Variation in gut microbial contribution of essential amino acids to host protein metabolism in a wild small mammal community.

Herbivory is a dominant feeding strategy among animals, yet herbivores are often protein limited. The gut microbiome is hypothesized to help maintain host protein balance by provisioning essential macromolecules, but this has never been tested in wild consumers. Using amino acid carbon (δ C) and nitrogen (δ N) isotope analysis, we estimated the proportional contributions of essential amino acids (AA ) synthesized by gut microbes to five co-occurring desert rodents representing herbivorous, omnivorous and insectivorous functional groups.

Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy Signals of Larsucosterol (DUR-928) in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis.

Introduction: This study is to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of larsucosterol (DUR-928 or 25HC3S) in subjects with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a devastating acute illness without US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies.

Methods: This phase 2a, multicenter, open-label, dose escalation study evaluated the safety, PK, and efficacy signals of larsucosterol in 19 clinically diagnosed subjects with AH. Based on the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, 7 subjects were considered to have moderate AH and 12 to have severe AH.