Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0847097 (acidity)
 15,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The normal indigenous flora of the human gastrointestinal tract comprises a remarkably complex yet stable colony of more than 400 separate species, living in a symbiotic relationship with the human host. Stability of that flora is accomplished by multiple mechanisms including gastric acidity, gut motility, bile, products of immune cells in the gut epithelium, and competition between microorganisms for nutrients and intestinal binding sites. The indigenous flora influences multiple aspects of physiologic homeostasis and forms a key component of normal host defenses against infection by exogenous pathogens. Critical illness is associated with striking changes in patterns of microbial colonization, best described in the oropharynx and upper gastrointestinal tract. Pathological colonization occurs with the same species that is predominate in nosocomial infections, and descriptive studies suggest that such colonization is a risk factor for infection. Moreover, prophylactic measures that prevent pathological gut colonization in experimental circumstances reduce rates of nosocomial infection in critically ill patients and, in the case of selective decontamination of the digestive tract, reduce mortality risk. Conventional approaches to infectious diseases have conceptualized microorganisms as inimical and focused on eradicating them as rapidly and fully as possible. Insights from the study of critically ill patients suggest that that relationship is better understood as a symbiotic one and that preservation, rather than elimination, of the indigenous flora provides the greatest promise of clinical benefit to this vulnerable population.
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PMID:Gastrointestinal flora and its alterations in critical illness. 1058 83

Bifidobacteria are probiotic organisms that improve the microbial balance in the human gut. They can be incorporated as live cultures in fermented dairy foods, including yogurt, for transmission to humans. Because bifidobacteria are sensitive to high acidity, their viability in yogurt is limited. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of microencapsulation on the viability of bifidobacteria in yogurt during refrigerated storage for 30 d. Live bifidobacterial cells were encapsulated in kappa-carrageenan. Cell enumeration, determination of titratable acidity and pH, quantitation of lactic and acetic acids, and sensory evaluation (consumer test) were carried out on the yogurt samples. Microbiological results showed a decline of 78 and 70.5% in the population of Bifidobacterium longum B6 and B. longum ATCC 15708, respectively, for the treatments containing nonencapsulated cells. No difference in bifidobacterial population was observed in the encapsulated treatments. The acetic acid content in the yogurt with nonencapsulated bifidobacteria was higher than that in the plain yogurt (control) and encapsulated treatments. The increase in lactic acid content during storage was not different among the various treatments for B. longum B6, but was greater for nonencapsulated than encapsulated B. longum 15708 and the control. Consumers judged the nonencapsulated treatment as the most sour, which was likely due to the higher acetic acid content. Consumers preferred the control and nonencapsulated treatments over the encapsulated treatment. Microencapsulation appears to increase the viability of bifidobacteria in yogurt. This technique can be used to transmit bifidobacteria via fermented products provided that sensory characteristics of the product are improved or maintained.
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PMID:Viability of microencapsulated bifidobacteria in set yogurt during refrigerated storage. 1100 22

Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are purportedly beneficial to human health and are called probiotics. Their survival during passage through the human gut, when administered in fermented milk products, has been investigated intensely in recent years. Well-controlled, small-scale studies on diarrhea in both adults and infants have shown that probiotics are beneficial and that they survive in sufficient numbers to affect gut microbial metabolism. Survival rates have been estimated at 20-40% for selected strains, the main obstacles to survival being gastric acidity and the action of bile salts. Although it is believed that the maximum probiotic effect can be achieved if the organisms adhere to intestinal mucosal cells, there is no evidence that exogenously administered probiotics do adhere to the mucosal cells. Instead, they seem to pass into the feces without having adhered or multiplied. Thus, to obtain a continuous exogenous probiotic effect, the probiotic culture must be ingested continually. Certain exogenously administered substances enhance the action of both exogenous and endogenous probiotics. Human milk contains many substances that stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria in vitro and also in the small intestine of infants; however, it is unlikely that they function in the colon. However, lactulose and certain fructose-containing compounds, called prebiotics, are not digested in the small intestine but pass into the cecum unchanged, where they are selectively utilized by probiotics. Beneficial effects may thus accrue from exogenously administered probiotics, often administered with prebiotics, or by endogenous bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, whose metabolic activity and growth may also be enhanced by the administration of prebiotics.
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PMID:Probiotics: determinants of survival and growth in the gut. 1115 48

