Gut microbiota interacts with host immune system in ways that influence the development of disease. Advances in respiratory immune system also broaden our knowledge of the interaction between host and microbiome in the lung. Increasing evidence indicated the intimate relationship between the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. Exacerbations of chronic gut and lung disease have been shown to share key conceptual features with the disorder and dysregulation of the microbial ecosystem. In this review, we discuss the impact of gut and lung microbiota on disease exacerbation and progression, and the recent understanding of the immunological link between the gut and the lung, the gut-lung axis.

IntroductionNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing health concern worldwide. Administration of probiotics and prebiotics has been proposed as a convenient and effective treatment. Our study aims to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of Lactobacillus paracasei N1115 (N1115) and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) by examining the histopathogenesis and underlying molecular events of NAFLD.Material and methodsAn NAFLD mouse model was established by feeding C57BL/6 mice with a high-fat diet (HFD). N1115, FOS and synbiotics were administered for 16 weeks.ResultsN1115, FOS and synbiotics alleviated HFD-induced hepatic steato-sis and release of tumor necrosis factor-α, and slowed the progression of cirrhosis. Compared to the HFD group, these dietary supplements reduced serum total triglyceride and cholesterol, and appeared to decrease the fasting blood glucose and insulin. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and real-time PCR showed that the regimens could overcome insulin resistance. These findings were associated with the transcriptional repression of inflammatory factors such as lipopolysaccharides, Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB. Lastly, N1115, FOS, and synbiotics improved the intestinal barrier functions and histologic integrity. This was accompanied by the restoration of the p38 MAPK pathway and in-creased expression of the tight junction components occludin-1 and claudin-1.ConclusionsN1115, FOS and synbiotics are effective in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Our data support the translation of these agents into clinical evaluation in human subjects with NAFLD and/or associated risk factors.

We established a microarray for the simultaneous detection and identification of diverse putative pathogens often associated with fishery products by targeting specific genes of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and Yersinia enterocolitica and the 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris. The microarray contained 26 specific probes and was tested against a total of 123 target bacterial strains that included 55 representative strains, 68 clinical isolates, and 45 strains of other bacterial species that belonged to 8 genera and 34 species, and it was shown to be specific and reproducible. A detection sensitivity of 10 ng DNA or 10 CFU/ml for pure cultures of each target organism demonstrated that the assay was highly sensitive and reproducible. Mock and real fishery product samples were tested by the microarray, and the accuracy was 100%. The DNA microarray method described in this communication is specific, sensitive, and reliable and has several advantages over traditional methods of bacterial culture and antiserum agglutination assays.