Probiotics as prevention for gastro-intestinal disorders in pediatrics

This is a narrative review of largely randomized trials on the impacts of probiotics. It concludes that evidence for beneficial effects of selected probiotics in the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders is limited mainly to acute gastroenteritis, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, infantile colic and necrotizing enterocolitis.  However, there is no broad consensus to recommend the use of probiotics in the prevention of these conditions, mainly because of the different designs used in different studies, resulting in limited evidence for specific strains, dosages and indications. More well-designed studies utilizing standardized methodologies are needed before recommendations can be proposed. At this stage, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of probiotics in infants and children for the prevention of gastro-intestinal disorder

Occupational Asthma: Etiologies and Risk Factors

The purpose of this article is to critically review the available evidence pertaining to occupational, environmental, and individual factors that can affect the development of occupational asthma (OA). Increasing evidence suggests that exploration of the intrinsic characteristics of OA-causing agents and associated structure-activity relationships offers promising avenues for quantifying the sensitizing potential of agents that are introduced in the workplace. The intensity of exposure to sensitizing agents has been identified as the most important environmental risk factor for OA and should remain the cornerstone for primary prevention strategies. The role of other environmental co-factors (e.g., non-respiratory routes of exposure and concomitant exposure to cigarette smoke and other pollutants) remains to be further delineated. There is convincing evidence that atopy is an important individual risk factor for OA induced by high-molecular-weight agents. There is some evidence that genetic factors, such as leukocyte antigen class II alleles, are associated with an increased risk of OA; however, the role of genetic susceptibility factors is likely to be obscured by complex gene-environment interactions. OA, as well as asthma in general, is a complex disease that results from multiple interactions between environmental factors and host susceptibilities. Determining these interactions is a crucial step towards implementing optimal prevention policies

What are the questionnaire items most useful in identifying subjects with occupational asthma?

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Additivity of the Renyi entropy of order 2 for positive-partial-transpose-inducing channels

We prove that the minimal Renyi entropy of order 2 (RE2) output of a positive-partial-transpose(PPT)-inducing channel joint to an arbitrary other channel is equal to the sum of the minimal RE2 output of the individual channels. PPT-inducing channels are channels with a Choi matrix which is bound entangled or separable. The techniques used can be easily recycled to prove additivity for some non-PPT-inducing channels such as the depolarizing and transpose depolarizing channels, though not all known additive channels. We explicitly make the calculations for generalized Werner-Holevo channels as an example of both the scope and limitations of our techniques.Comment: 4 page

Benefit and Challenge of Soy Plant-based Formula in Infant and Children

The first report of soy being administered to an infant is over 100 years old (1).  Since the 1960s the composition of soy formula has been better adapted to the nutritional needs of infants and since 2000 infant formula based on soy fulfills European Directives and legislation for infant feeding.Soy infant formula contains a soy protein isolate (95% protein), and methionine, carnitine, taurine, iron, calcium phosphor and zinc are added. Heating destroys the anti-protease activity of soy for over 90 %. In 2016, soy infant formula was still 12% of the USA market and 25 % of infants were fed soy infant formula during their first years of life (2)

Probiotic interventions to optimize the infant and child microbiota

The optimal healthy microbiota during early life still needs further evaluation. Pre- and probiotics are commonly used as supplementation in infant formula. Prebiotic oligosaccharides stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria aiming to mimic the gastrointestinal microbiota of breastfed infants. In general, results with prebiotics in therapeutic indications are disappointing. Studies suggest that probiotic supplementation may be beneficial in prevention and management of disease such as e.g., reducing the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants, prevention and treatment of acute gastroenteritis in infants, etc. Although many studies show promising beneficial effects, the long-term health benefits and eventual  risks of probiotic supplementation during early life are not clear. It is likely that ongoing research will result in the use of specific probiotic organisms and/or prebiotic oligosaccharides during the first 1,000 days of life, with the goal to develop a healthy microbiota from conception over birth into the first two years of life with a lowered risk of infections and inflammatory events

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Pediatrics

The goal of this Special Issue, “Probiotics and Prebiotics in Pediatrics”, is to focus on the importance of pediatric nutrition with probiotics and prebiotics to improve gastrointestinal health in newborn, infants, and children.Specifically, the aim is to clarify if probiotics and prebiotics can influence gut microbiota composition and host-interaction favoring human health and preventing diseases.This new information will provide health care professionals with a widespread, clear and update evidence on probiotics and prebiotics and intestinal gut microbiota in pediatric care

Soy-based infant nutrition: a review

Dietary consumption of soy varies worldwide. In Asia, people traditionally consume large quantities of soy, while in Europe, soy is not part of the traditional or daily eating habits. The USA is a major soy producer. The mean intake of isoflavones by an adult is 8 - 50 mg/day in Asia but only 0.5 - 3.5 mg/day in the Western world.1 The soy intake of a vegetarian is 3 - 12 mg/day and a vegan achieves an intake of 15-60 mg/day.2 In the early 1900s, soy-protein preparations were the only option for the treatment of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) . The first report of the use of a soybean -based formula for infants dates from 1909.3 Most soy drinks are not enriched with zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorous, methionine, or carnitine. Soy drinks also do not contain soy isolate. Soy products that do not fulfill the criteria to be an infant formula are not adapted for infant feeding