A period of 10 weeks of increased protein consumption does not alter faecal microbiota or volatile metabolites in healthy older men: a randomised controlled trial.

Diet has a major influence on the composition and metabolic output of the gut microbiome. Higher-protein diets are often recommended for older consumers; however, the effect of high-protein diets on the gut microbiota and faecal volatile organic compounds (VOC) of elderly participants is unknown. The purpose of the study was to establish if the faecal microbiota composition and VOC in older men are different after a diet containing the recommended dietary intake (RDA) of protein compared with a diet containing twice the RDA (2RDA). Healthy males (74⋅2 (sd 3⋅6) years; n 28) were randomised to consume the RDA of protein (0⋅8 g protein/kg body weight per d) or 2RDA, for 10 weeks. Dietary protein was provided via whole foods rather than supplementation or fortification. The diets were matched for dietary fibre from fruit and vegetables. Faecal samples were collected pre- and post-intervention for microbiota profiling by 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing and VOC analysis by head space/solid-phase microextraction/GC-MS. After correcting for multiple comparisons, no significant differences in the abundance of faecal microbiota or VOC associated with protein fermentation were evident between the RDA and 2RDA diets. Therefore, in the present study, a twofold difference in dietary protein intake did not alter gut microbiota or VOC indicative of altered protein fermentation.

Antibiotic manipulation of intestinal microbiota to identify microbes associated with Campylobacter jejuni exclusion in poultry.

The ability of various subsets of poultry intestinal microbiota to protect turkeys from colonization by Campylobacter jejuni was investigated. Community subsets were generated in vivo by inoculation of day-old poults with the cecal contents of a Campylobacter-free adult turkey, followed by treatment with one antimicrobial, either virginiamycin, enrofloxacin, neomycin, or vancomycin. The C. jejuni loads of the enrofloxacin-, neomycin-, and vancomycin-derived communities were decreased by 1 log, 2 logs, and 4 logs, respectively. Examination of the constituents of the derived communities via the array-based method oligonucleotide fingerprinting of rRNA genes detected a subtype of Megamonas hypermegale specific to the C. jejuni-suppressive treatments.

Tissue prostate-specific antigen and androgen receptor immunoreactivity in prostate cancer biopsies before, during and after neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation followed by radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to examine the immunohistochemical stainability of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and androgen receptor (AR) in biopsies from localised prostate cancers before treatment, after androgen deprivation and after radiation therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Biopsies were taken from 16 men with prostate cancer (T1-3,Nx,M0) before the start (START) of androgen deprivation with LHRH analogue, during the following pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND), and twice after radiotherapy (POSTRAD and FINAL). RESULTS: Malignant cells were observed in all START, PLND and POSTRAD biopsies and in 6 of 7 FINAL specimens. During androgen suppression and subsequent radiotherapy a gradual reduction in tissue immunoreactivity for PSA and AR was observed paralleled by a reduction in serum PSA. The most striking observation was the complete lack of AR stainability after combined LHRH/radiation therapy. Of the 7 patients who had a long-term follow-up after radiotherapy, 1 patient was cancer negative on biopsy and without AR and PSA stainability. Six patients with cancer-positive FINAL biopsies had regained AR stainability. Five of these latter biopsies also stained for PSA. Five of the six patients had no elevation in serum PSA. CONCLUSION: After combined hormone/radiotherapy serum PSA is a relatively unreliable marker for the demonstration of residual cancer. This combination therapy leads to transient loss of immunohistochemically stained tissue PSA and AR in the residual cancer.

[Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. A rare form of presentation]. / Rumpert abdominalt aortaaneurisme. En sjelden presentasjonsform.

In most cases a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism is dramatic, with rapid deterioration of the clinical condition of the patient. With abdominal and back pain, pulsatile tumour, and development of bleeding shock the diagnosis is obvious. In some cases the symptoms are not clear and the condition can be misinterpreted. The authors describe a case to illustrate this. A 74 year-old male was admitted to hospital with vague abdominal pain and left inguinal hernia. It later turned out that a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism was the reason for his symptoms and signs. 14 similar cases are reported in the literature.