In lepidopteran larvae, three transport mechanisms are involved in the active and electrogenic K(+) secretion that occurs in the epithelial goblet cells of the midgut. These consist of (i) basolateral K(+) channels, allowing K(+) entry from the haemolymph into the cytosol, (ii) apical electrogenic K(+)/2H(+) antiporters, which are responsible for secondary active extrusion of K(+) from the cell into the gut lumen via the goblet cavity and (iii) apical V-ATPase-type proton pumps. The latter energize apical K(+) exit by building up a large, cavity-positive electrical potential that drives the antiporters. Net K(+) secretion (I(K)) can be measured as short-circuit current (I(sc)) across the in vitro midgut mounted in an Ussing chamber. We investigated the influence of protons on the transepithelial I(K) and the partial reactions of the basolateral K(+) permeability (P(K)) and the apical, lumped 'K(+) pump' current (I(P)) at various extra- and intracellular pH values. In particular, we wanted to know whether increased cellular acidity could counteract the reversible dissociation of the V-ATPase into its V(1) and V(o) parts, as occurs in yeast after glucose deprivation and in the midgut of Manduca sexta during starvation or moulting, thus possibly enhancing K(+) transport. When intact epithelia were perfused with high-[K(+)] (32 mmol l(-1)) salines with different pH values, I(K) was reversibly reduced when pH values fell below 6 on either side of the epithelium. Attempts to modify the intracellular pH by pulsing with NH(4)(+) or propionate showed that intracellular acidification caused a reduction in I(K) similar to that obtained in response to application of external protons. Treatment with azide, a well-known inhibitor of the mitochondrial ATP synthase, had the same effect as pulsing with ammonium or propionate with, however, much faster kinetics and higher reversibility. Breakdown of the basolateral or apical barrier using the antibiotic nystatin allowed the intracellular pH to be clamped to that of the saline facing the nystatin-treated epithelial border. Cell acidification achieved by this manipulation led to a reduction in both apical I(P) and basolateral P(K). The transepithelial I(K) showed an approximately half-maximal reduction at external pH values close to 5 in intact tissues, and a similar reduction in I(P) and P(K) values was seen at an intracellular pH of 5 in nystatin-permeabilised epithelia. Thus, the hypothesized V(1)V(o) stabilization by cell acidity is not reflected in the pH-sensitivity of I(P). Moreover, all components that transport K(+) are synchronously inhibited below pH 6. The significance of our findings for the midgut in vivo is discussed.
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PMID:Insect midgut K(+) secretion: concerted run-down of apical/basolateral transporters with extra-/intracellular acidity. 1189 60

The proportion of the daily ingested aluminium that is absorbed in the intestinal tract has remained a matter of debate for many years because no reliable method of measurement was available. Studies with earlier analytic techniques reported fractional absorption of aluminium from as little as 0.001% to as much as 27% of an oral dose. Measurement of (26)Al by high-energy accelerator mass spectrometry has permitted more accurate analyses. In normal young rats, 0.05-0.1% of ingested aluminium is absorbed in the intestine, of which roughly half goes to the skeleton within 2 h, whereas the remaining half is excreted in the urine, most of it within 48 h. Deposition in organs other than the skeleton appears to be negligible. In healthy human volunteers, the most recent estimates of fractional intestinal (26)Al absorption were also in the range of 0.06-0.1%. In both rats and humans, intestinal absorption of aluminium is subject to many systemic and local factors. The latter include various compounds with which aluminium is complexed in the gut lumen, and gastric acidity. The influence of food is controversial; however, absorption appears higher in the fasted than the post-prandial state. Luminal phosphate concentration decreases aluminium absorption, whereas citrate increases it. For theoretical reasons, silicates should prevent aluminium absorption, but experimental evidence has not supported this theory. Whether water hardness affects aluminium bioavailability remains a matter of debate. General conditions may also modify aluminium absorption and deposition in bone. Examples of these general factors include the uraemic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, secondary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D status, Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. Awareness of intestinal absorption of aluminium is particularly important, given that aluminium-based binders continue to be used in uraemic patients, despite the hazards of aluminium accumulation. The lessons we have learned about aluminium absorption-from the methodological difficulties of measuring it accurately to understanding the long-term clinical risks of this metal-should guide us in the safety evaluation of other potentially toxic metals that have been proposed for therapeutic use in patients with renal failure.
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PMID:Intestinal absorption of aluminium in renal failure. 1190 52

