The sugar alcohol xylitol inhibits the growth of some bacterial species including Streptococcus mutans. It is used as a food additive to prevent caries. We previously showed that 1.5-4.0 g/kg body weight/day xylitol as part of a high-fat diet (HFD) improved lipid metabolism in rats. However, the effects of lower daily doses of dietary xylitol on gut microbiota and lipid metabolism are unclear. ...

background: alcohol is a potent teratogen and alcohol use in pregnancy and the periconception period can cause many complications in mother, fetus and neonate.  discussion: alcohol in the mother's blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders. alcohol-related birth ...

The action of gut microflora on the metabolism of chloramphenicol (CP) was studied in germfree (GF) and conventional (CV) rats after administration of single oral doses of tritiated CP. There were similarities in the metabolic pathways of CP in the GF and CV animals, i.e., rapid absorption, hepatic glucuroconjugation, and biliary excretion of the CP conjugate. CP, CP-oxamic acid, CP-alcohol, an...

Feces-based population genetic studies have become increasingly popular. However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification rates from fecal material vary depending on the species, populations, loci, and extraction protocols. Here, we assessed the PCR amplification success of three microsatellite markers and a segment of the mitochondrial control region of DNA extracted from field-collected...

OBJECTIVE Cholesterol metabolism is altered by chronic ethanol consumption. In previous articles, we demonstrated the anti-oxidant capacity of folic acid, which may be useful in the prevention of damage provoked by ethanol. We want to determine the effects of ethanol on cholesterol and bile metabolism and whether a folic acid-supplemented diet could change alterations provoked by a chronic etha...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The diagnostic yield of fecal leukocyte and stool cultures is unsatisfactory in patients with acute diarrhea. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical significance of the fecal lactoferrin test and fecal multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in patients with acute diarrhea. METHODS Clinical parameters and laboratory findings, including fecal leukocytes, fecal lact...

BACKGROUND This study investigated the interaction between heterotrophic bacteria and coliform, fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci bacteria in water supply networks. METHODS This study was conducted during 2013 on water supply distribution network in Aq Qala City, Golestan Province, Northern Iran and standard methods were applied for microbiological analysis. The surface method was applied t...