Mr Ben Nichols
- Research Associate (Autonomous Systems & Connectivity)
Biography
Dr. Ben Nichols is a research associate in Bionformatics working in the department of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow. As an undergradute he studied Mathematics and Statistics at Newcastle University before being awarded his PhD in Bioinformatics at the University of Glasgow. In his current role, Ben provides bioinformatics and statistical analysis and support for projects within the Human Nutrition department, the University of Glasgow's BINGO group, and as part of broader collaborations with fellow research institutions. His research interests include the human microbiome of IBD patients, and the use of bacterial DNA data to assess the efficacy of diet-based treatments.
Publications
2024
Nichols, B. et al. (2024) Gut microbial signatures in pediatric Crohn's disease vary according to disease activity measures and are influenced by proxies of gastrointestinal transit time: an ImageKids study. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (doi: 10.1093/ibd/izae199) (Early Online Publication)
White, B., Curle, J., Gervais, L., Wands, D., Nichols, B., Hansen, R., Russell, R. K., Gerasimidis, K. and Milling, S. (2024) Exclusive enteral nutrition impacts peripheral blood mononuclear cell profile of children with Crohn’s disease. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 79(1), pp. 148-153. (doi: 10.1002/jpn3.12258) (PMID:38779951)
Jatkowska, A. et al. (2024) Dose-dependent effects of enteral nutrition on the faecal microbiota and short chain fatty acids. Clinical Nutrition, 43(5), pp. 1200-1207. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.04.010) (PMID:38615449)
Nichols, B. et al. (2024) Gut metabolome and microbiota signatures predict response to treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition in a prospective study in children with active Crohn’s disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 119(4), pp. 885-895. (doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.027) (PMID:38569785) (PMCID:PMC11007740)
Jatkowska, A., White, B., Jaskolski, P., Nichols, B., Brownson, E., Clowe, J., Seenan, J. P. , Gerasimidis, K. and Macdonald, J. (2024) Perceptions towards established and novel dietary therapies for Crohn’s disease management among adult patients: results from a questionnaire survey. Crohn's and Colitis 360, 6(1), otae008. (doi: 10.1093/crocol/otae008) (PMID:38464347) (PMCID:PMC10924435)
2023
Jatkowska, A. et al. (2023) Development and validation of the Glasgow Exclusive Enteral Nutrition Index of Compliance. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 17(9), pp. 1426-1435. (doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjad063) (PMID:37004165) (PMCID:PMC10588781)
Gkikas, K. , Wan, M., Svolos, V., Nichols, B., Hansen, R., Russell, R. K. and Gerasimidis, K. (2023) YouTube as a source of information for food, diet-related items, and advisory comments for the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (doi: 10.1093/ibd/izad076) (Early Online Publication)
2022
Bain, K. A., Nichols, B., Kerbiriou, C., Moffat, F., Ijaz, U. Z. , Gerasimidis, K. , McInnes, I. B. , Åstrand, A., Holmes, S. and Milling, S. W. F. (2022) Stratification of alopecia areata reveals involvement of CD4 T cell populations and altered faecal microbiota. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 210(2), pp. 175-186. (doi: 10.1093/cei/uxac088) (PMID:36200950) (PMCID:PMC9750826)
Al Fify, M. et al. (2022) Development of age-dependent micronutrient centile charts and their utility in children with chronic gastrointestinal conditions at risk of deficiencies: a proof-of-concept study. Clinical Nutrition, 41(4), pp. 931-936. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.02.021) (PMID:35299083)
Gerasimidis, K. et al. (2022) The effects of commonly consumed dietary fibres on the gut microbiome and its fibre fermentative capacity in adults with inflammatory bowel disease in remission. Nutrients, 14(5), 1053. (doi: 10.3390/nu14051053) (PMID:35268028) (PMCID:PMC8912623)
Neelis, E. G., de Koning, B. A.E., Hulst, J. M., Papadopoulou, R., Kerbiriou, C., Rings, E. H.H.M., Wijnen, R. M.H., Nichols, B. and Gerasimidis, K. (2022) Gut microbiota and its diet-related activity in children with intestinal failure on long-term parenteral nutrition. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 46(3), pp. 693-708. (doi: 10.1002/jpen.2188) (PMID:33982321)
