The Study of Abnormal Liver Ultrasound Findings in Candidate Patients Undergoing Renal Transplantation from Brain Dead Donors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease in addition to kidney involvement may cause abnormalities in various systems of the body, in which liver disorders are one of the most commonly encountered disorders. Failure to identify some of these disorders can cause a serious problem in transolant patient. This study was performed to determine the frequency and type of abnormal liver ultrasound findings in renal transplant patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, recorded data of 480 kidney failure patients who had received kidney transplant from brain death donors during the last 6 years in three Mashhad hospitals were investigated. Ultrasonography was considered before the transplant and abnormal liver findings were recorded in a checklist and were assesed. FINDINGS: The mean age was 39.07±12.67 years of which 52.70% were male and 42.30% were female. Liver disorders were observed in 13.12% of patients. The highest prevalence was related to fatty liver grade I (2.5%), grade II (1.46%), gallstone (1.25%) and liver cysts (1.25%). CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that liver asymptomatic disorders in renal transplant patients have significant prevalence and because some of these disorders require treatment before transplantation, enough attention to screening before transplantation can help to prevent post-transplant complications

Influence of fructooligosaccharides on the fermentation profile and viable counts in a symbiotic low fat milk

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of prebiotics on fermentation profile and growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis in co-cultures with Streptococcus thermophilus. Acidification rate and viability were positively influenced by the co-culture with B. lactis and by both inulin or oligofructose in low fat milk

Optimization of lipase production by solid-state fermentation of olive pomace: from flask to laboratory-scale packed-bed bioreactor

Lipases are versatile catalysts with many applications and can be produced by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using agro-industrial wastes. The aim of this work was to maximize the production of Aspergillus ibericus lipase under SSF of olive pomace (OP) and wheat bran (WB), evaluating the effect on lipase production of C/N ratio, lipids, phenols, content of sugars of substrates and nitrogen source addition. Moreover, the implementation of the SSF process in a packed-bed bioreactor and the improvement of lipase extraction conditions were assessed. Low C/N ratios and high content of lipids led to maximum lipase production. Optimum SSF conditions were achieved with a C/N mass ratio of 25.2 and 10.2% (w/w) lipids in substrate, by the mixture of OP:WB (1:1) and supplemented with 1.33% (w/w) (NH4)2SO4. Studies in a packed-bed bioreactor showed that the lower aeration rates tested prevented substrate dehydration, improving lipase production. In this work, the important role of Triton X-100 on lipase extraction from the fermented solid substrate has been shown. A final lipase activity of 223 ± 5 U g1 (dry basis) was obtained after 7 days of fermentation.Felisbela Oliveira acknowledges the financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) of Portugal through grant SFRH/BD/87953/2012. José Manuel Salgado was supported by grant CEB/N2020–INV/01/2016 from Project ‘‘BIOTECNORTE-Underpinning Biotechnology to foster the north of Portugal bioeconomy’’ (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004). Luı ´s Abrunhosa was supported by grant UMINHO/BPD/51/2015 from project UID/BIO/04469/2013 financed by FCT/MEC (OE). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020–Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Noelia Pérez-Rodríguez acknowledges the financial support of FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. The authors thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for the financial support of this work (Project CTQ2015-71436-C2-1-R), which has partial financial support from the FEDER funds of the European Union.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of fructooligosaccharides on the fermentation profile and viable counts in a symbiotic low fat milk

This study evaluated the effects of prebiotics on fermentation profile and growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis in co-cultures with Streptococcus thermophilus. Acidification rate and viability were positively influenced by the co-culture with B. lactis and by both inulin or oligofructose in low fat milk

Effects of polyphenol extract from olive pomace on anoxia-induced endothelial dysfunction

Anoxia modulates the expression of molecules associated with endothelial dysfunction and vascular diseases. Polyphenols have potent antioxidant properties due to their ability to modulate genes involved in oxidative tissue damage. In this study, we investigated the effect of polyphenol extract from olive pomace (PEOP) and its main constituents, Tyrosol and Oleuropein, on endothelial cells subjected to anoxia by evaluating the expression of molecules critical for endothelial function, proliferation and migration, and the signaling pathway involved. EAhy926 human endothelial cells were exposed to anoxic stress in the presence or absence of PEOP. Anoxia increased the nitric oxide (NO) level and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor-\uf061 (TNF\uf061). These effects were prevented by PEOP treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, PEOP prevented the proliferation and migration associated with anoxia in EAhy926 cells, down-regulated the levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9 and membrane type-1 MMP (MT1-MMP) and increased tissue MMP inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) expression. Purified Oleuropein or Tyrosol restored to a basal level the anoxia-induced expression of MMP-9 and partially of MMP-2. The expression of TNF\uf061 was reduced by both polyphenols in dose-dependent manner, more efficiently by Tyrosol. Conversely, Oleuropein and Tyrosol had no significant effects on iNOS, COX-2 and TIMP-1 expression when used at the concentration found in PEOP. PEOP induced a time-dependent phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 and inhibited anoxia-induced NF-\uf06bB activation. PEOP treatment restores the endothelial functions that are impaired by anoxia by regulating the expression of genes involved in proteolysis, angiogenesis and inflammation more efficiently than the single purified components. Therefore, the combined use of polyphenols, as in PEOP, could represent a powerful tool for the treatment and chemoprevention of endothelial dysfunction-associated vascular diseases