Inspiratory threshold loading reduces lipoperoxidation in obese and normal-weight subjects

Obesity is related to increased oxidative stress. Although low-intensity physical exercise reduces oxidative stress, obese subjects may show exercise intolerance. For these subjects, inspiratory threshold loading could be an alternative tool to reduce oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of inspiratory threshold loading on biomarkers of oxidative stress in obese and normal-weight subjects. Twenty obese (31.4 ± 6 years old, 10 men and 10 women, 37.5 ± 4.7 kg/m2) and 20 normal-weight (29.4 ± 8 years old, 10 men and 10 women, 23.2 ± 1.5 kg/m2) subjects matched for age and gender participated in the study. Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) was assessed by a pressure transducer. Blood sampling was performed before and after loading and control protocols to assess thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonylation, and reduced glutathione. Inspiratory threshold loading was performed at 60% MIP and maintained until task failure. The 30-min control protocol was performed at 0 cmH2O. Our results demonstrated that inspiratory threshold loading reduced TBARS across time in obese (6.21 ± 2.03 to 4.91 ± 2.14 nmol MDA/ml) and normal-weight subjects (5.60 ± 3.58 to 4.69 ± 2.80 nmol MDA/ml; p = 0.007), but no change was observed in protein carbonyls and glutathione in both groups. The control protocol showed no significant changes in TBARS and protein carbonyls. However, reduced glutathione was increased across time in both groups (obese: from 0.50 ± 0.37 to 0.56 ± 0.35 μmol GSH/ml; normal-weight: from 0.61 ± 0.11 to 0.81 ± 0.23 μmol GSH/ml; p = 0.002). These findings suggest that inspiratory threshold loading could be potentially used as an alternative tool to reduce oxidative stress in both normal-weight and obese individuals

Microbial Diversity in the Midguts of Field and Lab-Reared Populations of the European Corn Borer Ostrinia nubilalis

Background: Insects are associated with microorganisms that contribute to the digestion and processing of nutrients. The European Corn Borer (ECB) is a moth present world-wide, causing severe economical damage as a pest on corn and other crops. In the present work, we give a detailed view of the complexity of the microorganisms forming the ECB midgut microbiota with the objective of comparing the biodiversity of the midgut-associated microbiota and explore their potential as a source of genes and enzymes with biotechnological applications. Methodological/Principal Findings: A high-throughput sequencing approach has been used to identify bacterial species, genes and metabolic pathways, particularly those involved in plant-matter degradation, in two different ECB populations (field-collected vs. lab-reared population with artificial diet). Analysis of the resulting sequences revealed the massive presence of Staphylococcus warneri and Weissella paramesenteroides in the lab-reared sample. This enabled us to reconstruct both genomes almost completely. Despite the apparently low diversity, 208 different genera were detected in the sample, although most of them at very low frequency. By contrast, the natural population exhibited an even higher taxonomic diversity along with a wider array of cellulolytic enzyme families. However, in spite of the differences in relative abundance of major taxonomic groups, not only did both metagenomes share a similar functional profile but also a similar distribution of non-redundant genes in different functional categories. Conclusions/Significance: Our results reveal a highly diverse pool of bacterial species in both O. nubilalis populations, with major differences: The lab-reared sample is rich in gram-positive species (two of which have almost fully sequenced genomes) while the field sample harbors mainly gram-negative species and has a larger set of cellulolytic enzymes. We have found a clear relationship between the diet and the midgut microbiota, which reveals the selection pressure of food on the community of intestinal bacteria. © 2011 Belda et al.The research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, under grant agreement CIT-010000-2008-5 and by a MICINN (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion) TIN2009-12359 ArtBioCom project. Arnau Montagud acknowledges Generalitat Valenciana grant BFPI/2007/283. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Belda Cuesta, EA.; Pedrola, L.; Peretó Magraner, J.; Martinez Blanch, JF.; Montagud Aquino, A.; Navarro-Peris, E.; Urchueguía Schölzel, JF.... (2011). Microbial Diversity in the Midguts of Field and Lab-Reared Populations of the European Corn Borer Ostrinia nubilalis. PLoS ONE. 6(6):21751-21751. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021751S21751217516

Efficacy and Safety of Abciximab in Diabetic Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Thienopyridines Loading: A Meta-Analysis

It has been controversial whether abciximab offered additional benefits for diabetic patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with thienopyridines loading.MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library clinical trials registry, ISI Science Citation Index, ISI Web of Knowledge and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched, supplemented with manual-screening for relevant publications. Quantitative meta-analyses were performed to assess differences between abciximab groups and controls with respect to post-PCI risk of major cardiac events (MACEs), angiographic restenosis and bleeding complications.<0.001), whereas major bleedings rate was similar (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.27–2.57).Concomitant dosing of abciximab and thienopyridines provides no additional benefit among diabetic patients who underwent PCI; this conclusion, though, needs further confirmation in larger studies