and ANI) as Rhodococcus oxybenzonivorans SK11, Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus SK18, and Rhodococcus qingshengii SK25. Desiccation tolerance was assessed using PEG-8000, siderophore production on CAS agar with metal substitution (Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Ga³⁺), and biosurfactant activity via emulsification assays. Genome mining identified biosynthetic gene clusters for compatible solutes, siderophores, and biosurfactants. All strains maintained viability at 50% PEG. Compatible solute pathways included ectoine (ectABC) in SK18 and SK25, glycine betaine (gbsAB) only in SK18, and trehalose (TreYZ) and proline (ProABC) pathways in all three. Genome mining of Rhodococcus strains revealed a number of NRPS-dependent clusters, some of which are predicted to encode siderophores (rhodochelin, heterobactins), while SK18 used an NRPS-independent desferrioxamine E pathway together with a unique lanthipeptide cluster. Biosurfactant production was condition-dependent, with SK25 achieving complete emulsification (E₂₄ = 100%) in hexadecane-supplemented medium. These findings demonstrate that weathered serpentinite actinobacteria employ an extracellular molecular repertoire of compatible solutes, siderophores, and biosurfactants to survive extreme oligotrophy, desiccation, and metal stress.