The immune system of newborns is underdeveloped, leaving them susceptible to infections like rotavirus (RV). Despite vaccines, RV remains a leading cause of child mortality, especially in developing countries. Maternal immunity is transferred during pregnancy and breastfeeding to the offspring providing protection against RV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunonutrition, which focuses on specific nutrients in breast milk and post-weaning diets, plays a crucial role in supporting infants' immune system development. This study explored the impact of maternal supplementation with M-16V and a combination of short-chain galacto-oligosaccharide (scGOS) and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharide (lcFOS) from pregnancy through lactation, extending into the early childhood of the offspring. The synbiotic supplementation's effects were examined at both mucosal and systemic levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Maternal synbiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation can significantly influence the immune system. Prebiotics and probiotics have a positive impact on the immune system by preventing or ameliorating among others intestinal disorders. This study focused on the immunomodulatory effects of M-16V and short chain galacto-oligosaccharides (scGOS)/long chain fructo-oligosachairdes (lcFOS), including systemic and mucosal compartments and milk composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmune system development during gestation and suckling is significantly modulated by maternal environmental and dietary factors. Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the optimal source of nutrition for infant growth and immune maturation, and its composition can be modulated by the maternal diet. In the present work, we investigated whether oral supplementation with and short-chain galacto-oligosaccharide (scGOS) and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharide (lcFOS) to rat dams during gestation and lactation has an impact on the immune system and microbiota composition of the offspring at day 21 of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast milk is a complex and dynamic fluid needed for infant development and protection due to its content of bioactive factors such as immunoglobulins (Igs). Most studies focus primarily on IgA, but other types of Ig and even other immune components (cytokines and adipokines) may also play significant roles in neonatal health. As a first step, we aimed to characterize the Ig profile, many cytokines, and two adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) at two sampling time points within the transitional stage, which is the least studied phase in terms of these components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The impact of a pandemic on the mental health of the population is to be expected due to risk factors such as social isolation. Prescription drug abuse and misuse could be an indicator of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Community pharmacists play an important role in addressing prescription drug abuse by detecting signs and behaviors that give a clearer indication that a drug abuse problem exists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
July 2022
Traditionally, health sentinel networks have focused on the reporting of data by primary care physicians and hospitals, ignoring the role of the community pharmacist as an expert in drugs. The objective of this study was to describe a method for creating a network of sentinel pharmacies in a region of Southern Europe in order to have a pharmaceutical surveillance system that is representative of the territory to be monitored and that can respond to any events or incidents that can be followed up by the community pharmacy. The creation process was carried out in three phases: a first phase of selection through a cluster and population analysis and a final adjustment, a second phase of voluntariness and random selection, and a third phase of training and implementation of the network.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe misuse of medicines is a global public health concern that needs to be taken into consideration and requires actions across all government sectors and society. The aim of this study is to identify trends of drug abuse in Catalonia, a region of Spain located in the South of Europe. For this purpose, a questionnaire-based detection tool was created and implemented in 60 community pharmacies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMothers confer natural passive immunization to their infants through the transplacental pathway during the gestation period. The objective of the present study was to establish at birth the maternal and cord plasma concentration and relationship of immunoglobulins (Igs), cytokines (CKs), and adipokines. In addition, the impact of the maternal microbiota and diet was explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe gut is an efficient barrier which protects against the passage of pathogenic microorganisms and potential harmful macromolecules into the body, in addition to its primary function of nutrient digestion and absorption. Contrary to the restricted macromolecular passage in adulthood, enhanced transfer takes place across the intestines during early life, due to the high endocytic capacity of the immature intestinal epithelial cells during the fetal and/or neonatal periods. The timing and extent of this enhanced endocytic capacity is dependent on animal species, with a prominent non-selective intestinal macromolecular transfer in newborn ungulates, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRotavirus (RV) causes morbidity and mortality among infants worldwide, and there is evidence that probiotics and prebiotics can have a positive influence against infective processes such as that due to RV. The aim of this study was to evidence a preventive role of one prebiotic mixture (of short-chain galactooligosaccharide/long-chain fructooligosaccharide), the probiotic M-16V and the combination of the prebiotic and the probiotic, as a synbiotic, in a suckling rat double-RV infection model. Hyperimmune bovine colostrum was used as protection control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementation with the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve M-16V on the maturation of the intestinal and circulating immune system during suckling. In order to achieve this purpose, neonatal Lewis rats were supplemented with the probiotic strain from the 6th to the 18th day of life. The animals were weighed during the study, and faecal samples were obtained and evaluated daily.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlive oil (OO) phenolic compounds (PC) are able to influence gut microbial populations and metabolic output. Our aim was to investigate whether these compounds and changes affect the mucosal immune system. In a randomized, controlled, double blind cross-over human trial, for three weeks, preceded by two-week washout periods, 10 hypercholesterolemic participants ingested 25 mL/day of three raw virgin OO differing in their PC concentration and origin: (1) an OO containing 80 mg PC/kg (VOO); (2) a PC-enriched OO containing 500 mg PC/kg from OO (FVOO); and (3) a PC-enriched OO containing a mixture of 500 mg PC/kg from OO and thyme (1:1, FVOOT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To investigate the effect of virgin olive oil phenolic compounds (PC) alone or in combination with thyme PC on blood lipid profile from hypercholesterolemic humans, and whether the changes generated are related with changes in gut microbiota populations and activities.
Methods: A randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover human trial (n = 12) was carried out. Participants ingested 25 mL/day for 3 weeks, preceded by 2-week washout periods, three raw virgin olive oils differing in the concentration and origin of PC: (1) a virgin olive oil (OO) naturally containing 80 mg PC/kg, (VOO), (2) a PC-enriched virgin olive oil containing 500 mg PC/kg, from OO (FVOO), and (3) a PC-enriched virgin olive oil containing a mixture of 500 mg PC/kg from OO and thyme, 1:1 (FVOOT).