No significant difference between ceftriaxone and cefotaxime in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in the gut microbiota of hospitalized patients: A pilot study

Abstract Background: Short-term antibiotics exposure is associated with alterations in microbiota and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the human gut. While antibiotics are critical in the successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori, the short-term and long-term impacts on the composition and quantity of antibiotics resistance genes after H. pylori eradication is unclear. This study used whole genome shotgun metagenomic of stool samples to characterize the gut microbiota and ARGs, before and after H. pylori eradication therapy. Results: Forty-four H. pylori-infected patients were recruited including 21 treatment naïve patients who received clarithromycin-based triple therapy (CLA group) and 23 patients who failed previous therapies, in which 10 received levofloxacin-based quadruple therapy [LEVO group] and 13 received other combinations [OTHER group] in the current study. Stool samples were collected at baseline (before current treatment), 6-week and 6-month after eradication therapy. At baseline, there was only a slight difference among the three groups on ARGs and gut microbiota. After eradication therapy, there was a transient but significant increase in gut ARGs 6-week post-therapy, among which the LEVO group had the most significant ARGs alteration compared to other two groups. For treatment naïve patients, those with higher ARG richness and ErmF abundance were prone to fail CLA eradication. For gut microbiota, the bacteria richness decreased at 6-week and there was a significant difference in microbiota community among the three groups at 6-week. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated the dynamic alterations in gut microbiota and ARGs induced by different eradication therapies, which could influence the choices of antibiotics in eradication therapy.

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Effects of tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette vapor exposure on the oral and gut microbiota in humans: a pilot study

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4693 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4693 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Christopher J. Stewart ◽

Thomas A. Auchtung ◽

Nadim J. Ajami ◽

Kenia Velasquez ◽

Daniel P. Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Tobacco Smoking ◽

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Buccal Swabs ◽

Significant Difference

BackgroundThe use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has increased drastically over the past five years, primarily as an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. However, the adverse effects of acute and long-term use of ECs on the microbiota have not been explored. In this pilot study, we sought to determine if ECs or tobacco smoking alter the oral and gut microbiota in comparison to non-smoking controls.MethodsWe examined a human cohort consisting of 30 individuals: 10 EC users, 10 tobacco smokers, and 10 controls. We collected cross-sectional fecal, buccal swabs, and saliva samples from each participant. All samples underwent V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing.ResultsTobacco smoking had a significant effect on the bacterial profiles in all sample types when compared to controls, and in feces and buccal swabs when compared to EC users. The most significant associations were found in the gut, with an increased relative abundance ofPrevotella(P= 0.006) and decreasedBacteroides(P= 0.036) in tobacco smokers. The Shannon diversity was also significantly reduced (P= 0.009) in fecal samples collected from tobacco smokers compared to controls. No significant difference was found in the alpha diversity, beta-diversity or taxonomic relative abundances between EC users and controls.DiscussionFrom a microbial ecology perspective, the current pilot data demonstrate that the use of ECs may represent a safer alternative compared to tobacco smoking. However, validation in larger cohorts and greater understanding of the short and long-term impact of EC use on microbiota composition and function is warranted.

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A Pilot Study of the Effect of Lactobacillus casei Obtained from Long-Lived Elderly on Blood Biochemical, Oxidative, and Inflammatory Markers, and on Gut Microbiota in Young Volunteers

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13113891 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 3891

Author(s):

Li-Hua Mei ◽

Wen-Xuan Zheng ◽

Zheng-Tao Zhao ◽

Ning Meng ◽

Qin-Ren Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Lactobacillus Casei ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Interleukin 10 ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Blood Biochemical ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Blood Biochemical Indicators

Probiotic intake has been shown to improve certain physiological health indicators. We aimed to examine effects of Lactobacillus casei LTL1879, obtained from long-lived elderly volunteers, on blood biochemical, oxidative, and inflammatory markers and gut microbiota in twenty healthy, young volunteers. Volunteers were randomly divided into equal probiotic and placebo groups and changes in blood biochemical indicators, oxidative and inflammatory markers, and gut microbiota were examined after three weeks of probiotic intervention. The probiotic group’s antioxidant levels were significantly enhanced post-intervention. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels were significantly increased (p < 0.0001), while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased (p < 0.05), and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) levels increased, but with no significant difference. In addition, Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated (p < 0.05, respectively). Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and Bacteroides expression was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), while Clostridium leptum, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus expression increased (p < 0.05). Volunteer health status was quantified using principal components and cluster analysis, indicating that the probiotic group’s overall score was higher than that of the placebo group. The results of this pilot study suggest L. casei LTL 1879 can significantly improve specific immune, oxidative, and gut microbiota characteristics related to health factors.

