Anisakiasis in italy: analysis of hospital discharge records in the years 2005-2015

Background Anisakiasis is a fish-borne zoonosis caused by the ingestion of marine food infected with Anisakis third-stage larvae, widespread marine parasitic nematodes. Gastrointestinal and/ or allergic clinical signs and symptoms are not specific. While frequently reported in countries with large raw fish consumption as Japan, the global prevalence of anisakiasis may be severely underestimated due to limitations of available diagnostic tools and to diverse clinical manifestations. Recently, infective larvae were found in the same localization with gastrointestinal tumors. The occurrence of allergic exacerbation upon secondary exposure and the possible occupational exposure, highlight the need to increase scientific evidences on anisakiasis. Methods We performed a retrospective descriptive study using analysis of Hospital Discharge Records (HDRs) from 2005 to 2015 in Italy, with particular attention to allergic manifestations. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were performed using backward step-wise logistic regression models to assess spatial distribution and temporal trend as well as the variables independently associated with the allergic clinical signs and symptoms in Italian cases of anisakiasis. Results HDRs reporting the ICD-9 code for anisakiasis were retrieved (370), with a higher number of cases reported from central and southern regions, with particular regard to populations inhabiting the coastal territories. Around 40% of patients presented allergic manifestations and half of them showed serious allergic reactions. The multivariate analyses showed an independent association between allergic manifestations and features as living in southern regions and female gender, while anaphylactic episodes was independently associated only with female gender. Conclusion The present study is the first attempt to a better understanding of the epidemiological picture of anisakiasis in Italy, mining official data. A common strategy on data collection, monitoring and reporting would favor a more accurate epidemiological scenario in Italy, since the report of the diseases is not mandatory

Effect of ripening and in vitro digestion on the evolution and fate of bioactive peptides in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

The influence of ripening and in vitro digestion on the peptidomic profile of Parmigiano-Reggiano (PR) cheeses was investigated. Ripening and in vitro digestion thoroughly modified the peptidomic profile of the three cheeses. Twenty-six bioactive peptides were identified in undigested PR. Some peptides were degraded and others released during ripening. After digestion, 52 bioactive peptides were identified. Semi-quantitative data suggested that bioactive peptides released after digestion can be clustered in 5 groups according to the ripening time. VPP and IPP peptide levels in undigested samples were in the range of 4.52–11.34 and 0.66–4.24 mg kg−1, with the highest amounts found in 18-month ripened PR. YPFPGPI peptide was absent in undigested PRs but was released after digestion, especially in the 12-month-old sample (20.18 mg kg−1). The present study suggests possible differences in bioactive peptide levels after digestion as a function of the duration of ripening of PR cheese

Bioaccessibility, bioactivity and cell metabolism of dark chocolate phenolic compounds after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion

The bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion of dark chocolate, dark chocolate enriched with Sakura green tea and dark chocolate enriched with turmeric powder was studied. The phenolic profile, assessed by accurate mass spectrometry analysis, was modified during in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion, with a considerable decrease of total and individual phenolic compounds. Phenolic acids showed the highest bioaccessibility with hydroxycinnamic acids displaying higher bioaccessibility (from 41.2% to 45.1%) respect to hydroxybenzoic acids (from 28.1% to 43.5%). Isomerisation of caffeoyl-quinic acids and galloyl-quinic acids as well as dimerization of (epi)gallocatechin were also observed after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. Antioxidant activity increased after the gastric step and rose further at the end of the digestion. Furthermore, in vitro digested phenolic-rich fractions showed anti-proliferative activity against two models of human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. Cell metabolism of digested phenolic compounds resulted in the accumulation of coumaric and ferulic acids in the cell media

Protocatechuic and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acids Inhibit Protein Glycation by Binding Lysine through a Metal-Catalyzed Oxidative Mechanism

