a trend towards significancep = 0.063
While no significant differences were detected between No D-NEC (spheres) and D-NEC piglets (stars), there was a trend towards significance (PERMANOVA, 999 permutations; p = 0.063) and a pattern wherein piglets with D-NEC in the NEC + Lr -DM-maltose group clustered away from piglets with D-NEC in the NEC + Saline group (Fig. 4 b).