Plasma Metabolomic Profiles Reflective of Glucose Homeostasis in Non-Diabetic and Type 2 Diabetic Obese African-American Women

Insulin resistance progressing to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is marked by a broad perturbation of macronutrient intermediary metabolism. Understanding the biochemical networks that underlie metabolic homeostasis and how they associate with insulin action will help unravel diabetes etiology and should foster discovery of new biomarkers of disease risk and severity. We examined differences in plasma concentrations of >350 metabolites in fasted obese T2DM vs. obese non-diabetic African-American women, and utilized principal components analysis to identify 158 metabolite components that strongly correlated with fasting HbA1c over a broad range of the latter (r = −0.631; p<0.0001). In addition to many unidentified small molecules, specific metabolites that were increased significantly in T2DM subjects included certain amino acids and their derivatives (i.e., leucine, 2-ketoisocaproate, valine, cystine, histidine), 2-hydroxybutanoate, long-chain fatty acids, and carbohydrate derivatives. Leucine and valine concentrations rose with increasing HbA1c, and significantly correlated with plasma acetylcarnitine concentrations. It is hypothesized that this reflects a close link between abnormalities in glucose homeostasis, amino acid catabolism, and efficiency of fuel combustion in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. It is speculated that a mechanism for potential TCA cycle inefficiency concurrent with insulin resistance is “anaplerotic stress” emanating from reduced amino acid-derived carbon flux to TCA cycle intermediates, which if coupled to perturbation in cataplerosis would lead to net reduction in TCA cycle capacity relative to fuel delivery

A comparison of different dna extraction methods and molecular techniques for the detection and identification of foodborne pathogens

Abatract: Foodborne infections continue to plague Europe. Food safety monitoring is in crisis as the existing techniques for detecting pathogens do not keep up with the global rising of food production and consumption. Thus, the development of innovative techniques for detecting and identifying pathogenic bacteria has become critical. The aim of the present study was firstly to develop an innovative simple and low cost method of extracting bacterial DNA from contaminated food and water samples with Salmonella enteric(a) subsp. enteric(a) serovar Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes and its comparison with two commercial DNA extraction kits (Qiagen, Macherey-Nagel). Finally, pathogens’ detection using two molecular techniques (PCR-electrophoresis, LAMP), in order to evaluate the best combination of DNA extraction and identification based on their sensitivity, cost, rapidity and simplicity. Considering the above criteria, among them, best was proved an in-house bacterial DNA extraction method, based on the chloroform-isoamyl alcohol protocol, with certain modifications. This technique showed statistically similar results in terms of sensitivity, compared to the commercial kits, while at the same time maintained high rapidity and much lower cost. Lastly, between the molecular techniques, LAMP was found more promising considering its simplicity, high rapidity and sensitivity. Conclusively, the in-house DNA extraction method along with the LAMP technique, was proven to be the best among the presented combinations. © 2021 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press

Characterization of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Levilactobacillus brevis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Metabolites and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial Activity against Food Pathogens

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role as natural food preservatives. However, the characterization of the variety of their metabolites is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the production of specific metabolites of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Levilactobacillus brevis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum by an optimized liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet/diode detection (HPLC‐UV/DAD) method and to investigate their potential antimicrobial activity against specific food pathogens. Based on the results of this study, the main metabolites detected in Levilactobacillus brevis were 103.4 μg mL−1 DL‐p‐Hydroxyphenyllactic acid (OH‐PLA) and 2.59 μg mL−1 vanillic acid, while 216.2 μg mL−1 OH‐PLA, 19.0 μg mL−1 salicylic acid, 3.7 μg mL−1 vanillic acid, 6.9 μg mL−1 ferulic acid, 4.2 μg mL−1 benzoic acid and 1.4 μg mL−1 4‐ Hydrocinnamic acid were identified in the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain and 147.6 μg mL−1 OH‐ PLA and 4.9 μg mL−1 ferulic acid were identified in Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus. This study provides alternative approaches for the molecules involved in the antimicrobial activity of food microorganism fermentation. These molecules may be used as antimicrobial ingredients in the food industry instead of conventional chemical preservatives. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Benefits of exercise in pregnancies with gestational diabetes

A significant proportion of pregnancies are complicated by diabetes mellitus. Most of them concern women with gestational diabetes mellitus, while proportionally are presented with preexisting DM 1 and DM 2. Metabolic derangements of the diabetic syndrome are likely to generate serious complications for both the mother and the fetus with a significant impact on their later health. Undoubtedly, all appropriate interventions that will contribute to the smoothest and most uncomplicated course of pregnancy are considered essential. Healthy diet adjustments, glucose monitoring and an appropriate insulin regimen, if needed, are considered effective tools for a safe gestation. Courses with aerobic, anaerobic stretching and relaxation exercises are presented with significant benefits in the therapeutic struggle for the general public. Extended research has been conducted assessing the role of exercise incorporation in a diabetic pregnancy. As evidence would support based on recent literature, exercise is an important mean in the prevention of carbohydrate intolerance during gestation and even more facilitates a smoother management of a diabetic pregnancy. Thus, exercise poses an essential role for maternal and neonatal health. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group

