Beneficial effects of a synbiotic supplement on self-perceived gastrointestinal well-being and immunoinflammatory status of healthy adults

The use of synbiotics as health promoters is still poorly defined, and human intervention studies are scarce. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a commercialized synbiotic product containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La5, Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb-12, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei, Streptococcus thermophilus, and fructooligosaccharides on the self-reported gastrointestinal well-being and the immunoinflammatory status of healthy human subjects. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 20 women and 16 men (25-45 years old) received either three tablets per day of the synbiotic product (2.4?×?10(9) colony-forming units/day) or placebo during 6 weeks. Gastrointestinal symptoms and bowel habits were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire. In those subjects suffering from any kind of digestive disturbance (mild dyspepsia, flatulence, postprandial bloating, constipation, etc.), improvements in symptoms after product consumption were also evaluated. Blood lymphocyte subsets, phagocytic activity, serum C-reactive protein, ceruloplasmin, and adhesion molecules concentrations were analyzed prior and after treatment. A significant improvement in overall self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms and bowel habit was found in the synbiotic group. A marginal effect of treatment (analysis of variance P?=?.050) was observed with L-selectin, which showed a significant decrease in the synbiotic group (P?=?.019). In addition, basal L-selectin levels correlated with final intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 levels (r?=?0.468; P?=?.050), and basal ICAM-1 levels tended to correlate negatively with final L-selectin concentration (r?=?-0.457; P?=?.056). None of these correlations was found in the placebo group. The rest of the immunological parameters studied were not modified by the intervention. In conclusion, consumption of the synbiotic product improves self-perceived bowel habits and might facilitate a better profile of adhesion molecules in healthy adults.     

Effects of a nutritional intervention with yogurt on lymphocyte subsets and cytokine production capacity in anorexia nervosa patients

Summary Background The benefits of probiotic therapy in immunocompromised subjects still need strong scientific evidences. Aim of the study To assess the effects of yogurt on certain immunological parameters in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients during refeeding. Methods A parallel 10-week nutritional intervention with yogurt was conducted on a group of patients with AN and on a group of healthy adolescents (HA). In total, 16 AN patients and 16 HA consumed 375 g/d of yogurt containing L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus (groups AN-y and HA-y, respectively). The control groups for AN patients (n = 14) and healthy subjects (n = 19) consumed 400 ml/d of semi-skimmed milk (groups AN-c and HA-c, respectively). Blood lymphocyte subsets were assessed by flow cytometry and the in vitro production of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α by PHA-stimulated PBMC was measured by ELISA. Results A significant combined effect of time and nutritional intervention was found for the CD8+ subset and IFN-γ production, both in HA and AN patients. The CD8+ subset showed a significant increase after 10 weeks in HA-c and AN-c. As a consequence, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio was significantly lower in AN-c than in AN-y after treatment. A significant increase in IFN-γ production was found after yogurt intake in AN-y, while it decreased significantly in AN-c. Conclusion The findings suggest that the inclusion of yogurt in the refeeding therapy of AN patients may exert positive effects on the immunological markers related to the nutritional status of these patients, such as the CD4+/CD8+ ratio and the production of IFN-γ by lymphocytes.     

Influence of an etchant and a desensitizer containing benzalkonium chloride on shear bond strength of brackets

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the application of an enamel etchant (Etch-37 BAC) and a desensitizer (PrepEze desensitizer) which contain the antibacterial agent benzalkonium chloride (BAC) affects the bond strength of the orthodontic resin Transbond XT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five extracted premolars were used. They were divided into four groups: 1. Transbond XT, 2. Etch-37 BAC/Transbond XT, 3. PrepEze/Transbond XT, 4. Etch-37 BAC/PrepEze/Transbond XT. Shear bond strength was measured using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. The adhesive remnant on the tooth after debonding was quantified using image analysis equipment. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in shear bond strength when Transbond XT was bonded with the conventional etchant or with Etch-37 BAC (p > 0.008). PrepEze decreased the shear bond strength and the amount of adhesive remnant on the tooth after debonding significantly (p < 0.008). The amount of adhesive remnant on the tooth surface diminished significantly when the enamel was etched with Etch-37 BAC (p < 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The bond strength values obtained with the application of Etch-37 BAC are similar to those obtained with a conventional etchant. However, the application of PrepEze significantly decreased the bond strength of Transbond XT.     

Controversies about sugars consumption: state of the science

Introduction

Few topics in nutrition generate more controversy and debate than the putative associations between added sugars and health. With this as background, a group of researchers in the area of sugars and health gathered at the European Nutrition Conference (FENS) in 2015 to discuss these controversies and provide evidence-based science. The purpose of the current article was to provide a brief summary of some of the highlights from each of the presenters and serve as an Introduction to the supplement which contains full articles based on their presentations.

