Effects of human donor milk on gut barrier function and inflammation: in vitro study of the beneficial properties to the newborn.

Introduction: The gastrointestinal and immune systems of premature infants are not fully developed, rendering them more vulnerable to severe complications like necrotizing enterocolitis. Human milk offers a rich array of bioactive factors that collectively contribute to reducing the incidence of gut infections and inflammatory conditions. When a mother's milk is unavailable, preterm infants are often provided with donor human milk processed in Human Milk Banks. However, it remains uncertain whether pasteurized milk confers the same level of risk reduction as unprocessed milk. This uncertainty may stem from the well-documented adverse effects of heat treatment on milk composition. Yet, our understanding of the comprehensive impact on protective mechanisms is limited. Methods: In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the effects of raw versus pasteurized milk and colostrum versus mature milk on cellular functions associated with the gut epithelial barrier and responses to inflammatory stimuli. We utilized THP-1 and HT-29 cell lines, representing monocyte/macrophages and gut epithelial cells, respectively. Results: Our observations revealed that all milk types stimulated epithelial cell proliferation. However, only raw colostrum increased cell migration and interfered with the interaction between E. coli and epithelial cells. Furthermore, the response of epithelial and macrophage cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was enhanced solely by raw colostrum, with a milder effect observed with mature milk. In contrast, both raw and pasteurized milk diminished the LPS induced response in monocytes. Lastly, we examined how milk affected the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages, finding that milk reduced the subsequent inflammatory response of macrophages to LPS. Discussion: Our study sheds light on the impact of human milk on certain mechanisms that potentially account for its protective effects against necrotizing enterocolitis, highlighting the detrimental influence of pasteurization on some of these mechanisms. Our findings emphasize the urgency of developing alternative pasteurization methods to better preserve milk properties. Moreover, identifying the key components critically affected by these protective mechanisms could enable their inclusion in donor milk or formula, thereby enhancing immunological benefits for vulnerable newborns.

The Economic Impact of Donor Milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of mother's own milk supplemented with donor milk vs mother's own milk supplemented with formula for infants of very low birth weight in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of 319 infants with very low birth weight born before (January 2011-December 2012, mother's own milk + formula, n = 150) and after (April 2013-March 2015, mother's own milk + donor milk, n = 169) a donor milk program was implemented in the NICU. Data were retrieved from a prospectively collected research database, the hospital's electronic medical record, and the hospital's cost accounting system. Costs included feedings and other NICU costs incurred by the hospital. A generalized linear regression model was constructed to evaluate the impact of feeding era on NICU total costs, controlling for neonatal and sociodemographic risk factors and morbidities. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated for each morbidity that differed significantly between feeding eras. RESULTS: Infants receiving mother's own milk + donor milk had a lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) than infants receiving mother's own milk + formula (1.8% vs 6.0%, P = .048). Total (hospital + feeding) median costs (2016 USD) were $169 555 for mother's own milk + donor milk and $185 740 for mother's own milk + formula (P = .331), with median feeding costs of $1317 and $936, respectively (P < .001). Mother's own milk + donor milk was associated with $15 555 lower costs per infant (P = .045) and saved $1812 per percentage point decrease in NEC incidence. CONCLUSIONS: The additional cost of a donor milk program was small compared with the cost of a NICU hospitalization. After its introduction, the NEC incidence was significantly lower with small cost savings per case. We speculate that NICUs with greater NEC rates may have greater cost savings.

Características y motivaciones de las mujeres donantes del banco de leche en el Complejo Asistencial Dr. Sótero del Río / Characteristics and motivations of donors to the human milk ba nk in Dr. Sótero del Rio Hospital, Chile

El propósito de este trabajo fue describir las características, motivaciones, barreras y fuentes de información de las mujeres donantes del Banco de Leche en el Complejo Asistencial Dr. Sótero del Río (CASR). MÉTODO: El diseño utilizado en este estudio correspondió a uno de tipo transversal descriptivo. Se realizó una encuesta telefónica con 15 preguntas a 82 mujeres que fueron donantes en al menos una oportunidad en el banco de leche del CASR desde el año 2015 a septiembre de 2017. Se estimaron proporciones para las variables categóricas y medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión para la edad Se calcularon intervalos de confianza al 95%. RESULTADOS: La edad media de las donantes fue de 31,3 años con una desviación estándar de 4,6. El 92,7% se encontraba casada o en convivencia y un 58,5% (IC 95% 47,1 - 69,3) cursó educación profesional superior completa. La principal motivación para donar fue la empatia (41,5% [IC 95% 30,7 - 52,9]) y las principales fuentes de conocimiento fueron internet/redes sociales 43,9% (IC 95% 33,0 - 55,3) y personal de salud 32% (IC 95% 22,9 - 44,2). CONCLUSIONES: La mujer donante del banco de leche del CASR, se encuentra principalmente casada o en convivencia, posee un alto nivel educacional y trabaja fuera del hogar. Estos resultados podrían orientar estrategias al fortalecimiento del banco de leche.

