Six-Month Synbio® Administration Affects Nutritional and Inflammatory Parameters of Older Adults Included in the PROBIOSENIOR Project

The physiological changes associated with ageing contribute to the incidence of diseases, morbidity, and mortality. For modern society, it is essential to find solutions to improve elderly people’s health and quality of life. Among promising strategies, the PROBIOSENIOR project proposed a daily six-month supplementation with new probiotic functional foods and nutraceuticals. The aim of this work was to evaluate the modulating effects of the probiotic diet on inflammatory markers and nutritional status. Ninety-seven elderly volunteers were randomly assigned to either a placebo-diet group or a probiotic-diet group (SYNBIO®). Faeces, urine, and blood samples were collected before and after the supplementation to determine serum cytokines, biogenic amines, and inflammation markers. Comparing the results obtained before and after the intervention, probiotic supplementations significantly decreased the TNF- circulating levels and significantly increased those of IGF-1. Biogenic-amine levels showed high variability, with significant variation only for histamine that decreased after the probiotic supplementation. The supplementation influenced the serum concentration of some crucial cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and MIP-1 ) that significantly decreased in the probiotic group. In addition, the Mini Nutritional Assessment questionnaire revealed that the probiotic-supplemented group had a significant improvement in nutritional status. In conclusion, the PROBIOSENIOR project demonstrated how SYNBIO® supplementation may positively influence some nutritional and inflammatory parameters in the elderly

Lentil extract with cholesterol lowering and prebiotic activity

The present invention relates to a lentil extract with surprising cholesterol lowering and prebiotic effects that make it particularly useful in therapeutic applications and as a nutraceutical. Said lentil extract is characterized by the presence of soyasaponin I in the range of 50 to 300 mg kg 1 and soyasaponin g in the range of 0.5 to 5 mg kg 1. The process for the production of said extract and its therapeutic and nutraceutical uses are also within the scope of the present invention

Concomitant use of an active boosted protease inhibitor with enfuvirtide in treatment-experienced, HIV-infected individuals: recent data and consensus recommendations

Recent data from clinical trials investigating the efficacy of enfuvirtide, a fusion inhibitor, in treatment-experienced patients have revealed that the addition of enfuvirtide (ENF) to an active boosted protease inhibitor regimen doubles the rate of virological response. At week 48 of the TORO studies, 55% of patients previously naive to and receiving lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) with ENF achieved a viral load of <400 copies/mL compared with 24% of patients treated with LPV/r alone. At week 24 of the RESIST studies, 70% of previously ENF-naive patients who took both ENF and tipranavir/ritonavir (TPV/r) achieved a ≥1 log10 reduction in viral load compared with 37% of such patients treated with TPV/r alone. Similarly, concomitant use of TMC114/ritonavir (TMC114/r) with ENF, compared with TMC114/r alone, increased the number of patients with <50 copies/mL from 46% to 64% in a combined 24-week analysis from the POWER trials. Data from these trials suggest that combining one agent from a new class with a new agent from a previously exposed class offers a greater chance of achieving full virological control than either type of agent alone. Undetectable viraemia should be the primary objective for treatment-experienced patients requiring a switch in therapy, and the present data support the combination of an active boosted protease inhibitor with an agent from a new class (e.g., ENF) for triple-class-experienced patients

Lentils as tool for a novel nutraceutical approach

Pulses, which are a major component of the Mediterranean diet, are an important source of macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fibre [1]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, highlighting the importance of these foods not only for their nutritional and healthy aspects, but also for their low environmental impact. Among the various bioactive compounds of legumes, saponins appear to be able to reduce the blood cholesterol levels. In our laboratories have been developed sensitive and specific analytical methodologies for evaluating the level of soyasaponins I and g in lentils by using HPLC-MS/MS equipments. Saponins can be considered components of dietary fibre which are neither digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine [2]; these components together with other carbohydrates present in lentils could possess an important prebiotic action. In this work we have evaluated the hypocholesterolemic and prebiotic activity of a lentil extract by monitoring the plasmatic cholesterol level in an animal model and the concentration of bile acids extrected by faeces, both with the prebiotic effect by using an in vitro model

Molecular characterization of virulence determinants of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains isolated from patients affected by cystic fibrosis

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging nosocomial bacterial pathogen which is currently isolated with increasing frequency from the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In this study 13 S. maltophilia strains (11 isolated from the airways of independent CF patients, and two non-CF respiratory reference strains) have been characterized for the expression of several virulence-associated factors. In particular, the ability to form biofilm on abiotic surfaces has been determined and correlated with different features, such as motility, adherence and the ability to invade A549 respiratory epithelial cells. Moreover, the presence of a flagellum-associated gene as well as that of the StmPr1 gene, which encodes an extra-cellular protease, have been determined by Southern blot hybridization. Our data indicate that the different degree of biofilm formation exhibited by the 11 CF isolates does not correlate with motility, ability to adhere to and invade A549 cells, or with the presence of flagella. On the other hand, among the CF isolates the StmPr1 gene was found only in two strains, both able to establish chronic lung infections in CF patients. Moreover, only four of the strains analyzed show a temperature-independent antibiotic-resistance profile, suggesting either a different origin of these strains or an intervening adaptation to host tissues

Lentils (Lens culinaris Medik) as tool for a novel nutraceutical approach

Legumes, which are a major component of the Mediterranean diet, are an important source of macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fibre [1]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, highlighting the importance of these foods not only for their nutritional and healthy aspects, but also for their low environmental impact. Among the various bioactive compounds of legumes, saponins appear to be able to reduce the blood cholesterol levels. In our laboratories have been developed sensitive and specific analytical methodologies for evaluating the level of soyasaponins I and g in lentils by using HPLC-MS/MS equipments. Saponins can be considered components of dietary fibre which are neither digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine [2]; these components together with other carbohydrates present in lentils could possess an important prebiotic action. In this work we have evaluated the hypocholesterolemic and prebiotic activity of a lentil extract by monitoring the plasmatic cholesterol level in an animal model of diet-induced hypercholesterolemia.and the concentration of bile acids excreted by faeces, both with the prebiotic effect by using an in vitro model