Gilani, M., Shepherd, S., Nichols, B., Gerasimidis, K. , Wong, S. C. and Mason, A. (2022) Evaluation of body composition in paediatric Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Journal of Clinical Densitometry, 25(1), pp. 81-88. (doi: 10.1016/j.jocd.2021.01.012) (PMID:33582031)
2021
Gkikas, K. et al. (2021) Dietary triggers of gut inflammation following exclusive enteral nutrition in children with Crohn’s disease: a pilot study. BMC Gastroenterology, 21, 454. (doi: 10.1186/s12876-021-02029-4) (PMID:34861829)
Mckirdy, S., Nichols, B., Williamson, S. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Handgrip strength as a surrogate marker of lean mass and risk of malnutrition in paediatric patients. Clinical Nutrition, 40(9), pp. 5189-5195. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.08.005) (PMID:34464858)
Naaman, R., Parrett, A. , Bashawri, D., Campo, I., Fleming, K., Nichols, B., Burleigh, E., Murtagh, J., Reid, J. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Assessment of dietary intake using food photography and video recording in free-living young adults: a comparative study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 121(4), 749-761.e1. (doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.09.040) (PMID:33187931)
Jaimes, J. D., Slavíčková, A., Hurych, J., Cinek, O., Nichols, B., Vodolánová, L., Černý, K. and Havlík, J. (2021) Stool metabolome-microbiota evaluation among children and adolescents with obesity, overweight, and normal-weight using ¹H NMR and 16S rRNA gene profiling. PLoS ONE, 16(3), e0247378. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247378) (PMID:33765008) (PMCID:PMC7993802)
Papadopoulou, R., Theodorou, M. R., Ieong, C. S., Ballantyne, K., Marshall, D., Verney, A., Roig, M., Nichols, B. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) The acute effect of meal timing on the gut microbiome and the cardiometabolic health of the host: a cross-over randomized control trial. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 76(5), pp. 322-333. (doi: 10.1159/000510646) (PMID:33075782)
2020
Zafeiropoulou, K. et al. (2020) Alterations in intestinal microbiota of children with celiac disease at time of diagnosis and on a gluten-free diet. Gastroenterology, 159(6), 2039-2051.e20. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.08.007) (PMID:32791131) (PMCID:PMC7773982)
Gerasimidis, K. , Bryden, K., Chen, X., Papachristou, E., Verney, A., Roig, M., Hansen, R., Nichols, B., Papadopoulou, R. and Parrett, A. (2020) The impact of food additives, artificial sweeteners and domestic hygiene products on the human gut microbiome and its fibre fermentation capacity. European Journal of Nutrition, 59(7), pp. 3213-3230. (doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-02161-8) (PMID:31853641) (PMCID:PMC7501109)
Logan, M. et al. (2020) Analysis of 61 exclusive enteral nutrition formulas used in management of active Crohn's disease - new insights into dietary disease triggers. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 51(10), pp. 935-947. (doi: 10.1111/apt.15695) (PMID:32249975)
2019
Gerasimidis, K. , Svolos, V., Nichols, B., Papadopoulou, R., Quince, C., Ijaz, U. Z. , Milling, S. , Gaya, D. R., Russell, R. K. and Hansen, R. (2019) Reply. Gastroenterology, 157(4), pp. 1161-1162. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.08.015) (PMID:31408620)
Svolos, V. et al. (2019) Treatment of active Crohn’s disease with an ordinary food-based diet that replicates exclusive enteral nutrition. Gastroenterology, 156(5), 1354-1367.e6. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.12.002) (PMID:30550821)
Neelis, E., de Koning, B., Rings, E., Wijnen, R., Nichols, B., Hulst, J. and Gerasimidis, K. (2019) The gut microbiome in patients with intestinal failure: Current evidence and implications for clinical practice. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 43(2), pp. 194-205. (doi: 10.1002/jpen.1423) (PMID:30070709)
2014
Fonseca, V. G., Carvalho, G. R., Nichols, B., Quince, C., Johnson, H. F., Neill, S. P., Lambshead, J. D., Thomas, W. K., Power, D. M. and Creer, S. (2014) Metagenetic analysis of patterns of distribution and diversity of marine meiobenthic eukaryotes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23(11), pp. 1293-1302. (doi: 10.1111/geb.12223)
Articles
