Gut microbiome function and composition in infants from rural Kenya and association with human milk oligosaccharides.

The gut microbiota evolves rapidly after birth, responding dynamically to environmental factors and playing a key role in short- and long-term health. Lifestyle and rurality have been shown to contribute to differences in the gut microbiome, including levels, between infants. We studied the composition, function and variability of the gut microbiomes of 6- to 11-month-old Kenyan infants ( = 105).

The effects of 2'-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-neotetraose, galacto-oligosaccharides, and maternal human milk oligosaccharide profile on iron absorption in Kenyan infants.

Background: Whether prebiotic human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), such as 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), enhance iron absorption in infants is unknown. Moreover, whether maternal HMO profile affects absorption of iron fortificants or the effects of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and/or HMO on iron absorption is uncertain.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test whether consumption of 3.

Synthetic glycans control gut microbiome structure and mitigate colitis in mice.

Relative abundances of bacterial species in the gut microbiome have been linked to many diseases. Species of gut bacteria are ecologically differentiated by their abilities to metabolize different glycans, making glycan delivery a powerful way to alter the microbiome to promote health. Here, we study the properties and therapeutic potential of chemically diverse synthetic glycans (SGs).

Presence and Levels of Galactosyllactoses and Other Oligosaccharides in Human Milk and Their Variation during Lactation and According to Maternal Phenotype.

Among the human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS), the galactosyllactoses (GLs) are only limitedly studied. This study aims to describe the presence and relative levels of HMOS, including GLs, in human milk (HM) according to maternal Secretor and Lewis () phenotype and lactation stage. Relative levels of 19 HMOS were measured in 715 HM samples collected in the first 4 months postpartum from 371 donors participating in the PreventCD study.

Synthesis of lipid-linked oligosaccharides by a compartmentalized multi-enzyme cascade for the in vitro N-glycosylation of peptides.

A wide range of glycoproteins can be recombinantly expressed in aglycosylated forms in bacterial and cell-free production systems. To investigate the effect of glycosylation of these proteins on receptor binding, stability, efficacy as drugs, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, an efficient glycosylation platform is required. Here, we present a cell-free synthetic platform for the in vitro N-glycosylation of peptides mimicking the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glycosylation machinery of eukaryotes.

The Fine Art of Destruction: A Guide to In-Depth Glycoproteomic Analyses-Exploiting the Diagnostic Potential of Fragment Ions.

The unambiguous mass spectrometric identification and characterization of glycopeptides is crucial to elucidate the micro- and macroheterogeneity of glycoproteins. Here, combining lower and stepped collisional energy fragmentation for the in-depth and site-specific analysis of N- and O-glycopeptides is proposed. Using a set of four representative and biopharmaceutically relevant glycoproteins (IgG, fibrinogen, lactotransferrin, and ribonuclease B), the benefits and limitations of the developed workflow are highlighted and a state-of-the-art blueprint for conducting high-quality in-depth N- and O-glycoproteomic analyses is provided.

Proteotyping of laboratory-scale biogas plants reveals multiple steady-states in community composition.

Complex microbial communities are the functional core of anaerobic digestion processes taking place in biogas plants (BGP). So far, however, a comprehensive characterization of the microbiomes involved in methane formation is technically challenging. As an alternative, enriched communities from laboratory-scale experiments can be investigated that have a reduced number of organisms and are easier to characterize by state of the art mass spectrometric-based (MS) metaproteomic workflows.

Towards personalized diagnostics via longitudinal study of the human plasma N-glycome.

Facilitated by substantial advances in analytical methods, plasma N-glycans have emerged as potential candidates for biomarkers. In the recent years, several investigations could link aberrant plasma N-glycosylation to numerous diseases. However, due to often limited specificity and sensitivity, only a very limited number of glycan biomarkers were approved by the authorities up to now.

N-Glycosylation Fingerprinting of Viral Glycoproteins by xCGE-LIF.

The ongoing threat of pathogens, increasing resistance against antibiotics, and the risk of fast spreading of infectious diseases in a global community resulted in an intensified development of vaccines. Antigens used for vaccination comprise a wide variety of macromolecules including glycoproteins, lipopolysaccharides, and complex carbohydrates. For all of these antigens the sugar composition plays a crucial role for immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine.

Development of a high-throughput glycoanalysis method for the characterization of oligosaccharides in human milk utilizing multiplexed capillary gel electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

During the last decade, enormous progress regarding knowledge about composition and properties of human milk (HM) has been made. Besides nutrition, the three macro-nutrients: proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates combine a large variety of properties and functions. Especially, complex oligosaccharides emerge as important dietary factors during early life with multiple functions.

Combined assessment (aspiration cytology and mammography) of clinically suspicious breast masses.

We examined the safety and utility of the combined assessment of aspiration cytology and mammography in 705 women who had clinically suspicious or malignant palpable breast masses. Histological assessment confirmed 176 benign and 529 malignant lesions. There were no incorrect (false positive) diagnoses made in the 176 benign masses when combined assessment was used (specificity 1.

