Antibiotic-associated diarrhea in hospital: frequency and prophylaxis

The aim. To analyze the prevalence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) caused by Clostridium difficile in a hospital setting.Materials and methods. 93 patients with 3 or more episodes of unformed stool (diarrhea) for two consecutive days or more, developed after the use of antibiotics, were monitored. All patients underwent rapid stool analysis for the presence of Clostridium difficile A and B toxins using the X/pert C. diff toxin A/B test.Results. Toxins A and/or B of Clostridium difficile were detected in 32 patients (34.4 %). The remaining patients (n = 61; 65.6 %) had idiopathic AAD. The most of the patients who were found to have Clostridium difficile toxins in the feces were in the infarction department, cardiology intensive care and trauma departments, i. e. they had severe diseases associated with reduced immunity and inactivity.Conclusions. The prevalence of AAD caused by Clostridium difficile in hospital settings is high. It is recommended to prescribe drugs for the correction of disorders of the gastrointestinal microflora from the first day of antibiotic therapy, since this will significantly reduce the prevalence of clinical manifestation of diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile.

INVESTIGATION OF PREBIOTIC, IMMUNOSTIMULATING PROPERTIES OF FUCOSE AND ITS EFFECT ON REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION

Aim. Investigation of the effect of fucose in the diet on the gastrointestinal microflora of experimental animals with experimental dysbiosis, the humoral factors of nonspecific immunity, as well as the degree of fucosylation of oocytes and the proportion of oocytes that can be fertilized. Materials and methods. Prebiotic properties of fucose were studied by analyzing the luminal microflora of experimental mice against the background of experimental dysbiosis. Investigation of factors of nonspecific immunity was carried out after immunization of mice according to the level of antibody formation in blood serum by the method of enzyme immunoassay. The degree of fucosylation of oocytes was assessed by the intensity of their luminescence upon microscopy of oocytes of experimental mice on a fluorescent microscope. Results. The use of fucose in all tested doses led to the restoration of the composition and quantity of the gastrointestinal microflora. For the correction of dysbiosis, the optimal concentration of fucose was 0.02% of the body weight of the experimental animals. Inclusion of fucose in a diet of experimental animals in the amount of 0.008% to the body weight provided the highest level of immune response. The degree of fucosylation of oocytes, the proportion of oocytes capable of fertilization was increased when fucose were introduced in the amount of 0.008% to the body weight of the mice. Conclusion. Bifidogenic and lactogenic activity of fucose is established. The ability of fucose to stimulate an increase in the level of antibodies in in blood serum is shown. The tendency of positive effect of fucose in the diet of mice on the degree of fucosylation of oocytes was revealed.

Exploring the microbiota to better understand gastrointestinal cancers physiology

Gastrointestinal cancers account for around 40% of cancer-related deaths worldwide, representing a global health burden. There is a growing body of evidence highlighting the link between microbiota and gastrointestinal tumorigenesis and/or resistance to therapy. In the present manuscript, we reviewed the published studies on the relationship between the microbiota and the different gastrointestinal tumors, namely, gastric, colorectal and esophageal, including also the cancer of accessory organs such as liver and pancreas. There is an emergent interest in the manipulation of gastrointestinal microflora in order to understand the gastrointestinal tumorigenesis’ processes and the establishment of chemoresistance mechanisms.