Oxalate degradation by the anaerobic bacterium Oxalobacter formigenes is important for human health, helping to prevent hyperoxaluria and disorders such as the development of kidney stones. Oxalate-degrading activity cannot be detected in the gut flora of some individuals, possibly because Oxalobacter is susceptible to commonly used antimicrobials. Here, clarithromycin, doxycycline, and some other antibiotics inhibited oxalate degradation by two human strains of O. formigenes. These strains varied in their response to gut environmental factors, including exposure to gastric acidity and bile salts. O. formigenes strains established oxalate breakdown in fermentors which were preinoculated with fecal bacteria from individuals lacking oxalate-degrading activity. Reducing the concentration of oxalate in the medium reduced the numbers of O. formigenes bacteria. Oxalate degradation was established and maintained at dilution rates comparable to colonic transit times in healthy individuals. A single oral ingestion of O. formigenes by adult volunteers was, for the first time, shown to result in (i) reduced urinary oxalate excretion following administration of an oxalate load, (ii) the recovery of oxalate-degrading activity in feces, and (iii) prolonged retention of colonization.
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PMID:Oxalobacter formigenes and its potential role in human health. 1214 79

Ecological studies carried out in Welsh rivers on the feeding behaviour of salmonid fish, their helminth parasites and intermediate hosts in the early 1950s and in 1998 have been used as a basis to review the literature dealing with the following questions. First, how are the helminth populations dispersed in space-time? Second, to what extent are the distributional patterns and the life history strategies of the parasites influenced by physicochemical factors? Third, to what extent are populations of helmith parasites in salmonid fish influenced by host characteristics including the genome, sex, age, size, social position and Feeding behaviour? Fourth, are the populations of parasites regulated in a density-dependent manner? Fifth, do the parasites influence the survival and wellbeing of their salmonid hosts and the evolution of sex? Sixth, to what extent is the parasite community influenced by environmental changes including those of an anthropogenic nature and can the parasites be used as bioindicators of pollution? As with most parasites the helminth species found were highly overdispersed thus making it necessary to undertake a log10 (1 + x) conversion for statistical analyses. Statistical analyses confirm that the genome, age and sex of salmonid fish hosts, the station and seasonal change in radiation levels were significant factors in predicting the number of parasites. The evidence given supports the hypothesis that the feeding behaviour and habitat selection by the host fish, their position in the social hierarchy and the overdispersed nature of the transmission sites are the key factors in causing differences in the parasitic fauna related to host species, age, size and sex. Differences in the helminth parasite community related to station can be explained on the basis of differences in water types, sediments and chemistry. Although the evidence presented is in accord with the consensus view that temperature is correlated with seasonal changes in the abundance of many species of helminth parasites, it is argued that it may not be the direct causative mechanism. It is postulated that the life history strategy that results in a decline in abundance of the more vulnerable adult parasites in the gut of the salmonid hosts during the summer has arisen as a result of evolutionary pressures. At this time, the gut environment is particularly inhospitable because of the temperature-related enhancement of the host's immune mechanism and the increased gut turnover rate. In contrast, the larval stages in the immunologically and metabolically more benign intermediate host would be under less intensive selective pressures. It is postulated therefore that evolutionary pressures have caused the parasites to leave the definitive host and concentrate their reproductive efforts in the intermediate hosts during the warmer months. Evidence is given in support of the hypothesis that the parasite populations are regulated in a density-dependent manner and that the regulatory mechanisms may involve the host's immune mechanisms and intraspecies competition and interspecies competition of an exploitative or interference nature. Quantitative studies using 'K' factor analysis and biochemical research to elucidate the nature of the interference mechanisms are required to test this hypothesis. The absence of age-related resistance indicates an old and stable relationship in which the immunosuppressive and immunoavoidance mechanisms of the parasites and hosts, respectively, are in balance. This indicates that the introduction of novel parasites or new genetic strains of host fish could result in harmful epidemics. Despite causing tissue damage, there was no evidence of parasite-induced mortality among the salmonids in the Teifi. This finding is in accord with the generally accepted view that most freshwaters are