The mechanism of inhibition of advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation by protocatechuic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DHPA) has been studied using a widespread applied in vitro model system composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and supraphysiological glucose concentrations. Protocatechuic acid and DHPA inhibited the formation of Amadori compounds, fluorescent AGEs (IC50 = 62.1 \ub1 1.4 and 155.4 \ub1 1.1 \u3bcmol/L, respectively), and N\u3b5-(carboxymethyl)lysine (IC50 = 535.3 \ub1 1.1 and 751.2 \ub1 1.0 \u3bcmol/L, respectively). BSA was pretreated with the two phenolic acids, and the formation of BSA\u2013phenolic acid adducts was estimated by nanoflow liquid chromatography\u2013electrospray ionization\u2013quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results showed that the tested phenolic acids bound key sites of glycation in BSA through a metal-catalyzed oxidative mechanism. The antiglycative activity mechanism involved the formation of BSA\u2013phenolic acid adducts, and it is unlikely that this occurs in vivo. These results raise the problem to design in vitro models closer to physiological conditions to reach biologically sound conclusions

Comparative peptidomic profile and bioactivities of cooked beef, pork, chicken and turkey meat after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion

This study was designed to investigate the potential contribution of bioactive peptides to the biological activities related to the consumption of pork, beef, chicken and turkey meat following in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. After extraction of the peptidic fractions from digested samples, the bioactivities were evaluated by in vitro antioxidant activity as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibition assays. Pork and turkey meat appeared to be the best sources of antioxidant peptides. Pork was found to be the best source of DPP-IV-inhibitory peptides whereas chicken meat supplied peptides with the highest ACE-inhibitory activity. The comprehensive analysis of the peptidomic profile of digested samples was performed by nano-LC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS analysis. A total of 217, 214, 257 and 248 peptides were identified in digested pork, beef, chicken and turkey meat, respectively. Chicken and turkey meat showed the highest similarity in peptide sequences with 202 common peptides. Sixty-two peptides matched with sequences with previously demonstrated biological activity. In particular, 35 peptides showed ACE-inhibitory activity and 23 DPP-IV inhibitory activity. Twenty-two bioactive peptides were commonly released from the different types of meat. The relative amount of identified bioactive peptides were positively correlated to the biological activities of the different digested meats. Biological significance: The present study describes for the first time a comprehensive peptide profile of four types of meat after in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion. The peptide inventory was used to identify 62 bioactive peptides with ACE- and DPPIV-inhibitory and antioxidant activities. The bioactivity analysis revealed interesting and significant differences between the studied meats. The originality of this work lay in the description of intrinsic differences in physiological functions after the ingestion of meat proteins from different species. In a context in which the current research scene relates meat consumption to the onset of chronic pathologies, this peptide profiling and bioactivity analysis shed light on the possible health benefits of peptides released from meat proteins. In fact, this paper represents a sort of detailed peptide list that may help to predict which peptides could be generated after meat intake and detectable at gastro-intestinal level. It also provides a thorough investigation of novel biological activities associated to meat protein hydrolysates, giving a new positive aspect to meat consumption

Antiproliferative Activity and Cell Metabolism of Hydroxycinnamic Acids in Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines

In this study, we investigated the antiproliferative activity and the stability and metabolic fate of the main dietary hydroxycinnamates, using two colonic adenocarcinoma cell models (Caco-2 and SW480). Dihydrocaffeic and dihydroferulic acids were the most effective against cell proliferation in both cell lines with IC50 values of 71.7 \ub1 1.1 and 83.1 \ub1 1.1 \u3bcmol/L, respectively (P < 0.05) in Caco-2. At 200 \u3bcmol/L, caffeic and ferulic acids inhibited SW480 proliferation by 40.8 \ub1 1.6 and 59.9 \ub1 1.3%, respectively. Hydroxycinnamic acids with a catechol-type structure were degraded in Caco-2 cell medium, resulting in the production of H2O2. Intracellular Caco-2 UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and catechol-O-methyltransferases were able to form glucuronide and methyl conjugates. However, only the sulfate conjugates were detected after incubation with SW480. In addition, simple hydroxycinnamates were released from quinic and aspartic conjugates. The remarkable effect of dihydrocaffeic and dihydroferulic acids against cell proliferation is of paramount importance, since these compounds are the main metabolites detectable at the colonic level

Bioprospecting for Bioactive Peptide Production by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Dairy Food