Nichols, B. et al. (2024) Gut microbial signatures in pediatric Crohn's disease vary according to disease activity measures and are influenced by proxies of gastrointestinal transit time: an ImageKids study. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (doi: 10.1093/ibd/izae199) (Early Online Publication)
White, B., Curle, J., Gervais, L., Wands, D., Nichols, B., Hansen, R., Russell, R. K., Gerasimidis, K. and Milling, S. (2024) Exclusive enteral nutrition impacts peripheral blood mononuclear cell profile of children with Crohn’s disease. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 79(1), pp. 148-153. (doi: 10.1002/jpn3.12258) (PMID:38779951)
Jatkowska, A. et al. (2024) Dose-dependent effects of enteral nutrition on the faecal microbiota and short chain fatty acids. Clinical Nutrition, 43(5), pp. 1200-1207. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.04.010) (PMID:38615449)
Nichols, B. et al. (2024) Gut metabolome and microbiota signatures predict response to treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition in a prospective study in children with active Crohn’s disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 119(4), pp. 885-895. (doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.027) (PMID:38569785) (PMCID:PMC11007740)
Jatkowska, A., White, B., Jaskolski, P., Nichols, B., Brownson, E., Clowe, J., Seenan, J. P. , Gerasimidis, K. and Macdonald, J. (2024) Perceptions towards established and novel dietary therapies for Crohn’s disease management among adult patients: results from a questionnaire survey. Crohn's and Colitis 360, 6(1), otae008. (doi: 10.1093/crocol/otae008) (PMID:38464347) (PMCID:PMC10924435)
Jatkowska, A. et al. (2023) Development and validation of the Glasgow Exclusive Enteral Nutrition Index of Compliance. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 17(9), pp. 1426-1435. (doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjad063) (PMID:37004165) (PMCID:PMC10588781)
Gkikas, K. , Wan, M., Svolos, V., Nichols, B., Hansen, R., Russell, R. K. and Gerasimidis, K. (2023) YouTube as a source of information for food, diet-related items, and advisory comments for the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (doi: 10.1093/ibd/izad076) (Early Online Publication)
Bain, K. A., Nichols, B., Kerbiriou, C., Moffat, F., Ijaz, U. Z. , Gerasimidis, K. , McInnes, I. B. , Åstrand, A., Holmes, S. and Milling, S. W. F. (2022) Stratification of alopecia areata reveals involvement of CD4 T cell populations and altered faecal microbiota. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 210(2), pp. 175-186. (doi: 10.1093/cei/uxac088) (PMID:36200950) (PMCID:PMC9750826)
Al Fify, M. et al. (2022) Development of age-dependent micronutrient centile charts and their utility in children with chronic gastrointestinal conditions at risk of deficiencies: a proof-of-concept study. Clinical Nutrition, 41(4), pp. 931-936. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.02.021) (PMID:35299083)
Gerasimidis, K. et al. (2022) The effects of commonly consumed dietary fibres on the gut microbiome and its fibre fermentative capacity in adults with inflammatory bowel disease in remission. Nutrients, 14(5), 1053. (doi: 10.3390/nu14051053) (PMID:35268028) (PMCID:PMC8912623)
Neelis, E. G., de Koning, B. A.E., Hulst, J. M., Papadopoulou, R., Kerbiriou, C., Rings, E. H.H.M., Wijnen, R. M.H., Nichols, B. and Gerasimidis, K. (2022) Gut microbiota and its diet-related activity in children with intestinal failure on long-term parenteral nutrition. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 46(3), pp. 693-708. (doi: 10.1002/jpen.2188) (PMID:33982321)
Gilani, M., Shepherd, S., Nichols, B., Gerasimidis, K. , Wong, S. C. and Mason, A. (2022) Evaluation of body composition in paediatric Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Journal of Clinical Densitometry, 25(1), pp. 81-88. (doi: 10.1016/j.jocd.2021.01.012) (PMID:33582031)
Gkikas, K. et al. (2021) Dietary triggers of gut inflammation following exclusive enteral nutrition in children with Crohn’s disease: a pilot study. BMC Gastroenterology, 21, 454. (doi: 10.1186/s12876-021-02029-4) (PMID:34861829)
Mckirdy, S., Nichols, B., Williamson, S. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Handgrip strength as a surrogate marker of lean mass and risk of malnutrition in paediatric patients. Clinical Nutrition, 40(9), pp. 5189-5195. (doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.08.005) (PMID:34464858)