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Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in hospitalized patients at a tertiary referral center in North India (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23937 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dr. Animesh Ray ◽

Dr. Komal Singh ◽

Souvick Chattopadhyay ◽

Farha Mehdi ◽

Dr. Gaurav Batra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tertiary Care ◽

Age Groups ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

North India ◽

P Value ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Igg Antibody ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Significant Difference

BACKGROUND Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is an important tool to estimate the true extent of infection in a population. However, seroprevalence studies have been scarce in South East Asia including India, which, as of now, carries the third largest burden of confirmed cases in the world. The present study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody among hospitalized patients at one of the largest government hospital in India OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among patients admitted to the Medicine ward and ICU METHODS This cross-sectional study, conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India, recruited consecutive patients who were negative for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR or CB-NAAT. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels targeting recombinant spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein of SARS CoV-2 were estimated in serum sample by the ELISA method RESULTS A total of 212 hospitalized patients were recruited in the study with mean age (±SD) of 41.2 (±15.4) years and 55% male population. Positive serology against SARS CoV-2 was detected in 19.8%patients(95% CI 14.7-25.8). Residency in Delhi conferred a higher frequency of seropositivity 26.5% (95% CI 19.3-34.7) as compared to that of other states 8% (95% CI 3.0-16.4) with p-value 0.001. No particular age groups or socio-economic strata showed a higher proportion of seropositivity CONCLUSIONS Around, one-fifth of hospitalized patients, who were not diagnosed with COVID-19 before, demonstrated seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2. While there was no significant difference in the different age groups and socio-economic classes; residence in Delhi was associated with increased risk (relative risk of 3.62, 95% CI 1.59-8.21)

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Diversity, Composition and Functional Inference of Gut Microbiota in Indian Cabbage white Pieris canidia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Life ◽

10.3390/life10110254 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 254

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Jianqing Zhu ◽

Jie Fang ◽

Li Shen ◽

Shuojia Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Life Stages ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Functional Inference ◽

Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽

Insect Fitness

We characterized the gut microbial composition and relative abundance of gut bacteria in the larvae and adults of Pieris canidia by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The gut microbiota structure was similar across the life stages and sexes. The comparative functional analysis on P. canidia bacterial communities with PICRUSt showed the enrichment of several pathways including those for energy metabolism, immune system, digestive system, xenobiotics biodegradation, transport, cell growth and death. The parameters often used as a proxy of insect fitness (development time, pupation rate, emergence rate, adult survival rate and weight of 5th instars larvae) showed a significant difference between treatment group and untreated group and point to potential fitness advantages with the gut microbiomes in P. canidia. These data provide an overall view of the bacterial community across the life stages and sexes in P. canidia.

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Telemedicine Chronic Viral Hepatitis C Treatment during the Lockdown Period in Romania: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073694 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3694

Author(s):

Irina Paula Doica ◽

Dan Nicolae Florescu ◽

Carmen Nicoleta Oancea ◽

Adina Turcu-Stiolica ◽

Mihaela-Simona Subtirelu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C ◽

Medication Adherence ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Therapy Monitoring ◽

Antiviral Agents ◽

Item Score ◽

Hcv Therapy ◽

Viral Hepatitis C ◽

Significant Difference

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently delaying the process of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) eradication, since most of the chronic diseases are neglected. Thus, there is a need for alternative programs for HCV therapy implementation and disease monitoring. Our aim was to provide a multidisciplinary approach, so that HCV-infected patients from distant locations may benefit from HCV antivirals during the COVID-19 outbreak and within the lockdown period in Romania. Previously diagnosed HCV patients willing to participate in this telemedicine pilot study were included. Patient characteristics and medical adherence were assessed and compared to the year preceding the pandemic. We proposed a multidisciplinary approach by using a telemedicine program for HCV therapy monitoring. Patients also received a satisfaction questionnaire after delivering the sustained virologic response (SVR) result. A total of 41 patients agreed to participate in this study. The medication adherence was 100% for patients included in the telemedicine group, with a statistically significant difference from the medication adherence of the patients treated in 2019. The satisfaction item score was 4.92 out of 5 and our results (r = −0.94, p < 0.0001) suggested that older patients embraced the telemedicine program less, but with the same success in terms of SVR (100%) and medication adherence (100%). Our pilot study offers the first example of a telemedicine program in Romania for HCV therapeutic management. During the lockdown period, telemedicine has served as a reliable tool and novel alternative for conventional monitoring of patients treated with direct antiviral agents and should be further considered even following the pandemic.

