Insuffisances et contradictions de la politique gaziere europeenne

In the opinion of the authors the Community will fail to achieve its 1995 oil objective (40% or less) if the use of natural gas is not increased, taking into account, on the one hand, the reluctance of consumers where coal is concerned and, on the other hand, the probable stagnation of nuclear power capacity. Consequently, the Community will have to set a gas objective of about 25% of its primary energy consumption, which is close to the former objective of the Community, rather than letting the share of gas decrease to 18%. This scenario positions the Community for the year 2000 somewhere between the share of gas in the United States and that in the USSR. -from English summarySCOPUS: NotDefined.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

L'Approvisionnement Énergétique de L'Union Européenne, Proposition Saoudienne de Riyad Et Livre Vert De La Commission

Both as to oil and gas, Europe will ever more have to rely on external supplies. By the year 2020, 79 % of its gas consumption and 90 % of its oil consumption will be imported. In addition, this dependence will be characterised by a concentration of supplies among a limited number of producers, a process which, certainly for the EU, requires a permanent dialogue and a close co-operation with its suppliers. On the level of the European Union the debate on main energy issues to be faced in the future, including a secure supply, has been launched by the Commission in its Green paper. - Towards a European Strategy for the Security of Energy Supply. Within this context, the proposal of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz to set up a permanent secretariat for the International Energy Forum seems most opportune. Indeed, this initiative aims at strengthening the co-operation and the dialogue between producers and consumers of commodities which are essential for the world economic development. Besides the ministers and official representatives from energy-producing and energy-consuming countries, the Secretariat also wants to involve the major energy companies in those meetings, thus benefiting from their technical expertise, more than is the case now, thanks to the introduction of the said permanent dialogue.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Analyse economique du comportement de l'OPEP en tant que 'Price Leader'

In the long term, oil demand has a very important negative price elasticity compared to the short term. In the case of a price rise, incomes consequently tend to fall after having reached a peak in the short term. However, the impact of a price increase on the oil-producing countries' incomes can vary according to the prevailing (low or high) price range. On the basis of the statistical series pertaining to OPEC's oil incomes, this article tries to illustrate these phenomena and to simulate the evolution these incomes could have known if the oil prices increases of 1979-1980 had been slowed down. -from English summarySCOPUS: NotDefined.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

L'offre et la demande de pétrole au XXIesiècle: Le nécessaire relais par le gaz naturel les contraintes de délai et de financement

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Effects of a Wheat Bran Extract Containing Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides on Gastrointestinal Parameters in Healthy Preadolescent Children

OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether a wheat bran extract (WBE) containing arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) elicited a prebiotic effect and modulated gastrointestinal parameters in healthy preadolescent children upon consumption in a beverage. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial evaluated the effects of consuming WBE at 0 (control) or 5.0 g/day for 3 weeks in 29 healthy children (8-12 years). Faecal levels of microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, branched chain fatty acids, ammonia, moisture and faecal pH were assessed at the end of each treatment and at the end of a one-week run-in period. In addition, the subjects completed questionnaires scoring distress severity of 3 gastrointestinal symptoms. Finally, subjects recorded defecation frequency as well as stool consistency. RESULTS: Nominal faecal bifidobacteria levels tended to increase after 5 g/day WBE consumption (P = 0.069), whereas bifidobacteria expressed as percentage of total faecal microbiota was significantly higher upon 5 g/day WBE intake (P = 0.002). Additionally, 5 g/day WBE intake induced a significant decrease in faecal content of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid (P  0.1). CONCLUSIONS: WBE is well tolerated at doses up 5 g/day in healthy children. In addition, intake of 5 g/day exerts beneficial effects on gut parameters, in particular increase of faecal bifidobacteria levels relative to total faecal microbiota, and reduction of colonic protein fermentation.status: publishe

Effects of a wheat bran extract containing arabinoxylan oligosaccharides on gastrointestinal health parameters in healthy adult human volunteers: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial

Wheat bran extract (WBE) is a food-grade soluble fibre preparation that is highly enriched in arabinoxylan oligosaccharides. In this placebo-controlled cross-over human intervention trial, tolerance and effects on colonic protein and carbohydrate fermentation were studied. After a 1-week run-in period, sixty-three healthy adult volunteers consumed 3, 10 and 0 g WBE/d for 3 weeks in a random order, with 2 weeks' washout between each treatment period. Fasting blood samples were collected at the end of the run-in period and at the end of each treatment period for analysis of haematological and clinical chemistry parameters. Additionally, subjects collected a stool sample for analysis of microbiota, SCFA and pH. A urine sample, collected over 48 h, was used for analysis of p-cresol and phenol content. Finally, the subjects completed questionnaires scoring occurrence frequency and distress severity of eighteen gastrointestinal symptoms. Urinary p-cresol excretion was significantly decreased after WBE consumption at 10 g/d. Faecal bifidobacteria levels were significantly increased after daily intake of 10 g WBE. Additionally, WBE intake at 10 g/d increased faecal SCFA concentrations and lowered faecal pH, indicating increased colonic fermentation of WBE into desired metabolites. At 10 g/d, WBE caused a mild increase in flatulence occurrence frequency and distress severity and a tendency for a mild decrease in constipation occurrence frequency. In conclusion, WBE is well tolerated at doses up to 10 g/d in healthy adults volunteers. Intake of 10 g WBE/d exerts beneficial effects on gut health parameters.status: publishe

