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BMC Genomics Jun 2024Modern broiler breeds allow for high feed efficiency and rapid growth, which come at a cost of increased susceptibility to pathogens and disease. Broiler growth rate,...
Modern broiler breeds allow for high feed efficiency and rapid growth, which come at a cost of increased susceptibility to pathogens and disease. Broiler growth rate, feed efficiency, and health are affected by the composition of the gut microbiota, which in turn is influenced by diet. In this study, we therefore assessed how diet composition can affect the broiler jejunal gut microbiota. A total of 96 broiler chickens were divided into four diet groups: control, coated butyrate supplementation, medium-chain fatty acid supplementation, or a high-fibre low-protein content. Diet groups were sub-divided into age groups (4, 12 and 33 days of age) resulting in groups of 8 broilers per diet per age. The jejunum content was used for metagenomic shotgun sequencing to determine the microbiota taxonomic composition at species level. The composed diets resulted in a total of 104 differentially abundant bacterial species. Most notably were the butyrate-induced changes in the jejunal microbiota of broilers 4 days post-hatch, resulting in the reduced relative abundance of mainly Enterococcus faecium (-1.8 l2fc, P = 9.9E-05) and the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus hirae (-2.9 l2fc, P = 2.7E-08), when compared to the control diet. This effect takes place during early broiler development, which is critical for broiler health, thus exemplifying the importance of how diet can influence the microbiota composition in relation to broiler health. Future studies should therefore elucidate how diet can be used to promote a beneficial microbiota in the early stages of broiler development.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Enterococcus faecium; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Jejunum; Enterococcus hirae; Animal Feed; Diet; Metagenomics; Dietary Supplements
PubMed: 38910254
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10496-8 -
International Journal of Pharmaceutics Jun 2024Labrafac™ MC60 (glycerol monocaprylocaprate) is a lipid-based excipient used in oral formulations as a solubiliser. Due to the high proportions of established...
Labrafac™ MC60 (glycerol monocaprylocaprate) is a lipid-based excipient used in oral formulations as a solubiliser. Due to the high proportions of established permeability enhancers, caprylate (C) and caprate (C), in Labrafac™ MC60, we hypothesised that it might behave as an intestinal permeation enhancer. We therefore evaluated this using two paracellular markers (ex vivo) and insulin (in vivo) as model molecules. Ex vivo studies were conducted in isolated muscle-stripped rat colonic mucosae mounted in Ussing chambers. Apical addition of Labrafac™ MC60 (8, 12, and 16 mg/ml) enhanced the apparent permeability coefficients (P) of [C] mannitol and FITC-dextran 4 kDa (FD4) across colonic mucosae. Similar effects were observed in isolated jejunal mucosae, but at higher concentrations (40 mg/ml). The enhancing capacity of Labrafac™ MC60 was transient due to reversibility of reductions in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) upon wash-out and effects on fluxes were molecular weight-dependent (MW) as suggested by fluxes of a set of high MW FITC-dextrans. The permeability enhancing effects of Labrafac™ MC60 ex vivo were maintained in the presence of simulated intestinal fluids, FaSSIF and FaSSCoF, in both jejunal and colonic mucosae, respectively. Following intra-intestinal regional instillations to rats, the relative bioavailability of 50 IU/kg insulin ad-mixed with Labrafac™ MC60 was 5 % in jejunum (40 mg/ml) and 6 % in colon (8 mg/ml). When Labrafac™ MC60 was combined with PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil (1 % v/v), this further increased the bioavailability of insulin to 8 % in jejunum. Absorption enhancement was also maintained in the presence of FaSSIF in jejunal instillations. Histology after 120 min exposure to Labrafac™ MC60 in vivo for both jejunum and colon was similar to untreated control. Labrafac™ MC60 therefore acts as a non-damaging intestinal permeation enhancer for macromolecules and can be considered as another excipient in screening programmes to develop orally administered macromolecules.
PubMed: 38909926
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124353 -
International Journal of Surgery Case... Jun 2024Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors, with jejunal GISTs being particularly uncommon. Jejunal GISTs causing perforation and acute diffuse...