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Endoscopic prediction of submucosal invasion in Barrett’s cancer with the use of Artificial Intelligence: A pilot Study

Endoscopy ◽

10.1055/a-1311-8570 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alanna Ebigbo ◽

Robert Mendel ◽

Tobias Rückert ◽

Laurin Schuster ◽

Andreas Probst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Pilot Study ◽

White Light ◽

Submucosal Invasion ◽

Learning System ◽

Endoscopic Images ◽

Barrett’S Cancer ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Background and aims: The accurate differentiation between T1a and T1b Barrett’s cancer has both therapeutic and prognostic implications but is challenging even for experienced physicians. We trained an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system on the basis of deep artificial neural networks (deep learning) to differentiate between T1a and T1b Barrett’s cancer white-light images. Methods: Endoscopic images from three tertiary care centres in Germany were collected retrospectively. A deep learning system was trained and tested using the principles of cross-validation. A total of 230 white-light endoscopic images (108 T1a and 122 T1b) was evaluated with the AI-system. For comparison, the images were also classified by experts specialized in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of Barrett’s cancer. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, F1 and accuracy of the AI-system in the differentiation between T1a and T1b cancer lesions was 0.77, 0.64, 0.73 and 0.71, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the performance of the AI-system and that of human experts with sensitivity, specificity, F1 and accuracy of 0.63, 0.78, 0.67 and 0.70 respectively. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates the first multicenter application of an AI-based system in the prediction of submucosal invasion in endoscopic images of Barrett’s cancer. AI scored equal to international experts in the field, but more work is necessary to improve the system and apply it to video sequences and in a real-life setting. Nevertheless, the correct prediction of submucosal invasion in Barret´s cancer remains challenging for both experts and AI.

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Anti-IL-17 monoclonal antibodies in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19: A pilot study

Cytokine ◽

10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155627 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 155627

Author(s):

Sergey N. Avdeev ◽

Natalia V. Trushenko ◽

Natalia A. Tsareva ◽

Andrey I. Yaroshetskiy ◽

Zamira M. Merzhoeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monoclonal Antibodies ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Hospitalized Patients

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The Effect of Alcohol on Telomere Length: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Evidence and a Pilot Study during Pregnancy

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18095038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 5038

Author(s):

Andrea Maugeri ◽

Martina Barchitta ◽

Roberta Magnano San Lio ◽

Maria Clara La Rosa ◽

Claudia La Mastra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Potential Association ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Periconceptional Period ◽

Using Data

Several studies—albeit with still inconclusive and limited findings—began to focus on the effect of drinking alcohol on telomere length (TL). Here, we present results from a systematic review of these epidemiological studies to investigate the potential association between alcohol consumption, alcohol-related disorders, and TL. The analysis of fourteen studies—selected from PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science databases—showed that people with alcohol-related disorders exhibited shorter TL, but also that alcohol consumption per se did not appear to affect TL in the absence of alcohol abuse or dependence. Our work also revealed a lack of studies in the periconceptional period, raising the need for evaluating this potential relationship during pregnancy. To fill this gap, we conducted a pilot study using data and samples form the Mamma & Bambino cohort. We compared five non-smoking but drinking women with ten non-smoking and non-drinking women, matched for maternal age, gestational age at recruitment, pregestational body mass index, and fetal sex. Interestingly, we detected a significant difference when analyzing relative TL of leukocyte DNA of cord blood samples from newborns. In particular, newborns from drinking women exhibited shorter relative TL than those born from non-drinking women (p = 0.024). Although these findings appeared promising, further research should be encouraged to test any dose–response relationship, to adjust for the effect of other exposures, and to understand the molecular mechanisms involved.

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The Effect of Reflexology on Lactation in Women Who Had Cesarean Section: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Complementary Medicine Research ◽

10.1159/000513924 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sevde Aksu ◽

Pelin Palas Karaca

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Cesarean Section ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Breast Pain ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Right ◽

Documentation Tool ◽

And Control

Aim: The research was conducted as a randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effects of reflexology on lactation in mothers who delivered by cesarean section (CS). Methods: A single-blind randomized controlled experimental study was conducted with a total of 60 postpartum women in the reflexology application (n = 30) and control groups (n = 30). After the CS, the mothers in the control group were given approximately 3-h routine nursing care after recovering from the effects of anesthesia; the introductory information form was applied, and the Breastfeeding Charting System and Documentation Tool (LATCH) and visual analog scale (VAS) for the signs of the onset of lactation were implemented on the first and second days. Reflexology was applied to the women in the intervention group after an average of 3 h following the mother’s condition had become stable and she had recovered from the effects of anesthesia. Reflexology was applied a total of 20 min – 10 min for the right foot, 10 min for the left foot – twice a day with 8-h intervals on the first and second days after CS. After the last reflexology application, the LATCH and VAS for the signs of the onset of lactation were applied. Results: Of the women, 70% breastfed their babies within 60 min after delivery; 46.7% of the mothers received breastfeeding training and 81.7% needed support for breastfeeding after the CS. The LATCH breastfeeding scores of the women in the intervention group on both days were significantly higher compared to those of the women in the control group (p < 0.001). On the first day after the CS, apart from breast pain, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of breast heat and breast tension (p > 0.05). On the second day after the CS, apart from breast tension, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of breast heat and breast pain (p < 0.05). In the study, women in the intervention group were found to have higher scores in terms of all three symptoms compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In the study, it was determined that LATCH scores and signs of the onset of breastfeeding increased in the mothers who received reflexology after CS.

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