Effects of a glucooligosaccharide supplement on the morphological characteristics of the gastro-intestinal tract and growth performance in weaned piglets

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a gluco-oligosaccharide (GOS), as an alternative to growth promoters in piglets, on: growth performance, blood parameters and morphological characteristics of the intestinal tract. Four week old weaned piglets (n=128) (7.2 ± 1.04 kg l.w.) were divided into four groups and fed for 77 days on different diets as follows: 1.- Basal diet (CTR); 2.- Basal diet supplemented with a 2% GOS; 3.- Basal diet supplemented with chlortetracycline and spiramicine at 1000 and 400 mg/ kg, respectively, for 14 days and then fed the CTR basal diet (CTRM); or 4.-a GOS diet supplemented and administered as in group 3 (GOSM). Animals were individually weighed 5 times, on days 0, 14, 35, 56 and 77. At the same time, the feed intake and average daily gains (ADG) were recorded and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. On days 0 and 77, plasma was sampled from 6 piglets/treatment group, whereas on 77th day, 4 piglets/treatment were slaughtered to assess the morphological characteristics of parts of their gastro-intestinal tracts (ileum and caecum). The results showed no effects of the medications on the ADG in all the experimental periods. However, from days 57 to 77 of the trial period, the ADG was found to be higher in the GOS-fed animals (P=0.0747). During the first 14 days of the trial, the piglets on the medicated diets showed a higher intake than the animals in the normal diet groups, but no differences were detectable in the FCR. The globulin concentration and the albumin/globulin ratio was found to be reduced by GOS treatment (P <0.01). The urea concentration in the blood was decreased (P<0.05), whereas the plasma concentration of phosphorous was increased (P<0.01), by GOS supplementation. We found that the heights of the villi in the ileum was higher in the piglets on the GOSM diet compared to CTRM diet: (188.66 mm vs 255.74 mm; P<0.01). We also observed that supplementing these diets with GOS lead to a higher caecum epithelial cell height (11.7 μm vs 14.7 μm; P 0.068) compared with animals on the non-supplemented diets. Our current data indicate that the growth performance did not differ between piglets fed on control, antibiotic- supplemented or GOS-supplemented diets. A dietary supplementation of GOS does increase the villus length, but only in animals previously fed with medicated feeds. The use of GOS seems to exert anti-inflammatory effects upon these animals

Lignans and gut microbiota: An interplay revealing potential health implications

Plant polyphenols are a broad group of bioactive compounds characterized by different chemical and structural properties, low bioavailability, and several in vitro biological activities. Among these compounds, lignans (a non-flavonoid polyphenolic class found in plant foods for human nutrition) have been recently studied as potential modulators of the gut–brain axis. In particular, gut bacterial metabolism is able to convert dietary lignans into therapeutically relevant polyphenols (i.e., enterolignans), such as enterolactone and enterodiol. Enterolignans are characterized by various biologic activities, including tissue-specific estrogen receptor activation, together with anti-inflammatory and apoptotic effects. However, variation in enterolignans production by the gut microbiota is strictly related to both bioaccessibility and bioavailability of lignans through the entire gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the most important dietary source of lignans, exploring the interesting interplay between gut metabolites, gut microbiota, and the so-called gut–brain axis.Fil: Senizza, Alice. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Rocchetti, Gabriele. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Mosse, Juana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Patrone, Vania. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza; ItaliaFil: Callegari, Maria Luisa. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Morelli, Lorenzo. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Lucini, Luigi. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; Itali

Probiotics Prevent Late-Onset Sepsis in Human Milk-Fed, Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Growing evidence supports the role of probiotics in reducing the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, time to achieve full enteral feeding, and late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants. As reported for several neonatal clinical outcomes, recent data have suggested that nutrition might affect probiotics\u2019 efficacy. Nevertheless, the currently available literature does not explore the relationship between LOS prevention and type of feeding in preterm infants receiving probiotics. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of probiotics for LOS prevention in preterm infants according to type of feeding (exclusive human milk (HM) vs. exclusive formula or mixed feeding). Randomized-controlled trials involving preterm infants receiving probiotics and reporting on LOS were included in the systematic review. Only trials reporting on outcome according to feeding type were included in the meta-analysis. Fixed-effects models were used and random-effects models were used when significant heterogeneity was found. The results were expressed as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Twenty-five studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, probiotic supplementation resulted in a significantly lower incidence of LOS (RR 0.79 (95% CI 0.71\u20130.88), p &lt; 0.0001). According to feeding type, the beneficial effect of probiotics was confirmed only in exclusively HM-fed preterm infants (RR 0.75 (95% CI 0.65\u20130.86), p &lt; 0.0001). Among HM-fed infants, only probiotic mixtures, and not single-strain products, were effective in reducing LOS incidence (RR 0.68 (95% CI 0.57\u20130.80) p &lt; 0.00001). The results of the present meta-analysis show that probiotics reduce LOS incidence in exclusively HM-fed preterm infants. Further efforts are required to clarify the relationship between probiotics supplementation, HM, and feeding practices in preterm infants

