The modulation of the intestinal microbiota by high-fat diet (HFD) has a major impact on both immunological and metabolic functions of the host. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this ...contribution is to review the impact of HFD on microbiota profile and small intestinal physiology before and after the onset of obesity and its metabolic complications. Evidence from animal studies suggest that before the onset of obesity and its metabolic complications, HFD induces intestinal dysbiosis - encompassing changes in composition balance and massive redistribution with bacteria occupying intervillous spaces and crypts - associated with early physiopathological changes, predominantly in the ileum, such as low-grade inflammation, decreased antimicrobial peptides expression, impaired mucus production, secretion and layer's thickness, and decreased expression of tight junction proteins. With time, major inflammatory signals (e.g. toll-like receptor-4 dependent) become activated, thereby stimulating proinflammatory cytokines secretion in the small intestine. This inflammatory state might subsequently exacerbate disruption of the mucus layer barrier and increase epithelial permeability of the small intestine, thereby creating an environment that facilitates the passage of bacterial components (e.g. lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan and flagellin) and metabolites from the intestinal lumen (e.g. secondary bile acids) to the circulation and peripheral tissues (i.e. leaky gut), eventually promoting the development of systemic inflammation, obesity, adiposity, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance preceding hyperglycemia. Although the mechanisms are still not completely understood, prebiotics, probiotics, polyphenols, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists (such as rosiglitazone) and exercise have been shown to reverse HFD-induced intestinal phenotype and to attenuate the severity of obesity and its associated metabolic complications.
•High-fat diet (HFD) impacts immunological and metabolic functions of the host.•Gut dysbiosis, inflammation and leakage are induced by HFD consumption.•These changes seem to be associated the development of obesity and its complications.•Some prebiotics, probiotics and antidiabetics attenuate this HFD-induced phenotype.
Introduction
Surgical intervention is the treatment of choice in patients with thoracic disc herniation with refractory symptoms and progressive myelopathy. Due to high occurrence of complications ...from open surgery, minimally invasive approaches are desirable. Nowadays, endoscopic techniques have become increasingly popular and full-endoscopic surgery can be performed in the thoracic spine with low complication rates.
Methods
Cochrane Central, PubMed, and Embase databases were systematically searched for studies that evaluated patients who underwent full-endoscopic spine thoracic surgery. The outcomes of interest were dural tear, myelopathy, epidural hematoma, recurrent disc herniation, and dysesthesia. In the absence of comparative studies, a single-arm meta-analysis was performed.
Results
We included 13 studies with a total of 285 patients. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 89 months, age from 17 to 82 years, with 56.5% male. The procedure was performed under local anesthesia with sedation in 222 patients (77.9%). A transforaminal approach was used in 88.1% of the cases. There were no cases of infection or death reported. The data showed a pooled incidence of outcomes as follows, with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI)—dural tear (1.3%; 95% CI 0–2.6%); dysesthesia (4.7%; 95% CI 2.0–7.3%); recurrent disc herniation (2.9%; 95% CI 0.6–5.2%); myelopathy (2.1%; 95% CI 0.4–3.8%); epidural hematoma (1.1%; 95% CI 0.2–2.5%); and reoperation (1.7%; 95% CI 0.1–3.4%).
Conclusion
Full-endoscopic discectomy has a low incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with thoracic disc herniations. Controlled studies, ideally randomized, are warranted to establish the comparative efficacy and safety of the endoscopic approach relative to open surgery.
Although the jejunum is the main intestinal compartment responsible for lipid digestion and absorption, most of the studies assessing the impact of dietary lipids on the intestinal microbiota have ...been performed in the ileum, colon and faeces. This lack of interest in the jejunum is due to the much lower number of microbes present in this intestinal region and to the difficulty in accessing its lumen, which requires invasive methods. Recently, several recent publications highlighted that the whole jejunal microbiota or specific bacterial members are able to modulate lipid absorption and metabolism in enterocytes. This information reveals new strategies in the development of bacterial- and metabolite-based therapeutic interventions or nutraceutical recommendations to treat or prevent metabolic-related disorders, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases and malnutrition.
This review is strictly focused on the following triad: dietary lipids, the jejunal epithelium and the jejunal microbiota. First, we will describe each member of the triad: the structure and functions of the jejunum, the composition of the jejunal microbiota, and dietary lipid handling by enterocytes and by microorganisms. Then, we will present the mechanisms leading to lipid malabsorption in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a disease in which the jejunal microbiota is altered and which highlights the strong interactions among this triad. We will finally review the recent literature about the interactions among members of the triad, which should encourage research teams to further explore the mechanisms by which specific microbial strains or metabolites, alone or in concert, can mediate, control or modulate lipid absorption in the jejunum.