This study sought to describe characteristics, motivations, barriers, and sources of information of human milk donors to the milk bank at Dr. Sótero del Río Hospital, Chile. METHODS: A descriptive and cross - sectional study was carried out. We conducted a 15-question telephone survey in 82 women who were at least one-time milk donors between 2015 and 2017. Statistical analysis included frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables. We calculated 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The mean age of donors was 31.34,6 years; 92.7% were married or were living with their partner and 58.5% (95% CI of 47.1- 69.3) had completed higher education. The main motivation for donating was helping others (41.5% [95% CI of 30.7- 52.9]). The primary sources of knowledge on milk donations were the internet and social networks (43.9% [IC 95% 33.0- 55.3]), followed by health personnel 32% (95% CI of 22.9- 44.2). CONCLUSIONS: The donor profile in CASR's milk bank is a young woman, with a stable partner and high educational level. These results could provide useful information to improve strategies for human milk donation.

Effect of Pooling Practices and Time Postpartum of Milk Donations on the Energy, Macronutrient, and Zinc Concentrations of Resultant Donor Human Milk Pools.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the macronutrient, energy, and zinc composition of pasteurized donor human milk pools and evaluate how composition varies based on pooling practices and "time postpartum" (ie, elapsed time from parturition to expression date) of individual milk donations. STUDY DESIGN: The Mothers' Milk Bank (Arvada, Colorado) donated 128 donor human milk pools. Caloric density was assessed via mid-infrared spectroscopy, and zinc concentration was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Pool time postpartum was calculated as the unweighted average of the time postpartum of all milk donations included in any given pool. RESULTS: Time postpartum of donor human milk pools ranged from 3 days to 9.8 months. The majority (91%) of donor human milk pools included milk from either 1 donor or 2 donors. Pool energy density ranged from 14.7 to 23.1 kcal/oz, and protein ranged from 0.52 to 1.43 g/dL. Milk zinc concentrations were higher in preterm pools and were negatively correlated with pool time postpartum. We present an equation that estimates donor human milk pool zinc content based on time postpartum and explains 49% of the variability in zinc concentrations (P < .0001). Including more donors in donor human milk pools decreased the variability in protein, but not zinc, concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Donor human milk pools were lower in calories than is normally assumed in standard human milk fortification practices. Zinc concentrations were related to donor human milk time postpartum and were on average insufficient to meet preterm and term infants' needs without fortification or supplementation.

Gut Bifidobacterium microbiota in one-month-old Brazilian newborns.

Gut colonisation with bifidobacteria in early infancy is essential for the well-being of the infant. Gestational age and mode of delivery are among the factors influencing the colonisation process. The aim was to characterise the bifidobacterial composition in the gut of one-month-old full-term and pre-term Brazilian infants, both being delivered vaginally or by caesarean section. Fourty nine Brazilian (Viçosa, Minas Gerais state) one-month-old infants were divided in two groups: full-term (n = 24) and pre-term (n = 25), and compared to each other. Each group was then characterised according to its mode of delivery. Infant stool samples were available for bifidobacterial characterisation by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. All study infants were colonised by bifidobacteria. Bifidobacterium longum colonised all full-term and pre-term newborns. Differences were observed in counts of Bifidobacterium genus and Bifidobacterium longum between full-term and pre-term infants (8.8 log cells/g, IQR 7.9-9.1 vs. 7.1 log cells/g, IQR 6.6-8.6, p = 0.02 and 8.3 log cells/g, IQR 6.7-9.1 vs. 6.4 log cells/g, IQR 6.1-6.7, p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the prevalence of Bifidobacterium lactis differed between pre-term caesarean and pre-term vaginally born infants (50.0% vs. 93.8%, p = 0.023). Gut bifidobacterial composition of one-month-old full-term infants differs from that of pre-term newborns in Viçosa, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Gestational age is a factor influencing bacterial numbers and species, while mode of delivery have an impact on the prevalence and quantity of bifidobacteria in studied infants. Bifidobacteria may have an impact on later health of the infants and the species B. longum and B. lactis might provide clues on the potential probiotic applications in pre-term newborns at the risk of developing postnatal complications.