Olive oil intake and cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Research evidence has established the beneficial effects of diet in cancer prevention; various epidemiological studies have suggested that olive oil component could play a role in decreasing cancer risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the association between olive oil consumption, cancer risk and prognosis. Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar databases (end-of-search: May 10, 2020). Pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated with random-effects (DerSimonian-Laird) models. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and meta-regression analysis were also performed. Results 45 studies were included in the meta-analysis; 37 were case-control (17,369 cases and 28,294 controls) and 8 were cohort studies (12,461 incident cases in a total cohort of 929,771 subjects). Highest olive oil consumption was associated with 31% lower likelihood of any cancer (pooled RR = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.62–0.77), breast (RR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.52–0.86), gastrointestinal (RR = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.66–0.89), upper aerodigestive (RR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60–0.91) and urinary tract cancer (RR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.29–0.72). Significant overall effects spanned both Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean participants, studies presenting a multivariate and a univariate analysis and all subgroups by study quality. Conclusions Olive oil consumption seems to exert beneficial actions in terms of cancer prevention. Additional prospective cohort studies on various cancer types and survivors, as well as large randomized trials, seem desirable. © 2022 Markellos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Mutational Pattern in the Fourth Pandemic Phase in Greece

The aim of this study is to investigate the circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from Athens and from rural areas in Greece during July and August 2021. We also present a rapid review of literature regarding significant SARS-CoV-2 mutations and their impact on public health. A total of 2500 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from suspected COVID-19 cases (definition by WHO 2021b). Viral nucleic acid extraction was implemented using an automatic extractor and the RNA recovered underwent qRT-PCR in order to characterize the specimens as positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2. The positive specimens were then used to identify specific Spike gene mutations and characterize the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. For this step, various kits were utilized. From the 2500 clinical specimens, 220 were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 indicating a prevalence of 8.8% among suspected cases. The RT-PCR Ct (Cycle threshold) Value ranged from 19 to 25 which corresponds to medium to high copy numbers of the virus in the positive samples. From the 220 positive specimens 148 (67.3%) were from Athens and 72 (32.7%) from Greek rural areas. As far as the Spike mutations investigated: N501Y appeared in all the samples, D614G mutation appeared in 212 (96.4%) samples with a prevalence of 87.2% in Athens and 98.6% in the countryside, E484K had a prevalence of 10.8% and 12.5% in Athens and the rural areas, respectively. K417N was found in 18 (12.2%) samples from Athens and four (5.6%) from the countryside, P681H was present in 51 (34.5%) Athenian specimens and 14 (19.4%) specimens from rural areas, HV69-70 was carried in 32.4% and 19.4% of the samples from Athens and the countryside, respectively. P681R had a prevalence of 87.2% in Athens and 98.6% in rural areas, and none of the specimens carried the L452R mutation. 62 (28.2%) samples carried the N501Y, P681H, D614G and HV69-70 mutations simultaneously and the corresponding variant was characterized as the Alpha (UK) variant (B 1.1.7). Only six (2.7%) samples from the center of Athens had the N501Y, E484K, K417N and D614G mutations simultaneously and the virus responsible was characterized as the Beta (South African) variant (B 1.351). Our study explored the SARS-CoV-2 variants using RT-PCR in a representative cohort of samples collected from Greece in July and August 2021. The prevalent mutations identified were N501Y (100%), D614G (96.4%), P681R (90.1%) and the variants identified were the Delta (90.1%), Alpha (28.2%) and Beta (2.7%). © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Translation and validation of the Perinatal Grief Scale in a sample of Greek women with perinatal loss during the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy

Objective: To translate and validate the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) (short version) in a sample of Greek women with perinatal loss during the first and second trimester of pregnancy. Methods: One hundred seventy-six women were approached a few hours after the loss. Along with the PGS, three more questionnaires were completed: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), in order to assess the convergent validity of the PGS. Results: Total sample mean age was 34.1 years (SD = 5.2). Mean values and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for PGS subscales exceeded the minimum reliability standard of 0.70. Mean score for “Active grief” was 31.47 (SD = 9.31), for “Difficulty Coping” was 23.13 (SD = 7.54) and for “Despair” was 21.07 (SD = 7.07). By applying Pearson’s correlation coefficients, PGS subscales positively correlated with scores on EPDS, STAI and HADS. Conclusions: The PGS Greek version is a reliable instrument in terms of internal consistency and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients are high. The Greek version of PGS can be a useful instrument for the detection of the psychological impact after a perinatal loss and it has implications for both scientific research and clinical routine. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group