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•In the gastrointestinal tract, the jejunum is in charge of dietary lipid absorption.•Dietary lipids decrease production of antibacterial molecules by the jejunal mucosa.•Jejunal microbiota modulates lipid absorption and cellular metabolism of enterocytes.•Jejunal microbiota and lipid absorption are altered in pathological conditions.•Lipids-jejunum-jejunal microbiota interactions in humans need to be better deciphered.
Abstract
Emydopoidea is one of the major dicynodont subclades and includes some purported fossorial taxa. Various cranial and postcranial adaptations for fossoriality have long been recognized in ...cistecephalid emydopoids, but anatomical variation of their braincases remains poorly understood. Here, using laboratory and synchrotron X-ray tomography, we provide detailed anatomical descriptions of the basicranial axis of three emydopoids (Myosaurus, Kawingasaurus and a Malawian cistecephalid DMMM-PK-16-1) and compare them to the basal dicynodont Pristerodon. Cistecephalids show the presence of divergent crests on the posterior aspect of the opisthotic and a nuchal crest on their occipital plate, contrasting with the featureless occipital plate of other dicynodonts. These depressions and crests increase the attachment area of the atlanto-occipital muscles, suggesting that cistecephalids were capable of powerful movements of the head during digging. Additionally, Kawingasaurus has a pneumatized braincase and highly co-ossified basicranium, which is probably linked to the auditory system. We corroborate the hypothesis that cistecephalids, in addition to being forelimb diggers, were likely head-lift diggers, and we highlight some derived adaptations consistent with a quasi-obligate fossorial lifestyle. Furthermore, new basicranial phylogenetic characters and a re-evaluation of emydopoid relationships are proposed. We recovered Rastodon as a basal emydopoid, Thliptosaurus as a non-kingoriid emydopoid and novel interrelationships among cistecephalids.
The evolution of endothermy in vertebrates is a major research topic in recent decades that has been tackled by a myriad of research disciplines including paleontology, anatomy, physiology, ...evolutionary and developmental biology. The ability of most mammals to maintain a relatively constant and high body temperature is considered a key adaptation, enabling them to successfully colonize new habitats and harsh environments. It has been proposed that in mammals the anterior nasal cavity, which houses the maxilloturbinal, plays a pivotal role in body temperature maintenance, via a bony system supporting an epithelium involved in heat and moisture conservation. The presence and the relative size of the maxilloturbinal has been proposed to reflect the endothermic conditions and basal metabolic rate in extinct vertebrates. We show that there is no evidence to relate the origin of endothermy and the development of some turbinal bones by using a comprehensive dataset of µCT-derived maxilloturbinals spanning most mammalian orders. Indeed, we demonstrate that neither corrected basal metabolic rate nor body temperature significantly correlate with the relative surface area of the maxilloturbinal. Instead, we identify important variations in the relative surface area, morpho-anatomy, and complexity of the maxilloturbinal across the mammalian phylogeny and species ecology.
Abstract The use of antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of mood disorders and psychosis has increased dramatically over the last decade. Despite its consumption being associated with beneficial ...neuropsychiatric effects in patients, atypical antipsychotics (which are the most frequently prescribed antipsychotics) use is accompanied by some secondary adverse metabolic effects such as weight gain, dyslipidemia and glucose intolerance. The molecular mechanisms underlying these adverse effects are not fully understood but have been suggested to involve a dysregulation of adipose tissue homeostasis. As such, the aim of this paper is to review and discuss the role of adipose tissue in the development of secondary adverse metabolic effects induced by atypical antipsychotics. Data analyzed in this article suggest that atypical antipsychotics may increase adipose tissue (particularly visceral adipose tissue) lipogenesis, differentiation/hyperplasia, pro-inflammatory mediator secretion and insulin resistance and decrease adipose tissue lipolysis. Consequently, patients receiving antipsychotic medication could be at risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A better knowledge of the impact of these drugs on adipose tissue homeostasis may unveil strategies to develop novel antipsychotic drugs with less adverse metabolic effects and to develop adjuvant therapies (e.g. behavioral and nutritional therapies) to neuropsychiatric patients receiving antipsychotic medication.
•Structural Economic Dynamics (SED) provides insights into the process of structural change, offering a synthesis between classical supply approaches and Keynesian effective demand views of economic ...growth.•The neo-Kaldorian theories also register as demand-led growth approaches to economic growth.•The present article contains the outcome of an extensive cross-fertilisation between both theories.•With this approach, we have made concepts such as cumulative causation and structural change more inclusive of the role of international learning and the real exchange rate.
