Human milk is a complex fluid comprised of myriad substances, with one of the most abundant substances being a group of complex carbohydrates referred to as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). There ...has been some evidence that HMO profiles differ in populations, but few studies have rigorously explored this variability.
We tested the hypothesis that HMO profiles differ in diverse populations of healthy women. Next, we examined relations between HMO and maternal anthropometric and reproductive indexes and indirectly examined whether differences were likely related to genetic or environmental variations.
In this cross-sectional, observational study, milk was collected from a total of 410 healthy, breastfeeding women in 11 international cohorts and analyzed for HMOs by using high-performance liquid chromatography.
There was an effect of the cohort (
< 0.05) on concentrations of almost all HMOs. For instance, the mean 3-fucosyllactose concentration was >4 times higher in milk collected in Sweden than in milk collected in rural Gambia (mean ± SEM: 473 ± 55 compared with 103 ± 16 nmol/mL, respectively;
< 0.05), and disialyllacto-
-tetraose (DSLNT) concentrations ranged from 216 ± 14 nmol/mL (in Sweden) to 870 ± 68 nmol/mL (in rural Gambia) (
< 0.05). Maternal age, time postpartum, weight, and body mass index were all correlated with several HMOs, and multiple differences in HMOs e.g., lacto-
-neotetrose and DSLNT were shown between ethnically similar (and likely genetically similar) populations who were living in different locations, which suggests that the environment may play a role in regulating the synthesis of HMOs.
The results of this study support our hypothesis that normal HMO concentrations and profiles vary geographically, even in healthy women. Targeted genomic analyses are required to determine whether these differences are due at least in part to genetic variation. A careful examination of sociocultural, behavioral, and environmental factors is needed to determine their roles in this regard. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02670278.
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CMK, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
: The purpose of this study was to identify distinct motivational profiles in high school Physical Education students. These motivational profiles were examined in relation to controlling teacher ...behaviors, as well as to various psychological correlates including the perceived importance of physical activity to the student, student intentions to be physically active, psychological need satisfaction and current physical activity levels.
416 high school Physical Education students comprised the sample.
: Cluster analysis and additional multivariate analyses revealed two motivational profiles,
= 0.56,
(7, 431) = 45.50,
< 0.01. The "Self-Determined" profile was characterized by high levels of self-determined motivation; high levels of competence, autonomy and relatedness; importance of physical activity; stronger intentions to engage in physical activity; and greater current actual physical activity involvement. The "Less Self-Determined" profile was associated with the perception of controlling teacher behaviors, and with greater external regulation and amotivation.
: These findings help to provide new insights into the explanation of student motivation in Physical Education and the design of intervention programs.
Anthropized landscapes play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, as they encompass about 90% of the remaining tropical forest. Effective conservation strategies require a deep understanding ...of how anthropic disturbances determine diversity patterns across these landscapes. Here, we evaluated how attributes and assembly mechanisms of dung beetle communities vary across the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve (REBISO) landscape.
Community attributes (species diversity, abundance, and biomass) were assessed at the landscape scale, using spatial windows and vegetation classes. Windows were categorized as intact, variegated, or fragmented based on their percent cover of tropical forest. The vegetation classes analyzed were tropical forest, second-growth forest, and pastures.
We collected 15,457 individuals and 55 species. Variegated windows, tropical forests, and second-growth forests showed the highest diversity values, while the lowest values were found in intact windows and pastures. Landscape fragmentation was positively and strongly related to dung beetle diversity and negatively related to their abundance; biomass was positively associated with forest cover. Beta diversity was the primary driver of the high dung beetle diversity in the landscape analyzed.
The landscape heterogeneity and its biodiversity-friendly matrix facilitate the complementarity of dung beetle assemblages in the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve. Random processes govern beta diversity patterns in intact and variegated windows. Therefore, vegetation cover in the region is sufficient to maintain a continuous flow of dung beetles between forested landscape segments. However, intense anthropic disturbances acted as deterministic environmental filters in fragmented windows and pastures sites, leading to biotic homogenization processes. Our results suggest that increasing habitat variegation in highly fragmented sites is an effective strategy to prevent or buffer homogenization processes in the REBISO landscape.
