Influence of Dietary Fiber and Polyphenols During Pre-Gestation, Gestation, or Lactation on Intestinal Gene Expression.

Background/objectives: Diet composition is important for health, especially during critical periods such as pre-gestation (P), gestation (G), or lactation (S), due to its potential impact not only on the mother but on the offspring. The Mediterranean diet includes many healthy foods rich in fiber and/or polyphenols, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. The present preclinical study assesses the impact of a diet rich in fiber and polyphenols (HFP diet) during one of those three periods (P, G, or S, three weeks each) on the rat gene expression of the small intestine obtained at the end of the lactation period.

Characteristics of Non-Therapeutic Pregabalin Users Detected by a Community Pharmacies Network in a Region of Southern Europe.

: Since 2008, several cases of pregabalin abuse have been reported to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Despite this evidence, gabapentinoids are increasingly being prescribed. Moreover, pregabalin is being used in a recreational setting for its dissociative effects and euphoria.

TGF-β2, EGF and FGF21 influence the suckling rat intestinal maturation.

Some of the growth factors present in breast milk, such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), play important roles in the development of the intestinal tract. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a supplementation with TGF-β2, EGF and FGF21 on suckling rats intestinal maturation. For this purpose, Wistar rats were supplemented daily with TGF-β2, EGF or FGF21 throughout the suckling period.

Early-Life Supplementation Enhances Gastrointestinal Immunity and Microbiota in Young Rats.

Immunonutrition, which focuses on specific nutrients in breast milk and post-weaning diets, plays a crucial role in supporting infants' immune system development. This study explored the impact of maternal supplementation with M-16V and a combination of short-chain galacto-oligosaccharide (scGOS) and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharide (lcFOS) from pregnancy through lactation, extending into the early childhood of the offspring. The synbiotic supplementation's effects were examined at both mucosal and systemic levels.

Impact of maternal ve M-16V and scGOS/lcFOS supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the maternal immune system and milk composition.

Introduction: Maternal synbiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation can significantly influence the immune system. Prebiotics and probiotics have a positive impact on the immune system by preventing or ameliorating among others intestinal disorders. This study focused on the immunomodulatory effects of M-16V and short chain galacto-oligosaccharides (scGOS)/long chain fructo-oligosachairdes (lcFOS), including systemic and mucosal compartments and milk composition.

Maternal Synbiotic Supplementation with M-16V and scGOS/lcFOS Shape Offspring Immune Development and Gut Microbiota at the End of Suckling.

Immune system development during gestation and suckling is significantly modulated by maternal environmental and dietary factors. Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the optimal source of nutrition for infant growth and immune maturation, and its composition can be modulated by the maternal diet. In the present work, we investigated whether oral supplementation with and short-chain galacto-oligosaccharide (scGOS) and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharide (lcFOS) to rat dams during gestation and lactation has an impact on the immune system and microbiota composition of the offspring at day 21 of life.

Exploring the Impact of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Maternal Immune System and Breast Milk Composition in Rats.

Maternal breast milk plays a key role in providing newborns with passive immunity and stimulating the maturation of an infant's immune system, protecting them from many diseases. It is known that diet can influence the immune system of lactating mothers and the composition of their breast milk. The aim of this study was to establish if a supplementation during the gestation and lactation of Lewis rats with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), due to the high proportion of antioxidant components in its composition, has an impact on the mother's immune system and on the breast milk's immune composition.

Exploring Fracture Patterns: Assessing Representation Methods for Bone Fracture Simulation.

Fracture pattern acquisition and representation in human bones play a crucial role in medical simulation, diagnostics, and treatment planning. This article presents a comprehensive review of methodologies employed in acquiring and representing bone fracture patterns. Several techniques, including segmentation algorithms, curvature analysis, and deep learning-based approaches, are reviewed to determine their effectiveness in accurately identifying fracture zones.

Microbiota-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as a Postbiotic Strategy to Alleviate Diarrhea and Enhance Immunity in Rotavirus-Infected Neonatal Rats.

Rotavirus (RV) infection is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old, resulting in elevated mortality rates in low-income countries. The efficacy of anti-RV vaccines is limited in underdeveloped countries, emphasizing the need for novel strategies to boost immunity and alleviate RV-induced diarrhea. This study explores the effectiveness of interventions involving extracellular vesicles (EVs) from probiotic and commensal in mitigating diarrhea and enhancing immunity in a preclinical model of RV infection in suckling rats.

Microbiota-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote Immunity and Intestinal Maturation in Suckling Rats.

Microbiota-host communication is primarily achieved by secreted factors that can penetrate the mucosal surface, such as extracellular membrane vesicles (EVs). The EVs released by the gut microbiota have been extensively studied in cellular and experimental models of human diseases. However, little is known about their in vivo effects in early life, specifically regarding immune and intestinal maturation.

Advances in Nutrition: Opportunities and Challenges in 2022.

Many aspects of how food and diet can improve individual health, performance, and wellbeing remain to be discovered [...

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers in breastmilk from convalescent and vaccinated mothers.

