Pyrolysis of cashew nutshells: Characterization of products and energy balance

Cashew cultivation leads to the generation of large amounts of nutshells. In order to determine whether pyrolysis could be a suitable method for the valorization of this agricultural residue, cashew nutshells (CNS) from Burkina Faso were pyrolyzed in the temperature range between 400 and 600 °C in a laboratory-scale fixed bed reactor. The solid, liquid and gaseous fractions were quantified and characterized, with special focus on the solid product. Recovery of the cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) was accomplished during pyrolysis separately from the pyrolysis liquid. Results suggest that, except for the aqueous fraction, all the products obtained from pyrolysis are suitable for fuel purposes, and that part of the CNSL can be recovered below 200 °C during the heating process. A preliminary energy balance of the process shows that burning the gases can provide the energy necessary for the process at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C

Intestinal Microbiota Transplantation From HFD-fed and Quercetin Treated Donors Results in a Complex Metabolic Phenotype Transfer that Modulates Obesity-Related NAFLD in Germ Free Mice

2 p.Intestinal microbiota imbalance and related gut-liver axis activation have been identified as key mechanisms in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development. Modulation of intestinal microbiota, through administration of prebiotics or faecal microbiota transplantation, is a promising therapeutic approach for obesity associated diseases including NAFLD. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the benefits of gut microbiota transplantation from donors to germ free mice (GFm) following an experimental treatment with the flavonoid quercetin in a high fat diet (HFD)-based NAFLD model. Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S

Metabolic Phenotype Transfer Through Gut Microbiota Transplantation from HFD-Fed and Quercetin Treated Donors Modulates Obesity-Related NAFLD in Germ-Free Mice

1 p.Gut microbiota is involved in obesity, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Strategies to modulate it, including faecal transplantation and administration of prebiotics as quercetin, are actively being examined. The present study aims to investigate benefits of experimental gut microbiota transfer from donors to germ-free mice (GFm) in a high-fat diet (HFD)-based NAFLD model. Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S

Akkermansia spp. mediates protection from obesity-associated NAFLD development in germ free mice following intestinal microbiota transplantation from high fat diet and quercetin treated donors

1 p.Dysbiosis and gut-liver axis alteration have been pointed as important contributors to obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development. Modulation of intestinal microbiota (IM) emerge as a promising therapeutic strategy for obesity-associated NAFLD. This study aims to determine the effect of IM transplantation and quercetin supplementation in a high fat diet (HFD)-based NAFLD model in germ free mice (GFm). Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S

Functional Interactions between Gut Microbiota Transplantation, Quercetin, and High‐Fat Diet Determine Non‐Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Development in Germ‐Free Mice

[EN] Scope: Modulation of intestinal microbiota has emerged as a new therapeutic approach for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Herein, it is addressed whether gut microbiota modulation by quercetin and intestinal microbiota transplantation can influence NAFLD development. Methods and results: Gut microbiota donor mice are selected according to their response to high-fat diet (HFD) and quercetin in terms of obesity and NAFLD-related biomarkers. Germ-free recipients displayed metabolic phenotypic differences derived from interactions between microbiota transplanted, diets, and quercetin. Based on the evaluation of hallmark characteristics of NAFLD, it is found that gut microbiota transplantation from the HFD-non-responder donor and the HFD-fed donor with the highest response to quercetin results in a protective phenotype against HFD-induced NAFLD, in a mechanism that involves gut–liver axis alteration blockage in these receivers. Gut microbiota from the HFD-responder donor predisposed transplanted germ-free mice to NAFLD. Divergent protective and deleterious metabolic phenotypes exhibited are related to definite microbial profiles in recipients, highlighting the predominant role of Akkermansia genus in the protection from obesity-associated NAFLD development. Conclusions: The results provide scientific support for the prebiotic capacity of quercetin and the transfer of established metabolic profiles through gut microbiota transplantation as a protective strategy against the development of obesity-related NAFLDSIM.V.G.M. and S.S.C. share senior authorship. D.P. and E.N. made equal contribution to the study. D.P., E.N., S.M.F., M.V.G.M., and S.S.C. performed most of the experiments. J.L.O. and F.J. performed statistical analysis. R.J. and J.G.G. assisted for in vivo models. S.S.C. designed the experiments and supervised the study. All the authors wrote the manuscript. The authors thank Drs. Gérard and Rabot, from MICALIS Institute (INRA), for providing germ-free mice. This work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (BFU2013-48141-R, BFU2017-87960-R), Junta de Castilla y León (LE135U13, GRS 1428/A/16), Junta de Castilla y León and FEDER, (LE063U16), and IIS Hospital La Fe (2017_0092_PP). D.P. was supported by a fellowship from Junta de Castilla y León co-financed by the European Social Fund. E.N. was supported by Fundación de Investigación Sanitaria of León. M.V.G.M. was supported by CIBERehd contracts. CIBERehd is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spai

