Increased oral nitric oxide in obstructive sleep apnoea

SummaryBackgroundHypoxia and snoring-related mechanical trauma contribute to airway inflammation in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Increased exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), an airway inflammation marker, has been reported in OSA patients. We propose the measure of NO in the oral cavity (oNO) as marker of oropharyngeal inflammation in OSA.MethodsWe compared oNO and FENO of 39 OSA patients with those of 26 mild asthmatics (ASTHMA), 15 patients with chronic rhinitis or rhinosinusitis (CRS) and 24 healthy subjects. A special device was used for oNO measurement. Apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index, mean and nadir SaO2 were calculated from the polysomnography.ResultsoNO was significantly increased in OSA (104.2 95%CI 80.2–135.5ppb) as compared to ASTHMA (71.9 95%CI 56.3–91.9ppb; p=0.015), CRS (54.4 95%CI 40.2–73.7ppb; p=0.009) and healthy subjects (63.6 95%CI 59–73ppb; p<0.001). oNO was directly related to AHI (r=0.466, p=0.003) and to minutes slept with SaO2 <90% (r=0.471, p=0.011) and it was inversely related to nadirSaO2 (r=−0.393, p=0.018). FENO was highest in asthmatics (40.3 95%CI 32.5–50.1ppb) and only slightly elevated in OSA (23.1 95%CI 19,8–28.3ppb) and CRS (22.8 95%CI 16.8–32.5ppb).ConclusionsThe finding that oral NO is increased in OSA and is related to upper airway obstructive episodes and to hypoxemia severity, strengthens the clinical and pathogenic role of oral inflammation in OSA

Trends in the development of gluten-free bakery products

Food intolerance became an important public health concern, and identification of effective strategies for prevention is required. There is an increasing incidence of coeliac disease or other allergic reactions/intolerances to gluten, so the coeliac disease became one of the most common food intolerances. This intolerance can be present at any age, from early childhood to elderly. The present paper presents an overview of the results/approaches of the latest scientific investigations on gluten-free products based on (i) the use of different gluten-free base flours (rice, maize, sorghum, oat, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, teff); (ii) the use of different ingredients/additives (starches, dairy products, egg proteins, dietary fibre, gum and hydrocolloids) for improving nutritional quality and consumer acceptability; (iii) developing alternative technologies such as enzymatic or sourdough technology and high hydrostatic pressure processing