INTRODUCTION
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors, with jejunal GISTs being particularly uncommon. Jejunal GISTs causing perforation and acute diffuse peritonitis is rare.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 53-year-old female with a history of hypertension presented with severe, acute abdominal pain and vomiting. Examination revealed abdominal distension, tenderness, and guarding, with imaging suggestive of gastrointestinal perforation. Emergency laparotomy revealed a 9 cm × 8 cm mass with perforation in the jejunum, which was resected which on histopathological examination confirmed a low-grade GIST. The postoperative course was complicated by a wound infection, managed with antibiotics and secondary suturing. At one-year follow-up, the patient remained disease-free without the need for adjuvant therapy.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
The most common symptoms of jejunal GISTs include vague abdominal pain or discomfort, early satiety, obstruction or hemorrhage. Preoperative diagnosis and confirmation of GIST is difficult due to nonspecific symptoms and none of the radiographic procedures can establish the diagnosis with certainty. The surgical excision of the tumor along with infiltrated tissues is the treatment of choice for GIST.
CONCLUSION
This case underscores the necessity of considering GISTs in differential diagnoses of acute abdomen and the critical role of prompt surgical management and multidisciplinary care in achieving favorable outcomes.
PubMed: 38908159
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2024.109922 -
BMC Gastroenterology Jun 2024The primary objective of this study is to comparatively assess the safety of nasogastric (NG) feeding versus nasojejunal (NJ) feeding in patients with acute pancreatitis... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Comparative Study
Comparative safety assessment of nasogastric versus nasojejunal feeding initiated within 48 hours post-admission versus unrestricted timing in moderate or severe acute pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
The primary objective of this study is to comparatively assess the safety of nasogastric (NG) feeding versus nasojejunal (NJ) feeding in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP), with a special focus on the initiation of these feeding methods within the first 48 h of hospital admission.
METHODS
Studies were identified through a systematic search in PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science. Four studies involving 217 patients were included. This systematic review assesses the safety and efficacy of nasogastric versus nasojejunal feeding initiated within 48 h post-admission in moderate/severe acute pancreatitis, with a specific focus on the timing of initiation and patient age as influential factors.
RESULTS
The results showed that the mortality rates were similar between NG and NJ feeding groups (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.77, P = 0.68). Significant differences were observed in the incidence of diarrhea (RR 2.75, 95% CI 1.21 to 6.25, P = 0.02) and pain (RR 2.91, 95% CI 1.50 to 5.64, P = 0.002) in the NG group. The NG group also showed a higher probability of infection (6.67% vs. 3.33%, P = 0.027) and a higher frequency of multiple organ failures. Subgroup analysis for early intervention (within 48 h) showed a higher risk of diarrhea in the NG group (RR 2.80, P = 0.02). No significant differences were found in the need for surgical intervention, parenteral nutrition, or success rates of feeding procedures.
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis highlights the importance of considering the method and timing of nutritional support in acute pancreatitis. While NG feeding within 48 h of admission increases the risk of certain complications such as diarrhea and infection, it does not significantly impact mortality or the need for surgical intervention.
Topics: Humans; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Enteral Nutrition; Pancreatitis; Time Factors; Acute Disease; Diarrhea; Hospitalization; Jejunum
PubMed: 38902639
DOI: 10.1186/s12876-024-03290-z -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Jun 2024Obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk for chronic diarrhea, which has been proposed as Linghu's obesity-diarrhea syndrome (ODS); however, its...
BACKGROUND
Obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk for chronic diarrhea, which has been proposed as Linghu's obesity-diarrhea syndrome (ODS); however, its molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.
AIM
To reveal the transcriptomic changes in the jejunum involved in ODS.
METHODS
In a cohort of 6 ODS patients (JOD group), 6 obese people without diarrhea (JO group), and 6 healthy controls (JC group), high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify jejunal mucosal mRNA expression alterations and dysfunctional biological processes. In another cohort of 16 ODS patients (SOD group), 16 obese people without diarrhea (SO group), and 16 healthy controls (SC group), serum diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactate (D-LA) concentrations were detected to assess changes in intestinal barrier function.
RESULTS
The gene expression profiles of jejunal mucosa in the JO and JC groups were similar, with only 1 differentially expressed gene (DEG). The gene expression profile of the JOD group was significantly changed, with 411 DEGs compared with the JO group and 211 DEGs compared with the JC group, 129 of which overlapped. The enrichment analysis of these DEGs showed that the biological processes such as digestion, absorption, and transport of nutrients (especially lipids) tended to be up-regulated in the JOD group, while the biological processes such as rRNA processing, mitochondrial translation, antimicrobial humoral response, DNA replication, and DNA repair tended to be down-regulated in the JOD group. Eight DEGs (, , , , , , , and ) may play a key regulatory role in the pathological process of ODS, and their expression levels were significantly decreased in ODS patients ( < 0.001). In the second cohort, compared with healthy controls, the levels of serum intestinal barrier function markers (DAO and D-LA) were significantly increased in all obese individuals ( < 0.01), but were higher in the SOD group than in the SO group ( < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Compared with healthy controls and obese individuals without diarrhea, patients with Linghu's ODS had extensive transcriptomic changes in the jejunal mucosa, likely affecting intestinal barrier function and thus contributing to the obesity and chronic diarrhea phenotypes.
