Prevalence of a healthy lifestyle among individuals with cardiovascular disease in high-, middle- and low-income countries: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study

Importance: Little is known about adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors among individuals with a coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke event in communities across a range of countries worldwide. Objective: To examine the prevalence of avoidance or cessation of smoking, eating a healthy diet, and undertaking regular physical activities by individuals with a CHD or stroke event. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) was a large, prospective cohort study that used an epidemiological survey of 153 996 adults, aged 35 to 70 years, from 628 urban and rural communities in 3 high-income countries (HIC), 7 upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), 3 lower-middle-income countries (LMIC), and 4 low-income countries (LIC), who were enrolled between January 2003 and December 2009. Main Outcome: Measures smoking status (current, former, never), level of exercise (low, 600 metabolic equivalent task [MET]-min/wk; moderate, 600-3000 MET-min/wk; high, 3000 MET-min/wk), and diet (classified by the Food Frequency Questionnaire and defined using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index). Results: Among 7519 individuals with self-reported CHD (past event: median, 5.0 [interquartile range {IQR}, 2.0-10.0] years ago) or stroke (past event: median, 4.0 [IQR, 2.0-8.0] years ago), 18.5% (95% CI, 17.6%-19.4%) continued to smoke; only 35.1% (95% CI, 29.6%-41.0%) undertook high levels of work- or leisure related physical activity, and 39.0% (95% CI, 30.0%-48.7%) had healthy diets; 14.3% (95% CI, 11.7%-17.3%) did not undertake any of the 3 healthy lifestyle behaviors and 4.3% (95% CI, 3.1%-5.8%) had all 3. Overall, 52.5% (95% CI, 50.7%-54.3%) quit smoking (by income country classification: 74.9% [95% CI, 71.1%-78.6%] in HIC; 56.5% [95% CI, 53.4%-58.6%] in UMIC; 42.6% [95% CI, 39.6%-45.6%] in LMIC; and 38.1% [95% CI, 33.1%-43.2%] in LIC). Levels of physical activity increased with increasing country income but this trend was not statistically significant. The lowest prevalence of eating healthy diets was in LIC (25.8%; 95% CI, 13.0%-44.8%) compared with LMIC (43.2%; 95% CI, 30.0%- 57.4%), UMIC (45.1%, 95% CI, 30.9%-60.1%), and HIC (43.4%, 95% CI, 21.0%- 68.7%). Conclusion and Relevance: Among a sample of patients with a CHD or stroke event from countries with varying income levels, the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors was low, with even lower levels in poorer countries.IS

Aurones as Antidiabetic Agents and Their Prebiotic Activities

Cyperus conglomeratus has been utilized in traditional medicine as an emollient, diuretic, analgesic, anthelmintic, and for other diseases. Furthermore, several biological activities have been reported for the plant extract and the isolated metabolites. The chromatographic investigation of an ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts led to the isolation of three aurone derivatives (1–3) from the plant for the first time. Their structures were identified as aureusidin (1), aureusidin-4-methyl ether (2), and 5-methyl aureusidin (3) using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, along with mass spectrometry. The compounds were tested for their inhibitory activities against enzymes vital in metabolic diseases, especially diabetes, such as α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and glycogen phosphorylase. The results were expressed as percentage inhibition. The inhibitory activity of aurones against the tested enzymes was also analyzed by computational docking studies to provide a rational explanation for the observed results. The tested compounds formed stable interactions in terms of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction with the active site residues of the tested enzymes, and the results are in agreement with those of the in vitro antidiabetic activity. The compounds were also evaluated for their ability to support the growth and viability of beneficial bacteria in terms of prebiotic activities using two species, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, through the determination of prebiotic activity scores (Pscore). The findings of this study showed that C. conglomeratus is a potential natural source of bioactive agents. There is, however, a need for in vivo testing to evaluate this plant’s efficacy for developing new drug entities in the future

Pre-Harvest Application of Salicylic Acid, Abscisic Acid, and Methyl Jasmonate Conserve Bioactive Compounds of Strawberry Fruits during Refrigerated Storage

