DNA extraction was carried out using the DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit (Qiagen Ltd) according to the manufacturer's instructions, as described previously (Morphew et al ., Reference Morphew, Eccleston, Wilkinson, McGarry, Perally, Prescott, Ward, Williams, Paterson, Raman and Ravikumar2012) and the concentration and purity of the extracted DNA quantified using NanoDrop (ThermoFisher Scientific, USA)
, Oxidative Stress, Aging and Diseases, Oxidative Stress Dis
Possibilities include: fecal SCFA levels (as an indicator of beneficial fermentation), serum TMAO (marker of detrimental microbial metabolism), gut permeability assays (like urinary sugar tests or blood zonulin) to gauge gut barrier integrity, and even gut microbial gene profiles that might predict rapid vs slow disease progression
Future research should differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals, select specific probiotics or their fermented products, utilize widely studied strains, standardize experimental protocols (including dosage, duration, and clinical endpoints), and assess the long-term effects of probiotic interventions
This simple step removes any surface contaminants that could compromise your entire research compound