Topics: Humans; Jejunum; Male; Pilot Projects; Female; Diarrhea; Adult; Intestinal Mucosa; Obesity; Middle Aged; Gene Expression Profiling; Transcriptome; Case-Control Studies; Syndrome; Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing); Computational Biology; Lactic Acid; Chronic Disease
PubMed: 38899329
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i21.2777 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Intestinal epithelium renewal strictly depends on fine regulation between cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. While murine intestinal microbiota has been...
Intestinal epithelium renewal strictly depends on fine regulation between cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. While murine intestinal microbiota has been shown to modify some epithelial cell kinetics parameters, less is known about the role of the human intestinal microbiota. Here, we investigated the rate of intestinal cell proliferation in C3H/HeN germ-free mice associated with human flora (HFA, n = 8), and in germ-free (n = 15) and holoxenic mice (n = 16). One hour before sacrifice, all mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and the number of BrdU-positive cells/total cells (labelling index, LI), both in the jejunum and the colon, was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Samples were also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the microbiota composition in the large bowel of the HFA mice was compared to that of of human donor's fecal sample. No differences in LI were found in the small bowels of the HFA, holoxenic, and germ-free mice. Conversely, the LI in the large bowel of the HFA mice was significantly higher than that in the germ-free and holoxenic counterparts ( = 0.017 and = 0.048, respectively). In the holoxenic and HFA mice, the SEM analysis disclosed different types of bacteria in close contact with the intestinal epithelium. Finally, the colonic microbiota composition of the HFA mice widely overlapped with that of the human donor in terms of dominant populations, although and disappeared. Despite the small sample size analyzed in this study, these preliminary findings suggest that human intestinal microbiota may promote a high proliferation rate of colonic mucosa. In light of the well-known role of uncontrolled proliferation in colorectal carcinogenesis, these results may deserve further investigation in a larger population study.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Intestinal Mucosa; Cell Proliferation; Mice; Colon; Male; Germ-Free Life; Female; Mice, Inbred C3H; Feces
PubMed: 38892368
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116182 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... May 2024Eggs are a vital dietary component for humans, and it is beneficial to increase egg production to support poultry farming. Initially, the egg production rate rises...
Eggs are a vital dietary component for humans, and it is beneficial to increase egg production to support poultry farming. Initially, the egg production rate rises rapidly with young hens until it reaches its peak, and then it declines gradually. By extending the duration of peak egg production, the hens' performance can be enhanced significantly. Previous studies found dynamic changes in gut microbiota during egg-laying, and several species of microbiota isolated from the chicken gut improved egg-laying performance. However, the interaction between microbes and host gene expression is still unclear. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of chicken egg-laying by examining dynamic alterations in the microbiota of the entire intestinal tract (i.e., duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and gene expression. The microbial community in the intestine underwent significant changes during different egg-laying periods (i.e., pre-, peak-, and late-laying periods). Metagenomic functional analysis showed that the relative abundance of biosynthesis of amino acids, secondary metabolites, and cofactors decreased significantly in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of aging hens. The relative levels of aldosterone, GnRH, insulin, growth hormone, and other hormone-related pathways increased dramatically in the intestinal microbiota during egg-laying, but only in the microbiota located in the duodenum and ileum. Transcriptome analysis suggested that genes associated with various transport processes were upregulated consistently in the small intestine during egg-laying; genes involved in the development of intestinal structure were down-regulated; and genes involved in response to DNA damage and stress were consistent with changes in laying rate. The abundance of Lactobacillus was related to the expression of , , , and in the duodenum; was correlated significantly with , , and expression in the jejunum; and was correlated positively with the expression of and in the ileum. These results indicated that the intestinal microbiota and host gene expression may influence egg production jointly.
PubMed: 38891577
DOI: 10.3390/ani14111529 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... May 2024The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of plant polysaccharides combined with boric acid on digestive function, immune function and harmful gas and heavy metal...
The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of plant polysaccharides combined with boric acid on digestive function, immune function and harmful gas and heavy metal contents in the faeces of fatteners. For this study, 90 healthy crossbred fatteners were selected and randomly divided into five groups: the control group was fed with a basal diet (Con); experimental group I was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid (BA); experimental group II was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 400 mg/kg polysaccharides (BA+APS); experimental group III was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 200 mg/kg polysaccharides (BA+GLP); and experimental group IV was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 500 mg/kg polysaccharides (BA+EPS). Compared with Con, the average daily gain (ADG), the trypsin activities in the duodenum and jejunum, the IL-2 levels in the spleen, the T-AOC activities and GSH-Px contents in the lymph node of fattening were increased in the BA group ( < 0.05), but malondialdehyde content in the lymph and spleen, and the contents of NH, HS, Hg, Cu, Fe and Zn in the feces and urine were decreased ( < 0.05). Compared with the BA, the ADG, gain-to-feed ratio (G/F), the trypsin and maltase activities in the duodenum and jejunum were increased in the BA+APS ( < 0.05), and the T-SOD activities in the spleen and T-AOC activities in the lymph node were also increased ( < 0.05), but the HS level was decreased in the feces and urine ( < 0.05). Compared with the BA, the ADG, G/F and the trypsin and maltase activities in the duodenum were increased in the BA+GLP and BA+EPS ( < 0.05), the activities of maltase and lipase in the duodenum of fatteners in the BA+GLP and the activities of trypsin, maltase and lipase in the BA+EPS were increased ( < 0.05). Gathering everything together, our findings reveal that the combined addition of boric acid and plant polysaccharides in the diet of fatteners synergistically improved their growth performance and immune status. That may be achieved by regulating the activity of intestinal digestive enzymes, improving the antioxidant function and then promoting the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the above results reduce the emission of harmful gases and heavy metals in feces and urine.
PubMed: 38891562
DOI: 10.3390/ani14111515 -
MethodsX Jun 2024The contamination of microplastics in humans is of increasing concern. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop effective methods to determine the concentration...
The contamination of microplastics in humans is of increasing concern. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop effective methods to determine the concentration and types of microplastics entering human digestive system. To study levels of MPs contamination in humans, an excellent indicator are stools. Indeed, stools, and thus the digestive system, can be an excellent indicator of the level of MPs contamination in humans. Hence, objective was to find effective methods to extract, quantify and characterize microplastics in stool and small intestine samples. The samples studied were human stools and pig jejunum (which has human-like characteristics). The methods were optimized by observing extraction efficiency, compatibility by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization and non-deformation of the microplastics. The steps of the procedure were: • Sampling to avoid plastic contamination • Non-aggressive chemical and enzymatic digestion • Counting and characterization The methods were optimized and validated, observing recovery and repeatability. Therefore, two simple, effective methods with high analytical performance have been developed. The MPs present in the stool and intestine samples were counted by stereoscopic microscope and characterized by FTIR, finding several types of MPs such as synthetic cellulose, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate, among others.
PubMed: 38883588
DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102777 -
Cureus May 2024Acute appendicitis stands as a prevalent cause necessitating surgical intervention globally, predominantly affecting young adults and children, with notably lower...
Acute appendicitis stands as a prevalent cause necessitating surgical intervention globally, predominantly affecting young adults and children, with notably lower incidence among the elderly. Timely diagnosis facilitates effective management, mitigating the risk of severe complications. In this report, we present the case of a 59-year-old patient whose delayed diagnosis and consequently delayed surgical treatment led to serious complications. After the appendectomy, the patient, due to developing sepsis, was transferred to the intensive care unit. On the seventh postoperative day, complications were found in the form of wound dehiscence along with perforation of the jejunum. The second surgery involved a classic laparotomy, encompassing partial resection of the small intestine, and the creation of a single-barrel ileostomy. Further conservative treatment was implemented, and drainage of the abscess was performed. After treatment in the ICU, the patient was transferred to the surgical ward for further treatment. During the hospital stay, further conservative treatment was implemented, resulting in the improvement of the patient's general condition and resolution of symptoms. The patient was discharged home in optimal general condition with recommendations. After six months, the patient was brought to the surgical ward for reconstructive surgery to reestablish gastrointestinal continuity, which was carried out successfully.
PubMed: 38883094
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60360