Effect of Different Functional Food Supplements on the Gut Microbiota of Prediabetic Indonesian Individuals during Weight Loss

The gut microbiota has been shown in recent years to be involved in the development and severity of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the present study was to test the effect of a 2- week functional food intervention on the gut microbiota composition in prediabetic individuals. A randomized double-blind, cross-over trial was conducted on prediabetic subjects. Fifteen volunteers were provided products made of: (i) 50% taro flour + 50% wheat flour; (ii) these products and the probiotic L. plantarum IS-10506; or (iii) these products with beetroot adsorbed for a period of 2 weeks with 2 weeks wash-out in between. Stool and blood samples were taken at each baseline and after each of the interventions. The gut microbiota composition was evaluated by sequencing the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and anthropometric measures were recorded. The total weight loss over the entire period ranged from 0.5 to 11 kg. The next-generation sequencing showed a highly personalized microbiota composition. In the principal coordinate analyses, the samples of each individual clustered closer together than the samples of each treatment. For six individuals, the samples clustered closely together, indicating a stable microbiota. For nine individuals, the microbiota was less resilient and, depending on the intervention, the beta-diversity transiently differed greatly only to return to the composition close to the baseline during the wash-out. The statistical analyses showed that 202 of the total 304 taxa were significantly different between the participants. Only Butyricimonas could be correlated with taro ingestion. The results of the study show that the highly variable interindividual variation observed in the gut microbiota of the participants clouded any gut microbiota modulation that might be present due to the functional food interventions. Keywords: taro; probiotic; L. plantarum IS-10506; beetroot; gut microbiota; prediabete

Thermo-economic comparison of advanced organic rankine cycles

To improve the performances of the Organic Rankine cycle, several advanced cycle designs are proposed. Because different studies use varying boundary conditions, an assessment of the benefit of the cycle designs is complicated. Furthermore, the inclusion of economic parameters is valuable for a sound comparison. In this work, the subcritical cycle, the trilateral cycle and the transcritical cycle are compared on a thermodynamic and economic basis. The investigated cycles are optimized for three waste heat recovery cases within a temperature range of 100 °C to 300 °C. From a pure thermodynamic analysis only a marginal performance benefit is achieved for high temperature cases with the working fluids under consideration. Therefore, a thermo-economic analysis is provided for the low-temperature case. A multi-objective optimization is at the basis of the thermo-economic analysis and comparison. The thermodynamic performance of the cycles is compared with equal boundary conditions and actual cases are used. The results of such investigation are particularly interesting for manufacturers of ORCs

Short Stimulation of Electro-Responsive PAA/Fibrin Hydrogel Induces Collagen Production

Acrylic acid/fibrin hydrogel can mechanically stimulate cells when an external electrical field is applied, enabling them to migrate and align throughout the depth of the gel. The ability of electro-responsive polyacrylic acid (PAA)/fibrin hydrogel to promote collagen production and remodeling has been investigated by three-dimensional (3D) culturing and conditioning of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). SMCs-seeded hydrogels were subjected to an alternating electrical field (0.06 V/mm) for 2 h for one, two, or three times per week during 4 weeks of culturing. Fluorescent images of collagen structure and accumulation, assessed by CNA-35 probe, showed increased collagen content (>100-fold at 1× stimulation/week) in the center of the hydrogels after 4 weeks of culture. The increase in collagen production correlated with increasing extracellular matrix gene expression and resulted in significantly improved mechanical properties of the stimulated hydrogels. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity was also significantly enhanced by stimulation, which probably has a role in the reorganization of the collagen. Short stimulation (2 h) induced a favorable response in the cells and enhanced tissue formation and integrity of the scaffold by inducing collagen production. The presented set up could be used for conditioning and improving the functionality of current tissue-engineered vascular grafts

Análisis de la producción de equol bajo diferentes regímenes alimenticios en un modelo de intestino artificial

