Abstract Aim To examine the impact of gut microbiota on non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis. Data synthesis Emerging evidence suggests a strong interaction between gut microbiota ...and liver. Receiving approximately 70% of its blood supply from the intestine, the liver represents the first line of defence against gut-derived antigens. Intestinal bacteria play a key role in the maintenance of gut–liver axis health. Disturbances in the homeostasis between bacteria- and host-derived signals at the epithelial level lead to a break in intestinal barrier function and may foster “bacterial translocation”, defined as the migration of bacteria or bacterial products from the intestinal lumen to mesenteric lymph nodes or other extraintestinal organs and sites. While the full repertoire of gut-derived microbial products that reach the liver in health and disease has yet to be explored, the levels of bacterial lipopolysaccharide, a component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, are increased in the portal and/or systemic circulation in several types of chronic liver diseases. Derangement of the gut flora, particularly small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, occurs in a large percentage (20–75%) of patients with chronic liver disease. In addition, evidence implicating the gut–liver axis in the pathogenesis of metabolic liver disorders has accumulated over the past ten years. Conclusions Complex metabolic diseases are the product of multiple perturbations under the influence of triggering factors such as gut microbiota and diet, thus, modulation of the gut microbiota may represent a new way to treat or prevent NAFLD.
Consumers' food choices are often driven by reasons of which consumers are not fully aware. Decision-making about food is influenced by a complex set of emotions, feelings, attitudes, and values that ...are impossible to assess simply by asking consumers their opinions. Indeed, traditional techniques, such as self-reports or interviews, mainly allow the measurement of conscious and rational reactions to a product or advertising. Recently, there has been a rapidly growing interest in the multidisciplinary field of “neuromarketing,” which takes advantage of neuroscientific techniques to study consumer behavior.
This discipline applies neuroscientific methods and tools that allow the measurement of consumers' emotional and spontaneous reactions in a more objective and observable way. The aim of this paper is (a) to describe neuromarketing's underlying assumptions, techniques, and the advantages of this perspective, examining the scientific literature on the use of neuromarketing in food studies; and (b) to suggest best practices to apply this novel approach in the food marketing domain, with a specific focus on non-invasive methods.
Finally, although the perception of nutritional elements has already been explored, the health content of labels, the presence of additives, and the evaluation of the information conveyed by food packaging remain other possible elements of interest in future food neuromarketing research.
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•Food choice and neuromarketing is increasingly integrated disciplines.•Food literature referring to neuromarketing through the empirical techniques.•No studies in the field of food choices applying jointly more techniques.•Health information, additives and functionality as elements for further research.
•Trust and self-identity can help to explain the antecedents of organic purchases.•The theory of Planned Behavior succeeded in explaining both intentions and behavior of consumers.•Within the supply ...chain, according to consumers, trust toward farmers is the most important.•Trust should be leveraged in strategies aimed at supporting of organic products on the market.
The present study aimed to investigate, from a psychological perspective, the elements that are able to predict attitudes to, and purchases of, organic products. Our specific focus was organic milk due to the reputation established by this product over the years, especially thanks to sales by large retailers. The analysis was performed within the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior, which was extended to include trust in supply chain actors and self-identity of the consumers in question as “green consumers”. A large sample of Italian consumers (n = 1509) was interviewed in two stages in order to obtain data regarding both intentions and actual behavior in respect of organic milk purchase. Our results suggest that TPB is, indeed, a predictive model for explaining organic milk purchase intentions and behavior. Furthermore, it can be successfully extended to elements such as self-identity and trust. Yet among all the dimensions of trust in the different actors of the supply chain, only trust in farmers was supported by our results. Therefore, campaigns aimed at fostering trust in farmers could reinforce the position of this food category when required.
Understanding how an adequate food security may be determined, how nutritional intakes evolve over time and are influenced by global dynamics are few of the questions scholars are trying to answer. ...In addition, a great interest is devoted to the changes in consumers' preferences and expectations as well as to the analysis of food innovations and their impact on the global market. We review the recent and emerging trends in food supply chains of selected sectors (fruits and vegetables, meat, and seafood), and deepen on emerging trends in the food industry. By presenting the evidence provided by the literature and emphasizing the unresolved research questions, we offer a critical view of future directions that should be followed by research agenda.
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•We review recent trends in selected supply chains, and innovations in the food industry.•We focus on the role of food safety and packaging.•We review how attitudes influence purchase of novel and functional foods.•We comment on how nanotechnology are influencing the food industry.
