Exploring Impact of Probiotic-Fermented Soymilk on Dextran-Sulfate-Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis via Modulating Inflammation and Gut Microbiota Profile.

SCOPE: Lactic acid bacteria with probiotic functions and their fermentation products play a role in regulating ulcerative colitis (UC). This study investigates the potential role of fermented soymilk (FSM4) rich in isoflavones on DSS-induced UC. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice received 3% DSS and are supplemented daily once for 1 week by NFSM and FSM4. DSS usually causes intestinal inflammation and alters the gut microbiota. FSM4 intervention improves the UC-related inflammation and gut microbiota alteration. It considerably decreases pro-inflammatories such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in serum and COX-2 and MPO in colon tissues and pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia-Shigella). This facilitates gut-healthy bacteria growth. These healthy bacteria negatively correlat with pro-inflammatory factors but positively associated with acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid, which may act for PPAR-γ pathway activating and NF-κB p65 pathway inhibiting, lowering the risk of UC. Overall, FSM4 might alleviate UC and significantly reverse the dysbiosis of gut microbiota via the PPAR-γ activation. It could be a good alternative for developing functional food to protect against UC. CONCLUSION: FSM4 attenuates intestinal inflammation and modulates the SCFA-producing bacteria growth, which enable the PPAR-γ activation to alleviate the UC target, which could be a dietary intervention strategy for gut health.

Epidemiology of the Acceptance of Anti COVID-19 Vaccine in Urban and Rural Settings in Cameroon.

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolved in December 2019 and to prevent its spread, effective vaccines were produced and made available to the population. Despite their availability so far in Cameroon, the vaccination coverage remains low. This study aimed at describing the epidemiology of the acceptance of vaccines against COVID-19 in some urban and rural areas of Cameroon. A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical survey was conducted from March 2021 to August 2021 targeting unvaccinated individuals from urban and rural area. After receiving appropriate administrative authorizations and an ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of Douala University (N° 3070CEI-Udo/05/2022/M), a cluster sampling at many degrees was performed and a language-adapted questionnaire was completed by each consenting participant. Data were analyzed using Epi info version 7.2.2.6 software and for p-values < 0.05, the difference was considered as statistically significant. Out of 1053 individuals, 58.02% (611/1053) participants were residing in urban and 41.98% (442/1053) in rural areas. Good knowledge relative to COVID-19 was significantly higher in urban areas as compared to rural areas (97.55% vs. 85.07, p < 0.000). The proportion of respondents who intended to accept the anti COVID-19 vaccine was significantly higher in urban areas than rural areas (42.55% vs. 33.26, p = 0.0047). Conversely, the proportion of anti COVID-19 reluctant respondents thinking that the vaccine can induce a disease was significantly higher in rural areas than urban areas (54 (35.07 vs. 8.84, p < 0.0001). The significant determinants of anti-COVID-19 acceptance were the level of education (p = 0.0001) and profession in the rural areas (p ≤ 0.0001), and only the profession (p = 0.0046) in the urban areas. This study globally showed that anti-COVID-19 vaccination remains a major challenge in urban as well as rural areas in Cameroon. We should continue sensitizing and educating the population about vaccine importance in preventing the COVID-19 spread.