Modulating the early-life gut microbiota using pro-, pre-, and synbiotics to improve gut health, child development, and growth.

In children exposed to poor hygiene and sanitation, invasion of the gut by pathogenic microbes can result in a subclinical enteropathy termed "environmental enteric dysfunction" (EED) that contributes to undernutrition, growth faltering, and impaired organ development. EED may already be present by age 6-12 weeks; therefore, interventions that can be started early in life, and used alongside breastfeeding, are needed to prevent or ameliorate EED. A healthy gut microbiota is critical for intestinal development and repair, nutrient digestion and absorption, and resisting colonization or overgrowth by pathogens. However, its development can be impaired by several environmental factors. Dietary supplementation with pro-, pre-, or synbiotics may be a pragmatic and safe means of building the resilience of the developing gut microbiota against adverse environmental factors, thereby preventing EED.

PRObiotics and SYNbiotics to improve gut health and growth in infants in western Kenya (PROSYNK Trial): study protocol for a 4-arm, open-label, randomised, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition amongst under-fives remains common in resource-poor countries and is resistant to current interventions. New opportunities have emerged to target "environmental enteric dysfunction" (EED) that refers to the abnormal gut structure and function that results from colonisation of the gut with pathogenic microbes and compromises nutrition and growth in early life. Although the gut microbiome may provide a defence against ingested gut pathogens through colonisation resistance, its development is adversely affected by multiple environmental factors. Dietary supplements of pro- or synbiotics may build the resilience of the gut microbiome against these environmental factors and boost colonisation resistance. We aim to assess whether dietary supplementation of newborns in rural Kenya with pro/synbiotics prevents or ameliorates EED and improves growth. METHODS: Six hundred newborns less than 4 days old will be recruited from Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, western Kenya. Newborns will be randomly allocated, stratified by HIV exposure, in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to one of 4 study arms to receive either of two synbiotics, a probiotic or no supplement. Supplements will be given daily for 10 days and then weekly until 6 months of age. Participants will be followed until the age of 2 years. The primary outcome is systemic inflammation at 6 months assessed by plasma alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. Secondary outcomes include biomarkers of gut health and growth, anthropometric indices, morbidity and mortality. DISCUSSION: As dietary supplements with pro- or synbiotics may improve gut health and can be administered in early life, our findings may inform the package of interventions to prevent malnutrition and improve growth in Africa and similar low-resource settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, Trial number: PACTR202003893276712. Date: 02/03/2020 https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=9798.

Open access: academic publishing and its implications for knowledge equity in Kenya.

Traditional, subscription-based scientific publishing has its limitations: often, articles are inaccessible to the majority of researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where journal subscriptions or one-time access fees are cost-prohibitive. Open access (OA) publishing, in which journals provide online access to articles free of charge, breaks this barrier and allows unrestricted access to scientific and scholarly information to researchers all over the globe. At the same time, one major limitation to OA is a high publishing cost that is placed on authors. Following recent developments to OA publishing policies in the UK and even LMICs, this article highlights the current status and future challenges of OA in Africa. We place particular emphasis on Kenya, where multidisciplinary efforts to improve access have been established. We note that these efforts in Kenya can be further strengthened and potentially replicated in other African countries, with the goal of elevating the visibility of African research and improving access for African researchers to global research, and, ultimately, bring social and economic benefits to the region. We (1) offer recommendations for overcoming the challenges of implementing OA in Africa and (2) call for urgent action by African governments to follow the suit of high-income countries like the UK and Australia, mandating OA for publicly-funded research in their region and supporting future research into how OA might bring social and economic benefits to Africa.