not troubled by parasite problems. although parasites are present in abundance. In fact, parasite abundance in the salmonid fish in the Teifi was positively correlated with the condition factor and the adipose index. Two testable hypotheses were advanced to explain these observations. First, the more dominant well-conditioned fish in the hierarchy are more likely to acquire parasites because they ingest more food items and spend more time in sheltered habitats with depositing sediments where transmission mainly occurs. Second, the parasites may release factors that stimulate the host's immune and endocrinological systems to produce factors that enhance somatic growth and inhibit reproduction of the host. This benign relationship is considered to be indicative of long-term coevolution. The sex of the fish had a significant influence on the abundance of the parasites in total and also on particular species with the bias in all cases being in favour of the female fish. This review shows that sex bias in parasitism is generally not strong and that male bias in parasitism is not a general rule. Taken as a whole, the results fail to support most of the predictions based on the Hamilton-Zuk and the immunocompetence hypotheses. Possible hypotheses to explain why parasitism tends to be higher in female than in male trout include testosterone immunosuppression, corticosteroid-based immune suppression and differences between the size and behaviour of the sexes. However, the latter two hypotheses have more credence, although testosterone levels are higher in female than male trout. Between the early 1950s and 1998 there has been a marked decline in the prevalence, abundance and diversity of the helminth parasite communities in salmonid fish as well as their intermediate hosts. Possible reasons for these declines include heavy metal pollution, increased acidity and habitat degradation linked to changes in land use. It is concluded that although helminth parasites can provide supplementary information on pollution. the use of biotic indices based on the Biological monitoring working party (BMWP) or River invertebrate prediction and classification system (RIVPACS) methods are preferable. However, as these methods were designed to measure the impact of organic pollution they lack the sensitivity for measuring metal pollution. It is advocated therefore that new biomonitoring methods should be developed to measure the impact of heavy metal pollution using biotic indices based on the sampling of the susceptible invertebrate communities inhabiting depositing sediments in the transmission sites of helminth parasites.
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PMID:The ecology of fish parasites with particular reference to helminth parasites and their salmonid fish hosts in Welsh rivers: a review of some of the central questions. 1252 Dec 60

The genus Propionibacterium consists of two principal groups, cutaneous and classical or dairy. Cutaneous species are predominant members of the microbial population of human skin and have also been isolated from the feces of humans and other vertebrate animals. They are often considered opportunistic organisms and have been occasionally associated with infections in humans. Dairy propionibacteria are microorganisms extensively used in the industry for manufacture of Swiss-type cheeses and biological production of propionic acid and vitamin B12. They can be isolated from soil, vegetables, silage, raw milk, and dairy products such as kefir and different cheeses with "eyes."In the last decade, several studies have demonstrated probiotic properties for members of the genus Propionibacterium. The effects claimed are based on the production of bacteriocins, vitamins, stimulation of growth of other colonic bacteria like bifidobacteria, beneficial modification of the composition and metabolic activities of the intestinal microflora, immunomodulation, and antimutagenic activity. It is thought that to produce many of these health benefits, the probiotic microorganisms must be able to survive the transit through the hostile conditions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and remain at high levels in the intestine, avoiding removal by peristaltic contractions of the gut. In this sense, microorganisms with a short generation time or the ability to adhere to the intestinal mucosa will survive for prolonged periods in the body of the host. Therefore, two desirable properties for probiotic microorganisms are (1) resistance to gastric acidity, bile, and pancreatic enzymes; and (2) adhesion ability to mucosal surfaces. Dairy bacteria are traditionally not considered to persist as normal inhabitants of the human intestinal tract. Therefore, survival under GIT conditions and adherence are important properties to be considered, and tests to study them would be useful tools. In the present chapter we describe the methods used in our laboratory to assess survival, metabolic activity, and adhesion of dairy propionibacteria to intestinal epithelial cells after gastrointestinal digestion.
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PMID:Assessing survival of dairy propionibacteria in gastrointestinal conditions and adherence to intestinal epithelia. 1515 53

