OBJECTIVE To prospectively study S-100B and neuron specific enolase (NSE) levels in subjects treated for severe head injury (sTBI), and investigate the prognostic value of these biomarkers. METHODS Subjects included in a prospective double blind randomised study for sTBI. INCLUSION CRITERIA Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 10 mm...

Identification of refugia is an increasingly important adaptation strategy in conservation planning under rapid anthropogenic climate change. Granite outcrops (GOs) provide extraordinary diversity, including a wide range of taxa, vegetation types and habitats in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR). However, poor characterization of GOs limits the capacity of conservation planning ...

The objective of this study was to systematically assess the bifidogenic effect of three commonly used prebiotic products using in vitro cultures of infant fecal samples. Fresh stool samples collected from six term infants, each exclusively fed human milk (n = 3) or infant formula (n = 3), at 28 days of age were used as inocula. The following prebiotic products were added at concentrations appl...

BACKGROUND In the first phase of life, in which the immune system is primed and the bacterial colonization of epithelial surfaces takes place, foals are highly susceptible to bacterial infections. Next to strategies to optimize maternally acquired immunity in individual foals, current research explores other options to modulate immune responses in foals. During the past decades, oligosaccharide...

BACKGROUND Aging is associated with reduced numbers of beneficial colonic bifidobacteria and impaired immunity. Galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in younger adults, but little is known about their effects in the elderly and their immunomodulatory capacity. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of a prebiotic GOS mixture (B-GOS) on immune function and fecal micro...

Prebiotic oligosaccharides are thought to provide beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals by stimulating growth of selected members of the intestinal microflora. Another means by which prebiotic oligosaccharides may confer health benefits is via their antiadhesive activity. Specifically, these oligosaccharides may directly inhibit infections by enteric pathogens d...

A method for immobilization of β-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces lactis on an adsorptive membrane for the continuous synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides from lactose was carried out. The immobilization was performed at 4, 10, 15 and 40°C. Two strongly basic anion exchange membranes with tradename MustangQ and SartobindQ were investigated. In static experiments, the highest enzyme activity wa...

The present study was conducted to assess selected galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) effects on short-chain acids (SCFA), microbiota variability in vitro, and health benefits using an animal model. In the in-vitro anaerobic batch, fermentation applied different groups divided by a varied amount of GOS sources, mixtures, prebiotics. Results reported that SCFA for inulin contributed significantly hi...

Constipation is a common problem and its prevalence increases with age. Severe constipation requires treatment with laxatives, but nutritional therapy, especially increased dietary fibre intake, is recommended primarily for the prevention and treatment of mild constipation. One alternative may be the use of oligosaccharides, which act as soluble fibre and have a bifidogenic effect. Galacto-olig...