Colonic Transit Time Is a Driven Force of the Gut Microbiota Composition and Metabolism: In Vitro Evidence.

Background/aims: Human gut microbiota harbors numerous metabolic properties essential for the host's health. Increased intestinal transit time affects a part of the population and is notably observed with human aging, which also corresponds to modifications of the gut microbiota. Thus we tested the metabolic and compositional changes of a human gut microbiota induced by an increased transit time simulated in vitro.

Three-stage continuous culture system with a self-generated anaerobia to study the regionalized metabolism of the human gut microbiota.

The technical and ethical difficulties in studying the gut microbiota in vivo warrant the development and improvement of in vitro systems able to simulate and control the physicochemical factors of the gut biology. Moreover, the functional regionalization of this organ implies a model simulating these differences. Here we propose an improved and alternative three-stage continuous bioreactor called 3S-ECSIM (three-stage Environmental Control System for Intestinal Microbiota) to study the human large intestine.

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus regulates postabsorptive glucose metabolism in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Subthalamic nucleus-deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an alternative treatment for patients with uncontrolled symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but it has other nonmotor impact. Because STN-DBS alters the energy expenditure in humans, we hypothesized that STN-DBS may affect postabsorptive glucose metabolism in patients with PD.

Research Design And Methods: Endogenous glucose production (EGP) and whole-body glucose disposal rates (GDRs) were assessed in the postabsorptive state during a primed continuous iv infusion of D-[6,6-(2)H2]glucose for 5 hours in 8 STN-DBS-treated patients with PD, without (Stim-OFF) and during STN-DBS (Stim-ON) treatment.

Hyaluronan and the "mushroom" technique: an assessment of hyaluronan injections into the glans.

Background: An Asian technique of injecting collagen below the corona of the glans-the "mushroom" technique-increases the diameter of the penis glans and heightens sexual sensations for the participant and his sexual partner.

Objectives: To improve the physical and aesthetic results of the "mushroom" technique-compared with previous procedures using collagen-by using a new material and alternative injection locations and patterns.

Materials And Methods: The team used a monophasic polydensified hyaluronan (HA) gel for superficial injection into the glans of 12 men aged 28 to 61.

Comparison of the analysis of beta-blockers by different techniques.

In this work we have compared three analytical techniques (ELISA, GC-MS, and LC-MS) for the analysis of 16 beta-blockers: acebutolol, alprenolol, atenolol, betaxolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, labetalol, metipranolol, metoprolol, nadolol, oxprenolol, pindolol, propranolol, sotalol, timolol, and bupranolol. Several sample-preparation methods were optimized for each technique and enabled compounds of interest to be extracted from small urine samples (1-2.5 mL).