With rapidly ageing populations, the world is experiencing unsustainable healthcare from chronic diseases such as metabolic, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancer disorders. Healthy diet and lifestyle might contribute to prevent these diseases and potentially enhance health outcomes in patients during and after therapy. Fermented dairy foods (FDFs) found their origin concurrently with human civilization for increasing milk shelf-life and enhancing sensorial attributes. Although the probiotic concept has been developed more recently, FDFs, such as milks and yoghurt, have been unconsciously associated with health-promoting effects since ancient times. These health benefits rely not only on the occurrence of fermentation-associated live microbes (mainly lactic acid bacteria; LAB), but also on the pro-health molecules (PHMs) mostly derived from microbial conversion of food compounds. Therefore, there is a renaissance of interest toward traditional fermented food as a reservoir of novel microbes producing PHMs, and “hyperfoods” can be tailored to deliver these healthy molecules to humans. In FDFs, the main PHMs are bioactive peptides (BPs) released from milk proteins by microbial proteolysis. BPs display a pattern of biofunctions such as anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, immuno-modulatory, and anti-microbial activities. Here, we summarized the BPs most frequently encountered in dairy food and their biological activities; we reviewed the main studies exploring the potential of dairy microbiota to release BPs; and delineated the main effectors of the proteolytic LAB systems responsible for BPs releaseWith rapidly ageing populations, the world is experiencing unsustainable healthcare from chronic diseases such as metabolic, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancer disorders. Healthy diet and lifestyle might contribute to prevent these diseases and potentially enhance health outcomes in patients during and after therapy. Fermented dairy foods (FDFs) found their origin concurrently with human civilization for increasing milk shelf-life and enhancing sensorial attributes. Although the probiotic concept has been developed more recently, FDFs, such as milks and yoghurt, have been unconsciously associated with health-promoting effects since ancient times. These health benefits rely not only on the occurrence of fermentation-associated live microbes (mainly lactic acid bacteria; LAB), but also on the pro-health molecules (PHMs) mostly derived from microbial conversion of food compounds. Therefore, there is a renaissance of interest toward traditional fermented food as a reservoir of novel microbes producing PHMs, and “hyperfoods” can be tailored to deliver these healthy molecules to humans. In FDFs, the main PHMs are bioactive peptides (BPs) released from milk proteins by microbial proteolysis. BPs display a pattern of biofunctions such as anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, immuno-modulatory, and anti-microbial activities. Here, we summarized the BPs most frequently encountered in dairy food and their biological activities; we reviewed the main studies exploring the potential of dairy microbiota to release BPs; and delineated the main effectors of the proteolytic LAB systems responsible for BPs release

Comprehensive evaluation of phenolic profile in dark chocolate and dark chocolate enriched with Sakura green tea leaves or turmeric powder

Recently, a huge number of studies have confirmed the important role of chocolate polyphenols in human health, underlining its beneficial effects especially in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, a thorough evaluation of chocolate phenolic profile is still lacking. This study aimed at a comprehensive characterization of dark chocolate phenolic profile, using non-targeted mass spectrometry identification. This approach allowed a tentative identification of 158 individual phenolic compounds: 67 were newly detected in dark chocolate, among these 38 were observed for the first time in chocolate as well as in cocoa beans or products. Ellagitannins, which have never been reported in cocoa or chocolate, represented about the 10% of the phenolic profile of dark chocolate. The enrichment of dark chocolate with Sakura green tea leaves or turmeric powder influenced and modified the phenolic profile, resulting in a phenolic concentration increase. In this way, this functional chocolate might maximize the beneficial effect of chocolate consumption, combining the positive health effects of chocolate, turmeric and green tea and, at the same time, reducing the amount of sugars and calories introduced with chocolate

Nanoparticle drug delivery systems for inner ear therapy: An overview

open7noembargoed_20180701Valente, Filippo; Astolfi, Laura; Simoni, Edi; Danti, Serena; Franceschini, Valeria; Chicca, Milvia; Martini, AlessandroValente, Filippo; Astolfi, Laura; Simoni, Edi; Danti, Serena; Franceschini, Valeria; Chicca, Milvia; Martini, Alessandr