Background Advancements in research have confirmed that gut microbiota can influence health through the microbiota–gut–brain axis.Meditation,as an inner mental exercise,can positively impact the regulation of an individual’s physical and mental health.However,few studies have comprehensively investigated faecal microbiota following long-term(several years)deep meditation.Therefore,we propose that long-term meditation may regulate gut microbiota homeostasis and,in turn,affect physical and mental health.Aims To investigate the effects of long-term deep meditation on the gut microbiome structure.Methods To examine the intestinal flora,16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on faecal samples of 56 Tibetan Buddhist monks and neighbouring residents.Based on the sequencing data,linear discriminant analysis effect size(LEfSe)was employed to identify differential intestinal microbial communities between the two groups.Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States(PICRUSt)analysis was used to predict the function of faecal microbiota.In addition,we evaluated biochemical indices in the plasma.Results Theα-diversity indices of the meditation and control groups differed significantly.At the genus level,Prevotella and Bacteroides were significantly enriched in the meditation group.According to the LEfSe analysis,two beneficial bacterial genera(Megamonas and Faecalibacterium)were significantly enriched in the meditation group.Functional predictive analysis further showed that several pathways—including glycan biosynthesis,metabolism and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis—were significantly enriched in the meditation group.Moreover,plasma levels of clinical risk factors were significantly decreased in the meditation group,including total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B.Conclusions Long-term traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation may positively impact physical and mental health.We confirmed that the gut microbiota composition differed between the monks and control subjects.The microbio
The emergent light distribution of a new type of contact laser scalpel is measured in three different states using a light sensor. The relationship between the angle and the light intensity is analyzed. The results show that the strongest light is emitted from two sides and the front of the scalpel. The light from the front mainly plays a role of cutting. The light from two sides contributes to stanch the wound so as to remain a clear visual field during the surgery. It also helps to increase the cutting efficiency.
A control system used in high performance liquid chromatograph(HPLC) was described.The control system adopting low pressure gradient elution was tested with different initial and end volume fractions,and four types of gradient elution curves.The experimental results verified the theoretical analyses of the applied method.This self-designed control system can achieve approving accuracy,repeatability and low cost,which has a bright outlook for domestic applications.
