The gastrointestinal microbiota is considered important in infl ammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. Discoveries from established disease cohorts report reduced bacterial diversity, changes in bacterial composition, and a protective role for Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in Crohn ' s disease (CD). The majority of studies to date are however potentially confounded by the effect of treatment and a reliance on established rather than de-novo disease. METHODS:Microbial changes at diagnosis were examined by biopsying the colonic mucosa of 37 children: 25 with newly presenting, untreated IBD with active colitis (13 CD and 12 ulcerative colitis (UC)), and 12 pediatric controls with a macroscopically and microscopically normal colon. We utilized a dual-methodology approach with pyrosequencing (threshold >10,000 reads) and confi rmatory real-time PCR (RT-PCR). RESULTS:Threshold pyrosequencing output was obtained on 34 subjects (11 CD, 11 UC, 12 controls). No signifi cant changes were noted at phylum level among the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, or Proteobacteria. A signifi cant reduction in bacterial α -diversity was noted in CD vs. controls by three methods (Shannon, Simpson, and phylogenetic diversity) but not in UC vs. controls. An increase in Faecalibacterium was observed in CD compared with controls by pyrosequencing (mean 16.7 % vs. 9.1 % of reads, P = 0.02) and replicated by specifi c F. prausnitzii RT-PCR (36.0 % vs. 19.0 % of total bacteria, P = 0.02). No disease-specifi c clustering was evident on principal components analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results offer a comprehensive examination of the IBD mucosal microbiota at diagnosis, unaffected by therapeutic confounders or changes over time. Our results challenge the current model of a protective role for F. prausnitzii in CD, suggesting a more dynamic role for this organism than previously described.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL is linked to the online version of the paper at

Objective: To assess the effect on growth and iron status in preterm infants of a specially devised weaning strategy compared with current best practices in infant feeding. The preterm weaning strategy recommended the early onset of weaning and the use of foods with a higher energy and protein content than standard milk formula, and foods that are rich sources of iron and zinc. Subjects and design: In a blinded, controlled study, 68 preterm infants (mean (SD) birth weight 1470 (430) g and mean (SD) gestational age 31.3 (2.9) weeks) were randomised to either the preterm weaning strategy group (n = 37) or a current best practice control group (n = 31), from hospital discharge until 1 year gestation corrected age (GCA). Main outcome measures: Weight, supine length, occipitofrontal head circumference, and intakes of energy, protein, and minerals were determined at 0, 6, and 12 months GCA. Levels of haemoglobin, serum iron, and serum ferritin were assayed at 0 and 6 months GCA. Results: Significant positive effects of treatment included: greater increase in standard deviation length scores and length growth velocity; increased intake of energy, protein, and carbohydrate at 6 months GCA and iron at 12 months GCA; increased haemoglobin and serum iron levels at 6 months GCA. Conclusions: The preterm weaning strategy significantly influenced dietary intakes with consequent beneficial effects on growth in length and iron status. This strategy should be adopted as the basis of feeding guidelines for preterm infants after hospital discharge. E vidence is accumulating to support the assertion that low birthweight preterm infants have special nutritional needs in the period after discharge from the neonatal unit. Additional requirements for energy, 1 2 protein, 3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, 4 zinc, 5 iron, 6 calcium, 7 and selenium 8 have all been demonstrated. Furthermore, two randomised controlled trials have shown enhanced growth in preterm infants fed nutrient enriched preterm formula for several months after discharge from neonatal units, compared with those fed standard formula. 10The introduction of solid feeding and the gradual replacement of milk (human or formula) by solid food as the main source of energy and nutrients is a process known as weaning. The onset of weaning occurs almost exclusively after discharge from the neonatal unit. Despite its importance in the nutrition of preterm infants, very little research has been carried out into solid feeding for this population and no randomised controlled trials have been published. Current recommendations on infant weaning fail to take account of differences in nutritional requirements between low birthweight preterm infants and normal birthweight term infants.11 This failure may be responsible, at least in part, for the growth deficit observed throughout childhood in this group of infants. 13Our aim was to develop a safe weaning strategy for preterm infants to optimise growth and neurodevelopment based on the best available evidence, and then to evaluate ...

IntroductionChildren presenting for the first time with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) offer a unique opportunity to study aetiological agents before the confounders of treatment. Microaerophilic bacteria can exploit the ecological niche of the intestinal epithelium; Helicobacter and Campylobacter are previously implicated in IBD pathogenesis. We set out to study these and other microaerophilic bacteria in de-novo paediatric IBD.Patients and Methods100 children undergoing colonoscopy were recruited including 44 treatment naïve de-novo IBD patients and 42 with normal colons. Colonic biopsies were subjected to microaerophilic culture with Gram-negative isolates then identified by sequencing. Biopsies were also PCR screened for the specific microaerophilic bacterial groups: Helicobacteraceae, Campylobacteraceae and Sutterella wadsworthensis. Results129 Gram-negative microaerophilic bacterial isolates were identified from 10 genera. The most frequently cultured was S. wadsworthensis (32 distinct isolates). Unusual Campylobacter were isolated from 8 subjects (including 3 C. concisus, 1 C. curvus, 1 C. lari, 1 C. rectus, 3 C. showae). No Helicobacter were cultured. When comparing IBD vs. normal colon control by PCR the prevalence figures were not significantly different (Helicobacter 11% vs. 12%, p = 1.00; Campylobacter 75% vs. 76%, p = 1.00; S. wadsworthensis 82% vs. 71%, p = 0.312).ConclusionsThis study offers a comprehensive overview of the microaerophilic microbiota of the paediatric colon including at IBD onset. Campylobacter appear to be surprisingly common, are not more strongly associated with IBD and can be isolated from around 8% of paediatric colonic biopsies. S. wadsworthensis appears to be a common commensal. Helicobacter species are relatively rare in the paediatric colon.Trial RegistrationThis study is publically registered on the United Kingdom Clinical Research Network Portfolio (9633).

GastroD affect children's body composition, growth, strength, dietary intake and eating habits, particularly CD, but to a lesser extent than expected.

Although current therapy for CD is associated with improved rate of growth for the first few years, a substantial proportion of children remain short. This study also highlights the need for consistency in describing growth in children with chronic diseases.