Dietary inulin intake and age can significantly affect intestinal absorption of calcium and magnesium in rats: a stable isotope approach

BACKGROUND: previous studies have shown that non-digestible inulin-type fructan intake can increase intestinal mineral absorption in both humans and animals. However, this stimulatory effect on intestinal absorption may depend on experimental conditions such as duration of fermentable fiber intake, mineral diet levels and animals' physiological status, in particular their age. OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to determine the effect of inulin intake on Ca and Mg absorption in rats at different age stages. METHODS: eighty male Wistar rats of four different ages (2, 5, 10 and 20 months) were randomized into either a control group or a group receiving 3.75% inulin in their diet for 4 days and then 7.5% inulin for three weeks. The animals were fed fresh food and water ad libitum for the duration of the experiment. Intestinal absorption of Ca and Mg was determined by fecal monitoring using stable isotopic tracers. Ca and Mg status was also assessed. RESULTS: absorption of Ca and Mg was significantly lower in the aged rats (10 and 20 mo) than in the young and adult rat groups. As expected, inulin intake increased Ca and Mg absorption in all four rat groups. However, inulin had a numerically greater effect on Ca absorption in aged rats than in younger rats whereas its effect on Mg absorption remained similar across all four rat age groups. CONCLUSION: the extent of the stimulatory effect of inulin on absorption of Ca may differ according to animal ages. Further studies are required to explore this effect over longer inulin intake periods, and to confirm these results in humans

NADPH oxidase activity is associated with cardiac osteopontin and pro-collagen type I expression in uremia.

International audienceCardiovascular disease is a frequent complication inducing mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, which can be determined by both traditional risk factors and non-traditional risk factors such as malnutrition and oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress in uremia-induced cardiopathy in an experimental CKD model. CKD was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by a 4-week diet supplemented in adenine, calcium and phosphorous and depleted in proteins. CKD was associated with a 3-fold increase in superoxide anion production from the NADPH oxidase in the left ventricle, but the maximal activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes was not different. Although manganese mitochondrial SOD activity decreased, total SOD activity was not affected and catalase or GPx activities were increased, strengthening the major role of NADPH oxidase in superoxide anion output. Superoxide anion output was associated with enhanced expression of osteopontin (×7.7) and accumulation of pro-collagen type I (×3.7). To conclude, the increased activity of NADPH oxidase during CKD is associated with protein modifications which could activate a pathway leading to cardiac remodelling

Etude de l’effet d’un régime riche en huile de palme sur l’expression génétique des facteurs myogéniques

Un niveau élevé d'acides gras saturés (AGS) dans le sang a un effet délétère sur les muscles squelettiques en inhibant à la fois la régénération des fibres musculaires et la synthèse des protéines musculaires. Du fait de sa richesse en AGS, l’huile de palme est controversée. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’étudier l’effet d’un régime riche en huile de palme (brute et raffinée) sur l’expression des facteurs myogéniques dans le muscle de rats sédentaires et le comparer avec un régime riche en huile d’olive et en Lard. Quarante rats mâles Wistar ont été répartis en 5 groupes de 8 rats chacun : 1 groupe témoin et 4 groupes nourris par des régimes riches en graisse (HFD) contenant respectivement de l’huile de palme brute, de l’huile de palme raffinée, de l’huile d’olive et du lard. Après 12 semaines de régime, les rats ont été sacrifiés et les tissus prélevés L'expression de Pax7, Myf5, MyoD et MyoG a été évaluée par RT-qPCR dans les muscles gastrocnémiens. Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre régime témoin et HFD concernant les expressions de Pax7, Myf5 et MyoG. L’expression de MyoD s’est avérée significativement plus élevée dans les animaux HFD (p=0,0004) par rapport au témoin ; en particulier dans le régime riche en huile d’olive par rapport aux autres régimes HFD (p=0,05). Aucune altération significative de l’expression des gènes des facteurs de régulation myogénique n’a été observée avec l’huile de palme sous ses 2 formes, brute et raffinée. En conclusion, l’huile de palme, malgré sa richesse en AGS, n’a pas d’effet délétère sur la régénération du muscle squelettique.Mots clés : Régime riche graisses, muscle squelettique, Pax7, Myf5, MyoD, MyoG

Online calculator for individual affiliation to a major population group

Because of their sensitivity and high level of discrimination, short tandem repeat (STR) maker systems are currently the method of choice in routine forensic casework and data banking, usually in multiplexes up to 15–17 loci. Constraints related to sample amount and quality, frequently encountered in forensic casework, will not allow to change this picture in the near future, notwithstanding the technological developments. In this study, we present a free online calculator named PopAffiliator (http://cracs.fc.up.pt/popaffiliator) for individual population affiliation in the three main population groups, Eurasian, East Asian and sub-Saharan African, based on genotype profiles for the common set of STRs used in forensics. This calculator performs affiliation based on a model constructed using machine learning techniques. The model was constructed using a data set of approximately fifteen thousand individuals collected for this work. The accuracy of individual population affiliation is approximately 86%, showing that the common set of STRs routinely used in forensics provide a considerable amount of information for population assignment, in addition to being excellent for individual identification

