Background/Objectives: Resistant starch intake has been shown to influence gut microbiota composition and affect metabolic markers. These effects may be partially attributed to enhanced short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-mediated energy harvesting and hepatic lipogenesis induced by resistant starch fermentation. However, there is a lack of prospective research addressing these associations. To address this gap, we performed a double-blind, randomized dietary intervention study to investigate the impact of high versus low resistant starch consumption on metabolic markers and gut microbiota among adult women presenting with risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Methods: A total of 30 participants were randomly assigned to either the low-resistant starch (LRS) or high-resistant starch (HRS) diet groups. Each group, comprising 15 participants, consumed one food product per day enriched with either high or low resistant starch for 8 weeks. Changes in metabolic indices and gut microbiota were assessed and compared with baseline values, as assessed before diet (Week 0). Results: After 8 weeks of intervention, the HRS diet significantly increased body weight, body fat, and triglyceride (TG) level (mean change ≈ +40 mg/dL), while reducing blood pressure. Analysis of intestinal microbiota in the HRS group revealed a statistically significant increase in the genus Veillonella following the intervention. Conversely, the genus Marvinbryantia increased significantly in the LRS group. Conclusions: In women with metabolic risk factors, resistant starch supplementation elicited mixed metabolic responses—showing a modest reduction in blood pressure but concurrent increases in adiposity and TG concentrations. As the TG elevation reached a clinically meaningful magnitude, dietary interventions involving high-resistant starch should incorporate regular lipid monitoring to ensure cardiometabolic safety. Collectively, these findings highlight the complex interplay between SCFA-producing gut microbiota and host energy metabolism, suggesting that individualized dietary strategies may be required to optimize metabolic outcomes.

Intestinal fungal overgrowth (IFO) is an increasingly recognized yet underexplored component of gut dysbiosis with potential implications for gastrointestinal and systemic disease. While bacterial microbiota have historically garnered research attention, recent advances in sequencing technologies have highlighted the importance of the gut mycobiome in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Disruption of fungal–bacterial balance, particularly involving Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. glabrata, may contribute to symptom generation through immune activation, epithelial barrier dysfunction, biofilm formation, and the production of toxic metabolites such as acetaldehyde and candidalysin. Emerging clinical evidence suggests that IFO is associated with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, including bloating, abdominal discomfort, and altered bowel habits, particularly in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies targeting bacterial overgrowth. Furthermore, fungal dysbiosis involving Malassezia restricta and Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, and systemic immune dysregulation; however, the nature and directionality of these relationships remain incompletely understood. Despite increasing recognition, the diagnosis of IFO remains challenging due to a lack of standardized criteria and validated non-invasive tools. Therapeutic strategies, including antifungal agents such as fluconazole and nystatin, as well as microbiome-targeted interventions, show promise but require further validation. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current evidence regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic challenges, and therapeutic implications of IFO, with particular emphasis on species-specific mechanisms. Recognition of the intestinal mycobiome as a potentially important component of gut health may provide new perspectives for understanding gastrointestinal disorders and inform future precision medicine approaches.

This study investigates the efficacy of integrating a collagen-elastin matrix (MatriDerm) with lower blepharoplasty to address infraorbital hollowness and fine wrinkles in aging patients, conditions often inadequately treated with conventional techniques. Twenty patients (40 eyelids) aged 40 to 70 years with Barton's grade II to III periorbital hollowness were included. Lower blepharoplasty was performed using a subciliary approach, and the collagen-elastin matrix was implanted in two submuscular layers along the lid-cheek groove. Seven patients received additional subdermal implantation to further address fine wrinkles. Outcomes were evaluated three months postoperatively using Barton's grading system and digital photography. The results demonstrated significant improvements in both volume restoration and wrinkle reduction. Among Grade III cases, 60% improved to grade 0, and 25% improved to grade I. No major complications were observed, and patient satisfaction was universally high. The collagen-elastin matrix served as an effective adjunct to lower blepharoplasty, enhancing structural support and promoting tissue regeneration. By providing a scaffold for neocollagenesis and maintaining skin elasticity, the matrix addressed volume deficiencies and fine wrinkles more comprehensively than traditional methods alone. This study highlights the collagen-elastin matrix as a promising solution for improving outcomes in lower eyelid rejuvenation. Its integration into lower blepharoplasty procedures offers a dual benefit of volume enhancement and wrinkle improvement in a single operation. Further research with larger sample sizes and extended follow-ups is necessary to confirm these findings and explore broader applications in aesthetic surgery.

