scholarly journals Lactose Intolerance: What Your Breath Can Tell You

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Luelle Robles ◽  
Ronny Priefer

Lactose intolerance has seen recognized as a clinical syndrome characterized by pain, abdominal distention, flatulence, and diarrhea after the consumption of lactose. Lactose is a common disaccharide found in dairy that requires lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) to break down into glucose and galactose. A deficiency in this enzyme results in flora bacteria further along in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract to metabolize the excess lactose to numerous gases, including H2. Recent studies show that the risk of symptoms after lactose ingestion depends on the dose of lactose, LPH expression, intestinal flora, and sensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, there are several diagnostic tests that investigate the biological mechanism of lactose intolerance such as blood, biopsy, genetic, and breath tests. Due to its relatively low cost, availability, and non-invasiveness, the hydrogen breath test (HBT) has become a popular technology to aid in the diagnosis of many gastroenterological diseases, specifically lactose intolerance. Additionally, while administering the HBT there seems to be a lack of uniform criteria amongst the various studies, with many using their own guidelines, which may in turn cause inconsistency with the analysis of the results. With ever improving nanotechnology, novel approaches to expedite and lower the costs of the HBT has become an area of research with significant advancements.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nebras Ebrahim Hasan ◽  
Manal Hasan Zainaldeen ◽  
Fatima Abdulameer Almadhoob ◽  
Manaf Ali Yusuf ◽  
Salim Fredericks

Lactose intolerance is associated with the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose. Several conditions have symptoms that overlap with those of lactose intolerance. Thus, it is commonly misdiagnosed. There are established investigation procedures that aid diagnosis which include the lactose challenge and the hydrogen breath tests. However, differential diagnosis remains challenging. We aimed at identifying gaps in knowledge regarding lactose intolerance among medical practitioners using a survey consisting of 15 questions. It was completed by 98 doctors. Most questions were answered correctly by more than half of the participants. There was no significant difference in the frequency of correct answers between the different medical specialists or age of participating doctors. Crucially, one question relating to the hydrogen breath test was answered incorrectly by 85% of the participants. This highlights acceptable knowledge of general issues, but not the diagnostic aspects, of lactose intolerance among doctors.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
André Jefremow ◽  
Markus F. Neurath

<b><i>Background:</i></b> About 1 year ago a novel virus – SARS-CoV-2 – began to spread around the world. It can lead to the disease COVID-19, which has caused more than 1 million deaths already. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> While it was first recognized as a disease leading to pneumonia and lung failure, we know by now that COVID-19 is more complex. COVID-19 is a systemic hyperinflammatory disease affecting not only the lungs, but also many other organs. Especially the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is often involved in COVID-19. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> This review provides an overview of the different affected organs of the GI tract and offers information on how gastroenterologists should take care of their patients with different GI disorders.


Author(s):  
Jaewon J. Lee ◽  
Scott Kopetz ◽  
Eduardo Vilar ◽  
John Paul Shen ◽  
Ken Chen ◽  
...  

COVID-19, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, thus leading to a rapid surge in the efforts to understand the mechanisms of transmission, methods of prevention, and potential therapies. While COVID-19 frequently manifests as a respiratory infection,1 there is evidence for infection of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract1–4 with documented viral RNA shedding in the stool of infected patients.2,4 In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which are required for SARS-CoV-2 entry into mammalian cells,5 from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets of five different parts of the GI tract: esophagus, stomach, pancreas, small intestine, and colon/rectum.


2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (16) ◽  
pp. 5254-5258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Cartman ◽  
Roberto M. La Ragione ◽  
Martin J. Woodward

ABSTRACT A number of poultry probiotics contain bacterial spores. In this study, orally administered spores of Bacillus subtilis germinated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of chicks. Furthermore, 20 h after spores were administered, vegetative cells outnumbered spores throughout the GI tract. This demonstrates that spore-based probiotics may function in this host through metabolically active mechanisms.


2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim A. Bastaki ◽  
Nawal Osman ◽  
Jose Kochiyil ◽  
Mohamed Shafiullah ◽  
Rengasamy Padmanabhan ◽  
...  

Our objective was to study the toxicokinetics of aflatoxin (AF) in pregnant mice. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was administered intraperitoneally (IP) to groups of pregnant mice in single doses of 20 mg/kg on gestation day (GD) 13 and orally at the same gestational age. Controls received (IP and oral) a proportionate volume of solvent only. Maternal blood was collected at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes posttreatment. Their AFB1 contents were determined. Aflatoxin B1 concentrations following maternal exposure to AFB1 were highly correlated with time after exposure. The serum concentrations were predictable and the highest serum levels were seen immediately at 15 minutes in mice given AFs IP and at 30 minutes in those given it orally. The absorption was 5.0 μg/min and elimination was 3.0 μg/min. The toxicokinetics of AFB1 have been delineated. Aflatoxins are easily and rapidly absorbed both from the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract and through the peritoneum.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 3104-3109
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Mingjian Huang ◽  
Jianfeng Chen ◽  
Shuyuan Wang ◽  
Jian Xu

To analyze and explore the relationship between lactase activity and the structure of intestinal flora in infants under 1 year old. Method: Our hospital selected 60 infants and young children in the Haizhu Maternity and Child Health Hospital from August 2019 to September 2020 as the research objects. The infants in the experimental group were diagnosed as lactose intolerant infants, the control group were normal infants, and the experimental group and control group had 30 cases each. The relationship between lactase activity and intestinal flora structure. Result: The experimental group had fewer beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract than the control group, but improved lactase activity by correcting the structure of the intestinal flora and alleviating symptoms of lactose intolerance. Conclusion: Infants and young children are prone to non-infectious diarrhea, and the causes are more complicated, but most of them are related to lactose intolerance. When infants and young children develop lactose intolerance, it is necessary to pay attention to the lack of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Targeted supplementation of probiotics (such as Lactobacillus reuteri, Clostridium butyricum, etc.) can correct the intestinal flora, improve lactase activity, and relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance.


