Addition of hydrolysed porcine mucosa to low-fishmeal feed improves intestinal morphology and the expressions of intestinal amino acids and small peptide transporters in hybrid groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂)

To assess the place of AST/ALT ratio (the ratio of serum aspartate aminotransferase to serum alanine aminotransferase) as a diagnostic marker in medical populations. Laboratory tests were viewed retrospectively in three groups of patients: 313 patients with alcohol dependence, consecutively admitted to an alcohol and drug treatment unit for treatment of withdrawal (W) symptoms, 78 patients with alcohol abuse or dependence consecutively admitted to surgical or medical wards with various primary somatic (S) diagnoses (e.g. respiratory, gastrointestinal and metabolic), and 48 consecutive patients with alcohol abuse or dependence admitted to surgical or medical wards for treatment of alcohol-related liver cirrhosis and its complications (C). Comparison between groups was made of the pattern of patients' AST/ALT ratios using, for Groups S and C, laboratory data from patients' first admission for their condition. There was a significant rise in the AST/ALT ratio from the W to the S patients, and from the S to the C patients. In the W group, the ratio was or = 2. In the C group, 69% had a ratio > or = 2, and 8% a ratio < or = 1.0. The mean ratio was midway in the S group. In the C group, there was a progressive decline in aspartate (AST/ALT) ratios after admission. Most patients with high alcohol consumption but without severe liver disease do not have an AST/ALT ratio above 1. High AST/ALT ratio suggests advanced alcoholic liver disease.

Novel, culture-independent, molecular and metagenomic techniques have provided new insight into the complex interactions between the mammalian host and gut microbial species. It is increasingly evident that gut microbes may shape the host metabolic and immune network activity and ultimately influence the development of obesity and diabetes. We discuss the evidence connecting gut microflora to obesity and to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and we present recent insights into potential mechanisms underlying this relationship: increased nutrient absorption from the diet, prolonged intestinal transit time, altered bile acid entero-hepatic cycle, increased cellular uptake of circulating triglycerides, enhanced de novo lipogenesis, reduced free fatty acid oxidation, altered tissue composition of biologically active polyunsaturated fatty acid, chronic low-grade inflammation triggered by the endotoxin toll-like receptor 4 axis, and altered intestinal barrier function.

Gut microbiota have attracted extensive attention recently because of their important role in host metabolism, immunity and health maintenance. The present study focused on factors affecting the gut microbiome of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and further explored the potential effect of the gut microbiome on metabolism. Totally, 43.39 Gb of screened metagenomic sequences obtained from 24 gut samples were fully analysed. We detected 1228 phylotypes (116 Archaea and 1112 Bacteria), most of which belonged to the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. Totally, 41335 of the detected open reading frames (ORFs) were matched to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, and carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism was the main matched pathway deduced from the annotated ORFs. Redundancy analysis based on the phylogenetic composition and gene composition of the gut microbiome indicated that gut fullness and feeding (i.e. ryegrass vs. commercial feed, and pond-cultured vs. wild) were significantly related to the gut microbiome. Moreover, many biosynthesis and metabolism pathways of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids were significantly enhanced by the gut microbiome in ryegrass-fed grass carp. These findings suggest that the metabolic role played by the gut microbiome in grass carp can be affected by feeding. These findings contribute to the field of fish gut microbial ecology and also provide a basis for follow-up functional studies. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.