The marine ecosystem remains an unparalleled reservoir of structurally unique macromolecular biomolecules with diverse pharmaceutical applications. Among red macroalgae (Rhodophyta), the genus Gelidium Lamouroux is economically renowned as a primary industrial source of agar. Beyond its traditional hydrocolloid utility, recent molecular evidence reveals that Gelidium biomass possesses a dense matrix of non-digestible sulfated galactans, low-molecular-weight agaro-oligosaccharides, marine bromophenols, polyphenols, and mycosporine-like amino acids that have shown promising biological activities and therapeutic potential in preclinical models. Utilizing advanced green depolymerization and extraction technologies—including enzyme-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, and subcritical water extraction—these structural polysaccharides and specialized secondary metabolites can be efficiently isolated while optimizing yields and preserving bioactive functional integrity. This review comprehensively synthesizes the dual-target therapeutic modalities of Gelidium bioactives, focusing on their prebiotic modulation of the gastrointestinal microbiota and their protective effects on cutaneous tissues. In the gastrointestinal tract, Gelidium polysaccharides resist upper digestive enzymatic hydrolysis, serving as selective fermentable substrates that significantly enrich beneficial saccharolytic taxa while suppressing opportunistic pathobionts. This microbial fermentation accelerates the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids; based on established epithelial models, these organic acids provide a mechanistic rationale for upregulating epithelial tight junction proteins (zonula occludens-1, occludin, and claudin-1), theoretically supporting intestinal barrier integrity and mitigating systemic endotoxemia. Concurrently, in cutaneous tissues, selected Gelidium-derived fractions have been reported to modulate matrix metalloproteinases, including matrix metalloproteinase-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, scavenge reactive oxygen species via nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 pathway activation, and modulate oxidative and melanogenic pathways to support cutaneous homeostasis. Finally, we establish the theoretical framework of the gut–skin axis as an experimentally supported systemic conduit through which Gelidium-mediated intestinal homeostasis attenuates cutaneous inflammation, photoaging, and barrier disruption. We further address current bioavailability limitations, standardization hurdles, and future clinical trajectories required to translate Gelidium biomass into functional nutricosmetics and marine therapeutics.

Background/Objectives: Functional diarrhea (FDr) is a common gastrointestinal disorder, and alterations in the gut microbiota have been proposed as one of its potential pathophysiological mechanisms. Hydrogen/methane breath tests are commonly used to identify findings suggestive of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), whereas fecal calprotectin (FC) serves as a marker of intestinal inflammation. However, the prevalence of these findings and their relationship in patients with FDr remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of positive breath test findings (suggestive of SIBO/IMO) and detectable/elevated FC in patients with a diagnosis of FDr and to evaluate their cross-sectional relationship and phenotypic overlap. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent both a lactulose breath test and FC measurement between March 2015 and April 2021 and fulfilled the Rome IV criteria for FDr. Positive breath test findings suggestive of SIBO/IMO were defined as a hydrogen increase of ≥20 ppm within 90 min or a methane increase of ≥10 ppm at any time following ingestion of 10 g of lactulose. FC was evaluated at two thresholds: the analytical limit of detection (LOD ≥ 11.5 mg/kg), used as an exploratory threshold to distinguish detectable from non-detectable FC, and the conventional clinical cutoff (>50 mg/kg), used to identify clinically elevated FC levels. Results: Among 524 patients with FDr aged ≥ 20 years, 176 (33.6%) had positive breath test findings suggestive of SIBO/IMO, 177 (33.8%) had detectable FC (≥11.5 mg/kg), and 71 (13.5%) met the conventional cutoff (>50 mg/kg). Concurrent breath test positivity and detectable FC (≥11.5 mg/kg) were present in 52 patients (9.9%), while only 19 patients (3.6%) exhibited concurrent breath test positivity and clinically elevated FC (>50 mg/kg). Conclusions: Approximately one-third of patients with Rome IV-defined FDr demonstrated positive breath test findings suggestive of SIBO/IMO, and a similar proportion had detectable FC concentrations (≥11.5 mg/kg), whereas clinically elevated FC (>50 mg/kg) was present in 13.5% (71/524). Positive breath test findings and FC elevation showed no significant cross-sectional association at either threshold. These findings provide descriptive prevalence estimates and do not establish mechanistic relationships between breath test positivity and FC elevation in patients with Rome IV-defined FDr.