Neo-Kaldorian (NK) theories encompass demand-led approaches to economic growth. Notwithstanding their substantial success, a Structural Economic Dynamics (SED) assessment of NK frameworks highlights insights that an aggregated viewpoint cannot address. The present article contains the outcome of an extensive cross-fertilisation between NK and SED theories. With this approach, we formally confirm Pasinetti's view that the acquisition and assimilation of novel production techniques is the main benefit of international relations amongst countries with foreign trade as a transmission channel. Besides, effective Balance-of-Payments (BoP) constraint-alleviating strategy, such as the proper management of the Real Exchange Rate (RER), shows up as a critical tool to promote growth-enhancing structural changes. We make concepts such as cumulative causation and structural change more inclusive of international learning and the RER, going further in establishing the connections between the SED and NK theories formally expressed.
Multiproduct biorefineries are promising industries to diversify the economy of developing countries. This work proposes a sustainability multidimensional optimization model for multiproduct ...biorefineries to evaluate the technical, economic, environmental, and social viability and support a multicriteria decision-making. The proposed model was used to evaluate the implementation of new biorefineries in Guinea-Bissau for bunches of fresh palm fruits (PF) and peeled castor seeds (CS) processing into higher added value products. The PF products evaluated in this study were crude oil, refined oil, stearin, and kernel oil, while those of CS were crude oil, refined oil, and stearin. The installation of seven biorefineries in Guinea-Bissau was defined to supply regional markets with these products. Mathematical programming was implemented from optimization models to maximize gross profit and job generation and minimize the transported distances of raw materials and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The biorefineries were subject to water and energy supply constraints, wastewater management, and raw material availability and demand. The data were obtained from secondary sources and compiled in Python programming language. To increase the robustness of the model, an uncertainty evaluation was conducted using Monte Carlo simulation. An availability of 3.66 × 105 ton a year of PF and 1.8 × 104 tons a year of CS was estimated in the base scenario. The model solution indicated the quantity of each product to be produced in the biorefineries to achieve a gross profit of 5.13 × 108 US$ in the base scenario, while it achieved 7.69 × 108 US$ in the optimized scenario for profit maximization. GHG emissions in the base scenario were 1.75 × 108 kg CO2eq, while these were 9.60 × 107 kg CO2eq in the optimized scenario. Job generation was 1.24 × 105 in the base scenario and 1.80 × 105 in the optimized scenario. There was a trade-off between profit maximization and GHG emissions minimization. The profit maximization increased GHG emissions by 150%, while by minimizing GHG emissions the gross profit decreased by 63%. Carbon offsetting for partial (only the additional emission) and total GHG emissions in the profit maximization scenario was also simulated at 0.03 US$ (kg of CO2)−1 and 0.10 US$ (kg of CO2)−1, which indicated a gross profit increase up to 3.12%. In this regard, it is feasible to offset the total GHG emissions to enable the profit maximization in the evaluated biorefineries.
Rhodnius prolixus is a blood-feeding insect that can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli to vertebrate hosts. Recently, genomic resources for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens ...have increased significantly, and R. prolixus has been one of the main species studied among the triatomines. However, the paucity of information on many of the fundamental molecular aspects of this species limits the use of the available genomic information. The present study aimed to facilitate gene expression studies by identifying the most suitable reference genes for the normalization of mRNA expression data from qPCR.
The expression stability of five candidate reference genes (18S rRNA, GAPDH, β-actin, α-tubulin and ribosomal protein L26) was evaluated by qPCR in two tissues (salivary gland and intestine) and under different physiological conditions: before and after blood feeding and after infection with T. cruzi or T. rangeli. The results were analyzed with three software programs: geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. All of the evaluated candidate genes proved to be acceptable as reference genes, but some were found to be more appropriate depending on the experimental conditions. 18S, GAPDH and α-tubulin showed acceptable stability for studies in all of the tissues and experimental conditions evaluated. β-actin, one of the most widely used reference genes, was confirmed to be one of the most suitable reference genes in studies with salivary glands, but it had the lowest expression stability in the intestine after insect blood feeding. L26 was identified as the poorest reference gene in the studies performed.
The expression stability of the genes varies in different tissue samples and under different experimental conditions. The results provided by three statistical packages emphasize the suitability of all five of the tested reference genes in both the crop and the salivary glands with a few exceptions. The results emphasise the importance of validating reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis in R. prolixus studies.
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