163 research outputs found
The risk of lung cancer related to dietary intake of flavonoids
It has been hypothesized that flavonoids in foods and beverages may reduce cancer risk through
antioxidation, inhibition of inflammation, and other antimutagenic and antiproliferative
properties. We examined associations between intake of five flavonoid subclasses
(anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavonols, flavanones) and lung cancer risk in a
population-based case-control study in Montreal, Canada (1,061 cases and 1,425 controls).
Flavonoid intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire that assessed diet two years
prior to diagnosis (cases) or interview (controls). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Overall, total flavonoid
intake was not associated with lung cancer risk, the effect being similar regardless of sex and
smoking level. However, low flavonoid intake from food, but not from beverages, was
associated with an increased risk. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) comparing the highest versus the
lowest quartiles of intake were 0.63 (0.47-0.85) for total flavonoids, 0.82 (0.61-1.11) for
anthocyanidins, 0.67 (0.50-0.90) for flavan-3-ols, 0.68 (0.50-0.93) for flavones, 0.62 (0.45-0.84)
for flavonols, and 0.70 (0.53-0.94) for flavanones. An inverse association with total flavone and
flavanone intake was observed for squamous cell carcinoma but not adenocarcinoma. In
conclusion, low flavonoid intake from food may increase lung cancer risk
Lactic acid fermentation as a tool to enhance the antioxidant properties of Myrtus communis berries
Background: Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is a medicinal and aromatic plant belonging to Myrtaceae family, which
is largely diffused in the Mediterranean areas and mainly cultivated in Tunisia and Italy. To the best of our knowledge, no
studies have already considered the use of the lactic acid fermentation to enhance the functional features of M.
communis. This study aimed at using a selected lactic acid bacterium for increasing the antioxidant features of myrtle
berries, with the perspective of producing a functional ingredient, dietary supplement or pharmaceutical preparation.
The antioxidant activity was preliminarily evaluated through in vitro assays, further confirmed through ex vivo analysis on
murine fibroblasts, and the profile of phenol compounds was characterized.
Results: Myrtle berries homogenate, containing yeast extract (0.4%, wt/vol), was fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum
C2, previously selected from plant matrix. Chemically acidified homogenate, without bacterial inoculum and incubated
under the same conditions, was used as the control. Compared to the control, fermented myrtle homogenate exhibited
a marked antioxidant activity in vitro. The radical scavenging activity towards DPPH increased by 30%, and the
inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation was twice. The increased antioxidant activity was confirmed using Balb 3 T3
mouse fibroblasts, after inducing oxidative stress, and determining cell viability and radical scavenging activity
through MTT and DCFH-DA assays, respectively. The lactic acid fermentation allowed increased concentrations of total
phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins, which were 5â10 times higher than those found for the non-fermented and
chemically acidified control. As shown by HPLC analysis, the main increases were found for gallic and ellagic acids, and
flavonols (myricetin and quercetin). The release of these antioxidant compounds would be strictly related to the
esterase activities of L. plantarum.
Conclusions: The lactic acid fermentation of myrtle berries is a suitable tool for novel applications as functional
food dietary supplements or pharmaceutical preparations
Perioperative echocardiography-guided hemodynamic therapy in high-risk patients:a practical expert approach of hemodynamically focused echocardiography
The number of high-risk patients undergoing surgery is growing. To maintain adequate hemodynamic functioning as well as oxygen delivery to the vital organs (DO2) amongst this patient population, a rapid assessment of cardiac functioning is essential for the anesthesiologist. Pinpointing any underlying cardiovascular pathophysiology can be decisive to guide interventions in the intraoperative setting. Various techniques are available to monitor the hemodynamic status of the patient, however due to intrinsic limitations, many of these methods may not be able to directly identify the underlying cause of cardiovascular impairment. Hemodynamic focused echocardiography, as a rapid diagnostic method, offers an excellent opportunity to examine signs of filling impairment, cardiac preload, myocardial contractility and the function of the heart valves. We thus propose a 6-step-echocardiographic approach to assess high-risk patients in order to improve and maintain perioperative DO2. The summary of all echocardiographic based findings allows a differentiated assessment of the patient's cardiovascular function and can thus help guide a (patho)physiological-orientated and individualized hemodynamic therapy
Prior Antiplatelet Therapy, Excluding Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor Is Associated with Poor Outcome in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Haemorrhage.
âThis is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Translational Stroke Research. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12975-019-00722-xâ.There is conflicting results on whether prior antiplatelet therapy (APT) is associated with poor outcome in spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) patients. To determine whether prior APT is associated with spontaneous ICH, and whether there is a difference between the different types of APT, including cyclooxygenase inhibitor (COX-I), adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitor (ADP-I) and phosphodiesterase inhibitor (PDE-I). A retrospective study of patients with ICH diagnosed between 2001 and 2013 in the National Health Insurance Research Database. Baseline unbalance between APT and non-APT groups was solved by multivariable adjustment (primary analysis) and propensity score matching (sensitivity analysis). Patients with prior APT had a higher rate of in-hospital death (odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.23) compared to non-APT group. Compared to non-APT group, there was a greater rate of in-hospital death with spontaneous ICH with ADP-I (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.24-1.79) and COX-I (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.25). PDE-I exhibited no difference in in-hospital death with spontaneous ICH (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.91-1.16) compared to non-APT group. Remarkably, the in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in the ADP-I group than in the PDE-I group (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.17-1.80). In this study, ADP-I and COX-1, but not PDE-I, are the most likely contributors to the association of APT with poor outcome with spontaneous ICH patients. These findings suggest that the complexity of the different mechanism of actions of prior APT can alter the outcome in spontaneous ICH.Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CMRPG3H1061, CMRPG3G1002
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Gut microbiota functions: metabolism of nutrients and other food components
The diverse microbial community that inhabits the human gut has an extensive metabolic repertoire that is distinct from, but complements the activity of mammalian enzymes in the liver and gut mucosa and includes functions essential for host digestion. As such, the gut microbiota is a key factor in shaping the biochemical profile of the diet and, therefore, its impact on host health and disease. The important role that the gut microbiota appears to play in human metabolism and health has stimulated research into the identification of specific microorganisms involved in different processes, and the elucidation of metabolic pathways, particularly those associated with metabolism of dietary components and some host-generated substances. In the first part of the review, we discuss the main gut microorganisms, particularly bacteria, and microbial pathways associated with the metabolism of dietary carbohydrates (to short chain fatty acids and gases), proteins, plant polyphenols, bile acids, and vitamins. The second part of the review focuses on the methodologies, existing and novel, that can be employed to explore gut microbial pathways of metabolism. These include mathematical models, omics techniques, isolated microbes, and enzyme assays
Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases
The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of
aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs)
can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves
excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological
concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can
lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl
radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic
inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the
involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a
large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and
inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation
of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many
similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e.
iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The
studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic
and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and
lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and
longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is
thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As
systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have
multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent
patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of
multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the
decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference
Accelerated surgery versus standard care in hip fracture (HIP ATTACK): an international, randomised, controlled trial
From inflammaging to healthy aging by dietary lifestyle choices: is epigenetics the key to personalized nutrition?
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