RESUMEN Introducción: Las enfermedades reumáticas son conceptualizadas como un grupo de afecciones que generan grados variables de discapacidad funcional y disminución de la percepción de calidad de ...vida relacionada con la salud. Su diagnóstico precoz resulta vital para minimizar el riesgo de aparición de complicaciones y deformidades articulares. Objetivo: Identificar el nivel de conocimiento sobre los elementos básicos del diagnóstico de enfermedades reumáticas en médicos del primer nivel de atención de salud. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación básica, no experimental, descriptiva y transversal. El universo estuvo constituido por 428 médicos generales que laboran en el primer nivel de atención de salud de la zona 3 en Ecuador. La muestra quedó conformada por 204 profesionales. Se aplicó un modelo de recolección de información que permitió identificar características generales y nivel de conocimiento sobre elementos básicos del diagnóstico de las enfermedades reumáticas. Resultados: Promedio de edad de 28,39 años, predominio de médicos femeninas (63,24 %), entre 4 y 6 años de graduados (35,78 %) y haber recibido capacitaciones sobre los elementos básicos del diagnóstico de las enfermedades reumáticas (98,04 %). El nivel de conocimiento predominante sobre este tema fue el bajo (89,70 %). Conclusiones: El nivel de conocimiento sobre elementos básicos del diagnóstico de enfermedades reumáticas en médicos del primer nivel de atención de salud es bajo.
Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Most of the probiotic bacteria currently available in the market belong to the ...genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and specific health-promoting activities, such as treatment of diarrhea or amelioration of gastrointestinal discomfort, have been attributed to them. In order to be able to survive the gastrointestinal transit and transiently colonize our gut, these bacteria must be able to counteract the deleterious action of bile salts, which are the main components of bile. Bile salts are detergent-like biological substances synthesized in the liver from cholesterol. Host enzymes conjugate the newly synthesized free bile acids in the liver with the amino acids glycine or taurine, generating conjugated bile salts. These compounds are stored in the gall bladder and they are released into the duodenum during digestion to perform their physiological function, which is the solubilization of fat coming from diet. These bile salts possess strong antimicrobial activity, since they are able to disorganize the structure of the cell membrane, as well as trigger DNA damage. This means that bacteria inhabiting our intestinal tract must have intrinsic resistance mechanisms to cope with bile salts. To do that, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium display a variety of proteins devoted to the efflux of bile salts or protons, to modify sugar metabolism or to prevent protein misfolding. In this manuscript, we review and discuss specific bile resistance mechanisms, as well as the processes responsible for the adaptation of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli to bile.
represents a genus within the phylum Actinobacteria which is one of the major phyla in the healthy intestinal tract of humans.
is one of the most abundant genera in adults, but its predominance is ...even more pronounced in infants, especially during lactation, when they can constitute the majority of the total bacterial population. They are one of the pioneering colonizers of the early gut microbiota, and they are known to play important roles in the metabolism of dietary components, otherwise indigestible in the upper parts of the intestine, and in the maturation of the immune system. Bifidobacteria have been shown to interact with human immune cells and to modulate specific pathways, involving innate and adaptive immune processes. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the immunomodulatory properties of bifidobacteria and the mechanisms and molecular players underlying these processes, focusing on the corresponding implications for human health. We deal with
models suitable for studying strain-specific immunomodulatory activities. These include peripheral blood mononuclear cells and T cell-mediated immune responses, both effector and regulatory cell responses, as well as the modulation of the phenotype of dendritic cells, among others. Furthermore, preclinical studies, mainly germ-free, gnotobiotic, and conventional murine models, and human clinical trials, are also discussed. Finally, we highlight evidence supporting the immunomodulatory effects of bifidobacterial molecules (proteins and peptides, exopolysaccharides, metabolites, and DNA), as well as the role of bifidobacterial metabolism in maintaining immune homeostasis through cross-feeding mechanisms.