Protective effect of quercetin treatment on HFD-induced intestinal dysbiosis and barrier dysfunction in an in vivo model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

1 p.Gut microbiota is involved in obesity, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Quercetin may have the ability to modulate the intestinal microbiota composition, suggesting therapeutic potential in NAFLD. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial effect of quercetin treatment on dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction and gut-liver axis alteration in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S

Protective Effect of Quercetin Treatment on Gut Microbiota Imbalance in Obesity-Associated NAFLD in Patients and in HFD-FED Mice

2 p.Gut microbiota is involved in obesity, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Quercetin may modulate the intestinal microbiota composition, suggesting therapeutic potential in NAFLD. The present study aims to establish the role of gut microbiota imbalance in obesity-related NAFLD development in patients and in an in vivo model and to investigate benefits of experimental treatment with quercetin. Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S

Rare Variants in 48 Genes Account for 42% of Cases of Epilepsy With or Without Neurodevelopmental Delay in 246 Pediatric Patients

In order to characterize the genetic architecture of epilepsy in a pediatric population from the Iberian Peninsula (including the Canary Islands), we conducted targeted exome sequencing of 246 patients with infantile-onset seizures with or without neurodevelopmental delay. We detected 107 variants in 48 different genes, which were implicated in neuronal excitability, neurodevelopment, synaptic transmission, and metabolic pathways. In 104 cases (42%) we detected variant(s) that we classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Of the 48 mutated genes, 32 were dominant, 8 recessive and 8 X-linked. Of the patients for whom family studies could be performed and in whom pathogenic variants were identified in dominant or X-linked genes, 82% carried de novo mutations. The involvement of small copy number variations (CNVs) is 9%. The use of progressively updated custom panels with high mean vertical coverage enabled establishment of a definitive diagnosis in a large proportion of cases (42%) and detection of CNVs (even duplications) with high fidelity. In 10.5% of patients we detected associations that are pending confirmation via functional and/or familial studies. Our findings had important consequences for the clinical management of the probands, since a large proportion of the cohort had been clinically misdiagnosed, and their families were subsequently able to avail of genetic counseling. In some cases, a more appropriate treatment was selected for the patient in question, or an inappropriate treatment discontinued. Our findings suggest the existence of modifier genes that may explain the incomplete penetrance of some epilepsy-related genes. We discuss possible reasons for non-diagnosis and future research directions. Further studies will be required to uncover the roles of structural variants, epimutations, and oligogenic inheritance in epilepsy, thereby providing a more complete molecular picture of this disease. In summary, given the broad phenotypic spectrum of most epilepsy-related genes, efficient genomic tools like the targeted exome sequencing panel described here are essential for early diagnosis and treatment, and should be implemented as first-tier diagnostic tools for children with epilepsy without a clear etiologic basis

Papel protector de Arkkemansia spp. frente al desarrollo NAFLD asociado a obesidad en ratones libres de gérmenes trasplantados con microbiota intestinal de donantes tratados con dieta rica en grasa y quercetina

El objetivo de este estudio es investigar el efecto protector del trasplante de microbiota y el uso del flavonol quercetina como prebiótico en ratones libres de gérmenes (GFm) en un modelo de NAFLD

Papel protector de Akkermansia SPP frente al desarrollo de NAFLD asociado a obesidad en ratones libres de gérmenes trasplantados con microbiata intestinal de donantes tratados con dieta rica en grasa y quercetina

2 p.Se pretende investigar el efecto protector del trasplante de microbiota y el uso del flavonol quercetina como prebiótico en ratones libres de gérmenes (GFm) en un modelo de NAFLD. Resumen de un trabajo resultado del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (referencia LE063U16)S