Effects of wheat bran extract containing arabinoxylan oligosaccharides on gastrointestinal parameters in healthy preadolescent children

Objectives: We assessed whether wheat bran extract (WBE) containing arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS) elicited a prebiotic effect and modulated gastrointestinal (GI) parameters in healthy preadolescent children upon consumption in a beverage. Methods: This double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial evaluated the effects of consuming WBE at 0 (control) or 5.0 g/day for 3 weeks in 29 healthy children (8-12 years). Fecal levels of microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, branched-chain fatty acids, ammonia, moisture, and fecal pH were assessed at the end of each treatment and at the end of a 1-week run-in (RI) period. In addition, the subjects completed questionnaires scoring distress severity of 3 surveyed GI symptoms. Finally, subjects recorded defecation frequency and stool consistency. Results: Nominal fecal bifidobacteria levels tended to increase after 5 g/day WBE consumption (P = 0.069), whereas bifidobacteria expressed as percentage of total fecal microbiota was significantly higher upon 5 g/day WBE intake (P = 0.002). Additionally, 5 g/day WBE intake induced a significant decrease in fecal content of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid (P 0.1). Conclusions: WBE is well tolerated at doses up to 5 g/day in healthy preadolescent children. In addition, the intake of 5 g/day exerts beneficial effects on gut parameters, in particular an increase in fecal bifidobacteria levels relative to total fecal microbiota, and reduction of colonic protein fermentation

Prebiotic treatment in obese mice identifies gut microbes that shape metabolism

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence demonstrates that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the development of obesity, type-2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Prebiotics have been shown to improves these disorders by increasing gut peptides secretion (i.e., glucagon-like peptide-1 and 2 (GLP-1 and GLP-2)). However, the exact composition of bacterial communities and the specific mechanisms involved in the increased intestinal GLP-1 and GLP-2 content remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate deep and comprehensive analysis of gut microbial communities and biological parameters (glucose homeostasis, metabolic stresses, and gut permeability) following prebiotics administration in obese and diabetic mice. METHODS/DESIGN: Obese and diabetic ob/ob mice were chronically fed with prebiotic-enriched diet (Ob-Pre) or with a standard diet (Ob-CT). Extensive gut microbiota analyses coupled with metabolic parameters were performed. We combined multiple molecular methods, including quantitative-PCR, bar-coded pyrosequencing of the 16S-ribosomal-RNA (rRNA), and phylogenetic-microarrays. Mice were subjected to glucose tolerance and gut permeability tests. Tight-junctions localization and distribution as well as intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells were quantified by immunohistological analyses. RESULTS: We found that prebiotics reduced fat-mass development, improved glucose tolerance, alleviated oxidative-stress and low-grade inflammation and reduced gut permeability. We found that the gut microbiota regulate stem-cell differentiation and increase L-cells number. Analyses revealed two clusters corresponding to the dietary conditions. Prebiotics treatment significantly reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. 102 distinct 16S-rRNA sequences were affected by the prebiotic treatment, 16 of which displayed a >10-fold change in abundance after the treatment. Importantly, multivariate-analyses revealed strong correlations between specific bacteria and the observed biological footprints. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that specific gut microbiota modulation target enteroendocrine cells, improve gut barrier integrity, and glucose intolerance. By profiling the gut microbiota, we demonstrated that specific bacteria can modulate the phenotype of obese mice, and identified novel bacterial targets that may affect host-metabolism and enteroendocrine cells numbers in obesity and diabetes

Microbiota profiling identifies gut microbes that shape metabolism in obese mice fed prebiotics : novel targets identified

*Aims of the study*: To investigate deep and comprehensive analysis of gut microbial communities and biological parameters (glucose homeostasis, metabolic stresses, and gut permeability) following prebiotics administration in obese and diabetic mice. *Methods:* Obese and diabetic (ob/ob) mice were chronically fed with prebiotic-enriched diet (Ob-Pre) or with a normal chow diet (Ob-CT). Extensive gut microbiota analyses coupled with metabolic parameters were performed. We combined multiple molecular methods, including quantitative-PCR, bar-coded pyrosequencing of the 16S-ribosomal-RNA (rRNA), and phylogenetic-microarrays. Mice were subjected to glucose tolerance and gut permeability tests. Tight-junctions localization and distribution as well as intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells were quantified by immunohistological analyses. *Main findings:* We found that prebiotics reduced fat-mass development, improved glucose tolerance, alleviated oxidative-stress and low-grade inflammation and reduced gut permeability. We showed that the gut microbiota regulate stem-cell differentiation and increase the number of enteroendocrine L-cells. The dendrogram and principal-coordinate analysis of each method revealed two clusters corresponding to the dietary conditions. 102 distinct 16S-rRNA sequences were affected by the prebiotic treatment, 16 of which displayed a >10-fold change in abundance after the treatment. Importantly, multivariate-analyses revealed strong correlations between specific bacteria and the observed biological footprints. *Principal conclusions:* We conclude that specific gut microbiota modulation target enteroendocrine cells, improve gut barrier integrity, and glucose intolerance. By profiling the gut microbiota, we demonstrated that specific bacteria can modulate the phenotype of obese mice, and identified novel bacterial targets that may affect host-metabolism and enteroendocrine cells numbers in obesity and diabetes