Draft Genome Sequence of Streptococcus salivarius AGIRA0003, Isolated from Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder Duodenal Tissue

Patients suffering functional dyspepsia symptoms have been shown to possess a greater relative abundance of Streptococcus compared to asymptomatic controls. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic features of a new Streptococcus isolate, from the duodenal tissue of a subject reporting dyspeptic symptoms, taxonomically assigned to Streptococcus salivarius and designated strain AGIRA0003.

Is a Non-Caloric Sweeteners-Free Diet Good To Treat Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder Symptoms? A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundA diet containing Non-Caloric Sweeteners (NCS) is used to reduce calorie intake and blood sugar peaks in overweight and obese subjects. Nevertheless, some animal studies suggest that NCS consumption may increase Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder symptoms (FGDs); however, there are scant clinical trials in humans. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of consuming a diet containing NCS (c-NCS) versus a Non-Caloric Sweetener-free diet (NCS-f) on FGDs in adult volunteers.MethodsThis was a randomized, controlled, parallel-group study using two different diets for five weeks: diet c-NCS contained 50-100 mg/day NCS (80% sucralose and 20% aspartame, acesulfame K, and saccharin); NCS-f diet contained less than 10 mg/day NCS. FGDs were recorded according to the Rome III criteria, gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire, Bristol scale, food frequency questionnaire, and consumption questionnaire at the beginning (PreTx) and at the end (PostTx) of the study by a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist. This study conducted according to the CONSORT guidelines and it was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (identifier code: NCT04129762).ResultsParticipants were more often women than men in both groups (59% and 62%), with a median age of 22 years. FGDs were similar in both groups at the beginning of the study (PreTx) but significantly increased in the diet c-NCS group after five weeks (PostTx). The percentage of participants with diarrhea (PreTx=19% versus PstTx=56%; p=0.02), post-prandial discomfort (PreTx=9% versus PstTx=39%; p=0.02), constipation (PreTx=30% versus PostTx=56%; p<0.01), and burning or retrosternal pain (PreTx=13% versus PostTx=33%; p<0.01) significantly increased in the diet c-NCS group. Conversely, abdominal pain (PreTx=15% versus PostTx=3%; p=0.04), post-prandial discomfort (PreTx=26% versus PostTx=6%; p=0.02), burning or retrosternal pain (PreTx=15% versus PostTx=0%; p=0.02), early satiety (PreTx=18% versus PostTx=3%; p<0.01), and epigastric pain (PreTx=38% versus PostTx=3%; p<0.01) significantly decreased in the NCS-f diet group.Conclusion This study shows that diet c-NCS associates with increased FGDs including diarrhea, post-prandial discomfort, constipation, and burning or retrosternal pain. Interestingly, NCS-f diet concurs with decreased FGDs such as abdominal pain, post-prandial discomfort, burning or retrosternal pain, early satiety, and epigastric pain. A NCS-f diet could be a complementary strategy to alleviate FGDs. Trial registration: The ethics committee of the hospital approved this study with the registration number DI/19/301/03/020. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (identifier code: NCT04129762).

Intestinal microbiota fingerprint in subjects with Irritable Bowel Syndrome responders to a low FODMAP diet

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habit. IBS patients report that FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) diet induce...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome between Molecular Approach and Clinical Expertise—Searching for Gap Fillers in the Oxidative Stress Way of Thinking

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains to date an intriguing functional gastrointestinal disorder. Recent studies described a multitude of exogenous factors that work together in IBS, gradually impairing intestinal lining cellular metabolism, including oxidative status balance, with or without a genetic background. Although the current biomarkers support the differentiation between IBS subtypes and other functional gastrointestinal disorder, they are mostly non-specific, referring to clinical, biochemical, and inflammatory imbalances. Since IBS could be also the result of deficient signaling pathways involving both gastrointestinal secretion and neuro-vegetative stimulation, IBS makes no exception from the oxidative hypothesis in the pathological mechanisms. Regarding the oxidative stress implication in IBS, the previous research efforts showed controversial results, with some animal models and patient studies reporting clear oxidative imbalance both on systemic and local levels, but still with no concrete evidence to point to a direct correlation between oxidative stress and IBS. Additionally, it seems that a major role could be also attributed to gut microbiota and their ability to shape our bodies and behaviors. Moreover, the genetic features study in IBS patients showed that several genetic similarities point to a possible correlation of IBS with affective spectrum disorders. Thus, we focus here the discussion on the assumption that IBS could in fact be more likely a stress-related disorder rather than a gastrointestinal one.

The Alignment of Dietary Intake and Symptom-Reporting Capture Periods in Studies Assessing Associations between Food and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Food ingestion is heavily implicated in inducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD), which affect over one-third of adults in developed countries. The primary aim of this paper was to assess the alignment of dietary assessment and symptom-reporting capture periods in diet-related studies on IBS or FD in adults. Secondary aims were to compare the degree of alignment, validity of symptom-reporting tools and reported significant associations between food ingestion and symptoms. A five-database systematic literature search resulted in 40 included studies, from which data were extracted and collated. The food/diet and symptom capture periods matched exactly in 60% (n = 24/40) of studies, overlapped in 30% (n = 12/40) of studies and were not aligned in 10% (n = 4/40) of studies. Only 30% (n = 12/40) of studies that reported a significant association between food and global gastrointestinal symptoms used a validated symptom-reporting tool. Of the thirty (75%) studies that reported at least one significant association between individual gastrointestinal symptoms and dietary intake, only four (13%) used a validated symptom tool. Guidelines to ensure that validated symptom-reporting tools are matched with fit-for-purpose dietary assessment methods are needed to minimise discrepancies in the alignment of food and symptom tools, in order to progress functional gastrointestinal disorder research.