Obesity, microbiota and immunomodulation

Prekomjerna težina i pretilost predstavljaju rastući medicinski i socioekonomski problem modernog društva s brojnim zdravstvenim posljedicama. Prekomjerna težina povećava rizik od nastanka kroničnih i degenerativnih oboljenja, od metaboličkih, kardiovaskularnih i malignih bolesti preko podložnosti infekcijama do više stope smrtnosti. Masno tkivo pored uloge skladištenja energije ima i brojne endokrine i imunološke funkcije. Ono može utjecati na razvoj inzulinske neosjetljivosti, nastanak metaboličkog sindroma, a lučenjem adipokina, čimbenika stvorenih u masnim stanicama, doprinosi upalnim procesima, pa se i iz tog razloga pretilost smatra kroničnom upalnom bolešću. U razvoju pretilosti značajnu ulogu imaju crijevne mikrobiote, koje obavljaju važne metaboličke funkcije u probavi, apsorpciji i metabolizmu hranjivih tvari. Također, pravilan razvoj crijevnog epitela i imunološkog sustava pod izravnim je utjecajem mikrobiote u crijevima. Metabolička endotoksemija jedan je od načina kako mikrobiote doprinose upalnim procesima u organizmu. Uz farmakološke i kirurške pristupe liječenju pretilosti, balansiranom prehranom i modulacijom crijevne mikrobiote primjenom probiotika i prebiotika može se doprinijeti kontroliranom mršavljenju.Overweight and obesity represent a growing medical and socioeconomic problem of modern society with numerous consequences on human health. Overweight individuals are at increased risk for developing chronic and degenerative conditions, from metabolic, cardiovascular and malignant diseases to increased susceptibility to infections and higher mortality rates. Apart from being an energy storage, fat tissue also has numerous endocrine and immune functions. Fat tissue can induce insulin resistance, development of metabolic syndrome and by secreting adipokines directly contribute to inflammatory processes which makes obesity a chronic inflammatory disease. Gut microbiota have an important role in obesity development since they perform important metabolic functions in nutrients digestion, absorption and metabolism. Also, specific development of gut epithelia and immune system are under direct influence of gut microbiota. By inducing metabolic endotoxemia microbiota contributes to the development of inflammatory processes in the organism. Along with pharmacological and surgical treatments, controlled weight loss in obesity can also be achieved by balanced diet and by modulating gut microbiota with probiotics and prebiotics

Translating the Mediterranean diet: from chemistry to kitchen

The Mediterranean diet has been an area of popular and scientific intrigue for more than 30 years. Research has focused on both whole-diet compliance as well as individual component effects and many questions remain open as to the full spectrum of effects from this olive oil rich eating pattern. This paper summarizes key findings related to the Mediterranean diet including the health effects of olive oil as one tool in a whole-organism approach to modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic and other chronic illnesses. Suggestions for the utilization of these findings are summarized in a new »Holistic Food Pyramid«, optimized according to the basic principles of the Mediterranean diet and overall metabolic needs

Diet and Respiratory Health

Disanje je proces izmjene plinova kroz pluća, ali i stanična oksidacija hrane u procesu metabolizma. Razumljiva je stoga činjenica da je zdravlje respiratornog sustava usko povezano s pravilnom prehranom. Osim energetske vrijednosti, hrana posjeduje i brojne farmakološke aktivnosti koje pridonose zdravlju respiratornog sustava. Pazeći na uravnoteženi unos hraniva i uzimajući u obzir respiratorne koeficijente pojedinih hranjivih tvari, može se uvelike pridonijeti oporavku od bolesti i bržem uspostavljanju funkcije dišnih organa. Posebnu pozornost potrebno je posvetiti unosu svježe hrane u obliku svježeg voća i povrća jer su posebno bogati vitaminima i mineralima te važnim biološki aktivnim tvarima (karotenoidi, polifenoli). Najnovija istraživanja također upućuju na povezanost respiratornog, imunosnog i probavnog sustava, posebice uravnotežene flore mikroorganizama (mikrobiote) za koju je dokazano da bitno može ublažiti simptome infekcija i alergija. No hrana ima i svoju psihološku komponentu te može pridonijeti boljem zdravlju živčanog sustava i tako posredno pozitivno utjecati na oporavak i ublažavanje simptoma respiratornih bolesti.Respiration is a process of gas exchange in the lungs, but also a cellular process of food metabolism for energy production. The health of the respiratory system is therefore tightly connected with the appropriate diet. Food not only provides energy for the body, but many food ingredients exert various biological effects which are important for health of the respiratory system. The function and health of the airways could be maintained by balancing the respiratory quotient of nutrients. Consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutraceuticals (carotenoids, polyphenols) is especially important. New research fi ndings have demonstrated the important connections between the immune system and the healthy digestive tract, in particular the balanced microbiota that can alleviate symptoms of infections and allergies. However, food also possesses psychological effects and may contribute to the improved health of the nervous system and consequently ease the symptoms of respiratory diseases

Diet and Respiratory Health

Disanje je proces izmjene plinova kroz pluća, ali i stanična oksidacija hrane u procesu metabolizma. Razumljiva je stoga činjenica da je zdravlje respiratornog sustava usko povezano s pravilnom prehranom. Osim energetske vrijednosti, hrana posjeduje i brojne farmakološke aktivnosti koje pridonose zdravlju respiratornog sustava. Pazeći na uravnoteženi unos hraniva i uzimajući u obzir respiratorne koeficijente pojedinih hranjivih tvari, može se uvelike pridonijeti oporavku od bolesti i bržem uspostavljanju funkcije dišnih organa. Posebnu pozornost potrebno je posvetiti unosu svježe hrane u obliku svježeg voća i povrća jer su posebno bogati vitaminima i mineralima te važnim biološki aktivnim tvarima (karotenoidi, polifenoli). Najnovija istraživanja također upućuju na povezanost respiratornog, imunosnog i probavnog sustava, posebice uravnotežene flore mikroorganizama (mikrobiote) za koju je dokazano da bitno može ublažiti simptome infekcija i alergija. No hrana ima i svoju psihološku komponentu te može pridonijeti boljem zdravlju živčanog sustava i tako posredno pozitivno utjecati na oporavak i ublažavanje simptoma respiratornih bolesti.Respiration is a process of gas exchange in the lungs, but also a cellular process of food metabolism for energy production. The health of the respiratory system is therefore tightly connected with the appropriate diet. Food not only provides energy for the body, but many food ingredients exert various biological effects which are important for health of the respiratory system. The function and health of the airways could be maintained by balancing the respiratory quotient of nutrients. Consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutraceuticals (carotenoids, polyphenols) is especially important. New research fi ndings have demonstrated the important connections between the immune system and the healthy digestive tract, in particular the balanced microbiota that can alleviate symptoms of infections and allergies. However, food also possesses psychological effects and may contribute to the improved health of the nervous system and consequently ease the symptoms of respiratory diseases

The Role of Gut, Vaginal, and Urinary Microbiome in Urinary Tract Infections: From Bench to Bedside

The current paradigm of urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogenesis takes into account the contamination of the periurethral space by specific uropathogens residing in the gut, which is followed by urethral colonization and pathogen ascension to the urinary bladder. Consequently, studying the relationship between gut microbiota and the subsequent development of bacteriuria and UTI represents an important field of research. However, the well-established diagnostic and therapeutic paradigm for urinary tract infections (UTIs) has come into question with the discovery of a multifaceted, symbiotic microbiome in the healthy urogenital tract. More specifically, emerging data suggest that vaginal dysbiosis may result in Escherichia coli colonization and prompt recurrent UTIs, while urinary microbiome perturbations may precede the development of UTIs and other pathologic conditions of the urinary system. The question is whether these findings can be exploited for risk reduction and treatment purposes. This review aimed to appraise the three aforementioned specific microbiomes regarding their potential influence on UTI development by focusing on the recent studies in the field and assessing the potential linkages between these different niches, as well as evaluating the state of translational research for novel therapeutic and preventative approaches

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Different Extracts of Poplar Type Propolis

Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and in vitro antibacterial activity of propolis from the central, continental part of Croatia were studied. Propolis hydro-ethanolic extracts (PHEE), prepared using three different methods and two solvent mixtures contained high amounts of flavonoids (20.95–28.11 % TIC), aromatic acids (8.17–15.91 % TIC) and their esters (9.27-11.91 % TIC). The PHEE obtained in this study showed high antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 values from 9.96–19.95 µg/ml and FRAP 38.0–41.9 mM Fe2+/mg PHEE). Despite differences in composition, the PHEE samples exhibited significant antibacterial activities, affecting tested strains of Staphylococcus aures, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Moraxella catarrhalis. The use of different solvent ratio and extraction procedures selectively increases or decreases the content of specific propolis components in the extract which can have a beneficial effect on the application of propolis extracts. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

