Objective
The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of a concurrent exercise (aerobic + resistance) training program, from the 17th gestational week (g.w.) until birth on low back and ...sciatic pain, and pain disability. A total of 93 pregnant women divided into exercise (n = 49) and control (n = 44) groups followed a 60‐min, 3 days/week, concurrent exercise training.
Methods
Low back and sciatic pain were measured with a Visual Analogic Scale (VAS). The disability resulting from pain was assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Measures were performed at the 16th and 34th g.w.
Results
The exercise group increased 21.9 mm less the VAS low back (between‐group differences (B): 95% CI: −33.6 to −10.2; p < 0.001) and 12.9 mm less the VAS sciatica score (between‐group differences: 95% CI (B): −21.8 to −4.0; p = 0.005) than the control group. Regarding the ODI questionnaire, the exercise group increased 0.7, 0.5, and 0.7 less than the control group in pain while sleeping (between‐group differences (B): 95% CI: −1.4 to −0.01; p = 0.025), pain while lifting weight (between‐group differences (B): 95% CI: −0.9 to −0.01; p = 0.016), and limitations of the social life due to pain (between‐group differences(B): 95% CI: −1.3 to −0.06; p = 0.032). Furthermore, the exercise group suffered 6.9% less pain than the control group in the ODI total score (between‐group differences (B): 95% CI: −13.9 to 0.053; p = 0.052).
Conclusion
This concurrent exercise training program adapted to pregnant women improved pain compared to controls.
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the most common and serious adverse drug reactions and a major cause of drug development failure and withdrawal. Although different molecular mechanisms are ...implicated in DILI, enhanced ROS levels have been described as a major mechanism. Human-derived cell models are increasingly used in preclinical safety assessment because they provide quick and relatively inexpensive information in early stages of drug development. We have analyzed and compared the phenotype and functionality of two liver cell models (Upcyte human hepatocytes and HepaRG cells) to demonstrate their suitability for long-term hepatotoxicity assessments and mechanistic studies. The transcriptomic and functional analysis revealed the maintenance of phase I and phase II enzymes, and antioxidant enzymes along time in culture, although the differences found between both test systems underlie the differential sensitivity to hepatotoxins. The evaluation of several mechanisms of cell toxicity, including oxidative stress, by high-content screening, demonstrated that, by combining the stable phenotype of liver cells and repeated-dose exposure regimes to 12 test compounds at clinically relevant concentrations, both Upcyte hepatocytes and HepaRG offer suitable properties to be used in routine screening assays for toxicological assessments during drug preclinical testing.
Globalization of fruit and vegetable markets generates overproduction, surpluses, and potentially valuable residues. The valorization of these byproducts constitutes a challenge, to ensure ...sustainability and reintroduce them into the food chain. This work focuses on blueberry and persimmon residues, rich in polyphenols and carotenoids, to obtain powders with high added value to be used as ingredients in food formulation. These powders have been characterized, and the changes in the bioactive compounds in in vitro gastrointestinal digestion have been evaluated. The results indicated that the type of residue, the drying process, as well as the content and type of fiber determine the release of antioxidants during digestion. In vitro colonic fermentations were also performed, and it was observed that the characteristics of digested powders had an effect on the composition of the growing microbial community. Thus, carotenoids and anthocyanins maintain an interplay with microbiota that could be beneficial for human health.
Aims
To explore the association of self‐reported physical fitness with bodily, lumbar and sciatic pain, and pain disability during pregnancy.
Methods
The present study sample comprised 159 pregnant ...women (32.9 ± 4.7 years old). Self‐reported physical fitness was assessed with the International Fitness Scale (IFIS), where higher scores indicate greater physical fitness. Bodily pain was assessed with the 36‐Item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), where higher scores indicate lower pain. Lumbar and sciatic pain were measured with a visual analogue scale (VAS). The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire was employed to assess the disability resulting from pain. Measures were assessed at 16th and 34th gestational weeks (g. w.).
Results
Pregnant women showed low‐moderate pain during pregnancy course. Most of them showed medium self‐reported overall physical fitness. At 16th g. w., greater self‐reported overall physical fitness and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with less bodily and lumbar pain, and pain disability (all, P < 0.05). Greater muscular strength was associated with less bodily pain and pain disability (both, P < 0.05). Greater speed‐agility was associated with less bodily pain (P < 0.01) and less pain disability (P < 0.05). Self‐reported flexibility was not associated with any outcome (P > 0.05). At 34th g. w., greater overall physical fitness and its components were associated with less bodily and sciatic pain (all, P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Greater self‐reported overall physical fitness and its components are associated with less bodily, lumbar and sciatic pain, and reduced pain disability during pregnancy. Future studies are needed to explore whether increasing physical fitness before and during pregnancy could decrease pain in this relevant stage.
Understanding how diet and gut microbiota interact in the context of human health is a key question in personalized nutrition. Genome-scale metabolic networks and constraint-based modeling approaches ...are promising to systematically address this complex problem. However, when applied to nutritional questions, a major issue in existing reconstructions is the limited information about compounds in the diet that are metabolized by the gut microbiota. Here, we present AGREDA, an extended reconstruction of diet metabolism in the human gut microbiota. AGREDA adds the degradation pathways of 209 compounds present in the human diet, mainly phenolic compounds, a family of metabolites highly relevant for human health and nutrition. We show that AGREDA outperforms existing reconstructions in predicting diet-specific output metabolites from the gut microbiota. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing data of faecal samples from Spanish children representing different clinical conditions, we illustrate the potential of AGREDA to establish relevant metabolic interactions between diet and gut microbiota.
Scope
As a result of the obesity epidemic, the prevalence of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing. No drug is approved for the treatment of NASH. In this study, the effect of a ...nutritional supplement, Mastiha or Chios mastic gum, on metabolic and histological parameters and on the gut microbiome in mice with NASH and fibrosis was investigated.
Methods and results
Advanced NASH was induced by feeding C57BL/6J mice a diet rich in fat, sucrose, and cholesterol for 41 weeks. After randomization, animals received the NASH‐inducing diet with or without 0.2% (w/w) Mastiha for a further 8 weeks. Disease activity was assessed by liver histology and determination of plasma transaminase activities. Fecal microbiota DNA extraction and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were used to determine the composition of the gut microbiome.
Mastiha supplementation led to a significant reduction in circulating alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, improvement in hepatic steatosis and collagen content, and a reduction in NAFLD activity score. Furthermore, it resulted in a partial but significant recovery of gut microbiota diversity and changes in identity and abundance of specific taxa.
Conclusion
This is the first study demonstrating an improvement in disease activity in mice with advanced NASH with fibrosis by a diet containing Mastiha.
As a result of the obesity epidemic, the prevalence of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. No drug is approved for the treatment of NAFLD. It has been demonstrated that a nutritional supplement, Chios Mastic Gum, can improve liver function and partially normalize gut microbiota composition in mice with advanced NAFLD, hepatic inflammation, and liver fibrosis.
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages around the world, and as a consequence, spent coffee grounds are a massively produced residue that is causing environmental problems. Reusing them is a ...major focus of interest presently. We extracted mannooligosaccharides (MOS) from spent coffee grounds and submitted them to an in vitro fermentation with human feces. Results obtained suggest that MOS are able to exert a prebiotic effect on gut microbiota by stimulating the growth of some beneficial genera, such as Barnesiella, Odoribacter, Coprococcus, Butyricicoccus, Intestinimonas, Pseudoflavonifractor, and Veillonella. Moreover, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production also increased in a dose-dependent manner. However, we observed that 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, furfural, and polyphenols (which are either produced or released from the spent coffee grounds matrix during hydrolysis) could have an inhibitory effect on other beneficial genera, such as Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus, Blautia, Butyricimonas, Dialister, Collinsella, and Anaerostipes, which could negatively affect the prebiotic activity of MOS.
The human gut is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community that has a great relevance for health. Metagenomics is increasing our knowledge of gene content as well as of ...functional and genetic variability in this microbiome. However, little is known about the active bacteria and their function(s) in the gastrointestinal tract. We performed a metatranscriptomic study on ten healthy volunteers to elucidate the active members of the gut microbiome and their functionality under conditions of health. First, the microbial cDNAs obtained from each sample were sequenced using 454 technology. The analysis of 16S transcripts showed the phylogenetic structure of the active microbial community. Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Rickenellaceae were the predominant families detected in the active microbiota. The characterization of mRNAs revealed a uniform functional pattern in healthy individuals. The main functional roles of the gut microbiota were carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and synthesis of cellular components. In contrast, housekeeping activities such as amino acid and lipid metabolism were underrepresented in the metatranscriptome. Our results provide new insights into the functionality of the complex gut microbiota in healthy individuals. In this RNA-based survey, we also detected small RNAs, which are important regulatory elements in prokaryotic physiology and pathogenicity.
We aimed to differentiate gut microbiota composition of overweight/obese and lean subjects and to determine its association with clinical variables and dietary intake. A cross-sectional study was ...performed with 96 overweight/obese subjects and 32 lean subjects. Anthropometric parameters were positively associated with Collinsella aerofaciens, Dorea formicigenerans and Dorea longicatena, which had higher abundance the overweight/obese subjects. Moreover, different genera of Lachnospiraceae were negatively associated with body fat, LDL and total cholesterol. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were negatively associated with the genus Intestinimonas, a biomarker of the overweight/obese group, whereas SFAs were positively associated with Roseburia, a biomarker for the lean group. In conclusion, Dorea formicigenerans, Dorea longicatena and Collinsella aerofaciens could be considered obesity biomarkers, Lachnospiraceae is associated with lipid cardiovascular risk factors. SFAs exhibited opposite association profiles with butyrate-producing bacteria depending on the BMI. Thus, the relationship between diet and microbiota opens new tools for the management of obesity.
We examined the association of the dietary habits and the Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence with sleep quality during pregnancy. A food frequency questionnaire and the Mediterranean Food Pattern were ...employed to assess dietary habits and MD adherence, respectively. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score (
= 150; mean age 32.9 ± 4.6 years). A higher consumption of fruits was associated with better sleep quality at the 16th gestational week (g.w.;
< 0.05). A greater olive oil consumption and a higher MD adherence were associated with better sleep quality at the 16th and 34th g.w. (all,
< 0.05). Contrarily, a higher red meat and subproducts consumption was associated with worse sleep quality at the 34th g.w. (
< 0.05). The group with the highest adherence to the MD (Tertile 3) showed better sleep quality than the group with the lowest adherence (Tertile 1) at the 16th and 34th g.w. (both,
< 0.05). A higher adherence to the MD, a greater intake of fruits and olive oil and a lower intake of red meat and subproducts were associated with better sleep quality along the pregnancy course, especially among sedentary women.
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