The oral toxicity of alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) was examined in a 13-week feeding study in which groups of Beagle dogs received alpha-CD in the diet at concentrations of 0 (control), 5, 10, or 20% (4 dogs/sex/group). No treatment-related changes were noted in behavior or appearance of the dogs and no mortalities occurred. Diarrhea occurred in all alpha-CD groups. The incidence and severity of diarrhea increased with increasing dietary levels of alpha-CD and was more pronounced in males than females. Nonetheless, all dogs remained in good health and gained weight. Food intake was slightly increased and food efficiency was slightly decreased in the 20% alpha-CD group. However, these changes did not reach statistical significance. No treatment-related differences were observed with respect to ophthalmoscopic examinations, hematological parameters, clinicochemical analyses of the plasma, and semiquantitative urine analyses. Only the urinary pH was slightly below control levels in males (p > 0.05) and females (p < 0.05) of the 20% alpha-CD group. No abnormalities were seen at necropsy that could be attributed to the treatment. The organ weight data revealed cecal enlargement in the 10 and 20% alpha-CD groups (significant only in males). The relative weight of the colon was also slightly increased in the 10 and 20% alpha-CD groups (significant only in females of the 10% alpha-CD group). On microscopic examination, no treatment-related alterations were observed in any of the various organs and tissues. In conclusion, transient diarrhoea, enlargement of the cecum and colon and a slightly increased acidity of the urine were the only treatment-related effects. These changes are well-known physiological responses to the presence of high amounts of not digested, fermentable carbohydrates in the lower gut. They are known to be reversible on cessation of the treatment and are not associated with histological alterations of the intestinal tissues. It is concluded, therefore, that the high dose level, at which the male and female dogs consumed about 9.8 and 10.4 g alpha-CD/kg bw/d, respectively, is the NOAEL of this 13-week toxicity study.
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PMID:Subchronic (13-week) oral toxicity study of alpha-cyclodextrin in dogs. 1526 12

It has long been known that many chemical and physical stimuli imposed on the cell from its exterior environments elicit a long-lasting Ca2+ influx through yet poorly elucidated transmembrane pathways distinct from voltage-gated and fast ligand-gated Ca2+ entry channels, thereby activating and modulating a variety of cellular functions. Recent progress in molecularly identifying these pathways, initiated from the discovery of Drosophila's visual transduction mutants transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins, has begun to reveal the presence of an enormous superfamily of non-voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. The mammalian members of TRP superfamily are (except for two members) Ca2+-permeable non-selective cation channels which are constitutively active or gated by a multitude of physicochemical stimuli such as receptor stimulation, phospholipids, oxidants, pheromones, cell volume change/shear stress, exogenous compounds affecting sensations, and changes in ambient temperature, acidity and osmolarity and cellular metabolic status. Owing to these diversities in activation and their broad distribution from brain to peripheral organs and tissues, TRP channels are now thought to be involved in divergent physiological functions including; pain and taste transductions; thermo- and mechano-sensations; regulation of mineral absorption/reabsorption; blood pressure, gut motility and airway responsiveness; cell proliferation/death, some of which seem tightly associated with specific genetic disorders. These features will render TRP channels the attractive novel molecular targets for future drug therapy. This paper briefly overviews the current knowledge available for these channels with a main interest in their possible linkage with in vivo function.
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PMID:TRP channels as a newly emerging non-voltage-gated CA2+ entry channel superfamily. 1597 67


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