Guoqing Ma

Dietary fibers/probiotics may relieve constipation via optimizing gut microbiome, yet with limited trial-based evidences. We aimed to evaluate the effects of formulas with dietary fibers or probiotics on functional constipation symptoms, and to identify modulations of gut microbiota of relevance. We conducted a 4-week double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial in 250 adults with functional constipation. Intervention: A: polydextrose; B: psyllium husk; C: wheat bran + psyllium husk; D: Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019 + Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001; Placebo: maltodextrin. Oligosaccharides were also included in group A to D. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to assess the gut microbiota at weeks 0, 2, and 4. A total of 242 participants completed the study. No time-by-group effect was observed for bowel movement frequency (BMF), Bristol stool scale score (BSS), and degree of defecation straining (DDS), while BSS showed mean increases of 0.95–1.05 in group A to D (all P < 0.05), but not significantly changed in placebo (P = 0.170), and 4-week change of BSS showed similarly superior effects of the interventions as compared placebo. Group D showed a marginal reduction in plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine. Group A resulted in a higher Bifidobacterium abundance than placebo at week 2 and 4. Fourteen genera showed intervention-specific increasing or decreasing trends continuously, among which Anaerostipes showed increasing trends in groups B and C, associated with BMF increase. Random forest models identified specific baseline microbial genera panels predicting intervention responders. In conclusion, we found that the dietary fibers or probiotics may relieve hard stool, with intervention-specific changes in gut microbiota relevant to constipation relief. Baseline gut microbiota may predispose the intervention responsiveness. ClincialTrials.gov number, NCT04667884.

BACKGROUND: Corneal high-order aberrations (HOAs) are related to visual quality. However, the factors associated with corneal HOAs before and after femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) have not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study is to observe the factors related to corneal HOAs before and after FS-LASIK. METHODS: Prospective observational study was designed to measure corneal HOAs in 149 eyes of 75 patients before and 6 months after FS-LASIK. The relationship between spherical diopter and corneal parameters, including K1 and K2 (horizontal and vertical refractive power of the cornea, respectively), the aspheric characteristics of the cornea (Q), mean radius of the curvature of the cornea (Rm), and central corneal thickness (CCT), with corneal HOAs were analyzed. RESULTS: The spherical diopter was correlated with trefoil at 30° before surgery and with vertical coma, four-order astigmatism at 0°, trefoil at 30°, spherical aberration, and six-order spherical aberration after surgery (P<0.05). CCT was correlated with vertical coma, four-order astigmatism at 0°, trefoil at 30°, and six-order spherical aberration after surgery (P<0.05). K1 was correlated with spherical aberration and six-order astigmatism at 0° before surgery (P<0.05). K2 was correlated with spherical aberration, six-order astigmatism at 45°, astigmatism at 0°, six-order astigmatism at 0° before surgery, and trefoil at 30° after surgery (P<0.05). Q was correlated with spherical aberration, six-order spherical aberration, and six-order astigmatism at 45° (P<0.05). Rm was correlated with six-order astigmatism at 0°, spherical aberration, six-order astigmatism at 45° before surgery, and astigmatism at 0° after surgery (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal parameters and spherical diopter are related to the HOAs of the cornea before and after FS-LASIK.

Scope Diet and gut microbiota are involved in blood pressure regulations, but few studies have focused on the constipation patients. The study seeks to identify differences in gut microbiota between hypertensive and normotensive subjects in constipation patients, analyzes the relationship between dietary patterns and blood pressure, and explores mediation effects of gut microbiota. Methods and results Gut microbial genera and dietary information of 186 functional constipation participants are characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing and a food frequency questionnaire. The hypertensive subjects shows lower α‐diversity and β‐diversity of gut microbiota than normotensive ( p &lt; 0.05) and 17 differential microbial genera. The dried‐beans intake frequency inversely correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure after multivariate adjustment ( r = −0.273, p‐ FDR &lt; 0.01; r = −0.251, p‐ FDR = 0.026, respectively). Logistic regression indicates that the individuals often consumed dried‐beans have a lower hypertension risk than those never consumed [OR = 0.137, 95% CI: (0.022, 0.689), p = 0.022]. A marginal mediating effect of the genus Monoglobus is observed for the association between high‐fiber dietary pattern and hypertension. Conclusion In patients with functional constipation, hypertension‐related gut microbial differences are identified. Dried‐beans intake is inversely associated with blood pressure, and a genus may potentially mediate the association between high‐fiber dietary pattern and hypertension.

Background Lifestyle factors toward diet and physical activity (PA) may directly influence the pathophysiology of dyslipidemia. However, the associations of the specific macronutrient‐to‐PA ratio with dyslipidemia, and the underlying mechanisms regarding gut microbiota and metabolites, remain largely unexplored. Methods Dietary and PA information from 273 participants with or at risk of metabolic syndrome was collected via a food frequency questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Gut microbial genera and fecal metabolites were profiled through 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted LC–MS metabolomics, respectively. Machine‐learning algorithms were applied to identify gut microbiome features of macronutrient‐to‐PA ratios and to construct microbiome risk score. Results Higher macronutrient‐to‐PA ratios, especially for high saturated fatty acid intake, were associated with increased risks of dyslipidemia, with adjusted odds ratio (95% CIs) of 2.87 (1.41–5.99) for hypercholesteremia, 2.21 (1.11–4.48) for hypertriglyceridemia, and 2.52 (1.26–5.16) for high low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Microbiome risk scores were significantly associated with elevated levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Additionally, for each macronutrient‐to‐PA ratio, a core group of gut microbial genera were identified (eg, Phocaeicola , Lachnoclostridium , Limosilactobacillus , and Tyzzerella ), exhibiting positive associations with lipid disorders and superior discrimination capacities for hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and high low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Furthermore, we identified 9 metabolites (eg, acetyl phosphate, glycerol, and pyruvic acid), predominantly enriched in dyslipidemia‐related pathways and associated with both core gut microbial taxa and macronutrient‐to‐PA ratios. Conclusions This study identified varied associations between macronutrient‐to‐PA ratios and dyslipidemia and depicted the potential modulatory roles of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites.