Osteopontin (OPN) is an acidic phosphorylated glycoprotein involved in a wide range of biological activities, such as cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as immunomodulatory functions. OPN contains integrin and CD44 binding sites, and it exerts its multiple functions by binding to its...

Infants are frequently supplemented with iron to prevent iron deficiency, but iron supplements may have adverse effects on infant health. Although iron supplements can be highly effective at improving iron status and preventing iron deficiency anemia, iron may adversely affect growth and...

Dietary supplementation with bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) concentrates has recently emerged as a possible means to improve the health of infants and young children. Formula-fed infants are of special interest since infant formulas traditionally have lower concentrations of biologically...

Human milk contains a wide variety of bioactive components, including long-chain fatty acids, complex oligosaccharides, and bioactive proteins. More recently, it was discovered that breast milk also contains exosomes, i.e., microvesicles containing microRNAs (miRNAs) with sizes of ∼22 nucleotides....

As a trace element, copper has a crucial role in mammalian metabolism, but it can be toxic in excess. The importance of a balanced copper homeostasis is illustrated by several copper-associated disorders in man, such as Menkes and Wilson disease, and in a wide variety of animal models (eg, mice,...

Researchers have observed that a sialic acid (Sia)-supplemented neonatal diet leads to improved cognition in weanling piglets. However, whether cognitive improvement appears with different physiological backgrounds and persists into adulthood is not known. Here, we have established a convenient...

MicroRNA (miRNA) is small non-coding RNA involved in gene silencing and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. Milk exosomes are microvesicles containing microRNAs (miRNAs). miR-22-3p (miR-22) is plentiful in human milk exosomes and may contribute to intestinal development since milk...

Lactoferrin (Lf) samples from several manufacturers were evaluated in vitro. The purity and protein form of each Lf were examined by SDS-PAGE, Western blot, and proteomics analysis. Assays were conducted to evaluate uptake of Lfs and iron from Lfs by enterocytes as well as Lf bioactivities,...

Background Proteins and lipids of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and probiotics are immunomodulatory. We hypothesized that Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei strain F19 (F19) would augment vaccine antibody and T helper 1 type immune responses whereas MFGM would produce an immune response...

This issue presents papers from the 90th Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop, which was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, last 30 October-1 November 2017. The topics of papers focused on the theme of the conference "Human milk: composition, clinical benefits and future opportunities".