Effect of DNA extraction and sample preservation method on rumen bacterial population

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Probiotics for prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) affects predominantly preterm infants, who have specific risk factors leading to intestinal dysbiosis. Manipulations of gut microbiota through probiotics have the potential to prevent NEC. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of probiotics for NEC prevention in preterm infants, with a focus on specific strains, microbiological strength of currently available studies, and high-risk populations. PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched for trials published within 4th February 2015. Randomized-controlled trials reporting on NEC and involving preterm infants who were given probiotics in the first month of life were included in the systematic review. Twenty-six studies were suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Data about study design, population, intervention and outcome were extracted and summarized independently by two observers. Study quality and quality of evidence were also evaluated. Fixed-effects models were used and random-effects models where significant heterogeneity was present. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity among studies. Results were expresses as risk ratio (RR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI). The main outcome was incidence of NEC stage 652 according to Bell\u2019s criteria. Probiotics prevented NEC in preterm infants (RR 0.47 [95 % CI 0.36\u20130.60], p\u2009&lt;\u20090.00001). Strain-specific sub-meta-analyses showed a significant effect for Bifidobacteria (RR 0.24 [95 % CI 0.10\u20130.54], p\u2009=\u20090.0006) and for probiotic mixtures (RR 0.39 [95 % CI 0.27\u20130.56], p\u2009&lt;\u20090.00001). Probiotics prevented NEC in very-low-birth-weight infants (RR 0.48 [95 % CI 0.37\u20130.62], p\u2009&lt;\u20090.00001); there were insufficient data for extremely-low-birth-weight infants. The majority of studies presented severe or moderate microbiological flaws. Probiotics had an overall preventive effect on NEC in preterm infants. However, there are still insufficient data on the specific probiotic strain to be used and on the effect of probiotics in high-risk populations such as extremely-low-birth-weight infants, before a widespread use of these products can be recommended

Differential effects of coconut versus soy oil on gut microbiota composition and predicted metabolic function in adult mice

Background: Animal studies show that high fat (HF) diet-induced gut microbiota contributes to the development of obesity. Oil composition of high-fat diet affects metabolic inflammation differently with deleterious effects by saturated fat. The aim of the present study was to examine the diversity and metabolic capacity of the cecal bacterial community in C57BL/6 N mice administered two different diets, enriched respectively with coconut oil (HFC, high in saturated fat) or soy oil (HFS, high in polyunsaturated fat). The relative impact of each hypercaloric diet was evaluated after 2 and 8 weeks of feeding, and compared with that of a low-fat, control diet (LF). Results: The HFC diet induced the same body weight gain and fat storage as the HFS diet, but produced higher plasma cholesterol levels after 8 weeks of treatment. At the same time point, the cecal microbiota of HFC diet-fed mice was characterized by an increased relative abundance of Allobaculum, Anaerofustis, F16, Lactobacillus reuteri and Deltaproteobacteria, and a decreased relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila compared to HFS mice. Comparison of cecal microbiota of high-fat fed mice versus control mice indicated major changes that were shared between the HFC and the HFS diet, including the increase in Lactobacillus plantarum, Lutispora, and Syntrophomonas, while some other shifts were specifically associated to either coconut or soy oil. Prediction of bacterial gene functions showed that the cecal microbiota of HFC mice was depleted of pathways involved in fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides compared to mice on HFS diet. Correlation analysis revealed remarkable relationships between compositional changes in the cecal microbiota and alterations in the metabolic and transcriptomic phenotypes of high-fat fed mice. Conclusions: The study highlights significant differences in cecal microbiota composition and predictive functions of mice consuming a diet enriched in coconut vs soy oil. The correlations established between specific bacterial taxa and various traits linked to host lipid metabolism and energy storage give insights into the role and functioning of the gut microbiota that may contribute to diet-induced metabolic disorders

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased fromone in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons