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The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has led to a wide range of clinical presentations, with respiratory symptoms being common. However, emerging evidence suggests that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is also affected, with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a key receptor for SARS-CoV-2, abundantly expressed in the ileum and colon. The virus has been detected in GI tissues and fecal samples, even in cases with negative results of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in the respiratory tract. GI symptoms have been associated with an increased risk of ICU admission and mortality. The gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem of around 40 trillion bacteria, plays a crucial role in immunological and metabolic pathways. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, characterized by a loss of beneficial microbes and decreased microbial diversity, has been observed in COVID-19 patients, potentially contributing to disease severity. We conducted a comprehensive gut microbiome study in 204 hospitalized COVID-19 patients using both shallow and deep shotgun sequencing methods. We aimed to track microbiota composition changes induced by hospitalization, link these alterations to clinical procedures (antibiotics administration) and outcomes (ICU referral, survival), and assess the predictive potential of the gut microbiome for COVID-19 prognosis. Shallow shotgun sequencing was evaluated as a cost-effective diagnostic alternative for clinical settings. Our study demonstrated the diverse effects of various combinations of clinical parameters, microbiome profiles, and patient metadata on the precision of outcome prognostication in patients. It indicates that microbiological data possesses greater reliability in forecasting patient outcomes when contrasted with clinical data or metadata. Furthermore, we established that shallow shotgun sequencing presents a viable and costeffective diagnostic alternative to deep sequencing within clinical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging research links the endocannabinoid system to gut microbiota, influencing nociception, mood, and immunity, yet the molecular interactions remain unclear. This study focused on the effects of probiotics on ECS markers—cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)—in dancers, a group selected due to their high exposure to physical and psychological stress. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05567653), 15 dancers were assigned to receive either a 12-week regimen of Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-17 or a placebo (PLA: n = 10, PRO: n = 5). There were no significant changes in CB2 (probiotic: 0.55 to 0.29 ng/mL; placebo: 0.86 to 0.72 ng/mL) or FAAH levels (probiotic: 5.93 to 6.02 ng/mL; placebo: 6.46 to 6.94 ng/mL; p > 0.05). A trend toward improved sleep quality was observed in the probiotic group, while the placebo group showed a decline (PRO: from 1.4 to 1.0; PLA: from 0.8 to 1.2; p = 0.07841). No other differences were noted in assessed outcomes (pain and fatigue). Probiotic supplementation showed no significant impact on CB2 or FAAH levels, pain, or fatigue but suggested potential benefits for sleep quality, suggesting an area for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent years, microbiota-associated aspects have been analysed in multiple disorders regarding cancers. Existing evidence pints that gut microorganisms might take part in tumour origin and therapy efficacy. Nevertheless, to date, data on faecal metabolomics in cancer patients is still strongly limited. Therefore, we aimed to analyse gut untargeted metabolome in gastrointestinal cancer patients (i.e., gastric and colorectal cancer). Patients and methods: There were 12 patients with either gastric (n=4) or colorectal cancer (n=8) enrolled and 8 analysed (n=4 each). Stool samples were collected prior to anti-cancer treatments. Untargeted metabolomics analyses were conducted by means of mass spectrometry. Results: A plethora of metabolites in cancer patients we analysed were noted, with higher homogenity in case of gastric cancer patients. We found that the level of Deoxyguanosine,m/z 266.091,[M-H]-, Uridine,m/z 245.075,[M+H]+, Deoxyguanosine,m/z 268.104,[M]+, 3-Indoleacetic acid,m/z 176.07,[M+H]+, Indoxyl,m/z 132.031,[M-H]-, L-Phenylalanine,m/z 164.073,[M-H]-, L-Methionine, m/z 150.058,[M+NH4]+, was significantly higher in colorectal cancer patients and Ethyl hydrogen malonate,m/z 133.031,[M+H]+ in gastric cancer. Conclusion: The overall insights into untargeted metabolomics showed that most often higher levels of analysed metabolites were detected in colorectal cancer patients compared to gastric cancer patients. The link between gut metabolome and both local and distal metastasis might exist, however it requires confirmation in further multi-centre studies regarding larger sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial aneurysms (IA) are the most common cerebral vascular pathologies. Their rupture leads to the most dangerous subtype of stroke--aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), which may be followed by cerebral vasospasm and ischemic sequelae. Recently, an imbalance within the intestinal microbiota, referred to as dysbiosis, was suggested to play a role in the formation, progression, and rupture of IA. As no systematic review on this topic exists, considering the significance of this matter and a lack of effective prophylaxis against IA or cerebral vasospasm, we aim to sum up the current knowledge regarding their associations with intestinal microbiome, identify the gaps, and determine future prospects. Scientific databases were systematically and independently searched by two authors from inception to 1st May 2023 for original articles regarding the role of intestinal microbiota in intracranial aneurysmal growth, aSAH occurrence, as well as in cerebral vasospasm following aSAH. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist was followed in an abstraction process. The STROBE tool was applied to assess the risk of bias. This research was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant number 2021/41/N/NZ2/00844). Of 302 records, four studies were included that fully met eligibility criteria. Studies reported (1) that the relative abundance of Hungatella hathewayi is a protective factor against aneurysm growth and rupture, resulting from the reduced inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling in the cerebral arterial wall and from reduced metalloproteinase-mediated degradation of smooth muscle cells in cerebral vessels. (2) Relative abundance of Campylobacter ureolyticus is associated with aSAH. (3) No article has evaluated microbiota in relation to cerebral vasospasm following aSAH although there is an ongoing study. We concluded that intestinal microbiota might be a potential target for diagnostic and therapeutic tools to improve themanagement of cerebral aneurysms. However, more studies of prospective design are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As pharmacology and science progress, we discover new generations of medicines. This relationship is a response to the increasing demand for medicaments and is powered by progress in medicine and research about the respective entities. However, we have questions about the efficiency of pharmacotherapy in individual groups of patients. The effectiveness of therapy is controlled by many variables, such as genetic predisposition, age, sex and diet. Therefore, we must also pay attention to the microbiota, which fulfill a lot of functions in the human body. Drugs used in psychiatry, gastroenterology, diabetology and other fields of medicine have been demonstrated to possess much potential to change the composition and probably the function of the intestinal microbiota, which consequently creates long-term risks of developing chronic diseases. The article describes the amazing interactions between gut microbes and drugs currently used in healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship between drugs and microbiota is bilateral. Proper composition thus function of microbiota is a key to some medications used in modern medicine. However, there is also the other side of the coin. Pharmacotherapeutic agents can modify the microbiota significantly, which consequently affects its function. A recently published study showed that nearly 25% of drugs administered to humans have antimicrobial effects. Multiple antidepressants are antimicrobials,. and antibiotics with proven antidepressant effects do exist. On the other hand, antibiotics (e.g., isoniaside, minocycline) confer mental phenotype changes, and adverse effects caused by some antibiotics include neurological and psychological symptoms which further supports the hypothesis that intestinal microbiota may affect the function of the central nervous system. Here we gathered comprehensively data on drugs used in psychiatry regarding their antimicrobial properties. We believe our data has strong implications for the treatment of psychiatric entities. Nevertheless the study of ours highlights the need for more well-designed trials aimed at analysis of gut microbiota function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review was to determine: (1) differences between patients with AN and healthy controls (HC) in terms of gut microbiota community and intestinal barrier-related markers; (2) relationship between the intestinal ecosystem and health-related factors in AN individuals. We conducted a systematic literature search (PubMed, Embase, Clinical-Trials registry) until 30 September 2020 for studies reporting gut microbiome and intestinal barrier-related markers in patients with AN. Six studies on intestinal microbiota were eligible for this review, including three papers also describing intestinal barrier markers. Among five studies analyzing microbiota diversity, four of them found differences between AN patients and healthy controls (HC). The studies confirm alterations of the markers of the intestinal barrier integrity in patients with anorexia. The systematic review confirms changes in the gut ecosystem of patients with eating disorder, without a clear consensus of microbiota patterns in AN. Damage of intestinal barrier integrity is poorly documented in AN patients and needs more attention in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are important metabolites of the gut microbiota. The aim is to analyze the influence of perinatal factors, which can affect the gut microbiota, on the concentrations of fecal SCFAs over the first two years of life. Gas chromatography was used to analyze SCFA in a total of 456 fecal samples from 86 children. Total SCFA concentrations increased until 12 months and stabilized after that. Antibiotic treatment during pregnancy was associated with an increase in acetic acid, propionic acid and total SCFA in meconium and a decrease in the same SCFAs at 6 months. Butyric acid was increased after Caesarean delivery until 1 month. In formula-fed children, propionic acid (at 1 month) and butyric acid and total SCFA (at 12 months) were increased. Acetic and linear butyric acids and total SCFAs were also increased at 12 months in children born vaginally that were also formula-fed. Higher butyric acid was observed in children of mothers with normal pre-pregnancy weight and adequate weight gain during pregnancy. Butyric acid was also elevated in 6-month-old infants with a higher body weight (≥85th percentile). Acetic acid concentrations were significantly higher in 2-year-old females vs. males. We conclude that perinatal factors are linked to changes in fecal SCFAs and further long-term epidemiological studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microbiota and its metabolites are known to regulate host metabolism. In cross-sectional study conducted in postmenopausal women we aimed to assess whether the microbiota, its metabolites and gut barrier integrity marker are correlated with cardiometabolic risk factors and if microbiota is different between obese and non-obese subjects. Methods: We analysed the faecal microbiota of 56 obese, postmenopausal women by means of 16S rRNA analysis. Stool short chain fatty acids, calprotectin and anthropometric, physiological and biochemical parameters were correlates to microbiome analyses. Results: Alpha-diversity was inversely correlated with lipopolysaccharide (Rho = − 0.43, FDR P (Q) = 0.004). Bray–Curtis distance based RDA revealed that visceral fat and waist circumference had a significant impact on metabolic potential (P = 0.003). Plasma glucose was positively correlated with the Coriobacteriaceae (Rho = 0.48, Q = 0.004) and its higher taxonomic ranks, up to phylum (Actinobacteria, Rho = 0.46, Q = 0.004). At the metabolic level, the strongest correlation was observed for the visceral fat (Q < 0.15), especially with the DENOVOPURINE2-PWY, PWY-841 and PWY0-162 pathways. Bacterial abundance was correlated with SCFAs, thus some microbiota-glucose relationships may be mediated by propionate, as indicated by the significant average causal mediation effect (ACME): Lachnospiraceae (ACME 1.25, 95%CI (0.10, 2.97), Firmicutes (ACME 1.28, 95%CI (0.23, 3.83)) and Tenericutes (ACME − 0.39, 95%CI (− 0.87, − 0.03)). There were significant differences in the distribution of phyla between this study and Qiita database (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Microbiota composition and metabolic potential are associated with some CMRF and fecal SCFAs concentration in obese postmenopausal women. There is no unequivocal relationship between fecal SCFAs and the marker of intestinal barrier integrity and CMRF. Further studies with appropriately matched control groups are warranted to look for causality between SCFAs and CMRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are known to regulate host metabolism. In randomized controlled trial we aimed to assess whether interventions with probiotic containing following strains: Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W51, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Levilactobacillus brevis W63, Lacticaseibacillus casei W56, Ligilactobacillus salivarius W24, Lactococcus lactis W19, and Lactococcus lactis W58 affect gut microbiota to promote metabolic effects. By 16S rRNA sequencing we analyzed the fecal microbiota of 56 obese, postmenopausal women randomized into three groups: (1) probiotic dose 2.5 × 109 CFU/day (n = 18), (2) 1 × 1010 CFU/day (n = 18), or (3) placebo (n = 20). In the set of linear mixed-effects models, the interaction between pre- or post-treatment bacterial abundance and time on cardiometabolic parameters was significantly (FDR-adjusted) modified by type of intervention (26 and 19 three-way interactions for the pre-treatment and post-treatment abundance, respectively), indicating the modification of the bio-physiological role of microbiota by probiotics. For example, the unfavorable effects of Erysipelotrichi , Erysipelotrichales , and Erysipelotrichaceae on BMI might be reversed, but the beneficial effect of Betaproteobacteria on BMI was diminished by probiotic treatment. Proinflammatory effect of Bacteroidaceae was alleviated by probiotic administration. However, probiotics did not affect the microbiota composition, and none of the baseline microbiota-related features could predict therapeutic response as defined by cluster analysis. Conclusions: Probiotic intervention alters the influence of microbiota on biochemical, physiological and immunological parameters, but it does not affect diversity and taxonomic composition. Baseline microbiota is not a predictor of therapeutic response to a multispecies probiotic. Further multi-omic and mechanistic studies performed on the bigger cohort of patients are needed to elucidate the cardiometabolic effect of investigated probiotics in postmenopausal obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents a significant part of the treatment for hematologic malignancies and other types of diseases. Allo-HSCT-related complications, such as conditioning chemotherapy, graft-versus-host disease, mucositis, irradiation, administration of antibiotics, recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, and many others, can alter the gut microbiota composition, leading to its imbalance. Consequently, the disruption of gut microbiota homeostasis and loss of gut-barrier integrity affect therapy efficacy. Thus, restoring gut microbiota diversity and maintaining its balance seem to be strongly needed in these cases. Promising effects were observed after fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Notwithstanding, FMT efficacy was confirmed in Clostridium difficile infection treatment in HSCT recipients. Gut microbiota may be also modified by prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics. However, the administration of fungal probiotics is associated with the risk of fungemia/septicemia, especially in immunocompromised patients. Nowadays, allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a curative therapy that is mainly recommended for hematologic malignancies. However, complications (such as graft-versus-host disease, mucositis, disease relapse, and infections) associated with the HSCT procedure contribute to the development of gut microbiota imbalance, gut-barrier disruption, and increased intestinal permeability. In the present narrative review, the crosstalk between gut microbiota products and intestinal homeostasis is discussed. Notably, gut-microbiota-related aspects have an impact on patients' clinical outcomes and overall survival. In accordance with the most recent published data, gut microbiota is crucial for the treatment effectiveness of many diseases, not only gastrointestinal cancers but also hematologic malignancies. Therefore, it is necessary to indicate a therapeutic method allowing to modulate gut microbiota in HSCT recipients. Currently, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the most innovative method used to alter/restore gut microbiota composition, as well as modulate its activity. Despite the fact that some previous data have shown promising results, the knowledge regarding FMT in HSCT is still strongly limited, except for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection. Additionally, administration of prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics can also modify gut microbiota; however, this strategy should be considered carefully due to the high risk of fungemia/septicemia (especially in case of fungal probiotics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dietary fiber is one of the most important components of food. Fulfilling regulatory and nutritional functions for the intestinal microbiota, it appears to be an essential ingredient for people with a sedentary lifestyle. Aim: We hypothesized that regular intake of a snack containing high amounts of soluble fibre in parallel to a regular diet may rapidly improve bowel habits with simultaneous elevation of synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Material and methods: A total of 20 healthy volunteers, with a stool frequency of less than 3 spontaneous bowel movements per week, completed a 14-day double-blind, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial with the intervention comprising daily intake of 2 doses (9.99% per 100 g or 13.91% per 100 g) of fibre. Food consumption was evaluated via 72-hour recall diaries at baseline and after 14 days of intervention. Gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal comfort, distension, bloating, flatulence, stomach rumbling, number of bowel movements) were monitored via the IBS/VAS scale every day. Results: We found that the elevated fibre intake improved bowel habits significantly (defecation frequency increased from 0.28 to 0.87 times/day; p = 0.0002) in both study arms. After 14 days of the trial, an increase in SCFA concentration (for whole study group: acetic p < 0.036, propionic p < 0.019, and butyric acid p < 0.0012 compared to baseline parameters) with no adverse gastrointestinal symptoms was reported. Conclusions: Short-term, regular intake of a snack containing soluble fibre improves the SCFA synthesis and bowel habits in healthy people living a sedentary lifestyle. The exact mechanism behind this observation requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, metformin has been the drug of first choice in the management of type 2 diabetes. However, approximately 2–13% of patients do not tolerate metformin due to gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. Since metformin influences the gut microbiota, we hypothesized that a multi-strain probiotics supplementation would mitigate the gastrointestinal symptoms associated with metformin usage. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center, cross-over trial (ProGasMet study) assessed the efficacy of a multi-strain probiotic in 37 patients with metformin intolerance. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive probiotic (PRO-PLA) or placebo (PLA-PRO) at baseline and, after 12 weeks (period 1), they crossed-over to the other treatment arm (period 2). The primary outcome was the reduction of GI adverse events of metformin. 37 out of 82 eligible patients were enrolled in the final analysis of whom 35 completed the 32 weeks study period and 2 patients resigned at visit 5. Regardless of the treatment arm allocation, while on probiotic supplementation, there was a significant reduction of incidence (for the probiotic period in PRO-PLA/PLA-PRO: P = 0.017/P = 0.054), quantity and severity of nausea (P = 0.016/P = 0.024), frequency (P = 0.009/P = 0.015) and severity (P = 0.019/P = 0.005) of abdominal bloating/pain as well as significant improvement in self-assessed tolerability of metformin (P < 0.01/P = 0.005). Moreover, there was significant reduction of incidence of diarrhea while on probiotic supplementation in PRO-PLA treatment arm (P = 0.036). A multi-strain probiotic diminishes the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects in patients with type 2 diabetes and metformin intolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]