Duodenal intramural pseudodiverticulosis.

Although esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis is well described, similar pathology has not been demonstrated elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Three cases are reported with identical changes in the duodenum, one of which had simultaneous esophageal involvement. All three patients were alcohol abusers.

Subpulmonary haemothorax: 387 cases.

The diagnostic features of subpulmonary haemothorax (SH) are often overlooked. A retrospective review of 399 consecutive patients discharged with diagnoses of post-traumatic haemo- or haemopneumothorax yielded 51 (12.8 per cent) instances of SH on the initial radiographs.

Cystic duct entry--another cause of pseudocalculus.

Certain pitfalls face the endoscopist during ERC in the diagnosis of common bile duct stones. False-positive filling defects for calculi may be caused by air bubbles, blood clot, tumor, and the pseudocalculus sign of the lower common bile duct (CBD) due to sphincter spasm. Another false positive may be encountered by the presence of a filling defect at the confluence of the cystic duct and common bile duct, and we report on three such cases.

The spectrum and natural history of common bile duct stenosis in chronic alcohol-induced pancreatitis.

Sixty patients with chronic alcohol-induced pancreatitis with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography evidence of common bile duct stenosis were studied to determine the clinical spectrum and natural history of this complication, as well as the indications for biliary bypass. In 17% of patients, common bile duct stenosis (CBDS) was an incidental finding at ERCP, while in the remaining cases pain and jaundice were the predominant symptoms in 35% and 48%, respectively. Biliary drainage was performed in 38% of patients for persistent or recurrent jaundice, cholangitis, and while undergoing pancreatic duct or cyst drainage procedures for pain.

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction. Current diagnosis and management.

Twenty-nine patients with acute colonic pseudo-obstruction were treated over a 6-year period. All had gross abdominal distension which followed either serious systemic illness (23 cases), major surgery (4) or trauma (2). The predominant radiological features were disproportionate segmental or localised dilatation of the caecum and proximal colon, with a relative paucity of distal colonic gas.

The role of colonoscopy in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

The value of colonoscopy in the diagnosis of ileocolonic tuberculosis at Groote Schuur Hospital was assessed and the published world experience reviewed. During a 4-year period, abdominal tuberculosis was diagnosed in 94 patients, of whom 18 manifested involvement of the ileocecal area and/or colon. Colonoscopy, performed in 10 of these, provided diagnostic information in 7.

Yersinia enterocolitica and Crohn's disease. A case report.

A case of simultaneous infection with Yersinia enterocolitica and Crohn's disease is described. Only 1 similar case has been reported. The similarities between the two conditions and the differentiating features are described.

Disproportionate steatorrhoea in alcohol-induced calcific pancreatitis.

The pancreatograms, as assessed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, of 51 patients with alcohol-induced calcific pancreatitis (AICP), were compared after division of the patients into three groups according to their insufficiency patterns. The first group, consisting of 18 patients, was labelled as having 'disproportionate steatorrhoea' characterized either by overt steatorrhoea and mild or no diabetes or by mild steatorrhoea and a normal glucose tolerance test result. The second group of 15 patients had severe diabetes associated with overt, mild or no steatorrhoea and constituted the 'insufficiency' group.

Comparison of the oral (PABA) pancreatic function test, the secretin-pancreozymin test and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography in chronic alcohol induced pancreatitis.

The oral (PABA) pancreatic function test (PFT), the secretin-pancreozymin test and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP) have been carried out in 32 patients with suspected chronic alcohol induced pancreatitis (CAIP) in order to evaluate which, if any, test was most likely to confirm the provisional diagnosis. Thirty one patients had changes of minimal (n = 6) moderate (n = 7) or advanced (n = 18) chronic pancreatitis on pancreatography, whilst one patient had a pancreas divisum. Eight hour urinary PABA excretion was significantly reduced in patients with moderate and advanced structural changes (p less than 0.

The threatened caecum in acute large-bowel obstruction.

The recognition of intramural caecal gas as a sign of necrosis and incipient caecal rupture in cases of acute large-bowel obstruction is emphasised. Gas was noted within the caecal wall in two cases of large-bowel obstruction due to recto-sigmoid carcinoma. At operation the proximal large bowel was found to be non-viable in one of these, and the other required a repeat operation for gangrenous bowel two days after the initial procedure.

Crohn's disease of the oesophagus. A case report.

Crohn's disease is described as a disease which may involve the entire gastro-intestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Involvement of the oesophagus is well recognized but relatively rare. We wish to describe the unusual clinical presentation of intense dysphagia in a patient who was proved to have occult ileocolonic Crohn's disease.

Early detection of colorectal cancer using faecal occult blood tests.

Five thousand and twelve asymptomatic patients over the age of 40 years who were on a normal diet were asked by their general practitioners to perform a Hemoccult (Röhn Pharma (Noristan] faecal occult blood test over 3 days. Of the 3 422 patients (68%) who completed the test, 99 (3%) had a positive result. The patients with a positive result then again performed the Hemoccult test, this time over 6 days on a restricted diet.