Bile is a biological fluid synthesized in the liver, mainly constituted by bile acids and cholesterol, which functions as a biological detergent that emulsifies and solubilizes lipids, thereby ...playing an essential role in fat digestion. Besides, bile acids are important signaling molecules that regulate key functions at intestinal and systemic levels in the human body, affecting glucose and lipid metabolism, and immune homeostasis. Apart from this, due to their amphipathic nature, bile acids are toxic for bacterial cells and, thus, exert a strong selective pressure on the microbial populations inhabiting the human gut, decisively shaping the microbial profiles of our gut microbiota, which has been recognized as a metabolic organ playing a pivotal role in host health. Remarkably, bacteria in our gut also display a range of enzymatic activities capable of acting on bile acids and, to a lesser extent, cholesterol. These activities can have a direct impact on host physiology as they influence the composition of the intestinal and circulating bile acid pool in the host, affecting bile homeostasis. Given that bile acids are important signaling molecules in the human body, changes in the microbiota-residing bile biotransformation ability can significantly impact host physiology and health status. Elucidating ways to fine-tune microbiota-bile acids-host interplay are promising strategies to act on bile and cholesterol-related disorders. This manuscript summarizes the current knowledge on bile and cholesterol metabolism by intestinal bacteria, as well as its influence on host physiology, identifying knowledge gaps and opportunities to guide further advances in the field.
Bifidobacteria are members of the intestinal microbiota of mammals and other animals, and some strains are able to exert health-promoting effects. The genus
belongs to the
phylum.
,
, and
constitute ...the most abundant phyla in the human intestinal microbiota,
and
being predominant in adults, and
in breast-fed infants, where bifidobacteria can reach levels higher than 90% of the total bacterial population. They are among the first microbial colonizers of the intestines of newborns, and play key roles in the development of their physiology, including maturation of the immune system and use of dietary components. Indeed, some nutrients, such as human milk oligosaccharides, are important drivers of bifidobacterial development. Some
strains are considered probiotic microorganisms because of their beneficial effects, and they have been included as bioactive ingredients in functional foods, mainly dairy products, as well as in food supplements and pharma products, alone, or together with, other microbes or microbial substrates. Well-documented scientific evidence of their activities is currently available for bifidobacteria-containing preparations in some intestinal and extraintestinal pathologies. In this review, we focus on the role of bifidobacteria as members of the human intestinal microbiota and their use as probiotics in the prevention and treatment of disease.
Supramolecular systems chemistry has been an area of active research to develop nanomaterials with life‐like functions. Progress in systems chemistry relies on our ability to probe the nanostructure ...formation in solution. Often visualizing the dynamics of nanostructures which transform over time is a formidable challenge. This necessitates a paradigm shift from dry sample imaging towards solution‐based techniques. We review the application of state‐of‐the‐art techniques for real‐time, in situ visualization of dynamic self‐assembly processes. We present how solution‐based techniques namely optical super‐resolution microscopy, solution‐state atomic force microscopy, liquid‐phase transmission electron microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and other emerging techniques are revolutionizing our understanding of active and adaptive nanomaterials with life‐like functions. This Review provides the visualization toolbox and futuristic vision to tap the potential of dynamic nanomaterials.
As supramolecular chemistry begins to develop dynamic nanostructures that change over time, it becomes imperative to visualize self‐assembly processes in solution in real‐time. Our Review demonstrates how solution‐based visualization techniques, namely optical super‐resolution microscopy, atomic force and electron microscopy in liquid, and molecular dynamics simulations, have enriched our understanding of nanomaterials to obtain novel functions.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Global environmental problems, such as global warming, pollution, or deforestation, are critical issues that require a rapid and common response. In this context, companies play a decisive role in ...achieving environmental objectives through the ecological knowledge they can store and manage. In this context, the present research focuses its interest on analyzing how the set of green intangibles possessed by organizations, i.e., Green Intellectual Capital (GIC), affects their Green Performance (GP). Specifically, the study shows how GP is influenced by GIC through the mediating role of the Green Innovation (GI) variable. Therefore, the research questions to be answered by this study are as follows: Does GIC influence environmental performance? Does GI mediate the GIC-GP relationship? What actions can companies take to improve their GP? There are several reasons that have led us to carry out this research. First, there is little empirical evidence of the relationships proposed in this study. Second, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous research that has contextualized the relationships raised in the wine industry, thus representing an advance in the comprehension of the constructs studied. Third, GIC represents an incipient field of study that needs to be developed and established within the literature linked to Intellectual Capital (IC). In order to achieve the proposed objectives, data from a survey of 202 wineries in Spain were used and a quantitative approach was followed using Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results of the research indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between GIC and GP. In addition, GI partially mediates the relationship between these two variables, playing a key role in the environmental management of wineries. The theoretical and practical contributions of the study improve the understanding of the relationships raised, being a pioneering study due to its contextualization in the wine industry, as well as providing a series of guidelines for both environmental managers and winemakers to improve their GP.
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