     

Tetrahydrobiopterin responsiveness: results of the BH4 loading test in 31 Spanish PKU patients and correlation with their genotype

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) responsiveness in patients with mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene is a recently recognized subtype of hyperphenylalaninemia characterized by a positive BH4 loading test. According to recent estimates, this phenotype may be quite common, suggesting that a large group of individuals may benefit from BH4 substitution, eliminating the need of life-long dietary restrictions. This underscores the importance of identifying BH4-responsive patients in each population, establishing the association with specific PAH mutations. In this work, we describe the results of a pilot study performed with 31 Spanish PAH-deficient patients subjected to a BH4 loading test. Overall, 11/31 (37%) showed a positive response with a 30% decrease in blood Phe levels 8 h after the BH4 challenge, and three additional patients, considered slow responders, showed this decrease only after 12-16 h. We report for the first time a patient homozygous for a splicing mutation with a slow response, suggesting an effect of BH4 supplementation on PAH gene expression. Most of the responsive patients belong to the mild hyperphenylalaninemia (MHP) or mild phenylketonuria phenotypic groups. In MHP patients we report for the first time the results of parallel single Phe doses confirming the utility of these analyses for a better evaluation of the response. Genotype analysis confirms the involvement in the response of specific mutations (D415N, S87R, R176L, E390G, and A309V) present in hemizygous patients, and provide relevant information for the discussion of the potential mechanisms underlying BH4 responsiveness.     

Sleep patterns in Spanish adolescents: associations with TV watching and leisure-time physical activity

We aimed to describe the sleep patterns in Spanish adolescents and to examine the relationships of sleep duration and morning tiredness with participation in leisure-time physical-sporting activities (LT-PA) and television (TV) watching. Sleep duration, morning tiredness, participation in LT-PA and time spent on watching TV were reported by 2,179 (1,139 females) Spanish adolescents (AVENA study). Data were analyzed by binary logistic regression. One-fifth of the adolescents reported insufficient night sleep (<8 h) on school days. The review of the literature (30 studies) showed that the Spanish adolescents sleep as long as adolescents from central Europe, and longer than those from other Mediterranean countries, South Africa, Asia and North America. Insufficient sleep duration doubled the odds of excessive TV watching (≥3 h/day) in males, regardless of morning tiredness (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.42–3.27). Morning tiredness reduced the odds of participating in any LT-PA in both males and females (0.49, 0.34–0.70 and 0.49, 0.35–0.69, respectively), and increased the odds of excessive TV watching in females, regardless of sleep duration (2.49, 1.64–3.79). We conclude that non-participation in LT-PA is associated with morning tiredness in male and female adolescents, while excessive TV watching is more associated with short sleep or morning tiredness depending on gender.     

Vaccination with an adenoviral vector encoding hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protein protects against infection with HCV-recombinant vaccinia virus

Cellular immune response plays an important role in the clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Thus, development of efficient ways to induce anti-viral cellular immune responses is an important step toward prevention and/or treatment of HCV infection. With this aim, we have constructed a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus expressing HCV NS3 protein (RAdNS3). The efficacy of RAdNS3 was tested in vivo by measuring the protection against infection with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HCV-polyprotein (vHCV1-3011). Immunisation with 10(9)pfu of RAdNS3 induced anti-NS3 humoral, T helper and T cytotoxic responses. We identified eight epitopes recognised by IFN-gamma producing cells, five of them exhibiting lytic activity. Moreover, we show that RAdNS3 immunised mice were protected against challenge with vHCV1-3011 and that this protection was mediated by CD8(+) cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that adenoviral vectors encoding NS3 might be useful for the induction of prophylactic and/or therapeutic anti-HCV immunity.     

Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in European adolescents: the HELENA study

The authors' aim in this cross-sectional study was to characterize levels of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in adolescents from 9 European countries. The study comprised 2,200 European adolescents (1,184 girls) participating in the HELENA cross-sectional study (2006-2008). Physical activity was measured by accelerometry and was expressed as average intensity (counts/minute) and amount of time (minutes/day) spent engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Time spent in sedentary behaviors was also objectively measured. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by means of the 20-m shuttle run test. Level of maternal education was reported by the adolescents. A higher proportion of boys (56.8% of boys vs. 27.5% of girls) met the physical activity recommendations of at least 60 minutes/day of MVPA. Adolescents spent most of the registered time in sedentary behaviors (9 hours/day, or 71% of the registered time). Both average intensity and MVPA were higher in adolescents with high cardiorespiratory fitness, and sedentary time was lower in the high-fitness group. There were no physical activity or sedentary time differences between maternal education categories. These data provide an objective measure of physical activity and amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors in a relatively large number of European adolescents.