Excessive training may limit physiological muscle adaptation through chronic oxidative stress and inflammation. Improper diet and overtraining may also disrupt intestinal homeostasis and in consequence enhance inflammation. Altogether, these factors may lead to an imbalance in the gut ecosystem, causing dysregulation of the immune system. Therefore, it seems to be important to optimize the intestinal microbiota composition, which is able to modulate the immune system and reduce oxidative stress. Moreover, the optimal intestinal microbiota composition may have an impact on muscle protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis and function, as well as muscle glycogen storage. Aproperly balanced microbiome may also reduce inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species production, which may further attenuate macromolecules damage. Consequently, supplementation with probiotics may have some beneficial effect on aerobic and anaerobic performance. The phenomenon of gut-muscle axis should be continuously explored to function maintenance, not only in athletes.

The association between bacterial as well as viral gut microbiota imbalance and carcinogenesis has been intensively analysed in many studies; nevertheless, the role of fungal gut microbiota (mycobiota) in colorectal, oral, and pancreatic cancer development is relatively new and undiscovered field due to low abundance of intestinal fungi as well as lack of well-characterized reference genomes. Several specific fungi amounts are increased in colorectal cancer patients; moreover, it was observed that the disease stage is strongly related to the fungal microbiota profile; thus, it may be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for adenomas. Candida albicans, which is the major microbe contributing to oral cancer development, may promote carcinogenesis via several mechanisms, mainly triggering inflammation. Early detection of pancreatic cancer provides the opportunity to improve survival rate, therefore, there is a need to conduct further studies regarding the role of fungal microbiota as a potential prognostic tool to diagnose this cancer at early stage. Additionally, growing attention towards the characterization of mycobiota may contribute to improve the efficiency of therapeutic methods used to alter the composition and activity of gut microbiota. The administration of Saccharomyces boulardii in oncology, mainly in immunocompromised and/or critically ill patients, is still controversial.

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Gastrointestinal symptoms in Crohn’s disease (CD) are common and affect the quality of life of patients; consequently, a growing number of studies have been published on diet interventions in this group. The role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and the progression of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including CD, has been widely discussed. Mainly, a decreased abundance of Firmicutes, species of the Bifidobacterium genus, and the Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species as well as a reduced general diversity have been described. In this review article, we summarize available data on the influence of reduction diets on the microbiome of patients with CD. One of the most frequently used elimination diets in CD patients is the low-FODMAP (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) diet. Although many papers show it may reduce abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bloating, it also reduces the intake of prebiotic substances, which can negatively affect the gut microbiota composition, decreasing the abundance of Bifidobacterium species and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Other elimination diets used by IBD patients, such as lactose-free or gluten-free diets, have also been shown to disturb the microbial diversity. On the other hand, CDED (Crohn’s disease exclusion diet) with partial enteral nutrition not only induces the remission of CD but also has a positive influence on the microbiota. The impact of diet interventions on the microbiota and, potentially, on the future course of the disease should be considered when nutritional guidelines for IBD patients are designed. Dietetic recommendations should be based not only on the regulation of the symptoms but also on the long-term development of the disease.

Introduction: The measurements of corneal white-to-white (WTW) diameter and pupil size are critical for decision making in refractive surgery. Currently, automatic measurement of keratometry, corneal WTW, and pupil size are implemented in several ocular devices. The purpose of this study was to examine the agreement between two commonly used devices, an autorefractor and an optical biometer, for these parameters. Methods: Measurements were performed with both a Lenstar LS-900 and Nidek ARK-1 by an experienced examiner in random order. The devices were placed in close proximity within the same dimly lit room. Results: The measurements of 65 right eyes were analyzed. The results of the flat, steep, and mean keratometric reading were not significantly different ( p = 0.96, p = 0.90, p = 0.93, respectively). Corneal WTW distances showed only moderate agreement between devices and were found to be significantly different ( r = 0.8071; p < 0.01). Pupil diameters showed poor agreement between devices and were significantly different ( r = 0.4890; p < 0.01). Agreement between implantable contact lens sizing, based on the measurements obtained by the two devices, was achieved for 19 of the 51 eyes (37.3%). Conclusion: We found a significant difference in WTW and pupil size measurements between ARK-1 and Lenstar. Results for both of the devices cannot be considered interchangeable for these data parameters.