The short shelf-life and loss of bioactive compounds of strawberry fruit are the most important problems during strawberry refrigerated storage. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the pre-harvest foliar application of salicylic acid (SA) (2 and 4 mM), abscisic acid (ABA) (0.25 and 0.50 mM), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) (0.25 and 0.50 mM) three times, 10 d apart, at fruit development and ripening stages on storage ability and bioactive compounds of strawberry fruit (cv. Festival) stored at 4 °C for 12 d. Our results showed that fruit obtained from both concentrations of ABA and 0.25 mM MeJA was firmer and had higher total soluble solids (TSS) than fruit from non-treated plants. However, all previous applications had no significant effect on weight loss, pH, or color. Applications of 4 mM SA and 0.25 mM MeJA conserved fruit from ascorbic acid (AsA) loss compared to control at the end of the storage period. In addition, all pre-harvest applications remained higher in total phenolic compounds (TPC) and anthocyanin contents compared to controls at the last storage period. Hence, the pre-harvest application of SA, ABA, and MeJA could be used to conserve TPC and anthocyanin as well as the quality of strawberry fruits during refrigerated storage

Supplementation of Labneh with Passion Fruit Peel Enhanced Survival of E. coli Nissle 1917 during Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion and Adhesion to Caco-2 Cells

Passion fruit peel powder (PFPP) was used to supplement the probiotic labneh to increase the activity of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) during production and storage. Labneh was manufactured with PFPP (0.5% and 1%) and analyzed at 0, 7, and 15 days of cold storage for postacidification and sensory properties and viability of EcN, survival of EcN to simulated gastrointestinal tract stress, and adhesion potential of EcN to Caco-2 cells. Acidification kinetics during fermentation showed that supplementation with PFPP reduced the time needed to decrease pH and reach the maximum acidification rate. PFPP addition contributed to postacidification of labneh during storage. PFPP had a beneficial effect (p < 0.05) on counts of EcN in labneh during different storage periods. Consumer preference expectations for labneh enriched with PFPP (0.5% and 1%) were higher than those for the control. PFPP provided a significant protective action for EcN during simulated gastrointestinal transit and had a positive effect on EcN adhesion to Caco-2 cells in vitro, although this decreased during storage with labneh. Labneh supplementation with PFPP can be recommended because of the positive effect on EcN viability and the high nutritional value, which may increase the appeal of the product to consumers

In Vitro Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, and Prebiotic Activities of the Chemical Compounds Isolated from Guizotia abyssinica

India and Ethiopia employ Guizotia abyssinica (niger plant) as a source of edible vegetable oil. Previous studies have documented the niger plant’s antioxidant properties and dietary benefits. Here, G. abyssinica extract was obtained and ten known bioactive components (1–10) were isolated. The antioxidant, antidiabetic, and prebiotic properties of whole extract and isolated components of niger and the plant’s ability to cooperate symbiotically with probiotic strains were examined. Compound 10, myricetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside, had the highest antioxidant capacity measured in the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH, 4629.76 ± 6.02 µmol Trolox equivalent/g compound) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP, 2667.62 ± 7.5 mol Trolox equivalent/g compound) assays. The lowest α-amylase and glycogen phosphorylase activities and glucose diffusion were obtained with whole G. abyssinica extracts, whereas compounds 8–10 had moderate inhibitory effects. G. abyssinica extract also induced the highest glucose absorption by yeast cells in the presence of 5 mM of glucose. Moreover, Lactobacillus plantarum and L. rhamnosus incubated with β-sitosterol 3-O-D-glucoside (compound 7) showed the highest prebiotic activity score. The levels of L-(+)-lactic acid isomer in the probiotic strains were the highest in presence of the whole extract and decreased progressively in the presence of flavonoid glycosides (compounds 8–10) and β-sitosterol 3-O-D-glucoside. The enzymatic profile of the probiotic strains was unaffected by the niger extract and compounds 7–10. The findings revealed that the biological activities of G. abyssinica extract are mediated by the compounds 1–10, and it may be considered as a promising plant for the treatment of diabetes mellitus