Risk factors in gastric cancer Compare, D; Rocco, A; Nardone, G
European review for medical and pharmacological sciences
14, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Gastric cancer (GC) is still a major health problem worldwide due to its frequency, poor prognosis and limited treatment options. At present prevention is likely to be the most effective means of ...reducing the incidence and mortality from this disease. The most important etiological factors implicated in gastric carcinogenesis are diet and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. High intake of salted, pickled or smoked foods, as well as dried fish and meat and refined carbohydrates significantly increased the risk of developing GC while fibers, fresh vegetables and fruit were found to be inversely associated with GC risk. Epidemiological investigations (retrospective, case-control and prospective) and several meta-analyses have demonstrated that concurrent or previous H. pylori infection is associated with an increased risk of GC in respect to uninfected people. H. pylori colonizes gastric mucosa where it induces a complex inflammatory and immune reaction that on time leads to a severe mucosal damage i.e., atrophy, intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia. The risk of GC is closely related to the grade and extension of gastric atrophy, IM and dysplasia.
Today a plausible program for GC prevention means: (1) a correct dietary habit since childhood increasing vegetables and fruit intake, (2) a decrease of H. pylori spread improving family and community sanitation and hygiene, (3) a search and treat H. pylori strategy in offspring of GC, (4) a search and treat H. pylori strategy in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia (IM), (5) a careful endoscopic and histologic follow-up if precancerous lesions persist irrespective of H. pylori eradication.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often associate their symptoms to certain foods. In congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID), recessive mutations in the SI gene (coding for the ...disaccharidase digesting sucrose and 60% of dietary starch)1 cause clinical features of IBS through colonic accumulation of undigested carbohydrates, triggering bowel symptoms.2 Hence, in a previous study,3 we hypothesized that CSID variants reducing SI enzymatic activity may contribute to development of IBS symptoms. We detected association with increased risk of IBS for 4 rare loss-of-function variants typically found in (homozygous) CSID patients, because carriers (heterozygous) of these rare variants were more common in patients than in controls.1,4 Through a 2-step computational and experimental strategy, the present study aimed to determine whether other (dys-)functional SI variants are associated with risk of IBS in addition to known CSID mutations. We first aimed to identify all SI rare pathogenic variants (SI-RPVs) on the basis of integrated Mendelian Clinically Applicable Pathogenicity (M-CAP) and Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion (CADD) predictive (clinically relevant) scores; next, we inspected genotype data currently available for 2207 IBS patients from a large ongoing project to compare SI-RPV case frequencies with ethnically matched population frequencies from the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC).
Breath tests represent a valid and non-invasive diagnostic tool in many gastroenterological conditions. The rationale of hydrogen-breath tests is based on the concept that part of the gas produced by ...colonic bacterial fermentation diffuses into the blood and is excreted by breath, where it can be quantified easily. There are many differences in the methodology, and the tests are increasingly popular.
The Rome Consensus Conference was convened to offer recommendations for clinical practice about the indications and methods of H2-breath testing in gastrointestinal diseases.
Experts were selected on the basis of a proven knowledge/expertise in H2-breath testing and divided into Working Groups (methodology; sugar malabsorption; small intestine bacterial overgrowth; oro-coecal transit time and other gas-related syndromes). They performed a systematic review of the literature, and then formulated statements on the basis of the scientific evidence, which were debated and voted by a multidisciplinary Jury. Recommendations were then modified on the basis of the decisions of the Jury by the members of the Expert Group.
The final statements, graded according to the level of evidence and strength of recommendation, are presented in this document; they identify the indications for the use of H2-breath testing in the clinical practice and methods to be used for performing the tests.
Summary
Gastric cancer can be divided into intestinal type and diffuse type that differ substantially in epidemiology and pathogenesis. The most important aetiological factor associated both with ...intestinal and diffuse gastric cancer, is Helicobacter pylori.
Exposure of gastric epithelial cells to H. pylori results in an inflammatory reaction with the production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide that, in turn, deaminates DNA causing mutations. The complex interplay between H. pylori strain, inflammation and host characteristics may directly promote diffuse type gastric cancer or induce a cascade of morphological events, i.e. atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia, finally leading to intestinal type gastric cancer. Two mechanisms, genetic and epigenetic have been held to play a role in the molecular alterations underlying gastric carcinogenesis. The former, comprising changes in the DNA sequence, is irreversible; the latter, involving DNA methylation, is potentially reversible by eliminating the triggering agents. If H. pylori is eradicated before development of stable mutations, the risk of gastric cancer will likely be prevented. Thus, eradication of H. pylori might immediately reduce the risk of diffuse type gastric cancer, whereas prevention of intestinal type gastric cancer may be less effective if patients are treated later in the evolution of the carcinogenic process.
•Long term time series returns fundamental information on climate studies.•Short term time series returns information on temperature dynamics.•Comparison of heterogeneous series should account local ...dynamics and uncertainty.•RMN data represent an additional source of information in coastal areas.
The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the various measurement collections that contribute to the observation of Sea Surface Temperature in Italian Seas. Long term time series are collected since the 19th century but are affected by a large systematic errors. Despite the lack of accuracy, their contribution to the analysis of trends is fundamental into the climate change context. On the other hand, recent systematic observations are more accurate and continuous in space and time. Short term time series better define the status of the temperature during the last years in term of variability and dynamics.
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