Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are important metabolites of the gut microbiota. The aim is to analyze the influence of perinatal factors, which can affect the gut microbiota, on the concentrations of fecal SCFAs over the first two years of life. Gas chromatography was used to analyze SCFA in a total of 456 fecal samples from 86 children. Total SCFA concentrations increased until 12 months and stabilized after that. Antibiotic treatment during pregnancy was associated with an increase in acetic acid, propionic acid and total SCFA in meconium and a decrease in the same SCFAs at 6 months. Butyric acid was increased after Caesarean delivery until 1 month. In formula-fed children, propionic acid (at 1 month) and butyric acid and total SCFA (at 12 months) were increased. Acetic and linear butyric acids and total SCFAs were also increased at 12 months in children born vaginally that were also formula-fed. Higher butyric acid was observed in children of mothers with normal pre-pregnancy weight and adequate weight gain during pregnancy. Butyric acid was also elevated in 6-month-old infants with a higher body weight (≥85th percentile). Acetic acid concentrations were significantly higher in 2-year-old females vs. males. We conclude that perinatal factors are linked to changes in fecal SCFAs and further long-term epidemiological studies are warranted.

Immaturity in digestive-tract motor function and altered intestinal microbiome may play roles in pathogenesis of infantile colic. We assessed the impact of probiotic therapy on crying duration day, in newborns experiencing colic attacks. The PubMed, Embase, Cinnahl, Web of Science databases, and a clinical trials registry (ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from inception until 12/02/2020. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to derive standardized mean differences/differences in means and risk ratios. We included 16 studies, which involved 1319 newborns aged up to 6 months. Lactobacillus reuteri strain DSM17938 was administered predominantly (n = 10). Probiotic intervention reduced the duration of crying (standardized mean difference = −2.012, 95% confidence interval: −2.763 to −1.261, z = −5.25, p < 0.0001). The probability of at least a 50% reduction in crying duration was at least 1.98 times higher in the intervention group than in controls (Z = 4.80, p < 0.0001). The effects of the intervention were not significantly affected by the risk of bias assessment, percentage of breastfed infants, and duration of the study. In 11 studies, data concerning gut microbiota composition and function and/or immunological markers were given. Probiotics significantly shortened the crying duration, but a causal relationship between the modulatory effect of probiotics on microbiota and the immune system has not been confirmed.

Factors affecting the intestinal-barrier permeability of newborns, such as body mass index (BMI), nutrition and antibiotics, are assumed to affect intestinal-barrier permeability in the first two years of life. This study assessed 100 healthy, full-term newborns to 24 months old. Faecal zonulin/calprotectin concentrations were measured at 1, 6, 12, 24 months as gut-permeability markers. Zonulin concentrations increased between 1 and 12 months (medians: 114.41, 223.7 ng/mL; respectively), whereas calprotectin concentrations decreased between one and six months (medians: 149. 29, 109.28 µg/mL); both then stabilized (24 months: 256.9 ng/mL zonulin; 59.5 µg/mL calprotectin). In individual children, high levels at one month gave high levels at older ages (correlations: calprotectin: between 1 and 6 or 12 months: correlation coefficient (R) = 0.33, statistical significance (p) = 0.0095; R = 0.28, p = 0.032; zonulin: between 1 and 24 months: R = 0.32; p = 0.022, respectively). Parameters which gave marker increases: antibiotics during pregnancy (calprotectin; six months: by 80%, p = 0.038; 12 months: by 48%, p = 0.028); vaginal birth (calprotectin: 6 months: by 140%, p = 0.005); and > 5.7 pregnancy-BMI increase (zonulin: 12 months: by 74%, p = 0.049). Conclusions: “Closure of the intestines” is spread over time and begins between the sixth and twelfth month of life. Antibiotic therapy, BMI increase > 5.7 during pregnancy and vaginal birth are associated with increased intestinal permeability during the first two years of life. Stool zonulin and calprotectin concentrations were much higher compared with previous measurements at older ages; clinical interpretation and validation are needed (no health associations found).