1982 ◽  
Vol 243 (4) ◽  
pp. E293-E297 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Wassner ◽  
J. B. Li

The relative contributions of skeletal muscle, gastrointestinal tract, and skin to urinary N tau-methylhistidine (MH) excretion were estimated during in vitro studies using the rat hemicorpus preparation. After 0.5 h of perfusion, MH release into the perfusate was linear for 3 h and averaged 29.8 nmol . h-1 . 100 g hemicorpus-1. In vivo, 24-h urinary MH excretion averaged 37.3 nmol . h-1 . 100 g body wt-1. The ratio of soft tissue to skin weight is equal (3.2:1) in the whole rat and in the hemicorpus. The gastrointestinal tract released 16.0 nmol . h-1 . 100 g body wt-1 or approximately 41% of the total urinary MH excretion. Preparations perfused with or without skin showed modest differences in the rate of MH release that were not statistically significant. Skeletal muscle contains 89.8% of total body MH content, whereas gastrointestinal tract and skin contain 3.8 and 6.4%, respectively. Gastrointestinal tract actomyosin turns over rapidly with a fractional catabolic rate of 24%/day versus 1.4%/day for skeletal muscle actomyosin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (15) ◽  
pp. 2991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Samel ◽  
Hiroshi Mashimo

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is uniquely poised for advanced imaging in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as it allows real-time, subsurface and wide-field evaluation at near-microscopic resolution, which may improve the current limitations or even obviate the need of superficial random biopsies in the surveillance of early neoplasias in the near future. OCT’s greatest impact so far in the GI tract has been in the study of the tubular esophagus owing to its accessibility, less bends and folds and allowance of balloon employment with optimal contact to aid circumferential imaging. Moreover, given the alarming rise in the incidence of Barrett’s esophagus and its progression to adenocarcinoma in the U.S., OCT has helped identify pathological features that may guide future therapy and follow-up strategy. This review will explore the current uses of OCT in the gastrointestinal tract and future directions, particularly with non-endoscopic office-based capsule OCT and the use of artificial intelligence to aid in diagnoses.


mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Seekatz ◽  
Matthew K. Schnizlein ◽  
Mark J. Koenigsknecht ◽  
Jason R. Baker ◽  
William L. Hasler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAlthough the microbiota in the proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract have been implicated in health and disease, much about these microbes remains understudied compared to those in the distal GI tract. This study characterized the microbiota across multiple proximal GI sites over time in healthy individuals. As part of a study of the pharmacokinetics of oral mesalamine administration, healthy, fasted volunteers (n = 8; 10 observation periods total) were orally intubated with a four-lumen catheter with multiple aspiration ports. Samples were taken from stomach, duodenal, and multiple jejunal sites, sampling hourly (≤7 h) to measure mesalamine (administered att = 0), pH, and 16S rRNA gene-based composition. We observed a predominance ofFirmicutesacross proximal GI sites, with significant variation compared to stool. The microbiota was more similar within individuals over time than between subjects, with the fecal microbiota being unique from that of the small intestine. The stomach and duodenal microbiota displayed highest intraindividual variability compared to jejunal sites, which were more stable across time. We observed significant correlations in the duodenal microbial composition with changes in pH; linear mixed models identified positive correlations with multipleStreptococcusoperational taxonomic units (OTUs) and negative correlations with multiplePrevotellaandPasteurellaceaeOTUs. Few OTUs correlated with mesalamine concentration. The stomach and duodenal microbiota exhibited greater compositional dynamics than the jejunum. Short-term fluctuations in the duodenal microbiota were correlated with pH. Given the unique characteristics and dynamics of the proximal GI tract microbiota, it is important to consider these local environments in health and disease states.IMPORTANCEThe gut microbiota are linked to a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. Despite this importance, microbiota dynamics in the upper gastrointestinal tract are understudied. Our article seeks to understand what factors impact microbiota dynamics in the healthy human upper gut. We found that the upper gastrointestinal tract contains consistently prevalent bacterial OTUs that dominate the overall community. Microbiota variability is highest in the stomach and duodenum and correlates with pH.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (14) ◽  
pp. 805-811
Author(s):  
Pineshwari Naeck-Boolauky ◽  
Jitka Adio ◽  
Jennie Burch

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract has a number of functions—ingestion, digestion, absorption and elimination. When the GI tract is working normally, it is efficient. However, this can change when disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occurs. IBD is a long-term relapsing and remitting autoimmune disease; it incorporates ulcerative colitis (UC). In UC, part or all the mucosa lining the rectum and colon becomes inflamed and ulcerated. UC that affects the rectum only is called proctitis. Effective treatment is essential. It is better to target the rectal mucosa directly in proctitis, using topical rectal medications in enemas or suppositories, as these have fewer side-effects and resolve symptoms more quickly than systemic drugs. However, patients may not feel clear about aspects of their IBD care and can find it difficult to initiate and comply with treatment and maintenance regimens. Nurses need to educate and support them to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes in both the immediate and long terms.


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