The Effects of Chewing Gum on Nausea, Vomiting, and Intestinal Functions of Surgical Patients

Background: It is important to resume regular functions of the digestive system as soon as possible after surgery. It has been reported that chewing gum can be used in this regard. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chewing gum on nausea-vomiting and bowel function in surgical patients. Methods: A total of 60 patients with cholecystectomy and herniotomy (30 controls [non-chewing gum] and 30 interventions [chewing gum]) were enrolled in this controlled experimental study. The intervention group was provided to chew gum 3 times for 15 - 30 minutes with a 2-hour interval. Both control and intervention groups were evaluated 6 and 24 hours after being taken to the surgical service using the nausea-vomiting, intestinal functions monitoring form. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between the control and intervention groups 0 - 6 hours after surgery (χ2 = 4.320, P < 0.05). The intervention group was found to be discharged earlier than the control group (χ² = 4.286, P < 0.05; Z = -2.053, P < 0.05), and the difference was significant. It was found that the intervention group suffered 5.09 times less vomiting compared to the control group 0 - 6 hours after surgery. Conclusions: The positive effects of chewing gum on nausea, vomiting, intestinal function, and early discharge were found. It is recommended that chewing gum be included in nursing interventions for patients after surgery.

Intestinal Macrophage Autophagy and its Pharmacological Application in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprised of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a group of chronic inflammatory disorders. IBD is regarded as a severe healthcare problem worldwide, with high morbidity and lethality. So far, despite of numerous studies on this issue, the specific mechanisms of IBD still remain unclarified and ideal treatments are not available for IBD. The intestinal mucosal barrier is vital for maintaining the function of the intestinal self-defensive system. Among all of the components, macrophage is an important one in the intestinal self-defensive system, normally protecting the gut against exotic invasion. However, the over-activation of macrophages in pathological conditions leads to the overwhelming induction of intestinal inflammatory and immune reaction, thus damaging the intestinal functions. Autophagy is an important catabolic mechanism. It has been proven to participate the regulation of various kinds of inflammation- and immune-related disorders via the regulation of inflammation in related cells. Here in this paper, we will review the role and mechanism of intestinal macrophage autophagy in IBD. In addition, several well-studied kinds of agents taking advantage of intestinal macrophage autophagy for the treatment of IBD will also be discussed. We aim to bring novel insights in the development of therapeutic strategies against IBD.

A Mini Review of the Effects of NSP and Exogenous Enzymes in Broiler Diets on Digestibility and Some Intestinal Functions

Summary NSP (non-starch polysaccharides) are a large group of compounds, which vary greatly in their chemical structure and properties. They are linked with the use of some of the alternative proteins or energy feed ingredients in broiler nutrition. Exogenous enzymes which act on NSP are sometimes in broiler production with the purpose of increasing digestibility of nutrients and consequently increasing broiler performance in production. This paper will attempt to review changes occurring in the digestive tract as a result of the use of feed with NSP soluble and insoluble in water, and the effect of NSPase on them, in terms of how an animal organism is burdened or helped to overcome the problems.

​Ice Cream and Frozen Yoghurt - A Suitable Carrier for Probiotics: A Review

Nowadays there has been a significant interest in the development of innovative functional food products conferring customized benefits to the consumers viz., physical and mental well-being, dental health, gastro-intestinal functions, etc. Among the dairy products with live cultures, probiotic ice cream and fermented frozen desserts such as frozen yoghurt are the emerging functional foods. Ice creams and frozen yoghurt are food products showing potential for use as probiotic vehicles and are highly popular with the consumers. The problem to be tackled relates to the loss of viability of probiotic cells in frozen dairy desserts which can occur during product formulation, processing, freezing and storage. The development of probiotic frozen dairy desserts containing live probiotic bacteria necessitates certain technological interventions. The means used to attain higher survivability of probiotic cells in such frozen products include use of selected probiotic strains, use of prebiotics along with probiotics, encapsulation of probiotic cells, use of cryoprotectants, etc.

The Influence of Bisphenol A (BPA) on the Occurrence of Selected Active Substances in Neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-Positive Enteric Neurons in the Porcine Large Intestine

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a substance used in the manufacture of plastics which shows multidirectional adverse effects on living organisms. Since the main path of intoxication with BPA is via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the stomach and intestine are especially vulnerable to the impact of this substance. One of the main factors participating in the regulation of intestinal functions is the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is characterized by high neurochemical diversity. Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is one of the lesser-known active substances in the ENS. During the present study (performed using the double immunofluorescence method), the co-localization of NRG1 with other neuronal substances in the ENS of the caecum and the ascending and descending colon has been investigated under physiological conditions and after the administration of BPA. The obtained results indicate that NRG1-positive neurons also contain substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, a neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase and galanin and the degree of each co-localization depend on the type of enteric plexus and the particular fragment of the intestine. Moreover, it has been shown that BPA generally increases the degree of co-localization of NRG1 with other substances.

