Short term ciprofloxacin and clindamycin combination antibiotic therapy before and after transrectal ultrasound scan and prostate biopsy: Its impact on major components of gut microbiome.

The perturbation of gut microbiome is a risk factor for a number of adverse conditions. Among other factors antibiotic therapy is a common culprit. We characterized the short-term alteration of gut microbiome after antibiotic therapy. Nine patients (age (median [range]): 67 [57-75 years]) were subjected to prostate biopsy. Ciprofloxacin and clindamycin, 500 mg and 150 mg, respectively, were administered twice a day; this combination therapy was started the day before and continued until 5th and 8th day, respectively, following biopsy. 16s RNA sequencing data from fecal swabs taken before antibiotic therapy and 14 days after biopsy were analysed. At phylum level, the abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes decreased, while that of Bacteroides and Proteobacteria increased after antibiotic therapy. The ratio of Firmicutes:Bacteroides inversed (from 2.81 to 0.74, p = 0.035). At order level, the abundance of Bacteroidales and Veillonellales increased, while that of Clostridiales and Coriobacteriales decreased. At genus level the abundance of Bacteroides increased, while those of Roseburia, Faecalibacterium and Collinsella decreased. These findings indicate that short-term antibiotic exposure skews gut microbiome composition. The current level of knowledge does not allow to decide whether this skewness is detrimental and has any long-term effect on disease including prostate pathology.

[Low vitamin D levels among patients at Semmelweis University: retrospective analysis during a one-year period]. / Alacsony D-vitamin-szint a Semmelweis Egyetem betegei körében: a központi laboratóriumban egy év alatt meghatározott D-vitamin-szintek retrospektív értékelése.

UNLABELLED: Even in developed countries the prevalence of subjects with suboptimal vitamin D levels is high. The aim of this retrospective data analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of severe and moderate vitamin D deficiencies (defined as vitamin D levels<15 ng/ml and 15-30 ng/ml, respectively) among patients evaluated at Semmelweis University during a period between April, 2009 and March, 2010. METHODS AND RESULTS: The average vitamin D level of 5808 subjects (3936 women and 1872 men) was 25.5 ± 10.9 ng/ml. The prevalence of moderate and severe vitamin D deficiency in whole population was 72% and 12%, respectively. Higher than normal vitamin D levels were measured in 0.8% of subjects. Female gender, older age and winter season were independent risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D levels were measured repeatedly in 1307 subjects. Interestingly, vitamin D levels measured later were lower compared to those measured at the first time (27.07±13.2 vs. 25.9±9.11 ng/ml, p<0.001). The prevalence of severe and moderate vitamin D deficiency was 8.1 and 71.5 per cent when vitamin D levels were measured at the second time. Of the 110 patients with severe vitamin D deficiency measured repeatedly only 11 patients (10%) presented with normal vitamin D levels at the second time. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that severe and moderate vitamin D deficiencies are common in patients evaluated at Semmelweis University. Repeated measurements of vitamin D levels raise the notion that the efficacy of supplementation used for correction of vitamin D levels is not optimal.

[Potential consequences of the sudden postnatal drop of estrogen levels in preterm neonates]. / Az in utero magas ösztrogénszint hirtelen megszúnésének lehetséges hatásai koraszülöttekben.

Estrogens have profound effects on bone- and lipid homeostasis, modulate immune functions and play a major role in the regulation of the development and function of central nervous system, cardiovascular system and respiratory system. They induce hepatic protein production. There is a strong connection between estrogens and several hormone systems including growth hormone--IGF axis and renin-angiotensin system. The extragenital effects of estrogens are probably more evident in the fetus than in fertile women. However, direct data are not available because of the lack of estrogen-deficient pregnancy models. Theoretically, in immature infants the premature cessation of in utero high estrogen levels is associated with the progression of perinatal acute complications. The volume of uterus in female premature infants is lower than in term newborns, the plasma levels of atherogen lipids are high, osteopenia due to inadequate bone acquisition is frequent. Inflammatory complications are common. Recently, the physiological effects of estrogen- and progesterone supplementation of premature infants have been evaluated in a pilot study. The preliminary results indicate, that the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, osteopenia might be decreased in treated infants. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectivity and long term safety of estrogen supplementation of preterm neonates.