Breastmilk contains antibodies that could protect breastfed infants from infections. In this work, we examined if antibodies in breastmilk could neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in 84 breastmilk samples from women that were either vaccinated (Comirnaty, mRNA-1273, or ChAdOx1), infected with SARS-CoV-2, or both infected and vaccinated. The neutralization capacity of these sera was tested using pseudotyped vesicular stomatitis virus carrying either the Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, or BA.

Effect of Rotavirus Infection and 2'-Fucosyllactose Administration on Rat Intestinal Gene Expression.

Viral infections are described as modifying host gene expression; however, there is limited insight regarding rotavirus (RV) infections. This study aimed to assess the changes in intestinal gene expression after RV infection in a preclinical model, and the effect of 2-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) on this process. From days 2 to 8 of life, rats were supplemented with the dietary oligosaccharide 2'-FL or vehicle.

Changes in prescription drug abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic evidenced in the Catalan pharmacies.

Introduction: The impact of a pandemic on the mental health of the population is to be expected due to risk factors such as social isolation. Prescription drug abuse and misuse could be an indicator of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Community pharmacists play an important role in addressing prescription drug abuse by detecting signs and behaviors that give a clearer indication that a drug abuse problem exists.

Rat Mucosal Immunity following an Intensive Chronic Training and an Exhausting Exercise: Effect of Hesperidin Supplementation.

Stressful situations such as a high-intensity exercise or exhausting training programs can act as immune disruptors leading to transitory immunodepression status, which can be accompanied by alterations of the gastrointestinal functions. Hesperidin intake has demonstrated ergogenic activity and is able to influence the intestinal ecosystem and immunity. We aimed to investigate the effect of hesperidin consumption in rats submitted to an intense training and a final exhaustion test, focusing on the functionality of the intestinal immune system and on the cecal microbiota.

Influence of Diets Enriched with Flavonoids (Cocoa and Hesperidin) on the Systemic Immunity of Intensively Trained and Exhausted Rats.

The aim of this study was to establish the influence of flavonoid-enriched diets on the immune alterations induced by an intensive training and a final exhaustion test in rats. A flavanol-enriched diet (with 10% cocoa, C10 diet) and a flavanol and flavanone-enriched diet (C10 plus 0.5% hesperidin, CH diet) were used.

Distinct breast milk microbiota, cytokine, and adipokine profiles are associated with infant growth at 12 months: an host-microbe interaction mechanistic approach.

Breast milk (BM) is important for adequate infant development, and it contains bioactive compounds, such as bacteria, cytokines and some adipokines which play a role in infant microbial, metabolic, and immunological maturation. However, little is known about its impact on growth and development in early life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of milk microbiota, cytokine, and adipokine profiles on the risk of overweight at 12 months of life to find the possible mechanisms of host-microbe interactions.

Galectins-1, -3 and -9 Are Present in Breast Milk and Have a Role in Early Life Development.

Galectins (Gal) are a family of conserved soluble proteins with high affinity for β-galactoside structures. They have been recognized as important proteins for successful pregnancy. However, little is known about their presence in breast milk and their role in early infancy.

Molecular and in vivo studies of a glutamate-class prolyl-endopeptidase for coeliac disease therapy.

The digestion of gluten generates toxic peptides, among which a highly immunogenic proline-rich 33-mer from wheat α-gliadin, that trigger coeliac disease. Neprosin from the pitcher plant is a reported prolyl endopeptidase. Here, we produce recombinant neprosin and its mutants, and find that full-length neprosin is a zymogen, which is self-activated at gastric pH by the release of an all-β pro-domain via a pH-switch mechanism featuring a lysine plug.

Creation and Implementation of a New Sentinel Surveillance Model in Pharmacy Offices in Southern Europe.

Traditionally, health sentinel networks have focused on the reporting of data by primary care physicians and hospitals, ignoring the role of the community pharmacist as an expert in drugs. The objective of this study was to describe a method for creating a network of sentinel pharmacies in a region of Southern Europe in order to have a pharmaceutical surveillance system that is representative of the territory to be monitored and that can respond to any events or incidents that can be followed up by the community pharmacy. The creation process was carried out in three phases: a first phase of selection through a cluster and population analysis and a final adjustment, a second phase of voluntariness and random selection, and a third phase of training and implementation of the network.

Overload During Suckling Impacts the Immune Development in Rats.

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland occurring in 3-33% of the breastfeeding mothers. The majority of mastitis cases have an infectious etiology. More than 75% of infectious mastitis are caused by and and involves breast milk microbiota alteration, which, may have an impact in lactating infant.

Fracture pattern projection on 3D bone models as support for bone fracture simulations.

Background And Objective: Obtaining bone models that represent certain types of fractures is limited by the need for such fractures to occur in real life and to be processed from medical images. This work aims to propose a method that starts from the design of specific fracture patterns in order to be projected on 3D geometric bone models, being prepared for their subsequent geometric fracturing.

Methods: The process of projecting expert-generated fracture patterns has been approached in such a way that they contain geometrical and topological information for the subsequent fracture of the triangle mesh representing the bone model, giving information about the validity of the fracture pattern due to the design process, the validation performed, and the relationships between the fracture lines.