Breastfeeding and the Influence of the Breast Milk Microbiota on Infant Health

Nutrition is an essential condition for physical, mental, and psycho-emotional growth for both children and adults. It is a major determinant of health and a key factor for the development of a country. Breastfeeding is a natural biological process, essential for the development of the life of the newborn at least during the first six months by ensuring a nutritional contribution adapted to the needs of the latter. Thus, breast milk is the physiological and natural food best suited to the nutrition of the newborn. It contains several various components, which are biologically optimized for the infant. Cells are not a negligible component of breast milk. Breast milk is also a continuous source of commensal and beneficial bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. It plays an important role in the initiation, development, and composition of the newborn’s gut microbiota, thanks to its pre-and probiotic components. Current knowledge highlights the interdependent links between the components of breast milk, the ontogeny of intestinal functions, the development of the mucus intestinal immune system, colonization by the intestinal microbiota, and protection against pathogens. The quality of these interactions influences the health of the newborn in the short and long term.

The transcription factor ELT-2 positively and negatively impacts direct target genes to modulate the Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal transcriptome

ABSTRACTThe transcription factor ELT-2 is the major factor required for Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal development. ELT-2 expression initiates in embryos, promoting development, but persists after hatching through larval and adult stages, where it contributes to diverse intestinal functions. How ELT-2’s regulatory role changes over development is largely unexplored. We sought to determine whether ELT-2 target gene preference changes over developmental time and whether those changes underlie transcriptome dynamics. We analyzed stage-specific ELT-2 ChIP-seq assays to identify sets of dynamically changing ELT-2 peaks. Embryo-specific and larval-specific ELT-2 peaks were less common than peaks that accumulated in the L3 stage or progressively throughout development. To assess how ELT-2 occupancy related to transcriptional output, we compared patterns of ELT-2 occupancy over developmental time to intestinal expression dynamics and sets of ELT-2-dependent genes. ELT-2 occupancy predicted gene expression changes at larval but not embryonic stages, suggesting that ELT-2 promotes transcriptional output in some cases. However, we also found that ELT-2 negatively regulated a subset of its direct target genes. Repressed target genes were over-represented for neuronal and gonad functions, signifying that ELT-2 may protect the intestine from these tissue fates. Furthermore, we observed that ELT-2 repressed its own promoter in a negative feedback loop to stabilize the elt-2 gene’s expression to a set amount. These findings illustrate that ELT-2 exerts both positive and negative regulatory control - turning on some target genes to promote intestinal function while down-regulating others to prevent or reduce their transcriptional output.

Longitudinal Characterization of the Gut Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Yaks

Development phases are important in maturing immune systems, intestinal functions, and metabolism for the construction, structure, and diversity of microbiome in the intestine during the entire life. Characterizing the gut microbiota colonization and succession based on age-dependent effects might be crucial if a microbiota-based therapeutic or disease prevention strategy is adopted. The purpose of this study was to reveal the dynamic distribution of intestinal bacterial and fungal communities across all development stages in yaks. Dynamic changes (a substantial difference) in the structure and composition ratio of the microbial community were observed in yaks that matched the natural aging process from juvenile to natural aging. This study included a significant shift in the abundance and proportion of bacterial phyla (Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Tenericutes, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria) and fungal phyla (Chytridiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota) across all development stages in yaks. As yaks grew older, variation reduced, and diversity increased as compared to young yaks. In addition, the intestine was colonized by a succession of microbiomes that coalesced into a more mature adult, including Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Romboutsia, Prevotellaceae_UCG-004, Blautia, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Ruminococcus_1, Ruminiclostridium_5, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Alloprevotella, Acetitomaculum, Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group, Bacteroides, Treponema_2, Olsenella, Escherichia-Shigella, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and fungal communities Mortierella, Lomentospora, Orpinomyces, and Saccharomyces. In addition, microorganisms that threaten health, such as Escherichia-Shigella, Mortierella, Lomentospora and Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, Corynebacterium_1, Trichosporon, and Coprinellus, were enriched in young and old yaks, respectively, although all yaks were healthy. The significant shifts in microflora composition and structure might reflect adaptation of gut microbiome, which is associated with physicochemical conditions changes and substrate availability in the gut across all development periods of yaks.