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During the ART era, persistent immune activation remains a significant challenge in people living with HIV (PLWH). Microbial translocation play an essential role in this setting. Probiotics have several immunological benefits which can reverse this process. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the safety and efficacy of probiotics on CD4 counts among Iranian PLWH.

In total, 50 PLWH with CD4 counts above 350 cells/mm³ did not receive ART participated in a randomized, double-blind trial and underwent 24 weeks of treatment with either LactoCare® or placebo twice daily. CD4 counts of the patients were measured at baseline, 12 weeks and 24 later in the two groups. Side effects were measured monthly using a specific checklist.

The mean CD4 count of the patients showed a significant difference between the two groups after six months. Through six months follow up, the mean CD4 count of the patients showed a significant reduction as compared to the baseline in the placebo group; however, it did not show a significant difference in the probiotic group. Repeated Measures Anova test showed a significant effect for time × treatment interaction on the CD4 count during the trial course. No significant difference between the two groups concerning adverse events was reported.

It seems the use of probiotics in PLWH with a CD4 count above 350 cells/mm³ who are not receiving antiretroviral drugs is safe and can reduce the devastating process of CD4+ T cells in these patients.

Purpose – This study was conducted to determine the effect of peel of Arabica coffee (PAC) with Win Prob Probiotic on crude fiber content and fiber fraction (neutral detergent fiber, NDF; acid detergent fiber, ADF; cellulose; hemicelluloses; and lignin). The hypothesis of this study is that PAC fermentation using Probiotic Win Prob can decrease the content of crude fiber and fiber fraction.

Design/Methodology/Approach – The research design applied was a factorial completely randomized design with three treatments and three replications. Factor A (probiotic dose) consisted of three doses: 2.5%, 5%, and 7%, in addition, there are three fermentation durations considered as factor B, which are 20, 30, and 40 days.

Findings – The result of this study indicates that the content of crude fiber and fiber fractions can decrease each amount of the variable of this study. The best treatment was obtained in A3B3 with 7% probiotic with 30 days of fermentation. Rough fiber PAC decreased up to 27.66% and NDF content decreased by 3.6%. Moreover, ADF content decreased up to 4.10%. The last lignin decreased by 18.75%.

Research Limitations/Implications – Only a small portion of coarse fiber and fiber fractions in PAC is fermented with Win Prob probiotics. So we can try other ways to reduce the coarse fiber and PAC fiber fractions such as the combination of ammonium and fermentation (amofer).

Originality/Value – The PAC has a high content of crude fiber and fiber fractions (NDF, ADF, cellulose, hemisellulose, and lignin), and so it is recommended as ruminants for feed ingredients.