Microbiome biomarkers associated with the gut contraction response elicited by the Japanese traditional medicine daikenchuto

Comparative analysis of fasting effects on the cecum microbiome in three guinea pig breeds: Andina, Inti, and Peru

Guinea pigs have historically been used as a food source and are also an important model for studying the human intestines. Fasting is the act of temporarily stopping the intake of food. This process can alter the microbiota of various animals. This study is the first to investigate the impact of fasting on the cecum microbiome of three guinea pig breeds. We investigated the impact of fasting on the microbiome population structure in the cecum of three guinea pig breeds. This was done by sequencing and analyzing the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene in bacterial communities found in cecum mucosa samples. To achieve this, we established two treatment groups (fasting and fed), for each of the three guinea pig breeds: Andina, Inti, and Peru. The study involved twenty-eight guinea pigs, which were divided into the following groups: Andina-fed (five), Andina-fasting (five), Inti-fed (four), Inti-fasting (five), Peru-fed (five), and Peru-fasting (four). The results indicated a significant difference in beta diversity between the treatment groups for the Peru breed (P-value = 0.049), but not for the treatment groups of the Andina and Inti breeds. The dominant phyla across all groups were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. We observed variations in the abundance of different taxa in the cecum microbiota when comparing the treatment groups for each breed. Additionally, there was a higher number of unique taxa observed in the fasting groups compared to the fed groups. We discovered that the genus Victivallis was the only one present in all fasting groups across all breeds. Despite the findings, the resilience of the gut microbiome was not challenged in all three breeds, which can lead to disruptive changes that may affect the overall maintenance of the cecum microbiome. Based on the observed differences in the treatment groups of the Peru breed, it can be suggested that fasting has a greater impact on this particular breed.

An analysis of the cecum microbiome of three breeds of the guinea pig: Andina, Inti, and Peru

This study investigated the effect of host genetics on the structure and composition of the cecum microbiota of three breeds of guinea pigs: Andina, Inti, and Peru. Fifteen guinea pigs were distributed into three groups according to their breed: Andina (5), Inti (5), and Peru (5). We discovered that four main phyla were shared between the three breeds: Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Spirochaetota, and Synergistota. Although there were no significant differences in the alpha and beta diversity analysis, we found that the Linear discriminant analysis effect size and the heat tree analysis showed significant differences between the abundance of several taxa present in the cecum microbiome of the three breeds. These results suggest that host genetics could be a factor in the structure and composition of the guinea pig cecum microbiome. In addition, we found unique genera for each breed that have fermentation capacity and, therefore can be analyzed in further studies to determine if there is a functional relationship between them and the breed and its industrial profile.

The application of enhanced recovery after surgery in total gastrectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of our enhanced recovery after surgery protocol including early oral intake and omitting nasogastric tube (NGT) placement after total gastrectomy.

METHODS

We analyzed 182 consecutive patients who underwent total gastrectomy. The clinical pathway was changed in 2015, and patients were divided into 2 groups (conventional group and modified group). Postoperative complications, bowel movement, and postoperative hospital stays were compared in the two groups in all cases and propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

Flatus and defecation were significantly earlier in the modified group compared with those in the conventional group (flatus: 2 (1-5) days vs 3 (2-12) days, p = 0.03; defecation: 4 (1-14) days vs 6 (2-12) days p = 0.04). The postoperative hospital stay was 18 (6-90) days in the conventional group and 14 (7-74) days in the modified group (p = 0.009). Days until discharge criteria were met were earlier in the modified group compared with that in the conventional group (10 (7-69) days vs 14 (6-84) days p = 0.01). Overall and severe complications occurred in nine patients (12.6%) and three patients (4.2%) in the conventional group and twelve patients (10.8%) and four patients (3.6%) in the modified group, respectively (p = 0.70 and p = 0.83) in all cases. In PSM, there is no significant difference between the two groups concerning the postoperative complications (overall complication 6 (12.5%) vs 8 (16.7%) p = 0.56, severe complications 1 (2%) vs 2 (4.2%) p = 0.83).

CONCLUSIONS

Modified ERAS for total gastrectomy may be feasible and safe.

KAMPOmics: A framework for multidisciplinary and comprehensive research on Japanese traditional medicine

Traditional Japanese medicines, known as "Kampo medicines", are pharmaceutical-grade multi-herbal treatments that are integrated within the modern medical system in Japan. Although basic and clinical research including placebo-controlled double-blind trials is attempting to clarify their effectiveness and mechanisms of action, such studies are seriously limited due to the multi-targeted, multi-component "long-tail" properties of Kampo medicines, which are fundamentally different from modern western therapeutics. However, recent progress in high-throughput analytical technology, coupled with an exponential increase in biomedical information on various levels from molecular biology to clinical "big" data, is enabling us to commence a multidisciplinary and comprehensive investigation of Kampo medicines based on multi-omics, bio-informatics, and systems biology. In addition to deriving an inclusive understanding of the benefits and mechanisms of Kampo medicines, "KAMPOmics" may lead to the development of new principles to control and treat diseases in a systems-oriented manner. Furthermore, elucidation of "sho" and "mibyo" - classical concepts of Kampo, which loosely approximate to the notions of "precise medicine" and "pre-symptomatic aberration", respectively - may contribute to the development of patient-oriented medicine, an area attracting enormous growth and interest in contemporary medicine.