Naaman, R., Parrett, A. , Bashawri, D., Campo, I., Fleming, K., Nichols, B., Burleigh, E., Murtagh, J., Reid, J. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Assessment of dietary intake using food photography and video recording in free-living young adults: a comparative study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 121(4), 749-761.e1. (doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.09.040) (PMID:33187931)
Jaimes, J. D., Slavíčková, A., Hurych, J., Cinek, O., Nichols, B., Vodolánová, L., Černý, K. and Havlík, J. (2021) Stool metabolome-microbiota evaluation among children and adolescents with obesity, overweight, and normal-weight using ¹H NMR and 16S rRNA gene profiling. PLoS ONE, 16(3), e0247378. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247378) (PMID:33765008) (PMCID:PMC7993802)
Papadopoulou, R., Theodorou, M. R., Ieong, C. S., Ballantyne, K., Marshall, D., Verney, A., Roig, M., Nichols, B. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) The acute effect of meal timing on the gut microbiome and the cardiometabolic health of the host: a cross-over randomized control trial. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 76(5), pp. 322-333. (doi: 10.1159/000510646) (PMID:33075782)
Zafeiropoulou, K. et al. (2020) Alterations in intestinal microbiota of children with celiac disease at time of diagnosis and on a gluten-free diet. Gastroenterology, 159(6), 2039-2051.e20. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.08.007) (PMID:32791131) (PMCID:PMC7773982)
Gerasimidis, K. , Bryden, K., Chen, X., Papachristou, E., Verney, A., Roig, M., Hansen, R., Nichols, B., Papadopoulou, R. and Parrett, A. (2020) The impact of food additives, artificial sweeteners and domestic hygiene products on the human gut microbiome and its fibre fermentation capacity. European Journal of Nutrition, 59(7), pp. 3213-3230. (doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-02161-8) (PMID:31853641) (PMCID:PMC7501109)
Logan, M. et al. (2020) Analysis of 61 exclusive enteral nutrition formulas used in management of active Crohn's disease - new insights into dietary disease triggers. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 51(10), pp. 935-947. (doi: 10.1111/apt.15695) (PMID:32249975)
Gerasimidis, K. , Svolos, V., Nichols, B., Papadopoulou, R., Quince, C., Ijaz, U. Z. , Milling, S. , Gaya, D. R., Russell, R. K. and Hansen, R. (2019) Reply. Gastroenterology, 157(4), pp. 1161-1162. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.08.015) (PMID:31408620)
Svolos, V. et al. (2019) Treatment of active Crohn’s disease with an ordinary food-based diet that replicates exclusive enteral nutrition. Gastroenterology, 156(5), 1354-1367.e6. (doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.12.002) (PMID:30550821)
Neelis, E., de Koning, B., Rings, E., Wijnen, R., Nichols, B., Hulst, J. and Gerasimidis, K. (2019) The gut microbiome in patients with intestinal failure: Current evidence and implications for clinical practice. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 43(2), pp. 194-205. (doi: 10.1002/jpen.1423) (PMID:30070709)
Fonseca, V. G., Carvalho, G. R., Nichols, B., Quince, C., Johnson, H. F., Neill, S. P., Lambshead, J. D., Thomas, W. K., Power, D. M. and Creer, S. (2014) Metagenetic analysis of patterns of distribution and diversity of marine meiobenthic eukaryotes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23(11), pp. 1293-1302. (doi: 10.1111/geb.12223)
Research datasets
2023
Jatkowska, A., White, B., Jaskolski, P., Nichols, B., Brownson, E., Clowe, J., Seenan, J. P. , Gerasimidis, K. and MacDonald, J. (2023) Perceptions towards established and novel dietary therapies for Crohn’s disease management among adult patients: results from a questionnaire survey. [Data Collection]
2021
AL FIFY, M., Nichols, B., Alexiadou, L., Stefanowitz, F., Armstrong, J., Russell, R., Raudaschl, A., Pinto, N., Duncan, A., Catchpole, A., Galloway, P., Talwar, D. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Development of an age-dependent micronutrient centile charts and their utility in children with chronic gastrointestinal conditions at risk of deficiencies: A proof-of-concept study. [Data Collection]
Mckirdy, S., Williamson, S., Nichols, B. and Gerasimidis, K. (2021) Handgrip strength as a surrogate marker of lean mass and risk of malnutrition in paediatric patients. [Data Collection]