Human milk oligosaccharides and the association with microbiota in colostrum: a pilot study.

HMOs (Human milk oligosaccharide) has an impact on maternal and infant health. Colostrum samples of 70 breastfeeding women in China were collected and recorded clinical characteristics. The major oligosaccharides and microbiota were quantitated in colostrum. The concentration of fucosylated HMOs in primipara was higher than that of multipara (p = 0.030). The concentration of N-acetylated HMOs in vaginal delivery milk was less than that of cesarean (p = 0.038). Non-fucosylated HMOs of breastfeeding women were less than that of breast pump (p = 0.038). Meanwhile, the concentration of LNT was positively correlated with Lactobacillus (r = 0.250, p = 0.037). DS-LNT was negatively correlated with Staphylococcus (r = - 0.240, p = 0.045). There was a positive correlation of Streptococcus with LNFP II (r = 0.314, p = 0.011) and 3-SL (r = 0.322, p = 0.009). In addition, there was a negative correlation between 2'-FL and 3-FL (r = - 0.465, p = 0.001). There was a positive correlation between LNT and LNnT (r = 0.778, p = 0.001). Therefore, the concentration of HMOs is related to number of deliveries, delivery mode, lactation mode and perinatal antibiotic. The concentration of HMOs is related to Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Streptococcus in colostrum. In addition, there are connections between different oligosaccharides in content. The study protocol was also registered in the ClinicalTrails.gov (ChiCTR2200064454) (Oct. 2022).

Alterations in smell or taste in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 during periods of Omicron variant dominance.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the prevalence, severity, correlation with initial symptoms, and role of vaccination in patients with COVID-19 with smell or taste alterations (STAs). METHODS: We conducted an observational study of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron admitted to three hospitals between May 17 and June 16, 2022. The olfactory and gustatory functions were evaluated using the taste and smell survey and the numerical visual analog scale at two time points. RESULTS: The T1 and T2 time point assessments were completed by 688 and 385 participants, respectively. The prevalence of STAs at two time points was 41.3% vs 42.6%. Furthermore, no difference existed in the severity distribution of taste and smell survey, smell, or taste visual analog scale scores between the groups. Patients with initial symptoms of headache (P = 0.03) and muscle pain (P = 0.04) were more likely to develop STAs, whereas higher education; three-dose vaccination; no symptoms yet; or initial symptoms of cough, throat discomfort, and fever demonstrated protective effects, and the results were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of STAs did not decrease significantly during the Omicron dominance, but the severity was reduced, and vaccination demonstrated a protective effect. In addition, the findings suggest that the presence of STAs is likely to be an important indicator of viral invasion of the nervous system.

Microbial quantitation of colostrum from healthy breastfeeding women and milk from mastitis patients.

BACKGROUND: Colostrum is rich in microbiota. However, the quantity of microorganisms including both opportunistic pathogens and commensal mammary microbiota remains fluctuant during lactation. And once dysbiosis occurred in these microorganisms, a process in which the population of opportunistic pathogens increases while other bacteria, commensal mammary microbiota decrease. Lactation mastitis might occur. There were few literatures of microbiota in Chinese breastfeeding women. So this study aimed to investigate the quantity of microbiota in the colostrum from healthy breastfeeding women and the milk from mastitis patients in China. METHODS: From January to December 2017, a total of 400 milk samples were collected from the bilateral breasts of 200 women (104 healthy women and 86 mastitis patients). Microbial quantitation was done based on the conserved marker gene 16s rRNA for Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus by Real-time PCR in all milk samples. The bacterial culture of milk from mastitis patients was also performed. RESULTS: In the colostrum, the amounts of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were significantly higher than those of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus (P<0.0001). The amounts of all the detected bacteria in the colostrum were significantly higher than in the milk from mastitis patients (P<0.01). The same results were obtained in patients with bacteria unrelated mastitis (P<0.01). With respect to colostrum samples, the Staphylococcus copies increased and Bifidobacterium copies declined in cases caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus, while both the Staphylococcus and Bifidobacterium copies declined in the milk from patients with Staphylococcus epidermidis or Staphylococcus Lentus induced mastitis (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study reveal a large amount of microbiota in the colostrum, and mammary microbial dysbiosis may be involved in the pathogenesis of lactational mastitis.