State-of-the-art of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein research field: 13th International BMP Conference, Dubrovnik 2022

The 13th International BMP Conference was held in October 2022 in Dubrovnik. The conference was attended by more than 240 participants from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia who got an insight into the latest achievements in basic, translational, and clinical research of BMP mol- ecules through 75 lectures categorized into several scientific sections. This review paper provides the most important novel findings on the structure, function, and signaling of BMPs, the role of BMPs in patterning and organoids as well as the role of BMP in metabolism. Moreover, we discussed the role of BMPs in various diseases including cancer pathogenesis, pulmonary arterial hyperten- sion, and fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Finally, we provided an overview of the new BMP-based therapies in regenerative medicine that are currently in different stages of preclinical and clinical trials

Autologous blood coagulum containing rhBMP6 induces new bone formation to promote anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) and posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) of spine in sheep

resent study, we evaluated an autologous bone graft substitute (ABGS) composed of recombinant human BMP6 (rhBMP6) dispersed within autologous blood coagulum (ABC) used as a physiological carrier for new bone formation in spine fusion sheep models. The application of ABGS included cervical cage for use in the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), while for the posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) sheep model allograft devitalized bone particles (ALLO) were applied with and without use of instrumentation. In the ALIF model, ABGS (rhBMP6/ABC/cage) implants fused significantly when placed in between the denuded L4- L5 vertebrae as compared to control (ABC/cage) which appears to have a fibrocartilaginous gap, as examined by histology and micro CT analysis at 16 weeks following surgery. In the PLF model, ABGS implants with or without ALLO showed a complete fusion when placed ectopically in the gutter bilaterally between two decorticated L4-L5 transverse processes at a success rate of 88% without instrumentation and at 80% with instrumentation ; however the bone volume was 50% lower in the instrumentation group than without, as examined by histology, radiographs, micro CT analyses and biomechanical testing at 27 weeks following surgery. The newly formed bone was uniform within ABGS implants resulting in a biomechanically competent and histologically qualified fusion with an optimum dose in the range of 100 g rhBMP6 per mL ABC, while in the implants that contained ALLO, the mineralized bone particles were substituted by the newly formed remodeling bone via creeping substitution. These findings demonstrate for the first time that ABGS (rhBMP6/ABC) without and with ALLO particles induced a robust bone formation with a successful fusion in sheep models of ALIF and PLF, and that autologous blood coagulum (ABC) serves as a preferred physiological native carrier to induce new bone at low doses of rhBMP6 and to achieve a successful spinal fusion

Gut microbiota in mucosa and feces of newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve adult inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome patients

The knowledge on how gut microbes contribute to the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the onset of disease is still scarce. We compared gut microbiota in newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve adult IBD (Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)) to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and healthy group. Mucosal and fecal microbiota of 49 patients (13 UC, 10 CD, and 26 IBS) before treatment initiation, and fecal microbiota of 12 healthy subjects was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Mucosa was sampled at six positions, from terminal ileum to rectum. We demonstrate that mucosal microbiota is spatially homogeneous, cannot be differentiated based on the local inflammation status and yet provides bacterial footprints superior to fecal in discriminating disease phenotypes. IBD groups showed decreased bacterial diversity in mucosa at all taxonomic levels compared to IBS. In CD and UC, Dialister was significantly increased, and expansion of Haemophilus and Propionibacterium characterized UC. Compared to healthy individuals, fecal microbiota of IBD and IBS patients had increased abundance of Proteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, in particular. Shift toward reduction of Adlercreutzia and butyrate-producing taxa was found in feces of IBD patients. Microbiota alterations detected in newly diagnosed treatment-naïve adult patients indicate that the microbiota changes are set and detectable at the disease onset and likely have a discerning role in IBD pathophysiology. Our results justify further investigation of the taxa discriminating between disease groups, such as H. parainfluenzae, R. gnavus, Turicibacteriaceae, Dialister, and Adlercreutzia as potential biomarkers of the disease