Early holocenic and historic mtDNA african signatures in the iberian peninsula: The andalusian region as a paradigm

Determining the timing, identity and direction of migrations in the Mediterranean Basin, the role of "migratory routes" in and among regions of Africa, Europe and Asia, and the effects of sex-specific behaviors of population movements have important implications for our understanding of the present human genetic diversity. A crucial component of the Mediterranean world is its westernmost region. Clear features of transcontinental ancient contacts between North African and Iberian populations surrounding the maritime region of Gibraltar Strait have been identified from archeological data. The attempt to discern origin and dates of migration between close geographically related regions has been a challenge in the field of uniparental-based population genetics. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies have been focused on surveying the H1, H3 and V lineages when trying to ascertain north-south migrations, and U6 and L in the opposite direction, assuming that those lineages are good proxies for the ancestry of each side of the Mediterranean. To this end, in the present work we have screened entire mtDNA sequences belonging to U6, M1 and L haplogroups in Andalusians--from Huelva and Granada provinces--and Moroccan Berbers. We present here pioneer data and interpretations on the role of NW Africa and the Iberian Peninsula regarding the time of origin, number of founders and expansion directions of these specific markers. The estimated entrance of the North African U6 lineages into Iberia at 10 ky correlates well with other L African clades, indicating that U6 and some L lineages moved together from Africa to Iberia in the Early Holocene. Still, founder analysis highlights that the high sharing of lineages between North Africa and Iberia results from a complex process continued through time, impairing simplistic interpretations. In particular, our work supports the existence of an ancient, frequently denied, bridge connecting the Maghreb and Andalusia.Financial support was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Competitiveness through Research Project CGL2010-15191/BOS granted to RC and International Mobility Program Acciones Integradas Hispano-Portuguesas (PRI-AIBPT-2011-1004) granted to RC (Spain) and LP (Portugal) (http://www.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/mineco/idi). The E.C. Sixth Framework Programme under Contract n° ERAS-CT-2003-980409 (EUROCORES project of the European Science Foundation) also provided financial support to JMD for North African population research. CLH has a predoctoral fellowship granted by Complutense University. PS is supported by FCT Investigator Programme (IF/01641/2013). IPATIMUP (https://www.ipatimup.pt/) integrates the Instituto the Investigação em Saúde (i3S) Research Unit, which is partially supported by FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. IPATIMUP is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds through the FCT - under the project PEst-C/SAU/LA0003/2013. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Guida filosofica del denaro

National audience[No abstract

Hydrochemical characterisation of volcanic Island groundwaters by Na Cl ratio (Reunion Island, Indian Ocean)

International audienc

Distribution de la perméabilité dans le massif du Piton de la Fournaise (apport à la connaissance du fonctionnement hydrogéologique d'un volcan-bouclier)

Les milieux volcaniques insulaires sont caractérisés par l'extrême diversité des modèles conceptuels expliquant leur fonctionnement hydrogéologique. Cette constatation traduit l'existence d'une inconnue fondamentale qui correspond à l'évolution de la perméabilité au coeur des massifs. La formalisation des schémas globaux d'écoulement doit passer préalablement par une évaluation du devenir des caractéristiques hydrauliques des formations au sein de ces édifices volcaniques. Au terme de ce travail mené sur le massif du Piton de la Fournaise, volcan-bouclier typique constituant le tiers Sud-Est de l'Ile de la Réunion (Océan Indien), une estimation de la perméabilité à l'échelle des unités volcano-structurales a été obtenue à l'aide d'une approche combinant des analyses géologiques à des mesures locales de la conductivité hydraulique. Ces mesures ont été réalisées à l'échelle du Volume Elémentaire Représentatif caractéristique d'un milieu basaltique à l'aide d'un appareillage spécifique, portable, permettant des injections d'air comprimé en cavité cylindrique et en milieu non saturé. La diminution systématique des valeurs obtenues en fonction de la profondeur et de l'âge des terrains permet de proposer un schéma inédit d'évolution verticale de la perméabilité dans le massif de la Fournaise. La régionalisation de ce résultat à l'aide d'un modèle volcano-structural réaliste permet la mise en oeuvre de simulations hydrodynamiques à l'échelle du massif. Cette approche par modélisation aboutit à la définition d'un nouveau schéma hydrogéologique conceptuel de la Fournaise qui fait référence à un niveau de saturation régional et continu localisé à plus de 1 700 m au centre de l'édifice. Ce résultat fondamental est cohérent avec les prospections géophysiques les plus récentes, dont celles menées au cours de ce travail à l'aide de la méthode CSAMT (Controled Source Audio Magneto Tellurics)AVIGNON-Bibl. de géologie (840072202) / SudocSAINT DENIS/REUNION-Droit Lettre (974112101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Caractérisation d'un écoulement chenalisé dans un aquifère de brèches volcaniques peu perméables

International audienc