Safety evaluation of a heat-treated OLB6378 concentrate.

Several bacterial strains, including probiotic strains, have undergone evaluations for their safety and potential beneficial health effects. Some of these strains have been introduced into various markets, including that for infant products. However, certain probiotic strains have been linked to serious infections in infants, such as septicemia and meningitis.

Highest concentration of breast-milk-derived exosomes in colostrum.

Background: Exosomes are nanosized extracellular vesicles, that play important roles in intercellular immune regulation. They have potential therapeutic utility for neonatal diseases including necrotizing enterocolitis. Breast-milk-derived exosomes have recently shown beneficial effects on intestinal damage in vitro and in vivo.

Effects of the intake of non-live on the faecal IgA of full-term infants: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study.

OLB6378 (OLB6378) was selected as a strain that enhances the production of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) . This ability of non-live OLB6378 has been shown by a clinical trial in preterm infants. In the present study, we examined whether non-live OLB6378 also enhances the production of secretory IgA, even in full-term infants.

Chronological changes of serum exosome in preterm infants: A prospective study.

Background: Exosomes, which are observed in all human fluid, including serum, are nanosized extracellular vesicles with a mechanism of intercellular communication. Potential clinical applications of exosomes in neonatal diseases have recently been discussed. However, the characteristics of exosomes in serum during early infancy is unclear.

Poor Bifidobacterial Colonization Is Associated with Late Provision of Colostrum and Improved with Probiotic Supplementation in Low Birth Weight Infants.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between bifidobacterial colonization in low birth weight infants and perinatal factors, including the timing of initial colostrum and the effect of probiotics on this colonization. In this non-randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 98 low-birth-weight infants from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Japan. Infants were divided into three groups: group N (no intervention), group H (received non-live bifidobacteria), and group L (received live bifidobacteria).

Probiotics and the development of very low birthweight infants: follow-up study of a randomised trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of OLB6378 on the development of very low birthweight (VLBW) infants at 18 months of corrected age.

Design: Long-term follow-up study of a cluster-randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Patients: VLBW infants (birth weight <1500 g) born between January 2010 and March 2011 and managed at 19 neonatal intensive care unit facilities assigned to two groups to account for the effect of probiotic cross-contamination within facilities.

Bifidobacterium and enteral feeding in preterm infants: cluster-randomized trial.

Background: This study evaluated the benefit of Bifidobacterium bifidum OLB6378 (B. bifidum) in very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants (birthweight <1500 g) for the acceleration of enteral feeding.

Methods: A cluster-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 19 hospitals, divided into two groups: the B group (n = 10 hospitals; B.

Strain-specific identification of Bifidobacterium bifidum OLB6378 by PCR.

The aim of the present study was to develop a strain-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer set for the detection of Bifidobacterium bifidum OLB6378 (OLB6378) that can serve as suitable probiotics for infants. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR technique was used to obtain OLB6378-specific PCR products. One OLB6378-specific RAPD-PCR product was obtained after testing 97 RAPD primers, and was sequenced.

Safety evaluation of Propionibacterium freudenreichii ET-3 culture.

Propionibacterium freudenreichii ET-3 culture, a cell-free product of whey fermentation using P. freudenreichii ET-3 (7025), has been shown to promote the growth of Bifidobacteria through the action of 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA), and therefore, has potential use in the food and supplement industries. Although currently used as a food ingredient in Japan, the safety of this novel ingredient has not been previously evaluated through traditional toxicity testing.

Reduced thymic size and numbers of splenic CD4+ and CD8+ cells in artificially reared mouse pups.

The effect of early nutrition on the development of the immune tissue and T cells of mouse pups was examined. Newborn mice were divided into three experimental groups: mother-reared (MR) pups, pups that were fed on a milk substitute from the first day (AR-0), and the third day (AR-2), using a hand-feeding system. The average thymic size of the AR-2 pups was respectively significantly larger and smaller than that of the AR-0 and MR pups.