Trabajo presentado en el XI Congreso Internacional de Fitoterapia Ciudad de Oviedo: Panorama actual de la Fitoterapia, celebrado en Oviedo (Asturias, España) del 13 al 15 de abril de 2018Muchos estudios epidemiológicos sugieren que la ingesta de isoflavonas está relacionada con una disminución de los síntomas de la menopausia, así como una menor incidencia de enfermedades dependientes de hormonas, asociadas al envejecimiento, neurodegenerativas, cardiovasculares y ciertos tipos de cáncer. Tras la ingesta, las isoflavonas se metabolizan en diversos compuestos con mayor o menor actividad biológica. El equol es el metabolito derivado de las isoflavonas con mayor actividad estrogénica y antioxidante, actividades a través de las que estas influyen en la salud. Sin embargo, sólo entre el 30-60% de los humanos son capaces de producir equol y, por tanto, quizá sea esta parte de población la única que se beneficia plenamente del consumo de isoflavonas. El equol lo producen determinadas poblaciones microbianas intestinales poco caracterizadas. Tal y como ocurre con otras poblaciones intestinales, el número y la actividad de los productores de equol podrían estar influenciados por la alimentación. A este respecto, algunos estudios in vitro ya han sugerido que la dieta puede influir en el metabolismo de las isoflavonas y, por tanto, en la formación de equol. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido evaluar en un modelo de intestino artificial el efecto de dietas de distinta composición sobre la producción de equol.Peer reviewe

Efecto de las isoflavonas y la dieta sobre la actividad metabólica y la composición microbiana en un modelo de intestino artificial

Trabajo presentado en la 12ª Reunión de la Red Española de Bacterias Lácticas (RedBAL), celebrada en Sevilla (España) del 17 al 18 de mayo de 2018Peer reviewe

Modulation of equol production via different dietary regimens in an artificial model of the human colon

In order to find dietary conditions favouring endogenous equol biosynthesis, a pooled faecal homogenate from equol-producing women was used to inoculate the TIM-2 artificial model of the human proximal colon. The model was fuelled with control diets not supplemented (C) or supplemented (C-ISO) with isoflavones, and two isoflavone-containing diets rich in carbohydrate (CH-ISO) or protein (PR-ISO). Compared to the C-ISO control, the CH-ISO diet doubled the production of equol, while with the PR-ISO diet the production of equol in cultures decreased sharply. The CH-ISO diet was also associated with enhanced butyrate production. The numbers of most bacterial populations analysed did not significantly change along cultures with any of the diets. Surprisingly, counts for a gene involved in equol production (tdr) were reduced in all cultures, reflecting a reduction in the number of equol-producing bacteria. In conclusion, under the TIM-2 culture conditions established, the CH-ISO diet favoured the synthesis of equol.This study was partly supported by projects from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (AGL-2014-57820-R) and Asturias Principality (IDI/2018/000114). LV was supported by a contract from MINECO within the FPI Program (BES-2015-072285). In addition, the study was also funded by the Centre for Healthy Eating & Food Innovation (HEFI) of Maastricht University, Campus Venlo. This research has been made possible with the support of the Dutch Province of Limburg.Peer reviewe

Assessment of the actual sustainability of nuclear fission power

\u3cp\u3eThis paper uses 19 criteria to assess whether nuclear fission power can be a part of sustainable development. This yes or no qualitative evaluation is due prior to ongoing marketability assessment and promotion of nuclear power by, for example, the IAEA, the IEA and the UK government. The criteria are classified into five groups. 'Planet' results demonstrate that the incompatibility of nuclear expansion with electricity efficiency and full renewable power deployment largely overshadows the carbon-free steam generation of nuclear fission. 'Prosperity' analyses show that including rolled-off costs and risks would raise bills to heights difficult to quantify due to doubts, long-term invisibility and irreversibility. 'Risks' may be catastrophic and are not insurable, while weaponry proliferation adds a further dimension. 'People' analyses reveal that some nuclear power is affordable for present generations when many costs remain unpaid; however, developing countries cannot afford the capital costs and technology intensity, and catastrophes wreak havoc on national economies, singling out exposed communities losing their habitats. 'Politics' assessments demonstrate that nuclear technocracy dominates the scene in many countries; the technocrats heavily influence policy-makers, the media, and celebrities speaking out in favor of nuclear. We identify the need for an independent global agency and for independent national nuclear regulatory institutions to safeguard the public interest.\u3c/p\u3