In particular, microbial infections and imbalances in the composition of the gut microbiota are associated with intestinal disorders such as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and with other immune related disorders [ 2, 3].
The composition of the gut microbiome is correlated with diet [ 9] and may be linked with the pathophysiology of bowel disorders [ 10, 11], obesity [ 12– 14], atherosclerosis [ 15– 17], diabetes [ 18], rheumatoid arthritis [ 19, 20] and neurodevelopmental disorders [ 21].
MR molecular imaging and MR spectroscopy (MRS) are still experimental but promising, because they are some of the leading technologies in metabolomics and have possibility to analyze and characterize the molecular composition of inflamed bowel wall [ 51].
Another advertisement promoting Duphalac® (lactulose) as having a "fast and permanent effect in constipation" referred to a study limited to evaluation of the effect of lactulose on the composition of bowel flora [ 27].
Changes in the composition of bowel communities is accepted to occur in relation to antibiotic-associated colitis of the elderly, but compositional alterations could also be relevant to allergic diseases in children and inflammatory bowel diseases (i.e. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).
The synbiotic consumption was effective in introducing beneficial bacteria into the gastrointestinal tract in Crohn's patients, thereby modulating the species composition of the mucosal biofilm in the large bowel.
Paneth cells are generally absent, but metaplastic Paneth cells are sometimes observed in the colon, especially in diseases of dysbiosis (aberrations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota) such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Nutrient and energy digestibilities were calculated as follows: ME, digestibility, and data for fecal wet weight, fecal dry weight, number of bowel movements, and chemical composition of the diet and excreta were analyzed with a mixed-model ANOVA with repeated measures by using the volunteer as the random term (SAS version 9; SAS Institute Inc).
Initiated by the idea that alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota are associated with intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease, several studies investigated whether faecal microbiota transplantation would be an equally suitable approach for these devastating disorders.
Prior studies have shown that the taxonomic composition of the microbial community may affect the propensity to develop obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, bacterial vaginosis, dental caries and so on [ 7, 16- 22].