Background: It can be hypothetically assumed that maternal and perinatal factors influence the intestinal barrier. Methods: The study was conducted with 100 healthy, full-term newborns breastfed in the first week of life, with similar analyses for their mothers. Zonulin and calprotectin levels were used as intestinal permeability markers. Results: The median (range) zonulin concentrations (ng/mL) were in mothers: serum, 21.39 (6.39–57.54); stool, 82.23 (42.52–225.74); and newborns: serum cord blood, 11.14 (5.82–52.34); meconium, 54.15 (1.36–700.65); and stool at age seven days, 114.41 (29.38–593.72). Calprotectin median (range) concentrations (µg/mL) in mothers were: stool, 74.79 (3.89–211.77); and newborns: meconium, 154.76 (6.93–8884.11); and stool at age seven days 139.12 (11.89–627.35). The use of antibiotics during pregnancy resulted in higher zonulin concentrations in umbilical-cord serum and calprotectin concentrations in newborn stool at seven days, while antibiotic therapy during labour resulted in higher zonulin concentrations in the stool of newborns at seven days. Zonulin concentrations in the stool of newborns (at seven days) who were born via caesarean section were higher compared to with vaginal birth. With further analyses, caesarean section was found to have a greater effect on zonulin concentrations than prophylactic administration of antibiotics in the perinatal period. Pregnancy mass gain >18 kg was associated with higher calprotectin concentrations in maternal stool. Body Mass Index (BMI) increase >5.7 during pregnancy was associated with decreased zonulin concentrations in maternal stool and increased calprotectin concentrations in stool of mothers and newborns at seven days. There was also a negative correlation between higher BMI increase in pregnancy and maternal zonulin stool concentrations and a positive correlation between BMI increase in pregnancy and maternal calprotectin stool concentrations. Conclusion: Maternal-foetal factors such as caesarean section, antibiotic therapy during pregnancy, as well as change in mother’s BMI during pregnancy may increase intestinal permeability in newborns. Changes in body mass during pregnancy can also affect intestinal permeability in mothers. However, health consequences associated with increased intestinal permeability during the first days of life are unknown. Additionally, before the zonulin and calprotectin tests can be adopted as universal diagnostic applications to assess increased intestinal permeability, validation of these tests is necessary.

We aimed to systematically review the effectiveness of probiotic/synbiotic formulations to counteract cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in healthy people not receiving adjunctive medication. The systematic search (PubMed/MEDLINE/Embase) until 1 August 2019 was performed for randomized controlled trials in >20 adult patients. Random-effect meta-analysis subgroup and meta-regression analysis of co-primary (haemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), glucose, insulin, body weight, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides, and blood pressure) and secondary outcomes (uric acid, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1–PAI-1, fibrinogen, and any variable related to inflammation/endothelial dysfunction). We included 61 trials (5422 persons). The mean time of probiotic administration was 67.01 ± 38.72 days. Most of probiotic strains were of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera. The other strains were Streptococci, Enterococci, and Pediococci. The daily probiotic dose varied between 10⁶ and 10¹⁰ colony-forming units (CFU)/gram. Probiotics/synbiotics counteracted CMR factors (endpoint data on BMI: standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.156, p = 0.006 and difference in means (DM) = −0.45, p = 0.00 and on WC: SMD = −0.147, p = 0.05 and DM = −1.21, p = 0.02; change scores on WC: SMD = −0.166, p = 0.04 and DM = −1.35, p = 0.03) in healthy persons. Overweight/obese healthy people might additionally benefit from reducing total cholesterol concentration (change scores on WC in overweight/obese: SMD: −0.178, p = 0.049). Poor quality of probiotic-related trials make systematic reviews and meta-analyses difficult to conduct and draw definite conclusions. “Gold standard” methodology in probiotic studies awaits further development.

Despite many available treatments, infants born to preeclamptic mothers continue to pose a serious clinical problem. The present study focuses on the evaluation of infants born to preeclamptic mothers for the occurrence of early-onset complications and attempts to link the clinical status of such infants to the angiogenesis markers in maternal blood (sFlt-1, PlGF). The study included 77 newborns and their mothers diagnosed with preeclampsia. The infants were assessed for their perinatal outcomes, with an emphasis on adverse neonatal outcomes such us infections, RDS, PDA, NEC, IVH, ROP, or BPD during the hospitalization period. The cutoff point was established using the ROC curve for the occurrence of any adverse neonatal outcome and it was 204 for the sFlt-1/PlGF and 32 birth week with AOC 0.644 and 0.91, respectively. The newborns born to mothers with high ratios had longer hospitalization times and, generally, were more frequently diagnosed with any of the aforementioned adverse neonatal outcomes. Also, the neonates born prior to or at 32 wkGA with higher sFlt-1/PlGF ratios were statistically significantly more common to be diagnosed with any of the adverse neonatal outcomes compared to those with lower ratio born prior to or at 32 wkGA. The sFlt-1/PlGF ratio can be a useful tool in predicting short-term adverse neonatal outcomes. Infants born after a full 33 weeks gestation developed almost no severe neonatal complications. Appropriate screening and preventive healthcare for preeclampsia can contribute significantly to reducing the incidence of neonatal complications.